February 3, 2014, 9:15 a.m.
"You want to use this broken sword to forge a new one? Why? The material is very ordinary. Even if it were reforged, it still wouldn't compare to the weapon the academy issued you."
Theresa was somewhat puzzled. Standing before her was a thin young man. His fingertips brushed over a certain spot on the hilt, which remained intact in his hand, as if he were reminiscing about something. To him, this sword clearly wasn't just an ordinary weapon that could be thrown away once it broke.
"This sword was a token of affection that my teacher's wife gave him. Although my teacher gave it to me and said that even breaking it on the battlefield was its destiny, so there was no need to lament it—
"But without this sword, I probably wouldn't have survived until now."
In Su Qing'an's hands was the ancient sword Calming the Tempest, of which only half the blade remained. The sword already held a special meaning for him.
"So I want to have it reforged. Please, Headmaster."
Theresa looked at the young man who bowed earnestly to her and couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. If he's this serious and earnest all the time, I'll be in trouble.
"Ahem. Although the paperwork hasn't been completed yet, you're already my adorable prospective student. This is a perfectly reasonable request, so I can agree to it. So stop bowing! If Major Himeko sees you, she'll think I've been giving you a hard time."
The girl rubbed her forehead helplessly. Then she took a white card from the cabinet and placed it on the desk.
"This is a one-time pass for the Schicksal Weapon Research Institute. If you're lucky, the director might take a liking to you and forge the sword personally. But that person's temperament is rather unpredictable. In any case, it all depends on your luck.
"As for the materials, ask the director. No matter what, upgrading your sword to a standard weapon won't be a problem."
"Thank you, Headmaster Theresa." Su Qing'an took the pass from the desk and thanked her solemnly.
"Wait here for a while. A Valkyrie just accepted a mission to test a weapon for the director. I'll have her take you along."
Theresa rested her head against the desk, utterly lacking in dignity, and waved her hand.
At first meeting, no one would have guessed that this adorable little girl who looked only twelve was already over forty.
And although she was serious and reliable when dealing with important matters, in everyday life she was practically no different from a child.
Her hobbies were drinking bitter melon juice and secretly reading the comics of Honkai Impact 3rd during office hours.
"Knock, knock." Someone was knocking on the door.
"They're here already? As efficient as ever. Come in."
Theresa clearly knew who was knocking and hurriedly resumed her solemn, dignified posture.
"Headmaster, I'm here to pick up the pass for the Schicksal Weapon Research Institute." A girl with long gray hair entered after opening the door.
Red glasses frames rested on her small, straight nose. Through the lenses, which had no prescription, her sea-green eyes resembled an ancient spring—dead, yet still limpid.
That face and those eyes left a deep impression on Su Qing'an. In an instant, he understood that she was the Valkyrie who had saved him that day.
Hua, one of humanity's strongest warriors from the Previous Civilization.
The legendary immortal of Shenzhou, who had guarded Shenzhou to this day for the sake of a promise.
After learning her name from Himeko, Su Qing'an understood that his impression of having seen an immortal at the time had not been an illusion.
This woman truly was the immortal of legend, even though she had lost most of her strength and forgotten most of her memories.
When she threw that punch, Su Qing'an could understand the undeniable reality of the martial way that had been fused into her soul over countless years.
It was a martial art that combined Honkai Energy with human techniques. The martial arts of Shenzhou today had been passed down by this immortal.
Unlike the killing arts Chen Junxuan had created on his own within the confines of his cage, this was a martial art meant to fight Honkai Beasts.
"Hua, he also needs to go to the Weapon Research Institute. Take him along with you." As she spoke, Theresa found another pass in the cabinet and handed it to Hua.
"I understand, Headmaster. Then I'll be taking my leave." The girl nodded. After signaling for Su Qing'an to follow, she walked out of the office.
Su Qing'an closed the door.
The girl's clothes were designed to be as light and agile as martial arts attire, with a touch of Shenzhou style. From Su Qing'an's perspective, her waist appeared especially slender.
"Have your injuries healed? After encountering a Honkai Beast for the first time, your mental state must have been poor lately, right?" the girl asked.
"Thanks to you, I still have enough energy to think about all these messy matters."
The young man felt somewhat embarrassed. It was his first time owing someone his life, and as someone poor at socializing and expressing himself, he didn't know how he should face Hua.
At the same time, the inexplicably familiar feeling Hua gave him made it impossible for him to act overly respectful toward her, despite knowing her identity.
He already understood the source of that familiarity.
"Then Major Himeko must have spoken to you about it—the plans for your future."
"...I'll enroll."
Hua was somewhat surprised. She wasn't surprised that St. Freya Academy would have its first male student.
Rather—
"Do you understand the consequences of enrolling?" the girl demanded.
"Yes. Even if I can only join the Logistics Department, coming into contact with Honkai Beasts will still be unavoidable."
"Technical personnel like my parents could die if their luck ran out. So I already understand that any accident could happen and cost me my life."
Su Qing'an nodded, then said to Hua what Himeko had once said to him:
"But is there really anywhere in this world that's absolutely safe? Whether it's humanity or Honkai, neither follows reason."
Su Qing'an didn't know that the humans he referred to were people like Cocolia, but Hua could only agree with his view of Honkai.
Although Shenzhou was relatively safe at present, no one could predict what would happen the next instant.
Perhaps staying at St. Freya Academy wasn't a bad thing for him. After all, if he went to live in a peaceful city while carrying such worries, he would probably spend every day in constant fear.
"Immortal." Su Qing'an couldn't help uttering the word.
For the first time, the girl's placid state of mind rippled. She stopped, turned back, and looked at Su Qing'an's face.
"What did you just say...?"
"That punch you threw at the Emperor-class Honkai Beast was as powerful as the immortals in the legends of Shenzhou."
"I always thought the limit of martial arts was someone like my teacher, Chen Junxuan. But that was a martial art for killing people, merely the limit of ordinary human martial arts—not the limit of martial arts for fighting Honkai."
"Your punch was incredibly difficult. I could learn any killing technique after watching it for five minutes, but over the past month, I've recalled that punch hundreds and thousands of times, and I've only learned its superficial aspects."
As he spoke, the young man threw a punch. Its fierce, domineering momentum and intricate intertwining of force and power were all contained within it. Without a doubt, it was the same punch the girl had used to send Ganesha flying.
Yet compared to that punch, this one lacked something more fundamental.
The method of controlling Honkai Energy.
Without the aid of Honkai Energy, the punch still couldn't break free from the confines of humanity.
But this was enough for Hua to once again deeply understand the truth of the information in the report. When she had first seen the punch the young man threw, she had realized that Su Qing'an's talent in martial arts was abnormally high. Now, however, it seemed that it might be even more astonishing than she had imagined.
Aside from the lack of Honkai Energy and its control, he had already learned nearly all the techniques she had used in that punch.
"Although you're still far from an immortal's level, you can come to me for guidance when you have time."
Even with his upper limit locked by Honkai Energy resistance, Hua didn't mind guiding such a convenient "student."
As for anything besides that reason, the déjà vu and familiarity she sensed from the young man were the main factors that had made her say those words.
"Then thank you, Hua." Hearing the unexpected answer, Su Qing'an froze for a moment before expressing his gratitude.
For some reason, the mood that had always been shrouded in mist seemed to have been bathed in sunlight, becoming considerably brighter.
Whether it was because he could make his own martial arts stronger through training, or because he now had a reason to approach the girl, even he didn't know.
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