Ruan Mei's methods were beyond the perception of anyone in this world, isolated from the cosmos for centuries. Even the people of Belobog hadn't realized that three outsiders had entered their world—openly, without subterfuge.
Once upon a time, Belobog had also been a civilization connected to the interstellar network.
Therefore, in addition to their local currency, Shield, they also used Credits. This made things much easier for travelers from beyond Belobog.
The three of them easily found a somewhat secluded place to stay within the city.
Once they had settled in, Ruan Mei no longer paid attention to anything else, focusing entirely on her preparations—this step did not require Kiana's assistance.
Kiana temporarily parted ways with her and went out to explore the city of Preservation, accompanied by Acheron.
The cold wave had descended upon this world more than seven centuries ago. The people here had long grown accustomed to life within the walls—to living this way.
No one on the streets was talking about the cold wave anymore.
Aside from the biting chill, the streets here weren't much different from those of any other world.
"It's a peaceful city."
Acheron walked alongside Kiana through Belobog's streets, observing the relaxed passersby and the various shops along the road.
Yet she still hadn't found anything resembling Izumo.
Her doubts deepened.
"Peaceful?"
Kiana's expression twisted slightly. The upper city might be peaceful and relaxed, yes—but she knew Belobog also had a lower city. In that lower city, many people struggled even to eat. It was a true slum, where survival itself was a daily battle.
The upper city had the Silvermane Guards for protection, but in the lower city, even resources were scarce. People were forced to mine just to trade for supplies, and the Fragmentum could claim lives at any moment.
"Am I wrong?"
Acheron looked at her, faintly puzzled. Kiana understood this planet's situation—she had known, even before arriving, that this was the place she was looking for.
"It's only a surface-level peace," Kiana said softly. "Mei, you might not know this, but this city won't last much longer."
"Indeed. Judging by how quickly the Fragmentum expands, without external intervention or a hero who can turn the tide, this city will eventually be buried under snow and wind."
At this point, Acheron wanted to ask Kiana whether she had foreseen that very ending—that Belobog would one day be swallowed by the blizzard—and if that was why she believed this world could become the soil for Honkai.
But before she could ask, Kiana took her hand first, gently tugging her aside.
A tram passed by along its fixed rail.
"Watch the front and back," Kiana said.
"My senses aren't sharp enough for things around me," Acheron admitted quietly.
"That's fine. I'll hold your hand—so we won't get separated by accident."
Acheron glanced down at their joined hands, murmuring a faint acknowledgment before returning the grip.
"I actually know quite a bit about this world," Kiana continued, walking alongside her. "How should I put it... Though Belobog's situation is dangerous, it hasn't yet reached the point of collapse. This place isn't like Izumo."
Izumo had faced Nihility itself, while Belobog faced only a Stellaron.
A Stellaron disaster was perilous for most worlds—but whether it was her, Ruan Mei, or Acheron, all of them had ways of dealing with it.
"This planet's eternal frost stems from the Stellaron," Kiana said. "If we can handle it properly, the world should gradually recover."
"That's true," Acheron agreed.
"And any one of us," Kiana added with a faint smile, "could accomplish it."
"But you didn't come here to save it, did you?"
Acheron slowed her steps, her gaze settling on Kiana. She understood her too well—and because she did, she could read what Kiana hadn't said aloud.
"Have you made your decision?"
She had thought Kiana would take time—survey the people, meet the city's leaders, weigh the pros and cons—before choosing a course of action.
She hadn't expected her to decide so soon.
"...Yes," Kiana said after a pause. "I didn't come here to save it."
Kiana fell silent for a moment, meeting Acheron's gaze before lowering her head to stare at the path beneath her feet.
There were many reasons.
But when she saw Ruan Mei begin scanning the planet's data, the sense of urgency in her heart instantly reached its peak.
She understood.
This was a path of no return.
From the moment she had awakened, the Pandora's box had already been opened. She had a powerful intuition—it was not something that depended on her will.
"I've made up my mind. No matter what happens, I must take control with my own hands."
"This isn't Izumo..."
Acheron's grip on her hand tightened as she caught hold of Kiana firmly. "Do you really think you can bear the weight of an entire world?"
It didn't matter what Kiana thought, nor what anyone else willed. Once she resolved to draw this world into the scope of Honkai, its future would be bound to her—inseparably.
"...I can!"
There was a momentary flicker of hesitation in Kiana's eyes, but it vanished just as quickly, replaced by unwavering determination.
For Izumo. For those still living within the Stigmata world. And for herself—who could lose control at any moment.
"There's no other choice?"
Acheron looked at her deeply. She didn't want Kiana to drown in self-blame again later.
"Maybe there is," Kiana said quietly after taking a deep breath. "But I can't keep running away."
"I understand."
Acheron had already foreseen this possibility, so her expression remained calm. Her gaze fell, her thoughts turning to the consequences of Kiana's decision.
Honkai...
There were no Kami here. Perhaps the strength of Honkai's manifestation wouldn't reach the same catastrophic levels as in Izumo.
And with Ruan Mei's assistance, things might yet stay within control.
"Then, Mei... you?"
"I'll respect your choice."
Acheron neither approved nor stopped her.
"...That's enough."
Enough?
Acheron said nothing more. Though Kiana had told her much, she still didn't fully understand the situation Kiana was now in.
But she trusted her. She believed Kiana still had limits she would not cross.
So she chose to wait—to see how far things would go, and to intervene only if it became truly impossible to continue.
With such thoughts in mind, Acheron's peripheral vision caught a group of Silvermane Guards returning from another street.
The guards themselves weren't important.
Her gaze, more precisely, fell upon the woman leading them—a uniformed officer.
Her appearance...
Gray-white memories flickered through Acheron's mind like old black-and-white photographs, each image fading until they stopped—frozen on a familiar face.
Recalling that person, Acheron stopped in her tracks.
They hadn't known each other well—their time together had been short, and they'd only met a few times—but she remembered the faces of those who had stood together in those final days against the end.
If she remembered correctly...
That girl's name was—
"Bronya?"
A flash of lightning tore through her thoughts, linking all her previous doubts into one realization.
Recalling that name from her memories brought with it more recollections of the girl it belonged to.
If she remembered correctly, that girl's younger sister was named Seele—the Sentinel of the Edict Edge Fate.
After slaying the remaining Kami, they had gathered all twelve Edict Edges, though...
Those twelve blades had never been used.
Drawn back into her memories of Izumo, Acheron quickly grasped the most crucial piece of information—
Compatibility.
The similarity between Izumo and this planet?
Both faced near-hopeless circumstances. The difference was that Izumo had already passed the point of no return, while this world still had a chance—if someone would only lend it a hand.
Beyond that...
She turned to Kiana. "She's one of the reasons you chose this world, isn't she?"
Though phrased as a question, Acheron's tone held no doubt—only firm conviction in her guess.
They'd run into Bronya already?
And Mei actually remembered Bronya?
Kiana was slightly surprised. Just as she was about to explain, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Silvermane Guards seemed to have taken an interest in them.
She tugged at Acheron's sleeve.
"Let's talk somewhere else."
Without waiting for Acheron's reply, Kiana pulled her toward a quieter area, turning her back to the Guards.
So strange... they're wearing so little, yet they don't seem to feel the cold. They must have some kind of Path power. But why have I never seen them before?
"Lady Bronya?" one of the soldiers asked.
"...It's nothing. Let's go."
Bronya withdrew her gaze. Belobog was a large city—she couldn't possibly know everyone. Though she was a bit curious, she had just returned from the front lines, exhausted in both body and mind. A small curiosity wasn't enough for her to go over and question strangers.
They were probably just from the upper or lower city.
Jarilo-VI had been cut off from the outside universe for centuries. No intelligent life from beyond had visited in all that time.
Thus, Bronya never even considered the possibility of visitors from the cosmos.
Kiana didn't intend to make contact with Bronya under such circumstances. She was still thinking about how best to approach communication with Belobog as a whole.
Until she decided, it was better to stay quiet.
"Here's fine," Acheron said, stopping at an iron railing where no one else was around. She halted Kiana, who was still walking ahead.
"Ah? Sure, here's good too."
Forced to stop suddenly, Kiana looked around, confirmed that no one was watching, and nodded.
"Let's continue our earlier conversation?"
Acheron gazed at her intently, as though she could see straight through her eyes into her thoughts. "She's one of the reasons you chose this world, isn't she?" she repeated.
"I guess you could say that."
There was no need to hide it. She had chosen this world because of Bronya, Seele, and even that tireless villain—Cocolia.
"So when you talk about 'compatibility'... you actually mean similarity—similar phenomena, similar people, right?"
Having traveled across many worlds, Acheron had seen parallels and reflections before. It didn't take her long to understand.
Kiana rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "That's my guess."
"So Izumo is also its shadow?"
"Ah? No, I don't think that's right. How could Izumo be its shadow?"
"What I mean is—back in Izumo, were you also chasing the shadow of that other world?"
If similarities existed, then the original must also exist. That much was undeniable.
Acheron urgently wanted to know the answer.
That question... Kiana froze for a moment, then sighed. "You and Sirin really do ask the same kind of questions."
"Sirin?"
Acheron looked puzzled. "Why bring her up? Did she notice it too?"
Earlier than I did?
The thought left a faint, unpleasant feeling in Acheron's chest—she had never considered that possibility.
"She started to suspect it when we met Mr. Welt," Kiana said. "Let me think about how to explain this..."
"First of all, none of you are anyone's shadow. If you are, then I'm part of that shadow too."
Kiana made her stance clear with that one statement.
And her words worked—upon hearing them, Acheron visibly exhaled in relief.
As long as it wasn't the worst possibility, she could endure it.
"Secondly, that place is far too distant from us. We don't even exist in the same world."
"Lastly, everything I've done has been by my own will. No one influenced my choices."
Acheron trusted her words, but another thought crossed her mind. "Then what about the Honkai?"
"It might come from there—or maybe not. For now, I can't give a definitive answer."
Can't give an answer yet?
Might come from there?
That world?
What kind of world was it? How much did it resemble Izumo?
Acheron had many questions, but she kept them buried deep within. In the end, she only asked, "How did Sirin figure it out?"
There was no need to dig into things Kiana herself didn't yet understand.
What concerned her more was Sirin's awareness.
Maybe she should find a good time to see that friend again.
"Welt—from the Astral Express. You forgot? Back when we were in Herta's space, we met the Express docked at the station, and Navigator Himeko invited us aboard for a while."
That conversation on the Astral Express...
The memory was faint now, but after a moment of thought, Acheron recalled the discussion they'd had that day.
Welt's homeland... Honkai...
The Herrscher of Finality... the Herrscher of Origin...
At the time, Acheron hadn't paid much attention to what Welt said. But now, with Belobog before her and Kiana's talk of "compatibility," she couldn't ignore it any longer.
Considering the possibility, Acheron looked at Kiana and asked, "If we could go to Mr. Welt's world, do you think it would meet the standards for Honkai?"
"That world... definitely would."
Though its story had already ended, Honkai Impact 3rd absolutely met the system's standards.
"How close is it?"
"...Ninety-eight percent? Ninety-nine?"
Kiana wasn't certain, but she was sure that Honkai Impact 3rd was the world most closely aligned with the Houkai system.
Acheron's grip on her hand tightened slightly. "And Izumo?"
"If I remember correctly... around eighty-seven percent."
"I see."
Acheron didn't press further. She merely nodded, her expression calm. Kiana's answer had confirmed some of the suspicions forming quietly in her heart.
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