Yae Sakura: [Ashes] Was a Beautiful Boy

Yae Sakura gradually stopped thinking.

That's all in the past, anyway.

But... the tombs of those who had been scattered with forget-me-nots by the girl were piled high, and she never imagined that she would leave a bunch of forget-me-nots with a different meaning and reason in front of someone else's tombstone.

Here, I am nothing more than a memory, and all I can savor and reminisce about are the remnants of the past.

She let the cherry blossoms slip from her fingertips, lowered her eyes and whispered:

"It was Elysia who told you, wasn't it?"

"Besides her, there's probably no one else here who would mention [[Ashes]] to you."

What do you want to know?

Raiden Mei carefully considered her words and said:

"To be precise, it should be, Sakura, how much do you know about [[Ashes]]?"

She said hesitantly:

"Because according to Elysia's description, he is an introverted and shy person? So it seems that none of the Flame-Chasers here have any personal relationship with him. I think if he has that kind of personality, even if you, Sakura, are acquainted with him, you probably wouldn't know much about him."

Yae Sakura's lips curled slightly upon hearing this. Combining Elysia's assessment with the boy's calm and indifferent expression, she somehow found it somewhat comical. She thought for a moment and said:

"Well, while I wouldn't call myself a shy person, that person is definitely... not fond of interacting with people? In the beginning, I only got to know [[Ashes]] to speed up the Fusion Gene and physical compatibility so that I could master this unfamiliar power as soon as possible."

Raiden Mei asked:

"It seems the final result shouldn't be bad. What method did he use to help you?"

Yae Sakura said softly:

"Black Abyss White Flower."

"At that time Divine Key was still perfectly preserved in [[Ashes]]'s hands, and his control over the power was so precise that it was beyond anyone's comprehension."

"The so-called training is actually quite simple. To be precise, it's basically just constantly repeating the [transformation] process of becoming Fusion Warrior."

Even though the other party used very euphemistic language to describe the training methods, Raiden Mei, who had been gathering intelligence here for half a year, immediately understood the meaning behind it.

[Deformation].

This was a fatal hurdle that inevitably occurred during the initial stage when the Fusion Warrior technology was not yet perfect. Its existence directly increased the threshold for undergoing the surgery and the probability of death by 90%. Therefore, initially only the most outstanding warriors could pass the selection process and receive this devilish gift.

Even so, the risk of death remains alarmingly high.

The reason for this phenomenon is simply that the technology for stabilizing Honkai Beast genes was not mature enough at the time. Applying it under these conditions naturally resulted in many terrifying unstable processes. The final result was that the earliest batch of Fusion Warrior also retained traces of [deformation] to varying degrees.

Elysia has long, Yae Sakura has an extra pair of fox ears; Kevin is surrounded by a terrifyingly low temperature that makes him inaccessible to ordinary people...

Now, the other party's intention is that, in order to save time in mastering the power, she has chosen to have [[Ashes]] continuously use the power of the Black Abyss White Flower to repeatedly twist and recombine her body in a manner similar to [Deformation].

To be honest, compared to [[Ashes]]'s skill and precision in using the Black Abyss White Flower, a Divine Key.

She was even more surprised by Yae Sakura's resolve.

According to the other party, they did not know [[Ashes]] before.

Yet, in order to achieve her goal of becoming stronger, she completely entrusted her body to this stranger and allowed him to reshape it at will. Leaving aside the intense pain she would have to endure, the sheer courage to overcome her fear of death and her extreme ruthlessness made Raiden Mei realize that he truly deserved the title of Flame-Chasers.

At least... she wasn't entirely sure she had the same level of awareness.

Raiden Mei asked:

"Was the situation so dire that you were willing to pay such a high price to save time?"

Yae Sakura's hand habitually caressed the hilt of her sword, and she whispered:

"You probably can't understand this feeling, Mei."

"In the previous era, time was far more precious than you could imagine. You never knew when the next crisis would suddenly arrive, when the flames of war would spread to the land you knew, or whether one day the shadow of death would loom over the person most important to you."

"I don't want to be powerless at that time and have to accept that ending. For that reason, even if I don't know [[Ashes]] at all, I am willing to entrust my life to him. As for the suffering under the manipulation of that power, it is insignificant compared to what I have gained."

She paused, then continued:

"But you also know that before I joined Moth to Fire, due to my professional habits and the nature of my work, I wasn't very trusting of others back then."

"Or rather, in those times, it was rare for people to entrust their lives to each other, let alone someone like me, especially since I had only recently joined the Moth to Fire. So even I was surprised that I would trust a stranger I had only met a short time before."

Raiden Mei also had doubts about this issue, and she mentioned a possibility that she herself didn't quite believe:

"Could it be because of [[Ashes]]'s personal charm...?"

To her surprise, Yae Sakura gave an affirmative answer:

"Perhaps... that's really why."

"Mei, you might not be able to imagine, but [[Ashes]] is a very special person. I can't quite put my finger on how to describe it, but he is so handsome that it's hard to put into words. And for some reason, even though his expression is very calm, he can still give off a warm and sacred impression, and he is very approachable."

"This kind of affability is the complete opposite of Elysia's. [[Ashes]] doesn't need to say a word; he has a magical quality that makes you trust him, confide in him, and become his friend. He bypasses all persuasive words and atmosphere-building. For me, seeing him feels like returning to my hometown, a place filled with cherry blossoms."

Raiden Mei couldn't help but complain:

"This sounds a bit like... being mentally manipulated?"

Yae Sakura shook her head, carefully choosing her words, and said:

"How should I put it? I can confirm that it's not a power similar to bewitchment, nor is it the inducement of a mental Fusion Warrior's ability; it's more like... martial arts."

She abruptly steered the conversation to a completely different topic, stating with certainty:

"Martial arts, or rather, a realm that can be reached through the practice of Kendo."

If Raiden Mei had heard of such a mysterious possibility before knowing the other person's past deeds, she probably wouldn't have accepted it so easily. But after learning about the enemies that person had faced, there were no obstacles to digesting and accepting it in their conversation.

Therefore, she paused for a moment, then said:

"I once heard my father say that there are people in the world who can cultivate the word 'martial arts' to the point where their mind and skills are perfectly aligned. At this point, they can possess the extraordinary ability to see the autumn from a single leaf. This is called the Path of Sincerity. Martial artists who reach that level possess an extremely surging will, and their essence, energy, and spirit will be imbued with their own unique color, distinct and irreplaceable."

"Are you saying that [[Ashes]]'s high level of affability is entirely due to his Path of Sincerity, which allows his spirit to directly reveal his most essential character?"

Yae Sakura said softly:

"Yes, that's my guess."

"Because [[Ashes]]'s skill in martial arts is indeed the most outstanding I have ever seen, or rather, his level in this aspect has been on another dimension from the warriors of the Moth to Fire from the very beginning."

"So I thought about it in this direction, and that's the answer I came up with."

Raiden Mei nodded silently.

If what the other party said is true, then [[Ashes]]'s affinity is essentially the result of his own qualities and personality being projected outwards.

No wonder Elysia made that assessment of him.

Besides that, as a martial artist, she was also interested in the amount of information contained in the person's words.

Because now, Raiden Mei's previous swordsmanship has little real value on the battlefield. Some moves that seem to be her family's swordsmanship are essentially just using the power of the Herrscher to show off. They are more of a habitual way of fighting than a combat skill.

She asked:

"Martial arts? Could you elaborate on what [[Ashes]] can achieve?"

Yae Sakura gave her answer:

"Without the aid of Honkai Energy, using only ordinary human physical abilities, he could kill a Temple-class Honkai Beast as tall as a building with his bare hands."

Raiden Mei was silent for a moment, then said:

"Sakura, are you sure you're not talking about 'normal people' like Kevin and Chrono-Chaos?"

Yae Sakura shook her head and said:

"Even if Kevin and Chrono-Chaos hadn't become Fusion Warrior and weren't using nano-armor, they couldn't have done this with pure physical strength."

"Furthermore, [[Ashes]]'s physical condition was initially much worse than these people's; to put it simply, his physical fitness was probably similar to yours."

Raiden Mei possesses a natural Stigmata, and her physical abilities far surpass those of ordinary people. Even though Su Qing'an had undergone Artificial Stigmata transplantation and martial arts training at that time, he could only barely match her.

Therefore, this statement is not false.

This made it even harder for the girl to understand, but she knew in her heart that this was just the influence of preconceived notions, so she didn't show it and simply continued to ask:

"Then... what if we use Honkai Energy?"

Yae Sakura said:

"You should know that human martial arts and the application of Honkai Energy are two unrelated modules. However, [[Ashes]] demonstrated a technology that the entire Moth to Fire had failed to develop even before the Third Honkai Outbreak. The draft of the super soldier project, such as the Fusion Warrior, was proposed more or less because of his existence."

"After all, in the initial stages of fighting the Honkai, both the government and the Moth to Fire were only accustomed to armed forces and large-scale heavy warships, and even Honkai Fission Bomb as a form of combat."

"It was only when the mobility and danger of the Herrscher forced them to accelerate the pace of change that the Fusion Warrior were finally born."

"And [[Ashes]], it must be said that his presence and performance greatly contributed to advancing this matter."

Raiden Mei pondered the meaning of those words and guessed:

"You said it was before the Third Honkai Outbreak, and you wanted to get the attention of the regime at that time on [[Ashes]]. The only thing I can think of is that he clashed with the Third Herrscher from the previous era and showed impressive results?"

Recalling this incident, the truth of which she only learned later, Yae Sakura felt quite conflicted. She said:

"Yes, that's roughly what you said."

"But I think that [[Ashes]] isn't a memory that can be casually brought up, so if you actually see him, it's best not to ask about that time."

Raiden Mei sensed that there was a complicated past involved, and rather than asking [[Ashes]] herself, which would be tactless, she thought it would be better to get answers from other people who knew the truth.

The reason they came to find Sakura was to learn things that even Elysia might not know.

She said earnestly:

"Sakura, if I want to get close to [[Ashes]], which is not essentially part of the Sea of Quanta, I will inevitably encounter memory spaces that are not connected to this facility along the way. They may be chaotic or orderly, but they will undoubtedly be different from everything I have encountered before."

"So... if possible, I hope you can tell me what you know about [[Ashes]]. It would be a great help to me."

Yae Sakura understood the other party's situation. She hesitated only for a moment before nodding and saying:

"Mei, you should understand that becoming Herrscher is not about the self-awareness of the chosen vessel. However, in some extreme and special circumstances, the self-awareness originally chosen as the vessel by the Honkai Consciousness can usurp the autonomy of the body."

Raiden Mei understands this all too well, and if you ask why...

She is not only Herrscher herself, but also the people she cares about and the friends Herrscher cherishes.

If Herrscher are beings who are entitled to face discrimination, fear, and even hatred, then she herself is in such a position, so her understanding of this is naturally profound.

"Yes, I understand."

Yae Sakura gave a knowing smile and said:

"When everyone believed that the Herrscher represented only monsters and natural disasters, only that person still believed in the students he knew well, and still retained his own consciousness."

Raiden Mei asked:

"Student?"

Yae Sakura responded:

"Yes, the Third Herrscher was a student at an academy in Canghai City. [[Ashes]] was not yet an adult at that time, but she was already a teacher at that academy."

"Hmm... The Flame-Chasers you're most familiar with should be Hua, right? She was also a student at that academy back then. But it seems Hua and [[Ashes]] knew each other even earlier. When I was chatting with Eden before, I overheard that [[Ashes]] came to Canghai City to become a teacher because of Hua."

Her eyes were lowered, and her smile was faint.

"To be honest, sometimes I'm quite envious of those two."

"In a world like this, such feelings are always rare and beautiful, aren't they?"

Raiden Mei remained silent.

It was a beautiful love story in every sense of the word, but Canghai City was hit by the Third Honkai Outbreak, the biggest impact at that time. The place where the two had woven their memories was shattered in a single day, and the framework to piece them back together could no longer be found.

This is what the end times are like; all happiness is as fleeting as a shooting star.

The girl, having regained her composure, asked:

"According to you, [[Ashes]] chose to confront his student, who had become the Third Herrscher, even before undergoing any surgery, and... even attempted to awaken her? According to what you're saying, at that time, didn't he even join the Moth to Fire, and truly confront the Herrscher bare-handed?"

Yae Sakura said:

"[[Ashes]]'s identity is a mystery; almost no one knows where he came from, but he certainly wasn't a member of the Moth to Fire at that time."

"Or rather, if [[Ashes]] and the Moth to Fire had communicated earlier, perhaps... the tragedy that followed wouldn't have happened."

Raiden Mei just wanted to know, what kind of unparalleled powerhouse was that? He hadn't even had time to become Fusion Warrior, didn't have the weaponry provided by the most technologically advanced organization in the world, and his physical abilities were even comparable to hers, yet he dared to fight her one-on-one? And he even harbored the thought of redeeming her.

Although the girl herself, as the Third Herrscher of this world, had encountered such idiots, she understood that the Third Herrscher of the previous era had a far more exaggerated appearance than her own. Almost two-thirds of the world was Honkai by Honkai, with hundreds of millions of people evaporating into black ash in one go, and many more becoming Zombie and zombies.

The Third Herrscher, born from an unprecedented calamity, is bound to be a million times more troublesome than the Herrscher I was saved by Kiana back then.

Even if she didn't understand what exactly the previous era had done, she could at least understand that her ability to maintain consciousness while in Herrscherization must be related to that.

However, it is clear that the [[Ashes]] of the previous era could not enjoy such treatment.

If he wants to approach the Third Herrscher with this mindset, he must first engage in a life-or-death struggle with him.

Judging from the keyword "[tragedy]", that person ultimately failed.

Raiden Mei felt a mix of emotions. Even though there was a distance of 55,000 years, she was also Third Herrscher, and even became Third Herrscher by borrowing the core of that [[Ashes]] student. It was really hard not to feel sentimental about it.

Yae Sakura continued:

"As you said, [[Ashes]]'s goal was different from everyone else's at the time. He was the first human to come into contact with her under the cover of the Third Herrscher Authority."

"A normal person's choice is either to run away or to try their best to kill the other person."

"But [[Ashes]]'s goal has always been clear: he wants to sever the link between the Honkai Consciousness and the Herrscher body itself, and release the self of those he knows well."

Raiden Mei added:

"In other words, even if he had the opportunity to kill the other person, he had to ignore it, because his real goal was to save his student."

She guessed:

"Could it be that [[Ashes]] ultimately failed? Was he forced to personally kill the Third Herrscher at the time?"

Yae Sakura said softly:

"Yes, he failed."

"But before failing, [[Ashes]] did successfully sever the link between the Third Herrscher and the Honkai Consciousness, allowing the opponent's consciousness to revive."

Raiden Mei was speechless; wasn't this a bit too awesome?

It was as if he was at the peak of his strength as a Herrscher, forcibly severing the link between the Honkai Consciousness and the Herrscher. In the meantime, he also had to let go of opportunities to kill the opponent several times, constantly prolonging the battlefield. Under such circumstances, even if one's combat power was truly higher than the opponent's, one still had to take a huge risk.

She asked:

"What was the reason for the failure? Was it that the link to the Honkai Consciousness returned? Or did some other unexpected event occur?"

Yae Sakura revealed the true ending:

"At that time, the official regime locked onto the Herrscher fluctuations in Canghai City. After using satellites to determine that this was the best opportunity to kill the Third Herrscher, they launched the Honkai Fission Bomb at it."

"That was the moment [[Ashes]] successfully severed the link between the Honkai Consciousness and the Herrscher, thus the Third Herrscher at that time had her right to use her powers cut off by the Honkai Consciousness."

Raiden Mei paused for a moment, but she understood the answer even without hearing what was said next.

But that was far too cruel. Not to mention what [[Ashes]] felt at that time, even she, as an observer of the past, could feel a chill run down her spine in an instant.

It's like the story of Yu Gong moving mountains, where generations of people finally saw the completion of their long-held dream, only to have Guanyin Bodhisattva suddenly move an even bigger mountain and forcefully press it down in the original place, declaring that countless years of effort had been in vain.

A mountain nine ren high can be ruined by a single basket of earth.

After struggling to overcome the initial despair and witnessing the fading of hope, it was suddenly shattered in the next breath.

"In the end, the girl died from the intense radiation of the Honkai Fission Bomb a few breaths after regaining consciousness. Her core was removed by the arriving troops, and her remains were never found."

"[[Ashes]] was critically injured and on the verge of death, but for some unknown reason, he barely survived and spent half a year in the repair pod."

Flame-Chasers's explanation reached the girl's ears, and at that moment she suddenly connected it to the final ending of [[Ashes]]:

"[[Ashes]] dragged Fuxi into a World Bubble outside the Proper World, plunging him into a long period of dormancy."

"At the cost of soul and life."

"And it wasn't until later that we learned that the gentle Polar day that illuminated the whole world was the embers of that person's soul evaporating at the last moment."

Elysia's assessment also inappropriately popped into her mind at this moment:

"That person, aside from being aloof, was an absolute saint, a kind of good-natured person through and through."

Raiden Mei thought that if it were someone she cared about so much that she would risk her life to save, and after finally pulling them back from the brink of hell, they would fall completely into the abyss because of humanity's safety and security concepts.

Perhaps then she will become someone else entirely, choosing to ignore the happiness of most people in the world and exact revenge on the instigators of this world and everything related to it, abandoning all her previous principles.

But [[Ashes]] are not there.

In an era where no Fusion Warrior or Herrscher- level individual combatants existed in the world, the reason he still managed to suppress his hatred and resentment was definitely not out of cowardice.

The answer is obvious.

The world after the Third Honkai Outbreak is full of devastation. A vengeful demon can destroy the little happiness and hope that remains in the world; but a warrior bound by hatred and anger can prevent more people from suffering the same sorrow and pain as himself.

She was a person so gentle that she could empathize with the joys and sorrows of the world, and only such a person would endure the mental torment and emotional turmoil, and still choose to join the Moth to Fire.

Raiden Mei can't do that, so she's destined never to become [[Ashes]].

She sighed:

"Under such a blow, is [[Ashes]] still... mentally sound?"

"To be honest, I don't think it would be surprising if this kind of ordeal turned into something like Chrono-Chaos, or even worse."

Yae Sakura said softly:

"I heard Kevin say that when he first met [[Ashes]], the man was like a lifeless sea, but after I got to know [[Ashes]], he was relatively normal, at least able to show some human emotions."

"I think [[Ashes]] did develop some personality issues after that, but his strong willpower still allowed him to restrain himself with clear shackles and reins."

"When I met him, he had already obtained the Stigmata developed by Dr. Mei, which resolved his physical defects and problems. He was much better than... I saw in the video, but I don't know if it was just my imagination, he seemed colder."

For a moment, Raiden Mei thought she must have misheard, and she couldn't help but ask:

"Wait, Sakura."

"You're saying... [[Ashes]]'s body needs Stigmata? I thought Stigmata wouldn't be of much help to someone like him."

Yae Sakura explained:

"Mei, the Stigmata mean little to me, Kevin, Hua, or even the thirteen Flame-Chasers of the Sea of Quanta."

"But for [[Ashes]], it's a completely different story."

"[[Ashes]]'s Honkai Energy proficiency is similar to that of ordinary humans; it's barely enough to avoid turning into black ash, but in a high-concentration Honkai environment, it could become Zombie at any moment."

She said sincerely:

"If we are the lucky ones who escaped the initial selection of the Honkai, then [[Ashes]] are the prisoners who barely survived by struggling on the threshold of selection."

"Void Sword Qi, Artificial Stigmata"

"These two things led [[Ashes]] into territory that didn't belong to him, so every battle he fought, including the initial war against the Third Herrscher, was a burning of his already dwindling life force."

"In the process of killing the Fifth Herrscher, he burned all the Artificial Stigmata, yet he still had to continue fighting the first Judgment-class Honkai Beast born in the previous era under these circumstances."

Yae Sakura understood Raiden Mei's doubts perfectly, because she herself had once had these same questions, only to have them dispelled by Raiden Mei's unique qualities. Without waiting for Raiden Mei to ask, she explained herself:

"[[Ashes]]'s strength lies not in his Honkai Energy proficiency, but in his ultimate Honkai Energy utilization rate and his unparalleled skill in integrating it with martial arts, as well as a unique ability that belongs only to him."

Raiden Mei was still processing the massive amount of information in those words, and she was still somewhat taken aback. How could a human with such low Honkai Energy literacy, capable of being corrupted into a Zombie, kill Herrscher one after another? This was simply too far-fetched to comprehend.

Even though she had experienced similar feelings frequently since learning of the existence of [[Ashes]], she still clearly couldn't get used to this kind of impact.

But ever since her battle of wits with the riddle master in the Sea of Quanta, the girl had developed an instinct to notice every detail. Even in this state, she instinctively grasped the key words and asked a question:

"Special ability? What kind of ability specifically? Could you tell me?"

Yae Sakura carefully considered her words before stating:

"Mei, your power can be used to manipulate all sorts of strange phenomena and forces by inputting large amounts of Honkai Energy. The simplest manifestation of this is thunderstorms, right?"

"Do you think that when you use your power to trigger a thunderstorm, the thunderstorm itself is a natural phenomenon or Honkai Energy phenomenon?"

"I think it's both, right? But [[Ashes]]'s ability can even ignore this kind of unevenness, erasing it, or rather, absorbing it, to be more accurate, because he can release it in its original form. Unless it exceeds the limit of Honkai Energy he can bear at once, the power of the Herrscher is like a gentle breeze to him."

Raiden Mei felt that this ability was even more overpowered than authority itself, which explained why the opponent was able to fight the Third Herrscher without killing her.

She concluded:

"In other words, [[Ashes]] can use its abilities to turn battles with most Herrscher into pure Honkai Energy tug-of-wars, where the threat of the power itself is negligible?"

Yae Sakura nodded and said:

"Hmm, the power of constraint might be effective against it."

"But... Mei, you should know from Elysia that the [[Ashes]] at that time were no longer on the same level as the Restraint."

Raiden Mei nodded in understanding, and after chatting with her for a while longer, she chose to leave this memory space.

She needs to learn more about the past of [[Ashes]] from the other Flame-Chasers in order to weave a path home.

The remaining Flame-Chasers stood silently amidst the dazzling, falling petals, reminiscing about the unchanging past...

This is a pitch-black land where the sun never shines, and countless illusory demons, like mayflies, proliferate here, their veins intertwining like branches and leaves in every corner of the world's surface.

There was neither sun nor moon.

This has been the case for hundreds of years.

But as the years passed as always, a sudden, shattering sound rang out. Endless flames, carrying several beautiful colors, lit up the sky like shooting stars, steaming up the billowing atmosphere, burning away the shackles of the dark veins, and finally crashing down onto the demon-infested earth veins, causing all sorts of commotion.

The white-haired girl knelt on the ground, supporting her body with her hands gripping the greatsword in reverse.

She gazed at the surrounding scenery, lost in thought.

This is... the new Dominion Theater?