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

Almost everyone present possessed extremely high Honkai energy resistance, so this had no effect on the four of them. However, for Himeko Murata, who needed to have artificial stigmata implanted in order to fight as a Valkyrie, the environment here was already extremely harsh.

That's why Kiana was so anxious when she realized this instantly. No matter how strange the situation was for Himeko Murata, who was in the center of the storm, the environment alone made her feel that it was dangerous enough.

Bronya and Raiden Mei understood this perfectly well. The former's emotional fluctuations had been almost completely erased by an accident, while the latter had experienced some hardships and was more mature and calm, which allowed them to suppress their many inner thoughts and have a conversation.

Bronya said:

"Sister Nai's judgment and caution were correct choices. There is something wrong with that Xuanyuan Sword."

"Bronya felt that even if Yuna had overdrawn her powers, she still couldn't pull out the Xuanyuan Sword. It was as if it had a mind of its own and needed someone to touch it before it would reveal its true nature."

Bronya tapped the communication headset on her ear and said:

"The Honkai energy didn't affect the headphone signal, but there was no sound from Himeko-sensei inside the storm, which is very abnormal."

She then connected the entire team's headset and said:

"You idiot Kiana, can't you even talk?"

A girl's voice, distorted by lust, came from the other end:

"Barely...okay."

Bronya nodded and said:

"Hold on tight to Yuno-nee's hand, and don't let go, even if it kills you."

Kiana wasn't angry; she responded matter-of-factly:

"I would have done it even without you telling me, you little brat."

Bronya continued:

"Do you all think this mission is more important, or is Teacher Himeko more important?"

The girl's question hit the nail on the head. Given that the Xuanyuan Sword was clearly faulty, it was already very difficult to ensure that Himeko was safe and obtain the sword at the same time.

Having everything would be the ideal approach, but in order to avoid having time to think later on, they must prioritize their choices now.

Raiden Mei gave her answer:

"If Himeko-sensei were to answer this question, I think the answer would be self-evident, Bronya."

Kiana said seriously:

"If the mission fails, I'll just be a B-rank Valkyrie for life, what's the big deal! But without Aunt Himeko, life will definitely be boring."

Sato Yuno, who had been silent all along, said calmly:

"Everyone, I will cut through this storm."

"The task of rescuing Teacher Himeko is entrusted to you."

Wait for the storm to end?

This is the stupidest and worst possible strategy. It's like when you can kill a level boss early, but you keep waiting for him to enter the first, second, or final stage before choosing to fight him.

Yuno Sato didn't know what was happening inside, but if it was because they had to wait for the storm to end that some things became irreversible, the girl would never forgive herself for the rest of her life.

What are the limits of power?

Yes, such a thing exists.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that Sato Yuno had already reached her limit when she trapped those two Emperor-level Honkai Beasts.

But there are some things in life that you have to do.

Therefore, whether she has to perform a kneeling kowtow for her daughter like that man, fawn over him like a clown struggling to make a living, or charge into battle like a samurai seeking fame and fortune, Sato Yuno must cut through the storm here.

If she can't do it, she might as well die.

Sato Yuno made up her mind, suppressing her instinctive fear of being controlled by the broken consciousness, and thus shattered her limits.

157. You can, but you are not a pseudo-lawgiver.

Yuno Sato is not human.

At least from a physiological point of view, she no longer meets the standards of a normal human being.

What determines the limits of power?

Physical fitness and willpower are the two most important factors.

But compared to physical ability, willpower is the key.

Yuno Sato cannot exceed her physical limits because that is a given fact, an objective condition.

But willpower is different, as long as one is willing to take certain risks and be prepared to die.

The girl then had the right to wield power and authority once again.

After saying all that... isn't it just about risking your life?!

The pseudo-Herrscher core spun violently, and the Honkai energy continuously drawn from the void was endlessly condensed under the will of Sato Yuno.

The Honkai energy within the core is virtually inexhaustible. Even if a storm of Honkai energy were gathered together, its total amount would inevitably fall short of the limit of the pseudo-Herrscher core.

To put it bluntly, the level of a Judgment-class Honkai Beast is not necessarily higher than that of a Herrscher of Mimicry.

There are countless examples of different individual differences and different levels of determination.

Besides, what she was facing was just a scuffle that barely touched the other party's breath. If Sato Yuno were in her prime, she wouldn't need to exert so much effort to resolve this storm.

But now she has to carefully calculate every bit of her resources.

To quell the storm, the key is not to gather a larger amount of Honkai energy, but to control and shape it.

The girl didn't plan to use her powers anymore. She knew that compared to simply controlling Honkai energy to its limit, the connection between using powers beyond their limits and Honkai consciousness would be much stronger.

But this is also a desperate effort.

Her companions' worried and concerned words, the feeling of Kiana gripping her hand tightly, and the centrifugal force of her body being tossed about by the storm... she completely ignored all these external factors, even the body's warnings of her blood burning and her heart racing.

She should have died long ago in that daytime collapse. After being dragged into that dream, Sato Yuno's life should have ended there.

Everything that follows will be a dreamlike illusion; the tragedy of becoming a puppet against humanity and the destiny of being hunted as a monster are all inevitable.

Whatever the reason, she ultimately became a non-human monster, and from then on, taking a path away from crowds of people is the best choice for everyone.

But she was saved.

She owes Su Qing'an; Sato Yuno, that human, should have died long ago.

Such ugly, filthy pseudo-heroes who shouldn't exist should have died long ago.

So even if she dies here, it's not a big deal; it's something she owes him.

Naturally, Sato Yuno wouldn't allow that boy to lose his only family member in the world again.

Su Qing'an may have many friends in his future life, but only Himeko Murata will be his only family.

Sato Yuno knew him too well, so she understood that Himeko had a special relationship with Su Qing'an.

Especially the way that boy could naturally reveal such a childlike expression.

To this day, Sato Yuno can't forget the things that Su Qing'an and Himeko revealed in their interactions, whether it was in their daily lives or the vulnerability he showed in front of the woman after waking up. These were all rare and precious moments.

These girls remembered everything, so she made a value judgment on herself. If calculated purely in terms of monetary value, the death of a family member would undoubtedly be more painful for that person than the death of a friend.

That's the only thing that won't do; she doesn't want him to be that sad.

In the brief moment of heightened concentration, a hazy memory flashed by, like a rewind, and then an ethereal voice reached my ears.

"Is the power and strength I bestow upon you amusing, my apostle?"

Here it comes again, that voice.

How powerful! Compared to the frail human body, only this body I created for you is worthy of controlling Honkai energy.

Sato Yuno mocked:

"Too weak... Every time you say so much, but I can still hear your voice, it means your stuff is too weak."

"So weak that I had to push myself to the limit, and was forced to reconnect with your consciousness."

You can become stronger, more perfect, until you surpass this body once again.

"How boring, shut up."

He continued to tempt:

【Yuno Sato. You can be more than just a pseudo-Herrscher.】

"...I don't understand what you're saying."

Manipulating such a large amount of Honkai energy was an experience the girl had never had before. It was like answering different math problems within a set time of a few seconds, and if she made a mistake even once, she would be further away from her goal.

Honestly, she clearly hates math problems the most.

[Hahahaha, you're so funny, you know? Your soul is more steadfast, purer, and more beautiful than most humans in the world, almost like a Herrscher? Even that's not an incomplete existence; you deserve better.]

This statement is as ridiculous and absurd as a salesperson giving you an Audi A6 for free and then saying it's not good enough for you, while pulling out a Rolls-Royce and saying it barely suits your taste.

Honkai consciousness shouldn't be such a talkative being. Sato Yuno prefers to believe that Honkai consciousness is an intelligent mechanism that intelligently judges that it needs such a personality to transmit information in order to effectively negotiate with itself.

But regardless of the reason or situation, the meaning the other party wants to convey is the same.

[Sato Yuno, you lost because you are still incomplete, and the title of "Pseudo-Herrscher" is inherently synonymous with incompleteness.]

You can become a Herrscher.

Yuno Sato is not good at math problems.

The control over Honkai energy was gradually losing its ability to shape her, and His words slowly wove a dreamlike spider web, gradually eroding her mind.

Awaken, awaken...

Only by becoming a Herrscher will you have the ability to deal with Judgment-class Honkai Beasts. At that time, you can choose to make them your pets, kill them, or devour them and coexist with them—it's all up to you.

"You're so annoying."

This is the girl's answer.

She tried to ignore the words that kept echoing in her ears, while the massive, restless Honkai energy beneath the earth's veins, moving like dragons and snakes, continued to rapidly take the form she needed.

In order to better control Honkai energy, Sato Yuno's body has already formed a link with Honkai energy.