Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

"Sorry... for the world."

"Are Herrschers really just monstrous villains who bring disaster~?"

Alicia gently bit her lip. Like this land devoid of flowers, her heart, scarred by time and the disaster known as Honkai, could no longer bloom with any brilliance or liveliness.

"It's just a trivial sigh. Don't take it too seriously. After all, being alive is much better than lying on a board."

Jiang Cheng sighed softly and turned his head, suppressing the girl's apologetic tone, and tried his best to dispel the sadness with the fairy-like smile from his memory.

"I understand. This is travel time, so we shouldn't let these kinds of words spoil our mood~"

No matter how much the present differs from the past, that's not something to think about now—Alicia, dressed in a skirt, gently shielded her eyes from the fierce wind. Her shoes, covered in dust, revealed glimpses of flesh-colored white socks, and her pink hair, ruffled by branches, showed off her elfin-like pointed ears.

Perhaps because her hair had been covering her ears for too long, her earlobes were still warm and slightly red, as if they were faintly radiating heat.

The small earrings that were originally clipped to her ears were removed, perhaps because they were too inconvenient, thus revealing her fair and rosy skin.

Although the roses are gone.

but……

Perhaps dusk can still fall.

Jiang Cheng raised his hand, merely flicking his fingertips slightly, and the sky, which had been shrouded in endless dark clouds, was torn open, revealing twinkling starlight and a Milky Way hanging down.

That was a power powerful enough to swallow even light, actively distorting this miracle that belonged only to nature, wanting to crown this miracle and beauty with human names.

But amidst the flickering light, a sea resembling viscous filth flowed forth, and just a few drops shattered the continuous mountain range.

However, these towering mountains were too small compared to the vast land, and it was not until the light of dusk once again enveloped the land, draping it in golden splendor, that the slight loss of beauty became unbearable to the eye.

The desolate ground was now only veiled by a hazy filter of light from the twilight, concealing the charred remains and devoid of any exciting beauty from the undulating mountains that had existed to begin with.

"Several mountains have collapsed..."

"If I were to release the restraints, I fear this entire continent would become the dead of this attack, and they would not even be able to escape this power."

"If I hadn't stopped intervening for some special reason when I was first born, this entire continent would probably have been wiped off the map."

Jiang Cheng marveled at the wonders of nature and the power of the Lawgiver, yet a sadness lingered in his eyes—a new emotion born from retracing his past journey.

Having the qualifications to ascend to immortality, even though it is a power that has almost never been actively familiarized with or tried to use, it still possesses the power to change the world.

If only he truly possessed that power.

If only this power truly belonged to him.

The shackles of the Herrscher of the Stars, the constraints of the Quantum Sea—is the price to be paid for this power really so easy to break?

Perhaps what Alicia said that day wasn't just meant to make me feel disgusted; there was some truth in it.

If breaking free from constraints requires sacrificing more, and gaining affection means losing love itself, is it really worth it?

Even what you already have, you will lose.

What can be exchanged for?

Jiang Cheng silently withdrew his power, causing the darkness that shrouded the sky to gradually dissipate, creating a scene of being melted by light.

As if enveloped in the radiance of the starry sky, a few rays of sunlight pierced the darkness like sharp swords, once again casting their brilliance upon the ravaged earth.

Shedding all its icy chill and mystery, the sky's colors became soft and hazy, as if all worries had been swallowed up by the twilight.

The golden afterglow spills across the earth, so distorted that it appears almost distorted just by looking at it. It is also as hazy as a veil, as if casting a layer of afterglow over the whole world, and carries a sense of the past.

The dark clouds in the west were tinged with fiery red, and after several years, a gentle breeze stirred up once again, like countless roses swaying on the hillside.

Sometimes, simple line drawings that aren't done very seriously can better correspond to the blurred past in our memories, and are given a touch of beauty through the filter.

It seems like I've really reached the point where I first stepped out of my house in my teens. Back then, no one could have imagined that life would be so turbulent in the future.

Even she probably never imagined she would turn out like this.

Definitely.

Jiang Cheng turned his head, and at the edge of his field of vision was a girl sitting halfway in the air, her hands supporting her slightly chubby face, bathed in the golden light of dusk, her long pink hair swaying in the wind and reflecting a shimmering brilliance.

The Herrscher's attire wasn't like a princess's gorgeous long dress; the long train did indeed flutter in the wind, like a cherry blossom petal swaying in the spring breeze.

Her well-defined, jade-like skin seemed to glow, and her white, jade-like legs swayed in the wind. Her small, warm feet used the descending twilight as footrests. She twisted her waist and leaned against the void, searching for a familiar posture.

Revisiting past experiences can even give one the illusion of being able to make amends for mistakes, which can stir emotions even for fairies.

Her eyes seemed to have lost much of their reluctance and sorrow; having burned to the extreme, only a single prismatic pupil remained, at least enough to retain a trace of love.

The gradient of blue and pink is like the dazzling light of a meteor at its peak, transforming into a dreamlike state that is almost impossible to occur normally in the world.

Then, hidden beneath that moment of brilliance lay the emotions lurking within her heart. Alicia... she's changed a lot since she was a fairy.

How could there be no sadness?

How could one possibly become completely absorbed in this?

Hidden beneath the brightness is a deeper sorrow, which can only be seen when the light of the shooting star is combined with this final curtain at dusk. It is draped in a golden hue, its mask removed, revealing a touch of melancholy within.

what……

Even when looking back at the past, is the only emotion that can evoke anger a sense of loss and desolation?

Now I am...

He wasn't the person Alicia was hoping for.

……

"If you die."

"We probably won't be able to see the sunset then."

Jiang Cheng sighed, tilted his head back, and bathed in the artificial light, letting the burning dawn and dusk shine through the torn clouds.

This beautiful scenery was something I had never witnessed before, nor had it been preserved, or at least it certainly didn't leave a particularly strong impression on my memory.

Perhaps it was overlooked during the trip, perhaps the beautiful scenery was just a bonus, or perhaps one simply stayed in the studio and never went out.

In short, for various reasons, he will never truly see the sunset and feel its beauty, and even now it cannot be considered complete.

Because I am not complete.

Because I am not whole.

Because I am not free.

The more I revisit past trips, the more I can feel the emotions my body can convey in the present. Even the bittersweet memories can't be fully portrayed; all that's left is endless cheering and sighing.

Let alone living in this world like a normal person, even fulfilling Alicia's needs is impossible.

That joy was just a facade.

That happiness was just a facade.

She was clearly sad; it was clearly raining inside her heart.

Perhaps I was never the person Alicia was expecting from the beginning. It's just that I didn't bring it up in the past, so I could keep my eyes closed and continue to deceive myself into believing that I was him.

"what……"

He reached out and gently touched the girl who had been drawn towards him. Her expression instantly turned somewhat flustered, and her pink eyes revealed the anxiety on the girl's lips.

"Don't worry about me saying I definitely won't die."

"I was just struck by the beauty of that moment, and felt a little wistful."

Alicia's eyes reflected his beautifully sculpted profile, delicate jawline, and gentle features. The previous ruthless coldness was almost unrecognizable, with only the opening and closing of his lips remaining. He tilted his head back, as if sighing over something.

"after all……"

"We each live in a certain moment."

"We wait for countless moments, chaotic yet beautiful, awe-inspiring, and sorrowful, which together make up our lives."

……

A very peculiar metaphor. .jpg

135. Please do it in Alicia's way.

[By revisiting past experiences after decades through this period of travel, you've, in a sense, confirmed one thing.]

—Alishia may not really need you.

This is indeed too absolute. Drawing such a conclusion so directly is a bit too extreme. Strictly speaking, Jiang Cheng was never the one who was unnecessary; the one who is truly unnecessary is only the false version of yourself at this moment.

For a perfect and pure fairy, what she expects and desires is absolutely not existing imperfections, absolutely not irreparable waste.

The sacrifices Alicia made to revive you, the hardships you can't even imagine, cannot be erased, nor should they be.

The word "resurrection" is never simple. It's not just a miracle that exists only in the fantasies of ordinary people; even for Herrschers, who are themselves messengers of God and are worshipped as gods by some fools, resurrection is an unattainable and unimaginable miracle.

[Manipulating black holes to control gravity and resurrect others are powers akin to divine authority for ordinary people. These two aspects cannot be simply equated; even among gods, there are differences.]

【powerful.】

【weak. 】

[Without any mercy.]

[Completely merciless.]