There were still a few rooms on the third floor of the manga shop. Kiana was sleeping in the one next to Shun's. Possibly because she had been hit in the face by the Taixu Sword God plus Shun's headbutt, Kiana's unconscious period lasted much longer than expected.
But fortunately, she had finally woken up now. It seemed that after defeating the Thunder Herrscher, their luck had turned for the better, and good news kept coming.
When they reached the corridor, they saw Misteln standing outside. It seemed she had never intended to go in.
"Misteln, aren't you planning to meet Kiana?" Shun had actually guessed part of the reason. He figured Misteln felt quite conflicted inside.
Unlike Theresa, the face Misteln currently wore belonged to Kiana's mother, Cecilia, so the way she handled things would naturally be different.
Moreover, no matter what, Theresa was already a forty-something adult, while Kiana had probably been out of the cultivation tank for less than eight years.
"Let me think about it a bit more. I don't know how to face this child." Misteln was afraid Kiana would directly call her "Mom," in which case she really wouldn't know what to do.
"Alright then. You stay outside and keep watch. Theresa and I will go in first to take a look." Shun expressed his understanding.
"No, I can't keep hiding from her forever. I'll go in with you." After all, once Kiana recovered, she couldn't keep hiding or simply disappear. It was better to prepare in advance while everyone was gathered.
"Fine. Just follow behind me." Shun nodded.
Theresa didn't voice any opinion. Although Misteln's appearance also made her feel somewhat uncomfortable, for now, as long as Misteln wasn't some evil person who would do things that tarnished that appearance, Theresa would force herself to get used to it.
Shun turned the doorknob of Kiana's room and opened the door. The room where Kiana was staying didn't have as good lighting as Shun's room.
After all, Shun was a real patient, while Kiana hadn't suffered any injuries, so it was normal for her to receive better treatment.
Mei was already in the room. It looked like the two friends had started chatting the moment Kiana woke up. Both of them seemed to be in good spirits.
"Kiana, you're awake? How do you feel? Is there any discomfort in your body?" Since Sirin had briefly possessed Kiana's body before, Shun was still somewhat worried.
Although he had knocked Sirin back with the Taixu Sword God, there might still be some aftereffects.
Hearing Shun's voice, Kiana immediately replied, "Other than my head feeling a bit dizzy, I'm fine. By the way, Shun, what happened afterward…"
As Kiana spoke, she turned her head toward the direction of Shun's voice, and at a glance she saw Shun's empty right sleeve.
"Your hand?!…" At that moment, Kiana recalled a distant past, and her right blue pupil instantly turned golden.
Seeing this, Misteln waved the flag that appeared out of thin air in her hand. A purple magic circle appeared beneath her feet. Theresa immediately released Judas, ready to tie Kiana up like a rice dumpling if anything went wrong. Sparks of lightning flashed in Mei's eyes. Although she didn't understand what was happening, she knew she should stay alert at this moment.
On the vast, boundless, ice-covered Siberian wilderness, raging flames were wantonly devouring the pure white snow. Flames and ice intertwined, forming a bizarre yet magnificent scene. In the midst of this burning snowfield, Siegfried tightly embraced the girl in his arms.
Siegfried's right arm was severed, just like Shun's. Scarlet blood continuously poured from the wound, quickly dyeing half his body red, as if he were bathing in a sea of blood. However, despite his severe injuries, Siegfried's eyes remained extremely resolute. He gritted his teeth and endured the intense pain, all so he could properly hold his daughter.
"Kiana, we made a promise, right? You won't lose to her. Absolutely not…"
Siegfried's voice echoed in her mind, and Kiana calmed down slightly.
But immediately after, the golden light in her right eye burst forth with unprecedented intensity. Even under Misteln's suppression, it could not block the Herrscher's aura.
"Who hurt you? Who dares to hurt you!" A voice filled with anger, different from Kiana's, came from her mouth, as if in the next second she would tear the person who hurt Shun into pieces.
"Wait, wait." Shun rushed forward and hugged the girl, gently patting her back. "It's okay. It's already over. No one is hurting me now."
This situation exceeded everyone's expectations. No one had thought Kiana would have such a strong reaction upon seeing Shun injured.
No, it wasn't Kiana who had a strong reaction — it was the Herrscher, Sirin, who had a strong reaction and nearly underwent Herrscher transformation on the spot.
Damn, what kind of situation was this again? Even someone as slow as Shun had realized it. He had some connection with Sirin, and she was treating him as precious. Why were there so many complications?
Miraculously, after being hugged and comforted by Shun, Kiana's condition really improved. Her golden pupils reluctantly glanced at Shun once more before being covered by blue again. Sirin's outburst was surprisingly suppressed so easily.
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing the matter could be resolved so easily.
"Shun, what happened to me just now? I just felt really angry. When I saw you injured, I couldn't help but get angry…"
Kiana pursed her lips, looking as if she had done something wrong. Shun gently stroked her head and said,
"Don't worry, it's fine. I'll handle it. Just keep trusting me like you always have, okay?"
"Okay." Kiana obediently nodded. At this moment, she looked like a helpless child.
She looked at Shun somewhat nervously and said, "You won't leave me too, right?" She remembered very clearly that Siegfried had left without saying goodbye after that day. Although she didn't know why, she knew it definitely had something to do with her.
Now that past memories overlapped with the present, she was also afraid that one day Shun would leave without saying goodbye.
"Don't worry, I won't leave you. Cheer up. Today I even brought one of your relatives back."
"My relative?" Kiana quickly scanned the room. Indeed, besides Shun and Mei, there were two more people, both with white hair and blue eyes, and they really did look a lot like her.
"Yeah. Come and meet her. This is your great-aunt, Theresa Apocalypse." Shun was about to call Theresa over.
Unexpectedly, Kiana directly bypassed Theresa and quickly went to Misteln's side. "Are you my great-aunt?!"
As expected of Kiana — still so airheaded. Seeing Kiana grabbing Misteln's hand with an excited look on her face, Shun patted Theresa and smiled.
Theresa glared angrily at Shun and, as if venting, stomped on his foot.