["When he was still just a child, he was already determined to take revenge on mara-struck creatures. He crossed the star sea to come to the Xianzhou and seek mastery. When I first met him, his head barely reached above my sword, yet he boasted that with a mere hundred years of life, he would master every single craft of the Artisanship Commission."]
[At this point, Jingliu could not help but give a soft snort: "A mere pup, yet arrogant enough to rival even Imbibitor Lunae."]
["I originally looked down on his wild and reckless personality. But when we met again, the weapons he forged had already left even the master artisans far behind. Even the title of [Furnace Master], head of the Artisanship Commission, was claimed by him."]
[As the two spoke, Yanqing had already arrived ahead of them at the Creation Furnace. He looked down from the stairs: "Big sister, you didn't deliberately go easy on me so I'd arrive first, did you?"]
["How could I? Your swordsmanship has improved at divine speed—I simply couldn't keep up." Jingliu gave a faint smile with pursed lips.]
[Yanqing had assumed the purpose of coming to the Artisanship Commission was to pay respects to the short-life senior they kept mentioning. But unexpectedly, Jingliu asked calmly in return: "When did I ever say he was no longer among the living?"]
[Dan Heng's gaze filled with shock: "He transformed into a long-life species?"]
["A good guess. Fate truly loves its little jokes." Jingliu's voice gradually grew low and somber. "Some people, no matter how brilliantly talented or radiant with intellect, always make the most foolish choice at fate's turning point."]
["As clever as he was, he actually dared to use the flesh of that Emanator of Abundance, Impermanence, in an attempt to help Imbibitor Lunae bring back a fallen comrade from death."]
[Jingliu raised her head to gaze at the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor entwining the Creation Furnace and took a deep breath: "His folly ultimately turned him into an undying monster—his soul scattered, his spirit extinguished, reduced to the very abomination he once despised most in life. Truly a twist of fate…"]
["By his deeds, he should have been eternally imprisoned in The Shackling Prison. But I granted him another kind of freedom." Jingliu gave a cold laugh. "I took away his emptied shell of a body, bestowed upon him a hundred deaths, taught him the sword, and ensured he would never forget the karma of his previous life. I hear that after his rebirth, he even gave himself a new name…"]
——
Baki.
"A hundred deaths…"
Inside the Tokugawa residence, Kaoru Hanayama sucked in a sharp breath. Though Blade's attitude toward Jingliu already hinted at what had transpired between them, the idea of killing someone a hundred times… still exceeded Hanayama's imagination.
But unlike his cold sweat, the Retsu Kaioh beside him could not stop trembling all over. His muscles tensed like a fully drawn bowstring; even his breathing grew rapid and heavy.
"Retsu, you…" Tokugawa looked curiously at Retsu Kaioh's state—was he afraid?
…No way.
As a martial artist bearing the title of "Kaioh," Retsu Kaioh was someone who would never retreat or fear even in the face of death.
Retsu Kaioh finally spoke, his voice a mix of longing, envy, and barely suppressed excitement: "To be revived infinitely with an undying body… doesn't that mean he could keep challenging Lady Jingliu forever? To personally receive her swordsmanship again and again?!"
In his mind flashed images of himself being effortlessly slain by Jingliu over and over, yet rising again each time… Retsu Kaioh felt no chill—on the contrary, his blood seemed ready to boil and burn.
"What a harvest… and it can be endlessly applied to the next time!"
——
[Meanwhile, on the other side—in Scalegorge Waterscape.]
[Rakshasa was asking the General how to quell the disasters brought by Abundance. Jing Yuan's reply was perfectly standard: "The Alliance follows the decree of the Reignbow Arbiter—never ceasing to slay demons—for the day when we may eradicate the Pharmacist and restore the proper order of life and death."]
[Rakshasa was not surprised by this answer. Though admirable, such a stance was ultimately narrow. In the current cosmos, the Xianzhou were not the only force wishing to kill the Pharmacist—but truly eliminating Abundance was absurd, almost laughable.]
[To completely sever the Pharmacist's curse would require seeking another method from the root.]
["Your master received heavenly revelation, returned from mara-struck madness, and has traveled through myriad realms. She has already found a way to untie this deadly knot…"]
["I'm listening." Jing Yuan stared at him coldly.]
[Rakshasa gave a slight smile and timely cut off his words: "My apologies, General. It seems the next move… must be played on the board of the Void Tomb."]
["As I expected—surrendering and confessing was merely a means." Jing Yuan was not surprised. "Using a Ten-Lords decree to enter the Void Tomb, to face the Seven Arbiter-Generals or even the Marshal… that is your true objective."]
["—And the thing inside that coffin was prepared precisely for this, wasn't it."]
[Even though Jing Yuan had hit the mark exactly, Rakshasa remained calm and unhurried as he smiled: "General, you yourself said just now—this matter is beyond both you and me. Alliance law is thus; it cannot be changed."]
[This time, even Jing Yuan could not help but praise the meticulous thoroughness of Rakshasa's plan—he had already laid groundwork reaching all the way to the Alliance.]
["You've really changed, Jing Yuan."]
[As he spoke, a low voice suddenly came from outside Scalegorge Waterscape.]
[Blade slowly emerged from beyond the Dragonvista Rain Hall. After a glance at the blond man beside him, his gaze settled steadily on Jing Yuan. "The you of today actually admits to being outplayed."]
——
Honkai Impact 3rd.
The laboratory lights remained bright even at midnight. Tesla stared up at Rakshasa's confident expression, her fingers tapping restlessly on the armrest of her chair.
"Killing Abundance at the root… is something like that really possible?"
Welt was silent for a moment before speaking softly: "Aeons often represent certain concepts within the universe… Perhaps he doesn't need to truly kill Abundance at all."
"Hah? What do you mean?"
"Aeons dying—what kind of impact that would have on the Path of [Abundance], or even on Pathstriders who walk it, remains unknown." Welt pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "My guess is: what Rakshasa wants is not Abundance's death, but some… far deeper change."
"For example… replacement."
Tesla was stunned for a moment, then narrowed her eyes.
"You mean this guy might be trying to use the Xianzhou Alliance's act of 'god-slaying' itself? Then replace the Pharmacist to become the new Abundance Aeon?" Tesla shook her head in disbelief. "Your speculation is way too far-fetched…"
"But Herta has already stated that some Aeons originated as humans, right?"
Welt rephrased the question: "Then what do you think the Pharmacist's origin was? In the "Thousand-Hand Merciful Pharmacist Salvation Scripture", there are records of dialogues between the Pharmacist and the Emanator Impermanence—personalized speech… Though it's possible the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus fabricated it, you also cannot prove that Their origin was not human, can you?"
"Mm…"
Tesla lowered her head in thought for a moment but could not answer. Yet she raised a new question: "Then why is he doing all this?"
"Considering he is Otto's parallel counterpart, we cannot rule out the possibility that his world had a 'Kallen.' If his obsession is reviving Kallen, he is probably trying to use an Aeon's power to achieve that goal."