Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"The reason I say being a Valkyrie isn't a good job is that most Valkyries are girls who survived Honkai disasters. They're naturally burdened with the spirit of fighting for revenge against the Honkai, and they often have to undergo inhumane body modifications."

"In the early days, in order to gain the power to fight the Honkai, a Valkyrie's life was as short as a fleeting flower."

"So, I think this is a way of saving the Valkyries, at least in part, right?"

Kiana wasn't entirely sure. But having more people participate in the fight was definitely better, wasn't it?

Yukinoshita was lost in thought. She should have realized that the history of the Valkyries wasn't as glamorous as it was made out to be; she just hadn't considered it before.

"I didn't know there was such a history. They voluntarily became sacrifices."

Hiratsuka didn't know what to say. Regardless of whether it was for themselves or for the world, those people had already sacrificed themselves for the benefit of humanity. Everyone alive today was benefiting from their sacrifices; otherwise, the damage caused by the Honkai would have been enough to wipe out the Earth.

"Not necessarily..."

Kiana was pretty sure the word "voluntary" should be in quotation marks. Otherwise, Wendy wouldn't be chasing Theresa around all the time, ready to throw hands.

"After all, I've heard that people in the Japan 'voluntarily' work overtime." [Referring to the notorious "996" work culture in some East Asian countries: 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week].

That comment was a bit of a low blow, but she was a descendant of Valkyries, so it wasn't their place to argue.

Yukinoshita decided to change the subject. "Since senpai is also a Valkyrie, well, let's call you senpai for now, is there any way... I mean, after sensing the Stigmata connection, I always feel something's not right. Is there something wrong?"

"Stigmata? Are you talking about the synchronization between the human body and the Stigmata battlesuit? Linking the human senses with the battlesuit to stimulate the Stigmata's power to nourish the body. This allows for a greater burst of combat power. So, the researchers call this process 'synchronization'."

Kiana was very familiar with this. She explained, "Actually, there's only one way: maintain your willpower."

Yukinoshita was confused by this.

She had persevered, and that's what the teachers had taught in class. There were even specialized Valkyries who came to explain similar things.

Everyone had tried on a test-type Stigmata battlesuit.

It was something Tesla had managed to mass-produce using Schicksal's biological cloning system.

"It's like this: Sensei should have had a similar feeling. After synchronizing with the Stigmata, there's a clash of wills. This is because we're borrowing the Stigmata's Imaginary power, making genetic information manifest in reality. It's like how willpower, something we can't see or touch, is directly represented by values like 'SAN points'."

Yukinoshita recalled the feeling of her first synchronization. She considered herself a strong person. However, in reality, after entering the Stigmata synchronization state, past memories would repeatedly appear in her mind, overlapping and intensifying.

"My experience in the Stigmata space was... it was chaotic, everything was like shards of glass. My memories would wander within it, like being swept into a huge river. Then all the unpleasant memories of the past would flood back. And it wasn't just me; many of my classmates experienced the same thing."

"During the first synchronization, many people either broke down crying, laughed hysterically, or were just stunned for a long time, unable to react."

"Even though everyone has recovered physically, I still feel like something's wrong with the Stigmata synchronization."

Kiana felt a little embarrassed. Actually, this was just her first step in filtering out humans with strong willpower. In other words, it was about forcing people to confront their unpleasant memories and think about why they had become scars.

That's how it's designed, to make people confront their past unpleasant memories.

"You felt it too? I thought I was the only one."

Hiratsuka was surprised by Yukinoshita's situation because everyone reacted differently, but most people failed to synchronize with the Stigmata battlesuit.

Yukinoshita had overcome the first step, having moved past the bullying she had experienced. But she stumbled on the second step: the hypocrisy and replaceability in life.

Her synchronization with the Stigmata battlesuit had progressed a little, but not much.

"Conflicts can be masked by bigger conflicts, and trauma can be covered up by greater trauma. It's like if you have multiple injuries, you'll naturally focus on the one that hurts the most."

Kiana had the final say on this matter, having frequently encountered the dark side of people's thoughts in the Stigmata Space. It was thanks to her strong body that she could withstand this chaotic and gloomy side of human thought. Otherwise, she would have been the first to break down.

Yukinoshita carefully considered Kiana's words, seeming to grasp some of their meaning.

It was like when a person was on the battlefield, they wouldn't have the mood to worry about whether to eat coffee beans or fried eggs for breakfast.

"So, is there any way to quickly increase willpower?"

Kiana looked at the girl in surprise, not understanding why she was so eager to increase her willpower. 

She thought for a moment and said, "A way to increase willpower, huh? Let me think... Maybe... watching good things in life be destroyed? Family members being killed? Friends betraying you? Hmm, or maybe comrades sacrificing themselves? Family dying because of your own incompetence? Loved ones dying to save you? Your best partner falling apart because of you? Or maybe, ultimately, having to sacrifice yourself for others, and whether you can step up to do it?"

She thought of many scenarios where people displayed strong willpower, but she didn't have a definitive answer.

What the heck have you been through to come up with all of that?!

Yukinoshita frowned slightly, wanting to say something but swallowing it back down.

"Honestly, I don't think it's any of those. If you really want me to say... what can make human willpower stronger, or rather, what creates a mental state like willpower, is probably facing pain and overcoming it."

Kiana felt like she was talking nonsense. If she knew how to overcome pain, would she be thinking about how to make human willpower stronger?

"Is it... pain?" Yukinoshita couldn't figure out what kind of pain needed to be accumulated to achieve such a state.

"Yes, pain. Pain so deep that it's etched into your genes. Pain that makes your genetic information manifest in the Stigmata." Kiana felt that this was the reason why those wills persisted in the Stigmata space; their purpose was to prevent that pain from ever happening again.

Yukinoshita thought for a moment and said, "Maybe that's why it's called 'Stigmata'. Scars left after wounds heal are called scars. The traces of will left behind when humans are powerless against the world are perhaps called 'Stigmata'?"

Kiana was sweating bullets. 

She had never considered this interpretation before.

Are you guys misunderstanding something?