The Story That Remains to Be Continued

If it were that sword strike, neither space nor consciousness could avoid it.

But now, he can't even squeeze out a bit of Honkai Energy, let alone understand how to control Honkai Energy like that man or even use the so-called divine essence.

What exactly is missing?

The cloaked man didn't tell him any secrets, and Lin always felt that something was missing when he was imitating the man's moves.

How can I unleash that sword strike...?

Do we need humans or Herrscher? Do we need soldiers, warriors, heroes, traitors, brave warriors, or ordinary people?

There is simply no answer.

Who is he to the Armed Puppet? Who is he to Rita? Who is he to Bianca?

They wanted to protect him, and he wanted to protect them. Was this based on identity? Morality? Cognition?

... None of them.

Because he simply couldn't express it in concrete words.

"Hey, who are you? Who am I? Where did you come from? What do you want?" The man's playful smile was still vivid in my mind. "What if I said you are me, and I am not anyone or anything?"

"The important thing is not to define a thing or a person. When you think you need a skill, a move, or a weapon, that's all you get."

"Do you think skills, techniques, and weapons can kill the Herrscher of the Void? And now she has absorbed a new Herrscher Core, making her even more powerful."

Who is he?

Who is the man?

Man: "No."

Lin: "That's right, no, so what do you need?"

Man: "What do I need?"

Lin: "I need to kill her."

"Yes, so let's skip the boring opening remarks."

No Honkai Energy in your body? No problem, it's everywhere in the World Bubble. The Honkai Energy generated by the large number of Honkai Beast transported by the Herrscher of the Void is so abundant.

No weapon in hand? No problem, just shape and create, like the Imaginary Spear used by the Herrscher of the Void, using energy as a weapon.

Yes, everything...

Lin couldn't tell whether he was talking to himself, that man, or both.

His eyes were glazed over, his pupils unfocused. He raised his only hand, exactly like the cloaked man from that day, and extended two fingers, aiming them at the arrogant Herrscher of the Void.

Without any deliberate manipulation of Honkai Energy, the Great Honkai energy remaining around him spontaneously surged into his body, leaving not a single trace behind.

In an instant, a somewhat solidified blade formed in mid-air, and without any warning, it silently pierced towards the Herrscher of Emptiness in almost a frozen moment.

Herrscher of the Void's pupils suddenly twitched, and she abruptly increased the Honkai Energy she was controlling. A golden, transparent cross burst forth from the portal behind her.

At the same time, a sword suddenly appeared not far away, like an illusion that appeared out of thin air, and the Herrscher of the Void felt an unprecedented danger.

You must get away from it...

Immediately use the portal to teleport and escape into the Imaginary Space...

Wrong...

There's no escaping it.

There's no escaping it.

There's no escaping it!

The moment the imposing cross clashed with the silent blade, there was no violent impact. Her full-force attack was like a thin sheet of paper before that blade, instantly disintegrating into points of light and Honkai Energy. The Honkai Energy, after shattering, even merged into the blade, charging towards her relentlessly!

The Herrscher of the Void unleashed all her power and Honkai Energy, colliding head-on with the sword!

"Bass----"

As Bianca fell, she caught Lin and slowly descended. She clutched the bruised wound on her chest, coughed up blood, and looked up to observe the Herrscher of the Void's movements. To her shock, she discovered that the Herrscher of the Void had seemed like a god descending from heaven just a moment ago, was now hanging in the air in a disheveled state.

The wings of light on its back and the halo above its head were on the verge of shattering, the colors in its pupils kept flashing, and its clothes were tattered and torn, with all the exposed parts covered in wounds.

But now was not the time for surprise. Bianca immediately leaped to her lance, gripped her weapon in the backhand, and drained all the power from her body and the energy of her armor's propulsion wings—

"Boom!!!!"

A dazzling azure meteor rose from the ground, raising its God-Slaying Spear towards the incredibly fragile god!

The Herrscher of the Void gasped for breath. She wasn't seeking oxygen, but rather suppressing the surging Tai Xu Divine Essence within her consciousness. Gritting her teeth, she noticed Bianca's incredibly powerful charge and, squeezing out the Honkai Energy from several of her cores, opened a portal behind her.

If you give her time, half an hour, she can come back and destroy this World Bubble!

Even at her fastest speed, Bianca couldn't stop the Herrscher of the Void from entering the portal. She roared and unleashed a furious attack on the Herrscher of the Void, who was already halfway inside the portal!

"Whoosh!"

The purple portal collapsed.

The portal to the Herrscher of the Void vanished abruptly, before she could even react.

And from then on, she didn't need to think about anything anymore.

"Bang!"

The lance pierced through the Herrscher of the Void's petite body, Bianca's maximum propulsion wings slammed her from the sky to the ground!

A blue meteor shattered the earth.

Boom!!!

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Story Continues

"Boom!"

Einstein's hands were blistered and bleeding as she struggled to turn off the switch. Only when the Stargate closed did she collapse to her knees, breathless.

Was it successful?

"Bang!"

A deafening roar echoed from afar, and the building she was in began to shake. She could only pray that the temporarily activated Stargate, combined with the abundant Honkai Energy, would be effective, even if only for a moment...

After the powerful earthquake, everything calmed down.

Have you ever heard the story of a hero?

"The hero, who is constantly reincarnated and lost, has the mission of defeating the Demon King. He lost all his companions along the way, but he also became a true hero. He defeated the Demon King, but at the same time, he was utterly alone."

"It sounds like a truly touching and great story, a brave warrior carrying his companions on his back, willing to fight alone."

The man kept his head down, and Lin kept her head down.

They stared at each other, like the two sides of a puddle.

"However, compared to this kind of story, I believe there is another kind of story that is more interesting, which we commonly call the IF line."

"For example, if a hero chooses to give up and retreat to the mountains, his companions will not die, and a few years later another hero will go to fight the Demon King."

"For example, when a hero is able to kill the Demon King, he chooses to exist forever in the cycle of reincarnation with his companions."

"For example... the one who defeats the Demon King a few years later is actually a hero who chose to continue one of the cycles; they are the same person."

"Even the Demon King could be a hero who chose reincarnation, who becomes the new Demon King after the Demon King's death so that the reincarnation can continue."

The man's eyes were full of mockery. The scene shifted, and Lin and the man no longer looked at each other; instead, the man looked down at Lin.

"The direction of the story ultimately depends on the creator, which is what is called fate. The hero and the demon king are both puppets of fate."

"When I want you to live, you will live. Even now, even though you yourself feel that you are completely dead, I will not let you die."

Lin remained silent for a long while before finally speaking, "Who are you?"

"Sigh, still so boring, but this time I can answer with a bit more patience." The man's tone was light and cheerful. "I am the savior and the destroyer. I come from the future and the past. If you must call me something, you can call me... 'Zero'."

Zero's smile remained enigmatic as he slowly said, "There's more... You can't know for now, but I must congratulate you on successfully making me feel that you're capable of handling important tasks."

"Entrusted with an important task..."

Lin Mo Moran.

"Relax. Look, didn't I save you? I even got the Herrscher Core back for you. Otherwise, even if I healed your body, you wouldn't have survived."

Lin spoke coldly, his tone as if frozen solid. "Are you a hero or a demon king?"

Zero placed two fingers against the corners of his mouth and pushed them outwards.

A smile curved the corners of Lin's mouth.

Ling laughed loudly, and Lin laughed loudly.

"I am neither a hero nor a demon king, I am simply..."

"Destiny."

"Durandal, are you awake?"

"Hmm..."

Golden sunlight fell on the girl's long hair, the same color as her hair, and her bright blue eyes seemed to glaze over. A familiar voice and a smiling face appeared before her.

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've heard Rita call her Durandal...

Wait a moment.

Bianca suddenly realized what was happening. She rolled out of bed and looked around in disbelief at everything around her.

This is... Schicksal?

A slight ripple of emotion stirred within her, but she quickly examined her body. With the medical technology of Schicksal, they could revive people even if they had no breath left, so she was not surprised that there were no wounds.

The connection within her body to the Durandal Sword, and the World Bubble... have all returned.

Why? Bianca's memory is still stuck on the moment before she pinned the Herrscher of the Void to the ground, so why did she return to Schicksal?

"Rita ...you're the Rita I know, right?" Bianca asked the maid beside her uncertainly. Unlike the more mysterious maid in World Bubble, this Rita had a refreshing short haircut.

Rita didn't answer her, but instead explained the situation for her, "Durandal, you received a mission from the bishop to investigate unknown quantum disorder phenomena in a World Bubble, but just three minutes and four seconds after entering, you returned to your Intrinsic World and were seriously injured for unknown reasons."

"Three minutes and four seconds..."

Bianca stayed in that World Bubble for so long, but from the perspective of the Intrinsic World, it only took three minutes and four seconds?

Bianca covered her head, trying to recall the events. Her memory was clear; she didn't believe it was possible for her memories to have been altered. So...

"Am I... all alone?" The usually strong and decisive girl hesitated and asked the question with trembling hands.

Yes, it's just you alone.

"..."

A face flashed through her memory. She gritted her teeth, but then calmed down and took a deep breath.

No, nothing is certain yet. She believed in Lin; even if that person returned to their own time, they would definitely...

"His Excellency has discovered an encrypted file in the database containing data with a frequency similar to that emitted by the Anomalous World Bubble. He would like you to review it and inquire whether you know anything about it."

Rita's words made Bianca's breath catch for a few seconds, and her heart suddenly clenched.

I can't breathe.

It was as if someone was squeezing her heart.

The screen that was handed to her contained an encrypted file. Bianca opened it and was prompted to enter a password.

She stared at it intently, and then, as if possessed, typed in a name.

"Scum Mushroom).

A word that was entirely created by himself, and whose meaning was known to no one except a very few people.

However, the file was unlocked.

There is only one sentence inside.