Blooming Here Like Fireworks

"My name is Welt Joyce, tsk, even if I told you, people of your caliber wouldn't know, would they?"

"After all, you're just ignorant insects and pigs, blinded by the dreams others have created for you. I bet you're having a great time every day, aren't you? Hahahaha."

The man who called himself Welt burst into laughter, the upward curve of his lips revealing a manic quality. Blood vessels gradually spread in his light blue eyes as he stared at everyone before him, as if both angry and mocking.

The ground cracked deeper and deeper, clearly indicating that as Welt's emotions fluctuated, his power was also involuntarily going berserk to some extent.

This is a guy with great fighting ability and a very unstable personality. Any complicated or difficult matter that requires thinking will make him subconsciously irritable, causing Welt to refuse to think.

This is a flaw he was destined to have since birth; otherwise, the cruel truth and false memories wouldn't have been able to hide from him for long.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".

Welt is unable to think calmly under normal circumstances, is a convenient tool in Cocolia's hands.

False memories, poor self-control, and below-average intelligence were all cages that woman herself created for him, like a tamer who had chained a wild beast, maintaining just the right balance and distance.

But for now, this beast is a crisis that everyone is facing.

Among the crowd present, there seemed to be no experienced hunters who could use a hunting rifle to fight against wild beasts.

As a result, everyone present was shocked and terrified by the supernatural power before their eyes.

The fact that no one screamed demonstrates that everyone present had excellent mental fortitude.

Welt appreciated the fear hidden in these people's eyes. His ugly expression and emotions softened, and he said:

"It seems you've more or less grasped the gap between us, so I hope you'll be sensible. I've completed my mission and naturally have no interest in killing anyone."

He flashed a bright, natural smile and raised his arms, shouting:

"OK, the auction is now officially open!"

Welt smiled, brought the microphone closer, and continued softly:

"My friends."

The young lady looked timid, burying her head in the butler's arms, her soft arms wrapped around the boy's waist, her slender white fingers tightly intertwined, revealing her unease.

Even after witnessing something beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, the young butler remained unmoved. He gently pulled the young lady's hand away, knelt down, and comforted her, saying:

"Okay, okay, I'll protect you, please don't worry."

The young lady nodded timidly and whispered something in his ear.

"Su Qing'an, you noticed, didn't you? There's something wrong with that reagent. I can tell you definitively, it contains Honkai Energy. Drinking any of it won't make you healthy; it will only kill you."

"Yes, you don't need to answer, just keep listening to me."

"That man who claims to be Welt Joyce is definitely an imposter. That's the name of the Anti-Entropy Leader, and I've met that person before, so he's probably just a pawn."

"But judging from his performance just now, he does indeed possess some of that person's abilities, so even a fake isn't easy to deal with."

"The Cocolia he mentioned is probably the mastermind behind it all. And counterfeits of this caliber aren't something that can be made casually. So it's highly likely that this auction is entirely in his hands."

"Simply put, if we find an opportunity to defeat him, this mission should be complete. As for finding the equipment, we'll probably have to trouble Wraith and the others. After all, judging from their current attitude, it's unlikely that the lost weapon of Schicksal is here."

The girl's warm breath made Su Qing'an's earlobes turn slightly red. He nodded gently but did not say anything more.

Welt said with distress:

"It seems you're still not very enthusiastic, but given my attitude, there's nothing I can do about your doubts. So, let's just randomly pick a name then?"

"Tsk, almost no patients come in person?"

"Then you're all right, little girl named Anastasia."

The man looked at the girl curled up in the boy's arms in the wheelchair and revealed a cruel smile.

Taking lives wasn't particularly interesting to him, but the intense sense of superiority he felt over others gave him an inexplicable sense of pride and arrogance that brought him immense pleasure.

That delicate and beautiful girl, who showed obvious fear, completely ignited the dark flames within Welt's distorted worldview.

Such beings are well-suited to be sacrifices.

In his view, the girl's life, which was short-lived like a fleeting flower after she regained her health, the way her body gradually turned to [Ashes], and the final look of confusion and despair on her face would all be the best drama.

Su Qing'an looked indifferently at the man in front of her and said softly:

"Say it again?"

It was a sound that seemed to have been chilled, containing the eerie chill of an ancient well and a murderous aura as sharp as winter snow.

At this moment, Su Qing'an was not simply playing the role of a loyal butler who cared for the young lady; the killing intent came from his true nature.

The man's deep-seated malice towards Fu Hua made him genuinely unhappy.

I want to tear his face apart, pierce his heart with a sword, rip his body apart with Honkai Energy, and reduce his limbs and bones to dust.

If it weren't for keeping his promise to Fu Hua, given Su Qing'an's personality of speaking less and doing more, he would have directly activated the Artificial Stigmata, opened [Thousand Stars], and unleashed [Time Cutter] instead.

At this distance, even if the opponent's abilities are incredibly strange, they would absolutely not be able to react to the combined speed of multiple factors without any warning. At that moment, the folding knife pressed against the inside of Su Qing'an's arm would be enough to sever his throat, and the last thing Welt would see would be a flash of bright light.

The boy was already starting to regret agreeing to Fu Hua not to use Artificial Stigmata; without going all out, his skill level wasn't enough to kill this person.

The other party is dangerous, which is why he has been patient until now.

This was the first time, apart from that woman, that Su Qing'an had a clear desire to kill someone.

The reason for this might be that the person in front of them is clearly connected to that woman.

Cocolia, and... the man before him, are both beings who can evoke pure killing intent in the boy.

Welt was stunned for a moment, as if he were surprised that someone could still have the desire to resist after witnessing such a scene. Then his face darkened, and he asked:

"What do you mean?"

Su Qing'an was getting impatient. Originally, it would have been best to wait for others to test the waters and observe how things might develop, but the other party's unprovoked provocation made those possibilities almost zero.

Moreover, this standard villainous declaration, which he already knew the answer to, made him really want to draw his sword and kill someone.

It's quite rare for Su Qing'an to have such thoughts. The boy used to be a very calm person, but when it came to Fu Hua, even though he knew she would be fine, he couldn't suppress the surging tide of emotions.

Just when the situation was tense and about to erupt into conflict.

Leonid's fingertips tapped the table, the sound particularly clear in the silent atmosphere, successfully drawing Welt's attention. He said:

"You're running an auction; you're after money."

"Ten million US dollars, I'll buy the potion you're offering, how about it?"

"Mr. Welt."

Welt glanced indifferently at the expressionless boy and sneered:

"Unlike some people, sir, you are very perceptive."

"But you should understand the reason we're giving away reagents at the auction: it's to convince people of the authenticity of our medicine. Only then is our transaction reasonable and fair, isn't it?"

"So if you want to buy this reagent, please drink it right here."

After uttering the word "fairness," Welt went on to say something utterly unequal.

Leonid glanced at the ground that had been sunk an inch into the ground and the tables and chairs that had turned to dust. He admired the butler's care for the young lady, but at the same time found it hard to trust the words of the man before him.

He said softly:

"Of course, I understand what you mean, Mr. Welt."

"But my illness is different from normal illnesses; this reagent in your hand probably won't cure me."

Before the other party could refute, Leonid opened his sleeve, revealing his arm, on which purple patterns spread and grew like a spider web, as if they were alive.

Welt frowned in annoyance, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"Tch. So he's just an unlucky guy."

If a human already Honkai Infection takes this reagent, there is a high probability that they will be directly Honkai by Honkai and turned into dust. If such an effect is observed, then the current actions will be meaningless. Therefore, there is no reason for me to give this person the reagent.

The situation would then return to square one, the incomplete personality rejecting such a complex state of affairs. The man had no intention of continuing this boring situation; the purest form of violence was what he was good at.

Cocolia's entrusting such a calculating task to Welt's incomplete clone was, in itself, akin to testing the waters.

That woman probably wanted to see just how much of a mess this person could make of a simple task.

She didn't care about the benefits the task itself could bring.

Even though Cocolia is Anti-Entropy movement and is short of funds, such a foolish and inefficient way of making money would not be something she would do intentionally.

Welt stared at Su Qing'an with a deathly gaze, as if he were looking at a corpse. He said:

"What an annoying bug."

He raised his hand, and just as that mysterious power was about to be unleashed, and the boy entered State of Still Water, secretly letting the folding knife slide into his hand, Leonid fearlessly walked step by step to the wheelchair. Under Su Qing'an Qing'an's speechless gaze, his burly yet thin frame blocked the other party's malicious gaze.

His azure eyes, veiled with a layer of gray mist, stared at Welt's face, and he spoke, word by word:

"I'm here for the other goods you sell."

"But now it seems, Mr. Welt, that you have no intention of doing business normally."

"I've heard of forced sales, but I've never heard of a customer being forced to participate in drug trials."

"Mr. Welt, you are being very unruly."

"And I happen to hate anything that is irregular, whether it is an unreasonable calamity, an upheaval, or something that stems from human greed."

Welt looked at the man blocking his view with displeasure and said:

"I retract my previous statement, sir."

"You're not very tactful either."

This man, honed and ravaged by countless hardships, tragedies, and despair, spoke of what he loathed. He straightened his back, looked at the thugs possessing unknown, mysterious power before him, ignored the blatant threat in their words, and uttered the declaration of war:

"I came here with everything I could carry in my life. Now that I have nothing left, I am naturally fearless. The fear you expect will not appear in my eyes, Mr. Welt."

So put away that repulsive look of yours, as filthy as mud in a swamp.

"Perhaps after spending the first ten years of my life in a dull way, I ended up here aimlessly, all because of some inexplicable fate. I clearly hate this so-called fate, but for some reason, I don't reject it at this moment."

"Perhaps God wants me to redeem myself in another way."

"In a way to save this girl."

The man muttered to himself as he fired. His other arm, exposed beneath his coat, was metallic in color; his original left arm had been amputated and replaced with a mechanical prosthesis long before it was corroded into [Ashes].

As the bullet spun out of the mechanical prosthetic limb, the smell of gunpowder filled the banquet hall.

Welt ran a hand through his deep blue hair as he casually watched dozens of bullets carrying immense kinetic energy, their attacks blocked by an invisible force field.

He glanced at Leonid with disdain and said sarcastically:

"I possess the great ability to control gravity. With that ability, who are you looking down on?"

Leonid burst into a sudden, delighted laugh, ignoring the strange bullet suspended in mid-air, its kinetic energy erased by supernatural forces, and disregarding the man's disdain and contempt, as he walked step by step toward Welt.

He spoke as if he were reciting a prologue poem:

"In order to live up to the name of Leonid Mikhelson, I will shine here like fireworks."

Leonid had always been thinking about how to die in a grand and spectacular way.

Is it because he doesn't know who to seek revenge against, against Honkai ethereal and profoundly vast phenomenon of Honkai?

Facing the Valkyrie who protected most of the people?

Is it Schicksal to drop missiles on Siberia?

The more he knows, the clearer his understanding becomes, the more bewildered he becomes. Honkai is something he cannot fight against; he is acutely aware of his own insignificance and powerlessness.

That Valkyrie couldn't save her own family, leaving him to survive alone and endure much suffering.

However, this is a simplistic and outrageous argument. From the perspective of the outcome alone, the Valkyrie paid the ultimate price to save the people, and we should be grateful to and respect such a hero.

The Schicksal of abandoning the missiles was to prevent the calamity from escalating. Had that monster left Siberia, the entire world might have faced a terrifying catastrophe.

From a human perspective, Schicksal, who has always protected the world, is once again acting in the best interests of the world.

Leonid understood all the logic profoundly, but as the one being sacrificed, even with complete understanding, he couldn't help but harbor resentment.

He would naturally feel angry and disgusted, but what could he do about it?

Could he possibly harbor hatred towards the Valkyrie who sacrificed their future for humanity? Could he possibly vent his anger on the High Command who held Schicksal in their hands and coordinated the fight against the Honkai?

He not only couldn't do it, but he also believed it shouldn't be done.

Leonid was a good man, but not a saint.

This is why he couldn't escape the nightmare even after more than a decade. He couldn't simply shake off either side of the ideology. The root of this pain couldn't be eradicated, so only death was the best destination.

During his travels around the world, he witnessed some distorted ecosystems of Honkai Beast, which he considered perfect burial targets.

But Leonid's meager strength and the weapons his connections could acquire were insufficient for him to do so, which is why he craved power and came here.

Now, Leonid may have found a more suitable way to die.

Sometimes, the size of the flames produced is not so important.

What truly matters is the reason you're burning for it.