Chapter Fifty-Four: You're Resisting It. / Chapter Fifty-Five: Accepting Honkai?

"... If it weren't for Izumo, you wouldn't have become like this."

A faint consciousness sent forth a voice once more.

These words slightly cheered Kiana, whose spirits had plummeted. "No, this has nothing to do with Izumo."

"But this has never happened to you before."

Yae Sakura's voice came again.

Kiana remained silent.

Yes, the initial lack of control was caused by her forcibly breaking her limits and transforming into the Herrscher of Finality before the progress bar was full.

After that, her permanent progress bar stopped at 50% and made no further progress. Instead, she no longer needed any driving force and could enter the Herrscher of Finality again at any time.

She looked down at her hands. "Because I forcibly turned Herrscher into a monster...?"

How can I push the permanent progress bar up a little further?

Forget about the permanent progress bar; all other functions of the system have also stagnated, no longer changing at all.

Everything is because she forcibly transformed into Herrscher of Finality, and Izumo, who should have been completely Honkai by the Izumo, was stuck in an in-between state due to the intervention of the Void.

Izumo is already a dead star.

Kiana, who activated the system out of a desire to save Izumo, has become less concerned about what the Honkai energy bring her after experiencing failure.

I don't want things to Honkai.

Even if she discovered that there were still Stigma left on Izumo, she thought of letting Ruan Mei see them first, rather than relying on the system and continuing to rely on the Honkai.

She has always had a resistance to the Honkai.

Fearing the Honkai, yet forced to utilize Honkai power due to their own weakness.

Kiana, come and meet me.

Yae Sakura's voice came again, inviting her to come and see her once more in the Stigmata world.

54

Chapter Fifty-Four: You are resisting it.

The Stigmata world.

This place presents a completely different scene from the outside world, without a trace of war.

Being in such an environment, even a chaotic mood improves a little because of the peace it brings.

Kiana.

Inside the Frost God Shrine.

This place is much the same as when I first came here, but perhaps because destiny has disappeared, this world looks brighter.

A tall, cherry-haired woman was waiting for her at the shrine entrance. When she saw that she had actually entered the Stigmata world again, she smiled and greeted her.

"Cherry."

Seeing her friend, Kiana forced a smile. Seeing that she was the only one nearby, she mustered her courage and asked, "Where's your sister?"

Yae Sakura shook her head. "She's in the courtyard, and it's not appropriate for her to hear what we're about to say."

It's best not to tell the other humans who originated from the Stigmata world about the outside world.

Kiana was silent for a moment before perking up and saying, "... You must have been worried sick these past few days, I haven't been able to respond to you at all."

Did Yae Sakura's voice only appear today to remind her? It can't be that; Yae Sakura must have reminded her when she first started acting strangely.

But she didn't feel anything.

Only after realizing that she seemed to be losing control again did she finally hear Yae Sakura calling her name.

The problem undoubtedly lies with her.

"I'm fine, but you are."

Yae Sakura looked at her with concern in her eyes. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm alright now. But... when exactly did this accident happen?"

Doesn't Kiana know that herself?

Yae Sakura was taken aback. Seeing her dejected state, she seemed to understand something. Sorting through the clues in her mind, she said, "After you fought them, I was reminding you. You seem to have fallen into a very strange state... you've become addicted to killing."

She paused there.

This is definitely not normal.

Kiana wasn't a warlike person, a fact she was quite aware of.

Kiana is not that kind of person.

"At the beginning?!"

Kiana's expression changed; her face darkened, and she instinctively reached for her wrist.

It seems she just won't die.

Rather than being completely unaffected by Honkai energy, in the face of Honkai, she and everyone else... seem to be no different.

"You were initially in a state of killing, but then you lost control of your body?"

Yae Sakura was right there beside her, standing as an observer, and knew more about what had happened to her these past few days than Kiana herself.

Kiana remained silent for a moment, unsure how to bring this up with Yae Sakura: "It must be due to the Honkai impact; the Honkai Energy Concentration in Izumo is just too high."

Because of Honkai?

Yae Sakura nodded and then shook her head, looking at Kiana with a hesitant expression, unsure whether she should speak up.

Kiana, lost in her own thoughts, noticed the change in her expression and realized that she still had something to say but might be hesitant, so she spoke up first.

"What's wrong?"

"It's probably due to the Honkai, but... how should I put it, Kiana."

Yae Sakura paused for a moment, then said, "I might know the reason."

What?

Kiana suddenly looked up at Yae Sakura, her eyes widening slightly, filled with disbelief.

Yae Sakura's words surprised her greatly.

She couldn't even believe it.

Do you know why?

She herself wasn't sure why...

"This is just my guess, take it with a grain of salt."

Yae Sakura looked at the person in front of her and said softly, "You know, I've reincarnated and restarted countless times in this Stigmata world. Having stayed here for so long, I have some understanding of this power."

What did you discover?

Yae Sakura hesitated, because what was about to be said wasn't exactly a compliment.

Kiana waited quietly, but after a long while, Yae Sakura still didn't speak. She was looking at Kiana with a complicated expression, and Kiana became a little anxious. "Don't have any worries!"

"... Then should I tell you?"

"You say."

"This is just my guess; whether it's true or not, you'll have to judge for yourself."

"I see!"

"You don't have a belief that truly belongs to you."

Yae Sakura took a deep breath and continued, "I don't even know why I'm doing this."

Do I lack a belief that truly belongs to me?

I don't even know what I'm doing?

Kiana hesitated, her expression somber. "... You can't say that, I think my beliefs are still very firm."

"Does this mean searching for Raiden Mei?"

"And Izumo."

Kiana said seriously, "No matter what, I will make up for my previous mistakes."

Yae Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, then sighed, "I will not comment on your thoughts."

She knew that no matter what she said, Kiana wouldn't change her mind; Kiana was right, her belief was indeed very firm.

"But that's not what I wanted to say."

What she wanted to ask was Kiana's belief in why she used this power, and what she wanted to do with it.

"... What is that?"

To put it bluntly, Kiana doesn't know how long it would take to find this place she had overlooked.

She opened her eyes, looked directly at Kiana, and asked seriously, "Kiana, why did you use Honkai energy?"

Why use Honkai energy?

Why?

Why?

Because she had no choice.

She lowered her eyes and said, "I had no choice."

This power, which can bring unlimited disasters while in use, is a double-edged sword.

She has always, always...

Because there was no other choice?

Yae Sakura was stunned. She had considered many possible answers, but she never expected Kiana's answer to be that she had no choice.

The crux of the problem was immediately apparent.

After Kiana said 'I have no choice,' she pretty much understood why Kiana was experiencing these symptoms.

"So you resist this power?"

"Are you resistant?"

She wanted to say no, because she had already made her choice, but was she truly not opposed to it?

She placed her right hand on her chest, feeling her heart pounding, and pursed her lips. "Perhaps."

How could she not resist a power that could drag an entire world into the abyss with just a casual use?

She thought of the planet she was currently on.

Perhaps if she recklessly uses the Honkai, she will end up like the Denizens of Abundance and the Antimatter Legion, spreading calamity wherever she goes.

They transformed all the places that were once like Izumo into the infernal realm they are today.

"That's the crux of the problem."

"It's not even a matter of whether your beliefs are firm or not; it's that you fundamentally resist your own power, or rather, you don't trust your own power at all..."

"How could it not get out of control?"

How can a person truly master the power they rely on for survival if they don't even trust it?

Moreover, Honkai energy is not normal energy; it can distort reality and the mind.

55

Chapter 55 Accepting the Honkai?

Kiana hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

Do you want to hear what you're saying?