Yae Sakura.

At first glance, it seemed to be just an ordinary Honkai energy crystal, but when she held it in her hand, she could vaguely feel a shallow connection.

This crystallization appears to have been caused by her influence.

And among them...

It is a Stigmata space.

A Stigmata world.

No wonder, no wonder Jana said it contained a wealth of information, almost like a small world.

Kiana can even project her consciousness into it, and the world it presents is relatively stable and will not easily collapse.

--Infinite Tsukuyomi, Stigmata Project.

Two events flashed through my mind.

Kiana took a deep breath, her eyes gradually hardening. If such a Stigmata space existed...

Does that mean...?

Is it possible that others are still alive?

Kiana didn't know the reason for the crystal's birth, nor how this Stigmata space came about, but it was definitely inseparable from the Stigma.

Meanwhile, during the preparations, the remaining humans who were unable to participate in the Ark Project were all implanted with the Mass Stigmata provided by her.

This Honkai energy crystal wasn't very active, and Kiana didn't recognize the Stigma consciousness inside.

But he must have been a member of the Demon Slayers.

If even they survived, what about Sakura and the White-Haired Oni? Their strength is top-notch, there's no reason why they wouldn't have left behind any crystals.

Thinking of this, Kiana lost her composure and tried to grab Jana, forgetting that Jana was just a projection, and her hand passed through Jana's body.

After a slight pause, she didn't waste any more time on it. Looking at Jana's projection, she anxiously asked, "Are there more? Are there any more of these crystals? How many are there? Are there any more unusual ones?"

"Is it important?"

Kiana nodded. "Very important!"

This news is incredibly important! Things have finally taken a turn for the better; how could it not be important?

Jana seemed lost in thought.

She uses these as a way to pass the time when she's bored, and she's collected quite a few.

This is something very important to Kiana.

Jana was able to control the entire sea, and she transported all the crystals she had collected to Kiana's sight.

"Scattered across various parts of this world, their numbers should be considerable. If we're talking about special cases, would this one be considered special?"

She brought over a small pile of crystals, which looked to be over a hundred. The purple crystals piled together resembled a treasure mountain.

Most of the plots are similar, definitely not the 'special' story Kiana is looking for.

Most Stigmata world are not very large.

Jana had looked through them all and knew which of the crystals should meet the special criteria Kiana had mentioned.

A Honkai Crystals, flew out and Jana handed it to Kiana.

Kiana grabbed it with her other hand.

This time, she easily saw the situation inside the Stigmata world, and her eyes widened in shock at just one glance.

"It's Sakura...!"

You can't be mistaken, it's definitely Yae Sakura!

Whether this special Honkai Crystal contains what she thinks is something she only needs to enter the Stigmata world to confirm with the Stigma consciousness.

The excitement of seeing an old friend.

After confirming that this was indeed Yae Sakura's Stigmata space, Kiana projected her consciousness into the Stigmata world.

It was just a fleeting moment.

She found herself in a lush forest, and the environment was no longer as gloomy as it had been when she was in Izumo.

Compared to the current Izumo.

This not-so-bright world seemed so normal and bright.

"Is this the Stigmata world?"

She had a vague feeling that she couldn't act rashly; if she disrupted the operation of this Stigmata world, it would very likely collapse completely.

Can the collapsed Stigmata world be saved?

Kiana didn't know.

She didn't want to try either.

Having played many games in her past life, she felt no pressure at all and simply walked forward along the path she had descended to.

"It's quite realistic..."

Kiana casually broke off a tree branch, observed it for a while, and then threw it down. Honkai is indeed omnipotent.

Could the Stigma's consciousness be Yae Sakura herself?

Does Yae Sakura know she's in the Stigmata world? Will she recognize her after seeing him?

Despite her many doubts, she walked with light steps, about to see the friend she thought was dead.

She couldn't convince herself not to get excited.

After walking a few dozen steps forward, everything suddenly opened up before me, and I realized that I was actually halfway up a mountain, and below me was a rather old village.

If you look closely, you can see an old shrine near the foot of the mountain.

The style is somewhat similar to Mei's family's shrine, but there are many differences in the details.

"Village? Shrine?"

Kiana's excited mind cooled slightly, and her beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she recalled the game she had played before.

She never asked about Yae Sakura's past.

All I know is that she, like Mei, is a shrine maiden, and the shrine enshrines Frost Blade.

Does Yae Sakura sister?

Kiana felt a pang of regret, realizing that she hadn't properly connected with Yae Sakura emotionally while she was still alive.

As a result, all she knew was the way Yae Sakura acted, and what happened during Yae Sakura's demon-slaying process.

Her past?

Kiana never asked, Yae Sakura never mentioned it, and Sirin and the others never talked about Yae Sakura's past when they chatted.

Is the Stigmata world randomly evolved? Is it a product of shifting obsessions? Or is it a historical event that occurred in the past?

... Go and see for yourself.

She turned her gaze away from the shrine and walked towards the shrine located at the foot of the mountain.

I thought this place was deserted.

Unexpectedly, after walking only a few hundred meters, she saw the person she most wanted to see right now. She climbed up the rock wall, gripping the stone with one hand to steady herself, and reached out with the other to gather herbs.

It can't be wrong!

Although she no longer had long ears, Kiana immediately recognized her by her outfit, which was different from Mei's shrine maiden attire, and her long pink hair.

"Found you!"

She didn't shout or yell rashly, afraid of startling the Yae Sakura on the stone wall. Instead, she quickly approached the spot, intending to catch up with her after she finished gathering the herbs.

The accident just happened very suddenly.

Kiana saw Yae Sakura's outstretched hand touch the herb and pluck it, when the rock wall she was holding with her left hand suddenly loosened and cracked without warning.

Yae Sakura, who had placed her weight on her left hand, was caught off guard by the sudden change and lost her balance, falling downwards.

~~~~~

26

Chapter Twenty-Six: Yae Sakura)

The instant the crisis occurred.

Kiana's body moved faster than her thoughts, catching Yae Sakura before she fell and got injured.

"Great, I caught it!"

Fortunately, Yae Sakura hadn't climbed too high, only about ten meters, and she caught her in time, so neither of them was injured.

Yae Sakura, who was prepared to fall and had just closed her eyes, was surprised to find that not only did she not fall to the ground, but she was also caught in time.

The person who caught her was a white-haired girl about her age, with a beautiful and innocent smile.

... and I have a feeling I've seen it somewhere before.

Yae Sakura stared intently at her, not understanding where her familiarity with her came from.

Kiana didn't feel awkward being stared at. She smiled and was about to say "Long time no see" when she heard Yae Sakura say, "Thank you."

Thanks?

Is the first thing you say when you meet someone "thank you"?

Kiana looked into Yae Sakura's eyes, her smile fading as her mood somber.

She put the person down and waved her hand, saying, "It was just a small favor. Please don't do such dangerous things next time."

Gathering herbs on a cliff face over ten meters high, and still falling due to an accident—without my help, Yae Sakura would definitely have been seriously injured.

If she remembered Yae Sakura, who was incredibly skilled, she would have had many ways to deal with the situation that just happened, and she definitely wouldn't have just watched herself fall like an ordinary person.

This is Yae Sakura, but not the Yae Sakura who knows herself.

... Is it that you just don't remember?

Or is she actually a new consciousness created by the Honkai based on information from Sakura's past life?

Her hands, which were at her sides, tightened.

"Thank you for saving me. Without you, I would have definitely fallen."

She carefully put away the herbs she had painstakingly collected, and looking at the white-haired girl who seemed inexplicably downcast, she blurted out, "You can call me Yae Sakura. I am a shrine maiden from the Yamashita Shrine."

Have you never seen a girl like this before?

I probably didn't have that when I was a child.

Yet, he also had a strange feeling that he and the girl who had just saved him were acquaintances and friends.

Is it fate?

It really is Yae Sakura.

Kiana looked at her, trying to find a shadow of her old friend in her. The face was the same, but in terms of appearance, compared to Sakura in her Remembrance, her face was a bit more youthful, and she didn't have long fox ears yet.

Apart from that, she couldn't find any trace of the person she knew in the Yae Sakura in front of her.

Yae Sakura often humbly refers to herself as "this humble one" and speaks in a more mature manner.

"Kiana, that's my name."

Their name and appearance don't seem to belong to this area; they must have come from somewhere very far away.

"A very nice name."

It felt somewhat familiar.

After thinking it over carefully, Yae Sakura felt nothing but a faint sense of familiarity.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

She often felt a sense of familiarity with everything around her, as if the same things had happened before.

Kiana just smiled. She planned to spend some time with Yae Sakura to figure out the situation before revealing anything herself.