Chapter 28: The Sacred Mark

“Ugh!!!!!!”

Not a metaphor—when Yao Bingling opened his eyes, the first instant he gasped in a way exactly like a drowning person suddenly inhaling oxygen, forcing a large amount of air into his lungs that had completely suffocated.

In the space of consciousness, his battle with the Golden Crow lasted 5 minutes and 22 seconds, including the final conversation, taking less than six minutes in total. Yet in reality, he had been unconscious for only 122 seconds.

That’s roughly 2.5 times the flow of time.

And his lack of oxygen was not a simple mechanical hypoxia from a period of not breathing. It was because after returning to his body, the full-body pain prevented him from breathing normally.

Injuries to a consciousness projection cannot manifest physically, but the pain recorded in the neural consciousness is copied perfectly.

This caused Yao Bingling to lie on the ground, his right hand pressing tightly on his left shoulder, afraid to move. Although his left shoulder and arm were intact, the nerves needed time to reconcile with the pain. Before that understanding occurred, the pain would not disappear, and Yao Bingling was even hesitant to look at his left shoulder.

Time hadn’t passed much; the pain in his shoulder gradually faded, along with the pain in his right leg. Sensation returned to his right wrist, thumb, and index finger.

Yet this made the pain in his back more pronounced—that was the scar Kiana had left him.

Though the Core of the Honkai had healed the core part and even pushed the bullet lodged inside his body out, the superficial skin hadn’t fully healed. Now, having been severed from the Golden Crow’s Core, Yao Bingling could no longer rapidly heal that area.

Yes—the power had been cut off.

If before, his body had made him feel like a destroyer of all, now that dissipating sensation made him feel as if he had instantly fallen into the rank of the destroyed.

He looked at his own body.

The white skin representing Honkai infection was fading rapidly, retreating toward a single point. The pain in his back grew more noticeable.

Once all the white faded, he silently examined the red marking on his left chest—like a tattoo, yet exuding the mystery and abstraction of ancient wall paintings.

He had seen this marking before, on his elder sister’s back.

A Stigmata—after absorbing all the power of the Golden Crow into his body, it had formed a solar stigmata on his chest.

It was proof that he had defeated the Golden Crow’s will and mastered its power. Now, that proof was imprinted on his body as a stigmata.

“…must cover it.”

At this stage, the chance of a male adapting to Honkai energy and successfully transplanting a stigmata was almost zero. Regardless of how the stigmata appeared, if the organization Schicksal knew about it, they would likely send an S-class Valkyrie immediately to capture him for research.

Given the current circumstances, Schicksal might not act so directly, but monitoring and investigation would be unavoidable. His situation was unique—humanity resisting the will of Honkai.

“…cannot let them know.”

He got up, carefully grabbed some dirty bandages, and wrapped them multiple times around his chest to completely conceal the stigmata, finally letting out a sigh.

“By the way, how is Himeko?”

His memory retained that he had healed Himeko’s injuries with Honkai energy, but he had no idea if there had been any adverse reactions afterward. He quickly approached her, flipped her over, and examined her condition.

To his surprise, she was fine—perhaps even unusually healthy.

A few minutes ago, she had fractured ribs, broken arms, and third-degree burns on her back, yet now she slept peacefully, unaffected.

“…as expected, females really have a strong advantage in this regard,” he said, referring to the ability to resist Honkai energy. Females tend to survive Honkai infection better than males and can absorb its power more efficiently.

After confirming she was safe, an unprecedented sleepiness washed over Yao Bingling.

Naturally—he had had an extremely intense night: battling the Golden Crow’s will, fighting an Emperor-class Honkai beast, struggling with these children under secrecy, and enduring the Golden Crow’s counterattack…

It felt like he had experienced an entire lifetime of life-and-death in a single night. Once his guard was down, exhaustion overtook him.

“Honkai… Valkyries… well, just missing Anti-Entropy, then it’s complete for tonight.”

He gathered branches and leaves to make a simple bed, driven by the instinct to sleep comfortably. He built a makeshift tent over Himeko and sat on the stone floor, relaxing and closing his eyes slightly.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, there was movement above his head, and something soft yet substantial pressed against the back of his skull.

“…”

He roughly guessed what it was. Dragging his tired body to sit elsewhere, a glance caused a chill down his spine.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely accidental—any man would glance when that happened. The problem was that when Yao Bingling looked at Himeko’s chest, he saw something shocking.

Her chest armor should have been an alloy Valkyrie chest plate, but after he shattered it and brought her here, the broken pieces had mostly fallen off, exposing much of her chest.

And there, a bright red mark stood out…

Her body felt unusually heavy, every breath causing near-fracturing pain in her chest.

Even before fully regaining consciousness, her mind already knew she was still alive.

Memories answered her question: the white monster, king of flames, walking through the inferno…

Opening her eyes, she found herself in the dark, barely able to make out the tent made of branches and leaves under the dim firelight.

The familiar environment and the tent’s structure reminded her of someone.

“Instructor?”

Her hoarse voice, dry and scorched like fire, escaped. Swallowing saliva hurt terribly.

“Awake?”

Yao Bingling’s voice immediately appeared. He seemed to understand her condition, holding a military water canteen to her lips as he helped her sit.

Parched, she drank eagerly, holding his hands in both of hers instead of the canteen, drinking half herself, half fed by him.

After finishing, she released his hands and licked her lips, slightly dissatisfied.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes, much better. Instructor… how are you here… and what’s with you!”

Her focus on her burning throat and trust in him had prevented her from noticing his unusual condition, but now she saw the bandages covering his chest.

Due to insufficient coverage, some surface burns and herbal ointments were visible.

“Oh, these?” Yao Bingling looked at his wounds. “Just some minor injuries after saving you.”

The night forest felt warm, the remnants of the battle and fire giving a summer-night vibe.

Yet his words caused Himeko to feel her body temperature drop.

Why? Why could he remain composed after nearly being burned alive, using his life as a weapon, without fear?

“Don’t get worked up. I had insufficient equipment, so this is already impressive.”

A genuine smile appeared on his face—relief and gratitude combined.

Himeko looked back at the scorched forest, trees broken, soil overturned, molten shells glowing like stars.

She couldn’t imagine the scale of the battle during her unconsciousness, nor the state of mind her instructor had been in facing that monster alone.

“…Weren’t you afraid?”

She asked, feeling uneasy. Yao Bingling’s smile faded, his gaze serious. “Were you afraid?”

She did not answer, and that was the best answer.

Yes, she was afraid—but not the fear before battle, rather the post-traumatic fear after surviving.

Now, thinking back, the monster wasn’t the strongest she’d faced. If equipped with full Valkyrie gear and the solar sword, she would have defeated it in a single strike.

Yet nothing had prepared her for the oppressive presence of that ancient, resplendent king of fire.

“Nothing to be ashamed of, it’s normal.”

He placed his hand on her head, shocking the 27-year-old Valkyrie.

“You’re not blaming me?”

“Blame you? For being scared after nearly dying?” Yao Bingling laughed self-deprecatingly.

Even battle-hardened warriors fear combat. His old secret squad, active between Honkai and Anti-Entropy, celebrated after every battle, big or small, to relieve fear and celebrate survival.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Fear is proof of life. The so-called ‘Homo sapiens’ of this planet survived by mastering fear—fear of power, fear of the unknown. That fear generates strength.”

He moved his hand from her head to her shoulder. “Fear is not shameful. What matters is swallowing fear and moving forward. Your broken ribs and burned back prove you’ve overcome it. You did not disappoint me, Himeko.”

Her head reeled; she had sought his approval to become a capable Valkyrie.

“…Clever, Instructor.”

“The winner is extreme, the loser grows strong.”

Yao Bingling limped toward the fire, his leg bound with a branch splint.

“One victory breeds pride, repeated victories weaken the winner. But every failure teaches the loser. As long as he lives, he gains experience and grows stronger. Himeko, this is my final lesson. Congratulations—graduated.”

“Are you going after that… monster?”

“Can’t catch it. Request Schicksal’s aid. And I want you to be honest with me—when did you transplant the stigmata?”

Silence fell.

Himeko lowered her head, lips pressed together.

“You know you missed the optimal stigmata transplantation window, right?”

The best age for female Valkyries was 16–18, when cellular activity is highest. Himeko was already 17 when he left. Ten years ago, Schicksal’s procedure was not as safe.

“…I’m surprised you did this… why?”

“No, Instructor. Everyone has secrets… even from you, I have things I cannot say.”