Chapter 121 — The Wrongly Blamed Higokumaru

Question: Why people make counterfeit money?

Answer: Because you can't make real money~

This was one of the most famous interview exchanges from Nagami's past life.

These two lines, rich with philosophical meaning, had long been imprinted deep in Nagami's DNA.

So then—why do Schicksal's Valkyries willingly accept the shortening of their own lifespans to use artificial Stigmata?

The answer could very well be the same timeless truth: because real ones can't be made!

Under Otto's leadership, Schicksal's artificial Stigmata technology had seen multiple upgrades and refinements.

Yet even so, there remained an insurmountable gap between these and the true Stigmata—the heroic spirits of legendary figures throughout history.

That was the true essence of Stigmata.

At its core, a Stigmata was a database crammed full of genetic information.

Its bearer could potentially inherit a variety of things left behind by the heroic spirit sealed within—combat skills, unique abilities, perhaps even glimpses into the hero's memories, if the user was particularly gifted.

But Yae Sakura's Stigmata was clearly different from ordinary ones.

This Stigmata had been formed by the Herrscher Core of the Herrscher of Corruption.

Even though this core hadn't fully condensed, making it inferior to a complete Herrscher Core, it was still a far cry above any normal Stigmata.

Although the Third Honkai Eruption never happened, the Honkai energy that Nagami intercepted—energy required for the birth of the Third Herrscher—had far exceeded what would have normally been released in a typical eruption.

Stimulated by this vast, oceanic energy from the outside world, Yae Sakura's seal had loosened as well.

Unlike in the original story where she transformed into a pseudo-Herrscher, this time—bathed in a tide of honkai energy strong enough to reduce an entire city to rubble.

Under the influence of the Herrscher of Corruption, Higokumaru, she maintained her Herrscher Core form the entire time, in order to absorb as much honkai energy as possible.

And how did this situation come about?

It started when Nagami and C.C., in their mad dash for baby formula, unintentionally reached the very heart of the Honkai energy gathering zone.

Charged with the duty of sealing away Higokumaru, Yae Sakura did her utmost to prevent it from absorbing more honkai energy.

At that time, Nagami had several Honkai consciousnesses loyally serving under him, ready to fetch and carry like devoted lapdogs.

As a result, what Higokumaru managed to snatch was barely more than a pufferfish could puff up—a trivial amount compared to the total.

Like a few cups of water from the ocean.

Utterly negligible.

Yet amid that overwhelming flood of energy, Yae Sakura had been like a fragile boat tossed on stormy seas—under the corrupting influence of the Herrscher of Corruption, she simply could not escape.

A Herrscher Core's corrosive power would instantly annihilate or zombify anyone unqualified to become a Herrscher, but Stigmata were far gentler by comparison.

Their erosion effect was weak against those with Honkai resistance and could even bestow unique powers.

To stop Higokumaru from devouring this colossal Honkai energy, Yae Sakura made a careful, deliberate decision.

She transformed her Herrscher Core into a Stigmata, attaching herself to one of the two humans who had absorbed honkai energy and were holding back the eruption—C.C.

Because there were too many things to handle at the time, and to avoid dragging Yae Sakura into the Stigmata space prematurely.

C.C. gave an order via thought to the honkai energy suffused with love within her body: unless she consciously controlled it, this energy would not feed the Stigmata.

Naturally, this prevented Yae Sakura from waking.

But the problem was... Nagami had used the Herrscher of Reason's powers to enter Herrscher mode—thereby linking him directly to the Imaginary Space!

And the vast, infinite Honkai energy of the Imaginary Space that was not affected by his Geass.

The Stigmata on C.C body instinctively began absorbing that energy.

With the unprecedented surge of Honkai energy within Nagami's body, plus the fused Herrscher Core, Nagami didn't even notice the trivial amounts of energy being fed into the Stigmata.

To Nagami, this bit of honkai energy meant nothing now.

But that didn't mean the quantity was small—everything was relative.

And this stream of energy... had already reached the threshold required to awaken Yae Sakura's consciousness.

Yae Sakura slowly woke from her slumber.

Struggling to lift her heavy eyelids, her blurry vision gradually cleared—as if she were surfacing from the depths of a dark, ancient sea, finally catching a glimpse of light.

And then—she froze.

More precisely—she was utterly, thoroughly stunned by the scene before her.

Her face slackened.

Her eyes lost focus, filled with disbelief.

The expression on C.C.'s face—no, Yae Sakura's face—was like someone who'd been kicked awake mid-dream, only to have a brick smashed over their head the moment they opened their eyes.

She looked absolutely like someone questioning the meaning of life itself.

Her purple pupils sprang wide open.

Those long, pink ears twitched slightly.

All of C.C.—or rather, Yae Sakura—felt as if she'd been struck by lightning.

Her hollow gaze slowly turned to the boy directly in front of her.

Her long, pure purple hair cascaded like a silken waterfall down his smooth back, parting like gentle streams, shimmering faintly with droplets of moisture—or perhaps... sweat.

And atop him, wearing an equally stunned, as-if-seeing-a-ghost expression—was Nagami.

Because what was happening now had utterly surpassed even Nagami's wildest imagination.

It was like a thunderclap detonating in his skull, leaving his mind ringing and dazed.

Nagami's expression now could only be described in two words: utter confusion.

Total bewilderment.

He even suspected—maybe he really was dreaming.

Of course... if anyone else who knew the inside story were to see what Nagami was doing right now, they'd probably think this was a dream too.

But this situation...

This was just—absolutely, unbelievably ridiculous.

As the rightful owner of this delicate body, Nagami could of course sense the presence of another consciousness now controlling it.

If he truly wished, he could have easily seized back control and shoved Yae Sakura's consciousness aside.

In fact, if not for the momentary lapse he had just experienced due to a special condition, Yae Sakura would never have had the chance to take over C.C.'s body in the first place.

Taking a deep breath and trying his best to stay calm, Nagami gently moved off the now completely stunned Miss Yae Sakura.

The instant he did, C.C.'s body trembled as if electrified, golden eyes misting over with a soft, alluring haze, her expression dazed and dreamy.

"Ahem... Miss Shrine Maiden, I think this whole... accident can be explained..."

Though Nagami suspected there was probably no saving himself now, sheer survival instinct forced him to at least try and salvage the situation.

He straightened his back, composed his expression, and put on a face of earnest sincerity.

The purple-haired maiden said nothing.

Her cold, blade-like gaze bore into him, chilling and sharp.

Her long, silky hair spread out across the bed like a flowing river, yet the strands stirred without wind, writhing like the tendrils of some lurking ghost.

An overwhelming pressure poured from her body, swelling like a great ocean tide.

Enormous power silently gathered in her slender palm—forming into the spirit blade: Sakura Fubuki.

Petal-like particles of pink light drifted along the edge of the blade, tracing out a brilliant glow.

Her pale, graceful fingers closed tightly around the hilt, and the blade's sharp aura began to shimmer coldly, as if ready to flash out in the next moment—to send the head of the man before her flying.

"Alright, I get it," Nagami said with a sigh, seeing that Sakura Fubuki was already half-drawn.

He closed his eyes, his face full of the quiet, tragic dignity of a man standing in the icy wind before a fatal river crossing. "Come on then. I won't dodge."

The perks of immortality—getting stabbed is no big deal~

Yae Sakura stared at the boy's brave, almost martyr-like expression.

Her grip on the spirit blade tightened, but after a long moment of hesitation, her face twisted into a troubled, conflicted look.

In the end, she simply let go.

Sakura Fubuki dissolved into a few drifting cherry blossoms and vanished into the air.

Yae Sakura sighed helplessly in her heart, resigned to her fate.

She wasn't the unreasonable type.

Though she'd suffered a loss this time, she knew—this accident really had been caused by herself.

Waking up right in the middle of a loving couple's... private moment...

It's all Higokumaru's fault!!!

It was the Herrscher Core's natural instinct to absorb Honkai energy that caused her to awaken—and the Herrscher Core belonged to Higokumaru.

Yes! The logic was flawless!

I'm going back to kill that thing—right now!!!

Still... since she'd come all this way, she should at least greet the rightful owner of this body.

With that thought, the shrine maiden closed her eyes—she truly didn't want to look at this boy for even another second!

But the moment Yae Sakura's consciousness connected with the mind of this body's true master and learned a certain fact...

Her tightly shut purple eyes flew open in shock.

Disbelief filled her gaze as it locked onto the handsome boy standing before her.

The shrine maiden was stunned.

Her pupils shrank sharply.

Even her heartbeat seemed to stop for an instant—like a thunderclap splitting the sky.

Her entire being felt light and dizzy.

Without lingering for even a heartbeat longer, Yae Sakura immediately fled back into the Stigmata space.

"Higokumaru! Where is Higokumaru?!"

"I'm going to kill you!!!"

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