"I'm going too."
"Yae Sakura, you've been injured ever since you fought Kiana and the others, right? Leave this one to us. Trust in our strength."
"...Come back early."
Bai Chen gave Yae Sakura a thumbs-up, then turned and sped away.
As Yae Sakura ate the cookies, she looked doubtfully at the box in her hands. She always felt that Bai Chen's way of speaking had become rather strange after he took out that box.
"You damned brats! You all deserve to die!"
After Bai Chen's skill wore off and Yuno broke free from her restraints, she was about to head out to gather Honkai energy when she saw the thing downstairs that had trapped Judas Vow!
Thinking of Bai Chen's pitiful expression, Yuno felt utterly irritated! She immediately commanded vines to stab toward Judas Vow, trying to destroy the weapon that made her uneasy.
Yet her attack did not even leave a scratch on it.
"Judas Vow was the Eleventh Divine Key forged from Soul Steel in the Previous Era—the Key of Binding. If you want to destroy it now... that's impossible, isn't it?"
Bai Chen, who had rushed over, chuckled as he stated what he saw as fact. But to Yuno, those words were undoubtedly mockery.
"You again?! You ran away, and now you've come back to die!"
Yuno commanded vast swathes of vines to lash at Bai Chen. Her twisted expression revealed her determination to tear him apart.
"Even if you're cute, people will still hate you if you can't tell right from wrong, you know?"
Bai Chen stepped beside Theresa's Judas Vow and controlled it to launch several golden spears, shredding the vines to pieces!
As if it sensed the power of its former wielder, Judah radiated a joyful golden glow as well.
"Impossible! I'm the one blessed by God! I'm the strongest!"
Burning with rage, Yuno saw herself fall into a disadvantage after a single exchange. Rather than coming to her senses, she became even more frenzied.
Kiana, your sense of justice makes you think Yuno can be saved, but in this state, does she even want to be saved?
Under normal circumstances, she couldn't be saved anyway. But when had things ever been normal?
Honkai! You've always tried to destroy their humanity, but I won't let you get what you want! Whether it's for Kiana and Mei's wishes or my own selfish feelings, I have to do this!
Fuck you, Honkai!
"Die for me!! Urgh!"
The crazed Yuno stretched out both hands, and countless vines burst through the ground like giant pythons, charging at Bai Chen.
But Bai Chen did not dodge. He simply leaped up and slammed his foot into the ground, causing several enormous golden halberds formed from golden light to erupt from the earth.
In an instant, they shot up beneath Yuno. Before she could react, they pierced through her and hoisted her high into the air.
"Urgh! How could this be?!"
Spitting blood, Yuno covered the place where she had been pierced in disbelief. The draining of her life once again filled her with fear.
"No, I still have flower poison. I still have a chance!"
As the halberds vanished and Yuno fell to the ground, she began increasing the concentration of the floral fragrance, trying to poison Bai Chen as well.
But Bai Chen merely spread his hands to either side, and an orange ring of light exploded around him with a punch! The blast's massive hurricane instantly scattered all the floral fragrance, leaving not a trace behind.
"Judah, deploy!"
Bai Chen stroked Judah and spoke casually, his eyes calm and completely unwavering.
"No! I don't want to die. I have to escape!"
Severely injured, Yuno struggled to crawl across the ground. Now, she could not even summon the simplest vine.
Whoosh!
In an instant, dozens of golden spears fell and turned Yuno into a pincushion, completely ending her life as a Herrscher.
This Wasn't a Dream
"I don't want to die!"
Yuno awoke from her bed in terror, only to find herself lying there.
A dream?
"Yuno? Time to get up. If you don't get up soon, you'll be late."
Her mother's voice came from outside the room, urging Yuno to hurry up and go to school.
"Late... I'm late! It's almost time for the school gates to close!"
Hearing that she would be late, Yuno hurriedly sat up in bed.
"If you don't want to be late, hurry up and get up. There's your favorite miso soup this morning."
Her mother's warm words swept away Yuno's last lingering doubts.
"Okay, Mom."
Yuno knew she had only had a nightmare. How could her mother die? She would definitely live well.
There was no need to care about a nightmare at all...
"A nightmare? Get the hell out here!"
Suddenly, there came the sound of something shattering, followed by an angry roar from the sky.
Pink light replaced the morning sunlight and swept down from the heavens, wrapping around Yuno's body and dragging her upward!
"W-What's happening?"
Panicked, Yuno felt as though she was about to be pulled out of this world.
At the end of the sky, she saw what seemed to be a fourteen-year-old boy holding a pink card toward her.
Those pink torrents seemed to be coming from that card.
"No! I don't want to go! I still need to eat the miso soup Mom made! I'm about to be late!"
Yuno resisted the force of the pink torrent, trying to return to the ground and go back to her world.
Almost simultaneously, familiar vines immediately rose from the ground, binding Yuno and dragging her back down bit by bit.
"Damn it! Yuno, stop fooling yourself! Your mother and your school vanished in the Honkai long ago!"
Feeling the resistance clearly, Bai Chen mercilessly told Yuno the truth.
The instant she heard Bai Chen's words, Yuno felt as if a hole had been ripped open in her heart.
Painful memories from reality surged into her mind. Looking back at her former home, she saw her mother busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Large tears slid down Yuno's cheeks. Compared to this world, reality was like hell itself.
"Yuno, don't leave. If you leave, there won't be Mom's miso soup."
A mass of black mist seeped from the vines and brushed against Yuno's ear, whispering seductive words.
"Here, you can have everything. Even those classmates who never understood you will all come to like you."
Yuno struggled with all her might, and the vines' pulling force suddenly intensified.
"Everything outside is fake! Mom would never leave me! Stop lying to me! Let me go back to school!"
Yuno had made up her mind. She could never return to that world!
"Bullshit!! Hah!!"
Gritting his teeth, Bai Chen stomped the ground. As his pupils emitted brilliant light, a glass-like violet-pink flame raced around him like a wild beast.
"Bai Chen!"
"What's happening?!"
Everyone aboard Hyperion had found it strange that Bai Chen had not left after dealing with the Herrscher. Instead, he had returned to his original form and stood there blankly, holding a pink card.
Now, seeing the flame-like thing burning around Bai Chen, they cried out in alarm.
Other than Kiana and Bronya, everyone was startled by the flames. Though the flames' appearance gave even them a fright, they could accept it after seeing Bai Chen play with the Heavenly Fire before.
"Bai Chen, do you want to save her too?"
Kiana silently prayed for Bai Chen in her heart. She could not help with something like this at all and could only pray that he would be safe.
After hearing Kiana's words, everyone roughly understood what Bai Chen was doing. At the same time, they silently cheered him on.
Mei, meanwhile, fell into deep thought. Was it because of those words Bai Chen had said to her? You have to stay safe, Bai Chen!
"Get lost!"
With a roar, Bai Chen controlled the flames to instantly engulf the vines. Within a few breaths, the vines, like giant pythons reaching into the heavens, were burned to ashes.
"No!!"
Yuno stared wide-eyed at the vines turning to ash. Even the black mist vanished within the flames.
Without the vines binding her, Yuno shot toward Bai Chen like a tightly wound spring suddenly released!
"Listen."
Bai Chen grabbed Yuno, who had been dragged before him, and said angrily.
"The business of talking you around belongs to Teacher Himeko and Principal Theresa. I'm only responsible for saving you according to my own wishes."
"Whether you live or die means nothing to me. Your pain and emotional scars are none of my damn business. Right now! I have the ability to save you, and you can't resist. That's all, understand?!"
With the blazing flames as his backdrop, Yuno even felt that this child, a head shorter than her, was overwhelming her in sheer presence.
"Mm."
Yuno answered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's, then shrank back like a turtle, no longer daring to say another word.
Back in reality, Bai Chen looked at the card in his hand. Seeing Yuno's image printed on it, he knew he could begin the next step.
This was his first attempt. If it succeeded, he could save more people afterward.
"Hah!!"
Bai Chen immediately manipulated the power belonging to Yuno within his body and forcibly stripped it out.
At almost the same time, an agonizing tearing sensation came from his soul, completely unlike physical pain!
Though the pain was unbearable, like someone sawing through his brain, Bai Chen could endure it after experiencing that endless cycle of death.
It seemed this special ability was connected to the soul. Otherwise, it would not hurt this much!
"Bai Chen?! Teacher Himeko, let us go down there!"
Seeing Bai Chen suddenly reveal a pained expression, Mei hurriedly cried out. Thinking that Bai Chen had ended up like this because he listened to her, Mei felt indescribable guilt.
"You kids stay out of this! Quickly organize a rescue team!"
Seeing the previously orderly flames around Bai Chen turn chaotic, Himeko felt that something must have gone wrong. She planned to immediately organize a team and personally bring Bai Chen back.
"Mr. Bai Chen."
Bronya, who had been observing Bai Chen the entire time, spoke up to remind them.
"??"
Just as the pain Bai Chen endured reached its peak, a violent tearing sensation struck him, and a violet-pink light was stripped from his body.
It formed into a pale, unclothed body—the very Yuno who had just turned to ashes.
Bai Chen's eyes went unfocused as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
As the flames faded, several strands of Bai Chen's previously black bangs had also been dyed silver-white.
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Chen finally woke groggily in a hospital bed.
The moment he woke up, he saw Kiana and the others keeping watch by his side.
"That's wonderful, Bai Chen. You're finally awake."
Mei, who had been worried that something might happen to Bai Chen, hurriedly grabbed his hand and spoke excitedly.
"Thank you, everyone. You've really been watching over me this whole time? I'm so touched. Thank you, um... um... what are your names again?"
"Huh?"
Having just wiped away her tears, Mei looked at Bai Chen in horror. Everyone in the infirmary revealed expressions of utter disbelief.
Before you continue