Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

235. Descend here, shattered embryo.

All I could do at that moment was lower my head and bury my face and all my expressions in my long, flowing hair.

This wasn't the first time I'd been praised like this, and I knew that the value I wanted wasn't based on my appearance.

But no matter what, he couldn't refuse; just hearing it made him unable to lift his head.

Am I really broken?

……

Jiang Cheng wanted to try teasing her a little more, to get the girl excited, even if it was shame and embarrassment, it was infinitely better than letting herself fall into depravity.

Unfortunately, the moment the thought arose, he was kicked out of the space of memory and stood tall in the sky once again.

At least the agony, the life-or-death struggle, the lifelong regret, or the intense self-recalling have all been erased.

This kind of tactic of steer the conversation in an unserious direction and disrupt emotions to prevent potentially bad things from happening is really effective.

Although it is just this small-scale self-reflection, it is not serious at all, and it is not even a joke.

Raiden Mei, as a protagonist-level beautiful girl, is even recognized by Alicia. She is a very rare beauty in the eyes of that fairy. In terms of appearance alone, if she can't suppress the whole world, she is at least at a level that is far above most people.

Even in the world of anime, there are ugly characters and fat pigs. The vast majority of people in the world don't even have a relatively well-proportioned or normal body shape.

Because they don't have time to exercise and take care of their bodies, and live under the scorching sun for long periods of time, it's normal for their skin to become dehydrated and yellow, and even their skin color to be different.

Even for the few white-collar workers who work in office buildings, the endless overtime and coffee consumption leave their bodies weak and pale year-round.

Maintaining one's appearance is an extremely luxurious thing in any world. Apart from a few elites, most people are far from having the qualifications, time, energy, money, or the natural good looks and genes to take care of themselves.

Those with naturally superior genes and natural carriers of stigmata are already superior in appearance, possessing adaptability to Herrschers. The already super-discriminatory buff against men is superimposed on the same individual twice.

As for whether Raiden Mei would deliberately lie to deceive herself... that's a question that doesn't even need to be considered for a moment.

A person with this kind of personality would never do such a despicable thing. If Mei could lie, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Because being able to lie at least proves that one's personality isn't that good, at least one won't be so internally conflicted, and one can convey one's negative emotions to others to relieve them.

The vast majority of people in this world who bottle up their emotions and get sick are usually good people. This is because anyone with even a little bit of bad behavior or a lack of morality would not allow themselves to be reduced to the point where they can only let their negative emotions accumulate without any outlet.

Negative emotions aren't so scary. Just as joy can be transferred, so can sadness, dissatisfaction, and anger.

Simply by trying to beat someone, hurt someone, or damage public property, or even by simply hurling insults, one can relieve and divert their emotions.

As for the effects of praising Raiden Mei for using this move in a somewhat vulgar and superficial way, there's absolutely no need to worry about that.

This is a method that has been used before. The last person to suffer this treatment was named Vervi, and the end result was that they both ended up in the hospital.

The reason for his own condition was physical weakness, requiring proper nourishment. The girl's reason was that she had played too intensely, and was overwhelmed by a single compliment, leading her to almost fall into a frenzied and excited state, with all sorts of playful antics emerging one after another.

"I always feel like I'm walking the same path... This kind of thing feels strangely similar to what happened when I was a teenager."

"A girl who is talented and gifted, yet still likes to call herself a good-for-nothing, an incompetent piece of trash, and hates herself for being self-pitying."

"Even when the mistake is not theirs, even when it is an unexpected disaster and they are hurt for no reason, they always like to blame themselves."

"The only difference might be that the self-destructive urge wasn't as strong... or rather, I arrived a little earlier this time, interrupting it before the self-destructive urge reached its peak."

"The previous interruptions weren't thorough enough, and as a result, everything became dictated by me—it's pathological. Hopefully, this time the problem can be solved properly."

……

I really don't want to see anyone end up like Vilvi. I really can't accept that because I was late, missed the event, or entered too late, everything has taken a bad turn.

Even if the gravitational force weren't so great, it would be difficult to just keep himself alive; he could easily be torn apart by the girl's overwhelming emotions.

Jiang Cheng genuinely wanted to use his own power to bring Wilvi back to normal. He didn't want to be subjected to such morbid and excessive favoritism. He wanted to at least make this favoritism more normal and mutual.

Aside from shameless and despicable scumbags who deserve a terrible death, no relationship that involves mutual effort can accept one-sided devotion from one person.

It wasn't just guilt, but more of a pang of heartache. It was heartache that the person she loved didn't care about her health and would do anything to please her.

Emotions and love are always reciprocal; often, when one party wants the other to be happy, the other party is also preparing for the same thing.

Like that Great Collapse, the Great Collapse that destroyed the Fire Moth, the Great Collapse that destroyed everything in his past, the Great Collapse that killed Velvet... Jiangcheng absolutely cannot allow it to happen even once more.

Looking up at the sky, my body is getting closer and closer to its limit, and my will is forming a deep connection with the organs that are outside my control.

The deep blue light in his eyes shone, like the stars in the night sky reflected in the deep ocean.

The Divine Key appeared in his palm, as dazzling as a gemstone. The outer shell, as radiant as a star, receded, revealing a complete collapse that resembled a black hole.

Instead of gradually increasing its level as before, it instantly displayed a higher level—a theoretical upgrade mode that was demonstrated through overload, like the transformation of Heavenly Fire Judgment into Calamity Annihilation. Although it may not be the limit that this weapon or core can reach, this power alone is enough to leave its own name in the whole world.

Jiang Cheng felt the viscous liquid appear at his feet, climbed onto his slippers, and wet his calves. Like tentacles, it wrapped around the twisted meaninglessness.

The mere touch compels life to abandon everything and sink into absolute nothingness, where fear, excitement... all emotions are swallowed up.

The Herrscher of Thunder high in the sky has broken free from the shackles of gravity, and the dangerous aura emanating from her body has reached an even higher level. A terrifying aura permeates her from head to toe, and the Honkai energy, so powerful that it could drive anyone mad, circulates around her like blood flowing in her veins or the beating of her heart. The entire city moves with every breath she takes.

Energy is converging.

This is something that can be understood without even actively observing it, simply by feeling it naturally in one's body, like the tuft of hair on one's head being gently blown by the wind.

The most direct manifestation of this is the gathering of wind.

An unexpected gale swept through the city, which had been engulfed by lightning.

It was as if a storm eye had suddenly appeared, with everything around it converging on this location, like a black hole manifesting itself in a different way.

Dust, sand, mountains, even distant high-rises, streets two kilometers apart, the very foundations of the city itself... it seems there is nothing He cannot devour, nothing He cannot absorb.

In the boy's deep blue eyes, everything was so distorted, ferocious, and terrifying—surging and turbulent, the power of collapse was constantly demonstrating its determination to tear the world apart and cause civilization to fall.

He, collapse, ruins, Velvi...

Everything seemed to have returned to that day.

That day when I lost everything.

That happy day when everything was torn apart by the Honkai.

He could only weep and dig through the ruins, listening to the girl's final words, a wish that the rest of her life wouldn't be consumed by hatred.

There will absolutely never be another one!

We will absolutely never let that helpless situation happen again!

The energy in my hands, as I gradually accept myself, returns to its rightful place, and everything proves that things are no longer the same.

Unimaginable, terrifying energy gathered at this moment in a manner contrary to nature, arrogantly devouring everything around it like a vortex in our perception!

—That's an embryo.

—A broken embryo.

Just as a bird needs to incubate in its shell for a long time before it can break free of its shell and truly witness the world, so too does a bird need to use its own strength to do so.

The same applies to willpower. If a broken will wants to fully control the body, it will need a lot of time to completely remodel the Herrscher a second time.

It is not an abstract and elusive enemy, but a manifestation of a new kind of calamity born from the common sense of the pre-civilization, the will of Honkai, condensed into a unique entity within the girl's body.

As long as something exists, there is a chance to defeat it; as long as something possesses matter, there is a chance to defeat it. The only thing in the world that cannot be resisted is the abstract itself.

Jiang Cheng raised his hand, and extreme darkness suddenly appeared at the point where his fingertips met, a sign of impending calamity, indicating that a massive disaster, terrifying even in the universe, was about to descend.

Here...

"Let's converge!"

……

Like a highly condensed celestial body, or the embodiment of gravity in the world, or the prototype of a black hole, the boundless dark sun gathered around the girl in an instant, giving birth to and releasing the power from the celestial body.

Pure despair engulfed the world.

There is no longer any color, no longer any light.

There is only absolute blackness, absolute darkness.

No matter how special the eyes are, or how advanced the technology, they can no longer capture any brightness.

Even just being slightly covered by energy, or just the aftershocks sweeping by, plunged the city and everything around it into utter darkness.

There is no need for a so-called fixed rate; it is not an armor bound by the Divine Key. This is the unquestionable power of the Herrscher, the power of the stars.

Jiang Cheng didn't actually know how to fight against the will of the Honkai. The plan for Prometheus's creation hadn't been born in his pre-civilization, where humanity had already reached its end before it even began.

But what does it matter?

Does this mean we should give up on Raiden Mei?

Because of my distrust, I have hurt the first real person in this world who was so kind and caring to me after I came into this world. Now that I have the opportunity to resolve this, I still run away because of the unknown.

Even for a mortal, this level of willpower is laughable.

Both Alicia and Hua have already proven it.

The so-called Honkai Will... even the unique characteristics of Honkai itself can be rewritten, overwritten, and transformed into something entirely new.

The will of Honkai is not special; the energy of the Herrscher is also connected through channels. Since we know nothing about it, let's try to sever the channels.

“Even I… who am far too incompetent compared to any of you, can utilize this power.”

"Then, the original body of the Herrscher of Thunder."

"I believe in you, even more than I believe in myself, that you absolutely can overcome this."

……

Facing the Herrscher who was already shrouded in endless darkness, the third commandment, which was the code that caused the Divine Key to exceed its capacity, was recited.

The Honkai energy within him surged forth, and gravity, capable of interfering with even space itself, enveloped his entire body, spreading a heavy darkness in all directions. The conceptual "Key of Devouring" shattered with a deafening roar, and viscous, flowing gravity shot into the sky, only to be forcibly condensed under the master's will, solidifying into a dazzling core that seemed both real and unreal, resembling a brilliant, ancient star in the heavens. The dazzling starlight instantly tore through the night, awaiting the final judgment upon the gods!

As the product of Möbius's life before his death, the final creation of one of the most outstanding biologists of his era, and even one of the most brilliant figures in human civilization, who had even participated in the resurrection of those who had long since died.

The so-called Divine Keys are not weapons in the usual sense, and the Herrschers who are already on the verge of their limits are not cheap mass-produced by Soul Steel.

The sheer amount of energy from an ordinary core is enough to shatter soul steel, and the so-called self-regeneration is merely a bit of a hassle in the face of super-powerful forces.

As a top genius, Mebius was inherently arrogant and proud. He was never a useless person who simply followed the notes of people who died decades ago. Only by constantly surpassing himself could he truly be called infinite.

It was only at this moment, at this moment when he truly poured all his energy into unleashing this power, that the boy realized just how much effort and unrealistic fantasies the genius he had saved, in a sense, like Wilvie, had poured into this weapon.