Fu Hua Faced Reality

Satou Yunona's charred body resembled charcoal that was gradually cracking, slowly revealing dry textures.

Her long hair lay on the ground like withered seaweed, its vibrant violet color faded to pale white, leaving no trace of its former appearance.

The girl's corpse, gathered within the fabric, revealed an excessively slender silhouette. She looked so light and empty, as if all her blood had drained away in the instant her life ended, leaving only a sorrowful posture where even the muscle fibers were barely visible.

Those eyes, still gazing at the boy, were slightly sunken, their corneas not yet cloudy, like a tree hollow that had been deserted for a long time, so quiet and empty.

She died.

Su Qing'an understood this fact.

He had never felt that a distance of ten meters was so far, so far that he could never reach it in his lifetime.

The scent of corpses wafted into the boy's nostrils with the strong wind. It should have been an unpleasant smell of putrescine and cadaverine mixed together, but the boy instead smelled cedar, citrus, and sage.

Whether it's because the Herrscher's physical constitution is different from ordinary people, or because there's something wrong with their senses and mind, it doesn't matter anymore.

Blood trickled down his forehead and dripped from his eyelids into his pupils, yet he continued to stare at Satou Yunona with an expressionless face.

The image reflected in the blood-red landscape evoked images of ancient fossils buried in the Tasmanian forest, or of Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale, dying of old age before being awakened by a kiss.

The fluctuations of Honkai Energy completely dissipated, and the Herrscher Core broke its link with the body after Satou Yunona's life signs were successfully eliminated.

As a result, the pristine white skirt she had always cherished inevitably became covered in dust.

"It's so dirty, I need to wipe it off for her," he thought.

The arm, with its bones torn into nearly seven or eight pieces, lost its ability to respond to will.

There was no energy left for anger, and no extra emotion left to turn into sorrow.

The boy was neither sad nor angry.

It was as if something within me, witnessing this scene, emitted a series of crackling sounds.

Something has become fragmented.

But Su Qing'an didn't care about any of that; he simply whispered to himself.

Su Qing'an, move a little.

How could you let her die such a gruesome death?

He used his fingertips to gather the dry, tangled hair and carefully patted the dust off the clothes.

Find a beautiful, sunny spot to bury her in soft soil, and then erect a solemn tombstone.

This is the only thing I can do.

So, get moving.

Why can't I move?

Muscles and fascia fell into a state of dormancy, and the remaining strength to control Honkai Energy became powerless due to the interference of Artificial Stigmata. Hoping to act before the body's functions recovered was already a pipe dream.

[Soul Essence: 5.92 (78.31)]

Using Udu-dust to withstand the Honkai Fission Bomb for 15 minutes was already beyond its limits. In such a depressed state, the fact that Su Qing'an didn't immediately faint can be attributed to the scene before her.

The boy repeatedly issued commands to himself, ignoring the body's cries of anguish, ignoring the pain transmitted through his nerves, and briefly forgetting what sorrow or anger was.

The mere 0.11 increase in the Soul Essence testifies to the immense torment he endured.

All experiences encountered while alive will lead to a leap in the Soul Essence after death due to the unique nature of the soul.

This should have been the upper limit that could only be reached after death, but Su Qing'an has already crossed the threshold in this reality without cultivation or experiencing death.

This is not an incomprehensible situation. Looking back on all the times the boy had walked alone, this was the first time he had seen someone important die before his eyes.

It's easy to imagine just how impactful this was.

Su Qing'an had become accustomed to pure suffering and the despair of death.

The boy, who believed that he didn't care about his own fate, thought it didn't matter if he died and couldn't be reborn.

Death was no longer a significant threat to him.

Su Qing'an has gradually lost the ability to understand the fear of death; all he cares about is the consequences of his own death.

They have no feelings about death itself, but they value the added value of death more and more.

This outcome led to Satou Yunona's death, and for him, it was a meaning that could not be simply expressed between the lines.

The boy continued mechanically issuing commands to himself.

Move a little.

My arm is broken, and I can't move it.

Get moving.

[Thousand Stars] tore apart the tiny meridians, shattered the muscles, and severed the transmission of nerves.

Hurry up and move!

The soul's consumption reached its limit, and the inferior Honkai Energy resistance could no longer allow Honkai Energy in the world to drag it along.

Simple requests cannot be answered given the reality of a body riddled with wounds.

The boy's fingers rested limply on the ground, the raw skin oozing a ghastly crimson blood, staining the dusty contact points beneath his limbs a vivid red.

Su Qing'an stared silently at the corpse, so close yet so far, as if separated by an ocean, a strange stillness settling over her Mind Lake.

The sword's heart remained intact and unwavering, but its soul, unseen by anyone, was stained with an indelible darkness.

He lost.

The price paid for this was so profound and despairing.

How ridiculous!

I didn't lose to myself, I didn't lose to the Herrscher, I didn't lose to the gods.

But... it lost to humans.

About 15 minutes ago, everyone in the temporary military camp was pulled into the warship and sped off into the distance.

The remaining survivors in Canghai City were unaware that this urgent action was to avoid the aftershocks of the Honkai Fission Bomb launch.

The troops remaining in the area were naturally aware of the truth, but in order not to waste any extra time and energy, they could only temporarily announce to the outside world that a crisis had been detected and that they had to retreat immediately.

In a life-or-death situation, the already small number of people, less than three digits, became even more orderly.

The launch of the Honkai Fission Bomb is not subject to their will. As a subordinate structure of the United Nations, the Moth to Fire, even though it has a certain degree of autonomy, still has to obey the leadership of its superiors.

Moreover, the stationed here was only the Fifth Squad led by Himeko. In such a short time, she had no chance to gain enough authority to revise the orders.

At the same time, as soon as the notification was issued, the Honkai Fission Bomb had already entered the stage of being ready to be launched. Once the fixed time was reached, regardless of whether the local troops had withdrawn in time, the higher command would choose to launch it directly without holding back.

When the survival of the Third Herrscher is at stake, sacrificing minor details becomes a necessary choice.

Besides a few girls, there were more than a dozen women among the survivors of Canghai City. These were the lucky ones that the mechanical soldiers found in various parts of the city during their patrols.

Clearly, if these people continue to stay in Canghai City, even if they are not killed by passing Honkai Beast, they will eventually be brutally annihilated by Honkai Fission Bomb while waiting for rescue.

There must still be some survivors in this city who are struggling but have not been accepted into the temporary military camp, but under such a decision, their struggle and luck in not dying from infection have all become a joke.

For the upper echelons of parliament, this approach continues their usual iron-fisted and efficient style.

The core principle of prioritizing the survival of human civilization is the real reason why the Herrscher failed to cause significant casualties in the first two instances.

Cut your losses and salvage your position.

This time was no different. Even though Himeko deliberately suppressed the information that Fu Hua could manipulate Honkai Energy with her own body, she wanted to use this to highlight Su Qing'an's special abilities beyond combat power.

However, the cautious approach still makes it difficult for the authorities to accept giving up the opportunity to kill the Third Herrscher.

Essentially, part of the reason lies in the fact that the means of manipulating Honkai Energy in the human body have always been a project that was planned later in the sequence.

Compared to this, large-scale threat weapons such as the Honkai Fission Bomb are the main research focus of civilization at this stage.

Because of Su Qing'an's existence, the authorities still haven't fully realized that the so-called Herrscher are enemies that cannot be defeated by such limited means.

After the Third Herrscher was successfully killed, it became increasingly difficult for an individual's combat level to be considered by higher-level observers.

Even though the Third Herrscher did die in the end, the core crisis of the Third Honkai Outbreak was successfully resolved on the first day.

On the surface, it was a major strategic victory, which was very encouraging and helped the government maintain its authority and the morale of its soldiers.

However, the horror that the Third Herrscher did not have time to show the world meant that she was unable to prove that the Honkai Fission Bomb's practicality was not high when unchecked.

This also indirectly ensured that the entire civilization maintained its normal level of attention and investment in the control of human Honkai Energy and the research and development of micro-armor.

At the same time, Su Qing'an paid a huge price to sever the Honkai link, and his plan to abduct Herrscher- level combatants was forced to fail.

From God's perspective, the United Nations's High Command's decision-making is a complete failure.

The negative impacts are even more profound when extrapolated: the launch of the Honkai Fission Bomb directly resulted in the loss of a Herrscher- level combatant and caused a Martial Immortal to lose basic trust in the United Nations, even developing hatred towards it.

However, in a situation where information is completely unclear, it is impossible to make the most perfect decision that maximizes benefits and minimizes harm. Under the general direction, the other branches will inevitably have omissions and deficiencies.

The fact that the current authorities can make judgments based on the pure awareness of the survival of civilization is already a stroke of good fortune in this apocalyptic world.

Different stances determine different perspectives; this is true for most things in the world.

Fu Hua looked out at the scene outside the cabin and remained silent.

She sat on the soft sofa, with Himeko next to her and Seele, Shiyu Qiluo, and Carole opposite her.

If Sisi were a little calmer, Fu Hua would probably wonder why Himeko, as the captain of the Fifth Squad and now holding the highest command authority on the warship, would be sitting next to her, but she had no mind to think about such details right now.

In a little while, Canghai City will be completely out of her sight.

Fu Hua was actually not very willing to follow the official evacuation order.

This is not because of distrust or doubt towards the authorities.

Unlike the survivors who knew nothing about the Honkai, she understood that during such a special period, the so-called crisis officially referred to was basically Honkai event.

Even though Kenshin didn't sense any danger, Fu Hua subconsciously thought that the authorities might have used some kind of detection equipment with a wider range than Kenshin's.

So her reason for not wanting to go was simply because there were still important people to her in Canghai City.

Su Qing'an, Satou Yunona.

Ignoring the dire situation where both of them were in grave danger, and instead heading towards a safer, less Honkai area in the distance on his warship, Fu Hua found his actions unacceptable.

She would rather stay in the original military camp and quietly wait for Master Su to bring Yuno back than go to a safe place first and know nothing about their situation.

But Master Su said that the older sister named Himeko is a trustworthy person.

Given that she was neither able to protect herself nor to search the city, following this person's judgment and choosing to leave temporarily was the outcome Su Qing'an hoped to see.

The girl is enduring this.

Endure this fear and unease that almost overflows from your chest.

Endure the endless turmoil within your Mind Lake.

That's so strange.

After realizing that the person was no longer by her side and was drifting further away, she even felt involuntarily lost about the future.

Fu Hua continued gazing at the scenery outside the window, and softly asked the red-haired woman beside her:

"If Su Qing'an gets out, will he be able to contact you, Captain?"

Himeko closed her eyes. She hated lying to these children, even though it was the gentlest thing to do.

The woman swallowed the truth back down her throat; she hesitated for a moment, then chose to remain silent.

Why choose to lie in the first place?

She would soon have to face the cruelest ending, so what difference would it make whether she found out sooner or later?

The reason might be to give her more hope for the world, but it also inevitably reveals her own hidden weaknesses.

Just as Himeko was unwilling to continue on the path of scientific research and personally stain her hands with blood destined for sin.

In that instant, she was unwilling to witness a girl's faint hope being trampled into oblivion, sinking into the swamp of despair.

Su Qing'an is very important to Fu Hua.

With her father's survival uncertain, this boy was perhaps one of the few pillars of support in her heart.

And perhaps Himeko herself is trying to believe that the boy who has already given her enough surprises can once again surpass her imagination.

What if he survives?

If Su Qing'an had chosen not to continue entangled with the Third Herrscher and left Canghai City before the official decision to launch the Honkai Fission Bomb,

Judging from the speed measured by the instruments, he had every chance of successfully escaping.

But Himeko herself understood that such a coincidence was too much a matter of luck and unrealistic.

From the human perspective, it was Su Qing'an who entangled the Third Herrscher.

However, from another perspective, Su Qing'an herself was also entangled with the Third Herrscher.

Putting aside the fact that the boy was completely unaware of the fact that the human's actions were no different from backstabbing, even if he knew everything beforehand, escaping from such an opponent would not be such a simple matter.

Yet this vague hope still gave Himeko a reason to tell a gentle lie.

The woman kept an eye on her communicator.

If Su Qing'an had successfully left Canghai City before the Honkai Fission Bomb arrived, he would have found his communication device and messages at the only remaining military camp during his escape.

This was one of the agreements that had been reached between the two.

Even though many factors remain variable, this is currently the only means of judgment Himeko has left.

After five deathly silent minutes, she gripped the communicator tightly and understood the most likely outcome.

"----."

A subtle rumble, like waves crashing against the world, made even the massive warship tremble for a few seconds. But then the Honkai Energy shield and special protective layer isolated most of the tremors, and the girls on the sofa realized in an instant that everything was alright.

Take the untouched juice on the table in front of the sofa as an example. The liquid surface was tilted at a 45-degree angle and swirled back and forth between the glass wall and the rim for a long time, but it still did not spill.

This is enough to show that the evacuation was done very well, and the distance was clearly very safe.

The warship then came to a stop, waiting for the aftershocks of the explosion to completely subside and for precise signs that the Herrscher Honkai Energy fluctuations had disappeared. After that, the Fifth Squad, wearing special protective suits, would head to Canghai City to retrieve the remains of the Third Herrscher.

To retrieve the most crucial Herrscher Core, special equipment is required; manually opening it could cause residual Honkai Energy endanger the leader's life.

This instrument, designed with the utmost care and resources to protect the lives of soldiers, stems from a rare humanitarian concern within the United Nations.

Himeko had no time to care when the higher-ups would issue the order to retrieve the items. She looked at the speechless Seele, at Carole with tears welling up in her eyes, and at Shiyu Qiluo biting her lip. Finally, she looked at the girl who still hadn't changed her posture.

Fu Hua gazed into the distance, the Canghai City, which had been so faint as to be just a black dot, was tinged with a subtle yet distinct creamy hue by the roar of the engine.

She didn't know that it was Honkai Fission Bomb, different from normal nuclear weapons, but the Honkai Energy, as bright as the morning star, seemed to be announcing to the whole world that it was a threat.

Canghai City was thus submerged in a spectacular, creamy-colored mushroom cloud and destroyed in an instant.

It was done by the authorities; only the authorities have the motive and power to accomplish such a horrific feat.

What's the reason?

Why do this?

It doesn't matter anymore.

The lake, already frozen solid, roared.

In the silence, a tsunami struck.

The girl's blue eyes suddenly went vacant. She looked at the silent Himeko, her lips moving slightly, and in a cold and detached tone, she whispered:

"Let me go back."

I must see him, no matter what.

I want to see him alive or dead.