"Of course it's because I'm worried about you. Master is concerned for you." Fu Hua's cold voice came from above, as if she were only talking about the smallest possible matter.
"Concerned? I don't understand anything! Master, what are you saying?" Why? Fu Hua claimed that using Taixu Sword God on him was concern? Even saying it was deep hatred wouldn't be an exaggeration!
"Don't worry, Taixu Sword God won't kill your spirit. It will only put you into a long slumber.
After saying that, Fu Hua seemed to feel she hadn't explained clearly enough and continued.
"Earlier when Otto came to find me, he didn't only talk about having me monitor the Second Herrscher's original body. He also said that you want to participate in the Third Honkai Impact… so I firmly disagree."
"With your current strength, you still cannot defeat a Herrscher. I… have already lost one disciple because of the Second Herrscher. I cannot repeat the same mistake."
"Therefore, I cannot let you run wild in Nagazora City. Next, I will put your consciousness into deep sleep. Only after we have defeated Honkai will I release you."
"Don't worry… Seele will take care of you here."
So this was the origin of the so-called "concern"? Because of Sirin, Fu Hua, who had lost Cheng Lingshuang, could not bear to lose another disciple to Honkai?
If that was the case, then without a doubt, Fu Hua's claim that she was doing this out of concern for him was indisputable.
But… if that was how it was, then what was this?! What did this treat his efforts and resolve as?!
If he only wanted to live in safety… then he could have simply found a place without any major Honkai outbreaks, lived a peaceful life, and ignored the world. But if he did that,
what right would he have to call himself the Captain?!
"Turn this imperfect story into the one we hoped for." That was Shun's ideal as the former Captain of the Hyperion!
He didn't want Himeko to burn herself out for Kiana; he didn't want Kiana to wander alone and lost in the skies of Nagazora…
If he couldn't change these tragedies, then what meaning was there in him coming to this world?
The fool no one understood, walking alone in Imaginary Space; the last paradise of the Previous Era clearing the final obstacle for the Current Era to reach the End…
Could he really do nothing about any of this? Could fate truly not be changed even a little?
No. At the very least, he had already changed the fates of two… or perhaps three people…
Under the heavy pressure, Shun lifted his head and gazed at the two "suns" in the sky. He said calmly,
"Master, tell me, why do birds fly?"
Fu Hua was momentarily stunned. She clearly hadn't expected Shun to ask this question at such a moment.
"Because they must fly into the sky." Before Fu Hua could answer, Shun spoke first.
"Master, if you picked up an injured bird, what would you do?" Shun continued to ask.
After a while, Fu Hua's voice came. "I think I would put it in a cage and help it recover from its injuries."
"And after that? Would you release it back into nature or keep it in the cage?"
"Although that bird might be very weak, perhaps not even fully fledged, and might die in some corner… but… it did not break out of its shell just to live inside a cage."
Gradually, Shun adapted to the double pressure and stood up. "Birds are born to belong to the sky."
"That's impossible, because you have never seen a bird that fell to its death." Fu Hua calmly refuted Shun.
"If in this world, some fledglings can never fly their entire lives, then how can we assert that the sky is their final destination?"
"Because of 'hope' they 'fly'; because of 'disappointment' they 'fall.'" Shun and Fu Hua each had their own reasons. This was a clash of ideals.
"Then defeat me, make me step aside, and prove that you can fly into the sky!" Fu Hua stopped arguing. The Blazing Feather Mystic Spirit and Taixu Sword God hovering in the air began to change once more.
The two powerful attacks gradually merged together and descended toward Shun.
Golden-red light ignited the entire world. Shun knew this strike could not be resisted.
In that instant, the whole world seemed to be pressed on pause by an invisible hand. Time froze, everything stopped. All sound, movement, and thought came to an abrupt halt, leaving only a heart-palpitating silence. The past events flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern, one scene after another.
Those scenes joyful, sorrowful, exciting, or ordinary were all precious fragments of life's journey. They intertwined to form a magnificent yet vicissitudinous painting.
When a story ends, people often think of its beginning… just like now.
It had been an ordinary day, but a young man simply opened the game he had just painstakingly downloaded Honkai Impact 3rd.
She descended from the sky wearing special combat attire, her silver braids fluttering in the wind, dyed with the afterglow of the evening sunset.
The roar of the battleship masked his suddenly accelerating heartbeat. In his mind echoed only her energetic words.
"Kiana, attack!"
And thus began an unforgettable story.
"Because I promised you all that I would turn this world into the one we hoped for. Before crossing over, I broke my promise, but this time… I absolutely will not!"
Taixu Sword Qi when the state of mind merges with the lake, it becomes still water; when the heart lake freezes, it becomes dustless; when the heart ice is clear, it becomes a mirror; when the heart energy is formless, it becomes Taixu.
At this moment, the Taixu Realm had been achieved. The only thing that could withstand Taixu Sword God was Taixu Sword God itself.
In this moment, Shun seemed to hear Fu Hua's teaching voice in his ear.
"The divine is the ultimate of change. Without a sword there is still a sword; by transforming the spirit into a sword, sword qi forms naturally, thus attaining divine essence. The divine is the ultimate of change, the wondrous words for the myriad things, something that cannot be confined by form."
"Taixu Sword Qi · Divine Charm!" With a thunderous shout from Shun, his voice seemed capable of piercing the clouds and shaking heaven and earth. In an instant, a brilliant purple triangular pattern, like a mysterious rune, quietly appeared between his brows. The pattern radiated a strange and powerful aura, as if containing endless power and secrets.
As time passed, the purple triangular pattern began to slowly enlarge at a visible speed. Every subtle change caused violent fluctuations in the surrounding air, as if the entire space had become unstable because of its existence. In the end, the pattern transformed into an enormous magic array, shining with dazzling light and enveloping Shun within it.
At the same time, the ground suddenly shook violently. Immediately after, a purple-gold giant sword burst forth from Shun's body, surging into the sky with unparalleled might. Ancient and intricate runes were engraved on the blade, continuously shining with mysterious light.
At that moment, Fu Hua unleashed her strongest strike. A supremely radiant light streaked across the sky like a meteor, heading straight for Shun and the purple-gold giant sword he had summoned. The strike contained terrifying energy capable of destroying the world, seemingly intent on shattering everything.
"Crack." A crisp shattering sound rang out. The illusion realm formed by Fenghuang Down could no longer withstand the attack of a true Sword God. It disintegrated like a mirror smashed by a stone.
And the powerful combined attack Fu Hua had launched formed by the Blazing Feather Mystic Spirit and Taixu Sword God vanished like a dream bubble in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed from the very beginning.
In stark contrast, the purple-gold giant sword in Shun's hand shot toward the firmament like a bolt of lightning tearing through the sky, carrying unparalleled might and power.
Shun was momentarily stunned. He looked around and saw Fu Hua, still in her plain clothes, standing not far away, waving at him.