The Demon King's body trembled. Its crimson eyes stared straight at Shu.
"You… cannot…!!" It struggled to say something, but Shu suddenly exerted more force, pushing the Xuanyuan Sword further.
In that moment, the confrontation returned to the most direct clash of authority, Honkai energy, and will!
If Shu lost, the sword would shatter, and the Demon King would live. If the Demon King lost, the sword in Shu's hand would sever its head, destroying it completely.
"I don't want to hear what you have to say…" Shu continued to push. The Demon King was making its last stand, but wasn't he also fighting for his life?
He had no path of retreat either. Between him and the Demon King, one had to fall into hell.
And he… had already been there once!!
The Xuanyuan Sword advanced again. With a third of its neck already severed, the Demon King suddenly emitted a dissipating black light from the wound.
It panicked… as panicked as when it had realized it had lost Sirin.
It raised a hand and grabbed Shu's, its eyes showing a surprisingly human-like plea.
"Cannot… shatter the dream… cannot… cannot… accept… reality…" But rather than begging Shu for mercy, it seemed to be muttering to itself, like a machine repeating its programmed instructions, speaking in fits and starts.
At that moment, the resistance from the Demon King's neck surged, actually managing to push Shu's sword back slightly.
The two were locked in a stalemate in the air.
---||---
Meanwhile, within the sanctuary of the Key of Remembrance, among the group surrounding Kiana, Sirin suddenly clutched her chest and doubled over in pain.
"What's wrong?" Mei was the first to notice something was amiss. She rushed to Sirin's side, gently patting her back.
Mei had used no force at all, but Sirin collapsed anyway. Only then did Mei realize Sirin's face was deathly pale, drenched in sweat. Her hands were clutching the fabric over her heart so tightly it seemed she would rip it.
"Dr. Darwin!" Mei cried out anxiously. Darwin hurried over, quickly examined Sirin, and then looked up with a grave expression.
"It's muscle spasms caused by heart palpitations and panic. A classic symptom of anxiety and mental illness."
"Mental illness…" Mei was stunned. She didn't understand why Sirin would suddenly have a psychological breakdown. "What should we do?"
"We don't have that kind of medication here… I can only provide some emergency relief…" Darwin shook his head. There was little he could do. External medication was only a palliative and supportive measure for psychological issues; true recovery had to come from within.
But was Sirin capable of resolving this herself? Especially a problem that had erupted so suddenly… Sirin probably couldn't even think straight right now, could she?
"Bronya believes we might be able to try something," Bronya, who was holding the Key of Remembrance, said suddenly. The group turned to look at her.
Bronya gestured to the Key in her hands. "With the Key of Remembrance, we can find the root of Sirin's distress…"
"But this space…" Schrodinger immediately thought of the problem.
"Don't worry. Shu is very strong right now, and we are already protected," Bronya said, relaying what she had observed of the outside world.
Schrodinger nodded. "Then, who among us will enter Sirin's mind…"
"I'll do it," Joyce's voice came. They looked over to see the pile of scrap metal that was once Joyce emitting the sound of damaged machinery. "I know Sirin far better than any of you… If there are any problems… I will solve them."
The group exchanged glances and nodded. They all knew how capable Joyce was in this area. This was a job only she was suited for.
Bronya took a deep breath and deactivated the Key of Remembrance's wide-area ability. Instantly, the pure crystals Shu had raised appeared before them.
Bronya placed the Key of Remembrance on Joyce's damaged body. The next moment, the Key glowed white again, peeling Joyce's consciousness from her physical form and sending it as a streak of light into the space between Sirin's eyebrows.
---||---
In the darkness, Joyce opened her eyes. Just as she registered her state, a deluge of memories and information slammed into her, flooding her processing space.
Joyce quickly shielded her processors, stabilized herself from the near-crash caused by the massive data influx, and then began to survey her destination.
Sirin's consciousness.
It was like a vast field of reeds, the tall stalks obscuring everything. Joyce could only see a small patch of sky above.
They say a person's inner world is a vast garden. The flowers planted within represent what that person desires, hopes for, and possesses most.
Just as Shu's heart was filled with roses, before Joyce was an endless expanse of reeds… but what did reeds represent?
Resilience…
Don't think this is a good thing, a beautiful flower language. If a person's greatest quality is resilience, what suffering must they have endured to forge it?
No one cares that reeds can grow better in a comfortable environment. People only see the resilience of the reeds, see that they can grow in cold, barren places, and then praise the miracle of life, lauding its spirit.
Hardship is something to be lamented, not praised.
Joyce pushed aside the reeds in front of her and began the difficult search for Sirin, who was hiding somewhere within.
The reeds grew tall, swaying in the wind, sending flurries of downy seeds flying like a heavy snow.
Where would Sirin be? A person's inner world couldn't be just this. There had to be something else here…
Joyce forcefully pushed aside a large clump of reeds, clearing a space for her vision.
Finally, she saw a tall tower. It was the Tower of Babel!
Sirin had to be there!
Joyce focused her mind and began to move towards it, contemplating what the root of Sirin's distress could be.
The war in Siberia, her mother's departure, her friends leaving without a word… what could it be?
As Joyce pondered, the distance between her and the Tower of Babylon vanished in an instant. But when she arrived, it wasn't Sirin she saw, but someone she hadn't expected, yet who made perfect sense in this context.
Bella Benares.