I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

She gently took Xi Wang's hands, cut his wrists, and used his mutated blood to water the withered sapling.

Then, the saplings came back to life in a way that was visible to the naked eye.

It grew rapidly, quickly transforming from a sapling into a towering tree. Pink flowers bloomed in abundance, and countless petals fell with the wind, scattering across the ground and adding beauty and... Honkai energy to the landscape.

It has become a Honkai Beast.

It trembled gently, making its own sounds, and its roots began to move, trying to shift its shape. But soon, the azure water flowed through the entire tree, forcibly fixing it in place.

【■■■……】

After she finished doing all this, she whispered something in Xi Wang's ear, something that sounded like a horn or a woman's voice, but it was still impossible to understand what she was saying.

Finally, her figure vanished silently, as if she had never existed, leaving only the fragrance of lilies behind.

On the other side, tentacles formed from flowing water placed a plate of water-soaked cherry blossoms in front of the grave.

tick-

After she left, the rain fell on Xiwang again, but Xiwang didn't care.

He lay silently beside the grave, his eyes closed, as if about to fall asleep.

The cherry blossom tree, now a Honkai Beast, remains imprisoned. It struggles relentlessly, its pink petals falling with the rain until they cover the ground.

Xi Wang ignored it, simply closed her eyes, and gradually calmed her breathing, as if she were about to fall asleep.

A trickle of water flowed down his face, gradually merging into the puddles on the ground, making it impossible to tell whether it was rainwater or tears.

One of the two constantly flowing "patterns" on his body also deviated from its original trajectory at this moment, disappearing little by little behind him like a petal blown away by the wind.

…………

………………

No, that's not enough.

Xi Wang opened his eyes, his unfocused pupils revealing only a starlight-like gold. The crimson color originally given by the "ocean" had long since faded, but the predatory aura remained.

Even though Mingling did nothing wrong, and was only judged as "suspected"... she was treated like this in the end... In the end, this led to the arrival of the [Herrscher]... Heh.

Such humans... have no value to continue existing, no value to be saved, and no value to continue to endure or acknowledge as human beings.

Embrace it... Embrace the [Honkai], and grant those people's wishes by becoming a [Herrscher] and wiping them all out.

Hunt... hunt [humans], devour them all, make them all embrace the "ocean," dissolve in the "water," turn into foam, turn into a wave.

tick-

The rain was still falling, with no sign of stopping.

He stood up unsteadily, raised his hand, and the strange, dark-colored greatsword that was not far away was carried by the water and landed in his palm.

Summon the "ocean current" and walk into it.

Come on, come on, the hunt begins.

…………

………………

tick-

"So hot!"

The spilled hot drink caused him to cry out in pain. He rubbed his scalded hand and muttered to himself.

"What's going on? This feeling of unease... could something bad be about to happen?"

I heard that something happened to the little girl who was imprisoned before. Everyone still inside died, and that little girl really did become a [Herrscher]... Hmph, I knew it. What "suspected Herrscher"? She must be a [Herrscher]!

But thankfully... I wasn't transferred to another class, otherwise I would have been dead... Hmm?

Suddenly, his whole body tensed up, and he froze on the spot.

It felt like being targeted by some kind of ferocious predator.

A damp smell reached his nose… He recognized it; it must be him! Another imprisoned “suspected Herrscher”!

No… he is the Herrscher! It’s just that the Flame Chaser hasn’t judged him yet!

"How did you get here?! You should still be under observation in detention!"

He turned around and roared at the man, his tone filled with fear and anger, even carrying a hint of threat.

However, Xiwang ignored him.

A trickle of water flowed into the room, slowly beginning to gnaw at and dissolve his body.

"Damn it...damn it! I knew it! I knew it! You too! Just like that girl! You're both Herrschers! What do you mean 'suspected'? You are! You should have been killed and subdued as soon as you were discovered! You shouldn't have been left to observe! Those people on the Flame Moth are all trash! (swear words)!"

"Wait...please...please! No! I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything...don't kill me...please...I didn't even know when that girl died...I didn't know anything...If I were there, I would have stopped them...How can you forgive doing this to a little girl?"

“I never mentioned that Rin died.”

Xi Wang calmly pointed out the flaws in the other party's words.

"And the Moths of Flame have not been released yet. The news that the Herrscher appeared was because of Rin's death."

"........."

"Humph."

Xi Wang turned away and ignored him.

The room was once filled with only the smell of dampness and the sweet scent of lilies.

How many is this? Never mind, it doesn't matter.

Continue, continue the hunt, until they are all hunted down.

Just as Xi Wang was about to summon the "ocean current" again, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He shifted his gaze to her, who had somehow arrived at this place.

"Please stop... Everything that holds you together is becoming increasingly fragile..."

"Shut up, Aponia."

Xi Wang straightened his posture and faced her.

"Speaking of which, you should also be a target of the [hunting]... They all carry the scent of [Discipline], so... tell me, why?"

“Dr. Mei promised me and Sakura that although Rin was imprisoned, she was also protected, and she also promised not to harm Rin for any reason other than becoming a Herrscher… But now it seems that she lied to us. She really did not harm Rin… because she didn’t need to do anything. She just needed to ask you to apply the Commandments to other people.”

"Now, you have one chance to tell me what that [commandment] is... You can make up any reason, even a lie."

He raised his hand, pointing the sword at her, and the water surrounding him began to ripple unconsciously, turning from transparent to azure.

“But you… must be hunted down, along with Mei.”

“Lies are a crime, and I had no intention of deceiving you… but if you wish me to pay the price for it, I will not refuse.”

Aponia placed her hand on her chest and spoke softly.

"The commandment I instilled in them was very simple... 'Never give up hope of fighting the Honkai,' that's all."

“I don’t know why this has made their hatred for the Herrscher reach such a fanatical level that they feel they must inflict the most severe punishment even on the face of a suspected Herrscher.”

Then, she looked at Xi Wang with some worry and anxiety and said.

"Please stop here... otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Xi Wang's tone remained calm.

"Otherwise, they'll be attacked? They'll be labeled a [Herrscher]?"

"........."

"Heh... To be honest, I really wish I were a [Herrscher] right now."

"you……"

"At least this way I don't have to maintain my identity as a 'human' while listening to your rambling, nor do I have to listen to your attempts to dissuade me with words like 'for the sake of humanity'... Heh."

"........."

Aponia opened her mouth, then lowered her head in disappointment, looking utterly dejected, as if Xiwang's denial of her existence as a "human" was a huge blow to her.

"Come on, let's begin the [hunt]."

Xi Wang ignored her and simply said calmly.

“I allow you to resist because you are a strong enough [prey].

"You can try to restrain me with your [Discipline], but you will definitely be [hunted] by me."

"I'm sorry... I can't do it..."

Aponia said dejectedly.

“You… are walking a long and arduous road, and fate is already waiting for you at the end. The ending you expect will surely be achieved… Before that, I cannot, should not, and am unable to have any influence on you.”

"In other words, you can impose rules on anyone, but you can't do that with me?"

"……Yes."

After saying those words, Aponia seemed to have used up all her strength. She simply lowered her head and silently awaited his "hunt."

She naturally knew what admitting this meant... It undoubtedly further confirmed the fact that [Xi Wang no longer belonged to humanity], and this would also allow Xi Wang to further let go of that so-called insistence on [humanity].

"what……"

Xi Wang laughed, seemingly mocking Aponia's hypocrisy, and also seemingly mocking his own pointless persistence and all that had happened in the past.

The azure "water" began to spread, eventually transforming into sharp blades that attacked her.

But in the end, it was blocked, blocked one by one by the pink, crystal-like fragments.

"Hope... is enough."

Alicia spoke softly, then stepped forward and took her hand.

"I'm still here..."

She tried her best to comfort Xi Wang, even if it was just a little bit.