"Cocolia..."
Bang!
Xin Yu's words were cut short by a gunshot. He looked down at the torn fabric on his chest, revealing his unblemished white skin beneath. He sighed, and his clothes reverted to their previous state as if time were flowing backward.
Bang!
Gunshots rang out continuously, each bullet aimed at Xin Yu's head. This specially made handgun and its bullets could injure even the hide of a Chariot-class Honkai Beast.
Then, under Cocolia's disbelieving gaze, the ammunition fired from the handgun directly entered Xin Yu's head, like a stone dropping into water, merely causing a ripple before there was nothing more.
"You have one bullet left in your firearm. Shall we talk after you've fired it?"
Xin Yu calmly regarded her. Her attack just now wouldn't have defeated him even when he was at the Foundation Establishment stage, let alone now that he had achieved Nascent Soul. To his current self, it was like a child pointing a toy gun at him, a toy gun that could only shoot specks of light, at that.
"...What do you want to talk about?"
Cocolia gritted her teeth and lowered the handgun.
"As I said before, I was once an ordinary citizen of Nagazora City. You shouldn't have forgotten what you did back then, have you? You caused the Third Honkai Eruption, resulting in the deaths of millions in a single city."
"Yes, I did it."
Cocolia didn't feign ignorance, admitting it outright.
Xin Yu nodded and continued, "Good, as long as you're willing to admit it."
Then, Xin Yu took out an hourglass from his clothes. Once out, it floated suspended in mid-air, and the sand in its upper chamber surprisingly didn't flow down due to gravity.
"One hourglass's worth of time. Give me a reason that convinces me not to seek revenge on you."
Xin Yu snapped his fingers, and the sand in the suspended hourglass began to flow.
"Everything I did was for humanity to defeat the Honkai. Only by researching Herrschers can we get closer to understanding Honkai, comprehending Honkai, and utilizing Honkai. Only then will humanity have a future where we can defeat Honkai."
Cocolia invoked the greater good.
"That's no reason to sacrifice the lives of an entire city's population. Even if it's for defeating Honkai, why did you specifically choose to create a Honkai Eruption in a densely populated major city? Go to an uninhabited area, use personnel willing to sacrifice themselves. You could clearly achieve your goal with a smaller price. Why didn't you do that?"
"The birth of a Herrscher must occur in an environment with sufficient civilization. Otherwise, even more Honkai energy will only create stronger Honkai beasts. Only Herrschers are the pinnacle of Honkai power."
"Mm, continue."
Seeing Xin Yu unmoved, Cocolia knew that invoking the greater good wouldn't convince him, so she immediately brought up personal ties.
"I also did it for my daughter. I need the power of a Herrscher for experiments. My daughter sank into the Quantum Sea, and I must have enough power to open the gate and save her."
Xin Yu didn't answer, nor did he mention that her daughter had already been rescued by him. He just calmly watched the dwindling sand in the hourglass, waiting for the last moment.
Cocolia watched the sand continuously flow, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Everything I did was also because someone instigated me from behind. They are a mysterious organization hidden in the shadows, the true masterminds behind the Third Honkai Eruption."
The sand ran out.
"A pity, Ms. Cocolia, you failed to convince me."
Xin Yu retrieved the hourglass, then looked at Cocolia, who was fleeing into the distance. He made no move, spoke no words.
Time began to flow once more.
The crew on the warship were still arguing about why St. Freya Academy had remained completely undisturbed when someone suddenly noticed something amiss. Why wasn't Lady Cocolia speaking? When he turned his head, he found Cocolia, standing on the command platform, completely stiff.
"Lady Cocolia?"
He called out with some hesitation.
His voice drew everyone's attention to Cocolia.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Cocolia's body turned into flying ash and fell to the ground.
As everyone stared blankly, the ashes that Cocolia had become gathered together, then streamed into a wooden box held in the hand of a young man who had appeared from nowhere.
"Reduced to ashes, soul scattered and annihilated. This is the end I give you."
Xin Yu closed the wooden box, then looked at these people who could be considered accomplices, saying, "You all participated in Cocolia's actions. I cannot turn a blind eye to this, so, farewell at this point in time, everyone. I will grant you the swiftest slumber."
"Rest assured, this is merely the present future. We will meet again in the past."
Time washed over them like a torrent. Without pain, without despair, everyone and everything present was embraced by the years in an instant, all turning into scattered dust drifting away.
Until their deaths, they never knew who that young man was.
And what did he mean by "meet again in the past"?
The next morning.
Bronya and Seele walked out of their dormitory, heading towards the teaching building together. Regarding the issue with Bronya's legs, Xin Yu had approached her on the very day classes began and healed them. Even her previously damaged emotional nerves had been fully repaired.
"Bronya, Seele, good morning."
Xin Yu greeted them with a smile.
"Good morning, Xin Yu (Big Brother)."
A faint smile graced Bronya's lips. This was something Seele had helped her finally learn to do these past few days.
"I must first apologize," Xin Yu said, taking out a wooden box. He continued, "Yesterday, Cocolia attacked again, still for Mei, this Third Herrscher. So I settled the old scores with her."
"I killed your mother. Even if she was a villain, she once showed you the kindness of raising you. If you seek revenge against me for this, I will not blame you."
"This box contains Cocolia's ashes."
Bronya took the wooden box from Xin Yu's hand, her gaze complicated as she looked at it.
"Cocolia... she simply met the end she deserved. The Bronya will not actively seek to harm her, nor will she avenge her."
"For sinners like us, who have so much blood on our hands, a day of reckoning will always come. The Bronya will be no exception."
"Big Sister Bronya..."
Seele looked at Bronya with concern.
Xin Yu looked at Bronya. He knew that the Bronya of the past had been taken in by an organization and became an assassin. She had been ordered to kill since she was young, and even after being adopted by Cocolia, she was subsequently directed by the latter to carry out many tasks.
"Bronya, are you willing to believe me?"
"The Bronya believes Xin Yu."
"Can you give me your past?"
Bronya lifted her head. Looking at Xin Yu, who was backlit by the sun and seemed to radiate light with his smile, she suddenly felt her nose tingle.
"Xin Yu..."
Bronya placed her hand in Xin Yu's.
"Let me carry your sins. So, lift your head and live proudly."
Time, flow backward!