Kallen quickly pulled Pardo to stand next to Irene, a trace of anxiety flashing in her eyes. The Herrscher of Corruption was even harder to deal with than she had imagined.
In this battlefield dominated by the opponent, her Power of Binding had almost no effect. Even if she caught the enemy, the enemy could simply abandon that physical vessel and leave.
And now, the opponent didn't even show up. Without a target, even Binding couldn't play any role.
And Pardo was having issues too. Although she hadn't heard Pardo tell the story of that time, from the Herrscher of Corruption's angry curses and Pardo's state, Kallen could roughly understand what kind of tragic story it was back then.
Kallen didn't know if Pardo, in this state, could still muster the will to fight and continue dealing with... the enemy.
As for whether they could return to Irene's side if their spiritual entities were destroyed or killed again, or if their souls would scatter right then and there, she didn't know either.
Several golden chains orbited around Kallen's body as she moved, forming a small barrier. This was naturally not a Binding barrier, but merely a preparation for Binding · Anchor.
If anyone touched it, it would directly trigger the effect of Binding · Anchor, fixing them in place—barely counting as a special kind of protective shield.
It was usually quite useful, but in this situation where the entire space was the opponent's home field, Kallen didn't know if it could actually defend against anything.
"Are you nervous? Are you afraid?" The Herrscher of Corruption's voice appeared again, and this time the voice seemed to have become calm, even filled with a hint of concern?
"You're just being locked up and haven't even been researched yet, so why would you be afraid?"
"..." Kallen manipulated Judah's chains, calmly sweeping through every corner around them, attempting to capture the Herrscher of Corruption's trail, but all she could touch was emptiness.
Irene leaned next to Pardo. Sensing Irene's proximity, Pardo looked up at Irene, wanting to say something, but in the end, only a short phrase squeezed out of her throat:
"Sister Irene..."
What did she want to say? Perhaps she wanted to say that she had absolutely no way to persuade Rin. If she had actually done something, she might have felt at peace with it.
Even if it meant seeking revenge or settling scores with those people afterwards. But she really hadn't done anything. Did she, who had done nothing, really have any standing to persuade Rin?
"Mn, I'm here. As for Rin... there will be a way." Irene looked around. After a moment of silence, she also understood that in this situation, the opponent held almost absolute initiative.
If they couldn't force the opponent to reveal a flaw, they would delay for too long. Irene didn't believe the Herrscher of Corruption only had the spare energy to manage their side and no way to handle the problem on Theresa's side.
After all, why were the Herrscher of Corruption's movements so fast? Whether in the manga or in the game, it shouldn't have been this fast.
Almost as soon as they entered, it showed absolute mastery over the Stigmata Space. Was it because she discovered it too late? That shouldn't be it. Before entering the Stigmata Space, Irene had asked Theresa if there had been any similar situations before.
But Theresa stated very clearly that today was the first time she had this dream, and then she woke up and was dragged over by Irene to deal with the problem.
Theoretically speaking, the Herrscher of Corruption shouldn't have had much time to develop. Why did the Herrscher of Corruption display such strong aggression and ability not long after they entered?
Could it be that the corrupter had already started making moves before that, or did some accident occur?
"Yes, that's right, that's the look." The figure of the Herrscher of Corruption appeared in front of Irene. "Everyone is thinking about how to resolve the Honkai, everyone is thinking about how to solve the problems we encounter; their eyes look just like that."
"It was the same when they looked at me back then. They cut open my body with knives, and there was no pity in their eyes, because in their eyes, I wasn't a human, I was a Herrscher—even though they knew I hadn't done anything."
Seeing the Herrscher suddenly appear in front of Irene, Kallen immediately wielded the heavy Judah. But the surrounding space changed rapidly; countless pitch-black cubes rose from the ground, forcibly propping up Kallen's body and blocking the Judah she wanted to smash down.
The same went for Pardo at the side; before the sharp blade in her hand could be swung, she was clamped down by countless bright red cubes.
"Sure enough, you guys are troublesome." The Herrscher of Corruption's figure suddenly vanished. "My plan is about to be completed; I won't let you stop me at this time."
"Just stay here. After I obtain the body of that person named Theresa, I will smash your bodies to pieces in reality."
The cubes that had been restraining their movements suddenly shattered. After steadying herself, Kallen immediately looked around: "Damn it, has it already left?"
"If this goes on, Theresa is in danger." Kallen looked around, but as far as the eye could see, there was only a crimson space lingering with the glow of data.
"Where on earth did she lock us up?"
"I don't know." Irene also looked around. "Damn it, this is completely different from what I imagined."
Her original plan was to take Kallen directly to the shrine, or to find Yae Sakura. With the bond between Yae Sakura and Kallen, Kallen's appearance would undoubtedly be a strong shot of adrenaline for Yae Sakura.
With the help of the original owner, regaining administrative rights over the Stigmata Space and then moving against the Herrscher of Corruption wouldn't be impossible. But the current situation was completely outside her expectations.
The Herrscher of Corruption had come directly to crash the party, seemingly having already taken the entire Stigmata Space under control. They hadn't even seen a shadow of Yae Sakura, let alone let her meet Kallen.
"Sister Irene, we have to find the exit quickly." Pardo looked around anxiously. Before coming in, she had thought about how to persuade the Herrscher of Corruption.
But it could only be said that imagination is beautiful, while reality is cruel. When Pardo heard Rin's accusations, she couldn't say a single word of the speech she had drafted.
Was that the truth? Not entirely, because people had tried to save her, but they didn't make it in time. And for Rin, a rescue that came too late was no different from no rescue at all.
Pardo was also one of the rescue plans; at least she had thought about saving her, but she didn't. So Pardo had absolutely no way to say anything to Rin.
"But how do we go back?" Kallen naturally knew they had to go back, but what was going on with the surroundings? Where exactly did that guy throw them?
"I don't know, we can only think of another way." Irene looked up at the sky, which was also pitch black. Closing her eyes, she wanted to see if she could think of a way through the Palace of Consciousness.
However, thinking about it, this was just clutching at straws in desperation. The Palace of Consciousness was merely somewhat similar to the Stigmata Space. Pardo and Kallen could appear purely because the Stigmata Space was also a consciousness space; it had little to do with the Palace of Consciousness.
Just as Irene was thinking this, while she tried to concentrate her mind, a whisper suddenly sounded in her ear.
"Come... this way..."
Irene opened her eyes abruptly: "Did you guys hear a voice?"
"A voice?" The ears on top of Pardo's head twitched around at Irene's words, then she shook her head. "No, I didn't hear any voice?"
"Sister Irene, what did you hear?"
"There's a voice, over..." Irene looked around, trying to concentrate again to listen to that low whisper just now. And this time, the voice seemed to become clearer, allowing her to hear the specific direction.
[Come this way, over here.]
After distinguishing the direction, Irene immediately pointed forward: "Over there! Let's go this way."
Seeing Irene run forward, Kallen and Pardo hurriedly followed. They hadn't run a few steps when the ominous atmosphere surrounding them suddenly vanished, replaced by a pure white data radiance.
And before the three of them was a pure white cherry tree. Under the cherry tree stood a pink-haired girl wearing miko robes.
The moment she saw the pink-haired girl, Kallen immediately recognized her as the girl Irene had seen before they entered.
"I'm sorry, the other me caused a lot of trouble." Rin, dressed in miko robes, turned around and looked at the three of them apologetically. "My name is Rin. Sister Pardo, this should count as our first meeting, right?"
"Rin?" Pardo looked at Rin in front of her, somewhat confused. "You... you are Rin, right? Is it really you? Could the one outside not be you?"
"That is also me; there is no conflict." Rin looked at Pardo and nodded. "Mn, nice to meet you. Although I've heard Elder Sister mention you many times. Sister Pardo, it's really great that you survived too."
"Eh?" Pardo looked at Rin in front of her, suddenly a bit confused about the situation. "Wait, I'm a bit lost. What exactly is going on?"
"That outside is the Herrscher consciousness, right?" Irene seemed to understand something. "And you are the real Rin?"
"Mn, you could say that." Rin nodded. "But actually, the other me is also me. To be more accurate, it should be good and evil."
"I can understand." Irene nodded. That meant Rin's state was closer to the future Kiana and the Queen; both possessed the same memories but had different perspectives.
"Rin... I..." Pardo looked at the pink-haired girl, wanting to say something, but was silenced by Rin, who floated over and pressed a finger to her lips.
"You don't need to say anything, I know it all." Rin looked up at the cherry blossoms behind her. "Back then, I was actually taken away voluntarily. I was also very clear about what kind of treatment the identity of a Herrscher would receive."
"Eh?" Listening to Rin's words, Pardo was stunned for a moment. "Wait, Rin, you mean... you were taken away voluntarily?"
"Mn. The me back then believed that even facing a Herrscher," Rin nodded, "people would definitely treat it rationally. Dr. MEI would definitely make the correct choice too."
"It's just that I seem to have underestimated everyone's hatred for Herrschers."
Pardo trembled slightly while looking at Rin. Even so, it didn't change the fact that she hadn't gone to save Rin.
"Um, sorry to disturb your reunion." Kallen raised her hand, looking at Rin. "Regarding these background matters, can we talk about them later? The situation is really urgent right now."
"Ah, I know." Rin nodded with a serious expression. "The other me is planning to obliterate Elder Sister Yae Sakura's consciousness, and she has received the help of a massive amount of Honkai energy. Now, I'm afraid she's just one step away. We must stop the other me immediately."
—————— Yae Village · Yae Shrine ——————
Theresa curled up in a small corner, vigorously rubbing the rope tied around her arms against the sharp edge of a piece of wood. After a while, Theresa lifted her hand and looked at the rope on her arm; there wasn't a single mark.
"Damn it, why can't I rub it through?" Theresa looked at the rope without a trace, gritted her teeth, and continued to press the rope against the wood, rubbing with even greater force.
Theresa wasn't going to stay here waiting for rescue; she had to think of a way herself. And she had also discovered the runaway state of this space; it wasn't just a matter of a heart knot. Irene might have been deceived too.
"No need to make such futile attempts anymore. You cannot sever that rope." Just as Theresa was still rubbing, a voice suddenly came from within the room.
Theresa turned to look. Standing behind her at some point was a girl wearing a fox mask. "Because this is my space."
"This is Yae Sakura's Stigmata Space, not your space." Theresa stopped rubbing the rope and turned around to look at the girl vigilantly.
"It will be soon." The Herrscher of Corruption was in no hurry to argue this point with Theresa. In her view, Yae Sakura was already finished. Having lost any will to survive, she could never defeat her.
"Ah, right." The Herrscher of Corruption suddenly remembered something, lowering her head to look softly at Theresa. "Speaking of which, I have to thank you. If you all hadn't poured so much Honkai energy into me, I wouldn't have been able to deal with Yae Sakura this quickly."
"So please rest assured, I won't let you suffer too much pain."
"You've been here all along?" Theresa looked at the Herrscher of Corruption. "Who exactly are you?"
"They once called me the Herrscher of Corruption." The Herrscher of Corruption looked at Theresa. "But not yours. You don't need to know the rest; dead people don't need to know so much."
"Now, as long as I make Yae Sakura kill you with her own hands, Yae Sakura's final will shall end completely."
Hearing the Herrscher of Corruption's words, Theresa immediately wanted to resist. But with both hands and feet tied, how could she defeat the Herrscher of Corruption who was now practically the semi-controller of the Stigmata Space?
"Irene will definitely finish you off!" Theresa had no other choice but to pin her hopes on Irene. If she had known it would be this troublesome here, she should have dragged Himeko along too; at least it would be an extra pair of hands.
"Irene?" The Herrscher of Corruption tilted her head, remembering the unfamiliar person following Pardo and Kallen. "Oh, you mean that silver-haired fellow."
"You won't be able to wait for them." The Herrscher of Corruption grabbed Theresa. "They have already been expelled to the dark side of the Stigmata and cannot come back."
"No, wait, you will see them again later—in reality."
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 10 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉