Resolve

"Xilin and Cecilia fought a protracted battle. Considering Cecilia's physical condition after giving birth just two years earlier, Xilin only needed to hold out until she became a Seven-Core Herrscher to defeat Cecilia. To kill Xilin, Schicksal fired an atomic bomb equivalent to one from the Honkai. Xilin and Cecilia perished together, while Xilin's Space Gem was pierced by Cecilia."

"Afterward, Anti-Entropy openly challenged Schicksal. Having lost one of its trump cards, Schicksal did not want to reveal any more of its hidden cards, so it did not send Hua out. Instead, it handed over one of Xilin's four gems—the Gem of Conquest—and lied that this was the only one left. Anti-Entropy also knew Schicksal was talking nonsense, but accepted the Gem of Conquest without applying too much pressure. They knew Schicksal still had more hidden cards and did not dare act rashly."

"Then Anti-Entropy seemed to vanish, making no sound at all until Changkong City this time."

"That was everything you wanted to know—the general details about Xilin."

Feng Chen fell silent. After Yae Sakura, this was the second time he had heard about a Herrscher.

"A Herrscher... what exactly is it?"

"A messenger of God, a demon in the eyes of humanity that will destroy the world."

"But Sakura didn't become the demon in their eyes. Everything was done by the Herrscher of Erosion."

"Neither did Xilin. Every Herrscher has a Herrscher persona, the maximization of their dark side. And the source of those dark sides is humanity."

"Then why did Xilin have to die? She hadn't done anything wrong. Schicksal treated human lives as worthless. Without Xilin, the Babylon Experiment Tower would probably have had even more children become test subjects. Those who survived became Schicksal's puppets, while those who died became food for beasts and even Honkai Beasts in Siberia."

"So, host, have you finally seen humanity's true nature? The Honkai's side will always open its doors to you."

"I'm afraid I have to refuse. As you said, I hate humanity, but I love this world. What the Honkai does is destroy civilization. I don't like a world where not a blade of grass grows."

The Honkai revealed a knowing smile. It really had not chosen the wrong person. If Feng Chen joined the Honkai, it would gain a major boost, but that would only accelerate the destruction of this civilization. Now, what Feng Chen wanted to protect was this world and this civilization, not humanity.

"However, there is one thing I hope you won't stop me from doing."

"What is it?"

"Xilin. I'm determined to save her." A flash of gold crossed his eyes, and the short blade he had been playing with in his hand instantly disintegrated into dust.

The Honkai was stunned as well. One reason was Feng Chen's determination, and the other was that Feng Chen had used his ability once again.

"What would happen if this ability were used on a living creature?"

"It would gradually decompose, then disappear. That's the milder outcome. If the host used it at full power, the affected creature would instantly turn to dust."

"Destruction?" If it only decomposed things, his ability might have been somewhat similar to that of the Herrscher of Erosion. But turning something to dust... only that word could describe it, right?

"Correct answer. Reward: one Precision Supply."

"Huh??? What the heck??? I only guessed what the ability did, and there's a reward for that?"

"Forget it, then."

"No, no, no! I want it, I want it! Let's draw now."

The Honkai casually waved its hand, and an interface that immediately made him feel like an African appeared before him.

"This is Honkai Impact 3rd's gacha interface. I've brought it out for you now. Let's see whether you can find that feeling again. Good luck—may you be blessed by luck."

Seeing "One Supply" on the left, Feng Chen clicked it without hesitation.

A huge box bearing Himeko's image fell from the sky. When it opened, specks of golden light emerged.

Then... the one on the left was blue, and the one on the right was purple.

He did not even look at the blue one before decomposing it. As for the purple one, it was a turbine, which seemed to be used to upgrade weapons.

"System, have I become an African citizen?"

"You got a supply just by making a random guess without doing a quest. How lucky did you expect to be? Two purples? Keep dreaming."

"Can I use my ability to hit you once, to express my dissatisfaction?"

"You can try."

The Honkai merely shot him a glance, and Feng Chen felt the Honkai Energy inside him instantly being drained, all of it returning to the Honkai's body.

What was this called again? Annoying the GM in a game and getting your account deleted so you had to start over?

"Great system, I was wrong!"

"Are you still going to be cheeky?"

"No, no more!"

"Since you've sincerely repented, I'll let you off this time."

The Honkai Energy soon returned to Feng Chen. He had only lost it for a moment, yet it felt as though he had been empty for hundreds of years... Sure enough, one could not survive in the Honkai's world without this stuff.

"By the way, Xiao Yun..."

"She's fine. She just needs to sleep a little longer. You should leave now. I'll leave this clone for you. You can use it whenever you want to come in later. Don't worry, I won't do anything strange with it. Its senses are connected to your main body, so you'll feel it if anything is wrong, won't you?"

But as it turned out, Feng Chen really had no intention of trusting her. He destroyed the clone. Next time he came in, he could simply create one with Honkai Energy himself. Now that he was an Intermediate Herrscher, making some things with Honkai Energy was no problem.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the ceiling of Yae Sakura's home. Feng Chen was stunned. Had Yae Sakura brought him back?

The facts proved that she had. Yae Sakura had brought him back and killed the Honkai Beast from earlier. Beside Feng Chen, there was also an egg.

"This time, I really have to thank you. Otherwise, I might have been beaten to a pulp." He stroked the egg, but it shook several times, as if nodding a few times. It also seemed to enjoy having its head rubbed and looked very happy.

"Wonderful, Dust-kun, you're awake!" Yae Sakura set down the medicine she had boiled and hurried over to hug Feng Chen.

"Did my affection level increase again?" This system must have calculated everything in advance, making him wake up at precisely this moment.

"Mm."

"What's wrong, Dust-kun? Is there somewhere else that still feels uncomfortable?" The change was far too drastic, and Feng Chen found it hard to adjust.

"System, what's Yae Sakura's capture progress?"

"Yae Sakura's affection level is 70. Her rank is Trust."

"That high? I thought it would only be around forty."

"She already had 50 when she gave you the Good Person Card. Seventy isn't exaggerated now."

"Dust-kun?"

"Dust-kun?"

Feng Chen, who was talking with the system, failed to notice that Yae Sakura had called him several times. She thought the blow from the Honkai Beast had knocked him silly.

"I'm fine, Sakura. Um... you've been taking care of me all these days, right? Tha... thank you..."

"It's nothing. We're friends, aren't we? Why thank me? Besides, if not for Dust-kun, I wouldn't have been able to live in Yae Village with Kallen for so long. If anything, I should be thanking you, Dust-kun."

"Yae Sakura's affection level has increased to 80. Her rank is Friend."

She seemed to be his first friend since he had come to this world... Feng Chen thought.

"Friends, huh... That's right. We're friends."