Black armor, and a majestic, fierce-looking mount.
A petite girl held a longsword, grasped the reins, and with a single sweep of her blade, she displayed the air of a king.
Using the surge of Honkai energy from Chiyou's revival to reconstruct her body, Ji Xuanyuan, like a king reborn, beat the three pursuing Valkyries so badly they couldn't tell which way was up.
"You... have made me feel an unprecedented humiliation!"
The feeling of filth seemed to linger on her body. Dark Ji Xuanyuan felt as if her pure body had been tainted by something unclean, becoming strange.
Such humiliation could only be washed away by the blood of these intruders!
Ducking under a fatal blow with an iron bridge maneuver, a few strands of white hair danced in Kiana's vision.
In the midst of the tense battle, her already not-so-bright little brain was now in even worse shape.
Without thinking, Kiana asked: "If you've been humiliated, just say it! We can find a way to help you solve it!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Dark Ji Xuanyuan immediately switched targets.
Originally, her main target was Raiden Mei, simply because the woman carried a strong aura, identical to the man who had humiliated her.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Dark Ji Xuanyuan had naturally been relentlessly pursuing Raiden Mei, pushing the girl to the brink, nearly forcing her to her knees.
But the moment Kiana spoke... our warrior has used Taunt!
"Come at me!"
Bronya, who was providing long-range support, had a moment of leisure to imagine the scene for Kiana.
As expected.
"You're courting death!"
Without hesitation, Dark Ji Xuanyuan pulled on her reins, turned her warhorse, and charged towards Kiana.
She looked at Raiden Mei, covered in brand marks and with a face full of innocence, and thought she might be an innocent victim just like herself. But this white-haired one not only forced her to recall the recent shame but also poked at her sore spot. It was simply intolerable!
The sharp sword qi tore through the earth. The ancient king, her killing intent laid bare, had no intention of holding back, wanting only to slice this foolish thing into 17 pieces.
The snow-haired girl acted decisively, activating her battlesuit's ability to leap into the air and construct a giant mecha.
"Behold my Cat-Cat Punch!"
*Neko-nice!*
However, in the face of the Key of Domination, the so-called Valkyrie battlesuit was no match at all.
"Useless! Weak!"
The king's sword displayed its might. There were no legendary beautiful mountains, rivers, beasts, or birds on its blade.
The Key of Domination was a weapon born for slaughter and to fight the Honkai; it was only legends and history that had given it a different meaning.
In Dark Ji Xuanyuan's hands, the Xuanyuan Sword had only one meaning—slaughter!
"Die, you foolish successor!"
Their experience and power were not on the same level. If it weren't for Kiana's ability to burst with power when disaster loomed, using the abilities she had snatched from the Herrscher of the Void to enhance her mobility, she would have long become *a* Kiana under the woman's sword.
"Bronya, Mei, quickly think of something!"
*There are three of us ganging up on her, so why am I the only one getting hurt?!*
She was about to collapse!
Bronya was well aware of her own limits: "Mei-nee-sama, it's up to you."
To defeat this ancient warrior who was bent on killing, there was no other way but for Raiden Mei to use her powers as a Herrscher.
When Raiden Mei and Kiana weren't using their Herrscher powers, she was the stronger one; but once her two companions went all out, Bronya could only stand by and watch.
Before she had even finished speaking, Raiden Mei had already closed her eyes, then opened them again.
A purplish-red light flashed in her eyes, and a voice full of majesty and sharpness echoed in her ear: "Not bad, you can already take this much from my hands."
*If you want it, come and get it yourself.*
Whether it was the man or the power, this was the agreement between Raiden Mei and the Herrscher of Thunder.
Their relationship was full of cuckoldry, but compared to the relationship between the Herrscher of the Void and Kiana, it could be considered a model of two minds with a single purpose.
Lightning flared as Raiden Mei firmly grasped the scepter of thunder.
Even with a Divine Key in hand, Dark Ji Xuanyuan was no match for her.
In the end, Dark Ji Xuanyuan was neither a Herrscher nor a Pseudo-Herrscher; she was merely a Stigma awakener who had lost her sanity under the torment of the Honkai and time.
Though the Divine Key in her hand was sharp, it was merely 1/1000th of that Herrscher's authority and could not compare to the complete power of a Herrscher.
Come! Fight!
The will to battle surged, stimulating the ancient warrior's nerves.
Dark Ji Xuanyuan gave up chasing the scurrying white-haired fluffball, returning the battle to its original course.
"Let me crush your pride and your lives together!"
The warhorse galloped, and the ancient warrior on its back charged bravely with her sword.
The girl's crimson eyes were like snow, as if she had poured all her millennia of resentment into them, determined to drag everything in this world down with her.
Raiden Mei's figure and Dark Ji Xuanyuan's form crossed paths, and a few strands of purple hair floated down.
A crack appeared on Dark Ji Xuanyuan's armor.
A draw!
The Stigma awakener holding the Divine Key was not inferior in power to Raiden Mei's budget version of a Herrscher; in fact, with the boost from her experience, she was even superior.
Now that she understood the true strength of her opponent, Dark Ji Xuanyuan had no intention of continuing to hold back and give these people a chance to turn the tables.
After eliminating these mortal ants, there was an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time waiting for her.
Dark Ji Xuanyuan turned her horse, about to charge at Raiden Mei again.
But just then, the sound of a light breeze came from afar, approaching at an unprecedented speed.
The newcomer's aura felt familiar to Dark Ji Xuanyuan. That name, long since sealed by time and resentment, caused the tormented girl to let out a hateful roar.
"Hua! It's you!"
One sword! Full power!
The entire world seemed to be split open, cleaved in two by this single strike!
Only then did the three girls realize with a start: "She's actually this strong?"
They had never witnessed such formidable power. Even the upper-level Honkai Beasts they had seen in the Far East Branch's simulation battles were not as powerful as the Dark Ji Xuanyuan before them.
Even an Emperor-class Honkai Beast would probably not be a match for this person.
And the name this person was shouting...
"It couldn't be class monitor, could it..."
Kiana guessed, but she couldn't resist the intense drowsiness rising from the depths of her heart, and she fell fast asleep on the battlefield.
A single feather drifted down, and a slender figure appeared before Dark Ji Xuanyuan.
"It really is you, Hua!"
Gray hair, blue eyes, a figure less endowed than a man's, a style full of rigidness and conservatism...
Although there were some minor differences, the general features were exactly the same.
"It's you! Hua!"
Dark Ji Xuanyuan's face was contorted, and she immediately raised her sword towards her.
"Why did I have to endure five thousand years of torment in this godforsaken place, while you get to live in a world of light!"
Without holding back, the platform beneath their feet was split in two, all the way down into the endless darkness, making the entire world tremble.
The gray-haired girl's blue eyes were as calm as an ancient well. Even though she was filled with familiarity for the person before her, she couldn't call out that name that was once so dear to her.
She only said: "Sorry, I forgot."
"..."
Her movements stopped, her expression dazed.
So... the resentment she had endured for these five thousand years had all been just her own wishful thinking.
No one missed her, no one was grateful to her, and no one even remembered her.
Her existence had been forgotten, her past had vanished like smoke.
"You! How dare you! You actually forgot everything!"
Having received her answer, Dark Ji Xuanyuan threw all caution to the wind, wanting only to drag Fu Hua, this person who had forgotten all about them, down to hell with her.
To hell!!!
Having completely lost her sanity, Dark Ji Xuanyuan abandoned all her reservations, no longer holding back to seek death as she had against Kiana and the others.
At her full strength, Dark Ji Xuanyuan was incredibly powerful, even managing to push the battered Fu Hua into a disadvantageous position for a time.
But...
"Rest in peace, unknown friend."
A feather drifted down. The one-sided battle left Dark Ji Xuanyuan stunned in place.
The power of the Divine Key dealt damage to Dark Ji Xuanyuan like a dimension-crushing blow.
A false memory was fabricated by Fenghuang Down.
She had not met Hua, only sought a way to be free from this world of darkness.
In her fight with the three Valkyries, she had deliberately held back, seeking death. In her duel with Raiden Mei, she had not used her full strength. Her warhorse had long since followed its old master to the grave.
Not knowing how to face Dark Ji Xuanyuan, Fu Hua turned and entered the darkness, intending to hide her accomplishments.
Just then...
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to her? She waited here for you for five thousand years, Classmate Fu Hua."
A man walked to Dark Ji Xuanyuan's side, took the Key of Domination from her hand, bringing a rare look of relief to the hero's face.
"..."
Fu Hua was silent. "I don't know how to face her."
She no longer had the mind to care what this man knew; Dark Ji Xuanyuan's attitude towards her had thrown her heart into turmoil.
"But she still remembers you, and she stood a bitter watch here for five thousand years."
Fu Hua had always kept a low profile, but that didn't mean she could be ignored.
She was a pawn placed here by the Schicksal Overseer, and also a pioneer carrying a heavy mission. Along the way, her body and mind were covered in scars.
In terms of standpoint, they were enemies, but Ji Xuanyuan, this ancestor who sacrificed herself for Shenzhou, was worthy of Brian's respect.
He felt that the misunderstanding caused by Fu Hua's low emotional intelligence should be cleared up, lest Ji Xuanyuan be unable to rest in peace even in death.
Fu Hua: "..."
Her heart was in turmoil, and she was no longer in the mood to question Brian.
The feather in her hand fluctuated like her current mood, a sign of her inner conflict.
And no matter what she said, she ultimately couldn't deceive her own heart.
"So be it."
The power of the consciousness domain was activated again, restoring Dark Ji Xuanyuan's memories to normal.
After the blackened girl came to her senses, her hand tightened, and she tried to swing her sword at the man in her vision!
It was nothing but fear!
The previous feeling of her entire being being defiled was simply too terrifying!
Fortunately, the proper young Brian knew what consequences his improper ability would cause and had already taken her weapon, avoiding a fruitless discussion.
Her hands empty, Dark Ji Xuanyuan's face stiffened, but then it calmed when she saw Fu Hua.
She was the defeated one. In her era, she would have been captured and forced to bear a litter of children. She had no right to speak here.
"Kill me or torture me, as you wish."
Putting the Key of Domination aside, Brian saw that Fu Hua had no intention of speaking, so he had no choice but to be the icebreaker himself.
"Miss Ji Xuanyuan, you and our Fu Hua have a small misunderstanding. I think I need to serve as the translator between you two."
He couldn't help it; Fu Hua's emotional intelligence was visibly low.
What was clearly an unnecessary dispute that could have been resolved peacefully was turned into an all-out brawl by this woman whose EQ was as flat as her chest.
It really shouldn't have happened.
Brian continued: "When she said she forgot earlier, it wasn't that she forgot your past together."
Dark Ji Xuanyuan's eyes flickered slightly.
"After you all left, she went through many things and suffered severe damage to both her body and mind, losing a great deal of her memories."
"Forgetting you was not intentional, but the result of the harm she suffered."
"..."
Dark Ji Xuanyuan didn't speak, but the feeling around her softened at a visible rate.
"Really?"
She asked, wanting to receive even a single lie.
"He's right. Even I don't know how many memories I was forced to lose, how many people I've forgotten."
Dark Ji Xuanyuan's figure gradually overlapped with the silhouette that had stood before her 14 years ago.
She didn't know who these people were, only that they were very familiar to her, yet she couldn't recall her past with them at all.
One of Fenghuang Down's abilities was to burn her memories as fuel to unleash unprecedented power.
Fu Hua knew this must be a side effect of using Fenghuang Down, but she was powerless to stop it.
Dark Ji Xuanyuan smiled: "Hua... so you're just like us after all."
She was relieved.
If Fu Hua were an ungrateful woman, then no matter what happened today, she would drag this woman to hell.
But they were just suffering the same torment in different places. All her resentment dissipated with that one smile.
"But I am about to be released, while you still have to endure torment in this not-so-beautiful world."
"Hua, I wish you the fortunes of war."
Dark Ji Xuanyuan closed her eyes, and her body began to dissipate into specks of light.
Similar to Yae Sakura, her body was formed from Honkai energy condensed by a Stigma. Having lost the will to live, it quickly disintegrated.
Fu Hua's eyes were filled with sadness as the specks of light vanished one by one around her.
In a few breaths, the black-armored girl left behind only her own Stigma crystal to prove her existence, not a single other trace remained.
The death of a friend filled Fu Hua's heart with unspeakable grief.
But life had to go on, and she still needed to cover her tracks.
Young Brian waved his hands repeatedly: "You don't have to do it to me, right?"
Fu Hua thought for a moment, then nodded.
This guy's origins were unknown, and he seemed to know her very well. There was no need to modify his memory.
Kiana and the others hadn't seen what just happened either, which saved her the trouble of altering their memories.
Everything fell into place.
The three girls awoke from their slumber to see Fu Hua, Murata Himeko, and Brian standing before them.
"When did you guys get here? And where's that person on the horse?"
The snow-haired girl scratched her head, completely clueless about what had happened while they were unconscious.
Young Brian immediately concocted a story: "You were knocked out by the impact of that person's power. Fu Hua arrived just in time to save you and defeated her."
"..."
Kiana felt something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
So she just laughed foolishly.
"Although I don't know what happened, I guess our mission is complete, right?"
Murata Himeko smiled helplessly: "Kiana, did you forget we're still inside this big guy's stomach?"
In the dark space, dark red patterns pulsed with a steady rhythm.
Kiana had forgotten where they were, but the others hadn't.
Fu Hua chimed in: "I've already investigated the intelligence on this Honkai Beast. It has three cores and one heart. We need to destroy them all to kill this big guy."
The same intelligence was relayed to Theresa, prompting the imposing Branch Head to make an immediate decision.
"Three cores and one heart?"
"Kiana, you all are responsible for destroying Chiyou's heart from the inside. The Honkai energy cores will be handled by the Hyperion's main cannon."
"Yes!"
The communication channel buzzed with fighting spirit.
Chiyou, having just awoken from its long slumber, was brutally attacked from both inside and out, and was put to eternal rest on the seabed of Shenzhou's coastal waters.
Its body was handled by the Shenzhou region's Valkyrie squad, the Yunpeng Squad, while the Hyperion and its crew returned home.
...
After the mission came the inevitable celebration banquet.
"Cheers!"
Clink—!
Glass cups collided, and various colored drinks disappeared down everyone's throats.
The forthright Murata Himeko downed her drink in one go, then immediately picked up a wine bottle from the floor, about to pour it into her cup.
Suddenly.
"Himeko, have you forgotten something?"
The snow-haired, blue-eyed nun's face darkened, forcing the recovering Murata Himeko to put down the wine bottle in her hand with an embarrassed smile.
She had thought that after transplanting the Xuanyuan Stigma, she could finally have a good, hearty drink, but that Eileen person actually gave her doctor's orders to abstain from alcohol.
How outrageous!
"Theresa, can't I just have a little taste?"
"No!"
Only in these matters did Theresa possess her authority. "Our Doctor Eileen said that you cannot drink alcohol until your physical condition has stabilized!"
"It's just one sip, it's not a big deal, right..."
As she spoke, Murata Himeko's voice also lost some of its conviction.
Theresa was, after all, looking out for her.
And everyone at the table had worked so hard to find her a complete Stigma, allowing her to live a few more years, to watch Kiana grow up and become a true Valkyrie.
If she continued to act so willfully, it would be a bit ungrateful.
Seeing Murata Himeko's troubled expression, Raiden Mei, at her side, smiled gently and took out a specially prepared drink from the side.
"Teacher Himeko, drink this. It tastes similar to alcohol. I've consulted with the doctor, and this drink won't affect you much."
Murata Himeko immediately gave a thumbs up: "Mei, you get me. Whoever marries you in the future will be very lucky."
"Th-that's not..."
The girl looked shyly at the man beside her, lowering her head and fiddling with her fingers, unable to speak.
Although they already knew each other's depths and lengths, it had only been a short time, and Raiden Mei hadn't yet developed the thick skin of a married woman.
Moreover, her personality wasn't as assertive as the Herrscher of Thunder's, so this kind of teasing easily made her shy.
Seeing this, Brian took the girl's fair, slender hand and took the initiative to speak: "Speaking of which, we brought back quite a few things from the ruins inside Chiyou. Has the branch analyzed anything yet?"
To be able to construct buildings inside a Honkai Beast was not something an ordinary person could do, and it was filled with such obvious traces of the Previous Era. Its value was almost equivalent to a Previous Era shelter.
It was perfect for changing the subject.
Theresa chimed in: "There's been some success, but not much of it is useful."
"From the analyzed data, it seems that the pioneers of the Previous Era carried out a project five thousand years ago. But this project didn't go as smoothly as imagined and instead led to the emergence of an abnormally powerful Honkai Beast like Chiyou."
"To solve this problem, they sacrificed their lives to seal Chiyou in Jiuyou, until we appeared."
"The other things are basically useless. They'll probably be disposed of after a while."
These words seemed to awaken a memory in Fu Hua, causing the usually taciturn girl to speak up for a change: "So that's how it is. It seems fighting the Honkai is not as simple as we imagined."
Theresa: "Isn't that the truth?"
"It's already so difficult to save one person, let alone save the world."
The short nun stood up on her chair: "Let's not talk about these things. We'll deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow. Tonight, let's just have a good time!"
"Yay!"
Chaos ensued.
After the celebration banquet, it was time to rest.
The snow-haired girl unapologetically claimed Raiden Mei's lap pillow, forcing the girl to give Brian an apologetic look, full of implication.
'I'll make it up to you tonight.'
Pushing open the balcony door, the night wind blew through the young man's black hair.
A mature hand pressed against the closing door, approaching from behind with the faint scent of alcohol.
"My dear student, you wouldn't want Mei to know what you did to me earlier, would you?"
The People's Teacher, Murata Himeko, has arrived!
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