Honkai: Strijder

Sin Mal had a dream.

In her dream, there were her parents lying in a pool of blood, foster parents covered in mouths of desire all over their bodies, and the angelic and pure Bronya.

Sin Mal stood in a gradually sinking black swamp and reached out her hand towards Bronya.

"Sorry... You're a monster... not a human."

Bronya said so and turned away, ignoring Sin Mal's outstretched hand, gradually moving farther away.

"No... don't go..."

"Ah!!"

Sin Mal woke up screaming, holding her head in her hands, and felt not the smooth strands of her usual hair, but a rough bandage.

"Where is this?"

Sin Mal held her head, trying to recall the events of yesterday.

Ah, I remember. Yesterday, I killed that hideous pair of greedy mouths and also took care of a disgusting fat pig—this is not a metaphor or an exaggeration; in Sin Mal's eyes, her foster parents and the wealthy businessman who reached out to her looked just like that.

And then, she herself became engulfed in darkness, gathering the sins of humanity... God! Right, she also met God! God acknowledged that she is human!

"Ha... Ha... Hahaha..."

She suddenly burst into laughter, maniacal laughter.

...

"Sig, do you think she's gone crazy?"

"Her mental state doesn't seem very stable."

"Do you think giving her cakes and ice cream would help?"

"...She's a human, not a tuna."

"Wha-! Are you calling me a fish again!?"

"I never named anyone specifically."

...

Sin Mal turned her head, and there were two people facing each other at her bedside.

One of them is a silver-haired boy who appears beautiful and refined in her eyes.

The other is a mass of haunting black flames.

"You... me..."

Sin Mal tilted her head, trying to say something, but she didn't know what to say. It has been a long time since she had a normal conversation with someone.

Then Kiana, taking the initiative, held her hand and enthusiastically said, "Hello! I'm Kiana Kaslana! You seem to be called Simbalah, right? It's nice to meet you!"

"It's Sin Mal."

Sigurd corrected, not disappointed in Kiana's memory—because he had long given up hope.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter. I'll remember after spending a few more days together! I don't know what you've been through, but it doesn't matter. I'll protect you from now on!"

Kiana said in a carefree manner, wearing her usual bright smile—innocent and naive.

Sigurd remained noncommittal.

But Sin Mal ignored the chattering of the black flames and just looked at Sigurd with an infatuated gaze.

'Ah, why is he so handsome!'

"I'm Sin Mal. What's your... your name?"

Sin Mal casually shook off Kiana's hand, leaned forward, and slowly reached out to touch Sigurd's face with an affectionate gesture, as if in heat or seeking a mate.

Sigurd took a step back, avoiding her hand touching his cheek.

"Sigurd, just call me that."

Sigurd replied calmly.

Sin Mal's eyes visibly dimmed as she looked at Sigurd's avoidance.

At the same time, Kiana stared at her own hands, filled with question marks.

'I washed my hands today! They're not dirty, so why is she repulsed? Or does she find me ugly?'

Kiana always had confidence in her charm, but Sin Mal's reaction seemed to contradict that belief.

Just as the two girls, one feeling dejected and the other doubting her existence, Sigurd leaned down, reached out, and lifted Sin Mal's chin.

Sin Mal had mismatched eyes, one gold and one ash-gray, symbols of her unique ability. Even through the bandages covering her face, they remained beautiful.

"Your eyes are quite special. Can you tell me, in your eyes, what do I look like?"

"You... your hair is like snow, your eyes are like the sea, your skin is like milk, your nose is like an ice cream, your ears are like cotton candy... you're really good-looking!"

Sin Mal said with a dreamy expression, although her metaphors were a bit strange. She was simply trying her best with her limited language skills to express her liking for Sigurd, nothing more.

'Do I appear human in her eyes because of the special nature of the higher-dimensional world?'

Sigurd stared directly into those eyes filled with infatuation and fondness, without any emotional fluctuations. Instead, he began to contemplate the reasons behind it.

"Hahaha! Ice cream? Cotton candy? What strange metaphors!"

At this moment, Kiana burst into laughter and then rushed over, pushing Sigurd aside and once again holding Sin Mal's hands.

"Well, what do you see me as?"

"A dirty and ugly flame, a twisted and distorted soul, even darker than I am now. You must be a dark and resentful lunatic... In short, disgusting."

With the last word, Sin Mal's expression was filled with disgust, and she once again forcefully released Kiana's hands, as if trying to get rid of something dirty.

Snap!

Kiana was petrified.

After a moment, she turned to Sigurd.

"Sig, I think her eyes also need some treatment. Do you have eye drops?"

"Her eyes are different from yours and mine. The power of time is condensed within them, allowing her to see humans not as singular moments in time but as multiple layers of information transcending time. In a sense, what she sees is the true reality, and it is everyone else who needs treatment."

But how did Bronya escape from this perspective, and what is her uniqueness?

As Sigurd answered Kiana question, he fell into new confusion.

"What do you mean her reality is the true one? Something is not right! You tell me, how can someone as fair-skinned, beautiful, and innocent as me be considered dirty? And twisted? Disgusting? It makes me so angry!"

Kiana stomped her feet in anger, and even Sigurd's meticulously styled twin braids seemed to sprout stray hairs as a result.

Then she realized that Sigurd was simply lost in thought and completely ignored her.

Kiana became frantic, on the verge of tears from anger.

"Sig!!"

Kiana pounced on Sigurd, trying to grab his hair, clothes, bite his shoulder, and face.

How could he be so indifferent after she was insulted like that? Did he also think I'm dirty and disgusting?

Kiana felt an uncontrollable sense of injustice and anger.

Then Sigurd placed his hand on her head and gently touched it.

"Stop it. You're beautiful."

Immediately, Kiana calmed down.

'Sigurd complimented my looks again! Yay!'

Although the word "again" could be debated, her pent-up dissatisfaction and worries disappeared like a burst balloon in an instant.

"Hehe! Sig has good taste after all! Hehe~"

Kiana sat on Sigurd's back, sticking her head out from his shoulder, pulling down her eyelid, and making a face at Sin Mal.

Sin Mal: "(▼へ▼メ)!"

Sin Mal gnashed her teeth in dissatisfaction, looked left and right, but couldn't find a suitable weapon. So with a click, she forcibly tore off a steel pipe from the edge of the bed with her slender arm wrapped in bandages.

Then she pointed at Kiana and said to Sigurd, "Sigurd! This thing is dangerous. For your safety, it's better for me to eliminate it first!"

"Hey! You want to start something?"

How could someone like Kiana ignore the newcomer word?

She immediately jumped off Sigurd's back, casually pulled out another steel pipe from the side, weighed it in her hand, and then pointed it at Sin Mal as well.

"Simbalah, by the honor of the Kaslana family, I swear I will make you suffer!"

"My name is Sin Mal!"

Bang! Bang!

In the void, two invisible black and gilded mechanical arms appeared and delivered powerful punches to their heads.

The two girls clutched their heads in pain, and the steel pipes in their hands also fell to the ground, producing a crisp metallic sound.

As the war came to a halt, Sigurd also paused his unverifiable thoughts.

"Sin Mal, would you be interested in working for me? All expenses covered, excellent benefits, and I can arrange for you to meet Bronya. How about that?"

Sigurd extended his hand to Sin Mal, believing that mentioning Bronya would increase his chances of success.

"What about you?" Sin Mal countered.

Sigurd was taken aback for a moment.

Ah, right... It made sense. Sin Mal was so fixated on Bronya because she was the only normal human Sin Mal had encountered after her awakening. Now, Sigurd was the second one.

So, using seduction tactics... Well, it could work.

"You can meet me anytime too."

"Then I'll accept your offer... I like you, Sigurd!"

Sin Mal said so, opening her arms and embracing Sigurd, burying her head in his chest.

At that moment, Kiana rubbed her head and looked up, staring wide-eyed at the scene.

"Hey, I was here first-Ugh! Hey, you wicked woman, let go of Sig!"

At that moment, Kiana couldn't quite describe her emotions. She just felt that she should naturally be the one by Sigurd's side, and who was this weird person named Simbalah!?

Simultaneously, Kiana knew that she had encountered a lifelong rival.

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