Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

Eden nodded and took down the painting that looked quite valuable from the sofa, behind which was a huge screen.

"I know."

Melutina skillfully entered the password, and a familiar pink-haired figure appeared on the screen.

"Hi hi hi! This is Alicia! Is this communication password for my lovely Melutina?"

Each member of the Moth Chaser squad has a unique communication password that connects them directly to their immediate supervisor.

Of course, if this superior is killed in action, then he will be transferred to a higher level.

In other words...

"Yes, the fact that you've connected with Captain Alicia means you haven't died yet."

Melutina blurted out what was on her mind without thinking.

"..."

Alicia's bright smile froze on her face.

"I found someone here who is still conscious..."

Melutina hesitated for a moment, then suddenly remembered that she didn't know Eden's title.

"I am Eden, the propaganda minister of the seventh branch of the Firemoth. It's been a long time, Ellie."

Eden then chimed in, the first half of his sentence being addressed more to Melutina than to Alicia.

"Eden? I'm so glad you're alright. I specifically sent Melutina there, just in case anything happened, so she could bring you back first..."

Alicia showed a surprised expression.

“Aili…”

Upon hearing this, Eden immediately showed a troubled expression.

"This constitutes an abuse of power, Captain Alicia."

"Melutina said coldly."

"Eden is a treasure of human art; how can it be considered an abuse of power?"

Alicia said matter-of-factly.

"Merutina, you must bring Eden back safely, that's the captain's order!"

"...So, Miss Eden's safety is the top priority?"

Melutina confirmed.

"Well, don't look at me like that, Eden. This isn't just my idea."

Alicia shrugged.

“It’s the top priority, Melutina… What the higher-ups mean is that Eden must be brought back safely, regardless of all the other ‘everyone’ in that area.”

"...For the higher-ups of the Firemoth, is Miss Eden more valuable than everyone here?"

Melutina said indifferently.

"To be precise, it is the people of this 'dead' area, and Eden, who both have extremely high value to exploit."

They need their deaths and the living Eden to gain more support... Don't you think they're shameless?

Alicia asked.

"Utterly shameless! Can't we just let them die?"

"Of course... no."

Alicia made a wide cross with her arms.

"Unfortunately, I must admit their judgment was rational. So, mission accomplished, my vice-captain."

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

I edited the image of the Australian bushfires, but I can't upload it yet. It might take a few days. (?皿?)

Chapter Eight: Abandonment

"...Miss Melutina, those are your...companions?"

When Melutina brought Eden back to the camp, not a single warrior was able to stand up.

"..."

Seeing her fallen comrade, Melutina did not show the panic Eden had imagined; instead, her eyes held a cold indifference born of excessive habit.

"...Have there been any deaths yet?"

Melutina reached out and touched the carotid arteries of the civilians and soldiers in turn; some of them had already lost their pulse forever.

"Miss Melutina."

There was a hint of reproach in Eden's tone.

“Miss Eden, I am not a good person, much less a saint. What we need to do now is not to mourn our comrades, but to survive. I don’t know why, but it’s clear that the Herrscher has locked onto us in some way.”

Melutina said without turning her head.

"Isn't it because the influence of the Heralds has expanded?"

Although Eden looked hesitant, he ultimately did not dwell on the matter.

"It's not simply about expanding the impact."

Melutina was silent for a moment, then said,

"The dead who appeared... were almost all people who were moths drawn to the flame. They were infected more slowly than ordinary people and had better physical fitness, but they weakened much faster than others."

"...But why weren't we affected?"

Eden refrained from asking Melutina why she could discuss her companion's death so calmly and casually; although she was sentimental, she was reasonable.

"I guess it's because I'm a fusion warrior... As for you, perhaps it's because of your extraordinary talent."

Without hesitation, Melutina retrieved the communicators from each of her fallen comrades, checked them one by one, and after a moment…

"...Is it a 'word'?"

"what?"

Eden paused for a moment, not understanding what she was saying.

"The Eighth Herrscher, whom Dr. Mei named the Herrscher of Consciousness, is likely using specific words to target and attack people in a targeted manner."

Melutina handed her companion's communicator to Eden.

"The terms 'Honkai' and 'Herrscher' appear repeatedly here. If you want to pinpoint the Moth of Flame, these words are undoubtedly the most appropriate."

"Isn't this line of reasoning a bit far-fetched?"

While reasonable, it is ultimately just wishful thinking, and Eden finds it difficult to fully believe in this claim.

"The initial victims all lost consciousness while using their mobile phones or the internet, which shows that this attack was launched through vision."

Melutina analyzed calmly.

"There are no signs of a battle here, which means the dead... my team members were attacked through other means, while I did not feel anything unusual, which means I was not attacked."

"So your previous claim that we were unharmed because of Honkai energy resistance is no longer valid?"

Eden frowned.

"I think so. At first I just thought it was a relatively weak large-scale mental attack, but if even the soldiers of the second squad couldn't withstand it, then this conclusion is invalid."

Melutina took out her completely black communicator and said,

"During this period, the only difference between me and my teammates was that my communicator lost signal halfway through."

Miss Eden, what's the difference between you and the fallen team members at the base?

"...I am not enthusiastic about using the internet."

After a moment, Eden spoke with difficulty.

"This is the answer."

Melutina crossed her arms over her chest.

"If what you say is true, then my companions are also in danger. We should turn back immediately, and perhaps..."

"No, Miss Eden."

Melutina crushed the communicator with a blank expression and said indifferently,

"You need to leave here with me now, immediately."

"no!"

Eden replied without hesitation,

"There should be survivors among your companions. Are we going to abandon the lives of our companions that we could have saved?"

“I know it’s cruel, but it has to be done.”

"How are you any different from those cold-blooded, ruthless executives?!"

Eden finally couldn't help but question,

"Human life is priceless, and the lives of our companions are even more so. We must never carelessly discard the lives before us, for what we lose may be something more precious than life itself."

“Miss Eden, you’re right. In your mind, this world must be very bright and glorious… or at least it was once bright and glorious.”

Melutina took a step forward, and Eden instinctively took a half step back, bumping right into the wall.

Melutina reached out and pressed her hand against the wall, her face only centimeters from Eden.

What eyes those were...

Eden couldn't help but think that she had seen many pairs of eyes, but these were the most similar to hers...

It was in the eyes of the dying man during that great fire.

"You are a beautiful and noble woman, and I admire and like you very much, but..."