Chapter 358
Himeko Murata shook her head. "I don't know."
She was merely a memory stored within the core, stopped before this door, unable to interfere or know anything about the outside world.
"After you leave, remember to say goodbye to everyone at St. Freya for me, and tell Mei that I support her choice, but she can't be so cruel to her friends next time."
"Tell Bronya that I'm delighted to see her growth and that she'll definitely become an excellent leader in the future."
"Tell Fu Hua that although we can't meet again in the future, no matter whether St. Freya Academy exists or not, she will always be everyone's class monitor."
"From now on, Theresa will be the only one taking care of you. You all need to be obedient and not make the headmistress angry. Don't let her tough exterior fool you; she actually works much harder than us."
"I remember Ragna was also Durandal and Rita's teacher. If there's a chance, please pass on my legacy to them."
Kiana, don't worry about it.
Himeko Murata stroked Kiana's head and smiled, "Just treat this as a dream. When the dream ends, everyone has to move forward."
The reason we say goodbye to the past is to move towards the future.
"I understand, Teacher Himeko, I understand, I understand all of this..."
Kiana clenched her fists, lowered her head, and her bangs covered her eyes.
"I know this place is just a remnant of memories, and reality is where I should be. But I still can't help wondering if time will stand still as long as I don't step out of that door..."
I still have so much to say to you; those boasts I made, I haven't yet fulfilled.
"This is a dream, and dreams will end, I understand that! I will go back and defeat the Thousand-Man Herrscher, bring Mei home, the Eleventh Herrscher, the Twelfth Herrscher, even the Herrscher of Finality, I will defeat them all!"
"I will turn this imperfect story into the way we hope it will be. I just... I just want you to see all of this too..."
Himeko Murata placed her hand on Kiana's white hair. "Of course I'll know, Kiana. I'll see you whenever you want, because I'm in your heart."
"You remind me of when I was a child, at my mother's funeral, I cried my heart out, clung to my father and wouldn't leave, and in the end, it was just the two of us left."
"After a long time, I saw bloodshot eyes in my father's eyes. Unlike mine, however, he shed silent tears."
"Kiana, if you just believe, I will become a star in the night sky and watch over you."
The torch may go out, the moon may lose its light, but the unchanging glimmer will still illuminate the way forward for people.
"So, Kiana, when you feel lost, look up at the starry sky. I'll be there to light up your entire night."
"Thank you, Teacher Himeko."
A white light shines from the edge of the world, signifying the arrival of dawn and the passing of time.
Kiana bit her lip and managed to say a few words with difficulty, "Teacher Himeko, I... I have to go."
"Yes, I will always wish you well. After all, you are my student Himeko Murata."
Himeko Murata shrugged proudly.
"Yes, it's a pleasure to be your student. I'm honored to have met you!"
"Me too."
Himeko Murata gave her a push from behind, Kiana gradually walked towards the door.
As she opened the door, she hesitated, glancing back at Himeko Murata.
Himeko stood there, gazing at you tenderly, saying nothing.
Kiana slowly opened the door, a flash of white light, and everything vanished into a bubble of memory.
The video ends here.
Kiana: "Auntie Himeko, I can't bear to part with you, I really can't bear to part with you, I'm so sorry, sob sob..."
After learning the whole story, Kiana threw herself into Himeko Murata's arms and cried her heart out.
Guilt.
Previously, when Kiana witnessed Himeko Murata's death at the hands of the Herrscher of the Void, her anger was directed at the Herrscher and at Otto.
Now, all she feels is self-blame.
She is Sirin. Even though she is different from the Herrscher of the Void, there is no denying that she is Sirin.
In 2010, Captain Ragna's death destroyed the first half of Himeko Murata's life, and the Herrscher of the Void's eruption in Schicksal also ruined the second half of Himeko Murata's life.
Guilt spread through Kiana's heart.
Himeko Murata: "Alright, I'm perfectly fine, in fact, healthier than ever before. Kiana, at least show some of your maturity!"
Kiana: "No way! Who knows how much I'll have to lose to become that mature? I don't want to lose any of it."
If the price of maturity is inevitably losing something, then fate seems to have truly played a cruel joke on her.
Apponia: "Those who inherit the fate of the Herrscher of the Void must bear the corresponding weight. Kiana, you'd better watch yourself."
Raiden Mei: "What is this, a warning?"
Apponia: "Fate is a mysterious thing. Even if I cannot travel through Fifty Thousand Years to witness your destiny, I can still glimpse a part of it through experience."
Sirin's revenge, and humanity's hatred for Sirin.
These two irreconcilable hatreds intertwine and react with each other, inevitably leading to an irreversible tragedy.
Kiana: "Then what should I do? Is there a way to resolve this conflict without making any sacrifices? A little hardship is fine."
Apponia: "..."
As the Chat Group's undisputed prophet, he said nothing, but the words "[You're dreaming]" were practically written all over Apponia's face.
Gray Serpent: "Actually, I have a plan."
Raven: "Oh? You're capable of this? Is this some kind of bad idea?"
Gray Serpent: "The fate you bear is essentially a conflict between the Herrscher of the Void and humanity. Humanity and Sirin inflict irreconcilable pain on each other."
Gray Serpent: "But humans are forgetful creatures. If another threat stronger than Sirin appears, they will naturally forget to shift their hatred."
Tesla: "Damn it! What kind of terrible idea is this? You want the Herrscher to awaken too?"
Good grief, Otto was already crazy enough, and now another ruthless person has appeared who wants to release the Herrscher.
Gray Serpent: "No, you've misunderstood. Actually, I wanted to remind you that the Thousand-Man Herrscher have already awakened."
Tesla: "?! Damn it! Next time, can't you just say it all at once?!"
Damn it, how did Thousand-Man Herrscher suddenly appear?
The key point is that they didn't notice anything unusual at all. Wait, it seems like the Thousand-Man Herrscher was always hiding.
Chapter 581 Kevin is also missing
Amber: "Schicksal hasn't received any news, but there have been serious incidents in some unusual areas."
Gray Serpent: "Trust World Serpent's technology. We certainly knew about the birth of Herrscher before you did."
When it comes to truly cutting-edge technology, the World Serpent is the undisputed champion; even the combined might of Schicksal Anti-Entropy cannot match it.
Durandal: "We can tentatively assume that Thousand-Man Herrscher have appeared, but the question is, how do we deal with it?"
Rita: "Bishop Otto is missing, and now it seems we have to decide for ourselves."
Raiden Mei: "Decision? What's the point of making a decision about a mere Thousand-Man Herrscher? They're just a Dominus. If she dares to come, let her come!"
Pardofelis: "Sister Mei is awesome!"
Majestic and exuding domineering aura, this is the Sister Mei that Pardofelis loves.
The key is that she can also cook.
Raiden Mei: "The Thousand-Man Herrscher rely solely on their ability to steal the Herrscher Core. What is there to fear?"
Elysia: "Then let's see who's afraid of the power of Thousand-Man Herrscher now."
As Elysia finished speaking, everyone's gaze fell on Bronya.
Bronya: "?! Why are you looking at me? The Herrscher Core isn't on Bronya. In the end, Bronya won't even be a target."
That makes sense; the Herrscher of Reason Core still lies with Welt.
If Thousand-Man Herrscher were to approach the Anti-Entropy Leader, it would likely turn into a suicide mission.
With Raiden Mei Bronya out of the picture, the pressure falls on Kiana.
Kiana: "Hmph, I'm even more confident. Don't tell me I'm not a weak Herrscher; even without the Herrscher of the Void Core, I'll still crush them!"
The Herrscher of the Void has not yet awakened; Kiana's current S-Rank status is entirely due to the physical attributes boosted by Gluttony.
Rita: "In that case, the Thousand-Man Herrscher are at a complete disadvantage, so there's nothing to worry about at all."
Durandal: "It's best to be cautious."
Kiana: "Be careful? Be careful of what? Thousand-Man Herrscher has the guts, then unleash the Theater of Domination. I'll rip her head off and kick it around like a ball."
Pardofelis: "Isn't this a bit too arrogant? Isn't this inappropriate?"
Pardo was slightly worried; wasn't it a bit inappropriate for them to bully Thousand-Man Herrscher like this?
Raiden Mei: "The truth, Pardo?"
Pardofelis: "It's a pity I don't have any time-travel items, otherwise I could have been a part of beating up Thousand-Man Herrscher."
The Thousand-Man Herrscher is such a jewel in the crown, every word he utters pierces the heart.
The Flame-Chasers had long wanted to beat her up.
Pardofelis felt that the Current Era- civilization's Thousand-Man Herrscher were all weaklings, with not a single strong individual, and their potential was pitifully low.
There's no need for Sister Elysia and the others to step in. With Sister Vill-V's automated mecha, she could easily beat up Thousand-Man Herrscher as the vanguard.
Gray Serpent: "It seems everyone is determined to defeat the Thousand-Man Herrscher. I have some bad news that will spoil the mood, and I don't know if I should tell you."
Elysia: "Say it."
Gray Serpent: "The Lord has also disappeared."
Elysia: "?!!"
Pardofelis: "?!!"
Wait, what did he just say? The Lord is missing?
Right now, Boss Kevin is the leader of the World Serpent, isn't he? Before, when Otto went missing, we could suspect Kevin was behind it, but now that Kevin is missing, even a fool knows something bad is going to happen.
Sue: "Wait, explain yourself first, why did Kevin disappear?"
Gray Serpent: "It was probably right after Bishop Otto disappeared, roughly within ten to thirty minutes. By the time I noticed something was wrong, the Lord was nowhere to be found at the World Serpent Base."
Raven: "Gray Serpent, don't scare me."
Otto's disappearance might be because some prankster is up to no good; maybe he'll release some Herrscher somewhere.
After all, this wasn't the first time Otto had done this.
Everyone thought that Otto would come back on his own in a few days, and then they could just catch him and interrogate him.
If Kevin goes missing, it's not something that can be explained away as a joke.
Durandal: "Wait, let me sort this out. First, the Bishop disappeared, then within thirty minutes the World Serpent Lord disappeared, and then Thousand-Man Herrscher awakened."
Everyone sensed a conspiracy.
Theresa: "That can't be right, it couldn't have been done by Thousand-Man Herrscher, could it?"
Su: "Judging from the results, Kevin has disappeared, Bishop Otto has disappeared, and the two trump cards have left. If the Honkai now, it is indeed the best time for the Thousand-Man Herrscher to make his appearance."
If things had continued according to the inertia of the Previous Era, an incomprehensibly powerful Herrscher would surely have emerged now, wreaking havoc.
After humanity pays a heavy price to defeat the Herrscher, it will be time for Thousand-Man Herrscher to show off their skills.
Elysia: "Are the Thousand-Man Herrscher preparing to dismantle humanity just as they did to us? But one thing still doesn't make sense: why did Otto and Kevin disappear?"
Durandal: "I don't know."
This is an unavoidable problem.
Bishop Otto's ability to survive is well-known. If Otto doesn't want to die and keeps replacing his Soulium, he could probably survive until the world is destroyed, just like Mobius.
Needless to say, Kevin was even more so.
At his peak, he could deliver a devastating blow even to the Finality. Herrscher, they're lucky if they can survive under Kevin's protection, let alone make Kevin disappear.