I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

"Click, click... click..."

The crack widened in his palm, and the sleeping gray-haired girl opened her eyes hazily. Her sky-blue pupils vaguely saw the man standing in front of her. His ordinary yet special black eyes met hers, calm and distant.

"You..."

"Click... click..."

"Smack!"

The massive ice block melted into tiny ice crystals in the cold wind and disappeared into the desolate ice field. Bella, naked, stared blankly at Lin standing in front of her.

She still remembers everything she experienced after entering the consciousness space, including taking over Yae Rin's identity and experiencing that girl's despair and confusion.

And this person saved her...

As Lin saw her memories, she was also overwhelmed by Lin's memories. So she understood how incredible it was that someone who had been Honkai by the Honkai and left with nothing could guide the Herrscher onto the right path and save herself from harming humanity.

"Let's go."

After Lin lifted Bella's ice seal, he gave a cold snort and turned to walk in another direction.

Bella looked down in bewilderment at the snow-white ice beneath her feet, standing barefoot in this frigid place that had sealed her away for over a decade.

Why... why did you save me?

After synchronizing her memories, Bella realized that Lin had lied to her at first simply to find out the specifics about the Herrscher of the Void. Now that he had seen Bella's memories, he shouldn't let her go, this Honkai Beast. If he wanted, Bella's consciousness could be sealed here forever, even more thoroughly than being truly frozen.

Lin did not stop. His figure stood forlorn in the cold wind mixed with rain and snow, but his words, colder than the polar temperatures, pierced through the wind and snow.

"Didn't you want to see another possibility for her?"

"..."

"So I'll also give you another possibility."

That concludes the sentence.

Without further explanation, he may have been thinking about many things, including the Herrscher and Honkai Beast he had fought against, and the people who had changed him.

He won't tell anyone what he thought and considered in those few seconds, but once he makes a decision, he won't change it.

The gray-haired girl watched the departing figure. She slowly moved her feet, gradually becoming normal after initially stumbling, and then jogged to catch up with the man walking ahead.

"Human... Lin, did you change the Queen?"

"No, she changed herself."

After leaving the snowfield, Lin and Bella returned to the Tenshu-kaku. This time, it was no longer a colorless space with nothing in it, but an extremely grand interior room in the Far East style.

Lin stood there and examined every nook and cranny of the fox emblem, and had already formed his own judgment.

This must be the real interior of the Tenshu-kaku.

After Bella and Lin entered the Tenshu-kaku, they were caught in the resentment of the creator of the consciousness space. In a festival held in Yae Village more than ten years ago, she was offered as a sacrifice to a non-existent Fox God. Her conflicted heart and resentment trapped her in the three days of the festival, but she also yearned for another possibility, hoping that someone could save her and let her "sacrifice herself for the happiness of the villagers" be freed.

Therefore, Bella, who shared similarities with her, became her representative, while she herself became the executioner.

Yae Rin... But that Kitsune is more than just Yae Rin.

The calls Lin heard came from three different people.

And now, "she" should be waiting for Lin on the top floor of the Tenshu-kaku.

... Indeed, we have waited far too long.

Lin lowered his gaze and took the lead, with Bella following closely behind. The two headed towards the stairs to the second floor.

"..."

In the deepest recesses of the Tenshu-kaku's top floor, a pair of weary eyes and a pair of crimson beastly pupils opened simultaneously.

The Journey Begins in the Sky: Chapter Sixty-Two -The Sixth Battle

As Lin ascended the wide, long staircase to the second floor, he sensed a change in the interior of the Tenshu-kaku.

Both the space and the atmosphere were completely different from what Lin Cong the outside. It was as if the entire Tenshu-kaku had come to life, and some things, whether tangible or intangible, were slowly wriggling in places outside his field of vision.

Bella also felt that indescribable sensation. Her "beastly" intuition was even stronger than Lin's, and the chilling feeling that felt like a thorn in her back made her body's nerves react.

"... Hide behind me for a moment." Lin simply instructed Bella, then faced the "thing" that twisted out of the darkness with a serious expression.

Originally formless, they transformed into Honkai zombie and Honkai Beast after emerging from the gloomy darkness into the light, their bodies burning with thick, blood-red flames, staring at the two with chilling, crimson eyes of the living dead.

"No... I can use some of my abilities now, I'll help you."

Bella's pretty face was no less expressive than the Honkai zombie's; she bared her fangs like a wild beast, and her hands crackled with electricity.

Lin glanced at her without speaking, but cautiously observed these monsters, which were completely different from ordinary Honkai zombie and Honkai Beast. The fire on their bodies had no temperature, but Lin knew that these fireballs were extremely dangerous. They were not real fire, but substances composed of spirit and consciousness.

The reason why he cannot use Honkai Energy has not yet been figured out. Since he can have another helper, that would be great. Moreover, the creator of this consciousness space is not just an Upper-class Honkai Beast. The Kitsune is just a manifestation of it.

"Howl!"

Without giving Lin and Bella another chance to communicate, the Honkai Beast and Honkai zombie Warriors swarmed towards them, the crimson flames stretching as far as the eye could see, as bright as day.

Lin's gaze darkened as a crimson-clad Shunrenwu Honkai zombie swung his twin swords at him in a vertical slash. He took a large step forward, lowered his body, and dodged the attack that cut through space, while simultaneously delivering a punch to the Honkai zombie's neck!

"Snap!"

The swift and brutal blow struck the most vulnerable spot, instantly snapping Shun Renwu 'Honkai zombie neck and causing his head to droop from his shoulder, held together by skin and flesh.

Lin kicked over the corpse of Honkai zombie, snatched the two long blades from its hands, and turned around to wield his twin blades to cut the Charge-type Honkai Beast into three pieces!

"Bass!"

The corpses of the Honkai Beast that had been cleaved in two fell onto Lin's body, and the eerie flames on their bodies instantly ignited Lin's sleeves!

Lin Yidao plunged the Honkai zombie's sword into his forehead, then turned and took a step back, tearing off his sleeve and throwing it on the ground. The piece of cloth that had been set ablaze was burned to ashes in the blink of an eye. If he had been any slower, he probably would have lost more than just a sleeve.

On the other side, Bella used her slender hands as claws, revealing a fierce expression. She jumped onto the back of the Chariot-class Honkai Beast, and then grabbed the fist that the Honkai Beast was slapping at her with one hand, which was bigger than her whole body!

No matter how hard the Chariot-class Honkai Beast tried, it remained completely still in front of that delicate palm. The scene looked as if an ant had easily withstood the shock of an elephant!

But this meant nothing to Bella. She was an absolute anomaly among the Honkai Beast. The Herrscher of the Void granted her Pseudo-Herrscher Core, giving her the ability to think and take human form. Even disregarding the fact that Honkai Beast belonging to Herrscher only obey their own Herrscher's orders, she had no pity for these inferior Honkai Beast who lacked the ability to think. They were just a group of beasts that only knew how to destroy. The difference in power and intelligence was not even on the same level.

Bella casually twisted the front limb of the Chariot-class Honkai Beast, then slammed it into the Temple-class Honkai Beast next to her, causing it to stagger backward. Then, she coldly and ruthlessly plunged her right arm, which was wrapped in electricity, into the Honkai Beast's body!

"Sizzle!"

Destroying the core of the Honkai Beast, Bella's face contorted in rage as she lunged at the next enemy with even greater ferocity than any other Honkai Beast.

Lin stabbed his single blade into the ground, then forcefully lifted it up, sending the floorboards flying and blocking the advance of the leading Honkai zombie. He then transformed into a black, bloody shadow, wielding his twin blades as he charged between the Honkai zombie and the Honkai Beast, hacking and slashing wildly!

"Bass!"

The splattered blood even stained the ceiling a purplish-red.

There were quite a few of these aberrant Honkai creature, but they posed no threat to Lin and Bella. They worked together in perfect harmony to kill the Honkai creature, and in less than a minute, all that remained were burning corpses and a thick layer of purplish-red blood at their feet.

"Do you know what these Honkai Beasts, and the fire on their bodies, are?" Lin looked at the third-floor staircase, then turned back to Bella, who was pulling her blood-stained hand from the corpse, and asked.

Bella shook off the blood that had stained her hands a different color, subtly observing Lin's expression. After hearing his words, she hesitated for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Honkai Beast aren't entirely of the same kind. If they're controlled by different high-ranking Honkai creature, they might fight each other. So this is the first time I've ever seen these Honkai creature..."

"As for these fireballs... I feel they are a kind of 'power'."

By now, even if Bella is slow on the uptake, she should have figured out the problem with this consciousness space. After all, she is a familiar of the Herrscher of the Void triggered the Second Honkai War, and her perception of the Herrscher's aura and authority far surpasses that of ordinary Honkai Beast.

These fire-like things are extremely corrosive to everything, so Bella, like Lin, deliberately avoided getting involved with them during the battle.

But... is this all the Herrscher's corrupting power can achieve?

Bella wasn't quite sure either, what kind of power some flames could be considered.

"... Let's go."

After listening to Bella's answer, Lin continued his journey towards the third floor.

The interior of the castle tower is much larger than it appears from the outside. Moreover, from the outside, it seems that the space decreases as you go up in the castle tower. However, Lin could clearly feel that the higher the floor, the more prominent the sense of disharmony in the space became. When they fought their way to the sixth floor, the area of this floor was already twice the size of the entire Yae Village!

The number of Honkai creature surging in like a tide far exceeded that of the previous levels, and even Lin and Bella, who had to avoid the corrosive fire, inevitably found it somewhat difficult.

"Howl!"

Before Bella could pull her arm out, the Knight-class Honkai Beast behind her thrust out a sharp spear, about to pierce her body.

Oh no...

"Bass!"

The man who descended from the sky pierced through the humanoid form on the Knight-class Honkai Beast's body with a single slash and pinned it to the ground.

"...call."

Lin and Bella exchanged a glance, and they both saw a hint of weariness in each other's eyes.

And there are still half of the remaining Honkai Beast.

The Journey Begins in the Sky: Chapter Sixty-Three - Fifty Thousand Years of Waiting

"Bass!"

The long sword was thrown out like a bullet, piercing through the Honkai Beast's shell. In theory, this attack should have killed the Honkai Beast, but the wound was very shallow, barely breaking through the shell and not reaching the core.

"Howl--"

Before the Honkai Beast could even roar out fully, the gray-haired girl swiftly emerged from beneath it, stepping onto the hilt of her sword. As she sent it into its core, she also injected electricity into the Honkai Beast's body.

The crimson Honkai Beast's roar abruptly ceased, its massive body swaying and collapsing to the ground, twitching a few times before falling still.

With that, the last Honkai Beast was defeated, and Lin and Bella, who had put down their swords, stood there panting and sweating profusely.

There is no real fatigue in the consciousness space, but the continuous high-intensity battles have left them quite mentally exhausted. It can be said that the number of Honkai Beast and Honkai zombie they have fought their way up is at least several hundred, if not several thousand. Even Lin has rarely encountered such intense combat.

The seventh layer is the last layer, which means that the source of the consciousness space should be there.

"You should rest for a bit. Human consciousness is too fragile." Bella stepped forward to help Lin up, but he waved her hand and refused.

"Let's go, it should be over soon."

Lin picked up the long sword, held onto the steps and walked up. Bella pursed her lips and then followed.

Unlike the previous experience of stepping into darkness and then being illuminated again, only to find oneself standing in an empty space, the seventh floor was not very large.

In the enclosed space that looked no bigger than a shrine, a few dim lights hung quietly on the supporting pillars, the floor was covered with dark yellow tatami mats, and the not-so-high ceiling loomed overhead, making it hard to breathe.

Lin stepped onto the tatami mat. Unlike the tatami mats commonly used for sleeping in the Far East, the texture of the mat he stepped on was extremely hard, making him feel as if he were stepping on a knife.

The two walked to the center of the room, and as they stopped, a petite figure slowly emerged from behind a distant supporting pillar and came into the light.

"..."

Even though she had prepared herself mentally, Lin's heart still skipped a beat when she saw who it was, and she clenched her fists.

Her long, cherry-pink hair was styled into a ponytail that fell behind her head. Her sharp fox ears blended seamlessly with her hair. She wore a sleeveless Miko outfit bound by shimenawa rope. Her blue pupils, unlike her sister's purple, were so clear that they could not contain a single impurity.

"Long time no see, Brother Lin."

The moment she saw Lin, she gave him a genuine smile.

Lin also took a deep breath and sighed, "Ring."

The person who appeared before Lin was none other than Rin, the younger sister of the Previous Civilization, who was chosen as the Twelfth Herrscher and was eventually taken away by Lin.

"It's been so long, I can't even remember how much time has passed." Rin, who looks almost exactly the same as before, skips back and forth between the firelights with her hands behind her back. Her shadow is cast on the tatami mat, but it turns into the shape of a fox.

Bella looked at the two of them in confusion. She never expected that these two people would know each other.

"... Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Mmm, it's alright. I'm already content just to see Brother Lin and Sister again." Ling chuckled and shook her head. She stopped and took a breath, as if suppressing something. "However, something unexpected still happened. I was already purified by Eldest Sister, but I didn't expect to be infected by 'her' resentment..."

"..."

"Brother Lin."

Ling raised her head, her blue eyes now filled with crimson lines, and she gritted her teeth as she reminded him—

Be careful.

"Howl!"

Ling's body instantly twisted and deformed! Her pupils were replaced by beastly eyes filled with resentment, and a nine-tailed fox Kitsune with crimson flames appeared in front of Lin!

"What..."

It seemed that the girl who knew Lin had turned into a monster, which caught Bella off guard. But what surprised her even more was that after the Kitsune appeared, another girl dressed as Miko emerged from behind the pillar, her eyes cold as she drew a blood-like, sticky demon sword, right up to Lin and Bella!