Chapter 507

She was just thinking about replacement words, but then something happened in another place that caught the Herrscher of Consciousness completely off guard. How could this happen? The Herrscher of Consciousness suddenly froze, as if she had seen something unbelievable. The girl's eyes widened in shock. Damn it, they were bullying her while she was away?

"... Damn it, you really know how to cause trouble!"

The Herrscher of Consciousness muttered curses under her breath, the girl clenching her fists. Li Sushang was immediately indignant. Who was she talking about? Who was causing trouble? Even though she had a face exactly like her grandmaster, Li Sushang wasn't going to tolerate it. This was too arrogant!

This time, however, the Herrscher of Consciousness, contrary to her usual behavior, remained silent in the face of Li Sushang's indignant expression. Just like every time she suddenly appeared and disappeared, the Herrscher girl was suddenly enveloped in white light, and her figure became increasingly faint within the white light. She was off to help on another battlefield.

"Herrscher of Consciousness, what are you going to do?"

Little Herrscher of Consciousness's current state clearly indicates a problem. Bronya asked a question, while the Herrscher girl remained as dashing as ever, ready to do what she had to do.

Chapter 355

"Do I need to tell you what I'm going to do? Come on, I'm busy, I don't have time to give you all psychological counseling. As for where I'm going, don't ask, you can't keep up anyway... Shen Gonglin, I'm going first, you have to come over quickly, otherwise if that guy dies, I won't be the one crying."

Leaving behind these inexplicable words, in the midst of the question and answer, Little Herrscher of Consciousness's figure had already disappeared from everyone's sight. The remaining people looked at each other, none of them understanding what the Herrscher of Consciousness had just said, and why she had suddenly run away like that. Li Sushang scratched her head speechlessly, and the girl opened her mouth but still managed to utter a complaint.

"This Herrscher of Consciousness's personality is truly... unconventional."

Li Sushang still didn't understand what she was going to do, but Durandal and Kiana had already sensed something. Judging from how hurriedly she left and the words she left for Shen Gonglin, the situation might be... Could she have meant to say, "Class President, what happened?"

Suddenly, a powerful force, like a hurricane, erupted unabashedly from between the lunar facilities, silently proclaiming its invincibility to the intruders before it. This force was undoubtedly familiar to Shen Gonglin, Durandal, Raiden Mei, and perhaps even Bronya.

"Kevin, he's deep inside this passage. And..."

Mei said in a deep voice. Although she didn't finish her sentence, everyone knew what she was about to say. The fact that she was unleashing such power meant that Kevin was fighting someone, and that person was undoubtedly the Class President.

All things are impermanent, merely a metaphor for life; disappointments are common, but now things have turned out as desired. Despair is a strange emotion; people have not despaired when faced with an invincible enemy; people have not despaired when all past glories have completely vanished. The moment of true despair is, in fact, the moment when unparalleled achievements are created.

These words echoed in Fu Hua's heart. It was precisely because of this that Kevin was now so... fragile, lonely, and... desperate.

"Kevin, you're looking for your own burial place, aren't you?"

The man remained silent in the face of Fu Hua's words. Fu Hua, however, did not press further. She waited for this weighty silence to confirm her suspicions, thus confirming that her arrival had its original value.

"I will not deny it. A victory of desperation is still a victory."

After a long silence, Kevin spoke. Fu Hua sighed inwardly; now she understood Kevin's choice, and also understood her own.

"Since you have imprisoned all the Herrscher in some way, why did you only contact me? You should know... the core of the Herrscher of Consciousness is still within me."

Having asked this question, all the Herrscher were isolated by Kevin in some way, yet she was able to come before Kevin. Could it be because... she was someone Kevin knew? Since Shen Gonglin and the others didn't know the situation, she was the only one who could take action.

"It's nothing. After all... you are you."

Although this was an expected answer, Fu Hua still couldn't help but feel surprised. This man, perhaps he had been alone for too long, to the point that people had forgotten that he also needed friends. Was that why she was able to come to this place? After all, she... was now probably his only surviving comrade-in-arms.

"Indeed, I am who I am. For example... the reason I came here to find you is to offer you a sense of recognition as Hua. You have achieved the grand ambition of the Flame-Chasers, and you are about to lead humanity to victory over the Honkai. As Hua, I must acknowledge this."

Looking at her comrade-in-arms from 50,000 years ago, Fu Hua sincerely spoke her true thoughts. As a member of the Flame-Chasers, Kevin had fulfilled his duty, and as his comrade-in-arms, she had to acknowledge that—at least from Fu Hua's perspective. And now, she herself...

It's Fu Hua, it's Chiyuan, it's the Immortal, it's... the Class President.

"... As for Hua. I see."

As comrades, some things don't need to be said explicitly; they understand each other perfectly. Fu Hua chuckled softly. If she were just Hua, things would be much simpler. But she wasn't Hua now; she was Fu Hua, entrusted with someone's hopes, with a bright future, and willing to work hard for it.

"This is not your fault."

Knowing his comrade's decision, Kevin understood that 50,000 years of time now stood between them, and former comrades were now truly going to draw their swords against each other.

"Kevin. You were once my comrade-in-arms. On the battlefield... you were the leader I admired most. I must admit that even though our ideologies differed, I did not have the courage to stand against you. In the past, I misunderstood a sentence Sue said. He said... not being able to die when the Finality comes is your greatest regret. At that time, I thought it simply referred to Dr. Mei's matter... but today I finally understand what this regret also includes."

Finally understanding what her comrade-in-arms' words meant, Fu Hua's heart grew heavy. She knew how much resolve and despair her comrade-in-arms had shown. Their ideologies differed, but she had to respect him.

"In the instant you become the victor... you will also personally kill the self that claimed to be the savior of the world."

Having stated this heavy truth, the hero who once bore the Signet of Deliverance has now made such a decision. Is it funny? Fu Hua certainly can't laugh.

"... You know that. We must win."

At that moment, the Fear of the Finality and the man rose together. Kevin placed his hand on the An-Utu to the side. Fu Hua glanced sideways, and the girl was already prepared for battle.

"Hua Mei once entrusted the Seed Plan to you. Later... Danzhu and Cang Xuan sacrificed themselves, and the Fire Seed was no different from failure in our eyes; and the Ark, which set off again, also lost contact unexpectedly thousands of years later. So I decided to seize the first window of opportunity for the Stigmata Plan, before a new Herrscher was born, and when the number of new humans had exceeded hundreds of millions, to complete our mission with the least cost."

Quietly, she recounted the situation at that time, saying that if she had made that choice back then, the situation might be completely different now.

Kevin had no way of knowing, after all, some choices can only be made once.

Chapter 356 The Great Alliance of the Taixu Sword School Sect

The aftershocks of the battle deep within the passage struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer. The Herrscher of Consciousness had already departed, and there was probably only one person who could make her rush so hastily. Although she was stubborn, everyone knew that she was just being defiant. The main culprit of that aftershock was probably the Class President.

"... It should be the Class President, right?"

After a few seconds that seemed to freeze, someone spoke up at the opportune moment. Undoubtedly, the aura emanating from the aftershocks made Li Sushang, Shen Gonglin, and Kiana feel a familiar power. Although very faint, the three "fellow disciples" were certain it was the unique energy fluctuation of someone who had practiced the Great Void Sword Qi, and the source of this energy fluctuation was far below them.

"Hmm, it should be Grandmaster... no, Fu Hua, she should be in a fierce battle right now."

Li Sushang drew this conclusion: all signs indicated that Fu Hua was currently fighting Kevin, a fact that made the girls anxious. Knowing Kevin's true power, they had already considered Kevin the final boss. But now that she was fighting alone, the probability of her winning was almost zero. So... why did Fu Hua choose to fight?

"If that's the case... it's no wonder the Herrscher of Consciousness left first. She probably didn't think we couldn't keep up, but rather that we were too late."

Durandal remained calm. With the Herrscher of Consciousness providing support first, Fu Hua's situation should be alleviated. Their current problem was how to join the battle as soon as possible, as the two of them, Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Consciousness, were too weak.

"However... although the Class President's situation is not optimistic, if Kevin... if he is still the Kevin I know, then... it is probably his plan to fight to prove his resolve."

Mei could roughly guess Kevin's thoughts. Mei believed that the battle between Kevin and the Class President was a clash of their wills, a battle to solidify their resolve. This was exactly what Kevin would do.

"But no matter what, we can't just sit idly by and do nothing about the Class President monitor... Wait a minute, Shen Gonglin, don't use the power of the Herrscher of the Void rashly. The space here is too chaotic. If we just teleport randomly, we might have to look for you later."

Before she could finish speaking, Kiana sensed a spatial fluctuation nearby. Turning around, she discovered that Shen Gonglin had opened an unstable spatial tunnel. Kiana quickly grabbed Shen Gonglin, who was about to step inside. Why was this girl trying to create a big commotion without making a sound? Even for her, the Herrscher of Flamescion who had recovered her full strength, space was still not stable enough, let alone for Shen Gonglin. Forcibly opening a spatial tunnel would not allow for accurate teleportation. Kiana had the right to speak on this matter.

"But I'm worried about the Class President monitor. We should split up now. I'll go first, and you guys can come back and figure out a safer route. Maybe by the time you get here, the Class President and I will have Kevin all beaten up."

Kiana closed the space tunnel, but Shen Gonglin was still somewhat unwilling to give up. She didn't know what state the Class President was in, and she couldn't go to the Class President's side like Little Herrscher of Consciousness could. Because the core of the Herrscher of Consciousness was still in the Class President, Little Herrscher of Consciousness could go to the Class President as easily as going home if she wanted to, but she couldn't do that.

"No, you have to come with us."

Durandal made an irrefutable decision, and this underdog statement actually received the approval of all the girls. Shen Gonglin felt as if she, the Bishop of Schicksal, had been sidelined. Durandal dared to make a decision about her... although she never seemed to consider herself a bishop.

"Shen Gonglin, calm down... If there's anything that the Class President needs to fight for, then we are one of them."

After reassuring Shen Gonglin, dissuading her from acting alone, it was clear that the most important thing now was to gather all the forces together. The Herrscher of Consciousness's impulsive departure had already resulted in a loss of combat power, and now they had to cherish every bit of fighting strength.

"That's right, Junior Uncle, don't worry. Grandmaster is very capable, and with Little Herrscher of Consciousness here, everything will be fine... However, since that's the case, let's hurry up and set off. Dragging things out isn't a good habit."

Li Sushang also seemed eager to try. This was a grand battle involving all the remaining members of the Taixu Sword School Sect. There was her Grandmaster, her Junior Uncle, herself, and her Junior Sister Kiana —a grand alliance of the Taixu Sword School!

Although Kiana is Shen Gonglin's junior sister in terms of their relationship, and she is the disciple of her master's disciple, Li Sushang doesn't want to call Kiana" Shigu" (senior aunt). Kiana joined the sect later than her. She wants to call Shen Gonglin " (junior uncle), but as for Kiana, well, forget it.

"Wait a minute. Bronya thinks it's necessary for us to discuss whether to stay or leave before we set off."

Strategic mastermind Bronya proposed this idea, which surprised Li Sushang. Didn't they just say they were going to gather all their forces? If they had to decide whether to keep or leave now, wouldn't that be a waste of their fighting strength?

"I agree with Bronya. Although there are no signs of that yet... there is no doubt that the people of New Atlanta should not be unilaterally controlled by the World Serpent; moreover, we do need someone to stay behind and provide support."

Durandal's words answered Li Sushang's doubts. Indeed, although she didn't know if the World Serpent would do such a despicable thing, it was not a good decision to completely hand over the people of New Atlanta to the World Serpent. Someone had to be responsible for taking over the problem. Durandal; she thought things through more thoroughly than she did.

"Sister Bronya, and everyone else, I'll stay. I have a good relationship with the people living in New Atlanta. If any emergency occurs, I should be able to organize everyone quickly. Besides, the Sea of Quantum aspect of me seems to be more easily recognized by Kiana and Shen Gonglin's powers or Durandal's Sumeru Mustard Seed, like a communications officer on the battlefield, right?"

Seele volunteered for the job, saying that she and Shen Gonglin were the most suitable for it. However, Shen Gonglin was face-blind. Even though Xiao Kong seemed to be closer to him, he couldn't even remember the names of the other children. So, after thinking it over, she realized that only she could do the job.

Chapter 357 An Obvious Trap

"Yes, that's right. But these aren't just ordinary communications soldiers; they're the lighthouses watching over everyone."

Bronya nodded with a smile. Seele was indeed the most suitable person for this job, and Bronya felt much more at ease having her here. They could already exchange thoughts with just a glance, without needing to say anything more. She would leave everything here to Seele.

"Yes, everyone, don't worry, I'll do my best."

Seele nodded her little head and assured everyone that she had grown a lot and could now stand on her own.

"In short... Seele needs to be extra careful. Like that Gray Serpent, there are some very dangerous individuals among them, and we have to be wary of them."

With Seele, the top-notch logistics provider, backing them up, everyone felt much more at ease. Bronya cautioned her sister, "Although the Gray Serpent in New Atlanta seems harmless, who can fathom its true intentions? It's best to be careful."

"Yes. I understand, don't worry, Sister Bronya."

Seele made a solemn promise; she had almost just reunited with her sister, and now she had to part ways again immediately. But Seele wasn't disappointed. After all, this was the life of Valkyrie, and Seele genuinely enjoyed it. These days, where she could do something for everyone, were truly wonderful.

"In short, please rest assured and leave the rear to me. The most important thing now is to find a way to where Miss Fu Hua is and try to support her. Don't worry about me here, I'll be fine."

Clenching her little fists, Seele was incredibly serious, and everyone nodded in agreement. They were no longer the same people they used to be. Not only Seele, but even Kiana had grown a lot. While they were discussing strategies, she probably wasn't idle either.

"Hmm. But Kiana probably already quietly finished scouting while we were talking, right?"

Bronya looked at Kiana with a smile in her eyes. Kiana had been closing her eyes and sensing something since earlier, probably searching for their way forward.

"Huh? No? I... I hadn't thought of that yet..."

Kiana opened her eyes in surprise when her name was suddenly mentioned. She had just been thinking about why Shen Gonglin seemed less close to her than before. How could Bronya think that she was scouting the way?

It's really worrying. Kiana originally wanted to show Shen Gonglin Mei, so that Mei would be prepared when she said she wanted to marry Shen Gonglin. But the result was that when Shen Gonglin almost fell, she helped him up and he actually thanked her. When has Shen Gonglin ever been so polite to her?

In Kiana's view, their relationship had almost deteriorated to the point of estrangement, and it was clear from where he was standing that he was siding with Li Sushang and Durandal, even though she was closer to him. So she wasn't listening to what Bronya was saying at all.

"..."

Bronya was speechless for a moment. Okay, she had been overthinking it. Kiana was still Kiana.

Just then, a towering explosion rang out not far from them. The raging flames created a bottomless crater. As the explosion subsided, everyone was speechless with shock at the sheer power of it. This force...

"That's... Kevin?"

Although it's a question, it's practically a conclusion: Kevin is deep within this passage. While a direct confrontation with such an attack could be blocked, it would also lead to unnecessary energy expenditure. Therefore, the best solution is...

"Kiana, can you find a way to avoid this attack?"

Durandal looked at Kiana. The girl had grown into a pillar of strength among them. With her spatial perception as Herrscher of the Void, she was the most suitable person to find and explore the way. Although Shen Gonglin had the same power, Durandal and the others tacitly excluded Shen Gonglin.

You're asking someone with no sense of direction to find their way? How crazy are you?

"I don't know. But this situation at least confirms one thing: although we are in the Intrinsic World, perhaps because of the power of the Finality, the space in our hearts is far more complex and dangerous than on Earth. That's why I stopped Shen Gonglin just now."

Kiana shook her head. The space here was far too unstable; she couldn't just open a spatial passage at will, as that would only make things worse.

"So, are there any relatively safer directions?"

Bronya didn't have much hope when she asked the question, but Kiana actually gave her an answer.

"Yes. But it's too obvious, which makes it... seem suspicious."

Kiana looked at the deep pit in front of her. In her perception, the relatively safer path was right in front of her. The girl turned her head and looked at the passage that had been blasted open. The "elevator" that could go up and down was the most suitable path. To be more precise, it was the shaft that extended downwards from the elevator.

"You mean this platform that carried us up? But if I remember correctly, it can only go up and down a short distance."

Li Sushang raised her hand and said that she, Durandal, and Seele had ridden this platform elevator before, but the distance it went up was... Li Sushang felt that she could jump up with all her might, so could this thing really take them down?

"Not entirely. Its structure clearly allows it to access... deeper places."

Standing beside the deep pit, Durandal carefully leaned out to look down. The support platform clearly showed signs of human construction, meaning that this stone elevator actually had the ability to descend to a deeper level.

"Understood. It seems that even if it's an obvious trap, we can't give up easily. In that case, Bronya will try to hack into the elevator's control program to see what she can do. In the process, everyone can continue to look for other potential routes in the vicinity."

Since this "elevator" has the function of continuing downwards, it's time for Bronya to show her skills. She looked at the control panel and moved her fingers. It was time for her to perform.

Chapter 358 Former Comrades-in-Arms

If it were Shen Gonglin ... he would probably do better, right? Or would anyone else do better than me? Although I was prepared that I would never be his match, I could only truly feel how strong Kevin, their former leader, really was after we actually fought.

Holding the Xuanyuan Sword, Fu Hua looked at Kevin, who stood quietly in front of her. After their last conversation as old friends, they began to fight over their ideologies. Calling it a fight would be a bit of an exaggeration, because Fu Hua knew that if Kevin really wanted to kill her, she would probably be done for after a few dozen... at most a hundred or so moves.

For some reason, Fu Hua recalled a passage while catching her breath, a question that she had asked another person 50,000 years ago.

I want to know what I can do.

Sigh... You'll have a lifetime to think about this, don't rush it.

If we divide it by my own long enough lifespan, it's clearly at a distant starting point, a time when suffering arrived before anything beautiful even began. Thinking about this now... could it be that I'm already living in a revolving lantern?

"Hua. There's no need to continue. I have already grasped your will."

Kevin interrupted Fu Hua's thoughts. Losing focus on the battlefield—her comrade had changed. Kevin was currently in a state of Human Collapse, the same "succubus" form he had displayed before Theresa and Shen Gonglin. In this state, Kevin was no match for Kevin unless she also entered a state of Human Collapse —her trump card as Flame-Chaser. But...

"Not necessarily."

Fu Hua clutched her left shoulder. Although she could barely hold onto her sword, she didn't give up. The excruciating pain from the collapse was relentlessly eroding her already exhausted body along her nerves. Less than three minutes... This was probably the limit Garuda could endure in front of the Mara. At this moment, she felt a little disgusted with her fused Honkai Beast. Why wasn't it as strong as Kevin's?