Chapter 172

"(Will we meet again? … What kind of question is this? She clearly knows the answer in her heart, right?)"

"(If you ask me, of course……)"

"\"I want to see Kafka again. \" After hesitating a moment, Xing finally spoke their answer."

"But I don't know if it's my imagination; Xing felt that as soon as they finished speaking, Kafka's ear tips began to flush a faint crimson, and at the same time, their long eyelashes trembled slightly."

"\"Hah…\" She kept smiling, but the moisture in her eyes was too glossy, likely to spill her feelings sooner or later. She simply closed her eyes, took a deep breath——when she opened them again, her gaze seemed shrouded in misty clouds, and she became that inscrutable Kafka again."

"\"Alright, I'm done asking. \" Kafka shook her head, \"Really surprising, Xing, you're still impossible to read. Well, it's your turn to ask. \""

"Xing intended to keep asking about themselves; no matter how Kafka answered this time, at least one answer would be true."

"\"What kind of person was I before? \" Xing repeated the previous question."

"But this time Kafka's answer was clearly different: \"You are an artificial body created to host the Star Core; from birth, your fate has been to receive the Star Core on the Black Tower Space Station, and I am responsible for protecting you beforehand and teaching you basic combat skills and cognition. \""

"\"You don't remember because, before executing the Black Tower Plan, I made you forget. \" Kafka said without hesitation."

Chainsaw Man——

Inside the corner coffee shop at dusk, Makima gracefully stirred the black coffee in her cup, while sitting opposite her, Hayakawa Aki propped their chin with one hand, slightly raising it to gaze at the sky.

"\"An artificial body to host the Star Core…\" Kafka's answer made Hayakawa Aki unconsciously relax his brows; compared to the second answer, he was more inclined to believe that Xing was a life unintentionally created by the Star God."

"If Kafka's first answer is the truth, then the Star God who created her actually didn't use divine power to control her……\" Hayakawa Aki muttered thoughtfully, \"The Star God's way of thinking is really strange. \""

"Makima suddenly chuckled: \"Aki, how do you know the Star God's will isn't controlling Xing? \""

"\"Control\" never requires brute force. Look——followers of Abundance's healers have persisted for thousands of years, and Belobog's Great Guardian steadfastly follows the Will of Preservation……True \"control\" often hides within \"voluntary\" submission."

"Makima's smile deepened as she shook her head: \"Xing thinks they're walking their own chosen path, but they don't realize the Star God's power has already been subtly influencing their thoughts……or maybe not. \""

"... Control. \" Hayakawa Aki chewed on this unfamiliar term; upon Makima's suggestion, a strange thought suddenly popped into his mind……Are Denji and Power also voluntarily accepting Miss Makima's \"control\"?"

"Is the entire Tokyo Public Security Bureau also willingly accepting this kind of \"control\"?"

"Hayakawa Aki broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead."

"Makima merely smiled, the rim of her ceramic cup reflecting the vortex-like depths of her pupils: \"Aki, the expression on your face……are you thinking of something fun? \""

"While the two were chatting, Yiqing suddenly walked in."

"Upon seeing Kafka, Yiqing's eyes flashed with hostility, but when he shifted his gaze aside, he discovered Xing was also here, and immediately frowned: \"Huh? Why are you here? \""

Before Xing could even speak to explain, Kafka slowly stepped out from behind Xing, smiling meaningfully: 'Of course, it's because she fell under my word-spirit.'

"My suggestions can make people willingly accept orders, even without noticing anything odd." Kafka crossed her arms, slightly lifting her chin at Xing: "Xing, defeat this little brother, and your mission is over."

"——You, you this, heretical demon!"

Watching Xing swing the bat and walk toward him, Yan Qing gritted his teeth in anger, yet there was nothing he could do.

Xing is a honored guest of the Xianzhou, and just recently she fought alongside the general to defeat the Phantasm and save the Xianzhou; in this battle he must not let her get hurt. Yet Xing's strength is also quite formidable; his old wounds haven't healed, and merely dealing with her has already left him exhausted, but moreover... he still has to spare some attention to keep an eye on Kafka nearby.

That woman who knows word-spirit is even more dangerous than Xing...

"——Not good!"

He silently cursed his bad luck; in the moment of distraction, Xing had already snatched up the bat and lunged before his eyes. Yan Qing was just about to raise his sword to defend, but suddenly Xing's figure before him became blurry and indistinct, like a water-soaked oil painting beginning to bleed.

It felt as if his hands were sinking into thick amber; Kafka's voice surged from all directions, each syllable echoing in his mind with a pale purple resonance.

"Go back, Yan Qing~"

Just a moment ago Yan Qing was still full of vigor, and the next second he quietly went back like that.

With the crisis over, Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief; after successfully suppressing Ren's demonic shadow, Kafka once again thanked Xing, but since Ren still had someone to meet, the two parted ways here.

Ren walked out of the room, saw Xing still there, and spoke slowly: "I remember you. You used to follow Kafka, right? For a while she was on a mission and you were by her side. I still remember."

"Those who have followed her this long and still lived, you are the first." Ren smiled coldly, "Every Star Core Hunter has made a deal with Aelou. Since Kafka and I alike agree to be driven by Aelou, what she wants must be extraordinary, and everything she does comes at a great cost."

Ren slowly turned away: "She must have done many things to let you live to this day, little lady."

Attack on Titan——

Outside the night camp, the bonfire crackled; Armin gazed at the distant horizon, a shooting star flashed past like the phantom of the Star Rail Express.

"Ren knows all this inside information, why not say a bit more?"

Eren curled his lips, gazing lingeringly at the screen showing Ren's retreating back: "Since Xing used to follow Kafka, her identity is pretty much confirmed, right? She was once a member of the Star Core Hunters."

"No wonder her attitude toward Xing is so unusual."

Mikasa looked at Eren's profile and softly said: "But Ren also said that every Star Core Hunter made a deal with Aelou, which means Xing must have done something similar, right?"

"Well, then I guess Xing's deal with Aelou probably relates to her later amnesia and sleep... I even think there's a possibility that Xing voluntarily asked to fall into sleep and amnesia, just so she could later reach Aelou's future more perfectly." Armin mused.

"But why would she do that?" Mikasa didn't understand.

"Who knows? Maybe it was to deceive and hide from a certain star god who governs all memories in the universe? Or perhaps something else."

Armin's thoughts wandered: "The information we have now is still too scarce, but according to my guess... the Star Core-bearing Xing is likely the core of Aelou's script; she must hide some important memories that even the star god cannot know. But to deceive the star god, one must first deceive oneself, so she used Kafka's word-spirit to induce oblivion."