Growing Resolve

Two worlds belonging to different systems had intersected. A collision caused by their differing origins would inevitably lead to destruction—unless there was a #### responsible for repairing the branches.

I'm going to die. Crushed beneath the rubble, Xing thought of those words. His left arm and more than half his torso had been severed away, while blood-loss dizziness and intense pain tore at his nerves.

The blond man desperately clawed away at the building debris above him. "No, hang in there! Even if you're not Kallen, I won't let you die!"

What had happened? Let's turn back the clock a little—

Lines intertwined within the black-and-white world. Although Xing had no idea what was going on, he was certain of one thing: something major was probably about to happen in this world. If what Ohma Zi-O had said was true, then if it wasn't Hino Eiji's OOO, it could only be that one, right?

Hey, this was the Honkai World. What was a Kamen Rider doing dropping by? Could someone have used Feather Crossing Dust to create an illusion for him?

Yae Sakura noticed that his expression had suddenly become grave and asked, "What's wrong, Xing? Why are you pulling such a long face?"

(PS: Sakura's fox ears could be temporarily hidden with the power of Jizo-Mitama. Unfortunately, Xing had never thought of using it that way.)

Only then did Kiana notice the miko beside Xing, and her expression became rather subtle. "Xing, could you explain to us again who this beautiful big sister is? We were worried about how you were doing here, but it looks like you've been living quite comfortably."

Xing did not want to explain too much. "She shares Herrscher powers with me. Do you understand if I put it that way?"

The three immediately understood what he meant, and a trace of fear entered their eyes as they looked at Sakura. "It's fine, Sakura is very kind. By the way, you said you fought a bunch of mummies just now? Can you tell me what kind of enemies they were?"

After hearing Kiana's description, Xing's expression immediately became quite colorful. Didn't that sound exactly like the low-level monsters from OOO—the juvenile Yummy?

Damn, was he going to have to clear the OOO tenth-anniversary Movie Version dungeon? Xing's head was killing him, though he had no idea that the difficulty would be even higher.

A massive screen of light rose over New Zealand. Residents looked up one after another, some curious, some terrified, while others even pulled out their phones to take pictures. The next second, countless ordinary coins rained from the sky, transforming into mummy-like monsters the moment they hit the ground.

Among the sea of white coins, however, there were some that were different. Nine red, green, yellow, blue, and gray coins each absorbed vast quantities of ordinary coins, becoming five monsters of varying forms.

The red bird-type Greed said nothing and merely raised its hand lightly. Flames ignited.

(This wasn't Eiji's Ankh.)

Uva, the green insect-type Greed, trembled with excitement. "Finally, I've been revived again! This time, I'm definitely going to raise hell!"

Kazrai, the yellow feline-type Greed, looked at his claws in confusion. "Strange. I remember my Core Medals being taken by OOO... Ah, whatever. Just like Uva said, let's raise hell."

Gameru, the gray reptile-type Greed, nestled beside Mezuru, the blue aquatic-type Greed. This honest child had no intention of causing trouble; he only wanted to stay with the one he liked.

Just as the five fully resurrected Greed descended upon a city in New Zealand, ready to wreak havoc, a rhythmic sound effect rang out behind them: "Taka, Tora, Batta! TaToBa, Taka Tora Batta, TaToBa!"

Aside from the bird-type Greed, the other four all shuddered. No one knew that sound better than they did—it was the transformation sound of their enemy, Kamen Rider OOO, in his base form. But they quickly relaxed. They were now fully resurrected, after all. Unless Hino Eiji used the dinosaur Combo, he could stand there and let him attack without taking any real damage. Did he think he was the King who had once defeated all five Greed with the original basic Combo?

Three rings—red, yellow, and green—appeared out of thin air, then merged into one and entered the wearer's body. But what appeared was not the familiar Taka Tora Batta Combo. The originally red Taka head looked weathered and oxidized, even bearing several cracks, while a cape fluttered behind him.

The four Greed: "..."

This guy looked a lot like the King OOO who had blown all five of them apart eight hundred years ago.

King OOO frivolously raised his blade. "So you have all been resurrected as well. Perfect. Become my subordinates and help me conquer this world, or become part of me and strengthen my power. Choose."

Without a word, the bird-type Greed flew behind him. Its meaning was obvious.

Mezuru pulled Gameru over as well. Kazrai hesitated slightly before also taking King OOO's side, leaving only a bewildered Uva on the other side.

Kazrai said, "My King, it seems this fellow has no desire to submit to you. Shall I dispose of him for you?"

Uva instantly realized what was happening. These bastards wanted to use this chance to kill him and take his coins again! He immediately raised both hands. "O King of us all, I, Uva, am more than willing to serve you!"

King OOO nodded in satisfaction. "Very well. Go and destroy this world. The more thoroughly, the better."

The once-prosperous city became a living hell in the blink of an eye. Cries and the roars of monsters echoed through the heavens.

However, this world possessed forces that would fight against them.

Facing the countless monsters, the white knight raised a lance imbued with the power of creation. "Immortal Blades, prepare for battle."

Durandal, clad in Bright Knight: Moonshadow, was in a terrible mood. Otto had originally sent her here to capture someone, only for her to run into such a tragedy. Still, there was one good thing about it: at least she had reached the battlefield immediately and could reduce needless casualties.

Otto was in a terrible mood as well. Rita had just sent him a message saying that she had accidentally lost the target, then fought with the black-haired woman beside him. The opponent was extremely powerful; even after Rita summoned Azure Moon Knight, she had been unable to take her down.

Looking at the swarms of monsters around him, Otto felt a headache coming on. "Honestly, don't cause trouble for me at a time like this." The mimetic Key of Destruction appeared in his hand, and the man's eyes were filled with icy light.

"Perfect. Let this bishop personally take the field for once. Besides, even if I don't take part, Durandal will surely force me to join."

Outside the shop, the four from Fire Moth looked at the anomaly in the distant city and felt that something was terribly wrong. Bronya wanted to bring up footage of the city, but Xing stopped her.

"Kiana, all of you stay here. That probably isn't a battle you can take part in yet." The sense of unease in Xing's heart grew stronger. "Sakura, please protect them. Hiyokomaru, come with me. Wendy, stay here with Kiana and the others."

The miko grabbed his hand, and a trace of fear flashed through her eyes. "Where are you going?"

Xing fell silent for a moment. "To fight."

Kiana immediately objected. "Why? I'm going too."

Mei also tried to dissuade him. "That's right. Wouldn't it be safer if we all went together?"

Bronya looked at Xing, seeming to understand something. "Are you going to the most dangerous place by yourself again?"

Xing pulled his hand free of Yae Sakura's. "Please, Sakura." Hiyokomaru turned into a streak of light and flew into his body. The Judas Bracelet fell away and returned to its original size. Ignoring the astonished expressions of the three girls, Xing stepped onto Judas and soared into the sky.

Kiana was thoroughly confused. "Why do I feel like I missed several versions? Never mind that—we need to catch up with him! We can't let him hog all the glory!" Mei and Bronya wholeheartedly agreed.

The drawn Cherry Blossom Blizzard blocked the three of them. "I'm sorry, but you must stay here. Since it is something he asked of me, I must see it through properly."

The miko's mood was somewhat low. He always liked to shoulder everything himself. Was that pointless sense of responsibility something inherited from the Kaslanas? For some reason, as she watched Xing's receding back, it felt as if she were watching a commander about to march toward a battle he would not survive.

The power of the stigmata, first-stage release.

Xing, in Kallen's Oath Form, entered the city district. The familiar bandaged monsters made his heart sink. "It really is Yummy."

A red cross materialized beside him and pierced a Yummy that had been about to attack a civilian. "Are you okay?" Xing helped the terrified man in a suit to his feet. "Don't be afraid. It's all right now. Please tell me what happened here."

The man had clearly been frightened out of his wits, babbling incoherently, "So many coins, monsters, and... and strange armored people! No, don't kill me! I don't want to die!"

Xing put him down with a headache. Human limbs, discarded like garbage, lay everywhere around them. The boy, seeing such a scene for the first time, nearly threw up.

What had happened to this world?

Fear filled his heart. Xing shook his head, forcibly suppressing the terror within him, then gritted his teeth and headed deeper into the city.

"Hmm, what's that color?" Amid the black-and-white view, a familiar dark red stood out sharply.

(Additional setting: Kallen's Song has three types of summons. The first is golden chains, like Judah's. The second is a red cross, based on the one Kallen stands on in the Stigmata artwork. It can normally be thrown as a weapon, and when Judah is unavailable, it can also be used like a skateboard to fly for a bit, though it is slower than Judah. The third is a golden spear, based on the one Divine Prayer summons in the game.)

Raven was in a terrible mood too. She had only come out to shop, yet she ran into that little brat again. She had originally planned to tease him a little, but then she ended up fighting Schicksal's S-Rank Valkyrie. God knew how many alpacas had stampeded through her mind when she saw Rita summon Moon Soul.

She had barely managed to escape, and now where had all these mummies come from?

Raven kept drawing her bow and firing arrows, desperately wanting to curse.

A Yummy's body suddenly split apart, and a gigantic mantis-like monster emerged from within. Raven was stunned. "It evolved?"

Judah descended from the sky and smashed the freshly evolved Yummy into coins.

Xing stood beside Judah and greeted her. "Fancy seeing you."

Why was it you again? Raven really wanted to say that.

Xing stammered an explanation. "Um, I happened to sense your presence, so I came over to check on you. Are you okay?"

Raven turned and left. "I'm fine, thanks for asking." It was all because of you that I got beaten up by that maid. Get the hell away from me!

Xing hurried after her. "Don't go!" The mercenary impatiently turned and glared at him. "What do you want?!"

"I..." Xing lowered his head, clutching the hem of his skirt with both hands, unable to find the words.

Then Raven suddenly noticed that something seemed off about Xing. His body... seemed to be trembling?

Raven patted his shoulder. "Are you scared?"

"Yes." Xing admitted it unexpectedly.

"Scared of what?"

"Dying."

Raven couldn't help laughing. "Pfft!"

Xing angrily raised his head. "What's so funny?"

Raven looked at him with great interest. "Sorry, I thought that as a descendant of the Kaslanas, you'd have come to terms with that long ago. Death? For someone like me, who spends every day walking in the shadows with my head on the line, instead of fearing death, I'd rather fear having money but no life left to spend it."

Sharp claws lightly pressed against his chest. "You're actually afraid of dying? That's hilarious. You weren't afraid back at Jackal's laboratory. Hyper-evolution surgery, implanting the Gem of Stillness—you got through all of that without even blinking. So why have you lost your nerve now?"

Of course he had been afraid. During the hyper-evolution surgery, when he could no longer endure the Hyper-Evolution Factor's corrosion and nearly died, fear had taken over his mind.

When he fought Crimson Prison Beast, he had nearly lost the duel. He had been terrified then too.

And also...

Seeing Xing remain silent, Raven drew her bow and took down an approaching enemy before continuing, "I thought Valkyries were all fearless. Turns out there's an exception."

Xing finally spoke. "Of course I'm afraid of dying. I'm not some born hero. I'm just an ordinary person who got dragged into all of this."

Funny, wasn't it? He had gone through so much, yet he still had not fully adapted to this world. Even with Kallen's Stigmata, even after inheriting that Valkyrie's will, even after deploying the Divine Blessing Barrier in Changkong City, his mindset had still not completely changed from that of an ordinary high school student.

Having rarely faced the threat of death since coming to this world, he vaguely felt that this time, he might truly die.

I'm so useless. Xing slowly loosened his clenched hands. Then, suddenly, he found himself enveloped in a warm embrace.

Raven held him and softly asked, "Feeling better now, little one?" There was a trace of gentleness in her voice that even she had not noticed.

Ordinary coins lay scattered all around them. (To explain, monsters like Yummy break down into ordinary coins after being killed. Greed does the same, though it also drops Core Medals.)

In Raven's arms, Xing widened his eyes. "Huh?" A strange feeling gradually drove the fear from his heart.

"This isn't free, you know. I'm charging you for it." Raven felt a little helpless. What was wrong with her? They were supposed to be enemies, weren't they? What was this now?

Thinking back, it seemed that she had always been the one picking fights with Xing. He had never shown any hostility toward her. Like an idiot, even after she had sent him to Jackal's laboratory, Xing did not hate her.

If she remembered correctly, this little brat had brought her quite a lot of bonus money.

Raven silently tightened her embrace a little. It suddenly occurred to her that this boy was actually only around ten years old.

"Thank you." Xing broke free from her embrace. The fear was gone from his face, replaced by unwavering determination.

Although I don't know what exactly happened, or what has become of this world, Ohma Zi-O said that all I have to do is defeat the enemies. Then, for this world, for Kiana and the others, I absolutely can't stop here. Because I am—

"Xing Kaslana." Raven looked at him, sighed, then took out a wristband and put it on his wrist.

Xing was utterly shocked. "This is my armor wristband?! You've been carrying it with you all this time?"

Raven casually explained, "Yeah. I wanted to return it to you back at the clothing store, but you left too fast." Afraid that he would misunderstand, she added, "Don't get the wrong idea. This thing has Schicksal's special markings on it. It wouldn't sell, so I returned it. And I only happened to have it with me. Who carries around a busted wristband all day for no reason?"

Xing happily gave Raven a big hug. "Thanks, Sister Natasha! Then I'm going to fight!"

Stigmata power, mid-level release.

A holy yet noble nun's habit took shape within the white light. Xing stepped onto Judah and flew toward the city center. In his Honkai Vision, five differently colored clusters were tangled together there.

Raven felt the lingering warmth in her arms, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips. "Consider it your payment."

Watching his retreating figure, she murmured, "Don't you dare die, little guy."

Author's Note—

This is a crossover arc, and it will not have much impact on the Honkai main storyline. Xing will not gain powers from outside the Mihoyo Universe, because he does not possess Nangong Youhui's (the character's) traits—though powers regenerated within the Mihoyo Universe do not count.

As for this character's name... you can probably tell from Xing and Yun just how terrible I am at naming things. Nangong Youhui (the character) was the protagonist of the first book I posted on **, "The Author Can't Think of a Good Name." I was too lazy to come up with a new name back then, so I simply gave her the same name as my account. (I've already deleted that book.)

As for why she's a woman—come on, I'll post Kong and Lumine in the comments. Travelers, whichever one you chose as your starter character, give that one a like. No random liking allowed. (If you have both sibling accounts, please like both.)

She is the power ceiling of this series, as well as the senior, witness, and... of Xing, Yun, and the other ####.