Chapter 162: Getting Rich, All Thanks to Maintenance
The final wrap-up went very smoothly, just as Second Silverwing had anticipated.
Even for an aggregate of hatred and resentment, as long as it possessed self-awareness, no matter how evil or arrogant, it could be communicated with through more... physical means.
To put it in the context of the Naruto universe, it's like the Nine-Tailed Fox, a being known as a collection of grudges. No matter how proud it was, after being pummeled by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha for ten days and a half, fear would likely take root in its heart.
Second Silverwing's beatdown of Higokumaru might not have had the overwhelming power gap of the First Hokage suppressing the Nine-Tails with a flip of his hand, but her methods were far more ruthless.
And less honorable, more humiliating, more torturous…
In the final second, as it was drawn in and fused by the Curse Seal, Higokumaru's crimson beastly eyes finally revealed a look of release.
After the union of yin and yang, the Herrscher personality, thoroughly traumatized, fell directly into silence, rendering all of Rin's preparations to battle it with willpower useless.
In reality, any resistance from the Herrscher personality would have been a desperate struggle. It had been worn down far too much within the Stigma space.
Having mastered the authority of Erosion, Rin easily counter-eroded and defeated the Herrscher personality, which had already been tucked in under the great bell.
The demise of the Herrscher personality took with it an immense amount of resentment and hatred, triggering the program of the Divine Box. The twelfth Divine Key was forged.
"So this is that Jizo Mitama thing?"
As Rin and Higokumaru's yin and yang were reconciled, the consciousness of the main trio returned to reality. The white-haired girl curiously poked the tachi held in Bronya's hands with her finger.
"Seems pretty average," Kiana commented, unimpressed.
She felt this thing was inferior to her old man's Might of An-Utu. It just didn't look very destructive.
The silver-haired girl glanced at her, her youthful face immediately breaking into a big-sisterly smile, so gentle it was disarming.
"'Jizo Mitama possesses the power of erosion, allowing the user to project and freely manipulate the consciousness of an eroded target according to their will.'"
"'Theoretically, I can use this weapon to control a target's thoughts, even turning them into my puppet.'"
"'In other words…'"
Wrapping an arm around Kiana's fair shoulders, who was wearing a tank top, the silver-haired girl slowly leaned in. She brought her cherry lips close to Kiana's ear, her enchanting, milk-scented voice breathing hot air into her ear canal.
"'With Jizo Mitama, I can totally become the female protagonist from that art book Kiana has hidden. Erode and control you, and then, day and night, we could do some naughty things in the basement… just like what that female protagonist did to the girls she captured!'"
"'Art book… female protagonist… Gulp!'"
Recalling the detailed plot and imagining herself being tormented by Silverwing with various toys, Kiana swallowed hard, subconsciously clamping her legs together.
Her delicate toes curled, unsure if it was out of fear or anticipation.
Noticing the aggressive glint in the silver-haired girl's eyes, Kiana initially projected an aura of unyielding integrity, ready to sacrifice herself, but she quickly came to her senses.
"'Wait! Silverwing!'"
As if struck in a vital spot, Kiana leaned back tactically, her panicked, glistening eyes blinking rapidly, causing her words to become a stutter.
"'H-How did you know about that art book?'"
She was so sure she had hidden it well!
"'You, trying to hide something from me? You're twenty thousand years too early for that.'"
The silver-haired girl held up two slender fingers, a playful smile on her face. "'Though, I didn't realize Kiana was into… mmmph.'"
The rest of her sentence was cut off as a beet-red Kiana clamped a hand over her mouth.
"'Please, please don't say another word!'"
Kiana pressed her hands together, begging frantically. Her already flushed cheeks burned as if on fire, radiating intense heat.
Although she was usually the one actively trying to get close and take advantage of Mei and Silverwing, this situation was different.
Not to mention she hadn't even successfully courted them yet, even if they were dating, wouldn't anyone be embarrassed if their girlfriend found their collection of lewd art books, filled with diverse and even ethically questionable scenarios?
This was social suicide!
Even a yuri pervert has a sense of shame, you know!
"'What's wrong? Don't be shy. Oh, right, back in the Stigma space, what was it you said to me? I didn't quite hear you. Could you say it again?'"
The silver-haired girl flashed an adorable, angelic smile.
"'Uh, heheh, it was nothing, nothing…'"
Kiana nervously tapped her index fingers together, swallowed again, glanced at Bronya's flat chest, then over at Mei, and shook her head with a sheepish look.
Previously, during a break from their training battle with Higokumaru, Kiana had used the excuse of being injured and tired to wheedle a lap pillow from Second Silverwing.
She had wanted one from Mei too, but Mei had been training with her and was just as tired.
As everyone knows, the Kiana-slob is a seasoned pervert with a history of outrageous statements.
While enjoying the duck's lap pillow, Miss Kiana-slob began rubbing against the plush thigh and went into a frenzy, declaring, "Why would I need healing? I want to drink Silverwing's 'sister juice'~!"
Because Mei was nearby, Kiana's lament was very quiet, likely only audible to herself and Silverwing.
Then, Kiana froze completely.
A subtle smile appeared on that pure, alluring face. She leaned down, bringing her red lips to Kiana's ear, and whispered in a soft, almost pleasurable tone:
"'You want to drink it? You can, you know.'"
That ASMR-like voice sent a shiver down Kiana's spine, making her scalp tingle. She almost tumbled down the shrine steps with a clatter.
After that, Kiana never dared to speak so freely to Silverwing again.
When Mei heard her say, "I'm suddenly craving some Mei-flavored instant noodles~!", she would blush bashfully, and even her annoyed anger was incredibly cute.
But Silverwing…
Kiana felt that if she dared to ask, Silverwing would actually let her drink it!
She only dared to make verbal passes. To actually put her eloquent tongue to use and drink… at the very least, Mei couldn't know about it!
Faced with Silverwing, Kiana couldn't be bold; she was completely intimidated.
With the white-haired girl's ship sunk, Mei, on the other side, also blushed upon hearing the silver-haired girl's explanation of Jizo Mitama's uses. She hesitated, looking as if she wanted to say something.
"'Big Sis Silverwing, my abilities aren't meant to be used like that…'"
Red particles flowed out from Jizo Mitama, coalescing into a small, chibi-like creature resembling a figurine. It had four pink tails and a pair of real fox ears on its head.
The tiny, fairy-like Rin floated in mid-air, her little face also tinged with a faint blush.
Although Rin didn't know what an "art book" was, she understood what Silverwing had said earlier about using Jizo Mitama to control girls and do "naughty things."
In a word from a certain pink-haired elf, she would cry, you know~!
"So, so cute!"
Seeing the two-heads-tall, Q-version Higokumaru form of Rin, Kiana and Mei's attention was instantly captured, and they couldn't help but exclaim.
"Rin, what is this?"
Mei fought hard to resist the urge to hug the adorable little fox.
After spending a week in the Stigma space, they had all gotten to know Rin and had become friends.
"'It's just a consciousness projection created using my ability. The small size conserves more energy,'" the tiny, cute Rin explained, then floated over to stand on the silver-haired girl's shoulder.
"'It also lowers the Honkai energy reaction,'" the silver-haired girl added casually, toying with her newly acquired weapon.
The current Jizo Mitama could be said to be the strongest Divine Key, aside from the special Key of the Beginning!
"Strongest" here didn't refer to pure destructive power—it certainly couldn't compare to the Might of An-Utu in that regard—but rather that Jizo Mitama surpassed the specifications of an ordinary Divine Key.
The reason it was so overpowered was Rin.
Due to its forging process spanning fifty thousand years and Rin's unique nature as the Herrscher of Erosion, essentially an ultimate virus, Jizo Mitama became the only divine weapon blessed with a "weapon spirit."
The Core of Erosion, the consciousness of the Previous Era's Herrscher of Erosion herself—this was a combination no other Divine Key possessed.
Among the other Divine Keys, only the Void Archives had self-awareness, an AI created by Dr. MEI, which was incomparable to a Herrscher's own consciousness.
Besides that, Bronya walked over to the full-length mirror in the room and activated the sakura Stigma on her neck.
In daily life, aside from the liveliness of her expressions and voice, the difference between Bronya and Second Silverwing was that the former preferred her hair in Roman curls, while the latter was accustomed to letting her silver hair flow down her back.
To Kiana and Mei's astonishment, the girl's cascading silver hair began to transform from the tips, turning orange. The closer it got to the roots, the lighter the orange became, eventually blending with the silver-gray to become white.
"Beast ears? So cute!"
The sakura-white gradient long hair draped over her shoulders, complemented by long ears of the same color, made the new Silverwing a stunning sight for Kiana.
"A t-transformation!?" Raiden Mei's eyes widened in surprise.
"I just activated the Stigma."
Second Silverwing twitched the tall fox ears, a little displeased with the four-channel sound.
When Theresa received Yae Sakura's Stigma, she was called Sakuno Rondo, or "Fire Teri." So what would Bronya's Stigma-activated state be called?
Fire Duck?
"By the way, Rin, the reason Yae Sakura has those fox ears… it wouldn't be because you missed your own sister and specifically made them, would it?"
A very small number of MANTISes retained certain features, like Elysia's ears or Pardofelis's tail. Yae Sakura in the Stigma space had them.
And now, Second Silverwing had them when she activated the Stigma.
"Yes… Big Sis and my own sister look so much alike!" Floating beside Second Silverwing, Rin gazed at the fox ears on the girl's head and nodded in admission.
Not only did her own sister and Yae Sakura look alike, but she and Yae Rin were also very similar—or rather, it was beyond mere similarity.
Second Silverwing chuckled lightly, but then her expression suddenly changed as if she had realized something, and she frowned.
"Hm!?"
"What's wrong? Is something amiss?" Rin asked, surprised.
"We are in reality, right?" Second Silverwing asked hesitantly.
If one were to use a single person to describe the perspective of being in different bodies, it would be like having several eyes.
The flow of time in the Stigma space was different from the outside world. For the writer, it was like a normal person watching two screens simultaneously, one playing at a normal speed and the other at three or four times the speed.
But now, having left the Stigma space, it felt as though the time flow between the two worlds hadn't returned to normal.
Drip-dong~!
Like the crisp sound of a water droplet hitting a pebble, a system mail notification popped up in her mind.
[Big Bro, you know how I am.]
[BUG Compensation: 400 Crystals, Equipment Re-systemization Card x3]
Damn it!
Second Silverwing's mouth twitched like Nicholas Zhao Si from Ivory Mountain.
But still, what was an "Equipment Re-systemization Card"?
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