"Wait, Rin, we must still have a way." After listening to what Rin had done, Pardo immediately became somewhat anxious. "For example, isn't there some method to preserve you?"
She had gone to such great lengths to find an opportunity to save Rin; was she now supposed to just watch Rin sacrifice herself while being unable to do anything?
"It's too late." Rin shook her head. Using Corruption to corrupt Corruption was, in essence, mutual destruction. Even though the other 'her' had been successfully covered by her corruption virus with almost no resistance in the end, the cost was absolute.
Even so, only a tiny bit of residue remained of her. Theoretically speaking, this tiny bit of residue was no longer enough to do anything.
"The current me is just a little bit of dregs. I can't even take root in Elder Sister Yae Sakura's Stigmata Space anymore. The moment I try to complete self-replication, I will be assimilated by the Core."
After all, the Core of the Herrscher of Corruption was still here. If she continued to stay here, she would be absorbed by the Corruption Core, which had already completed its self-corrupting format.
In the end, she would be assimilated by the Core and become a part awaiting reorganization. Who knew how much the next 'Rin' born from it would remember?
Moving the Herrscher of Corruption's Core out wasn't an option either. That thing was currently invading the surrounding environment; if it caused trouble then, it wouldn't be just a small issue.
Only by placing the Core in a place like a Stigmata Space could safety be guaranteed. At the very least, in its unpiloted, passive state of corruption, the Core would not actively breach a 'Black Box' like a Stigmata Space.
"Is there really no method left? How about taking you out, Rin?" Pardo looked at Rin. "You should be able to go out actively, right?"
"We just need an entrance and exit, right?" Pardo cast a pleading look at Yae Sakura. Given the nature of the corruption virus's self-reflection, as long as there was a place, it should be fine. As long as Rin and the Core didn't stay together, it should work, right?
"What do I need to do?" Yae Sakura first glanced at Kallen, and only after seeing Kallen nod did she look at Pardo, asking what was required of her. After all, she herself only possessed a half-baked understanding of things like Stigmata Space.
"There is no time left." Rin shook her head. At this moment, Rin's body was already approaching nothingness. She just wanted to come over and say a final goodbye to Sister Pardo.
After all, this final bit of remnant couldn't do anything at all—unless someone who also possessed a consciousness space similar to a Stigmata Space appeared right now to directly contain her inside.
But how could there be such a coinci...
Before Rin could finish her sentence, Irene walked up and placed her hand on Rin's shoulder. "In short, you just need to leave the Core and have time to recuperate, right?"
"Then in that case, come to me. I think I should be able to help you."
Irene looked at Rin. Just as she had done in the dark side of the Stigmata before, she strove to expand the range of her Palace of Consciousness. "Your Sister Pardo is also living in my brain right now, you know."
Standing on the side, she had more or less understood the situation. Combining it with what she knew, this was probably the reason why the 'Big Sister Monster'—that is, Higokumaru—would appear later.
That would be the 'other Rin' that Rin mentioned would be born in the future—a brand new Rin composed of both the Herrscher of Corruption and Rin, a Rin who remembered many things but also forgot many things.
However, all of that was predicated on her not intervening. Irene's gaze shifted slightly, looking at the second talent belonging to her on the system panel she had opened.
[Personal Talent: Logic of Continuation. If there is still a choice in the future, the thread of life will not snap; the broken spool can be reconnected, granting it a brand new destiny.]
Perhaps it was coincidence, or perhaps it was fate, but regardless, she could now serve as Rin's 'Logic of Continuation'.
"Eh, that's right!" Pardo looked up at Irene immediately, as if grasping at a straw. "Sister Irene has the Palace of Consciousness! It can definitely accommodate Rin, right?"
"If there wasn't a way, I wouldn't be speaking right now." Irene patted Pardo's head comfortingly, then looked at Rin. "Trust me, okay? Perhaps later I will even have a way to let you see your sister, even if it is only her consciousness."
"Sister..." Rin hesitated for a moment, then nodded. If it was possible, no one would willingly choose to die. Subsequently, following Irene's hand, Rin slipped into Irene's completely undefended Palace of Consciousness.
Feeling yet another signal added to her brain, Irene breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that difficult, after all. Besides, her brain was going to get even livelier in the future.
However, Rin seemed truly very weak. The moment she entered the Palace of Consciousness, she immediately fell into a deep sleep. Who knew when she would wake up?
"That would be Miss Irene, correct?" Yae Sakura looked at Irene. It wasn't as if she hadn't heard Pardo calling Irene just now. "May I ask, who exactly is that child?"
It couldn't be helped. Although the other party appeared to be something like an alternate personality of that giant fox from earlier, Yae Sakura simply couldn't ignore the fact that Rin looked so much like Yae Rin.
"Well, that is going to be a long story." Irene nodded. She intended to tell Yae Sakura about this anyway, since the Core of the Herrscher of Corruption was currently with Yae Sakura.
However, before speaking, Irene waved to Theresa. This matter needed to be told to Theresa as well, seeing as Yae Sakura's Stigmata was currently on Theresa's body.
And looking at Theresa's expression, implying she had a thousand questions but hesitated to ask, if Irene didn't prepare to speak now, Theresa would probably ask on her own soon enough, right?
Theresa saw Irene waving and hurriedly came over. She was completely baffled right now. She couldn't figure out what exactly had happened. At first, it was clearly stated to be just a Stigmata running wild, so why did a Herrscher of Corruption pop up later?
Then this Herrscher of Corruption seemed to have two people inside, and the Catgirl who had previously appeared as one of Irene's forms seemed to be very familiar with her.
The situation was too sudden; Theresa still hadn't figured out exactly what was going on.
"First of all, this might not be a very happy story." Irene looked at Theresa and Yae Sakura, recounting the story of Rin that she knew.
From how the other party suddenly became the Herrscher of Corruption but voluntarily accepted imprisonment because she believed in humanity, to how, due to certain reasons, the soldiers there did not treat Rin kindly.
Instead, they cruelly murdered Rin. But this act conversely opened Pandora's Box, fully activating the Herrscher of Corruption. Hearing the end of the story, Yae Sakura, who had been vigilant, slowly relaxed her grip on the hilt of her blade, while Theresa's face was filled with pity.
"That child... really suffered." Yae Sakura nodded. She no longer held much resistance toward Rin. Because of Rin's resemblance to Yae Rin, as well as the tragic story, Yae Sakura was filled with sympathy for her.
"Then what should we do with that child now?" Although Theresa knew the other party's age was several times her own, given the appearance, it was hard to call her an elder.
Irene pointed to her own head. "She is sleeping in here with me. When she can regain control of the Core, she will need to make another trip."
"Principal Theresa wouldn't wish for such an uncontrollable thing to remain inside your Stigmata either, right?"
"I can understand that. Having one less Herrscher is, of course, the best outcome." Theresa nodded. Although Schicksal's education for Valkyries had always been to eliminate all Herrschers, St. Freya Academy had already made an exception for Mei once. Making another exception wasn't unacceptable.
Moreover, after hearing Irene's story, Theresa found it difficult to completely associate that world-destroying Herrscher with Rin.
"Anyway, no accidents will happen now." Theresa nodded, accepting for the time being that the Herrscher Core would have to stay in the Stigmata on her back for a while longer.
After resolving this doubt, Theresa looked at Kallen and Pardo, who were following behind Irene. "But what is going on with these two?"
"Oh, this." Irene reached out and pulled Kallen over first. "This person... is named Kallen Kaslana. I imagine, Theresa, you shouldn't be unfamiliar with her."
"Kallen... Kaslana!" If it were just the name Kallen alone, Theresa might not have reacted immediately. But with Kaslana added, Theresa reacted instantly.
She was all too familiar with this name. Wasn't the game series her grandfather invested in and played personally called 'Kallen Fantasy'? Didn't it depict the former Saint, Kallen?
But wasn't Kallen a person from over 500 years ago? Why was she with Irene? Oh, wait, Irene didn't come from their world.
"Mn." Kallen nodded. "Hello, Principal Theresa. The user of Judah in this world. I saw you fighting in that city earlier."
"You seem... not very skilled at using it?"
"Eh?!" Theresa froze for a moment. As an S-Rank Valkyrie, her dignity made her want to retort immediately. But... recalling the scene of Irene using Judah back at Senba Academy...
If Irene's abilities came from them, that meant the Kallen before her used Judah far more proficiently than she did. The other party seemed to genuinely have the qualifications to say she didn't know how to use it.
"If you are interested, you can learn from Irene. She should use it more proficiently than you. And it just so happens, Irene, that you can take this opportunity to familiarize yourself more."
According to Irene, it was best for her not to appear outside right now. But since Irene had already learned how to wield Judah, using Theresa's Judah to provide some instruction should be fine, right?
After all, having used Judah for so long, Kallen really couldn't stand seeing Theresa use Judah so poorly. Apart from the Power of Binding that Judah emitted naturally, she didn't seem to have any profound application of it.
If she knew even a little bit, Theresa wouldn't have been messed up so badly when facing that little girl who used poison. It was mere toxins; no matter what, as long as one knew how to use Judah, it should be impossible to be poisoned.
Although they weren't the Kaslana Family of the same world, the heart for the people was the same regardless. Since that was the case, she didn't mind offering some guidance.
Even if it wasn't convenient for her to teach personally, letting Irene guide her on her behalf was still acceptable.
"Ah, okay, okay." Theresa looked at Kallen. For a moment, she couldn't summon any thought of rebuttal and could only nod in agreement. It was just this feeling... it felt as if she absolutely dared not oppose what she said.
When facing Kallen, Theresa felt as if she were completely suppressed, even though the other party didn't seem to be oppressing her.
"Mn. And then this one. Hmm, Principal Theresa, how much do you know about the Previous Era?" Seeing that Kallen seemed to have finished what she wanted to say, Irene pulled over Pardo, who had sighed in relief and turned back into a happy cat.
"Um, I know a little bit." A look of embarrassment appeared on Theresa's face as she pinched her fingers together slightly. But her 'little bit' wasn't the 'galaxy in a fingertip' kind; it was genuinely only a tiny bit of understanding.
Aside from knowing that the Previous Era had left behind a lot of high technology, including her Judah, Theresa really didn't know much more information.
After all, she really didn't pay much attention to this aspect, and Schicksal's research in this area seemed sparse as well. So, Theresa's understanding of the Previous Era was truly not much.
"Mn, you don't know? That makes it a bit difficult to handle." Irene scratched her head. "Then, in short, you just need to know that she was a hero with quite a big reputation back in the day."
"Ah, a hero or something—I'm definitely not that." Pardo hurriedly waved her hands; she couldn't bear such a title. "If we're talking about heroes, Boss Kevin and Elysia-nee are definitely much more suitable than me."
Hearing Pardo's words, Theresa's ears twitched. She was familiar with the name Kevin. After all, the Judgment of Shamash in Siegfried's hands had been passed down from the Kaslana Family.
And the ancestor of the Kaslana Family seemed to be named Kevin Kaslana.
Wait. Irene's source of power came from them, and they were indistinguishable from the figures in their history. Did that mean Irene came from a world very similar to theirs?
Thinking of this, Theresa recalled the scene where Irene shed tears upon seeing St. Freya Academy earlier. It seemed to hold an even deeper meaning now.
"Irene." Theresa was the type of person who acted on her thoughts. So, looking at Irene, she spoke up. "Did you know us from even earlier?"
"..." Irene nodded. She had already considered that Theresa would think of this; this was merely a pre-planned scenario. "Yes, I know... you. All of you."
After saying this, Irene fell silent. Theresa also sensed a slight shift in the atmosphere. Or rather, after learning this answer, Theresa could imagine the reason for Irene's silence.
Irene was a drifter in the Sea of Quanta, and the Sea of Quanta was full of worlds on the brink of destruction. For Irene to have drifted out from there meant that the condition of her world could not be called good, no matter what.
It might even be a world that had already been destroyed. Perhaps that was why, when Irene interacted with them, she sometimes didn't seem to feel much constraint or unfamiliarity.
Theresa opened her mouth, wanting to ask for more details, but that matter was, after all, a source of heartbreak for Irene. If Irene didn't want to say it, was it really appropriate for her to force the question?
After a moment of silence, Theresa spoke up: "Forget it. Anyway, everything is resolved now. All is well, right?"
"That's right. All is well."
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