Chapter 136: The Sins of the Past, The Blade of the Present
"Higokumaru! What a lovely name! I like it!" The little fox spirit was clearly thrilled, her fiery form brightening as she zipped around Yae Sakura in several delighted loops.
"My name is Rovel," he said with a warm smile. "Since you're calling Sakura 'Big Sister,' then... just like little Rin, you should probably call me Brother-in-law."
Rovel reached out a finger, gently teasing the impossibly cute Higokumaru. The little spirit didn't dodge, instead letting him stroke her tiny, flame-wreathed face.
"Brother-in-law!" Higokumaru chirped without a moment's hesitation.
"Hello, Higokumaru! I'm Yae Rin," the younger sister piped up, her eyes wide with wonder. "You can just call me Rin."
"Mhm, Rin!" Higokumaru replied cheerfully.
"How about... you just call me Sakura?" Yae Sakura suggested, a hint of awkwardness in her tone. "'Big Sister' sounds a bit strange."
"Big Sister is Big Sister!"
When it came to this particular point, Higokumaru suddenly became incredibly stubborn.
"..." Yae Sakura's lips twitched, but she wasn't the type to dwell on such trivial matters and quickly let it go.
"Oh, by the way! Big Sister, can you do me a favor? I have some business at the Tenshukaku!" Higokumaru pleaded, her voice full of urgency.
"The Tenshukaku? What are you going there for?" Yae Sakura asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Ugh... I don't know either..." Higokumaru's fiery ears drooped. "I've lost most of my Remembrance. I only remember that I need to go inside the Tenshukaku. There's... there's something very important to me in there. If I can get it back, I think I'll be able to remember who I really am!"
"Let's go then," Rovel said, nodding decisively. "We should head over before it gets dark." He turned and started walking, setting a clear path.
"Thank you, Brother-in-law!" Higokumaru called out sweetly, zipping ahead of him.
Seeing this, Yae Sakura took her sister's hand and followed closely by Rovel's side.
Soon, the four of them arrived before the imposing structure of the Tenshukaku. Its grand gates were sealed shut, refusing to budge no matter how much force they applied.
"Leave it to me!" A small, crackling fireball condensed in Higokumaru's paws. "Ha!" With a determined cry, she hurled the sphere of flame toward the massive doors.
The gates were instantly blown open with a resounding boom. As the smoke cleared, the silhouettes of several Death Soldiers could be seen stirring within the dark interior.
"Why are there monsters in a place like this?!" Yae Rin gasped, startled by their sudden appearance.
"Little Rin, close your eyes," Rovel said softly, setting the girl down and gently guiding her to Yae Sakura.
"Husband, be careful." Though she knew the depths of his strength, Yae Sakura couldn't help but offer a word of caution.
Rovel simply nodded. A blur of motion, a whisper of displaced air—and then silence. The Death Soldiers crumpled to the floor in pieces before they could even fully raise their arms.
"Ugh..." As the last monster fell, Higokumaru suddenly cried out, her tiny paws flying to her head. "I feel like... I'm remembering something..."
A pained expression twisted her small face. A flash of a memory, cold and oppressive, flooded her mind. A cramped room, surrounded by specially made walls. A single bed, a table, and a sanitation bucket. The suffocating feeling of being watched, monitored twenty-four hours a day without a moment of privacy. She didn't know why she was locked up there, only that she was.
"Higokumaru, are you okay?" Rovel asked, his voice laced with concern as he knelt beside her.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," she mumbled, shaking her head as if to clear it. "I just remembered some things from the past... I clearly didn't do anything, but... why did people lock me up...?" Her voice trailed off, her fiery ears drooping as she looked small and dejected.
"Do you still want to go up?" Rovel asked gently, leaving the choice to her.
"...Yes!" A flicker of determination returned to Higokumaru's eyes. She gathered her flames, blasting open the door that led to the second floor.
The four of them began their slow ascent. The Tenshukaku was a towering structure, ten floors in total, and each level they reached was guarded by more monsters. With every floor they cleared, Higokumaru seemed to recall more of her fragmented past, and with each memory, her own power grew stronger.
As they passed the fifth floor, she clutched her head again, a sharp cry of pain escaping her lips. This time, tears trickled from the corners of her eyes.
"Waaa... Why did they kill me... I clearly... I clearly did nothing wrong..." she sobbed, the memory now horribly vivid. They had killed an innocent girl, a child, and then justified their fear by calling it a hard-fought victory. They were cheering, celebrating her death...
"Higokumaru..." Yae Sakura scooped the trembling spirit into her palms, her touch gentle and comforting.
"Big Sister, I really didn't do anything..." Higokumaru whimpered, rubbing her eyes and looking up at Yae Sakura with a heartbreaking plea for belief.
"Mhm, I believe you," Yae Sakura nodded, her voice a soothing balm on the little spirit's frayed emotions.
After a long while, Higokumaru's sobs subsided. She regained her composure and, with a deep breath, signaled that she was ready to continue.
Upon clearing the eighth floor, Higokumaru suddenly stopped and turned to Rovel and Yae Sakura.
"As my power grows, the Remembrance flooding my mind gives me an increasingly intense feeling," she began, her voice trembling slightly. "A long, long time ago, I hurt many people... tens of thousands? No... millions of people."
She looked at them, her small face a mask of conflict and fear. "Big Sister, Brother-in-law... if I really am a bad person, what would you do?"
"Don't worry, we're all by your side," Rovel said immediately, his tone as certain as the sunrise. "Besides, since Higokumaru is so cute, she definitely isn't a bad person."
"Is that kind of thinking really okay?" A soft sigh escaped Yae Sakura's lips, a mix of exasperation and affection in her eyes as she looked at him. She then turned her gentle gaze back to the little fox. "But if you really did do something wrong, then you just have to work hard to make amends."
Their words, so different yet equally reassuring, seemed to move Higokumaru deeply, giving her the courage to press onward.
But as they passed the threshold of the ninth floor, she froze. The final, most terrible memory slammed into her. She recalled what she had done to Yae Sakura—the possession, the pain, the corruption. The sheer terror of her own actions paralyzed her, and she couldn't take another step.
Suddenly, a violent shower of crimson sparks erupted from Higokumaru's tiny form. Her body contorted, expanding at an unnatural rate, her cries of fear twisting into a guttural roar as she swelled into the form of a monstrous, nine-tailed fox.
"Rin!" Yae Sakura immediately shielded her younger sister, pulling her back.
Rovel stepped forward, placing himself between them and the frenzied Higokumaru. In this state, the fox spirit's power was wild but unfocused. She lunged and swiped, but against Rovel's calm precision, she was completely outmatched, quickly beaten into a wretched and desperate state.
"Higokumaru, don't give up!" Yae Sakura's voice cut through the chaos. "Don't succumb to the darkness in your heart!"
Hearing her Big Sister's voice, a flicker of struggle appeared on the giant fox's face, the beastly rage warring with the terrified spirit within.
"I'm going to get serious now," Rovel warned, his voice low and steady.
"Bro... Brother-in-law, don't hit me!"
In an instant, the giant, raging fox deflated, shrinking back down into the cowardly, adorable little spirit, who looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes.
"Big Sister... I did such terrible things to you in the past. Why... why do you still forgive me?" Higokumaru whispered, floating over to Yae Sakura. She had remembered everything now.
"Because we are the same," Yae Sakura said, her voice filled with a deep empathy. She gently stroked Yae Rin's hair, her other hand finding Rovel's as she gave him a tender look. "Both you and I are victims of the Honkai disaster. You were merely infected by Its will, a puppet to its malice. Choosing to forgive you is also choosing to forgive my past self."
"Waaa, Big Sister~!" The dam of Higokumaru's emotions broke. She flew into Yae Sakura's embrace and began to cry, not with pain this time, but with overwhelming relief and gratitude.
"Alright," Rovel said after giving them a moment. "Only the last floor is left. Jizo Mitama should be up there."
He pushed open the door to the final floor. At the very center of the Tenshukaku's highest chamber, a sinister, soul-like core floated in mid-air: Jizo Mitama. This was it—the final boss, and the deepest darkness buried within Higokumaru's heart.
As if sensing Rovel's gaze, the air before him shimmered and solidified. A giant Oni Warrior appeared from nothing, brandishing dual blades as it charged forward, slashing down with immense force.
"Sakura, let me borrow your blade."
Without a word, Sakura nodded and tossed her katana to him. Rovel caught it with practiced ease, the familiar weight settling in his hand.
"Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Ultimate Technique - Moonlit Shadow Dance!"
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