Chapter 69: When We Meet Again, Everything Is Different

[Because of what "She" told you, you became a little sad, but fortunately, "She" is kind and gave you a solution]

[You ask Pardo to inform those "leaders" that there will be a disaster after Twilight Street, so they need to be prepared to receive the people of Twilight Street in batches]

[They asked you why you didn't fight the disaster together, and you truthfully repeated "Her" answer - this is a disaster that is bound to happen and will inevitably destroy Twilight Street. All you can do is reduce casualties and save lives.]

[Then they understood, and they no longer had any doubts and returned to their respective "territories" to begin preparations]

[You told Aponia about this incident, and together with her and Pardofelis, you found the families of those "patients" one by one, and told them the inevitable "disaster" and the real cause of the "disaster"]

[Those whose illness is not serious are better off. They can leave in batches with the others and be dispersed to different "leaders", so that they can continue to live.]

[But those who are seriously ill cannot leave, and you don't want them to leave]

[They were confused by this, and even subconsciously forgot to respect you, and questioned you in shock and anger]

[And you just answered truthfully... As long as those with serious illnesses leave here, leave this Twilight Street blessed by "Her", the balance will be broken in an instant, and they will die in an instant and become monsters. If they continue to stay here, they can still live for a while longer.]

[The words were extremely cold and realistic, making it hard for people to accept. Many people broke down and started making a scene, forcing you to spend time trying to calm them down...]

[But in the end, they all calmed down, calmly and helplessly accepting the reality... Because they knew that there must be a reason for what you said]

[After solving the problems of the people in Twilight Street, you went to see Kalpas alone.]

[This mysterious and violent, powerful and restrained man, even "She" is unwilling to say more, just telling you that Kalpas is a "non-human" person, similar to you but different]

[Perhaps because of this reason, Kalpas's attitude towards you is slightly better than Aponia's, although it's not much better... and you don't mind it.]

["Why? Father, you came to me alone, do you want to fight with me? I can feel the disgusting wetness and dryness buried under your hypocritical skin... Come! Free yourself! Take off that boring mask! Tear off the chains! Come and fight with me!" - This was the first sentence he said when you met Kalpas alone.]

[You ignored his words and just repeated "Her" instructions, asking him to wait at a specific place at a specific time]

["Oh? Why do you think… you can order me around?!" — Kalpas asked]

["There, you will have a battle that will satisfy you." —You told him so]

[Immediately, you can hear his wild laughter and ridicule, as if he is disdainful of your proposal.]

[But he finally agreed]

[After that, it will be Aponia and Pardo... Ask them to guide those who leave, and follow the last group of people to leave.]

[When she heard this arrangement, Pardofelis was extremely panicked, thinking that you didn't want her anymore... Her nervous and sad look made people feel pity, but you just didn't want them to step into danger, so you could only comfort her a little.]

[Fortunately, Pardofelis is a very smart girl. She reacted quickly and felt ashamed of her behavior just now.]

[As for Aponia, she didn't say anything but looked at you with a look of worry and concern... She seemed to have some other ideas.]

[As for you, you will follow Her will and face the one who is coming.]

[Everything went on in an orderly manner until that day came, and you followed the guidance of "Her" and came to the path that person had to take and waited]

clatter--

Light and faint footsteps sounded quietly. If you don't listen carefully, you probably won't notice them.

The cherry blossom-colored girl was walking slowly, carrying a long bundle wrapped in cloth on her shoulder. She had a faint floral scent on her body, and with her restrained temperament and pretty face, she was undoubtedly a very attractive girl.

It's just... the pair of straight, cherry-colored, slender ears on her head are particularly eye-catching. Surprisingly, this girl would like to wear such a wonderful headdress.

However, if you touch it, you will find that the long and thin ear... is real.

Obviously this girl has become "non-human".

Well, the one who came here was Sakura, the [Fusion Warrior] who was sent by [Fire Moth] to investigate Twilight Street.

Honestly speaking, it was quite troublesome to get into Twilight Street. Not only did the Fire Moth itself take a lot of effort, but Sakura also had the task of [Poison Pupa], so the preliminary preparations took a lot of effort and time.

Not to mention that it took too much time to find a hidden, safe, and seldom-cleared area to place the equipment in advance, just getting Sakura in there in a reasonable way took a lot of effort... As for why she didn't just sneak in, Sakura's main task was still to investigate the Fire Moth, and the priority of clearing the poisonous pupa was a little lower.

However, ever since Sakura entered Twilight Street, all she saw was tranquility and peace. Almost everyone would smile and nod when they met each other as a sign of courtesy. Even if it was an obvious outsider like her, they would greet her warmly. Apart from being a little quiet, this place was completely like an ordinary town with simple folk customs.

However, Sakura, who had obtained detailed information from the Fire Moth, knew that all of this was just an appearance, all false, and all the evil would be revealed at night.

But... this tranquility during the day is real. Although the time she has been here is very short, she can feel that everyone here is very happy and the smiles on their faces are from the heart.

'So...why did this place become like this?'

After coming into contact with this, Sakura also had the same doubts as the Fire Moth.

You know, Twilight Street used to be famous for "chaos" and "xenophobia," but now it's the exact opposite... Sure enough, someone must have forcibly changed this place. After all, the information shows that this change was achieved in a very short time, and the key figure is a person called "Priest."

It is reported that he also has the strange ability to judge the guilt of others and summon fire, which makes the Fire Moth pay more attention to him. In addition, the fact that Twilight Street has recently taken in a large number of "Honkai Disease patients" has further deepened the suspicion of the Fire Moth... So Sakura's mission process here is roughly [Investigate the overall situation of Twilight Street → Investigate the identity of the "priest" and negotiate with him → Bring back or eliminate the "priest" depending on the situation → Clear out all the people in Twilight Street].

This sounds like a very cruel task, because no matter what, Sakura will have to [Clean up Twilight Street] in the end, but... this is something that cannot be avoided.

Because there are so many "Honkai disease patients" taken in inside Twilight Street, the Fire Moth is convinced that Honkai will definitely break out here, and it hasn't broken out yet only because the time has not come yet... So the source of Honkai energy must be cleared before it breaks out and causes greater damage.

As for the possible people here who have not been infected with Honkai... they must also be cleared out, but that is the task of the Poison Pupa. Although in a sense, this task is still issued by the Fire Moth. After all, the relationship between the Fire Moth and the Poison Pupa... can be regarded as the light and dark sides of an organization.

As for the reason for issuing this task, Sakura didn't care, and it was not something she should care about.

She... is just a [knife].

'My thoughts have drifted a little far away, so I should focus on what is happening in front of me' Sakura thought, and with a flick of her hand, she took the long package on her back and placed it around her waist. The cloth at the front fell off, revealing the Sword inside.

Placing her hand lightly on the hilt of the Sword, Sakura looked forward warily.

There, a priest was sitting on a box, looking at a scripture in silence... Logically speaking, there should be no one here, and the things placed here are definitely not an ordinary box.

Obviously, the person in front of her was the "priest" who changed the entire Twilight Street. Not only did he take away all the equipment left by the Fire Moth in advance, he also knew the time of her arrival in advance. More importantly, Sakura sensed an inexplicable "threat" from him.

Not from him, but from... something else.

'Sure enough, the Fire Moth's guess was correct, he was indeed an "abnormal" existence' Sakura thought so.

At the same time, he also noticed Sakura's presence, closed the Bible in his hand, lightly stepped down from the box, and stopped not far in front of Sakura.

The position was very good, just enough to keep Sakura at a level where she wouldn't be overly alert.

"Hello, the one who came with a life..."

Nozomi first held the cross pendant wrapped around his hand and placed it lightly on his chest, then bowed to Sakura as a sign of courtesy.

Then he slightly raised his eyes and looked at the girl in front of him who was slowly emitting a sharp aura. His strange three-color eyes, which were mostly gold, looked at her, and then... Nozomi was stunned.

Sakura looked very similar to a girl he had seen before, especially the similar pink hair... well, that was Elysia.

But when he first met Elysia, he felt for no reason in his heart that he would rather meet a girl with cherry blossom color... and now it seems that you have met her.

When he saw her and confirmed that it was her, Nozomi's first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief, as if he was glad that she was still alive and still in front of him. But soon, when Nozomi noticed the vigilance and slight hostility on her face, he felt a little sad.

Nozomi was sure that this was their first meeting, but it seemed as if he had seen her before and they had a good relationship... This feeling was inexplicable, just like Nozomi's hatred for the priest at the beginning, it all came suddenly.

But as a devout believer of [Her], Nozomi gave everything to [Her] and dedicated everything to [Her]'s existence. There was not much expression on his face. He just suppressed all the emotions in his heart and spoke in calm and clear words.

"I already know your intentions. She also told me about you and the existence behind you. However, the malice and hostility you carry are too strong, so I have no choice but to temporarily confiscate your instruments... Please rest assured that after the incident is over, those instruments will be returned to you."

"...Are you the [Priest] they are talking about?"

Sakura looked at him for a while, and somehow, she subconsciously felt that Nozomi was an easy person to get along with, and that she could put aside her hostility for the time being.

'Maybe he was too polite?' Sakura thought subconsciously.

But then, she suppressed her unnecessary thoughts and asked instead.

"According to you...you already know why I came here?"

"Yes, she has told me your purpose. However, your hostility and suspicion are too strong, so She asked me to guide you."

Nozomi nodded, and then slowly spoke.

"I should first tell you that your coming here will bring disaster to us, and your behavior is also... Therefore, I hope you can leave now so that the disaster can be avoided and peace can be restored here."

"…Are you kidding me?"

"You came here with your life, so naturally you won't agree, but... you should know this."

Nozomi slightly tightened the cross pendant in his hand.

"Because knowing and not telling is a sin."

"......"

"But... you should have been ordered to observe this place and observe me. Therefore, I hope you can temporarily restrain your hostility, rest here for a while, and take in everything here before making a decision."

Nozomi placed his hand with the pendant on his chest and spoke softly.

"Come with me."

Immediately, he walked towards Sakura, or rather, walked towards the path Sakura came from.

Sakura's body subconsciously tensed up, but she could still sense some kind of threat coming from Nozomi. And as Nozomi got closer, that inexplicable feeling became stronger and stronger, making Sakura subconsciously judge that she should not let him get any closer.

But in the end, until Nozomi passed Sakura and even walked some distance away, Sakura did not make any move. She even turned her back to him for a while, until the footsteps of Nozomi behind her stopped. Only then did Sakura seem to come back to her senses and turn to look at him.

"Come with me."

Nozomi didn't say much, but just maintained etiquette, gestured slightly with his hands, spoke softly, and then continued to walk out.

"......"

Sakura looked down and saw that she had let go of the knife handle without knowing when, and was a little surprised.

Logically speaking, if Nozomi had been so close to her just now and she had truly sensed the threat... she should have subconsciously tightened her grip on the knife handle and slightly pulled the knife out of the sheath as a warning.

But in the end, she loosened her grip without realizing it, and even subconsciously moved her hand away from the handle of the knife, as if she was instinctively resisting drawing the knife. She even had an inexplicable feeling in her heart that "he won't hurt me, so there's no need to be wary"... It was really strange.

Sakura shook her head, and the pair of slender ears on her head trembled, but she quickly reacted and straightened them again, disguising them as a special headdress.

Damn...what's going on? I should be used to keeping still in front of others.

Sakura stroked her hair in distress but didn't dare to touch the ears on her head, worried that Nozomi would find out something... although Nozomi didn't look back.

"...sigh."

After thinking for a while, Sakura found that she really couldn't figure out why she was in that state just now. She sighed and suppressed all those thoughts and emotions - as a [Sword], she didn't need to think so much and should just concentrate on the mission.

So she walked forward, and soon caught up with Nozomi, walking slowly behind him.

However, what she didn't realize was that compared to previous similar situations, the distance she followed Nozomi... was a little closer than when she followed other people.

[Hehe, so cute]

Faintly, Nozomi heard [Her] whispering, which made him a little confused, and [Her] had no intention of explaining.

Obviously, both of them vaguely realized that the other might be a special existence to them, but in the end they did not show it for their own reasons... It's really cute and regrettable, isn't it?

Just like... [last time], because the two of them are too similar in some ways, and because they are accustomed to hiding their emotions... therefore, they are not lovers and will never become lovers.

It wasn't like that before, it won't happen now, but in the future... well... maybe there will be a chance?