Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

"Monster... Hahaha! Yes, I'm a monster too... But I am you. We're both to blame. Stop running away. Raiden Mei, don't forget who killed the people of an entire city."

"You've seen monsters far more terrifying than us, monsters that have already been abandoned by that guy. When it's our turn, will you still be as resolute as you are now?"

Raiden Mei covered her ears and curled up on the bed. She didn't want to hear the voice that kept affecting her consciousness, even though it was just another voice from her own personality.

That was just another version of myself speaking my true feelings.

She is still running away.

Celine felt her heart had calmed down. After clarifying the relationship between the two, she was still full of confidence in herself. After all, that one was a god who had existed in this world for who knows how long!

"So it's impossible for a god to fall in love with a mortal so easily, yes! Sirin, you have to believe in yourself, you can definitely do it! Now is the time to... hmm?"

A memory from the future flashed through Xilin's mind. She seemed to have missed the perspective of the paramecium and saw Cheng Xing from the future conducting trials on those guys.

"shit."

Sirin began to realize that Kiana was probably going to remember something, but for that girl whose mind was only on Mei, it would probably just be a ridiculous dream and she would forget about it soon. Such a brainless creature... Hmph! Not worth worrying about.

Kiana knocked on Bronya's door. Bronya, who was working hard to break her personal record, heard the sound, paused the game, opened the door, and was somewhat surprised to find that Kiana had come to her so late. She asked in confusion.

Kiana, is something the matter?

"Bronya, I want to see Cheng Xing."

"...So you've remembered after all?"

"Um... I want to go apologize."

"..." Bronya really wanted to refuse, because she felt that Kiana really didn't need to say anything more... However, she respected Cheng Xing's choice.

Cheng Xing answered Bronya's call.

[Oh! It's finally here! I love these scenes of regret! Hey, let me look for those leftover potato chips from last time...]

Chapter 100: Kiana, Utter Defeat

Kiana sat on the sofa in Bronya's room, but she seemed rather restless at the moment.

"Kiana, how did you know I had a relationship with Cheng Xing?"

Bronya has never revealed her relationship with Cheng Xing, so how did she know?

"...I just had some of her memories."

"Who?"

“...Cirin”.

"...Phew, Kiana, have you thought about what you'll say when we meet?"

"I don't know... but if I just let things drift and do nothing, I really don't know how I'm going to face the future... I'm not asking for forgiveness, I just want to say sorry."

Bronya looked at the somewhat disheveled Kiana. It was the first time she had seen Kiana without a smile, exuding a melancholy aura. She felt that this appearance was very different from her usual self.

The sound of wings fluttering through the air filled the air as a jet-black raven suddenly flew into the room from outside. A figure stood on the carpet in the room, accompanied by a wisp of black smoke.

Cheng Xing looked at Kiana on the sofa, whose condition was clearly not right, and knew that the system must have played a trick on her. That guy with a head full of pleasure must have given her some memories.

"Kiana, I don't know what you've finally remembered, but the past is the past. I won't blame you, and I have no resentment towards you... You don't need to be sad, and you don't need to blame yourself."

"...Cheng Xing, I'm sorry."

Kiana's hands rested limply in front of her, feeling somewhat lost and unsure of what to say or do next, like a child who had made a mistake and was now cowering in front of her parents.

"Okay, I accept your apology. Let's leave it at that. Our futures shouldn't have been intersecting in the first place. Actually, it was right for you to distance yourself from me; after all, I'm superfluous to you. Let's leave it at that. Let's put our sunny, cheerful smiles back on our faces, just like we used to, and leave all the sadness and pain behind, welcoming tomorrow with smiles!"

Cheng Xing smiled gently and said to Kiana, "After all, even without Mei's help, you wouldn't be worried, right? So go to sleep early, it's getting late, I should..."

Kiana suddenly stepped forward and tightly grasped Cheng Xing's hand, tears streaming down her face. She choked out, "Why don't you scold me? Why don't you hate me! You helped me so much, and I completely forgot about you because of it! I even killed you with my own hands, and I let you walk towards death in front of me. You saved me, yet I still doubted you! Why won't you even scold me once!"

"…………"

Cheng Xing calmly gazed at Kiana, whose face was streaked with tears, her sky-blue eyes brimming with them. He then took out a pack of tissues and placed it in Kiana's hand, saying, "I know you're a kind girl, and that's why you're overwhelmed by guilt. But even I, the person directly involved, no longer blame you..."

"I'd rather you hit me or yell at me than keep comforting me and being nice to me like this! I really... really..."

At that moment, Bronya tugged at Cheng Xing's sleeve.

Cheng Xing turned his head and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"She's crying like this, so give her a hug."

"Are you serious? I'm your boyfriend! How can you push your boyfriend onto another woman?!"

"So do you believe Kiana will fall in love with you because of this?"

"Do not believe."

"That's settled then. Let's comfort her properly. I don't want Mei and the others to start worrying again tomorrow."

"Your queen aura is really strong."

"Even if this paramecium really develops feelings for you and wants to be with you, do you think she can get past Sirin?"

"impossible."

After exchanging glances, Cheng Xing took out a tissue and gently wiped away Kiana's tears. Then, he gently hugged the girl and used a slight mental fluctuation to help her fall asleep quickly.

"All right."

Cheng Xing placed Kiana on the sofa and couldn't help but laugh at her disheveled appearance.

"Well, let's talk. I'm really curious to know what's been going on with you these past few days."

Cheng Xing hugged his girlfriend, and the two went to the balcony, quietly gazing at the moonlight in the sky, and telling each other some stories from the past.

Kiana lay on the sofa, her expression filled with sorrow.

At that moment, a white-haired figure suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of the sofa. Looking at Kiana lying on the sofa with tears streaming down her face, the person tilted their head, then gently reached out and took out a strange ball of light directly from the girl's body.

"Guilt, unease... and something else that people call love? It feels really strange. It's true that we haven't fully understood many human emotions yet."

The white-haired figure placed the ball of light into her brain, feeling the intense emotions emanating from Kiana. She gently brushed her hair back, then looked at the man and woman standing on the balcony and a serene smile appeared on her face.

So, what are your plans for the future?

After listening to Cheng Xing's experiences over this period of time, his extraordinary life story made Bronya look at him with some worry. The deaths of those people, the future of humanity, the challenges of the Honkai—all these things that could crush a person had been placed on his shoulders.

"...There's no perfect plan yet, since I'm not particularly good at this kind of thing. I'll focus on improving myself first, and then consider future arrangements. But I'm not entirely without options; perhaps I can give it a try..."

Cheng Xing looked in one direction, towards the headquarters of Destiny.

"Since there is no one more suitable than him in this world, why can't we win him over to our side? Only that person can ensure the progress of civilization and ensure that even after the collapse ends, humanity can still move forward in unity."

"...I'm sorry, Cheng Xing, there's nothing I can do to help you."

"No, Bronya, you helped me from the very beginning. Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today. You are one of the few bonds I have in this world, and your existence is the greatest help to me."

Cheng Xing held Bronya tightly in his arms.

"If in the future, I have to be sacrificed to defeat the Honkai, what will you do?"

"If that's really the case, I will die with you."

"Shouldn't you say I'm more important at this time?"

"I'm sorry, although I can lie to you, it's really wrong to lie to your lover."

"Hmph! At least you managed to cover it up. But as compensation, you have to spend a lot of time with me during the holidays!"

"Yes, it was just the two of us that day."

When Kiana woke up the next day, although she still had the memories of the previous day, she also felt relieved, and most of the guilt and unease in her heart had dissipated.

She arrived at the classroom with dark circles under her eyes, only to see Mei with the same dark circles. Both of them were stunned.

Chapter 101: Stepping Stone

The chess pieces were placed on the chessboard, and the two sat on the ground facing each other. One held a white piece, and the other held a black piece. Their movements were never slow, and they didn't even spend more than 5 seconds thinking.

"You took away some of her feelings."

The man holding the black piece placed his piece, completely surrounding a white piece, and then took the piece.

"After all, those feelings had become a burden for that girl. I drove them away simply so that she could live a more relaxed and carefree life."

The woman placed a white chess piece on the chessboard.

"So what did you see in those emotions?"

"The uncertainty about the future, the guilt towards friends, and some vague feelings of affection—is that what's called love?"

The white pieces continuously formed arrays, surrounding the black pieces, and for a time the white dragon won a great victory.

"Love... I can't learn that kind of thing, nor can I explain it clearly. But I do know that most human love is just a longing for the physical body... Most people believe in the romance of love at first sight, but love at first sight only begins with an irresistible appearance. For example, if Raiden Mei wasn't that pretty, Kiana probably wouldn't have developed any feelings for her."

The black pieces are retreating step by step, holding onto their last few positions.

"Many human behaviors are contradictory, which you call philosophy, and there are indeed many aspects that can be analyzed. I'm constantly learning and understanding things I've learned from that girl. What do you think about starting a relationship?"

"Love, so-called love is when one person needs another to alleviate their loneliness or fill a missing part... But for someone like you, do you really need love to satisfy yourself?"

"I just want to try to fulfill a desire in my heart, so are you willing, Cheng Xing?"

Looking at the black pieces that had been utterly routed, Cheng Xing reluctantly put down his black piece and said, "Can I refuse?"

“Of course, being so radical from the start would definitely cause dissatisfaction. Let’s start with the basics. Let’s get to know each other first…” The woman had the exact same face as Kiana, but her demeanor and hairstyle were completely different. “Let’s try to get to know each other, but we already know each other very well, don’t we? I know all about your past, and you understand my new life… Hmm, so the next step is to become friends?”

Cheng Xing began to gather the chess pieces on the board; he had already lost.

"So why are you bringing this up now? According to your view, shouldn't we still be observing the situation?"

"I just got new feelings from that girl, so I want to experience it as soon as possible... Can you give me a hug?"

"Do not."

"Consider this your punishment for losing this game."

"……Ugh."

Cheng Xing stood up, then picked up the woman sitting on the ground, who was calmly staring at her own collapse with sky-blue eyes, and rested her head on his shoulder.

Feeling the warmth of the embrace that seemed to spread throughout her body, and the sense of security that welled up within her, a smile appeared on her face.