Making Honkai Impact lll In A World Where Kallen Exists [Continuation]

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"It's already too late. You just personally eroded that painting into nothing."

The gray-haired girl replied, cautiously eyeing her opponent. At this moment, everyone in the Elysian Realm shared the same goal, to stall the Herrscher of Corruption.

So, she didn't mind engaging in some casual conversation. Compared to the exhausting battle, a conversation might better divert her opponent's attention.

She knew her reason for staying, ultimately, it was a sacrifice, nothing special.

"I know…"

Her gaze drifted toward the sea of clouds in the distance, now stripped of its original colors by corruption. It was reminiscent of the Flame-Chasers she had encountered along the way, each of them, despite their losses, had shone brilliantly in their final moments.

The Herrscher of Corruption struggled to understand.

It wasn't about goals, memories, or even feelings. The actions of the Flame-Chasers defied the principles she had learned.

"Can you describe it for me? I'm just... a little curious."

"..."

Hua fell silent momentarily, recalling the image of the painting—a black-and-gray piece that seemed ready to burst with countless lines of energy, each racing to bloom.

At first glance, it looked like a child's random scribbles. But to her, it evoked the essence of Aurora's True Meaning.

Aurora was the light from the nearest star, the first ray before dawn.

Arriving too early to illuminate much, it nevertheless signaled the presence of countless stars across the sky. It was a herald, announcing the arrival of light, sooner or later.

"...Describing it in words is beyond my ability. Besides, you're not the viewer Griseo had in mind."

Hua replied calmly.

"Is that so? I see…"

The Herrscher of Corruption withdrew her gaze from the horizon, turning her attention back to Hua. She laughed lightly but didn't refute the implication in Hua's words.

"Then, Hua… the feeling I experienced when I erased Kosma, you must understand it now, don't you?"

"Sending a comrade to their death with your own hands... doesn't feel very good, does it?"

The Herrscher of Corruption looked deeply at Hua, her expression carrying a sense of meaning. Amidst her erosion, she had caught fragments of scattered memories.

In a way, Hua had also experienced something similar to her.

"This isn't sadness," Hua said, shaking her head slightly. Crossing her arms in a gesture of resolve, she added, "It's the respect I must give them."

Next, it was her turn to fulfill her mission. There was nothing to grieve about, after all, they had only gone ahead of her by a step.

Even though this burden shouldn't have been placed on Griseo, it was indeed the mission they all shared.

"your Mission?"

The Herrscher of Corruption widened her eyes, then stared at Hua for a while before shaking her head helplessly.

It was exactly the kind of thing Hua would say.

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[Here it is—the inevitable two words that appear in every chapter.]

[My Mission... Even in the Elysian Realm, Fu Hua clings to this word?]

[I've seen truly sorrowful people—they don't shed a single tear.]

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In the hall,

Little Senti, who had earlier taken the controller from Griseo, frowned at the dialogue on the screen. She stared at Fu Hua for a long time before letting out a deep sigh.

"Classic you, old Timer."

"Is 'your mission' really that important? Your whole life has been tangled up in those two words, leaving nothing else behind."

Though she clicked her tongue in disbelief, she knew convincing Hua was impossible.

Unless, like in the game's Dust of Discipline scenario, she shattered everything Hua worried about. But even then, Hua had been imprisoned for the sake of those very concerns—which included her.

"For every individual, organization, or world, responsibility is a relative concept, unavoidable," Hua explained.

"But with your help, Little Sentience, the burden of this mission won't be as heavy," she added calmly, her tone peaceful.

Luo Mo raised an eyebrow, looking at Hua in surprise. Had someone possessed her?

Even Elysia found this uncharacteristic statement surprising.

Fu Hua was surprised too by her memory version's words

The effect, however, was immediate.

The Herrscher of Sentience's lips twitched upward uncontrollably. She took a deep breath but couldn't suppress her growing grin. All her previous complaints disappeared as her delight became more and more obvious.

"Ahaha, old Timer, you're absolutely right! A mission? That's nothing big! I—no, we—can handle it together, no problem!"

Little Sentience said enthusiastically, slapping Hua on the shoulder repeatedly, as if afraid others might not realize how much Hua's words had resonated with her. Her grin practically reached the sky.

"Indeed, without Little Senti, the battle against the Honkai will only get harder," Hua said, frowning slightly as though imagining a scenario without the Herrscher of Sentience's help.

"Haha, exactly! But with me here, there's nothing to worry about! What's with the frown?" Little Senti exclaimed excitedly.

"With me around, you can relax. That Herrscher of Corruption? I'll be the first to deal with her!" she added happily.

"Mm," Hua responded lightly, her expression as calm as ever.

Seeing the strange looks on everyone's faces, she asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

"No, no…" Kiana joked, "It's just… class monitor, it feels like you've been eroded instead."

Her tone was light, but her disbelief was clear. Was this really something Hua could say or do? Seeing her tame Little Senti so effortlessly, taking the lead to confront the Honkai, it all felt dreamlike.

"Indeed… Hua, do you have something like an awakening technique? This is way too strange," Luo Mo chimed in, agreeing with Kiana. Was this some kind of enlightenment?

"There's no such shortcut to sudden enlightenment," Hua replied, casting the two a helpless glance. She also briefly glanced at Elysia, but said nothing further.

Fu Hua was more surprised that her memory version was able to tame Senti easily, different from her, where she get complained by Senti alot.

Was it because I'm older? No, both her and Hua are in the same age. The difference must be in their experience.

--

Some time ago…

She had accidentally stumbled upon a book while working on teaching materials. Inspired, Elysia had written something involving Kosma and Kalpas, claiming it would be a gift for Hua.

Later, she had handed her a book titled A Hundred Scenarios and Questions for Getting Along with Little Sentience.

It was much shorter than the book about Kevin, but it had proven effective. Hua had tried it, and both she and Little Senti had since been much easier to deal with.

Of course, Elysia had originally wanted to name it Tips for Babysitting.

Back in the game…

"That kind of painting," Griseo said softly, referring to the depiction of Aurora. "I don't think it can replace Kosma."

Griseo didn't like the crude representation. Kosma had always wanted to be a hero. But did being a hero mean you had to leave?

Still, she liked the metaphor: after Aurora came the stars.

"Next time, don't make people worry so much, Kosma. Otherwise, Mom Aponia will think you're a bad kid. And don't lie to me, okay?"

She stood with her hands on her hips, her pale purple eyes fixed on him as she spoke firmly.

Kosma silently lowered his head, looking at the other person, and reluctantly nodded slightly.

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Before the next scene unfolded, as if with a delay, Kosma and Griseo's mirrored projections shattered on cue.

Before the battle between Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Corruption began, it felt like a mere reminder that two more had been lost.

The Herrscher of Corruption, driven by her own objectives, did not strike Fu Hua with lethal force.

She summoned a massive number of monsters, yet hurriedly withdrew.

The endless swarm of pale monsters appeared mercilessly, obstructing Fu Hua's path and preventing her from delaying the Herrscher of Corruption.

After crossing countless monster corpses, Fu Hua finally caught up to the Herrscher of Corruption.

To be precise, the other party had intentionally waited for her.

"…Hua, have you ever thought that maybe nothing you've ever done was something you truly wanted to do?"

Turning her back to Fu Hua, she reluctantly smiled as she spoke.

"You don't really know why you're doing this, nor can you be sure of its meaning, right?"

"Like a pebble rolling down a slope, you're here simply because you can still do something—that's all."

Hua frowned slightly, unable to grasp why the Herrscher was discussing such things with her now.

"Hua, you're special…so I don't mind leaving you with the right to 'still do something.' I won't use the power to defeat you directly."

"Let it continue endlessly…until the final act arrives."

The Herrscher of Corruption spoke, then leaped forward toward the path leading to Mei. No matter what…her true threats were only the outsider and MK 666.

At least for now, she was certain of that.

For Fu Hua, however, the situation was not optimistic.

An increasing number of monsters joined the fray. Indeed, she might not perish on the spot, but breaking through them wouldn't be easy.

It was beyond her limits.

So…she had to take a risk.

Using the powers of the Key of Consciousness, she leaped through the monsters' minds, bypassing many obstacles to confront the Herrscher of Corruption directly.

But…something unforeseen occurred.

While possessing a monster, she could still see her own body. Logically, there should not have been two of her simultaneously.

Yet inexplicably, she perceived two bodies at once.

Sensing danger, she returned to her original body, only to find that all the monsters around her had fallen under her control. This was not her ability.

But since the immediate problem was resolved, chasing the Herrscher of Corruption took priority.

The path ahead was almost unimpeded.

When she saw the Herrscher of Corruption again, she instantly understood why, countless monster corpses lay at the other's feet.

Those monsters, once under Hua's control, turned against her instead and fell one by one.

The Herrscher's face showed a certain desolation, almost sadness—a look Hua had often seen on Elysia's face but which people usually regarded as a facade.

"What's wrong with them…? They shouldn't act like this, should they?"

"I love you all…so much. And them, too."

She looked at Hua, expecting an answer from her.

She couldn't accept it, nor could she understand why she was in this situation.

"Hua…if those you love must hurt others you love…what would you do? What would Elysia do?"

To her, these monsters were her kindred and companions, just as the Flame-Chasers were companions to the Elysia she portrayed.

But now, neither got along. Worse, they both opposed her.

She raised her bow, slightly drawing it, her gaze filled with sorrow as she looked at someone she did not want to harm and sighed.

A surge of danger swept over Hua, making her feel as though needles were piercing her back.

It took only one strike.

The Herrscher, empowered by data from several MANTIS, including the strongest among them, could knock Hua unconscious with a single blow.

As Hua lost consciousness, the Herrscher of Corruption slowly approached her, bent down, and softly spoke to the fading Hua.

"When you wake up, everything will be over. Resist me as long as you want. Resist as much as you like."

"But there are some…who won't be so fortunate."

Her smile turned cold, as if she had seen through the mastermind.

What the other person had done was intolerable to her.

"Turning my companions into such creatures…"

"Oh…so it was you?"

Somewhere out of sight, she caught a glimpse of the person who had infuriated her so much…yet she wasn't surprised.

"Heh—of course. Who else could it be?"

From a great distance, a familiar figure with green hair appeared. Mobius smiled faintly, her eyes carrying a hint of smug satisfaction.

Who else could it be?

Surely no one believed she was truly dead, right? Surely not?

Snakes…aren't creatures that succumb to death so easily.

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"Wait…Mobius revived again?" Kiana exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, it's absurd, but if it's Mobius, it's normal."

The Herrscher of Sentience nodded, agreeing.

Her knack for causing trouble was legendary. If Vill-V had stirred up so much, how could Mobius stay still?

"…Correction. Clearly, I never died and even countered the creatures under the Herrscher of Corruption's control," Mobius coldly remarked, a bit smugly. No one else…could pull off something like that.

She had completely thrown the Herrscher off balance.

"With your little 'Mini-Mobis'?" Vill-V teased.

"Hmph—don't mention that name. Dead people shouldn't be speaking," Mobius sneered.

She wasn't fond of Vill-V's naming sense.

At best…it was only slightly better than that of Elysia.

"Sigh, I only got eliminated in the game. Don't be so mean, my dear Mobius. Elysia's been talking the whole time just now."

Vill-V muttered, stirring up trouble as if to provoke a bigger scene.

Fearless and chaotic.

"Actually…Bronya has always been curious. Given the Herrscher of Corruption's abilities, why didn't she just use force to suppress everything?"

"That would've saved…uh, so much time? Mei must have some secret weapon, right?"

Bronya analyzed the situation rationally.

She had to reclaim her rightful place as the Herrscher of Reason—Mei being the Herrscher of Thunder was already enough!

"So…is it that she doesn't want to, or can't?"

"…Both."

Mobius glanced at Vill-V. While the latter did keep her mouth shut, it was obvious she was just waiting for something amusing to happen.

Compared to dealing with that woman, Elysia, Mobius preferred to spar with this one.

"Maintaining Elysia's appearance comes with limitations… It's based on our memory constructs of Elysia, so she can't act too out of character.

"Moreover, Elysia's emotions also influence her."

"The main point is, after deleting too many memory constructs, she also can't maintain that form… To call it 'corruption' isn't quite accurate—it's more like parasitism. If she deletes the entirety of the Elysian Realm, she wouldn't survive either. Leaving a few Flame-Chasers intact is her best option."

Mobius sneered. Did she resemble Elysia in the slightest?

How dare she pretend to be her?

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