The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

To her surprise, she found that she did not feel any pain in her chest, but rather a feeling of comfort.

This feeling of comfort comes from the internal organs inside my chest cavity; it feels like being in my mother's warm embrace.

but...

Didn't I just have a big battle? Why do I feel this way now?

"Cirin, do you mean there's some force secretly helping me? But it's up to no good, isn't it?"

"Strictly speaking, she meant well. But good intentions often lead to bad results. If you had used more force just now, you might have hurt your companion."

Celine sighed, then slowly said:

"However, becoming stronger is never a bad thing, as long as you make sure to use your power for good. Do you understand?"

Why are we all different now? (Honkai Impact 3rd): Chapter 59 The Empress in the Garden

Is it the right path? Is that even a question?

Kiana has her own understanding of the "right path" that Sirin spoke of. Simply put, it means she must protect her comrades and drive the ill-intentioned enemies out of this world!

"Yes, I know!" Kiana replied solemnly.

“Very well, then next... what we need to do is expel the people from the heavens. We can talk about the rest later.”

Celine nodded, and the two continued forward.

Ahead lies Saint Fontaine; continuing forward will lead back to the City of Asgard. To expel the celestial beings from this world, the group continues onward. Along the way, they encounter many monsters petrified in place.

They come in various shapes and types. Many of them retain the poses they had before being petrified, looking so lifelike that they seem to have been created as statues from the very beginning.

Kiana, Mei, and the others continued forward, admiring the statue as they went. But to call it admiration was more like a wary advance.

After all, these guys look exactly like those monsters, even in terms of appearance, demeanor, and weapons they use. The only difference is their color.

This difference makes it hard to believe that they wouldn't suddenly launch an attack.

That's why, when Mei first encountered these monsters, her first suggestion was...

"Smash them all!"

It has to be said that this was a suggestion Mei could come up with. And this suggestion was also accepted by others, since no one could guarantee that the enemy wouldn't suddenly revive and attack halfway through.

Having fallen for their trick once before, no one will be fooled this time.

Thus, amidst the barrage of gunfire and laser cannon fire, these enemies, petrified by an unknown force, perished. Interestingly, however, they remained petrified even after being shattered.

Contrary to Kiana's expectations, it did not revert to its original form after being shattered.

This situation is somewhat surprising and quite puzzling.

Why didn't they turn back?

Bronya slowly crouched down, picked up a piece of gravel, and examined it closely. Finally, she put the stone down, dusted off her hands, and slowly asked the people behind her.

The others looked puzzled when she asked the question.

Mei stroked her chin and pondered for a moment, then answered solemnly:

“I don’t know, I’ve never encountered anything like this in St. Fontaine. It’s really strange. But for now, these statues no longer pose a threat to us.”

"Uh, it would be strange if it posed a threat." Lyle and the others looked at each other, all with helpless expressions.

Seeing the expressions on her juniors' faces, Kiana thought for a moment and then squatted down like Bronya, picking up the stone to examine it carefully.

Upon seeing this, she... silently asked Celine in her mind:

"How is this going?"

"You don't need to worry about it; they won't get up again anyway. Instead of worrying about these controlled little ones, let's think about what to do next."

Sirin silently responded to Kiana's question in her mind, while also hinting at the difficulties that might follow.

Upon hearing this, Kiana immediately realized that a battle might be about to take place.

After all, given this little guy's personality, he rarely says anything useless. Yeah, I guess so.

So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, enemies will attack soon.

Realizing this, Kiana got up without saying a word and quickly caught up with Mei and the others.

"Get ready, danger is about to strike."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Mei, Bronya, and the others were all filled with surprise.

How do you know there's danger?

It looks peaceful here now, but suddenly danger could strike? No way, it can't be that coincidental!

However, just as everyone was completely bewildered...

Suddenly, a series of strong vortexes appeared in the distance, and then a very strange monster slowly appeared in front of everyone.

Holding a scepter, she looked very dignified, much more imposing than those monsters like emperors, chariots, or upside-down humans.

Even from a distance, Kiana and the others could sense the extraordinary nature of this monster.

Not to mention, when he appeared before everyone, he shook his scepter almost without hesitation.

"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

An astonishing number of energy arrows shot from the tip of her staff. These were no ordinary arrows; almost without exception, they all emitted a crimson glow.

As soon as these arrows appeared, they moved at a speed visible to the naked eye, drawing red trails in the air, and in the blink of an eye, they rushed in front of the group and shot straight at them.

However, this level of attack couldn't harm any of Mei or her friends at all.

Just as the arrow was about to hit, Kiana suddenly widened her eyes.

In an instant, a pitch-black and scorching black hole was born, emitting extremely high temperatures that melted and easily neutralized all the arrows.

Seeing her attack easily dodged, the monster was clearly stunned. Then she adjusted her direction and fired another energy arrow at Kiana and the others.

This time, it will take some time before the black hole can continue to summon energy after the explosion.

Therefore, no one could remain indifferent, and they all dodged and hid.

Of course, others might be able to dodge easily, but Kiana, who was considered the primary target, had no way to avoid it. Knowing that if she moved rashly, these attacks would also change their trajectory, she swung her sword fiercely without hesitation.

"drink!"

In an instant, the scorching sword light cleaved through the rain of arrows, and the crimson power dissipated in the high temperature.

Upon seeing this, the monster became enraged and slammed its scepter on the ground before flying over without touching the ground.

The scepter in his hand resembled a battle axe, inspiring awe and fear.

Clearly, close combat is about to begin.

Kiana took a deep breath, then drew her sword and charged forward:

"bring it on!"

With a clang, the scepter and the royal sword clashed violently.

Amidst the splashing flames, the monster's scepter did not melt immediately.

This surprised Kiana to some extent.

However, she quickly regained her composure and began to concentrate on wielding her sword to defend herself.

Seeing this, Mei and the others all showed expressions of admiration.

They had seen Kiana display her swordsmanship and had seen her seriously fight her enemies, and no matter how many times they had seen it, it always made them feel at ease.

"Let's go too! We can't let Kiana go alone anymore!"

Bronya and Mei finished speaking in unison and then raised their weapons, ready to attack.

However...

"what!"

Just as everyone was about to make a move, the monster, which was gradually losing ground, realized the danger.

Why are we all different now? (Post-Honkai Odyssey): Chapter Sixty: Return to Saint Fontaine

She brandished her scepter with swift movements, each move brimming with murderous intent.

Just by simply engaging in combat, Kiana could clearly sense that this monster was different from any she had encountered before.

She possesses incredible strength; a simple swing of her arm can generate wind pressure. Yet, this power doesn't seem to originate from her own strength; in other words, it relies on some kind of assistance.

Following this logic, Kiana observed carefully and finally discovered that when the monster swung its weapon, it would flash with crimson lightning, seemingly because it was using power to confront her.

Does that mean they took a shortcut?

I remember Sirin said before that a significant increase in strength is not a problem, as long as it is used for the right purposes, right?

Now is the time to use it!

"Phew, are you ready? It's going to get hot."

As she spoke, Kiana suddenly unleashed her power, causing the King Sword to radiate a light of liberated power.

The scorching heat radiated out, almost melting the scepter.

Such formidable power naturally alerted the monster.

It's important to understand that while most created creatures lack self-awareness, the more advanced ones among them possess a degree of intelligence. Therefore, their vigilance against powerful enemies is remarkably acute.

This led to the Empress immediately unleashing a burst of crimson energy when faced with Kiana's outburst.

She wasn't going to stand there foolishly and let the other party do as they pleased, but she also had no intention of retreating.

Under such frustrating circumstances, this strange physicist naturally chose a very feasible path.

That is to summon your subordinates!

As a result, a crimson force field suddenly rose from beneath her feet, and an invisible yet powerful sense of oppression quickly spread out, causing the team members who wanted to come forward to provide support to retreat far away in the blink of an eye.

"Roar!"

The roars of monsters echoed from the crimson force field. After the roars were heard, countless monsters rushed out of it and charged straight at the group.