¡BANG!...
A single, dry and precise shot in the distance cut through the sepulchral silence of Schicksal's floating laboratories.
That sound was the only anchor that pulled me out of the black abyss into which I had sunk. The world returned in disordered fragments: first the metallic echo bouncing off the walls, then the smell of burnt gunpowder mixed with blood and ashes, and finally the pain. Not the burning of the void lances that I still felt embedded in my flesh like a phantom memory, but a distant, numbed pain.
I opened my eyes.
The darkness slowly dissipated. I was lying face-up on a pile of cold debris: twisted metal, cracked concrete, and fragments of armor that still smoked. The air was thick, laden with ashes and that characteristic metallic smell of dried blood.
My vision cleared.
[System Notice:]
[You have survived a near-death experience. Unlocked reward: Reverse Cursed Technique (basic level).
Additional: The Divine General Mahoraga can be summoned again even after being destroyed. The adaptations of its wheel will remain active as long as you maintain the invocation of the general or its wheel.]
Hahaha… So I really did make it.
A hoarse, weak laugh escaped my throat. I felt as if I had been thrown off a skyscraper and then run over by a truck. Slowly, I sat up, pushing aside chunks of rubble with trembling hands. As I did so, I channeled the newly acquired Reverse Cursed Technique: a warm, gentle flow coursed through my veins, sealing the perforated wounds, recomposing torn tissues. In seconds, the pain turned into a faint tingle.
Now then… where the hell am I? How much time has passed?
I looked around. I had fallen quite far from the battlefield.
I have to admit, this time I really overdid it. I truly believed Mahoraga would win. But I was too naive; to face Sirin the Herrscher of the Void, at the very least I needed the Reverse Cursed Technique.
On the other hand, it doesn't seem like too much time has passed since I nearly died... now that I think about it, when I woke up I'm sure I heard a gunshot.
Don't tell me that… right at this moment…
I sighed, running a hand through my sweat-soaked hair matted with dried blood. "I suppose it had to happen someday," I murmured. "Besides, Fu Hua will revive later… but Himeko…"
The name stabbed into my chest like one of Sirin's lances.
Himeko no.
I couldn't allow it. She was no longer just the "waifu" from the game I loved so much; she was the woman who had trained me, who had covered my back, who had treated me as an equal despite my secrets and mysterious powers. She was a teacher, a companion, someone I truly appreciated. And I knew exactly what she was about to do: sacrifice herself with the Vermillion Knight: Eclipse to give Kiana a chance to escape.
I wasn't going to let that happen.
I must find her; I won't let her die just like that. I closed my eyes for a moment and pushed my Six Eyes to the maximum. I scanned the surroundings for any trace of her. Finally, after nearly a minute of straining my senses to the limit, I found something—not Himeko directly, but an ethereal, almost divine fragment floating like a wandering soul on the outskirts of the laboratories.
It was Fu Hua. Or what remained of her.
Her consciousness, freed from the destroyed body, was guiding Himeko toward the prototype battlesuit God Slayer: Vermillion Knight: Eclipse. Perfect. If I followed that trace, I would find Himeko before it was too late.
I stood up with a crack of joints. The Herrscher of the Void seemed to have withdrawn for now; the sky was eerily calm, interrupted only by the distant roar of residual explosions and the hum of damaged machinery. I walked unhurriedly through the ruins, jumping over debris and climbing collapsed structures with instinctive parkour.
As I advanced, I reflected aloud:
Throughout my time in this world, the Six Eyes had taught me that even within Honkai—chaotic and corrosive like radiation—there were nuances. Variants. Like the elemental natures of chakra in Naruto: everything stemmed from a primordial energy, but branched into specializations. Fu Hua's signature was different: pure, ancient, almost… protective.
Whatever. Now I need to find a way to persuade Himeko not to fight. I really don't want to see her die. And maybe I can restore the damage the Honkai has done to her body. I'm not yet able to use reverse rituals on others, but if I can stabilize her… I could save her.
After a few minutes, I reached the entrance to the enormous floating laboratory. The security doors were wide open, systems deactivated. Inside reigned a sepulchral silence broken only by the echo of my footsteps. I could see a series of very advanced robotic mechanisms covering the entire floor, connected to form a massive assembly line. In addition, several floating blue holographic screens and in general an appearance that resembled more a factory than a laboratory.
Everything seemed quite calm, almost abandoned, only with traces of destruction: deep cuts in the walls, mechs split in half, sparks jumping from exposed cables. Himeko had passed through here and wreaked havoc on the machines.
I continued advancing, following the almost divine signature of Fu Hua floating like an invisible beacon. Each step brought me closer to the room where the prototype was located. As I walked, my mind worked at full speed: What do I say to her? Do I tell her the truth? "Himeko, I know what you're going to do and I won't allow it because I don't want you to die"? Or something more subtle? "I have a way to cure you of the Honkai before it consumes you."
Whatever it was, it had to be convincing.
On the penultimate floor, I ran into Tesla. She didn't even notice me. She seemed quite focused on what she was doing—probably replicating or analyzing the HSN-B46 neutralizer—so I decided not to interrupt her and continued on my way.
Finally, after what seemed like endless stairs, I reached the lower floor of the laboratory. A somber sight stretched out before me, like a sacred sanctuary housing a relic.
And there, with her back to me, I saw her unmistakable silhouette: fire-red hair, model figure, and an enormous sword.
Himeko.
She was standing in front of the Vermillion Knight: Eclipse.
And at that precise moment, I felt Fu Hua's soul fragment pause, as if it had perceived me.
The moment had arrived.
I took a deep breath and entered.
"Himeko… Don't do it," I said in a firm but soft voice.
"Mikael… you…?"
Her voice came out in a whisper, laden with disbelief. The enormous sword she held tilted slightly toward the ground, as if the weight of the weapon—and of the moment—had suddenly struck her.
She looked me up and down: my clothes in shreds, holes from void lances, dried blood stuck to my hair and face. I looked like a walking corpse, and I knew it. But her amber eyes showed no fear, only a mix of relief, confusion, and… something deeper. Determination.
"How did you get here?" she asked, voice firm but tinged with concern. "I thought you were covering the flank with Theresa and the others. The laboratory was locked… What happened to you? You look like you've been through hell."
I took a slow, deliberate step forward. I didn't want to scare her or make her retreat toward the battlesuit that glowed with an ominous crimson light behind her: the Vermillion Knight: Eclipse, an armor of metal and blazing shine, inside a capsule connected to cables and tubes still humming with residual energy.
"Long story," I replied calmly, though my heart was pounding. "The chaos out there is worse than you imagine. But I'm here now. And that's what matters."
Himeko gripped the hilt of her sword tighter. Her posture changed: from surprise to defensive guard in the blink of an eye. Always the teacher.
"And you've come to stop me?" she asked, tone mixing challenge and exhaustion. "After everything that's happened? Kiana is out there, Mikael. If I don't use this…" She nodded toward the battlesuit. "If I don't activate Eclipse and confront her, she'll die. Everyone will die."
"I know," I said bluntly. "I know exactly what you plan. The serum Fu Hua gave you. The one that could cure your Honkai in exchange for your powers. I know you're not going to use it on yourself. You're going to inject it into Kiana to expel the Herrscher and give her a chance. And I know Eclipse will consume you in the process. Your Honkai resistance is low now. This will only accelerate the inevitable."
Her eyes narrowed. For a second, she seemed about to deny everything. Then she let out a bitter, short laugh.
"You've always been too smart for your own good, kid." She ran a hand through her red hair, pushing it away from her sweaty forehead. "And so? You've come to offer me a magical alternative? To tell me you can save me with your shadow and spirit tricks?"
"It's not a trick," I replied. "I have an invocation… that can stabilize the damage the Honkai is causing you. I haven't fully tested it on others, but I can try. With you. Now."
I paused, lowering my voice.
"I need you to trust me. To lower that sword and let me get close. To not get into that machine that's going to consume you from the inside."
I took another slow step forward. The air thick with tension.
Her eyes narrowed, pure distrust.
Himeko shook her head, firm despite the tremor in her voice.
"I can't stop. Kiana needs us. I'll activate this and inject the neutralizer into her to expel the Herrscher. It's my only card. I won't bet her life and the world on a possibility."
Fu Hua's soul fragment seemed to watch us, motionless.
I sighed. I suppose there's no choice…
"I'm sorry, teacher, but I won't let your next lesson be your last."
I joined my hands in a quick seal and murmured; Domain Expansion. The space around us distorted: "Chimera Shadow Garden." Beneath my feet spread a sea of liquid shadows that covered the floor and climbed the walls until it swallowed the light. Dozens of shadowy toads emerged from the dark swamp and climbed over Himeko, immobilizing her with sticky tongues and legs. A colossal serpent burst from the ground and coiled around her torso and arms, squeezing without breaking bones, only restricting movement.
"What the hell?" Himeko growled, struggling with all her strength. "Let me go, Mikael!"
I approached slowly while the serpent held her in place. I summoned the deer of the Ten Shadows: a luminous figure with branched antlers appeared to her left and touched her shoulder with its muzzle. At the same time, I placed my hand on her right shoulder and began to slowly absorb the Honkai to prevent it from continuing to damage her body. The Honkai corrosion receded and her body healed.
Himeko gasped, her eyes opening in surprise and relief.
"It hurts… but I'm healing… How…?"
I didn't answer. The process ended in less than a minute. I dissipated the domain. The sea of shadows retreated, the toads and serpent dissolved into dark pools, and Himeko fell to her knees, free but exhausted.
Before she could stand or protest, I took one more step forward and, with a precise and controlled blow to the nape—knock-out technique she herself had taught me—I rendered her unconscious. Her body slumped gently into my arms.
Always fighting until the end… You really have a strong will, teacher.
Fu Hua's soul fragment floated closer, its presence serene but intense. Its ethereal eyes fixed on me with ancient seriousness.
"Do you truly believe you can save them all, child?"
The question hung suspended in the smoke-laden air and silence.
I didn't answer immediately. I simply hoisted Himeko more firmly over my shoulder and looked at Fu Hua's fragment.
"Not all of them," I admitted with brutal honesty. "The world is too big, and I'm not a saint or a hero. But I won't let those I can help die for a fate I can change. Not Himeko… not Kiana… not anyone who still has a chance."
Fu Hua's soul didn't reply right away. It only tilted its head slightly, as if silently measuring something deep within me: perhaps my persistent arrogance, perhaps the raw sincerity beginning to emerge beneath it.
A subtle, almost imperceptible smile curved its ethereal lips—the smile of someone who has seen too many endings and still finds a glimmer of hope.
"You've changed a lot, child," it said in a soft, ancient voice, like the echo of a forgotten temple. "I suppose my mission here is over. Can you thank Major Himeko for her lessons… for me?"
"Of course," I replied without hesitation, with the same dry honesty she had always valued.
Fu Hua nodded once more, slow and deliberate. Then it joined its right palm against its left fist in a traditional, deep and serene bow.
With that gesture, its figure began to dissolve into soft light particles. Ethereal feathers—white, translucent, like snowflakes illuminated by moonlight—detached from it and floated in the air. They didn't extinguish; they remained suspended for a few seconds, like silent fireflies refusing to disappear completely, before fading entirely into the laboratory's gloom.
Silence returned, heavier now. But also clearer.
Then I looked at the Vermillion Knight: Eclipse, with its crimson glow still pulsing inside its capsule a few meters in front of me. The armor shone with an internal throbbing light, like a heart of contained fire. I could feel it: the gem of Haste—the core that replicated the power of the Second Herrscher—pulsed with pure and destructive Honkai energy, designed to incinerate both enemy and wielder.
An idea formed in my mind.
I approached the capsule. The security seals were already deactivated—Himeko had broken them before my arrival. With a wave of my hand, I summoned a shadow extension that enveloped the battlesuit and gently extracted it from its container. The metal creaked as it was freed, and the air warmed for an instant from the residual radiation.
I stored it directly in my system inventory—an extra-dimensional space granted by the system. The weight vanished as if it had never existed.
I opened the system shop.
A translucent blue window appeared in my vision, identical in style to the Honkai Impact 3rd interface I knew so well: glowing edges, floating icons, a subtle starry background. But the content was completely different. There were no Valkyries, stigmata, or Honkai firearms. Instead, cursed objects and tools from the Jujutsu Kaisen universe were displayed.
In the top-left corner was a filter board: by class (Special, 1, 2, 3, 4), by type (weapon, object, tool), and a curious option: "Exchange weapons for keys." Below, my current balance blinked in red: 250 Keys.
I touched the "Exchange" filter. The system valued it immediately and a list of items I could "sell" appeared:
[Vermillion Knight: Eclipse – God Slayer Prototype] Estimated value: 2400 Keys
[Do you wish to sell the item [Vermillion Knight: Eclipse – God Slayer Prototype] for 2400 Keys?]
—Yes.
[You have obtained 2400 Keys]
[Current balance: 2650 Keys]
Good, with this I can buy something that really gives me a chance against Sirin.
I returned to the weapons section and filtered by: Weapons > Special Class.
The list unfolded:
Playful Cloud: (Special Grade) – 1200 Keys. A three-section staff connected by rings. No inherent cursed technique; amplifies the user's pure physical strength through cursed energy. Useful for devastating close-combat blows.
Divine Soul Katana: (Special Grade) – 1800 Keys. A wide katana that ignores physical resistance and cuts directly into the target's soul. Requires soul perception for maximum potential; ideal against entities with immaterial or regenerative "bodies."
Inverted Celestial Spear: (Special Grade) – 2000 Keys. A three-pronged jitte dagger with short handle. Forces immediate cancellation of any cursed technique or Honkai ability upon direct contact regardless of type.
Chain of a Thousand Miles: (Special Grade) – 1000 Keys. A cursed chain that extends indefinitely as long as the end is not visible. Useful for unlimited reach in combat; can entangle and restrict movement even at extreme distances.
Black Rope: (Equivalent to Special Grade) – 1400 Keys. A woven black rope. Upon contact, it disrupts and nullifies cursed techniques, allowing physical blows against energy defenses. Against Honkai, it can interrupt active corrosion or subspace portals, burning partially with each use (progressive consumption).
I thought for a moment. Weighing advantages and disadvantages, the Inverted Celestial Spear was perfect for canceling her void techniques on contact, but buying it would consume almost all my keys.
[Purchase confirmed: Inverted Celestial Spear – 2000 Keys]
[Remaining balance: 650 Keys]
It doesn't matter; I needed to win. I can always get more keys later.
I closed the shop with a mental gesture. Fu Hua's fragment had already disappeared completely, but her question still echoed in my head.
Could I really save them all? I didn't know. But I had a plan. And I had tools.
I hoisted Himeko more firmly and advanced toward the laboratory exit. The way back to the Hyperion—or wherever Theresa and the others were fighting—would be long. But for the first time since I awoke in this world, I felt I had control.
Or at least, the illusion of it.
—End of Chapter 9—