บท 198: Sirin's Resolve (3)
"Who are you?"
Sirin looked at Kouro warily, earlier when she followed him secretly she found another 'Sirin' here and upon seeing Kouro, 'Sirin' suddenly turned crazy and attacked him blindly.
What was really going on? Is this world not just an illusion?
Kouro turned to look at her with a calm gaze, the blood from his visible wounds oozing out slowly and dripping onto the ground.
He seemed to open his mouth to say something before suddenly changing his expression and turning his head to the side.
*Swoosh!*
A white spear shot towards Kouro at high-speed, he tried to dodge but failed, the spear went straight through his shoulder.
"Urgh!" Kouro grunted in pain and fell to the ground, Sirin who saw this unconsciously approached him with a worried expression.
"Why don't you use your abilities?!"
Why was Kouro who possessed the ability of the Herrscher of Death not using his ability?
As she questioned this, she heard the sound of footsteps and turning her head to her side, she saw another 'Sirin' approaching them.
That 'Sirin' had the same appearance as her except it had no expression and its eyes were also pure white in color.
"I don't know why you look like me! But you've angered me!" said Sirin with an angry expression, she fired dozens of spears at the 'Sirin'.
The 'Sirin' was showered with the white spears of her attack and quickly died with a hollow body before fading away slowly.
Seeing the 'Sirin' fade away and disappear, she grunted before turning to look at Kouro who was still grimacing in pain.
"Sirin... Can you rest me against that tree?"
Sirin looked at him for a moment before following his request, she brought Kouro a tree before sitting him down.
Kouro who was leaning against the tree trunk then with a grimacing expression tried to pull out the white spear that was on his shoulder.
"Urghh!" The spear got stuck in Kouro's shoulder bone making him tear his own flesh while breaking into a cold sweat before dropping the white spear.
*Thud*
Having exhausted his strength, Kouro was panting with his vision blurred, he felt his body getting colder and colder.
Seeing this, Sirin with a worried expression urged Kouro to use his abilities.
"Kouro! Quickly use your ability to heal that wound!"
Although Kouro's previous actions were suspicious, she had been with him for a long time, she knew his personality, she...
She didn't want Kouro to die in front of her.
"Sirin... Can you transfer your Honkai energy to me?" Kouro said weakly.
Sirin did not say anything but quickly transferred her Honkai energy to Kouro, after all she had almost unlimited energy.
Sirin's energy quickly entered Kouro's body after which Kouro's wounds slowly began to close and heal, his pale face also returned to normal.
"Huft..." Kouro let out a sigh of relief after healing, he then looked at Sirin who was currently touching his abdomen.
He could feel Sirin still transferring her energy to him, making Kouro smile slightly.
"Thank you, Sirin, but you can stop now."
Hearing this Sirin stopped transferring her energy and stood up before looking at him with a pensive expression.
'Kouro... He's weaker than I knew... What's more he seems to have run out of his Honkai energy... But as a Herrscher how could he possibly lack energy?'
Thinking this, he saw Kouro also stand up using his katana as a fulcrum before saying.
"You must have a lot of questions, right? Who I am, what this world is, and who those creatures are that look like you... I will tell you, but we should choose another place. Let's go home. "
He motioned Sirin to follow him.
Sirin stared at Kouro's back with a pensive expression before following him.
...
At home, in the living room, Kouro and Sirin sat facing each other.
"So, what do you want to ask first?" asked Kouro first.
"Who are you?" Sirin had realized it after transferring her Honkai energy to the 'Kouro' in front of her.
This man in front of her was not Kouro but something that resembled Kouro.
Was it possible that this man was the same as the creature that resembled her earlier?
"I am the will of the Stranger who infiltrated your body." Kouro said calmly.
"Willl? So, you're not Kouro?"
"Yes. I'm actually formless as well, I took this person's form because he gave you unforgettable memories. But I swear that I infiltrated here not to harm you. "
The words 'Kouro' contained too much information, although in fact she didn't really understand, the point was that the Kouro in front of her was just the will of a foreigner that entered her body.
Hmm... So that was the reason why he was weaker than the real Kouro...
"What about your honkai energy which is almost dying in quantity?"
"As I said before I'm a foreign will, I can't replenish my honkai energy in this place except from you of course. "
Sirin nodded in understanding before asking, "Then... What is this place?"
Kouro seemed to think for a moment before pointing at Sirin.
"Your ego. We are inside your ego. "
"Huh?" Sirin wore a confused expression.
"We are in a place deeper than your consciousness; we are in your will. I and this place can be created because of the Herrscher of Human Ego's core abilities."
For a simple example, the black and white floored room where Kouro met Hanagami Kouro's consciousness or rather will.
The Herrscher of Human Ego was the thirteenth Herrscher in the 'Previous Era' and being the only Herrscher who sided with humanity from the beginning, she was also now why the Herrschers of the Current Era have a will of their own.
Because all the Herrschers of the Current Era have something that the Herrschers of the previous Era do not have, namely 'Ego'.
And the Herrscher of Human Ego is the only Herrscher who was willing to sacrifice herself in order to raise the morale of humanity at that time.
She was Elysia.
Sirin tilted her head before remembering the pink flower-shaped crystal and asked, "Is that the core of the Herrscher of Human Ego?"
She knew the Herrscher of Human Ego from the 'knowledge' given by God, she also knew that it was the Herrscher who spearheaded the birth of the strongest Herrscher.
The Herrscher of Shadows.
Sirin looked at the 'Kouro' in front of her, perhaps another reason why the will in front of her took the form of Kouro was because he was the future Herrscher of Shadows?
"Then... What were those creatures before that took my form? Were they the same as you?"
"Yes and no. They are indeed the same as me in form, but they are your will mixed with emotions and the will of the Herrscher of the End. "
After saying that, Kouro then looked at her seriously and continued, "I am here to protect you from the will of the Herrscher of the End."
"Why?" asked Sirin with a confused expression, she didn't understand why 'Kouro' wanted to protect her.
"Isn't it obvious, it's to protect this world or rather your happiness. Even so I know that you don't like this illusion, you can stop this world as long as you think about stopping it." Kouro said with a serious expression.
"Oh! And also, you don't have to worry about the time flow of this world with the real world, 1 year here only feels 1 minute in the real world." He continued.
Sirin was touched by Kouro's words and almost smiled, but she didn't show it, she just pursed her lips and said, "Hmph! You are so confident in wanting to protect me when you yourself are weak."
'Kouro' scratched his head laughing in embarrassment before saying, "Well... I can't deny that."
Sirin stared at 'Kouro' for a long time, even though the 'Kouro' in front of her was an imitation, but the memories of her time with him in this world were real.
She then recalled the creatures that took her form.
"Those creatures, are they getting stronger?"
Kouro nodded his head and said in a worried tone, "Yes. And their numbers will also increase, they also cannot be erased because they are part of your will, the only way is to defeat the will of the Herrscher of the End."
"The problem is that the will of Herrscher of the End is hiding steadily and may have even merged with one of your wills. She wants to take control of your body and avenge herself from the Herrscher of Shadows." He continued.
Sirin held her chin as she nodded her head, she thought for a moment before clapping her hands.
"Alright! Then I'll help you to fight them!"
She then saw Kouro's touched expression making her cough.
"Fool! Don't get me wrong! I'm doing this for my mom, if you were to die, my mom would be sad!"
"Hee... So, you've accepted me as your stepfather?" said Kouro while rubbing his chin and smiling annoyingly.
"Never!" Sirin shouted.
__
And so it was that 'Kouro' and Sirin worked together against the will of her other self.
Day after day, week after week.
The enemies they fought became stronger and more numerous, first two yesterday, then the next week four, the next week eight, and so on.
But that didn't stop Kouro and Serina from getting married.
On the wedding day, Kouro in white formal attire looked at Serina in front of him who was wearing a white bridal outfit as well and carrying a bouquet of flowers.
The priest in the middle cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Hanagami Kouro will you marry Miss Serina who is present here and love her faithfully for life in both joy and sorrow?"
"Yes. I will." Kouro said with eyes as bright as stars.
"Miss Serina, will you marry Mr. Hanagami Kouro who is present here and love him faithfully for a lifetime in both joy and sorrow?"
"Yes! I am willing."
The priest then nodded his head and turned to look at Kouro, "You may kiss the bride now."
Kouro and Serina looked at each other and smiled before kissing each other.
*Clap!*
*Clap!*
The guests stood up from their seats and clapped their hands while congratulating the two of them.
Sirin also clapped her hands, but her expression was a bit forced.
She looked at Kouro and her mother kissing each other before unconsciously holding her chest, she somehow felt a pain here when she saw them kissing...
'What is this uncomfortable feeling, shouldn't I be feeling happy right now? But... Why do I feel pain in my chest?'
Sirin was confused by her feelings right now and it provided an opening for the Herrscher of the End.
...
Time quickly passed, day after day, week after week, month after month.
The enemies they fought were getting stronger and stronger and their numbers had reached triple digits.
Kouro was dying more and more frequently, if it wasn't for Sirin who was nearby providing constant Honkai energy, he would have died long ago.
Kouro could not increase his strength because he did not have a system like the original Kouro.
At this moment, Sirin looked at Kouro who was leaning against a tree with his body badly injured, fortunately because his Honkai energy did not run out and slowly but surely his wounds began to close and heal.
Sirin who saw Kouro's condition pursed her lips indicating how worried she was about his condition.
'Why? Why are you willing to fight to the brink of death to protect my happiness that is not your responsibility at all?' This question she wanted to shout at Kouro, but her mouth said otherwise.
"Why would a weakling like you try to do this? You'll only trouble me if you keep getting hurt like this."
Kouro who was healing himself opened his eyes to look at Sirin, his purple eyes carrying the moonlight in the sky.
"I'm sorry... I really seem like a nuisance to you, don't I? But I can't stop, I'm determined to protect your happiness even if it means sacrificing myself..."
Sirin bit her lip when she heard this, she didn't want Kouro to fight from now on, she was afraid that with the enemy would get too strong and Kouro would.... Die.
Thinking of Kouro's death, her mind felt like cold water was pouring down her head, her heart became empty and scared at the thought.
She didn't realize that she had taken a liking for Kouro but had been twisted by the Herrscher of the End until her will became unfocused to the point-.
...
Midnight in heavy rainy weather with thunder booming.
"KYAA!"
Kouro opened his eyes and immediately got up from his bed, he turned his head to the bedside not finding Serina, expression slightly changed, he immediately put on his clothes and immediately went downstairs.
He followed the shouting to the living room, when he entered the room, there was only darkness due to the power outage caused by the heavy rain.
"The smell of blood..." he muttered with a serious expression; he looked around with a cautious expression before finding the silhouette of a person.
From the size of the body, it seemed to be Sirin.
Just as he was about to approach her, a sudden thunderclap lit up the room making Kouro's expression instantly change.
There was a lifeless Serina with her eyes wide open, her chest had been pierced by a white spear and her blood had splattered everywhere.
"SERINA!"
Kouro immediately ran past Sirin and immediately embraced the lifeless Serina with a sad and unwilling expression, tears had come out of his eyes.
He then turned to look at Sirin only to find that she was wearing a blank expression, her eyes reddened, her body trembled slightly and her pupils looked empty.
"Sirin... What exactly is going on here?" asked Kouro.
"Mother... I killed her..." Sirin said in a hoarse voice.
"What-?"
"I killed her..."
"I killed mom. I killed her..."
Tears of blood started coming out of her eyes.
Hearing Sirin's cries Kouro didn't know what to say, he looked at her and opened his mouth trying to say something only to spit out blood.
"... What?"
Kouro stared at his hollowed-out stomach before collapsing to the ground and vomiting blood, his pupils reflecting the 'Sirin' with golden eyes with purple colored star pupils staring at him coldly.
"Herrscher... Of... The... End?! Since?... When? "
"I've been inside her body for a long time, right when I had control of this body, I wanted to get out immediately. But I won't be at peace if I haven't killed you... KOURO's remaining will."
"Hmph! Looks like... You haven't had enough... been taught a lesson-"
*Crack!*
'Sirin' without saying anything directly crushed both of Kouro's legs using the [Gravity] ability.
"Argh!" Kouro cried out in pain.
'Sirin' looked at Kouro and Serina's corpse before saying to herself, "See, you've killed your own mother and even now you're killing the one you love the most, Kouro."
Right after saying that, Sirin immediately squatted down covering her ears shook her head and shouted.
"NO! NOT ME! I DIDN'T KILL THEM! I DIDN'T KILL MOM! I DIDN'T KILL KOURO!"
Kouro who heard her scream and felt his consciousness fading turned his head to look at the lifeless Serina and touched her cold cheek.
"... Sorry..."
After he said that, his consciousness faded even further his body felt very cold, the pain was no longer felt by him.
He then turned to look at Sirin who was trying to refute the Herrscher of the End's words before looking up at the sky.
'Kouro... The apostle... please save.... Sirin.'
That was his last thought before closing his eyes.
Sirin who was still denying suddenly stopped, she turned to stare at the corpses of Kouro and Serina with cold eyes.
__
The Elysian Palace.
Higokumaru who had healed Sirin looked at her with furrowed brows.
'It's been more than a minute, but her consciousness hasn't returned yet....'
Just as she was thinking like that, Sirin's eyelashes fluttered.
"She's awake!"
Higokumaru subconsciously approached only to suddenly have 'Sirin's' hands instantly choke her neck.
"Urk!" Higokumaru felt confused by Sirin's sudden change, she subconsciously glanced at the altar only to realize that Herrscher of the End's core shard had disappeared.
'That core shard has been absorbed by Sirin!'
"Higokumaru!" shouted Ashborn, the [Gem of Serenity] in his right hand suddenly shone brightly making his hand instantly turn into ashes before returning towards 'Sirin'.
He tried to run towards them only to be met with white spears raining down on him, a giant wall of fire, an invulnerable black blur, a giant whirlwind cyclone, and lashing thunder.
It was all used to attack Ashborn.
'Sirin' tilted her head to stare at Higokumaru before extracting the core of the Herrscher of Corruption from her.
"Argh!!!" Higokumaru felt like her soul was forcibly expelled making her feel great pain.
Under the pain, Higokumaru used her ability to the last and grasped the Herrscher of Humanity core very tightly.
'Sirin' stared at the blood-red core of the Herrscher of Corruption.
"You really are a fool not to use your abilities properly."
*Crack!*
'Sirin' then crumpled the Herrscher of Corruption's core into dust making Higokumaru suddenly stop moving.
"Higokumaru!" Ashborn shouted with a body full of wounds like coming out of hell.
*Srrrgggh!*
The space suddenly split apart expelling Kouro and Welt.
Kouro stared at the lifeless Higokumaru with blank eyes.
__
"That's how the story goes." Ashborn said with some fatigue.
Welt, Einstein, Tesla, and Sakura listened to the story attentively.
"I see... Thank you for explaining, Mr. Ashborn. We will adjust the plan later, you can rest. " Einstein said before signaling the three of them to come out.
"Miss Sakura, can we have a talk?" Ashborn asked just as Sakura was about to exit the room.
Sakura had a confused expression, she turned to look at Welt and the others, they nodded their heads before leaving.
Sakura turned to look at Ashborn and approached him.
"What do you want to talk about in private, Ashborn-san? "
Ashborn seemed to have a pensive expression for a moment before saying something that made Sakura's eyes open wide.
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