I Am Not a Hero

Lin immediately checked on the Soul who had been beside him before the Honkai outbreak. Once the outbreak occurred, the entire city would become a dangerous monster cage. He could already hear the roars of some Honkai Beasts from afar. As a senior, his priority was to ensure the safety of his team members.

"Team Member Lin, are you alright..." Fortunately, as he turned his head, he saw Soul not far away. Upon seeing Lin, she also showed a look of joy.

When those streams of light destroyed the buildings, Lin sensed the danger and pushed Soul away. This caused him to be hit by debris and sent flying by the impact. In comparison, Soul only suffered minor injuries and was fine.

Lin touched the gash behind his head; blood was still flowing from it. He didn't respond but directly took out his sonar and pistol. "Soul, form up."

"Y-yes." Soul also realized the situation was grim. They were within the range affected by the Honkai, only equipped with basic gear. They needed to find a place to regroup and await support from MOTH.

She put on her earphone-like communication device, drew her pistol, and quickly crossed obstacles to Lin's side.

As she passed the corpses, she couldn't bear to look at their tragic state. These lives, so vibrant just minutes ago, were now mere pulp beneath the ruins.

But upon seeing Lin calmly checking his equipment, her gaze firmed.

This was no time for sentimentality. Lin was right; they had to bear the weight of these lives. If they truly pitied their lives, they had to do their utmost to prevent more tragedies.

"Let's head towards areas with low Honkai energy concentration first. Avoid combat as much as possible. If we encounter survivors..." Lin paused, then stated decisively, "Bring them."

The reorganized Fifth Squad had only three members. Their captain, Himiko, was absent, meaning Lin, as the vice-captain, was in command. They immediately began to move based on the Honkai energy concentration shown on their detectors.

"Roar————"

With a muffled roar, the entire city began to come alive in a different way.

Lin grabbed the stabbing claw, reversed his grip on his right-hand dagger, and fiercely thrust it into the Mortal's eye socket, then slashed, severing half its head.

It was unknown when MOTH's technology began to surpass the era's. Perhaps after discovering the Honkai, they were forced into a technological explosion, creating a gap between MOTH's technology and the era's.

For example, the dagger Lin held, produced by MOTH, was certainly no ordinary cold weapon. The chip embedded in the blade could increase its lethality through vibration frequency and heating, capable of cutting through the skin of ordinary Mortals and Honkai Beasts.

Lin released the Mortal's hand, retrieved his dagger. He had killed all the Mortals on this street. To avoid attracting Honkai Beasts, he had killed them all with his dagger, which was almost as effective as a gun.

The problem with his body's coordination still existed, and his damaged head was also not in a good state, but Mortals no longer posed a threat to him.

Soul had also dealt with a Mortal. She kept an eye out for survivors while fighting, but so far, the only ones moving were Mortals. With their gaping mouths and drooling, they didn't look like they needed rescuing.

"The target location is up ahead. We'll wait for the transport plane to arrive on that building's rooftop."

Lin gazed at the building not far away. Under the lights, shadowy figures flickered. There were bloodstains on almost every window. He didn't need to guess what had happened inside; it was likely to be another perilous journey.

"Beep."

The sonar suddenly detected a target in the alleyway around the corner to his right. Lin gestured for Soul to stop and quietly approached the alley.

A Mortal?

Most likely.

But Lin was seeking another, minuscule possibility...

Gripping his dagger, he peeked.

"..."

No Mortals charged out with howls.

"..."

A pair of jade eyes met Lin's dark pupils beneath his sunglasses. The blankness in them seemed to appear often in this person's eyes, but this time, it was more vacant than ever, like a soulless puppet.

She sat hugging her knees at the end of the dirty alley, in a patch of pitch darkness.

Lin stood at the entrance of the alley, bathed in the flickering light, and remained still.

He was like that beam of light.

Lin recalled his friend calling her name and softly called out in a toneless voice, "Hua."

Hua's body trembled, and the dullness in her emerald-green eyes gradually receded.

Not an illusion, nor a living dead... was she alive?

Lin saw the consciousness in her eyes and nodded. "Soul, we have a survivor."

"That's great!" At Lin's signal, Soul put away her gun and ran over. Upon seeing the survivor, she widened her eyes in surprise. "Is that... Miss Hua?"

"You two are... those people?" Hua finally realized she had met the two of them not long ago.

After the disaster, she had been separated from the white-haired girl. She was desperate to find the white-haired girl, but everywhere she looked, there were only corpses. She had seen living dead rise one after another, and before she knew it, she had been forced into this alley, with nowhere to go but to hide here.

"We'll talk later. Let's leave now."

Lin extended his hand to Hua. His detector showed another target had appeared, but this time the target's size was terrifying; it couldn't possibly be human.

"Leave... but..." Hua thought of the white-haired girl, and her heart suddenly ached. It wasn't her heart, but something deeper that ached.

It ached so much that Hua couldn't breathe.

Had she died? So easily, as if struck from a roster... died?

"...Live on."

A cold voice pierced through the pain.

Hua numbly raised her head and looked at Lin, who had spoken.

He walked up to her at some point, grabbed her arm forcefully, and pulled her up. He looked directly into her unfocused, clear pupils and repeated the words, "Live."

"Your friends would definitely want you to live, and I want you to live too."

People whose minds have been shattered by disaster are not uncommon in MOTH.

Unable to find direction in life, they make hating the Honkai and seeking revenge against it their life's goal. Otherwise, even living becomes meaningless.

He had seen this kind of look too many times in MOTH.

"Live, for your own sake."

"Beep————"

The wall to his right shattered, and a massive beast arm emerged, sweeping towards them with devastating, terrifying power.

"Slam—"

Lin braced Hua's arm with one hand, threw her forcefully into Hun's embrace, and then ducked low, narrowly dodging an attack that could have crushed him into a pulp.

Missing its target, the attacker let out a heart-wrenching roar and smashed through the entire building, revealing its true form.

"Chariot-class... this Honkai energy concentration..."

Its mountain-like form and the crimson glow on the scanner made Lin cautiously retreat a few steps to the alley entrance. He observed its colossal body, far larger than any Chariot-class Honkai Beast he had ever seen.

The different classes of lower-level Honkai Beasts are distinguished solely by their form, with no absolute strength difference. Therefore, a charging-class Honkai Beast is not necessarily weaker than a Chariot-class or Knight-class. Moreover, even among lower-level Honkai Beasts, there are many variants, including exceptionally troublesome individuals.

This Honkai Beast, whose size was comparable to an entire building, was likely the pinnacle of Chariot-class Honkai Beasts. While still far from Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, its sheer Honkai energy concentration and destructive power had already reached Emperor standards.

If he were to get entangled with something like this, even the tall building they had designated as a retreat point would be easily demolished.

In a flash, thoughts raced through Lin's mind, and he made an immediate decision—

"Hun, get the survivors out."

Hun, who had just helped Hua up, blurted out upon hearing Lin's words, "No!"

Lin was injured and in an unbalanced state, and he only had a handgun and a knife. There was no way he could fight such a massive Honkai Beast; it would be no different from suicide.

The Chariot-class Honkai Beast didn't immediately attack further. Instead, it regarded its prey like a wild animal. This Honkai Beast already possessed rudimentary intelligence and instincts. If MOTH were to classify it, it might receive a name and be distinguished from ordinary Chariot-class Honkai Beasts.

"That's an order." Lin gripped his dagger, his gaze fixed intently on the Chariot-class Honkai Beast.

"You don't have any equipment..."

"Protect the survivors' lives. Do you want her to get involved in the fight?"

"..."

Hun was speechless, but she looked at Lin's retreating back with reluctance. Hua also stared blankly at the figure that showed no hesitation, appearing as fragile as a blade of grass beneath the colossal beast.

The light had been completely swallowed by the giant beast, and filthy dust rained down. Scattered remnants lay at their feet, and the fallen streetlamp let out its final sputtering cry and dim light.

The dark corners received no light.

"I have a friend."

A beam of light cut through the darkness.

Lin held his small knife in a reverse grip, aiming it at the Honkai Beast. This provocative action undoubtedly ignited its fury. Amidst its roars, the ground trembled, but Lin's figure remained steadfast and resolute, like a fallen leaf on a turbulent wave.

His entire body let out discordant shrieks, but Lin still stood tall.

"He's a complete idiot."

"If it were him, even with just a baseball bat, he would never have backed down an inch."

The image of a white-haired youth appeared in Lin's eyes.

"This is an order. Escort the survivors away, and then await my contact to rendezvous with me."

Hun gritted her teeth, staring at Lin. Her rationality told her she had to follow the order now, but...

She had only just begun to understand Lin, to understand his thoughts, to understand the sensitivity hidden beneath his exterior. And now, she was being asked to watch a comrade... walk to his death?

Hun lowered her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes.

Her pause was brief.

"Go." Hun grabbed Hua's hand and started running.

Seeing its prey flee, the Chariot-class Honkai Beast roared, and its entire body began to move.

Lin's expression was impassive as he charged forward with his blade, meeting the gaping maw.

Chapter 1: The Heart's Tomb

Thunder struck, and amidst the purple-blue lightning, all who dared defy the heavenly punishment turned to ash in the thunderous roar.

One person, accompanied by lightning, brought down their blade upon the evil beast.

Reflected in the cold steel of the blade, the last Honkai Beast was split in two. Before it could even hit the ground, it vanished.

"Phew..."

The tall girl slowly stood up and sheathed her sword. A floating door appeared before her, and beside it, a person who had been waiting for a long time stood ready.

The pink-haired girl waved at her with a smile. "Hi~ Mei, did you miss me? We've been apart for a whole half hour."

"Elysia... what are you doing here?" Mei, clearly still wary of the enigmatic girl, asked with a frown on her beautiful brow.

"What am I doing here... Hmm... I don't plan on doing anything. I just want to witness this historic moment," Elysia stepped forward and said to Mei with her heart-healing smile. "After all, you're about to go to 'that place.' Although every successor goes there, your identity is too special, making it full of drama."

"'That place?'" Mei blinked in surprise at her words. "My identity... a Herrscher?"

But wasn't her specialness already the most unique among the successors when she, as the first Herrscher, entered the Imaginary Tree?

Elysia nodded, trying to find a suitable way to put it in her mind. "How should I say this? Mei, do you remember what the first Mortal you defeated looked like?"

"Why would I remember something like that?" Mei found it baffling.

"Exactly, I don't remember either. But you definitely remember what the first Emperor-class Honkai Beast and Herrscher you killed looked like."

"..." This statement brought back some unpleasant memories for Mei, darkening her complexion.

"Ooh, it seems I accidentally touched upon Mei's bad memories. I'm sorry, can you forgive me just this once?"

"Is there anything else you want to say? If not, I'm leaving."

"Oh, don't be angry. As compensation, I'll tell you why your identity is special."

Elysia playfully grabbed Mei's arm with a grin, but Mei quickly pulled away, crossing her arms and calmly awaiting her explanation.

Elysia shrugged, feigning indifference, but a hint of sadness welled up in her eyes. It wasn't for Mei, but for someone else.

"The first Herrscher Lin killed was the Third Herrscher, who was also the Herrscher of Thunder."

"..."

This was somewhat unexpected.

It was already strange for a memory fragment of an ordinary person, who was neither a MOTH Hero nor a Flame-Chaser, to appear in the Imaginary Tree. Yet, he had actually killed a Herrscher, and coincidentally, it was the Herrscher of Thunder, just like her.

So, behind this door was the place belonging to that person in the helmet?

But in the end, this wasn't special enough for Elysia to personally come and witness.