In the underground ruins of the "City of Broken Bonds," Rin's fierce battle with [Scarlet Mark] continued. Henning's death and his prophecy, coupled with the internal conflict of Ye Xue's personalities, ignited a fierce fire in Rin's heart. He was no longer lost, nor was he merely a manipulated "weapon." He would completely overturn the "Demise Experiment" for Ye Xue, and for all the sacrificed souls!
While Rin was entangled in battle with Scarlet Mark, Ye Xue, in the distant abandoned clinic, was engulfed in unprecedented pain.
Stimulated by Henning's "neural identifier" and bombarded by the memory fragments brought forth by Rin activating the "Shadow Terminal Fragment," the struggle between her two personalities reached a fever pitch. Her body trembled violently on the cot, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and painful groans escaped her throat.
Her consciousness was pulled into a distorted void, and the large mirror reappeared.
"What are you still struggling for?" The "Terminator · Ye Xue" in the mirror sneered coldly, her eyes cold and mocking. "Do you think you can change anything? Your existence is just a mistake. Your emotions are nothing but weaknesses that will drag you down."
The current "Ye Xue"—the one awakened by Rin in this life, yearning to stand by his side—painfully clutched her head, her fingernails almost piercing her scalp. She could feel the powerful "Terminator" persona constantly encroaching upon her, attempting to completely consume her.
"No! I'm not a mistake!" The current "Ye Xue" retorted hoarsely, her voice filled with defiance and despair. "I… I want to be with Rin! I want to break free from the past! I want to follow him!"
She recalled everything she had experienced with Rin in this life: their meeting at the academy, their desperate escape from pursuit, the pain Rin endured for her, and his vow, "In this life, I won't let you walk alone again." That warmth and bond were her most powerful weapons at this moment.
"Ridiculous!" The "Terminator · Ye Xue" scoffed disdainfully. "Follow? Look at yourself, what right do you have to follow him? Your body was modified by the organization; your emotions are pathetic weaknesses. The only reason he values you is because you still have utilitarian value!"
"You're wrong!" The current "Ye Xue" suddenly lifted her head, a glimmer of determination in her eyes. "He… he loves me! He loves me, not a 'weapon'!"
"Love?" The "Terminator · Ye Xue" sounded as if she had heard the funniest joke. She advanced step by step. "That's self-deception! Emotions will only make you weak, preventing you from executing orders. The organization has used your 'love' to control everything about you!"
Her voice was like a cold, sharp blade, piercing the deepest core of the current "Ye Xue's" being. She remembered the moments she couldn't control herself, remembered her cold-blooded massacre of enemies, and her complete lack of emotion even towards Rin. That sense of powerlessness left her desperate.
Just as she was about to be consumed by the "Terminator · Ye Xue," a warm voice suddenly echoed deep within her consciousness—it was Rin's voice.
Though he was on the battlefield, through the connection of the "Shadow Terminal Fragment," he felt Ye Xue's struggle. He knew what she was going through.
"Ye Xue!" Rin's voice, carrying a power that could penetrate everything, directly entered Ye Xue's consciousness. "Listen! You can choose who you are!"
The "Terminator · Ye Xue's" expression instantly froze. She too had heard Rin's voice.
"No one can decide your destiny! Not the organization, not me, and certainly not those cold commands within you!" Rin's voice was full of power and resolve. "You are not a weapon! You are not a failed product! You are Ye Xue! You have the right to choose!"
Rin's words, like sunlight, pierced through the darkness of the void, illuminating the despairing heart of the current "Ye Xue." She suddenly opened her eyes, and the illusory figure in her consciousness gradually dissipated.
She struggled to sit up, gasping for breath. Her body still ached, but her mind was clearer than ever. She could feel the powerful and cold force within her, that instinct belonging to the "Terminator," but at the same time, she could also feel a warm and resolute support emanating from Rin.
She looked at her hands, then at the clinic wall, where her pale and exhausted face was reflected.
"I can choose…" Ye Xue whispered, repeating Rin's words. Her voice trembled slightly, but it was no longer cold and mechanical.
Could she really? Could she truly break free from the past, from those forcibly implanted "directives"?
"If I have to kill that 'me'…" Ye Xue suddenly looked up at the empty corner, as if the cold "Terminator · Ye Xue" stood there, her eyes filled with pain and contradiction. "Would you still love me?"
This question was not just for Rin; it was her own soul-searching. She knew that to completely shed the "Terminator" imprint, she might need an act of self-slaughter. And that ruthless "self," though imposed by the organization, was still a part of her.
Rin's consciousness felt Ye Xue's pain; he knew the struggle in her heart.
"No matter what choice you make, Ye Xue," Rin's voice came again, carrying an unconditional trust and love. "I will love you. Because you are you."
He knew this was not a simple multiple-choice question. This was the phoenix-like rebirth Ye Xue had to undergo to reclaim her true self. All he could do was give her the strongest support, to let her know that no matter what she became, he would be by her side.
Ye Xue's body trembled slightly, and tears once again blurred her vision. She felt Rin's selfless love, that bond transcending life and death, transcending memory.
"Eye of Demise…" Ye Xue silently uttered the name in her heart. She knew that it might be the key to freeing herself from all this pain and finding her true self.
And at this moment, outside the clinic, Rin's battle continued. Every clash between him and Scarlet Mark produced deafening sounds. Rin knew he had to end this battle quickly, because Ye Xue was waiting for his return, waiting for him to find her the door to true freedom.