Chapter 171 Kiana: "Hey, Uncle Kevin, your days of leisure here are over!"
The mechanism of the Elysian Realm matches the most suitable Flame-Chaser to visitors as the starting point for their trial journey.
Silver Wing rejected the system-matched Flame-Chaser, as she wasn't there for a trial of will.
"You'd have the Masked Fool undergo a Flame-Chaser trial?"
Silver Wing had Rin manually change their coordinates.
The data space, which contains the highest technological crystallisation of the Previous Era, a Realm that could theoretically defend against a global DDoS attack from ordinary computers, had a defense level against the Herrscher of Corruption roughly equivalent to Area 13.
"Sister~!"
Red light particles flowed out from Silver Wing's body, coalescing into Rin's form before she pounced into Sakura's embrace.
"Sister! I came to find you!"
"Sister! I missed you so much! Sister! Wuwuwu!"
After such a long time of longing, Rin's tears continuously overflowed from her eyes.
She clutched tightly onto her only kin, the emotions accumulated in her soul finding an outlet.
"Rin...!"
Formerly one of the sharpest blades in the Scorpion Squad, a sword born in the shadows, among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Sakura's emotions were considered relatively stable, cold, and indifferent—at least outwardly.
She could largely be compared to an iceberg, with emotions frozen deep within.
Yet, this small gift from the silver-haired beauty shattered the ice layers of the entire mountain.
The familiar voice, imbued with profound longing, reached her ears, causing Sakura's body and even her consciousness to tremble.
Staring blankly at the crying girl who had thrown herself into her embrace, even though the other girl had gained a pair of fox ears and four tails, Sakura would never mistake her!
Her expression was one of almost blank astonishment and disbelief.
"It's me, Sister!"
Rin cried like a little kitten drenched in a pear blossom rain.
The two sisters gazed at each other, and that look seemed to pierce through ten thousand years, stirring countless memories within Sakura.
Her slender shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision.
In an instant, Sakura lost all her composure.
"Rin! You're still alive!?"
Herrschers, powers of erosion—everything was cast aside by Sakura as she desperately hugged the girl in her arms back.
Silver Wing, watching this scene, felt a surge of emotion.
Surely even the Thirteen Flame-Chasers had never seen Sakura so emotional, had they?
Kevin might have, when Rin died.
Thinking that way seems a bit dark, doesn't it?
Silver Wing, tactfully, left the area, giving space to the two sisters reunited across tens of thousands of years.
With slender arms behind her back, the silver-haired beauty slowly strolled through a cherry blossom grove, slightly different from Yae Village, yet equally beautiful and vibrant.
Her steps suddenly halted, and Silver Wing tilted her head to look at the figure appearing in the distance.
A snow-white, pure veil covered her beautiful brown hair, yet even in a 'milk-cap' style, it couldn't hide anything, instead making her proudly ample figure seem even more conspicuous.
Beneath the slit habit, her smooth thighs invited imagination, while her slender hands, gently clasped, exuded an immense sanctity.
"Bigger than mine!"
Secretly making a comparison in her mind, Silver Wing chuckled and greeted the newcomer:
"Hello, Aponia. I didn't expect you to emerge from the deepest depths. Is it because you sensed a Herrscher entering the Realm?"
The third Flame-Chaser, the Signet of Discipline.
Usually, her activity range was limited to the deepest parts of her domain, and it was practically impossible for outsiders to meet her.
For centuries, the Signet of Discipline had never been inherited.
The nun stood high in the cherry blossom mountain forest, her eyes reflecting the embracing, weeping sisters. Hearing this, Aponia turned to look at the unfamiliar silver-haired beauty with a stiff smile, complex colors emanating from her slightly dim, light gray pupils.
Among them was confusion; the other person seemed to know her, and quite intimately?
But compared to another matter, this small detail was insignificant.
"Although I don't know your origins, I... truly thank you, strange traveler."
Aponia was considered unique within the entire Elysian Realm, in some ways even more so than Elysia.
While other Flame-Chasers were pure memory constructs, she alone chose to integrate herself into the Elysian Realm, more than just a simple memory.
Therefore, her perception of the Elysian Realm was stronger than other Flame-Chasers.
Even ordinary Herrschers entering the Realm wouldn't make her rush here with such urgency; the Herrscher of Corruption was an exception.
It was related to both the Authority of Erosion and to her identity.
"You're welcome. I was just helping Rin fulfill her wish."
Silver Wing chuckled and shook her head.
"A wish?" Aponia fell silent.
After the tragedy of the Restriction erupted, most of humanity lost hope in resisting Honkai, so she imposed the "never abandon hope" discipline on all mankind.
However, influenced by the discipline's psychological effect of fear towards Honkai, people secretly executed Rin, who had been imprisoned for having a high probability of becoming a Herrscher.
This directly led to a series of subsequent tragedies.
Thus, from the moment the Realm was established, throughout five millennia, Aponia rarely left the deepest depths.
She was atoning for that past sin.
Rin was alive, and though it was a small thing, it could slightly alleviate her guilt.
"Shall we talk?"
Silver Wing extended an invitation.
Perhaps for others, Aponia's "Discipline" ability was dangerous, and one wrong move could lead them astray.
But for her, who possessed a persona, creating a virtual personality to be disciplined was easy.
"Gladly."
"Then let's start with some simple, ordinary questions~ Aponia, what kind of animals do you like?"
A very ordinary question, yet it made Aponia fall silent for a moment.
It felt like an opening she used to help people relax?
"I prefer colorful butterflies, or birds with brilliant plumage."
"Seele and Robin, huh..." Silver Wing seemed thoughtful, then flashed a brilliant smile: "Don't you like Bronya-lolis?"
"..."
Aponia showed clear confusion.
Usually, others couldn't keep up with her line of thought, but facing this visitor, the situation seemed reversed.
Sakura and Rin were pouring out their longing and past, while Silver Wing was engaging in seemingly aimless yet deeply meaningful small talk with Aponia.
Aponia was not the only Flame-Chaser who had come here.
In a sense, the Elysian Realm was woven from the data of the thirteen individuals, and the moment a Herrscher entered, almost all Flame-Chasers sensed it.
Those who felt curious would actively seek them out.
However, most, upon seeing Sakura and Rin embracing and weeping in the distance, would stop in shock, remaining rooted to the spot without disturbing them.
Not all Flame-Chasers had come, though.
The Flame-Chasers matched by the Realm's system with the Three Houses went to greet several Herrscher vessels. Among them, Kiana couldn't even be called a vessel, but rather a Herrscher in a dormant state.
"Is this the Elysian Realm?"
Having been told before entering that they might be separated, Kiana didn't rush when she found Mei and Silver Wing weren't beside her, instead looking around with wide, blue eyes.
This area was filled with ancient city ruins, looking somewhat dilapidated.
"It doesn't feel much different from reality,"
The white-haired girl bounced around, clenching her fists, sensing her body's state, her lips pouting like a cat. "Excellent."
"Mere trials? Watch me clear them at light speed, then I'll go find Silver Wing and Mei!"
Kiana casually brushed her finger against her nose, pulled out a baseball bat, and boldly set off on her journey: "First, I need to find that Flame-Chaser, right?"
There would be no difficulty in choosing a direction; Kiana threw her baseball bat into the air, and after it fell, she picked it up and chose a direction to walk in.
Perhaps such a method relied too much on luck, but aside from one's own efforts and considering historical processes, a person's fate truly does depend on luck—
"Found you!"
Near a noodle shop in the city, Kiana found an uncle sitting on a white plastic chair.
The uncle had white hair similar to hers, which shimmered faintly under the light. He sat with his eyes closed, in silent contemplation, his ancient, unperturbed face betraying no emotional fluctuations, exuding a stern aura that kept people at a thousand paces.
"Hey, you must be that Flame-Chaser, right?"
After a brief silence, the white-haired youth opened his eyes: "I am Kevin, the Flame-Chaser who wields the Signet of Salvation."
Due to the influence of the Kaslana Stigmata, the moment Kiana entered the Elysian Realm, Kevin realized she was his blood descendant.
And although the current Kiana was still weak and lacked awareness, the Kaslana family ideals instilled in her by Siegfried from a young age had given the white-haired girl a subconscious concept of "Salvation."
With both factors combined, she was bound to meet Kevin, unless the Pink Elf intervened.
In fact, if Raven hadn't removed her headscarf, and if it wasn't her first time entering the Realm, and if her starting point hadn't spawned with Mei's—two beautiful girls are better than one—Elysia would surely have sniffed them out and rushed over before Kevin.
"Salvation!"
Kiana's eyes widened; it sounded very impressive and magnificent!
But soon, the white-haired girl noticed a blind spot. She looked earnestly at Kevin, scratching her head:
"White hair and blue eyes? And, Uncle, you kind of look like me, don't you? Have you heard of the Kaslana family?"
Kevin fell silent.
"Uncle?"
With his personality, he wouldn't care about titles, but...
To be called "Uncle" by a great-great-...grandchild of an unknown generation, even Kevin couldn't help but feel a little subtle awkwardness.
He was a memory construct from fifty millennia ago, his experiences not quite matching his external counterpart, and the girl before him reminded Kevin of his past self.
"This child... doesn't seem very smart?"
Kevin's silence made Kiana think, "This trial-giver doesn't seem very smart?"
"Alright, Uncle Kevin, right?"
With an arrogant, confident smile, Kiana pulled out her baseball bat from behind her back, tapping it lightly in her palm with a "yo-ho-ho" sound, pointing it at Kevin.
"Your days of leisure here are over. Hand over that whatever-signet to me!"
"Since Uncle knows the Kaslana family, I hope you have some discernment~! Sirin Herrscher, Wei Junjie~!"
Kiana stood with one hand on her hip, the other holding the bat and pointing it at Kevin.
Kiana was feeling quite puffed up.
Previously, she hadn't thought her family was anything special, but after Silver Wing recounted her sister's experiences, she suddenly felt her family's bloodline was incredibly formidable!
"..."
Kevin's expression paused, looking a little strange.
However, when his gaze fell upon the baseball bat in Kiana's hand, a mysterious glint appeared in his eyes.
"A baseball bat?"
"If you want it, you'll have to come and get it yourself."
Slowly raising his hand, an identical baseball bat materialized in Kevin's grip.
Facing his blood descendant, the dormant Herrscher, Kevin decided to approach the task of forging her will with several times the seriousness he would show an ordinary visitor!
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin