Chapter 169: One More Sirin won't Make a Difference

[In the Real World]

Upon seeing this, the people in the real world subconsciously recalled the previous storyline.

The severely injured Van had, just as the puppet said, drifted alone and helplessly in the Sea of Quanta.

Van truly did what he said he would. He lit up the sky and illuminated Kiana's way home.

But then, who would come to lead him back home?

What made them feel even worse was, Van not only drifted alone in the Sea of Quanta, but he also encountered a terrifying giant serpent.

(Mobius: ???)

Fortunately, Van later returned to the real world. But before escaping the serpent, the pain Van endured constantly tugged at people's hearts.

He must have paid a great price to escape that serpent, right?

(Van: You guys are actually right about that.)

[This puppet is so despicable! She precisely stepped on my landmine]

[Aaaaah! I don't care anymore! I can't hold back, I'm going to kill this Herrscher now!]

[Go, Kiana! Bring our rage with you, and burn this foul-mouthed Herrscher to ashes!]

———

[Back to the Video]

Under the real-world viewers' anticipation, Kiana defeated the ragtag army of puppets.

After the battle settled down, Kiana slowly walked over to the remains of the puppet holding the Gem of Plague and picked the gem up from the ground.

"I don't know what kind of reaction you were hoping to see, but I do know what Van would want me to do."

Faced with such a determined Kiana, the puppet had nothing to do but scream in impotent rage.

"It got stolen! It got stolen!"

The puppet roared indignantly, "You call yourself justice, yet you steal from others! Thief! Robber! Death sentence!!!"

"Fine, since you want that gem so badly, then consider it a gift. But Kiana, have you heard the saying, all gifts from fate are secretly priced in advance...?"

Just as the puppet finished speaking, Kiana suddenly felt a sharp pain deep in her mind.

Immediately afterward, she unexpectedly discovered that the Herrscher of the Void personality, suppressed by Feather Dust, was gradually awakening.

Seeing Kiana's abnormal state, the puppet immediately resumed her vile mockery, "Ahahahaha! Even though you talk big and act tough, you can't fool your soul."

"The moment we took out that gem, your heart, your soul, truly cried."

"Besides, you should know, this gem also contains the lingering consciousness of the Herrscher of the Void. So, of course she wouldn't let this moment slip by, right?"

———

[Is the puppet talking about Herrscher of the Void, Sirin?]

[No wonder these puppets fear no death, it turns out their target was Sirin all along.]

[Why can't Sirin join the main cast like Ivana and Dark Seele did?]

[Exactly. There are already so many Herrschers who've turned against the Honkai Will, one more Sirin won't make a difference.]

[Honkai Will: I have 8 AM classes!]

———

Watching Kiana kneel on the ground, clutching her head with one hand, the puppets' piercing laughter echoed throughout the theater.

"Alright~ Alright~ Now that the performer's done with her act, she should step off the stage obediently~"

"Next, let us welcome the star of the upcoming performance, grandly appearing!"

"Welcome, Herrscher of the Void, Sirin!"

As the puppet's words fell, Kiana's sky-blue eyes once again transformed into the golden hue representing the Herrscher of the Void.

The Valkyrie armor on her body also changed into Sirin's elegant exclusive gown.

"Herrscher of the Void?!"

Immediately, that familiar voice rang beside her ear. "Long time no see, my vessel~"

Along with Sirin's voice, Kiana's consciousness was pulled into the shared inner world between them.

Here, the two engaged in a fierce debate.

The Herrscher of the Void tried to use bloody truths to break Kiana's mental defenses.

But after so many days apart, the Herrscher of the Void failed to realize just how much the girl before her, who once despaired in Sky City and wanted to end her life, had grown.

Faced with her psychological attack, Kiana no longer resisted like before. On the contrary, she calmly accepted everything.

"I am you. We are two selves belonging to this body, two existences born from Sirin's longing."

"In other words, we are both 'Sirin.'"

"You call yourself Sirin and unleash your hatred as you please, but that's only your wish..."

"The warmth you once looked down on was actually her most desired treasure."

"She wished for a fresh start. She longed to live as an ordinary person, to have friends, to have a simple and happy family."

"She still longed for her father's love, to hear her mother's voice again, to feel the warmth of a hug again..."

"And from all those desires of Sirin, a new consciousness was born, me."

"I am the 'another chance' that Sirin longed for."

Seeing this, the viewers in the real world were moved by Kiana's realization. When they first met Kiana, she was still a naive, scatterbrained little bug.

But after experiencing so many things, that girl who used to giggle and say she was hungry had disappeared.

What appeared now was a composed and calm Kiana.

And yet, even so, Kiana would still, in the quiet of night, miss the past and grieve alone.

Until now...

"Maybe before, I would've rejected all this because of some truths. But now..."

Feeling the warmth radiating from the feathers within her body, Kiana's expression became increasingly resolute.

"I will face all the past I didn't want to face, those memories I rejected, the life entangled with you…"

"I will cross all of it, to accept the true me."

———

[Wuwuwu, Buggy has really grown up so much]

[To accept the darkness deep within and take responsibility for it, that's what makes a true hero!]

[I really wish Van could see this version of Kiana]

[Isn't Van watching it right now?]

[How?]

[As a broken feather, duh~]

[That's a damn hell joke if I've ever heard one!]

———

[Back to the Video]

Seeing that words could no longer shake Kiana, the Herrscher of the Void grew anxious.

She immediately decided to make Kiana re-experience the pain Sirin had once suffered. And so, a fragment of Sirin's past was presented before the people.

From this memory, everyone finally understood how Sirin became the Herrscher of the Void, and also why her hatred for humanity was so deep.

What was believed to be a medical institution meant to treat Honkai-related illnesses, turned out to be a cruel human experimentation lab.

As one of the test subjects, Sirin was injected with large amounts of Honkai energy by Schicksal researchers and was eventually transformed into the Herrscher of the Void.

In order to make the world feel the pain she and her companions endured, Sirin personally brought the Second Eruption of Honkai to Earth.

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