Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

"Yes, Otto healed that empty shell... and the remaining Feather Dust and the memories of this body merged to give birth to a new consciousness."

"Or a new lawgiver, a lawgiver who understands the law."

“Those who understand the laws…” Su frowned, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.

"Don't worry, the Herrschers of Knowledge in this era aren't as troublesome as those in the last era..."

Seeing that Sue was worried about something, Snow continued to explain—

“As I said before, she has merged with Fu Hua’s memories…and you know more about Fu Hua’s special characteristics than I do, right?”

"She can't forget her memories; she can only preserve or erase them through the Feather Dust... Wait, you mean that Herrscher can...!"

Su showed a look that was both funny and exasperated.

"That's right, that Herrscher's consciousness was overwhelmed by Fu Hua's massive amount of memories... making him think he was the Crimson Lotus Sage who had protected this civilization for nearly ten thousand years..."

The blonde girl shrugged and gave a slight smile. Kevin, standing beside her, wore an expression that seemed to say, "Wow, this is unbelievable!"

"In a sense, this can also be considered a way of controlling the power of the Herrscher with the heart of a human being... The first Herrscher is the same example."

"However, his core contains the souls of 300,000 people in Berlin, thereby blocking the Honkai consciousness; while Fu Hua's memories alone can distort the cognition of the new Herrscher... That's the benefit of hyperthymesia, isn't it..."

"However... it's still a newly formed consciousness, so it's bound to be a bit wild... um, like ADHD? Like wanting to fight every acquaintance it sees?"

Kevin and Sue suddenly sensed something was wrong...

"As for acquaintances... it seems there aren't any acquaintances closer to you than yourselves... after all, you've known each other for over fifty thousand years..."

Snow looked at the two ancestors with ill intent.

"Hiss....Hua is such a calm and quiet person, why did such an unlucky child have been born?"

Kevin rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"This is probably what they mean by 'things reach their extreme and then reverse'..."

—And the trials of the girl in the illusion continue to advance.

Chapter Ninety-One: Step Forward, Those Who Cross the Trial

......

The white-haired girl walked through the illusion for a very long time; she could hardly remember how much time had passed during this trial.

She had once felt lost and hesitant here. Then, all of that transformed into unwavering resolve, becoming the driving force that propelled her forward...

The girl had long forgotten whether this was a trial or not; she only knew that she had to move forward... she could only move forward.

And in the very end, she recalled everything she had experienced before—

This is the final lesson, Kiana...

"die"

I will never abandon you, Kiana, just as you never abandoned me!

"Friends"

I will transform this unsatisfactory story into the way we hope it will become.

"oath"

The class monitor is never a loser!

"Bonds"

This is the way home for all of us!

"promise"

Well done, heroes... Tell Theresa... it's a pity her grandfather can't attend her ceremony...

"■■"

They forged the girl's will and tempered her spirit, but with the words of encouragement and last words left for her by the blond man, the dream faded into darkness...

--

"The trial seems to be over... She will be a powerful warrior."

"Let's go, Kevin. There's nothing more to see. As for the cleanup, we'll leave it to Miss Snow."

Su nodded in approval as she watched the disappearing projection and the girl's resolute yet sharp gaze at the end of the trial. She then turned and left the white space with Kevin.

"You should go out too..."

The blonde girl looked at Benares, completely captivated by Kiana's sharp and resolute gaze at the end.

"The white-clad queen was so handsome at the end..."

"...Tsk, I hope Kiana's blood pressure won't spike when she sees this dragon-licking creature again."

The girl rubbed her temples, raised her hand, and waved at the dragon girl, temporarily throwing her out of this space so she could stare at the two old people in the world bubble.

“Little Sirin?... Oh, she’s asleep... Let’s send her out too.” Snow glanced at the girl who was curled up asleep in the chair, shook his head and sent her out of this dream within a dream.

Then—the girl also disappeared from this place, the white space began to collapse, leaving only her words echoing within.

"Well then, there's one last thing..."

--

A red earth, a golden tree in the distance... The darkness that shrouded the white-haired girl gradually dissipated, and the girl arrived at a place she had never been before.

"Hmph, new trouble." Kiana gripped her sword tighter, warily surveying her surroundings.

Quiet, empty, with only the sound of the girl's footsteps.

"...Come here, you who have crossed the trial."

Under the golden tree in the distance, a familiar female voice came from. Kiana, who had scanned the area and found no other danger, became more alert, picked up her greatsword, and rushed toward the source of the voice.

Beneath the golden tree, on a throne formed by an indistinct mixture of black and gold, sat the hermit.

“The Hermit… no, I should have realized it sooner, with that blond hair and that tone of voice… you’re Snow, aren’t you?”

Although it was a question, the white-haired knight spoke with certainty. In response to her question, the figure on the throne removed his mask, revealing a face that Kiana recognized.

The blonde girl looked at Kiana with an appreciative smile, but what truly attracted the knight's attention was not the girl's flawless face, but her strange eyes.

Her left eye, just as the girl remembered, was the same deep blue as her own, like the sky, and now it held admiration and approval.

The girl's right eye didn't give Kiana the same pleasant feeling...

—Indifferent, ruthless, and aloof.

Unlike the Herrschers, they are purer supreme beings, possessing a gaze that only true gods could have.

Moreover, that eye seemed to have its own thoughts; after glancing at me, it gave me a bored look and closed its eyelids.

"Snow, your eyes...?" Kiana planted her greatsword in the ground and looked at the blonde girl in front of her with some curiosity.

"Your focus is sometimes so strange, Kiana... I thought you were going to ask me why I'm here..."

Snow shook his head helplessly.

"Since we're going to ask these questions anyway, why not follow our curiosity and ask the questions that interest us first?"

Kiana shrugged indifferently.

"—And since you've revealed this special side of yourself, you were planning to tell me anyway, Snow?"

"Ha...you've really grown up. Well then, welcome to my Stigmata Space, or rather, the Stigmata Space of the [Kaslana]s. But this place is mine."

"Tch, you're not that much older than me... You acted so profound before, but speaking of which, your aura does seem ancient... And what's this 'Sacred Mark Space'?"

The knight pursed her lips, finally relaxing in front of her friend after an incredibly long trial.

"The Sacred Mark Space is probably useless to you now; you've already embarked on a different path... This place will likely only serve as a storage place for your memories..."

"Here you can see fragments of the memories of the Kaslana from all generations. Of course, if someone is willing to give you a backdoor, you can experience her memories... Just like what you just experienced—they are essentially my memories, which is why I am your guide."

The blonde girl leaned back on the throne and leisurely explained to the girl.

"So, you can see certain future events, and you also have the blood of the Kaslana family, right?"

Kiana quickly gleaned key information from the girl's words.

"That's one way to put it, a knight of Kaslana. Now, let me formally introduce myself. I am Snow Apocalypse, daughter of Archbishop Otto Apocalypse and Saintess Kallen Kaslana."

Snow calmly revealed his identity.

".......?"

A small question mark filled the white-haired knight's eyes and expression; no matter what, the amount of information conveyed at that moment was overwhelming...

Chapter Ninety-Two: You Are My Last Insurance

The silence didn't last long in this space. Kiana quickly came to her senses and looked at the girl in front of her with some disbelief.

"You are Otto and Karen's daughter... But Miss Karen lived 500 years ago. Are you like your father...?"

"She's lived for 500 years... No, Miss Karen never even got married in history, right?"

"Snow, don't you dare slander someone's innocence."

Kiana looked at the blonde girl on the throne, her face clearly saying, "Don't try to mess with me."

"I am indeed their child... Have you forgotten how you were born?"

The blonde girl shook her head helplessly and offered a suggestion to Kiana, who was in front of her and had been greatly shocked and couldn't think straight for a moment.

"...Genetic engineering, which means that, strictly speaking, you should be a cyborg?"

"You've figured it out now..." The blonde girl smiled, acknowledging Kiana's guess.

"Ah, don't look at me with that pitying gaze... I grew up with my father..."

Snow looked at Kiana, who suddenly seemed to be imagining something, and gave her a pitying look, which sent a chill down his spine.

"Huh? He didn't do any weird experiments on you, like with your eye...?"

The white-haired knight looked surprised and asked incredulously.