Another battle occurred. Its development ran parallel from Seele’s encounter with her future self.
Only…
‘Since when did my power turn to flames?!’
Veliona’s scarlet pupils stared at the orange hue rising from the horizon. The first rays of sunlight signified the dawn. When they touched Veliona, however, they caused a loud sizzling sound. A faint transparent membrane coated Veliona’s entire body, protecting herself from the overbearing Dao attempting to intrude her true body.
‘This is so troublesome!’
Just by existing, Veliona was suppressed by these rays of sunlight. They held the power of the primordial purple qi, the energy that leaked out of the world during the first dawn upon its conception.
Eternal Samsara held the Dao of Life, Death, and Extremity. It embodied the concept of life unto death; and death cycling back to life. Extremity is the concept that embodies the ever-present cycle nearing infinity. In this regard, Seele and Veliona possessed a high-grade water spirit root. They used it to build their foundation towards Eternal Samsara, ultimately comprehending the Dao of Life, Death, and Extremity.
The Dao itself has two sides: the so-called Yang Realm (lit. living world) and the Yin Realm (lit. Underworld). Seele and Veliona could theoretically share upon these two sides, forming unprecedented might.
Unfortunately for Veliona, it was something that could be done at the Dao Integration Realm. Overwriting the world with a high-level realm of her own requires numerous things—and she doesn’t have all of them.
The sunlight’s corrosion ensued. The power within Veliona’s true body dwindled. Her silver ring flashed as she summoned yet another medicinal pill for recovery. It melted in her mouth as soon as she touched it, turning into nourishment for her lost spiritual qi and overexerted body.
‘I expected her to say some useful things. How come she didn’t say anything at all?’
Veliona knew herself well. The moment she appeared, Veliona recognized her as her future projection. The distinct, ever-fleeting feeling from those rejected by this time didn’t escape her eyes. Unlike Shi Tian’s future projection, however, Veliona wasn’t stained by any tribulation energy. She surmised that this Veliona came from a future separate from Shi Tian’s.
Moreover, she felt something was wrong with her… with the future Veliona. She never spoke once. Her eyes gave off a feeling of hollowness, as if it she didn’t even have a shred of free will!
‘Those eyes are not something I’d make…’
She continued with her thoughts while maintaining her pace. Her silhouette remained as a streak of dark-red light. It traversed through the seemingly endless dried plains, enduring the dawn that hasn’t come to pass. She refused to utilize the power of the Sea as she felt something was to be gained from this encounter. Shi Tian’s Sea of Suffering was a good example that set a precedent.
Veliona acted less of a crazy cultivator and more of a senior passing down her legacy to her present self. In the end, future projections are merely possibilities. Being able to exert tangible influence to the real world was all thanks to their Tribulation Transcendence Realm future cultivation.
Just then, a sudden change occurred. Dawn ended, halting the primordial purple qi’s suppression. The sun rose high into the sky. It moved extremely fast. Countless clouds passed by. It didn’t take long before night fell. The sun was replaced by a bright moon. Its gentle glow sent whispers to Veliona’s ears, entrancing her mind. Her transparent membrane was on the verge of dissipating when she regained consciousness.
A swift look at her body revealed half of it turning translucent!
‘Life, Death, and Extremity… The possibilities brought to the extreme by the fusion of the two…’
*****
Sirin scanned her surroundings. The cover of the night draped the high-rise buildings present across the city. One of the highest buildings bore a logo that made her memories resurface. It belonged to the Heliopolis Life Sciences, a shell used by the World Serpent to commit human experiments. These experiments were done to ascertain the plausibility of Project STIGMA later on.
‘What kind of stupid joke is this?’
Sirin and Shi Tian had a showdown at the imaginary space. Following that was Kiana’s relentless search for him. She inevitably knocked a few enemies during that time, of which she came across Arc City. Kiana ended up arresting the ‘Cadre’ behind Arc City’s experiments, Jackal. This early arrest forced World Serpent to shift to their other plans. If it wasn’t for that, Kevin might have given them less time.
Naturally, Sirin did not have any fond memories of it. Heliopolis Life Sciences triggered her memories of her time at the Tower of Babel. Her hate towards Otto dwindled as centuries passed by, more so with his death. Still, it remained.
Her golden irises possessed a star-like black mark. Her eyes followed the Heliopolis Life Sciences’ building before halting at the very top. There, she saw someone bearing the same looks and clothes as hers. The familiar purple dress exposed her shoulders as well as her toned stomach. A pair of dark purple sleeves wrapped around her arms, bearing a semblance to a kimono. Her pleated white skirt reached up to her knees, swaying along the night breeze. Black cloth strips wrapped around her feet, with their ends tied behind.
The condescending gaze coming from her pricked Sirin. She could not accept others doing it towards her, much less another version of her. The two stared at each other for ten seconds. The atmosphere between them turned colder as time went by. Sirin felt a strong chill assault her body, causing her to shiver involuntarily.
Finally, the other Sirin broke the silence.
“You are not as pathetic as I.”
Her voice carried a somewhat disbelieving tone. She could not accept the outcome, but she knew in her heart that it was true.
After all, Sirin hasn’t lost her Shi Tian yet.
The future Sirin’s self-depreciating words made her raise her eyebrows. The cold, irritated look in her eyes vanished. It was replaced with an inquiring look. Sirin knew herself very well. Ever since that day she reconciled with Kiana, she didn’t have the face to show herself to others. She caused massive destruction and killed millions of people during her meteor strikes. Accepting that she was completely blinded with rage and turned into a splitting image of Otto Apocalypse took a lot of time and power.
Because of it, Sirin wasn’t the type to self-depreciate herself. Once she made a decision, she wouldn’t concede to others. Nobody can make Sirin take back her words. Hence, her future self speaking like that was a huge surprise.
She did not offer any words of consolation to the future Sirin. Instead, she wore a smirk.
‘To betray my wishes and to fail in protecting that future…’
“You truly are pathetic.”
*****
Sirin Image Source: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/honkaiimpact3_gamepedia_en/images/b/bd/Sirin_%28Profile%29.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20250623135011
