Eternal Mutual Slaughter / Return

She probably hated waking up to a scene of devastation; it only made her feel tired and...

Lonely.

In her dream, she vaguely saw a figure standing in front of the sofa, with a familiar, infuriatingly cold expression on his face. He looked down at her, then silently looked up and surveyed the surroundings.

In her hazy, delirious state, she mumbled, "Go to hell... you bastard..."

"..."

The figure stood motionless, seemingly surveying the room, which was so messy it looked like a junkyard. Even his usually aloof face showed a hint of surprise at the room's state.

Time passed slowly, but the figure remained motionless, like a cold sculpture.

His thin lips parted slightly, uttering an unpleasant tone. "You're so annoying... Get out..."

I don't know how many times I've heard Mobius say this. She's gone from being a mature woman to a little girl. After experiencing some things, I can vaguely tell that the meaning behind her words is not what it seems on the surface.

He turned around, but the little girl sleeping on the sofa let out a whimper the instant he turned away.

"..."

Turning around, all you could see was her usual cold and stern frown; no matter who you were, you could only see her meanness.

Did I hear that right?

... That's right, she's in her thirties, how could she still act like a little girl?

Later, the figure vanished like ashes in Mobius's dream.

The morning light shone on Mobius's rosy face, and she twitched her brow slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

I think I finally fell asleep yesterday; it's been a long time since I've been able to get a good night's sleep.

"Um?"

Wait a minute, sunlight? She remembered that she hadn't opened the curtains for months.

When Mobius looked up, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face.

The once messy room was completely tidied up. The dirty floor and walls were wiped clean enough to be used as mirrors. The trash on the table and in the corners was gone. A pile of messy dirty clothes was stacked not far away. Her files and computer were neatly arranged on the desk, and the damp blankets she was wearing had been replaced with clean and fresh cotton blankets.

The rolled-up curtains allowed the bright sunlight to sweep away the gloom in the room, and Mobius looked up blankly at the unfamiliar, clean room.

Thump...

Her heart suddenly pounded, like a spark falling into a haystack.

Could it be—

Mobius suddenly stood up, intending to leave without even taking her transportation, but with a flick of her sleeve, she knocked a piece of paper off the coffee table next to the sofa.

She looked down and picked up the note, puzzled.

"Doctor, breakfast is on your desk. Don't eat fast food anymore; it's bad for your health."

"..."

This is Klein's handwriting. Mobius entrusted Klein with handling all matters, big and small, so there must have been at least eight hundred or a thousand handwritten documents and reports that Mobius had signed.

So it was Klein did it?

That's true.

Mobius gave a self-deprecating laugh. She looked up at the dress hanging on the wall. She knew better than anyone how fragile humanity was, and she also resisted the coming of death, so naive thoughts shouldn't linger in her mind for even a moment.

"Plum."

Kevin walked into the room, his steel-like face showing signs of fatigue. Logically, he should have rested for a while after the surgery, but the current situation was urgent. He, the Fire Moth, and humanity had no time to rest.

"I'm sorry, Kevin, the plan needs your help." The long-haired woman chewed on a hair tie, combed her hair into a ponytail, and put on her glasses, which made her look even more neat and tidy. Her face was calm and composed. "But don't worry, I've already found the right person."

"A suitable candidate?"

Kevin only showed a different expression in front of May; he was somewhat worried. "Last time you said you'd let yourself..."

"That was a last resort strategy, since the current situation doesn't allow me to look for suitable candidates anymore. Fortunately, the plan has changed somewhat."

"When does it begin?"

"Two days later, we moved to P-21."

Mei smiled, but her eyes were as deep as an ancient pool.

Chapter Five: The Eternal Killing

"Wow, this is quite a spectacle. We're just making a small trinket and so many people are following us. Or is this some kind of grand opening performance for them?"

Sitting on the transport plane, Vill-V swirled the wine-red liquid in her glass, glanced at the personnel list, and smiled.

Mei's finger traced from one corner of the design to the other. She glanced up and asked, "Would you like a drink?"

"This is actually a beverage. I'm not Eden, and I don't plan to drink alcohol all the time."

Mei nodded. She wasn't worried that Vill-V's drinking would affect the subsequent plans, but rather she was concerned about Vill-V's condition.

After all, Vill-V has multiple personalities now, and it's difficult for her to tell which one might still be stuck in the events of six months ago.

"Number 1." After finishing her drink, Vill-V waved the empty cup in her hand and called out.

"Pat-pat, pat, pat..."

Mei watched silently as a small doll, about knee-high to hers, emerged from behind Vill-V's chair.

As if to highlight its cuteness, the head was enlarged to almost the same size as its body, along with the familiar mechanical expressionless face and crimson eyes, giving this humanoid, which looks like a derivative of Armed Puppet, a subtle quality that Mei found strange.

Vill-V handed the cup to the shrunken Prometheus: "What's wrong? You should recognize Unit-01, right?"

"It's not that I didn't recognize her." Mei smiled and pushed up her glasses. "It's just that every time I see a new Evangelion mobile suit, it's always getting taller and bigger. I thought she'd be a two-meter-tall giant when I saw her again, but I didn't expect..."

Prometheus looked up blankly, revealing a bewildered expression, seemingly quite helpless.

"In the Ninth Honkai War, the original body of Unit 1 was destroyed, and its consciousness system was transmitted back to headquarters. I've been busy with the Divine Key and haven't had any free time to rebuild a body for her, so I could only put together a simple one as a temporary solution," Vill-V said nonchalantly. "Actually, it's fine for Unit 1 to stay in the virtual system. After all, when you designed her in the beginning, you intended for her to remain in a virtual state. It's just that she strongly requested a body that could move physically."

"Sigh, it's just my daughter growing up and becoming rebellious~"

"You can only be considered a midwife, right?" Mei even made a casual joke. Vill-V chuckled, showing some of the old Vill-V's charm.

"Let's get down to business. What should we do after this is over?"

"..."

"Mei, for the Moths that Chase Fire, can no longer endure another 'Great Purge' or 'KY Plan'."

The members of the Firemoth, especially many of the high-ranking members, have experienced two internal rebellions. The backbone of the Firemoth has also experienced two rebellions. It can be said that the Firemoth is now in a state of paranoia under the influence of the Tenth Honkai War Impact, and the trust between them is on the verge of collapse.

Who is the traitor, who is the Herrscher? Once suspicion spreads among the people, the collapse of an organization can happen in an instant.

Even Mei couldn't stop the situation from deteriorating.

The Tenth Herrscher wasn't the root cause, but the Tenth Honkai War undoubtedly added fuel to the fire. Now, no one knows how many Tenth Herrscher are lurking among humans, or how many are watching them like hawks, ready to kill them at any moment.

The next time a similar event occurs, it will be a true infighting among the members of the Firemoth. This time, there will be no root cause that can be stopped simply by stopping it, nor will it be a "Great Purge," but rather a "Great Collapse."

"Let's deal with the Tenth Honkai War first." Mei shook her head; there was no point in discussing it further now.

"Also, I heard Kevin say that someone has been chosen for the Key of Blankness. Who is it?"

"You'll find out later. Right now... that person can't come back."

"Hey, are you planning to keep fighting with me like this from now on?"

"..."

Chrono rarely initiates conversations with people. Many people only dare to take a detour when they see him. Even children dare not cry when they see him. Some who dare to approach him are glared at by him and then wisely leave.

However, this did not apply to Immer and Sakura. Chrono would occasionally strike up a conversation with them, his tone as Chrono as ever.

Immer put down the Mission Report in his hand and glanced coldly at Chrono, who was wearing a mask.

"I don't have any objections, but it would be best if next time you could pique my interest a little." Chrono Jie rested his hands on the back of the sofa, sneering, "Aren't you planning to do something else?"

Immer looked away. "I'll do it once I kill you."

"Hahaha, that's really true... I'm always ready to play along."

Immer's typing was as rapid as raindrops. He didn't need to stop to think, and a mission briefing was quickly drafted. He then handed it to Sakura for a look, as she was the team leader.

"And you? What are you planning to do?"

"Me? Aren't you planning to kill me? Why do you need to care what I do afterward?"

"Hmph..." A flash of impatience crossed Immer's face, but there was also a hint of complexity. "I know very well what we did to you, but I have no intention of giving up on revenge. If you want to kill me, that's fine too. I'm ready."

"Tch, stop being so fussy. Do you think I care about those things? I just want a little fun." Chrono laughed cruelly without any attempt to hide it. "I don't care what your reasons are or what methods you use, as long as it's interesting enough. Only when you're not interesting enough will I crush you like an insect."

"..."

"Perhaps then you can pray that the commandment that woman placed on me will protect you."

Immer said coldly, "I am not innocent, nor do I need to pray."

"Very good! Very good! This is my adjutant!" Chrono's smile was filled with murderous intent, but he casually placed his hand on Immer's shoulder. "Why don't you imagine what you'll do after you kill me? That will give you more motivation!"

"Let me go."

"But you know, if you ask me what I plan to do in the future..."

The Chrono suddenly stopped.

An indescribable feeling spread through Immer's heart as he turned to look at the mask so close to his face.

The mask concealed all expressions.

Just like that person, they used a helmet to hide their inner thoughts.

"... Hey, as long as you don't kill me, you're planning to keep following me, right?" Qian Jie asked in a slightly more relaxed tone than usual after Chrono.

"Of course." Immer's eyes darkened.

"Very well, let's keep playing until I'm satisfied."

Chrono laughed again.

Chapter Six: Return

"Bang!"

Two figures collided in the sea of blood. The suppressed sonic boom contracted to its limit before exploding, forcibly separating this endless crimson world into a clear area.

The silver-haired man with Prismatic Eyes stood on the edge of the blasted sea of blood, staring menacingly at the black-haired man on the other side. Golden Imaginary Energy pulsated in his palm, and chains extended from under his skin like tentacles around him.

Lin, on the other hand, was left on the other side. He was empty-handed, panting heavily as he drifted in the sea, utterly exhausted.

The silver-haired man in front of him had left with the Pseudo-Herrscher Core when it was extracted from the body. Since Lin did not become a true Herrscher, his own consciousness remained in the body. However, after Lin's body changed Pseudo-Herrscher Core became his second heart. Lin would die after it was separated from the body. Lin almost died at that time and was saved by the cloaked man in his dying moments.

However, the greatest threat Pseudo-Herrscher Core, returned to Lin's body, and even... underwent significant changes.

The Pseudo-Herrscher Core was already tainted with the Herrscher of Death's abilities, was absorbed and then extracted again by the Herrscher of the Void, and also gained some ability to manipulate Imaginary Energy. Now that Yan Luo no longer seals the Pseudo-Herrscher Core with the Oath of Judas, Lin's own consciousness is almost unable to hold on.

But...

The silver-haired man swung his right arm, Imaginary Energy condensed into a Spear of the Void, which shot out along with chains, attacking Lin!

Just as Lin's head was about to be pierced by the Spear of the Void, Lin took a deep breath, swung his right arm, and a Honkai Energy burned in his right fist. He punched the Spear of the Void and shattered it!

Inch-force, chaotic thunder.

Since he unleashed the power of the Tai Xu Divine Essence without any awareness or consciousness, Lin was able to use the moves of the Great Void Sword Qi that the cloaked man had taught him. However, he was unable to use the Tai Xu Divine Essence again. It was like a natural strike after discarding impurities and achieving a clear mind. No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't remember how he had used it back then.

This did indeed give him the feeling of cultivating immortality in the divine land.

The silver-haired man's attack failed, and Lin, exhausted, did not continue fighting. Instead, he retracted the chains into his body, then stared at Lin before slowly sinking into the sea of blood.

Lin, panting heavily, plunged heavily into the sea, sinking towards the bottomless abyss.

Lin Cong the ruins. He slowly rose from the rubble and looked up to see where he was.

If I'm not mistaken, he should have returned to his Intrinsic World, but... what time is it now?

Is it his own time, or time fifty thousand years from now?

It was pitch black. After getting up, Lin found a place to rest and think about his current situation. He couldn't tell where he was, but he already knew his physical condition.