"Yokai-sis, are you okay?"
The girl watched as the yokai miko used a clearly single-shot firearm to kill all those people, then sat down on the ground with an expression of overwhelming disbelief.
Could it be... this is the first time this strange yokai miko has killed someone?
But isn't she supposed to be a monster?
Are monsters also shocked by killing for the first time?
However... somehow, the young girl wasn't afraid of this peculiar monster. Maybe because she had saved her earlier?
After hesitating for a moment, the girl got up and walked over to Yae Sakura, looking at the miko who was holding her head.
She paused again before offering some comfort:
"These bandits were evil scum beyond redemption. There's no need for guilt. They deserved death! They destroyed countless villages, murdered so many innocent people, and violated... so many... helpless girls."
"You shouldn't blame yourself at all," the girl said, crouching beside Yae Sakura and trying to console her.
For this monster miko who had saved her life, she felt immense gratitude.
"I'm not feeling guilty..." Yae Sakura lifted her head.
"Sister Monster, you..."
The girl looked at Yae Sakura's face and was instantly terrified, falling back onto the ground with a thud.
There wasn't even a hint of guilt on this monster shrine maiden's face. Was that... excitement? No, it was sick!
A horrifyingly deranged expression...
"Monster... Sister, are you... okay?"
The girl swallowed hard, stuttering out her question.
"I'm fine..."
Yae Sakura picked up the gun from the ground.
Despite killing someone for the first time, she didn't feel any fear like most people would. Instead, she felt something akin to... pleasure?
Am I not normal?
No... that's not it. The first time I killed a chicken, I couldn't bear it.
Even though I got used to it later,
the first time I killed someone, I suddenly... felt like I couldn't stop.
It wasn't my fault, or maybe this body's fault? This is Yae Sakura's body, so I'm being affected...
This feeling reminded Yae Sakura of... in the "Sakura" arc, after her sister Yae Rin was killed by their father. The emptiness she felt then allowed Honkai energy to take advantage...
It's different from being just creepy; now I feel downright sick!
Yae Sakura really was creepy before—in one timeline, to keep Kallen always by her side, she turned Kallen into a doll and kept her with her. That's a classic example of creepy behavior, although you could also call it sick.
But right now, I'm not completely creepy, even though there are some connections...
However... actually, the Gyakushinn Miko Yae Sakura probably did have some mental issues; they were just rarely shown.
Let's put aside other issues for now. During the 500 years that Yae Sakura and the Herrscher of Corruption were sealed away, the Herrscher tried over and over again in the Stigma Space to take control of Yae Sakura's body by reliving the history where her sister was sacrificed.
Though Yae Sakura held on, it would be impossible to say that her mind wasn't affected at all. Enduring five hundred years of pain—even for a saint—would leave its mark.
The impact was gradual, building up bit by bit. It just wasn't noticeable day-to-day.
Later, Theresa accidentally entered the Stigma Space. After witnessing the sacrifice ritual with Yae Rin replaced by Theresa, Yae Sakura finally began to crack mentally. She had been treating Theresa as Kallen this whole time.
After countless cycles of suffering, even though Theresa saved her, the emotional scars didn't heal so easily.
So it's understandable why Yae Sakura developed such twisted, abnormal thoughts.
Having endured so many desperate cycles, Yae Sakura could still act so kindly—it wasn't something that could be fixed simply by a few words from Theresa. The abnormalities were just hidden deep inside, not showing on the surface most of the time.
-
And then... there was the Herrscher of Corruption, appearing in a cute chibi form. Yae Sakura fished it out from a barrel of sake and named it "Higokumaru."
In the Holy Grail Castle within the Stigma Space, Higokumaru set aside its hatred and voluntarily ceased resisting. The Herrscher core transformed into the God Key Jizo Mitama, following the program Dr. Mei had set up in the box for the previous generation.
This was only the fourth cycle, but other world lines could have developed differently.
When I thought about that, Higokumaru really did commit too many unforgivable crimes against Yae Sakura...
Although Higokumaru was also quite pitiful—she suffered greatly before fully becoming a Herrscher, and someone even killed her outright—that wasn't enough to excuse her actions toward Yae Sakura.
However... she confessed her feelings to Yae Sakura and decided to follow her, planning to spend her life making amends. There wasn't much else to say after that.
My twisted thoughts must be because of this body I'm in now.
That's right... that's it.
"Big Sister, are you okay?!"
At that moment, Higokumaru finally arrived at Yae Sakura's side.
"I'm fine. Go take care of these bandits' bodies. Then... don't tell Kikyo about this."
Yae Sakura pointed at the bandit corpses as she spoke. There was no need for Kikyo to know about this mess.
"Yes, Big Sister."
Higokumaru spat out a fox fireball, quickly cremating the bodies.
"You go outside the village! There's another shrine maiden dressed like me there. She'll protect you. Don't ask questions here; I think you should understand." Yae Sakura glanced at the girl and pointed towards the village exit.
I'm not planning on taking her with me from now on.
After parting with the little girl, Yae Sakura continued into the village with Higokumaru. Villagers' bodies lay scattered on the ground, their blood staining the earth red.
The villagers' screams and the robbers' excited cries echoed incessantly. In this world, most bandits had twisted minds.
But...
What am I longing for?
It was... Killing!
Firing a gun couldn't satisfy this urge; only the sensation of drawing a blade, each strike leaving a trail of blood, could do that.
I couldn't kill with my spiritual sword either, as too much slaughter might turn it into an evil blade.
I already possessed one such blade—the one wielded by Flame Sakitama—so there was no need for another. The spiritual sword's divine attribute proved incredibly useful.
So... I sheathed the spiritual sword and drew my Void blade from its place at my waist...