Crimson Sakura and White Flower, United as One

(Xing did not have Kallen's soul within her.)

A beam of pure holy light blinded Raven, and she gently pulled the pure white panties back up over the girl's hips.

"Not male, huh? Then she's worth much less. Still, this little one is pretty cute." Raven pinched her cheek, but she remained expressionless, not even moving her eyes.

"Does your Stigmata come with a grow-up and outfit-change function?" Raven tore off her headscarf and carefully examined her face. As a free-to-play player, she was extremely envious of cheaters.

"Just to be safe." Raven took out a vial of Honkai Energy Inhibitor. Just as she was about to inject Xing, a chill ran down her neck.

A crimson blade had somehow come to rest against her throat.

"Get up. Don't touch her with your filthy hands." Yae Sakura looked at her coldly.

"Can you speak English?" Raven could not understand Japanese.

The black dodo girl stiffly turned her head, her eyes widening. "Sakura?" The other woman looked remarkably like the Flame-Chaser bearing the insignia of "Setsuna" from the Elysian Realm, but their auras were worlds apart.

"What are you saying?" Yae Sakura could not understand English either.

The situation became awkward for a moment...

The blade lifted slightly. Raven rose with it and raised both hands. Yae Sakura looked at her in disgust and snatched away the headscarf she was holding.

She sniffed it lightly. Ah, Kallen's scent~

Ahem, she should cut down this thief first before taking another sniff. No, wait, Kallen was right here. Why was she getting worked up over her clothes?

Just as Yae Sakura was about to strike, a faint white glow rose from the girl lying on the ground. Her body then dissolved into motes of light and reverted to its child form. The red Stigmata reappeared on her right hand, while the headscarf in Yae Sakura's hand vanished.

(PS: During transformation, the Stigmata transfers from the back of the right hand to the back.)

Inside the Stigmata Space—

"Impressive." The white-haired Nun placed her hand atop Xing's head. "You were actually able to recreate her. Your potential truly cannot be underestimated. Unfortunately, you still cannot control it, though she did take over your body for you."

Xing moved her hand away. "Who are you?"

"Kallen Kaslana. Is that the answer you wanted to hear?" The white-haired Nun stared at her expressionlessly.

"You are very special. You appeared out of nowhere, a Kaslana with such formidable consciousness that not even the slightest fragment of personality could break free and leave a mark in that space. I am curious why you possess Kallen's bloodline, as well as a Stigmata that shares the same origin yet is even purer. But that has nothing to do with me. My task is merely to administer the trial."

Golden chains slowly wound around him. "I sealed the Herrscher of Erosion inside you. If you can completely defeat her consciousness, you will obtain the twelfth Divine Key that has yet to be completed: the Key of Erosion. If you cannot, then destroy her completely."

At the side, specks of white light gathered into a figure. "Hm?" The white-haired Nun looked at her. "Have you come to take him away? You really are impatient."

The white-haired Nun disappeared. Then the newly appeared white-haired Nun looked at Xing, placed her hand on his head, and a trace of emotion appeared on her face. "Xing."

"?"

"Sakura, I'm leaving her to you."

"You are..."

Golden chains wrapped around him and sent him out of this space.

Reality—

A blazing red sword aura carved a long, deep ravine into the ground. Yae Sakura's face darkened as she pointed her blade directly at Raven. "How did she get so badly hurt?"

Raven, who had run away while Yae Sakura froze upon seeing Xing's grievous injuries, felt deeply wronged. "A fox did all of this! It had nothing to do with me."

Although Raven could not understand what she was saying, that look clearly meant she thought Raven had beaten her into that state. Still, half of Xing's injuries really had been caused by Raven.

"Crimson Prison Beast?" Sensing a familiar aura from Xing, Yae Sakura instantly understood who the culprit was. She was so furious that she nearly exploded. "Crimson Prison Beast, get the hell out here!"

"Strange, why can't I sense it anymore?" Yae Sakura felt her connection with that demon fox sever. "Never mind. I need to take her to a clinic first." Yae Sakura picked up Xing, nimbly climbed the rock wall, and sped away.

Raven watched the pink fox disappear into the distance, feeling a headache coming on. Should she chase after her or not?

That rabbit seemed pretty concerned about the little one, so she should be fine. Wait, could she be the Pseudo-Herrscher sealed here? Was that fox just now actually her accompanying Honkai Beast? Seriously, little one, just how popular were you?

It seemed very possible. Besides, her gaze just now had been terrifying, like a man watching his wife get stolen by some blond bastard right in front of him.

Better not chase. She did not feel like she could beat her. Her life mattered more.

Raven gloomily picked up Seven Thunders of Retribution. She should have asked Jackal to charge it up more before coming.

Who the hell added a limiter function to it? She could not even use its rated power now.

Jackal: "How could I let you use something so valuable however you pleased?"

Raven irritably scratched her hair, then her gaze suddenly fell upon Judah nearby.

The golden cross stood lonely in the ground, looking utterly miserable.

—Scene Break—

"You really are unlucky. Where is Xing now?" After receiving the message, Himeko dragged the despondent Theresa aboard the Hyperion and rushed to Yae Village.

"According to the tracker Bronya installed on Xing, he is currently..." Bronya's poker-faced expression suddenly shifted slightly. "Fifty meters northwest of us."

"Huh?"

After parting the grass, they found a little white-haired fluffball lying quietly there.

"Are you sure he was really kidnapped?" Himeko turned to look at them.

"Do you think we gave ourselves these injuries?" Kiana glared at her resentfully.

In the grass not far away, a pair of long pink fox ears stood proudly above the leaves. "As expected, Schicksal's people will help her." Yae Sakura stared at the golden symbol on Himeko's body and breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no helping it. She did not know how to save people, though she knew a little ordinary medicine.

"Kallen's child, I will protect you until I fall." Having returned to her Miko of the Divine Punishment form, she secretly slipped aboard the Hyperion and followed everyone back to St. Freya Academy.

Emergency Room—

"How is Xing doing?" Kiana looked at Xing inside the emergency room and asked worriedly. Although he had done that to Mei, he was still her teammate, and there had been no other choice at the time.

He suffered all this to save that girl. Once he got out of the hospital, this young lady would definitely give him a proper "workout." Kiana thought to herself.

"He's doing much better than expected. He only has some abrasions and mild fractures throughout his body. With his physique, he should be discharged after lying in bed for a few days." At this point, Himeko pressed a hand onto Kiana's shoulder and sternly addressed the three of them. "Tell me honestly. Did you go challenge an Emperor Class Honkai Beast?"

"What?"

"Explain to me why every one of your recorders showed such high values, yet zero points. And Xing—both his values and points exceeded the limit."

Congratulations to the Fire Moth team for taking first place in the second round of practical combat testing. Also, thank Crimson Prison Beast for the points gifted to Xing.

—Scene Break—

The medical environment needed to remain quiet, so Himeko took the three girls away. Xing was left alone in the ward, while a Fox-Eared Miko quietly slipped inside and gently stroked his face. "He looks so much like Kallen. And that little girl earlier should have been his older sister, right? I never thought I would get to see Kallen's descendants. Perhaps this is fate?"

The Miko leaned closer and sniffed. "Still, her Kallen scent is much richer than that Theresa's." She lifted Xing's right hand. "This pattern is a little different from Kallen's."

The scent of cherry blossoms filled the boy's nostrils. Xing groggily opened his eyes and found the Miko's face right before his own.

Nothing was scarier than sudden silence...

"Y-you, hello." Yae Sakura held it in for a long time before barely forcing out those words.

"Hello." Xing understood Japanese.

"Um, may I ask you for something?" Yae Sakura said, her face flushed red.

"What is it? If I can help, I definitely will."

"My body is about to give out. May I temporarily attach myself to you?" Since Xing had suppressed Crimson Prison Beast, Yae Sakura's power had greatly diminished. Though she possessed an independent Herrscher Core, she could not maintain this body that had long since decayed... yeah, right!

The real reason was that after thinking it over, Yae Sakura felt it was simply too inconvenient for a Herrscher to follow Xing around. She might as well attach herself directly to her. It would increase her strength, make close protection easier, and let Yae Sakura gradually recover her own power. What was not to like?

"Huh? What did you say?" Xing suspected there was something wrong with his ears.

"May I temporarily reside within your body?" Yae Sakura's ears burned. Why were you blushing? You did not blush when bathing Kallen or feeding her medicine five hundred years ago!

"Uh, I suppose that's fine. How do we do it?"

"Leave it to me."

Influenced by Crimson Prison Beast, Yae Sakura's Core actually possessed a distinct attribute. Though she had never truly inherited this era's Herrscher Authority, she could still wield a small portion of it.

Pseudo-Herrscher Yae Sakura's full title was Pseudo-Herrscher of Erosion Yae Sakura.

In the story, the Key of Erosion, Jizo-Mitama, could use its power to project Yae Sakura from the Stigmata Space into the real world. Then the reverse should work as well.

The Miko's body dissolved into pink motes of light, leaving only a pink crystal behind. It slowly merged into his chest.

A burning sensation spread from the back of his left hand as three red tomoe patterns gradually emerged.

Second Stigmata: Yae Sakura acquired.

Inside Xing's Stigmata Space, the white-haired Nun smiled faintly. Her body collapsed into white particles of light, but this time, she had truly disappeared. (She will appear again later.)

Xing touched the top of his head. Thankfully, he had not grown fox ears.

"How do you feel?" Yae Sakura's gentle voice sounded beside his ear.

"I feel great." A warm current flowed through every part of his body, healing all the injuries he had suffered.

"Oh no!" Yae Sakura seemed to remember something. "I forgot to bring Judah when I took you away!"

"What did you say?" Xing was a little confused.

(PS: Xing had no memories of transforming into Kallen. He only knew that it happened. He recited the transformation line subconsciously, since a card player's instincts were already etched into his DNA.)

World Serpent Base—

Jackal looked with satisfaction at the golden cross before her. Although Raven had failed to bring Xing back, she had returned with interesting intelligence and the Key of Binding, which was enough to make up for her failure.

Recalling the intelligence Raven had brought back, Jackal licked her lips hungrily. "Just how many secrets do you have, Xing Kaslana? I want you so badly..."

After finishing her little fit, she turned her attention to Oath of Judas. "Those idiots at Schicksal cannot bring out your true power at all. Let me awaken your potential."

At that moment, Judah seemed to sense something. The spears on both sides abruptly unfolded, shattering the experimental pod that had contained it. Then it shot upward like a missile. After blasting through who knew how many floors and ceilings, it leisurely flew away from the World Serpent base.

"No—!" Jackal screamed in frustration.

Hyperion Captain's Quarters—

"Judah, my Judah, waaaah..." Theresa rolled around on the floor, crying endlessly.

"Stop crying, Theresa. Where is your pride as an S-Rank Valkyrie?" Himeko tried to comfort her.

"But Judah flew away! It has been with me for so long. What am I supposed to do without it?" Theresa wailed.

At that moment, a young woman suddenly pushed open the captain's quarters door. "This is bad, Captain Himeko! The radar shows a small object rapidly approaching the Hyperion!"

"What? An anti-air missile?" Himeko instantly became completely serious.

The young woman's expression was extraordinary. "No. It is Lady Theresa's weapon, Oath of Judas."

???

Inside the Ward—

A trace of sorrow filled Xing's eyes as he looked at the clouds outside the window. The Miko kept apologizing to him. "It's fine, it wasn't your fault. Maybe Judah will suddenly fly back on its own? Look, doesn't that cloud look a lot like Judah... Holy shit!"

The golden cross smashed through the ship's window and landed beside Xing's hospital bed.

???