Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

"I don't want to know what kind of desire you carry that has led to so much killing, but now I'd like to borrow your power, is that alright?"

Cheng Xing knew that the girl in front of him possessed the power to alter time and space. Under normal circumstances, she could use her dual pistols and the Roman clock on her back to consume spiritual energy to achieve a certain degree of time interference.

When it enters the reverse state, it possesses the power to alter space, corresponding to the twelve constellations.

"If I could master this power, my combat strength would undergo a true qualitative change... If I were to plunder her spirit crystal here to obtain that power, could I...?"

At that moment, Kurumi Tokisaki sensed something was wrong; the guy opposite her seemed to be radiating an extremely strong sense of malice.

"Sir, do you intend to harm a weak woman like me?"

Kurumi Tokisaki had an inexplicable sadness on her face and appeared weak, but in reality, there were eyes watching from the shadows in every corner.

"...Forget it, let's not talk about whether I can make perfect use of the Spirit Crystal...Even if I really have to face the time ability, I can't be sure how many times she has reincarnated. If I give Tokisaki Kurumi any chance, she can go back to the timeline before she fought me...That would only create more variables, so it's simpler to just use her."

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Xing continued, "Please rest assured, I have no intention of harming you. I simply want some help from you, and of course, I will offer some compensation that I can afford in return. What do you say?"

"You jest. My abilities are very weak and I can't change anything. Even if I wanted to help you, my abilities would be very limited."

Although Kurumi Tokisaki said this, her body remained tense, ready to fight at any moment, and her clones hidden in various places were also ready to provide support at any time.

"You must really need energy."

All the aura and emotions emanating from Cheng Xing were now concealed. He squinted and smiled as he took out a pink crystal from his pocket, saying kindly, "I can see your thirst for energy. The crystal in my hand is the most efficient energy crystal in the universe. If used solely for the operation of airships, it can even allow a warship to fly in the sky for months or even half a year. If you're worried that I've tampered with it, I can give it to you now so you can see it."

After saying that, Cheng Xing threw the crystal in his hand directly to the ground, letting it roll until it reached Tokisaki Kurumi's feet.

After hesitating for a moment, Tokisaki Kurumi bent down and picked up the crystal from the ground. After carefully examining it several times to ensure that the enormous energy contained within was free of any consciousness or corrosiveness, she couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"If I can obtain more of these crystals, then I won't need to plunder those spirits or Shido's spiritual power at all... I won't have to sacrifice anyone; anyone can do what I want!"

Although she was very excited inside, Tokisaki Kurumi maintained a composed demeanor on the surface, calmly placing the crystal in her hand on the ground and saying, "Your reward is quite generous. However, what do you need my help with? My abilities are quite limited. If it's something I can't do, then I can only reluctantly refuse."

"Ah, it's just a small favor."

Cheng Xing smiled very kindly, looking very approachable. He took out a small object from his pocket and threw it over, saying, "I just wanted you to try and see if you could revert this item to its original form."

"How did this guy find out about my abilities?"

Although Kurumi Tokisaki was puzzled as to where this guy got the information about her, she could only suppress her curiosity and picked up the object not far in front of her.

This is a small, pale golden crystal. Judging from its appearance, it should have been broken off from a larger crystal.

This crystal also exhibits some energy fluctuations, but they are extremely weak, tens of thousands of times weaker than the pink crystal on the ground.

"This is?"

"Oh, it's just a friend's keepsake."

Cheng Xing maintained his smile, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.

Chapter 189: The Third Thread

"Thank you for your help, Ms. Tokisaki Kurumi. As I said, it was just a small favor, and you received a huge reward without putting in much effort. Isn't that a wonderful thing?"

Cheng Xing stared at the shimmering crystal in the other person's hand, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Kurumi Tokisaki swallowed hard. Had she really used her ability to conjure it? Or had she truly used the power of rewind to restore the crystal to its original form?

No, that doesn't feel right. It's as if I just gave this crystal an excuse to turn into this form.

If it really was something I did myself, then the energy consumed in the process could not possibly be just a tiny fraction of what it is now; it would be an unpredictable figure, perhaps even more exaggerated than the energy I estimated to have needed to return to 30 years ago.

Moreover, the immense energy emanating from the crystal in one's hand—an energy so vast it could suffocate and even change everything—is why it is so captivating.

"Alright, Ms. Tokisaki Kurumi, give me back my things, and then the pink crystal on the ground is yours."

(With this golden crystal, I can even travel back in time several times in a row. The immense energy within it, and the unique properties it contains, are enough for me to face the Primal Spirits, enough for me to change everything, and enough for me to do everything I want! Compared to this crystal, the one on the ground is as boring as a stone...)

(Should I possess it?)

Kurumi Tokisaki could no longer maintain the calm demeanor of a well-bred young lady, and instead fell into a state of confusion and struggle.

Cheng Xing, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned as he calmly gazed at the girl in front of him, his expression remaining kind and gentle, even his urging words were spoken in a very peaceful manner.

"Ms. Tokisaki Kurumi, I know this gem is very beautiful. Would you like to know its name?"

"...What is it called?"

"In this world, it is called the Herrscher Core. The so-called Herrscher is the term used to describe a being after Honkai energy has pushed them to their peak, meaning the spokesperson of God. And every being that becomes a Herrscher must possess an extremely powerful ability."

"Some Heralds have the ability to create objects out of thin air. As long as it can be imagined, even if it is something that does not exist or something that is not understood, they can create it perfectly."

"Some Herrschers have mastered the power of space, and traveling between the universe is as easy as turning their hands."

"Some Herrschers have mastered the most basic electromagnetic force in the universe. As someone who has received a certain level of education, you should understand how terrifying and powerful the electromagnetic force they have mastered is, right?"

"And the core you possess is even stranger, or rather, peculiar. It's called the Thousand People, also known as the Dominator. It has the ability to gather a thousand people together, and also the power to control other Herrschers. Possessing this core is equivalent to becoming omniscient and omnipotent..."

"God."

Kurumi Tokisaki swallowed again. For some reason, the allure of the crystal in her hand grew stronger. The gem, which had originally only emitted a faint glow, suddenly became dazzling and irresistible, as if it were impossible to look away from it.

Cheng Xing watched as the girl's gaze grew increasingly unfocused, her hand gripping the crystal tightening its hold, while he did nothing but smile and observe the scene.

"So can you give it back to me now, Ms. Tokisaki Kurumi? This thing is very important to me. I can do a lot of things with it."

“…………I……I…”

Kurumi Tokisaki's rational mind was telling her that she couldn't keep such a suspicious thing around her, nor could she use it.

But... the chance for redemption is in my hands. As long as I stubbornly keep it by my side, as long as I abandon my bottom line of kindness once again, I can gain the power to change everything.

Wouldn't it be enough to just slightly lower some of our bottom lines? Wouldn't it be enough to just slightly lower them, or even just adjust them a little?

(If I could obtain this power, I could go back in time and change everything. I could bring back to life the people I killed with my own hands, and bring back to life the people who died in the disasters caused by the elves over the years... I could make my world a peaceful and beautiful ordinary world again.)

Cheng Xing was no longer speaking. For some reason, the smile on his face, though calm at this moment, gave people an extremely nasty and disgusting feeling.

It's like a smiling devil luring innocent and kind people into hell.

"Back to you……"

Kurumi Tokisaki suddenly threw the crystal in her hand away, and it landed directly in Cheng Xing's arms.

Cheng Xing's smile froze for a moment, then he composed himself and looked at Tokisaki Kurumi in front of him with a slight surprise.

"I didn't expect you to resist the temptation. I thought that under the core temptation and your inner desire, you would completely ignore all the suspicious elements."

The crystal in Cheng Xing's hand transformed into a monocle made of gold wire. He placed the monocle over his right eye and calmly gazed at Tokisaki Kurumi. This time, his face was free of that nauseating smile.

"...Phew! This gentleman is really wicked. He clearly said he only asked me to help repair some small items, but he gave me such a precious thing and set up this trap for me to fall into. You are a devil."

Although Tokisaki Kurumi appeared to have returned to her previous composure, her clothes, soaked with sweat, betrayed her inner turmoil.

"Just like I said, it's just a small object. You've only repaired a tempting Pandora's box."

"Really? What would have happened if I had actually taken it for myself?"

Cheng Xing smiled as he looked at Tokisaki Kurumi in front of him. Then, all the colors on his body began to fade rapidly, and finally he turned into a plastic doll that was often seen in clothing stores.

Looking at the lifeless eyes and eerily upturned corners of the white plastic doll in front of her, Kurumi Tokisaki felt as if something was gripping her heart tightly, and a sense of fear she hadn't experienced in a long time resurfaced in her mind.

At the city's edge, Cheng Xing, who was constantly directing traffic amidst the spatial turbulence, suddenly turned around and saw a doll wearing a black coat and a gold-rimmed monocle standing behind him.

He looked at the doll, then removed the gold-rimmed monocle from its eyes. After examining it for a moment, he transformed the monocle into a golden crystal, and then said with a smile.

"It seems the third thread has been prepared by chance... Every arrangement of fate has its underlying consequences. Are you planning to help me or imprison me?"

Chapter 190: Performance

"It's been completely useless so far."

Kotori Itsuka was a little dejected at this moment. She, Yoshino, and the seemingly chuunibyou-afflicted Kyoushou Houraiji had all tried, but they could not imitate Shido's feeling at all, and had no way to restore Tohka's memories.

"Kotori, what should we do now?"

Yoshino, equally concerned about the changes in Tohka's body, asked.

"Usually when a protagonist like me gets into trouble, there will always be a guide or sage who appears to help us get out of trouble. So where is that great sage now?"

Penglai Temple Jiuxiao immediately looked around, and as she expected, Cheng Xing appeared at that moment. Although he seemed to have changed his clothes, the great sage still walked out of a small alley at a leisurely pace.

"It seems your plan has run into a dead end. By the way, as the Honkai energy continues to erode the situation, the longer we delay, the greater the chance that the young lady will completely lose herself and become a puppet of the Honkai."

As Cheng Xing spoke, he glanced at Tohka, who was standing not far away with a confused look in her eyes. Her power fluctuations were not particularly intense. You could only sense that she was being corrupted by Honkai, but she did not have the destructive desire that all creatures corrupted by Honkai energy possessed. Instead, it seemed as if she was simply being modified.

"As expected of one of the main characters, even under these circumstances, he was able to suppress his destructive desires... I see, he still can't let go of Itsuka Shido in his heart. Even though his memories are already blurred, even though his own will has been shaken, the vague impression of the person he loves still exists and he still refuses to give up. It's truly a touching and moving love story."

Cheng Xing spoke the second half of his sentence directly, and even took out a handkerchief from his pocket in a particularly affected manner, wiping his eyes with a rather sad expression.

This feigned innocence prevented the young girls in front from suspecting anything, but Kurumi Tokisaki, who had been observing everything from the shadows, instinctively felt disgusted.

"This guy is even more perverted and twisted than Westcott. He's like a doll deliberately imitating an adult, intentionally faking his emotions, which makes people instinctively uncomfortable and disgusted!"

Kurumi Tokisaki had always thought that guy was the most disgusting and twisted person she had ever met, but she never expected to meet an even more repulsive monster now.

"In other words, you intend to imitate the behavior of this lady's lover to make her remember her lover, thereby awakening this lady's personal memories and emotions."

After listening to their plan, Cheng Xing maintained a calm and kind expression, but deep down he was already criticizing his own body.

(Why does this feel strangely reasonable, yet give me such a strong urge to complain? Seriously, do we think we've wandered into the wrong show?)

(I think they're the ones who wandered into the wrong scene. Okay, stop complaining and let's get back to the mission. If we're certain that Yatogami Tohka has no way to defeat the Honkai on her own, then we'll have to resort to the second method.)

After communicating with his own body for a moment, Cheng Xing said with a helpless expression, "I'm sorry, but the few Herrschers I know who regained their self-awareness were all influenced or defeated by someone."

Upon hearing this, Kotori Itsuka became somewhat anxious and tried to take something out of her pocket to put in her mouth, but after realizing that she didn't have any lollipops on her, she could only continue helplessly, "If we want to defeat Tohka in her reversed state, we really have no confidence. Mr. Cheng Xing, then for you, is it possible to defeat Tohka without hurting her as much as possible?"

"this…………"

Cheng Xing perfectly feigned a troubled expression, then said, "To be honest, it's very difficult for me to hold back my power once I unleash it. And don't blame me for being blunt, but I have no reason to risk my life to help a stranger."

"We can pay you..."

"I advise you not to agree to make a deal with him."

Just then, from within a shadow, a girl in a school uniform appeared, seemingly accompanied by some non-existent, flamboyant saxophone tune.

Kurumi Tokisaki interrupted the transaction.

"Kurumi..."

Kotori Itsuka frowned as she looked at Kurumi Tokisaki who had suddenly appeared.