Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

Themis City

"The Eighth Lawyer's attack range has expanded further. Desdobia, you are one of the few who can withstand this force. Your assistance is essential to defeating her."

Mei sat at the temporary base, a relatively secluded base where several decision-makers of the Firemoth had a temporary shelter.

She summoned only one person this time, one of her few friends, and also... one of the very few mental fusion warriors.

"Mei, just tell me, I'm willing to do anything."

Desdovia pressed her hand to her chest and took a deep breath.

"We have already lost too many comrades, and many of them are still in a coma. As long as there is anything I can do, I am willing to give my life for it."

"Now, among the few fusion warriors of the Firemoth, Hen, Kevin, Sakura, and even Mebius have been trapped in the environment."

Mei assessed the current situation and looked at her friends or trusted subordinates.

“Alicia, Meltina, Aponia, and you. Unfortunately, this is all the forces we can currently mobilize to subdue the Eighth Herrscher, tentatively named the Herrscher of Knowledge.”

"Only...four people?"

Although she knew the situation was bad before she arrived, she didn't expect it to be this bad.

"Where are Qianjie and Su?"

"Although Qianjie is not a fusion warrior, he was also attacked mentally and fell into a coma. In order to find the location of the Herrscher, Su deliberately entered the dream."

Mei hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“As you know, I can’t fully control the Firemoth right now. The Supreme Council has ended and forbade me from continuing to send these high-end combat forces to the front lines… To be precise, they won’t allow me to call up Alicia and Melutina.”

"Why?!"

Desdobia's eyes widened, and she almost roared out loud.

"At a time like this, how could you possibly still make such a request?!"

"They fear the total annihilation of humanity, although I believe it has come to the point of no return."

Mei smiled bitterly, but there was nothing she could do.

“Alicia and Melutina are their minimum guarantee of safety. Rather than going all out to eliminate the Herrscher, they prefer a conservative defense and try to wake up the comatose.”

"But isn't there no way out? At least not in the short term, but people are dying every single moment!"

Desdovia clenched her fists tightly.

"Many of my friends are in there! I swear I will protect them!"

"So, Desdobia, we can't just sit here and wait to die. I've already pleaded with Aponia for help, and she's agreed. She'll use her 'commandments' to help Kevin overcome the Herrscher dream."

At the same time, I believe Su will not disappoint me, but all of this will take time, and…”

Mei stopped abruptly, her gaze darting away, avoiding direct eye contact with Desdobia.

"...I'm here to buy time, right?"

Desdovia understood; May wasn't without options, it was just that her method...

She was asked to risk her life to pay for it.

“Dai…”

Mei opened her mouth, wanting to say "never mind" several times, but the words stuck in her throat and she couldn't say them.

"..."

Desdobia's hands trembled slightly; it would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid.

Although she is a fusion warrior, she is still just a 12-year-old girl. It's impossible for her to carry out a suicide mission without any pressure.

"I go."

However, hesitation only takes three seconds, which is not long even for a brave warrior.

"I'll lead the team, and they'll follow me to their deaths."

Desdovia stared intently at Mei.

"Mei, you also think that Alicia and Melutina are not safe to touch right now, right?"

“I, Desdovia, I…”

Mei reached out her hand, but stopped in mid-air, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"Even Kevin has fallen, so no one knows if they can really withstand the Herrscher's attack."

Desdovia suddenly understood.

“You do want them to come with me, but that’s Mei’s personal wish as my friend, not as a decision-maker.”

"..."

"If I fail, then the Fire Moth will have a more objective assessment of her power, and will be more confident in increasing the number of troops later."

"But if I succeed, but die in battle, then the awakened Kevin, together with Alicia and Meltina, can effectively kill that Herrscher."

Desdobia said softly,

"What I gave up was my life, just the insignificant life of a soldier, no different from anyone else's."

“Desdobia, no, you and them…”

You are different from them.

This kind of preserved plum is really something I can't bring myself to say.

This is a defilement of the deceased and a betrayal of the path she has walked all along.

She knew that Desdovia wanted to hear those words because she didn't want to be as mature as Kevin and Alicia, as resilient as Hen, or as uninhibited as Meludina and Qianjie.

She was just a young girl with few years of combat experience. She was in the same class as Melutina and could only be described as a new recruit.

She just needed a word to lean on, something that would give her the courage to go to the battlefield.

But Mei couldn't give her even a single word like that.

“…I’m sorry, Mei, I shouldn’t have asked that question.”

Desdobia didn't get the answer she wanted, but that wasn't surprising.

"Mei, you will suffer a lot in the end if you go down this path."

Desdovia remained silent for a long time, then turned her head and suddenly spoke.

"sorry."

"Haha, why are you apologizing?"

Desdovia turned her head and smiled.

"Brother Hen is immortal, and I'm his junior, so I must be immortal too. When I successfully return, I'll be a hero, right?"

"Yes."

Looking at her smile, every word Mei uttered seemed to be squeezed from her chest.

"Then you'll be a great hero, better than Kevin, better than Hen, better than Alicia... better than all of them."

"really?"

"real!"

"Then you just wait and see as I become a great hero!"

Desdobia smiled, turned around, and suddenly found herself being hugged by her junior.

“…Desdobia, let’s call it quits.”

Her voice was low and timid, as if she were a different person. Mei rested her head on her shoulder.

"We, we can, we can hold on and buy time! Alicia and Melutina, with you, we can hold on! We, we..."

"You can't hold on."

Desdobia looked into the distance and said quietly,

“We all know she’ll be here soon, and once she locks onto us, humanity will lose. The only way is for us to get there and keep her from paying attention to this place.”

"..."

"I want to be a hero."

Daisy Dobia took a step forward, and May couldn't stop her. Perhaps it was because everyone knew the current state of the battle.

That's why I'm standing here.

.........

P.S. The author is experiencing writer's block, so I'll write two chapters of reminiscence to ease the tension (o_o?).

Chapter 105: Reminiscence - The Song of Desdobia (End)

Desdovia comes from a family that is considered a traditional aristocracy.

Although such things no longer create class distinctions in this era, she still takes pride in them.

The knight earned his title for his meritorious service in the war to defend his country, and the last descendant of his clan was Desdobia.

Such people are not uncommon on the western continent; they take pride in their families. However, on other continents, they are not sociable.

Desdobia, who came to Mu Continent to study during her middle school years, initially seemed out of place among those around her.

At first, everyone called her "Miss Knight" because she always had a moral sense and sense of mission that was twice as high as that of ordinary people.

These excellent qualities, ironically, made her stand out from the crowd. However, people like Desmond Desmond will ultimately be liked.

Instead of waiting for others to understand her, she took the initiative and sent gifts, which was a very effective method that Desmond Dobby came up with at the time.

People felt her kindness and began to respond. In this way, Desmond Bia integrated into the group, her number of friends increased day by day, and everyone liked her very much.

Because Desdovia is such a kind girl, she will never betray you, because she has shown her nobility to everyone.

The same was true after she joined the Firemoth. Although young, Desdobia had a popularity that Kevin and Scar did not have, which made her one of the earliest fusion warriors.

A girl who is more noble than anyone else, braver than anyone else, selfless, and wants to live in the hearts of others.