Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

Kurumi Tokisaki didn't try to explain anything. Instead, she looked at Cheng Xing, who was dressed completely differently when they first met, and said, "Mr. Devil, what you're doing is really very ungentlemanly."

"Ms. Tokisaki Kurumi, you're joking. We're just conducting a legitimate transaction."

Cheng Xing's repulsive and disgusting smile appeared once again.

(So ​​what exactly is our purpose? The real entity. Intentionally playing the role of a devil who loves to trade with people everywhere—I don't understand your plan at all!)

(Don't forget what we really are now.)

(A thousand people... Oh, I see, we're the devils... I see, so what are you trying to achieve with this concept of trading? Honestly, at least share some of your knowledge with us, otherwise we'll just look like mere theatrical actors.)

Cheng Xing shook his head helplessly. He hadn't expected that the main body wouldn't even explain itself without him asking. This was truly frustrating.

While the puppet Cheng Xing was constantly communicating, the real Cheng Xing found a path at the edge.

"Well, the chaotic situation has finally been dealt with. Although this road does lead to the outside world, I don't know which time and space node it will land on. Maybe when I get out, I will have reached the end of this cycle."

Although Cheng Xing found his way back, he couldn't be sure what point in time he would be in the outside world...

"Well, it's alright now. At least after gaining some information through transactions, even if we fall too far behind in time, we still have a certain ability to get back to the beginning."

"Let the clone continue its performance for a while longer, since the most important part of the deal has already been completed."

"The next piece of information I need is why Jiuxiao of Penglai Temple is here? The savior of Tianqi... If it wasn't deliberately arranged by the system, then..."

“He is watching me.”

Chapter 191: The Descent of the Gods

Kiana stretched her head and gazed out the window. As for the knowledge the teacher taught in class, she had already learned it all during her years of traveling around.

"Cheng Xing...where are you?"

Kiana turned around and saw Janna, who had been standing quietly behind her, watching her intently.

"Jana, where did Cheng Xing go?"

"Kiana, you've asked me this so many times. I can only answer you that I don't know. All I know is that he discovered a spacetime anomaly. After investigating it, there was no trace of it anymore. Maybe he traveled through time?"

Janna seemed completely unconcerned.

A few days ago, when Kiana and her companions were escaping from the warship, they came face to face with Himeko, who was fully armed using the Fusion System. Just as the two sides were about to engage in battle, a communication call came through.

The woman, who claimed to be her aunt and looked like a little girl, extended an invitation to her, saying that she had to come over if she wanted to know more about her father.

Kiana originally wanted to ask Cheng Xing for his opinion, but seeing his silent demeanor and encouraging eyes, she knew that he had given her the decision.

Kiana eventually accepted the invitation, but when it came time to assign classes, she specifically stated that she would only be with Cheng Xing.

At that time, her aunt, Theresa, seemed to have a particularly shocked expression. She looked Cheng Xing up and down for a while before looking away and assigned the two to the same class and dormitory.

Just as the two were preparing to sleep that night, Kiana sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Cheng Xing lying on the other bed, and remained silent for a long time.

"Cheng Xing...where did you go?"

Cheng Xing, who was lying on the other bed, was utterly astonished when he heard this. He looked at Kiana sitting there, opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

“You can’t fool me. Although I didn’t see it at first, after spending so much time with you, I remember your behavior, I remember your habits, I remember your scent… I can feel you, who have always been by my side, but now you’re like a blurry projection.”

Kiana sat on her bed, her hands on her knees, hugging herself tightly, her voice filled with grievance and a hint of tears.

"...Even you don't want me anymore? Even you're going to abandon me? Just like my father, will you also disappear without a trace at some point, and be unable to be found?"

Cheng Xing sat up in bed, looked at the crying girl, and after a moment of silence, took out a small ornament.

"Kiana... I'm sorry, I have some things I have to do, so I left behind only this phantom... I won't abandon you for no reason, wait for me to come back... okay?"

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"……Um."

Kiana took the object from Cheng Xing. It looked like a pale gold gem, but a small piece seemed to be missing, and she didn't know where it was.

"Cheng Xing, do you really love me?"

"Yes, that's why I have things I have to do... I'm sorry, Kiana, please forgive me."

Cheng Xing smiled apologetically, and then his body gradually disappeared like a phantom until he could no longer be seen.

Kiana reached out her hand but stopped in mid-air, because the person she was trying to grab had disappeared.

Just as the girl was feeling sad about this, another hand suddenly grabbed the hand that was hanging in mid-air.

"Kiana, don't worry, I'm here with you."

Janna finally adapted to this spiritual body, allowing her to truly experience things.

"...It's you...I also have some questions I want to ask you. First, can you tell me why you love me? I can feel a strange yet familiar impression of you."

Kiana broke free from Janna's grasp, then looked at the strange yet familiar woman in front of her, wiped the tears from her face, and continued to ask, "And where did Cheng Xing go? What exactly happened between you two?"

"...I'm sorry Kiana, I can't tell you this. It's an agreement between me and that guy."

"I am no longer a girl who needs help and rescue to survive! I am Kiana Kaslana, who can live and fight on my own! I am not just a pretty face; I need to know what I should know. I will not accept this kind of protection that knows nothing."

Kiana glared menacingly at Janna.

Janna, however, kept her head down and said nothing, because if she revealed the whole truth now, Kiana would revert to her old self...

The later that pain comes, the better.

Cheng Xing stood on the edge of the city, feeling the memories transmitted by the illusions from the outside world, and he was inexplicably shocked.

"Kiana... she can actually tell the difference?"

Cheng Xing felt a mix of emotions. Generally speaking, the real phantoms he created were basically no different from the puppets of the Thousand Herrschers... but Kiana actually saw through them.

"This is a heavy responsibility."

When a girl's love for him reached this point, Cheng Xing felt a responsibility on his shoulders, a responsibility that he had to respond to.

Fortunately, everything he is doing now is to live up to this feeling, so that even in the end, when facing the end and the supreme will, he can make the crying girl smile again.

Even though... this will come at a heavy price.

Cheng Xing's gaze hardened, and he began to extend his silk threads to communicate with the location of the second thread. At the same time, the puppet pretended to be a devil who loved to trade in front of the elves. The reason for doing this was mainly to observe the Nine Heavens of Penglai Temple.

What exactly is the origin of this unexpected event?

Penglai Temple Jiuxiao looked at Cheng Xing, who was standing not far away, talking eloquently, like an elegant yet deadly devil, and a strange light flickered in his eyes.

[This unexpected visitor is more special than any of the past... The End is currently unavailable, so we can only use this exceptional character, who doesn't currently belong to this timeline, to observe him.]

[Most of my consciousness is now focused on that mysterious figure who suddenly appeared... I really don't know why, but suddenly, inexplicably, a being capable of contending with me has appeared in my universe.]

[In this desperate situation, we have no choice but to resort to divination to observe.]

Penglai Temple's Nine Heavens, the savior of the Apocalypse, is currently possessed by the destructive will of this world.

Chapter 192: Half-Son

After Tokisaki Kurumi revealed Cheng Xing's true colors, most of the people present became much more wary of him. However... there was one oblivious girl who came up to Cheng Xing with a completely nonchalant attitude and asked him curiously.

"Since you are a devil, can you also make a pact with humans, like in the stories I've read, and become their friend or helper?"

"If you're willing to form a contract with me, that's not impossible, but what kind of help do you want from me?"

Cheng Xing smiled as he gazed at Penglai Temple Jiuxiao, the one he cared about most among everyone present, and also the only unpredictable element.

"Of course, I want to obtain the power to save the world! To unleash my true power as the savior, open the gate to the heavens, and reclaim the self I lost in past reincarnations."

The words spoken by Hōraiji Kyushō made the girls behind her think that she was hopelessly delusional, and even made Tokisaki Kurumi recall some of her immature past experiences.

"...Then I can make such a contract with you to awaken your true power, but the price you have to pay is very high."

"Of course! I believe that even if you are the devil, you wouldn't want the world to be destroyed, so join me in fighting against the final end to save this world!"

Cheng Xing looked at the hand that Penglai Jiuxiao had extended, and after observing it for a moment, he also extended his hand.

Just as the two shook hands, a terrifying suction force was generated between them, ruthlessly absorbing all kinds of energy dissipating in the air. Even Yatogami Tohka, who was standing there bewildered and didn't know what was happening, turned her gaze at this moment.

A massive amount of energy continuously surged forth, transforming into various mysterious patterns that were etched onto the arm of Jiuxiao of Penglai Temple.

Penglai Temple Jiuxiao initially appeared very happy, but after the mysterious patterns on his arm became increasingly bright, his face instantly darkened. Then, the hand holding Cheng Xing broke off at the root, preventing the inscriptions from spreading further into his body.

"You actually tried to turn this body directly into a puppet, which really suits your current behavior."

Penglai Temple Jiuxiao only glanced at the broken spot, where a white arm was extending, with even the clothes and bandages intact. If Cheng Xing hadn't been holding a girl's arm in his hand, probably no one present would have thought anything had happened.

"Actually, it was just a small experiment. If she didn't put up any resistance in the end, I would stop. And as compensation, I would help her develop her abilities... But now it seems that my radical actions were not wrong."

Cheng Xing looked at the girl in front of him, Jiuxiao of Penglai Temple. At this moment, the girl's eyes had turned gold, and her pupils were no longer normal circles, but rather resembled a cross.

"How should I address you? God or Honkai Consciousness?"

The consciousness of the Nine Heavens of Penglai Temple—no, a part of the collapsed universe—calmly watched Cheng Xing.

The air was deathly still; you couldn't hear a sound at all. It was as if even the breathing around you had been frozen by the terrifying atmosphere.

After gazing at him for a long time, He finally spoke.

“You are a very special character, so special that I am willing to observe you personally. You are very interesting and have great potential. Join me and help me destroy human civilization, become my apostle in the expansion of the universe, and as a reward, I will give you a territory in a star system. And I will absolutely not interfere with the development of your territory or the changes in the civilization within it.”

"I have already offered the highest compensation I can give. There is no need to bargain with me anymore. Just give me your answer, whether you agree or not."

Hearing these aggressive words from someone in a superior position, Cheng Xing helplessly smoothed his hair before continuing, "So, you're saying that as long as you compromise, I can even make the Milky Way Sphere my territory? As long as I destroy human civilization on this planet?"

"Yes, all you need to do is destroy most of the humans on this planet. You can even choose to make a group of people your subordinates, but no longer as the human race."

"This is truly an excellent condition; all it takes is destroying a planet to gain territory of an entire star system. But God, why don't you destroy it here yourself? You who clearly rule this universe, why can't you destroy a single planet?"

"........."

"I believe that everything has its own laws, and you must be subject to some kind of limitation that prevents you from destroying civilization at will, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense and give me an answer right now."

"You're really in a hurry," Cheng Xing said with a smile, then tilted his head and said to the god in front of him, "Although the offer is very tempting, I refuse."

"A foolish decision."

"Ha! You think you can expect an emotional being to always make the right decisions? That's such a foolish idea. You want me to compromise with you? That's even more foolish. I will never compromise with you, not even a fraction of a step."

As soon as Cheng Xing finished speaking, Penglai Temple Jiuxiao, who had no expression on his face, raised his hand. The massive Honkai energy simply transformed into endless pressure, directly crushing Cheng Xing into dust.