Higokumaru was already weakened, and after a beating from Ai, she could no longer even maintain her Youko form. The gigantic fox demon transformed into a pink-haired girl, collapsing unconscious to the ground.
"Sigh... Poor little one. I'm not sure why you ended up here at this time, but..."
Ai walked to Higokumaru's side, kneeled, and gently embraced her. The girl's face was streaked with deep tears, testimony to what she'd suffered... Ai couldn't comment; how could she describe it? Maybe it was like there wasn't a drop of blood left in her—just bullets.
"Sorry. I witnessed your tale, but I can't change what's already happened..."
"Let go of me... I don't need your pity... I don't need it..."
Higokumaru struggled to push Ai away, but, for some reason, the tears kept flowing...
No one had ever smiled at her, no one ever liked her. Since her creation, she had endlessly replayed the tragic nightmare named RIN in her memory.
Was it five hundred years, or fifty thousand? At some unknown point, hatred had devoured Higokumaru, trapping her eternally in the hatred of the girl called RIN...
For all that time, this was the first time she had felt... this warmth of an embrace.
But Higokumaru wouldn't forget why she was born, or RIN's unforgettable agony, because she was Higokumaru—and also RIN...
"Move... I don't need the pity of a robot..." In the end, Higokumaru bit her lip and forcefully shoved Ai away.
Ai was a bit stunned by Higokumaru's rejection. Those words caused Ai's eyes to darken, stabbing at her heart.
Seeing Ai's sad expression, Higokumaru reflexively covered her own mouth. It seemed she had said something wrong.
But Ai merely stood up, gave a small bow to Higokumaru, and retreated into the shadows.
"Sorry, looks like I overstepped."
"I'm truly sorry for what you've endured, but if you invade the Hyperion again, I'll be back to teach you a lesson."
"I..."
Higokumaru reached out, wanting to stop Ai, but Ai had already disappeared from the world.
In the end, Higokumaru crouched alone in the Hyperion's database, hugging her knees. The first person to embrace her in tens of thousands of years—she had chased away.
No one knew how long had passed before the Hyperion was activated again. This time, it was Theresa and Fu Hua heading for Canghai City to support Ryn and the others.
Ryn's team discovered abnormal Honkai energy reactions under the southern ocean of Canghai City, and a massive subterranean space below. From the on-site data, it was deduced that this was actually Nine Realms!
Sensing the data-space's disturbance, the hiding Higokumaru woke with a start.
She left the data space and emerged, her data reconstituting into physical form in the command room, to find Fu Hua and Theresa standing before her.
"How is there a child here? Did she appear out of thin air? A Herrscher!"
Theresa pulled the imitation Judah from her back, ready for battle.
Since that jerk Ryn had stolen the original Judah, and she wasn't used to other weapons, she'd gone to Welt and pleaded for a God Key to be made for her.
Theresa had met Welt as early as the Second Eruption, and it was thanks to her covering for him with her grandfather that Welt hadn't been discovered. She'd sheltered Welt at her academy for so long, so claiming some compensation wasn't too much.
Although Welt could recreate Judah, he couldn't reproduce a Herrscher Core, so this imitation was many times weaker—but still enough for Theresa's needs.
Fu Hua looked at Higokumaru in deep thought. Her memories were in shambles, but some things were remembered by the body as well as the mind.
"Herrscher of Corruption..."
"Didn't expect to see a familiar face, Sister Hua..." Higokumaru glanced at Fu Hua. She knew Fu Hua—every time big sister brought her to MOTH's social gatherings, RIN and Hua never blended in. They would cling to each other in the corner, eating instant noodles.
"We know each other?" Fu Hua was surprised. Although she felt a hint of familiarity, there wasn't a single memory of Higokumaru. However, the data-to-reality transformation told her this was the Herrscher of Corruption.
"...No, we don't." Higokumaru wasn't sure why Fu Hua pretended not to know her, but she wasn't RIN either—so perhaps it was normal.
"Can we not fight? I'm not in the mood."
Yet it was clear that neither Fu Hua nor Theresa intended to let things go. A Herrscher of Corruption sneaking aboard the Hyperion could only mean trouble—how could they not fight?
"All right... then I surrender!"
Higokumaru raised both hands and gave up resisting. Rather than get beaten by Fu Hua, she might as well surrender early. Now, she was confused: the warmth of Ai's embrace had left her longing—something she'd never felt in tens of thousands of years. But her careless words had hurt Ai, causing her to leave.
"Uh... Don't move, let me tie you up first." Theresa carefully used the imitation Judah's chains to bind Higokumaru.
Seeing Higokumaru tied up and tossed aside, Fu Hua was puzzled. This Herrscher of Corruption definitely didn't belong to this civilization, but hadn't the last era's Herrscher of Corruption been... who was it again...?
Strange—Fu Hua felt another memory lapse. She needed to find time to visit Taixu Mountain to look for memories about the Herrscher of Corrosion.
"What should we do, take her back to the academy, Fu Hua?" Theresa pulled Fu Hua aside and asked quietly.
"Let's keep moving. The matter of Nine Realms is still important, and besides, Ryn and Judah are over there. Taking the Herrscher of Corrosion with us is safer than keeping her at the academy. We can question her on the way," said Fu Hua, pushing her glasses up.
"Hey, can you not whisper so close? It's not like I can't hear you."
Higokumaru pouted. At this distance, what was the point of whispering?
Bang —
"Brat, kids don't butt in when adults are talking."
Theresa gave Higokumaru a knock on the head, leaving her teary-eyed with a lump.
Fu Hua looked at the crouched, bound, and teary-eyed Higokumaru in the corner. For some reason, the scene felt familiar.
And Higokumaru felt the same.
She gave a wry smile, looking up at Theresa and Fu Hua. Already in a bad mood, seeing her own reflection only made it worse.
"Heh, I just realized I'm the same as back then... imprisoned, tearful... then soldiers burst in and beat me to pulp..."
Crack —
The chains binding Higokumaru snapped. Her crimson eyes fixed on Theresa and Fu Hua, that tangible hatred welling up again.
"Tell me—was it my fault? Or was it theirs?"