Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

Federico's appearance vanished, replaced by a man who looked exactly like Cheng Xing, except with black-red pupils and pure black hair, smiling at him.

“Indeed, the embodiment of fear resides deep within oneself. How can fear exist? Therefore, I can never become the real Fiddlesticks. So why did you decide to meet me? I don’t think you’re trying to exclude me. After all, my very existence is thanks to you. If it weren’t for the special nature of this world, and the concept of the thousand Herrscher clones you gave me, I would never have appeared in your heart and would still just be a source of fear.”

"Speaking of which, this world bubble is really amazing. It awakens the most superficial fears in people's hearts and then turns them into the most beautiful world. And it will continue to expand this world based on the number of people who join and the amount of information captured. And because it is the most superficial, even if a person with a strong will sees through all of this... it can't change anything."

Watching his alter ego speaking eloquently, Cheng Xing took a deep breath and said, "I hope you can help me refine the plan."

"Oh, so that's your crudely drafted, absurd plan, just like the one before? Please, my friend! Don't ask such a difficult question of an avatar, okay? Although I have the same abilities as you, how could I possibly do something that even you can't do? Corroding the Imaginary Tree and all that, you might as well go back to sleep... But you could be like Otto... except you can only choose one person, hahahaha!"

"But you're trying to greedily pick everyone! Oh my God, you shouldn't have picked Fiddlesticks, you should have picked Tahm Kench! You're so greedy!"

Looking at him, who always expressed his emotions in an exaggerated way, Cheng Xing felt a strange sense of contradiction with himself.

"It's right to feel conflicted, after all, I'm someone you specifically designed to... oh dear, it's not good to say it here."

"In short, I'll leave it to you. Hide in this world bubble and climb the Imaginary Tree together."

"You really trust me completely, don't you? What if I escape your control? You should know that I'm just a person who enjoys having fun! I don't have your normal emotions and desires. I'm just a lunatic who likes fear, likes to see others helplessly weeping and screaming in despair, likes to see blood spilled all over the earth and corpses scattered across the mountains and rivers, and then uses other people's ashes to mix with rice and skulls as bowls."

"...Ha, why do you think I created another version of myself?"

"Tch! I know, I know. Alas, how pitiful. I've barely been born, and I'm already being threatened into doing a job that's destined to kill me... How lamentable! How lamentable!"

After that guy uttered a few more crazy remarks, he disappeared, and the dark surroundings brightened up again. That strange, bizarre, yet peaceful and serene world reappeared before Cheng Xing.

Cheng Xing calmly observed everyone around him, their eyes lowered, lost in the illusions they themselves or others had woven together.

"I'm sorry... everyone."

At that moment, a drop of murky ink appeared out of nowhere and fell onto the azure sea.

The ink, which should have dissolved quickly in the ocean and been impossible to find, is now quietly eroding the entire sea.

"Although this is a boring and meaningless job, at least I can enjoy a period of fear in the process... So, let us listen to that beautiful, desperate cry of despair!"

The sea turned as black as ink in that instant, and the once azure sky became like dusk.

Those enjoying the beauty of summer looked up and were momentarily astonished by the strange world before them.

Then, fear arrived as expected.

The pink-haired girl saw her former companions, whom she had once respected and valued, now fighting and hating each other.

The green-haired scientist saw everything around him crumbling. All the people who were once friendly to him were turning their backs on him, and even Klein and Alicia looked at him with fear and disgust.

The girl in blue stood blankly on the moon, watching everyone die in front of that figure to protect her, while she could only stand there quietly, unable to do anything.

The knight, who had sworn to protect the girl, now watched in despair as she was pierced by a sharp sword, and he could do nothing to change it.

The white-haired warrior stared wide-eyed at his enemies—his familiar comrades, his familiar lovers, and everyone he once knew. Now, they had all become his enemies.

The masked warrior stood on the burning earth, before him lay the ruined orphanage and the crumbling base. On this desolate land, he was utterly alone. There was no one left to roar at, no one left to fight.

Everyone saw it, saw something they absolutely did not want to see.

"Rosalia...why can't it be me who lives? Why? Why won't you sacrifice yourself so I can live?"

No, that's not something she would say!

Delta felt a long-dormant rage burning within her. She drew her weapon, severing the facade before her, and stood before the disgusting man. Raising her weapon, she spoke coldly.

"You trampled on her will! You disgusting bastard!"

Cheng Xing felt the fear rising and constantly eroding the essence of this bubble world. He then looked at Delta, the first person standing in front of him, and said with a smile, "Oh, I'm really sorry."

This dismissive apology is more infuriating than any mockery.

Delta launched a charge forward.

The Bodhi tree, which had been somewhat withered, suddenly seemed to come back to life, and the young man, whose consciousness had been fading, opened his eyes in surprise.

"What... happened?"

Chapter 229: Su, We Won't Say Goodbye Forever

The difference in combat power was so vast that she could hardly imagine it. Every time she used her weapon to cut open the body of this disgusting guy, his body would turn into many black feathers and disappear. Then many black feathers would reappear, reviving him again.

This had been going on for countless times. Delta even felt the greatsword in her hand was heavier than ever before. But as this continued, she couldn't see any expression on that guy's face other than calmness. It was as if her actions were just fooling around and hadn't caused any harm at all.

"What exactly are you trying to do?!"

Delta put down her greatsword, panting. She needed to hurry and recover her strength, and also see if she could extract some information from the other side.

"To gain control of this world bubble, and incidentally, to confirm some things."

"So all you're doing is constantly reopening other people's wounds and creating one disgusting, frightening fantasy after another to torment them?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xing finally turned his gaze from the front to Delta, who was standing to the side panting, and calmly said, "Do you really think that everyone here, except you, is incapable of breaking through the illusion and coming to me? Do you think that those heroes who can fight against the Herrscher of the End, have experienced the rise and fall of human civilization, and have faced death directly, are incapable of breaking through the illusion?"

"……What's the meaning?"

Delta was stunned when she heard this. Yes, although she had experienced some things, in terms of awareness, she might not be as strong as those guys. So why had the battle gone on for so long and she was still the only one left?

"That's because this is just a collection of memories... a collection of remnants of past worlds, some souls that have long since vanished. What we see is not the real them at all, but just some of the last images left after this world was destroyed."

After Cheng Xing finished speaking, the twilight sky and the pitch-black sea suddenly developed dense cracks, just like scratches on a mobile phone screen that then expanded into cracks, which was quite frightening.

Finally, with the crisp sound of shattering glass, Delta opened her eyes.

She found herself lying in a desert, surrounded by many dilapidated and decaying buildings that had been abandoned for who knows how long.

"here it is……"

"This is the true face of the world."

Cheng Xing stood beside Delta, holding a notebook that looked so old that one might suspect it would crumble and disappear with a gust of wind.

"Do I need to explain the history of this world?"

“…Speak.”

"The story of the Thousand Herrschers diverged from the development of the world I knew. In the world I knew, a girl made up her mind, shouldered everyone's wishes, and became the Herrscher of Flame, ending the era of the Thousand Herrschers. But this world is not so simple. The Thousand Herrschers of this world left some of their puppets in the outside world. They prepared a backup plan."

"They had been lurking among the crowd, maintaining their roles without any abnormalities. Their impenetrable disguise allowed them to lie low quietly until the appearance of the Herrscher of Corruption."

"They then collaborated with the Herrscher of Corruption, constantly spreading various messages of terror and violence, the pursuit of freedom, conspiracy theories, and war online. They also used various social media accounts to release the darkness that the government had hidden."

"And at the same time, they openly and publicly revealed the various plans of different countries, and... they launched a nuclear missile."

"And in the end, no one can change anything... because humanity destroyed itself. Only this broken world fell into the sea of ​​quantum mechanics, only the remaining memories of Paradise, and the false world transformed from the world's and all of humanity's resentment."

Cheng Xing closed the notebook in his hand, and then the notebook seemed to weather away, turning into countless tiny particles in the air and disappearing.

At the same time, the ruins of the surrounding buildings seemed to be weathered away at an accelerated rate, turning into fine dust and dissipating into the vast desert.

Even the desert beneath their feet began to recede rapidly, revealing the golden space beneath.

The world seemed incredibly small at that moment, with only a tiny courtyard in front of it. In the courtyard stood a nearly withered Bodhi tree, and beneath that Bodhi tree sat a young man with his eyes half-closed.

"...Should I say it's been a long time or is this our first meeting?"

The young man raised his head and turned his face toward Cheng Xing and Delta.

Let's consider it a long-awaited reunion.

Cheng Xing walked over and sat down opposite him.

"Kevin...are you alright?"

"It's still the same old story. After realizing that all other plans were no longer viable, they're probably preparing their own Stigmata Project now."

"There's nothing I can do about it. It's a pity that in the end I still couldn't change anything. Even after playing a game of chess and looking at countless leaves, I still couldn't find a solution... Cough cough! With the destruction of this world bubble... my time is running out. Cheng Xing... can you tell me if you can change all of this?"

Su opened her eyes and stared directly at Cheng Xing in front of her.

Cheng Xing did not avoid the latter's gaze and looked directly at him. Looking at his reflection in the other's eyes, he nodded and said, "Believe me, I will change all of this... Humanity will definitely defeat the Honkai."

"Really? You've made such a promise, so it must be kept... After all, you've never broken a promise before... It's a pity, I probably don't know what that girl from back then has become... Farewell, my friend."

Cheng Xing reached out to try and grab the body of his former friend, but only managed to grab a withered yellow leaf.

As Cheng Xing opened his palm and gazed at the withered yellow leaf, he remained silent for a long time before finally letting the leaf quietly drift to the ground.

"Even at the very end, it's too late? I still want to know who that enlightened one in that higher dimension is, but I'm afraid you can't give me an answer... Goodbye, Su."

"This will definitely not be goodbye forever."

Cheng Xing stood up, turned and left the courtyard. Then, the Bodhi tree behind him withered completely, and this golden world collapsed at that moment.

Chapter 230: A Farewell in Advance

"We all know that the story will never have a happy ending. On this path, we have sacrificed too many friends, too many relatives, and too many comrades. On this path called Trial, no one can ever accurately count how much we have lost."

The white-haired man, dressed in a black trench coat, calmly gazed at the person standing before him.

"Now that you, who were once a victim, have appeared before me, do you want to become an obstacle on the road ahead, or do you want to embark on this road again?"

Cheng Xing looked at Kevin, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. The latter no longer had the sunny and cheerful appearance he used to have. The last bit of tenderness in his heart had been frozen by countless layers of hard ice.

"Kevin...do you believe me?"

"...I believe in you, just as I believe in Alicia...but now, what changes are you going to make?"

"I will turn this around, I will save everyone, I will make everyone have the beautiful world they desire."

Even if there's no place for you in that world, right?

"..."

“You’ve always been like this… Go do what you want to do. I will order the Serpent to suspend the Stigmata Project.”

"Thank you, Kevin."

Cheng Xing ended the call, allowing his consciousness to return to his body.

About three months have passed since he buried himself in the World Bubble that was returned to the Imaginary Tree, and this so-called timekeeping method was calculated using a clock he created himself.

The nightmare didn't affect Sirin or the others on his ship. He provoked Delta, though he was just watching, and Delta was already somewhat engrossed, so he gave her a reminder.

However, this has also led to him now being completely targeted.

Delta boarded Cheng Xing's pirate ship. According to her, it was because this guy's abilities were too dangerous, she hadn't yet succeeded in getting revenge, and she didn't know where she would be for the next few days, so she decided to travel with this ship for the time being.

The main reason was actually to see if there was an opportunity to teach this guy a lesson.