Honkai Double Transmigration, Taking Xilian to Honkai Impact 3rd

The expression on his face suddenly turned calm, and he didn't even care as blood streamed down.

This was never a fair trade.

It couldn't even be called just.

No matter what happened along the way, he was certain to win in the end; he would calmly secure victory, whether it was a landslide, a moderate success, or a narrow margin.

—It was simple.

But he didn't want to do it anymore.

Even Jiang Cheng couldn't figure out why, but he simply didn't want to.

Perhaps it was because he was born unable to be a coward who watched others sacrifice themselves for him while he stood by, powerless.

"...I no longer need a second option."

"Be moved by this." Cocolia's arrogant and haughty voice rang in his ears once again.

"You are different from those men who easily turn to ash; inferior, yet valuable. You will not die here, but will instead become an important stepping stone for me to transcend the Honkai."

There were many things he wanted to say, many points he could refute, and profanities he wanted to scream at her at the top of his lungs.

—There was no need.

"I have Honkai Energy resistance, don't I?"

His voice was as calm as a surface of water without a single ripple.

"Hmph, truly a bug from the gutter; do you lack even this common knowledge? Without Honkai Energy resistance, how could you have stayed by the Third Herrscher's side for so long?"

"By your own arrogance? By your stupidity?"

Cocolia furrowed her brows, her disdain and disgust written plainly on her face.

"Yeah..."

"Such a simple thing, sitting right in front of me all this time, yet I never noticed..."

"I really am an idiot."

He closed his eyes, appearing to have given up on himself.

Spread across the wasteland, the hundreds of Titan Mechs were a force capable of easily killing even A-rank Valkyries—who could contend with all lower-level Honkai Beasts, including city-destroying Honkai Emperors.

Now, they were deployed solely to surround and annihilate one person—

A seemingly soft, natural-born girl—

Whether it was projecting reflections or obscuring vision.

The ethereal illusions and mist would be easily shattered by a single volley of artillery fire.

The heavy fists of the Titans and the thunderous roar of gunfire forced the girl bit by bit into a dead end—

With her mind pushed to its limit and her stamina drained to the breaking point in this game of cat and mouse, Xilian, her fair skin stained with dust and her body covered in wounds, closed her eyes.

When she first met A-Cheng.

...What was it, exactly, that brought them together?

Even though it was a very long time ago, the moment she thought of even a little bit of it, it appeared clearly before her eyes.

It was a bright, sunny day.

She seemed to be sitting in the courtyard, troubled.

She was very lonely and couldn't find any friends to play with.

But there was no helping it; after all, no matter how much time passed, she never grew up.

Her height, her mind... everything remained the same.

Like a flower bud that had already bloomed once, it looked as if it could blossom into a beautiful flower with careful tending, but in reality, that beautiful moment had long since been exhausted.

The adults didn't want to play with a child, and the other children were too young; back then, little Bai E had only just learned to crawl.

In the end, besides reading the same storybooks over and over again, she could only play with these paper airplanes.

Thinking about it carefully, it really was quite lonely.

But it was precisely because she had nothing to do that she flew a paper airplane outside the courtyard.

And then, she heard A-Cheng's scream.

"Huh?"

"Who folded this paper airplane so sharp?"

"I was already sent to this bizarre place by an Isekai Truck, and now even paper is bullying me? Do they really take me for a straw man?"

At that time, she immediately vaulted over the courtyard wall, and thus, in the romantic spring weather, she met the A-Cheng who looked like he was on the verge of death.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault!"

"You mustn't just die like that, Mr. Stranger."

Back then, I was still a little scared.

I was truly worried about hurting someone else.

It was also because I was too panicked at the time and didn't think it through carefully.

A paper airplane is a safe toy, no matter how sharp you fold the tip, it couldn't possibly hurt anyone, right~?

A-Cheng's appearance back then was entirely due to being baked by the sun; walking through a wheat field at high noon, how could he not be on the verge of death?

But well, I didn't think that way back then. To atone for my sins, I dragged A-Cheng into the courtyard and took care of him.

It seems that from that day on, A-Cheng has lived with me, like a good-for-nothing who has everything handed to him on a silver platter.

Hmm, I suppose I can't really say it like that.

A-Cheng would still use stories as currency.

So many~ so many stories~?

A-Cheng even asked me which one was my favorite out of all of them. Was it the Little Mermaid who ascended to heaven? Or Snow White, who lived happily ever after with her prince?

Actually, that first encounter had already been recorded as the most precious story in my book.

Truly excellent stories are always worth reading over and over again.

I originally thought I was the one who saved A-Cheng, but looking at it now, it turns out A-Cheng was the one who saved me.

Just thinking about it makes my eyes curve into crescents, and I can barely hold it back.

Ah.

--As expected of my wonderful A-Cheng~

Therefore, I must work hard too.

A-Cheng must be in so much pain, Great Fantasy Ritual! (Revised)

With every ounce of strength, she pulled herself out of the faint.

She escaped the flickering flashes of bright white and dim darkness before her.

Even though it felt as if she had exhausted all her energy, she had to delve deep into her heart to find other strength. Wiping away the golden droplets of blood dripping from her temple, Xilian faced the Titan Legion once more--

The worry from the bottom of her heart, an increasingly intense worry, made it impossible for her to let herself be captured no matter what.

"Can't you just settle down and surrender? Time and time again... do I feel like I'm adding too much drama to this?"

"When it comes down to it, there's no need for you to push yourself so hard for that idiot, is there? Dragging you along to save others without even asking, he never considered your feelings or your safety!"

"--Is there any reason to care about a guy like that?!"

The girl with shark-like teeth before her revealed an angry gaze, roaring loudly in a voice filled with dissatisfaction.

Is she expressing her confusion through anger?

To a question like that, one only needs to answer like this.

"Because... it's not just about watching A-Cheng save me; I also have to learn how to save myself~?"

The voice was soft, as if she were making a confession.

--Strange.

Anyone who watched the whole thing would find it strange.

Isn't this the story of a girl named Xilian, sweet as a strawberry cake, taking care of a self-righteous and foolish guy like a mother?

It is not.

If you were to ask her about such doubts.

You would only see the adorable girl gently shake her head.

This story was never a one-man show or a one-sided rescue from the very beginning--

When Jiang Cheng said he believed in Raiden Mei and claimed to be a prophet, the reason this girl's expression was so strange was that she had already realized--

[She was also Raiden Mei].

They seemed like completely unrelated people, with different experiences, personalities, lives, and even the worlds they lived in.

Yet, there were always some similarities in their essence. If you widened your perspective to a god's-eye view and analyzed the plot and themes of the story as if reading a book, you could discover the commonalities.

--The village was the one suffering the disaster.

Jiang Cheng could leave at any time, especially since he had spatial abilities. Even if he couldn't stay in this world for long, he could hide for a while without it being fatal.

Why did Jiang Cheng take the initiative to get close to Raiden Mei, enduring temporary agony just to be here?

He was clearly a lazy person who enjoyed living off others.

The only possible reason was...

Me.

It must hurt so much, A-Cheng.

The flames, the erosion—each one was super, super painful. It was because of me that A-Cheng had to work so hard, and now... now...

He was actually facing a life-threatening danger.

I was supposed to be A-Cheng's guardian. Yet, I had always been unable to do anything, left only to watch helplessly.

--Unbearable.

It felt as if insects were crawling all over my body.

--Unbearable.

From every corner of my body, the rush of blood through my veins, every beat of my heart, even the contact between my skin and my clothes, every single breath.

--Unbearable!!!

How could I possibly continue to stay here?

How could I let A-Cheng face danger?!

How could I accept just standing by and watching my only friend—that always lazy, good-for-nothing A-Cheng—push himself to such an extent while I remained powerless?

No matter what price I have to pay.