Chapter 301: That Was Your Own Decision
"Strange Weapon of Yin and Yang!"
With a roar tinged by a slightly robotic, synthesized tone, the girl's voice rang out. Countless black chains shot forth from the distance, each tipped with sharp spearheads, radiating deadly force.
Sigurd raised his hand. From his waist, a golden soulsteel orb housing the Herrscher Core of the Herrscher of Rock floated into his palm, glowing with a brilliant red light.
"Simulated Black Hole."
Sigurd spoke flatly.
A singularity of distorted space appeared at the origin point of the chains—right where "Fu Hua" stood.
"!?!!"
"Fu Hua" barely had time to react before a powerful gravitational force pulled her into the air.
At the same time, the chains and other dark projectiles launched by the Yin-Yang construct slowed under the black hole's gravity, eventually reversing and flying back toward their sender.
"Argh! How could a move like this possibly defeat me?!"
"Fu Hua" roared as thick black mist surged from her body. Massive amounts of Honkai energy gathered in her palm, launching toward the warped singularity.
BOOM!!!
The tremendous force failed to destroy the simulated black hole, but the backlash was strong enough to push "Fu Hua" just outside the singularity's gravitational range.
However, the Yin-Yang construct, the Speak Straight Like a Spear, the Too Much Talk Leads To Death, and even the Blade Hidden in the Sheath containing all these tools—all were swallowed by the black hole.
Moments later, Sigurd deactivated the singularity. But it was too late—all the weapons had been crushed to pieces.
Now weaponless, "Fu Hua" turned her fury toward Sigurd. Her rage intensified, and with a surge of boundless black energy, she threw a punch.
BANG!
With a casual swipe, Sigurd deflected her wrist, diverting the punch into empty air beside him.
"Fu Hua" froze for a split second—just long enough for Sigurd to be greeted with a barrage of ever-changing punches, palm strikes, and kicks.
Crack! Smash!
Their strikes clashed in rapid succession, so fast they seemed to vanish and reappear in bursts across the battlefield.
But every one of "Fu Hua's" attacks was repelled—not a single blow managed to land on Sigurd.
As her momentum waned, Sigurd took a step forward.
"You want to play technique games with me? Who gave you the confidence? Don't you know my computational power is second to none?"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
While he taunted, Sigurd's hands remained in a flurry of movement. Each heavy punch and palm strike bore the distinct style of Six Fists stances, landing blow after devastating blow on the now-exposed "Fu Hua."
She was forced to retreat again and again. Sigurd followed relentlessly—strike after strike, fist after palm, each one shaking the air like thunder, each one powerful enough to shatter mountains.
"You… bastard!"
Gritting her teeth, "Fu Hua" managed to endure until her breath recovered, immediately launching a counterattack.
Crackle! Smash!
Sigurd freed one hand and, in a flash, struck her wrists with pinpoint precision, neutralizing her entire counteroffensive.
And yet, even using only one hand, his continued barrage lost neither speed nor power.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Under the relentless onslaught, "Fu Hua" was like a candle in a storm, her presence fading, her body covered in wounds—a pitiful sight.
BOOM!!!
With one final, devastating punch, Sigurd sent the now-unrecognizable "Fu Hua" flying into the distance, crashing to the ground with a thunderous impact that filled the sky with dust.
…
"Hiss—that looked painful! Can't Sigurd be a little gentler with the ladies? But then again, if he were the type to go easy on someone, he wouldn't be Sigurd. Hmm… if her face gets messed up at this rate, wouldn't that mean Sigurd would have to take responsibility? Oh! That'd be perfect! Gosh, I'm such a genius!"
Watching the battle through a mini telescope, the Book of Fuxi mumbled to herself, her thoughts slowly drifting off-topic.
Can't blame her. Just look at Sigurd's performance—the battle's already decided. The only question is how many minutes "Fu Hua" can last before the inevitable end.
Su tugged at the corner of his lips, unsure what to say to the Book of Fuxi.
Forget it—it was their own business, after all. As long as they were happy, who was he to interfere? Looking at it from another angle… if it were Sigurd—setting aside the issue with Kiana—handing Fu Hua over to him didn't seem all that inappropriate.
Kevin remained stone-faced, then suddenly spoke:
"Su, did you see it?"
"Yeah, I saw it. Sigurd's in a really bad mood. He's hitting way too hard—honestly, I almost feel sorry for her."
"...That's not what I meant."
Kevin was speechless for a moment.
Lately, Su's thoughts had been drifting way too easily—was he starting to pick up bad habits from the Book of Fuxi?
Waving it off, Su chuckled awkwardly.
"Just kidding. I know what you meant. Sigurd's clearly mastered the current era's Herrscher of Rock Core perfectly. Without the constraints of the God Key system, he's wielding gravity authority with no difficulty whatsoever. On top of that, his martial skills are terrifying, and with that unfathomable Honkai energy aura and inhuman physique… It's overwhelming. That suffocating sense of oppression—I've only ever felt that from you, Kevin."
"And with the techniques he didn't bring into this world, plus his advanced technological arsenal—he's already surpassed me."
Kevin said this calmly, without a trace of fear or concern.
As long as they shared the same goal—to fight against the Honkai—there was nothing to be worried about. On the contrary, the stronger Sigurd became, the more Kevin found reassurance in it.
Su hesitated, wanting to use this moment to persuade Kevin to abandon his plan, but in the end, he only sighed deeply and said nothing.
…
The battle continued.
It took "Fu Hua" nearly half a minute to stand up again.
Her weapons destroyed, her greatest martial arts skills crushed by superior computational might, her body heavily wounded—yet none of this cooled the madness in her mind. Instead, it only made her more defiant and enraged.
"Ki Impact!!!"
Sigurd stepped forward, bent his knees, gathering power. The ring on his finger vanished without a trace, replaced by a flicker of violet light in his eyes.
He engaged the world's magnetic field, using a higher-dimensional perspective to calculate the strongest force vector and locate the weakest structural point in her attack.
As the punch tore toward him, threatening to split the land itself, Sigurd's expression didn't change. He silently struck back with his own fist.
BOOM!!!
"AAAHHH!!"
No surprise there. In the black mist that shrouded the sky, "Fu Hua," charging forward like a demonic god, was instantly blown away at even greater speed.
A scream—raw and uncontrollable—tore from her throat. Her punching arm was grotesquely twisted, her palm mangled beyond recognition, and a fractured bone in her forearm had pierced through the back of her elbow, flinging flesh and blood through the air.
She crashed into the ground and rolled for a long distance before her momentum finally stopped. Wincing, she ignored her injuries and tried to rise to continue the fight.
And that's when a black combat boot stomped down onto her chest.
SPLURT!
"Fu Hua" coughed up blood. Through the swirling black mist around her, she saw Sigurd's face looming above her—and his emotionless blue eyes.
"Are you done yet?"
"Are you venting… or are you just losing your mind? Give me a straight answer."
Sigurd asked calmly.
"Bastard… damn you…"
"I've dealt with enough unruly kids to know a few tricks. Want to try me?"
"Pah!"
BANG!
Before the blood-flecked spit could reach him, Sigurd kicked her away with a swift motion.
"Now that you know you're not the real Fu Hua, you're just giving in to despair? Have you ever thought about Kiana? Her origins and burdens are a hundred, a thousand times heavier than yours. Yet do you see her going crazy like this? She smiles every day, even though she knows she's drowning in debt she can't repay, even though her past is filled with shame. She still faces forward, loves her friends, and protects her world with unwavering resolve. Compared to her, what are you doing right now?"
As Sigurd spoke, he walked over to the struggling "Fu Hua" again and stomped down on her.
"There are countless unfortunate people in this world, yet many still fight to live strong. People like you? We usually use one word to describe them—pathetic."
"—What do you know?!"
Maybe the beating had finally brought her some clarity. Maybe Sigurd's words about identity and misfortune hit a nerve. Either way, the black mist around "Fu Hua" began to settle. She clutched at Sigurd's boot and rasped out a question.
"You're right, I don't know. You haven't said a word—how the hell would I know what you're thinking?"
"I—"
"Fu Hua" opened her mouth, choking on blood, trying to speak—but after all the emotions swirled inside her, in the end, she realized… she didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what she wanted to say.
Sigurd raised an eyebrow.
"See? You don't even know what you want—how could I possibly know?"
"...Tell me. Who am I?"
"I don't know. That's something only you can decide. Like Kiana—she's a clone, a vessel for the Herrscher of the Void, and also a recognized member of the Kaslana family. But in the end, she said, 'I am Kiana.' And that was enough. So she is Kiana."
"It can't… be that simple."
"Believe it or don't. Either way, it looks like you've calmed down. So I'm done here. As long as you don't go off the rails again, do whatever you want."
Sigurd lifted his foot.
With the crushing pressure on her chest finally lifted, the madness in her mind gradually dispersed. At last, the pain of her accumulated injuries caught up with her spirit.
She lay helpless on the ground, her eyelids growing unbearably heavy.
"O-old timer… are you okay…?"
[Yes. I'm here. I'm fine.]
A gentle voice responded in her mind.
The last taut string in "Fu Hua's" heart finally relaxed.
"Old… timer… Fu Hua… I'm sorry…"
[It's alright. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a beautiful day.]
Her voice was gentle, infused with an invisible warmth that quietly soothed the tangled mess in "Fu Hua's" soul.
Moments later, "Fu Hua" closed her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness. The ominous black mist that clung to her body dissipated completely.
Before she lost consciousness, "Fu Hua" vaguely saw the Book of Fuxi flying toward them from a distance. It landed on Sigurd's head and started stomping and chirping away furiously, clearly ranting and scolding him for something.
She didn't know what was being said, but that's Little Xuan for you, still full of fire, even after witnessing power that defies understanding, she's still so brave.
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon[1], just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 364: The Invisible Power[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/140631608[3]
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/140631608
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/140631608
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed