Post-War II

The girl woke up from a nightmare. She opened her eyes abruptly and instinctively tried to sit up in bed, but found that her limbs were weak. It took her a lot of effort to get up.

She looked down at her chest and realized she was wearing a patient's gown. She touched the spot where the Herrscher had pierced her with the chain gun, but felt no pain through the clothes, as if the wound had never existed.

But...

I am truly weak right now. The flow of Honkai Energy is obstructed, and breathing is a little difficult.

"I... survived? Why... Michael..." Disaster clutched her head and bent over. She remembered that before she lost consciousness, Michael, whose Herrscher Core had been removed by Sathiel, came before her and said something...

She didn't hear exactly what Michael said, only that Michael said "thank you" to her.

Thank you... me?

Suddenly, the door to the ward opened, and Kosma walked in carrying a prepared liquid meal. Seeing that Disaster was awake, he hesitated for a moment before calling out, "... You're awake, Disaster..."

Disaster looked up at Kosma: "Amo... I..."

Kosma walked to the bedside, put down the liquid food he was carrying, and reached out to adjust the position of Disaster's pillow to make her more comfortable.

Disaster watched as Kosma helped her with these things, then opened the jar containing liquid food, sat silently by the bedside, and fed herself the liquid food.

Neither of them spoke during this process.

When the liquid food in the jar was empty, Kosma packed up his things and stood up to leave. Disaster spoke up, "Amo... how is Michael...? What about Astaroth? How is everyone...?"

Kosma stiffened; with his back to Disaster, he did not answer.

"Tell me! Amo! How is everyone...?!" Disaster reached out to grab Kosma's clothes, but almost fell off the bed because of her weakness.

Kosma turned around and swiftly caught Disaster. Disaster, clutching Kosma's clothes, asked again, "Answer me, Amo... Michael... how are everyone at the Fire Moth base...?"

Kosma remained silent for a while before reaching out to pry Disaster's hands off his clothes. He simply said, "The injuries you sustained within the Divine Blessing Barrier were too severe. Even though Maple treated and repaired your body afterward, the damage Herrscher of Binding on the Hypervariable Factor within your body cannot be recovered in a short time... You... should focus on recovering first."

The boy's hand was as gentle as ever, but this time it carried an undeniable firmness.

But Disaster didn't give up. She would grab Kosma's hand again as soon as he pried it open. She was determined to get an answer from Kosma.

Finally, Kosma grabbed Disaster's hand to stop her. Disaster looked up at Kosma, Kosma lowered his eyes, avoiding Disaster's gaze, and remained silent. The two remained locked in a stalemate.

Kosma was never good at dealing with girls. After a long standoff and Kosma's Kosma struggle, he finally spoke, "... Michael, Seele, and most of the members of the Fire Moth headquarters have been confirmed dead. There are very few survivors. Many researchers, including Dr. Einstein, also perished in this incident. This time, we have suffered an unprecedented blow and loss."

After speaking, he looked at Disaster with eyes filled with extremely complex emotions. He saw something slowly disappearing from the girl's eyes, just like he had after the Ninth Herrscher incident, or perhaps, even more completely...

Disaster is a girl who is very prone to getting caught up in contradictions, which is one of the reasons why Kosma didn't want to tell Disaster the outcome of this tragedy. She has a strong sense of responsibility, and it is precisely because of this sense of responsibility that she doesn't know what consequences her next words might have.

But if she didn't speak up, Disaster's stubbornness would force her to find the answer herself, even though her body was now extremely weak. If she were to ask Maple or Kevin... especially Maple...

"Where Astaroth? Where are Griseo and Blanca- senpai? Where is Hen-senpai?" Disaster Dobia fired off a barrage of questions, and after saying them, even she, weak as she was, began to gasp for breath.

Kosma waited quietly until her breathing calmed down, then spoke in as calm a tone as possible, "Astaroth... temporarily alright, Griseo fine, and Hen... he braved the pressure of the Divine Blessing Barrier, recklessly rushing out to deliver a distress message to us. Although Feng arrived in time and saved his life, he... is now completely unable to serve as a warrior."

"If Griseo alright... then Blanca- senpai must be alright too..." Disaster looked into Kosma's eyes, and then her heart sank to the bottom.

Astaroth's protection has its limits. When Danzhu Cangxuan brought some researchers to the villa, she eventually softened when she saw the other family members struggling in the Divine Blessing Barrier and brought them to the villa to receive Astaroth's protection.

Later, the Herrscher of Binding Sathiel, took away Michael's Herrscher Core, and the Divine Blessing Barrier was greatly strengthened. As the one who directly confronted Sathiel, Disaster herself dared not imagine what kind of pressure Astaroth would face at that time.

Kosma closed his eyes. Rather than having someone else tell Disaster the answer, he decided to tell her himself. So he began, "Astaroth couldn't protect everyone. She was also severely injured at that time. To protect the children, Blanca... and the other parents voluntarily left Astaroth's protection..."

He could feel the girl's hand in his grasp stiffen for a moment, then gradually lose its strength.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and looked at Disaster. At this moment, the girl's eyes, which were always shining brightly, were like a stagnant pool, devoid of any light or vitality.

Disaster slowly withdrew her hand, muttering to herself, "So... I killed Blanca- senpai... I... I also killed Michael... Astaroth was severely injured because of me..."

Kosma lowered his head, unsure of what to say next. When he learned the outcome from Eden and Sakura, Kosma was completely stunned. Before that, he had only seen Zhu Yufeng, supported by Elysia, silently approach the critically injured and dying Disaster, using his power to rewind time and heal her wounds...

At that time, he saw Zhu Yufeng almost pleading with him to save Disaster. After learning what had happened, he couldn't even imagine what Zhu Yufeng's mindset was when he saved Disaster.

Zhu Yufeng was already coughing up blood after using his power to rewind time and repair Disaster's injuries, which shows that his condition was not good at the time. After he managed to pull Disaster back from the brink of death, he looked at Michael, who was still kneeling in front of Disaster, praying as he passed away.

He reached out and gently laid Michael on the ground, gazing at the girl's pale and serene face, remaining silent for a long time.

Since then, Zhu Yufeng has locked herself in her room for a long time and hasn't come out.

Neither Elysia nor Lilith chose to disturb him.

Hen has probably just woken up. Kevin went to see Hen, but Kosma doesn't know how to face Hen and Griseo. He still doesn't dare to see them.

Did Disaster do anything wrong? From Disaster's perspective, she didn't experience the Tragedy of Binding, nor did she know that the Herrscher of Binding before merging with the Herrscher Core was an incomplete entity. Even with the addition of the other members of the family quarters, that level of Divine Blessing Barrier was indeed still within Astaroth's protection range...

For Disaster, she simply couldn't imagine how terrifying a true Divine Blessing Barrier would be. If she hadn't experienced the Tragedy of Binding, she would have made the same choice in this situation.

If Astaroth hadn't held on, Lilim, Griseo, and Rin, who were under Astaroth protection, would have all perished. If that had actually happened, Kosma couldn't imagine how he would face the others.

"Why..." the girl whispered, "Why... why did I survive? I couldn't do anything, I couldn't help Michael, I even dragged Blanca down with me... what right do I have to... live?"

"Disaster..."

The girl looked up at the boy, tears welling in her eyes. She asked, as if posing a question to her lover, "Why... why did I survive?!"

Kosma remained silent. He simply reached out and hugged Disaster, resting her head against his chest, and whispered, "It's alright, Disaster... Don't think about these things for now. Get some sleep, okay?"

I will share everything with you.

The girl leaned against the boy's chest, initially making soft sobs, which gradually turned into loud wailing. The boy simply held the girl tightly, without saying a word.

Outside the ward.

Kevin and Sue, who had arrived at some unknown time, were standing not far from the door. Kevin was leaning against the wall, while Sue looked like she had just arrived.

"The Sea of Quantum... has she been found?" Kevin asked.

"No... The Sea of Quantum is vast, and the explosion was far too violent. Even Rovoc, the one who proposed the plan, only said that there was a high probability she would fall into the Sea of Quantum... At this stage, the Fire Moth has lost a large number of researchers, and we don't have much energy to devote to this..."

Kevin, head bowed, suddenly asked, "Su, do you really think we can save Feng and Elysia this time?"

Su remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Kevin, this time we were caught off guard by the restrictions..."

"What about the next wave of Corrosion? Finality? What has already happened will happen again, so this time... we can only watch them leave again? And then... as 'survivors,' eke out an existence until the next civilization?" Kevin continued to ask.

Su didn't know how to answer his best friend's question, so he changed the subject. "How is Feng... doing lately?"

"He's been unwilling to meet with anyone, only saying he needs some time to think things through," Kevin said. "Neither Elysia nor Lilith... can see him."

Su opened her eyes, sighed softly, and said, "He really... has always been like this. For him, this is perhaps his way of comforting his wounds."

Both of them fell silent.

On the other side.

"Feng... is he really alright?" Elysia asked with concern.

"Don't worry, he's not that easily defeated. He's just genuinely thinking about some other things." Lilith picked up her tea and took a sip. "Some... things he has to think about."

"What exactly did Michael and Maple say back then?" Elysia stared into Lilith's eyes. "You must know, right, Lilith?"

Lilith looked up at Elysia, and after a long pause, said, "Indeed, I know. You want to know?"

"I don't want to see him thinking about these things alone anymore. We've come this far together, so why should he have to think about these things by himself?" Elysia said.

Lilith lowered her eyes and said with a hint of teasing, "Why else could it be? It's because of you, of course."

Elysia was taken aback. "Because... me?"

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again..." Lilith's words became somewhat meaningful. "Elysia, you must know that only one of you and Maple can live, or rather, one of you must die."

Elysia's pupils contracted.

"However, if anything were to happen to you, what Feng did in the War of Finality would definitely be repeated. As for me, I'll die with Feng anyway, so it doesn't matter." Lilith shrugged, resting her chin on her hands as she looked at Elysia. "Michael told Feng that the Tragedy of Binding would definitely repeat itself. If the Tragedy of Binding doesn't happen, then the Corrosion will sweep across the world in a way that we can't even imagine."

Elysia stared blankly at Lilith. Hearing her words, it seemed Feng knew from the beginning that the Tragedy of Binding would repeat itself? That's why he was always restless within the Divine Blessing Barrier, and why he rushed back to the Fire Moth headquarters at all costs to try and prevent the tragedy from happening...

"The recurrence of the Tragedy of Binding has proven Michael's words true, so he has to consider his next choice." Lilith looked into Elysia's eyes. "In my opinion, there are only two futures now: either you die and he dies too, or he dies and you live."

So he's going to die anyway?!

"Why?" Elysia's voice was tinged with bitterness. "In his eyes, you're at least as important as I am, as long as you're still here..."

"Perhaps?" Lilith said, shrugging. "But what if I die too?"

Elysia: "?"

"I've never had any attachment to this world, although I'd be happy to live for Maple." Lilith leaned back. "But Finality is willing is another matter. The War of Finality can't be without sacrifices. If we fail, then to buy time for the next civilization, we have to make some sacrifices, don't we?"

Elysia clenched her fists, and after a long while, she finally said, "If that day ever comes... if one of us has to die, I never want it to be him."

Lilith calmly sipped her black tea without offering any comment.

They were both silent for a long time before Elysia spoke again, "Before... Mei's health was so bad, and Kevin cared about her so much, how could Mei...?"

"Oh, she also created a child similar to Lilim, using genes extracted from her and Kevin, born from an artificial womb." Lilith smiled enigmatically. "Maple does care more about Lilim now, but Lilim isn't enough to justify Maple's continued existence. After all, the key to everything lies with you, isn't it, Elysia?"

Elysia lowered her eyes.

Lilith calmly awaited Elysia's answer. Only when it came to matters concerning Maple did Elysia show signs of being overly concerned. Besides, Lilith hadn't lied this time; she had simply laid out the facts before Elysia. As for what answer she would ultimately give, that was up to Elysia herself.

If you don't take action, it's difficult for me to do so either.