LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 182: Sinner
As Kiana fought, Himeko, sensing something amiss, arrived at the city center.
The severed connection with Ren, coupled with Kiana's disappearance, had alarmed her.
Following the fog, she found unconscious civilians.
"Kiana was here."
She checked their breathing, relieved they were just asleep.
This fog was strange, unsettlingly familiar.
Suddenly, she froze, turning around. The gray-haired boy stood there, silently watching her from within the fog.
"Ren?"
No response. The fog felt… wrong. It was similar to Ren's Puppet control.
But when she tried to access the Theater of Domination, it was like dialing a wrong number. No connection.
"What's going on?"
She was bewildered. Ren's behavior had been odd since yesterday, making her question his identity.
And now, with Kiana critically injured, any threat could trigger her collapse. And this fog…
Himeko, though stationed in ARC City, hadn't spent much time here due to Ren's missions.
She'd noticed the citizens' strange behavior, but dismissed it as part of Ren's plan.
Now, danger loomed.
She drew her greatsword, chasing after the figure in the fog.
A series of explosions echoed from the old city district, like a missile barrage. The fog, as if drawn by the sound, began to swirl, converging towards the source, forming a massive vortex.
As the fog thinned at the edges, Himeko saw the missing people, asleep on the ground.
The threads connecting them had been severed. They were free.
In the ruins, Kiana destroyed the last of the Imaginary Husks, their shattered remains scattered around her.
She noticed the swirling fog, a vortex in the sky, like an inverted ocean, consuming everything.
The fog darkened, like storm clouds.
The surrounding Honkai energy intensified, the corruption within Kiana surging.
In seconds, the gem, depleted from its previous use, was full again.
"More enemies? This is getting ridiculous. Just come out and fight! I don't have time for this!"
The vortex descended, having absorbed all the fog.
The scattered debris began to coalesce. Kiana realized the fog was being absorbed by something, forming a humanoid shape.
She raised her blade, ready to strike, but then froze.
A gray-haired boy emerged from the fog, his frail form reflected in her eyes.
"Ren! How… how are you here?"
A flicker of joy turned into fear.
"No, it's dangerous! You shouldn't be here!"
But the Ren before her didn't respond, just stared at her.
"This Honkai… it's not… you, is it?"
She couldn't believe it. The one controlling the city… was him?
But "Ren" remained silent, his gray eyes empty, as if he'd never met her.
He raised a hand, and the destroyed puppets rose again, now connected by black threads.
"It can't be you… It can't be you…"
Memories flooded her mind: their promise under the starry sky, their meeting at sunset, their shared struggles in the darkness, his tears in the hospital room.
His pain, his despair, as he'd begged her to embrace her own light…
Tears welled up. She reached out, wanting to touch his face.
But a blade pierced her chest.
Ren, why…?
She froze, the physical pain nonexistent, but her heart shattered.
Why…?
His guiding principle, the flame that burned within him, was to protect the weak, to fight for those who couldn't fight, to embrace the beauty of humanity.
But this Ren… he had none of that.
Blood trickled from her lips, staining the dust, but her mind cleared.
Despite the pain, her eyes shone brightly, fixed on Ren.
His eyes were vacant, his expression like a puppet's, stiff and lifeless.
She touched his face, feeling only hard bone and rough skin, like a crudely made doll.
This wasn't him. This was an enemy wearing his face.
Good.
Despite the blade in her chest, the surging Honkai corruption, she smiled.
I see.
They were using him, his image, to break her, to confuse her.
But they couldn't replicate the light in his eyes.
Don't worry. I'll save you.
Her conversation with Himeko from the previous night echoed in her mind. The injury, the pain, had sharpened her senses.
Why should I care about his feelings for me? I care for him, not for what he can give me. And he's never asked for anything.
They'd simply wanted to show each other their best selves, to light each other's path, to fight together for a brighter future.
They'd wanted to make the world a better place.
That's why she wanted to see him again.
He had ignited her flame, shown her the way.
And now, having found her own purpose, it was her turn to save him.
Even if he was shrouded in darkness, she would become a sinner to bring him back to the light.
Don't be afraid. Wait for me. I'm coming.