Trap

Huang Hao got up, but the sky had long since brightened. Angela knocked on the door as usual. "Father, it's time to work."

Huang Hao slowly got out of bed, opened the door, and yawned. He said lazily, "Coming, coming."

"Weren't you in quite a hurry a few days ago? How did you suddenly... What is this?" Angela had been writing up a plan. When she looked up and saw Huang Hao standing at the door with dark circles under his eyes, she was startled.

Angela said, "Father... what happened?"

"Some mentally gifted traitor came looking for me to chat in the middle of the night," Huang Hao said impatiently.

After hearing Su's name, Angela deduced some of the reasons. She stopped asking and continued, "Then today's schedule is..."

"Hold it. There are still some things I'm confused about."

Angela had been about to continue going over the schedule. Hearing Huang Hao speak, she thought he was trying to slack off and said irritably, "I wonder who was urging everyone to get started a few days ago. What excuse are you looking for this time?"

Huang Hao awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose. "It's not an excuse. It's a small matter that I need to deal with."

Angela noticed his movement and said angrily, "That's something only liars do. Stop trying to fool me."

As she spoke, she prepared to come over and drag Huang Hao away.

"Wait! Wait!" Huang Hao hurriedly backed away, keeping Angela from grabbing him, then brought out his reason.

"An'er, don't you think things have been a little strange lately? I had just left Aponia's place after discussing faith with her when I lost consciousness. How could I have suddenly passed out for no reason?"

After Huang Hao finished explaining, Angela thought it over and realized that it was indeed strange. However, she still raised her own question. "What does that have to do with this time?"

Huang Hao had known Angela would say that. Instead of answering immediately, he went to the refrigerator to get some food and said, "Don't rush me. I don't actually know either. It's just a small guess. Eat something first."

He tossed the breakfast from the refrigerator to Angela, but she slapped it away and immediately charged forward. Her side kick struck Huang Hao in the waist and pinned him against the wall.

"You're still trying to slack off!"

Hearing Angela speak ominously beside his ear, Huang Hao broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "It's not like that! It's not! I'm not completely sure, but I think the Honkai Will did it. Things are calm right now, and I'm afraid they're just recuperating. Shouldn't I go take a look first?"

Only after repeatedly confirming that he was telling the truth did Angela release Huang Hao. She pulled over a chair and sat down, continuing to listen to what he had to say.

Seeing that Angela had let go, Huang Hao hurriedly climbed up and said, "Based on the fact that Honkai has eroded my will several times, I believe that last time I suddenly passed out, it was trying to erode me again. It probably intended to use force this time, which caused me to pass out under the pressure, so..."

"I'm going to settle this once and for all."

Huang Hao suddenly became serious, as if he had turned into a different person. Angela was a little unused to it, but after seeing him like that, she thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, Father. That's too dangerous."

Seeing that Angela had actually refused, Huang Hao said in relief, "An'er is actually worried about me now. I was going to say it was only a small matter, but I didn't expect you not to believe me. It's fine, though. I'll be back soon."

After Huang Hao finished speaking, Angela blushed slightly. "No, this is simply what I should do. Father, go ahead."

She then walked out and closed the door behind her.

After watching Angela leave, Huang Hao went straight to the table, took out paper and a pen, and began to think.

"Actually, I don't know where I should go either."

Huang Hao said with a bitter smile at the table. Leaning back against the chair, he held up the paper and scribbled on it at random, recalling details he might have overlooked.

He sat there for ten minutes. Huang Hao suddenly stood up, having thought of... having thought of... Well, he hadn't thought of anything at all. However, to make himself look busy and keep Angela from thinking he was slacking off, he teleported away.

As the flames dissipated, Huang Hao arrived at the Mu Continent, which had already become an ocean, and flew around aimlessly.

"Maybe Su was right. I really should rest a little longer and stop imagining so many things."

Huang Hao looked at the ocean. The waves moved across its surface like the birds that had once flown through the sky when Huang Hao first arrived. The sunlight shone on the water like the brilliant culture that had once existed on the continent. It was just a pity...

"Other than us, probably very few people will remember it."

Huang Hao was filled with emotion as he spoke. Someone beside him also said, "Yes. What a pity."

"You think so too...? No!"

Huang Hao instinctively used his authority to leap backward, creating a domain and preparing for battle. After all, he knew that voice far too well.

"Stop hiding, Honkai."

As soon as he finished speaking, that voice rang out. "I'm not hiding. I simply wasn't here in the first place."

Then, within that familiar darkness, it appeared again. As Huang Hao watched the domain gradually take shape, he finally said what he had wanted to complain about all along. "Don't you have any other moves? Are you ever going to stop?"

Huang Hao had intended to try to stop it from taking shape, but he still failed and was trapped inside once again.

Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Huang Hao simply sat down and gave up. "Come on, say whatever you want. If you can get through to me, I'll admit defeat. Besides, Angela can save me anyway."

The Honkai Will said, "Your beloved child can't come here. This is a physical region."

"Then why did you pull me here?" Huang Hao asked.

"Because you're too strong."

The Honkai Will's words left Huang Hao speechless. "You know that, yet you still dragged me here to mess with me? What exactly are you after?"

The Honkai Will said, "Your energy does not belong to Honkai."

Huang Hao's energy had been converted by the Imaginary Tree. It functioned the same way as Honkai Energy, but it was not Honkai Energy. Huang Hao himself knew this very well, though he wondered if it had something to do with the conversion.

Thinking of this, Huang Hao suddenly remembered the next Honkai outbreak. His expression gradually tensed. "Could it be that you trapped me because my energy counters it, and now it..."

"That's right. Because of your power, it has become even stronger this time. Even if everyone combined their strength, they still wouldn't surpass it."

"You cannot win."