The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned, especially Shinku. Setting aside the deaths of Souseiseki and Suiseiseki, the fact that Kanari had finally erupted, only to meet this end, was unbelievable. What struck her with even greater disbelief was... the one who had slain Kanari was their youngest and weakest sister, Hinaichigo!

At that moment, Shinku was so severely shaken, her heart pierced, that she nearly had her head severed by a swing from Suigintou’s sword.

The only reason Suigintou missed her strike, despite Shinku leaving such a massive opening, was because the majority of her attention had been drawn to Hinaichigo.

Among those present, the quickest to react was Rozen Maiden. As Kanari plummeted, the two Rose Dolls flew out from her core. Although she had been forced into a precarious position by Kanari’s Fifth Wave just moments before, upon witnessing this scene, Rozen Maiden instantly regained focus and darted towards the two Rose Dolls with incredible speed... After the preceding events, she dared not approach anything casually anymore.

Strangely, although Hinaichigo had assassinated Kanari through a surprise attack, she seemed uninterested in taking the Rose Dolls. She allowed Rozen Maiden to absorb the Rose Dolls from both Kanari and Suiseiseki into herself, watching idly.

“You are not Hinaichigo! Who are you?” Almost at the exact moment Rozen Maiden secured the Rose Dolls, Shinku suddenly roared the question at Hinaichigo.

Earlier, the events had transpired too suddenly for her to process, but now she had noticed: Hinaichigo had killed Kanari with a silver crystal sword, a weapon Hinaichigo did not possess. Hinaichigo’s attack methods were limited to two: strawberry vines or doll enlargement; neither possessed the power for a single-strike kill, let alone a weapon like a silver crystal sword that looked instantly lethal.

More importantly, Hinaichigo possessed a kind heart. Even when hurt by others, she never considered retaliation, especially against Kanari. Their relationship had always been exceptionally close; arguably, besides the twin dolls Souseiseki and Suiseiseki, Hinaichigo and Kanari were the best pair among the Rozen Maidens. How could such a person possibly murder Kanari?

At the very least, Shinku refused to believe Hinaichigo capable of such an act.

Therefore, it was logical to conclude that this person wearing Hinaichigo’s form was either someone else’s soul, or Hinaichigo’s body was being controlled.

“Hehe.” Hearing Shinku’s interrogation, the Hinaichigo figure immediately laughed, but her smile and tone were entirely different from Hinaichigo’s usual innocent, childlike cuteness. Instead, they exuded a kind of morbid fragility.

Indeed... at this, Shinku became even more certain: the Hinaichigo before her was not Hinaichigo!

“Found you!” Suddenly, Suigintou shouted, abandoning Shinku and swinging her sword directly at Hinaichigo.

“Hehe, so Big Sister welcomes me so warmly. Then I shall give it to you.” Unexpectedly, facing Suigintou’s attack, the “Hinaichigo” figure did not dodge but instead laughed cheerfully and moved to meet the tip of the blade.

“No!” Shinku’s face changed drastically. She cried out while rushing toward the two figures... Although she had confirmed another entity possessed Hinaichigo’s body, it was still Hinaichigo’s body. If Suigintou struck true, only Hinaichigo would die.

However, no matter how much she wanted to stop it, it was too late. Suigintou had attacked with full force, showing no intention of holding back, and the “Hinaichigo” figure’s apparent suicide was not a feint. Thus, before Shinku could reach them, the Mercury Sword in Suigintou’s hand plunged heavily into Hinaichigo’s body, causing her to shudder instantly.

Wrong! Escaped!

Although the attack connected solidly, Suigintou keenly sensed that her true target had vanished from ‘sight.’ She immediately stopped caring about Hinaichigo, moving with a flash to a higher position, frowning as she scanned the surroundings.

“Hinaichigo! Hinaichigo! Hinaichigo...” Shinku tightly held the seemingly abandoned Hinaichigo, calling her name with a face etched in grief.

“Shinku... I’m sorry...” Opening her vacant eyes, Hinaichigo spoke sadly, like a doll on the verge of breaking. “I really wanted to help everyone, but... I’m sorry, not only did I fail to help, but I caused Kanari...”

“Don’t say any more, Hinaichigo, this is not your fault...” Shinku gritted her teeth, tears falling uncontrollably. She knew that her youngest sister was about to follow Souseiseki and the others.

“Shinku... take mine...” In the final moments before death, Hinaichigo pulled out her Rose Doll and offered it toward Shinku’s embrace, smiling farewell. “This is the only thing I can do.”

As the words faded, Hinaichigo softly closed her eyes, her hands drooping powerlessly.

Floating gently onto the ground, Shinku laid Hinaichigo and Kanari side by side, then looked toward the nearby Suiseiseki and Souseiseki... In less than half an hour, the dolls who had been so full of life moments ago were now still, their souls drifting toward an immeasurably distant place.

The sorrow in her heart was palpable, but Shinku knew this was not the time for grief. She still had to bring back the souls of these sisters from afar. Therefore... after absorbing Hinaichigo’s Rose Crystal into her own body, her gaze turned firm and piercing toward Suigintou and Rozen Maiden.

“Stop hiding and come out now!” However, before Shinku could make a move, Suigintou in mid-air suddenly bellowed, sending countless black feather arrows shooting toward a section of the sky.

“Ehehe, Big Sister is truly amazing, as expected of the one I respect most.” Suddenly, a voice tinged with morbidity echoed, and a young girl slowly floated down from the clouds.

The girl was under a meter tall, clearly another doll. She wore a modern beret-style bubble skirt and white knee-high boots. Her long, pink hair curled down to her heels, and atop her head sat a white rose head ornament. Just like her voice, her seemingly beautiful face carried an unsettling pathology. More noteworthy, however... similar to Rozen Maiden, a white rose covered her left eye, hinting at a profound mystery.

“Hmph, flattery is useless!” Suigintou snorted coldly.

The girl chuckled. “I wasn’t flattering you, Big Sister. You truly are the one I respect most, and I’m not lying. Because you, despite lacking the ability to move physically, have traversed the N-Field countless times driven by sheer conviction, calling out Father’s name again and again, searching, advancing... This spirit deeply moves your little sister. That is why I respect you the most.”

Sister? Little Sister?

The girl’s words made Suigintou frown, and also filled Shinku with great confusion. Although she had already suspected that the entity controlling Hinaichigo’s body was this girl, given the unclear situation, she would not act rashly. She asked, “Just what kind of person are you?”

The girl smiled kindly. “Just like my sisters, I am a Rozen Maiden.”

“Rozen Maiden?” Shinku immediately started. “Are there eight Rozen Maidens?”

“No, there aren’t,” the girl smiled faintly, but her gaze pointed meaningfully toward Rozen Maiden. “I am the Seventh Rozen Maiden, Kirakishou.”

“The Seventh Doll?!” At these words, not only did Shinku’s expression change drastically, but even Suigintou looked grave.

Instinctively, both turned their gaze toward Rozen Maiden.

If Kirakishou spoke the truth, then Rozen Maiden was not the true Seventh Doll. But... setting aside the ominous feeling Kirakishou exuded, neither could dismiss the possibility that she was lying.

Which one was the real Seventh Doll?! One of them had to be the fake!

Swish!

However, Rozen Maiden showed no inclination to prove herself. As everyone waited for her to speak, she suddenly moved, grasping her crystal sword and slashing lightning-fast toward Kirakishou.

“Hehe.” Kirakishou smiled slightly, allowing Rozen Maiden to hack at her without any evasion. The amethyst sword passed directly through Kirakishou’s body, but...

“It’s no use, you know.” Despite being cleanly sliced in half, Kirakishou continued to smile. Then, to the incredulous eyes of the others, Kirakishou’s bisected body slowly reassembled itself.

“What is this...” Shinku’s face changed, and even the usually calm Rozen Maiden lost her composure.

“This is only natural, because Father never gave me a body,” Kirakishou stated.

“No body?”

“That’s right,” Kirakishou turned to face them and spoke mournfully. “Unlike my sisters, Father uniquely did not grant me a physical form. So, what you see now is merely my spiritual construct. Moreover, I cannot manifest in the real world, only within this illusory space... However, because of this, conventional physical attacks are useless against me.”

“I see, is that why you could control Hinaichigo’s body?” Shinku asked in a low voice.

Kirakishou simply smiled without answering.

Suigintou, however, asked in confusion, “Since you could control Hinaichigo’s body, you should have been able to claim her Rose Doll as well. Why didn’t you do that?”

“I have no interest in that,” Kirakishou replied without hesitation.

“No interest?” Even Suigintou was bewildered by the answer. “Why no interest in the Rose Doll? As someone without substance, existing only as an intention, though everything about you is unusual, you are still a Rozen Maiden. The pursuit is singular—to become the perfect Alice and gain Father’s love. This is what every sister yearns for... In human terms, it's like instinct. To achieve that goal, the Rose Doll is essential. So, what is your reason for forsaking it?”

It wasn't just Suigintou; Shinku and Rozen Maiden were equally curious. They even put aside the question of who the true Seventh Doll was, awaiting Kirakishou’s response.

PS: Power outage at home, I’m at an internet café. Going to eat now. I’ll try to stay up all night to finish the Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen arc. RQ