Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

Was the rain that fell that day because the offerings pleased the so-called gods, or was it a lament for the tragedy caused by such folly?

Regardless.

She finally had the chance to repay this debt of gratitude that had nearly cost her her life.

61.Hello Pill

Are you travelers from afar?

The two were brought back to their senses by the clear, melodious voice. It belonged to a memorable young girl dressed in a strange shrine maiden outfit.

Her smooth hair was the beautiful color of cherry blossoms. The shrine maiden's face was fair and flawless, and her expression was distant and indifferent. However, due to her personality, she still gave the two of them a polite smile.

It's Yae Sakura.

The two met the witch at the entrance to the village.

Su Qing'an frowned. Principal Theresa and Yae Sakura should have met before, but her reaction was no different from that of a stranger.

Could it be that Higomaru's advantage in the Stigmata Space has become so great that it has affected Yae Sakura's memories?

That's why she forgot what had happened in the outside world.

To put it more seriously, she might even forget that she is living in a reflection of history that is constantly repeating itself.

If that's the case, Yae Sakura's defeat was already inevitable without external help.

The girl leaned forward slightly, naturally making an elegant and standard gesture of courtesy. She looked up at the other person, smiled, and said:

"Nice to meet you, beautiful witch. My name is Theresa Apocalypse, and I come from the far west."

Nice to meet you, beautiful shrine maiden. My name is Karen Kaslana.

Their similar appearances and words overlapped, and even their Western-style etiquette was exactly the same.

For a fleeting moment, Yae Sakura seemed to see time flowing backward, and the scene from that day was recreated.

But the next second she sighed at how pathetic she was. Just a similar situation filled the emptiness in her heart to overflowing again.

Unfortunately, there's only one thing: even a broken Yae Sakura can understand.

That knight, that saintess.

From beginning to end, it never belonged to her alone.

But that's enough.

Amidst a multitude of thoughts, the priestess revealed a faint smile and gave her answer.

--------------

The saint is loving.

The saint will not belong to any one person alone.

Karen Kaslana.

A doctor who would ruin his reputation and even lose his life for Yae Sakura...

In such a brief period of time, the saintess would not fall in love with anyone, especially given her engagement.

She simply noticed the enormous emptiness within the priestess, and thus gave her enough love to fill that void.

But that's just universal love.

The saint loves everyone equally and justly.

That wasn't love, or even friendship; it was merely the saint's tenderness.

Yae Sakura knew, she always knew.

Karen Kaslana is her own doctor, the medicine she cannot stop taking, and the illusory poison she drinks to quench her thirst.

In the end, Yae Sakura still held onto hope. She wondered if those eyes, which were gentle to all things, would look at her with an added weight.

Even the smallest amount of weight signifies one's uniqueness.

Unfortunately, Yae Sakura never got an answer.

No one can criticize the saint's compassion and gentleness.

The words the saintess uttered at the trial that day were so that Yae Sakura could hear them one day.

I have fallen in love with Yae Sakura; she is innocent.

This was said so that the priestess, many years later, would know that Karen Kaslana had not broken her promise.

To comfort the priestess who had endured endless years of loneliness and suffering, Kallen made this decision, even though it would hurt some people and herself.

The saint's gentleness always carried a sense of self-sacrifice, and the infamy and death were the price she paid.

Yae Sakura knew exactly how much Kallen Kaslana had paid for her.

Her life should not have been so short. Such a person should not have vanished like a shooting star. She should have continued to live, both for the people and for fate.

But she met Yae Sakura, and Yae Sakura met the saintess.

Thus, they were defeated and drowned in their dreams.

Higokumaru remembered her; she was a pure, gentle, and incredibly resilient human.

In all the long time she has lived, that human is one of the few who is qualified and worthy of the name of saint.

But look, she's still dead.

Higokumaru scoffed. Humans are always so fragile.

Humans are always like this: the beautiful are always fragile and rare, while the ugly are always as numerous as the yellow sand, impossible to eradicate.

Of all the countless humans on Earth, only Yae Sakura is special to her.

Sometimes, Higokumaru would think that she had put Yae Sakura into such an illusion as a cycle of reincarnation, but had the world also put her into a cycle of reincarnation?

Because if it weren't for that, why would she...

She looks so much like her older sister.

No, it's not a matter of whether it looks like the real thing or not.

They are identical in appearance, personality, and even indecisiveness in the smallest details.

Five hundred years.

What kind of human could entangle with the Herrscher of Corruption, who almost shattered the foundation of the previous civilization in one fell swoop, for a full five hundred years?

Willpower? Love? External forces? Perhaps those are all reasons.

But the deeper reason is that Hishimaru couldn't bear to part with it.

Yae Sakura is Sakura, the reincarnation of her older sister.

How could Hiyomaru bear to leave the time she had spent with her sister? So even though they seemed to be sworn enemies on the surface, they had a strange tacit understanding.

Whenever Yae Sakura couldn't take it anymore, she would start playing house.

It's like a little girl tugging at a young woman's sleeve and smiling, saying, "Sister, I'm tired from playing, let's take a break."

That hatred, accumulated over countless years, seemed like a joke in front of Yae Sakura.

Yeah, what a joke.

But it's okay if the older sister is the only one who gets made a joke.

This girl, who was ruthlessly tortured and killed by her guards 50,000 years ago, transformed into the Twelfth Herrscher.

When facing Yae Sakura, she is still the same little girl she was back then.

Even the broken consciousness and hatred of humanity could not affect anything about her sister.

The Yae Sakura is broken.

The same goes for Higokumaru.

She was split into two sides: one was the little girl who loved her older sister, and the other was the Herrscher of Corruption who hated everything.

Therefore, Theresa is corrupted, which is why she appears so capricious.

When Yae Sakura said she was tired and wanted to rest.

Hiyomaru fell silent. She thought that if this was her sister's request, then this ending wasn't so bad.

But in the end, she still couldn't suppress her hatred for humanity. She thought she had to get out, she had to destroy this world, she couldn't do otherwise, she would be very unhappy.

Just as Yae Sakura completely broke down, Higokumaru's mental state also teetered on the brink of collapse.

Time to end.

But whether the outcome is the destruction of humanity or its eventual extinction.

The most important thing now is to cherish the time I spend with my sister.

Thinking this, Yae Rin suppressed the urge to cough, smiled at the shrine maiden who entered, and said:

"Sister, welcome back."

62.Ye Rin

"Yes. Rin, I'm back. I brought you some herbs. As long as you take your medicine obediently, Rin will definitely get better."

The shrine maiden gently stroked the girl's head, her eyes filled with pity and sorrow as she looked at Yae Rin's sickly, pale face.

cold.

This time, I will definitely save you.

She has always been weak and useless.

Even though she knew it was all an illusion, she was so weak that she couldn't even save herself from Yae Rin's reflection.

But this time it's different.

Having shattered her obligations and responsibilities and broken free from the cage of false gentleness, the priestess made up her mind.

The spirit sword hidden in its sheath emitted an ominous, faint red glow.