Eternal Prison

A golden, mysterious cross floated above the earth. Here, all of human civilization seemed to have vanished. All they could leave behind were terrifyingly silent cities.

The once bustling streets were now utterly quiet. This glittering metropolis was as if shrouded in shadow, becoming a lifeless, chilling city. People retained the expressions from their final moments, like exquisitely crafted sculptures brought to life. It seemed the Grim Reaper had shown mercy when reaping their lives, as there were no wounds on their bodies. Nor was there any light or noise emanating from electronic devices within the city.

If all humans on Earth suddenly died, what would the world become?

—This is what it would be like.

They had died the moment the Honkai outbreak occurred. Unlike common deaths, there was no visible damage to them; their bodies were completely intact, with the exception of the unfortunate souls driving vehicles. In short, the people in this city had collectively ceased to think. It wasn't an attack on their consciousness, but a physical one.

Human thought processes are generated by the transmission of information between neurons in the brain. The conduction of electrical signals is a crucial step in neuronal information transfer. One of the Tenth Law-Ruler's abilities is to cause the bioelectrical voltage of ordinary people within its barrier to disappear. These individuals were fortunate compared to those who had died from the Honkai before; their nerve action potentials were suppressed, leaving them no time to think, let alone feel pain.

The Twelfth Law-Ruler possessed an ability that surpassed all of human civilization. She knew exactly what her ability could do and why she possessed it. As long as this ability existed, she was a destroyer comparable to the Herrscher of the End.

Unlike other Law-Rulers, the Twelfth Law-Ruler harbored no deep-seated hatred. She was ordinary, no different from the countless beings that had appeared on Earth. She went through her days like a train arriving precisely on schedule, entering and exiting her workplace. Whether her work was good or bad didn't matter; poor performance earned criticism, while good work only received verbal praise. She had grown accustomed to it all.

She often wondered: What was the difference between an ordinary person and a prisoner?

She had to face the precise bombardment of advertisements like a prisoner, and endure the incessant nagging of her superiors like a prisoner. Morality and law formed invisible shackles, while the pressures of life provided substantial chains.

The only difference between her and a prisoner was that the prison of her life was far larger than a prisoner's.

There was only one kind of heroism in the world: to love life after recognizing its truth. However, even loving life wouldn't stop it from stabbing you in the back.

"Then there's nothing about life worth loving." She told herself this countless times in her heart. This sentence had perhaps become a curse in the hearts of many, telling them that life consisted of endless hardships, suffering, and mediocrity, hypnotizing them into accepting hardship and mocking their resistance as futile struggles.

Like ordinary people, she yearned for freedom with all her heart, even a sliver of it. She wished she could break free from her shackles and chains, lie on the green grass gazing at the starry sky, fish under the shade of a tree by the lake, or speed through the city at midnight.

But she was merely a cog in society, and no one would listen to her self-talk. Becoming a Law-Ruler hadn't changed anything; she had merely transformed from a production machine into a destruction machine.

At that moment, a mysterious voice sounded in her mind, urging her to destroy everything within her sight.

"As you command," she replied emotionlessly, just as she had when she was still human.

The first to signal that "the eleventh Honkai outbreak has begun" was a radar station near The Base. Not a single person in the Honkai-ravaged city reported the situation to their superiors. Satellites drifting in the sky discovered that the city was eerily quiet, with no Honkai Beasts or Death Gods in sight—terrifyingly silent.

"So, it's like this," Dr. Mei couldn't help but recall what had been said earlier about the Eleventh Law-Ruler: if ordinary soldiers entered its barrier, their bioelectrical voltage would disappear, leading to a swift death. Any weapon utilizing electronic systems would be inoperable within the barrier.

Dr. Mei said to her adjutant, "Connect me to all the Fusion Warriors."

Based on the current situation, one of the Eleventh Law-Ruler's abilities was clearly manifesting. Within its barrier, only Fusion Warriors could offer some resistance. To prevent the Fusion Warriors from being wasted in an unknown Honkai outbreak, Dr. Mei had canceled all their regular duties one to two months before the Honkai outbreak, dispersing them in various undisclosed underground shelters.

At the same time, considering the potential for Fusion Warriors to become Law-Rulers, the Fusion Warriors did not know where they were, nor where others were. Even when carrying out missions assigned by Dr. Mei, they were forbidden from contacting other Fusion Warriors without her explicit orders.

The only way to obtain information from the outside world was through the communication terminals in the shelters. Furthermore, these terminals could only passively receive signals, meaning they would remain unaware even if a Honkai outbreak occurred.

"Ling, you must be safe..." Sakura, a Fusion Warrior, sat by the bed. The tips of her cherry blossom-colored long hair touched the surface of the bed, and her face wore a lonely expression. She clutched the pendant around her neck tightly. This exquisite device projected a photo of her and her younger sister, Ling. The flickering pink fox ears indicated her unsettled mood.

"All Fusion Warriors, please proceed immediately to the nearest cities and assist the army in evacuating the civilians. The eleventh Honkai outbreak has begun."

Dr. Mei's image appeared on the screens in all the hidden shelters, her voice calm and collected.

Sakura listened intently to the voice from the screen. Dr. Mei's order this time was uncharacteristically different; instead of ordering them to confront the Law-Ruler, she instructed them to evacuate civilians. Sakura couldn't fathom Dr. Mei's intentions. Such tasks were usually handled by ordinary soldier units, not precious Fusion Warriors.

"The Honkai has broken out..."

"Just evacuating civilians?" Sakura pondered silently. "Perhaps Dr. Mei has her own plans."

A fleeting smile of remembrance crossed her face. She gently hung the pendant around her neck and hesitated to move. Perhaps she wanted to linger for a moment longer, immersed in past happiness.

But Sakura seemed to recall something. She then picked up Cold Prison Ice Sky from the bedside table. After navigating through many dark corridors, she opened the shelter door and walked out without a backward glance.

There was no warrior who did not fear death. Even the bravest warrior would not claim to have conquered their fear of death. Only when the fear of what they protected being destroyed surpassed their own fear of death did warriors appear fearless.