In her profound contemplation, Sirin seemed to hear a voice—It had established a connection with her, gently calling out to her, much like that ancient God of the distant past.
The same pure white space, the same pure white Throne—an existence that felt strangely familiar. Sirin recognized the golden-haired girl seated upon the Throne.
She was the Valkyrie who had given me a thorough beating in the underground warehouse of the Singapore Empress Hotel, a memory that still burned vividly in my mind.
"You're... the Valkyrie from Singapore...?" Sirin asked, perplexed, as she gazed at "Snow," who sat regally on the Pure White Throne, one hand resting on the armrest, supporting her chin.
"Indeed, yet not so..."
As Snow spoke these cryptic words, an inexplicably familiar aura and sensation emanated from the girl on the Throne.
"Wait... you're... you're a God?!"
Sirin quickly identified the source of that familiar feeling, her expression turning agitated—then she abruptly remembered she had just declared she had seen through the illusions of the mortal world and was going on strike, too afraid to proceed.
How swift! Sirin's cold sweat instantly began to pour down her face, her legs started trembling, and her speech faltered, becoming stuttering and incoherent.
I'm doomed! Is God hinting at my fate with this appearance...? Waaah!
"...Great God! I'll destroy the world right now and deliver your judgment upon it!"
The golden-haired girl hadn't uttered a word, yet Sirin, with a self-satisfied "I've finally grasped it" expression, turned tail and fled in a panic.
...
"Snow" watched in stunned silence as Sirin, her back already turned, prepared to unleash chaos upon Schicksal Headquarters outside. Her lips twitched, but she made no move to stop the Herrscher from leaving.
I haven't even said anything yet! You've already grasped it? Are all Herrschers these days so spiritually attuned?!
Brushing aside her chaotic thoughts, "Snow" murmured a "blessing" after the retreating Sirin:
"Go forth... go forth... fulfill your final mission, witness the curtain fall... declare the end—"
Of course... the end of you, the fall of you.
The malevolent God kept this final sentiment unspoken, merely watching with an impassive expression as the emboldened Sirin quickened her pace and vanished from the pure white space.
"That's it? That's all it takes?"
The voice of her other self echoed incongruously through the chamber.
"I didn't really notice it before... but now that I see her, why is she so clueless? All I had to do was sit here, and she just figured everything out?" Snow's voice carried a hint of disbelief, as if the Honkai had made the child foolish.
"You underestimate the influence of a God on the Herrschers, my other self," the Divine Aspect replied. "Even the First Herrschers, who managed to break free from divine influence, would still harbor some degree of hesitation when confronted directly by a God."
"At the very least, their first reaction wouldn't be to knock her flat, as they would with a Herrscher bent on destroying humanity. Beings who embody such immense power inevitably command either respect or wariness..."
The Divine Aspect's indifferent tone implied this was perfectly normal.
"So, this poor kid just filled in all the blanks with her own imagination and then cheerfully ran off to get beaten up?" Snow quipped.
"Logically speaking, yes... She's quite the diligent little one," the Divine Aspect nodded, seemingly quite pleased with Sirin's performance.
"Indeed, she's diligent. Then you can be the one to comfort her when she cries from the beating—"
Snow decisively kicked the blame that was about to be tossed her way.
"Comfort her? Why would I do that? When she's crying, I'll just pretend I don't know her, that's all."
The "God's" tone was strangely nonchalant.
"What kind of 'player' are you... tricking people into getting beaten up, then pretending not to know them afterward? And you even used my appearance!"
"What does your quarrel with 'God' have to do with me, 'Snow'? Second Herrscher Sirin? We're practically strangers."
"Besides, I didn't say a word... When did I tell her to go outside and start a fight?"
"That was her own initiative... I simply pulled her in and glanced at her."
"And since when was I her God? Isn't she the neighbor's Apostle?"
Leaning back on the Pure White Throne, the "God's" words dripped with a sense of entitlement and utter irresponsibility.
"Free-loading on another god's child, huh?"
"What's wrong with that? After all, the Honkai Will hardly qualifies as a personified entity—you don't even need to worry about the parents knocking on your door."
"Looks like your troubles are solved too—I'm heading back."
"You've just given me an even bigger headache! Sooner or later, I'm throwing you back up that tree—!"
"I don't mind... The Eternal Spear, as a vessel, can last quite a while longer."
"But it will shatter eventually..."
Snow snorted, implying your good times were coming to an end.
"It will last long enough until then... Once this civilization's trial is complete—whether I still exist or remain by your side will no longer matter. By then, you'll have matured enough... I mean, grown up in the way a God understands growth—"
"At my core—I am merely a link to the Imaginary Tree, a presence meant to warn and supervise you, ensuring you don't favor humanity excessively during the trials. I am essentially the Holy Spirit of human religions, the bridge between the Father and the Son."
"When you truly mature and develop your own Law—your own principles regarding civilization, races, and the branches of this tree—my mission as your guardian will end."
"Even if you don't banish me, I will likely fade away—"
"You are the most special, the most unique being... In all the multiverse, there has never been a True God who has achieved complete personification—"
"That is why I was born for you, connected to your heart—and when you truly mature, I will naturally disappear..."
"...Why do I suddenly feel like the 'heartbreaker' in this scenario?"
The golden-haired girl's face was now a mask of question marks.
-
"The trial has already begun—and at the journey's end, you will have countless choices... for this was all according to your own design."
"Whether you choose exile or to remain—regardless, by then I will no longer have any influence over you—"
The indifferent voice patiently explained everything to the golden-haired girl. In the end, all these decisions would be hers alone to make. He was, after all, merely a transient presence in her life.
"...What a truly momentous choice."
Snow leaned back quietly on the Throne. The other "self," once considered a formidable enemy, had returned to the deepest depths of the Sea of Consciousness after revealing the truth to the girl, resuming His endless contemplation.
"What a pity. Only children make multiple-choice decisions. Since I'm supposed to 'grow up' before making such decisions, I'd be too embarrassed to act now."
"As for now... I might as well fix up this Armed Puppet to look a bit prettier. Tsk tsk tsk, Queen Sirin... just thinking about her gives me a headache."
-
The divine Law governing the young Goddess seemed to be gradually clarifying:
It is Sustaining, its name is Continuation. Leaves should not wither in an instant, nor branches wither so easily.