What We Call Reality / Splitting into Three Groups

This is the world where ordinary people live. They experience their own loves and hates here. They have their own families and friends, and their own hobbies. They don't have to go to their deaths for a single order, fighting in a city overrun by monsters while covered in mud.

But now, all that can be seen in this city, besides wandering ghosts, are the monsters spawned by the Honkai.

Even if Lin manages to hold off the Herrscher and the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, some of those who haven't evacuated will still die in this disaster.

They didn't even know what was happening.

"Oh... I see. So you think that my method of exterminating humans is not what she should do?" The Sixth Herrscher's smile was a mixture of eeriness and sarcasm. She crossed her arms and said slowly, "That's a real shame. That's her idea. Humans are a bunch of hopeless pests, and their only value is to be crushed into mincemeat by me."

"In the years you fought for humanity with the Firemoth, you lost your past, your friends, your feelings, and you almost gave your life for humanity. But what you got in return was betrayal from humanity. You got nothing in return. The Firemoth is still that seemingly glamorous but actually ruthless 'savior organization,' and humanity is just a bunch of traitors who would sacrifice others for their own benefit."

"So, what's so good about humans? Does she really want a happy world where her friends come back to life? No, what she wants is just the world of her dreams, the world she defines, a world where stupid humans can't exist."

"Do you understand? In her eyes, these Honkai zombie are the friends, and humans are the disgusting Honkai zombie."

Did Lin waver because of these words?

No, he stared at the Sixth Herrscher with unusual calmness, calculating the time he could buy.

The fact that the Sixth Herrscher didn't rush to kill him wasn't a bad thing; the longer they could delay, the more time there would be for reinforcements to arrive.

He adjusted his rapid breathing and slowed his heartbeat. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Don't you understand? Or are you running away? Don't you find humans disgusting? Everything you fought for has been destroyed."

"What does that have to do with me?" Lin replied coldly. "I just did what I wanted to do."

"Hmm... I guess this level of talk still can't impress you. Then let's make a deal."

The Sixth Herrscher suddenly raised a mysterious expression, watching Lin with interest as she observed his reaction. "I can return her to you, heal your body, and stop the Honkai zombie and Honkai Beast from attacking humans..."

"As long as you admit that she and I are the same person."

"..."

Does this mean they admit it's the same person?

For Lin, this is not a difficult task. If she can really do what she says and prevent the Honkai zombie and Honkai Beast from attacking humans, then it would be perfectly fine for Lin to admit to this.

However, this is impossible.

What is your purpose?

"Purpose? It's simple. Isn't it normal to want to be acknowledged by the person you like?"

She truly seemed to be that young girl, shyly lowering her head and chuckling softly.

Chapter Ninety-Three: The So-Called Truth

Sometimes I wonder, how do humans confirm their own existence?

When they happen to see their own reflection on the water, do they feel curious about this stranger?

"When they touch their own faces, are they surprised by this unseen reality?"

"Later I learned that the way humans confirm their own existence does not come from themselves, but from others."

"Only the affirmation of others can make me live a vivid life."

"Don't be so stubborn. Think about it. With just one word from you, this city can be saved, you won't die, and a younger generation who loves you will come back. Isn't that worth it?"

"Moreover, we share the same memories. Although we are the same person, there are indeed some slight differences in our personalities. This kind of experience is very rare. Don't you feel tempted? I do!"

The Sixth Herrscher continued to urge him on, seemingly not intending to force Lin, but merely stating her price.

Her eyes never left Lin's face from beginning to end. The Black Mist did not appear beside her, and even the Emperor-class Honkai Beast obediently lay down to the side, its beastly eyes fixed on her and Lin.

After a snap of her fingers, a Charge-type Honkai Beast appeared beside her. This Honkai Beast's structure was different from that of a regular Charge-type Honkai Beast. It did not have sharp elytra, and its entire shape was much smoother. It also had a glowing structure on its abdomen that resembled a firefly. It flew above their heads and acted as a street lamp.

In this slightly warmer light, the inhuman aura of the Sixth Herrscher was somewhat alleviated.

"..."

"Oh, I see. If I were to say these things to you, it wouldn't be convincing enough. Hehe, then I'll have her come out and talk to you." The Sixth Herrscher remained completely unhurried, seemingly determined to make Lin admit to the matter. Finally, she threw out her last bargaining chip, "Don't worry, I won't let her see any more false images. That's what fairness is, isn't it?"

"..."

Lin remained silent, but his gaze had already earned a satisfied nod from the Sixth Herrscher, who then smiled and closed her crimson eyes.

The smile vanished from her face, and under Lin's gaze, when she opened her eyes again, the color of her pupils had returned to their original blue, and her expression had turned into one of utter confusion.

After her pupils gradually regained their sparkle, her expression turned to utter astonishment.

"Lin... team member? Is what she said true?"

Lin Cong her expression. From the bewilderment of just waking up to the surprise of seeing him, every muscle and every inch of skin naturally matched her emotions. It was impossible to achieve this effect through pretense.

In other words, this is indeed... the consciousness of the soul.

"Team Member Lin, you..."

"Soul, tell me, is that really what you think?"

"...What?"

"Have you really come to hate humanity to this extent? And all of this is because of me?"

Soul's initially surprised expression froze instantly. She lowered her head, like a child who had done something wrong, and murmured, "I'm sorry... Team Member Lin... I feel like I've done a lot of wrong things... I've killed a lot of people..."

"But I really did it for you..."

"Team Member Lin, I know I've done many bad things, but I want to use my current strength to help more people. Look, I can completely heal your body, and you won't suffer from Honkai Sickness anymore."

"She never hurt me. She did all that to protect me. I was the one who killed those people. If I am guilty, it is my fault."

Soul's eyes were filled with tears as she timidly raised her eyelids towards Lin: "Team Member Lin, it's okay if you don't forgive me, but please... I just want to save you..."

Lin closed his eyes upon hearing this and let out a long sigh.

"I see."

Lin immediately raised his gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation. The bullets poured out before the Emperor-class Honkai Beast could even react.

"Tap! Tap! Tap!"

The cold bullets mercilessly tore Hun's body apart. Her guilty expression froze on her face as she stared at her chest, shattered by the bullets with terrifying energy. In disbelief, she looked up at Lin, who was holding a gun and had no expression on his face, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Why?"

She didn't understand why Lin would fire at this moment.

Was it simply because she was a traitor? Or had he already calculated that the chances of a successful sneak attack were higher during this moment when the Herrscher Persona was relaxed?

"Because I made a promise with her." Lin continued to press the trigger, firing all the remaining bullets into Hun's body at once. Only after he had completely emptied his ammunition did he coldly say, "She is not a little girl who doesn't understand anything. She will fight for her beliefs. She misses the dead, but she can't be unable to distinguish between reality and illusion."

"The 'she' you're talking about is actually another version of yourself that you've created."

From beginning to end, there was only the Sixth Herrscher.

If the soul stood before her, she would face it with a resolute expression.

Because they have experienced countless partings, even if they go down different paths from their former selves, they will not regret it.

He believed in the soul, just as the soul believed in him.

"... That's why I said you're boring. Even if it's fictional, what's wrong with that?"

After listening to Lin's words, the trembling of "Soul," who was kneeling on the ground clutching her wound, suddenly stopped. She sighed with disgust, then stood up straight, and finally... her feet left the ground, and she flew up.

Her wounds healed rapidly, and the gruesome gunshot wounds disappeared in the blink of an eye. She looked down at the forest on the ground, and the Emperor-class Honkai Beast behind her shook its body and stood up, its mountain-like form upright.

"If you agree to my request, you can get everything you want in return. Even if it involves lies, isn't that still what you desire?"

"..."

"Forget it, it seems there's no need to say too much to a human like you anyway..." Her regretful expression immediately changed into a sinister smile, "I never intended to do that in the first place."

The Sixth Herrscher gazed in the direction of the Fifth Branch and grinned, "Look, the reinforcements you've been waiting for have arrived. The tactic of stalling for time has been a great success."

Upon hearing this, Lin almost instinctively reached for the Phase Transfer Device in his hand, but at that moment, the physical energy he had regained was instantly drained, causing his movements to falter.

Immediately afterwards, a giant scythe fell from the sky, piercing his abdomen with incredible precision, and the force was so great that it pinned him to the ground instantly.

Do you think you're the only one stalling for time?

"It's a bit of a shame that I didn't see the expression I wanted to see, but I think I'll see it soon."

The Sixth Herrscher raised her arms, and this time no Black Mist emerged from her body.

Lin felt the ground beneath him trembling, as if something... was about to break through the soil.

"Boom!"

A towering, lush tree tore through the ground, its sprawling roots sweeping away everything around it.

To the disbelief of everyone in the Fifth Branch, a colossal Giant Tree, reaching straight into the sky, sprang from a corner of the city and devoured half of it.

Those seemingly vibrant tree roots, wriggling with life force, stretched out like arms, full of bloodlust, toward... the refuge outside the city.

I have to go out today because I have something to do at 4 AM tomorrow.

null

Chapter Ninety-Four: Dividing the Army into Three Routes

"What is that?"

The towering Giant Tree that soared into the sky captured everyone's attention. The monitor who was monitoring the concentration of Honkai Energy in the city almost screamed and jumped up from his seat when he saw the intensely red color displayed on the screen.

"Dr. S. S ..."

The pistol struck the floor with a crisp sound, and compared to the silence that obscured the true extent of their fear, the stark bar chart revealed their deepest anxieties.

3500HW, which exceeds the Honkai Energy concentration of regular Herrscher and Upper-class Honkai Beast. In the observation data of Moth of the Flame, only the First Herrscher attempted to create something before her death, causing the Honkai Energy to reach an astonishing 4500HW. Moreover, she died before completing the creation, so this data was fixed at 4500HW.

At this moment, the Honkai Energy contained in the Giant Tree on the monitoring map was like a lunar rocket, breaking through 4000HW at an unimaginable speed, and there was no sign of it stopping.

Even the usually composed Spasi was stunned, his azure eyes fixed on the despairing scene.

"The Sixth Herrscher's Honkai Energy reaction has reappeared, and she is located... above the giant Honkai Energy reaction! The Emperor-class Honkai Beast is also in the same location!" The monitor suppressed his fear and reported the monitoring progress. This was the first time that a monitor in his branch had seen such a scene, and even his calmest voice trembled.

"Reappeared..."

While still in shock, Spasi's mind was still racing. The simultaneous occurrence of the Giant Tree's Honkai Energy and the Herrscher's Honkai Energy reaction, especially with the Herrscher right above the Giant Tree, indicated a connection between the two. Furthermore, the Giant Tree's massive Honkai Energy reaction, which broke records, could not have been generated naturally.

That tree was created by the Herrscher. Was the reason she didn't react to Honkai Energy and stayed in the same place because she was creating that thing?

"It not only causes cell death, but it can also accelerate cell mutation and mutation..." Spasi speculated on the powers that the Sixth Herrscher had not yet fully revealed, but in his opinion, this speculation was a bit too... simplistic.

The powers of the Herrscher are not specific phenomena or concepts, but rather more abstract things that cannot be fully explained in words. For example, the power of the Third Herrscher is recognized as the manipulation of electromagnetic fields, but what she actually does is not just the manipulation of electromagnetic fields. Such meticulous operation requires the user's knowledge to the point of triggering various natural phenomena, yet it seems that she can create various electromagnetic field-related abilities simply by imagining them.

If I had to put it in a way, it would be a rule, a "rule" of the world.

Therefore, Spasi could not summarize the feeling he had for the Sixth Herrscher in words. This giant tree was obviously contrary to common sense of biology, and the explanations of accelerated cell growth and mutation were not enough to support the basis for its birth.

"Doctor Spacy ..."

At this moment, the monitor swallowed hard, trying to keep his teeth chattering. This intelligence needed to be reported quickly, but even if he clenched his leg muscles until they turned blue, he couldn't stop the terror emanating from his soul.

"What's wrong?" a flustered Spasi asked loudly.

"Bang!"

"The Honkai Energy reaction of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast is shifting..." The monitor slammed his hand on the table, his knuckles turning white, the reverberation drawing everyone's attention. He roared uncontrollably, "The direction is the Fifth Branch! It's right here! And the Honkai Energy reaction of that tree is also changing! Even the Herrscher's location is starting to shift!"

"Damn it! They've split into three directions! The tree's roots are almost at the nearest shelter! The Herrscher are moving towards Changkong City! The people there haven't evacuated!"

Knowing that their current combat strength was insufficient, they planned to use this method to separate their forces and then easily defeat the reinforcements.

Spasi's heart clenched involuntarily at this sudden thought.

"After the purge, there are probably only two or three small teams of combat personnel who can come to support us, and they are just put together temporarily."

With long, black and red hair flowing obediently down her back in the still air, the Sixth Herrscher stood on one of the branches atop a lush tree, looking down and smiling as she watched the Fifth Branch rush through the city toward it. She glanced at the roots of the Giant Tree pushing through the asphalt, engulfing everything in their path with filthy mud and raging trees.

The somber colors stretched outwards along these roots, and the plants that were touched withered at an eerie pace, while the Giant Tree grew ever more lush.

Finally, she stepped on the scythe on the "corpse" next to her and stabbed it a few more inches deeper.