Machines Have Souls Too

The three looked at each other, but neither Skyfire nor Delta spoke again.

Cocolia raised an eyebrow, took the black box containing the Gem of Serenity from her chest, and said:

"How about we start by discussing the focus of this struggle? The Gem of Serenity. I need it because it's a key material for the X-10 experiment; it will reveal the true method to cure Honkai Sickness. I need it to create a cure for Honkai Sickness, and I think I don't need to explain what that means for humanity. And you, what do you intend to achieve with this gem?"

It was a very noble and righteous purpose. Not to mention the people on Anti-Entropy's side, even Rita would find it difficult to criticize Cocolia for this. She even admired her determination and belief in bravely challenging Otto for this.

Delta glanced at Skyfire, and seeing that she remained silent, she spoke slowly, with a hint of forced overtime reluctance:

"Schicksal is for the Artificial Herrscher, just like me, to bring the power of the Apostles, which should belong to the Honkai, into the hands of humanity. From now on, it will no longer be that the stronger the civilization, the more terrifying the Honkai, but rather that the more terrifying the Honkai, the stronger humanity will become. With this shift in power, the balance of power will change, and for the first time, we will stand undefeated in the war against the Honkai."

With the same irrefutable purpose, the grand scale and lofty intentions meant that even Welt, who was reluctant to sacrifice the innocent, could not loudly proclaim that Schicksal was absurd.

Both organizations revealed their respective objectives, openly disclosing confidential information that should have been kept secret. All attention then focused on the silent Skyfire, eager to hear what profound insights this mysterious and terrifyingly powerful force would offer.

Unexpectedly, Skyfire picked up the flaming sword he had just put down, and the tea in front of him suddenly boiled and evaporated in front of everyone.

"Give me the Gem of Serenity."

Without any explanation, Skyfire simply stretched out its small hand again, releasing scorching heat that distorted the air, demanding the gem from Cocolia's hand.

Cocolia wiped the sweat from her brow, shook her head and sighed, then deliberately raised her voice and asked:

"Judging from your attitude, may I suspect that, as the culprits behind the Changkong City incident, you intend to create another man-made Great Honkai?"

Amidst the echoing voices, Himeko, Theresa, and Bronya all turned pale one after another.

The next second, an extremely sharp aura suddenly arrived beside Skyfire, and the Valkyrie with better eyesight all saw the dazzling golden hair.

"Boom!"

"Please spare little Anqi's life, my benefactor!"

Before anyone could even see what this fearless young girl looked like, a golden ancient sword engraved with mountains, rivers, flowers, and trees suddenly plunged in, blocking the fiery sword of Skyfire.

"Uncle-Master, please help me!"

"But she is Crimson Kite's old friend, and also our benefactor!"

"Help me, Uncle-Master!!"

"You... my benefactor, why are you getting so excited too? Don't hurt my master and nephew!"

Amidst Anqi's desperate roar and Ji Lin's panicked words, a surge of power and scorching heat intertwined, turning the entire arena beyond recognition.

Cocolia had already retreated behind Welt and Ninti, and Delta had returned to Wendy's back, but apart from these people, the rest of the onlookers were all stunned by the sudden and powerful impact.

Once everyone had regained their composure, the three who had clashed had already fought their way overseas. The enormous flaming sword and the overwhelming sword energy took shape, weaving together a dreamlike yet terrifying scene in the sky.

"Welt, Ninti, prioritize your own safety and drive them towards St. Freya!"

Cocolia sneered and issued orders without any politeness.

Ninti is a good daughter who listens to her mother, so of course she had nothing to say, nodded, and flew away.

Welt was also not quite clear about the current situation. Seeing that Ninti, whom he cared about, had gone out, he naturally had even less time to think too much. Without hesitation, he followed Cocolia's orders and chased after her.

Then Cocolia decisively tossed the black box in her hand toward Delta.

"I'd rather you sacrifice a few more Valkyrie than see another Changkong City. Between two evils, choose the lesser and leave with the gem. Also, tell Otto that he should think carefully about whether to let bygones be bygones or fight like the snipe and the clam."

"... You're just trying to shift the blame elsewhere."

"So, are you going to answer it or not?"

"Wendy, let's go first."

Delta made a quick decision: an invisible Ideal Fluid enveloped Wendy and herself, then plunged directly into the sea and vanished without a trace.

"What do you mean Great Void Mountain can't help me succeed? You idiot Gray Serpent, you don't understand people at all. Great Void Mountain is very useful! I wanted to use a wolf to devour a tiger, but I didn't expect to attract a giant dragon instead. What bad luck!"

Cocolia turned and left with a dark expression, cursing under her breath.

Soon, only a group of old, weak, sick and disabled Valkyrie remained, looking at each other, at a loss.

Chapter 199 Machines Also Have Souls

"Theresa... Fusion... Fusion Armor..."

"Activate the fusion reactor for me!"

Himeko legs weak, grabbed Theresa's shoulders and cried out in a trembling voice, her tearful eyes staring straight up at the sky.

Fusion Armor: Crimson, the exclusive armor of Valkyrie Murata Himeko. Under normal circumstances, it is just a pretty good Valkyrie armor, but it is equipped with the "Nexus System" under testing. In emergencies, it can connect to the Hyperion's energy core and unleash battleship-level energy while in human form.

That power surpasses even the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Himeko even used it to contend with Raiden Mei in her Thunder Herrscher form. It is one of St. Freya's trump cards.

Conversely, this state is also very life-consuming, draining Himeko's life force.

But she couldn't care less about that now. Seeing Anqi rushing irrationally towards that dangerous and terrifying Armed Doll, the lessons of Delta, Durandal, and Yae Sakura were still fresh in her mind! Himeko couldn't think of anything else; she just wanted to bring Anqi back.

Theresa felt discomfort in her shoulder and frowned, saying:

"Calm down! The warship's energy system has been destroyed, so we can't activate the Nexus System!"

"But, but Anqi, she..."

"Don't be afraid, Ji Lin is protecting her, and Welt is here too. He won't stand idly by while his class representative is there."

Theresa lowered her voice, trying to calm Himeko down.

Actually, she was also very panicked.

Cocolia is so cold-blooded, ruthless, and shameless!

We've been suppressing our guilt and covering up the truth about Changkong City every day, hoping to find a suitable opportunity to explain to Anqi. But you, to divert attention from our own problems, have used this incident to your advantage.

Don't forget that you also bear some responsibility for what happened in Changkong City!

Theresa gritted her teeth and glared at Cocolia's retreating figure, but she also knew that now was not the time to get entangled with her.

"Speed up the repairs to the ship's hull, and retreat immediately after the leaks are fixed! We need to catch up with them! I still have Judah; no matter how strong she is, she'll have to use Honkai Energy, right? I don't believe she can withstand my Divine Grace Barrier!"

Theresa became furious.

Although her feelings for Anqi weren't as deep or special as those for Himeko, her determination to protect her students was just as strong.

This clearly pointed the way for the anxious and helpless Himeko and Bronya. They disregarded everything else and devoted themselves to the repair work of the warship, determined to catch up as quickly as possible.

Delta overlooked one problem.

That is, the Herrscher's body can be independent of breathing, but Wendy cannot.

Although the Ideal Fluid was urgently condensed, it went to the sea surface to capture air, turned into bubbles, and returned to replenish the water, it still took time to travel from the sea surface to the deep sea.

At this moment, Wendy was flushed red, but she just buried her head under Delta, trembling, without saying a word.

Wendy didn't want to hold Delta back at this time, especially since she was pressed against the bandage on Delta's chest and smelled the mix of blood and disinfectant. This made her even more determined to endure it.

"Ugh, what a silly goose."

Delta sighed softly, reached out, and lifted Wendy's flushed face.

Then he kissed her.

Exchanging breaths is also an emergency method, especially Delta doesn't need oxygen at all. This kind of exchange is enough for Wendy to survive until fresh air arrives.

Wendy stared wide-eyed at Delta with a pitiful and helpless look.

After a while, bubbles continuously moved in and out of the space supporting the two people, creating a gaseous environment with a stable oxygen content.

Delta stopped exchanging breaths.

But Wendy buried her face in her chest again, her face even redder, her body even softer and trembling, and she remained silent for a long time.

Actually, this is a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation and do whatever one wants.

But by this point in the story, too many people have already been emotionally affected, and even if Delta is despicable, she wouldn't ignore everyone and only care about her own happiness at this point.

So she simply pressed Wendy's head gently.

"Don't be afraid, it'll be over soon, everyone will be fine, I promise."

Delta said gently, then fell silent, simply holding Wendy as they sped forward through the dark depths of the sea.

The sky over the East China Sea has been restless for a whole day.

The massive airflow anomaly caused by Delta, the continuous high-energy output of Durandal, the massive amount of dissipated Honkai Energy left behind by Yae Sakura, and the unparalleled heat and violence of the Skyfire.

All these factors combined to make everyone who could potentially observe this area of the sea pay close attention to it.

Countries closer to the border were uneasy, while those farther away couldn't help but feel uneasy. On this day, many people finally came to a new understanding of the enormous chasm between the organization that controlled the Honkai and the secular world.

Nuclear weapon?

Compared to the Skyfire's sword strike that broke through to outer space, that thing was just a toy.

Or rather, this war has been maintained at nuclear energy levels for the entire time, and it has been going on for a day now.

Fortunately, Anqi's script also came to an end.

"Ah!"

"Useless, too immature. Let's wait until he grows up more before talking about it."

"My benefactor, I'm so sorry, I can't just stand by and watch little Anqi go!"

Familiar scorching flames swept across the sky, but at the same time, tens of thousands of golden sword energies filled the sky, creating exaggerated waves like an ocean of swords.

Welt had been watching from a not-too-distant place.

Driving away three people engaged in combat would be an impossible task for others, but for Welt and Ninti, it was merely maintaining a repulsive force away from the East Sea Base, which was quite easy.

Welt was very satisfied with the job because it allowed him to keep an eye on Anqi's movements and to immediately pull Anqi away from danger should things get out of control.

'You didn't even plan this out, did you, Cocolia?'

Welt couldn't help but suspect that Cocolia had intentionally sent him to look after Anqi.

In his current impression, Cocolia ruthless when necessary, but she would never harm the innocent if possible—for example, Anna, who is still alive and kicking at the East Sea Base, and Chen Tianwu and Chen Tianwen, the brother and sister rescued from the battlefield, are typical examples.

"Joachim, be careful, something very powerful is coming. Chiyou told me she is very afraid."

Welt, who was deep in thought, paused for a moment, feeling Ninti's warm little hand grasp him. He gently squeezed it back, then looked up at the sky.

"Sword God!"

The spiritual power from Ji Lin and A-Lin combined to form a magnificent and awe-inspiring phantom, its robes fluttering and its charm captivating, yet it seemed even greater than the heavens.

"With this sword, I beg you to end this war!"

"Boom!"

The enormous golden Xuanyuan Sword, seemingly both real and illusory, pierced through the dome and descended, instantly severing the massive amount of Honkai Energy that had previously permeated the battlefield.

From a purely energy perspective, Welt knew that this was far inferior to the previous planetary split sword of the Skyfire, but he sensed another terrifying threat that was no less formidable.

"The ultimate technique of Great Void Mountain, the legacy of the Immortal Crimson Heron?"

Those ancient legends of Shenzhou, Schicksal knows them, and so does Anti-Entropy. Even Welt fought alongside this power in Siberia, though at the time he only heard of its sword but never saw it, yet it left a deep impression on him.

Welt stared intently at the battlefield, only to see Skyfire magnifying the flaming sword in his hand, clearly ready for battle, while Anqi's figure plummeted down.

"That's true, this kind of duel isn't something you can participate in, Anqi."

Welt sighed softly, pulled Anqi's unconscious body over, held her in his hands, and then looked towards the final moment of victory with a hint of anticipation.

At the moment of impact, boundless brilliance illuminated the East China Sea, even more dazzling than the slowly sinking sunset on the horizon.

Welt was also forced to look away.

It wasn't that the naked eye couldn't withstand that light, but rather that the spiritual energy emanating from the Great Void Sword God was as sharp as a sword, penetrating to the level of the spirit and soul. Even he was helpless against this power and could only retreat.

After a while, Welt felt that things had calmed down and turned his attention back to the battlefield.

But then they saw the panting yellow-clad, phoenix-crowned girl standing opposite a small doll holding a flame.

But Welt clearly saw that the flames in Skyfire's hands were flickering and its body was swaying slightly.

"Strange. I am a mechanical life form; theoretically, I shouldn't be harmed by mental attacks..."

"Perhaps, perhaps our benefactor also has a soul? Just like Xiaoxuan, he is a true human being."