The Snow Has Melted / Ice, Birds, Death

That's... Binai?

Anna remembered.

After the loud bang, Anna saw a gem-like object instantly appear on Binai's chest, emitting a cold, icy blue light, and then she was thrown away by the impact.

What's wrong with Binai?

Binai stared at her coldly and indifferently, as if she were a stranger, his icy blue eyes fixed on the stunned Anna.

' Herrschers are also products of Honkai, born only in large-scale Honkai. They are the most tangible manifestation of Honkai, capable of controlling Honkai Beasts and Honkai zombie. Their birth is a devastating blow to human society.'

'They... are all Herrschers women... no, are they all human women?'

Memories of my past interactions with Hua flashed through my mind like lightning.

This left Anna stunned and speechless.

Binai has become... Herrscher?

Binai, who was talking to her just a second ago, suddenly became the humanoid monster Herrscher that Hua had described.

"Bin...nai?" Anna murmured, reaching out her hand to Binai in the air.

However, the next moment—

"Bass!"

Anna looked down at the ice spike that had "emerged" from her belly, its blood turning into crimson ice crystals that dissipated into the cold wind along with her life.

He couldn't utter a single word; a chill quickly enveloped his entire body.

"Thump." Anna fell to the ground.

The pure white beret gently slipped off her head.

Chapter Seven: The Snow Melted

My whole body felt like it was being pierced by needles, every drop of blood carried pain, every pore was draining my life, and every breath I exhaled felt like it was trying to extinguish the flame of life.

My stomach was burning, but countless cold winds were blowing through it, the combination of heat and cold felt like torture.

Cold, trembling, and with only one eye, I could see a bluish-purple patch on my bloodless fingers.

"Forehead..."

It hurts.

Moving even a finger can trigger pain receptors, causing muscle spasms and stiff limbs, making one feel like a corpse writhing on the ground.

"Pfft." A mouthful of blood with a strong rusty smell was spat onto the ground, and in the instant it scattered, it congealed into a blooming blood flower.

The fallen hat, stained with blood, froze on his hair, and the messy strands of hair were tangled together.

Anna's arms trembled as she looked at the increasing number of crimson ice crystals beneath her. She bit her lip and shakily raised her head.

"Bi... Nai..."

The Fifth Herrscher had intended to leave, realized she was still alive after hearing her words, so she raised her hand, preparing to freeze Anna into ice shards.

"Binai ..." Anna coughed up blood clots, shaking her head slightly. "What... happened to you..."

Upon hearing these words, the Fifth Herrscher stopped what she was doing. Her icy blue eyes gazed at Anna, who was barely clinging to life, and she whispered through her thin, icy lips, "Anna."

"Binai ...do you still remember me..." Anna saw that the Fifth Herrscher could say her name, and even though the pain from her wounds was so intense that she was about to faint, she still managed to reach out her hand to the Fifth Herrscher in mid-air.

That's great! Binai still conscious, she can definitely turn back... Uncle must have a way to turn Binai back.

"Anna." The Fifth Herrscher smiled and then repeated the name.

There's no mistake, that's Binai's smile. How could such a warm smile belong to a ruthless monster...?

How could this be...

Anna's expression froze when she saw the Fifth Herrscher's eyes.

The gentleness of the past has been replaced by the ruthlessness of blue, devoid of any human qualities.

Her smile, at this moment, seemed to be merely a reaction to some kind of program.

Anna watched helplessly as the Fifth Herrscher raised her hand again, then, with a benevolent smile, waved her hand, and a row of ice shards appeared in front of her, aimed at the dying girl.

Anna closed her eyes in despair, tears streaming down her face and shattering into ice flowers on the ground.

Their birth was a devastating blow to human society.

She suddenly opened her eyes and stared intently at the Fifth Herrscher.

No... Anna ... No, if the Herrscher kills her here, then the city is right behind her! The shelter is in this direction; we can't let the Herrscher get out!

"Ooooooooo!!!" Anna roared with all her might as she propped herself up, staring directly at the gleaming icicles.

The Fifth Herrscher flicked her finger, and more than ten ice shards shot towards Anna— "Whoosh!"

Anna rolled to the side with difficulty, dodging most of the attacks, but an ice spike still pierced her left leg, and the blood congealed before it could flow out.

He didn't die!

Anna got up, jumped into the car next to her right under the Fifth Herrscher's nose, and before she even turned off the engine, she stepped on the gas pedal and passed right under the Fifth Herrscher.

The jeep sped towards the city center.

"..." The Fifth Herrscher remained where she was, coldly watching the jeep speed away. Then, after a few seconds, her original clothes gradually disappeared, and a dress resembling ice gauze reappeared on her body, while an ice crystal crown formed on her head.

After adjusting his own power, the Fifth Herrscher, having initially adapted to his authority, chased after the jeep.

The wound had been frozen, so Anna couldn't feel the pain, but she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker. She could barely hold the steering wheel and could only use her chin and hands to hold it firmly while pressing the accelerator with both feet.

She was both cold and hot, and sweat kept pouring from her head, freezing and sticking to her skin.

Looking in the rearview mirror out of the corner of her eye, Anna noticed that the Fifth Herrscher had caught up to within ten meters of her. The ground and houses she flew over were covered with a thick layer of ice. The cold air she commanded was relentlessly following behind the car, and even a tiny bit of it could freeze the wheels and exhaust pipe. Therefore, Anna dared not ease off the accelerator and maintained top speed.

Binai ...

Countless images flashed through Anna's mind. Her consciousness kept switching between darkness and reality. She could hardly see the road ahead and could only rush forward blindly.

"Cough cough..."

It seems like I've been running on this road for a long time.

Being chased by people, being chased by unseen darkness.

Back then, I would often dream that something was behind me, but I didn't dare to turn around, because as soon as I did, I would be swallowed up by that darkness.

Later, the darkness disappeared, Binai stood in the light, smiling and opening her arms to welcome him.

Yes, I have actually broken free from "fate".

Later, the man wearing the helmet stood sadly in the icy rain.

Binai pulled Anna out of the darkness, while Lin gave her a new life.

In this month, she overcame her past self, the self that was destined to be a villain, and finally...

The light in Anna's eyes faded, and her reflection showed the orphanage where she had grown up, the self that had left there, now back.

Her fingers slid gently off the steering wheel, and she returned to the day she met Lin.

The man walked in front, and I followed behind, watching him closely.

Frost climbed onto the wheels, the car overturned, and the girl fell into the orphanage, landing right in the main hall.

The ice block stuck to the beret was impacted and fell to the ground.

Beneath the colorful stained-glass window, a smile appeared on her flawless white face as she looked up at the Fifth Herrscher slowly flying towards her.

"But... if... it were me... perhaps... it would be better... Binai... you wouldn't... have to... become... like this..."

Ice slowly spread from the ground to the girl's empty pupils.

That person will definitely come, won't they?

After all, it's someone I like.

What exactly do I like about him?

Oh right, I remember it was... his expression when he saved those two people that day.

Strange... even though he was wearing a helmet... he knew what the old man's expression was like...

Lin gripped the two people tightly, as if to say, "I made it."

She kept her head down and was crying.

"Uncle... please... stop crying..."

The crystal-clear ice enveloped the entire orphanage.

Heavy snow fell, and the white world covered everything under the ice and snow, making it impossible to see whether it was the past or the future.

I can't hear the birds singing.

Snowflakes fell on the windowsill.

It melted away without a trace.

Chapter Eight: Ice, Birds, Death

"Anna..."

The moment Lin saw the beret, something flashed through his mind, and his gaze fell on the giant block of ice that occupied half of the main hall.

At the bottom of the ice block, some crimson ice crystals slowly and desperately fell to his feet.

Anna is here.

He knew Anna was there.

In that instant, an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

"Anna ..."

The Fifth Herrscher opened her eyes in the ice cocoon, whispering as she looked at Lin.

Lin also looked at her, sensing something.

Their inhuman eyes reflected everything before them like a mirror.

This orphanage is like an ice palace.

This world is shrouded in endless ice and snow.

"A sharp increase in the Honkai Energy response of the Fifth Herrscher detected! Begin moving!"

Sigma shouted, "What are Hen's squad doing! Why aren't they following orders! It's too late... Get all the squads to converge on the Fifth Herrscher and prepare to directly attack Fifth Herrscher!"

"But, Commander-in-Chief, according to the information Hen replied," the monitor swallowed, his eyes darting around, "Someone has already... launched the first attack."

Sigma asked in confusion, "Who?"

"MSA-079, Lin."

Crashing through layers of ice, Lin's body howled in agony. All the information rushed through his mind, but he could hardly concentrate on processing it.

Prometheus had turned off the negative measurements on his panel beforehand, so it wasn't completely red, but the tearing pain that seeped into every muscle was a real feedback.

"Bang!"

He crashed into a building, where shattered tiles and snow rained down on him.

"Gah!"

Two snow-white, Charge-type Honkai Beasts attacked from the sky. With a thought, Lin summoned Floating Cannons that flew from afar and fired a series of shots at the Honkai Beasts before they even arrived.

This also led to "people" flying in along with the Floating Cannons.

Lin struggled to use the anti-gravity levitation device to leave the collapsed house, when the terrifying figure, accompanied by extremely cold air, suddenly attacked.

Lin was panting, and everything he could see was blurred by a thick layer of shadows.