Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

“Look into my sincere eyes, it’s absolutely true.”

Alicia and Cheng Xing looked at each other for a moment, then seemed unable to resist the game and immediately burst into laughter.

"Ah, I guess I'm still the kind of person who likes to smile. Alright, I'll be going now. If you want to take the test, go fight it out yourself!"

Cheng Xing watched Alicia's departing figure and then silently said to himself.

"System, begin."

[I've been waiting forever! Alright, ladies and gentlemen! The boring and pointless daily drama is finally over, and a new climax is about to begin! Let's start a brand new simulated world! This simulated world is...]

[Wow! It's from a parallel universe! Post-Honkai Odyssey!]

[Also, because the recent performance has been a bit boring, we've added a special simulation mechanism! We'll be including a surprise character in this simulation scenario! Come on, Cheng Xing, let's see what kind of amazing performance you'll deliver this time!]

[The show is about to begin!]

Chapter 143: Her Future Self

"Captain, this is Adam."

A young man with a somewhat handsome appearance was carrying a large sword on his back, walking down an empty city street, and said.

"So far, we've only found those strange creatures, not any trace of residents. There's no blood on the ground or in the rooms, as if all the city's inhabitants have vanished into thin air. I can't find any signs of chaos from any resistance or escape."

Adam looked at the neatly arranged goods in the shops not far away, and the food that hadn't even been finished yet and had been thrown on the ground. These things showed that the original residents of the city seemed to have simply vanished into thin air.

"I understand. Let's return to the temporary base for now. We need to organize the intelligence we've gathered."

A mature woman's voice came from the other end of the communicator.

"...No, Captain, it might be a little late. I think I've spotted some survivors over here."

"What? Okay, let's change the battle plan. We'll head over there immediately and do our best to protect the safety of the residents. We might get our intelligence about this area from him."

After receiving the captain's order, the boy carrying the greatsword took it off his back and rushed towards the man who was surrounded by those strange creatures.

Then, bursts of flames erupted from the greatsword. As the boy charged toward the man, he swung the greatsword horizontally, slashing away several monsters that were blocking his way.

Then, a man who didn't appear to be very old stood in front of the survivors and warily eyed the monsters that were slowly gathering around him.

Although there aren't many of these monsters, they are quite diverse in type.

Some float in the air surrounded by energy shields, some wield two swords like knights, and the most common are humanoid monsters lying on the ground with sharp claws on their hands.

"Why are these guys all gathered together now? During the observation phase, the towers didn't show any tendency to cluster together. Could it be because of the appearance of humans?"

The long-haired man who was being protected behind him patted the tense young man on the shoulder and said, "Thank you, young man, but in this situation, shouldn't we run first?"

"The problem is that I can indeed escape, but for you, an ordinary person, this is far too dangerous."

Adam didn't want to find a survivor and then die at the hands of another monster just because of their escape.

Just holding out for a moment is enough. To ensure a richer source of intelligence and to better explore the city, although we are acting separately, for safety reasons, everyone is very close to each other. So if one side has an accident, the other side can quickly provide support.

All we need to do now is hold on.

Trust your teammates.

Just as Adam was briefly battling those alien monsters, accompanied by the sound of electricity, a figure suddenly flashed into the battle. The blade in her hand and the current propelling her body continuously accelerated her speed, piercing and killing the cores of those monsters one after another.

It seems that he simply used electricity or similar abilities to enhance his speed, but the fact that he could kill with a precise strike in such a short reaction time suggests that in addition to having rich combat experience, he is also a master swordsman.

"Captain Mei."

Adam nodded to Mei, and in the end, they both looked at the surviving man who had an innocent and weak expression.

"Hello, sir, I am the captain of the third squad of the Destiny Organization. I came here to investigate because of a problem in Saint Fontaine. As you can see, these strange creatures have appeared throughout the city, and the whereabouts of the residents are completely unknown. Can you tell me what exactly happened in this city?"

Looking at the much more mature Mei in front of him, Cheng Xing couldn't help but compare her now with the person in his memory, and could only sigh at the unpredictable changes of time.

"Actually, I don't really know what happened. I only remember that I was at home preparing to cook when I inexplicably lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already here."

Cheng Xing activated the scarecrow's disguise ability and the clown's emotional performance, making himself appear very innocent, pitiful, and completely at a loss.

Although Raiden Mei still had doubts about what the guy in front of her was saying, it was impossible for her to leave him in such a dangerous place just because of a little doubt. She decided to take him back to the temporary base for the time being.

"Alright, sir, please follow us closely. We're going to take you to a relatively safe place. We can talk more about it then."

Cheng Xing managed to infiltrate the third squad with his seemingly weak physique and demeanor.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, in a port area near the sea, a person whose entire body was crackling with lightning suddenly appeared.

The woman looked around in confusion, then felt the fullness of her body and the beating of her pulse and heart. She couldn't help but smile.

"Although I don't know what happened, it's not bad to feel the fullness of my body even in a dream... I think I can sense that guy... So is this his dream?"

Although the woman didn't understand what he meant, she was already planning to investigate further and see if the guy knew what had happened.

"Was it just my imagination? It seems like just now, I felt a familiar sensation?"

The woman frowned as she thought about this, feeling for some reason that she had sensed a familiar energy fluctuation in another part of the city.

It felt like another version of myself was wielding the power of lightning, only much more skilled than the coward I remembered, yet still not as powerful as my own.

So, where exactly is this place?

Lei Dian picked up a newspaper that was covered in dust from the ground, looked at the name on it, and muttered softly.

"Saint Fontaine? I don't recall any city having that name, do I?"

Lei Dian thought for a while but couldn't recall any city with that name. Finally, he stopped worrying and transformed into a swift bolt of lightning, heading towards the direction where he sensed a familiar presence.

Chapter 144: A True Declaration

Amidst the sounds of lightning and thunder, a purple figure stood atop a tall building, watching the three people rapidly advancing down the street below, before frowning.

"What is this guy doing?"

Looking at Cheng Xing, who was pretending to be incredibly weak and being chased by monsters while mixed in with the two guys, Lei Dianzhen felt that this guy was definitely playing the game of pretending to be weak to take advantage of others again.

"...So that's how it is. Is this a parallel world? Cheng Xing, it seems that the annoying aura emanating from my world, and that inner strength that makes me tremble, are still there. It seems that my inexplicable appearance in this world and my possession of a physical body are also related to him."

Raiden Shin began to scrutinize Raiden Mei, who was standing at the front, but compared to the one he knew, she seemed to have matured a lot.

It's not just reflected on the surface of the body; one can also feel the traces of the Herrscher's power within. Although it's unknown why it has been consumed, leaving only a few remnants, the traces of having fully absorbed the power of the Herrscher of Thunder cannot be easily erased.

"So, does that mean the cowards in this world have completely accepted it? It seems that not every world chooses to run away."

Raiden's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile. Then he saw Cheng Xing, who was running on the road, suddenly look up at him, and the surprise in his eyes was hard to hide.

"I never expected that the so-called Easter egg character would be you?"

Cheng Xing had noticed something when Lei Dianzhen started looking at them. He had only followed the direction of Lei Dianzhen's gaze, but he didn't expect that the guy had no intention of hiding and had seen through him directly.

Then, during the retreat, while the two people were focused on fighting the monster, he secretly split off a wisp of black energy, which transformed into a crow and flew to the place they had just left.

Raiden sensed the unpleasant message flying from not far away. She simply crossed her arms and waited, then saw a crow land beside her.

"It seems you have some understanding of your current situation."

Cheng Xing looked at Raiden Zhen, who had a calm expression and showed no signs of impatience or doubt, and said, "Although my initial plan was not for you to obtain a physical body through this matter, it was a twist of fate. In any case, you can now be considered to have a true physical body of your own."

"Yes, but I didn't expect you to have the ability to transport people to parallel worlds... But this also explains the source of your ability, which is completely different from the Honkai. You're not from our world at all, right?"

“I never intended to hide anything. If you had asked before, I would have told you that I am not from this world, or even from this universe.”

“It seems my guess was right,” Raiden said softly with his head down, then immediately turned to Cheng Xing and asked, “So, where is your hometown?”

Upon hearing this, the crow raised its head somewhat blankly, gazing into the distance at the boundless sea.

"Hometown? I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back in this lifetime."

"It seems you've become a lost traveler... Do you need my help? You've helped me a lot, so I feel I should give you something in return."

"There's no need for that. I just wanted more Herrschers to become a force for humanity to fight against the Honkai. We don't owe each other anything; it was just normal social interaction..."

"No, for me, gaining my father's recognition, having self-awareness, and being able to possess a body that is entirely my own will and action are extremely important. Cheng Xing, no matter what you think, what I acknowledge is that I owe you a lot."

As Raiden Shin spoke, a purple sword appeared in his hand. Finally, he silently squatted down, looked down at the seemingly human-like black raven, and said, "However, I have nothing to repay you with right now, so I will use this body as my reward. I will become your blade, your claws, to cut down what you wish to cut."

“I don’t think it’s necessary. For me, being friends is enough.”

"Friends?"

After hearing this, Raiden Shin recalled the friends she once considered and associated with... Didn't everyone get along really well at the beginning? But after that incident, no one ever showed her any kindness again.

Until a girl named Kiana entered his life, bringing a ray of light into her dark world.

Raiden Mei believes that Kiana is her best friend in this life, and no one will ever treat her like Kiana did.

I think so too. In that bottomless dark time, the fact that someone gave me a ray of redemption meant that they were the only person I could rely on in this life.

She herself is Raiden Mei, after all. That coward likes Kiana, so how could she not have even a trace of feeling in her heart?

But I am just a shadow, a demon born from the dark corners of that guy's heart... a monster who has killed countless people and whose hands are stained with blood...

I once asked myself, wouldn't this guy find it difficult and troublesome to get along with a monster like me who has killed countless people?

The guy looked at me with a strange expression, then turned his head and laughed as if he had heard a strange joke.

What are you laughing at?

"It's nothing... I just remembered something happy."

"What's the good news?"

"I thought so too before, but then I realized it was just me being a bit of a hipster... Don't look at me like that, and don't give me any of that weird talk like I don't understand you at all, that my pain is greater than yours."

"Herrscher of Thunder, you killed me once, yet I haven't felt any killing intent towards you. Don't you understand?"

When Cheng Xing got to this point, he inexplicably smiled as if he had remembered something, then waved his hand and said, "Do you know what the greatest pursuit in life is?"

"what?"

"That means we'll go to the docks and get some fries."

What's the point of this?

"It has no meaning; it's just that I simply wanted to do it. That's how life is most often; doing what you want to do is already the greatest meaning. If I had to find one for you, it would be to stop feeling so sorry for yourself and stop thinking about the meaning of self-destruction."

Cheng Xing finally stood in the twilight facing Raiden Shin. At that moment, she seemed to see light shining through this guy's body and enveloping her, giving her a strange sense of redemption.

"I want your help, it's that simple."