Hearing Yuno's answer, Bai Chen bit his lip and looked at her with pity. Had Honkai twisted a person's mind that badly?
"Because of humanity, you didn't tell Mother because you didn't want her to worry..."
Bai Chen raised his gun, ready to end Yuno's suffering and begin the next step of the operation. Then, he suddenly caught what seemed to be a trace of floral fragrance in the air.
Not good!
Thinking of Yuno's ability, Bai Chen ignored her and immediately turned around, leaping several times until he reached Theresa, whose eyes were unfocused.
He scooped up Theresa's light body and jumped out the window. Before that, he also conveniently kicked Judah, which belonged to Theresa, downstairs.
As he fled outside, Bai Chen could not help wondering. Wasn't Yuno's ability to poison the air something she only gained after collecting Honkai energy for a period of time?
Could it be because she had once turned into a Herrscher in Changkong City, causing the Honkai energy concentration there to become higher than in the original story? Had mentioning her mother worsened her mutation?
Bai Chen could not figure it out. To keep Theresa, who had already been poisoned, from suffering a worse reaction, he could only take her away first.
Held in Bai Chen's arms, Theresa felt that hard-won warmth and revealed a relieved smile.
Then she reached out and stroked Bai Chen's face. Right now, she felt as though she were being held by her mother, even though she had not seen her mother for over forty years since birth.
Soon afterward, Theresa lost consciousness and fell into a peaceful sleep.
"Kallen? Is that you?"
The moment Bai Chen stepped out of the school gates, a sakura-colored figure emerged from beneath a tree, staring at Bai Chen and Theresa in his arms with complicated eyes.
Yae Sakura
"Give your body to me. There is nothing left in this world for you to miss. Five hundred years have passed, and everything has changed. Why not give your body to me?"
Yae Sakura wandered through Changkong City. Perhaps the concentration of Honkai energy had reached the required level, or perhaps the timing of the seal's release was simply right. Yae Sakura was finally able to see the light of day again.
Ever since Yae Sakura awakened, that Herrscher consciousness had constantly tempted her, attempting to drag her into darkness once more.
But Yae Sakura had been snapped awake by Kallen during the sealing, and after enduring five hundred years, she could not possibly be fooled so easily again.
Moreover, after being defeated by Kiana and the others, the Honkai power on Yae Sakura's body had weakened considerably. Now, Yae Sakura had completely taken control of her body.
"More than five hundred years! That Kallen died long ago. There is no one left in this world that you know. Why do you even care about this rotten world? Do you want to protect it? Don't forget, you're also a demon with countless lives on your hands."
The Herrscher consciousness, Hiyori, still refused to give up and continued interfering with Yae Sakura.
"You're also a pseudo-Herrscher. You're no different from the one born in that school..."
Before Hiyori could finish, Bai Chen rushed out through the school gates carrying Theresa, anxiously searching for somewhere quiet to treat Theresa's poison.
"!!!!"
Hiyori was so shocked that her jaw nearly hit the floor. She had just said Kallen was dead, only to be slapped in the face. This woman might actually still be alive after five hundred years!
Impossible! This person had to be a fake! Yet the scent told her that the woman before her was Kallen herself!
Kallen? Yae Sakura walked toward Kallen in disbelief. She had already prepared herself to say a final farewell to Kallen, yet Kallen had now appeared before her like this.
As she drew closer, Yae Sakura suddenly noticed the "child" in Kallen's arms. That child looked extremely similar to Kallen and even carried Kallen's scent.
Was she Kallen's child? She herself had slept for five hundred years as well.
With mixed feelings, Yae Sakura walked toward Bai Chen.
"Kallen?"
Hearing Yae Sakura call out, Bai Chen instinctively looked over and saw the person he had waited so long for.
"Sakura?"
When Bai Chen responded, Yae Sakura immediately confirmed that the person before her knew Kallen. She rushed forward in excitement and hugged Bai Chen from behind.
"Whoa!!"
Bai Chen felt the softness against his back, and a tingling sensation ran through his body.
"I'm leaving her to you."
After saying that, Bai Chen immediately went offline, sinking his consciousness into the sea of awareness and letting Kallen take over.
"This is wonderful, Sakura. You're alive after all."
After being brought forward, Kallen finally saw Yae Sakura again after centuries apart, and excited tears slipped from her eyes.
If she had not been holding Theresa, she would have wanted to turn around and embrace Yae Sakura immediately.
After sharing a brief tender moment with Yae Sakura, Kallen became serious again. Theresa's poison had not yet been cured, so every second counted.
"Sakura, the situation is urgent. This little one has been poisoned by that Herrscher. Stay close to me, and we'll go somewhere convenient for treatment."
Having attended school together with Bai Chen inside his body for several days, Kallen naturally understood what they needed to do next.
After gaining Yae Sakura's agreement, Kallen carried Theresa in one arm and took Yae Sakura's hand with the other, heading to an open area.
Thanks to Himeko coordinating from above, a small airship descended only moments later and brought them aboard the Hyperion.
As someone from five hundred years ago, Yae Sakura stood by the window with stars in her eyes, looking at the things outside. She had never even seen anything like this before.
"Tch, what a country bumpkin."
Hiyori muttered disdainfully. She had seen things far more impressive than this. What was something like this supposed to be?
"Bai Chen! How's Auntie?"
Kiana had been watching the battle from above in real time and had already been unable to sit still when Theresa was poisoned. Now that Theresa had been brought aboard, she hurried over immediately.
"Don't worry, Kiana. Miss Theresa's poisoning isn't serious."
Kallen reassured Kiana. In truth, she could not tell whether Theresa was truly alright, but Fu Hua could. On the way here, she had already performed emergency treatment on Theresa according to Fu Hua's instructions.
"That's great. Wait, Sister Kallen?"
Kiana felt that Bai Chen's temperament was off. This feeling was clearly Sister Kallen's.
"Huh? You? That inexplicable person from Changkong City?"
Only then did Kiana notice Yae Sakura, who had been silently following behind Kallen.
"I am Yae Sakura. Miss Kiana, I apologize for offending you a month ago."
Seeing them talk, Yae Sakura naturally did not want to make things difficult for Kallen and took the initiative to apologize to Kiana.
"Huh? You met before?"
Kallen looked at them in confusion. What was with this atmosphere where she was the only one who did not know anything?
"Yes. When I first broke free from the seal, I had some friction with Kiana."
Yae Sakura explained.
"Huh? Did something happen?"
Bai Chen was somewhat confused. Was that some setting from a place in the manga he had not noticed? After all, the earliest Honkai Impact 3rd manga had once followed Honkai Impact 2nd.
"Kallen."
Yae Sakura suddenly grabbed Kallen's sleeve and asked with confusion on her face:
"Why did Miss Kiana call you Bai Chen from the beginning?"
Questioned like that, Kallen revealed a sorrowful expression, looking as though she wanted to speak but could not. Kiana and the surrounding staff sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere and left the area.
Within a few breaths, the previously crowded space instantly became empty.
Seeing that Kallen remained silent, Bai Chen had no choice but to take over again. "I'll explain."
"Kallen?"
Yae Sakura felt as though Kallen had changed somehow, but she could not tell where.
"Miss Yae Sakura, I am not Kallen. I am actually a man named Bai Chen. Kallen is currently residing within my body because of my ability."
Knowing that it was best to tell her as soon as possible, Bai Chen quickly explained the truth.
"As for Kallen..."
Bai Chen quickly explained Kallen's current state, how they shared one body, and even the effects of his ability to Yae Sakura.
After hearing the whole story, Yae Sakura felt as though her brain was overloaded. The shock was even greater than the airships had given her.
But there was one thing she understood very clearly: Kallen was worried that she would not accept who she had become.
"Kallen is Kallen. Our memories are the same, and you are naturally still the Kallen I love most."
Kallen had once saved her when she was being corrupted by Honkai. How could she reject Kallen now? Even if Kallen only had her memories, she was still Kallen!
After Yae Sakura voiced what was in her heart, Bai Chen immediately felt Kallen's emotions improve. As expected, only the person who tied the knot could untie it.
"See? To her, you're obviously still Kallen."
"I hear you, I hear you!"
Kallen hid inside Bai Chen's body with a deeply flushed face, unwilling to show herself. This was simply too embarrassing!
Battle!
"Ms. Himeko, how is the Principal?"
Mei, who had been waiting outside the door, hurriedly asked when she saw Himeko emerge. Although she had heard Kallen's answer, she would only feel at ease after hearing it from a professional.
"Theresa's condition is stable. The poisoning was not severe to begin with. With the medical system's help, she should wake up in a few hours."
After Himeko delivered the good news, everyone visibly relaxed.
But Himeko did not tell them that one reason Theresa could wake up so quickly was that the Honkai Beast cells in her body were also consuming the poison.
"Hah! Theresa is an S-rank Valkyrie, yet she got taken down right away. She's not even as good as Bai Chen transforming into Sister Kallen."
Now that she knew Theresa was safe, Kiana immediately started mocking her aunt. If Theresa heard that, she would probably wake up from her coma just to give Kiana two hard punches.
Seeing that Theresa was not in serious danger as he had expected, Bai Chen immediately turned to leave. Transforming continuously consumed stamina, even though the consumption outside combat was not much.
Still, the earlier battle had used up some of his strength, so it was best to settle this quickly.
"Grrr..."
Bai Chen had not gone far before he heard a stomach growl behind him.
When he turned around, it was indeed Yae Sakura. Her face was red as she covered her stomach, looking somewhat at a loss.
She had not eaten for five hundred years, and Honkai energy had reduced her consumption, but in a low-concentration place like the Hyperion, she became hungry easily.
"Are you hungry?"
As Bai Chen asked, he tried to recall where the Hyperion's dining area was. What a hassle. He had never actually eaten aboard the Hyperion either.
Probably only Mei and Kiana knew where the Hyperion's dining area was.
Unfortunately, Nutrient Solution would not fill her up. It would have been nice if he still had Mei's box of cookies. That box would have been just right, but sadly, he did not.
Just as Bai Chen thought that, a small silver light screen accompanied by a pink glow suddenly appeared, covering one of Bai Chen's hands without anyone noticing.
When the light screen disappeared, a box of cookies had appeared in Bai Chen's hand.
Sensing that something felt wrong, Bai Chen raised his hand and stared at the cookies in deep thought.
The box was warm, as though it had only just been made, just like the one Mei had given him back then.
Why? Judging by the box's color, it was not the one he had eaten. The three boxes Mei took away had different colors. Wait, had Mei really taken away all three boxes?
"Yae Sakura? Look here. Ta-da, I happen to have a box of cookies."
Bai Chen did not announce his discovery. For now, he guessed it might be one of his abilities, though it did not seem very controllable.
"Ah, thank you, Kallen. Would you like some too?"
Yae Sakura accepted the cookies and thanked him. After taking a few bites, she found them unexpectedly delicious. Yae Sakura's gaze sharpened. Kallen's position as the better cook absolutely could not be challenged!
"It's Bai Chen now. I don't really mind, but don't call Kallen by the wrong name."
In a good mood, Bai Chen teased her before turning to leave.
"Bai Chen, what are you going to do?"
Seeing Bai Chen leave, Yae Sakura immediately followed after him.
"To save a pitiful soul."
Before you continue