Humanity's Gift, Awakening

Creeping, expanding, stretching, changing.

The bloody chunks of flesh were buried beneath the piled-up ruins, endlessly repeating these irregular movements, like a piece of butter constantly melting and solidifying, as if it were alive.

Just as cheese in a baking pan gradually turns an enticing golden brown, flesh and blood, amidst the invisible entanglement of various forms of radiation and Honkai Energy, twist into layered fibers. These fibers break down into countless fine threads, like knitting a sweater, beginning to shape complete organs, refine graceful limbs, apply a white camouflage, and bestow upon an exquisite appearance...

Finally, humanity's evil deeds and the resulting Honkai shattered the ancient taboos, thus creating new life in this dark and lightless land.

He observed this interesting scene and briefly pondered and deduced:

[This is not an accident, not a coincidence; it is a deformed product that most likely arises from the combination of human weapons and Honkai Energy.]

[Indeed, there is an evolutionary formula that has historical value.]

[Although we lost an apostle, the formula's validity was verified, so it wasn't a complete loss.]

Is the most crucial element the core of this analogy?

[The underlying logic is that it received the pheromones from the aftermath of the Angel's death, so it instinctively and subconsciously tries to imitate the same things based on the Angel's structure and survival mode.]

[However, clumsy imitations can only produce half-baked fakes like the last one, lacking the excellent ability to control Honkai Energy, and the powers they display are also full of flaws.]

Even if such a result can be replicated, it's already outside the core computational database, but that's still not enough; the level of replication alone is not worth paying attention to.

[Let's give it a little push; it's also worth recording what level counterfeits can actually reach.]

Silently, the Honkai Energy was originally entangled with radiation spontaneously extended into a completely different vortex. With a mighty will, a strange power penetrated the space between reality and illusion, gradually shaping the crystals in the flesh and blood of a human form, which then pierced and enveloped it.

Both were born from a tragedy, amidst clashes of differing stances and the cracks of worldly affairs, but her appearance was different from the former.

After attracting the true attention of the Honkai Consciousness, the spiral of fate began to slowly turn.

The long shaping period was successfully completed in tranquility, undisturbed by anything.

A living being, existing between the elements of humanity and Honkai, descended upon this world in a life form highly similar to that of Herrscher.

The ruins, piled up like building blocks to form a tower, were annihilated in the high-concentration Honkai Energy vortex, with large swaths of dust rising and dissipating in the sky like black flags.

She gazed at the newly born world, her pupils hazy and empty.

The scene before me was so desolate, hopeless, and dilapidated.

The lonely souls of the dead utter mournful cries, like an endless, desolate melody.

The girl was completely naked, and her slender yet curvaceous figure naturally revealed a sight worth exploring. Radiation warning signs and the United Nations emblem were painted on her pale skin like thick paint, these indelible marks etched all over her body like tattoos, affecting her beauty like indelible stamps.

No one can escape what they are born with.

Even if... it's a nameless, faceless, fatherless, or motherless monster, it's the same.

Her figure, like that of a human girl, her radiant core, and the markings on the Honkai Fission Bomb on her outer shell—all of this foreshadowed the future outcome.

But it is still an empty shell; the seemingly perfect body lacks a soul capable of wielding power.

But it doesn't matter, the origin of the previous monster's soul provided the best template for the Honkai Consciousness.

He didn't even have to do anything to see the thousands of souls that died from the Honkai Fission Bomb pile up into this body, eventually merging into a pure soul filled with hatred for humanity, despair for the world, and piety towards itself.

The previous monster only contained the souls of less than a hundred survivors. Before they died, they couldn't even understand why they died, so naturally, only a dominant consciousness like Shen Duxin's, which had no hostility towards humans and only wanted to hide, could be born.

But this time it was completely different. Although the lessons learned from Canghai City were still unknown to the world, among the many dead souls, there were always some who could understand why they died.

The Honkai Consciousness was able to reveal the reasons for their deaths, and with this push, the silent wind ignored the speed of transmission of all media, and in an instant swept around this empty shell. One after another, the dead souls, carrying irreconcilable resentment and despair, surged forward.

Like a furnace, endless flames tore apart the souls of the dead.

Squeeze, crush, blend...

It is based on despair, sorrow, anger, and hatred, and finished with love, loyalty, and obedience to the divine.

The Honkai Consciousness recorded this success, and it murmured:

[The finished product is close to the creation of the Apostles; describing it as Pseudo-Herrscher would be quite apt.]

[My apostle, travel to the human settlements and let them see the beings they helped create.]

She wore a well-fitting nun's habit, her unsettling, dark eyes, devoid of white, were slightly narrowed, and a serene smile appeared on her beautiful face, enough to dispel the eeriness.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Possessing unknown powers and carrying the Will of Honkai, the Pseudo-Herrscher ventured into the heartland of human civilization, now the most prosperous region, without anyone knowing.

Australia.

A private hospital, underground.

Inside the large medical pod, the boy's body had fully recovered. Seemingly minor details such as muscle strength, bone density, fascia elasticity, and blood weight, when combined, had returned to their original levels.

Only the brand left from when his chest cavity was pierced and the scars from when he held the Holy Spear remain intact.

These scars seem to be etched deep into the soul, remaining even after a new body has been created.

This situation has lasted for four months. The physical damage has long since healed, but the Soul Essence, like a dried-up spring, needs peaceful rest to gradually recover its vitality.

In the fluorescent liquid, crimson feathers swayed and danced with the light.

Udu-dust wiggled its fluffy tail and suddenly landed on Su Qing'an's head, bouncing around. Even though it messed up the boy's hair, no one responded.

The crimson feathers seem to be performing a stand-up comedy routine, looking both joyful and adorable, yet inevitably tinged with a pitiful loneliness.

It nuzzled against the boy's well-defined collarbone and profile, rolled around a few times in the medical pod, and then obediently returned to its dark hair, drooping listlessly.

But after only a short while, Little Feather rolled over and pulled a few strands of the boy's hair, which reached his spine, to cover himself with as if he were going to sleep.

Similar scenes have occurred countless times in the past few months, but because Su Qing'an is still in a coma, no one pays any attention to Yu Mao's little actions.

Although the boy in the past wouldn't have reacted to Udu-dust messing up his hair and making various intimate gestures, his expression and the gaze in his eyes were enough to keep Little Feather entertained.

Unlike the pitiful sight of being ignored thousands of times, this time was a little different.

The boy's slender fingers picked up the feather, placed it in the center of his palm, gazed at it with his dark eyes, and said softly:

"Haven't seen you for a long time."

In the blink of an eye, Udu-dust dissipated into countless particles, hiding in a corner of the Sea of consciousness.

This action, as always, left Su Qing'an completely baffled by the little guy's emotions.

But more important than that right now is how long I've been unconscious.

As the boy regained consciousness, the liquid inside the medical pod slowly drained out, and he stepped barefoot onto the cold ground, while the internal instruments emitted mechanical sounds.

"Last time to open a position: February 22nd, 7:23 AM."

"Current time: 1:52 PM, August 17th."

Before Su Qing'an could fully understand what six months had meant in this world, the images left behind by Himeko began to play on their own.

"This is a pre-recorded video. Seeing it means you're Awakened."

"I placed Satou Yunona's remains beside you."

"Finding a pristine Pure Land in this world that will never be disturbed by Honkai and wars between civilizations is extremely difficult."

"Even in Australia, which is considered peaceful now, there is always the risk of Honkai outbreak, and given the adaptability of the Herrscher's body, it is not impossible for it to turn into Zombie again."

"To prevent this from happening again, I think it's better to leave it to you."

"After all, this matter must mean a lot to you."

"Finally... I have no intention of interfering with your choices, but please, after you Awakened, go and witness the world for yourself."

The video ends here.

The boy remained silent.

The heavy outer shell of the medical pod slowly cracked on its own, the cracks spreading across the steel printed with old paint.

Layer upon layer, crisscrossing.

"Thud."

As the first piece of light, dust-like debris fell, the entire basement echoed with a series of heavy thuds for half a minute.

Su Qing'an stepped out of the medical pod, put on the casual clothes left behind by Himeko, and glanced at the panel.

[Soul Essence: 78.31 (78.31)]

This trauma was different from others; I was only able to fully awaken after a complete and thorough recovery.

Before waking up, Su Qing'an had zero reaction to the outside world.

A complete coma is too dangerous. If the higher-ups were to find out Su Qing'an's true condition, it would be perfectly reasonable for them to choose to eliminate him.

But now, six months later, it remains as peaceful as Pure Land on earth.

Himeko's actions weren't exactly top secret within the Moth to Fire, and leaving some clues was an unavoidable and unfortunate situation.

Even though the two systems are no longer connected, it is still not difficult for the higher-ups to investigate the matter of the Moth to Fire.

However, since the lab that had guessed about this kept it a secret and the authorities didn't pay much attention to it, the probability of finding the hidden location that Himeko had painstakingly chosen was indeed low.

All these possibilities lost their meaning the moment Su Qing'an Awakened.

The likelihood of the authorities choosing to break ties with Martial Immortal who is alive and well in Australia is virtually zero.

The positions of the two sides have now reversed. The one who should be worried is not Su Qing'an himself, but the officials who received this news.

However, the boy himself did not have the lingering energy to think about these things, and the aftereffects on his soul disappeared on their own when Awakened.

Su Qing'an's memory was still stuck in the period shortly after Satou Yunona's death; those six months felt like a non-existent dream to him.

Her words before her death became clearer in her memory after Awakened, like an indelible scar after her body was completely rebuilt, something that could not be forgotten or faded.

To calm himself down immediately, the boy chose to continue tearing open the healing wounds on his own.

He placed all his emotions on the Soul Scale, exchanging them all for temporarily useless chips. The brief period of calm brought with it a continuous, agonizing pain in his soul.

But the pain of lucidity is far gentler than that of things entangled by emotion.

The boy gazed silently at the few remaining clusters of blue baby's breath that had withered long ago.

The coffin-like instrument next to it contained the remains of Satou Yunona.

After experiencing a complete depletion followed by a full restoration, the soul seems to become more resilient and adaptable than before.

This leads to the fact that trying to maintain the aftereffects of the soul while indirectly escaping everything and calming oneself is ultimately impossible.

Su Qing'an would have to face the reality of her friend's death sooner or later.

But now, he just wants to escape a little longer.

Himeko is right; finding Pure Land in such a world is indeed a difficult thing.

No one can guarantee that any region will never experience Honkai or war.

If you want to give Satou Yunona a proper burial, then you have to leave that task to yourself.

If you want to resolve some of your inner conflicts and ease your emotions, this might be a good option.

[Udu-dust • Critical Point]

His hair, which fell down his back, turned snow-white as if dyed frost, and the boy's crimson eyes reflected the coffin, revealing not a trace of emotion.

"Let's go," he whispered.

Just as Himeko had told Seele, the Demon King would not be killed by the traps in the Demon King's castle.

Su Qing'an brazenly trampled through all obstacles along the way. With the combination of [Power], [Thousand Stars], and [Hidden], he left the private hospital quietly without attracting any attention or leaving any trace on any equipment.

The response to that Honkai Fission Bomb ultimately served as a warning to the boy.