The World-Bearing Blade-Twelve Names.

Himeko watched Fang Jie. Even among the Astral Express's passengers, he definitely counted as "special."

"Self-Annihilators, on the other hand, walked toward oblivion through dreams and hallucinations."

Fang Jie understood what she meant and said uncertainly, "I don't have... any dreams or hallucinations."

But you brought them.

Welt's formerly unwavering conviction nearly wavered again. This was a little... too nihilistic.

"Each 'hallucination,' for lack of a better term."

Himeko remained composed. "They all appeared after you vanished and reappeared. The most recent one was three days ago. In my memories, there are two different Jarilo-VIs: one with you, and one without you."

So then, which part was the hallucination?

Was it the present, or yesterday?

When you appeared in a story without you, where would the future go?

Fang Jie had not thought that much about it, but under the reminder of those tranquil golden eyes, he thought for a moment, then sucked in a breath. "Good thing I wasn't born on Herta Space Station. Otherwise, Herta would've beaten me to my knees and dragged me into the Simulated Universe as a dream generator."

"That is indeed possible."

Himeko's smile became more genuine, carrying a hint of... schadenfreude.

"But the galaxy is vast. Anything can happen, so there's no need to worry. Believe in it. Believe that something good will always happen."

No matter which Himeko she was, she was truly beautiful.

Fang Jie's speechlessness was soothed, and being not entirely stupid, he thought of something else... Maybe it was not only this side that was like this. Over in Honkai 3...

Oh, only three days had passed. The original Kiana had only just been accepted into St. Freya Academy.

If Fang Jie simply stopped going over there, would it stop updating?

Old Yang, why were you looking at me like that? Why were your fingers rubbing that cane? Why were your glasses reflecting such an evil light...

Himeko handed him coffee.

Drink.

Himeko handed him coffee.

Drink again.

Himeko handed him coffee.

Keep drinking.

Himeko...

Coffee eventually ran out. So did silence.

"Take this."

After competing with the young man for quite a while and ending in a draw, Welt was ultimately old. He extended a hand, and an almost imperceptible light took shape, even finer than a Synesthesia Beacon.

"I hope you never have to experience the weight of this power. But you will definitely go there. Your eyes... I have seen many like them. So take it."

It was not that Fang Jie did not want to accept it, but this light... Was he supposed to eat it or drink it?

Use the cane to bash it into his forehead!

Catching him off guard, Old Yang brought his cane down on his head.

With a complimentary sleep spell.

Looking up at the stars and being looked down upon by the stars were entirely different experiences.

In the observation car, Yae Sakura, born upon the earth, gazed at that dark land, at the faint glimmers flickering in the profound darkness against the Milky Way...

Her worldview had gone numb.

Rin was not much better. After hiding in her room for a while, she still stepped outside and stared at... the starry sky.

It was not that one looked up at the stars while the other gazed upon the earth. Both were wanderers returning home, and those leaving home beginning their journeys.

That was how the human world was: one generation was born, another withered away.

Welt did not come to disturb them. He did not even disturb Fang Jie, who had drunk coffee all night, then woke up with tear-filled eyes and insisted on returning to Jarilo-VI for his appointment.

Even when Fang Jie excitedly suggested—how about I show you a "magic trick" and vanish on the spot?

Welt silently returned to his room. He still had things to prepare.

Believe in hope. Believe in beauty.

He was a pure hero. Even in the darkest days, he believed that one day, everyone would have the chance to feel the beauty of the world.

That legacy had also nurtured Bronya—Truth Duck, that was—allowing her to take part in End Times instead of being dead weight.

So the power of hope was limitless. Nourished by beauty, it could create miracles.

He was not the only one nurturing beauty. Himeko's coffee supply had temporarily run dry, and she came over in high spirits. "You're leaving, then. Take this. It'll make it easier to stay in touch."

It was a gift!

Fang Jie did not stand on ceremony and accepted it directly. He also asked, "Sister Himeko, please look after them for me."

"Mm-hm. Looking after every passenger is a navigator's duty. Little Fang Jie, do you think I'm unqualified in some way?"

"Absolutely not!"

Fang Jie wore an expression of complete loyalty.

From today onward, he was the protagonist of a wish-fulfillment novel template. Hahahahaha, hehehehe, kekekeke...

Be elegant!

Fang Jie waved goodbye elegantly.

"Then I'll be going."

"Safe travels."

He marched off full of vigor and leaped down from the Astral Express—

Spacewalking straight into the landing pod.

The ticket on his chest shone with golden light.

He felt entirely at ease leaving Rin and Yae Sakura in the Astral Express's care. He was not the type who excelled at persuading people, unless he convinced them with reason.

Forget Cocolia—even Natasha would not dare believe it...

There was nothing shameful about that. Did Seele not believe in him?

The Astral Express believed in him too.

"He's gone."

Watching the scene, Yae Sakura did not turn toward Rin. She only spoke softly.

Compared to the world changing, seeing a planet so directly and understanding just how vast the distance was allowed Yae Sakura to truly realize many things. So she asked Rin.

"Aren't you afraid?"

During those dark days, what had they relied on to endure? Love? Or hatred? Whatever it was, through five hundred years of darkness, they had only had each other.

And Yae Sakura had only just learned that Rin had endured an even darker fifty thousand years.

She still remembered the first time she met Kallen, seeing her light in the darkness... Rin had furiously accused her of betraying her. Clearly, Rin had only done those things because she had followed Yae Sakura's wishes...

Yae Sakura could not refute her. She could have found countless reasons: I am human, you are a fox spirit, everything in the past was your bewitchment, your fault... But she could not say such things.

She was glad that Rin was now like this, and that she had... betrayed her.

Their symbiosis had already been severed. Rin made no attempt to hide the fact that she did not want Yae Sakura to remain in this world. There was no place in the galaxy for useless weaklings like her. Go back to the Honkai world and live out the rest of your life.

Now that their symbiosis and spiritual bond were gone, some inexplicable mutual understanding still remained.

Thus, Rin heard that emotionally complicated question and understood those tangled feelings...

"What am I afraid of? I'd rather use your sword to chop that guy apart!"

Stupid Shrine Maiden, did she think Rin was some fragile fox?

She was strong. Stronger than all of them!

That strange bastard did not want to use his power at all, just as... Rin did not want to use certain powers either.

Rin was the strongest!

Yae Sakura did not argue. "Do you still remember Yae Village?"

"What's there to remember about that hellhole? It was destroyed long ago."

Rin's tone was cold.

"Yes. Yae Village has been gone for a long time."

Yae Sakura thought of many things. At that moment, she did not carry her sword, the battered Akazome Sakura.

She had once used it, when it was still a Spirit Blade, to kill Rin—her younger sister—in exchange for rain for the village. Even though she had wanted Rin to escape... the villagers had long since severed Rin's tendons and hamstrings.

To pray for rain, the Shrine Head had seized Sakura's sword-wielding hand and killed Rin.

She had once wanted to use that sword to slaughter all of Yae Village, but she could not. Could not... In the end, it was Rin, freed from her seal, who should have once more embarked upon a path to destroy the world amid endless hatred. Seeing all this, she chose to merge with Yae Sakura, fulfill her wish for revenge, turn the Spirit Blade into a demon blade, and avenge those tears of blood.

After that came Kallen, who had drifted there. An outsider arrived at Yae Village, and in classic Kaslana fashion, she fell for a pretty face. This and that happened, beginning another tale of love, hatred, and entanglement with Yae Sakura.

In the end, Yae Sakura watched Kallen and Rin fight to the death. Not wanting to lose anyone important again, she ultimately... stopped the blade aimed at Kallen, and did not swing it at Rin either. She cut herself instead.

As a Shrine Maiden, she knew that enemies deserved no mercy. Mercy toward them was cruelty toward oneself.

But... one had to recognize who the true enemy was.

Kallen was certainly not an enemy.

But was Rin Yae Sakura's enemy?

After all, back then she had worn the face of a fox demon, killed without blinking, and was evil enough to eat children... She had even told Kallen, right in front of her, that she would eat the severely wounded and dying Yae Sakura.

Why were you so awful?

After awakening five hundred years later and regaining her human identity, Yae Sakura... let out a quiet sigh. "Rin, Yae Village has not been destroyed. It exists in my heart. As long as it still exists in the hearts of the two of us, I do not want to... destroy it again."

That feeling remained unchanged.

I no longer want to lose anyone important, Rin. You feel the same way too, don't you?

Rin could not even be bothered to refute her. She was disdainful. She was proud.

"Lord Fang Jie is a hero, working hard far away. This barren land will surely become a place where every tree and flower can grow freely, a world where even the weak can be happy despite snowstorms or droughts..."

Rin could not care less what Fang Jie had gone off to do. Watching the distant flames rise, she knew she could do even better herself. "The world's mercilessness toward the weak is crueler than any blade."

Especially for a Shrine Maiden as weak as you. One careless moment, and your life could be snuffed out.

"Aren't you very strong, Rin? Stronger than all of us."

Yae Sakura turned around and looked at little Rin, who resembled her younger sister Rin. "Since Lord Fang Jie invited me, he must have invited you too."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Let's go back together."

Yae Sakura had made up her mind. She did not yearn for the distant galaxy. The earth still bound her soul, even though nothing remained there.

Rin had always fumed: Hah, you want to borrow my power and betray me again? And this time it's for a man?

Just watch whether I bite him or not.

P.S. It's nice to bask in the sun, everyone. Finally seeing daylight again—so warm.

This book should be going premium this Friday. I'm worried about how to write the author's note. (＃￣~￣＃)

World-Weary Blade - Twelve Names.

Bronya, when you wake up, you will find that everything has changed.

You will find that this world is no longer the way it used to be.