The So-Called Sword God

The girl stepped into the deserted church.

This area was already quiet with few people, but now, after the crowds have been dispersed, it feels even more desolate and lonely.

Ruyan's footsteps left no echo in the vast space. She looked carefully at the interior of the church. Compared with the churches she had visited before, this one did not seem particularly special.

Over the long years, she visited more than a hundred churches in Europe in her spare time, and she was particularly interested in the pipe organs inside.

Pipe organs are mostly installed on the second floor at the back of the church, directly facing the altar, while some are on the side of the church.

They are mostly embedded in churches, blending seamlessly with the architecture.

Although their form may vary depending on local customs and cultural arts, pipe organs are all very tall, with rows of upright pipes exposed, varying in height and thickness, creating a solemn and majestic presence.

Church organs are typically adorned with elaborate and ornate decorations, featuring a dome, surrounding columns, and stained-glass windows at the back, all designed to accentuate the organ's luxurious and magnificent appearance.

Like any other church, Kristiansand Church also has a pipe organ.

In contrast, the enormous cocoon of light exists serenely beneath the organ.

High above the sky, sunlight shines through stained glass onto the surface of the cocoon of light, and the scattered spots of light seem like decorative patterns, adding a touch of sanctity to the scene before us.

Just as the girl arrived silently, formless sound waves were born from within the cocoon of light and manifested in the world through a pipe organ.

The melodious hymns resounded here.

The pipe organ, which was not particularly beautiful in appearance, revealed a mysterious and solemn eeriness when it played music.

Inside the cocoon of light, things trembled and swayed, and the girl who once lived in the beautiful spring of her life had now become a terrifying monster.

This is a world in Honkai.

Fu Hua was momentarily speechless as to describe the music; it didn't sound like something a human could produce.

She suddenly recalled that she had once encountered an important religious holiday in Germany during a mission.

That was in the cathedral in the early morning.

A formal performance was then held, with the organ roaring, the violins melodious, the wind instruments deep, and the chorus perfectly harmonizing, the music echoing throughout the church dome.

I don't know why, but even though the melodies and scenes are different, the memories suddenly become clear at this moment.

But then, in a flash, the girl started talking to herself about a topic completely unrelated to her own thoughts:

"Hopefully, Su Qing'an will behave himself."

She suddenly frowned slightly:

"Strange, it's just a simple task that will allow me to return to the academy tomorrow, so why am I still feeling this way?"

The girl slowly took her hands out of her pockets, a slight ripple in her heart reinforcing her determination to finish the fight quickly.

She has always been an extremely decisive person; once she makes up her mind, she will go all out.

A phantom crimson feather drifted down onto the lifeless Mind Lake, radiating brilliance.

Theoretically, after the sword heart is shattered, even Mind Lake like this shouldn't remain.

But just like the remains of Kenshin, the ethereal and boundless Realm of Emptiness has reappeared in the form of a lake.

A mysterious and inexplicable power temporarily reshapes the sword heart, which had been shattered into nothingness hundreds of years ago.

The Mind Lake has vanished, replaced by a misty, dreamlike existence.

This is the sword heart of the Void Realm.

The Eighth Divine Key: Udu-dust.

The Divine Key, which governs consciousness, deceived him, and Kenshin remained intact as before.

The Void Sword Qi, which had been unusable due to the shattered Sword Heart, was now revived and naturally became an aid to the girl.

The moment her slender, white, and supple hands were taken out of her pocket, it seemed as if she had absorbed all the Honkai Energy of the world.

Sword God.

Sword God!

It is rumored to be the strongest move in the Void Sword Qi.

To be precise, the Sword God is not a technique, but a state of being.

Humans who reach this level can control Honkai Energy at will. Theoretically, the Void Sword Qi, having reached this pinnacle, is infinitely close to the Herrscher.

The Honkai Energy at will is something only Herrscher are qualified to do, but the Void Sword Qi allows humans to touch this forbidden realm.

Even this seemingly sweet fruit that could change the future of humanity requires unparalleled talent and Honkai Energy adaptability and resistance no less than that of a born Stigmata holder.

These requirements have effectively eliminated the possibility for an ordinary person to reach the level of a sword god.

Sword God is a realm of mastery, but it demands even more stringent hardware requirements.

Even Fu Hua, who deliberately searched for disciples Shenzhou land for several years, only managed to train one person who had mastered the art of swordsmanship.

This demonstrates the extremely high requirements required, making mass production impossible.

After the sword heart shattered, all abilities related to the Void Sword Qi became unusable.

Udu-dust can help Fu Hua recover some of her combat power for a certain period of time, but as the amount of power exerted, Fu Hua, as the user, needs to pay a proportional price.

If you're facing only opponents like this, then you don't need to burn through your memories; you'll only be expending some of your energy and physical strength.

The girl's body was already withered and decayed, but this could only limit her ability to exert force and could not affect her temporarily restored Sword God realm.

Even now, with her power receding like the tide, killing Emperor-class being wouldn't be difficult for Fu Hua.

Even without using the power of Udu-dust, the Inch Heart Fist alone is sufficient.

But her intuition told her that a quick victory was the answer, and after her sword heart recovered, a clearer warning told her that her choice was not wrong.

Just as the girl was about to unleash a Honkai Energy to test the waters, the school badge on her chest vibrated.

The massive Honkai Energy in his palm dissipated silently.

It's an emergency recall.

The girl's blue eyes narrowed slightly as she understood the reason for the ripples in her Mind Lake.

Something happened at the St. Freya Academy.

"Beep beep beep."

With a sound, the communicator automatically connected, Murata Himeko's voice came through:

"Fu Hua, although I don't know what mission you're on, please make sure it's over quickly."

The girl took out a communicator from her pocket and calmly asked:

"Major Himeko, what happened at the academy?"

Murata Himeko responded:

"The specific details of what happened at the academy have been sent to your communicator. If you were in that situation, you should understand how serious it is."

In the church, where melodious hymns echoed, the girl ignored the Emperor-class Honkai Beast within the cocoon of light, quietly reviewing the data and the Science Department's assessment, before drawing her conclusion:

"It's Herrscher."

She sighed.

She then began browsing the pictures Himeko had sent her: aerial views of the St. Freya Academy, where visibility was severely hampered by dense fog, obscuring even the tallest building; students collapsed in classrooms and other areas; Valkyrie frantically searching for the unconscious students.

One of the most striking images is of a white-haired girl easily embracing two students.

It's Kiana, and next to her, carrying a student on her back, is Raiden Mei.

The girl's furrowed brows relaxed slightly; the worst had not happened, and St. Freya Academy was no longer capable of withstanding another unexpected shock.

Almost all electronic facilities were interfered with and damaged, but the small floating islands above the artificial island were spared, which allowed the message to be transmitted.

Headmaster Theresa, are you unconscious?

Looking at the photo of the girl lying in the culture tank with a respirator, Fu Hua understood the pressure Himeko was under.

Although Theresa may sometimes seem unreliable and childish, she is undoubtedly the backbone of the St. Freya Academy.

After she leaves, command authority will be passed down to the next rank.

Of the only two A-rank Valkyrie in the academy, Nishikujo Sara only has enough strength left to fight before she burns out her life force. Under these circumstances, she is undoubtedly unsuitable for this position.

Currently, only Murata Himeko, who is accustomed to the leadership role and is the captain of the Hyperion, can shoulder the responsibility alone.

Then comes the last picture, showing the only person on the list of seriously injured.

Su Qing'an.

Ripples spread across the Mind Lake, creating waves—what kind of feelings are those?

In the vast expanse of time, as still as an ancient well, such emotions seem quite rare.

The girl remained expressionless, and murmured:

"Massive blood loss, subtle signs of Honkai Energy erosion throughout your bones... You used [Thousand Stars], huh? That's such a mess, I don't even know what to say. I'll deal with you when we get back."

"Su Qing'an."

As the last note faded, the boundary between illusion and reality blurred, and several exquisite feathers, like works of art, slowly fell.

Udu-dust, fully manifested in the world.

The hymn abruptly stopped.

The cocoon of light shattered into nothingness.

Just a moment ago, the ends of her hair turned snow-white, but quickly returned to their original light gray.

The fiery, lotus-like light in the girl's eyes vanished like a bubble in a dream. Without a word, she put her hands back in her pockets, no longer glancing at the so-called Emperor-class Honkai Beast, and turned to leave.

Fu Hua amplified Udu-dust's output in one go, easily ending what should have been a battle of attrition.

As Udu-dust's power receded like the tide, the sword heart vanished once more, and the desolate Mind Lake reappeared.

Over the years, she has become accustomed to this indecisive fighting style.

The Inch Heart Fist was not her most frequently used technique in the past, but now that she has lost the right to use the Void Sword Qi, this fist technique has become her most habitual fighting method.

Over these thousands of years, the immortals have lost so much.

It could be power, memory, or emotion.

Now that the Honkai is stirring and the Herrscher are arriving one after another, I probably can't keep up this indecisive fighting style for much longer.

At that time, it's uncertain how long this body can hold on.

No longer silent footsteps left crisp sounds in the empty church.

The girl stepped out of the church, gazing at the azure sky, and said:

"A-rank Valkyrie Fu Hua, mission complete."

"Major, I'm in Kristiansand, Norway. Please have the Schicksal's liaison arrive here within an hour."

"Mission complete. The security system has been deactivated, and the location system has been reopened to the Far East Branch. You should be able to pinpoint your exact location."

"Good."

After Himeko agreed, the communication ended.

The fairy stood outside the intact church, her beautiful face still serene and untouched by worldly affairs.

But perhaps, it was just a fleeting moment.

She might actually be a little angry.

The girl's slender fingers, hidden in her pocket, slowly closed into a fist, the unease emanating from her Mind Lake still lingering.

This was merely an emotion that could be calmed in the vast Mind Lake in an instant, yet for some reason, Fu Hua felt a strange urge to indulge in it.

Su Qing'an...

The question she had recently defined as something not worth dwelling on has resurfaced. What does this boy mean to her now?

Is he important?

... have no idea.

So, isn't that important?

For a long time, the immortal, who walked alone on the long river of time, could not give himself an answer.

A hint of loneliness was visible on her profile.

Honkai, Honkai.

The girl habitually murmured this phrase in her heart, a phrase she had repeated countless times throughout the long years.

No matter the cost, humanity will surely defeat the Honkai.

Time and time again, she repeated this to herself.

I no longer need any unnecessary burdens.

Emotions are a tremendous force, but also a dragging shackle.

Immortals are no longer needed.