The End of the End / Waiting for Falling Flowers

Yan Luo stood expressionlessly on Uranus's shoulder, watching the seawater surge towards the ravine.

Inside Uranus's body is a device that her World May had once wanted to install on a warship that could travel to outer space. It can absorb and convert Honkai Energy with maximum efficiency and release it with power several times greater than that of Herrscher.

Yan Luo used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to modify the device of the warship called "Moonlight Throne" and installed it into his own familiar.

In this deserted world, Uranus absorbed the Honkai Energy from the surface day after day, storing large amounts of the Honkai Energy that filled the ground into his body and converting it into other, multiplied energies that Yan Luo could use in the Quantum Sea.

Even Herrscher —no, even she—could not withstand Uranus's full-power attack head-on, and Lin was even less likely to; his physical body would be destroyed along with his core.

But Yan Luo knew that the guy was not dead.

In Yan Luo's distant memories, so distant that she could barely recall them, there was a person who had used the power of the Herrscher of the Void to develop a device. Considering the level of technology and the extent to which Honkai Energy was utilized at the time, that person was a genius among geniuses. Even the Second Divine Key that was born later, Yan Luo felt, might not contain more technological capabilities than that device.

Lin appeared behind Yan Luo, his spear striking like a bolt of lightning towards the core of Yan Luo's body!

"Bass!"

The chains seemed to have eyes of their own, popping out one after another to form an impenetrable net that blocked his attack.

Lin immediately tried to press the Phase Transfer Device on his wrist again, but the net opened at that moment, and the sharp spear cut his arm holding the weapon vertically in half, shattering the device on his wrist. Then it cut open half of his throat, and blood splattered like a pillar.

Yan Luo retrieved the spear that Lin could no longer hold, and coldly stared as Lin lost all strength in the air and fell downwards.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The End

An arm made of steel lifted the man from the sea. His right arm, which had been cut in two, hung limply to the side like two noodles. The wound that had almost beheaded him had healed, but the other wounds showed no signs of healing.

The Pseudo-Herrscher Core and the Herrscher of Reason Core within his body had reached their limits. Apart from barely healing his fatal wound, the other wounds could not heal on their own.

Seeing Lin, who looked like a dead dog with its limbs broken, Yan Luo showed no emotion. She jumped from Uranus's shoulder into his palm, extended her hand as a claw, and swiftly dug out the core of the Herrscher of Reason from the muscles of Lin's left arm.

She glanced at the dim Herrscher of Reason Core, then expressionlessly tossed it into the sky, and recreated Phoenix.

"Boom!"

That once dazzling gem shattered in the flames.

Yan Luo raised her slender neck and watched the explosion under the clear blue sky. She silently covered her chest, where there was also a core.

Did the heart become the Herrscher Core, or did the Herrscher Core replace the original heart?

Those things are no longer important.

Her icy gaze returned to the motionless Lin.

He raised his hand and, without the slightest hesitation, stabbed at Lin's chest.

The slender, jade-like hand wrapped in bandages was as sharp as a knife, easily penetrating Lin's chest and lungs. The weakened Lin coughed again, and a large amount of blood splattered onto Yan Luo's face. She remained unfazed as she slowly probed Lin's Pseudo-Herrscher Core with her fingers.

The chilling sound of flesh and bone shattering echoed with her cold, ruthless movements.

Upon touching the core, she immediately closed her fingers, grasping the core in an attempt to remove it from Lin's body.

"Smack."

A hand pressed down on her bandaged wrist, Yan Luo slightly raised his chin, seeing Lin's dark pupils staring at her.

Those dark eyes were like a mirror, allowing her to see herself clearly.

She lowered her head again, grabbed Lin's arm with her free hand, and pulled his arm away.

Then he increased his strength, trying to pull the core out in one go.

But this is the moment someone has been waiting for.

Lin's eyes, which had already turned pitch black, immediately lit up, and his severed arm, which had been cut in two, instantly healed. He grabbed the hand that Yan Luo had pierced into his body with both hands.

The Pseudo-Herrscher Core emitted a pale golden light, as if golden blood was flowing through his body, and all the remaining Honkai Energy was unleashed.

At this moment, it was too late for Yan Luo to retreat. She felt the Honkai Energy suppressed by an unreasonable sensation. Her eyes darkened, and she kicked Lin's body, then used the recoil to pull her hand out.

Even if he's not a true Herrscher yet, he's already able to suppress it to this extent...

A wave of nausea surged through Yan Luo's heart. Her body felt as if it were shackled, and a "heaviness" she hadn't felt in a long time took over her body.

However, Lin also Honkai Energy, and he too knelt on the ground, panting and clutching his chest.

During the brief moment when neither of them made another move, they exchanged glances for less than a second.

"Clatter!"

The two men rushed towards the Oath of Judas not far away, reaching out their hands—

One of them placed his hand on the cross that judges sin.

Lin encountered Oath of Judas first!

The Pseudo-Herrscher Core on his chest resonated with the Oath of Judas. His Prismatic Eyes trembled, and the Oath of Judas, which had already unfolded, automatically closed. Then, except for the spikes at the bottom used to fix it, the rest began to disintegrate.

Including the spears hidden within the main body for fixation, a total of thirteen spears flew out in all directions, circling around and forming a huge barrier. Countless golden gears and chains unfolded like blooming flowers, obscuring the sky, and an inverted cross occupied the entire sky.

After this sacred barrier was deployed, all Honkai Energy within it was instantly rendered ineffective, and even the sky-covering Uranus lost its energy source and ceased functioning.

Lin drew his fixed spear and aimed it at Yan Luo, who was now unable to use any abilities or Honkai Energy.

Time was short; he estimated he only had one minute.

Lin seized the initiative, but Yan Luo remained expressionless. She seemed to have transformed into any other Herrscher, devoid of humanity. In response to Lin's action of wielding the Divine Key, she simply silently drew a weapon from behind her.

It wasn't a weapon reproduced using the Herrscher Authority of Reason, nor was it Divine Key supported by the Herrscher Core; it was just an ordinary weapon.

That was a... pistol.

The two seemed to have a tacit understanding; they didn't speak, but focused all their energy on each other, and the next attack would determine the winner.

"Call..."

The wound on Lin's chest was still bleeding profusely, carrying away his life force, yet his breathing remained calm.

Yan Luo's eyes were devoid of sorrow or joy; she seemed to be simply carrying out a perfectly normal task, without questioning Lin about why he continued.

So... why must we continue?

If we simply choose to give up, we won't have to face the sacrifice of more people. Even if it's not the most perfect ending, it's still an ending we can manage.

"..."

Just like the game Delta described, once you choose to give up, you no longer have to face any suffering.

The person who told him this story did not meet the so-called hero, so she chose to become the hero herself.

And... what about him? Will he run away? Will he stop? In a place like a paradise, with those companions he knows are different?

His very presence is the answer.

"Bass!"

Their figures crossed paths.

"..."

"..."

The silver-haired girl exhaled softly, raised her pale, bandaged hand, and wiped the corner of her mouth.

The glaring bright red color permeated the plain white bandages.

The bandages on his body gradually turned into particles of light and disappeared.

The pistol fell to the ground with a soft clang. She looked down at the golden spear piercing her chest, then glanced back at Lin without saying a word.

"Squeak—"

Uranus let out a heavy wail and collapsed toward the sea, causing the sky and the ocean to tremble.

She silently leaned against Uranus's palm, gazing at the collapsing sky, until Lin walked up to her. She raised her weary eyelids and met his gaze.

"There are no bullets in the pistol." Lin picked up the pistol that the silver-haired girl had thrown down. The pistol was now just an empty shell; after countless years, it was completely unusable, only having the same outer shell as before.

Just like... herself.

The silver-haired girl stared blankly at the sea where the sun was setting, and whispered, "It's probably been too long, I've forgotten."

Will you forget too?

"Of course I'll forget. There are so many things from back then that I can't remember anymore. In the end, what does a homeless ghost need to remember..."

A hand was extended in front of her, and her dusty face lifted slightly.

"Would you like to come with me? To try again?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

She laughed, a laugh that sounded both helpless and angry.

Then, she raised her hand and placed it on Lin's hand.

Before Lin could pull her up, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into her arms.

Before Lin could react, he pulled out a spear and stabbed it into the core of Lin's chest!

The silver-haired girl pushed Lin away. She saw the spear emitting golden particles of light, which released all her unease from her chest.

A crack appeared behind Lin, and he was pushed into it by the girl's push. He could only watch helplessly as she and Uranus fell downwards together.

"Don't believe him."

In the end, all Lin heard was this sentence.

"One day, I will prove it to you."

"What are you looking at?"

"Humanity, love, and... hope."

The girl gazed at the distant sunset, smiled sweetly, and quietly closed her eyes.

She had been waiting for this moment for far too long.

"Eri ...you proved it to me..."

Chapter Twenty-Five: Awaiting the Flying Flowers

How long did it fall?

Lin felt as if half an hour had passed, as he was constantly falling in this space, unsure whether he was going down or up.

However, the concept of time is very vague in the Quantum Sea. Perhaps only thirty seconds have passed, or perhaps three days have passed. He doesn't know if he will fall forever.

The light from the spear embedded in his chest had faded at some point, and in that sea of blood, the struggling and roaring Prismatic Eyes, which had been able to completely take over Lin's body when he was extremely weak, was once again bound by golden chains and sank to the deepest part of the sea of blood.

At that moment, a fragment drifted to his front, revealing the scene inside.

The pristine white wedding dress swayed gently in the breeze that stirred the ripples on the lake.

He reached out, as if to touch something.

But the moment the finger touched it, the fragment vanished.

"We were living here just fine, why did we suddenly have to check out? We've been living here for over two years, is there something wrong with the house?"

"How could that be? It's just that I've stayed here long enough, and it's time for me to leave. I only planned to stay temporarily in the Far East, but I didn't expect to stay this long." The girl put the key in the landlord's hand and smiled slightly, like petals fluttering in the wind. "Thank you for taking care of me all this time. I've left most of my things in the house, so please feel free to use them."

"I haven't taken care of you at all. You and Lin usually take care of me... Speaking of Lin, where's that kid? Why are you carrying things all by yourself?"

"Him..."

"Did you two have a fight?"

The girl paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head, "No."

"That's good. I've seen you two living here for over two years now. That guy is a nice person, just a bit odd. Remember to invite me if you ever get married!"

"Haha, it definitely will!"

The girl said goodbye to her landlord, slung her small bag over her shoulder, and embarked on her journey once again.

Amidst the fluttering blossoms and chirping birds, she walked along the familiar path, carried by the refreshing breeze.

"Taxi! Taxi!"

She breathed a sigh of relief as she got into the car, but the driver turned around and was incredibly surprised to see her. "It's you?"