Oddity Witch

Sheng Jiu looked closely, examining the young woman in the shrine maiden outfit before him.

The girl had thick, cherry-colored hair, with two slender, fox-like ears standing upright amidst it. She wore a clean, off-the-shoulder shrine maiden outfit, with a long and a short sword sheathed at her waist.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, sizing up the uninvited guest.

"I'm a warrior from Schicksal's Far East Branch. Who are you?" Sheng Jiu asked, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of Jueying behind him as he eyed the beast-eared girl warily.

But the girl reacted faster than he did. She kicked the bench between them with her geta-clad foot, sending it flying towards Sheng Jiu. He sliced the bench in half with a single stroke, but the girl had vanished from his sight. In her place, a massive shadow formed from mist coalesced into the shape of a giant fox before Sheng Jiu, its crimson eyes fixing on him. "Scum, I'm going to kill you!"

Sheng Jiu's expression grew grim as he looked at the gaseous shadow fox before him. Who is that woman? Someone who can summon a monster like this must be no ordinary person. Could it be... she's a Herrscher, just like that poisonous vine woman?!

"What's wrong, scum? Attack! Has Honkai Energy eroded your brain?" the shadow sneered dismissively.

"Eroded? What do you mean?" Sheng Jiu didn't understand the shadow's words.

"Hmph, look for yourself." The shadow held a piece of broken mirror in its mouth. Sheng Jiu finally saw his reflection. His right eye had inexplicably turned a lifeless orange, and his face was covered in thin, golden markings.

"What?!" Sheng Jiu gasped, rubbing his right eye in disbelief. At that moment, the strange shrine maiden emerged from behind the shadow and said softly, "You've been eroded by Honkai Energy."

"That's impossible! I was once injured by a Honkai Beast, my bones were damaged, and there wasn't even a sign of erosion!"

The shrine maiden shook her head gently. "Your injuries were inflicted by that Pseudo-Herrscher from Senba Academy. Its attack contained extremely high levels of Honkai Energy. As for why you felt nothing, it's likely because you were pricked by the thorns on its vines, which paralyzed your senses."

"...It's over. Everything is over." Sheng Jiu slumped to the ground, lost and dazed.

He drew Jueying, intending to end his own life, when the girl grasped the sword's hilt. "There's still hope."

"What do you mean?"

A smile touched the girl's lips. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yae Sakura, and I am a shrine maiden."

"Wait, you said you're Yae Sakura?" Sheng Jiu's eyes widened as he looked at the beast-eared girl before him.

"...You know me?" Yae Sakura looked at Sheng Jiu with surprise.

"...A friend mentioned you to me before." Sheng Jiu thought about it and decided it was best not to mention what happened in the virtual database. After all, not everyone could accept the words of a virtual personality.

"I see, my old friend... Then, you are also my friend. Hiyori, stand down."

Yae Sakura waved her hand at Hiyori, and the shadow slowly dissipated.

"Thank you, Miss Yae Sakura. Have you seen my friends? A white-haired girl and a short white-haired child."

"Before that, I think you should tend to your injuries." Yae Sakura leaned closer to Sheng Jiu, examining his mutated right eye.

"...It seems to be deeply eroded, but there's still a chance." Yae Sakura took out a pill and put it into Sheng Jiu's mouth.

"Ugh! What did you feed me?"

"Relax. This is a homemade anti-erosion pill. It will effectively slow down your transformation into a living dead." Yae Sakura handed Sheng Jiu another identical pill. "These should hold you over until you're rescued."

"Thank you, Miss Yae Sakura—"

"Just call me Sakura."

"Sakura, could you please tell me if you've seen my two friends?"

"...Follow me."

Sheng Jiu followed Yae Sakura through a door behind the room. Inside lay Theresa and Kiana.

"Kiana! Headmaster!" Sheng Jiu rushed towards them anxiously.

Kiana was leaning against a bench with her eyes closed, seemingly unharmed. Theresa's condition, however, was not optimistic. She lay on the bed in the center of the room, covered with thick blankets, a heavy ice pack on her forehead. Clearly, she had a high fever.

"This young lady is fine. She resisted fiercely when she met me, so I had Hiyori knock her out. The other lady's condition is not good. She was pierced by the Pseudo-Herrscher's vines and had a lot of toxins pumped into her body. Her condition is dire."

Yae Sakura gently lifted Theresa's head and wiped her forehead.

"This woman doesn't have long to live. Why waste time saving her?" Hiyori appeared beside Yae Sakura. "After 500 years, have you forgotten you were once a demon too?"

"I know. The reason you want to save her is because this woman carries her scent, isn't it? That Kallen Kaslana..."

"You know too well that once poisoned by a Herrscher, there's no saving her. Let me just bite her throat—"

"Get out!" Yae Sakura glared at the shadow, her eyes filled with killing intent.

As the shadow dissipated, Yae Sakura wiped Theresa's forehead and said apologetically to Sheng Jiu, who had quietly gripped Jueying, "I'm sorry. Hiyori's personality is a bit extreme. I apologize on its behalf."