A veteran Herrscher—one who had fully completed their connection to the Imaginary Tree and fully realized their limitless withdrawal of energy from the Will of the Honkai and the Cocoon of Finality itself—possessed a detection range of obscene proportions.
For even a newborn Herrscher of the Void, specializing in spatial manipulation and detection second only to Finality itself, locating a single person who wasn’t attempting to hide—on the contrary, actively trying to locate the Herrscher herself—was a trivial task.
Especially when that person was practically a beacon of Honkai energy, with the Void Stigmata reacting intensely to her presence.
And so, Sirin descended with overwhelming relief and delight upon spotting Seiya waving to her from outside the car.
Bella, Galina, and Agata were asleep inside.
All of the Herrscher pride and bravado she had displayed in front of the wielder of a Divine Key, the A-rank Valkyrie Theresa Apocalypse, vanished without a trace.
She fell directly into his arms, deactivating the Honkai energy keeping her afloat and allowing herself to be caught effortlessly in a princess carry.
The coldness that had previously marred her face melted away instantly, replaced by a radiant grin overflowing with happiness.
Dragon “Seiya” curled nearby protectively, though it displayed no hostility toward the real Seiya.
Companion Honkai Beasts inherited the will of their respective Herrschers, and to Dragon “Seiya,” Seiya himself was an existence second only to its beloved queen.
The moment Seiya lowered her to the ground, Sirin immediately threw herself forward again, burying her face against his chest.
At the same time, however, her spiky tail remained subtly pointed toward the sleeping figures inside the car, prepared to strike at a moment’s notice if necessary.
Seiya smiled softly and peppered her face with kisses, beginning at her forehead before moving to both cheeks, a beaming smile spreading across his features at seeing his beloved little sister once more.
At that warm expression—so relieved, so full of unconditional affection—something inside Sirin finally shattered.
The dam burst completely.
To the newly awakened Herrscher, influenced by the Will of the Honkai itself, Seiya was the only human in existence who held any true importance.
And the Will of the Honkai was willing to compromise.
It would permit this single person to live in exchange for the annihilation of the rest of humanity.
“B-Brother…!
I knew it…!
I knew those filthy pests couldn’t—couldn’t possibly kill you…!”
Sirin’s voice cracked apart as tears streamed down her face.
“I was so scared…!
The experiments hurt so much…!
I was s-so scared…!
But I didn’t cry!
I helped everyone like you would’ve…!”
Seiya gently cupped her cheeks.
That single act shattered whatever composure she had left.
Her sobbing intensified as all of the terror, pain, grief, and resentment boiling within her finally poured out safely in the arms of the one person she trusted above all else.
The destructive impulses planted inside her mind by the Will of the Honkai were completely overwhelmed by her love for the person standing before her.
Seiya simply held her quietly, a soft brotherly expression crossing his face.
His angel was back.
In that moment, Seiya realized something important.
Sirin had never truly been a helpless damsel in distress.
Even at barely thirteen years old, she was a strong girl who had survived the deaths of her parents, crushing loneliness, brutal experimentation, and unimaginable suffering.
(If Sirin herself were asked about it, however, she would vehemently insist that Seiya was better than their parents anyway… and then promptly erase anyone foolish enough to question her.
Provided they weren’t Seiya himself, of course.)
Seiya motioned toward the dragon.
Dragon “Seiya” awkwardly waddled forward, trying not to exert too much pressure onto the blanket of snow beneath its claws.
Seiya patted its head approvingly, silently thanking it for protecting his beloved Sirin, and the dragon visibly preened beneath the praise.
After several long moments, Sirin’s crying finally began to subside.
She rubbed at her eyes with the ends of her knuckles, trying to calm her breathing.
“Sirin,” Seiya said softly.
“Tell me something.”
Sirin immediately stiffened.
“Did you kill the scientists at Babylon Labs?”
Panic flooded her face instantly.
Oh no.
She had killed them.
And she didn’t regret it in the slightest.
If she hadn’t done it herself, then Seiya would have needed to dirty his own hands to save her.
That could not be allowed.
To preserve Seiya as a saint, she would gladly become a sinner in his place.
But now that he had asked directly—in that strangely serious tone—most of her confidence evaporated.
To anyone else, Sirin would have proudly declared their deaths without hesitation.
But before Seiya alone…
She was terrified he might hate her.
Yet she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him.
Anyone else could be deceived.
But not him.
Never him.
Fresh tears spilled from her eyes again.
Dragon “Seiya” immediately stiffened at its queen’s distress.
“I-I did…” Sirin whispered weakly, her voice muffled against his chest.
Silence followed.
Sirin’s heart sank further with every passing second.
Her eyes began watering again as she forced herself to continue.
“I’m sorr—”
“Don’t be.”
Seiya interrupted firmly.
Sirin froze.
Hope slowly returned to her eyes.
“They aren’t worth apologizing over,” Seiya said calmly.
“You did the right thing by eliminating them.
Honestly, I wouldn’t even consider it murder.
I don’t think those things qualify as human beings in the first place.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“At most, you pulled out rampant weeds.
A disease festering within humanity.”
Then his voice softened once more, filled with warmth and pride.
“You protected the other girls trapped there too, didn’t you?”
Sirin nodded timidly.
“That’s amazing.
I’m so proud of my little goddess~!”
Seiya giggled brightly.
Sirin instantly lit up at the praise before floating upward slightly to aggressively smother his face in kisses while Seiya laughed openly in delight.
Heaven had been achieved.
After several moments, Sirin hesitated slightly before mumbling quietly,
“D-Don’t call me a goddess…”
Seiya blinked.
“Hm?”
“K-Keep calling me your little angel instead… please?”
The proud Void Queen who would proclaim her divinity before any other mortal simply couldn’t bring herself to do so before him.
Seiya stared for a moment before smiling gently and nodding.
“Alright, my little angel.”
Sirin visibly brightened.
Then Seiya suddenly spoke again.
“Sirin, go to the moon for me, would you?
Go visit the voice in your head.”
Sirin blinked in confusion.
Then her eyes widened with starry-eyed awe.
Big Brother really did know everything~!
Even about the strange voice constantly whispering inside her head!
At first, she had been reluctant to follow it.
But if Seiya said it was alright, then she would go without hesitation.
Her brother would never place her in danger.
“Seiya,” Sirin called toward the dragon, “stay here and protect Big Brother and… whoever else is in the car.
Just do whatever he tells you to do.”
Then she noticed Seiya’s expression.
Specifically, the raised eyebrow, the amused grin, and the unmistakable realization shining in his eyes.
You named the dragon after me?
Sirin’s face instantly turned scarlet.
She waved her hands frantically in denial before immediately covering her burning face with them in embarrassment.
Golden wings coalesced an inch from her back as she floated upward.
“B-Bye now!
Going to the moon!
I’ll be safe!
Love youuuuu~!”
She squealed before bursting upward at terrifying speed, disappearing into the heavens in a single instant.
Seiya burst into open laughter, all of his worries finally fading away now that Sirin had effectively become a walking apocalypse.
“Uwah~ As expected…”
A soft, affectionate grin spread across his face.
“My little angel really is the cutest~!”
Haiii~!
Chapter’s slightly longer than usual, since y’know, I’m like…Nine hours late?
Oops~!
Anyways!
More Importantly, we finally hit fifteen thousand words with this one~!
Which means you can rate it!
So do it!
Five stars and Four stars!
I’m not taking anything that isn’t an acceptable gacha pull.