That night, the full moon hung high above the mountains.
More than a hundred kilometers from Namba City, a waterfall plunged from the cliffs with a continuous roar. Behind the dense curtain of water lay a narrow hollow, a pocket of dry stone spared from the torrent.
Sirin had taken refuge there, her body still reduced to its smaller form.
She sat with her back against the rock and, at last, caught her breath.
The impostors, the creatures Kali called her "spawn," had hunted her for nearly half a day. Only now was Sirin certain that she had finally thrown them off her trail.
It was hardly an astonishing feat.
Kevin Kaslana had pursued her with far greater ruthlessness. When he chose to eliminate a target, collateral damage meant little to him. He would sooner drag a thousand others into the calamity than allow even one enemy to slip through his grasp.
Yet even against that sort of relentless pursuit, Sirin had found openings in his encirclement and carved out a path of escape.
Compared to Kevin, these impostors had little beyond their numbers. They could flood the surrounding area, close off roads, and search every obvious refuge, but actually trapping her was another matter.
Still...
After everything that had happened, Sirin had become alarmingly proficient at running away.
The realization soured her mood at once.
Why had things come to this?
She had once been the Queen of the Void.
So why was she now forced to flee from nearly everyone she encountered?
Forget the Honkai Beasts that had once answered her call. At this point, she did not even have a single person beside her with whom she could hold a proper conversation.
"Hey."
With nothing else to occupy her, Sirin did something unusually direct.
She called out to Kiana within her mind.
"What's wrong? Did what happened today hit you so hard that you've gone completely quiet?"
"Still not saying anything?"
"..."
There was no answer.
But Sirin could still feel Kiana.
Her consciousness was still there. It had not vanished.
So why wouldn't she speak?
"Hmph."
Sirin was a little annoyed, but she did not take it too seriously.
As far as she was concerned, what happened today was already over. Still, it must have struck Kiana hard.
That naive girl was probably thinking herself into a corner again, hiding deep inside their shared consciousness and tormenting herself over the same thing.
"That's why I say you're childish."
Sirin muttered to herself.
"It was only a Shadow of Resemblance. That's all..."
Still no answer.
"Tch."
Since Kiana was determined to stay silent, Sirin could not be bothered to keep talking by herself.
She closed her eyes and prepared to take a short nap.
After all, she had been forced to make such a long...
Strategic transfer.
Even she needed some rest.
Grumble...
Her stomach growled.
"..."
Sirin opened her eyes and looked down, rubbing her stomach.
She was starving.
The half-eaten caterpillar-shaped bun from earlier was obviously not going to appear again on its own.
"Looks like I need to find something to eat first."
She stood and carefully felt out her surroundings.
"Those disgusting monsters should be far away by now... right?"
The words had barely left her mouth when Sirin frowned again.
"Forget it."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Better to be safe. I'll teleport somewhere farther away first."
"The Far East..."
Her expression darkened.
"I'm never staying in this godforsaken place again."
Somewhere on the ocean floor.
"Damn it."
Kali was in a foul mood.
She had finally located the person Raiden Mei cared about most, yet after an entire day of pursuit, her target had still managed to escape.
"Space-type abilities really are troublesome."
Once the initial anger had subsided, Kali quickly regained her composure.
She wasted no more time venting. Instead, she retraced the entire pursuit, reviewing each decision and examining every mistake she had made.
Her conclusion was blunt.
"I'm not strong enough."
"And my abilities are nowhere near versatile enough."
Kali narrowed her eyes.
Her current arsenal was severely limited against enemies who specialized in teleportation, concealment, or manipulating the mind.
She needed more genes.
Genes that could grant her Space-type abilities.
And genes that could sharpen her perception of the mind and consciousness.
For the latter, she had already identified several possible sources.
Within the Newborn World Serpent, several powerful individuals possessed abilities of that nature.
Aponia.
Su.
Fu Hua, through Fenghuang Down.
And Hua's Memory.
In theory, a single drop of blood from any one of them would be enough.
"..."
The problem was getting close enough to obtain it.
That would not be easy.
As for Space-type abilities...
Kali had already locked onto a more suitable target.
She was a girl who had been active in North America recently.
Aside from her companion named Can, she usually acted alone and possessed the ability to open teleportation gates over long distances.
Her Spawn, scattered across the globe, had discovered her by chance.
After a period of surveillance, Kali had not only confirmed her abilities but also learned her name.
"Pardofelis."
Kali's thoughts raced.
God had once solemnly warned her.
On this planet, there was one place in particular that was forbidden.
No one was allowed to approach it.
No one was allowed to infiltrate it.
And no one was allowed to destroy it.
That place was called The Sundown Alley.
The reason was simple.
A carefree, God-blessed girl named Pardofelis lived there.
To be honest, Kali felt a bit...
jealous.
But this thought appeared only for an instant before she reexamined her emotions.
She didn't hate the girl, nor did she wish to harm her just because she enjoyed God's favor.
God's will was absolute.
If that were the case, then it shouldn't be called jealousy.
More accurately...
it was envy.
She simply envied the girl for being able to be so close to God.
Of course...
"God's will is absolute."
"But..."
Kali linked her consciousness to the Spawn in North America.
"This Pardofelis is clearly not receiving the same level of favor from My Lord."
Kali didn't know the true name of the being she served.
But the "God" she spoke of was none other than Ling ke.
Both Ling ke himself and Kali, who followed him, strictly distinguished between the "Sims" and the "Original Body."
Similar appearances, similar personalities, and even memories derived from the same person were not enough to make the two the same being.
The one Ling ke truly favored had always been that ordinary girl who once responded to his kindness.
Only her.
He would not indiscriminately transfer his original goodwill to another being just because she resembled the girl or shared some connection with her.
Kali was the same.
This Pardofelis in North America was not the God-blessed girl in The Sundown Alley.
But there was still a connection between them.
This connection was enough for Kali to spare her life.
But it was not enough to make Kali give up her abilities.
"You should be grateful, Pardofelis," Kali said with a cold expression.
"You are connected to the God's Chosen."
"For this reason alone, I will not take your life."
"But the extraordinary abilities you possess..."
Her voice paused slightly.
"I will be taking those."
In North America, inside a luxury hotel that had just been renovated and not yet officially open for business.
In the penthouse suite, Pardo was enjoying the temporary place she had found for the night.
During this time, she had been traveling all over North America with her cans.
Where they slept wasn't actually that important to them.
They could sleep in abandoned rooms.
They could make do with a corner of a warehouse.
If they really couldn't find a suitable place, they could just curl up somewhere for the night.
However, if there happened to be a clean, comfortable room where no one would disturb them...
Then that would naturally be even better.
Pardo never treated herself poorly.
Just today, she had quietly "visited" the small treasuries of several underground factions, taking the opportunity to replenish her own stash.
According to her own words, this could also be considered a different kind of "robbing the rich to help the poor."
Except...
The "poor" in this case was currently only herself.
Of course, Pardo wouldn't really pocket all the benefits for herself.
If she happened to encounter someone who was about to die on the way, she would occasionally leave behind some food, medicine, or other life-saving supplies.
The amount wouldn't be much.
But for those who were truly desperate, it was enough to save them in an emergency.
All in all, she was living a carefree and free life.
Pardo was very satisfied.
Until—
Swish!
The fluffy cat tail behind her suddenly flicked.
The sharp spike floating at the tip of her tail sliced through the air, accurately striking another blood spike shot from the shadows.
Clack!
The blood spike was knocked down on the spot.
Immediately after, a layer of frost quickly crawled over its surface, freezing it to the ground.
"Huh?"
The fur on Pardo's body bristled slightly.
Almost at the same time her tail reacted, she had already retreated several meters, reaching the window of the suite.
Her odd-colored cat pupils narrowed to slits, staring intently at the ice on the floor.
More accurately...
She was staring at the thing frozen inside it.
"What is this?"
A very bad feeling rose in Pardo's heart.
There was nothing more to say.
In times like these, the most correct way to deal with something of unknown origin that looked suspicious was, of course...
"Run away!"
Curiosity was one thing.
Her own little life was obviously more important.
Without the slightest hesitation, Pardo raised her hand and opened a teleportation gate.
Can also seemed to have been prepared, leaping onto her shoulder.
The girl and the cat dashed straight inside.
The teleportation gate closed behind them.
Somewhere beneath the sea.
"Tch."
Kali, sensing this scene through her Spawn, couldn't help but click her tongue.
Today was truly a day where nothing went right for her.
"Is a Space-type my hard counter?"