Honkai, Survive

"Hahaha, is that all? You can't possibly think that—"

Sato Yuno was crying and laughing, her mental state clearly unstable. Her twisted face contorted into a smile as if she couldn't breathe. She covered her face with her right hand, leaving one eye peeking through her fingers, looking at him askance:

"You're trying to trick me."

Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!

Sato Yuno retreated rapidly, swinging herself with far more agility than Tarzan on a swing. She propelled herself forward, and as electricity crackled from her legs, she suddenly lunged again. Her right hand, like a dark vortex, tore through the obstructions around her, only to grasp at empty air.

"Huh? Big brother, you're trying to trick me again? I didn't fall for it at all, did I?"

Her mocking tone was incredibly provocative. How did you become so wicked?

"Tsk."

Fang Jie clicked his tongue in annoyance, looking at the vines below that were retracting in all directions like a receding tide. They had no intention of serving as his stepping stones, leaving him to fall to the ground with nowhere to brace himself.

He fell.

The moment he landed, the ground began to writhe, seemingly about to explode.

But nothing followed. Fang Jie, with the electrical sparks in his legs now hidden, simply stood there, suppressing the disturbance beneath the earth.

Everything was suppressed with unreasonable force. Even just inches away, amidst thunderous explosions, the dragon-python-like vines snapped like cucumbers, twisting into grotesque shapes wherever they touched.

A cage was being woven. More vines burrowed out from underground, mingling with countless shattered remnants of ruins, grinding and stacking themselves to form an impenetrable cage. It continued to squeeze inward…

"Bo."

After a strange, soft sound, nothing could be done.

This was because a left hand, held open, blocked the descending cage.

Without the support of Honkai energy, they were like rotten wood, broken with a single strike.

The electrical sparks reappeared on his legs, and Fang Jie burst forth from the decay.

It's a shame that when I use this, the energy in the parts of my body acting as a medium almost halts, cutting off the flow. If my entire body is used as a medium, I can't move at all. I can only use it flexibly in parts.

This meant Fang Jie had to release his abilities intermittently. Such gaps wouldn't escape the notice of a skilled opponent, which was why he focused on developing combat power that didn't rely on instant kills.

Fortunately, Sato Yuno wasn't a master.

Or rather, she was strong. A casual move could be world-shattering. Her sweeping attacks could withstand the crushing grip of those vines, not to mention her ability to evolve poison attributes.

However, her control was indeed a bit lacking, not refined enough. Once her abilities were nullified, she had almost no recourse.

"Why are you dodging me? Don't run!"

He no longer held back his ferocity. While the core might take time to break, these derivatives crumbled at a touch. The tables had turned.

Fang Jie pursued the fleeing Sato Yuno: "I'm here to help you regain your senses!"

Swish!

His sword energy could cleave through anything blocking his path within ten meters. He broke through the obstacles, relentlessly pursuing her.

"It's useless, it's useless. You can't catch me. I understand your abilities now. They're dangerous and painful, but as long as you don't get close, there's no threat."

Sato Yuno swung herself agilely. While not as swift as Fang Jie's lightning-wreathed movements, she could summon vines to continuously hinder his acceleration.

And then, time was on her side!

On the vines that weren't involved in hindering or pursuing, flower buds had appeared at some point. In the midst of the clamorous night, they quietly bloomed into small white flowers, inconspicuous in every corner.

Has she snapped out of it?

Continuing to cautiously escalate the situation, Sato Yuno, dressed lightly, suddenly spoke in a sweet voice: "So scary, so scary. It's because a scary big brother like you broke into my house that I'm too afraid to go home. Mom said that good children should go home at this time. How can you not be home late at night? So— Big brother, you're really bad."

Fang Jie was speechless. From Sato Yuno's perspective, he indeed didn't look like a good person.

However, he wouldn't engage in internal conflict. This girl's mental state was clearly not right. She was so introverted before, and now she's so… manic.

The negative effects of Honkai energy were immeasurable. He couldn't afford to hold back. If this continued, he could only retreat.

"Answer me, big brother?" Sato Yuno continued to chatter: "Why aren't you talking? Don't you like it? You even shamelessly said you wanted to help me…"

Her tone inexplicably turned angry.

"Liar, it's all lies!"

"You're not here to help me at all. You didn't even look. You're the murderer!"

"Mom, ah, Mom, Mom is definitely dead. After all, she's not me. I'm the one chosen by God. She's probably dead. It hurts so much, I'm so sad, so heartbroken. Just thinking that I'll never see that face again, that she'd scold me for just making a small mistake… I actually didn't get the chance to kill her myself!"

"And those people, you saw them too, right? The ones before… some of the people I dealt with were my acquaintances. I finally found them. Luckily, you didn't come, otherwise, you would have killed them. That's great, those guys thought I didn't talk much before? That I was a weirdo? They kept picking on me. I killed them all. Although I didn't find many people, it doesn't matter, I'll just kill more."

"Don't you think this new world is amazing? We who were chosen by God will overcome this trial. No, not us, I will. You're a liar, a thief, a robber… a nobody!"

Fang Jie was… upon hearing Sato Yuno's sudden outburst.

"?"

He had truly experienced the exaggeration of a girl's incessant chatter. It was like a machine gun. How disadvantaged would a slow-witted boy like me be?

Fang Jie remained silent, continuing his advance.

As long as he got an opportunity, a chance to get close to her, he could exhaust her Honkai energy by increasing the intensity. It would be difficult, but feasible.

"Hey, hey, say something. I actually quite like you. Don't get me wrong, I really, really, really want to kill you, but I'm just following the divine guidance. I actually like you a lot."

Was this the first girl to confess to him in the new world? Fang Jie thought idly. She had indeed managed to distract him.

At that very moment, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over him. His rapid movement faltered, and his speed slowed considerably.

Then, he suddenly accelerated, chasing Sato Yuno even faster.

'It was a trap!'

The light in Sato Yuno's eyes shone brightly. Her other ability, the one that required time to activate, had taken effect!

He couldn't let him escape. Keep stalling for time...

Provoke him, enrage him, wear him down!

"Big brother, although it's regrettable, my mother is already dead. What about you? Where's your mother?"

Fang Jie took a deep breath. This was beyond the point of a "friendship-breaking punch" to awaken him.

"My mother isn't in this world."

As if provoked, he said nothing, and a flying dagger shot out.

The Jiyun never left his hand, but this wasn't the Jiyun. He had pulled out his trump card.

The whistling blade cut through everything, heading towards the girl maneuvering in the air, locking onto her landing point and trajectory.

Sato Yuno was startled. Her momentary lapse in concentration almost got her hit by the blade. It was only by pulling on the vines, which seemed to have countless hands and feet, that she... managed to avoid a direct hit, but her abdomen was still sliced open.

The residual sword energy tore through her flesh and school uniform, triggering her fear of sharp objects passing by her.

She was afraid of pain. Very afraid.

She was also afraid of getting hurt.

After all, one couldn't expect someone who relied on abilities to be particularly strong-willed. When scenes of blood and blades happening to her occurred, the sense of power from her inflated ego would be as fragile as a pufferfish, bursting at the slightest touch.

A Herrscher with humanity also possessed human weaknesses.

Then, the wound instantly healed. It was definitely cellular regeneration!

"You... that hurt! My clothes!"

Sato Yuno was furious again, but she held back. She didn't rashly approach Fang Jie or let him get close. She didn't even bother picking up the knife he had thrown, accelerating away from the charging Fang Jie.

Maintaining distance was her fighting style.

Then, she suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, you're angry, you're angry! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you didn't have a mother. What about your father?"

"He's not in this world either. Are you satisfied now?"

Fang Jie felt like laughing out of anger. He seemed to explode again, increasing his speed, tearing through the vines, picking up the Composite Blade: Willow Leaf again, and glaring fiercely at Sato Yuno, ready to attack at any moment.

She became even more cautious and... waited.

Finally, Fang Jie's speed inevitably slowed. He had to exert more effort to resist the continuous vine attacks and became entangled, the cage weaving itself into shape once more.

This time, there was no more hiding. Sato Yuno revealed her full hand. Flowers bloomed within the cage, scattering a potent poison pollen.

Victory was in sight!

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said such hurtful things." Her expression turned apologetic, then suddenly became expressionless. "I was faking it."

"My body... is poison? How despicable!" Fang Jie exclaimed as if he had just realized it, letting out a defeated wail.

It was an act.

A sneak attack!

He seemed completely unfazed, unleashing another flying dagger. It pierced through the layers of vines protecting her, vines that she hadn't let her guard down against, or rather, that she had used to shield herself. The attack couldn't break through.

Finally, it came to a halt, and the entwined vines transmitted it to a pair of pale hands.

Gripping the blade, Sato Yuno...

Increased the dosage of poison.

Right now, Fang Jie wasn't truly at the end of his rope. He was still absorbing the power of the divine.

But he couldn't escape. With this, the vast Honkai energy he had absorbed would also be obtained. This way, she could repay the divine better.

"You brought this upon yourself, sinner."

Sato Yuno's tone finally returned to its true nature, devoid of any outward emotion, displaying a kind of morbid indifference.

How did she end up like this? She didn't know.

But after everything changed, she trembled alone in a corner, her gaze vacant, just like every time her mother beat her, just like every time she was bullied at school, just like when Fang Jie broke into her home. She didn't scream, nor did she run, silently waiting.

Waiting for what, she didn't know either.

During this time, she saw classmate Kiana save Raiden Mei and lead that young lady away from Chiyu Academy. She also saw Fang Jie storm into Chiyu Academy, searching for something everywhere.

Watching them, she had fleeting thoughts of asking for help, but... she was too terrified. The plea for help she dared not utter hadn't even left her lips before they were already gone.

Classmate Kiana, Fang Jie, no one cared about her, leaving her amidst these monsters.

Yes, Kiana only thought of Raiden Mei, and Fang Jie wasn't looking for her either.

They're gone, everyone is gone.

No one… there's no one left. Even Mom… she must be dead by now.

Only monsters, monsters…

No, don't!!!!

When she came to her senses, the monsters that had never attacked her, the monsters that had terrified her into trembling, were torn to shreds. It was so easy, so simple, so… satisfying!

She felt power.

This feeling… it's so good.

But why did you have to come back!

She had already been to that shelter, and there was no one inside. Fang Jie, who had walked in, had disappeared. Why did he have to come back?

Kill you, kill you, kill you…

"Finally, I've got you, insect."

Outside the plant-based cage, feeling that she was no longer being consumed and that the 'power' had vanished, Sato Yuno didn't feel happy or exhilarated, but she had to continue.

Otherwise, what else could she do?

She had already become a monster, chosen by a god, and all she could do was…

She raised her head, looking at the overcast sky. The arena, which had changed its appearance once again, was surrounded by one vine-wielding hammer after another, poised to strike.

"It's over."

She aimed at the motionless cage and, as if doing handicrafts, gently waved her hand.

Smash!

Smash again!