Christianne, You Will Never Find Happiness.

The reason why the Thousand Herrscher didn't die is simple.

After discovering that Christianne was still alive, Su Qing'an understood the current situation.

The Thousand Herrscher are a completely different ecological form from the Herrscher of the past. It is difficult to explain their existence using carbon-based and silicon-based life forms. Their existence mode is similar to that of the Eighth Herrscher. However, since they do not have the power of consciousness, it can be assumed that they still need a certain carrier to retain consciousness.

The consciousness residing within that giant puppet was not complete; his soul observation should have been able to detect the flaw beforehand.

However, Christianne knew about Su Qing'an's abilities in advance, so she transferred her main consciousness and most of the sub-consciousness that carried her personality to other areas of the domain beforehand.

The giant puppet that Su Qing'an witnessed from the beginning had always been in that posture, and the fluctuations and quality of its consciousness remained unchanged from beginning to end, so naturally no flaws could be detected.

All of Su Qing'an's outward abilities were taken into account in his calculations. His opponent, in turn, took advantage of his confidence in his own perception, and even though he had clearly completely controlled Fu Hua, he still made a gesture of not wanting to let go and treating her as a bargaining chip.

Such an enemy is so cunning that even describing him as sly as a fox wouldn't be an exaggeration.

But there are still flaws.

The reason Christianne was still rambling on wasn't because villains typically make stupid mistakes at crucial moments, but because she hadn't given up on her plan to control Su Qing'an as a puppet.

No matter how resilient and strong a human being is, their will will inevitably develop cracks when they approach death, especially when the cause of death comes from the person they most believed would never betray them.

The more someone values emotions, the deeper the hurt they experience from being betrayed by their closest loved ones.

Su Qing'an is the kind of person who can always appear impeccable under external pressure, yet there are always beings in this world whom he himself has given the right to harm him.

Satou Yunona like that.

Seele Fulei is like that.

Fu Hua is an example of this.

In that fleeting moment when she thought there was still a chance, Christianne had no reason to abandon her original plan.

However, her patience was clearly limited. The defenses Mei had set up on the outside were not meaningless. Prometheus had noticed Su Qing'an's disappearance immediately and sent people to investigate.

If Christianne hadn't prepared the power of control within Haiyuan City in advance, causing numerous disturbances and leading the upper echelons to mistakenly believe that only the Udu-dust could quell the unrest, thus sending Fu Hua to Haiyuan City, and then having her go to support the Soul Steel Tower that appeared at the bottom of the abyss, the situation wouldn't be so favorable now.

It can be said that in order to buy time and to allow Fu Hua to travel to Haiyuan City in a way that would be legally visible to the authorities without attracting their attention, the two monsters' schemes were almost perfectly interlocked, with each step having its own significance.

However, given Mei's cautious nature, after losing contact with Fu Hua, although she might not send Kevin over immediately, it is almost certain that she will send Yae Sakura, as well as several people who have recently become Fusion Warrior through traditional experiments.

At that time, the Thousand Herrscher had already been beaten to near-crippled state, were probably no match for these reinforcements.

Therefore, Christianne's patience has a clear limit.

If the Thousand Herrscher could detect that Fu Hua's mental manipulation was beginning to twist and collapse, and that using Udu-dust and the remaining [Bewitchment] was no longer effective, she would definitely kill both of them and choose to run away immediately.

Although Su Qing'an was unclear about the specific advantages and disadvantages, he ultimately gained enough time from the other party's sarcastic remarks.

The specific reasons why Fu Hua was placed under control are still unclear.

Even assuming that the power of [Domination] can not only control the body but also erode the mental realm, theoretically, Fu Hua, who possesses the Feather of Udu-dust, would not be easily defeated. It would be more reasonable for her to take the initiative and control the consciousness of her internal sub-body, making the opponent remove the threads on their own.

Moreover, Su Muxi had fallen into a coma for some unknown reason. Upon closer examination, it seemed that most of the enemy's plans were based on external arrangements; otherwise, overcoming these numerous obstacles would not have been an easy task.

In short, if Christianne herself didn't have any other backup plans, then she probably had other helpers by her side.

If he had to identify Honkai -side enemies with abilities targeting the mental realm, Su Qing'an could only think of the already deceased missionaries.

Although that monster cannot be measured by normal logic, considering that it clearly possessed power but failed to leave behind any core, the probability of it still surviving does exist.

Considering that Christianne's birth date is no more than a month away, the planning and information gathering should not have been so perfect and efficient. Many things are now vaguely answered.

But this was ultimately just wishful thinking in his mind and had no practical significance at the moment, so he didn't dwell on it for too long.

The key is to find a perfect way to break the deadlock.

First, a medium must be found to interfere with Fu Hua's soul. Only in this way can the shackles on her soul be completely severed so efficiently that even Christianne cannot react in time.

The Little Feather enveloped by the power of Udu-dust within the Mind Lake is the only effective medium.

The Soul Scale was activated again after a long hiatus, targeting the sealing power imposed by Udu-dust. At the same time, it used the tokens, which were essentially soul matter, as nourishment to instantly awaken Xiao Xi and give her a helping hand.

This is not an extremely difficult operation; the reason for choosing to Soul Scale is simply because it is the most efficient method.

The amount of chips consumed was not much; only one-tenth of the total amount accumulated slowly by past emotions was burned, and the resulting raging fire had already swallowed the crimson halo into nothingness.

The incredibly spiritual feather seemed to have awakened long ago, and now that it had broken free of its cage, it happily swam around the Mind Lake as if it had been suffocating.

When the obstruction imposed by Udu-dust disappeared, the connection between Su Qing'an and Little Feather became clear again. He once again Soul Scale, and the illusory flame swept across the little girl's soul, burning away the tainted ink spots.

Thus, Fu Hua's consciousness was freed.

Su Qing'an and she engaged in a secret and rapid exchange through their Soul Link:

"This area is the manifestation of Christianne's power and physical body. Theoretically, as long as her consciousness can move freely in an instant, it is impossible for her to quickly kill the other party."

"However, Udu-dust, who controls consciousness, can directly extinguish the opponent's consciousness."

Fu Hua suppressed her emotions, having become accustomed to the rapid speech of the Soul Link, and calmly stated:

"When I first connected with Udu-dust, I was manipulated by a strange force and made to hypnotize myself with Udu-dust. Therefore, I am not familiar enough with controlling Udu-dust and may not be able to kill that Herrscher."

This method of exploiting loopholes is far too precise, and the timing is so perfect it's chilling.

Su Qing'an slightly increased the probability that the missionary was still alive. If that monster was indeed still alive, it was indeed possible to do so using the power of [bewitchment].

He calmed himself down and continued:

"We can work together to take control of Udu-dust."

Fu Hua reacted quickly, she said:

"Together? Through the Soul Link?"

Su Qing'an explained:

"As the owner of the Udu-dust, you control all licensing rights. Under normal circumstances, I cannot forcibly use the Udu-dust through the original contract, nor can I transfer Honkai Energy across your link channels to help you perform micro-management and better exert the limits of your power."

"In fact, under normal circumstances, the Divine Key can't rely on outsiders to help with their output."

"But if we use the Soul Link between the two of us and Xiao Xi as a medium to allow our souls to resonate, then at that moment, Udu-dust becomes the Divine Key that we both control, transmitting my Honkai Energy and assisting in soul manipulation, which is only natural."

Fu Hua experienced a soul resonance with Su Muxi.

That feeling is still unforgettable, as if the two were vaguely blended into one. Even though the Little Feather at that time was far less intelligent than it is now, she could still clearly understand what the other was thinking and felt extremely close to it.

Conversely, at that time, the Little Feather were much simpler in their thinking than humans, perhaps only a little smarter than cats and dogs. To resonate with them on a soul level, ignoring a bunch of external factors, it was actually possible as long as the intimacy level was high.

However, achieving soul resonance with humans presents a completely different level of difficulty.

Unless the mutual feelings reach a certain level, and the subconscious and inner self are completely unresisting of each other's thoughts and ideas, it is absurd to talk about resonating with them.

At the same time, both Su Qing'an and Fu Hua established Soul Link with Little Feather.

This is the core reason why soul resonance is not difficult to achieve.

The two ultimately resonate through Little Feather, rather than having a clear connection between their souls.

This makes resonance even more challenging.

Even if it were truly successful, considering that the state of soul resonance would cause the Soul Essence to continuously decline, it would be very difficult to maintain for long.

They likely only have one strike left.

Since there were no precedents to follow, failure was to be expected.

But there was no reason to refuse.

No one hates Christianne more than Fu Hua; this is the first time in her history that she has felt such intense killing intent towards a specific target and creature.

The hands that had pierced the boy's heart with [Spring Void Roll] trembled uncontrollably. The sorrow and fear in her heart, as well as the intense self-loathing and powerlessness, made it impossible for the girl to forget everything she had done.

Su Qing'an could very empathetically believe that this was the enemy's despicable act and conspiracy, and that Fu Hua was merely a victim.

But for Fu Hua, who always wanted to become stronger so she could help the other party, all of this was too ironic and cruel.

The girl overcame the potential death and uncertainty caused by the Hyper-Mutation Factor, became Fusion Warrior, and also linked with the Divine Key.

Just when she thought that this transformation might allow her to stand by the other party and face the upcoming battle together, she was exploited by someone who used the power she had worked so hard to gain to hurt the person she had always wanted to help and cared about.

One can only imagine what Fu Hua must be feeling right now.

She will not forgive the mastermind, but she will forgive herself even more for being so easily manipulated.

This is why, after Fu Hua's consciousness returned to normal, Su Qing'an, who could have easily reversed the situation with the Black Abyss White Flower, chose to engage in a soul resonance with the unknown and potentially unsuccessful.

Aside from the pure issues of chance and risk, this is also the best way to make the other party understand and show that you have no reservations about it.

"Good."

Here.

The words spoken within the Soul Link ended, but not a moment had passed in the outside world.

Flora, far away, simultaneously sensed the demise of her own power. Although she alerted Christianne to her current situation immediately, it was incomparable to the communication the two shared through their Soul Link.

Su Qing'an and Fu Hua exchanged a knowing glance, then focused their sword minds on a state of Clear Mirror, Still Water.

Through a red thread extending from Little Feather in the illusory Sea of consciousness, the souls of the two made contact. In this wondrous realm, which stretched infinitely far yet seemed to be within an instant, they constantly probed, adjusted, and interacted, eventually finding a common and stable wavelength. In a flash, they entered a unified orbit, and finally... resonated.

Soul resonance, success.

Thoughts and inner voices interact, whispers and murmurs meet, the future overlaps with the past, hatred and longing intertwine.

In that fleeting moment of confusion, it felt as if an overwhelming pressure was pressing down, as if a chaotic upside-down world was piercing through my soul, as if a bizarre yet familiar scene was frantically sweeping through my vision and consciousness, as if a gentle breeze was blowing and bringing peace, as if a melody of despair and sorrow was playing, as if countless conversations and murmurs were lingering in my ears.

That was everything that Su Qing'an cherished deeply, that she was unwilling to forget, and that she felt vividly alive.

Those were Fu Hua's troubles, her regrets, and what she believed to be the meaning and reason for her existence in the world.

Oh, I see.

In that instant, the two of them almost simultaneously had the same thought.

If it's this person...

Even if you know everything about the other person's past and feelings.

Even if you know every detail of what the other person has known, thought, and done since birth.

Even if all the novelty that should have been there is lost, and even the reason to explore and understand is lost as a result.

He/She will not lose the courage and ability to continue loving the other person.

Even with such a dull and uninteresting personality and life.

Even with such a lonely and struggling past and an endless journey.

If it were that person, I wouldn't feel bored, and I wouldn't choose to abandon them.

This is a very lucky thing.

Even after exiting the soul resonance and forgetting almost everything seen and heard, this feeling of joy and certainty will still remain in the chest and mind.

Su Qing'an's pupils faded to a soft, gradient blue, like an ancient forest. He grabbed the girl's fair wrist and met her eyes, which had dissolved from crimson to deep black. It was as if he saw his own pupil color reflected in her eyes, and he couldn't help but smile.

With their wrists touching, Udu-dust, appearing as a red rope, was pried open by their Honkai Energy, thus re-emerging with the power of the Eighth Herrscher.

The power of the Divine Key depends on the Honkai Energy level, the soul's affinity for the power, and the exploration of its manipulation.

And at this moment.

Serial 8, Sequence Number 6.

The two Divine Key, forged from the Herrscher Core, each held their respective masters and pushed the Honkai Energy output of this moment to its limit, pouring it into the Udu-dust.

Meanwhile, Fu Hua, whose soul is inherently special, is responsible for initially leveraging power, while Su Qing'an, Soul Essence is about nine times that of Fu Hua, is responsible for subtle manipulation and the development of the potential of power.

The fact that Su Qing'an used the Black Abyss White Flower to destroy and repair its body almost every second, and to operate it normally in combat, shows the difference between this person and a normal Fusion Warrior controlling the Divine Key. And now, Udu-dust is the same.

After the compatibility issue was indirectly resolved through soul resonance with Fu Hua, the power of consciousness in his hands could become extremely brutal and terrifying.

Su Qing'an was not sure where Christianne's consciousness was scattered. Given her cunning, it was quite reasonable for her to store her chaotic consciousness in seven or eight, or even dozens of locations.

But it's okay.

An area-of-effect attack that covers the entire [theater] will suffice.

Udu-dust is the Divine Key who controls consciousness; the difference between what he sees and the area beneath his feet should be indistinguishable.

A crimson halo suddenly appeared, and endless illusions unfolded.

And the power of consciousness uses this as a medium to unleash the nightmare called death upon the world.

The reason why Su Muxi's Void Sword God could make Shiyu Qiluo fall asleep was because it made her believe that she was asleep.

This is the gentlest way to use it.

The consciousness that perceives death within the illusion will also lead to death in reality.

Moreover, this is completely different from the situation where Su Qing'an once attacked Herrscher's soul, but his powers were erased and rendered ineffective.

Udu-dust targets consciousness, so its interference will not fail due to the connection between the other party's soul and power.

Otherwise, after Fu Hua established a link with Udu-dust, even if it wasn't as deep as the link between Herrscher and an authority, she should have received some protection so that she wouldn't be hypnotized by Udu-dust's power.

Christianne, as the Herrscher of the Thousand, exists in a unique form.

Her subconscious was numerous and chaotic, and her main consciousness was not very strong. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been bound and interfered with by the personality of a little girl in the beginning, affecting her own logical framework and even some of her behavioral patterns.

At this moment, Udu-dust's indiscriminate illusionary attack surrounding the entire domain was a catastrophic disaster for the Thousand Herrscher.

Christianne's willingness to follow Flora's plans must also stem in part from her fear of the power of consciousness.

But she never imagined that someone could develop the power of consciousness to a level almost comparable to the Eighth Herrscher herself, causing the consciousness of nearly a thousand sub-bodies to suddenly perish in just a few breaths, almost like a dream.

If it weren't for the missionary's reminder, Christianne herself wouldn't even have been able to realize what had happened. She awoke from that nightmare in a daze, but her consciousness was already gradually collapsing.

The illusion of Udu-dust continued to spread. This was not a nightmare that could be escaped once and then be successfully freed, but an endless pursuit and extermination.

The Thousand Herrscher understood his impending death almost the instant he was dragged into the nightmare.

The monster that had driven the boy to the brink of despair let out a piercing roar:

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

She screamed her enemy's name through gritted teeth, her words filled with resentment and malice as if she wanted to devour his bones and drink his blood.

"Su Qing'an! Su Qing'an! Su Qing'an!"

"You devil, you will die a horrible death. You will die at the hands of the next Herrscher, you will fall in the fight against the Honkai, you will die before humanity sees the future, you will die a miserable death with nothing, you will struggle alone and helpless until despair arrives."

The man's hoarse whisper mingled with the collapse of the entire theater, and she burst into laughter, as if singing a soaring melody:

"Su Qing'an, you will never get the future and ending you want."

"Because Seele Fulei is dead, isn't she?"

"You said you needed to thank me earlier, but you're really good at deceiving yourself. Your dear sister and the Sixth Herrscher's souls are both so incomplete, entering reincarnation? Hahahahahahaha."

"You're pathetic, you're ridiculous."

"She can't enter the cycle of reincarnation; her soul has vanished. You've merely lost the last trace of them, the proof that they ever existed, in that theater. Are you trying to comfort yourself? Are you trying to deceive yourself?"

"I'm telling you, stop dreaming."

The voice of the Thousand Herrscher faded into a hoarse whisper, growing fainter in the deep, dark sea. With her last strength, she smiled and murmured:

"They died completely, and from then on, through countless cycles of reincarnation, they had no further connection with Seele Fulei."

Therefore, you will never, ever be happy.

"You're ridiculous, you're pathetic."

The person's last words trembled slightly before fading away.

The crimson light gradually faded in the deep sea, and the malicious consciousness finally vanished with the darkness. However, her words lingered in his mind's eye until the little girl beside him grabbed his hand and gently squeezed it with a mixture of worry and comfort, which brought Su Qing'an out of his daze.

Their souls scattered and their spirits dispersed, unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Perhaps that's the case.

But there are too many unknowns in this world, and whether it will be so remains uncertain.

The boy gazed silently at the thousands of Blank Core rising and falling on the Seawater, speechless.

The soul resonance had ended, and after [Spring Void Roll] was pulled out of the chest cavity, the power of the Herrscher of Death repaired all the wounds.

But the shadow and pressure brought about by this battle have not yet dissipated.

How did Christianne know that she was undergoing her transformation in the Soul Steel Tower beneath Haiyuan City?

This is a terrifying thing, and the more you investigate it, the more you want to ponder it.

The information about the Moth to Fire was so well preserved that, apart from Kevin and Mei, only Prometheus knew about it.

Excluding the possibility that these three individuals were exploited or betrayed, it can only mean that there are informants providing intelligence in various sectors and regions.

It is now almost certain that this was not a conspiracy orchestrated by the Thousand Herrscher alone.

While her powers meet these conditions, she shouldn't have had the time to expand her network of informants.

Missionaries or other previously undetected enemies are lurking in the shadows, eyeing humanity with predatory intent. Once a weakness is exposed, humanity will face the same predicament it faces today.