Chapter 206: Chapter 206: Trial’s End

Chapter 206: Trial’s End

The smoke finally began to clear from the battlefield.

At the far end of the deep trench gouged into the earth by the runaway train, Chiyo’s body lay motionless.

But this time, she didn’t return to her original form—unlike the tengu maiden or Mikoshi Michihiro. There was no transformation, no fading of shape or aura. Just silence. Just stillness.

Her form remained unchanged, slumped gently at the crater’s edge. The inky black aura that had once swirled around her like a living shadow was gone. Completely vanished. Even the air felt lighter without it.

The once-muted colors of her elaborate, twelve-layered kimono had returned—vibrant now, as if newly woven. But the gashes across her body, carved deep by Bai Luo’s blades, remained.

Maybe… this was how she died, at least in the version stored inside the Maguu Kenki’s soul. Not as a monster or a corrupted being, but as a proud warrior. Someone who had simply lost a fight she couldn’t walk away from.

Above them, the clouds parted slowly. The moon peeked out—dim and soft—its pale light brushing against the battlefield. It wasn’t its own glow, only a reflection of the sun, but it was enough.

Under that borrowed light, Bai Luo stood in silence. He looked down at Chiyo’s still form for a long moment before crouching beside her. Quietly, he scooped up a handful of the loose dirt kicked up by the train and gently scattered it over her.

A makeshift burial. Nothing proper or ceremonial, but something. A final act of respect.

She’d fought with everything she had. He could at least give her that.

A prodigy of the present age… and a fallen oni from the past. Their battle had finally come to an end.

No celebration. No cheers. Just stillness, like a curtain falling after a long, brutal play.

Then—everything disappeared.

The countdown. The battlefield. The weight in the air.

All of it faded into void.

And when the void lifted, Bai Luo found himself back where he’d started—beside the water curtain, with the familiar sound of waves crashing in the distance, the soft drizzle of rain, and…

…someone snoring?

He blinked.

The scene was exactly the same as when he’d first touched the water curtain. Nothing had changed. The stone underfoot, the raindrops tapping gently on the trees, even the dull, salty wind—it was all the same.

Sveta was still standing there, holding up his umbrella with that usual grace and stillness. She hadn’t moved an inch.

And right there on her shoulder, nestled in and fast asleep…

Sayu.

Bai Luo stared for a moment.

“…Unreal.”

Classic Sayu.

He stretched slightly, arms and shoulders popping faintly as his muscles adjusted. “How long was I out?” he asked.

Sveta replied instantly, voice calm and crisp. “You’ve been standing here the entire time. Approximately ten minutes have passed.”

Bai Luo raised an eyebrow. That little?

Fatui agents were trained to track time precisely—even more so for someone in the Special Honor Guard like Sveta. If she said ten minutes, it was probably accurate down to the second.

He glanced at the tiny ninja drooling on Sveta’s shoulder.

“She fell asleep that fast?”

“She was already asleep when you handed her over to me,” Sveta said flatly.

“…”

Bai Luo sighed. So that whole thing—Sayu curling up in her Daruma back at the battlefield—wasn’t fear. It wasn’t grief.

It was just her finding a comfortable place to nap.

That really was just like her.

Still, there was something important he realized just then.

He had never physically entered the trial space.

His body hadn’t moved from the spot. What he experienced was all mental—a consciousness dive into the trial space.

He hadn’t passed through the curtain at all.

Inside that illusion, he had faced the 3 entangled destinies of the Maguu Kenki. And somehow, he’d come back in one piece.

First thing’s first—he checked the system.

With a mental command, he opened his status panel.

A moment of silence.

Then—relief.

The three trial rewards were still listed. Nothing had disappeared.

He exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders.

All that fighting, all that pain—it hadn’t been for nothing.

Now then… there was something he’d been meaning to test.

The new class.

He activated the class change. In a blink, his outfit shimmered and shifted.

The usual black jacket and casual wear were replaced by a sleek, tight uniform with a formal-cut coat. It looked vaguely like a Japanese school uniform, but built for battle.

His right arm shimmered with crystalline light—transforming once again into that strange, transparent armor.

Unlike other transformations, this one didn’t replace his arm. It just coated it in power. Bai Luo was particularly thankful for that.

After all, that was his dominant arm. His good ol’ righty.

Losing it—even in exchange for raw power—wouldn’t have sat well with him.

He flexed his fingers once.

It felt… right.

Sveta, of course, didn’t react. Not even a blink. She had already witnessed this transformation before—several times, even. To her, it was just one of the many mysterious abilities granted to the Ausbilder by the Tsaritsa herself.

Then, Bai Luo got curious.

The description of his new skill, Void Genome, mentioned that even non-Vision users had “Voids.”

If that was true…

He narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Sveta.

Specifically—at her chest.

Strictly for Void extraction purposes, of course.

“Don’t move,” he said calmly.

Sveta tilted her head ever so slightly but didn’t question the order.

With his crystallized right arm, Bai Luo reached forward.

Light gathered at his fingertips—then passed into her chest, phasing straight through her skin.

A moment later, something formed in his hand.

A system prompt popped up:

[Acquired Void – Mirror of Reversal]

[Creates a circular barrier at a target location for up to 10 seconds.

The barrier reflects all projectile attacks as beams, dealing elemental or physical damage based on the attack’s original type.

Max: 10 reflected beams.

Cooldown: 36 seconds.]

[Note: You may store up to 3 Voids. You can delete one using Elemental Burst to make room for another.]

The object looked like a twisted, crystalline gun—though more like a tool than a weapon.

After a moment’s thought, Bai Luo stored it.

Could be useful later.

Then his gaze shifted to Sayu.

Still asleep.

Still clinging to Sveta like a child.

He narrowed his eyes again.

Bai Luo’s stare was intense—so intense, it could probably wake the dead.

And apparently, it did.

Sayu’s eyes snapped open.

She blinked once.

Twice.

Then she looked down and saw Bai Luo’s hand glowing with ominous crystal energy.

“Wh-what do you think you’re doing?!”

In an instant, Sayu clung to Sveta’s neck like a baby koala. Her face was filled with panic.

She remembered it too clearly. That one time he had used her tanuki outfit as a drying rack near the campfire…

And now this?

He was planning to reach inside her?!

Even Sveta seemed to understand the look Bai Luo gave her. She gave a small nod, lifted Sayu gently like she weighed nothing, and turned her toward him.

“Wait—WAIT—hold on! Stop! Timeout! Mercy!!” Sayu squeaked.

But it was too late.

With a flash of light, Bai Luo’s hand passed through her chest. She let out a tiny yelp, eyes widening in shock as he pulled out an object from within her.

She watched the motion—watched him hold the glowing item—and then… her brain shut down.

Eyes rolled back. Limbs went limp.

Sayu fainted.

Bai Luo caught her before she could hit the ground.

A new system prompt appeared in his vision:

[Acquired Anemo Void – Dancer’s Shoes]

[Passive: Increases movement speed and jump height by 10%.]

[Active: Generates temporary stepping platforms beneath the user’s feet, allowing brief air-time and enhancing all kick-based attacks.

Cooldown: 7 seconds]

[Note: For some, perhaps due to past regrets, the view from higher places is all the more precious…]

The final line almost made Bai Luo pause.

It was oddly poetic for the system. And somehow… it really fit her.

He looked at Sayu—unconscious again, this time with a tiny trail of drool forming at the corner of her mouth.

So, this was her Void. It made sense. Agile, evasive, always jumping around. That was Sayu in a nutshell.

But now he was more curious than ever.

If Sayu, someone without a Vision, could produce a Void with such personality—what kind of Void would someone like Jean have? Or Raiden Shogun?

Would they be more powerful? More refined? Or even stranger?

That was a question for another day.

For now, the trial was done. He had his rewards. No need to hang around.

“Let’s go. We’re done here.”

He turned, still holding the unconscious Sayu in his arms like a sack of lazy potatoes. Sveta gave a short, respectful nod and silently followed behind.

The rain had softened, becoming more of a mist. The forest air felt fresher than before. Cleansed, somehow.

But just as they were walking away, something burst out from the water curtain behind them.

Bai Luo turned on instinct.

He raised his right arm, catching the flying objects before they could hit the ground.

One of them was round—metallic. A sword guard, but thicker and larger than any he’d ever seen used on a katana.

The other…

Was a half-eaten Sunsettia.

He held the fruit up with an eyebrow raised.

It had already browned at the bite mark. Judging by the texture, it had been sitting out for hours. Maybe longer.

“…That Maguu Kenki actually ate it?”

He turned the fruit over in his hand.

“But where’s its mouth even at?”

There was no real answer to that, so he shrugged and casually tossed it into the ocean.

As for the sword guard, he examined it more closely.

It didn’t match anything from his current weapons. And it wasn’t something that would normally be flung out from the trial space without reason.

So he pocketed it.

He could figure it out later.

With everything settled, Bai Luo resumed walking. Behind him, Sveta adjusted her grip on her umbrella and followed without a word.

With the Maguu Kenki’s challenge finally resolved—It was time to move on to his real mission.

. . . . .

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