Sakura's voice carried a faint sob, making one's heart ache.
The roar of artillery and alarm bells intertwined, ceaseless.
Seele knew that letting Sakura leave here was destined to be a journey of no return.
However, she couldn't say it.
She couldn't find a single reason to stop the girl in front of her.
Seele's lips trembled slightly, tears overflowed her eyes, her heart was in extreme agony, and finally, she couldn't hold back, her last shred of strength was broken, and tears streamed down her face.
They had promised that after rescuing Rin, they would go see the cherry blossoms together... but she couldn't stop any of this.
Still no power...? If only she had enough power, would she not have to endure the pain of separation?
Seele's heart pounded violently.
"Don't be ridiculous, Rin is already dead!"
"Stop it! Sakura!"
Kevin hastily tried to stop her, but this could not shake Sakura's resolve.
Rin still needed her; she had to help Rin.
Even if the obstructors was the one bearing the mark of Deliverance, the leader of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, humanity's Deliverer!
No one could stop her!
"I'm sorry, Seele."
The final farewell was an apology that could not be fulfilled.
I'm sorry, I can't accompany you to find your sister.
Everyone outside was stunned, suffocated by this extremely stubborn love.
What kind of love was this?
Even if it's a Herrscher, even if it's a traitor to humanity?
So what!
You are just my sister, the sister I have been searching for.
Nothing else, just that!
To find you, to protect you, at all costs.
In the scene, a clear tear slid down Sakura's eye, and the chilling spirit blade at her waist instantly bloomed with a cold glow!
Like a cherry blossom opening, a bone-chillingly cold cherry blossom bloomed at the tip of the blade!
—Swish!
She only swung one blade!
Like a seed sprouting from deep within the soil, that faint sound!
A full-strength strike imbued with vitality, breaking through all restraints, burying her ideals deep within the blade's tip!
Kevin's eyes couldn't even clearly see that strike.
Yet he could feel a deafening light and shadow, he seemed to see thick black smoke rising from a submarine volcano!
Immense energy refracted from Sakura's azure eyes!
The blade marks that cut through time were like cold currents, leaving thousands of desolate scratches in the smoky air.
At this moment, the volcano erupted, the flames hidden deep in her heart burst forth without any obstruction, exploding in Kevin's eyes!
Kevin could feel the sorrow and anger of the blade's intent!
It was just a single strike from her hand, yet for some unknown reason, it twisted the trajectory of time.
As the blade was drawn, Sakura's strike completely froze space!
Time stagnated, consciousness scattered, everything tended towards stillness!
At this moment.
Frigid Sky Dance!
Hell's Frost Suppresses Heaven!
In those brief few seconds, in this lightless domain, she was the only one who could move.
Kevin's gaze could only helplessly fall upon Sakura's back.
At that moment, she was neither a MANTIS of the Flame-Chasers nor a part of humanity's shared destiny.
She was simply an older sister who wanted to do everything for her younger sister, like a cherry blossom blooming in winter.
Holy and beautiful, sweeping everything away, dying silently and desolately.
But if other flowers could get enough nutrients, she would be satisfied.
"Our journey together ends here."
She brushed past Seele, softly leaving her last words.
"I wish you... can reunite with your sister."
...Everyone outside the screen could feel the intense emotions.
Love so profound it was suffocating, emotions etched into the bone. Yae Sakura's pupils trembled, her body almost convulsing. Rin's tragic death seemed to draw out the last few rays of light from the depths of her soul, until finally, darkness descended, and there was no longer any hope.
Yae Sakura's pupils trembled, her body almost convulsing, Rin's tragic death, as if drawing out the last few rays of light from the depths of her soul, finally, night fell, and there was no longer any hope.
Yae Sakura subconsciously thought.
If at this moment, she and Sakura swapped bodies, and she had to choose, what would she do next?
Would she sorrowfully await the punishment of the Flame-Chasers, or would she burn her last drop of blood for the Herrscher-fied Rin, like a candle turning to ash?
Her answer was undoubtedly the latter.
Yae Sakura had already lost Rin once, and that painful memory had made her struggle for five hundred years.
She regretted it every moment, if only she had realized the villagers' wickedness sooner, if only she had bravely stood up.
As Yunduo said, don't wait until it's too late to regret. Is it still not too late for everything?
Before they could recover, the scene began to move again.
Time began to flow.
But who knows how much time had passed.
Sakura... froze time.
It began to flow slowly!
"Zzzzz—"
In the communicator, Dr. Mei's urgent voice rang out.
"Kevin, I succeeded."
"The Herrscher fell into a trap and was confined in the main control system by an isolation program. I'll find a way to transfer her to the black box."
"Kevin, what's wrong? Can you hear me?"
Kevin didn't speak, walking towards where the Herrscher was.
Behind him was a nervous Seele.
Soon, they witnessed an astonishing scene.
It was Sakura, leaning against the wall, barely alive, supported by a broken ice blade.
Her cherry-pink fox ears drooped weakly, her body covered in wounds.
A trickle of sparkling blood slid from Sakura's lips.
Catching sight of their arrival, Sakura's vacant eyes flickered slightly, and she asked in a low voice: "Kevin... and Seele?"
The warrior lay amidst the boundless metal ruins, like a solitary flower in a wasteland.
Her most cherished pendant had withered along with her figure.
Seele cried, a string of tears falling down her cheeks like pearls.
"Sister Sakura..."
Kevin said nothing, only looked at the fallen Sakura.
"Kevin... I know you were right..." Sakura said.
Kevin lowered his head and slowly said to Sakura, whose life was nearing its end:
"MEI has already sealed the Herrscher."
"She said that in the final moments, the Herrscher's activity showed an unexplained disturbance."
"She didn't miss that opportunity."
The cause of the disturbance was exactly because of Sakura's actions.
In the frozen time, Sakura sacrificed her own life to cause a disturbance in Rin's activity, creating an opportunity for MEI to seal the Herrscher.
It was also the moment Rin saw Sakura, a sharp tremor in her heart!
Hearing these words, a faint smile appeared on Sakura's lips. Her gaze pierced through the ruins before her, as if seeing that spring when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
"This is fine..."
"I stayed with Rin... to the very end, until the last moment... until the end... she was still my sister..."
"I kept... my pride as an older sister..."
A weak voice emerged from Sakura's intermittent whispers.
Her face was so pale, and her hollow pupils contained silent emotions. "You didn't regret it until the end, and that's enough," Kevin said.
The young girl's eyes gradually dimmed, but a single glimmer of light was hidden in the corners of her eyes.
Perhaps she saw something—something only she could see.
"Kevin... at the end, I have one more request..."
"I'm listening."
"Seele... take her... back to our hometown." Sakura's voice grew smaller and smaller.
"I promised her that I would take her to the plaza where the cherry blossoms bloom..."
Having a premonition, Seele covered her eyes as hot tears flowed down: "Sister Sakura..."
Sensing her grief, Sakura used the last of her strength to gently comfort her: "Seele, don't be sad."
"Some things... some regrets, we are powerless to change..."
"But you still have someone you want to protect."
"When you and she stand together under the cherry blossom tree... you will find..."
"That this world is still beautiful."
"You will find that your world still has hope."
As her voice fell, the last bit of light in her eyes vanished.
The World Bubble gradually faded away, returning to nothingness along with the warrior's life.
The young girl's sobbing dissipated into the darkness, leaving only silence.
However, the Herrscher had controlled the launch silos and used nuclear missiles to completely destroy the only three remaining cities of humanity.
In this world, there were no more cherry blossoms.
Kevin knew that the hope Sakura left behind could never be realized... Outside.
When everyone saw Sakura swing that blade and the subsequent pause in time.
Hiss!
They couldn't help but gasp.
They originally thought it was just a powerful life-sacrificing attack, but they didn't expect it could actually make time stand still!
What kind of divine power was this? It could practically rival a god!
Let alone such a long time; on a battlefield, even a mere second could decide the life or death of a campaign.
If it were a battlefield between Honkai and Herrschers, it would be even more likely to decide the survival or death of humanity!
This was the power Sakura had been hiding all along!
A power she had never shown to anyone else.
Even someone as strong as Kevin was frozen by this eternal ice!
But there was a question: why didn't Kevin know Sakura had this move for so long, and why didn't she use it?
Seeing the fallen Sakura later, everyone understood.
Using this move would likely cost her life.
With a corrupt organization like the Flame-Chasers, would Sakura dare to speak of it?
That would be like walking into a tiger's den, seeking her own destruction!
It was the lack of trust caused by the Flame-Chasers' long-term actions.
It was because they killed Rin that Sakura became so reticent.
Before everyone could discuss it, they heard Dr. MEI's voice.
The Herrscher had fallen into a trap and was trapped within the main control system—inside the the ark!
Wait!
The the ark!
Yae Sakura was shocked at this moment, as if struck by a bolt from the blue; her ears were completely numb!
Everything happened so suddenly!
Yet it also seemed like a natural progression.
When she heard the words "the ark," her previous suspicions and reality completely overlapped!
How could she not know about the the ark, the source of all the trouble?
Five hundred years ago, four years after Rin's death.
When she grew up, honed her swordsmanship, became a shrine maiden, and truly took charge of the rituals.
Perhaps it was destiny; at that time, she met Kallen Kaslana.
Many years later, Yae Sakura learned that Kallen was protecting the the ark to prevent it from falling into the hands of Schicksal.
The the ark was the origin of their meeting and the birth of disaster!
Some things happened after that, including Yae Sakura being controlled by the Will of Honkai and becoming a Pseudo-Herrscher, and her using her own will to turn the blade on herself, forcing out the Will of Honkai and falling into Kallen's arms... After that, Kallen was taken back by the Schicksal organization, while she entered the Sea of Quanta, until the Honkai erupted again five hundred years later.
One day in the Sea of Quanta, she found a mysterious creature in a wine barrel in the village. Upon meeting, it immediately called Yae Sakura "Big Sis."
Although this once caused Yae Sakura to break down, the two of them got along well and went through many things.
She was named Higokumaru by Yae Sakura.
When asked why she followed Yae Sakura, Higokumaru's answer was because being with Big Sis meant having "hot, soft, chewy, and sweet Aburaage" to eat.
To eat the first batch of Aburaage from the snack shop at the village entrance, she would even stay up all night waiting at the shop door.
Yae Sakura liked and loved Higokumaru very much.
During the five hundred years in the Sea of Quanta, it was this silly and cute little thing that had been accompanying her.
"Big Sis, Big Sis... I-I-I-I-I..."
At this moment, listening to Higokumaru's stuttering voice in her mind.
She also seemed flustered, not expecting things to turn out this way.
Having forgotten all her memories, she only remembered she was a villain, not expecting she was actually Rin, Sakura's sister.
Even if Big Sis wasn't Sakura, the similar appearance and almost identical personality made Higokumaru's nose tingle in this instant.
She no longer looked like her usual mischievous little fox self; she was almost like an introverted child who had made a mistake seeing her parents.
Hearing this, Yae Sakura didn't say much, only whispering: "Higokumaru, those things are in the past."
"Regardless, whether it's Rin or Sakura, those are things from fifty thousand years ago."
"If you want, you can also call me sister."
"I will protect you; I have that conviction. What do you say?"
Hearing this, Higokumaru suddenly burst into tears.
"Waaaah, Big Sis, you're so good to me! I am Higokumaru, and you've always been my Big Sis..."
Yae Sakura took a deep breath, the corners of her eyes slightly red.
Higokumaru had many former names; some she hated, and some she had long forgotten.
Whenever someone asked about her name, she would always feign hesitation and then reveal an innocent smile: "Higokumaru! Big Sis likes to call me that."
Whether it was Higokumaru or Rin, her attitude remained unchanged.
When Sakura fell among the ruins and spoke her final words of hope to Seele.
Everyone present had red eyes; the more emotional Rozaliya and Liliya already had large tears rolling down.
On the road to growing up, there are some things, some regrets, and too much powerlessness.
Everyone has someone they want to protect.
Self-abandonment, complaints, resentment... when a person is eroded by negative emotions.
Sakura's words were meant to make them look back at the past, thinking of that cherry blossom tree of the oath.
If one can stand under the cherry blossom tree with that person, this world is still beautiful.
This world still has hope... Kiana sniffled and said hoarsely: "I really admire Sakura. To do so much for her sister, even as a Herrscher, she kept her pride as an older sister."
"That is to say, 'this world is still beautiful.' It seems someone else once said that to me too."
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