Upon hearing these words, Lumine's eyes widened slightly, and then they immediately opened. The scene no longer flickered and changed; instead, she was met with a gentle, smiling, pretty face.
*Thump-thump—!!*
Lumine's heart began to pound violently.
"You're... Ying?"
Hearing Lumine finally speak her name, Ying's lips curved upwards, revealing a brilliant smile.
"That's great... you finally... recognize me..."
As these words fell, Ying could no longer hold on. She fainted and collapsed into Lumine's arms.
Looking at Ying, who was in her arms, Lumine's mind went completely blank at her earlier words.
Had she just been fighting... her own sister?
And had she even plunged her sword into... her chest...
"No... no, no, no..."
Lumine shook her head frantically, denying it, but the facts remained unchanged.
Lumine quickly withdrew the silver sword from Ying's body. The moment the silver sword disappeared, she clearly felt the blood flowing from Ying's body accelerate even more rapidly. She could even hear the sound of blood slowly flowing out from her body.
"No... don't!"
Seeing this, Lumine quickly pressed her hands onto Ying's body, using all her elemental power to cover her wounds and stop the flow of blood.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... it's all my fault... I couldn't even recognize my own sister. Sister will never let you die... Ying, wake up. Get up and pour all your grievances onto your sister, okay..."
As Lumine murmured to herself, tears once again welled up and flowed down her cheeks.
"Oh?"
Seeing this, the young Doctor pinched his chin and spoke thoughtfully.
"You woke up much faster than I expected. The bonds between people are indeed difficult to calculate."
Hearing the Doctor's words, Lumine suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed intently on him.
But before she could speak, the Doctor smiled and said,
"Alright, I know you want to kill me, but unfortunately, you are currently saving your loved one and cannot afford to be distracted. Besides, like me, you are merely a 'slice'."
"Before you say anything about having to defeat me, let me give you some good news."
"You might not know this, but unlike the 'welfare' of the last stage, this time it's like before: only when the protagonist of this level dies can your little sister proceed to the next floor, the final room."
"I know you won't trust my words, but it's okay. You'll have no choice but to believe me soon enough."
Saying this, the Doctor opened the teleportation gate behind him. Before leaving, he left his final words.
"I'm really looking forward to it. I'm curious who will arrive on the next floor. After all, even if she dies, even if she loses the match, I believe you will still come looking for me to avenge her~"
As the teleportation gate closed, the room fell silent.
After a long while, Lumine finally managed to stop the bleeding from Ying's wound, but due to her lack of ability, she couldn't perfectly heal the wound as she had with her previous Vision.
Looking at Ying, who was still unconscious and unresponsive in her arms, Lumine's eyes gradually became moist, and she said in a low voice.
"I know I'm just a 'slice'. If I were the real Lumine, I believe she wouldn't be as foolish as me, unable to recognize her own sister."
"If I hadn't been careless when I was in Inazuma, the Doctor wouldn't have created a 'slice' of me..."
"If this foolish me had observed more carefully, perhaps I would have seen through the clues..."
Saying this, Lumine took out her silver sword, her grip tightening on the hilt, her eyes revealing a hint of determination.
*Thud...*
The sudden dull thud of the sword piercing flesh startled Ying's nerves. Ying, who had been lying lifelessly in her arms, suddenly let out a soft sound and her eyes flew open, just in time to see what had just happened.
Upon seeing the silver sword plunged into Lumine's abdomen, having pierced her lungs, Ying stared blankly for a few seconds, her pupils constricting.
"No!"
Accompanied by a sharp wail, an intense pain surged through her entire body.
Ying quickly got up and pulled the silver sword out of Lumine. She attempted to use her remaining elemental power to stop Lumine's bleeding, but the still-conscious Lumine stopped her, whispering comfortingly.
"Don't waste your elemental power on me. You know, if you don't defeat me, you won't be able to go to the next floor."
Hearing this, Ying's face was filled with grief, and tears streamed down her face as she cried out.
"You're going to kill yourself just because of what that scoundrel said? Idiot! Idiot, idiot!!"
Hearing Ying's scolding, Lumine managed a weak smile. She didn't reply but instead stroked Ying's head and said softly.
"Ying, if only it were possible, I truly wish I could go out with you, apologize to my original self, and express how sorry I am for hurting my dearest little sister."
"Please don't be sad about the departure of this 'slice'. Remember, the real me is always waiting outside for you to return to her side."
"If... if you truly can't let go... then please... please transform your sorrow into anger, and go to the next floor to find that Doctor and avenge your incompetent 'slice' of a sister... avenge me..."
As she spoke, Lumine's eyes slowly dimmed. Her eyes gradually closed, and her breath gradually faded.
In an instant, Ying felt a sharp pain in her head, as if something had been ripped away, causing her to feel dizzy and disoriented. She quickly shook her head, preventing herself from fainting from the pain.
"Hey! Wake up! Shouldn't you be the one to get revenge yourself?!"
Then, Ying frantically shook Lumine's shoulders, trying to wake her up, but no matter how hard she shook, there was no response.
After a long time, looking at Lumine, who had completely lost her breath, Ying's tears once again flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks, dripping onto Lumine's rapidly cooling skin.
"Always going on about 'slices', as if I care that much. What a foolish sister..."
Saying this, Ying gently laid Lumine on the ground. She then stood up, lightly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and whispered.
"Lumine, you must get revenge yourself. Just wait, I'll send him to you very soon."
With that, Ying managed a slight smile, trying to appear less sorrowful, and then continued.
"Also, given that you didn't recognize your own sister immediately, as a punishment, if he ends up in hell later, I'll make you travel all the way from heaven to kill him."