From "Beginning," Through "End," But... Not to "Nothing"

"... This life is as fleeting as morning dew, both body and name will perish."

Teleport, draw sword, annihilate, return to position.

"... There isn't one anymore."

Returning the blade to its sheath, Acheron hadn't looked back at the gleam of his sword in who-knows-how-long time.

Amidst the flashing blades, only thunder remained; the void and shadows vanished.

All the Honkai creatures that had gathered were cleaved in two by countless sword lights carrying lightning.

"..."

Kujou Sara watched this somewhat brutal scene in silence; she hadn't even seen the other party draw their sword.

No, if the other party hadn't deliberately slowed down the sheathing motion, I probably wouldn't have seen it either.

If Liu Bai had made Acheron draw his sword back then...

Kujou Sara silently thanked Liu Bai in her heart.

[Kujou Sara favorability: 1720]

But what does "that's no longer available" mean?

Kujou Sara was a little confused.

"What kind of monster is that!"

The doll that was spying on this scene screamed.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! What kind of monster is this?! How could she so easily... No! She definitely didn't have any strength left—"

The doll's angry cries came to an abrupt halt.

Faced with the renewed surge of Honkai creatures, the opponent once again lightly swung its blade.

This time, the opponent didn't even return to his position, but stood in front of the flashing blade as if admiring his own "masterpiece".

And the Honkai the Honkai creatures that surged up again... goes without saying.

"..."

Are you going to gamble that the opponent won't make a third strike?

Then, the doll saw that the other party's posture when drawing his sword had changed.

Then... the other person's entire posture changed accordingly.

"I mourn for the deceased..."

As the longsword was drawn, Acheron's purple hair instantly turned white, and the longsword and the hand wielding it both glowed with a blood-red hue.

However... the surrounding environment remained unchanged.

The Eclipse is gone, but I still carry something on my shoulders.

Is there no longer any need to pursue the end of nothingness?

This is truly... both relaxing and unsettling...

"Hey! Acheron! Wait—!"

Suddenly realizing something, Liu Bai hurriedly tried to step forward to stop him.

But Acheron's blade had already been swung out.

In a mere instant, a red blade flashed, and the village was reduced to dust.

"Liu Bai—! I'll haunt you even in death!"

"Then become a ghost! Acheron! Slash me one more time!"

"Screw you!"

"...terribly sorry."

Afterwards, despite the harsh words he had used, Liu Bai and Acheron still dug Yelan out.

Then Acheron bowed very sincerely to Yelan in apology.

"Mom... I... This is the first time I've ever cursed so harshly. Just a moment ago, I saw my nagging old man."

Yelan lay in the ruins, looking weak and lifeless.

"And Liu Bai, you bastard..."

"Well, shall we go all the way?"

"Screw you!"

"This is only the second time in your life that you've used such foul language."

"Do you believe it or not, it'll be the third time soon?"

"Alright, alright, don't worry about such a small problem. Can you still move?" Bai raised his hands in surrender.

Do I look like I can move?

Yelan rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright, get into the pot. Don't resist. I'll call your name, will you Yelan?"

"Dead."

Yelan continued to roll her eyes at Liu Bai before being sucked into the pot.

"Sara, please take me back with you when the time comes. Acheron and I will go back to the pot to look after Yelan."

Liu Bai glanced at Acheron.

Even though Acheron was usually indifferent to worldly affairs, he felt somewhat embarrassed at this moment.

After all, the way this has turned out... is definitely her fault.

"Thank you for your help." Acheron also asked Sara for a favor.

Kujou Sara nodded nonchalantly.

He's just carrying a pot, but it seems that besides looking after Yelan, Liu Bai is probably also planning to have a word with Acheron.

Yes, that's totally understandable.

—After all, Kujou Sara was also startled by Acheron's sudden slash.

Chapter 84 begins with a "beginning," proceeds through an "end," but... does not cease to exist.

"Tsk tsk, your little view is quite nice."

"You still have the mood to gossip?"

Liu Bai and Acheron worked together to lift the battle-damaged Yelan as steadily as possible.

"Little Gui! Firefly! Come out and lend a hand!"

"Waaah, what happened to Yelan? What did you do?" Guinaifen peeked out from outside the door and saw Yelan's ragged clothes and blood-covered face. She quickly opened the door. "Firefly! Help me get some hot water."

"Good!"

"It hurts, it hurts..."

"Waaah... That's terrible, what happened?" Guinaifen settled Yelan down. "Was she hit by a building collapse?"

"Perhaps even more terrifying than that..."

Yelan sighed.

"But I was also lucky."

If she were hit by the knife, she would die on the spot.

"Acheron and I will go cook. I'll leave things here to you and Liu Little Gui, Xiao Firefly."

"Aren't you going to put some medicine on me first? Well, it wouldn't hurt to get me something nice to eat."

"Don't worry, food is more effective than medicine."

Liu Bai glanced at Yelan's condition.

It was a bit more serious than the injuries sustained by the Firefly during its previous landing.

He suffered massive blood loss, and his limbs, internal organs, and even his head sustained varying degrees of damage.

If left unattended, it won't survive more than two hours.

"...Um, I'm very sorry, sir."

On the way to the kitchen, Acheron apologized again.

"It was a bit... on a whim."

"It's strange that you said 'on a whim'," Bai glanced at Acheron. "So, did you enjoy yourself?"

"... I don't know. I felt relieved, but also a little empty."

"Oh."

Liu Bai nodded somewhat indifferently.

Aren't you curious?

"What if I don't want to say that I'm curious? Is it related to nothingness?"

"Yes, I have been searching for the end of nothingness, that mysterious mechanism, and the Star God."

"Hmm... I guess it's not some fairytale idea like making a wish, right?"

"Of course, I did it to rebel... no, I should say to seek justice, but it seems that can be put aside for now."

"Is this just a conclusion drawn on a whim?" Bai walked into the kitchen and was immediately startled by the overwhelming fishy smell. "Whoa... how come there are so many fish in the kitchen?"

Although Liu Bai couldn't recognize the names of most of the fish, a sense of déjà Liu Bai told him that these fish were all edible.

"These are the rewards from the fishing game—well, conclusion, no, I should say I experienced it firsthand."

Acheron nodded as he explained.

The influence of nothingness on her is gradually weakening.

She was the one who proposed that the Star Gods could not influence this world, but she did not expect the isolation to be so thorough.

Not only can the shadow of nothingness not envelop this place, but even the influence of nothingness is gradually fading away.

If those Chaos Physician, who are determined to heal the void of others in their limited time, knew about this, they would probably be overjoyed.

Acheron discovered last night that some of his things were returning.

If I had stayed any longer, I might no longer be a "Annihilation Gang".

For Acheron, this matter is undoubtedly a good thing objectively, but subjectively... he is actually somewhat confused.

Annihilation Gang can be broadly divided into three categories. The first category consists of people whose will has completely collapsed, who have become utterly numb to the world, and who gradually perish – this is the origin of the name "Annihilation Gang".

The second type is the "Chaos Physician" who develops a rebellious spirit and does everything in their power to heal others' nihilistic desires in order to achieve self-redemption.

The third one... is supported by a strong will, similar to the Chaos Physician, but more radical, and moves forward with the goal of killing "nothingness".

Acheron... is undoubtedly a third party.

When she embarked on her journey, she was prepared to face a real enemy.

However, now that the influence of nothingness on her has subsided, it means that the connection between the Acheron and nothingness is weakening.

In other words, on the path of pursuing nothingness, Acheron is retreating, and may even be leaving the path altogether.

Even if he returns to the universe in the future, Acheron may not be able to embark on his previous journey again.

This is equivalent to losing your life goals.

Acheron had to admit that he was feeling a bit unwell... he could even feel discomfort.