Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

Hopeless.

The Great Collapse is an extremely destructive existence, and the authority called Emptiness is almost a cheat code, not to mention the enhanced version of the Herrscher.

All Jiang Cheng could do was lower his head and pray that no one he cared about would die in this enhanced version of the Great Collapse.

Please, please don't let your life end like this, or let this simulation end like this.

……

[It descended upon the Firemoth's main base with utter abruptness and without any warning, easily destroying this precious jewel of the world.]

[The skyscraper was destroyed in an instant, but thanks to the ingenious structure of the building, you weren't immediately submerged. Instead, you had the opportunity to trigger an emergency warning and were enveloped in protective measures designed and built by Velvey.]

Unfortunately, it seems you're the only one with such good luck.

[Perhaps due to the girl's favoritism, she found your usual spot and spent a significant amount of time making additional safety modifications to it.]

[The last second you're in sight, the last second you can still maintain your visual presence.]

[You see the councilors who used to argue with you, crushed into dark red blobs by falling bricks because they failed to activate protective measures in time.]

[Mebius, because of his close proximity to you, was able to maneuver more easily and thus received a higher level of security.]

You survived.

Only you and Möbius survived.

Perhaps it's because this protective measure uses unimaginably expensive materials and employs technology so sophisticated it's practically beyond our comprehension.

[Or perhaps you were simply lucky, and your location was on the edge of the Honkai impact zone, preventing you from being finished off by the Honkai immediately.]

You did survive.

However, this survival cannot last for very long.

This kind of temporary crisis can only guarantee you a short-term chance of survival.

[In other circumstances, those rescue measures would provide enough time for the rescue team to get you out, even at the slowest pace.]

This is the Honkai Impact.

This is a massive collapse.

[A massive collapse capable of destroying a city in an instant.]

[Enough to turn a once glorious city into a wasteland where even a dog couldn't set foot.]

[Let alone rescue teams, if it weren't for the importance of this place, rescue efforts here would likely have been dragged out for years, or even completely abandoned.]

Even though this place is important, we need to conduct rapid rescue operations in the area affected by the Great Collapse.

[With current human technology, this is completely a pipe dream.]

Don't you feel like you'd be better off being killed immediately? At least you wouldn't feel pain, instead of waiting here to faint and die.

I wonder what will happen to Vilvie?

You have no energy left to think about anything else; in this state, only the girl who has always been by your side remains in your heart.

[She was staying in the Spiral Workshop, where the defenses were more comprehensive, allowing her to hold out for longer.]

The chances of survival are definitely higher than yours.

The saying "every day's peaceful life is a series of miracles" is indeed true. Even the so-called Firemoth base, under the threat of collapse, is as fragile and insignificant as a tower built of sand.

A happy and peaceful life can be easily shattered at any time by anything.

[You clearly still want to continue living with Velvi.]

[You two have only spent a very short time together.]

[This girl, who still can't fully face herself, would probably immediately fall into an abyss of self-doubt if she lost your support.]

【…】

I bet I will.

You can feel your body gradually weakening. Even if you withstand the physical attack, the radiation from the Honkai energy is still deadly.

You feel as if you've lost all feeling in your feet, and they might be completely dead.

You can't imagine life without being able to stand, but it doesn't really matter. After all, you can't even save your own life, let alone your limbs.

Rather than dwelling on these unchangeable facts, there are more important things you need to pay attention to now.

It doesn't matter how bad life gets in the future.

It doesn't matter what a terrible price we have to pay.

You must struggle as much as possible, live as long as you can, and even if all hope is lost, try to leave a last message for Virvie.

Perhaps nothing can stop the girl's mental breakdown; the pain of her beautiful life shattering once again is unbearable.

You too must do everything in your power to fulfill the promise you once made to that girl.

—To be together forever in this life.

[The bones cracked, the adrenaline rush subsided, and then the pain reignited in my nerves, spreading to every corner of my body.]

[It's like being slowly sliced ​​through flesh and meridians with a dull knife; even the legendary death by a thousand cuts probably couldn't compare.]

If you had a choice, you'd want to give up hope right now and stop living this torturous, struggling life in the world.

But you just grit your teeth and continue to maintain your sense of self, almost to the point of torture, using methods you learned from Wilvi.

[Just like that, you choose to end it...]

No! Absolutely not! Absolutely not!!

[The one thing I absolutely cannot do is leave Velvet alone in the world.]

Just as you were struggling desperately, searching for something to leave your last words, your eyes were inexplicably stimulated.

—It is light.

[A light that is incredibly cheap and ubiquitous, yet at this moment so precious that nothing but Velvet can compare to it.]

[Then, you realize that the rubble covering your body is gradually disappearing, and long-awaited air is exhaled from your lungs, completing a new cycle.]

The light of hope replaced the boundless darkness, however dim it was, even though it made it impossible to open one's eyes.

—You survived.

Fate has given you another gift.

I'll spare your life for now.

This is already the best possible ending. Even if she might be confined to a wheelchair and rely on prosthetics to barely survive, it's still a million times better than leaving Vilvie alone in this world.

The boy who had escaped from the desperate situation no longer had the ability to organize his thoughts and showcase his literary talent; at this moment, he could only utter one sentence.

"Thank you."

"No...you're welcome."

The unknown girl seemed to be deliberately concealing her appearance.

Even her voice was strangely distorted, as if she was forcibly hiding something, yet a deep sadness could still be heard in that beautiful tone.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and it was estimated that tears had already fallen, splashing small water droplets on the ruins.

……

It must be that someone important to her also perished in this disaster.

No one could have known about this sudden collapse; even those in the rear command center were struck by a blow they shouldn't have received.

Honkai is such a ruthless thing.

Natural disasters such as typhoons, torrential rains, tsunamis, and meteorites.

Yet it is more terrifying, more cruel, and more frequent than these disasters.

Even during the most frequent periods of natural disasters in history, there have never been so many consecutive outbreaks of disasters, large and small, around the world.

"Can I know your name?"

"If you can't, please give me your contact information. I will definitely repay this kindness."

Jiang Cheng tried his best to restore the flow of air in his respiratory system, greedily swallowing the smoky, unhealthy air. What he used to hate even when he got close to it had now become his lifeline.

"please……"

"Don't ask anymore."

The melody is melodious and lingering, like withered flowers, birds flying in the rain, or fairies who have lost their paradise and can only wander outside.

—It looks somewhat familiar.

The memories buried in the past were touched, as if I had returned to the past, when there was only one person in the boy's life with such a perfect voice and tone.

No, it won't.

No matter how outrageous or strange things may be, there's always a possibility, even the person who saved him might be a Herrscher, but this is absolutely impossible.

Alicia is currently traveling around the world, so even if she were a fairy, she couldn't possibly appear here immediately. And that flawless girl couldn't possibly be like the former Velvet, who stalked him all day like a pervert.

It's unclear whether this major collapse will affect her.

Probably not?

If she continued to follow her preferences, she would probably be heading to a remote and harsh place like Twilight Street by now, where she wouldn't be affected by the Herrscher of the Void.

Compared to these distant things.

There are now more pressing issues that require our attention.

The boy gently pressed his forehead, his palms stiff as if being swept away, trying his best to support his almost numb body, and trying to lift his dizzy head to make his voice clearer.

"This lady."

"You saw..."

"—Vellvie?"