Honkai Star Rail: Summoning the Chrysos Heirs — Chapter 101

Chapter 101: The Purpose of the Divine Advent Cult

As soon as Cyrene pushed open the heavy conference room door, the gazes of An Ning and Lin Xiaoya snapped toward her in unison.

“My ally, how is the situation?”

Seeing her return, Lin Xiaoya shot up from her chair. She braced both hands against the polished surface of the table, her expression tight with nervous anticipation.

Cyrene met her questioning gaze and let out a quiet breath as she moved to take her seat.

“I saw a few things hidden inside the memories of the bystanders.”

She settled into the chair, keeping her posture relaxed but her tone measured.

“On the night of the disappearance, three figures wearing long black robes materialized in the surveillance blind spot of that alleyway. The very second they appeared, every single passerby in the vicinity lost consciousness simultaneously. It was not a physical knockout. They simply froze in place, completely stripped of their autonomous will. Then, those three robed figures took Chen Xuming away. The entire abduction took less than ten seconds.”

Cyrene paused, letting the chilling efficiency of the act sink in.

“Only after the figures vanished did the crowd recover. They had absolutely no recollection of what had just transpired. It was as if those missing seconds had been surgically excised from their brains.”

Her voice dropped a fraction lower, carrying a heavy weight.

“When Captain Lei Ye heard this description, he stated it was the work of the Divine Advent Cult.”

The moment that name landed in the room, the atmosphere thickened into something suffocating.

An Ning leaned back slowly against her chair. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, a deep, harsh crease forming between her brows. She remained entirely silent, letting the revelation settle. To An Ning, the name of that particular organization was a familiar nightmare.

“Those absolute lunatics…”

She drew in a slow, ragged breath, her fingers unconsciously digging into the fabric of her uniform sleeves until her knuckles strained.

“If this truly is the work of the Divine Advent Cult… then the entire nature of this case has shifted. Behind these seemingly random serial disappearances, there is undoubtedly a much larger, far more dangerous plot taking root.”

Across the table, the reaction was far more explosive.

Lin Xiaoya slammed her fist down onto the table. The heavy, dull thud echoed through the quiet room.

“I knew my instincts were right about this! That group of utterly despicable scum!”

She pushed herself away from the table, her face flushed with raw, uncontained rage.

“First it was that massive terrorist attack, then the absolute disaster at the Western Ruins, and now a string of serial kidnappings! These creatures are worse than vermin. What on earth are they actually trying to achieve?”

Lin Xiaoya stood there trembling slightly, her clenched fists turning white from the pressure. A fierce, unconcealed fury burned brightly in her eyes.

“Xiaoya.”

An Ning called out to her, her voice deep and commanding.

Lin Xiaoya stiffened. The violent heaving of her chest slowly began to subside as she forced herself to breathe. She sank back down into her chair, though her hands remained locked in tight fists resting on her lap.

An Ning gave her a brief, assessing glance but chose not to press the issue. She turned her attention back to Cyrene, her tone smoothing out into professional composure.

“Did Captain Lei Ye indicate how we should proceed?”

“He said he needs to report this directly to his superiors and initiate a specialized screening process targeting the Cult.”

Cyrene offered a small shrug.

“For the time being, our participation in the follow-up investigation is not required. They will notify us the moment there are any new developments.”

An Ning nodded in agreement. The sheer scale of dealing with the Divine Advent Cult was far beyond the jurisdiction of a single, isolated action team. Every person sitting in that room understood the grim reality of their limits.

A long silence stretched across the conference room. It was not an awkward quiet, but the heavy stillness of three people digesting a suffocating truth.

Nearly half a minute drifted by before Cyrene lifted a hand to gently massage her temples, taking the initiative to break the heavy atmosphere.

“Um… Sister An Ning, Xiaoya.”

Her voice took on a softer, slightly fragile quality, laced with a convincing hint of apology.

“I just used a Memory Imprint, and my head is feeling incredibly groggy right now. The mental exhaustion is catching up to me.”

She offered them a weak, somewhat embarrassed smile.

“If you do not mind, could I head back to my room to rest for a little while?”

The hardened edge in An Ning’s expression melted away instantly at the request.

“Of course. You have already been an immeasurable help to us today. Go and get some proper rest.”

She stood up, walking over to hold the heavy conference room door open for her.

“Do you need me to walk you back to your quarters?”

“No need, I can manage on my own.”

Cyrene waved her hand dismissively, pushing herself up from the chair. As she reached the doorway, she paused and glanced back at Lin Xiaoya, who was still chewing anxiously on her lower lip.

“Xiaoya, try not to let the anger consume you.”

Cyrene kept her tone light, offering a gentle reassurance.

“The bad guys will be caught. They absolutely will be.”

Lin Xiaoya looked up, meeting Cyrene’s gaze. Within those eyes, still slightly red at the edges from her outburst, a complex swirl of emotion flickered. Finally, she took a deep breath and gave a firm, decisive nod.

“…I know.”

Her response was quiet, completely stripped of her usual theatrical flair.

Seeing the tension leave the girl’s shoulders, Cyrene let her eyes crinkle into a warm smile before turning to step out into the corridor.

She handled the quiet hallways, descended the staircases, passed through the heavy security gates, and finally stepped out of the Special Bureau building. The cool air brushed against her skin as she walked, but her mind was entirely consumed by the chilling imagery she had witnessed.

What exactly were the zealots of the Divine Advent Cult trying to accomplish by going to such extreme, calculated lengths to abduct ordinary civilians?

Where were those seven missing people being held right now?

What purpose were they meant to serve?

Were they even still alive?

The questions churned relentlessly in her thoughts, a dark whirlpool offering no answers.

The soft click of the lock echoed as Cyrene stepped into her private quarters, shutting the door firmly behind her. She did not bother reaching for the light switch. Instead, she crossed the darkened room and collapsed face-first onto the plush mattress.

The ceiling above her blurred into a wash of grayish-white shadows. She closed her eyes, forcing the chaotic spiral of thoughts to a temporary halt. It was not a lack of desire to solve the mystery that drove her away, but the sheer necessity of changing her environment. She needed a place where she could think without the mask of the fragile, helpful civilian.

She needed somewhere safe. Somewhere entirely private.

Consciousness descending.

The physical weight of her body began to peel away, replaced by that familiar, rushing tide of detachment. Cyrene’s mind slipped free from her physical shell, riding the invisible current downward until she plunged into another dimension entirely.

The Data Space.

The moment her awareness anchored itself, the stunning expanse of a vast, starlit sea unfurled around her. Countless celestial bodies drifted silently through the deep, endless void, painting the dimension in a dynamic, sweeping canvas of cosmic light. Beneath her feet rested the solid, reassuring texture of stone, leading toward the elegant villa manifested from her Memory Traces.

Everything remained perfectly untouched, exactly as she had left it.

Cyrene glided through the heavy main doors of the villa, stepping into the expansive first-floor hall. A quick scan of the area confirmed that neither Phainon nor Mydei were present. Given the current state of affairs, it was highly probable the two of them had ventured out into the deeper sectors to hunt Abominations.

Unbothered by their absence, Cyrene bypassed the main living area and headed straight up the sweeping staircase, making her way toward a specific door on the second floor.

“Aglaea, do you have a moment?”

Because she was currently existing as a purely spiritual projection, she could not physically knock on the wood. Instead, she let her voice carry through the barrier.

A mere heartbeat later, the door swung open.

Aglaea stood in the doorway. The corners of her lips curved upward in a faint, breathtakingly gentle smile as her golden eyes settled on Cyrene.

“Cyrene. You have returned.”

Her voice was an unhurried cadence, smooth and rich, like a ribbon of fine silk gliding across the surface of still water.

“The waking world does not seem particularly peaceful today.”

“How did you know?” Cyrene asked, a flicker of genuine curiosity breaking through her heavy mood.

“The very moment you crossed the threshold into this space, I felt the shift in your emotions through the Golden Threads. You felt burdened. Troubled.”

Aglaea stepped back gracefully, opening the path for her to enter the sanctuary of her room.

“Feeling that sudden weight in the connection, I knew something serious must be occupying your thoughts.”

Cyrene stood frozen for a fraction of a second before letting out a soft, helpless laugh.

“I really cannot hide a single thing from you, can I…”

She let out a long sigh, the tension finally bleeding from her shoulders as she stepped into Aglaea’s room. The door clicked shut behind her, sealing them in quiet intimacy. Cyrene dropped the playful, exhausted facade she wore in reality. Her expression hardened into sharp, calculating seriousness.

“Aglaea, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

“Please, tell me everything.”

Aglaea moved to sit gracefully on the edge of her seat, her posture immaculate, those piercing golden eyes locked onto Cyrene with absolute focus.

Taking a moment to organize the chaotic sequence of events, Cyrene began to speak. She laid out the entire day with careful detail, leaving nothing out.

She started with Captain Lei Ye gathering the team in the secure conference room, laying out the grim files of the serial disappearances. She detailed her own observation of the surveillance footage, catching the unnatural deceleration of the crowd. She described the visceral experience of the Memory Imprint, watching through the eyes of a bystander as three black-robed figures paralyzed an entire street and vanished with Chen Xuming in mere seconds.

Finally, she revealed Lei Ye’s grim conclusion regarding the involvement of the Divine Advent Cult.

Throughout the lengthy explanation, Aglaea remained a picture of serene stillness. She did not interrupt, nor did she offer premature judgments. She merely offered a slight, encouraging nod at crucial intervals, her mind silently dissecting and categorizing every piece of data provided.

Only when Cyrene finally finished speaking did Aglaea allow the silence to stretch for a brief moment before she responded.

“The Divine Advent Cult…”

Her voice retained its flawless composure, but a dark, heavy undercurrent now laced her words.

“During my time at the Western Ruins, I bore witness to the experimental subjects they birthed through the hands of the Garmentmaker. They were grotesque, deformed creations born from the forced, agonizing suturing of Abominations and human flesh.”

Aglaea’s gaze sharpened, the golden depths reflecting a cold, analytical intellect.

“I can sense the pattern in their madness. They are pursuing a specific, highly distorted form of ‘evolution’. And forced evolution of that nature requires raw materials.”

She lifted her eyes, meeting Cyrene’s gaze with unwavering intensity.

“Those missing civilians… it is highly probable that they are the very materials required for this process.”

The words were delivered with a soft, almost gentle cadence, yet they struck Cyrene like a physical blow, making her heart plummet into her stomach. Even though she had harbored a sickening suspicion of this exact outcome, hearing Aglaea vocalize the horrific truth solidified the nightmare into reality.

“Is there any possible way we can intercept their operation before it is too late?”

Cyrene straightened her posture, leaning forward with desperate earnestness.

“Or at the very least… is there a method we can use to track down the location of their stronghold?”

Aglaea fell silent.

She lowered her gaze slightly, her slender fingers tapping a slow, rhythmic beat against her knee. It was the physical manifestation of her mind rapidly sorting through an immense catalog of abilities, variables, and strategic possibilities.

A moment later, the tapping stopped, and she spoke.