I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

"Ah."

"…………"x2

Silence, unusually, returned between the two.

"...Nozomi, why don't we just run away? Let's take Rin with us, we can go anywhere."

"it is good."

"Aren't you going to ask me why I said that?"

"No need."

Xi Wang said this.

"The rest doesn't matter... I have no connection with the Fire Moth, apart from you and Alicia, and Rin and Gretchen... I don't care about anyone else."

"Besides..."

Xi Wang glanced at the dark blue greatsword that she had placed beside her.

"I probably won't be considered a 'human' anymore, so leaving won't be a problem. It's just that I'll likely have to face the attacks of the Fire Moths."

"...Alright, Wang, no need to say any more."

Sakura smiled, gently took his hand, and spoke softly.

"If we leave, and if the Fire Moth comes to attack us, Alicia will definitely come, and then... we'll all be in a difficult situation."

"And you are definitely human... definitely... your problems can definitely be solved, and in the end you will definitely be accepted by people... definitely..."

She muttered to herself, her words clearly meant to comfort Xi Wang, but her expression grew increasingly stiff and her eyes increasingly lifeless, as if she were hypnotizing herself.

"This kind of bell will work... it definitely will..."

Sakura rarely shed tears, and she recounted Ling's story to Xi Wang in fits and starts.

Rin's situation is somewhat similar to Xi Wang's; both were found to possess enormous Honkai energy, and their energy wavelengths are very similar to those of the Herrschers. However, Rin did not exhibit any abilities; she remained the same adorable girl.

In other words... Bell should also be imprisoned.

When Alicia came to tell Sakura about this, Sakura's first reaction was to take Rin away from the Fire Moth, then find Dawn, and the three of them might as well just wander together.

In any case, human civilization has already lost... Me and Mebius's plans were mostly based on "leaving hope for the next generation," and most of the Firemoth's fighting force disappeared due to the [Eleventh Herrscher] incident.

Since two of his close acquaintances had been labeled as "suspected Herrschers," he might as well leave, run away, and it wouldn't matter.

But in the end, Rin stopped her instead.

Ling didn't want to run away... Since she entered the Moth of Fire, she had witnessed far too many tragedies caused by the Honkai, and far too many sacrifices. She also gradually understood what her sister and Xiwang's identities truly represented.

"Sister, I don't want to run away... I don't want you and Brother Wang to be condemned by the entire human civilization because of me... If that happens, you and Brother Wang will suffer a lot."

This is how Rin comforted Sakura.

"Besides, my situation is the same as Brother Wang's, right? If that's the case, I can also be imprisoned and observed like Brother Wang. After all, I haven't shown any signs of hostility towards humans, and I don't even have any special abilities... Maybe I'm a special existence? Sister Mei would probably care a lot about that, right?"

"Maybe then we'll find out why I became like this? Maybe we'll find a new way to fight the Honkai? Maybe then everyone can be like me, surrounded by Honkai energy, yet still just ordinary people?"

"Sister, don't worry, I've grown up now. I know what the Honkai means to us, and I know what I should do... To defeat the Honkai, we have to pay a price, don't we? Besides, I'm just like Brother Wang, being imprisoned, observed, and experimented on. It's nothing."

Rin said this to Sakura with a smile.

"Everyone is persevering, so I can't give up, and I can't run away... I'm a big girl now!"

"So, we will win, we will definitely defeat the Honkai, sister."

Sakura was speechless at Rin's words; her younger sister had unknowingly become more enlightened than her older sister.

But Ling is right, it's not time to give up yet.

Sakura took Rin to Mei's place, and Rin voluntarily accepted imprisonment. In return, Sakura received Mei's promise to "do her best to ensure Rin's safety" and the right to visit Rin regularly.

As for why it was "to the best of one's ability" instead of "to the fullest extent of one's ability," that was at Rin's request.

Because Rin doesn't want to hurt anyone, especially her older sister and Nozomi who always loves her, so... if she is indeed confirmed as a [Herrscher], then she hopes to be defeated.

In order to defeat the Honkai, we must pay a price and make sacrifices, right?

Everything is for the sake of humanity.

But... I'm still a little worried...

"........."

After Ying finished telling this story in fits and starts, she seemed a little tired, leaned against Xi Wang, and slowly fell asleep.

Sakura didn't ask you for anything; she just needed someone to talk to.

She was so nervous, but after saying those words, she felt much more relaxed. Being by Xi Wang's side, she was able to rest for a while, which was rare for her.

Just as Rin said, Sakura also believed that humanity would defeat the Honkai... definitely.

"........."

Xi Wang remained silent, then slightly raised her hand. A small, azure water ball quietly appeared, then slowly dissipated, entering Ying's body with her breath. Soon, Ying's breathing became steady, and her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

At least this time, let her get a good rest.

"...Dr. Mei, you're here, aren't you?"

Xi Wang slightly raised her head and looked at the observation window.

"Please speak, Wang."

Mei's weak voice came through... Fatigue and collapse were constantly tormenting her, but she could not fall here; she had to persevere.

As for her reason for being here, it's quite simple... she came to give Xi Wang a promise, to let him know that although Ling was imprisoned, she was also being protected.

"Rin...it was voluntary, and Sakura agreed, right?"

"Yes."

"Alicia... knows that too, right?"

"Yes."

"...Can you guarantee you won't kill Rin for any reason other than becoming a Herrscher?"

“Of course, after all, Rin is a lovely and well-behaved girl, isn’t she? And since she trusts us so much, we should reciprocate that trust.”

"...Is everything for defeating the Honkai?"

"Everything is for the purpose of defeating the Honkai."

Mei still said the same thing.

It's not time to give up yet... it's not the final moment yet... we must not give up.

"Is everything about defeating the Honkai...?"

Xi Wang pondered these words, somewhat absentmindedly.

…………

………………

In the hazy distance, it seemed as if a horn sounded, and pure white wings fluttered, bringing with them numerous, azure "water" droplets.

In a daze, holy light descended again, and she slowly walked over, carrying a pure white lily. She stopped in front of me and offered me the lily.

【■■■……】

She seemed to be saying something, but I couldn't understand her.

【■■■……】

Seeing that she ignored him, she called out softly again, put away the lily in her hand, slightly opened her pure white wings, and gently hugged his body. The gentle and soft touch seemed to be comforting him.

Chapter Fifty-One: Fading Like Cherry Blossoms

[Because of Rin's request, Rin voluntarily accepted the imprisonment of the Firemoth and agreed to be observed and experimented on... This isn't necessarily a bad thing, after all, the two existing "suspected Herrschers" still possess their own consciousness and haven't gone on a rampage to destroy human civilization. As long as we proceed steadily and study them slowly, we might be able to unravel the mystery of the "Herrscher" phenomenon.]

Regarding the issue of guarding Rin, considering that she does not possess the same level of strength as you, the Fire Moth placed her in a base and planted a large number of nuclear bombs there. Only ordinary personnel were assigned to monitor her. Apart from Sakura, who visited her regularly, and Mei and Mébius, who needed to conduct experiments, all other personnel were required to minimize their contact time with Rin.

[After all, everyone inside the Flame Chaser knows that you "heroes" have a good relationship with Bell, and they're worried that you might release Bell out of momentary weakness... It's really laughable.]

Furthermore, once it is discovered that Rin has become a "Herrscher," the Flame Chaser will immediately activate a nuclear missile, destroying Rin and the entire base.

[There's nothing wrong with this arrangement. After all, Rin isn't like you; she's just an ordinary little girl with no power. Therefore, there's no need to specifically arrange for "fusion warriors" to monitor her, nor is there any need to specially modify the entire "Deepest Place" to imprison her.]

But... that's where the problem lies.

In such an extremely high-pressure environment, even people with strong wills would find it difficult to endure, let alone ordinary people.

At first, things were fine. The guards at the Moth of Flames were relatively friendly to Rin. After all, they had seen this cute little girl before. Although they weren't exactly familiar with her, they knew that Rin was Sakura's sister. Therefore, there were no problems during the initial period of her imprisonment. In fact, when Sakura came to visit Rin, they even gave her a warm welcome.

But... as time went on, fear and loneliness began to spread, and the torment of the soul began to manifest.

The Eighth Herrscher weakened humanity's spirit, the Ninth Herrscher shattered human industry, the Tenth Herrscher disrupted society and sowed seeds of doubt in everyone's hearts, and finally... the Eleventh Herrscher completely extinguished humanity's hope.

[Thoughts like, "What will this child ultimately bring us? Will he kill us all? Will he destroy the last city we live in? Or..." kept surfacing in my mind.]

[Tense and fear gripped them; the already meager care was slowly crushed by suspicion.]

[What to do? How can this outcome be avoided? — That's what they were thinking.]

[We cannot give up, we absolutely cannot give up hope of fighting the Honkai... We must stop the Herrschers from destroying our last remaining space for survival... What should we do? What should we do?]

[That's right, let's kill her before she becomes a "Herrscher"! We can't let her become a "Herrscher"! That would kill us all! Let's deal with the "Herrscher" before she becomes that powerful, kill her before she has that kind of strength! That way we can preserve our last chance to survive! Yes, that's it!]

[This is all for humanity! To fight the Honkai! To defeat the Honkai! That's right!]

The guards' thoughts became increasingly strange and extreme. Unconsciously, the resentment that had been accumulating in their hearts gradually surged up, whether it was towards the world, the collapse, or the increasingly difficult life. Too many complaints and hatreds were ignited at this moment.

[...but they firmly believe that all of this is for humanity, for the fight against the Honkai.]

After all... killing "Herrschers," isn't that what the Flame-Chasing Moths have always been doing?

So, when Sakura came to visit Rin again, she found the entire base eerily silent, as if everyone there had vanished.

She immediately realized what was happening and rushed to where Ling was being held, but what she finally saw... was only Ling's corpse.

Sakura knelt down on the ground, looking somewhat weak and dazed.

The mangled corpse, with marks on Rin's wrists and ankles indicating she had struggled violently, and scattered tools suggesting the methods used by the perpetrator... Rin wasn't killed outright, but rather died from exhaustion and blood loss after being tortured.