Higokumaru? / I Couldn't Do Anything

"This has nothing to do with me."

Kiana shook her head to distance herself, saying, "I didn't do the world reboot just now, and I don't know how it happened."

Yae Sakura shook her head and said, "If it weren't for your help, I would definitely have regressed along with everything around me, back to a year ago, and then... forgotten everything."

She is not stupid.

I wonder what would happen if I encountered a reboot alone without Kiana.

Now that she's calmed down, Yae Sakura even feels that this kind of thing might have happened more than once.

"Your perception will also be reset due to the world reboot, which is very strange."

Kiana, seeing that she had finally gotten to the point, turned serious. "Things shouldn't be like this. There are still secrets here that we haven't discovered, the reason why the world suddenly restarted."

"Did I kill that man?"

"Only by finding the real reasons affecting the world's restart can we get to the bottom of things."

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

Kiana had been wondering if the reason for repeatedly restarting the world was to save her sister.

But this is somewhat illogical.

"The real reason..."

"Yes, the real reason is probably why you can't remember anything."

Kiana said, "Once we find the reason, we can understand the workings of the Stigmata world, and maybe then I can bring you back!"

Yae Sakura was taken aback.

Before the world restarts, and before she sees her sister, Yae Sakura is actually indifferent to everything.

But now...

She fell silent.

Kiana said it was in the past, so in the real world, she probably couldn't save her sister either.

In the real world, she was all alone.

"Cherry?"

Seeing that she didn't speak, Kiana's expression changed. She hesitated, then carefully said, "Sakura, you don't... not want to leave, do you?"

Yae Sakura walked with her, she asked in a low voice, "What's the outside world like?"

Kiana: "..."

She stopped and took a deep breath.

Sooner or later, I'll tell her anyway. Even if I don't say anything, Yae Sakura will find out once she regains her Remembrance.

"Everyone who stayed behind died."

Yae Sakura stood there dumbfounded, staring at Kiana in disbelief. Kiana always seemed to drop a bombshell on her unexpectedly, shattering her understanding of the world time and time again.

"You, Himeko, the White-Haired Oni, Welt... and many, many more Demon Slayers, many more who couldn't leave on the Ark."

Kiana lowered her head and said in a heavy voice, "Everyone who stayed in Izumo is dead."

36

Chapter Thirty-Six: Hi-maru?

"... So, if you want to stay in the Stigmata world, I understand."

Before meeting Yae Rin, Kiana's only thought was to confirm Yae Sakura's identity and then figure out a way to get Yae Sakura out of the house.

As for reviving Yae Sakura, she felt that as long as Yae Sakura's consciousness remained, everything else could be resolved.

But just now, seeing Yae Sakura's silence after hearing her words, she was unsure whether taking Yae Sakura out and back to that world where she had nothing was just wishful thinking on her part.

In short, she had mixed feelings. Of course, she hoped that Yae Sakura would be resurrected, and that everyone could work together to find a way to recreate Izumo.

But she respects their own choices even more.

This place may not be much better than the cruel world outside, but here, Yae Sakura can see her younger sister.

What happened here made her understand the person in front of her better, and her tragic past.

What were Yae Sakura's feelings as she faced death in her final moments?

Disappointment in her? Despair for the world? Or relief?

Kiana didn't know.

"Kiana..."

Don't rush into making a decision.

Kiana took a deep breath and said, "Let me know your decision after you've regained all your Remembrance!"

She could accept either staying in the Stigmata world or returning to the real world.

Yae Sakura looked intently at Kiana beside her, then hesitated before asking, "Kiana, did you come to find me specifically because of me?"

"Right!"

"... Why?"

She asked, bewildered and confused, "Kiana said she's dead. If that's true, then Kiana must have gone to great lengths to come here and find me, right?"

"Because we are friends!"

"Because we're friends?"

Yae Sakura was silent for a moment, then murmured to herself, "Just because we're friends?"

Would a friend really go to such lengths?

Yae Sakura's understanding of friends is still limited to playmates.

Kiana valued her so much that even though she was dead, she wanted to go to the world of the dead to bring her back.

Is it really just because they're friends?

Do we need any other reasons?

Kiana paused for a moment, then added, "To me, you, Mei, and Sirin are all very important people."

Although they fought because of a misunderstanding when they first met, she had a good impression of Yae Sakura.

Later, Yae Sakura unconditionally supported her ideas, even risking her life for them.

When things took an unexpected turn, Kiana felt an indescribable sense of guilt towards them, especially towards those who died because of her; this guilt was even more intense then.

They knew perfectly well that they would die without him, but they weren't strangers; they were friends who supported each other!

"I see."

Yae Sakura nodded; her sixth sense told her to trust Kiana's words and her judgment.

She was intensely curious about the Remembrance Kiana had told her about that she couldn't remember now.

I want to remember.

I want to remember everything related to Kiana.

At this moment, Yae Sakura truly wanted to retrieve her lost Remembrance.

Even if it might not be a good thing.

That is, when she felt the urge to remember, to find her true self, and to recall those forgotten Remembrance.

The shrine has undergone a terrible change.

Just like the changes that occurred when the world restarted, black mist emanated from the earth, from the shrines, and from the villages, quickly obscuring the view of the surroundings like the morning fog.

"Changes are coming!"

Kiana's expression tightened as she warily observed the changes in her surroundings.

She hasn't done anything yet!

How did this trigger the hidden level?

Yae Sakura was also shocked by this scene. She subconsciously thought of her younger sister who was in poor health. She suppressed her fear and wanted to go back to find Yae Rin.

A pair of terrifying scarlet eyes emerged from the black mist, their crimson depths filled with suppressed negative emotions, capable of captivating a person with a single glance.

I saw those eyes.

Yae Sakura trembled as if she had been electrocuted, and the shell enveloping her seemed to crack open in several places as a wave of emotions she had never experienced before surged into her heart.

"Yae Sakura!"

It was a voice that made it impossible to tell if it was male or female. The owner of the scarlet eyes approached them step by step, and his massive body appeared in front of them.

It was a huge four-tailed fox, emerging from the black mist, exuding an ominous aura, its scarlet eyes filled with malice towards Yae Sakura.

This is!

Kiana was somewhat taken aback by the sudden appearance of the four-tailed fox.

What's going on?

Hi-maru?!

Kiana was somewhat disappointed that the Frost God didn't look like a fox.

I never expected to be waiting for her here.

What exactly happened?

The fox in front of me looked menacing, giving off an ominous feeling that made me very uneasy.

Yae Sakura instinctively took a step back.

She felt a deep-seated fear of the fox before her, but because Kiana had shielded her when the incident occurred, she forcibly suppressed her urge to run away.

"You, you are..."

This is abnormal, very abnormal. Even the Evil God who harmed them to such an extent never caused her to have this kind of escapist mentality and fear.

It was as if the four-tailed fox in front of her was a monster formed from all the unbearable things she didn't want to face.

But the four-tailed fox had no intention of communicating with her; calling her name was merely a way to vent his anger.

Ignoring Kiana.

It opened its gaping maw and lunged at her.

Yae Sakura instinctively tried to draw her Frost Blade, but Kiana was faster. She stepped forward and extended her hand, a dazzling light emanating from it.

The sound of metal chains protruding could be heard.

In the blink of an eye, the terrifying fox that had suddenly appeared was bound tightly with golden chains by Kiana.

"What I'm really afraid of is that you won't show up."

Kiana breathed a sigh of relief after finishing her task, looked at the fox she had caught, and said, "After all, tangible things are much easier for me to deal with than intangible things."

The fox, who had deliberately avoided hurting Kiana, was dumbfounded. Its power in this world was undeniable, and Yae Sakura was definitely no match for it.

It wasn't even serious yet.

Neither of them were enlarged!

Kiana, disregarding all martial ethics, lifted it up with one hand, the chains binding it suppressing all its strength.

The four-tailed fox struggled to escape, but with all its power suppressed, it could do nothing but maintain its current form.

Unable to break free, it realized how terrifying Kiana was and angrily questioned Kiana, "Why did you help her? Why did you help this piece of trash?!"

37

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Nothing Can Be Done

"Waste?"

Kiana looked at the fox she had controlled with a strange expression. The fox was very strong, roughly the strength of a normal Herrscher.