Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey

It would not be fair to call this spell weak. Even without the ability to manipulate cold air, Suika could still easily freeze objects with this move by relying on her own magical power.

Moreover, the spell card's bullet barrage covered a considerable area. As long as no one was right in her face, this AOE could affect an impressively wide zone.

To Suika, gaining this skill meant she might obtain other people's signature spells from it as well, such as the shameless God-Demon Yin-Yang Orb, Fantasy Nature, or one of Suika's favorite bullet barrages, Yuyuko Saigyouji's Resurrection Butterfly: Eight-Tenths Full.

However, judging by the fact that ten thousand Lungmen Dollars had gotten her that idiot Cirno's spell, she probably would not pull any top-tier moves.

After thinking it over, she put in another ten thousand. As the knowledge of the skill appeared in her mind, a satisfied smile spread across her face.

This time, the skill she obtained was not a spell card, but the most basic form of flight.

That was right—magic that practically every yokai in Gensokyo knew.

This was also what Suika had been aiming for.

She had originally thought she would need to spend quite a bit of money before finding this skill, but she had gotten it on her second try.

Now, she would not have to keep running around on foot like a ground chicken. Nor would she have to watch others fly through the air while she could only walk on the ground, grow jealous, and want to use Precipice Blades on them.

After learning this move, Suika temporarily had no further need for more skills.

In her view, magic was not something one could simply hoard without consequence.

Previously, what she had lacked were ranged attacks and rapid mobility.

Now that she had learned Ice Burst and flight, both weaknesses had been temporarily addressed.

What she needed now was to familiarize herself with those two skills, so that she would not make mistakes in battle due to unfamiliarity, like she did with her Three-Step Ruin.

Even though it was her signature move, she had only used it twice, so she still could not completely control its force.

She could only manage levels such as holding back, using normal strength, and going all out. She could not control it with any greater precision.

It was summer now. Remembering all the frogs she had heard croaking by the stream, she could not help but chuckle.

She wobbled into the air, then flew a few circles around. After barely grasping the essentials of flight, she headed toward the stream.

Hovering above the water, Suika searched for frogs while gathering power in her hand. Once she found a little cutie hopping around on the muddy bank, she pointed at it and flicked her hand.

Cold air condensed into ice shards and shot toward the frog.

Sensing danger above its head, the frog leaped toward the stream. Just as it was about to plunge into the water, an ice shard struck it. The next second, it was enveloped in ice and fell.

From midair, Suika looked down at the roughly five-meter area sealed off by a single Ice Burst and nodded in satisfaction.

Then she aimed into the distance and tested the spell's range.

Half an hour later, Suika sat by the stream with an extremely satisfied expression.

After a series of experiments, she concluded that Ice Burst worked best at a range between thirty and fifty meters, with an effective area of roughly twenty meters.

At closer range, the affected area became narrower. At greater distances, the number of ice shards could no longer fully cover the target area.

For Suika, who had lacked ranged abilities and had yet to develop any long-range magic beyond growing larger and smashing things with her fists, Cirno's spell card suited her perfectly.

After all, it made up for her weak ranged damage, and the move also had quite decent crowd-control effects.

Although the spell card also had the flaw of being completely ineffective directly in front of her at point-blank range, Suika was not afraid of anyone choosing to fight her in close combat.

More accurately, if someone was skilled enough to notice and exploit that weakness, it would suit Suika even better.

Because if they got right in her face, how could she possibly fail to grab them?

Once she caught them, it did not matter whether she knew any throwing techniques. A Hulk-style barrage of smashing them left and right would ensure that most people could not survive.

The Woman in the River Valley

By the time Suika returned to the cave entrance, the Twin Moons were already hanging high overhead.

Most of the smoke inside the cave had dispersed by then. After going in and clearing the ground a little, she lay down directly on the floor and went to sleep.

When she woke the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky.

After estimating her direction, Suika continued south.

Meanwhile, although the first attack had been ended by Suika, her abilities were simply too tempting. Naturally, some people refused to give up and sent a second group.

After gathering intelligence that Suika intended to head toward Ursus, they set up surveillance along the Ursus border.

But several days passed without any sign of Suika.

The spies in Ursus also reported that there had been no news of an Oni with a pair of ridiculously long horns entering Ursus.

Everyone was left dumbfounded.

Some guessed that she might have gone south toward Kazdel, but almost no one dared to pursue the matter there.

After all, the Sarkaz in Kazdel were not much different from madmen these days. The civil war between the Twin Kings had driven many Sarkaz to kill anyone they did not recognize on sight.

So even if there were a few scattered teams, how could they possibly run into Suika so easily in a Kazdel that vast?

A few days later, in a valley surrounded by green mountains, Suika plopped down onto a rock.

She rubbed her long hair in frustration, because perhaps, maybe, possibly... she had gotten lost.

After several days, she no longer knew where she had ended up.

She had merely followed her instincts and found this place, which seemed to have a rather nice environment.

Sitting by the river, she grabbed a perchscale fish foolish enough to get close and decided that would be her lunch.

She had just built a fire and skewered the perchscale fish for roasting when a gentle voice spoke.

"Perchscale is delicious, but you only removed the innards. You have not properly scraped off the scales, and you have not removed the fishy vein either. You will not be able to eat it once it is roasted."

Suika turned her head. A tall woman dressed in a black formal gown stood beneath a nearby tree, her face covered by a piece of black cloth.

Hearing her words, Suika looked at the perchscale fish she had just skewered. Sure enough, the scales had not been fully scraped off.

"Thank you!" Suika had guessed the woman's identity, but did not reveal anything on her face. She calmly thanked her and carried the fish back to the river.

After scraping the scales clean, Suika looked at the woman with an embarrassed expression.

"Um, could you tell me where the fishy vein is?"

"Of course. Cut a slit near the tail, then pat the fish's body. You will see a thin white line near the back. That is the fishy vein. Just pull it out."

The woman patiently guided Suika step by step as she finished preparing the grilled fish.

Once the fish was fully roasted, Suika carried it over to the woman.

"To thank you for teaching me how to grill perchscale, this one is for you!"

The woman shook her head.

"I'm not hungry. You should eat it yourself."

Suika nodded. "Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

After eating, she looked at the woman sitting nearby, who had yet to leave, and gave an awkward smile.

"Sorry, the grilled perchscale smelled so good that I couldn't hold back.

Did you need something from me?"

"As it happens, there are indeed a few questions I would like to ask you." The woman looked at Suika.

"Please, ask away!"

"You know who I am?" Though it was phrased as a question, her tone was certain.

"Yes. This is my first time seeing you in person. Before this, I had only heard of your deeds. I just did not expect that getting lost during my journey would give me the honor of meeting you."

Suika answered with rare respect.

"Then what purpose brought you to Kazdel?"

"Purpose? I do not really have one. After leaving Lungmen, I traveled west all the way. My original plan was to travel across Terra and experience the different customs and cultures of every place.

I had intended to go to Ursus. I heard Kazdel was rather lively, and I'm not someone who enjoys joining the excitement.

I just never expected to get lost and end up here."

Not a single word she said was false, yet it was entirely different from her true circumstances.

She had merely concealed certain conditions, so it could not be said that she was lying.

The woman did not try to determine whether Suika's words were lies. After listening, she merely nodded slightly.

"Where do you intend to go next?"

Suika scratched her head, pride written across her face.

"Probably Victoria. Don't let my size fool you, but I'm a messenger. I accepted two letters that need to be delivered to Victoria."

"Kazdel has not seen your Oni people in a very long time. Speaking of which, the Oni of the Eastern Country were once a Sarkaz tribe taken away when Kuron traveled east.

Later, they settled in the Eastern Country. Over thousands of years, those Sarkaz changed their name and identity. They no longer called themselves Sarkaz, becoming instead the Oni unique to the Eastern Country."

The woman recounted the hidden history between the Sarkaz and the Oni.

"Um, are you planning to settle accounts with our tribe for betraying the Sarkaz?" Suika asked carefully.

The woman shook her head.

"Of course not. After all, everyone was seeking the Promised Land that belonged to the Sarkaz.

Though they changed their name and identity, their bloodline was preserved.

Besides, the events of that time were extremely complicated. Had they not changed their name, the Sarkaz tribe you belong to would likely have disappeared into the mountains of the Eastern Country long ago."

"Whew... that's good...

But I can sense that your emotions seem rather unstable. Did something happen?" Suika put out the campfire, lest it ignite the nearby reeds in this weather and cause a fire.

The woman walked to the riverbank, picked up the wreath Suika had casually woven from reeds while sitting there, and threw it into the river. The wreath rolled twice in the water before sinking to the riverbed beneath their gaze.

Suika could sense that, after witnessing this, the woman's mood had become incomparably bleak.

She did not look at Suika again. Instead, she raised her head toward a certain direction, unconsciously clenching both hands.

"Did I say something wrong, ma'am?" Feeling the atmosphere grow increasingly heavy, Suika tried to break the tension.

The woman let out a long breath, then shook her head at Suika.

"No. But Kazdel has not been peaceful lately, so you should not stay too long.

If you are heading toward Ursus, leave the valley and go north. You should reach Ursus territory in about four or five days."

"Thank you!" Suika bowed to her, then walked out of the valley in the direction indicated by the woman's fingertip.

That woman had truly frightened her just now. A mere fluctuation in her mood had nearly frozen the entire space around them.

Suika sighed inwardly. As expected of one of the Six Heroes of the Sarkaz, the master of the Banshee Court. Such strength was not something gained through mere boasting.

Moreover, from the woman's behavior and actions, Suika had gleaned one thing: the event she remembered was likely about to happen.

Who Sings the Elegy For?

Just as she reached the edge of the valley, a bone whistle sounded.

The sound was deep and mournful, as though heaven and earth themselves were weeping and grieving for it.

"Gah! It can't be such a coincidence, can it?"

Suika turned toward the source of the sound, her scalp tingling.

She did not know the exact time of Theresa's death, nor had she imagined that things would coincide so perfectly.

Standing at the edge of the valley, she heard bone whistles rise and fall within it, answering and surrounding that sorrowful elegy.

"So this means I'm witnessing history?" Suika mocked herself.

Then she took out the Ibuki Gourd and a small porcelain cup from her waist.

She filled a cup with wine and poured it onto the ground, then filled a second cup, then a third...

After pouring out three cups, she drank the fourth cup in one gulp.

"Though I was never fortunate enough to meet you, your ideals will surely be passed on, and your will will be remembered.

Blood, death, and hatred may bring fleeting pleasure, but they cannot bring the Sarkaz the Promised Land they seek.

May peace return to Terra, and may war fall into dust."

Suika truly admired Theresa's ideals.

Using violence to suppress violence could never allow Kazdel to gain a foothold on Terra.