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

As a key of the gods.

Even the mass-produced Divine Keys are no match for the original [Calming the Storm].

The initial encounter was cleaved in two, and the battlefield was severed a few seconds later—that was its original fate.

However, after Rin's blessing, the blade's sturdiness was no less than that of the Xuanyuan Sword.

Judging solely from the perspective of a weapon's life, [Calming the Storm] has experienced quite a few twists and turns.

Perhaps like its owner, it is like a piece of steel that has been forged and cut countless times, and each time it is reshaped into a blade, it becomes even more stubborn and unruly.

now.

It once again accompanied the boy on the battlefield of life and death, silently standing by him as he faced his so-called fate.

Before the final outcome arrives, the "Calming the Storm" will never be severed.

Su Qing'an encountered the first round of attacks.

Today's opponents have lost their previous skillful fighting style; their pure, unrestrained violence is nothing but mindless savagery.

The woman swung the sword with great force, the clanging sound of steel clashing against steel jarring the eardrums.

The young man refused to back down and chose to strike in an extremely narrow area. The time he had to accelerate was too short, but the state under the [Thousand Stars] loading still allowed him to block the sword with pure speed.

This level of attack was beyond what I could have blocked before I was enhanced with artificial stigmata. To say that I could kill an Emperor-level Honkai Beast with one strike would be an exaggeration, but killing a Chariot-level Honkai Beast with one strike is an undeniable fact.

The jet-black sword blade was chillingly cold. Even in the briefest clash, the young man sensed an extremely ominous aura and a vast, abyss-like malevolence emanating from the Xuanyuan Sword.

Chop it up.

This was the thought that flashed through Su Qing'an's mind.

【Thousand Stars】's advantage lies in its speed of movement, allowing it to dodge all of the opponent's attacks and then calmly find an opening.

The boy has not lost his mind, even though the flames of anger are beginning to burn his consciousness.

He still followed the essence of these battles very well.

And then the next moment.

Blade flick, guarding sword stance.

step back.

The sword shape created by the Guardian Sword Style also possesses a certain degree of lethality; it would not be difficult to cripple at least a tank-class Honkai Beast. However, Himeko Murata allowed these Honkai energy sword waves to wash over her body at will and continued to swing her sword.

Neither the limbs covered by the dress nor the bare skin were damaged.

The sword wave, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, landed on Himeko like a gentle breeze, having no other effect and unable to stop her for even a moment.

Su Qing'an's heart sank. Even though he had long understood that this was unlikely to harm her in her current state, the fact that he couldn't even stop her for a moment was still beyond his expectations.

The boy's swordsmanship and intuition immediately and keenly grasped the reason.

This unusual defensive capability stems from the woman's external gown, a transparent layer of Honkai energy shield clinging to every inch of her skin and linked to the enormous Honkai energy reserves within the gown.

Unless Su Qing'an is prepared to completely kill Himeko Murata and uses his full strength, which he cannot possibly hold back, he will have no chance of breaking through this defense line, and even less chance of quickly subduing Himeko.

The technique of 【Time Cut】, combined with the full power of 【Thousand Stars】, might be able to break through this defense, allowing the Honkai energy to penetrate the opponent's skin before it can be replenished, thereby severing limbs and killing the enemy.

But clearly, Su Qing'an was unable to draw his sword.

The person in front of him... was his only family in the world.

Even though the two are not related by blood, Himeko Murata has already gained Su Qing'an's recognition, and in his view, it has nothing to do with whether they share the same blood.

Himeko Murata is undoubtedly his family.

It's my...older sister.

Just by swinging his sword at her, Su Qing'an's resolve began to waver.

He once thought his sword heart could never be broken.

Even if the world is desolate, and one walks alone on the boundless wilderness and coastline for millions of years, the young man can still maintain a calm and unperturbed mind even if the sky falls.

The divine version of the Taixu Sword Qi demands an even higher level of mental fortitude and is more difficult to master than the real Taixu Sword Qi.

Without a spirit that shines like gold, even the first level of still water is a vain attempt.

Su Qing'an, who was already qualified to enter the Mirror of Light, would be a hero worthy of being given a heroic mission in the epic.

Heroes in epic tales can slay dragons and dethrone ancient gods from their lofty thrones.

Su Qing'an could also bear the pain of being torn to pieces and the loneliness of a thousand or ten thousand years.

Such a young man, forged with an iron will...

But the one thing he couldn't accept was the possibility that he might have accidentally killed the opponent in this battle.

Let's recount some of the battles he has experienced.

With Ganesha, with the living doll, and even with Jizo Mitama, who is closest to the limits of self.

In every battle... in every fight, his resolve to fight never wavered.

Even at the moment he thought he was about to die, Su Qing'an's sword heart did not develop a single crack.

But now, even with each swing of his sword, Su Qing'an finds it difficult to remain completely unmoved.

Sword Heart wavered restlessly, and Heart Ice gradually became tarnished.

Passive defense, attack the Xuanyuan Sword, and look for opportunities to subdue the opponent.

This is the only decision he can make at the moment.

His indecisiveness has reached a point completely unlike his usual self, and if this continues, the outcome is already obvious.

The battle before him was far too cruel for the boy; it was as if Achilles had been found to have his only weakness, and a vile poisoned arrow was aimed at his ankle.

Perhaps the arrow has already left the bowstring, but no one knows when it will hit its target.

The goddess who weaves the tapestry of fate watches with a gentle smile this inevitable battle, built from a series of coincidences.

Like a puppet show where no one is allowed to disturb it, the endless stream of Honkai energy in the center of the altar created three energy entities modeled after Himeko Murata as she stepped out and wielded her sword, each wielding a Xuanyuan Sword and slashing at their respective opponents.

Su Qing'an must face this "enemy" alone, who is no less formidable than an S-class Valkyrie and even more so, and devise a way to successfully save her.

The boy swung his sword with all his might, and after gaining a thorough understanding of martial arts, his [Time Cut] became even faster.

In the time it took Himeko to swing her sword once, Su Qing'an had already swung nearly a hundred swords, striking a point on the edge of the Xuanyuan Sword.

The boy, enraged and furious, drew his sword, and hundreds of resilient Honkai energy threads wrapped around it in every moment of close combat.

This is the pinnacle of Honkai energy manipulation. In order to prevent any loss of [Calming the Waves] and to make the blade even sharper, Su Qing'an has used up all his life's learning in every strike.

The [momentum] had no effect on Himeko Murata in the present moment, but Su Qing'an discovered that there were other things inside the Xuanyuan Sword through the attack of the [momentum].

It was not a chaotic aggregate of pure malice and murderous intent, but rather an existence with a certain degree of intelligence.

However, the attack of [momentum] is like a gentle breeze blowing on a blazing campfire, unable to overwhelm the opponent in this way.

Having fully grasped the crux of the problem, Su Qing'an once again understood the only solution.

That was his initial, instinctive, subconscious reaction: to shatter the Key of God.

If this Xuanyuan Sword is broken, it might really wake up Sister Ji Zi.

to this end……

Natural holy marks and divine keys were not within Su Qing'an's considerations.

But reality was far from as easy as Su Qing'an had imagined. After his [power] disturbed the remnant soul of Ji Xuanyuan inside, the evil thoughts within no longer intended to hide themselves.

You're so persistent, even thousands of years from now.

The faint voice echoed throughout the vast square. It should have been a clear and melodious female voice, but it was mixed with a mournful and lonely tone, giving it a shrill quality.

Himeko Murata's sword stopped. She was like a puppet on a string. Her body, which had been corrupted beyond saving by Honkai energy, had become a weapon in Ji Xuanyuan's hands to eliminate enemies.

Ethics and morality, justice and principles.

These beautiful things that should have been etched into the souls of heroes have been swallowed up by the evil accumulated over the long years.

After all these shackles and ideologies disappeared, the inherent flaws of humanity expanded and gave rise to a personality completely opposite to the original Ji Xuanyuan.

She is no longer worthy of being called by that hero's name.

It was as if the wings of a demon were born from the remains of an angel. Now, these wings spread, blocking out the day and sunlight, and giving the earth a silent winter.

The people of the past would naturally praise the angel's grace, but Su Qing'an is forced to accept this arrangement that has lasted for thousands of years, to face the devil's claws and the accumulated evil thoughts.

Upon learning that there was a suspected consciousness within the Xuanyuan Sword, Su Qing'an understood that it could only be the sword's former owner.

The one whom the ancient people called the Yellow Emperor was Ji Xuanyuan.

Su Qing'an was able to catch his breath during a break in the conversation, and he secretly dispelled [Thousand Stars].

Even with the reduced weight of the armor and the enhancement of artificial stigmata, the full-power [Thousand Stars] can still not be used for more than ten seconds.

If the word count exceeds this limit, he is likely to collapse before the problem is solved.

Therefore, it is necessary to seize every brief opportunity to rest for a while.

Su Qing'an tentatively asked:

"Are you Ji Xuanyuan? Are you Hua's friend?"

[Huh? You mean Chi Yuan? Yes, Chi Yuan. Chi Yuan abandoned me too. She made me endure so many long years of loneliness.]

I'm so lonely, I'm so alone.

Ji Xuanyuan's initial murmur of doubt turned into a sudden realization, but the name of this old friend intensified her emotions. Her soft whisper sounded like a child's aggrieved and resentful complaint.

The gradually deepening, speeding up, and intensifying tone made her voice increasingly terrifying and frightening.

Why? Why did you leave me all alone?

Her furious questioning, her hysterical roar.

Why? Why? And why? When we needed her most, she wasn't there?!

Su Qing'an was stunned. He seemed to be taking these questions on behalf of Fu Hua and was speechless.

The black Xuanyuan Sword in Himeko's hand began to stir, unleashing an endless torrent of malevolent thoughts...

"—!"