Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

……

Ok?

?

?

?

??

Gazing at the shadows cast by the stars and moon beneath the trees, the girl's beautiful face, which had been displaying a perfect expression, suddenly paled. Her voice, which had been full of warmth, uniquely personal, and brimming with love, finally began to falter.

"What……"

"you say……"

"unnecessary?!"

……

That lively and cheerful voice vanished abruptly, and for the first time, the innocent girl revealed a somewhat manic tone, full of emotion and loss of composure.

Why can't even this be done!

Why can't you even do this?

Even the slightest punishment, even the slightest atonement, even just some meaningless comfort to the heart, something to ease the pain in the beating heart, something to stop the blood from churning, isn't enough to make her pay for it?

This level of gentleness.

How could I possibly be qualified?!

……

Tears welled in her eyes, like a sudden downpour from the horizon, mercilessly battering a delicate flower; the girl was almost hysterical.

The shadow remained motionless until a gentle breeze rustled through the treetops, until the long-dead branches parted the space that belonged to the sky, and another ray of starlight descended, illuminating the truth behind the mysterious figure…

--shadow.

A shadow cast by a longbow.

The pink, pure and flawless bow, bathed in starlight, illuminates the night sky, casting a reflection that should never exist.

It is a weapon prepared for God, imbued with aspirations, imbued with divinity, and carrying within it a figure that has almost faded from memory.

The bow that the girl carried, the bow she used to fight the enemy, the bow that shimmered with flying petals, had its false exterior stripped away in the shadows.

It was an ugly and twisted weapon, as if it were made of withered branches, fallen flowers, dead birds, and broken strings.

"..."

It seems the lie has been shattered, and the truth has been forced upon us. The romance and pink of the fairy tale have been stripped away from that shadow, leaving only pure black.

……

……

The shadow reflected the utterly devoid of light.

Even with a pure pink base, the pupils were almost so dim that they resembled darkness.

really……

I still can't deceive myself.

The beating heart, the blood flowing through her veins, the chill every moment, the excruciating pain every moment, the heart-wrenching cries that ripped apart her memories—all these were endless reminders to the innocent young girl…

It's utterly ridiculous.

Extremely foolish.

It is utterly absurd.

……

Extremely realistic.

On that day, she finally came to her senses and decided to bear all her sins, the will of the person she once hated most, and the resolve to take the boy away from Velvet, who had transformed into Icarus.

I accepted myself completely, accepted my imperfections, accepted my meanness and filth, and accepted that... the world is not actually that wonderful.

Just like the climax of any story, the girl resolved to stop hesitating.

Even if it has never accomplished anything, even if it has never solved any problems, even if its only purpose in existence may be to bring disaster and terror.

The girl also resolved to truly pursue her heart.

Anything can be wrong due to the limitations of perspective, but only the answer given by a beating heart is always correct.

It may not be entirely just, and from a broader perspective, it may not be entirely correct.

—It's no longer needed.

A sense of the big picture is no longer necessary.

Since such a resolve has been made, and since there are already girls willing to become Icarus and use everything they have to build a stepping stone, just like the final upgrade of the protagonist team in a fairy tale before they are about to fight the demon king.

Then a happy ending is sure to follow, and the great demon king will surely be defeated.

……

Icy.

Loneliness.

There are only these two words.

There are only these two words.

There was no warmth of a happy ending, no solace of happiness after all that had been experienced, and no anticipation of reuniting with the boy I hadn't seen for so long.

She didn't even mention atonement, nor did she ask for punishment. The girl just stood there blankly, staring at the person in front of her with empty eyes.

Even though the boy is ahead, even though the person I love most is right in front of me.

Even though one could reach out and touch that already cold face, and get a little closer, her long hair would fall and be wet with purple blood, and if one just leaned out, one could gently intertwine with those lips covered in liquid.

Savoring the taste that should have belonged to the youth, now only corroded by Honkai energy.

because……

Jiangcheng is dead.

The person I love most is dead.

She had already embraced everything she possessed, including her enemies, just like in those fairy tales, just like in the bedtime stories her son used to read to her...

The story should now proceed to its original ending.

This is the kind of story that should be told!

This is the real story!

But why.

Her prince will suddenly die!!

……

[The harsh reality you must face.]

No matter how much one wants to deny it, no matter how much one refuses it, no matter how unwilling one is to accept it, according to the logic of fairy tales, this story should never have happened. Even the spirit, overwhelmed by the shock, selectively escapes, selectively forgets this cruel and desperate reality.

—You'll eventually have to face it.

70. Alicia must have gained so much from her trip!

You can't even go mad, because this body has never been truly human, and the soul it carries is not a human soul.

[Escape is a human privilege, a privilege that a monster like you can never catch.]

But why is the world like this?

Why is the world like this?!

In a quiet private room of a coffee shop, Alicia covered her head, forgetting even her chair, and fell to the floor. Her full thighs, covered in white stockings, were helplessly crossed, the soft, sultry flesh touching the cold floor.

Why……

Would the world be like this?

Alicia knew that she alone had no right to say those words.

Because the initial disaster was brought about by their own hands.

This ending shouldn't have happened this way; this ending shouldn't have happened this way.

—Because of me.

But why...

Even Jiangcheng will be implicated.

Why should someone who is just an ordinary person who should be filled with happiness have to endure so much suffering and tragedy that they shouldn't have to suffer?

It's like a third-rate novel.

Good people never live long.

On the contrary, it was the scourge and disaster of the world, the Herrscher, who survived to the end.

even……

The boy was still preparing a birthday present for himself before he died.

even……