Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

Page 69

"..."

Mebius did not reply; she covered her face with her left hand and remained silent.

"...Doctor, has something happened?"

Klein understood. She silently walked to Möbius's side and knelt down as well.

"...Klein."

Möbius reached out and grabbed Klein's shoulder, as if a drowning man had grasped a straw.

"Blanca is dead."

Mebius kept her head down, and Klein couldn't see her expression, but her words struck Klein like a thunderbolt.

"Blanca, Senior Sister?! How is this possible? How could Senior Sister die? What does this have to do with her?!"

Klein grabbed Mebius's shoulder with his other hand and stared wide-eyed.

“I don’t know… Klein… I don’t know…”

Mebius wasn't much better than Klein.

"I only found out she was on the front lines when I discovered she was in the control room of 'Anubis's Cage.' Every member of the Firemoth has a unique login password."

Blanca was logged in from the control room. I heard her voice. I told her not to activate the device… but… the communication was cut off. Then I received a message that “Anubis’s Cage” had been activated…

"..."

"Klein, when the 'Cage of Anubis' is in use, it will emit Honkai energy radiation to the surrounding area. Ordinary people would never be able to escape it, right?"

This should have been the answer she knew by heart, but Möbius was asking Klein instead.

"..."

Klein pursed his lips, forcing back his tears.

"PhD……"

"No one could have survived! Right?! Blanca was an ordinary person! She couldn't have survived! Right?!"

Möbius grabbed his hair, as if trying to rip it out.

"This can't be! This can't be! Why is Blanca there all alone?! Why?! How could she be at the front lines?"

These words sounded like an interrogation, or perhaps a venting of frustration, and Klein couldn't answer them.

She desperately wanted to offer the doctor some comfort, but...

She couldn't even convince herself.

Outside

Cang Xuan sat behind the door, hugging her knees, her hair obscuring her eyes so her expression couldn't be seen.

…………

Gaia

Firemoth Base Ruins

The body of a woman lay peacefully on the ground, her face bearing purple marks from the Honkai disease.

"..."

The other woman knelt there, head bowed, saying nothing.

As if in repentance, she pounded her head against the ground, her fingers digging deep into the earth until they were bloodshot.

That's Vilvie.

The original Velvi is the person who best embodies the existence of Velvi.

She carefully moved the stones away and used the tools in her hand to wipe away the bloodstains and dust from the woman's head, body, and legs bit by bit.

The more she wiped away the tears, the more they fell, dripping onto Blanca's face.

"I'm sorry... Blanca... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

She successfully activated the "Heart of Gaia," which will save thousands of people.

But she didn't feel she had anything to be proud of; compared to that, the guilt and remorse almost overwhelmed her.

She made a choice regarding her life, at the cost of the life of a noble friend.

There are no "what ifs" in this world.

At that point in time, Vervier made a choice between the majority and the minority.

Good and evil are at odds. At this moment, Virvi's evil takes the lead, while the rational "good" is identified. At that juncture, the only "good" that could change the status quo also makes a choice unconsciously.

So this is the choice that Vervi made; she could not escape it, nor could she run away from it.

Even if she has to kneel here, choking back tears, even if she has to spend the rest of her life in guilt, Wilvi still has to take responsibility for her choices.

She must bear the burden of Blanca's life and cannot use "reason" to escape her guilt.

As Virvi finished preparing Blanca's body, a dazzling flame illuminated the entire city.

Vilvi instinctively threw herself on Blanca, protecting her while raising her head to barely see the situation on the battlefield through the device on her body.

"Is the Heavenly Fire being unleashed...?"

It seems Kevin thought there might be survivors here, so he deliberately avoided this direction.

Velvi stood up, used Honkai energy to create a metal coffin, and placed Blanca's body inside.

"I never expected that a device that generates metal using Honkai energy would be used here," Velvi thought with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Number One and Number Two, take Blanca's body out."

Velvi gave the order to the drone as she walked toward the center of the battlefield.

However, just as the two drones took off, a violent tremor shook the earth, as if the entire continental shelf was about to fall apart.

No, if the "Heart of Gaia" hadn't been activated, the continental shelf would probably have already shattered.

"Could it be..."

Vervi thought of a hypothesis, her face turned pale, and she rushed towards the center.

…………

"The simulated black hole... hasn't been resolved?!"

Alicia slumped to the ground, staring at the black hole in the sky, her expression changing.

"It's expanding, why?!"

"...The Herrscher is dead."

Kevin walked over, carrying the body of the Herrscher of Rock—no… Sentoru's remains, which were devoid of any life.

There was a hole in her chest pierced by the heavenly fire, and it seemed that there was no possibility of her survival.

"This black hole has probably broken free from her will and become a phenomenon."

Kevin punched the ground.

"Killing her only made the black hole's spread unstoppable. If this continues, the entire continent will be affected!"

"No...no! We can't let Hen's sacrifice go to waste, we have to think of something!"

Alicia looked into the distance, at the place where Hen had sacrificed himself, but there was no body there.

"Alicia, Kevin!"

Vervi rushed towards the two of them.

"Vilvie?"

Alicia grabbed her by the collar, her face devoid of its usual gentleness.

"Why are you alone? Where's Blanca?"

"Blanca?!"

Kevin's expression also changed.

"She's here? Why is she here?"

"Listen!"

Velvi gritted her teeth and avoided the topic.

"We must find a way! We must use the power of the Ninth Herrscher to slow down the spread of the black hole! Although I have activated the 'Heart of Gaia,' if things continue like this, very few people will be able to escape!"

"..."

Alicia was stunned for a moment, then suddenly let go of her hand and pressed her forehead.

“Use the Herrscher core, Velvet, you should be able to do it, no… you must be able to do it.”

Both people present understood why Vilvi avoided the topic; many things didn't need to be said explicitly.

This era will eventually drive everyone to a dead end, sooner or later.

...............

P.S. "Regarding the fact that I was heartbroken by the plot I wrote," "Writing is something you have to do while crying." (╥ω╥`)

Chapter Sixty-Four: Special Edition - Old Photos

"Hey, you with the messy hair, you're out of the shot!"

"Dr. Tesla, why aren't you moving closer to me?"

"Alright, alright, this is the time to..."

"Well……"