"That truly is legendary. You could say it's the lifelong pursuit of every Battle Sister."
Yet Hopper could not bring herself to be happy.
"Steph, it's hard to bear. I don't fear battle, and I don't dread death, but my Battle Sisters die batch after batch. The sisters who escaped Ende Planet with me back then all passed away decades ago. Do you know how happy I was when I found out you were still alive?"
Steph poured some tea for Hopper and said with a smile, "That is only normal. Most Battle Sisters never have the luxury of your specific grievance; the vast majority of us die in one battle or another. Those who witness the deaths of their comrades-in-arms and manage to conquer that grief are not far from becoming Living Saints."
"They all say I will become a Living Saint, and sometimes I even hear His call. But... I feel I am not worthy."
Steph was quite surprised. "Why? Look at how many enemies you have slain for Him across the galaxy, how many lives you have saved, how many souls you have redeemed. Look at you—the God-Emperor's blessing keeps you so youthful. The you standing before me now looks exactly as you did decades ago. Why would you think you're not qualified?"
"I should unleash my fury equally upon all enemies. Yet, in my heart, there remains a chief culprit. I fear my hatred for him will interfere with what the God-Emperor wishes for me to do."
"Who?"
"Yuki."
Steph furrowed her brows tightly as she listened to Hopper recount Yuki's fall and betrayal. Once Hopper finished, a sense of relief washed over Steph instead.
"Yuki... back when I knew him, I always felt something was off about him. If only I had been able to—no. Perhaps from the very beginning, he was an accomplice to the Tyranids."
"Yes, and I want to purge him personally."
Steph shook her head. "There is no need to obsess over him. You must understand that the benevolent God-Emperor will surely grant your wish, just as He allowed you to make it out of there alive. As long as you fight for the Emperor with all your heart, He will inevitably fulfill your desire in the future."
Hopper understood the logic, of course, but understanding and accepting were two entirely different concepts.
"I—"
Before she could speak further, the chapel doors were pushed open. Steph looked up in surprise. "Are there more guests today?"
The newcomer walked straight to the confession booth, seemingly highly familiar with the layout of the place.
Steph's confession booth was a wonderful sanctuary in the chapel, providing psychological solace for the local residents. When Hopper had first heard Steph mention this room, she had even joked about when Steph's temper had become so gentle.
"Their lives are different from ours, Hopper. It took me a long time to understand this. Even with the God-Emperor protecting us, it remains true—their lives are simply different from ours."
Steph sat at the opposite end of the confession booth. Hopper joined her, even though it was highly against regulations.
"Are you here to confess?"
"No, Sister. I am here to find answers."
"What answers do you seek?"
"I want to know... does the God-Emperor truly love us?"
Steph pressed her hand down on Hopper's boltgun, her expression gradually turning grave. "What are you trying to say?"
"I am not sure to what extent He loves us, to make me endure such agony."
"The God-Emperor's love for us may be beyond comprehension. The suffering you endure is not His intent, but rather His righteous acts to deliver you from the hands of evil."
"Is that so? Perhaps I had a slight misunderstanding about Him before—or perhaps not. Sister, I have a question. How do you accept your destiny?"
"My destiny?"
"To be born into a world like this, to live in such a universe with endless enemies, worrying about your life every waking moment, watching your friends die—"
Hopper's gun was already aimed at the other side of the confession booth. Steph replied, "The fact that you call it destiny means we have no choice but to recognize this reality and keep moving forward."
"A beautiful answer."
Hopper pulled the trigger instantly. A tongue of flame erupted from the heavy flamer. Despite her old age, Steph's movements were still agile, allowing her to avoid being scolded by the heatwave.
Hopper took a step forward as the entire confession booth was engulfed in flames. However, the man remained standing upright amidst the fire.
The carapace on his body blocked the high-temperature flames as he walked forward step by step. Seeing that the flamer was causing him no harm, Hopper immediately drew her plasma pistol.
But before the weapon could finish charging, Yuki used warp energy to twist and warp the gun's components.
"I say, the three of us finally managed to meet after all this time. Is it really necessary to make things so tense?"
"Monster. I will absolutely never let you consume this planet."
"You said the same thing on Ende, and you said the same thing in Ultramar. You say that whenever you face an enemy, yet you never say what happens if you fail. Ultimately, it's nothing more than self-consolation—a way to show you did your best so you can't be blamed."
Yuki spoke as he turned his gaze toward Steph. "Steph, I didn't expect you to retire. I thought you would fight until the day you died."
"What did you come here for?"
"To eat. But then I noticed some old friends were here."
"I am not your friend."
Yuki was well-prepared for such a response and gave a light chuckle. "Yeah, I knew you'd say that. A few decades ago, it might have made me a little sad, but not anymore."
Hopper drew another gun from the inside of her thigh, unleashing a barrage of bolts directly at Yuki. Yuki was momentarily startled. "You actually hid a weapon inside that prosthetic limb of yours? Interesting."
Hopper fired frantically, but this level of attack posed no threat to Yuki.
Hopper had been improving, but the speed of her progress fell far short of Yuki's rate of evolution. Over the past few decades, the gap between them had only grown wider and wider.
"Alright, I just stopped by to take a look since I was passing through, and I'm pressed for time. There are a few places on this planet that won't be eaten completely clean. If you don't want to die, stay inside this chapel."
Before leaving, Yuki grumbled, "I was actually wondering if this would be a rather touching reunion. It seems the Emperor of Mankind really isn't protecting me."
With that, Yuki vanished from their sight.
Hopper chased outside. Even in this place where sunlight could barely be seen, blurry black silhouettes had begun to appear along the distant horizon of the sky.
"Dammit."
Steph was old now. Watching this scene unfold, even though the desire to fight swelled infinitely within her heart, she no longer possessed the spare strength to go out and slay the enemy.
"Sister Steph, farewell. The God-Emperor brought him right before me. What if this is the time I finally cut him down?"
Watching Hopper distance herself, Steph was reminded of her own youth. Back then, Yuki was just a low-level boss, and Hopper was merely a novice Sister.
"God-Emperor above... all of this feels just like a dream."