The next day.
Fu Hua stared in disbelief at the young woman before her.
She had cherry-pink hair tied in a ponytail, with pink highlights in her bangs. She wore a white shirt and a pink plaid skirt.
"This is my little sister, Rin," Sakura introduced from the side, her fox-like ears twitching. Her voice was filled with pride and affection, a faint smile ever-present on her lips.
Though she was usually reserved, she always showed a gentle side when with her younger sister.
Rin, with her large, azure eyes, looked at Fu Hua. She took a small box from the basket she was carrying and offered it to her.
"You must be Big Sister Hua. This is a little something I prepared for you. I made them myself."
Fu Hua did not reach out to take it.
"Hua, please accept it. They're cherry blossom cakes from my hometown. Rin prepared them for everyone else, too," Sakura said.
This was a MOTH base, and unauthorized personnel were not allowed entry. But Rin was the sister of Sakura, one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, so she was granted access.
For the thirteen of them, the rules of MOTH were always flexible.
But Fu Hua wasn't looking at the box in Rin's hand. She was staring, wide-eyed, at Rin herself.
She remembered, all those years ago in Sapphire, the sight of Big Brother Otto shielding her.
That was the day Big Brother Otto had disappeared.
And she would never forget the terrifying figure that she and Big Brother Otto had faced.
Fu Hua once thought it was a Herrscher, but now humanity had defeated eleven Herrschers, and Fu Hua had still not found a match for that one.
She had also considered that her mind might have been addled by the Honkai energy at the time, that what she had faced was merely a small Deadwalker.
But today, seeing Sakura's sister for the first time, it made her uncontrollably recall everything from that day.
Because the resemblance was too strong. Sakura's sister looked far too much like that terrifying figure from back then!
However, the little girl standing before her now truly was just a little girl.
She looked completely ordinary.
She didn't exude that malevolent aura from before, the one that seemed to want to destroy everything.
And this wasn't the first time Fu Hua had heard Sakura mention her sister. When the Third Honkai Eruption occurred, Sakura and her sister were in the Far East; it was impossible for them to have been in Sapphire.
Many years had passed since the Third Eruption; the ages didn't match up either.
What in the world is going on?
Through years of fighting the Honkai, Fu Hua had learned to be calm. Her naturally moderate personality prevented her from acting rashly.
If it had been the egotistical Kalpas, he might have subdued Rin on the spot.
Fu Hua pressed a hand to her aching head and took several steps back.
In her azure eyes, a pink feather almost condensed into a physical form.
Fenghuang Down. Yes, I'll use Fenghuang Down.
Fu Hua wanted to use its power, but at that moment, Sakura took a step forward and asked with concern, "Hua, are you alright?"
As a comrade who had once fought alongside her, Sakura could tell something was wrong with Fu Hua's mood.
The feather in her eyes dissipated once more. Fu Hua waved her hand, indicating that she was fine.
"I... I'm going to find Dr. Mobius."
Without using Fenghuang Down, Fu Hua staggered away, her body looking as if it could collapse at any moment.
Fu Hua and Mobius had a decent relationship.
Although, the latter probably just saw Fu Hua as an interesting test subject.
"Is Big Sister Hua okay?" Rin asked her sister cautiously. Sakura shook her head and patted her head, telling her not to worry.
Sakura was also puzzled.
What's wrong with Hua?
Did she have a fight with her imaginary husband?
Maybe her husband couldn't control himself when he saw how cute Rin is, and Hua got upset.
Hee hee hee.
My little sister really is that cute.
Fu Hua's strange behavior couldn't dampen Sakura's joy at seeing her sister. In this cruel world, her sister was the softest spot in Sakura's heart.
"It's alright. I'll give her these cherry blossom cakes after she's feeling better."
"Mhm."
Rin hummed in agreement, then squinted her eyes, a blissful expression on her face as she let her sister rub her head.
But within her narrowed, azure eyes was a mix of three parts bliss, three parts regret, three parts rapture, and one part madness.
The next moment, Rin's eyes flew open.
Because...
Otto, who had always been by Fu Hua's side, had not left with her. Instead, he had come up behind Sakura and made a goofy face at Rin.
And his hands wrapped gently around Sakura's slender waist from behind.
As if holding a lover.
His emerald eyes looked at Rin, filled with a hint of mockery and provocation.
In an instant, a malevolent aura descended.
Sakura, who had felt as if she were being affectionately squeezed a moment ago, hadn't even processed what was happening when she sensed a terrifying presence. It reminded her of the Herrscher of Binding.
As a warrior, she reacted instantly, pulling Rin into her arms and warily scanning her surroundings.
But the aura vanished as quickly as it had appeared, making Sakura wonder if it had just been her imagination.
Have I just been too tired lately?
Sakura frowned, still shielding her sister as she remained on high alert.
Otto, however, leaned down and whispered softly in Rin's ear.
"Is it fun, playing house? Herrscher of Corruption."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and placed it on top of the Herrscher's head.
Then, he ruffled her hair.
As if dealing with a child.
DAMN IT!
Rin—no, the Herrscher of Corruption—nearly ground her teeth to dust. This guy dared to hug her sister and pat her head. It made her want to tear him to shreds.
But she had realized something earlier in this illusion.
She couldn't beat him.
When Otto had prepared to use the Authority of Binding before, Rin had sensed a dangerous aura. It felt as if the moment this "fellow" of hers made a move, she would be annihilated.
Sakura, however, held Rin tightly, not letting her escape her embrace. She didn't move from her spot, instead using her communicator to call for backup.
Even though she had only sensed it for an instant, Sakura did not let down her guard.
Because her little sister was here.
An older sister had to protect her younger sister.
"Herrscher of Corruption... no, I'll just call you Rin. It's a nice name," Otto whispered in her ear.
He had noticed earlier that this Rin wasn't a fake. And besides himself and Fu Hua, the only other real entity in this illusion was the Herrscher of Corruption.
"Have you remembered your death as a human?"
"So, you've become addicted to this fake illusion yourself?"
After Rin, the Herrscher of Corruption, was brutally murdered by humans, her power as a Herrscher fully awakened. Her memories as a human were consumed by her hatred, and it was only when her sister died that she regained a sliver of consciousness.
But now, it seemed Rin had regained her human memories.
The blissful expression she wore beside her sister was not fake.
During this time in the illusion, Otto had been by Fu Hua's side. Hadn't the Herrscher of Corruption been by her sister's side as well?
With that thought.
Otto raised his hand, brought it down, and continued to ruffle the Herrscher's hair, as if she were just a mischievous little girl.
Pat.
Pat.
Pat.
A Herrscher who viewed all others as insects, who had always been high and mighty—how could she have ever suffered such an indignity?
The Herrscher of Corruption clutched her sister's clothes tightly. Sakura thought her sister was scared and held her even closer.
The fifty-thousand-year-old girl's eyes burned with humiliation and savagery.
But Otto just smiled.
He was a mean-spirited person.
---o---