In the silent simulation training room, only two simulation pods were still emitting a humming sound. The Chains of Binding wrapped around them pulsed with a glimmering light, like breathing.
Then, as if sensing something, the Chains of Binding slowly receded, retracting back into Judah. Perhaps due to maintaining the Binding for too long, the originally bright Judah now appeared somewhat dim.
With the sound of depressurizing air, the previously closed pod hatches opened on their own. Irene and Theresa climbed out of their respective pods.
"Finally resolved." Theresa held onto the simulation pod, rubbing her head and shaking it. "I feel so dizzy."
Irene climbed out, took her phone from her pocket, and glanced at the time. "It can't be helped. Who told us to lie there for nearly... half a day."
"We lay there from the afternoon all the way to the early morning. It's normal to feel dizzy."
"Ah." Hearing Irene's words, Theresa instantly leaned over, wanting to see the time. Irene naturally bent down to show the screen to Theresa.
At the same time, Theresa saw the missed calls on Irene's phone.
"You have calls?"
"Mn, nine times out of ten it's Himeko and the others, right? Asking where I went? Why I haven't come back for so long?" Irene shrugged. After all, they had disappeared for half a day without reason; it was normal for the other side to call.
"I reckon you must have been called quite a few times by Himeko and the others too, Theresa."
Hearing Irene say this, Theresa belatedly fished her phone out of her pocket. Sure enough, Himeko had called her several times as well, along with a few from Mei.
"Ah, indeed." Theresa slapped her forehead and put her phone away. "I didn't expect it to take so long either. To think we only finished in the early morning... it didn't feel that long to me."
"The perception of time flow inside the Stigmata Space is different." Irene shrugged. This situation was very common; her Palace of Consciousness could perform similar operations.
It was just that when performing such operations—whether slowing down or speeding up internal time—the energy consumption would be much higher, so Irene didn't use it often.
Thus, it was quite normal for a similar Stigmata Space to have similar settings; it wasn't anything strange.
"It's easy to explain; there's nothing hard to understand. But rather than letting them worry, we should head back quickly. There's no place to rest here, right?"
"True. Let's go." Theresa looked at the experienced-looking Irene and nodded. She felt that ever since Irene admitted to knowing them, her whole demeanor had become more relaxed.
So, Irene, you really did know me before. Theresa watched Irene's back as she walked out, recalling Irene's earlier mention of seeing someone whose Stigmata went out of control.
Suddenly, some previous doubts seemed to have clear explanations. Why did Irene come over immediately? Why was Irene so certain it was a problem caused by the Stigmata before she even showed any symptoms?
And the person Irene mentioned when questioned—the one she had seen trapped forever in a consciousness space due to a Stigmata runaway... that was probably her, wasn't it?
Only this could explain why Irene discovered the anomaly immediately and was so certain the root cause was the Stigmata running wild.
Everything seemed to have an explanation now. Because for Irene, these were things that had already happened, so her reaction was that fast.
Thinking of this, the gaze Theresa cast toward Irene held a hint of extra emotion.
"What's wrong, Theresa?" Irene turned her head, looking at Theresa who was standing still. "What are you thinking about? Let's go back quickly. If we don't go back now, are we still going to sleep tonight?"
"Coming, coming." Hearing this, Theresa hurriedly turned back to heave up Judah and quickly followed Irene out of the training room.
Upon returning to the villa, there were naturally no lights on; everyone had already gone to sleep.
"Looks like no one stayed up waiting for us." Irene took off her shoes in the dark, changed into slippers, and then headed upstairs. "Let's sleep early today. You won't be having nightmares anymore after this."
"Thank you, Irene. Sorry for troubling you today." Watching Irene's back as she went upstairs, Theresa suddenly called out, "Irene, um..."
"What is it? Do you still feel uncomfortable somewhere?" Irene heard Theresa's voice and turned back to look at her. "Or do you still feel a bit afraid?"
Hearing Irene's words, Theresa immediately shook her head. "No, I don't. I just wanted to ask Irene... Corrup... is it okay for Rin to stay inside your consciousness?"
"Don't worry, my brain is very spacious." Irene smiled and shook her head. "It doesn't matter if there's one more person. Besides, Rin is very well-behaved~"
"Is that all you wanted to ask?"
"Mn, it's nothing." Theresa shook her head, knowing she couldn't let Irene stay up with her any longer. Irene had done much more in the Stigmata Space than she had.
Because she was targeted by the Herrscher of Corruption, her combat power was practically nil. She had been in a state of being carried—even needing protection—almost the entire time, especially at the end when facing the Corrupted Puppets.
It was entirely Irene who stood in front of her, blocking all dangers for her, just like when they faced that Pseudo-Herrscher at Senba Academy.
Seeing that Theresa had no more questions, Irene went directly back to her room. After seeing Irene leave, Theresa also returned to her room, placed Judah on its designated stand, and lay down on the bed.
Theresa tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Her mind kept replaying those earlier guesses. Every time she recalled them, she felt her conjecture became a bit more credible; there were too many details that could corroborate it.
But the more convinced she became, the harder it was for Theresa to fall asleep. Finally, she collapsed on the bed, staring at the pitch-black ceiling overhead.
"Sigh, how am I supposed to face Irene after this?"
And just as she was thinking this, Theresa suddenly remembered what Irene had just said: [My brain is very spacious... one more person doesn't matter.]
Those two consciousness entities should be the final echoes of that world Irene spoke of—Irene's source of power. But if that were the case...
Are the consciousness entities existing in Irene's mind truly only Pardo and Kallen, whom she saw today?
—————— Palace of Consciousness ——————
"Pardo, how is Rin's condition?" Irene's mental entity opened her eyes and immediately looked toward Pardo.
"Mn, she just seems very weak; she's been sleeping since she arrived." Pardo nodded, stepping aside slightly to reveal Rin, whom she had been obscuring.
However, Rin's current condition was clearly bad. Her entire body was almost in a transparent state, completely incomparable to the bodies of Pardo or Kallen, which were temporarily indistinguishable from normal people.
"I don't sense her consciousness dissipating." Irene stepped forward and gently touched Rin's body. Just like Rin's current state, Irene felt nothing substantial.
There was only a slight feedback upon contact, but if she reached out, she could easily pass right through.
"Sister Irene, Rin will be okay, right?" Pardo looked at Rin with worry, but aside from worrying, there was nothing Pardo could do. After all, she wasn't a psychic-type MANTIS; she knew absolutely nothing about the mind or will.
As for A-Hua... to be honest, A-Hua could only be counted as half a psychic-type MANTIS by utilizing Fenghuang Down. She probably wouldn't be able to help either.
"It's hard to say, but according to her, her consciousness entity is still preserved intact. Right now, she probably just needs to wait for the Corruption virus to complete its self-replication."
"I'm afraid we can only rely on Rin to complete this part herself."
Pardo nodded vigorously. "I hope Rin can get better soon."
"Leave everything to time. We've already done what we can do." Irene patted Pardo's shoulder. "However, when summer vacation comes, perhaps we can go find someone. Maybe he has a way to help Rin."
"Find someone?" Pardo tilted her head. "Who can help with Rin's situation? You don't mean we should go find A-Hua? But Sister Irene, didn't you say before not to expose ourselves in front of A-Hua?"
"I didn't say we were going to find Fu Hua." Irene shrugged. "As far as I know, Mr. Su should still be alive. It's possible he might be able to help Rin."
"Brother Su?!" Upon hearing this, Pardo's eyes immediately lit up with a glimmer. As a psychic-type MANTIS, Su might indeed have a way to help Rin.
However, for now, they could only wait until the holidays when they had enough time to attempt a search, or rather, a visit. After all, Irene was clear on Su's location.
With Rin's issue settled, Irene called out the System within the alien space. Having saved Rin, the Sakura-colored Echo mission was naturally completed.
After troubling over it for so long, it was now time to reap the rewards.
[Optional Task: Sakura-colored Echo]
[Description: Save Yae Sakura]
[Rewards are determined based on the degree of task completion and participation. Note: There are multiple simultaneous side tasks within this mission; completing them selectively can enhance the final reward.]
[Remark: Beneath the Sakura tree, echoes remain; the intertwined threads of fate have not yet snapped.]
[Status: Completed]
Irene submitted it directly. Inside the System, multiple evaluation criteria flashed.
[Saved Yae Sakura, alleviating the knot in her heart. Task complete.]
[Theresa received no harm during the process. Evaluation increased.]
[Hidden Task completed: Saved Rin. Evaluation significantly increased. Final Evaluation Rank: S.]
[Rewards Issued: Mirror Sync, Sword God of Ruoshui · Cheng Lixue]
With the issuance of the rewards, Irene immediately felt as if she had gained something extra. At the same time, a card slowly floated down in front of her.
On the card was a young girl standing gracefully amidst a lake. In her hand, she pinched a three-foot light blade, and her appearance bore a few degrees of resemblance to Fu Hua.
Just as Irene was about to catch the card, it spun a few times in the air. A layer of speckled light emanated from the card, and amidst the interplay of light and shadow, a human figure was quietly constructed, gradually taking shape.
The moment she was born, the young girl immediately drew her sword, looking at the extremely unfamiliar surroundings. "Where is this? Who are you people?"
The girl's gaze swept over everyone, her eyes filled with vigilance. She clearly remembered that at the very end, she was fighting a particularly massive Honkai Beast—one said to possess the power to swallow heaven and earth.
It was also the one that had once caused massive destruction to the land of Shenzhou, once bearing the name Chiyou. Why had she suddenly come here?
"Mn, a new companion?" At this moment, Kallen walked over carrying Judah. "Hello there. My name is Kallen. She is Pardo, and she is Irene. What is your name?"
"...Cheng Lixue." Lixue held her sword, her gaze lingering for a moment on the three people before her—pausing briefly on Pardo's ears and tail—before slowly retracting. After judging that all three were humans, Lixue's hand gradually lowered.
"Where exactly is this place? Why have I come here?"
"Hmm..." Irene, standing at the very back, lowered her head and fiddled with something. Then, she produced a book from who-knows-where and handed it to Lixue. "Take a look at this."
"After reading this, you'll understand what needs to be understood. Mn, there might be a slight sense of discomfort; I hope you don't mind. This is my first time doing this."
"..." Lixue looked at the book in Irene's hand, then looked up at Irene. Sensing the friendly aura radiating from Irene, Lixue reached out, took the book, and opened it.
As she opened it, the knowledge Irene had pre-packaged inside flowed slowly into Lixue's mind along with the action of turning the pages.
The contents were Irene's memories—absolute truth. And what was contained within was merely the simplest explanation regarding the Sea of Quanta, their current state, and what Irene intended to do hereafter.
Taking this opportunity, Irene also used the System to check the abilities of this new partner.
[Sword God of Ruoshui · Cheng Lixue]
[Type: Possession Card · Logic of Continuation]
[Honkai Resistance: Normal]
[Honkai Adaptability: Relatively Strong (Taixuan Sword Qi can be used to harness Honkai energy far exceeding adaptability through special methods, but it carries certain risks. Please use with caution.)]
[Abilities: Taixuan Sword Qi · Spirit (Shenyun): Spirit is the ultimate of change; it marvels at the myriad things to give them expression, yet cannot be questioned by form. No sword, yet there is a sword. Relying on Spirit to manifest the sword, the Sword Qi forms naturally; this is channeling Spirit.]
[Evaluation: Crossing her own death, with insights nearing death and the resolve to accompany her Master, she crossed a boundary originally impossible to cross with final clarity, stepping into Spirit. The Sword Heart illuminates the heart; the Sword Qi forms of its own accord.]
Compared to the Cat's card, Lixue didn't have many abilities. It could be said that her only ability from head to toe was the Taixuan Sword Qi taught to her by Fu Hua.
However, having few abilities didn't mean she was weak. Taixuan Sword Qi originally had numerous branches; taken as a series, the abilities were certainly not few. Moreover, having reached the state of Spirit, she was no longer constrained by those moves.
Her combat power was only stronger, not weaker.
Just then, the book in Lixue's hand dissipated, and a trace of exhaustion appeared in Lixue's eyes.
"So that is how it is..."
________________________________________
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