Honkai Impact 3rd: Chiyou's Survival Guide

"How is that possible? Didn't Fu You already take this thing?!" Xilin exclaimed subconsciously. The Star of Eden had nearly killed her before, leaving an indelible psychological trauma on her, and Xilin naturally wouldn't forget it. That guy's name was Fu You... Unfortunately, the information couldn't be passed on. Walter nodded slightly and looked directly at Xilin.

"The one before was merely a construction of my power. Taking it away wouldn't have mattered. Now, let it be crushed by gravity!" "Hmph! Don't be delusional. Do you still think you can defeat me like last time?" Seeing the supposed ant dare to resist, Xilin flew into a rage, her playful attitude abandoned. Unleashing her full power, she subtly withstood the gravitational pull of the simulated black hole, even showing signs of pushing back. Suddenly, Walter felt the pressure double. She could actually suppress the simulated black hole. Had she evolved to this point? Walter was horrified by Xilin's rapid advance in strength, and his resolve only grew stronger. He knew that if he didn't hold on, Siegfried would have no chance of victory against Xilin.

"You're doomed!" Xilin laughed grimly, as if she had already envisioned Walter's death. Walter didn't protest, but instead worked even harder to control the black hole. ...Xilin suffered the consequences of her lack of education. She focused solely on the destructive power of the simulated black hole, but didn't understand its other properties. The black hole effect and time dilation: When an object is at the edge of a black hole, time passes very slowly. Similarly, if Xilin could be contained by the simulated black hole for one minute, time outside would have flown by about an hour, and Walter's purpose of containment would have been achieved.

Chapter 35 The End

On the plains, the massive Arahato stood silently on the lunar surface. This crystallization of anti-entropy technology had now been seized upon by a certain Honkai Beast. Fuyou violently tore open the hatch and threw Siegfried inside.

"Cough... cough..." The bumpy ride had helped Siegfried regain some consciousness. Being thrown like that, he was completely awake. Seeing where he was and the guy in front of him, Siegfried's heart sank instantly.

"I knew this level of injury wouldn't be a big deal to you."

Seeing Siegfried wake up, Fuyou stopped exploring the interior of Arahato and looked at him kindly.

"You, what do you want to do..." Siegfried asked while enduring the severe pain, although he knew in his heart that no matter what the other party wanted to do, he was too weak to stop him.

"We have an old saying in Shenzhou: Heaven is merciful to all. The grudge between the First and Second Herrschers has nothing to do with you. Take this and leave. I won't kill you."

Fu You spoke slowly, the soul steel fragments must be left behind. As for Siegfried, although he was an S-level Destiny Knight, his strength was still not enough in front of him. Letting him go could stabilize the situation, and the benefits outweighed the disadvantages.

"What a joke... Are you giving me charity?! How could I possibly leave like this?" Siegfried felt humiliated and furious, struggling to get up. Walter had risked his life to buy time for him. If he returned empty-handed, the guilt would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Where's Walter? Tell me, how is he now?!" Even though he was seriously injured, Siegfried was still concerned about Walter who was buying time for him. His intuition told him that their risky plan had failed.

"Maybe he's dead, maybe he's dying. In any case, there's no way he's going to survive."

Fu You mentioned it casually, knowing that Xilin would never let Walter go, as that guy attracted too much hatred.

"Besides, his life or death has nothing to do with you. Why don't you leave quickly? Don't you have a wife and daughter waiting for you at home?" Fu You was a little puzzled. He had killed quite a few humans, but most of them would not ignore themselves when they were in danger, but instead ask about the safety of others.

"The real Kaslana would never watch others die!" Siegfried roared, his movements were too large and affected his injuries. Siegfried grimaced in pain, but he remained firm.

"Forget it, it's up to you. If you want to die with him, I won't stop you."

Unable to figure it out, Fu You followed Siegfried. In his current state, Siegfried couldn't possibly go find Xilin, a fact he'd surely understand once he calmed down. However, Fu You saw a reflection of an old friend in Siegfried's eyes—when he was surrounded, those mighty ones from Shenzhou had shown the same fearless demeanor. Humans... were truly strange. Could anything be more important than survival? Even after thousands of years, Fu You still couldn't understand these stubborn creatures. He left Siegfried alone and headed off to see how the battle was going in Xilin.

"...Wait, how did he know about my family situation?" Coming back to his senses, Siegfried suddenly realized that something was wrong.

"Queen? Queen?" After more than twenty minutes, Bella, concerned that her queen hadn't moved, called out cautiously. From the outside, Xilin and Walter appeared almost motionless, facing each other within the simulated black hole. Bella froze in place for a moment, unsure what to do.

"Bella, what's going on?" When Fu You came over, he saw that Xilin and Walter seemed to be frozen in a simulated black hole, and that arrogant expression still appeared on Xilin's face.

"Senior, you are finally here! Her Majesty the Queen has been in a stalemate with this traitor for half an hour since the beginning!" Seeing Fu You, Bella seemed to have found her backbone and quickly informed him of the current situation.

"A pseudo-black hole? Isn't that Star of Eden with me?" Fu You frowned, remembering that he had already seized the Divine Key that Walter had previously used to release the pseudo-black hole. Waving his hand, he took out the "Star of Eden" and squeezed it hard. The "Star of Eden" instantly shattered and dissipated into the air.

"Fake..." Fu You then realized that the cunning guy Walter had never used the real stuff from beginning to end in the battle next to the Babylon Laboratory.

"Senior, what should we do now?" Bella looked at her queen who did not move for a long time, and she was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Calm down, Bella. Trust your queen. She'll definitely find a way to get out of this."

Unlike Bella, who was completely flustered, Fu You clearly understood the disparity in power between Xilin and Walter. Even if Walter managed to restrain Xilin, his defeat was only a matter of time. Fu You didn't dare to break the simulated black hole. After all, he didn't know much about it, and it would be bad if he injured Xilin.

"Wait first. The moment the simulated black hole disappears, immediately catch Walter."

Staring at the meticulous man in the simulated black hole, Fu You couldn't help but admire his ability. Clearly a dead end, he had almost managed to conceal his plan at the cost of his own life. If Fu You hadn't intercepted Siegfried, Walter's plan would have truly succeeded.

"Well, I'll take action the moment this traitor emerges!" Bella nodded. If Walter dared to plot against her Queen, she wouldn't let him go. So, the two Judgment-level Honkai beasts watched from the side of the simulated black hole, waiting for the moment when the two Herrschers inside would decide the outcome.

Dozens of minutes passed in the outside world, but only a few seconds passed in the simulated black hole.

"I can sense that your strength isn't even half of what it was the last time we met. No wonder you keep running away."

Xilin, who knew nothing about the outside world, looked at Walter carefully, and when she noticed his weakness, she suddenly realized.

"This is what you get for betraying God. You've mingled with those ants. You deserve it!" Silin scoffed at Walter's bewildered state. Walter didn't speak, but his slightly trembling body showed he wasn't feeling well. He had to hold on a little longer, buying Siegfried as much time as possible... Walter struggled to maintain the black hole, gritting his teeth despite the severe damage to his body.

"Forget it, I've had enough fun. You're too weak right now. I can't get excited at all."

Xilin lost interest, curled her lips, and prepared to end the teasing.

"Boom--" The simulated black hole that Walter painstakingly maintained exploded instantly, but at the same time, he sensed that an object was rapidly leaving the moon.

"Damn it! What are you doing again!" Xilin also noticed something unusual, but it was obviously too late to chase Alahato.

"...Well done, Siegfried."

Walter fell hard to the ground, coughing up blood, but he relaxed. He knew how much courage and determination Siegfried had mustered to restrain himself and make this decision. Looking up at the starry sky, Walter closed his eyes and gave up resistance. The Star of Eden fell to the ground and shattered, clearly another fake.

Chapter 36 Choice and Price

Time flashed back to twenty minutes ago. Inside Alahaton, leaning against the passenger seat, Siegfried briefly treated his injuries. Seeing the empty seat beside him, he paused.

"Walter..." Siegfried muttered to himself. After calming down, he realized that the anti-entropy plan had completely failed. The Soul Steel sample could not be successfully transported back to Earth. Walter's life could only be considered sacrificed in vain.

"Siegfried, Siegfried, what are you hesitating about? Walter has no chance of winning alone. The Soul Steel samples haven't been collected yet. We can't lose Walter again!" Clenching his fists, Siegfried seemed to hear a voice from deep within his heart. Walter's life or death was uncertain, he had lost his ability to fight, and the Soul Steel fragments hadn't been collected in time... Siegfried was extremely frustrated and gritted his teeth. He was determined to risk his life to bring Walter back to Earth. He placed his hand on the Arahato's control panel and was about to start the mecha when he hesitated again. Just as Fu You said, was there really any point in going there now, other than to die? Walter would probably be unhappy with his impulsiveness. They had already lost the First Herrscher. From the perspective of all mankind, they couldn't afford to lose another precious S-class fighter.

"But the real Kaslana wouldn't stand by and watch someone die!" Siegfried clutched his head, the choice between conscience and reason agonizing. However, the limited time Walter was fighting for forced him to make a choice quickly.

"If sacrificing my own life could save humanity, I wouldn't hesitate for a second, and neither would Walter... and this choice is made for the continuation of humanity..." Should he risk his life to save Walter for his ideals and die together, or should he conserve his fighting strength to protect more people on Earth in the coming war? Siegfried already had the answer in his mind.

"Goodbye, Walter..." After giving the order to return, Siegfried breathed a sigh of relief, looking towards the distant ruins in a moment of silence. He knew he had sacrificed something more precious than his own life. [Alahato... Starting... 59... 57...] Picking up the bottle of champagne he hadn't finished on his way here, Siegfried toasted the empty seat beside him and emptied it in one gulp. [30... 28... 25...] "This is my choice..." Siegfried muttered, his entire strength draining away as he collapsed into his seat. [3... 2... 1...] Silver-white flames erupted from its dorsal wing, and Alahato soared into the air, embarking on its journey back to Earth.

"Your Majesty! I'm so glad you're okay!" Seeing the simulated black hole shattered, Bella rushed to Xilin's side with a worried look on her face.

"You've been standing still with this traitor for almost an hour. The senior was afraid of hurting you, so he didn't dare to break the black hole outside..." "What?! Impossible! It wasn't even a minute!" Hearing this, Xilin was stunned. She had clearly only been teasing Walter for a minute, so why did it seem to Bella like almost an hour? Xilin was puzzled. At this moment, she saw Fu You on the side and immediately cast a look at him for help.

"Yes, it's been almost an hour, and you've been confronting him the whole time."

Fu You said affirmatively, although he didn't know the specific reason why Xilin behaved like this, but his intuition told Fu You that all this was related to Walter's simulated black hole.

"Traitor...what have you done?!" Xilin was furious. She didn't expect that this ant would trick her before dying. This made her feel very embarrassed.

"Ahem... This is human wisdom, you won't understand."

Lying in the pit, the seriously injured Walter smiled, staggered to his feet, and looked like a winner.

“You! You…” Xilin was angry and annoyed, and she wished she could tear Walter apart right now.

"Your Majesty, another ant has already flown away."

Bella kindly reminded her that Siegfried had already left the moon on the Arahato.

"It's just an ant that ran away... Wait, is this the reason why you want to delay me?" Looking at Walter, Xilin suddenly understood why the other party was trying his best to delay her.

"It's too late. Even if you chase him now, you won't be able to catch up."

Walter smiled slightly. Siegfried did not act on impulse, so he died without regrets.

"Don't be so self-righteous! Bella, go get that ant back for me right now!" Looking at Walter's expression that everything was under control, Xilin felt as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly.

"No need. This guy's companion came to steal the Soul Steel fragments. I beat him severely and left him alone. However, I didn't expect him to come back alive."

Fu You, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. After thinking for a while, he added another sentence.

"Oh, by the way, I intercepted all the Soul Steel fragments that guy stole, so there's no need to worry."

Hearing this, Walter's heart sank. But from another perspective, Siegfried's departure was good news in itself. Facing the Second Herrscher, humanity could no longer afford to lose high-end combat power. Walter's face was solemn, but this was the only way to comfort himself. Unfortunately, the Soul Steel sample hadn't been successfully brought back.

"Hehe! I knew you were the most reliable! Traitor, did you hear me? Your plan has failed!" Xilin smiled happily when she heard Fu You's words. Every time, Fu You could help her at the most critical moment.

"Bella, look at Fu You, you should learn from him!" Looking at Fu You who had already handled everything, and then looking at Bella who was still standing there stupidly, Xilin spoke with a look of disappointment.

"I understand, Your Majesty..." Bella lowered her head in grievance, reflecting on herself. She had always been following the Queen around, but it seemed that she had not really done anything substantial. However, she really just wanted to be closer to the Queen... "Okay, okay, don't be unhappy. Xilin just wants you to be independent. She still likes you."

Noticing Bella's frustration, Fu You walked over to her and comforted her softly.

"Yes, Her Majesty the Queen must still like me!" Bella's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she nodded repeatedly. Clearly, she only caught Fu You's last words. ... "Ant, you've run out of tricks now, haven't you?" Elsewhere, seeing that her worries had been resolved, Xilin taunted Walter with confidence.

“Hu…Hu…” Walter did not answer. His body was on the verge of collapse.

"Stand up! I've been waiting for you for so long, not to see you gasping for breath here!" Seeing that the other party had no strength left and could no longer play with her, Xilin frowned.

"You disappoint me so much!" "...Second Herrscher, what are you doing?!" Seeing several huge stones floating behind Xilin, Walter's eyes became stern and he shouted repeatedly.

"You said that as long as I come to the moon, you won't..." A bad premonition filled his heart, and Xilin's next words also verified Walter's guess.

"I regret it!" Xilin interrupted Walter and laughed arrogantly.

"Since you disappoint me so much, then just stay aside quietly and watch how these meteorites fall to the earth!"

Chapter 37 The Final Battle

"No, you can't..." Walter opened his hands, and various weapons appeared out of thin air again. However, these weapons were sparse and could not be compared with the number that was originally built next to Babylon.

"I won't let these meteorites fall on the earth!" Walter's body was shaking, but his movements were extremely firm. Regardless of the blood flowing from his mouth, he still tried to stop Xilin.

"Nice look, but do you still have the energy to resist?" Xilin sneered and snapped her fingers lightly.

"How about this, let's play a game and see which is faster, my meteorite or your little toys!" Walter stared at Xilin fiercely. He knew he had no other choice.

"Come on, Second Herrscher!" With a hoarse voice, Walter slowly stood up. He knew that this was his last battle.

"I am proud that at the last moment of my life, I can still fight to protect this world."

Standing erect, Walter unleashed his sharp aura once again, as if surviving a last gasp. Endless mechas materialized beside him, charging towards Xilin one after another.

"Your Majesty!" Seeing her queen being besieged, Bella immediately wanted to go up and help.

"No need to worry."

Holding Bella and looking at her puzzled eyes, Fu You slowly shook his head.

"He is dead."

Unlike Bella's concerns, Fu You saw the situation clearly. With his body in such poor condition, forcibly inducing Herrscher-level Houkai energy would have left Walter practically dead. Even if Xilin did nothing now, Walter would have burned himself to death. While a pity, it seemed Walter's end would be here. Fu You thought, being killed by such a powerful Xilin wouldn't be shameful. ... Sure enough, not long after, Walter fell to his knees again.

"Well done, you successfully blocked those rocks."

Xilin praised, flew to Walter's side, and spoke in a mean way.

"It looks like you have run out of strength. Next, let me reap my spoils!" As she said that, Xilin stretched out her hand towards Walter.

“Heh…” Suddenly, Walter grabbed Xilin.

"Still trying to resist... First Herrscher, what the hell are you doing?!" Sirin watched in horror as Walter's face, stained with purple lines from the corrosion of Honkai energy, spread across his body. Even more terrifying, those lines, imbued with a destructive aura, spread from Walter's arms to her own body. Sirin felt a long-lost sense of the threat of death. In stark contrast to Sirin's panic, Walter remained calm and composed, as if he had anticipated all this. ...dozens of hours ago.

"You mean, you want me to study how to detonate the Herrscher Core?!" Tesla asked Walter in disbelief in the Anti-Entropy Laboratory.

"Indeed, if I fail to defeat the Second Herrscher on the Moon, I don't want her to take my core away and turn it into a sharp blade to pierce humanity."