Mermaid Meets a Whaling Ship

Inside the temple of the soul.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The chips gained at the cost of emotions are slowly falling like water droplets onto the empty scales.

The process of slowly accumulating chips continues uninterrupted.

The ticking sound, which only a young person could hear, was like a fixed, swaying clock, a testament to the passage of time.

Since it's unclear how much weight is on the other side of the scale, this act of accumulating chips is like playing an invisible game.

On the gambling table lies the will to persevere to the end, and the unpredictable strokes of luck.

And the reality that only when the final choice is made to reveal their cards can it be confirmed whether the two players are on the same side of the game.

The electromagnetic force's ability to disintegrate everything was far too domineering; the surface it swept across during the battle had long since been completely erased.

That illogical scene was like a stroke of genius left out by the Creator; the vast emptiness where not even a speck of dust existed was awe-inspiring.

If it weren't for the fact that he was already able to use his full strength in the third realm under the [Udu-dust • Critical] state to fly through the air, the fact that there was no place to stand on the ground would have been enough to put him in a desperate situation.

The illusions that Udu-dust created on their own helped Su Qing'an overcome countless crises. Under this destructive attack that forced him to expose his weaknesses, the activation range of the [Stigmata] became the key reason why the boy was still alive.

Logically speaking, Su Qing'an gradually realized that there might be secrets hidden within the Udu-dust that he was unaware of.

The fact that it has no Divine Key adaptability did not change even after entering a high-frequency overlap mode of soul resonance with Udu-dust.

Those illusions that have no practical significance other than the [Stigmata] ability are still not things that Su Qing'an can control.

It was Udu-dust's own initiative in helping himself that allowed the battle to continue until now.

In a wondrous state of perfect mental alignment, Su Qing'an's combat consciousness could be transmitted to Udu-dust without delay, successfully creating the illusion that the boy had complete control over these illusions.

This seamless teamwork, even though Udu-dust had previously displayed an incomprehensible spirituality, still left Su Qing'an.

In the heat of such a battle, these meaningless thoughts were put aside; accumulating resources and preserving one's life were the only things that mattered at the moment.

Unlike the somewhat disheveled Su Qing'an, the girl remained suspended in the same spot, showing no intention of moving.

The ground beneath Satou Yunona's feet became the only isolated island within a radius of dozens of miles. As her skirt swayed, it revealed her clean, fair calves, and her toes, slightly drooping towards the ground, were adorned with pale nail polish.

The girl gazed at the boys fleeing one after another in the distant sky.

The endless crimson illusions continued to be created, like a dance undulating across the sky.

Satou Yunona is like a statue standing on Tanah Lot Temple in Bali, overlooking the reefs surrounded by the Seawater as the tides rise and fall.

The girl's purple hair and pure white skirt danced in the wind as she witnessed an endless sunset, her eyes taking in the scene where the afterglow blended with the ocean.

Thus, the hyacinths by the sea were illuminated with a mesmerizing crimson glow.

The purple magma was as deep and vast as the ocean; it tried to hold onto the last rays of the setting sun, but each attempt ended in vain.

After a long five minutes, a streak of black appeared in the boy's snow-white hair.

Although it only lasted for a fleeting moment before returning to its original state, during that brief gap, the Honkai Energy reserves of both the [Stigmata] and Udu-dust reached their common limit.

His emotions were completely swallowed up like water droplets on the Soul Scale, which made Su Qing'an unable to sense the fear caused by the approach of death. However, he also came to understand the reality that [Udu-dust • Critical] has its limits.

The ease with which he hadn't felt any negative effects during prolonged battles led the boy to wonder if this could become a regular skill like [Thousand Stars].

But reality is often disappointing.

Su Qing'an quickly understood the real reason behind this defect.

The high-frequency overlap of soul resonance is not a state that can be maintained indefinitely.

Even just entering this state is an incredible thing. The reason the boy was able to do this is entirely because Udu-dust and his own soul are connected.

Even so, maintaining this pattern for an extended period is extremely difficult.

His superior Soul Essence allowed him to do this without feeling any pressure, and he could even unleash his full power in this state for high-intensity combat.

However, this does not mean that time has no end. The concentration and mental energy required to fight a life-or-death battle against an opponent of the Herrscher level are terrifying.

Su Qing'an predicted that if the entanglement continued, he would be unable to maintain [Udu-dust • Critical Point] for at most fifteen minutes.

To truly continue without revealing any weaknesses and fully engage the Third Herrscher, five minutes is the final time limit.

[Soul Essence: 52.37 (78.2)]

The constantly changing data on the panel helped the boy understand the truth.

This set of values has now become a real countdown; the Soul Essence has been slowly depleting since the moment [Udu-dust • Critical] was unleashed.

However, unlike the last time when the Soul Burn caused such a significant and immediate depletion that Su Qing'an fainted, these gradual changes were so subtle that he could hardly detect them during the intense battle.

From the perspective of an ordinary person's Soul Essence, even if the score drops to 10, it might not be a big deal. However, before falling to that low point, Su Qing'an's reaction speed would already be so sluggish that it would be difficult for him to fight against his opponent.

Moreover, the soul strength required to maintain [Udu-dust • Critical] is far beyond what ordinary people can achieve.

All of this was telling me that I had reached my limit in accumulating chips.

Hoping to accumulate enough experience to be truly confident was an unrealistic expectation, and even the fact that it has been dragged on until now is based on a series of coincidences.

The game between the two sides began the moment the distance between them widened.

The fact that the Third Herrscher remained in one place slowed down the transmission of the electromagnetic force decomposition phenomenon, and the accuracy of her long-range offensive operations became less than satisfactory.

This is one of the reasons why Su Qing'an has survived to this day.

The reason why the Honkai Consciousness did this was simple: it did not want the boy to have the opportunity to get close to Satou Yunona, and at the same time, it wanted to test Su Qing'an's limits by simply squandering its power.

Using one's powers to squander the endless Honkai Energy is a painstaking and cost-free endeavor, and such caution aligns well with the current situation.

Therefore, the boy, who saw through the other party's obvious intentions, tried his best to appear relaxed and at ease.

This is to prevent the Honkai Consciousness from truly knowing its own limits.

Once the boy entered a state of complete rationality, he wouldn't do anything unnecessary. The harsh words he uttered earlier were meant to make the other party think twice before speaking.

Su Qing'an now understands that this limit has been reached, and soon the facade she has barely managed to maintain will no longer be able to deceive the Honkai Consciousness.

But once the moment of being seen through arrives, that's when the Third Herrscher's true colors will be revealed.

The Soul Essence is one's last resort, and the possibility of initially burning away the remaining irretrievable details to make up for insufficient resources was also Su Qing'an's earlier plan.

However, the Soul Essence is now constantly depleting in order to maintain the state of [Udu-dust • Critical]. If this drags on any longer, even if the chips are accumulated to the absolute limit of perfect time, the outcome will still be unacceptable in terms of the margin for error.

All these factors necessitate that Su Qing'an seize the initiative by attacking before the other party notices, directly converting his chips into corresponding power to attempt to sever that link.

All these decisions were made in the very second after the black hair turned snow-white again.

It's difficult to get close.

The current Honkai Consciousness has been forced to reduce the threat posed by its offensive in order to prevent itself from getting close.

The difficulty of actually landing a physical sword blade on the Third Herrscher is now vastly different from what it was at the beginning.

Judging from the current situation, forcibly breaking through to a distance of three kilometers is the limit that the [Stigmata] and Udu-dust dual cores can withstand.

Every step beyond three kilometers would be an insurmountable minefield, but these were not within Su Qing'an's concerns.

The reason is simple.

The strike that severs the link doesn't require close proximity; the transmission of the Soul Essence is different from anything else.

In terms of the results, within a fixed range of propagation, neither the nearest nor the farthest edge will cause a weakening or strengthening of the force that only the boy himself can measure.

As long as it is within the range of the naked eye, the invisible soul can interfere with the Third Herrscher's setting of coordinates to ensure that all the power exchanged for the chips is accurately struck on the equally invisible Honkai Link.

However, before actually exchanging the chips, in order to avoid being directly killed by the power wave at the same time, Su Qing'an had to find an opening to completely release all the Honkai Energy inside Udu-dust and [Stigmata].

The construction principle and ingenious concept of [Thousand Stars] have meant that its true limit has not been revealed since Fu Hua taught it to her.

All limits are essentially boundaries imposed by the youth's own physical limitations, hindering their potential.

And the same is true today.

[Thousand Stars]'s speed was always at the normal limit without harming its body, but in order to get rid of the endless lightning maw that carried the phenomenon of electromagnetic force decomposition for a short time, Su Qing'an could not care about these details that would not endanger his life for a short time.

Just like what was done in the battle of the Stigmata Space.

The internal and external cyclical structures have been reconstructed into a completely new form, which is an extreme micro-management approach that frantically squeezes out the body's durability and Honkai Energy.

But at the cost of bleeding from his skin and signs of Honkai Energy erosion in his bones and internal organs, the boy's figure seemed to be extracted from a frame of a video, directly shaking off the pursuit of the lightning plasma.

Su Qing'an stood in the vast, cloudless sky, gazing at the relentlessly pursuing lightning bolts, and gently shook the [Calming the Tempest] in his hand.

This blade, formed from bones and power, obeyed his will and instantly disintegrated into billions of independently rotating three-dimensional particles.

Using the original [Calming the Tempest] proportions as a template, they were linked by Honkai Energy, which remotely stretched the distance to forge a void blade based on points and lines.

Holding the only remaining hilt of his sword, the boy gazed at the distant, thunderous sea that seemed to turn back towards him, and with that, he slashed out a myriad of phenomena.

Based on all martial arts, using inspirational Meme to distort the limits, and finally linking all the Honkai Energy of the [Stigmata] and the Udu-dust, the power of the Third Herrscher is reproduced once again when the technique knob is turned to unleash the ultimate force.

The purple light traced the remaining points and lines of the sword's trajectory.

After the sword hilt gently fell, billions of particles accelerated their rotation and obediently slashed down together.

By borrowing the opponent's strength and using his own skills as an aid, compared to the previous full-force [Time Cutter], this nameless sword strike reached the true limit of using the opponent's strength against them by making the most of the dual-core Honkai Energy reserves.

The skeleton and the sword of power were completely annihilated by the impact of the high-temperature explosion and the electromagnetic force decomposition. Su Qing'an looked at the Lightless sea that had been separated and fallen, and silently adjusted the chips on the Soul Scale to begin a transaction.

This will be the only chance.

After that, whether successful or not, it will be impossible to so easily exploit information asymmetry to manipulate the Honkai Consciousness again.

This lucky event of winning big with a small investment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Therefore... even if it means giving up some small things and becoming someone who is no longer like yourself.

The boy refused to accept defeat.

The Soul Hall.

Countless water droplets of chips merged into one, collectively transforming into a dazzling golden metal sphere.

A tiny flame ignites on the other side of the scales, silently telling the story of the price of the contract.

To gain something, you must give something in return.

This is reality, and this is the truth.

The golden chips fell to the other side of the scale.

Here, a magnificent flame burned fiercely.

[Power] caused the Third Herrscher's consciousness to fall silent for a moment, even from a distance of ten thousand meters, but it quickly became completely useless.

Satou Yunona's soul is linked to the power within the Herrscher Core; such grandeur simply exists here, enough to render this intimidation meaningless.

Su Qing'an was naturally unaware of the Herrscher's special abilities, but out of caution regarding the need to transmit coordinates through [Power], and also because this move was of little significance in such an extremely distant battle, he had not revealed any clues about soul suppression.

An invisible rope has already been attached to the Third Herrscher; everything is ready.

Now that the contract has been signed and the costs have been fully paid, aside from the fact that emotions have returned to normal and are no longer being used as bargaining chips...

The dark flames within the Soul Hall flickered eerily, concealing a profound and unwavering hatred and resolve.

The boy thus launched a true war against a god whose true nature was unknown.

The overlapping soul flames existing in physical and Imaginary Space ignored the distance and variables of space and time, and suddenly struck the chain linked to the Honkai Consciousness and Satou Yunona, following the road signs left by [momentum].

At the instant the orbit was formed, the scene that came into the boy's view made him vaguely notice a subtle sense of strangeness.

But this strange feeling was fleeting. Su Qing'an was intently observing this silent war, ready to exchange for new chips as fuel for one last bet.

This was a situation that neither the Honkai Consciousness nor Satou Yunona, who was in a state of chaos, could comprehend; the ever-burning flames carried extremely complex emotions.

The deepest hatred and anger are eroding the link itself, while sorrow and pity are trying to resonate with Satou Yunona herself, so that both sides can drag the Honkai Consciousness down from the throne.

Efficient.

This was the only good news for Su Qing'an, meaning that when the Honkai Consciousness was on the verge of collapsing above the Herrscher's body, the two sides could indeed gamble on a game of chance.

But there's also bad news.

The link of the Honkai Consciousness is like a lake that is difficult to dry up; no matter how much it evaporates, it cannot be completely annihilated in an instant. This is certainly not a good thing for Su Qing'an, whose power is limited.

The endless forbidden zone of the bottomless thunder pool vanished completely in the blink of an eye. Before severing her Honkai Consciousness, the flames of her soul seemed to briefly obscure the link between Satou Yunona and her powers, causing her to lose control over them.

The Third Herrscher crouched down fearfully, like an ignorant and naive child. She seemed to be in a long, silent night, awkwardly hugging her knees, trying to give herself a sense of security.

One of Satou Yunona's eyes faded to a turquoise green, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. In a soft, sorrowful voice, she said in a dazed voice:

"Give me back my mom and dad..."

The boy slowly walked to the island and stood there. [Thousand Stars] paused, temporarily halting the signs of Honkai Energy erosion. His limbs and bones continued to spasm, and the blood seeping from his skin made his ancient clothes a beautiful crimson.

Even so, his steps toward Satou Yunona remained firm.

Su Qing'an carefully embraced the girl who was trembling with fear.

Just like that day at the Senba Academy, he overcame countless difficulties and obstacles, and despite being covered in wounds, he was still able to reach the seemingly hopeless other side.

Su Qing'an did it again, at this cost.

The boy whispered a lie in her ear:

"I will make Him return it to you."

The girl's consciousness was still hazy; she whispered aggrievedly:

"It's so dark here, I don't like it."

Su Qing'an offered a soft word of comfort:

"It's okay, it'll be over soon."

The pitch-black flames continued to Honkai Consciousness, and His words could no longer reach Satou Yunona's consciousness.

"I'll make him get out of here, then Yuno will be able to come out."

Satou Yunona, like a child tattling to her parents about the teacher, pouted and said:

He said I was a monster.

He said no one would accept me.

Su Qing'an shook his head in denial; he was already very, very tired, his voice soft as if he were talking in his sleep.

"I assure everyone that Yuno a good girl."

"I will make them accept it."

Half of the power exchanged for the chips remains, and two-thirds of the link to the Honkai Consciousness continues to be maintained.

On the Soul Scale, the corresponding chips have already been laid out.

Satou Yunona continued speaking earnestly about her rambling, aimless remarks:

"Can I still sleep in the clouds?"

"Okay, I'll wake you up."

"Can I watch movies, play games, and eat delicious food on the weekend?"

"Okay, I'll have Hua go with you."

"Won't humans cut me into eight pieces and turn me into raw materials?"

"No, that would be making an enemy of me."

The girl looked up at the boy's blood-stained face, his blood-red eyes tinged with an impure blackness. She, with eyes that were also slowly fading in color, parted her lips and whispered:

"I trust you."

At this moment, the pitch-black flame of the soul was completely extinguished.

With those words, Satou Yunona's revived will severed most of the remaining links again. The chips placed on the scales returned to her soul on their own, and the remaining links no longer needed to pay a price. Once she was more lucid, the troubles could be eliminated.

This is a good thing.

But Su Qing'an did not laugh.

My honed intuition, developed over time, allows my instincts to understand everything ahead of time, as if foreseeing the future.

In that instant, without being able to think about what had happened, the soul, squeezed by the violent pressure and inexplicable anger, briefly eliminated all fatigue and forcibly maintained [Udu-dust • Critical] to its peak state.

Ignoring future lifespan and physical deterioration, [Thousand Stars] pulled directly beyond the bounds of recklessness, and Su Qing'an, carrying Satou Yunona, embarked on a hopeless escape.

Humanity launched a massive amount of Honkai Fission Bomb, intending to wipe out the entire Canghai City along with the Third Herrscher.

Before the Honkai Fission Bomb even arrived, Su Qing'an's intuition had already sensed it, allowing him to grab Satou Yunona and run for ten seconds in advance.

The boy said to Satou Yunona, who had begun to regain her senses:

"Prepare to use your power, Yuno."

"By utilizing my [Stigmata] and your authority, we can survive even the most desperate situations."

"No matter what kind of mess it is, it can be completely destroyed and erased using electromagnetic force."

Satou Yunona was stunned as if she had been revived, and all the memories of her blank personality were absorbed into her soul.

So much has happened without me even realizing it.

Teacher Su is such a strange person.

Upon hearing this, the girl carefully examined her exquisite dress, gently twirling the white hem with her fingertips, and softly said:

"I can't do it, Teacher Su."

"He won't let me use it."

Su Qing'an understood the current situation; the lingering, Honkai Consciousness of the collapsed group could no longer interfere with Satou Yunona's own will.

However, even with the last vestige of the link remaining, He can still prevent His power from being used by the Herrscher's original body.

This ability is easy to understand; the Honkai Consciousness itself is the true master of power, so achieving this couldn't be simpler.

Even after the link was severed, it would take Satou Yunona a tremendous amount of effort and time to regain control of that power.

However, the current reality clearly does not allow for such a timeframe.

The Honkai Consciousness's actions are easy to understand. Given that the Third Herrscher clearly cannot control it and is even bound to betray and oppose the Honkai, it would be completely impossible for her to show mercy and continue to grant it power.

The best course of action would be to let Su Qing'an, who could sever his own connection, and the free Third Herrscher die together, following the Honkai Fission Bomb dropped by humans.

Su Qing'an gently comforted him:

"It's alright, Yuno."

"I will take you and escape."

The girl didn't answer; she stared absently at the boy's face.

Why?

I feel like I know Teacher Su so well.

The Canghai City was far too vast. Before the boy could even reach a safe area, the Honkai Fission Bomb, carrying the aura of death, was already falling towards the city from an altitude of ten thousand meters.

The entire Canghai City was transformed into an abandoned island, and the boy was thus imprisoned, his fate sealed.

He was in the core sniping zone from the very beginning, even including the ten seconds of early detection and the ten seconds it took for the Honkai Fission Bomb to reach the detonation point and explode.

However, even this twenty-second gap was not enough for Su Qing'an to get away from Canghai City.

His normal Mach 3 speed has long been surpassed by his current speed, but even so, such extreme speed loses its meaning in the face of a tonnage that exceeds all expectations.

The Honkai Fission Bomb detonated completely at a height of 600 meters.

Amidst the deafening roar that shattered eardrums, Su Qing'an had already established himself on the edge of the city.

All the body's organs were failing, muscles were tearing, fascia clearly outlined the human form, and blood flowed like a fountain, seeping into the skin and the cheeks of the girl in his arms...

The [Thousand Stars], which was already beyond its capacity, successfully crossed the insurmountable barrier of time by overdrawing itself at a great cost.

Satou Yunona reached out and wiped away the blood that had dripped from the boy's eyes. She chuckled softly.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Teacher Su."

"That ability can save your life, but as for me... it's alright."

The girl's white skirt and pure smile, amidst the endless light and heat rushing towards her, resembled a sky full of fading stars falling in the wilderness.

It's a sky full of blue stars.

Su Qing'an's throat was blocked by a blood clot, but he thought it was okay.

We've already come this far.

They've already used their full strength.

They've already dragged the so-called gods off their thrones.

What do you mean it's okay?

You should go back to that kind of school and continue chatting with your friends about the mundane yet heartwarming aspects of daily life.

Don't you really enjoy drawing?

Even if you become Herrscher, so what? You're still not a master; there's still so much you haven't learned.

I can continue to teach you, just as I taught everyone before.

Hua is also looking forward to your return. Isn't Carole your friend? You said you'd teach Shiyu Qiluo to sing, right?

That means there's a connection.

Then you have to survive.

The boy, barely suppressing the stinging pain in his throat, gritted his teeth and forced out a hoarse, unpleasant whisper:

"Udu-dust, unfold."

Since it is a phenomenon caused by Honkai Energy, even if there is a nuclear reaction inside, it can still be completely absorbed by the conceptual ability of the [Stigmata].

He... hasn't lost yet.

We haven't lost yet.

A myriad of illusions gently revealed a large, crimson ring that enveloped the two, forming a spherical shape.

[Stigmata] and Udu-dust continuously absorb Honkai Energy from the outside world, and then form a protective shield from the absorbed Honkai Energy.

The continuous sound waves and debris from buildings engulfed everything...

After a long fifteen minutes, [Udu-dust • Critical Point] was forcibly deactivated.

Even at the very edge of Canghai City, the lingering shockwaves continued to surge for fifteen minutes.

The boy, holding Satou Yunona, was caught off guard and blown away by the blast wave, rolling down into a corner of the collapsed ruins.

However, the girl's middle arm was shattered by debris from the building, causing her body to separate from him.

Fortunately, it's not too far.

Even at a distance of only ten meters, it's still visible.

He could barely keep his eyes open. The [Stigmata] had successfully absorbed all the phenomena related to the Honkai, but the physical damage had already piled up like a mountain.

Su Qing'an tried her best to prevent the blood from affecting her vision, and finally her dark eyes were successfully reflected in the still spotless white skirt.

The ability to extract Honkai Energy from the Imaginary Space using the Herrscher Core still exists, which seems to be a region that even the Honkai Consciousness cannot interfere with for the time being.

Therefore, the Herrscher's instinctive Honkai Energy defense perfectly resisted all physical attacks.

Satou Yunona's face remained unchanged. She lay on the dusty ground, gazing at the creamy clouds in the distance and the continuous roar, and whispered:

"So this counts as a fireworks display?"

"But I won't receive any gifts from my dad."

Su Qing'an wanted to speak, but couldn't.

His consciousness had gradually waned to the point that he could only watch the girl talking to herself all alone.

She turned her head, gazing intently at the boy's face, and finally revealed a complex smile:

"I don't know why, but I always feel like I've known Teacher Su for a very, very long time."

"That's strange, isn't it?"

As if the brilliance had faded and night had fallen.

The blue baby's breath has aged and withered away.

Su Qing'an stared at the charred corpse beneath the spotless white dress, her pupils losing focus.

The total time for the Honkai Fission Bomb to detonate is no more than 0.1 seconds, while the nuclear reaction mixed in with the release of Honkai Energy is completed in one ten-thousandth of a second.

The ending was predetermined before the Udu-dust even began.

February 21st, 3:45 PM, late winter/early spring.

The mermaid encountered a whaling ship.

The Third Herrscher, Satou Yunona, has been confirmed dead.