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Chapter 245 – Never Believe That Suffering Is Worth It
🕑 Added 2025-08-12 15:47:09 +0000 UTC“How interesting~”
Watching the surveillance feed of two completely identical figures, Otto showed not the slightest trace of panic—in fact, there was a flicker of genuine amusement in his eyes.
After all, this was Schicksal Headquarters.
Two Himeko with Herrschers power, both built for sheer destructive power, were troublesome… but not impossible to deal with.
Especially since neither of them showed signs of being eroded by Honkai energy.
As long as he sent a few Valkyries to stall them, the problem could be handled easily enough.
And knowing Murata Himeko’s personality, there was no way they’d seriously harm ordinary Valkyries.
On top of that, Rita and Durandal were already moving to intercept them.
By any reasonable logic, it was impossible for the two to reach him in the short time they had.
Otto lounged comfortably in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, swirling the red wine in his glass before taking a refined sip. And then—
He froze.
“How amusing, hmm? Well, things are about to get much more interesting!”
With a deafening crash, the wall of his private chamber collapsed inward.
Steel reinforcement bars and concrete glowed white-hot in the flames.
Standing in the breach were two fire-haired women, identical in every detail.
Otto blinked.
Slowly, he turned his head toward the screen, where those same two Himekos were still walking side-by-side.
Then he understood.
His face drained of color in an instant.
His gaze flicked to the satellite feed showing the white-haired boy.
The boy was smiling—radiantly, almost mockingly and waving straight at him.
Kanami might not have combat strength anymore, but a few clever tricks? Those were still very much in his arsenal.
Still, Otto was Otto—only a heartbeat of shock passed before he returned to his calm, calculating poise.
“Majors Murata,” he said smoothly, “before we fight, perhaps we could discuss the matter of the Second Herrscher and your adorable student—”
“Sorry, but the you of this world? That boy told us not to listen to a single word out of your mouth. In fact, even these seconds we’re wasting now—he said they’d be a waste.”
Himeko’s grin was all teeth as she clenched her fists, the crisp sound of her knuckles popping like gunshots.
The pressure rolling off her was suffocating.
HIMEKO followed suit, walking toward Otto with a smile so bright it was unsettling.
Her golden eyes were as sharp and cold as a winter gale—eyes that promised his head would be pulp in the next heartbeat.
They knew he was the mastermind behind everything.
At first, his status as Archbishop might have made them hesitate… but the moment they learned he had countless Soulium bodies for revival, all restraint vanished.
Himeko flicked open a channel to the Hyperion, setting the terminal in place for a perfect live broadcast.
“Let’s go!”
Fists and feet flew.
Otto tumbled through the air, crashing into the control room’s equipment, expensive red wine splattering across his equally expensive suit.
“Wait! Just listen to me for a—mmph!”
One of them yanked off his sock and stuffed it straight into his mouth, silencing the voice that made people want to strangle him.
Heat like molten magma rolled off those pale fists as HIMEKO began her “physical therapy session,” pounding Otto’s head repeatedly.
She was careful not to hit too hard—it wouldn’t be any fun if it ended too quickly.
Otto had no counter.
This Soulium body was capable of combat… but against two Herrschers of Flames in their prime, it was laughably inadequate.
And because the body wasn’t yet destroyed, he couldn’t swap out instantly.
For the sake of enjoying life, even Soulium bodies were made with sensory feedback—otherwise wine, food, and all earthly pleasures would be meaningless.
Which meant the Archbishop was now… experiencing the long-forgotten “joy” of being thoroughly beaten.
Beneath the clear blue sky, it was as if flames were burning, painting a breathtaking scarlet across the world.
“Ahh… satisfying—but still not fully satisfying,” Kanami exhaled, his six-pointed-star pupils glittering with an almost timeless insight. “It’s a shame I can’t join in myself. Well then time to deal with Kiana’s problem.”
He turned his head.
Not far away, Kiana stood like a puppet with its strings cut, tilting her head unnaturally as she murmured in a voice that made the scalp crawl, “Mei… Mei… my Mei…”
“This idiot…” Kanami muttered, merciless in his criticism—perhaps because she was half of himself.
“Alright, alright. Those things I said earlier? Just messing with you.”
His tone was gentle, but carried an odd edge.
He reached out and ruffled Kiana’s hair.
“Eh?”
Her vacant aura evaporated instantly.
She blinked in confusion, staring at him, clearly expecting an explanation.
“Listen, Kiana—no… Sirin. I’m going to give you the chance to settle things with the other side of your own mind. How far you get will depend entirely on your heart.”
With a solemn and serious tone, Kanami finished speaking—then, without giving Kiana a single moment to think, he suddenly leaned forward until their foreheads pressed together.
The girl’s eyes flew wide open.
The unfamiliar boy’s sudden closeness caught her completely off guard.
But in the very next moment, it was as if the tide of time reversed and swept everything away.
The world before her lost all its color, fading into the grainy black-and-white of an old television screen.
The boy holding her was gone.
“Where… is this?” Kiana asked, looking around in bewilderment.
“This is C’s World—the deepest depths of your own consciousness.”
A crisp voice echoed not far away, drawing Kiana’s gaze toward it.
“Wha—?! You pervert! Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?!”
Her furious shout rang out as she slapped her hands over her eyes.
But after a brief pause, she seemed to notice something.
Looking down, she saw… two “mountains.”
“Idiot! Now’s not the time to be worrying about that!”
The boy’s voice now overlapped with Nagami’s and Kiana’s own—a sign that their soul fusion was reaching its limit.
“Code!”
The once still sea of consciousness erupted into a violent, sky-scraping storm.
A crimson light bathed the entire world before condensing into a strange, red bird.
With a beat of its wings, it flew straight into Kiana’s left eye.
It was the power to bestow Geass—used for the very first time.
“Kiana—no, the other me make this world into the one you truly want!”
The unfamiliar boy’s voice and her own familiar voice spoke together in her ear.
In a daze, Kiana returned to the real world, staring blankly at the empty deck before her.
Her eyes widened slightly as a flood of information suddenly bloomed in her mind.
The “brainless” girl was gone—the tide of knowledge swept her away.
In those last moments, Kanami had used the last of his strength to transfer everything to her—the full truth of what had happened, and even glimpses of the future.
If she stayed the same—clinging to the past, chasing the comfort of being doted on—she would lose everything.
If not for this sudden twist, Himeko-sensei would have died here to save her.
In her eyes, the pale sky and soft bangs reflected back at her.
She stood in silence, her demeanor completely unlike her past self.
After a long pause, her lips curled into a small smile—neither the foolish grin of the old “brainless” Kiana nor the pained smile of the Sky Ranger.
“Thank you… other me. I swear I’ll never let that future happen.”
Her pale, delicate hand clenched into a small fist, her gaze burning with an unprecedented determination.
“And you too… Nagami. You might be a real pain, but I’m counting on you to watch over the other me.”
Her voice carried a hint of envy.
Never believe that suffering is something worth cherishing.
Suffering is just suffering—it doesn’t guarantee success.
Suffering is not something to seek out.
You harden your will only because you can’t avoid it.
From Nagazora until now, she had been sheltered from every hardship.
How could she not feel envy toward those who’d grown stronger through pain?
Shaking her head to cast off those stray thoughts, Kiana focused on the foreign power now dwelling in her left eye.
A name… Yes, “Kindred Heart” would do.
“What do you think of that name, other me?”
The crimson bird in her left eye spread its wings.
The skintight suit she wore dissolved into shimmering particles of light, reforming into an off-shoulder dress in black and white.
Dark feathers, a symbol of her shadowed will, decorated the neckline.
Her long, pale legs were bared above sheer black thigh-high stockings, and she now wore black heels with orange trim.
Her left eye shone with a blue diamond-shaped cross; her right, a golden one.
“Whatever makes you happy.”
“I think it’s pretty nice!”
The girl smiled faintly and descended toward the swarm of Honkai beasts below.
…
“Well, I’d better be going too. Until we meet again~”
With a final slash, Himeko severed Otto’s head from his body, then waved to her other self in farewell.
“When you get back, make sure you snatch up Nagami as fast as possible, got it?”
Her parting words carried a teasing edge.
As the figure before her faded away, HIMEKO stomped on Otto’s severed head, utterly satisfied, before heading toward the Hyperion.
The crew of the Hyperion—who had been watching the two Himekos pummel Otto—fell into an eerie silence after their initial cheers.
