"Anathasia Veridielle Augthoria."
A faint smile curled across the woman's lips.
"That is my name."
Silence followed.
The name itself felt completely foreign to Fanji Zhoushan's framework of existence.
Guang narrowed her eyes slightly, her trembling hands finally beginning to still.
Only for something far worse to replace the fear.
Dread.
Not the kind that triggered instinct or physical terror. But something quieter.
Something deeper.
Anathasia lightly cleared her throat before slowly walking toward Guang.
Yet Guang did not move.
Did not defend.
She simply stood rooted in place while the white-haired woman approached.
"I do not intend to become the kind of monster you believe Yukihime to be," Anathasia said softly.
As she spoke, the silver-haired swordswoman from earlier flickered into existence behind her once more. But this time, she no longer appeared as a detached swordswoman clad in ceremonial crimson and white.
Instead, a completely different woman stood there.
White robes adorned with flowing golden accents draped around her figure. Long sky-blue hair cascaded past her waist while crystalline blue eyes shimmered softly like polished gemstones.
"She is not exactly a swordswoman either, though," Anathasia continued casually while gesturing toward Yukihime.
Then she turned back toward Guang with another gentle smile.
"Sorry about all this."
"We simply needed to determine whether the Fragment of Continuity would react."
A brief silence followed.
Guang stared blankly ahead.
As though Anathasia had suddenly begun speaking an ancient language beyond comprehension.
Her expression emptied completely.
Anathasia slowly leaned back slightly.
Beside her, Yukihime flickered before quietly appearing at her side.
"Milady," Yukihime whispered softly, "It appears Lady Chi Rong Guang may have—"
"Yeah, I noticed," Anathasia interrupted immediately while burying her face into her hands.
"…I probably should've brought Kyle with me instead…"
"Would you like me to retrieve him, Milady?" Yukihime asked calmly.
Anathasia immediately waved one hand dismissively.
"Nah, don't."
"He's busy watching his favorite series right now."
"And unlike me…"
"…he's not exactly the proactive authority type, remember?"
Yukihime paused briefly before quietly nodding and stepping back once more.
Meanwhile—
Guang's sword slowly began dissipating from her trembling hand as her gaze lowered toward the ground.
"Fragment of Continuity…"
A dull thud echoed softly.
Guang collapsed onto her knees.
Her hands pressed shakily against the earth beneath her as she struggled to remain upright.
"All because of some fragment…"
Slowly, Guang lifted her head toward Anathasia.
Ignoring the impossible sensation of everything in existence converging toward the woman.
Tears gradually pooled within her eyes.
"I thought…"
Her voice cracked.
A sharp sniffle escaped her lips.
Anathasia instantly froze.
Completely caught off guard.
Her eyes widened slightly before immediately darting toward Yukihime standing behind her.
What exactly did you do before I got here…?
Yukihime lowered her gaze thoughtfully, one finger resting lightly against her chin as she recalled the earlier events.
"I merely tested her to determine whether the Fragment of Continuity would react, as instructed, Milady."
A brief pause followed.
"However…"
"The collateral damage was significantly larger than anticipated."
"I was negligent during my act of self-defense and eliminated numerous individuals' physical bodies."
She remained perfectly calm while speaking.
"During my search, I also eliminated several exceptionally talented individuals."
Anathasia's gaze sharpened immediately.
"And…?"
Yukihime calmly raised one finger.
"Only Lady Chi Rong Guang maintained her physical form after receiving even a sliver of my Totality Slash—"
BONK.
"I said test her!"
"Not almost kill her!" Anathasia snapped instantly.
Her fist remained lightly pressed against Yukihime's head while the blue-haired woman quietly winced.
"And wait…"
Anathasia's eyes narrowed.
"So you're the reason I suddenly had thousands of trapped souls inside one of my pocket realities?!"
Yukihime immediately fell silent.
Then quietly nodded while lowering her head.
"My apologies."
Anathasia let out a long exhausted groan before rubbing her forehead.
"What's done is done…"
Then she turned back toward Guang.
This time, actually looking at her properly.
At the trembling shoulders.
The tears.
The fear buried deep inside her expression.
…She's genuinely traumatized.
Anathasia immediately shot another sharp glare toward Yukihime before sighing once more.
"Okay…"
"Uh…"
"How exactly am I supposed to explain this…?"
But before she could continue—
Guang's tears began falling even faster.
Her breathing broke completely into full sobs.
Anathasia instantly stiffened.
Her hands awkwardly hovered midair as she stared at the crying girl in absolute confusion.
At a complete loss.
…Maybe I should've just sent another version of myself here instead…?
A brief pause followed.
No.
That honestly sounds even worse.
As Guang continued sobbing, a memory suddenly surfaced within Anathasia's mind.
A small white-haired girl sitting on the ground while crying after scraping her knee.
Francesca.
As a child.
Back when Kyle had been away working while Anathasia stayed behind to watch over her at the playground.
Something tightened painfully inside Anathasia's chest.
Enough for her hand to instinctively clutch against it.
Yukihime quietly noticed the subtle reaction but remained silent as she watched Anathasia slowly step toward Guang.
Then—
Guang suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap gently around her. Warmth followed immediately afterward.
Soft.
Comforting.
Enough for a portion of the terror gripping her heart to finally begin fading away.
A hand gently stroked the back of her head.
"Everything is alright now…" Anathasia whispered softly near her ear.
"No one is going to hurt you."
"You'll be okay."
Guang's breathing immediately faltered.
Unable to stop herself, she buried her face against Anathasia's shoulder while her entire body trembled violently from sobbing.
Meanwhile, Anathasia simply continued stroking her hair gently.
"Mhm…"
"Just let it all out…"
"It's okay to cry after forcing yourself to face something terrifying."
Nearby, Zhou Shuxuan could only stare blankly at the scene unfolding before him.
The incomprehensible woman who governed realities beyond imagination—
Was quietly comforting a crying girl in her arms.
And somehow, that sight shattered his understanding of existence more than the impossible frost ever had.
…Everything about beings like them should have been fatal to creatures as insignificant as ourselves…
But this…
His thoughts trailed away unfinished.
Zhou's eyes slowly shifted toward Yukihime standing nearby while the resurrected cultivators gathered around one another in the distance.
Some cried openly.
Others simply held onto their friends in silence.
The sounds of relief and quiet sobbing slowly filled the surroundings.
Zhou clasped his hands behind his back before lifting his gaze toward the heavens above. Past the dimensional barriers. Past the skies themselves.
Lost in thought.
To think…
Something incomprehensible could still possess gentleness.
A faint breath escaped him.
That is a dangerous realization.
A brief pause followed.
But also…
Strangely comforting.
—
The day eventually passed following the return of the supposedly deceased cultivators.
The various sects caught within Yukihime's "self-defense" gradually recovered their disciples and restored territories.
However—
"Our disciples may have returned," the woman from the Jade Shattering Fist Sect finally spoke.
"And the damage itself may have been repaired…"
Inside the meeting hall, Yukihime stood before the gathered sect masters with her head lowered slightly.
Beside her, Anathasia quietly regretted every decision that had led to this point.
…Damn it.
"But what about the fear inflicted upon our people?" Master Yue continued firmly.
"What of the trauma left behind after witnessing all of this?"
Before Anathasia could respond—
Another sect master from the Sword-Dancing Wonyoong Sect spoke up first.
"Master Yue," he interrupted calmly,
"The ladies have already apologized."
"Furthermore, every casualty and every destroyed structure has already been restored."
He glanced briefly toward Anathasia before continuing.
"Lady Anathasia herself has already explained the circumstances behind the incident."
A brief silence settled throughout the hall.
"Should we not at least acknowledge their sincerity?"
For several moments, nobody spoke. Nearly every sect master present slowly nodded in agreement.
Quiet murmurs gradually spread across the hall.
"He does make a fair point…"
"No one truly died in the end…"
"Our disciples already returned to cultivation regardless…"
"In fact, some of them seem considerably stronger after spending time within that so-called pocket reality…"
Hearing the murmurs spreading throughout the gathering, Master Yue slowly clenched her teeth.
Her hands tightened into fists at her sides while her gaze shifted toward Anathasia standing beside the blue-haired catastrophe they had feared for weeks.
Yet as the voices continued around her—
Her resolve slowly weakened.
Because despite everything that had happened, her disciples had returned alive.
Not only alive.
But stronger than before.
Eventually, Yue closed her eyes briefly before letting out a quiet sigh.
The tension in her fists slowly loosened.
Without another argument, she simply gestured for the discussion to continue instead of pressing the two women further.
A subtle wave of relief immediately swept across the hall.
Several sect masters quietly exhaled.
Some even slumped slightly against the nearby pillars as though an invisible pressure had finally lifted from their shoulders.
Seeing the atmosphere settle, the master from the Sword-Dancing Wonyoong Sect cleared his throat softly.
"With that said…"
"…Miss Anathasia and Miss Yukihime should likely continue on their way now."
His gaze shifted toward Anathasia politely.
"You still intend to speak with Flowing Vermilion Sect disciple Chi Rong Guang, correct?"
Anathasia paused briefly at the question.
Then slowly nodded.
Clasping her hands together lightly in front of herself, she offered the gathered sect masters a small smile.
"Then we shall take our leave."
The moment those words left her lips, her figure slowly began fading from existence alongside Yukihime's.
And only after the two women fully disappeared did the sect masters finally release the breaths they had unknowingly been holding.
Some slid down against the pillars behind them while quietly muttering prayers and gratitude toward the heavens themselves.