I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

But now, this man is standing in front of me, seemingly resurrected, as if it were a dream.

Kiana's voice trembled, as if afraid this illusion would vanish. "You... you're still alive..."

"..."

Lin glanced at the watch on her left wrist. Kiana followed his gaze, then realized what he meant, her pretty face flushed red as she covered her watch. "I... I thought you were dead... dead, that's why..."

The somber atmosphere was instantly diluted considerably.

"It seems you've got it under control very well now."

Lin spoke calmly.

Kiana paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yeah, how about it? Want to try again?"

"No need. You can control some of the Honkai Energy now, but the multiple cores in your body are still too much of a burden and will still be slowly eroded."

Lin shook his head, walked past Kiana, and turned back to her, saying, "Let's go. Don't confront her directly for now. The situation in this city is very abnormal."

"How did you end up in Changkong City? And how did you survive?"

After the joy of reunion faded, Kiana, who was following behind Lin, began to ask about the things that had happened in the outside world that she was unaware of over the past few months.

"I originally intended to go to the Schicksal branch to find your whereabouts, but an accident happened along the way, and I ended up in Changkong City." Lin Jianming succinctly explained the reason for his arrival in Changkong City. "I don't know what happened to me, but I did survive."

The conversation shifted abruptly—"And you, what happened to you after you were taken away?"

"I was taken to Schicksal's North African laboratory. They did some kind of spatial experiment on me, made me fight the S-rank Valkyrie Durandal to activate my Herrscher energy, and then World Serpent invaded the Schicksal branch, so I escaped."

Kiana couldn't help but recall the scene of fighting the blonde Knight Princess. At the beginning, Kiana was completely suppressed, and the Knight Princess, like Lin, commented that her fighting style was a hodgepodge. Later, Kiana remembered Lin and Fu Hua's teachings and was about to show her true skills, but she had to deal with the Honkai Beast that fell out of the spatial rift, which caused their battle to end inconclusively.

Upon hearing the familiar name, Lin remained expressionless. He simply nodded, pondered for a few seconds, and then said, "Someone wants to see you later, so get ready."

"Who? Why do we need to prepare?"

"She... um..."

Lin carefully considered his choice of words.

"She was your former subordinate, loyal to you, and worried about your safety, so I hope you won't show her any hostility... at least not outwardly."

"Subordinate?"

Lin's words left Kiana completely confused, but she didn't need to dwell on it for long. Lin had already led her to the place where he had previously observed the nest. Once they arrived, someone couldn't wait to come out from behind the cover.

"My Lady Queen..."

Even her usually expressionless face showed considerable emotion at this moment, and the gray-haired girl stared excitedly at the stunned Kiana.

Bella longed for her queen day and night, and after breaking free from the Siberian ice, she answered her queen's call.

The Queen's appearance has changed, and Bella would never mistake her for anyone else; the current Kiana is her Queen.

"You..."

Kiana looked slightly puzzled. She had seen a few memories of the Herrscher of the Void, but she didn't remember the girl in front of her. However, she felt a sense of familiarity that she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Bella..." Kiana murmured unconsciously.

These two words brought Bella complete happiness and joy.

"She is..."

Kiana asked softly to the man beside her who had a look on his face that said, "It's none of my business. You can take off your clothes and do whatever you want here."

"... Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Benares."

"She?!"

Upon hearing Lin's words, Kiana thought of the dragon-type Honkai Beast that could truly be called the ruler of the sky and was capable of using multiple elemental abilities. She never expected that it would be this gray-haired girl in front of her who looked to be the same age as her!

"What exactly is going on?"

Kiana was completely at a loss. She looked at Lin, then at Bella, who was staring intently at her.

Utter chaos.

"Venerable Lord, did you come here in person to observe the Imaginary Singularity opened by the Thousand Worlds Assumption?"

"..."

The white-haired man didn't reply. He raised his head and looked towards a certain part of the city that was being swallowed by Honkai.

At the same time, the black-haired man turned around, sensing something.

Their gazes collided in a misaligned space, separated by countless tall buildings.

The "Rebirth" of the Sky: Chapter Four - What Did I Not Want to Lose?

"I see... Okay, Bella, then you can't attack humans anymore, okay?"

Lin's ability to express information was as good as ever, allowing Kiana to easily understand the relationship between Bella and her. She thought that Bella would only recognize the Herrscher consciousness in her body, but Bella didn't seem to care about that. Could it be that as long as you Herrscher of the Void Core in your body, you can become Bella's master?

Lin didn't tell Kiana his opinion on this matter. He looked at Bella's bright and cheerful face and pondered quietly.

He had seen Bella's memories and knew that her loyalty had reached the point of blind devotion, but she was not the type who couldn't think for herself, so she certainly knew the difference between Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void.

So Kiana...

Fortunately, Kiana is quite adaptable, and she quickly accepted that she had gained another... subordinate? pet? No, judging from her appearance, she should be a friend. Lin wasn't too worried about this, and Kiana also believed that the benefits of having Bella help them outweighed the drawbacks.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Um, Your Majesty, please don't address me as such." The silver-haired girl was not used to this form of address. In the past, she was always the youngest in terms of seniority, and few people were so respectful to her. She couldn't help but awkwardly smile and wave her hand. "Just call me Kiana."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I already told you to call me Kiana."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"..."

... Is this some kind of fully automatic Queen's praise reply machine?

"So what do we do next?" Kiana ignored Bella for the moment and turned to the man with sharp eyes staring in a certain direction, asking, "Leave here?"

Since Lin is unharmed and has escaped the Raven, let's leave before the World Serpent's forces find them.

"... No." Lin shook his head, pondered, and said in a low voice, "Raven and you just met by chance, not specifically to capture you. Otherwise, the elite force of World Serpent would have been there to greet you, not just her alone. And she didn't seem to intend to search for you afterwards, which means that World Serpent's main purpose in coming to Changkong City was not you."

"If it wasn't me, then what are they doing here?"

"You mentioned before that the World Serpent attacked the Schicksal branch. Did you see a tall, white-haired man?"

Lin's words instantly triggered Kiana's memories. The thought of the white-haired man who gave her an unparalleled sense of oppression filled her with terror and helplessness. If Fu Hua hadn't intervened in time to hold him back, she probably would have been killed on the spot.

A terrifying being, stronger than the Herrscher, and far stronger than her.

Lin didn't need a reply; just by looking at her expression, he knew she must have encountered Kevin. He averted his gaze and exhaled.

"The Honkai Energy here is gradually increasing, and it's growing explosively. There must be a force behind it. It could be Schicksal or World Serpent. If it's World Serpent, it might be better, but if it's Schicksal, it means that World Serpent and Schicksal have reached some kind of agreement and are no longer hostile."

"Those bastards have teamed up." Kiana's expression was grim; World Serpent and Schicksal had left indelible memories on her. "So, are we going to stay here and stop their plot?"

No, you must leave here.

"Huh? Why?"

Lin's sudden cold words caught Kiana off guard. She stared blankly at Lin, who was coldly looking in a certain direction.

"Your friends, and Anti-Entropy, are also in Changkong City. Leave after you find them. Although you are not their target, there is no guarantee that they will continue to target you after they have achieved their goal."

"You wouldn't be talking about..."

Lin had only ever met Mei, so the person he was talking about could only be Mei. However, Kiana didn't show much joy when she heard that Mei was in Changkong City. She stared blankly at Lin as he took out a new mask from his pocket and put it on, covering his cold face.

"Go back to your friends. Your condition is barely under control now. As long as you stop using your Herrscher abilities, the rate of corruption will slow down considerably. Anti-Entropy has more options than I do, and their leader is also Herrscher. Perhaps they have a way to help you completely break free from the control of Honkai."

"And... what about you?"

"I have taught you everything I can. Now that you have escaped from the clutches of Schicksal and Bella has been sent to your side, I have no reason to stay any longer."

Lin had considered cooperating with Anti-Entropy, but he knew that any form of organization had its limitations. He felt it was better for him to act alone now, as he would be free from constraints and avoid unnecessary trouble.

"..."

Kiana silently watched his retreating figure, recalling his desolation after removing his mask, and his rudeness when he collapsed on the ground in Sky City.

Without hesitation, she reached out and grabbed him as he was about to leave.

"What's wrong?" Lin glanced at the hand on his shoulder and turned to ask.

"At least in Changkong City, we can act together first, right? It would be too much for you to deal with those guys by yourself, and Anti-Entropy has a lot of advanced technology that should be of help." Kiana smiled casually, "If you try to be brave by yourself and get your stomach pierced again, you might not be so lucky this time."

"..."

Come to think of it, he did recover from his injuries rather haphazardly last time. At that time, he used his last bit of strength to Artificial Collapse the Honkai Energy caused his physical body to completely collapse. Coupled with the fatal injury, it was impossible for him to recover so quickly.

... Black Abyss White Flower?

"Was it Durandal who took you away?" Kiana.

"It's her." Kiana nodded.

"..."

What a wonderful missed opportunity. Since Bianca didn't take him away back then, it means she probably doesn't know Lin yet. Lin's idea of getting Bianca to help him is probably going to fall through.

After much deliberation, Lin decided to temporarily act alongside Kiana. Firstly, the Honkai Energy in Changkong City might put more strain on Kiana's body, requiring him to monitor her in real time. Secondly, he wanted to take this opportunity to make contact with the other members of Anti-Entropy, so that even if they didn't cooperate later, they would at least meet.

"Let's go then." Lin exhaled and walked to the right.

Kiana smiled brightly, and although Bella didn't know why she was smiling, seeing the Queen in a good mood naturally made Bella feel good too.

Lin led the two of them to the vicinity of Anti-Entropy's small transport ship. He had thoroughly explored Changkong City during this period and naturally knew the location where Mei and the others were stationed.

"Is this the place...?"

Kiana hesitated for a moment, then glanced back at where Lin was hiding in the shadows. She took a deep breath and led Bella toward the transport ship.

The "Rebirth" of the Sky: Chapter Five - The Same Trick Repeated

Lin was actually feeling a bit conflicted. He watched from afar as Kiana walked toward the transport ship, about to reunite with her friend.

After learning that Kiana plans to go back, they might laugh together, or they might sit down and have a chat.

But Lin and Kevin probably won't have that opportunity.

At least for now, they are enemies.

What should we do while Kiana, Bella, and Mei meet up...?

Just as Lin was considering whether to go and inspect the surroundings, he caught a very brief blur in the air not far away.

"..." Lin's expression behind the mask turned cold, like a clear mountain range shrouded in mist. But he did not alert the enemy. Instead, he continued to pretend not to know and looked at the transport ship directly in front of him, while calculating the distance between the two sides and the time required for close combat.

They've arrived.

"Bass!"

Lin drew the Jizo Mitama his waist and, without turning his head, stabbed at the fierce wind that was attacking from behind.

"Ping!"

The opponent's weapon was instantly shattered by the Jizo Mitama, and he was also shaken and staggered backward. Shocked by Lin's reaction speed, he was about to escape when Lin turned around and stabbed the blurry air with his sword.

"Sizzle!"

Sparks flew from the severed air, and a severed mechanical arm fell from the void to the ground. At the same time, the person who had tried to ambush Lin revealed himself.

The man with gray hair mixed with a few strands of gray-white hair and dark circles under his eyes was knocked to the ground by Lin Yidao. He rolled several times before barely stopping, and looked up at the masked man carrying the Jizo Mitama slowly walking towards him.

Night Owl, World Serpent executive whom I had previously met in Sky City, is a man whose skills are not as good as Raven's, but who seems to be better at concealing his presence and launching sneak attacks. Most of his body has been modified into a mechanical cyborg.

"Bass!"

The black tip of the blade stopped at the owl's nose, its matte edge like blood-drinking fangs, ready to devour blood at any moment.

The black pupils behind the mask silently watched the owl, who seemed somewhat different from last time, awaiting its reply.

"Did you take my necklace? Give it back!" Night Owl shouted at Lin with an agitated tone that was inconsistent with his usual sleepy demeanor.

"...necklace?"