Vacant Kiana: "I Refuse." / Kiana: "Puzzle-Talkers Can Go to Hell!"

"Oh..."

Gwen, having tasted the bittersweetness of love in the young girl, chuckled softly, without reminding Anna that this was even more suspicious.

After seeing Anna off, Gwen didn't rest, but instead thought about important matters—

A sweet and sour romance is certainly delightful, but to continue enjoying it requires effort.

"What Aponia saw before..."

The falling sun... was it the moment she witnessed Apollo's fall?

No... she probably doesn't know about Apollo's existence yet...

Excluding the possibility that she can only see symbols, it can only be...

"I will die someday in the future... or at least in a situation as dire as the fall of the sun?"

442

Chapter 442 Vacuum Kiana: I won't choose.

"And in the current Solar System, what could possibly bring me to that level..."

The chakra cannot do it; only the Cocoon of the End can.

However, there should still be a few years until the final moment, so it shouldn't be a big problem...

Even if Kevin can no longer provide any improvement, I can still go to Sasha's place and practice with the Saint Seiya; there will always be some improvement.

So... it shouldn't be the Cocoon of the End.

If we exclude the possibility that Aponia could see the future of other worlds, and push me to that point...

It must be some entity within the Star Rail universe...

I guess it was some kind of Emanator...

After all, if it were the Star God who intervened, Aponia probably wouldn't have witnessed the so-called fall of the sun...

Ultimately, it's still not strong enough...

It seems that after sending Kiana and the others to the Elysian Realm, I'll need to put my own character enhancements back on the agenda.

For now, we'll make do with Kevin while keeping an eye on the situation with the others, such as Sasha.

If I could go to the Sanctuary with Sasha, even if it was just to test this guy of unknown origin, those shady characters from Manigoldo would come knocking on my door...

However... flames rose from the ashes...

Tsk... Aponia doesn't even have a nickname like Fried, so they can't come up with a plot like "when ashes are paired, fire is ignited"...

I can't possibly burn myself like the king next door, can I?

And finally, everything was buried in flames...

Either everything I have in the future will be destroyed by something like Nanook in the form of flames, or I will possess some kind of flame-like power that obscures my future...

Heh... Anyway, just keep getting stronger.

Level 9 only allows me to use the consciousness of an ordinary Herrscher as an experience pack, and I'm still far from reaching the average combat power of an Emanator. What about higher levels?

Level 10, Level 11, Level 12?

After pondering for a while the future revealed in Aponia's vision, Gwen didn't entertain any intention of deliberately doing anything to circumvent the prophecy.

In the stories about language that Gwen knew, trying to prevent prophecies from coming true was futile; the only right thing to do was to strengthen oneself.

Especially since... he has the ability to continue becoming stronger—

"QQ... oops, Ultimate Lifeform or Machine God... which one should I choose?"

The Ultimate Lifeform, at present, is the one whose upper limit is Touko. In terms of raw strength, he surpasses the new generation of ultimate forms. In a one-on-one fight, he is at least 40/60 with Ultra Light Zero. If he fights with all his might, he can force that old... charlatan King of Ultra to think that there might be a loss of members and has to personally intervene...

And the Machine God...

It seems like this doesn't exist in any of the works or worldviews I'm familiar with...

Furthermore, can Apollo's machine alone truly support this capability?

With his gaze shifting between two optional development paths, Gwen found himself in a difficult choice, a choice for which the answer was already becoming clear...

The following afternoon, in the training grounds of Destiny Headquarters, Gwen saw Kiana, who was drenched in sweat and looked as if she might collapse from exhaustion at any moment.

"..."

Seeing Kiana was almost exhausted but still gritting her teeth and persevering, Gwen sighed, came behind Kiana, and lifted Kiana up with his arm.

"Huh?"

Kiana, so focused that she was completely unaware of Gwen's arrival, flailed her limbs in vain, looking utterly comical.

"You silly girl, are you trying to ruin your health?"

Gwen placed Kiana on the sofa chair for resting, flicked her head with his finger, shook Kiana head and asked with a smile.

"I don't..."

The pain in her forehead brought Kiana back to her senses somewhat, but she still instinctively retorted—

"I just want to become stronger as quickly as possible..."

Even though she was refuting, her soft voice betrayed the girl's lack of confidence.

"You're not trying to get stronger quickly, you're trying to get yourself into the hospital quickly."

Gwen tapped Kiana's head again.

"Hey, what are you doing? You'll get dumber if you keep tapping."

Kiana covered her head with both hands, glaring fiercely at Gwen as she had back at the Senba Academy.

Beneath that fierce expression, Gwen saw no resentment or dissatisfaction from the girl, only a deep unease and a hint of... relief and reassurance.

"It's okay, even if an idiot gets dumber, he'll just become an even dumber idiot."

Gwen casually waved his hand and said indifferently, which made Kiana's expression become even more "fierce," and her tired eyes regained some of their sparkle.

It was eyeing Gwen, seemingly looking for a good place to bite.

"Alright, stop peeking. With your teeth, you can't even bite me..."

Gwen chuckled at Kiana's unfriendly gaze and stood up—

"Judging from your appearance, you probably won't be able to calm down."

Since that's the case, come with me. There are some things I need to tell you that might make you feel better.

"Um?"

Kiana blinked in confusion, but her body still instinctively followed Gwen's movements.

Once home, Gwen first told Kiana to take a shower and wash off the sweat.

When Kiana emerged wearing Gwen's ill-fitting bathrobe, the somewhat disheveled girl was clean and tidy again, carrying a faint scent of shower gel.

"Gwen, what are you going to say?"

When I went into the bathroom before, I didn't feel anything because of the immense psychological pressure.

When Kiana came out and saw the clothes she had thrown into the washing machine, she realized that she had done something stupid.

Even though her body was completely covered by her bathrobe, Kiana still felt a little uncomfortable looking at Gwen across from her, so she took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Some topics that make you happy."

Looking at Kiana, whose long white hair flowed freely, making her as beautiful as a lotus Phoebe, but whose small, oval face lacked any ladylike demeanor that somewhat spoiled the beauty, Gwen smiled and kept her in suspense.

"Then hurry up and tell me so I can be happy..."

Upon hearing this, Kiana rolled her eyes playfully and, in a moment of panic, sat down next to Gwen, her little fist landing on the suspenseful guy.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you right away."

Seeing that Kiana's unease had subsided somewhat, Gwen finally spoke—

"First, there's bad news, and then there's good news."

"I won't choose."

Kiana answered almost without thinking, her azure eyes looking at Gwen with a hint of cunning.

443

Chapter 443 Kiana: Riddler, die!

"I didn't say you could choose."

Gwen shrugged, but the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

"Do you remember that girl who was perhaps the first person you saw when you opened your eyes, the only daughter of Siegfried Caslana and Cecilia Schariac, the girl Kiana by Theresa?"

"Um..."

Upon hearing Gwen mention this person who was troubling her, Kiana's lively expression vanished instantly, and she responded with a soft murmur.

"The bad news is that during the escape, the spaceship was hit and the cockpit exploded."

She was severely injured while attempting to pilot the spaceship and fell from a height of thousands of meters, landing headfirst.

Gwen, seemingly oblivious to the strange expression on Kiana's face, slowly recounted what happened back then.

As Kiana listened to Gwen recount his past, her small fists clenched so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh. Her pearly teeth bit down hard on her cherry lips, leaving streaks of blood staining her white teeth. She could barely hear anything else; only three words echoed in her mind—"She's dead!"

These words echoed in her mind, Kiana could almost hear the sarcasm and mockery of that arrogant voice, as if she were meeting those bright golden eyes.

Even so, Kiana still heard Gwen's voice in her ears—

The good news is—

She didn't die.

Seeing Kiana in this state, Gwen still didn't offer any words of comfort, but instead went straight to the other half of the story—

"She was discovered by Valkyrie was searching nearby and brought back to Schicksal. She was eventually saved by an unnamed individual using experimental technology, but the price was that she would forget everything from her past and start a new life with a completely new identity."

To date, her life can be described as brilliant and fulfilling.

They have friends they can rely on, and goals they can strive for and dedicate their lives to.

Although she had lost everything from the past, she was not lost or bewildered, but continued to move forward without hesitation.

Where is she?

Hearing the good news from Gwen, Kiana completely ignored everything else. Her bloodshot eyes were fixed on Gwen, and her lips, stained with an eerie crimson color, parted as she uttered hoarse words.

"Her..."

Gwen smiled, but under Kiana's burning gaze, he didn't give her the answer she wanted—

I can't tell you right now—

All I can say is that she's living a fulfilling and happy life now.

"Tell me!"

However, Kiana, her eyes gleaming, remained relentless in the face of Gwen's words. She grabbed Gwen's shoulders with both hands, her blood-stained nails piercing through Gwen clothes, seemingly trying to sink into Gwen flesh.

"To get the answer so easily is a bit too naive; there's no such thing as a free lunch—"

Gwen met Kiana's sharp eyes without changing his expression—

"You know the rules. If you want the answer, you have to get it yourself."

Once you're able to beat that golden thing inside your body to a pulp, seize control of its core, and possess the power of Herrscher, you'll naturally see her—"

"I... you..."

Upon hearing this, Kiana's breathing became even heavier, and she shook Gwen forcefully—

"Who exactly is she?!"

However, no matter how much Kiana shook him, Gwen remained unmoved.

Just as Kiana was burning with rage, her eyes almost gleaming with golden light, causing the surrounding space to tremble slightly, a gentle and tranquil voice suddenly rang out, flowing into Kiana's heart like a stream, soothing her anger—