I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

"Bang!"

With his abdomen ripped open by the chains, Lin kicked Jiu in the face, sending him flying. Then, with a backhand slash, he aimed his sword at Jiu's neck, but Jiu dodged to the side. A flash of cold light appeared on Jiu's right ear as it was severed.

Their battle range has expanded to more than 50 kilometers and is still spreading outward, gradually approaching the location of the orbital elevator.

Lin struck Jiu's neck with his sword, but Jiu grinned maliciously. The chain had replaced the skin and flesh of Jiu's neck, preventing the sword from being completely severed. Then, Jiu kicked Lin back to the ground. The chain wrapped around Lin and dragged him for hundreds of meters before throwing him away violently!

"Boom!"

As Lin slowly rose from the ruins, his mind was reeling, and blood was gushing from his nostrils and ears. He leaned on his sword, panting heavily to stop the dizziness in his head.

When he fully recovered and saw his surroundings, he was stunned.

Behind it stands the Tower of Babel, soaring into the clouds, as if it were a bridge connecting the human world and the heavenly palace.

Jiu walked slowly from not far away, her Prismatic Eyes flashing like orbs of light. Her body was covered with deep wounds that revealed the bone. Their condition was not optimistic. They could both fall to the ground at any moment. The only one who was still standing was the other.

"... Use the Tai Xu Sword God."

Jiu stopped fifty meters away from Lin.

"That's the strongest killing move you can use right now, isn't it?" Jiu said with unusual calm. "Since it's already the last resort, let's use the last move."

The wind stopped.

The terrified screams on the Coral Island seemed to reach Lin's ears. He was panting and his ears were ringing as he stared at the figure that looked incredibly small between heaven and earth.

With his last bit of strength, he channeled the surrounding Honkai Energy, and a golden sphere took shape in his hand, transforming into the form of a sharp sword.

Just as the golden blade appeared in mid-air, an even more dazzling light startled Lin Du.

The white-haired man gently pushed forward with his remaining hand, his Prismatic Eyes calmly gazing at the person in the distance. A more dazzling and solid sword quietly appeared in his palm.

Tai Xu Sword God...

The white-haired man raised his head, met the gaze of the last person in the world who was connected to him, leaped up, and gently pushed out the radiant blade.

At the heart of Coral Island, beneath the Star River Ladder, two beams of light shone, drawing the attention of everyone.

The Herrscher named Jiu released her grip.

The white duck plush toy fell to the ground.

The Coral's "Reversal": Chapter Fifty-Two - The Cat

"Tick-tock".

"Tick-tock".

"Tick-tock".

In the previous second, Lin saw the golden sword break through the chains and cleave the sky. His invincible and almost undefeated Tai Xu Sword God was shattered under another dazzling golden sword light.

Lin's Tai Xu Sword God lost to Jiu's Tai Xu Sword God.

The greatest strength of the Great Void Sword Qi lies in its Honkai Energy to its extreme, creating a divine essence that transcends form, fills space, and is unavoidable.

However, what ultimately determines the power of the Great Void Sword Qi is the initial Heart Essence.

Only with the ultimate Sword Heart can one become the ultimate swordsman.

His dark pupils reflected the sword-like finger hovering before his eyes, which was less than half a centimeter away from his eyes when the gold on the fingertips dissipated.

"..."

"..."

Black eyes and Prismatic Eyes opened silently on their faces, which were covered in wounds and blood.

Suddenly, it seemed that only the two of them remained in the world.

It was as if they had returned to that sea of blood, where the two, unable to escape, met at the end.

Bright red, warm blood fell onto Lin's face, and he suddenly realized that Jiu's blood was the same as human blood.

"I won." Jiu's hand fell to her sides.

His blood-stained face twitched, then he opened his mouth. "Cough cough... Ugh..."

He coughed up a mouthful of hot blood, gasped for breath, staggered backward, sat on the ground, and then lay down again.

Wearing a golden knight's sword on his chest.

Lin raised his head and glanced at the undamaged elevator behind him. He struggled to his feet and dragged his half-crippled body to Jiu's side, whose pupils were gradually becoming unfocused.

His legs gave way and he knelt down beside Jiu.

The two, who have been fighting for fifty thousand years, can finally sit down and have a proper talk.

Lin looked up at the gloomy sky amidst the rain and snow, and asked softly, "Why did you kill the Herrscher of Ice?"

Jiu had no reason to kill another Herrscher. He could have let the Herrscher of Ice wreak havoc and then act when Lin was fighting against her.

But he arrived faster than anyone else before the Herrscher of Ice could even do anything.

"... I just didn't want anyone to disturb me." A pure white snowflake landed on Jiu's cheek. His lips trembled as he answered in a barely audible voice, "Thanks to you, she wasn't a true Herrscher. Rather than letting her destroy the place she was protecting, it's better for her to just die..."

Lin gazed at the calm expression on his face and sighed softly, "Did... something good happen to you?"

"Heh, being deceived by humans and kept as a pet is a good thing..."

Jiu Ningjing closed her eyes.

"However, finally beating you once is a good thing, isn't it?"

"..."

"You've... been gone for so long... and you still haven't changed..." Jiu's soft voice trailed off, the muscles on his face gradually relaxing, like a taut rubber band finally loosening. "I killed... many people... my death proves... I was wrong... you corrected one mistake... killed one... monster... that's all..."

Before he could utter the last word, the Herrscher had already fallen into a deep sleep as Lin lowered his head.

Their feud ended there, and they, as Herrscher and humans, completed the last Herrscher extermination battle that the Previous Civilization had failed to finish.

Just then, the engine roared as Bronya arrived on her motorcycle. She immediately saw Lin kneeling on the ground. Lin struggled to lift his head and look at her, indicating that he was alright.

But the next second, Bronya threw herself at him and hugged him tightly, her petite body trembling slightly.

"..."

"... Prometheus just took control of my body."

After a long while, the trembling stopped, and Bronya lowered her head and let go of her hand.

"You..."

"I'm fine," Lin said softly, gently placing his left hand on her head.

"I didn't care if you were alright." Bronya coldly pushed his hand away. "It's just that you lost, and the people of Coral Island will all perish with you."

The man's hair, stained with congealed blood, fluttered gently in the breeze. He gazed at the distant residential area and pursed his lips.

"I won't let anything happen to you either."

"..."

Bronya lowered her head and remained silent for a while, then, as if remembering something, looked up at Lin and said, "Herrscher of Ice."

Lin's heart tightened. "What's wrong?"

"She didn't die. The Honkai Energy been suppressed, just like Kiana did before."

Lin was taken aback, then he lowered his head and looked at the white-haired man whose expression was calm as if he were asleep, as if he were being told that he had lost twice.

In the glow of the city sunset, the pristine white hospital wards also transformed into the juncture of dawn and dusk.

The girl flipped through the photo album, looking at each picture. There were group photos of her with others, solo photos of herself, and many more photos of cats.

She was completely unfamiliar with the contents of the photo, including the image of herself that looked exactly like her and was smiling happily.

She was brought by a group of people. They said she was their Vice-Captain who was seriously injured and lost her memory while protecting Coral Island. She is currently recuperating in the hospital and will likely retire soon.

It sounds like good news, but the doctor said the chances of her regaining her memory are slim, and she needs to rest for a considerable period of time before making any plans.

The girl placed her finger on her face in the photo, her smile radiant, as if she had inexhaustible energy.

But the girl felt that the person in the photo was smiling very hypocritically.

People claiming to be members of the Snow Lotus Squad said that the girl lost everything in the Honkai, which is why she joined Schicksal out of hatred for the Honkai. Upon hearing this, the girl remained completely unmoved.

She sensed it was fake.

It wasn't the members of the Snow Lotus Squad who lied, but rather she... the one who hadn't lost her memory yet, who lied.

She may not necessarily hate the kind of disaster called Honkai, but rather she couldn't find the motivation to live, which is why she said that.

After all, a smile is like a mask, stiff and fake.

Whenever the girl tries to recall her lost memories, she feels a sharp, agonizing pain in her brain, as if someone has nailed a door shut, preventing anyone from opening it.

Meow~

Suddenly, a meow came from the door of the ward, making the girl turn her head curiously.

A white, short-haired cat walked in through the crack in the door that wasn't closed.

"Huh? Kitty, what are you doing at the hospital?"

Meow~

As if in response, the white cat meowed and then nimbly jumped onto her hospital bed. Only then did the girl notice that it was carrying something in its mouth.

The white cat opened its mouth, and the thing landed in her hand.

The white duck plush toy looks dirty.

The white cat rubbed against her hand, then lay down peacefully and closed its eyes.

Holding the duck plush toy, the girl stared blankly at the uninvited kitten.

She tentatively reached out and gently stroked its head.

Meow~

Coral's "Reversal": Chapter Fifty-Three - Let's Set Off, Silly Goose

Before Schicksal's reinforcements arrived, the Herrscher had destroyed most of the city had already vanished without a trace.

However, the person in charge of Schicksal, Bishop Otto Apocalypse, was not surprised by this outcome at all; he seemed to have known about it from the beginning.

After listening to the report in front of the projected screen, the blond man turned around and smiled as he looked at the Blond Knight Princess standing in the distance.

"Durandal, you seem to have a lot to say."

The blonde girl, dressed in a simple yet stylish outfit, exuded a cool and confident vibe. She opened her eyes, which had been closed for rest, and stared at Otto with a serious expression.

Always outspoken, she had no intention of beating around the bush and asked directly, "Your Excellency, you already knew that there might be Herrscher on Coral Island when the Herrscher of Domination appeared, but why didn't you allow anyone to investigate and didn't inform the Snow Lotus Squad?"

When Otto prevented the Herrscher of Domination from seizing the Black Abyss White Flower, he had Rita investigate the Herrscher of Domination's travel records within Schicksal, including the routes of the forces searching for the Herrscher of Binding. It was easy to deduce that the Herrscher of Domination and the Herrscher of Binding were connected.

However, Otto not only stopped investigating, but even stopped the original search team from arresting the Herrscher of Binding.

"What do you think is the reason?" Otto asked Bianca with a vague smile, his hands behind his back.

"... Let's make a deal with that masked man."

Otto smiled without saying a word, neither admitting nor denying.

Bianca was very curious about the details of the deal. Based on her impression of Otto, few people could offer enough benefits to make him agree to the terms, except for Kevin. The masked man had actually reached a deal with Otto after only a few minutes of talking.

"The result was good, wasn't it? There were almost no casualties, and the damage was kept within an acceptable range. Even the Star River Ladder was intact." Otto turned around and tapped on the screen. "Now it's your turn, Durandal. The Second Divine Key has observed a quantum disorder phenomenon that you need to investigate. It must be in optimal condition before it can perform its next task."

"..."

Bianca squinted, staring at Otto's back. She didn't know what this man, who never revealed his true nature, was planning, but she hadn't been feeling good about his recent behavior.

"Durandal, please come this way."

Otto's secretary Amber, stood respectfully not far away.

Bianca took a deep breath, tossed her long hair aside, and turned to leave.

"How did you guys get into this mess?!"

Because they left with two people, Lin and Bronya couldn't use the same route as when they came. They had to go to a place outside Schicksal's jurisdiction to contact Anti-Entropy. As soon as the Hyperion arrived, the silver-haired girl rushed down from above in a rage. When she saw Lin's right arm was badly mangled, she felt both heartache and anger, and questioned him through gritted teeth.