Chapter 86: The World Instance Ends, Rewards Settled
'If this world no longer has Kallen... then it holds no meaning for me...'
Yae Sakura felt her consciousness drift, her very being dissolving. Her thoughts spiraled back five hundred years, to the day she first laid eyes on Kallen Kaslana.
She had been so dazzling, a beacon of impossible light in the bleak darkness of Yae Village. In Kallen, she had found the first sunbeam that belonged solely to her.
When Kallen had declared, "From now on, you are no longer alone, for I will fight by your side," Sakura truly believed she had found her sanctuary, her reason for being.
But Kallen's light was not meant for her alone; it shone upon everyone, warming the world with its brilliance. It was this generosity that planted a dark seed in Sakura's heart—the desire to cage that light, to make Kallen a doll that belonged only to her.
Though she had slaughtered the ignorant villagers who had wronged her, her own heart was slowly, inexorably being eroded by Honkai Energy. It was only when she watched Kallen sacrifice herself to save her that Yae Sakura finally understood. Love was not about possession. It was about protection.
Just like... him.
With a monumental effort, Yae Sakura forced her fading eyes open, her gaze falling upon the broken figure of Rovel, collapsed on the ground.
Even as he burned his own life force away, even as his consciousness frayed into nothingness, even when his body had long since screamed past its limits... he had stood guard. For the sake of the person he loved, and even for her—a complete stranger—he had resolved to deliver that final, desperate blow.
In that fleeting moment, she saw Kallen's reflection in him.
Kallen... perhaps she was truly gone from this world.
But her will, her unwavering spirit of protection, had been passed down.
Sakura herself was now free of all worldly attachments, but he... he still had people he desperately wanted to protect.
'At the very least,'she thought,'I can help protect that belief...'
Yae Sakura's form dissolved into a cascade of ethereal cherry blossoms. A gentle wind swept through the ruined street, and countless pink petals danced in the air, painting a breathtakingly beautiful scene against the grim backdrop of the Eruption.
The swirling blossoms gathered around Rovel's body, lifting him from the ground, bit by bit, as if cradling something precious.
"What the hell is going on?! Didn't you kill him?" Apollo shrieked, stumbling back a few steps as he glared at the players behind him.
"Uh..." one of the players stammered, shrinking under his leader's furious gaze. "We saw he had a sliver of health left... we thought we'd let him watch us kill the Herrscher of Thunder before finishing him off..."
"Forget it!" Apollo wanted to personally strangle this pack of morons. Didn't they know to secure the kill? "Fire! Light him up!"
He bellowed the command, and his subordinates once again raised their pistols. A volley of bullets tore through the air, but they never reached their target. The swirling cherry blossom petals formed an impenetrable shield, deflecting every single round with an effortless grace.
On Rovel's back, three glowing, magatama-shaped marks materialized, burning with a soft pink light.
Simultaneously, a series of notifications chimed within his mind.
[Stigmata Slot 1 has been filled with Stigmata: Yae Sakura!]
[Honkai Energy Resistance +500]
[Stigmata power awakened. New form obtained: Spirit Blade Form.]
[Spirit Blade Form: While active, you are immune to all toxins and recover 100 HP per second. Physique +300, Strength +200, Agility +400. You can now infuse Stigmata power into your weapon!]
[Stigmata power has been attached to 'Prototype Pulse Katana'.]
[Your 'Prototype Pulse Katana' has undergone a mutation.]
[Prototype Pulse Katana (Blue) → Pulse Katana · Spirit Blade (Purple)]
[Attributes: Strength +80, Agility +100]
[Weapon Skill: Spirit Blade Overclock - Infuses the weapon with immense power. All slashes deal 32% increased damage. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 10 minutes.]
As the last of the cherry blossoms dissipated, Rovel stood before them once more, completely transformed. His hair, once black, now flowed down his back in a cascade of cherry blossom pink. A pair of long, elegant fox ears twitched atop his head. The stark black and white of his katana had been replaced by a beautiful pink and white blade that seemed to hum with latent power.
"Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Ultimate Technique..." Rovel's voice was a low whisper as he leaned forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his newly forged sword. "...Moonlit Shadow Dance."
Before Apollo or any of his lackeys could even process what was happening, there was a flash of movement. Rovel was already standing behind them, his back turned, slowly and deliberately sheathing his blade with a soft click.
In the next instant, ethereal afterimages of his slash bloomed in the air, piercing through the bodies of the players who had been standing before him.
[-3500!]
A terrifyingly high damage number erupted above each of their heads.
A wave of stunned silence washed over the battlefield. Every Descender, tens of thousands of them, stared at the scene, their eyes locked on Rovel's solitary back. Not a single one dared to take another step forward.
For the next two kilometers, Rovel didn't bother to run. He simply strolled through the parted sea of players, his pace leisurely, as he made his way toward the outermost edge of Changkong City.
Just as the first ray of dawn spilled over the horizon, casting a golden light upon the shattered asphalt, a grand, synthesized voice echoed in the ears of every player participating in the World Instance.
[The World Instance 'Third Honkai Eruption' has concluded. Faction 1 and Faction 2 have failed. All Descenders are now being teleported back to their respective cities.]
In an instant, millions of players vanished from Changkong City in showers of pale blue light. The once-endless crowds were gone, replaced by empty, silent streets and a city scarred by the horrors of the Honkai.
"Kiana, Mei, Bronya..." Rovel murmured, turning to look at the three girls resting safely atop Project Bunny 19C. He added softly, "...and Yae Sakura. We made it out."
[The World Instance has ended. Your Faction 3 is victorious. Contribution: 100%.]
[Settling rewards: 1,000,000 EXP (can be withdrawn at any time), 10,000,000 Credits, Random Lucky Wheel attempts +1.]
Hearing the list of incredible rewards, Rovel's expression remained perfectly calm. He had already received the greatest prize of all.
Looking at the three girls, safe and sound, a faint, genuine smile curled at the corners of his mouth. The fox ears atop his head vanished, his hair faded back to its natural black, and the Spirit Blade in his hand reverted to its original form.
...
Meanwhile, the official game forums, which had been relatively quiet, erupted into a firestorm of chaos.
It was a tidal wave of curses directed at the game developers.
"This damn game is such a scam! They tricked us into a World Instance just to get farmed! I lost 4 whole levels in one night! My Honkai Energy infection rate went up by 15%! And I didn't get a single damn thing for it!"
"I was with the Anti-Entropy faction. My squad was guarding the Thunder Mechs, but then two people just showed up and blew them all to hell. After the mission failed, I just hid in a corner until it was over. Only lost 20% EXP and my infection only went up 7%."
"Putting out a high-price bounty for any and all information on the 'Mysterious Descender'!"
"Oh yeah, who was that guy? Couldn't see his face, and he didn't seem to be with Faction 1 or Faction 2."
"Probably stumbled into some hidden quest and got his own separate faction? What a lucky bastard."
At that very moment, somewhere in the Far East.
"It has to be him... It has to be!" Funahiki Gyō's mouth twisted into a venomous sneer. "Hehehe..."
He was going to expose Rovel Suou to the entire world!
However, just as he tried to send the message, his network connection inexplicably died.
"Don't waste your energy, my foolish little brother."
Funahiki Shin had appeared outside Gyō's room at some point, his presence as silent as a ghost's.
"You?! Why are you doing this?! Are you protecting a person from Shenzhou?!" Funahiki Gyō glared at his brother, his eyes bloodshot with pure, unadulterated rage.
"Someone as powerful as Mr. Rovel is worth befriending," Shin said calmly. "An alliance with him could be of great benefit not just to an individual, but to the entire Funahiki Family."
He stepped closer, leaning down to whisper in Gyō's ear, his voice laced with mock sympathy.
"This is all something I learned from you, my dear brother."
A muscle in Funahiki Gyō's cheek twitched violently. Those were the exact words, the same rhetoric he had used to manipulate Shin in the past. Now, they were being thrown back in his face.
Suddenly, Funahiki Shin seemed to recall something. A slow, cruel smile spread across his lips as he looked into his brother's disbelieving eyes and delivered the final, crushing truth.
"Oh, that's right. That night, when you had every bone in your body broken... I was the one who pointed Mr. Rovel in your direction."
Funahiki Shin took a few steps back, a placid smile on his face, completely ignoring the murderous inferno blazing in Gyō's gaze.
"Take good care of my brother," Shin ordered his subordinates standing guard. "Don't let him have any chance to send messages to the outside."
"You traitor! You dare to curry favor with someone from Shenzhou! Funahiki Shin, you will die a horrible death!" Funahiki Gyō roared, his voice cracking with fury.
But Funahiki Shin's footsteps were already growing distant, fading down the hall until they disappeared completely, leaving Gyō alone with nothing but his own incompetent rage.
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