The battlefield lay drenched in blood and silence, the air thick with the metallic tang of carnage and the distant echoes of fading screams.
"Kanzaki… Lord…"
Xueyi's voice emerged in broken fragments, each word a labored struggle against the encroaching darkness.
"I'm sorry… we… have brought shame upon you…"
Beside her, Hanya's eyes had already begun to glaze over, yet she fought to speak, her form trembling with the last remnants of will.
The heavy shadows that had clouded Kanzaki's face slowly melted away as he gazed at the two of them in their shattered state. A violent storm raged within his heart, twisting like a blade driven deep into his chest. These sisters… who had stood by his side through countless trials… now lay broken before him. Their loyalty, their sacrifice, it struck him harder than any wound he had ever endured.
"To have followed you all these years… and to fight for you until the very last moment… is… my honor…" A faint, nearly imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Xueyi's lips, as if even now she refused to let weakness claim her completely.
"It is also… my honor." Hanya's smile bloomed like a flower stained with blood, fragile yet resolute, carrying the weight of decades of unspoken devotion.
Kanzaki's mind shook violently at their words.
"Fighting for me…?"
"Yes…"
In that instant, the world around Kanzaki seemed to slow to a crawl. The passage of time stretched and distorted, becoming many times slower as chaotic memories and emotions surged through him like countless sharp spikes piercing directly into his soul. The pain was so intense it threatened to drive him into complete madness.
Bang!
Without hesitation, he drove his fist into his own skull, shattering bone and spraying a mist of blood and fragments across the blood-soaked ground.
Yet in the very next second, flesh writhed and twisted at the stump of his neck. A new head rapidly regenerated, completely whole once more, the regenerative power surging through him like an unstoppable tide.
"If the price for your loyalty is falling into the abyss… are you still willing to fight for me?"
Hearing these words in what might be their final moments, the lives of Xueyi and Hanya flashed before their eyes like a revolving lantern, pulling forth memories from long ago with vivid, unrelenting clarity.
Star Calendar Year 6285.
It was the first day of the new school year at Qingyun School, and the night was heavy with pouring rain that hammered against the rooftops like an endless drumbeat.
The entire campus stood nearly empty, with only a handful of people remaining. At the exit of the teaching building, two small girls huddled together on a bench in the hallway, staring out at the curtain of rain that seemed to swallow the entire world in its gray embrace. Their small shoulders pressed close for warmth, eyes wide with quiet uncertainty.
After what felt like an eternity, a tall, straight figure noticed them and slowly walked over, his presence cutting through the downpour like a beacon.
"You two students, the Hour of the Dog has already passed. Why haven't you gone home yet?"
Though it was their first meeting, the two children immediately recognized him as one of the teachers.
"Teacher, our umbrella is gone."
"…Are your parents very busy?"
"Great Aunt said they went to a very distant world for trade. They won't be back for many, many years."
"…Then what about your Great Aunt?"
"A year ago, a brother from the Cloud Knights told us that Great Aunt died on the battlefield."
"…"
Kanzaki's heart trembled slightly. Having once served as a Cloud Knight himself, these words struck far too close to home, stirring memories of his own losses in the endless wars that plagued the Xianzhou.
He quietly hid the flash of pity in his eyes, knelt down in front of the two girls, and spoke with gentle warmth that cut through the cold night air.
"How about I take you home?"
As for the little rascal who had stolen their umbrella, he would not be difficult to find. Kanzaki would deal with that matter tomorrow, ensuring justice for these innocent children.
"There's no need to trouble you, Teacher. My sister and I can just wait for the rain to stop." The gray-eyed girl looked up, her small face showing a clean, pure smile that belied the hardship already etched into her young life.
"Silly child. Taking care of students is the duty of any teacher at this school."
Kanzaki gently ruffled her hair. In his hand, an umbrella appeared as if from nowhere, its canopy opening with a soft snap.
"Shall we go?"
"…Then we will have to trouble you. Xueyi and my little sister thank the teacher."
Under the pouring rain, three figures—one tall and two small—walked together. The umbrella was tilted carefully to keep both children completely dry, shielding them from the storm's fury while Kanzaki let the water cascade over his own shoulders without a second thought.
When they finally reached home and the girls came out after bathing, warm and refreshed, they found steaming hot food already laid out neatly on the table. The teacher had left only a short note before quietly departing into the night, his footsteps fading into the rain.
That evening, as Xueyi and Hanya ate the simple yet warm meal, the chill that the rain and cold bath had brought into their bones was completely replaced by a thick, comforting warmth that welled up from the depths of their young hearts… a warmth they would carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Star Calendar Year 6289.
Xueyi and Hanya had grown considerably, their frames no longer those of fragile children. They had finally entered the class taught directly by Kanzaki.
Over the years, their minds had matured, and they had come to understand that their relatives would never return. They knew there was a teacher at Qingyun School who had watched over their growth for several years, caring for them like a dependable older brother—guiding them, protecting them, becoming the anchor they so desperately needed.
Star Calendar Year 6291.
They graduated from the school, stepping into the wider world with heads held high.
Star Calendar Year 6292.
On Kanzaki's birthday, the two girls returned to their alma mater carrying carefully wrapped gifts. Wanting to surprise him, they had not contacted him beforehand, their hearts fluttering with excitement.
As the setting sun painted the western sky in brilliant hues of gold and crimson, Kanzaki found them waiting in front of his office door. Seeing the exquisite cake boxes in their hands, he immediately understood, a soft smile touching his lips.
"That's very thoughtful of you. You could have let me know in advance, you know."
"If we had told you beforehand, there wouldn't have been any surprise, Teacher."
"How so? Even the time I spent waiting for you would have made me just as happy."
"…Oh, but my sister and I are participating in the Cloud Knights Reserve Army selection this year. We might not be able to visit you next year."
Kanzaki looked slightly dazed for a moment, the weight of their chosen path settling over him like a quiet shadow.
"Teacher? Teacher?"
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
"…It's nothing. I wish you both the very best in achieving what you desire."
"Then we will take your kind words to heart. Little sister—"
"Respected Teacher Kanzaki, we wish you a happy birthday!"
The two girls spoke in perfect unison, their eyes shining with brilliant light that reflected the bond they had forged over the years.
Star Calendar Year 6298.
"…Teacher, we have passed the adulthood examinations and the Cloud Knights enlistment assessment. We've officially joined the army."
"Teacher, the General has given us… the highest-level mission orders…"
Star Calendar Year 6299.
"Teacher… the black lines on the Training Phantom's body are too thin. Can a person really cut through this line accurately?"
"On the battlefield, life and death are decided in a single instant. Only by becoming more familiar with the body structures and weaknesses of the Abominations of Abundance than they are with themselves can you defeat the enemy with one decisive strike."
The Valiant Guard who had returned to the army placed his right hand over the back of the short-haired recruit's hand, helping her adjust her grip on the hilt and correct her posture with patient precision.
"Different weapons have different optimal stances for exerting power, and each person's judgment and precision in real time will be affected by factors such as strength and reaction speed."
"Through thousands of repetitions, you must let your body remember that feeling better than your mind ever could. Only then can you efficiently slay enemies on the battlefield and survive as long as possible."
"Grip the ground firmly with your feet, tighten your core, pay attention to the tilt of your waist. Yes… just like that. Strike!"
The modao sliced through the black line with perfect accuracy, not deviating even a fraction.
"…I did it…"
"That's the feeling. Remember it well."
"Thank you for the guidance, Tea… Lord Valiant Guard!"
…
Until that fateful day in Star Calendar Year 6300.
The nightmare-like Crimson Demonic Star. The nightmare-like Undying Giant Tree with its endless, writhing branches… In a moment of life and death, a thousand sword lights pierced through the chaos, severing the nightmare that had ensnared them and pulling the sisters back from the clutches of the Undying Giant Tree.
Throughout their decades serving in the Xianzhou, through countless harrowing battles, Kanzaki had pulled them back from the jaws of death time and time again. Their lives had long since belonged to him, forged in the fires of loyalty that no trial could break.
And now, Star Calendar Year 6338.
Blood dyed the entire battlefield red. The air was filled with nothing but desperate roars, shrill screams, and hopeless wails. Amidst the chaos and auditory hallucinations, they once again saw that familiar light. They watched as the Abominations of Abundance that had devoured countless comrades and torn apart half of their own bodies were annihilated by that brilliant light.
In the final moments of their lives, they could finally speak what lay in the deepest parts of their hearts with complete sincerity.
Yet he was asking them… if they were still willing to fight for him even now?
The answer had always been clear.
"Willing… for all eternity, without the slightest regret…"
"Willing… for all eternity, without the slightest regret…"
Only a final trace of consciousness remained for Xueyi and Hanya. Their voices were as faint as the buzz of a mosquito, yet they spoke in perfect unison.
Kanzaki slowly closed his eyes and gently pulled both of them into his embrace, holding them close as if to shield them from the abyss itself.
Blood generated new flesh, and flesh generated new bone.
Everything that had been lost was beginning to restore itself. Yet it was now joined by something that had never originally belonged to them… something that would accompany them for the rest of their lives.