The Final Guardian (Part 2)
What the author wanted to say before watching—
There's not much to write about in a simple Honkai fanfic, so the author added a lot of personal touches, and now this book has almost nothing to do with Honkai anymore. Ahem, don't worry, the main story focuses on Honkai!
Also, it might be a long time before Sachi becomes the dominant male character... To explain, later on, while recovering his power, Sachi suffered amnesia due to an accident, which forced him to extend his recovery time... Incidentally, during this period, he won a world-class idol award.
—The main feature begins—
Brother Jie, who was preparing food for the pet group, fell into deep thought when he saw the note left by Luming. Guotie has been a bit chubby lately, so feed him less, or he'll get high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar sooner or later.
On the other side, the black and white furball slowly crawled out of its little nest. As a national treasure of Shenzhou, although she was taken away by Xingzai when she was born, Xingzai treated her very well, much better than the Crimson Kite's Wings that was initially prepared as Emergency Food.
P. S.: It's also being prepared as "Emergency Food" now.
From birth, Little Te simulated an environment suitable for the healthy growth of panda cubs and conducted extensive research to ensure that the nutritious meals prepared were to suit the pandas' tastes—pandas have very picky stomachs. Perhaps Little Te fed them too much nutrition, because Guotie grew much faster than other panda cubs of the same age.
Of course, as a native of Shenzhou, I was initially very fond of this panda, until—
Back when they were still living in Changkong City, one day the bar was empty. Little Te was in hibernation, and the round, chubby panda fumbled its way to open the basement door. After wreaking havoc on the first floor's food, it slowly climbed up to the second floor, pushed open the door to Luming and Natasha's room, and its little eyes inadvertently caught sight of their dressing table...
So, should this stinky panda be hit?
After giving the thick-skinned Guotie a good beating, the girl angrily arranged for Little Te to give Guotie an early education course, hoping to turn her into a civilized, polite, and well-behaved panda.
Urinating or defecating anywhere, beat them!
Wasting food? Beat them!
Randomly grab someone's thigh and hit... no, I mean, pound it hard!
Who could resist a panda's paw print? Even if the weight might send you to meet your ancestors...
For now, I plan to keep the Guotie with me. As for future plans, here are a few:
1. Considering that some unscrupulous zoos have scumbag keepers and overseas research packages, and that there are also profit-driven bastards in the animal association, Xing plans to bring a few more pandas from Sichuan and open an additional panda area in the Crimson Kite Ecological Reserve in St. Freya, where Guotie will live with her kind. As for whether Guotie will be attracted to other male pandas and have a panda cub... Xing respects Guotie's own choice. He is not the kind of protagonist who is extremely possessive of every female creature he has a relationship with.
2. Giant pandas have a lifespan of about 25 years. To prevent the fallout from the lifespan theory, I plan to give each of my pets a Simulated Core and turn them into familiars when I become a law-abiding being. That way, I can keep them for as long as I want.
(And by the way, let's resolve the transformation issue of Crimson Kite's Wings, hehe~)
Note: If the individual agrees, I will try to transform my partner/friend into an immortal being. What he likes and needs most is to be "loved," similar to Homelander, though not as extreme.
Homelander: A character from the Boys, a psychologically twisted superhuman.
—The real movie begins—
After witnessing firsthand how seemingly insignificant soil transformed into Clay Golem that smashed poachers into paper dolls before returning to stillness, the little fox stood frozen in place.
Note: This is the transformation (juvenile form) that Hiyokomaru's factor. For specific appearance, refer to the fox appearance of that scumbag fox next door.
Fox Language Translator:
"Hey local folks, what was that just now?"
"Oh, I heard from my great-great-great-great-grandfather that it was the Mountain God. Whenever someone dared to disturb the peace of this place, he would appear in the form of insects, birds, trees and rocks to punish those foolish two-legged beasts."
Oh no, things seem to be developing in the direction she least wanted to see.
The pink-furred little fox lowered its head, pondered for a moment, and then used its little paws to trace the outlines of Xingchen Haiyi and Cang Qiong on the ground.
Although I haven't known them for long, they were all people I took in, and they were all virtual singers I liked in my past life... In any case, I wonder what would happen if they found out that my sister had become like this.
The Five-Dimensional Sisters aren't truly human; they're more like elemental spirits with human forms. They value the planet itself more than humans, Earth's inhabitants. It seems that if they had the inclination, they could simply restart human civilization using the Finality Technique.
Of course, this is in their own world.
Luming broke out in a cold sweat. It seemed that Shi An had dispersed her power into this forest. Although she didn't know why she did this or how she did it, the most important thing right now was to find Shi An's true form, otherwise, things would get really complicated.
So, what's the situation with Stardust and the others? The younger sister should show up to greet her older sister as soon as she sees her, right?
After chasing away the fawning yellow fox, Luming raised her little paw and pressed the Omnitrix on her chest to switch transformations.
Let's send Crimson Kite Bird to gather intelligence... Oh crap, I made a mistake!
The giant blue beast Ashvatta appeared in the dense jungle with a "boom," its massive body knocking down many ancient trees that were ten, a hundred, or even a thousand years old. In an instant, the forest was in chaos as frightened small animals fled in all directions.
The culprit Luming, awkwardly lay there, still not quite familiar with the functions of this broken watch. "Sorry," she said, "I'll transform back into human form and save those trees..."
Just as she was about to make amends for her mistake, the ground below suddenly collapsed, and Ashvatta fell into a hole that appeared out of nowhere, as if the earth had opened its abyss maw to swallow her and then closed its mouth.
The soil rose from the ground and coalesced into the shape of a little girl. Shi'an looked at the fallen trees and frightened animals around her with heartache. With a light touch of her muddy hand, several clones of herself appeared in the form of sand. Just as she was about to begin the repair work, the ground beneath her feet cracked open with a bang, and the Magical Girl Lady had risen above others poked her head out cautiously to peek outside.
The two locked eyes, and an awkward silence filled the air.
"That was an accident! Let me explain!"
Noticing that Shi'an's gaze was clearly unfriendly, and to prevent the little girl from burying her in the ground again, Luming quickly took out her staff and chanted a repair spell at high speed. The fallen trees returned to their original positions and were even much taller than before. Shi'an's expression softened a bit upon seeing this.
"Don't disappear yet!" Luming quickly crawled out of the ground and showed Shi'an a photo of her and Xingchen. "Your sister told me to call you home for dinner... cough cough, anyway, she wants you to go back!"
Seeing Stardust, Shi'an was clearly moved, but she still insisted on leaving. Luming wanted to grab her hand, but only touched a handful of sand.
Watching the fine sand slip through her fingers and dissipate, she clenched her fist, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
"If Shi'an has given all her power to this land, then where is her true form? Judging from the recent experiments, Shi'an seems to be able to detect acts of forest destruction and animal cruelty at any time, which means—"
Red feathers coalesced into the shape of a gun in the girl's hand. Luming pressed the muzzle of the Mortal Tribulation Difficult to Cross, against the ground and pulled the trigger.
"Her will resides in this land, but as for her original body, perhaps it is already..."
In that instant, a flood of memories rushed toward him, as if a thousand mountains were pressing down on him, making it impossible for him to move. Fortunately, he gritted his teeth and continued forward through the mountain path of memories. He had experienced this many times before; it was just a classic replay.
The story unfolds slowly with the soft, gentle singing of a girl—
When I kneaded open the withered cascade of autumn, it was a sight to behold.
A glimpse of twilight through my fingers; I close my eyes and fall into the abyss.
Countless nights that repeat themselves
Black and white memories will eventually fade away.
The triumphant return promised by others, the fierce and resolute momentum
Reaching out to hold the withered leaf, fulfilling the engraved vow.
The wind howled as the flags waved.
Petals stained with blood, crushed into dust and mud, sinking into ruin.
The petite girl strolls through the woods, feeding on dew and fruit, sleeping on the grass, and playing with fish in the river, living a carefree and happy life in nature.
She is the embodiment of the earth element and the one among the Five-Dimensional Sisters who is closest to nature.
In her leisurely life, Shi'an lost track of time and how many years had passed. All she knew was that until the next time she and her four older sisters needed to contribute their strength to repair the planet, she could continue to play and frolic with her friends like this.
However, as time went by, Shi'an, who missed her sisters, would occasionally leave the forest to visit them and catch up.
Stardust flew into the universe and fell into a deep sleep to replenish its energy, but could not be found. So Shi'an rode a whale to Atlantis to play with Haiyi. However, at this time, Atlantis had already sunk to the bottom of the sea.
So all Shian could find were Chiyu and Cangqiong, who would sleep for hundreds of years and then come out to observe the situation, as well as Chi Yu and Cang Qiong, who volunteered to work overtime with her. The three sisters were very happy to be together and talked about the past. After some time, Shian, thinking of her friends in the forest, reluctantly said goodbye to her two older sisters and returned to the forest where she lived.
But when she returned to the forest, she was surprised to find a group of ape-like creatures at the edge of the forest. Oh no, Shi'an had heard from her sisters before she came back that humans on this planet had re-evolved. Was this a human village?
Humans cut down tall trees to make houses, furniture, tools, boats... Shi'an watched all this with heartache, but did not stop it. This was the natural trend of evolution, and it was humanity's right to have the wisdom to change nature and create tools. She had no right to interfere with the development of human civilization.
Humans cultivated the land and diligently planted crops on it. Sometimes, Shi'an would come over out of curiosity to take a look and pick a few red fruits to take back with him. Hmm, they tasted much better than the wild ones.
Humans hunt animals, eat their flesh, and wear their skins. The poet feels pain in his heart, yet savors the taste; this is the law of nature—the survival of the fittest—and he has no right to interfere. Humans are essentially animals too. Animals hunt and eat animals; what's wrong with that?
How can one defy a predetermined fate, like a fallen leaf unable to escape the earth's pull?
The once familiar scenery has fallen into mournful cries, and the last rays of sunlight have faded away.
Tears welled up in my eyes without my noticing, for only spring rain could nourish the greenery.
I disagree with this shattered body that guards this rock-solid heart until eternal slumber.
Whose eyes were blinded by the rising sand?
The boundless forest is now a thing of the past.
As cultivated land gradually lost its fertility, humans cut down forests to cultivate new land. At the same time, with the increase in productivity and the progress of technology, human demand for various raw materials increased significantly, and the area of forests visibly shrank.
Shi'an looked at all this, loosened the soil in the abandoned fields, infused it with his own energy to revitalize it, planted saplings, and used his abilities to make them grow rapidly.
Don't assume that just because Shi'an is an earth element, she can only play with mud. This is the Western earth element, which includes derivative branches of the metal and wood elements!
PS: If Shi'an wanted to, she could bury you in gold.
Shi'an was very happy to see the forest growing back, but when she came back another day to plant a few more apple trees, she found that humans had come to cut down the trees she had just planted.
An angry poet drove the soil away, and the blonde loli looked at the tree she had just planted that had been cut down, her heart aching with tears in her eyes. She used her energy to rejoin the broken trunk and heal it.
To Shi'an's surprise, just as she was happily planting apple trees, the humans who had just been driven away returned, bringing even more people and crude weapons. They shot arrows and threw fire bottles at Shi'an. Shi'an was puzzled and swung her giant hammer to block all the attacks. She didn't understand what she had done wrong, so she simply drove them away.
To prevent the trees from being cut down again, Shi'an specially set up a barrier around the area, forbidding humans from approaching. However, when she went back to play with her animal friends, she learned from them that hunters among humans had recently been hunting extensively, selling the fur and meat of their fellow human beings to others for profit.
As Shi'an listened to the animals' accusations, she clenched her little fists.
She went to a human village. Her elegant dress clashed with the villagers' rough rags. Under the villagers' fearful gaze, Shi'an used her petite body to drag a cart full of prey away from the village. Some villagers tried to stop her, but her body sank into the ground, leaving only her head sticking out.
After Shi'an left, the earth automatically spat them out.
Shi'an held a funeral for the dead animals and buried them properly, but before she could recover from her grief, the people who had lost their prey once again went into the forest to hunt.
Shi'an was truly angry. Even though she was a noble Origin Elf with an almost eternal life, her long years of seclusion had made her temperament no different from that of a little girl.
Shi'an wanted to add a barrier to the forest as well, but she couldn't do it; she didn't have enough energy.
The previous efforts to repair the planet's environment had already consumed most of the power that the five sisters inherited from their mother, Zero. The third sister, Stardust, who went to the universe to replenish her energy, has not yet returned. Now, Shian's energy is pitifully low, and she relies on her connection with the earth to slowly recover a little bit of energy each day.
Besides, even if Stardust returns with the replenished Four Elements, they cannot be used lightly; they are an insurance against Minus breaking free of the seal.
An angry Shi'an led the beasts to drive away the humans. The giant hammer accidentally smashed a hunter, whose head hit a rock and died on the spot. Shi'an looked at the brains that were flowing out and vomited them out on the spot.
Strangely, the people who were fighting fiercely all ran away in fear when they saw this scene, and for a long time afterward, no human dared to venture into this forest.
Shi'an couldn't understand why this was happening. After spending some time adjusting her emotions, she continued with her previous life until one day, the roar of the Chainsaw once again shattered the tranquility of the forest.
During this time, a white-haired, red-eyed, flat-chested immortal came to visit. After confirming that Shian was harmless, she left. The little girl thought she looked quite like her Chi Yu sister, Chiyu.
With the advancement of technology, humanity's ability to transform nature has become increasingly powerful. Shi'an was furious at the destruction of the forest and used a giant hammer to smash all the broken metal, but this provoked humanity's furious revenge.
Frequent gunshots rang out in the forest, and the animals defending their home fell one after another. But Shi'an didn't even have time to grieve, because a war broke out in a nearby country. Fighter jets tore through the sky and dropped large amounts of explosives into the country, indiscriminately bombing this place.
Looking at the forest engulfed in flames, she collapsed to the ground, bewildered and powerless. Her tears, which had just slid down her cheeks, evaporated instantly.
Xing, who witnessed all of this from an outsider's perspective, wanted to help her, but her fingers passed through Shian's body.
This is just a record of the past; as a mere reader, there's nothing you can do about it.
I am willing to forsake my flesh and blood, hoping to gain a little mercy and temporarily borrow divine power.
Memories are hard to recall, the moonlight was beautiful, and the lake shimmered.
Give it back to me, give it back to me, everything starts anew.
How can one defy a predetermined fate, like a fallen leaf unable to escape the earth's pull?
The once familiar scenery has fallen into mournful cries, and the last rays of sunlight have faded away.
Tears welled up in my eyes without my noticing, for only spring rain could nourish the greenery.
If one submits to the ways of heaven and earth, one will eventually gain peace and stability, but the heart that is about to crumble will eventually fall into eternal sleep and drowning.
—Original song by Shi An, "The Last Guardian"
(The two teachers who wrote the lyrics, you're just as heartless as that Silly Loli!!!)
The girl's body turned into specks of light and dissipated, merging into the earth. The forest, which was on the verge of destruction, miraculously returned. The flames vanished without a trace, the charred trees sprouted new buds, and the animals that had died were resurrected. The land was restored to its former prosperity.
But perhaps that blonde, red-eyed elf will never again wander through the forest, picking apples and playing with the animals.
After a long while, when Luming recovered from the memories of Shi An, her dry eyes had already run dry of tears.
She read Shi'an's memories, which was equivalent to her experiencing Shi'an's experiences over the years in a short moment, and naturally she would be affected by his emotions.
Xingchen and the other two arrived at her side without her noticing. When she regained consciousness, Cang Qiong helped her up, took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face, and said softly, "Let's go."
Where to?
"Of course, we'll go back."
"Where is Shi'an?"
"... We respect her own will and choice."
Even if she will protect this land forever?
"..."
Star Sea Wind and the other two fell silent. All three had seen Shian's incarnation and learned about the past. Their hearts were filled with mixed feelings, and they didn't know how to answer.
"I'm sorry, I know that as human beings, outsiders have no right to say this, but!" Luming calmed herself down and slapped each of the three women across the face. "None of you are qualified older sisters!!!"
Note: The basis for saying this comes from Kiana.
After saying this, before the three stunned people could react, Luming urged the Dawn Knight Moon Dream to take off rapidly, searching for the location of the strong energy reaction on the radar.
The ponytail containing earth element that Stardust brought back must have ended up here. Judging from Shi'an's last memories, she probably wanted to use it to replenish her almost depleted energy, since she was about to give up.
Finding that ponytail might lead to the core of Shi'an's will, and perhaps there's a way to extract her.
To voluntarily relinquish one's physical body and transform into the will of nature to protect the earth is both noble and sublime, but I do not like it.
That's stupid, so stupid, adorably stupid.
What? You're accusing me of easily trampling on Shi An's will?
The one who truly exists in this world is me, Chen Xilumeng, and I, Xing Kaslana. Those who only watch from the other side of the screen, shut your mouths and watch my story properly. If you don't want to watch, get out.
(Uh, is this a bit too aggressive?)
Well, as one famously arrogant person once said, "Destroy everything you don't like, that's what makes a pirate."
I have no interest in pirates, but I am Schicksal Knight, or rather, Valkyrie? I also work part-time Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Magical Girl... For me, doing what I like to do, defeating what I consider evil, and protecting what I consider good are the things I should do.
The Magical Girl Lady took a deep breath, and a complex and gorgeous magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
"Illusory gods, please bestow your mercy... Bah! Who came up with this chant? What's the use of believing in this god or that god? You might as well believe in earning more money tomorrow!"
Otto and Eden sneezed at the same time. (Children say the darndest things! This kid's furious now, don't take it to heart!)
"In the name of Kaslana! Gather the holy light, vanquish evil and punish wickedness, let earth, water, fire, and wind heed my command..."
As she continued chanting, powerful Honkai Energy condensed at the tip of her staff, finally bursting out towards the ground below, piercing through the thick rock layer.
This battle is not for justice;
This battle will not be fought with mercy;
This battle is not for the sake of beauty;
This battle is not for money;
This battle is not for honor;
This battle is not for defense;
This battle is not for venting anger;
This battle is not for the purpose of displaying power;
This battle is for myself!
PS: Similar to the captains' thoughts when they see "The Last Lesson" and Himeko falls off the deck, they want to catch her.