The night before Kiana's departure naturally unfolded into a long, eventful evening.
"This is...the impact of an Arbiter Rank...Honkai Beast..." murmured a weary, white-haired bundle softly, drifting off into exhausted slumber.
Zeke gently brushed aside the damp strands from the girl's forehead, shaking his head.
"Why learn anything else when you could master Bronya's driving skills?" Zeke muttered, momentarily speechless. Considering her recent spirited attempts at barging through doors, it suddenly dawned on him—could she be trying to compete with Bronya?
Honestly, always wanting to compete over everything—what a silly girl.
Zeke silently chided her as he gently wiped away some of her sweat with tender care.
After a moment, Zeke suppressed his lingering impulse with a sigh. Placing his hand on the sleeping girl's head, he felt a ripple of consciousness power.
In the serene black void, a radiant crystal palace stood with a white throne adorned by dragon carvings at its center—vacant.
Zeke confidently strode into the palace and without hesitation, sat grandly upon the throne.
"Whoosh!"
Lances of subspace emerged from all sides around the throne, striking with unstoppable force.
Yet, they trembled and halted just meters away from Zeke. As he glanced into the void, each lance shattered and vanished one by one.
"Will you not come out to meet me, Sirin?"
Zeke's query was met with deathly silence.
Simultaneously, realizing her inability to affect him within this consciousness domain, no further attacks materialized.
Non-violent non-cooperation seemed to be Sirin's new approach towards this unwelcome guest.
With hands clasped, Zeke pondered for a moment before saying,
"Now, since you share origins with Kiana, could you tell me how she feels? Did I perhaps go too far? You know, during exceptional circumstances, controlling such power isn't always easy."
"Shameless! Filthy!"
"Oh. So you can indeed sense it, then? Apologies, next time I'll remember to block your sensory perception."
"...What exactly do you want?"
With gritted teeth audible amidst the rustling of her flowing gown, the golden-eyed girl emerged from the dark void, glaring furiously at Zeke.
The corners of Zeke's mouth curved upward slightly.
"You've had your tantrum, and I've given you ample chances to calm down. So, I believe it's time for an open and rational conversation. What do you think?"
"There's nothing to discuss between us. Either you annihilate me completely, or I will eventually seek vengeance and exterminate all humanity!"
"Even including the Cecilia clones? Though they're copies, they still count as sisters to Lady Cecilia. Are you willing to kill them too?"
"I don't care!" Sirin's voice rose sharply as countless Lances of Subspace shot toward Zeke.
Zeke shook his head, summoning numerous golden chains from beneath his throne. They whipped out, shattering all the Lances of Subspace before binding Sirin's limbs, torso, and neck, immobilizing her mid-air.
"Every encounter with you is filled with such intensity. It's not like I haven't interacted with other Herrscher Aspects; they tend to be quite reasonable. You, however, are truly unique—perhaps due to some mental disorder?"
"You! Get out of here! This is my world!"
"This is Kiana's world. Her world is mine as well."
"Bullshit!"
"If I didn't want to let her rest, I could certainly have her speak for herself. However, even without doing that, you should already know her answer."
"...Shameless!" In response to Zeke's unwavering certainty, Sirin seethed and spat these words through gritted teeth.
Zeke rested his forehead on one hand with exasperation. "I believe I've been more than lenient with you."
"Hmph! Who needs your fake concern? Go ahead, kill me—didn't you always wish for this chance? After this war, that fool's mental strength has become quite stable now. There's no risk of affecting her anymore, so come on!"
Sirin erupted in wild laughter, devoid of any fear; it seemed almost as if she eagerly anticipated her own demise, exhibiting a helpless madness.
Zeke frowned but merely observed Sirin's deranged laughter without reacting further.
After a while, Sirin's laughter subsided, and she looked at Zeke with arrogant indifference, her lips curling into a fearless sneer.
In the silence, Zeke finally spoke:
"How about this: I'll implant bombs within every Cecilia clone's heart, with detonation triggers set on Kiana herself. If you dare seize control or recklessly break free from her body, all those clones will be blown to shreds. What do you think?"
A hint of shock flickered across Sirin's face before she sneered.
"Hah! You'd dare make that idiot sad? Scaring me with such delusions is futile!"
"She won't know. Even if you tried to expose me, whose words do you think she would believe—yours or mine?"
"You—shameless! I don't care!" With a scoff, Sirin turned away, refusing further eye contact with Zeke.
Zeke nodded understandingly and replied, "Indeed, for someone like you, inheriting Sirin's obsession, 'Ich liebe dich' remains your unescapable desire."
"You're wrong! I am the embodiment of resentment, the spirit of humanity's sins, bringing forth judgment and destruction! Your threats cannot affect me, now or ever!"
"What about Benares then?"
"Just another useless dog, utterly meaningless," Sirin said coldly and dismissively.
Zeke couldn't help but deeply frown, genuinely at a loss for words.
This entity was truly impenetrable; even knowing some of her weaknesses, he found no way to sway her. Rather than yield, she preferred death—an apt description of Sirin's unwavering stance.
Zeke abandoned his attempts at friendly negotiation, suppressing his frustration. A red gemstone, roughly the size of a fingernail, appeared in his hand as he spoke expressionlessly:
"This is the Core of the Herrscher of a Thousand People, which you should be quite familiar with. I can promise you two days of freedom each month, barring any exceptional circumstances. You can use either Kiana's body or the Herrscher of a Thousand People's to enjoy your free time—do what you wish, like eating, sightseeing, gaming, reading comics, watching movies, traveling, anything at all—except, naturally, actions aimed at destroying humanity."
"Have you gone mad? Have you already forgotten the lesson from not too long ago?" Sirin looked at him as if addressing an imbecile.
Zeke shook his head.
"I'm aware that you possess the Dominion Authority and could easily seek revenge again anytime. However, consider Kiana's Taixuan Sword Divinity. Do you think there would be much difference between having five abilities versus seven or eight when facing that move?"
Sirin remained silent, unable to respond.
Having faced that technique more than once, Sirin naturally understood its ultimate destructive power targeted souls and consciousness, with little correlation to one's own energy strength. As long as her spiritual domain remained at its current level, obtaining additional Herrscher abilities wouldn't change the outcome significantly.
Zeke rubbed the Herrscher Core in his hand nonchalantly and said,
"Fu Hua has honed her Void Sword Divinity over millennia, making Kiana akin to a toddler just learning to walk compared to her. And aside from Fu Hua, I have three or four other strategic assets on par with her—most importantly, myself. Don't forget, I am the insurmountable peak standing before you. You asked if I've learned my lesson, but I never considered it a defeat; you're still far from deserving such recognition. Know your place, Sirin."
"...What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I propose a deal. The terms I offer are freedom, while what you must provide—well, I won't force someone extreme like you to aid humanity. All I ask is for you not to interfere when Kiana uses the Space Authority, and generally remain somewhat restrained otherwise."
"I refuse. You can kill me or get lost." Sirin's response was unusually firm, maintaining her uncooperative stance.
Zeke fell silent, admitting his patience was nearly exhausted.
Kiana believed that killing Sirin might cause the Space Authority to vanish, depriving them of a potent and controllable force. However, this wasn't true. Upon the death of the Herrscher of the Void, their Herrscher Core would remain intact. Although its energy and usability would significantly diminish, the power itself would still exist.
Zeke spared Sirin primarily due to sensing Kiana's compassion. Sharing the same origin and similar backgrounds, Kiana empathized with Sirin. Eliminating her outright would undoubtedly distress the foolish girl.
But grief could be eased, and Zeke had confidence in alleviating Kiana's sorrow.
Now that Kiana had mastered the Taixuan Sword Divinity, elevating her consciousness strength, Sirin's existence truly became unnecessary.
"Zeke, let me handle this, okay?"
As the warmth in Zeke's eyes began to freeze over, a pair of snow-white arms reached around him from behind, gently embracing him across the throne.
Unexpectedly to both present figures, another master of this domain emerged.
Kiana, clad in a long white gown, gazed at Zeke with a gentle and captivating smile.
Zeke hesitated momentarily, then shook his head and vanished from this space.
With a soft chuckle, Kiana approached the throne, took a seat, and said,
"It's been a while. Looks like your emotional wounds have mostly healed."
"If you're here to propose some deal as well, you can get lost. I won't collaborate with humans, never will."
"Zeke's terms were quite lenient, all out of respect for me. Any other Herrscher wouldn't receive such consideration."
"I've already told you, you can leave," Sirin replied coldly. Despite being bound by numerous chains mid-air, her demeanor remained strong and arrogant, as if she held the upper hand.
Kiana rested her hands on her thighs, swinging her legs leisurely. Her warm smile exuded innocence and gentleness, evoking two beautiful sentiments.
Involuntarily, Sirin felt disoriented, as if glimpsing the woman who had once appeared in her dreams.
"Alright, I know you're stubborn. Let me put it another way: haven't you always said you wanted to witness the tragic end of foolish me? With your current state, looking like you're seeking death, you won't get to see my demise! Ah, as expected, harboring anger like you is wrong; I was right all along. Otherwise, why would you die so quickly while someone who believes in love, like myself, continues living happily?"
Kiana's words hung heavy in the silence.
"Sirin, if you want to see me regret, crumble, and die filled with resentment just like you—if you wish to bear witness to such an ending—the prerequisite is for you to remain alive within my body, isn't it?"
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Accept Zeke's offer. This isn't a compromise but rather a bet between us—between love and hate. We'll determine which one could truly save the Sirin from years ago, which path is the correct one. Shall we?"
Kiana tilted her head, her smile radiant yet gentle.
For a brief moment, Sirin felt disoriented once more—this tone, akin to soothing a child, struck a familiar chord, nearly causing her emotions to spiral out of control.
"...So eloquent, yet full of lies."
"What would I gain by lying to you? The Herrscher of the Void's abilities are indeed powerful, but they're not worth troubling Zeke over. You should understand—I don't seek anything from you. I already possess Sirin's memories from back then, yet I still refuse to follow your path. All I want is to prove to you—the power of love is stronger; that's all," Kiana said slowly, her voice tinged with melancholy.
Sirin fell silent for a long moment—so long that just as Kiana was about to give up on this conversation, Sirin suddenly let out a mocking laugh.
"Hmph! Fine, I will bear witness to your downfall. One day, you'll become like me, and together we shall unleash our vengeance upon humanity!"
"Okay... But if I win, can you try accepting my feelings?"
"How foolish."
"I'm serious. I hope you can change, find redemption, and someday realize the mistakes you've made, seeking atonement... Sirin, neither cold nor warmth inherently exist within the world itself. It's your choices that determine your experiences. Let's both strive for better—together!" With clenched fists, Kiana gestured encouragingly before waving away the bindings left by Zeke and disappearing from the consciousness realm.
Regaining her freedom, Sirin descended and stood quietly for a while before taking her seat on the throne once more.
Sirin gently caressed the armrests of the throne, feeling as if traces of their previous warmth lingered.
"I did nothing wrong... Humans deserve only my judgment..."
"No mistake... No forgiveness possible..."
Leaning against the throne, Sirin muttered these fragmented phrases intermittently.
Within her heart, resentment and fury continued to surge relentlessly, tearing at her emotions without pause.
But what was happening with that bewildering sense of emptiness, that indescribable intense longing?
"Love? A joke, pure hypocrisy—I won't crave such foolish things."
Pressing her hand on her chest, Sirin closed her eyes, seemingly drained of all strength. She quietly slumped onto the throne, sinking deeper into the encroaching darkness.