Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

As her facial expressions shifted due to the stimulation, the struggle between the two giant monsters finally came to a conclusion.

The monster, being entirely flesh and blood, possessed normal muscles—though it had no skin, its bloody flesh was exposed directly—and compared to the witch whose cloak concealed only some mysterious sand, she still held the upper hand in a battle of physical strength.

With a thunderous roar, the witch was completely crushed, accompanied by a little boy's cheers.

"Oops~~~~ The shrine maiden lost~~~~"

"Hmph, a mere witch, she talks big but isn't all that great."

"You're cheating! How can I dare to use my strength when you're holding Tatsuya like that!"

"I'll gladly accept the lamentations of a defeated dog~"

As the victor, Sand moved from the chest to the back of the Goddess of Rebirth, looking down at Little Flame who had returned to human form. She even treated Little Da like a trophy, proudly holding it high. This made the little boy, thinking she was playing a game of being lifted up high, laugh heartily.

"Hey! Zhi! Are you just going to stand there and watch her gloat? Hurry up and snatch our mission target back!"

"A loser is a loser! After being defeated, did you rush to seek justice from your master?"

"Ahem—Lily, calm down first. Sha Zi, don't be agitated either. Let's go inside and talk about Tatsuya's matter."

Misty's rude behavior undoubtedly provoked Little Flame's indignation. She immediately summoned her teammates who were watching, attempting to stir up a sense of shared hatred and then truly gang up on Misty. Meanwhile, Zhi, dragged into the fray, couldn't stand the tension between the two and reluctantly stepped between them, acting as a peacemaker.

"I can't calm down! Even Xiaoda has been bewitched by her, becoming so intimate with a monster!"

"So what if I'm a monster? Little Da is very happy with me, isn't he, little guy?"

"Yes, yes~~~~ My sister showed me so many~~~~ amazing things~~~~"

Homura was furious. With Madoka gone, Homura was the one most qualified to be Tatsuya's older sister.

Unfortunately, the fog beat it to it.

"Alright, alright, it's Tatsuya's choice who he's close to. However, no matter who he's close to, he can't avoid his blood relatives. Since Sanda doesn't want to let go, let's go see Tatsuya's parents together. If they agree to Tatsuya staying with you, we won't say anything more, okay?"

This time, Zhi revealed the solution before Xiao Yan could lash out again.

Hearing this plan, Sand frowned, but Homura wasn't too keen on it. This would give Mist a legitimate reason to take Tatsuya away; what if Kaname's parents actually agreed? Ori tugged at Homura, who was thinking this, and gave her a look.

The Ashes weren't afraid that the Sand would actually take Tatsuya away. Their ultimate mission was to pack up the Sand and take it with them.

The poor mist had been theirs ever since it was enveloped in ashes.

"Um, Tatsuya, do you want to see your mom and dad?"

"Mom and Dad? ~~~ I miss them~~~~ Tatsuya wants to tell them~~~~ I saw so many amazing things~~~~"

"Alright, for Tatsuya's sake, I'll go in with you and take a look."

After communicating with the little guy, Sand finally gave in.

Zhi gave Xiaoyan a thumbs-up that said "Plan is perfect," which made the girl with long, straight black hair pout.

Now that the conflict was resolved, Sand reclaimed his body as the God of Rebirth and followed Weaver and Little Flame towards the stadium. As for a certain knight, a certain orc, a certain bald man, and a certain group of goblins, they were really not suitable to appear before the citizens. So they were taken to their camps by the other Ash.

Only then did Mami have the opportunity to meet with Ori and the others.

The ribbon flames once again took a close look at the mist's form.

The Fateful Fifty-Three: The Fantastic Journey of Little Tatsuya - The End

Sand had once been chased all over the streets by Ribbon Homura. So when she realized there was another Homura Akemi there, she only paused for a moment before guessing who it was. She smiled, revealing an expression befitting her gentle voice. But this ladylike and reserved demeanor undoubtedly created a thicker barrier compared to her unrestrained speech when facing Homura.

And a deep distrust.

"Oh, I didn't notice there was another Homura Akemi here. So, there are already three Homura Akemis in the world now? And that weird graffiti over there, don't you have another older sister? If we call her over, we could have a whole mahjong table."

"What the heck is this graffiti? Please call me a witch properly. As for my sister, this is my sister too."

"..."

The group re-entered the stadium, where Zhi was explaining the events of the previous night to Mami.

Actually, Ash encountered Sand and his group around dawn. After avoiding the Monster Circle, Sand and his group decided to go to the stadium to gather information. This conveniently avoided Ash, who was searching at night, and they unexpectedly met again in the morning when the Survey Corps was preparing to wrap up.

Returning to this perspective, Ribbon Flame, facing the hostility of Sand and Little Flame's banter, really didn't know how to start a conversation with them.

"Who told you to have that kind of art style after transforming? Calling you graffiti is an understatement. Besides, why do you call everyone 'older sister'? Do you think Homura Akemi has a seniority system?"

"That's just how witches are drawn, don't look if you don't like it. As for seniority, it's calculated according to the number of times we've reincarnated. I've only reincarnated twice, so most of the time I can only be the younger sister."

"..."

Ribbon Flame's silence drew Sand's attention back to Little Flame. They continued walking, discussing two topics simultaneously. One of the topics involved Ribbon Flame, making her, who hadn't spoken, seem like a participant in the conversation.

"Oh dear~~~~ Two more~~~~ Long black-haired ladies have appeared~~~~~"

Suddenly, Tatsuya, still held in Sand's arms, cheered. He struggled with his little hands and feet, trying to hug Homura. Naturally, Sand didn't let go, letting him watch as the two Homura Akemis flailed about.

"It's appeared again?"

Ribbon Flame, who hadn't been able to participate in the conversation, subconsciously asked a question.

"Speaking of which, Xiao Da seems to have seen Sister Ash before. I wonder where she is now..."

"Vampire sister~~~~Put me down~~~~Tatsuya can walk by himself~~~~~"

The conversation got chaotic because of Tatsuya's meddling. Homura picked up on Ribbon Homura's question, but Sand still held Tatsuya tightly, refusing to let him off her arms. The cute little boy, seeing that his actions weren't being met, became a little unhappy and squirmed in Sand's arms.

The three girls fell silent for a moment, with only Xiao Da fighting for her rights.

After struggling for a long time without getting a response, his eyes turned slightly red.

"Xiao Da, you have to behave well too. There are a lot of people here, so you can't run around."

"Huh? ~~~~ Hehehe~~~~"

Seeing that he was almost in tears, Silk Ribbon Flame finally went over and let the little guy hold her hand.

Now the little guy's wish to get close to the black-haired older sister has been fulfilled. He grabbed the hand of the ribbon flame and shook it happily.

The citizens who saw this scene all smiled warmly.

"...Hey, Shiki, you don't really want to take Tatsuya away, do you?"

Xiaoyan saw something more from Sha Zi's insistence on holding Da tightly.

She thought for a moment, then simply asked the question directly.

"Hehe, of course I would. Wouldn't it be wonderful to raise such a cute little guy myself?"

"That's a very 'ladylike' statement. But do you know our mission in this world?"

Ribbon Homura, with Tatsuya holding her arms, continued to talk about Homura and Sand.

"Your mission objective—you wouldn't happen to be to capture me and take me back to Lordran, would you? Hehehe."

She was unaware of the origins of the ash and the mist, and was simply bewildered by their ambiguous relationship as both enemies and friends.

"It's good that you're aware of this. You should know that Xiao Da can't possibly come with us either."

"Oh? What if I said I didn't want to go with you?"

Would you make this choice?

The atmosphere was strange, even stranger than the feeling of being both enemies and friends. Ribbon Flame instinctively felt that their relationship was complicated, so complicated that she didn't want to figure it out at all. But Xiao Da was also smiling and being affectionate with her, making it impossible for her to avoid the situation. She could only awkwardly listen to the two people from another world discussing matters related to their own.

"I might make that choice, though."

"You mentioned 'what if,' which implies how you'll choose to proceed."

The two, both enemies and friends, exchanged a smile, but Ribbon Flame, completely unable to decipher their smiles, only felt a chill. By this time, they had bypassed the crowd in the stadium lobby and arrived near the Kaname family's house. After that smile, Sand, carrying Tatsuya, let go of Ribbon Flame's arm and walked over.

"Tatsuya, we're home now. Hurry back to your mom and dad."

"Huh? This isn't home? This isn't home."

"Home is where your family is. Go quickly, your mom and dad miss you very much."

"Oh~~~~ Mom and Dad~~~~~ I'm home~~~~~"

A heartwarming family reunion suddenly unfolded before Homura's eyes. Completely bewildered, she watched in silence as Kaname's parents embraced their son and wept. Homura stood beside her, hands behind her back, unsurprised by Sand's behavior. Now, her smile had lost its eeriness and dread; it was confident and composed, radiating an aura of self-assurance that Homura could see.

"why?"

"Ok?"

This lack of something within herself led her to ask the question again.

Why did she choose to return Tatsuya?

"It's very simple, because she knows what she should and shouldn't do."

"She was clearly so..."

"So reluctant to part with Tatsuya? Yes, she really was reluctant. But it was precisely this reluctance, this cherishing, that led her to make the best choice for Tatsuya—for a child to grow up healthily, being with his parents is undoubtedly the best thing. Sako truly wanted to treat Tatsuya as one of the clan, and since he was a member of the clan, why not create the best conditions for him?"

Faced with this explanation, Ribbon Homura was speechless. She stared blankly at the sand who, after returning Tatsuya to his family, silently waved goodbye, leaving the Kaname family with her joy. She remarked that those connected to Ash always acted with such clear purpose, like cold, mechanical machines, forever operating towards their own goals.

She had just figured out this way of thinking and was horrified by this extremely rational approach.

What is the aloofness I've cultivated through reincarnation compared to this ruthlessness?

Sand came back. Sometime later, Oriya was waiting beside them.

"Alright, now that all the other issues are resolved, it's time to talk about our grudges."

Ashes and mist smiled at each other for the second time beside her.

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 Thanks to reader [御手安可] for the monthly ticket~

The truth of Fate 54 is revealed, and the clues to the events in this world are revealed.

What is Ash's mission in the Ring World this time?

This has always seemed to be a mystery.

Bystanders only knew that they were looking for sand, but they never heard them explain why they were looking for sand.

Now that they've found the sand, it's probably time to solve this mystery.

But before we get to the details, let's hear the origins of this whole series of events before getting concerned with this mystery.

The events in the entire Ring World originated from the invasion of outsiders such as Ashflame, Sand, Onion Knight, Oak, and Patch. Ashflame was the initiator of the invasion… or rather, the teleportation, and the starting point was naturally Lordland. This occurred a week prior, shortly after Ashflame left the Survey Corps.