[It was hell...
"Mei... Kiana, she..."
But the one he called only looked up numbly, her empty eyes holding nothing but a slight longing for death.
Upon seeing Shu arrive, she slowly and stiffly tightened her arms, as if trying to hold on to the precious thing she had already lost.
The blood slowly trickling down her face was still warm, but the life of its owner had already left her, gone far away, never to return.
"Shu..." Mei let out a dream-like whisper. The moment she saw Shu, her tears finally reacted, bursting from her eyes like a broken dam.
She grabbed Shu's hand as if clutching at a lifeline. Shu had never seen her so helpless. Even facing him, she was as abject as...
A forsaken soul who had lost everything.
"You can save Kiana, can't you... You must have a way... Anything is fine, just save her... Take my life for hers, please?"
Shu knelt down, trembling, and placed his hand on the heart of the girl in her arms.
Heartbeat—none. Breath—none. All that was left on her body was a fading warmth and the trickling blood.
'Live—!'
An intense [Wish] and a massive amount of [Hope] were poured into the body without regard for the cost. A strong heartbeat returned, the wounds successfully healed, and even the brain resumed activity.
But what about the girl's soul? What was this newly restored consciousness?
Shu knew what a soul was... And in this "revived" body, he could not find the girl's soul.
Then, the life force began to drain away rapidly. The heartbeat quickly flatlined again. The girl still did not open her eyes.
Shu saw the dim, shattered Key of Genesis flash for a moment. Realizing something, he grabbed its core and brutally tore it from Kiana's body.
"'What do you know—" he demanded, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the core.
The silent core conveyed a thought.
"'She was already dead. The moment you made your move, her soul was shattered.'"
"'Impossible!'" he roared. The core in his palm let out a sharp crack. His entire body trembled violently, as if he would lose control and erupt at any moment.
"'Heh... I have seen people whose bodies have died but whose souls remained, and I have seen life with sound bodies but no consciousness... This is the conclusion you told me, the theory that Vakh created using me.'"
"'What, have you reached the point where you must deny your life's work?'" The consciousness within the core was most aware of the damage, but it was unhurried, even taking pleasure in his misfortune.
More than its own complete demise, it wanted to see Shu truly break down.
"'You're lying—.'" Shu gritted his teeth, the increasing force in his hand uncertain whether it was to force out the truth or to make the other yield and give him the answer he wanted.
"'Lying? Shu, she was the one who had walked the farthest on the path of evolution. An evolution on a level I had never seen before. The one who proved to me that the will can transcend the body...'"
"'Shu, I valued her more than you did!'"
"'Impossible!'" Shu's roar was almost devoid of reason. "'What did you see her as?! Your test subject?! She was a person! A living, breathing person!'"
"'But I gave her wings... Shu,'" the voice of Evolution said, contemptuous and full of mockery. "'And you... you shackled her... treated her as your forbidden prize that you could not lose... Hehehahahaha—!!'"
Its laughter was wild and grating, yet every word cut to the quick.
"'Even I believed she could prove the power of her will to me once more! But you, blinded by your concern, recklessly shattered that canopy! Hahahaha—'"
The transmission of life force ceased. The cracked core of Evolution fell to the ground, shattering with a crisp sound.
"Shu..." Mei's sorrowful voice sounded. Shu turned stiffly and saw Mei slowly moving his hand away from Kiana's heart.
Then, her blood-stained face turned to Shu with a smile completely devoid of mirth.
"Let's leave it at this... There's still Seele, and Bronya... and everyone... They're still waiting for you..." Mei's words became more choked, just like that night... like the fragile whisper that came from behind him.
"Let me... be alone with her for a while... Just a little while... please?" she pleaded.
Shu shook his head. Mei lowered her head, feeling the warmth in her arms fading like a sunset.
...
The shattered pseudo-Xuanxuan sword lay quietly among the splinters of what was once the puppet. Shu was on top of the Herrscher, just numbly and mechanically smashing his fist into the other's face, one punch after another.
Each blow landed with a dull thud. Each punch sent a dense burst of Honkai energy erupting from the other's body.
The Herrscher, his face already beaten beyond recognition, struggled to let out a broken laugh.
"You hate me... hate me for killing them... You want to vent, to atone for your guilt... I can see it... hehe... I see it all too clearly..."
The answer was a fist that struck with even more force. The Herrscher's few remaining teeth were completely pulverized by the blow, yet he still managed to make a muffled sound.
"You're getting revenge... You couldn't save them... You can't protect anything... Hehe... You must be thinking right now... if only I could do it all over again... right?"
Shu's hand trembled slightly. A faint glimmer of light seemed to appear in his eyes.
"I saw it... That girl always believed you would find a way... She was unbelievably resilient..." The Herrscher's twisted face contorted into an ugly, mocking expression.
"But you failed her hope... you couldn't receive her wish... You even, with your own hands—"
Shu's fist smashed through his chest, grasped the core in his hand, and ripped it straight from the Herrscher's chest.
But in his final moments, he struggled to utter one last sentence.
"There were... two murderers... I have... received my judgment... What about you..."
The precious core was casually tossed to the ground. Shu looked up blankly and saw a figure standing outside the railing, on the cliff's edge.
She gently held her beloved, standing in the oncoming sea breeze. She turned back and gave Shu a smile full of apology, but also containing another emotion.
I'm sorry— she mouthed, the sound scattering in the sea breeze.
*And—thank you.*]