Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

The priestess looked at the boy expressionlessly, her tone calm and collected.

Actually, it shouldn't be like this. Yae Sakura should be even more agitated, more manic, and more hysterical, just like when she drew her sword and held Sakura Fubuki to her father's neck. Yae Sakura's current state is very unstable, and even her excellent self-control cannot hide this fact.

But the moment the cross touched her palm, something warm entered her, abruptly calming and soothing the priestess's heart.

Even so, her eyes were like a dead, still sea, containing nothingness that enveloped everything.

It is an emptiness that even warmth cannot fill.

The priestess slowly said:

"Because... I'm tired."

"I want to die."

"Right now, all I need to do is rescue Rin and then I can disappear after satisfying myself in the reflection of history."

“For me, things outside this illusory world are not important. I was never a great person. I am not a selfless saint like Karen. I am just an unqualified witch from a rural mountain village. All I have done in the past five hundred years is to atone for the sins of one person and myself.”

"Now that I want to die, why should I care what happens to the world? The person standing in front of you is just that kind of guy, so if you don't want to die, you'd better run away quickly."

Su Qing'an was stunned. His first reaction was that Yae Sakura said something that was not at all like what Yae Sakura would say. How could Yae Sakura ignore Theresa, who was so similar to Kallen?

Why would Yae Sakura say something like, "What does this world have to do with me?"

Even if she really can't do it, she shouldn't have this attitude.

But then he thought, what makes him think he knows Yae Sakura so well?

Based solely on fragments of information from the game and some events from historical documents?

That was just his subconscious arrogance and self-righteousness, and besides, Yae Sakura is no longer normal.

To Yae Sakura, she and Theresa were nothing more than strangers, and this cross was the greatest kindness she could offer.

Her current stance is to avoid involving innocent people as much as possible, and whatever the outcome may be, it has nothing to do with her.

Su Qing'an casually handed the cross back, as if he were handing over not a treasure that could save him from death, but just an ordinary cross.

The shrine maiden took it blankly, and the boy's words reached her ears.

"Please accept this, Miss Yae. I promised her I would give it to you; it's a promise."

"And agreements must be kept regardless of the reason."

Su Qing'an spoke earnestly and rigidly, and continued:

"I won't leave. If Higokumaru takes over the headmaster's body, I will die in the outside world too. It would be stupid to just leave like that."

"Moreover, my purpose in coming here is to rescue the headmistress. I don't want to give up halfway, nor do I want to have any regrets."

"Therefore, I respect Ms. Yae's decision and feelings, but I also hope that Ms. Yae can understand my choice."

After saying that, Su Qing'an turned and left.

He understood that if he didn't follow the witch's instructions, his survival might be virtually impossible, but if his brief survival meant sacrificing Theresa's life, he would rather stubbornly stay there.

Moreover, no one could understand what Hishiko, the Herrscher of Corruption, would do in that peaceful and tranquil academy after completely taking over Theresa's body.

Even if it's just to prevent St. Freya Academy from becoming a dead place, Su Qing'an absolutely cannot just leave like this.

There, he had important friends and relatives.

Yae Sakura stared blankly at the boy's retreating figure, enveloped in a black and red mist.

The omnipresent demon suddenly hovered beside the witch, whispering in her ear:

"What an idiot, isn't he?"

The priestess was not surprised; she responded as if it were commonplace:

"Yes, Hishigomaru..."

"Do you think someone like him could change the outcome?"

The mist trembled unhappily, and the devil replied irritably:

"How could that be, you stupid shrine maiden."

Yae Sakura gazed at the clear moonlight spilling across the courtyard like mercury and smiled:

"Perhaps."

Standing behind a pillar not far away, the white-haired girl sat on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest, a smile of unspoken emotion on her delicate and youthful face.

She murmured:

"Su Qing'an, Su Qing'an... I don't know what to say to you anymore. Should I be glad that I heard everything?"

"After all, it would be a shame if no one saw such a handsome side of him."

"Hmph. I'll admit it, even though I act like an idiot, I don't hate doing it this way."

Moreover, Theresa might understand a little about why Sato Yuno was able to awaken her self-awareness.

You see, if it's someone like Su Qing'an, it's not surprising that Sato Yuno would work incredibly hard.

Because Su Qing'an had already risked his life for her, she naturally didn't want to disappoint him when it came to her.

The current Theresa is the same; she doesn't want to disappoint Su Qing'an.

Even though she knew the other person wouldn't feel that way, the girl didn't want to disappoint the student's expectations.

"Sacred Mark Space, Reincarnation, Battle, Death..."

Theresa muttered these fragmented pieces of information, the smile on her lips fading, and the azure color in her eyes growing even deeper.

Unlike Su Qing'an's naive idea, Theresa never thought she could get out. A perfect ending was too dreamy. In her mind, being able to perish together with Hiyomaru, send Su Qing'an back, and save St. Freya Academy would be a good enough ending.

She was no longer young; she had witnessed much of the world's beauty and ugliness. In Theresa's eyes, the beautiful things were so numerous that they were on par with the unpleasant ugliness.

But what about Su Qing'an? His parents died because of his destiny's work, and after two near-death experiences in Changkong City, he only had less than ten years left to live. For this young man, daily cultivation and the torment of the Holy Mark were commonplace.

Su Qing'an is too easily satisfied; he is the kind of person who can withstand the malice of a thousand armies as long as there is a glimmer of hope left.

And that's why.

"I absolutely cannot let you die here, my dear student."

The girl murmured softly, clutching the cross to her chest, a holy smile on her face.

67. Cherry blossoms, a story.

This is the second day I've been in Yae Village.

Su Qing'an, Theresa, and Yae Rin were not in the village at the moment, but in a cherry blossom grove.

This was Yae Sakura's request, and Su Qing'an did not know where the shrine maiden was at the time. He had no right to restrict her freedom. Upon making this judgment, Su Qing'an took on this task that was of special significance to the shrine maiden.

That is, to bring Yae Rin to see the cherry blossoms.

They sat on a large tablecloth, with a basket containing lunch prepared by Yae Sakura.

Inside were enormous rice balls, four or five times larger than normal ones. Rin, unfazed, picked up a rice ball with her small hands and began to eat. Her eyes reflected the falling pink and white petals, making the light within them even brighter.

The little girl was clearly very happy at that moment.

Su Qing'an couldn't help but ask:

"Does Rin really like cherry blossoms?"

Rin quickly swallowed the rice ball in her mouth, nodded her little head, and said:

"Yes, the cherry blossoms are beautiful."

"It's a bit of a shame that my sister didn't have time to watch it together, but she has the responsibilities of a shrine maiden, so there's nothing we can do about it."

"If it weren't for my older brother and sister Theresa being willing to stay with me, I probably wouldn't have seen it for a very, very long time."

"So I'm very grateful to you."

It was just a small favor.

Su Qing'an swallowed back the words that were about to come out. For him, this might be a simple matter, but for the little girl, it was far from easy. In a village that lacked the ability to fight against monsters, going out was a luxury.

This was especially true for Yae Rin's physical condition. Su Qing'an had been carrying the little girl all the way, so when they encountered monsters, he would just use his [Aura] to intimidate them and then leave without finishing them off.

So Su Qing'an said this:

"Yes, I accept Rin's thanks."

"In return, Rin, could you tell me why you like cherry blossoms so much? Is it simply because they're beautiful?"

Yae Rin glanced shyly at the boy's face and said:

"Hmm. Is this how you repay someone? But it's a little embarrassing to say it out loud."

"But actually it's not a big deal. It's just that my older sister's name is Sakura, so after I learned that Sakura means cherry blossom, I really like cherry blossoms."

Is it because your older sister's name is Sakura that you like cherry blossoms?

Su Qing'an suddenly felt like laughing. He thought it was the same with Shen Yuanxi, who had said something similar to him earnestly.

Because my dad likes Oda Nobunaga, I also like Oda Nobunaga.

The reasons were impeccable, and the words were so naive yet straightforward; perhaps only people like them could utter such words.

Su Qing'an said earnestly:

"Oh, that's a great reason."

Upon hearing this, Yae Rin smiled happily, and her adorable expression made Theresa unable to resist patting her head.

Yae Rin and Yae Sakura actually look very similar, and they would look even more alike if they were closer in age. So Theresa feels like she is petting a young Yae Sakura, and she has a strange feeling in her heart.

That might be what pleasure is.

Su Qing'an suddenly said:

"Rin, let me tell you a story, do you want to hear it?"

Yae Rin nodded in agreement. She leaned against Theresa's chest, squinting her eyes as if she were a little sleepy, but her face still showed an expectant look.

So the boy said:

"That is a story that is five hundred years old. The story takes place in a remote mountain village where the villagers have a long-standing custom of worshipping the gods. They regard a lifelike doll as the embodiment of the gods."