Gradually Approaching Ending
Yae Shrine.
The Miko knelt on the bluestone slab, silent.
The ancient trees planted all around withered in the fire, and flames and black smoke filled the view.
The shrine is also on fire.
Destroy.
The world is teetering on the brink of collapse.
The fire spread, its crimson color burning everything away.
The scene in the Miko's eyes gradually overlapped with that of five hundred years ago.
It's the same ending.
Even now, Yae Sakura still can't forgive anyone.
I can't forgive myself either.
Yae Sakura murmured to herself:
"This must be the end."
A dark red mist flashed by, and the devil whispered.
[Are we just going to ignore them? You stupid Miko.]
The Miko laughed:
"They will come, Hiyori. It's time for this farce to end."
"Five hundred years have passed. Thank you for staying with such a useless person like me for so long."
The mist swirled around the Miko, clearing away the thick smoke and flames that were near her.
The place where the Miko knelt formed a clearly defined domain with the outside world.
[Hmph, you might as well just die a peaceful death, you idiot.]
[I will go out, I will destroy human civilization.]
Yae Sakura reached out and brushed away the mist, saying:
"Human?"
"Hiyori, do you really hate humans that much?"
"You've been hating for so long, aren't you tired?"
The devil remained silent for a while, and finally, the long-confused Sea of consciousness gave an answer.
[Aren't you tired? Yae Sakura, you're still so naive. This question is no longer important.]
Yae Sakura smiled.
After spending so many years together, she had already guessed some things.
She said:
"Yes, it doesn't matter anymore."
Yes. It doesn't matter anymore.
After countless years of erosion by the links of the Honkai Consciousness, the source of that hatred is no longer important. The current Hiyori is merely a messenger of Honkai, and the original hatred has long been replaced by other things.
And those who are still struggling and resisting.
Only the little girl named Rin remained.
Yae Sakura said that Hiyori had been with her for five hundred years, but in Rin's opinion, it was Yae Sakura who had been with him for five hundred years.
She had played house with him for five hundred years, so Rin's consciousness was still alive and she still had the ability to resist.
For five hundred years, Yae Sakura and Rin together bound the demon named Hiyori to this place.
Rin was actually very happy; being able to spend so much time with her sister was an incredibly luxurious reward for her.
After witnessing Satou Yunona break free from the Honkai Consciousness, other thoughts began to arise in her mind.
Perhaps, there is even more I can give to Yae Sakura.
But giving this gift will be very, very difficult.
Relying solely on herself and on Yae Sakura is not enough.
Yae Rin understood the ending.
The older sister killed their father for her own sake.
In countless cycles of reincarnation, this was the first time Yae Sakura had made such a decision.
Yes, only this once.
Only this time, even if it was extremely brief, did Yae Sakura sister.
That genuine love warmed her heart and made her finally make up her mind.
But, the older brother and Theresa...
Yae Rin was moved.
Even with Theresa's eyes covered, she could still see everything within the Stigmata Space.
Both Theresa's anxious yet increasingly resolute eyes and Su Qing'an's blood-stained clothes were clearly visible.
Perhaps she could have made the ending even better.
Su Qing'an adjusted his breathing rhythm. His physical strength had begun to decline, and the spasms from overuse of his muscles were forcibly calmed down multiple times using the technique of whole-body strength.
The force pierced through the Demonic Beast's head, and the sound of it shattering its internal matter was like a sudden, thunderous roar.
This is a sign that he can't control his strength, because his physical strength is almost exhausted, and his energy is inevitably starting to dissipate.
The boy's fists were stained with blood, proving that he no longer had the strength to even muster the energy to shake off the blood.
Su Qing'an stood tall, like a pine tree standing firm in the cold winter. The young man's expression was indifferent and calm. He silently wiped the bloodstains on his cheek with his sleeve and covered his slightly trembling fingers with his sleeve.
After the knife shattered, Su Qing'an used his Collapse Force to kill all the enemies in front of him, punch after punch.
He had been forcibly using power beyond the limits of the human body, and even though the State of Still Water could delay the damage to the greatest extent through precise control and force dissipation, the bones in his hands had already cracked slightly.
But it's okay, he still managed to do it.
The ground behind the three was littered with corpses.
The jackal carcass on the ground was the only obstacle they had encountered before.
He had brutally killed all the enemies ahead, but the remaining enemies from all sides were still in pursuit. He couldn't afford to waste this opportunity to break through the encirclement.
"Rin! Get on my back! Headmaster Theresa, let's run!"
After saying that, Su Qing'an carried the little girl on his back and, disregarding his physical exhaustion, ran forward as fast as he could.
So light. As light as a feather.
The boy was a little confused. He had carried Rin on his back before, but this time the little girl was obviously much lighter than before.
Without lingering thought, Su Qing'an and Theresa disappeared into the fire-lit forest, continuing their escape.
About ten minutes later, Su Qing'an's sword heart could no longer detect the pursuers' presence. He cautiously observed his surroundings for a while and then slowly stopped.
Even though he had intended to use the cover of the mountains and forests to shake off his pursuers, the ease with which he managed to escape still surprised him.
Su Qing'an carefully put the little girl down from his back. He had no time to try to comfort Lin. The boy's body seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he lay limply on the ground.
Theresa, panting, tried to calm herself; for the body in this spiritual space, this amount of exercise was already excessive.
She looked at Su Qing'an's body, which was beginning to twitch unnaturally, with some concern, and asked:
"Su Qing'an! Are you alright?"
With each breath, the force flowed through the boy's body like water, calming his involuntary trembling in just a few seconds.
He said:
"Don't worry, I'm fine now, Headmistress."
Theresa sighed and gently tapped the boy's head with her small hand, earnestly admonishing him:
"You've overused your body, you should know that, right? Even here, you can't just do whatever you want. None of us know what might happen if something goes wrong."
Because Yae Rin was nearby, Theresa spoke rather cryptically, but Su Qing'an undoubtedly understood her meaning.
Even if you are a manifestation of your spirit or soul here, no one can guarantee what will happen outside if you die here.
Thinking negatively, it wouldn't be surprising if it led to brain death.
Su Qing'an propped himself up, ending his collapsed state, and said:
"Understood, Headmaster."
Theresa nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then said:
"Let's split up, Su Qing'an."