The True Golden Finger in Honkai is Alicia!

"My pain... I will make it bloom!"

With Hiyori Maru's hysterical cry, thick black mist with an ominous aura billowed out, completely engulfing Gwen. Even the light on his body was obscured, with only the light in his eyes remaining unchanged.

Chapter 78: Alicia Sis?

"..."

Facing Hiyori Maru's outburst, Gwen remained silent. He merely tightened his grip on "Yae Sakura," preventing her from escaping. He then allowed Hiyori Maru to unleash her power, silently operating the Meta Field to digest the energy Hiyori Maru was expending.

As for whether taking Hiyori Maru's outburst head-on would be problematic—

After experiencing Hiyori Maru's previous erosion, Gwen had put his mind at ease—

Although Nexus had helped him before, Gwen had personally felt the terrifying malice that felt like standing on the edge of an abyss when Luciel was resurrected.

Now, even without Nexus, with the experience from back then as a foundation, Gwen found facing Hiyori Maru, whose malevolent intent was far weaker than Luciel's during his resurrection, to be not exactly easy, but certainly a stable situation—

Even with Hiyori Maru unleashing her full power, in the center of the black mist, the light emanating from Gwen remained gentle and firm, completely unaffected.

"It seems the seal of the half-finished Ksitigarbha's Soul greatly restricts Hiyori Maru's application of her own authority."

Feeling that the intensity of the erosion was even less than he had anticipated, Gwen reached this conclusion in his heart and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Hiyori Maru's erosion ability was much weaker than expected, and he didn't need to worry about being eroded and controlled like Yae Sakura, all that was left to do was to wait.

Wait for Hiyori Maru's outburst period to pass, wait for her energy reserves to bottom out, and for her resistance to reach its weakest point, then he could proceed according to the plan.

And under Gwen's restraint, Hiyori Maru, who had temporarily seized control of the body, unleashed her full power, attempting to erode Gwen. However, facing the faint light on Gwen's body, she merely wasted her energy.

When Hiyori Maru's intelligence overcame the rage driven by resentment and regained control of her not-so-bright mind, she found that she had already depleted too much power to turn the tide.

"Finally facing reality?"

Seeing Hiyori Maru's explosive energy visibly decreasing, Gwen, after a brief mental calculation of the Meta Field's energy consumption efficiency for Hiyori Maru and himself, made his decision.

As he spoke, Gwen suddenly threw the "Yae Sakura" he was tightly restraining into the air.

Then, before the other party could react, Gwen swung his arms, and the light bands formed by the salvation beam instantly bound the "Yae Sakura" thrown into the air. Before she could resist, she was firmly restrained and pulled back to the ground.

"Heh... What, you want to finish the judgment before those scumbags opened fire?

Now you have a reason. I am the culprit who launched the nuclear bomb and destroyed humanity's last settlement. You can judge me to your heart's content, and then sentence me to the harshest punishment."

Even though she was tightly bound and unable to move, Hiyori Maru had no intention of quieting down and continued to chatter.

In fact, after consuming a large amount of her accumulated resentment and malevolent thoughts, Hiyori Maru even recalled some almost forgotten matters.

Since failure was already inevitable, she might as well vent her frustrations first.

Besides, these humans had no way to completely kill her. At worst, after tens of thousands of years, she'd be a good fox again!

However, facing Hiyori Maru's endless chatter, Gwen said nothing. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and amidst a soft glow, a pink figure quietly appeared.

"..."

The moment she saw the figure, Hiyori Maru, who had been chattering incessantly, immediately fell silent. She merely stared with her pair of scarlet eyes, fixated on the other party.

Meeting those eyes with an ominous red glow, the pink figure let out a soft breath and gently waved, greeting her:

"Long time no see... Ling."

"...Ling is already dead!"

Staring intently at the figure of Alicia that Gwen had materialized, Hiyori Maru stopped her previous madness. After a moment of silence, she coldly uttered these words.

"..."

Looking at Hiyori Maru occupying the body of Yae Sakura, which bore a ninety percent resemblance to Sakura, Alicia pursed her lips, her heart filled with mixed emotions. After all, it was she who had prevented Sakura from leaving, which led to the subsequent accident...

Facing the other party, even Alicia found it difficult to speak.

And seeing Alicia's silence, "Yae Sakura" revealed a clear look of mockery on her face:

"What's wrong, aren't you usually so eloquent?

Why aren't you speaking now?"

Although she felt nothing for this woman in her heart, that didn't stop Hiyori Maru from trying to provoke her.

However, as Hiyori Maru's gaze fell upon Alicia within the light, attempting to resume her old ways, she failed to notice that the light in the somewhat dim ruins had quietly brightened.

Behind Alicia, a faint green light also lit up on Gwen's wrist. However, with Alicia blocking the view, it did not attract Hiyori Maru's attention.

And as Hiyori Maru's mocking words attacked Alicia like sharp swords, the scattered, imperceptible light quietly entered "Yae Sakura's" body.

Hiyori Maru remained completely unaware of this, feeling only the great satisfaction of speaking her mind, and her entire being felt much lighter.

And when Hiyori Maru wasn't paying attention, the enchanting light around her had already dimmed, becoming almost invisible.

"But!"

Suddenly, facing Hiyori Maru's verbal assault, Alicia, who could only attempt to explain with pale words yet only received more merciless mockery, suddenly looked up and met those scarlet eyes without backing down:

"Sakura did not give up on Ling until the very last moment of her life.

Ling also responded to Sakura in her own way, Herrscher of Erosion."

As Alicia's words fell, the gathered soft light descended.

Behind Alicia, Gwen held the Light and Shadow Spark, which had a few faint black patterns. That gentle green light originated from it.

"Bastard! You tricked me again!"

Roaring with unwillingness, Hiyori Maru, sensing the abnormality in its own body, was furious, but it couldn't stop the light with comforting power from falling upon it.

"This isn't a deception, it's just to help you end this fifty-thousand-year pain."

Facing Hiyori Maru's accusation, Gwen's actions were not delayed in the slightest. The light green light continuously fell upon "Yae Sakura," who was struggling fiercely but unable to break free from the binding of the salvation light beam.

Soon, the very faint black mist on "Yae Sakura" completely disappeared, yet Gwen continued to output the light.

After another moment, "Yae Sakura" opened her eyes again. Looking at Alicia in front of her, "Yae Sakura" subconsciously called out:

"Sister Alicia!"

Chapter 79: The End After Ten Thousand Years

"Ling?"

Hearing this address, Alicia, who had been looking at "Yae Sakura" with some sadness, instantly showed a look of pleasant surprise.

"You're back?

I feel like I had a very, very long... dream..."

A look of confusion appeared on her joyful face. Ling had no questions about being bound. She had already been imprisoned and even shot before, so being tied up was normal...

However, as she spoke, it seemed as if she recalled something, and Ling's voice grew quieter and quieter. If Gwen's physical quality hadn't reached a superhuman level, it's likely no one would have heard the last word "dream."

Seeing "Yae Sakura's" reaction, Alicia felt as if she saw the lonely and solitary appearance of the girl who used to follow Sakura.

"...Sister Alicia, a lot of time has passed now, hasn't it?"

After a long silence, Ling spoke again, her voice trembling with unspeakable emotion and loneliness.

"...Yes, a lot of time has passed."

Alicia nodded softly, confirming.

Even though Alicia was usually enthusiastic, generous, and eloquent, she didn't know what to say at this moment.

After all, Alicia's usual style wasn't quite suitable for this situation. Even with Alicia's twelve points of sincerity and enthusiasm, it was the same.

"...It's truly fortunate to see you again after so long."

Pursing her lips, Ling tentatively asked, "Sister Alicia, Sister... did she already..."

"I'm sorry, Ling, I wasn't able to appear when I should have..."

Alicia apologized in a somewhat low voice, then her tone rose a few degrees as she said, "But, until the last moment of her life, Sakura still fulfilled her responsibility as an older sister."

"...Is that so?"

Lowering her head, Ling whispered, "That's good...

It's just... I really want to see Sister again..."

Ling's voice grew lower and lower, until it completely disappeared...

"..."

Looking at Yae Sakura, who was bound there without any movement, Alicia was silent for a long time.

However, it didn't take long before Yae Sakura raised her head again, though her face held a hint of confusion.

Glancing at Alicia, whom she didn't recognize, she then shifted her gaze to Gwen, who had long since stopped emitting light and was standing still behind her.

"Mr. Gwen, is... it resolved?"

Feeling an unprecedented lightness and emptiness in her body, Yae Sakura asked with disbelief.

Previously, in a moment of mental lapse, Yae Sakura's body control had been taken over by the opportunistic Hiyori Maru. She had only managed to issue a warning before falling back into the cyclical nightmare that had plagued her for five hundred years.

However, before the hellish nightmare could torment Yae Sakura again, before Ling's life could be brutally cut short before Yae Sakura's eyes, light illuminated the world that was darker than Yomotsu Hirasaka in Yae Sakura's eyes.

The "people" wearing human skin but appearing like demons in Yae Sakura's eyes vanished in the light, allowing Yae Sakura to once again embrace the figure she could never reach...

As a result, when her consciousness regained control of her body, Yae Sakura could feel the wetness at the corners of her eyes.

Upon waking up and feeling the long-lost lightness in her body, Yae Sakura concluded that Hiyori Maru had been dealt with, though she still found it hard to believe.

"If nothing unexpected happens, then yes."

Gwen nodded, walked around Alicia, and came before Yae Sakura. He waved his hand, dispelling the light bands that bound her.

However, to the surprise of both of them, after losing the restraint of the light bands, Yae Sakura's body went limp.

If Gwen hadn't reached out to support her in time, Yae Sakura would have likely fallen directly to the ground.

"However, after Hiyori Maru is resolved, that power will continue the paused process, forging a new Divine Key.

And after losing that power, your life may also..."

Gwen gently helped Yae Sakura sit on a large rock. Knowing her physical condition, Gwen explained in a low voice.

"It's alright, Mr. Gwen."

Hearing Gwen's words, Yae Sakura showed no sadness about her impending death. After catching her breath to fill the emptiness in her body, she even revealed a faint smile:

"Life has long since lost its meaning to me.

Surviving in this world for five hundred years was merely five hundred years of additional torment.

Now, to be freed from that endless nightmare, it is I who should thank you."

"..."

Faced with Yae Sakura's smile, which held a touch of delicate beauty in her frailty, Gwen was momentarily at a loss for words. He could only softly reply, "Well, I'm glad I could help."

"To meet someone as kind as you after five hundred years, this is also my honor... cough cough..."

As she spoke, Yae Sakura coughed a couple more times, her pale complexion gaining a touch of color.

However, this was by no means because Gwen had healed her. After the power that had fused with her for five hundred years was drawn out, Yae Sakura's life had reached its end. No medicine could cure her; this was merely a final burst of energy.

After coughing a couple of times, Yae Sakura, her complexion a little more rosy, spoke with a bit more strength. She turned and grasped Gwen's hand, saying somewhat breathlessly, "You have ended the nightmare that has plagued me for five hundred years. I have nothing of value to repay you with.

However, since death is inevitable, I do have a gift to offer you as thanks.

I only hope you won't find it too shabby..."

"...Alright."

After meeting Yae Sakura's unblinking gaze for a moment, Gwen gently nodded and agreed.

"That's good..."

Receiving Gwen's response, Yae Sakura displayed a somewhat relieved smile and let out a long sigh. However, the strength in her grip on Gwen's hand increased once more. Her form gradually became ethereal, and she finally vanished completely, leaving behind only a pink halo that merged into Gwen's body, and a long sword lying quietly on the ground.