"The influence of Nihility on you has weakened quite a bit."
Ruan Mei withdrew her hand and said, "The Honkai is a power that inherently belongs to you. Nihility, on the other hand, should have come from your contact with IX."
"So, to solve my amnesia problem, I still have to start with the Honkai?"
"Correct."
She had never heard of any Self-Annihilator escaping the influence of Nihility—but Kiana was no ordinary person. She was an anomaly, carrying within her a force distinct from even that of an Aeon.
Perhaps she could bring about a miracle.
Kiana knew her amnesia was caused by the influence of Nihility, and that to free herself from it, she would have to start from the Honkai. Yet, over the past year, her progress in mastering her power had been minimal. Before the balance broke, the energies within her had almost become dormant.
Because her condition had stabilized and progress was slow, she had planned to revisit the galaxy where Ruan Mei had first found her.
She had wanted to search for her past—clinging to the faint hope that she wasn't the only one like herself. After yesterday's recollections, she now knew the name of the world she sought: Izumo.
Izumo... Honkai...
Could it be that place?
Walking beside Ruan Mei, Kiana thought of the shadow-shrouded, desolate world that surfaced in her fragmented memories. The images of her past—once as vague as a living corpse's existence—rose unbidden in her mind, and she quickly forced them down.
Before meeting Ruan Mei, she did have some memories.
For now, she decided to pause her reflection. There would be time enough to revisit the past once they reached Euphorion.
"When we encounter those creatures later, Ruan, do you want to capture a few to take back?"
Shifting the topic away from herself, Kiana's curiosity brightened her tone. Perhaps Ruan Mei could discover something extraordinary from the Honkai creatures.
"I'll bring a few back as specimens."
Ruan Mei was interested in the Honkai creatures, but she didn't think she needed large numbers of test subjects to study them.
Only the power of the Aeons—and Kiana herself—posed any real challenge to her.
"Their bodies don't seem to remain after death."
At the mention of specimens, Kiana instinctively recalled what she had seen.
She had fought many Honkai creatures along the way. Every single one she defeated had vanished into nothing, turning into dust without leaving a trace.
"Hm? Tell me more."
That detail was new information to Ruan Mei, something she hadn't yet heard from Kiana.
"I don't know where they come from, but after they die, they don't leave behind corpses—no trace at all, as if they'd never existed."
Strange.
When something dies, it leaves behind remains—that's normal.
Even if its structure were special, it should still leave some kind of trace.
But the creatures she killed had left nothing behind.
"That's... worth noting," Ruan Mei murmured thoughtfully, pondering. It was possible that the Honkai creatures Kiana encountered were forms of energy life.
...Then what about Kiana herself?
She was certain Kiana wasn't an energy-based being.
Perhaps she needed to classify these Honkai creatures separately—they didn't belong to any known life category.
No matter. She'd know for sure once she saw them herself.
As they chatted, they arrived at the war-ravaged city that now faced an even greater catastrophe.
The path into the city was blocked by IPC personnel. They had moved quickly—dispatching numerous armed squads to seal every route and surround the isolated city.
It wasn't out of compassion or charity. The city's situation was highly unusual, and it lay within a zone the IPC had been closely monitoring—making it worth investigating.
"Entering? It's not impossible," said the squad leader stationed at the checkpoint, his tone carrying a veiled warning. "But you'd better think carefully. Things inside are complicated. For everyone's safety—getting in will be easy. Getting out won't."
Was the situation inside that dire?
Understanding his implication, Ruan Mei replied calmly, "Please let us through. We're prepared for whatever's inside."
No amount of persuasion could sway the damned and the determined.
The IPC personnel didn't argue further. After hearing Ruan Mei's calm response, the squad leader waved his hand to let them through. If they wanted to go in, he'd let them—he had already checked their credentials, and nothing they were doing violated any regulations.
"The situation seems worse than before."
Kiana frowned. "When Robin and I left, there weren't any IPC guards stationed here yet."
"It's different now."
Ruan Mei walked slowly, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings with quiet focus. As she observed, her suspicions were confirmed.
She wasn't looking at the ruined streets or the scars of war—but rather, something invisible, something pervasive that filled the air like an unseen substance.
"Did you notice something?"
Kiana's voice carried a spark of excitement.
Ruan Mei turned back to glance at the road they had just walked and said, "This is the boundary. Outside lies the normal world—but within, there's Honkai Energy."
How interesting. It was confined entirely within this city.
Was it because this city was special? Or had some external interference caused it?
As she pondered, Ruan Mei looked toward Kiana, whose wide eyes reflected shock and disbelief.
That the city contained Honkai Energy—she could understand. After all, Honkai creatures had appeared here. It would be strange if Honkai Energy weren't present.
But confined to this one city?
That... didn't sound scientific at all.
"I've tried countless methods, but none could make the Honkai Energy within you affect the environment."
How fascinating.
Ruan Mei's clear, intelligent eyes lingered briefly on Kiana's face before she turned and continued walking deeper into the city.
"Yes... just like what the lab results showed—it's highly aggressive."
The energy actively corroded everything it touched. Though the effect was faint, Ruan Mei could feel the Honkai Energy here trying to invade her body—a domineering form of erosion.
Its corrosiveness was far stronger than what she had observed in her laboratory. If this was the true nature of Honkai Energy, then the Honkai Energy within Kiana's blood was merely dormant—inactive.
It could devour energy it came into contact with, but did nothing afterward.
Ruan Mei had once assumed that this was simply its inherent property—but now, it seemed not so simple.
Was this change caused by the disruption of Kiana's inner balance? Or did the ambush somehow provoke this violent surge of energy?
The shift in its nature was, without a doubt, connected to Kiana.
"Something's coming!"
At the sound of familiar wingbeats, Kiana's expression hardened. In her hand appeared a sleek, unusual handgun.
Several white, doll-like Honkai Beasts were flying toward them. The red markings on their wings glowed faintly as they gathered energy.
Six of them—far more than this morning.
Still, they weren't difficult to handle. At this level, they were little more than target practice.
Kiana was just about to take them down, planning to leave one alive for Ruan Mei's study—but Ruan Mei gently pressed her hand down, stopping her from pulling the trigger.
Kiana looked at Ruan Mei in confusion. "Ruan? Do you mean... catch them all alive?"
Seeing the puzzled look on her face, Ruan Mei could already tell the girl hadn't understood. She shook her head slightly, then nodded again, reminding her gently, "Have you forgotten? You hold absolute control over this power. Why not try suppressing them—and making them submit to you?"
"Submit...?"
That was a thought Kiana had never even considered. In her mind, forcing herself to subdue these insect-like creatures was far more troublesome than simply shooting them. The effort-to-reward ratio just didn't make sense.
Besides—she didn't even know how to make them submit!
As her thoughts raced, the Honkai Beasts were already within the danger zone. Kiana didn't have time to think further about Ruan Mei's words. She raised her hand and fired a single shot at the six approaching creatures.
Just one shot—one gentle pull of the trigger.
But the bullet, after killing one of the Honkai Beasts, created a spatial field that instantly swallowed up the remaining five.
The gun felt surprisingly smooth in her hand.
She couldn't help thinking about how natural it felt to use it.
"Uh... that wasn't intentional."
Ruan Mei had just suggested she try a different approach, and in the next moment, Kiana had completely wiped them all out. A hint of nervousness crept into her voice.
"They were too close," she added sheepishly.
"There's no rush. We can take our time," Ruan Mei said, unbothered. "This city is full of similar creatures."
She eyed the weapon in Kiana's hand. "May I take a look at your gun?"
"This? Of course!"
Kiana handed over the weapon without hesitation or suspicion.
"This gun uses Honkai Energy as its power source, doesn't it?" Ruan Mei asked while studying the weapon closely.
"I think so," Kiana replied. She hadn't really paid attention—she knew she carried a lot of things, but never gave them much thought. The gun was something she had just pulled out to use today.
That morning, she hadn't even needed to rely on her equipment. She'd managed to escape the city easily while protecting Robin.
"The craftsmanship is unfamiliar—its construction is seamless, almost artistic. It seems to have specific usage conditions."
Ruan Mei's research focus had never been on modern weaponry. But after observing it for a while, she concluded that it was no ordinary firearm—it was a true artifact, a weapon forged from the power of the Honkai itself.
A weapon made with Honkai Energy. There was no visible charging port, and the bullets produced unique effects.
Its properties were different from the corrosive aggression typical of Honkai Energy. That difference only deepened Ruan Mei's curiosity.
She looked at Kiana and said, "Once we leave here, give me another vial of your blood."
"No problem."
Kiana agreed easily, without even asking why Ruan Mei wanted more of her blood—or what she planned to do with it.
Her attention was already focused on their surroundings.
After killing a few Honkai Beasts, she couldn't help but wonder whether the noise would attract more of them.
"Let's keep moving."
"Ruan, were you serious about what you said earlier?" Kiana asked as they walked. Her expression turned awkward. "Because... I really don't know how to make them submit to me."
And besides, that strange panel had warned her not to recklessly use Honkai Energy outside.
It could trigger unpredictable consequences.
For all she knew, the very existence of these Honkai Beasts might have been caused by that golden spear of light she'd thrown in desperation.
"Trust yourself," Ruan Mei said gently. "The power to command Honkai Energy lies dormant within your blood."
"In my blood?"
Kiana blinked. "Then... should I try bleeding a little to test it out?"
At those words, Ruan Mei visibly froze. She stared at Kiana's face—the same sincere, utterly serious expression as always—and after a long pause, she sighed softly.
Kiana was truly... just as reckless as ever.
"If you don't mind, that can be an option," Ruan Mei said finally.
"Then I'll try it later," Kiana nodded earnestly.
How frustrating—her memory loss had caused her to forget even the proper way to wield her own power.
She could crush Honkai Beasts with her fists if needed.
So what exactly did she need to do to meet Ruan Mei's expectations?
Not long after, they encountered another Honkai creature—a new one, humanoid, wielding a massive scythe.
Kiana looked uncertainly toward Ruan Mei, who simply nodded in quiet encouragement.
Submit... right?
Kiana took a deep breath and stepped forward. Once she had the scythe-wielding creature's attention, she forced down her embarrassment and shouted loudly, "I command you to submit to me!"
Ruan Mei: "..."
The scythe maiden, oblivious to the greatness before her, showed no reaction. She simply raised her weapon and swung it toward her would-be master.
"Hey! Can't you hear me? I'm giving you an order—stop right now!"
Since Kiana's goal was to test her ability to command the Honkai, she didn't attack. Instead, she dodged swiftly, ensuring the creature's aggression stayed focused on her and not Ruan Mei.
"...I don't think it has intelligence," Ruan Mei remarked calmly, though the absurdity of the situation nearly made her smile.
"What?! So it can't even understand human speech?"
Kiana's surprise was genuine. Now that she thought about it, none of these Honkai creatures had ever displayed signs of sentience.
They were acting purely on instinct.
"Try another method," Ruan Mei suggested. "Try to draw out the power sleeping within you."
Kiana hesitated for a moment before muttering with a blush, "The Honkai Energy is suppressing Nihility. I can't pull it out."
Ruan Mei fell silent. She had indeed nearly forgotten that Kiana was still deeply affected by Nihility.
"In that case—"
Just as she was about to tell Kiana to forget it—that it was her own oversight—Kiana acted first. She pulled what she considered her trump card and slit open her right hand.
Blood immediately welled up from her palm.
Sidestepping another slash from the scythe maiden, Kiana turned and slapped her bloody hand directly onto the creature's forehead.
"Now will you submit?"
But as always, reality had a way of defying expectations.
Instead of being subdued, the scythe maiden was instantly dissolved. The moment Kiana's blood touched it, the creature's body began to corrode violently, disintegrating into a swirl of ash within seconds.
"T-this..."
Kiana froze, staring wide-eyed at the spot where the creature had been, her mind blank.
Ruan Mei frowned as she walked over.
"This isn't what we expected."
Kiana could only gape. The creature had perished even faster than if she'd shot it herself.
Ruan Mei took hold of Kiana's injured right hand, inspecting her bloodstained palm. Her fingertip brushed across the wound lightly.
Where she touched, the torn skin began to knit itself together—rapidly regenerating until, within two breaths, Kiana's hand was completely healed.
"It seems the energy within you exists on a level far beyond theirs," Ruan Mei explained softly as she pulled out her handkerchief and gently wiped away the remaining traces of blood. "Your blood carries a potency they simply can't withstand."
"But isn't my power supposed to control Honkai Energy?"
"That's true," Ruan Mei said, her voice calm and thoughtful. "But remember—any force, when concentrated too strongly, can become a poison."
She tightened her hold on Kiana's wrist, meeting her gaze seriously. "Do you remember what I told you before? If you ever unleash the full extent of your power—it will bring about a cataclysm."