Miko's End
Shrine.
The mist surrounding Yae Sakura intertwined and sculpted into a ferocious fox shadow. Because its body was so enormous, from the front, it looked as if the fox shadow had swallowed the Miko into the dark void.
But to Yae Sakura, this was the gentlest thing imaginable...
Embrace.
The Miko smiled, reaching out to brush away the flowing mist, as if to soothe it.
She said:
"Aren't you going to make a move?"
"You can't hold back any longer, can you, Hiyori?"
Upon hearing this, the fox shadow's body trembled violently.
The overwhelming killing intent and hatred had been pressing down on them until now, which led to their previously peaceful, almost joking, exchanges.
But now, it's almost impossible to suppress.
Hiyori roared through gritted teeth:
"Hmph, mind your own business. Do you want to die sooner?"
The fox's shadow's voice was like the howl of a vengeful ghost.
Yet, it is as if the spirits of the dead, unable to find release and forever condemned, are weeping and whispering.
To this, Yae Sakura simply smiled gently and said:
"It's fine."
"There's nothing you can do about not being able to resist it, but it's enough. In these five hundred years, apart from those annoying things, I haven't completely gained nothing."
"Let's end it here."
The moment the words left his mouth, malice overwhelmed everything about Hiyori.
The monster's body swelled, and a sharp, piercing laugh emanated from the mist, Clouds.
"Why did I hesitate before? The human I've been entangled with for five hundred years was practically at my fingertips, and I actually hesitated?!"
"Hahahaha, that's hilarious!"
The monster chuckled, and a thin crack appeared on its shell. The crack slowly widened, revealing what seemed to be countless sharp teeth hidden within the dark space.
Immediately, the Miko was eaten.
The Miko was literally swallowed into the dark void, and the fox shadow laughed heartily, finally succeeding in sending Yae Sakura into its stomach.
After a certain period of time, this Miko will completely disappear from this world.
Without a trace.
The fox shadow opened its mouth wide, making a chewing motion.
It made sounds of tearing and chewing something with great interest, and laughed heartily incessantly.
Pure malice, neuroticism, and capriciousness.
This is the messenger of the Honkai, the true Hiyori.
In its eyes, there is nothing beautiful in this world. Only when it destroys something can it feel a feeling called pleasure. Only in this way can it be briefly freed from simple hatred and resentment and feel lighthearted.
But why?
Doubt inevitably arose amidst the expected laughter.
Why? Why? Why?
Why can't it feel light and joyful now?
For a moment, all that remained in my mind was an emptiness and void that overwhelmed my hatred.
[Elder sister...]
A faint sound began, then grew louder and louder.
[Elder sister.]
It's getting bigger and bigger.
[I mustn't hurt... my sister.]
It's getting bigger and bigger.
Hiyori suddenly felt very sad.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" the fox-like creature roared furiously, smashing most of the shrine's roof with its fist. The flames fell from the broken roof to the ground and continued to burn.
Everything here perfectly matches its aesthetic.
Honkai, destruction, life is slowly fading away.
The beauty presented before its eyes was enough to bring it immense pleasure, so why did that voice in its brain keep echoing?
"What sister? What Yae Sakura? That person is long dead! Long dead! Do you know that?!"
But I'm so sad.
"That person died 50,000 years ago! What reincarnation, what cycle of life? How can anyone believe that! Are you an idiot?!"
But it's so sad.
"Only human cubs would believe such a foolish thing!"
But... the grief only grew stronger.
Emotions involuntarily erode pure malice.
It's Rin.
It was Rin who was trying her best to protect Yae Sakura.
The fox shadow roared in fury, clutching its head, and frantically destroyed the earth.
The shrine had already been reduced to ruins by the Honkai Energy.
As Honkai Energy was freely unleashed, Hiyori's body, originally formed from mist, began to transform into a real flesh and blood form.
A snow-white fox looked up and howled to the sky.
It was a terrifying size, so enormous that it could be called a fox demon.
The effects of absorbing Yae Sakura's power are beginning to show, and Hiyori is now stronger than before.
But the voice remained, like a leech clinging to a bone, impossible to shake off.
Even if Hiyori incredibly strong, it will still struggle when its enemy is itself.
[Rin isn't an idiot. You are. The older sister is clearly the older sister.]
The fox demon roared in anger, and crimson flames spewed from its mouth, easily burning down a large area of trees in the distance.
"Idiot! I will absolutely not spit out this Miko!"
"Oh, is that so? So you ate her?"
A clear and childlike voice broke the fox demon's mutterings. A white-haired girl in a kimono stepped onto the bluestone steps, crossed the remaining ruins of the red torii gate, and entered the dilapidated shrine grounds.
She looked rather disheveled; her kimono was torn on her calves, and fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. Her breathing was even a little rapid, clearly indicating that climbing those steps had been a very strenuous physical task for her.
And yet, this seemingly ordinary little girl casually uttered these words to a terrifying fox demon far exceeding the size of a human.
[Theresa... please help me rescue my sister...]
A voice reached the girl's ears, causing a hint of surprise to flash across her smiling face.
That's Rin's voice?!
But immediately, Theresa disregarded the reason and source, and earnestly answered the voice:
"I would have done it even without you telling me, Rin. I still owe your sister half a life."
"So leave it to me."
[Thanks...]
The sound faded into the distance, leaving only a faint echo.
The voice in Hiyori's mind disappeared, and the extra emotions vanished along with it.
The fox demon felt her consciousness being filled with simple joy again and laughed happily.
The Hiyori cannot stop the destruction.
Otherwise, one cannot perceive the meaning of being alive.
Aside from hatred, Hiyori can do is destroy.
The messenger of Honkai should simply be a useful tool.
Tools, on the other hand, do not need extra features.
Therefore, even for this frail human being who could be ignored, it had no reason to let him go.
Die.
The crimson beast eyes glanced indifferently at the girl's petite body, and the Honkai Energy in its mouth transformed into a high concentration of fiery breath, surging out in that direction.
That was a temperature high enough to melt away all the bluestone earth; if you were hit, not even bones would be left.