Forever, I Will Never Hurt You

The boy's outstretched fingertips trembled, and a magnificent fire seemed to shatter the clouds and surge like a tidal wave within the shimmering depths of his pupils. That familiar voice echoed from the depths of his consciousness once more, carrying sorrow and anxiety as it reached his ears:

"Xiao Su, stop! That's Xiao Fu, you can't hurt her!"

Su Qing'an remained unmoved. He didn't recognize the person in front of him, and his remaining rationality, coupled with the instincts bestowed upon him by his Planetary-class nature, limited him to understanding only one thing.

I'm very hungry.

As soon as the skin touches the other, the instinctive talent derived from the fusion of Chi You and Vishnu will be forced to rise to a near-activated level, thus silently devouring all of the other's flesh and genes into its own body, leaving no trace of the other in the world.

Afterwards, the awakening level will be greatly increased, bringing immense satisfaction and happiness. The broken Manas consciousness will also have the freedom and permission to break free of its seal and go to the outside world without entering the Ascended State.

As long as you eat her.

In this world, there will truly be no existence that can rival it.

As long as you eat her.

Genetic modification and the ascension of the soul will become parallel, reaching a state where one can possess supreme power without changing oneself.

As long as you eat her.

The confused and aimless self will have an opportunity to recover, and the empty, devoid container will gain the right to peer into the past.

After the Little Feather struggled to overcome the obstacle and conveyed those words, it became listless and lost most of its luster, powerless to offer any further dissuasion.

Clearly, Su Qing'an, who has no recollection of Fu Hua, would not hesitate about this.

But Manas, sensing the girl's feelings, began to gradually become attached to this emotion that was as warm as a hearth fire, as bright as the stars, and as radiant as the sun.

This is a yearning for the true self, an instinct to complete one's consciousness.

This greed originating from consciousness and the appetite of the body are intertwined, allowing a small space to be created.

The Soul Scale originate from the side that generates power, where round, bead-like chips gather and slowly fall into the pan like rain, making a crisp sound.

Li Shishi and the young man had only known each other for less than a month, yet she already regarded him as family, and the emotions she could bestow upon him were extremely limited.

This was the being that Manas consciousness had selected from within the Capital City since its descent, the one to whom it could bestow the most [Ego Fragment].

Her appearance did indeed successfully enable Su Qing'an to communicate with ordinary people.

Otherwise, based on his past behavior, it would have been difficult for him to respond to Fu Hua.

But now, the warmth of empathy that the immortals who have just awakened to the two timelines within themselves can offer is even more dazzling and makes them linger.

Then.

Fu Hua's definition instantly changed from food that had no value if simply eaten, to a strange being who, if eaten, would actually reduce the availability of food.

This bizarre, indiscriminate appetite made the boy hesitate for a moment before withdrawing his fingertips.

--The faintly visible dark crevices on the surface of the skin slowly closed until they were no longer visible to the naked eye.

Su Qing'an felt the beads on the scales slowly disintegrating into his [mind]. The colorful light in his pupils continued to flicker, and his emotional mechanisms and personality integrity advanced another step. His rationality recovered somewhat, and his lips moved as he uttered words that Fu Hua could hardly understand:

Give me more.

The girl gazed at the boy's youthful yet somewhat familiar face. Her eyes were lowered, like a pool of spring water rippling in a gentle breeze, creating delicate, soft waves. A bitter smile played on her lips as she asked:

"You really don't remember me?"

The young boy walked up to the immortal, looked up at the sorrow in the immortal's eyes, and felt the warmth that had not yet been extinguished in the immortal's chest. His expression was indifferent, revealing no emotion. He simply snapped his fingers in silence.

The [Stigmata] has been revived, and the Heaven and Earth Qi has condensed into strong and delicate chains. They extend from the void, and the rustling sound of metal scraping against metal vibrates in the eardrums.

The immortal sensed her ankle being dragged, her leg bound by chains, and her slender, fair wrist feeling slightly cool amidst the icy touch. She raised her head to look at the face parallel to his, her fingertips drooping but without much force. She remained silent, only gazing at his face with eyes that were vaguely visible through the swaying strands of hair.

While the girl stared blankly and speechlessly, the boy silently pulled open the dark blue robe, which resembled food packaging. He then slowly pulled the white shirt inside to the edge, revealing her fair and delicate skin, her exquisite collarbone, and even the curves of her breasts like snow-capped mountains.

The boy showed no interest in the scenery that came into view, but his gaze still caused his alabaster skin to gradually blush with a rosy hue.

She tried to lower her head to avoid his gaze, but the black chains bound her neck, leaving her only able to meet his eyes in silence.

Su Qing'an's behavior stemmed entirely from the fragmented memories that randomly recovered after the chips were returned to [Nian].

--That is, the lessons learned in the struggle against the Herrscher of Domination.

However, because his memory is so blank, this experience has become a strangely convenient way to prevent the "food" from running away.

Caught between two distinct and subtly conflicting desires, Su Qing'an was unwilling to devour Fu Hua completely at once, yet the intense hunger bestowed upon him by his physical body made it difficult to endure for long.

Therefore, he had no choice but to choose a compromise.

In that moment of confusion, the boy gently embraced her slender neck.

He was so close that as he blinked, his curled eyelashes brushed against her smooth skin, sending a tingling, itchy sensation through her. His warm lips gently pressed against her neck, where pale blue veins were visible, and his breath and saliva gave her skin a uniquely warm temperature.

The boy's eyes were lowered, his rosy lips parted, and his slightly immature teeth slowly ground against her smooth, jade-like skin. Saliva seeped from his mouth, and the slippery touch and slight sting made her frown and remain silent, wondering what state Su Qing'an was in.

If one were to rely solely on pure instinct to devour the Honkai Beast genes within their own body, such a gentle and roundabout method would be inappropriate.

In Fu Hua's mind, Su Qing'an was certainly not Honkai Beast.

Not to mention that Planetary-class is entirely a conceptual level, almost unnecessary to mention, and even more difficult to predict would be that it would appear in human form.

It is common knowledge that Honkai Beast themselves cannot sustain a human body.

Therefore, in her view, Su Qing'an's devouring instinct could only be because he became Fusion Warrior, and the Gene Ability of the fusion was probably to evolve and become stronger by devouring other Honkai Beast.

There are dozens of categories of Honkai Beast in her mind that could potentially evolve into this type of ability, making it difficult to determine the exact prototype, but this does not prevent her from arriving at her own answer.

In the absence of memory and personality, the inability to resist the instinctive effects forced by gene activation, and becoming a puppet of one's abilities, is theoretically quite probable.

In the previous era, similar situations were not uncommon among the Fusion Warrior.

The girl allowed the boy to gnaw at her with extreme restraint yet a hint of brutality, and she whispered:

"You've come back to that era once again, haven't you?"

Su Qing'an remained silent. Fu Hua's words had no effect on him. Just suppressing the urge to crush and swallow the blood was enough to exhaust his mind, let alone answer a question that he had no memory of.

The beads on the scale kept falling and disintegrating.

But compared to everything that was gained from that Soul Scale, this was far too little, a drop in the ocean.

The Manas consciousness can use sincere and passionate positive emotions to make the [thought] spontaneously revive and respond, but this only accelerates the process of Su Qing'an's complete return to the concept, but in essence it is not a real compensation, but merely a pure stimulus.

In this situation, expecting Su Qing'an to immediately recover his memories and feelings about Fu Hua and forcibly stop the attack is clearly naive.

Time passed slowly, and the boy's teeth pierced the dermis of his skin. Crimson blood slowly oozed from the wound, dripping onto his tongue and giving it a slightly sweet and bitter taste. The variegated look in his eyes became even more distorted, like a demon that could devour the world being forced to stay in a cage, unable to escape.

And at this moment.

The crimson in the immortal's eyes was forced to engulf the holy blue, and the original pupils gradually turned into vertical pupils, clearly revealing a natural bestiality and majesty, yet also conveying an instinctive fear.

Her hair was as white as frost, and her slender back was accompanied by a spasm in her shoulder blades as she unfurled a pair of enormous Dragon Wings.

This appearance is something that only occurs when Gene Ability are previously uncontrollable.

However, she was forced to reveal herself under the other party's will. She could naturally sense that her unique genes were being forcibly activated. It was like patiently baking food until it was at the perfect temperature and texture, an elegant and patient process that was also terrifyingly unsettling.

Benares's genes resembled those of an obedient child, allowing himself to be molded and shaped at will by the pressure of others.

What level of genes could possibly command the sublime genes of the Judgment-class with mere aura?

End-of-Law class Honkai Beast?

No, we have experience fighting Honkai Beast of this level before, but we have never encountered a similar situation.

The answer is obvious: this can only be at the level of conceptualization.

The girl strained to turn her head and look at the man's profile, seeing the colorful Sea of Mist overflowing from his pupils into the outside world. She was momentarily stunned, but finally understood the real answer.

This can no longer be described as Fusion Warrior.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to define Su Qing'an as a humanoid Honkai Beast.

Such a person may never be able to return to his original self in his lifetime, and it would not be surprising if he were to devour himself and then wreak havoc on the world.

The immortal's unwavering commitment, honed over thousands of years—to carry out the ideal of slaying demons and monsters to the very end—was now sweeping over his previously resolute will to die like a storm.

The deathly killing intent, like dust rising and falling in the sunlight, suddenly became endless, spreading into a sea.

She murmured in a daze:

"Slay demons and exorcise evil spirits."

In that instant, past memories surfaced like a flurry of fluttering papers.

[Chi Yuan, you must Shenzhou well.]

[Hua, the responsibility of passing on the torch of civilization is now entrusted to you.]

[I know, I know this path is too unfair and too painful for you, but... please keep going, Chi Yuan. I believe that one day you will meet someone who truly understands you.]

[You've worked hard, immortal. You've been slaying demons and monsters for so long. Why don't you stay and let us treat you to a proper meal?]

[More than half of the hundreds of thousands of people in my city perished in the jaws of demons, why didn't you come sooner? You are unworthy of being called the Immortal Chi Yuan! And I am even more unworthy of being called the city lord.]

[Great! Xiao Xuan can travel with the immortals again!]

The ethereal words of an old friend, the remorseful murmurs of a fellow acquaintance.

Children's laughter and soldiers' gratitude, New Year's lanterns and distant fireworks.

The image of the city lord weeping and roaring before drawing his sword and committing suicide, and Xiao Xuan spinning around in the sunlight, laughing and talking.

And many more memories fall like rain, vivid and clear, like withered leaves reflecting clear veins under the light.

This is the shackles of the Immortal Chi Yuan, the responsibility of a warrior from the previous era, and an inescapable burden crushing countless expectations and Karma.

She made a decision.

This close contact not only allowed him to discover Su Qing'an's true nature, but also revealed the truth about the extreme frailty of her body.

The Key of Domination covered the immortal's arms and palms were slightly warm. With just a gentle touch to his neck, the bones within would scatter their last splendor like flower branches broken by the wind.

This has nothing to do with Honkai Energy; it only requires pure power and can be done without even adding any skill.

The shackles formed by the condensed Heaven and Earth Qi broke apart in an instant.

The [Stigmata] only has a passive component within and on the surface of the boy's body, and does not have the ability to continuously absorb Honkai Energy in the external realm without the conscious command to do so.

This is an ability that comes incredibly close to perfection.

However, if the user makes a mistake, this perfection will be lost.

In a fraction of a breath, the girl's hand slashed down like wind and rain.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the outcome will be obvious.

But for some reason, the Key of Domination suddenly became extremely hot at this moment, and then suddenly lit up with a white light, reshaping itself.

She watched as the Divine Key, which had been with her for so long, transformed into a sword in that instant, falling into her palm, her expression slightly stunned.

--It was a sword blade as exquisite and beautiful as a work of art, with Yumei Ren- like patterns spreading from every corner of the metal, and a blood-red Crimson Pearl inlaid at the hilt, adding a touch of splendor like an accessory.

Why not the original Xuanyuan Sword?

Why does it suddenly take on an unfamiliar shape?

Why do I feel such intense pain in my heart even though I don't know them at all?

A fragmented painting, extremely obscure yet conveying waves of sorrow, flickers in my heart.

Her voice asked:

"Then why name it 'Spring Void Roll'?"

The boy ignored his pierced heart and whispered:

"Because of 'Calming the Tempest,' it is also known as 'Spring Void Roll.'"

The strikingly similar behavior forced the threshold to rise, causing fragmented memories of this connection to flood the mind.

Tears streamed down the immortal's face as the sword in his hand pressed against the man's skin, his fingertips trembling.

She remained silent for a long time, then let the weapon fall to the ground with a clanging sound.

The girl hugged the man back, her lips moving as if she wanted to speak but couldn't, unable to express what was in her heart.

So, I've already... done something similar.

That really is, very bad.

The colorful mist that overflowed from Su Qing'an's pupils was pulled back to the sea of consciousness by invisible chains. His lips were as red as blood against the backdrop of the blood, yet strangely he let the food slowly drip down his face without drinking a drop.

An intense hunger, so intense it twisted his organs and gnawed at his soul, spurred him to devour the person in his arms.

But when it truly couldn't resist the urge to devour, the constraints imposed upon it by its ancient past naturally caused it to retract its claws and teeth.

I'm so hungry, so painful, so uncomfortable.

But he still couldn't bring himself to actually lay a hand on this complete stranger.

Why?

I don't know or understand it, but that's the truth.

The immortal noticed Su Qing'an's unusual behavior. She stroked his silky black hair, the depths of his eyes still a deep crimson. The forced revival and activation of his genes had not ended, meaning that as a humanoid Honkai Beast, he still could not control his appetite.

But even in the instant she broke free of her shackles and revealed her murderous intent, her opponent still failed to completely devour her.

This level, capable of easily suppressing Judgment-class gene with its aura, could be completely devoured in the blink of an eye.

While it might have been possible to use the excuse of saving food for its most delicious moment to eat it in the past, this reason clearly no longer explains the other party's behavior.

She asked softly:

Why don't you take action?

"I was just about to kill you, and you've lost your memory, so why... didn't you do it?"

The boy was bewildered; it was as if he had dived into the depths of his Sea of consciousness, to one side of the Soul Hall, where he glimpsed the true answer.

The vibrant colors in Su Qing'an's eyes faded to ashes, and within the pitch-black background, it seemed as if ten thousand lights were shining brightly. He softly uttered the words engraved upon them, his tone ethereal, like a dream:

"Because... we must never hurt Fu Hua."

The immortal remained silent, speechless, unable to utter a word. She swallowed the rising bitterness and sorrow in her chest, and whispered:

"But you don't even know her, so why can't you?"

The boy's eyes lowered, and the vibrant colors within them returned, but he remained unmoved, offering only a response:

"Never, absolutely never."

This is a constraint etched into the soul, a stubbornness and tenderness that is deliberately reinforced even after ascending to a higher dimension and has never been erased.

She pursed her lips, hugging the empty shell of Su Qing'an in her arms, tears sliding down onto his skin, and whispered:

"Su Qing'an, I really... have absolutely no way to deal with you."

When an iceberg still retains a sliver of humanity meets an empty shell filled with [Ashes], no matter how much outsiders hope, will it only result in a fleeting encounter and a fading away without a trace?

But it turns out that the season when icebergs encounter them is the warm spring.

But it turns out that long before he became an empty shell, the boy had already carved his own answers into the [Ashes].