Final Chapter•Next Time, I Won't Forget

The Polar day.

This radiance ignites from every corner of the world, so grand that it obscures the sun's brilliance, yet it allows anyone to look directly at it without being glaring or scorching, like a compassionate deity bestowing warmth and tenderness upon all All living beings.

The girl stared blankly at the light that had pierced through all obstacles, filling the room with a magnificent glow that lasted only a moment. Her lips moved as if she understood something, but she ultimately remained silent.

She lowered her eyes, looking at the withered and scattered Abyss Flower in her hand. Mist filled her vision, but her pupils returned to a deep, lifeless stillness as tears fell.

A myriad of emotions intertwine endlessly, and the formless and colorless emotions stagnate into a sea, threatening to overturn the heavens and the earth.

She still can't help but wonder, what exactly did he say back then?

But just as the illusory Abyss Flower vanish into nothingness, some things, like ancient dust settling in the sunlight of the future, can no longer express the tumultuous past.

No matter how beautiful the spring scenery may have been, one day heavy snow will bury it.

No one can live in that beautiful season forever. Eventually, we will pick up swords and knives, dance with the biting wind and snow, and face the long, dark night, engaging in an endless struggle and battle.

But by then, you may no longer care whether what lies ahead is a pitch-black night or a vast army carrying the weight of the world's destiny.

Fu Hua lived in such a cruel world, and she had long understood that her future was destined to be full of twists and turns. She also knew that perhaps the moment that seemed insignificant and commonplace at that time would be the last time she saw him in her heart.

But what good is knowing?

Sorrow and pain suffocated his breath, while despair and anger gnawed at his reason.

A long, deathly calm descended upon my heart in an instant, yet ultimately... I was still filled with lingering resentment.

I feel deeply resentful.

Su Muxi lay listlessly in her Sea of consciousness. She transformed into the form of a child, sitting in the lap of a young girl. Her usually aloof expression turned into one of pitiful grievance and sadness.

A tear, formed from the essence of soul matter, fell and clung to the red string on the person's wrist, adding a damp mark.

Now, at this very moment.

She finally understood why that person didn't want her to follow.

Su Qing'an wasn't just afraid of being harmed by the genetic modification process; she had already decided on the outcome.

But since it is destined to Soul Scale, to burn everything away.

At that time Udu-dust, which had a direct Soul Link with it, would inevitably become part of the bargaining chip.

Therefore, to avoid such an outcome, the best way is to leave her with Fu Hua, relying on her soul matter so that Su Muxi can still maintain her individuality and spirituality to survive in the world.

In that person's mind, even if this civilization ultimately Honkai and comes to an end, it is still worthwhile.

This Udu-dust, which resembles their offspring and has been given a name with special significance, will still be able to accompany her for a very long time in the future, 50,000 years from now.

After ascending to a higher dimension, Su Qing'an understood that the result of shifting and burning the Soul Scale was a death that even those above Fuxi could not reverse.

The only remaining thought dissipated into the vast sea of darkness, and all the records and traces gathered within it vanished from the world, as all the souls entered into the boundless darkness of annihilation.

If there were a real restart, he might not be the same person he was back then.

So at least...

Su Qing'an hoped that this remaining Udu-dust could do what she couldn't do herself, to accompany that immortal destined to be alone through the long years, until she could achieve her wish.

Su Muxi tilted her head back, watching as the dark, forest-like color in the man's pupils gradually intertwined with the beautiful rose-red, creating a distorted and colorful effect. The subtle harmony and sense of disorder within it became increasingly strange and dangerous.

It was a bizarre state of frantic entanglement between entering the realm of [Sword God] and the impending shattering of the Void Realm, mixed with signs of genes gradually being activated due to emotions.

If this continues unchecked, the consequences are predictable.

The girl carefully pinched Fu Hua's sleeve with her fingers, trying to pull him out of his daze. She hugged his waist and whispered in a soft, sweet voice:

"Xiao Fu, let's wait for Xiao Su to come back together, okay?"

"He has become incredibly powerful. Even if his soul perishes, he will surely return through reincarnation one day."

The girl remained stunned for a long, long time, as if she had suddenly Awakened from an eternal dream. The vibrant colors in her eyes faded, leaving only emptiness. Her lips parted slightly, and she whispered:

Is there such a thing as reincarnation in this world?

Su Muxi responded:

"Yes, but it's very, very long."

She asked softly:

How long will it be?

The girl closed her eyes and uttered an undeniable lie:

"Fifty-five thousand years."

Fu Hua gazed silently at the intertwined red and Black Rope on her wrist. A slight upturn of her eyes and a sorrowful smile played on her lips as she whispered:

"It's really long."

"Um."

Will Xiao Xi always stay with me?

"Um."

"Then... I'll give it my best."

"... Um."

After that person died, the control of this Udu-dust completely returned to the girl's Sea of consciousness.

Fu Hua clearly knew that it was just an illusory and clumsy consolation, yet she still couldn't shatter it.

That's strange.

She held Su Muxi in her arms, thinking.

Knowing it's a lie, why still hold onto hope?

Perhaps.

It's because we all once wanted to die in that warm spring, turning into lonely cicada shells, filling the ginkgo leaves of autumn and the snow of winter.

How wonderful that would be, with no sadness or suffering.

But... there was no future either.

So,

Live on.

Even if it's a vague and unreal dream, if it's that person's vision, it doesn't matter if Yu Yu walks alone for a very long time.

"Dr. Mei, most of the Honkai Energy phenomena and Honkai Beast worldwide disappeared after that Polar day, leaving only a barely sustainable ecosystem."

"Is it... Mr. Su's ability?"

Mei nodded and remained silent.

In order to allow her to truly observe everything and the secrets of Fuxi, Su Qing'an established a temporary Soul Link with him, enabling her to observe him from his perspective until he completely vanished.

While the exact reasons behind such drastic changes in the world are unclear, there are perhaps no other possibilities besides attributing it to that person.

That is indeed the case.

As the ability to materialize the soul dissipated, the boy replicated the [Purification] domain, scattering it here with his remaining light.

This is the result of the sublimation of the ability to [absorb all Honkai Energy phenomena] after the soul materializes and becomes complete.

--After breaking the seal on the enemy's abilities, the ability can be replicated and released autonomously according to the specific duration of the seal.

In the end, even the remaining [Ashes] gave warmth to this world that should not have existed.

She murmured, repeating Fuxi's last words:

"Utterly foolish?"

At the moment the spacetime axis loosened, Su Qing'an used the remaining embers of fire to unleash [Time Cutter].

That was indeed a sword strike fast enough to cleave through time, perfectly achieving and surpassing his previous vision.

Even someone at the level of Fuxi could only have their own cycle record and complete spacetime axis severed by this one sword strike. This caused the concept of "humanity" to reveal a slight flaw, allowing the soul and thoughts that were originally unable to break free of their constraints to return to the reincarnation mechanism on their own, waiting for their rebirth tens of thousands of years later.

However, the result was negligible for a creature with an infinite lifespan; she suffered no real harm and merely fell into a long slumber.

Even this dormancy stems from the gaps in the incomplete emergence of the concept of [humanity].

Fuxi, as the unifying consciousness of countless Daoist thoughts, is inherently subject to many fluctuations.

Her existence is such that only when the concept of [humanity] is nearly perfected can a truly unified entity be born.

The previous period of slumber should truly be described as a phase in which the souls of the outside world were absorbed and used as an external force to accelerate the integration of consciousness.

Su Qing'an's actions were nothing more than forcing her into a chaotic state of disordered consciousness once again, forcing her to reunite herself, thus indirectly putting her into a deep sleep.

The time it should have taken to awaken was instead extended because the boy caused several souls to enter the cycle of reincarnation, damaging the concept of "humanity" which should have been able to absorb all the souls of the Proper World. The world's own mechanism forcibly blocked her awakening rate, thus prolonging it considerably.

However, it is expected that after the remaining population of the Proper World is reduced to only one-third, the unified entity called Fuxi will be revived again, and the missing souls will be made up through the autonomous derivation of concepts, thus restoring it to its heyday.

Just as Fuxi said in his evaluation before he went into slumber.

Such actions are utterly meaningless except for prolonging the existence of our Proper World by a few more years; they are nothing short of foolish.

Can...

Since Su Qing'an was willing to sacrifice his soul and leave no trace for the sake of this world...

The humans of that world will naturally continue the battle for themselves and to carry on that person's legacy.

Prometheus said:

"Detection indicates that Fuxi has autonomously returned to his Proper World and is currently located in the Asian plate region. Should we proceed as planned?"

Mei whispered:

"Yes, proceed according to the original plan."

"Inform all superiors of the current situation. Regardless of whether they believe what happened in that brief second, I will not allow Mr. Su to be held back by anyone or anything for even a second during the last bit of time we've bought for us."

"Doctor Mobius will be fully Awakened in a week at most, at which time we will share all the information about the God-usurping plan with her."

Prometheus reminded him:

"Dr. Mei, Doctor Mobius's personality is unpredictable; personality data analysis is almost useless against her."

"The Stigmata you previously replicated and developed have become monstrous and distorted forms in her hands. No one knows what strange chemical reaction this plan will undergo in Doctor Mobius's hands."

The girl understood the implication of the other person's words, and she stated:

"I believe she gained a lot from her collaboration with Mr. Su."

"That's exactly what we need right now, and the results she can produce are the stimulus we need to move forward."

"We don't have nearly enough time."

"This incident shows that defining potential crises within the bounds of human cognition is an arrogant and uncertain act."

"Taking appropriate risks is a necessary decision."

She gazed at the database filled with the boy's imprints and whispered:

"Moreover, Doctor Mobius still owes him a debt; at least on the matter of Fuxi, our paths will be completely aligned."

Come, let the pinnacle of human wisdom converge here to prove one thing.

Let me prove it to that human who believed he could interfere with the gods.

Is it really that incredibly stupid?

Su Qing'an has a very narrow circle of connections.

The number of people who actually knew about this, including all the Fusion Warrior that day, was no more than twenty.

Those who can truly see the whole picture and understand the whole story are even fewer.

For people all over the world, crises and calamities subsided silently amidst the clash of swords.

That person's death merely caused the online dating vlog, which had been running wildly, to be suspended indefinitely, and even the account was deleted.

Only those videos that record the beautiful past remain frozen in time before the tsunami and the storm, allowing people who don't know the core of the story to occasionally glance at them and then forget them.

For the people of Australia's main cities, the aftermath of the Herrscher of Restraint has been far-reaching; the nearly one million deaths cannot be measured by numbers alone to illustrate the tragedy.

But in this world, people seem to have gradually become accustomed to it.

The only saving grace was that hundreds of thousands of people were simultaneously given a timely replenishment of their bioenergy at that moment, thus escaping the disaster.

Shiyu Qiluo and Carole are also included in this list.

The control and limits of power exerted by ascended beings have created a huge chasm compared to other conventional Herrscher, naturally pushing the limits of Black Abyss White Flower to an extremely high level.

The Sixth Divine Key, which had saved countless lives, was eventually discovered by the warriors of the Moth to Fire and was safely stored under a banyan tree near the branch, looking somewhat lonely, like a guitar forgotten by the students in a corner.

However, due to the special nature of the power of this Divine Key being divided by the heavens, the Sixth Divine Key, which lost [Creation], was left with only one half containing [Annihilation]—the Black Abyss.

The plain, jet-black sword lay unadorned beside the banyan tree, sunlight filtering through the leaves and dappling the ground with beautiful dappled patterns, creating a serene atmosphere.

Long, long afterward, the Black Abyss, which should have been redistributed within the Moth to Fire, remained unpicked.

No one erected a monument for that person, yet the existence of this sword blade seems to allude to many stories buried in the past, frozen in a moment in the World Bubble far beyond the aurora and the moon—the story of that boy.

It's unclear when it started, but the white-haired warrior who stepped into the lake and froze it into dead ice, considered a monster, would often come to this Moth to Fire branch in the Australian capital before or after the battle, standing quietly under this prosperous banyan tree.

The man gazed at the eternally silent abyss, his eyes a cold, clear blue like Neptune on the farthest horizon, yet occasionally rippled with emotion, as if a tide of feelings was surging within them.

His lips occasionally twitched, but he would still hesitate and fall silent.

Actually, there's so much I want to say.

But tears will freeze when they flow, and strong liquor will only chill you to the bone when it goes down your throat.

In the end.

Even recalling the hopeful look in that person's eyes as they gazed at her through the snowstorm, she could only manage a faint memory.

For the deceased, any words or outpourings are merely a form of self-consolation.

Kevin Kaslana, however, neither needs nor can possess this weakness and cowardice.

Many people have been here.

All the soldiers who participated in the restraint tragedy that day, regardless of their personality or temperament, came to this place one after another.

Yae Sakura once brought a bell and placed a bunch of forget-me-nots under the banyan tree, along with a jar of salted cherry blossoms that the two of them made together.

At that time, she carried a guitar case on her back, inside which lay the frost-covered katana. Her eyes were lowered, and her expression was faint, tinged with a hint of sadness and respect.

Upon reflection, I realized that I didn't have a particularly good relationship with that person.

They act like acquaintances or friends on a daily basis, yet there's a certain distance between them.

On the battlefield, they are rare comrades-in-arms to whom one is willing to entrust their legacy, and in a sense, seniors.

But he was somewhat special, and he had a very good relationship with Rin.

So even though she had grown accustomed to this separation, she always felt that coming to visit wasn't a bad thing.

This bouquet of forget-me-nots is not for the deceased.

Instead, it was given to Yae Sakura herself as a reminder... not to forget.

Will big brother still cook for Rin in the future?

The girl with cherry-blossom hair patted her younger sister's head, but unusually fell silent. She whispered:

"Rin is all grown up now, she'll have to learn to cook for herself from now on."

The girl tugged at her clothes, pursed her lips, and finally understood the answer.

For Rin, not seeing the other person was a common occurrence.

Even the few times we met can be clearly counted in my memory; in reality, the time we've known each other is quite short.

But that person cooks really well, tells stories earnestly, and speaks very gently, just like an older brother.

It has nothing to do with how long you've known each other or spent time together.

To Rin, he was a very, very good person.

So, she still couldn't help feeling sad.

The girl clutched the sleeve of someone nearby, and glistening tears streamed down her face.

Yae Sakura gently stroked her hair, gazing at the dappled sunlight under the banyan tree, remaining silent.

You see, the fairy tales you told Ling are just fairy tales.

Shiyu Qiluo took out the gift that the girl had given her a long time ago.

She opened her social media account, which had been dormant for a while, and stared at the email that contained no words, only photos.

That seemingly ordinary photo album data is now the only treasure we can use to reminisce about the past.

Carole sat to one side, dressed lightly. Since the unprecedented downpour that day, the city had only been cool for a short while before returning to the sweltering heat of summer with its incessant chirping of cicadas.

She sipped the orange soda she often bought at the nearby supermarket, silently gazing at the overwhelming images on the virtual screen. Her golden eyes seemed somewhat dim, and the soda inside her lips felt cool and stimulating under her tongue, like a knife scraping at that moment.

Even now, I still feel resentful about the fear I had of Seele back then.

Shiyu Qiluo said softly:

"Look, this is from the ball."

"It was the first time we'd ever worn formal attire. Captain and Seele were still around back then."

She looked at the faces in the group photo and said:

"Yes, Teacher Su is still here, and some members of the Fifth Squad are also still here."

Lin Xinchán handed each of them a strawberry ice cream cone, her expression complex, and she joked:

"You know, what if we had succeeded in drugging him back then?"

"Does this mean I can become an auntie now?"

Shiyu Qiluo's objective analysis:

"Normally, one night of reproductive activity is not enough to cause an accident."

Carole thought for a moment, took a bite of the chocolate on the edge of the ice cream cone, and said:

"We can just pet Xiao Xi."

"A normal baby could never turn into such an adorable white sparrow."

They joked casually with each other, concealing their inner heaviness and grief deep within their chests, as they slowly flipped through the photos left behind by Seele, carefully recounting the scenes and memories of that time.

But when you scroll to the very end, it's a video with the most recent date.

Shiyu Qiluo silently tapped the screen with her fingertip to start playing.

What appeared before the three of them was a familiar interior. The boy who could only live in photos and memories stood in front of the counter, quietly pruning the branches and leaves in the vase. His handsome profile was vivid and clear in the sunlight.

The person in the video is so quiet.

The three people outside the video were also quiet.

Final.

The boy opened the photo frame and stared at the picture for a long time.

Shiyu Qiluo could find the faces of several people present in the album; it was a group photo from the ball, and it was also in the album's data.

She gazed at the man's slender yet upright back, letting his clear but soft words reach her ears.

"This era is not dead yet."

"We will have another summer."

"Whether I have a future or not, I want this era to have a future."

The video abruptly ended, leaving only the chirping of cicadas and the rising and falling bubbles in the orange soda on the table, creating a sporadic cacophony.

It's still summer.

But whether or not there will be another season like this, it is already precious enough.

Perhaps...

There are always some people in the world who, even knowing the tragic future their choices will lead to, will still find joy in it.

Carole said softly:

"Teacher Su didn't even have dinner with us in the end."

After he finished speaking, no one responded.

The Moth to Fire Division.

F6, underground research lab.

Mobius, draped in a white lab coat that concealed her naked body, stood with broken shells beside her bare feet. She looked at the data sent by Mei, sorting through everything that had happened during this time, remaining silent.

She couldn't have predicted that the person would actually reach the higher dimension, but she also couldn't have predicted that... after reaching that other shore, he would pay such a terrible price to gain the opportunity for a human being, who was countless times inferior to himself and even from a different dimension, to use his wisdom and power to deal with a higher-dimensional being.

The girl's serpentine eyes lowered, their gradually deepening emerald hue growing ever more profound. She pondered the words Fuxi had uttered in his slumber, then suddenly parted her lips, smiling as she whispered:

"How could my partner be a fool?"

Fuxi?

I'll show you then.

Let's see if that [idiot] can actually lead humanity to usurp the throne of God and achieve... the feat of ants killing mammoths.

Brisbane.

The sky was high and the clouds were light; the sun was shining brightly.

Fu Hua cleaned the huge villa alone. She rummaged through the game box under the TV cabinet, wiping away the thin layer of dust that had accumulated. Then, just like that person had done before, she picked a few bouquets of flowers from the flowerbed outside, put them in a vase, and carefully trimmed them.

While wiping the photo frame, an unfamiliar notebook caught my attention.

The girl gently stroked the leather side of the watch, unfastened the clasp, gazed at the large lettering that came into view, and whispered:

"What's this?"

[Date]

This is the third restart.

I returned to the era of the first reboot, to that ancient civilization separated from the post-revolutionary era by 55,000 years.

Aside from becoming Fusion Warrior or experiencing another completely uncertain reboot, I have no way to return to St. Freya.

Coming into this era itself has already gone against my original intention of restarting.

If I cannot return to that post-apocalyptic era, separated by 55,000 years, I will be unable to offer much substantial help to my former relatives and friends.

If we were to interfere with the future from such a distant past, it would be impossible to know how many variables it would cause.

More than those distant goals, I only hope that my arrival won't make the world worse.

[Date]

This is the third time I've met Hua, and it's around the same time as the first time I met her.

Before the Third Honkai Outbreak, her life was peaceful and good.

Compared to the Immortal Chi Yuan from 55,000 years in the future, she is still a child now.

The restart seemed to have some effect on Hua, but she still couldn't remember me.

It's okay, I'm used to it. Being able to inherit a few scattered emotions is already an unexpected result.

I tried to teach her the Void Sword Qi, and accepted her as my disciple in her future name.

Kehua still calls me Master.

Hopefully, she can change this habit as soon as possible.

As for spiritual practice, we still have time.

Even if it's not much, I'm very satisfied.

[Date]

I lived in Hua's house for a while.

When I went to visit my uncle, I discovered that he had contracted Honkai Sickness.

Although I tried to absorb the Honkai Energy from his body using my abilities, given that my uncle's Honkai resistance is almost the same as mine, the future outcome may already be predetermined.

[Stigmata] is barely clinging to life, hoping to establish contact with the anti- Honkai organizations of this era before it truly burns out.

[Date]

The diary is broken.

The Honkai Fission Bomb in Canghai City killed Yuno's past life.

The struggle to Soul Scale seems like a pointless one.

Is it impossible to achieve the desired result no matter what?

After a six-month period of dormancy, the personality has become largely unresponsive.

So that I can still be myself, so that I have the right to continue protecting her before I burn out.

I... can't lay a hand on those people.

[Date]

The Artificial Stigmata have burned out.

This is the result that can be supported by the technology of Schicksal and my own qualities.

It's already incredibly fortunate that defeating the Fifth Herrscher only required paying this price.

After resonating with Udu-dust's soul once again, I killed that Chi You.

I was indirectly killed by it; I wonder if that counts as reincarnation.

Mei said there's still a year left.

Come to think of it, I haven't lived this long since I came into this world.

So... that's enough.

[Date]

Seele is dead.

The time has come for me to deceive myself with the Soul Scale.

But that child possessed all of Seele's memories, emotions, and personality.

Without observing the souls, I cannot even perceive any difference between them.

How ridiculous.

I can't even... deceive myself.

[Date]

The child died too.

She granted me perfect Stigmata and [Creation].

But I have never craved these things...

Just hang in there a little longer, and things will be just like before.

My sword heart cannot be shattered; I must abide by the punishment for breaking the agreement.

It cannot break before reaching the Fourth Ending.

[Date]

I left my diary at home.

This is probably really the last time.

Perhaps, I no longer hope for a next restart.

I don't want to be forgotten again.

So that's enough for now; this is the Fourth Ending.

Forgive me, Hua.

I'm really... tired.

A strong wind blew across the last page of the diary, where ink had been left, and the blank pages, like snowflakes, danced in the air.

The girl's beautiful face was streaked with tears. Unexplained memories surged like a cloud whale in Sea of Mist, and a vague sense of déjà vu kept surging. At this moment, endless waves seemed to relentlessly wash over the invisible fortress.

Reboot? What's that?

Fifty-five thousand years? The post-apocalyptic era? The third meeting?

In a daze, a scene from the past seemed to strike like a thunderbolt.

"Where are you from?"

"I come from a civilization 55,000 years in the future."

This was the initial conversation, the initial... conversation that I myself considered a joke.

All those feelings that came before without reason, all those likes that seemed to have no explanation.

It turns out that the answer was already there from the very very beginning.

Why would I forget?

Why did I forget him?

The girl's fingertips trembled uncontrollably, a dazzling sea of stars suddenly flashed in her eyes, and tears fell like broken threads onto the paper, blurring the ink. Her lips moved, and she murmured softly:

"Remember quickly."

The hazy Sea of consciousness is like an insurmountable prison in the sky; emotions rising to their limit transform into endless tsunamis, yet they can never overcome this barrier.

It really does exist.

Those memories that shouldn't have existed, it turns out, really did.

It's untouchable; you know it's there, but you can't reach it even a fraction of the way.

She gritted her teeth:

Why can't you remember?

The girl's pupils, once vibrant, twisted into a sea, while the feathers in her Mind Lake swirled with boundless crimson, forcibly propelling her into a state of ultimate harmony in an instant.

Under intense willpower, the Void Sword Heart spontaneously sublimated into the Manas Consciousness.

Harmony between humanity and nature, and interaction with all things.

This is called the Ascended State.

It is also... a brief state of dimensional ascension.

Even if it lasted only a moment, it only lasted for a moment.

She gazed at the countless stars embracing her, yet an inexplicable force yanked her away. She parted her lips, smiled, and whispered:

"Next time."

"If there is a next time."

"I will never forget."

The diary fell to the ground, and all the ink inside slowly faded away.

The power of correction erases memories and traces.

History, as always, keeps turning.