I Will Never Abandon You

The girlfriend sitting on top of him froze for a few seconds, then looked toward the crowd. The bloody heart in her hand was still beating faintly, and her bloodless skin made her look like a corpse that had leapt out of a coffin.

People saw her face clearly. Purple patterns, born from Honkai corruption, had appeared across her pale face, while an eerie light flickered deep within her pupils, like the eyes of a dead fish.

"Ahhhhhh—!"

Someone screamed hysterically and ran toward the amusement park entrance. Following his piercing cry, the crowd seemed to have been flipped by a switch, desperately surging toward the exit like waves along the shore.

"Hey, Tugaming, don't abandon me!"

"Sorry, Cassan, I'm afraid of dying like that!"

"Tom, killing people is useless. Those zombies don't eat people, they just kill for the sake of killing. They won't stop because you kill—ah!"

"But sorry, old friend. Maybe the corpses can slow them down."

Among the crowd, only Cecilia and Otto beside her remained still.

The woman looked somewhat uneasy. She turned toward Otto, wanting to ask something, only to see that he had closed his eyes.

As if sensing Cecilia's gaze, Otto opened his eyes and extended a hand. A massive golden lance slowly formed over his palm.

"Mimicry: Black Abyss White Flower, a replica of your former weapon." The man handed the lance to her. "Follow your heart. I'll be behind you."

Cecilia nodded and took the lance. It carried a familiar yet unfamiliar sensation, and the grip seemed to retain the warmth of the man's palm.

She steadied herself and stepped forward to block the dead soldier. "Stop!"

The dead soldier clearly had no intention of showing her any courtesy. It raised its scythe high, looking ready to split her in two.

Cecilia looked at it calmly, her face filled with nothing but resolve.

She should have been afraid. Her hazy memories were not enough to make her composed in such a situation, but whenever she thought of Otto's calm expression and his promise to her, endless courage welled up within her.

Brother would protect me.

No matter when.

Even beneath a Honkai Energy Fission Bomb—huh? What was that?

The term suddenly surfaced in her mind. Cecilia tried to keep recalling it, but her hands did not stop. She raised her lance to block, then spun it and thrust forward, striking the dead soldier directly in the head.

The forehead of the dead soldier that had just killed its boyfriend split open. It dropped to its knees, and as it slowly slid toward the ground, its eyes suddenly cleared. It lowered its head to look at the heart it had been clutching tightly in its hand.

Then, it made no further movement.

Cecilia frowned, though not because of the parting that had happened in an instant. After all, her current memories could not yet let her understand such complicated emotions and betrayal.

What troubled her was the term that had just appeared, yet she could not find any information related to it in her mind.

It was like this again.

It was always like this.

Her memories were like ethereal clouds and mist, seemingly close yet far away. Whenever she deliberately tried to recall them, they vanished.

She turned to look at Otto and saw a huge cross behind him. He leaned against it, holding that pale yellow-green down jacket, and smiled faintly at her.

Brother was behind me.

Cecilia's heart suddenly calmed.

At that moment, the dead soldiers moved, some quickly and some slowly, gradually surrounding her.

There had not been many of them at first, but under Honkai Energy corruption, the dying women also rose to their feet. Their eyes gradually turned red, and purple patterns crawled up their necks.

There were more and more dead soldiers.

"Then come."

The woman spoke softly, awkwardly twisting her right hand. Golden mist spread from the lance.

Some of the dead soldiers seemed to sense the terror of the golden mist. Guided by biological instinct, they slowed their steps, but even more showed no sign of consciousness as they gradually entered Cecilia's vicinity.

Then...

The dead soldiers' flesh melted away in an instant. Before their outstretched arms could even rise, only white bones remained halfway through!

This was the "Black Abyss" ability of Black Abyss White Flower. Though severely weakened because it was merely a "mimicry," it could still exert its corrosive effects in Cecilia's hands.

The dead soldiers' ferocity was instantly crushed into nothing by the golden mist. Cecilia pressed the advantage, thrusting out her lance and striking several dead soldiers in succession.

"Her technique is still rather rusty..."

Otto watched the fluid assault and sighed.

Indeed, Cecilia's attack sequence looked smooth and unstoppable, but Otto could clearly see that she was merely wielding the lance through muscle memory. Several times, dead soldiers had gotten close to her, and she had relied on the golden mist to resolve the danger.

Furthermore, ordinary attacks were not much of a problem against groups, but against opponents on the level of a Herrscher or Kevin... she lacked a decisive killing move.

The woman seemed to realize this as well. She frowned and spun her lance. The next second, she vanished before the dead soldiers, and only Otto could see the afterimage leaping into the air.

Cecilia made several leaps to reach higher ground, then inverted her lance and descended from the sky, falling straight toward the center of the dead soldiers' encirclement!

Vast Honkai Energy burst outward from the center, and golden mist rose from the lance in the darkness, sweeping in every direction!

The corrupted bodies scattered apart as well. One dead soldier after another let out a final wail before rotting away, leaving not even bones behind!

Cecilia wiped away nonexistent cold sweat and turned to look at Otto, like a child waiting for praise from an elder after finishing a task. However, her eyes widened the next second as a powerful sense of oppression surged from behind her!

From the corner of her eye, the woman looked at the ground and saw her shadow covered by a huge inhuman body. Its owner raised a round object high overhead and smashed it down at her with terrifying speed and force!

I Will Never Abandon You

Cecilia only had time to turn her head behind her, and then—

She saw Otto standing beside her, driving the cross into the ground.

"Oath of Judah."

He spoke concisely.

Countless chains extended from the cross, blocking the inhuman monster's attack. They continued to lengthen, pinning it firmly in place.

"This is no good, Cecilia." He turned around and gave Cecilia a mildly reproachful look. "You didn't even notice the Honkai Beast behind you."

"But you handled Black Abyss White Flower rather well."

"Mm..."

Cecilia smiled somewhat sheepishly, then glared fiercely at the Honkai Beast bound all over by chains before turning her gaze back to Otto.

Seeing the man nod, the woman stepped forward several paces, raised her lance, and swiftly and accurately pierced the Honkai Beast through the forehead.

Bang!

Black mist spread through the air, and the Honkai Beast disappeared.

"I've already dealt with the dead soldiers that ran elsewhere." Otto raised his hand, and the cross shrank back into a bracelet. "Let's go."

He raised his hand, and golden feathers appeared in the middle of the crowd. Immediately afterward, everyone became dazed.

"What happened to me?"

"Mm... why was I running?"

"Ah!!—Someone was murdered!"

"I think I just saw a man and a woman standing there... huh? Where did they go?"

"I saw them too. Come to think of it, they were quite good-looking..."

The Schicksal Overseer and the Saintess strolled down the street, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights.

"As for combat... you had some problems this time."

After thinking for a moment, Otto could not help commenting.

"Your current fighting style relies entirely on instinct, and your awareness is not very good either—you actually let a Honkai Beast like that get close to you. That's absurd."

"And..."

Otto continued to ramble on, while Cecilia did not respond. She lowered her head and kicked stones along the street with her little boots.

Her low mood was plainly visible.

Cecilia did not know why she felt this way. She understood Brother's approach and knew he was doing it for her own good, but...

Strictly speaking, this was the first time—the first time since waking up—that she had performed in front of Brother...

It was not as though she thought the Honkai Beast's ambush had not been her mistake, but... but she had defeated so many dead soldiers...

"Are you unhappy?"

A figure stepped in front of her. The woman raised her head and saw Otto's teasing smile.

"Do you think I was wrong?"

Cecilia hurriedly shook her head. Otto sighed and said,

"I know what you're thinking. You think this was your first battle after awakening, so there was no need for me to be so strict. You may even suspect that what I said to you and Durandal yesterday was merely talk."

"But in truth..."

He raised his hand, and golden feathers formed at his fingertips.

"Mimicry: Feather of Dust can implant memories into your body. If I truly wanted you to become an S-rank Valkyrie, there would be no need to force you to fight dead soldiers in order to recover your memories."

"It could directly fill you up and shape you into the form I wanted."

Otto snapped his fingers, and the golden Mimicry: Feather of Dust vanished from his fingertips.

Cecilia was startled by his actions. As she looked at him, several more questions appeared in her eyes.

Of course, there was no fear.

"The reason I had you try fighting was because, if you want to survive in this world... you need to know how to fight."

He lifted his head and gazed toward the distant sky. Night filled the heavens, and not a single star could be seen.

"This is a world of Honkai. Honkai outbreaks of every scale occur frequently, and your life is precious. Becoming stronger is your only choice."

"This has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with memories of the past, and nothing to do with the mission you must bear. It concerns only you. You need those combat skills to protect your life and the friends you will meet in the future."

"I hope you can have a new life, but that depends on your ability to protect yourself."

Otto paused. Seeing Cecilia's thoughtful expression, he nodded.

"I cannot stay by your side at all times. I cannot save you every time something happens, like I did during the Second Honkai Outbreak. Therefore, during small Honkai incidents like this, you need to recover your strength promptly and quickly."

"That way, when I'm not around, you can protect yourself too."

"Brother?!..."

Hearing Otto's final words, Cecilia swiftly grabbed the man's arm, her eyes full of alarm and fear.

Ever since awakening, Otto had been the one taking her around to learn and explore, helping Cecilia adapt to this familiar yet unfamiliar world.

Though only one day had passed, the trust planted deep within her soul, along with the wonderful experiences of that day, had quickly made the woman fall in love with this carefree life.

She loved the flutter in her heart when a wooden comb brushed through her hair, the peace of interlocked fingers on the roller coaster, and the warmth of being able to entrust her back completely to someone else.

She only wished for more time like this, and then even more.

But now, he was telling her that he would leave, that he might not be there...

No, no, don't...

"I'll reclaim those things," Cecilia said seriously. "I'll recall them properly in every battle and eventually meet your expectations. If necessary, I don't mind accepting Feather of Dust's forced restoration..."

As long as you do not abandon me.

The white-haired woman silently added in her heart. Her gaze toward Otto was sorrowful, full of pleading and longing.

"Don't overthink it."

How could Otto fail to see the panic in her eyes? He smiled gently, stroking the woman's hair as his emerald eyes met Cecilia's pupils.

"I will stay with you, but not anytime, anywhere, every moment. So I hope you can protect yourself. Don't nearly stumble before an ordinary Honkai Beast like you did today."

"You only have one life. So I hope you will value yourself more, think of yourself more, and make yourself stronger."