Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

Because this weapon was not given to a person, but to a deity who existed only in the last moments when memories and emotions were fading.

She was a goddess from the stars and moon, devoid of any human emotion or love. Her heart held no sense of loss or sorrow; she was an empty shell, a monster devoid of beauty and kindness bestowed upon her by others, devoid of blood and tears.

Alicia does not deny her own despicableness, nor does she deny her own incompetence.

At this point, there is absolutely no need for it.

No one knew her own incompetence better than she did.

The girl is nothing special; for the sake of so-called self-esteem and so-called dignity, she can ignore what has already happened.

It's incomprehensible to someone who is completely single-minded, willing to give up everything for some self-imposed idea, and is capable of harming others.

Giving up everything else for a fleeting emotion is something that normal people cannot even imagine, and the girl is equally unable to accept it.

This kind of temperament, which could be described as willful, is now in a world so devastated that there is no room left to accommodate it.

No one in the world can truly understand the ridiculous life of that girl, and no one can empathize with her emotions, her sadness and resentment.

Only those who truly understand what they are doing, what they have accomplished, what results they have achieved, what price they have paid, and who can personally experience the sadness in their hearts, can truly realize the consequences of their actions.

One of the worst characteristics of human life is that we often only remember what we have done when we are in pain.

This weapon remained here, never used, as a tool to warn himself, as an instrument of punishment.

however……

Alicia probably never imagined what was happening now.

The tool used to warn oneself was unexpectedly rediscovered by its creator one day.

—Jiangcheng.

Even though she is no longer as intelligent as she once was, she still imitates Vervi's actions and all her logic, and her intelligence can even be described as top-notch.

Faced with a weapon that was essentially created by his own hands, a weapon into which he poured all his remaining love, expectations and blessings before his death.

How could one not be moved by that moment of numbness towards death, the yearning for Alicia's happiness, and the wish for that vague memory?

"—Alicia, I'm sorry, my memories of you are starting to fade. I can't even remember your smile anymore. I can only reconstruct it by editing."

"—Although this blessing was incomplete from the very beginning, I still hope you can accept this belated birthday gift."

"Actually, I can't be considered a gentle person. It's just that Yi-hao has some morals, some empathy, and you were there for me when I was a child."

"--Hmm...I've said a lot of useless things. After all, just thinking that you would hear these words made me unable to help but say some of my thoughts on this ordinary world that is neither cruel nor beautiful."

"—I'm sure you gained a lot from your trip. Although I haven't been to many places, even a small world can be a truly beautiful paradise as long as it has warmth from emotions."

"—This world may face many disasters in the future, but I believe you can face them. You are absolutely romantic, a fairy living in paradise."

"No matter what difficulties you face, they will not defeat you; they will only become stepping stones for you to reach paradise, as perfect and self-consistent as a god."

An inexplicable sound was triggered, and the completed work saw its owner once again. The audio, which should have been perfectly finished, was triggered again.

It's more than just a blessing.

It's not just a few words that are described in a lighthearted way.

Countless fragments of memory broke free of their shackles, sweeping through the channels of the self and the soul like a true torrent and storm.

In an instant, I was overwhelmed by a massive amount of information and almost collapsed. My self was nearly torn apart, leaving only the last remaining doubts.

This is……

what?

……

What are these suddenly appearing audio files?

Why do these voices sound so familiar to me?

What are these memories that suddenly appeared?

Why do I feel like I'm making weapons for Alicia again?

I didn't... Alicia never told me that I had recorded my words, that I had left behind my own last words.

I'm just an ordinary person, so why am I able to make such exquisite weapons? Why did I make the weapons like this?

This thing doesn't seem to be meant for human use at all; it's overly ornate and ethereal, and doesn't even have any human aura or feeling.

A cute yet humble girl like Alicia shouldn't have been associated with such an ethereal divinity in the first place.

This regret, this blessing, this lingering sorrow before death... Aren't Alicia and I lovers who have never been separated, companions who have traveled the world together, childhood sweethearts who have been together from the very beginning?

They are each other's eternal and flawless paradise, embracing each other as the only and absolutely inseparable individuals between them.

Why……

The one with the same voice as me is speaking.

"Even if the world is incredibly cruel, I still hope you can find your own paradise."

……

The pupils that should have been sparkling in his deep blue eyes were strangely dim, as if all the stars in the sky had been eroded away by endless waves.

It is not a flood in the descriptive sense, but a literal sense of water, with a sea of ​​almost infinite water beginning to wash over and shatter it.

Emotions surged and tore at me; even the gentle breeze on my skin felt like being slashed by a massive cutting machine.

Seeds that have been suppressed to the point of no return are forced to grow too quickly, without even a chance to germinate normally. Their numerous long and narrow roots are pulled along with them, and those that break off in the soil are pulled upwards by brute force.

Although it does not belong to the human world, the eternally cold and cruel ocean's response to desires, however distorted, is still perfect in its blockade and repression.

But the repairs were done way too quickly.

Unfortunately, the repairs are taking far too long.

Once a breach is made, no matter how much we try to mend it, it's inevitable that one sheep will be snatched away by the wolf and run towards cruelty and reality.

The exit is blocked.

The water has already been exported.

Those who have witnessed the truth can no longer tolerate falsehood, and those who have seen true light cannot bear to continue living in darkness.

Long before his thoughts even began to work, his body was driven forward by an unbearable sense of stagnation, his fingertips lightly touching the smooth, brand-new weapon.

The dark eyes reflected the bow, as sacred as a god, adorned with flowers, birds, and the gentle breeze, after the shadows that had obscured the view were dispelled.

This weapon, which should have been unlike anything he had ever seen before, was so perfect and luxurious that it should have had nothing to do with an ordinary, unremarkable traveler.

The fingers that caressed the body felt unexpectedly familiar, and the weapon had been given maintenance and inspection without the user's knowledge.

It appeared to have never been used by its owner; the weapon showed no signs of wear, and even the bowstring, the most easily replaceable component, was completely undamaged.

Even the black, moth-like marks on the left side of the grip, which would be worn away by the fingertips during use, are perfectly and vividly rendered.

That is the mark of a moth drawn to fire.

Jiang Cheng knew about that mark. He had chatted with people on the streets of Paradise when he was bored and had some time off. Some refugees had talked about the mark.

It is one of the last sanctuaries for humanity outside, and the organization that is still fighting against the Honkai—the Fire Moth. After the Second Honkai Calamity, it was reformed until the death of a genius a few years ago, and it has been in use for several years.

However, after a series of dramatic changes, the supreme controller of the Fire-Chasing Moths became a one-man dictatorship. That person did not like the mark, supposedly because he thought that the moths chasing the fire were too pessimistic.

After all, in this world, the moth that chases the flame may seem to be courageous enough to throw itself into the light, but in the end, it can only be burned to ashes.

Courage alone has no continuation, no future. If everything is burned in a fire, must human civilization also be destroyed in the same way?

With this in mind, it is said that the dictator replaced the mark in a very short time with an intertwined ouroboros.

Even the name "Fire Moth" for the organization was rejected long ago and replaced with "World Serpent." This was simply because the name was too familiar and had been used for too long, to the point that some people still call it that today.

What is the relationship between my past and the organization?

What happened to the Moth that chased the flame back then?

Why does it seem like I was separated from Alicia before?

Why are they able to manufacture such sophisticated weapons?

Why did I add so many divine elements to the weapon I prepared for Alicia?

There are just too many doubts in my heart. The past has not solved any of the problems in front of me. On the contrary, it has given rise to countless more confusions. There are so many that even without thinking about them in depth, just accumulating in my heart gives me the illusion that my heart is about to burst.

Like the blind men and the elephant, only a few shallow touches are enough to arrive at incorrect answers without knowing the specifics.

and so……

Jiangcheng refused to think.

Making wild guesses without knowing any answers and only knowing a few basic points is essentially no different from wild speculation.

One of the worst aspects of human nature is that once we accept a certain answer, we subconsciously deny other possibilities and other truths.

Even though my guess might be wrong.

Even though I might just be overthinking things.

Their unwillingness to admit defeat will continue to drive them to stubbornly persist.

The so-called insults are essentially for this reason. It is also because some geniuses who have calculated something astonishing have been suppressed by others.

Just like a sentence he once saw in a book in the library—before the age of eighteen, any new invention in the world is a matter of course; after the age of eighteen, any completely new discovery and invention is intolerable.

Perhaps the person who suppresses a genius is not doing so out of jealousy, but simply because their preconceived notions prevent them from understanding new things.

The inability to understand breeds hatred, anger, and paranoia.

It is human nature to crave being understood by others.

Although this understanding may stem from brute force.

Although this understanding is outwardly accepted but inwardly disagreeable.

People cannot truly understand each other, and most people don't care whether others are convinced or not; verbal respect and understanding are enough.

Because people who often use brute force to oppress others and force them to understand them are essentially not concerned about whether others psychologically agree with them.

Jiang Cheng did not want to create any facts that could lead to misunderstandings or errors based on his own guesses or purely imaginary assumptions.

What he hated most in the book was the conflict caused by people who were clearly mute but didn't communicate or speak, and instead simply relied on their imaginations to create contradictions.

At least until now, as her last line of defense, Alicia, who has loved so devotedly for so long, is still trying her best to stay rational.