Boom!
At this moment, Kiana's heart felt as if a bomb had exploded on the spot. Her whole body was convulsing slightly, and she could hardly stand steady; she simply couldn't suppress the emotions within her.
Ever since she knew someone familiar might die, she had been melancholy, not knowing how to face it.
She didn't even know who that person was.
Their guess was that Mei would die in some incident or during the Great Collapse.
But there was never a conclusion, so she held onto a glimmer of hope—maybe it wouldn't happen?
But now, seeing the girl's grief-stricken roar in the image, it undoubtedly put a powerful period to all the speculation.
Her teacher, her soulmate, Teacher Jizi who had always cared for her.
She died because she was saving her during the Great Collapse.
Moreover, it must have been because the Herrscher of the Void inside her had awakened that all of this happened!
She, Kiana, was the culprit who caused Himeko's death!
"Teacher Jizi, I, I—"
Kiana's suppressed emotions could no longer be controlled. The successive blows were like sharp swords piercing her heart.
Her tears slowly dripped down her pale cheeks onto the cold floor.
Words of apology were choked in her throat, but she had no reason to say them.
Seeing this scene, Himeko also felt very distressed.
"Kiana..." she murmured blankly.
Himeko knew that one day she would die, and that day wouldn't be too far off.
The Honkai Energy erosion in her body was very severe; the doctor said she only had a few years left.
But now it was clearly known that those few years were less than three.
No one is not afraid of death, not even the battle-hardened Himeko.
But then Himeko thought about it.
Compared to dying silently, dying for a beloved student—wasn't that exactly what she pursued?
Besides, at that time, she must have already made her choice.
If given another chance to choose.
She would do what she thought should be done, just as Kiana would save a mother and daughter in the virtual space.
"Kiana, don't cry. I'm not dead yet."
Himeko rubbed Kiana's braids and comforted her in a gentle tone.
"But, Teacher Jizi, I, I—" Kiana couldn't stop sobbing, grief overwhelming her heart.
Seeing this, the people around all sighed softly.
In the fight against the Honkai, they could sacrifice themselves at any time.
From the day they were given the title of "Valkyrie," everyone was prepared for death.
"Alright, stop crying. Look at me, I'm not dead yet. Tsk~ Let me see you!"
Seeing that she couldn't stop Kiana's grief, Himeko directly reached out and pinched her ear.
Then, with a little force, she gave the tip of the ear a slight twist!
"Wooo—Wah! It hurts, Auntie Himeko!"
Kiana, who was still sobbing, was stunned by the pinch and looked up at Himeko.
Her grief was Shuhu snapped by those two fingers pinching her ear, with two streaks of tears still hanging on her cheeks.
"Alright, stop crying and keep watching. Instead of crying sadly, why don't you see how you can save this lonely and miserable auntie of yours."
Himeko rolled her eyes at her and turned around.
Kiana stopped her tears and looked aggrievedly into the Challenge Space... Under the Sky.
The girl was surrounded by numerous Honkai Beasts.
Her Remembrances converged and reorganized in different illusions, and all sorts of happy or painful Remembrances resurfaced.
"Humans always make the same mistakes, sacrificing everything of their own to save others."
"However, she never thought that along with her sacrifice, a wound that can never heal was left in your heart, a crack for me to return again." "That is why you can never get rid of me."
"Finally, you have succumbed."
In the girl's ear, the female voice she hated most appeared. The Herrscher of the Void was like a ghost, constantly looming over her.
In that case... "I will never let you—"
The girl said tremblingly, kneeling on both knees, a bullet loaded in the chamber.
Click!
She exerted force with both hands, blocking her own jaw with the muzzle of the gun.
The cold sensation pressed against her skin; life could vanish in a single thought at any moment.
All it would take is a "Bang!"
Everything would be over.
If only she had made the decision sooner.
If she had ended her life earlier, so many people wouldn't have died because of it.
Himeko, Teacher Jizi... But suddenly, a flash of light passed by.
The world before the girl's eyes gradually became blurred, and the roaring Honkai Beasts in the distance disappeared.
Even the arrogant playfulness of the Herrscher of the Void fell silent.
In the space not far away, a glimmer of fire shattered the rift in space.
The girl looked up blankly, finding that the space in front of her was like a mirror.
However, the fire burning in that spatial rift gave her a familiar feeling.
A dark figure slowly appeared from the other end of the space.
She wore high heels, making crisp echoes as she stepped on the ground.
That echo was also reflected in the girl's deep blue eyes.
Wearing the Crimson Knight Armor, she walked toward the girl step by step.
She shattered the mirror surface, coming not with the heavy injuries from the end of that battle, but in a newborn posture.
It was the deceased Murata Himeko.
Her reflection.
In the space fabricated by the Herrscher of the Void, the scene from the bottom of the girl's heart appeared.
Until Himeko stood behind the girl with her Greatsword in hand, she said softly:
"Kiana, what are you still waiting for?"
Waiting for what?
What was she waiting for?
She had no reason to run away.
There were still so many people waiting for her!
It was Himeko who woke the girl up.
Her breathing was rapid, and the violent power in her body surged toward a single point.
She was trying her best to restrain the erosion and awakening of the Herrscher of the Void, and was also struggling to rein in that extremely violent energy.
The Honkai Energy in her body concentrated at the Core of the Herrscher of the Void.
That violent power was tamed bit by bit, turning from an enemy into one of her own.
Finally, a golden light pierced the night sky!
Boom!
Around the girl, Spears of the Void circled joyfully, as if submitting to their master.
One of her eyes turned a rational gold, and she responded: "Teacher Jizi, I won't run away anymore!"
Looking at the girl who controlled the power of the Herrscher of the Void through her own will, Himeko's reflection smiled faintly and then vanished into nothingness.
Waking up from the dream.
Yunduo panted heavily, Himeko's figure still vivid in her mind.
Every time she entered the Challenge Space, those sealed Remembrances would come back to haunt her, making her forget that this was a virtual space.
The bottom of her heart was telling her, you are Kiana.
"This is all fake."
Yunduo told herself.
For their safety in reality, she had to complete these challenges and obtain the rewards.
In her ears, a new mission began once more:
"Mission Objective 1: Resisting the awakening of the Herrscher of the Void has been completed; rewards are accumulating!"
"Mission Objective 2: Save Sky Dome City!"
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