Before coming here, Kiana had already harbored a suspicion. But when she finally arrived and saw that her guess was correct, she stood on the snow-covered surface of the planet, lost in deep thought.
The system that had long been dormant stirred back to life.
It was just like when she'd been troubled over whether to bind with Izumo. Now, on Jarilo-VI, she faced the same kind of choice.
"Does it work?"
Seeing her remain silent for so long, Ruan Mei reached out to grab her hand, intending to see for herself.
Saying it aloud took too long—better to look directly.
Acheron glanced briefly at Ruan Mei's movements, her attention then shifting to Kiana's conflicted expression.
"How is it?"
"Things are... about what I expected."
Kiana's expression was hesitant. The synchronization rate really did follow the rules from Honkai Impact 2, and she didn't even know what to say.
The Era: ZERO, the Fire Moth DLC, the Retrospective Arc... Memories of all these flashed quickly through her mind.
"Just like Izumo, this world can also be assimilated."
Acheron frowned slightly, thinking over Kiana's words about synchronization. The similarities between this world and Izumo—what exactly were they?
Had they both suffered catastrophic disasters?
No, there were plenty of worlds like that. There was no reason for Kiana to specifically come here.
"Don't rush into assimilation."
Ruan Mei's unexpected words caught even Kiana off guard.
"I need to run a few analyses on this planet first. Once I've collected enough data, you can proceed with the binding."
Ah, that was the Ruan Mei she knew.
Kiana lifted her gaze toward the distant city that stood tall amidst the snow—the Belobog she'd once seen in the game.
Was she really going to bring Honkai here?
This world wasn't Izumo.
This world had endured long enough for the Trailblazer to arrive, and its ending was meant to be a hopeful one.
"There are still humans living here, right?"
Following her line of sight, Acheron saw Belobog in the distance—a city of human life clinging stubbornly to existence amid the frozen wasteland of this planet.
"Should we go take a look?"
Kiana decided to see things for herself before making any decisions. After all, where there was Honkai, there was death.
"You don't have to worry about that," Ruan Mei said, turning her attention back to her. "I've already analyzed part of your technology—the one you call 'Stigmata.'"
"You've analyzed the Stigmata?"
Acheron looked surprised. The Thunder Soul Engraving that Kiana had given her was still active even now.
And thanks to that mysterious Stigma, she had been able to retain her memories and feelings toward Kiana even within the grasp of Nihility.
"Extracting the Honkai resistance from it isn't difficult," Ruan Mei explained.
She was studying the Stigmata that Kiana had brought back from Izumo. Among them, Yae Sakura's Stigma was particularly unique.
Her gaze turned toward Acheron. "You have a Stigma too, don't you?"
The Thunder Soul Engraving.
Long ago, Kiana had given her that power—engraved upon her back.
Acheron nodded.
Kiana also remembered that moment. It had been ages ago.
Since there was no longer any Honkai threat, she hadn't thought much about the Thunder Soul Engraving on Acheron's body for a long time.
It had been so long—surely it had reached its maximum level by now.
Thunder Soul Engraving... max level?
"There are differences between Stigmata?"
"...Every Stigma is different—except for mass-produced ones."
Kiana thought carefully, then said, "Mass-produced Stigmata only grant Honkai resistance. They don't do much else to enhance power."
"So the one you gave me is a mass-produced model?" Ruan Mei guessed.
Kiana froze for a moment, then quickly explained, "The higher-tier ones all have user restrictions. I didn't have any that were suitable for you, Ruan..."
As she spoke, her voice softened. Honestly speaking, she couldn't help but notice that Ruan Mei and Dr. MEI—the scientist from the Era: ZERO—didn't seem all that different.
"Dr. Mei? Who's that?"
The phrase "Era: ZERO" that Kiana had mentioned twice—Ruan Mei noted it. It seemed to refer to a particular period in time. Curious, she asked directly.
"And that is...?"
"She was a brilliant scientist," Kiana replied quickly.
Crap—she'd forgotten Ruan could read minds!
The realization came too late. Since Ruan Mei already knew, Kiana didn't dare to pull her hand away. All she could do was force herself not to think too much.
"Oh, right!"
Something suddenly came to mind—something about the Stigmata that might interest Ruan Mei, even if it wasn't all that impressive. "I can create new Stigmata. The mass-produced ones were made from materials I had. As for special ones... I've never tried, but I think it's possible?"
"You just need to add the right beliefs and memories during creation—maybe other materials too?"
Beliefs and memories?
Ruan Mei thought back to her earlier research on Stigmata. So that was the secret—adding belief and memory to an empty Stigma could imbue it with new power.
But right now, that wasn't what caught her attention.
"What is the Era: ZERO?"
She still had that same uncanny ability to see through hearts—and she was clearly using it on Kiana.
Acheron's gaze fell again to where Ruan Mei was holding Kiana's hand. Ever since that day, she had noticed that Ruan Mei liked to touch some part of Kiana's body whenever they spoke.
At first, she had thought it was a sign that their relationship had deepened. But now, it seemed that wasn't quite the case.
She was reading Kiana's thoughts.
"...The Era: ZERO? Haha, that's... actually unrelated to us. It's not important."
A few images of that time flashed briefly through Kiana's mind, but she quickly forced them down. She didn't want to cause any misunderstandings.
"If you're really curious, Ruan, I'll tell you about it another time when the moment's right."
"For now, how about we head into the city?"
She ended the topic there. Strictly speaking, Houkai Gakuen and this world didn't even belong to the same cosmology.
"I don't think so," Ruan Mei said after a pause, giving her a long, deep look. "But if that's your answer, I'll accept it."
I am telling the truth this time, you know.
Kiana opened her mouth, but before she could say anything more, Ruan Mei had already released her hand, bringing the conversation to an end.
"Let's go, Kiana."
Acheron might not have Ruan Mei's power to see into thoughts, but she could still read Kiana's reactions well enough to guess her general intent.
Seeing Kiana still standing there, she took her hand and led her toward Belobog.
"I don't know what you two were talking about," she said, "but for now, you should probably focus on the world in front of you."
"This world, huh..."
At this point in time, had Cocolia already staked everything on the Stellaron?
Kiana knew quite a bit about Jarilo-VI.
In fact, her understanding of it far surpassed her knowledge of Izumo.
If the place she had first crossed into had been Jarilo-VI, she wouldn't have been left so utterly lost—knowing nothing except that Izumo was doomed and that Mei would become a Self-Annihilator.
This world also had the qualification to be bound.
But what about its compatibility rate?
Kiana remembered clearly—Izumo's compatibility rate had been over eighty.
So what about this world?
It would definitely be lower.
In Izumo, she had encountered many familiar faces, even things like the Edict Edges and Kami.
But Jarilo-VI...
Honestly, there wasn't much here that resembled any of that. Still, this planet was one of the stops along the journey.
Kiana couldn't figure out what the system used to determine compatibility, so she could only make guesses.
"Due to the Stellaron's influence, this planet has been completely frozen over, no longer suitable for human life. For its people to have endured for centuries in such conditions—they truly deserve to be called builders of civilization."
As Ruan Mei passed by several ice sculptures, she paused to study them for a moment, a faint gleam of curiosity in her eyes.
Those frozen figures—caught mid-run—were antimatter soldiers trapped by the cold surge.
If this place were to become an experimental ground, would the Stellaron and Honkai energy react with each other?
Would they be eroded and assimilated by Honkai energy like in her past experiments—or would something entirely new occur?
The thought intrigued her.
"Those ahead are Fragmentum creatures."
Acheron had once set foot on worlds affected by Stellarons. She recognized the phenomenon immediately.
In the snowy wasteland ahead, she spotted scattered Fragmentum creatures. Under the Stellaron's corruption, this planet was clearly nearing its limit.
For the creatures inside the rift to have wandered out into the open wasteland—it was a sign of how far things had deteriorated.
The situation here was dire.
But these monsters weren't worth her time—they were among the weakest class of threats.
"Let me handle them!"
Kiana raised an eyebrow at the familiar yet strange creatures, pulling out a handgun.
This was where it had all begun.
The Space Station?
No, that had been her respawn point—not the first stop.
Just as Acheron was about to draw her blade, she relaxed her grip on the scabbard. There was no need.
The scattered Fragmentum creatures were weak; Kiana took them all down with a few clean shots.
"Stellaron... I wonder what would happen if Honkai energy were to merge with one."
"Eh?"
Kiana, still catching her breath, blinked at Ruan Mei's words—her mind instantly jumping to the not-yet-encountered Stelle of the Herta Space Station.
Honkai merging with a Stellaron?
She had no idea what that would cause.
"It's an interesting thought," Ruan Mei said lightly. "Perhaps later we can search for the Stellaron's location."
Acheron's gaze drifted toward her. "Whatever you plan to do, keep in mind one thing—we have no right to decide this world's fate."
It was a warning.
She didn't bother saying it to Kiana—she knew what kind of person Kiana was and never worried about her crossing that line.
But Ruan Mei... someone who appeared harmless yet always had unknowable thoughts running beneath the surface—she was the one who needed watching.
As a Galaxy Ranger, Acheron had seen many worlds, many scientists, and knew their kind well. And the one person who shared Ruan Mei's background as a Genius Society member, yet bore a reputation far darker—was Dr. Primitive.
"There's no need to tamper with the Stellaron here," Kiana interjected quickly, sensing the tension rising. "It probably won't react with Honkai energy anyway. Just like with Nihility on Izumo—no unusual phenomena occurred."
"What's worth considering," Ruan Mei countered calmly, "is that Nihility differs from other Aeons. Would the others simply allow their paths' Imaginary powers to be assimilated by Honkai without reacting?"
"This world roughly falls under the Path of Preservation. The power of Preservation still guards that city. If a Honkai Eruption occurs, would Preservation's power allow Honkai energy to corrupt it freely? And if not... would that draw the gaze of the Aeon of Preservation?"
When Kiana mentioned Izumo and Nihility, Ruan Mei drew a connection between the Builders and the Path of Preservation—the power of Preservation was still sheltering the last surviving city on this frozen planet.
If Honkai were to erupt here...
Would it attract the attention of an Aeon?
It was a question worth pondering.
Even Acheron momentarily forgot her vigilance toward Ruan Mei, frowning as she considered the possible outcomes of what Ruan Mei had just proposed.
Nihility would never respond to anyone.
But the other Aeons were different.
"...It shouldn't come to that, right?"
Kiana hesitated, her tone unsure. She knew exactly what Honkai was capable of.
But surely the Aeons wouldn't bother with something like this... right?
Still, should she really allow it to develop unchecked?
If one day it spiraled out of control...
She thought of the Will of Ruler—if she remembered correctly, that entire universe had collapsed after unrestricted use of Honkai energy.
What, exactly, was the true purpose of Honkai's existence?
"She's not wrong," Acheron said quietly, turning to Kiana. "Because of Nihility, Izumo's fate couldn't be observed by the outside world. No gaze from beyond ever fell upon us."
For those who had once lived in Izumo, the concept of "Paths" hadn't even existed. Izumo had been their entire world.
It had been almost completely isolated.
With Nihility as a veil, the traces of Honkai's existence had been concealed—that much made sense.
"It seems we'll have quite a bit of work to do," Ruan Mei remarked, gazing into the distance. "We'll need to stay here for a while."
"...Alright," Kiana replied, her voice slightly tense.
This was why she had originally planned to come alone. That way, no matter what she thought before or after arriving, she could change her mind without consequence.
But now...
She found herself trapped by her own decision.
A creeping unease rose within her—the fear that things wouldn't unfold as she expected, that something unforeseen would force her hand.
"So... what do we do now? Find a way into the city?"
Ruan Mei glanced at her meaningfully. "And how do you propose we integrate into this city?"
"Something... low-key?"
Kiana scratched her head, voicing her thoughts. "Let's try not to draw too much attention. I want to understand the situation here from the inside out."
"Alright."
Ruan Mei nodded lightly and said nothing more.
Acheron's brow twitched as she watched her for a while. But Ruan Mei paid no attention to the scrutiny, calmly collecting environmental data as they walked.
How exactly did she plan to enter the city quietly?
Sneak in?
Acheron dismissed one possibility after another—until they drew close to the towering gates of Belobog.
There, a squad of heavily bundled soldiers stood guard. Yet when the three of them approached, the soldiers acted as if they weren't even there.
That was when Acheron realized Ruan Mei's method.
She hadn't done anything obvious at all—she had simply rewritten the surrounding people's perception.
Truly... not someone to underestimate.