["The condition was that before her trial, she would have one day of freedom to revisit Scalegorge Waterscape and meet old friends one last time—and even more outrageously, Jing Yuan actually agreed!"]
["The task he entrusted to us before departing was to accompany Jingliu in spending her final day on the Luofu. You understand now—this isn't receiving an honored guest; it's escorting a prisoner—"]
[Qingzu suddenly paused mid-sentence. Just like her, Dan Heng felt the surrounding air turn cold.]
["Imbibitor Lunae, you've come." Jingliu did not turn around, merely speaking calmly: "Since you've arrived, why not step forward and reminisce about old times?"]
["…Or should I address you by your name in this life—Dan Heng?"]
——
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
"What overwhelming pressure… this woman…"
Inside the Infinity Castle, Kokushibo's six demonic eyes suddenly contracted. His fingers unconsciously tightened around the hilt of his blade, knuckles turning pale from excessive force.
That chill seemed to seep out from the light screen itself, as if it wanted to pierce through his entire body and freeze him solid. In his memory, not even Lord Muzan's thunderous rage had ever brought him such cold dread.
He had already witnessed her sword. Kokushibo had thought he would no longer feel fear, yet even through the light screen, merely gazing at that proud, icy back… his skin instinctively tightened, as though countless tiny blades were sliding along his neck, ready to sever his head at any moment.
"…Fear?"
No—not just that.
Although his heart pounded wildly and his demonic instincts screamed in frenzy, deep within his soul surged another emotion—something almost twisted in its intensity.
"I want to see her sword… one more time."
The last time she drew her blade against Yanqing, he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the inverted chill of her sword arc. Yet the trajectory of that single strike still lingered indelibly in his mind—only the realm of that one sword was an endpoint worth becoming a demon and spending centuries to reach.
——
[Jingliu said with emotion: "I had thought the [Imbibitor Lunae] no longer existed. Yet returning to the Luofu, I once again witness your magnificent sight of parting seas and drawing tides—truly as though worlds apart."]
[Dan Heng did not wish to associate himself too closely with his previous life's Imbibitor Lunae and deliberately emphasized to her that he was now a different person. Although Jingliu said she understood, she could not help but question: "Past sins wiped clean, and the you of today is merely a Nameless wanderer traveling the four directions… but can a person truly bid farewell to their past?"]
["If I am not mistaken, it was the Dragon Masters who could not bear to let the dragon lineage die out. They wished to rekindle [Imbibitor Lunae] from the ashes, so they played some deceptive tricks during the Molting Punishment, transforming you into this current form."]
[Though her words were absolute, Jingliu had no intention of demanding justice from him now. Today she was merely a criminal herself; all she wanted was to meet old friends she had not seen in so long and fulfill the promise they had made in the days when their bond ran deep.]
[She openly admitted that the letter sent to the Express had been from her.]
[…]
[At the same time, on the other side—in Scalegorge Waterscape.]
[Rakshasa had been brought here by Jing Yuan for the joint trial. To be tried in such a magnificent and breathtaking landscape, Rakshasa was actually quite willing.]
["The Stellaron descended, the Ambrosial Arbor revived, the Sky-Faring Commission's receiver was secretly replaced—the true identity being an Emanator of Destruction."]
[Jing Yuan calmly recounted his recent itinerary and movements one by one, then gave a light smile: "You took advantage of the chaos to infiltrate The Shackling Prison, yet ultimately accomplished nothing. Now you claim to take responsibility for this Stellaron crisis and turn yourself in to face punishment."]
["Strange, how strange. Your actions truly are difficult to fathom, sir."]
[Rakshasa merely said he had been entrusted to deliver a message and knew nothing of the secrets behind the Luofu. He did have intentions upon entering The Shackling Prison, but now it seemed the Luofu held nothing he sought. His confession and surrender stemmed from fear of punishment. After all… he was merely a humble traveling merchant.]
["Merely a humble traveling merchant?" Jing Yuan could not help but laugh, shaking his head: "Mr. Rakshasa, you jest. The deeds you committed in Penacony, the various pasts you left in the veiled star domains—do I need to recount them one by one?"]
["Or perhaps you need me to speak that rather cumbersome name?"]
——
Honkai Impact 3rd.
Inside Anti-Entropy headquarters, Welt pushed up his glasses, brows deeply furrowed. The gaze behind the lenses was complex and heavy.
"Tch, although I suspected Rakshasa was full of bad intentions, I never imagined he had already done so many terrible things. And here I… cough, actually thought that in another world he had at least reformed."
Tesla crossed her arms and gave a cold snort.
"Perhaps… this is simply the man's true nature." After a moment of silence, Welt spoke. "No matter which world he finds himself in, he will walk a similar path."
"The cumbersome name the General Jing Yuan mentioned—we can probably guess it without much difficulty."
"…Otto Apocalypse."
Tesla glanced sideways at him, then at Jing Yuan's confident, all-knowing expression on the light screen, and reminded him: "You don't need to worry too much. Setting aside the fact that you exist in the world inside the light screen—even if he really has some evil scheme in mind, now that he's fallen into the hands of General Jing Yuan and the Xianzhou Alliance, he won't be able to pull anything off."
"Mm, but I'm not doubting General Jing Yuan."
Welt still looked concerned. "I'm only thinking that, given his style, getting captured is definitely part of his plan. For something worth such elaborate preparation, it must be no small matter. This man… is even more deserving of interrogation by the Matrix of Prescience Ultima than Kafka."
——
[A flash of surprise crossed Rakshasa's eyes: "…Oh? The Seat of Divine Foresight's General truly lives up to his reputation."]
[Jing Yuan gave a slight smile: "Likewise. Fortunately, I did some homework in advance—otherwise this conversation today might have fallen flat."]
["Since the General finds something suspicious, are you going to defend me and clear me of suspicion regarding the Stellaron?"]
[Jing Yuan shook his head: "That is not up to me. This concerns a crime that could topple the Alliance. By law, you should be escorted to the Xianzhou of the Void Tomb for joint trial by the Ten-Lords Commission and the Seven Arbiter-Generals, and subjected to eternal punishment."]
[Upon hearing this, Rakshasa showed no trace of panic on his face. He merely lifted his head to gaze at the magnificent scenery of Scalegorge Waterscape, then lowered it with a smile: "I heard from her that hundreds of years ago, the High-Cloud Quintet once gathered here for a banquet."]
[Rakshasa suddenly began speaking of the High-Cloud Quintet's past—from Jingliu's world-shocking swordsmanship, to the Imbibitor Lunae's Cloudhymn arts, to pilot Baiheng's starskiff ingenuity, to artificer Yingxing's divine forging skills… and the strategic brilliance of General Jing Yuan.]
[Being reminded of those bygone days in Scalegorge Waterscape itself, Jing Yuan unconsciously lowered his gaze, his expression turning grave.]
[The scenes of the past appeared vividly before his eyes; the sounds of laughter and feasting still echoed in his ears. Even for Jing Yuan, who had long since sailed through a thousand storms, there was a moment of quiet melancholy.]