Just as Ren was preparing to play the role of a villain, an uninvited guest arrived in the central area of ARC City. This was the unstable factor that Ren worried about the most—the Herrscher of the Void.
Kiana was now quite different from her previous disheveled state. Her further mastery of the Herrscher of the Void's power allowed her to handle disaster sites more easily. At the same time, the stability of her mental world meant she no longer needed to hold back for fear of Sirin's temptations.
More importantly, she had discovered the Feather of the Past hidden deep within her consciousness. This feather, which housed Fu Hua's will, couldn't provide any tangible help, but it was like having another companion.
"Kiana, your changes compared to the last few months are truly immense." Fu Hua, who appeared in her Vermilion Knight form, couldn't help but sigh. Ever since the Herrscher of the Void awakened, she had been following Kiana.
But at that time, Kiana was deeply affected by her self-condemnation and the interference of Sirin's consciousness. She had kept her heart tightly closed, unwilling to communicate with anyone, and naturally wouldn't accept Fu Hua's guidance.
Therefore, she knew Kiana's pain better than anyone, witnessing her despair and loneliness, until things finally took a turn for the better a few days ago. Kiana's heart had become more resilient. It seemed she had found a new purpose in life. Although she still couldn't control her power, she could at least lock away Sirin's consciousness, preventing her from causing trouble.
"Heh, you thought I would fade away just as Otto expected, and become a complete vessel for the Herrscher of the Void?" Leaping from a rooftop, she landed with a roll, showing no positive attitude towards Fu Hua's words.
Because of her time spent wandering, Kiana was even angrier at Otto's actions. Naturally, she wasn't fond of Fu Hua, who had been sent to monitor her. If she had been drowning in despair before, perhaps she would have clung to the Feather of the Past as her only lifeline.
But now, after accidentally witnessing Ren's optimistic and resolute attitude, Kiana was infected by it, gradually regaining her courage to face life. Fu Hua's appearance now, in her view, was just another of Otto's schemes. Although she didn't hate her, she couldn't trust her unconditionally.
Adding flowers to brocade is never as valuable as sending charcoal in the snow. Ren had entered her life in her most desperate moment and given her strength, an act of kindness she would never forget.
Facing Kiana's obvious distrust, Fu Hua felt somewhat helpless, but she was not the kind of person to nitpick. Now that Kiana had found herself again, she was happy to be just a normal friend.
Stepping onto the skyscrapers in the central area, Kiana surveyed the bustling streets, her eyes flashing.
"Clearly, the outskirts of the city are still enduring the pain and destruction of Honkai attacks. Yet, the people living here are calmly enjoying the prosperity as if nothing had happened. While they were partying, how many of them thought about the countless people who are working for tomorrow…" Her mind quickly flashed to the medical record she had seen.
The money that the grey-haired boy had saved for his treatment was even less than the cost of the food thrown into the trash in the central area. Only those who had truly experienced life in the lower rungs of society would know what kind of lives those people lead.
"I want to change this imperfect world into the world that we want."
During her time spent constantly saving the citizens of ARC City, she discovered that the reason for such a disparity was closely linked to a company called Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical. Her visit to the central area was specifically to investigate this company.
However, as she was preparing to go to her next destination, a faint smell of blood wafted into her nostrils with the cold wind. Kiana quickly realized, "To still be able to smell blood at this height, the scene must be even more severe than I imagined."
"Could it be a Honkai beast attack?" Fu Hua offered her guess. Her only source of information was Kiana, so she could only infer based on the available clues.
"Let's go take a look."
Leaping off the edge of a high-rise, she landed on the opposite building like a bird. Then, she slid down the sloping wall, and when she reached the end of the roof, a Void Lance appeared, supporting her body.
With back-and-forth movements, she had returned from the skyscraper to the streets. To avoid being discovered, she didn't choose to cross the street directly, and instead, she was preparing to go around from another direction.
As she was about to move, she suddenly noticed a familiar little girl standing somewhat lost in the middle of the street.
"Griseo? What is she doing here?" Kiana was somewhat surprised, because the distance between the ranch and here was not short. Unless she came to the central area to shop specifically… That must be it. Griseo's hair was decorated with a cute hairpin, and she was carrying a paper bag. Judging by the pattern on it, they were probably art supplies.
"Do you know that little girl?" Because Kiana's heart had been closed off before, Fu Hua did not know about the existence of Ren and Griseo.
After hesitating for a moment, Kiana nodded. "She is a relative of one of my very important… friends. Their family helped me before."
Although she had wanted to chase her away immediately after seeing the photo, Kiana felt there was no problem with it. In fact, she was grateful that she hadn't called the police directly because of Ren.
"She seems like she needs help, but you might get caught on camera." After pondering for a moment, Fu Hua understood Kiana's worries. "She should have come with her family. If she's lost, her family should be looking for her soon. The security forces in the city center are not bad, you don't need to take the risk."
"But…" The vague unease in her heart still worried Kiana, but she also knew that her location had already been caught on camera once. If she were exposed again, it could attract Schicksal's pursuit. More importantly, the previous smell of blood made her feel even worse.
"Kiana, have you forgotten your goal? There must be a lot of hidden secrets in this city. You need to find the evidence before you get discovered. And if it really is a Honkai beast attack, there will be more casualties."
"…"
"I understand."
Sighing in her heart, Kiana could only leave helplessly. Compared to the lost Griseo, this city was more important.
Following her sense of the blood, Kiana quickly found the source of the smell. And when she stepped onto the street that had been the site of the slaughter, she couldn't help but feel shock. More than ten corpses lay on the ground, in incomplete states, and their blood had practically stained the entire ground red.
"The corpses are all wearing the same uniform, and there are also firearms scattered on the ground. It looks like some kind of underground organization. They shouldn't be good people. What's strange is that they were all cut open by sharp blades. It looks like it was caused by a large weapon. And apart from the bullet holes caused by the dead, there are no other bullet holes." Fu Hua quickly analyzed the traces at the scene. She had worked as a detective in London for a while, and her investigative abilities were not weak.
Looking at the corpses all over the ground and hearing Fu Hua's analysis, Kiana's expression gradually turned dark. A figure who was skilled in wielding such large cold weapons gradually appeared in her mind—Rita Rossweisse.