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

The light, following Theresa's will, flowed continuously into the spear.

And in the very next moment, as fleeting as a dream.

All the light that had been hidden within the spear burst forth.

The blinding beam of light overwhelmed the crimson in Higokumaru's eyes, and the golden light, like an ocean, crushed its consciousness.

The chains covering the fox demon's surface crumbled all at once, and as light burst forth, the chains could no longer restrain the ferocious beast.

But it was too late.

The massive cross-shaped sword pierced through the fox demon's beastly head, its brain completely severed and poured into it, the tip of the sword embedding itself into the earth, and the fox demon's blood flowed silently and in large quantities into the crack...

The unruly fox spirit was thus brought to its knees by the girl.

Theresa looked at the fox spirit in front of her, which appeared to be a corpse, and murmured to herself:

"Was it successful?"

As the cross-shaped light sword was formed and released, the power within his body gradually receded like the tide after it had risen.

Power is inevitably and madly slipping away.

This is the result of unleashing a large amount of Honkai energy in one go.

Theresa had considered this possibility, but failing to capitalize on the opportunity she had already seized would have been the most foolish thing to do.

In hindsight, the girl made the right bet.

Even as her power began to wane, she had achieved her initial goal.

The cross-shaped lightsaber that illuminated the night shattered into scattered feathers of light, creating a scene of exceptional beauty on the land where flames and black smoke intertwined.

The sudden loss of most of her strength and physical condition made the girl uncomfortable with the lingering high temperature around her. Fortunately, the gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness, which made her feel less uncomfortable.

"...It's not over yet."

The girl muttered these words as she laboriously pulled out the spear. She had to cut open the fox demon's belly to see if the witch was still alive.

Based on the voice that sounded like Rin's, Theresa felt that Yae Sakura was very likely to survive, and therefore this action was worth trying.

Of course, even without that voice, she would still do everything in her power to ensure the other person's survival, no matter how small.

The size and style of the spear were changed again, a compromise made to accommodate the weakened body.

As long as it doesn't affect the sharpness, the size of the spear doesn't prevent her from cutting open a corpse.

Theresa stepped across the stream of blood, her steps slightly unsteady. Blood soaked her skirt and dripped down, creating ripples in the pool of blood.

Clearly, the fact that her strength was rapidly diminishing every second was affecting her actions.

The girl tried to feel her body weakening, then suddenly smiled. Looking at the desolate scene before her, she sighed:

“Su Qing’an, Himeko, and Sara, I think I can understand your feelings about having your lives drained by artificial stigmata.”

"You've been suffering like this regularly, yet you show no signs of it. It's one thing for Sara and Himeko, but Su Qing'an, where did you get that stubbornness?"

Ultimately, people cannot truly empathize with each other. In fact, the side effects of using artificial stigmata are far more painful than what Theresa suffered, and this is especially true in the later stages of the story.

The pain Su Qing'an suffered from using the artificial holy mark was abnormally intense, which was not in line with the norm. Such a level of pain should actually be felt only in the late stages of the game, but he experienced it on his very first try.

However, because Su Qing'an's personality and pain sensitivity are easily overlooked, neither he nor others knew about this matter.

Theresa finally reached the abdomen of the Hiyokumaru. It was only a dozen meters away, but the girl broke out in a cold sweat. The loss of physical strength and the persistent high temperature were the key factors.

Yes, the temperature hasn't dropped yet.

Logically speaking, this is abnormal. The flames around us have already gone out, and the flames in the distant mountains and forests should not affect the temperature here.

However, Theresa, whose physical senses were not as sensitive as before and whose attention had been scattered due to the loss of strength, failed to notice this.

Before the girl could swing her spear again, a sudden burst of fire engulfed her vision...

75. An overwhelming battle.

In that one in ten thousand instant.

Theresa's competent warrior spirit saved her; she didn't panic or waste time thinking about why the other person was alive.

The oath of Judah once again withstood the attack.

If it weren't for the Soul Steel chains still remaining on the ground, Theresa would have had a hard time escaping this fate.

But the lingering shock did not dispel the fear in her chest, and the girl forced herself to calm down.

We must keep our distance.

My current physical condition is constantly approaching that of an ordinary person, and an ordinary person's physical condition would be difficult to maintain in the current high temperatures.

When Theresa chose to retreat swiftly and put it into action, Hishimaru's state completely changed.

Crimson flames enveloped its shell, their vibrant colors obscuring the view inside.

Not good.

My intuition is warning me.

Unable to endure this hopeless situation any longer, the girl conjured multiple spears of light and thrust them towards the enormous flame.

However, the extreme temperature was a natural barrier, and the high temperature easily melted the light spear, whose color was much dimmer than before.

Theresa watched this scene silently, realizing that the situation was heading in an irreversible direction.

Just as she had concluded, when her strength began to wane while her opponent was still alive, her chances of winning became infinitely slim.

The scene before them changed in just a few breaths. The fire that had been flowing out like a river was now being completely absorbed by a whirlpool.

The girl saw the source.

That was the gaping maw of a demon fox.

The flames that had obscured the view dissipated, and Higokumaru reappeared in this world in a completely new form.

The fox's once pure white fur was no longer pure; its four lower limbs were replaced by a dark crimson, and the area around its eyes was also stained with the same color.

The crimson outlines a strange pattern adorning its brow, adding a touch of eeriness.

In that instant, it truly died once.

Even within the Stigmata Space, which was its main arena, that death was undeniably real.

If it weren't for Yae Sakura, Higokumaru would have truly died.

Its current posture and fully recovered injuries are the result of absorbing some of Yae Sakura's power.

If the ratio of the two in the Stigmata Space was previously seven to three, it is now eight to two.

As time goes on, this number will get closer and closer to 10 to 0.

At that time, Yae Sakura's soul will be completely annihilated.

The defeat of the Holy Mark Space will become inevitable.

Theresa didn't understand the specific reasons and circumstances, but there was one thing she did understand.

That is, without defeating the opponent, there is absolutely no way to achieve one's goal.

So even if the chances are slim, the girl will not give up the struggle.

This was no longer just a matter of her own life and death; standing behind this nun were the St. Freya Academy, which she had always loved, and those lovely students.

Therefore, she had to push herself beyond her limits.

Here, she exerted all her wisdom, strength, will, and everything that Theresa Apocalypse had gained in her more than forty years of life.

She cannot lose.

Beneath the crescent moon hanging high in the sky.

The enormous fox spirit and the young girl stared at each other.

Theresa gripped her spear, staring into the fox demon's icy red eyes filled with murderous intent, and said:

"Although I don't know how you were resurrected, if I can kill you once, I will do it again."

"Be prepared, monster."

The fox spirit lowered its head, and the breeze it stirred with each breath brushed against the nun's white hair.

Looking into the nun's resolute gaze, Hiyomaru whispered:

"Remember my name, the nameless nun."

"My name is Higokumaru."

"Your life ends here."

The nun smiled and gave the same brief reply:

Theresa Apocalypse.

Without further ado, the battle resumed.

The fox spirit has become stronger than before, while Theresa has become the opposite.

Under these circumstances, the gap between the two sides widened again, and the battle became almost one-sided.

To be precise, Theresa was simply on the run.

The fox spirit's initial move made it difficult for the girl to deal with.

[Heavenly Fire Barrier]

Dense Honkai energy filled the entire shrine grounds, transforming into terrifying heat, and the air was distorted into a bizarre and fantastical illusion.

Humans cannot breathe normally in such a space; their skin would be burned instantly.

If Theresa hadn't quickly identified a solution, she wouldn't be qualified to fight Higokumaru now.

The soul steel inside Judah was sculpted into extremely fine and soft chains that wrapped around the girl's body in circles. It was an extremely disheveled and ugly sight, but it made good use of Judah's properties to resist the high temperature generated by Honkai energy.

Even so, in order not to affect the battle, the joints and eyes could not be protected by chains.

Therefore, the only option is to retreat, and keep retreating.

Theresa could barely survive the drop in temperature only when she retreated almost to the steps of the shrine.