Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

Adam, who was following Melutina after leaving the headquarters of the Firemoth, suddenly spoke.

"Huh? What's wrong? Why so formal?"

Adam has been Melutina's adjutant for almost a year now, which is quite a long time in this era of frequent disasters.

"This might be a bit offensive..."

Adam hesitated for a moment before speaking.

How did you come to see the former captain?

"...Her, well, have I told you? She and I were actually contemporaries of the Fire Moth, but she's older than me."

"This is the first time I've ever heard of this."

Adam shook his head.

"Really? It's not something worth mentioning. After all, when I joined the team, I didn't get along with anyone. Only Captain Alicia took care of me."

Melutina couldn't help but smile bitterly as she recalled what had happened back then.

“Back then, almost everyone called me ‘Ice Doll,’ and hardly anyone called me by my real name… but she was the only one who didn’t call me that.”

Is that considered an answer?

Adam pondered the sentence repeatedly and then asked a question.

"...Adam, if people like you and people like her can be at the forefront of the times, I really want to believe in the possibilities of the future."

Melutina said softly.

"Fighting for all that is good in humanity, you are the good I have ever seen. If there is such a group of people who can connect with each other and fight together, then I am willing to believe that this world is not hell."

"Is this why the captain changed his attitude?"

"I suppose so. I want to watch over you, to see your generation become the future of the Moths of Fire. If that day comes, I can believe that the Honkai is not invincible."

As for her… I should have saved her. If I had received the kill order, I wouldn't have killed her.”

Melutina turned around and looked directly into Adam's eyes, as if she wanted him to see into her heart.

"I understand."

Adam said without hesitation,

"I believe in the captain... perhaps more than the captain believes in us."

"By the way, did you just receive any extra instructions?"

"Hmm, it seems to be another infected person who was eradicated from the Honkai disease."

Adam nodded, then gave a wry smile.

"It's really not a good job."

"It will all pass."

Melutina hesitated for a moment, then patted Adam on the shoulder.

Adam was taken aback; this was the first time he had ever seen Melutina take the initiative to approach someone, and...

The man did the same thing when he left the first squad.

"Don't worry, Captain."

Adam smiled.

"I'll be back soon."

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Song of Adam (Part 1)

Humans are creatures that feel fear because of death, hesitation because of the unknown, and despair because of difficulties.

If we use this as a boundary to define humanity as an incurable species, it is actually not unreasonable.

However, this is not actually the case.

A line from a shonen manga I read when I was a child stirred my emotions deeply—

"Human greatness lies in the noble attitude of facing fear head-on."

That comic book was almost worn out from being read so many times. For me, who was deeply mired in the disaster of collapse in my early years, it was a rare form of entertainment.

Humans are not entirely without merit; humans are born with fear, but humans can overcome fear.

That is courage; the bonds that connect people are the source of all the beauty in the world.

With that in mind, I did not succumb to the disaster, but chose to live as a warrior.

Fortunately, I possess a resistance to Honkai energy that most men do not have, which allowed me to successfully become a Fusion Warrior.

However, there is one thing I will never be wrong about.

I don't think this is glory.

Fusion warriors are wrong, and tragic.

This is a "weapon" chosen by history to combat disaster, a "tragedy" that violates human ethics.

Using tragedy to fight tragedy, using monsters to fight monsters—that is the essence of a fusion warrior.

Therefore, we must never praise or agree with it.

This is "wrong".

I firmly believe this.

However, tragedy is not limited to the existence of fusion warriors; the chaos of this world is always filled with ruthlessness.

I lost my captain.

The former captain of the third squad was actually a very good person; she was upright, decisive, and dedicated.

He is a hero.

But she was naive and overly kind.

The moths that chase fire are wrong, that's for sure, but even so, this organization still protects all of humanity.

The necessary sacrifices continue.

I have no doubt that it is just, but whether it is rational is worth pondering.

Good and evil are never absolute; in the face of greater evil, a little evil is permissible.

Even if I can't accept it, the world still operates this way—cruel, irrational, yet "rational."

I understand and respect the former captain; she was a kind person.

But this world is neither kind nor right.

If one day I were in the same position as her, I might make the same choice.

Everyone has moments when they cannot back down, and everyone has people they must protect.

Because that is "justice", that is "goodness".

Ultimately, humans are that kind of creature.

…………

The great calamity known as Honkai has occurred eight times, and humanity has suffered far greater damage than in a world war.

They lost hundreds of millions of lives and one of the continents inhabited by humans.

The truth of the collapse is hard to conceal, the world is plunged into chaos, the United Nations has lost its meaning, and the world is under the control of an organization called the Moth of Fire.

However, as every organization faces during its growth process, it faces ideological clashes and choices about its path.

People's wills are not the same, and their talents vary. Even talented people may be relegated to a subordinate position due to their position and status.

While it's true that it's easy to place talented people in high positions, it's not so simple.

Fools will adhere to their values ​​and cling to their position until...

Until they are found to be fools.

The path advocated by May and Möbius, though cruel, was "rational".

Those who criticize them, standing on the side of justice, are leading the world step by step into the abyss.

After the devastating bushfires in Australia, the voice of the Firemoth gradually fell into the hands of May, who was supported by most of the Fusion Warriors.

The launch of the Key of God and the Fusion Warrior project brought Mei's popularity to its peak within the Firemoth.

Although May's actions are often unacceptable, if you have to choose anyway, you might as well choose the more correct one.

However, this does not mean that Mei has completely controlled the Moths of Fire. Those who are still attached to power and those who hate Mei are still a very powerful force.

They desperately needed a pretext to overturn May's "achievements".

They deny her "correctness" and mold the moths drawn to the flame into what they expect them to be.

This was the greatest power struggle in the history of the Fire Moth, almost laying the foundation for the future of humanity, but people often remember it through another event.

Between the Eighth and Ninth Honkai Impacts, the conservative faction of the Flame Chaser organization decided to manipulate the Fusion Warriors, issuing false instructions to nearly a hundred documented Fusion Warriors—

Eliminate the Honkai infection patients located in Hella City.

This list contains hundreds of documented individuals, from top to bottom, whose addresses are recorded on the list.

This is not a particularly unusual directive, but in the past, the individuals selected for the "Moth to Fire" program have all undergone repeated screening.

Moreover, they were equally meticulous in their work on confidentiality and news handling.

But this time was an exception.

Among hundreds of infected people, only one...

They are innocent.

The previously strict and rigorous secrecy work has completely disappeared. With deliberate exposure and intelligence manipulation, the "truth" spread throughout the entire city of Hella almost instantly.

An hour after the incident, May realized this and immediately locked down the entire city. However, by then, the people of Hella were already indignant and began to protest in the streets.

The only exception was a father.