Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

100. A girl I can never forget

This was the first time Jiang Cheng had encountered something completely incomprehensible. Even his understanding of the plot was useless; he couldn't find any reason why the Herrscher was so fragile.

Unbeknownst to him, his eyes, now tinged with a dark hue as if he had transformed into a Herrscher, held only a deep, unspoken confusion, like a reflection in the ocean.

Why……

—Could my ego be shattered into this state?

……

【This shouldn’t happen.】

This should absolutely not be happening.

Even if he were incredibly foolish and stupid, even if he lost countless memories, and even if the wisdom he used to imitate his beloved was buried deep within his soul, along with Vilvie, he could never reappear in his heart, and he reverted to being the ordinary boy he once was.

[You've gained some understanding of the world during this time, from what Alicia told you, and from what Qianjie, who's always out and about, talked about other places. You've also gained some understanding of your own situation.]

[—The Lawyer.]

[A world-destroying natural disaster, a demon appearing out of nowhere, an apostle heralding the end of the world—humanity's greatest and most evil despair to date.]

Even your close friend, the Moth of Fire, now entirely under Möbius's control, symbolizes the organization with the highest human intelligence and power.

[Striving together with all humanity and all life, chasing after a glimmer of light.]

All those who remain must unite and fight with all their might, dedicating themselves to a future and hope that may never be found.

At best, they can only eke out a living amidst the calamities of the Herrschers, no longer able to call themselves masters of the planet, but only able to survive in the cracks like a mandala or a mole hiding underground, while the Honkai Beasts roam the world.

[Even the headquarters of the Flame Chaser was completely destroyed in a massive collapse; it was so cruel that just hearing about it makes your heart ache.]

[Such calamities and natural disasters, if one feels that Alicia will drain them dry, can at most be attributed to the special nature of being a goddess, her more mysterious power than that of a Herrscher, and the fact that men are naturally more prone to exhaustion than women.]

[With one reason and justification after another, and with completely convincing evidence, you can accept the fact that she is inferior to Alicia.]

[So now, standing before you, is an ordinary nun who, apart from being a little too large, is just an average-looking woman.]

[As you've seen frequently over the past two years, how could Aponia, who can't possibly conceal any power, possibly pose a threat to you?]

This seemingly mysterious, almost magical, speech, with just a few words, makes you feel powerless to control yourself; your former strength and authority seem to be easily bypassed.

[This should never happen, this situation should never occur. How could you, a Herrscher, be harmed by a mere passerby?]

[Difficult to understand.]

[Unintelligible.]

It's impossible to understand anymore.

You no longer have the chance to understand, no time to ponder the final reasons, and no room or spare capacity to consider the possibility of being attacked.

[Already extremely fragile, her heart, sustained only by one lie after another, had long since reached its limit. The so-called dam didn't exist at all; it was merely a few broken planks sealed off by the girl's love.]

【But Alicia isn't by your side, and that girl isn't there either. You can't see that pink hue, nor smell that fragrant scent.】

Even if a gentle breeze blows and a delicate cherry blossom petal drifts down, it cannot cross the dimly lit room to convey that touch of pink.

[Letting the self waver, letting this blockade falter for even a moment, and with no one able to promptly continue the lies and restrain all of this.]

[Until this force continues to approach, continues to shake, continues to attack everything you have.]

【—Click.】

[It was like the sound of something suddenly breaking open; something indestructible, like a chain, finally cracked at a tiny, insignificant corner.]

You clearly heard a strange sound within yourself, a feeling that is almost impossible to describe with any words or phrases.

[It's not the broken thing that's been reported from the outside.]

Any physical harm.

Rather, it originates from the endless darkness deep within one's heart, unfathomable; even staring directly at it, one can only see a profound blackness.

There was no pain, no feeling of near-heartbreak or collapse; even breathing seemed easier, like a bird finally freed from its cage to spread its wings.

Although this is not yet over, and although the only weak point is those few wooden planks, the chained blockade remains extremely tight.

This was enough for the bound bird to catch its breath.

[That's also enough to let a cool breeze slip through the gaps.]

In the second instant after being subjected to the psychological attack, inexplicable and incomprehensible images flash through your vision at an alarming rate.

[Blooming cherry blossoms, a windswept uphill road, a hat billowing in the wind, a skirt swaying slightly, a glimpse of dark gold panties, the first birthday present given to a shy and insecure girl.]

【ah……】

You seem to be...

[—What important thing have you forgotten?]

……

“Now…”

"Things should be about to change by then."

Aponia's delicate fingers, hidden beneath her nun's robe, tightened around the fabric of her chest. The overly loose clothing accentuated her unusual figure, and her finally relaxed expression softened the pitying look in her eyes.

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

It's completely over. There's no need to stay tense. The potential disaster and calamity that might have occurred are no longer possible.

There's no need to worry about when that ending will come, when Paradise will be struck by disaster, or when Alicia will weep.

The commandments have already been used to prevent Jiang Cheng and Alicia from being together.

The boy could no longer get close to the girl.

Such a drastic change is equivalent to a massive upheaval of the entire Eternal Paradise.

No matter what happens after the changes, it won't be worse than the ending we've seen, where even paradise is destroyed, leaving only a weeping girl.

Although Aponia was not a Fusion Warrior at this time, she did not have a strict understanding of her own abilities, had not been to the deepest parts of the Firemoth, and had not conducted any related experiments or research.

She was an ordinary nun who had just left Twilight Street a few years ago and was living a quiet life in another place, simply because of the Great Collapse.

The girl also had some interest in exploring the power that came from herself.

It wasn't a particularly deep dive.

There was virtually no exploratory element.

The harmonious environment within Eternal Paradise means there are no situations where the rules must be invoked; all calamities will be resolved by Alicia and Qianjie.

Even if a Great Collapse were to occur, it would be impossible to cross the barrier surrounding the town, and even an Emperor-level Honkai Beast could not compare to the flames of a Thousand Calamities.

This power, which belonged to her own body, was enough to make Aponia vaguely realize that her ability was not just some kind of simple hypnosis.

The duration of the discipline may be very long, extremely long, longer than anyone can imagine.

At least until the great collapse of Twilight Street, the nun had never seen anyone break free from this commandment and liberate their true self and thoughts.

No one has ever escaped this ability, which can undoubtedly be called vicious.

……

Aponia still remembers that moment—at that time, she was unaware that she had received a "divine gift" and still considered herself an ordinary nun.

Like a sudden revelation, an unseen hand pushed her forward, allowing her to touch the marks that fate had left on all living beings.

It was a network of light, like silk threads. They traced distinct marks above people's heads.

They may intersect and entwine somewhere; then they scatter and stretch towards their respective ends, or come to an abrupt end somewhere beyond our reach.

Feeling an indescribable sense of constraint, she reached out to the "threads" surrounding her—

That was the first commandment, and also the beginning of calamity.

She initially thought this power was a miracle, like one bestowed by a god in a book, to rewrite tragedy, an embellishment to her innate ability to see fate, and a means to shatter those unchangeable endings she saw.

Some things cannot be done by human beings alone, and no matter how much an ordinary person speaks, they will never be taken seriously.

Even if they may know that doing so could really break the deadlock, even if they may have vaguely sensed the storm that was about to break out.

In certain necessary moments, in order to save more people, to rewrite the course of disaster, and to get others to obey, the use of precepts is an essential action.

Although this power may not fully respect everyone, it ruthlessly tramples on the independence and uniqueness that belong to each person.

Although using this method would force Jiang Cheng and Alicia to separate, preventing the sweet lovers from meeting again for at least a short period of time.

There's no way around it.

There are no other possibilities or other good solutions.

—There was no choice.

Aponia also tried different, other possibilities, hoping to rewrite her predetermined fate by doing things that were completely contrary to her normal behavior and completely different from her planned actions.

Doing things you would never normally do, even if those actions are bad and should never be done.

It could even change more residents in the paradise to some extent, and use various methods to make more people do things that are different from their usual behavior.

It's just like a salted fish that's been pickled and dried. Even though it's reached the final stage of processing, it's still unwilling to give up and is jumping and thrashing on the cutting board with all its might, trying to find a glimmer of hope.

—It's meaningless.

No matter how much a salted fish struggles or turns over, it is still a salted fish, and it is already lying on the cutting board, where the knife may fall at any moment.

Aponia wouldn't be so reckless and foolish as to immediately try to change the possibility once she sees the ending, and wouldn't immediately issue a decree against Jiangcheng.

Even seeing this outcome was something that happened several dozen days ago; in the long period in between, she had been trying other possibilities.

But in the end, no matter how hard you try, there is only one answer you can get, and only one conclusion you can reach.

I am not the key figure in achieving this ending.

This "Birth of Tragedy" has nothing to do with me.

If you want to rewrite the tragedy you see, you must at least rewrite the reason why the ending happened. If you can't solve the main reason, then the final outcome will naturally develop in the same direction.

The butterfly effect is insignificant in the face of real disasters. Even a tornado that spans the heavens and the earth is nothing more than a breath to a Herrscher.

No matter what bystanders do, they can't change the impending disaster, just like a thousand NPCs are nothing more than the final boss slapping them to death.