Capítulo 185: Original Sin
"I've hurt many people, and I've protected many more. I've never denied my sins, nor have I ever tried to erase them. All I can do is save those I can."
"Oh? Really?" Ren's voice, laced with mockery, dripped from Himeko's lips. He seemed both amused and sorrowful at Kiana's naive words, as if mocking himself more than her. "If you're so capable of saving people, then why did you… kill her?"
"What?" Kiana froze, a primal instinct warning her that this wasn't as simple as it seemed.
"Right. A monster like you wouldn't know of my existence."
"Blanka. That's my name. My husband and daughter ran a farm in ARC City. I was a Valkyrie for Schicksal, protecting others, while my own family… was slaughtered."
"The Herrscher of the Void. It was you! You killed her!"
Blanka's expression twisted into a mask of pure anguish. She lunged at Kiana, heedless of the Xuanyuan Sword piercing her flesh. Her only goal was to unleash the torrent of grief and rage that consumed her.
A farm. A daughter.
A wave of suffocating guilt washed over Kiana. Long-unhealed wounds tore open anew, her hand trembling around the sword's hilt.
She remembered a night without stars. A young girl collapsing in her arms.
What color are the stars…?
"...Remember now? You remember! Yes, that's right! Griseo. My daughter. You killed her. You took her life. My husband, my daughter… it's all your fault!"
Griseo's distinctive hair, a blend of light blue and red, superimposed itself over the woman before her.
"You destroyed everything! You destroyed us! You were right. The Obsidian Concord is just a group of failures. People seeking revenge against the world. Weak, pathetic scum."
Blanka's voice, initially sharp, grew weary. Even confronting her daughter's killer, even screaming her pain, couldn't change the past. Her grip tightened on Kiana, blood flowing freely from her wound, staining Kiana's white fingers crimson.
"This world is cruel. It destroys everything, and I'm powerless to stop it."
"Do you know… the moment I saw you, I wanted to tear you apart. But I couldn't. I had to smile, pretend everything was normal, welcome you into my home. Talk to you like an elder, listen to your… laughable stories."
"Do you know what it's like? To have the murderer of your child standing right in front of you, and as a mother, all you can do is smile and treat her like your own daughter?"
Ren's eyes, filled with bloodshot fury, bulged as if about to burst from their sockets. He bit down on his tongue, the only way to maintain a semblance of control.
"That Herrscher… that stupid Herrscher… we stole his power, drained his Honkai energy. Reduced him to a cripple, waiting for death. He has less than three months to live. A Herrscher, reduced to a dying dog, waiting for the end."
"And even now, he still thinks he can save us. Save us ordinary people. Lead The Obsidian Concord to a new dawn."
Every word was a dagger twisting into Kiana's heart. She remembered Ren talking about fighting for the ordinary people, the small smile on his lips, the light in his eyes.
Now, he was nothing but a tool, his lifeblood leeched away by these… parasites. And it was all because of her.
Even as her life ebbed away, Blanka continued to pour out her anguish.
"But it's impossible! He's a Herrscher, a monster! Everything he does is a lie, a deception! His 'salvation' is nothing more than a way to exploit us, to squeeze out every last drop of usefulness. He's a demon! All Herrschers deserve to die! All Honkai deserves to die!"
Blanka's withered hand clawed at Kiana's shoulder. Her face, contorted in a monstrous snarl, inches from Kiana's. Her breath, hot and metallic, washed over Kiana's face.
"And you… you're a monster worse than him. Countless lives lost because of you. And look at you, not a shred of remorse. Are you so cold-blooded that you can't even pretend to care?"
"When you killed my daughter… did you hesitate, even for a second?"
"No. Because you're heartless. The Herrscher of the Void is a monster who disregards human life. You could have saved her. You could have spared her. World Serpent had done so much to her, she was so pitiful, she finally escaped from hell, and you… you still killed her."
Blanka's mouth filled with bloody froth, her red hair matted and dry. Internal bleeding was taking its toll.
"Do you know… that night, the night I met you… my daughter sent me a message. She said she made a new friend. I was fighting Honkai beasts, a Schicksal Valkyrie protecting civilians. I didn't see it in time. And when I finally did… I learned of Griseo's death."
"Admit it. You're a monster! Herrscher of the Void! You're a monster!"
Amidst the ruins, the red-haired woman, a vengeful spirit, tore at Kiana's soul, shattering every beautiful memory, exposing every wound.
Ren, peering into the depths of Kiana's azure eyes, searched for any flicker of doubt. Any sign of weakness that would allow the darkness to consume her.
But in that darkness, Kiana found her resolve. Even with her heart laid bare, she did not waver.
"Resentment won't change the past. These are the sins I must bear. I've never denied them. I carry the weight of millions of lives on my shoulders, but I can't stop here. I can't break down. There are still people who need me. There are still mistakes I need to fix."
"Is that so? Then kill me. Kill the demon you see before you. Otherwise, I will curse you. I will curse you for the rest of your life, and unleash all this pain upon the innocent."
Blood loss weakened Blanka further. The demon gnawed at her insides, blood nourishing the earth, giving birth to a burning flower.
"The Obsidian Concord will not stop. We will spread darkness across the world. It's up to you to save him, to live up to your words, to keep your light burning. If you fail... I'll be waiting for you in hell."
Thud.
Blood splattered, staining the white and purple blade crimson.
Kiana stood frozen, her hand dripping with blood.
Himeko's body slumped to the ground, blood seeping into the earth. Her breathing ceased.
ARC City.
Nothing remained but ruined buildings and shattered hopes. Dark clouds obscured the moon, shrouding the city in an oppressive darkness. There was no light.
Everything was dark.
Everything was silent.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder