The alarms continued to blare throughout the facility.
Alarm: "…!!"
Alarm: "Attention, all units. Zombies have entered the 31st floor. The system will initiate quarantine protocol in 5 seconds!"
Alarm: "All non-combat personnel shall enter shelter facilities at once and avoid contact with the wounded!"
The corridors had descended into chaos.
Emergency lights flashed across the walls as distant gunfire and screams echoed through the facility.
Seele: "There are more and more zombies!"
SAKURA tightened her grip around her katana.
SAKURA: 'The 31st floor… 2 floors away from the 33rd…'
Her expression became increasingly tense.
SAKURA: 'Come on… move faster!'
They raced through the corridor.
Seele: "SAKURA, we've reached the 33rd floor!"
Seele suddenly stopped.
Her face went pale.
Seele: "Kyaa! Look at all this blood!"
Blood was smeared across the walls and floor.
Broken equipment lay scattered everywhere.
SAKURA didn't stop.
SAKURA: "Stay safe, Seele. I must find RIN!"
She continued running.
SAKURA: "We'll leave as soon as I find her!"
SAKURA dashed along the corridor.
The intensifying alarm rattled her nerves.
Every second felt like an eternity.
SAKURA: 'No… don't tell me I'm too late…'
She desperately searched the room numbers as she passed.
SAKURA: 'Where are you, RIN?'
Then—
Her eyes widened.
SAKURA: "…Ah!"
She spotted the number ahead.
SAKURA: 'There! 769… 767… RIN's room is up ahead!'
SAKURA sprinted toward the door.
SAKURA: "RIN! I'm here!"
The cell was unlocked.
SAKURA charged inside.
And there, in the room…
Her eyes searched for—
That familiar face.
But the air smelled of spilled blood.
SAKURA's eyes widened.
The sight burned itself permanently into her memories.
RIN's body lay motionless on the floor.
A bullet wounds was visible on her.
For several seconds, SAKURA could not breathe.
Then her knees gave way.
She fell to the floor.
SAKURA: "…"
Seele stared at the scene in horror.
Seele: "No… why…"
She covered her mouth.
She tried desperately to swallow the cruel word forming in her throat.
But it still found its way into her trembling voice.
Seele: "She… she's…"
Her eyes filled with tears.
Seele: "Why did this happen? Who did this?"
The cuts and wounds covering the young girl's body testified to her final moments of despair and terror.
Who could have done something so diabolical?
But the question no longer mattered.
Nothing remained in this place except evidence of malice.
Then—
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps approached.
Monsters lurking in the darkness stalked their prey.
Seele turned toward the corridor.
Seele: "The zombies are behind us! SAKURA!"
But SAKURA didn't move.
Her eyes remained fixed on RIN.
SAKURA: "RIN…"
Her voice was barely audible.
SAKURA: "If only…"
Her hands trembled.
SAKURA: "If only I was a bit faster…"
"Seele": 'She can't hear anything. It's useless!'
Seele: "…"
Seele looked toward the approaching zombies.
Then back at SAKURA.
She made her decision.
Seele: "She needs time… I'll buy her some time!"
Seele: "Ah!"
Before Seele could move—
A blazing inferno erupted through the corridor.
Fiery flames came swirling in, reducing every zombie in their path to ash.
The remains scattered through the air like black snow.
At the heart of the firestorm stood a silver-haired warrior.
Kevin: "…"
Kevin's gaze swept across the room.
For a moment, Seele's heart froze.
But she quickly realized that she wasn't his target.
Having defeated every zombie, Kevin extinguished the firestorm.
He slowly walked toward the two girls.
Kevin: "SAKURA…"
SAKURA: "…"
She didn't answer.
Like her recently deceased sister, SAKURA's heart had been swallowed by the abyss.
Shock.
Denial.
Rage.
Tears.
Kevin considered a million possibilities.
But SAKURA simply sat there, drowning in the nightmare of her reality and refusing to wake.
Kevin remained silent.
Kevin: "…"
He eventually shook his head and connected to the communication channels.
Kevin: "MEI, this is Kevin. The zombies on the 33rd floor have been neutralised."
MEI's voice came through the communicator.
MEI: "Good job. We've purged zombies at every level as well."
There was a brief pause.
MEI: "Did you detect anything from the Herrscher host?"
Kevin glanced at SAKURA.
Kevin: "…Nothing."
MEI: "I won't call off the alarm yet. Stay alert. Reinforcements are on the way."
Kevin: "Roger that."
Seele looked toward Kevin.
She didn't know what to make of him.
But she knew one thing.
SAKURA was broken.
Seele: "What are you going to do? Please don't hurt SAKURA…"
Seele: "She just wanted to protect her sister. Her sister was innocent."
Kevin's expression remained cold.
Kevin: "The power of the 12th manifested in the form of an airborne contagion."
Kevin: "Soldiers in the base murdered her without orders, which therefore activated her Herrscher powers."
Kevin: "She was the cause of the zombie outbreak."
Kevin looked toward SAKURA.
Kevin: "SAKURA was wrong. RIN turned out to be an actual Herrscher. SAKURA shall be held responsible for the break-in."
Seele shook her head.
Seele: "But RIN never wanted to do that!"
Seele: "If the soldiers didn't kill her, none of this would have happened!"
Kevin's eyes hardened.
Kevin: "Even if we stopped the soldiers, something else would eventually bring her to the breaking point."
Kevin: "Her fate was sealed the moment the Honkai made her its Herrscher."
Kevin clenched his fist.
Kevin: "This is the enemy we fight. This is the Honkai."
Anger flashed through Kevin's eyes.
The MANTIS clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles trembled.
He tried to speak calmly.
But his shaking body betrayed the pain and fury beneath his words.
Suddenly—
MEI: "Kevin… Kevin, can you hear me?"
Kevin immediately looked toward his communicator.
MEI: "Bad news. The Herrscher survived."
Kevin: "What?"
MEI: "The base system was attacked by an unknown virus. Our defense programs are down."
The alarm system suddenly changed.
MEI: "Every facility and mech is under its control. It's now breaking into the launch system of our missile silos."
Kevin's expression changed.
Kevin: "Hold on. I'll be right with you!"
MEI's voice became increasingly urgent.
MEI: "The 12th Herrscher… is a sentient virus…"
A pause.
MEI: "Its true form… the Herrscher of Corruption…"
SYSTEM: "Buzz…"
The communication channel suddenly distorted.
Kevin: "…! Comm systems are down!"
Seele looked around as the doors suddenly slammed shut.
Seele: "Wha… What happened? Why are the doors shut?"
Kevin turned toward her.
Kevin: "Take SAKURA somewhere safe! The Herrscher is still on the attack…"
Then SAKURA finally moved.
Her voice was quiet.
Almost lifeless.
SAKURA: "RIN… is she still alive?"
The question froze the air.
SAKURA slowly stood.
She turned toward Kevin.
Her eyes were vacant.
SAKURA: "Kevin, where is she?"
Kevin stared at her.
Kevin: "SAKURA, what are you trying to do?"
SAKURA's expression didn't change.
SAKURA: "I'm going to find her."
Kevin's eyes widened.
Kevin: "You're out of your mind. She isn't RIN anymore!"
Seele stepped forward.
Seele: "Don't go, SAKURA…"
SAKURA looked at her.
SAKURA: "Seele…"
Seele: "It's dangerous. You might…"
SAKURA turned toward the corridor.
SAKURA: "This is why I must go. Don't stop me."
She paused.
SAKURA: "RIN must be very lonely right now. She fears being alone…"
Her expression softened.
SAKURA: "…She needs me."
Seele couldn't answer.
Seele: "…"
Outside, the facility descended further into chaos.
Sirens.
Gunfire.
Explosions.
The sounds merged into an unbearable cacophony.
Seele knew what SAKURA was doing.
It was a one-way trip.
But she couldn't say no.
She couldn't find any reason to stop her.
Seele: "…"
Then she made her decision.
Seele: "Let me go with you!"
Kevin immediately stepped forward.
Kevin: "Stop this! RIN is already dead!"
SAKURA remained silent.
SAKURA: "…"
Kevin: "Please stop, SAKURA!"
SAKURA turned toward Seele one final time.
SAKURA: "Seele, I'm sorry…"
Swoosh…
SAKURA drew her blade.
The instant the blade left its sheath, the surrounding space-time fabric froze.
Everything stopped.
The alarms.
The smoke.
The falling debris.
Even the light itself seemed to become motionless.
SAKURA granted herself a few seconds of serenity.
She was the only one who could move freely in this world without light.
She whispered softly.
SAKURA: "I must leave you here."
Then she dashed past Seele.
SAKURA: "I pray you'll find Bronya…"
Seele: "Ah!"
Kevin stood motionless.
Kevin: "…"
The frozen space-time released.
Everything resumed at once.
Seele looked around frantically.
Seele: "What happened? Where's SAKURA?"
Kevin looked toward the empty corridor.
Kevin: "She's gone…"
Seele immediately turned toward the exit.
Seele: "We must go help her. She's in danger!"
Kevin remained silent.
Kevin: "…"
Then, quietly—
Kevin: "…There's no need for that."
…
…
SYSTEM: "Buzz…"
The communicator suddenly flickered back to life.
MEI: "Kevin, I made it."
Kevin listened.
MEI: "The quarantine program trapped the Herrscher in the mainframe. I'll try to transfer her to the black box."
A pause.
MEI: "…Kevin, what's wrong? Can you hear me?"
Kevin looked toward the devastated corridor.
Kevin: "Sorry, MEI, can you give me a few moments?"
His voice was unusually quiet.
Kevin: "I have something… to take care of…"
Kevin walked through the ruined facility.
Step by step.
Until he found her.
SAKURA: "…"
She lay amidst the metal debris like a flower blooming in endless ruins.
Her treasured pendant had withered along with her.
Seele stood nearby, tears streaming down her face.
Seele: "SAKURA! NYET! NYET!"
Kevin said nothing.
Kevin: "…"
SAKURA slowly opened her eyes.
SAKURA: "Kevin… I knew you were right…"
Kevin knelt beside her.
Kevin: "MEI has sealed the Herrscher."
Kevin: "She told me that the Herrscher behaved aberrantly in its final moments."
Kevin: "MEI didn't miss the opportunity."
SAKURA's breathing grew weaker.
SAKURA: "Thank you, Kevin…"
Her eyes drifted toward Seele.
SAKURA: "I was with her… she was still my sister… till the very end…"
A faint smile appeared.
SAKURA: "I'm proud… to be her sister…"
Kevin lowered his head.
Kevin: "…"
After a moment, he spoke.
Kevin: "You regret nothing, SAKURA. You've done your best."
SAKURA seemed to smile as life slowly ebbed from her eyes.
Perhaps she saw something that only she could see.
A peaceful town.
Cherry blossom trees.
Her sister waiting for her.
Or perhaps simply a memory.
Then she spoke one final time.
SAKURA: "Kevin, one last thing… a favor… please…"
Kevin: "I'm listening."
SAKURA: "Seele… take her to our home…"
SAKURA: "The town square… with the sakura trees…"
Kevin looked at her.
Kevin: "I'll try."
Seele sobbed.
Seele: "SAKURA…"
SAKURA turned toward her.
SAKURA: "Seele… don't be sad…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
SAKURA: "There are things… beyond our power…"
She took a weak breath.
SAKURA: "But… if you have someone… to protect…"
SAKURA: "When you… stand with her… under the sakura trees…"
Her smile grew faintly warmer.
SAKURA: "You'll find that… the world is still beautiful…"
SAKURA: "And you'll know… that there's still hope… for your world…"
The final embers of life left her eyes with her last words.
Silence followed.
The bubble universe slowly began to extinguish along with the life of the MANTIS.
The lights disappeared.
The facility vanished.
The sakura trees of SAKURA's memory were swallowed by darkness.
Seele: "SAKURA… SAKURA…"
Her gentle sobs faded into the darkness.
Until nothing remained.
Only silence.
…
…
Seele opened her eyes.
The bubble universe was gone.
She was once again drifting within the endless Sea of Quanta.
The memory of SAKURA's final moments remained painfully vivid in her mind.
Then a mysterious voice echoed through the darkness.
???: "Hector knew Troy would fall, while Achilles knew death was foretold."
???: "Yet both warriors stepped into battle just as fearless and bold."
???: "There was no escape, but their courage only grew."
???: "True heroes they were, and we shall be too."
Seele looked around.
Seele: "Huh?"
She searched the empty space around her.
Seele: "Who said that?"
The voice continued.
???: "I brought her remains back to her home. But when I arrived…"
Seele's eyes widened.
???: "There was nothing but an irradiated wasteland."
???: "The Herrscher did break into the silos and destroyed the 3 remaining human cities."
The voice grew colder.
???: "I stood in the ruins of the square…"
A long silence.
???: "There was nothing. Not even a single petal."
Seele suddenly sensed a presence behind her.
She turned.
A familiar figure stood within the darkness.
Silver hair.
Cold blue eyes.
Kevin.
For the second time, Seele found herself standing face-to-face with the legendary MANTIS.
Seele: "…Ah!!"
Kevin slowly looked toward her.
His voice carried the weight of countless years.
Kevin: "On the scorched land…"
Kevin: "I made a promise to her… to everyone…"
His eyes hardened.
Kevin: "No matter what it takes…"
Kevin: "Humanity shall defeat the Honkai!"