Before the Final Battle I

At the Fire Moth Headquarters, in the training ground.

The pink crystal arrow pierced the last simulated enemy, and the simulation scene was dispelled. The training session was about to end.

Elysia let out a soft breath, glancing at the bow in her hand. Hmm, the results were similar to before; she still had some strength Finality. The final battle plan had been finalized, and everyone was preparing for the final battle, including her. In her previous life, she chose to leave for humanity at the [Final Banquet]. This time... she knew she wasn't just fighting for humanity, but also for that person, to fulfill their promise of mutual redemption. She couldn't afford to slacken her efforts...

She understood her own wish perfectly: she wanted him to live, regardless of whether the old era continued or a new era began.

The task of finding the Cocoon of the Finality is best suited for anyone other than her and Lilith, two Origin. Just as Zhu Yufeng's mission involves facing an End that is stronger than the one in the Finality life, their mission is equally perilous.

Elysia didn't care. She had already made all the preparations. Once Mei sent news that the battle situation on Feng's side was not good, she would immediately consider sacrificing herself again, completely returning to the Honkai to exchange for the hope of the next civilization.

She could tell that Feng cared about Meiweis just as much. In that case, even if she were gone, Feng would definitely survive for Meiweis's sake... Moreover, as long as Lilith was there, Feng would definitely not fight to the death with the End like Finality in his previous life.

But... she was still reluctant to let go. She wanted to see her daughter grow up and wanted to gossip with Feng when her daughter found someone she liked in the future. She also wanted to stop Feng from killing her daughter's boyfriend. She wanted to continue walking hand in hand with Feng and witness the prosperity of civilization once again.

Some things, even if commonplace to ordinary people, may be a luxury for them.

She had already sensed that this time... there could be no mistakes; one wrong step would mean total defeat.

She had prepared for her departure. During this time, she wrote many letters to Meiweis by hand, hoping that if she did not return from this battle, these letters would accompany Meiweis for a long time, somewhat making up for her failure as a mother to leave too early.

However, she knew that while she was doing these things, Zhu Yufeng was doing the same thing. She knew very well that Zhu Yufeng was also the kind of person who would die first if things went wrong. He... must have left something for Meiweis as well.

It's ironic when you think about it; Meiweis was only a few months old, and her parents were already prepared to give up the world for each other...

Suddenly, a few claps rang out not far from her.

"Looks like you're recovering pretty well," Lilith's teasing voice came. "I thought you'd take longer to recover since you haven't been very active for several months."

"No matter what, I am Fusion Warrior. If it weren't for Feng's worries, and also considering Meiweis ..." Elysia looked at Lilith, "I really didn't expect that the time for the Finality battle would come so soon. It all feels like a dream. The day Feng and I first met feels like it was just yesterday..."

"Yes, yes, it feels like just yesterday, and she gave birth less than a day later." Lilith shrugged.

"I was just using a metaphor, not saying anything real!" Elysia said, somewhat speechless. After a moment of silence, she continued, "Lilith, regarding our mission in this Finality battle, I think..."

"You want to be the one to locate the Finality cocoon?" Lilith asked confidently.

"Hmm." Elysia nodded and said, "Because I'm the most suitable candidate, aren't I? In my previous life, I also returned to the Honkai once. Having experienced it the first time, the second time the feeling of being a Honkai might be easier."

Locating the Cocoon of the Finality is a very dangerous undertaking. As the Origin, Elysia and Lilith locate the Cocoon of the Finality by consuming their own existence. If this drags on for too long, they might truly return to the Cocoon of the Finality. At the moment they return to Finality Cocoon of the End, the beacons they carry will also locate the Finality. In other words, the final outcome of this plan will inevitably be locating the Cocoon of the Finality, but whether the two Origin will survive is another matter entirely.

"You don't want me to help you take care of the kids, do you?" Lilith said, arms crossed. "I'm really sorry, but I'm counting on you to help me take care of the kids. After all, I have absolutely no interest in taking care of children. In fact, I'm a little worried that they might get in my way."

The child would only hinder her from being close to Feng; she no longer needed him.

Elysia was immune to Lilith's utterly despicable remarks; it would be strange if Lilith hadn't said something like that.

However, Elysia didn't care, because Feng would care. As long as Feng cared, even if Lilith didn't care at all, she would still care a little bit in the end...

After all, Lilith reserved all her love and tenderness for Kaede alone...

Elysia wanted to think that if Lilith had also carried a child for ten months like her and eventually gave birth to Lilim, would she end up like her? However, she suppressed this thought as soon as it popped into her head. Lilith wouldn't do that; Lilim might not even have the chance to be born, unless Maple wanted a child.

It was precisely because Lilith loved Zhu Yufeng so deeply that Elysia said this and decided to leave the hope of life to Lilith. Because Lilith loved Zhu Yufeng so deeply, as long as Feng was alive, she would do everything she could to live. As long as Lilith was still alive, along with Lilim and Meiweis, Zhu Yufeng would have something to care about and would not insist on fighting to the death with the Finality.

"Is this... also a kind of selfishness..." Elysia smiled bitterly to herself.

He made all the arrangements on his own, then left Kaede alone once again...

"But Feng, you must think the same way, right? You and I are both just as selfish... So, this time, let's call it even..."

She looked at Lilith again. No matter what, Lilith would do everything she could to stay by Zhu Yufeng's side, either to live together or to die together.

"Although dying together with the one you love is a romantic thing, if only one of us has a chance to live, I hope that person is you, Feng... In the end... I've become selfish after all..."

Unintentionally, Elysia developed a thought similar to the last words Lilith said to Zhu Yufeng during the tragic restraint incident in her previous life.

Lilith simply crossed her arms and looked at Elysia. She knew perfectly well what Elysia was thinking, but...

Her determination to sacrifice herself this time may truly fail, because... Griseo's painting is already finished.

Griseo's Art Studio.

Griseo sat quietly in her studio, painting as always. Meiweis sat quietly beside her, watching her add the final strokes to the painting. Astaroth was not with her; she had gone to do something else. Although Lilim was theoretically only about three years old, she looked almost the same age as Griseo. According to Admil and Mobius's analysis, Lilim's growth rate would slow down after this, and she would gradually become like a normal person.

Regarding lifespan, as the original body of Herrscher and the descendant of two Herrscher and Fusion Warrior, Lilim's lifespan is definitely much longer than that of a normal person. As for the Herrscher Core, which is the First Herrscher within her, Mobius and the others currently have no intention of removing it, and they also do not know what effect removing the Herrscher Core would have on Lilim.

Theoretically, there shouldn't be any adverse effects.

It's also because Lilim has "grown up" and is quite enthusiastic about taking care of her younger sister that Meiweis doesn't require Griseo in much effort. That's true...

Griseo glanced at Meiweis, who was sitting quietly beside her watching her draw. As Elysia's younger sister and Brother Yu Feng's daughter, Meiweis was really too quiet... Did she inherit her personality from Brother Yu Feng...?

She glanced at Lilim, who was reading a psychology book. In terms of being a scumbag, Lilim showed a similar personality to Lilith at such a young age. However, perhaps due to Zhu Yufeng's influence, Lilim was not quite as despicable as Lilith.

Lilith. For one thing, Lilim not only managed to read those brick-thick psychology books, but she also understood them. And not only that, she seems to have already started applying what she's learned...

Griseo withdrew her gaze, looking at her completed paintings, and fell into deep thought.

The painting about her father, Hen, depicts a scarred warrior standing on scorched earth, leaning against a dead tree trunk, holding a delicate hairpin in his hand. In the distance, the approaching dawn and the earth teeming with life are visible, but all of this is irrelevant to him now.

His face was full of exhaustion as he stared at the hair clip in his hand. The morning sun was already shining on him, but he did not choose to rush to the land that welcomed the sunrise and was full of vitality. Instead, he leaned against the withered tree trunk and remained in the darkness before the sunrise.

Griseo knew what the hair clip was; it was the token that her parents had given each other when they first fell in love. Griseo had already guessed what would happen to her father in the end.

Griseo, his own daughter, was well aware of Hen's state of mind during this time.

Is there anything she can do?

She remembered that Hen had once touched her head and said, "Griseo, you are an obedient and sensible child."

There would be no problem saying this under normal circumstances, but the key is that Hen said it during the time when the War of Finality was approaching, and with the completion of this painting, it's hard not to suspect Hen's intentions.

Griseo is no longer the teenage girl she appears to be; she is mature at heart and has her own opinions on some things.

She then looked at another recently completed painting, a portrait of Elysia ... Yes, on the canvas where she couldn't put brush to paper the previous time, she finally painted a portrait of Elysia. In this painting, she saw a girl sleeping in a dreamlike sea, her heart filled with hopeful starlight.

The black spear stood quietly not far away, surrounded by pure white blossoms.

This is Elysia's ending...

"Will Elysia choose to leave again, just like last time?" Griseo wondered, her gaze falling on the spear in the painting. This spear was undoubtedly the Black Abyss Spear in Brother Yu Feng's hands, but the Black Abyss Spear could never leave Brother Yu Feng's grasp, unless...

He vanished once again.

Griseo her eyes, as if she had made a great decision, and looked at the painting that she had placed in the corner, which she had always been reluctant to look at but had never let gather dust on:

That was a painting exactly like the one in the previous one.

No, it can't be said to be exactly the same. Although the knight disappeared before Li Ai, the difference from the previous time was that this time he looked back at the hopeful Li Ai. Although Li Ai's light did not shine on him, it did enter his eyes.

This is the biggest difference from the previous painting.

"But... what's the use?" Griseo thought. "If I'm not illuminated by Li's light, what's the point of just seeing Li?"

Griseo closed her eyes, recalling the days when Zhu Yufeng took her and Ugar soaring through the sky. Those were truly wonderful times...

But now, it's time for us all to part ways again.

Why is this happening?

Griseo, Aunt Mobius and the others are so smart, and Brother Kevin and the others are so capable, so why did Brother Yu Feng still... die in the end?

Just like when her mother Blanca left, Griseo once again felt like an outsider. She couldn't interfere with her mother's decision, whether it was the previous life or this one; she could only watch her mother leave.

Will she have to watch Brother Yu Feng leave again this time?

Why did it end up like this?

She wanted to do something, but what could she do? She wanted to say something more to Brother Yu Feng, but felt that what she could say would be meaningless, and what she wanted to say could not be said.

Griseo was once again in distress.

Lunar base.

"A large amount of Honkai Energy begun to accumulate in the Finality Crater. In the not-too-distant future, the Finality will truly descend upon this world," Mei said, looking at the data on the screen.

"Yes... the final battle is finally approaching." Kevin looked at the image of the Finality Crater on the screen, his hands slowly clenching together. The memories of the War of Finality were still vivid in his mind. He was the only Fusion Warrior qualified to fight the Finality alongside Zhu Yufeng.

He didn't know how much he could help Zhu Yufeng now, but he just didn't want the same thing that happened before to happen again.

It wasn't that he didn't have a way to help Feng.

"Kevin, are you really sure?" May's voice was more serious than ever before. "The Power of Finality... is not something you can easily withstand."

"I have mastered the power of 'Karma Demon,' but to deliver the decisive blow in this final battle, I must reach the realm of 'Salvation.'" Kevin's eyes were filled with determination. In his previous life, the power of Karma Demon was not enough for him and Feng to defeat the Finality together in the War of Finality. Only the theoretically existing final realm, reached by usurping the authority of the Finality, "Salvation Kevin," could play a decisive role in this final battle, right?

Mei had repeatedly emphasized the risks involved to him. Even as a Chimera, he couldn't withstand the immense Power of Finality. If it went on for too long, the final result would be the same as Zhu Yufeng's in his previous life...

The only way to achieve a balance between destruction and regeneration of the body is through the Stigmata Project.

But where would he find the time to come up with a Stigmata Project now?

"At least this time, I absolutely cannot be powerless." Kevin's eyes were filled with determination. "Feng, I will prove you wrong. This time, we will succeed and completely reverse our fate!"