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

She has always been a calm and opinionated child, but her current tone carries a tender plea and sadness that touches the heart.

Su Qing'an hadn't felt much sadness before; what was there to be sad about in death?

He should have died long ago on that rainy night when he was corrupted by Honkai energy and turned into a suicide soldier. Even this time, his ten years of lifespan were just a bargaining chip for this moment of burning. Didn't he have already foreseen this outcome?

Then naturally there's nothing to feel good about or resentful about.

That's how it should be, but hearing the child's innocent words, Su Qing'an suddenly couldn't hold back anymore. He remembered the first time he saw the little girl quietly tugging at the corner of Ya's clothes and looking up at him.

His turbulent emotions surged like a river bursting its banks, making him realize with a start that...

Wow... time flies so fast.

In the blink of an eye, it's time to say goodbye.

The young man gazed at Ji Xuanyuan in the distance and said with a smile:

"Bronya, you've always been a very good girl."

"Better than Kiana, so why don't you lead the group first, okay?"

Su Qing'an seemed oblivious to the burning pain in his hands. He unusually broke his usual taciturn demeanor and began to chatter on like a mother hen:

"I will rescue Himeko-nee, and you will all be alright. Life at St. Freya Academy has always been good, right? Bronya can continue to study at the academy."

"You're still young. Whatever you want to do in the future, whether it's your dream or your goal, it will come true."

"Add seven marshmallows from the coffee shop's display case to your cup of brown sugar coffee. Remember that, it's your favorite flavor."

"I know kids love candy, so the coffee shop has tons of marshmallows. If Bronya doesn't watch what she eats, she probably won't be able to finish them before they expire."

"So remember to eat your candy on time."

The little girl seemed deaf to the chaotic, thunderous Honkai energy fluctuations around her. She listened quietly to the boy's fragmented words, and finally asked softly:

"Bronya will."

"What about Xiao Su?"

Su Qing'an said softly:

"I will come back."

"I'll make coffee for Bronya when I get back."

The boy, uttering lies as fragile as paper, cut off communication once again and stepped onto the battlefield.

...

...

Ji Xuanyuan glanced at the enemy who was quietly gathering his strength, but she made no attempt to stop him.

Just as Su Qing'an thought, her life was linked to Chi You's heart. Unless the boy had the output of Honkai energy defense as thick as a single person's instant kill, she could not possibly lose.

But clearly, judging from his current state, it's as if he'd burn his life just by swinging his sword.

To achieve this is undoubtedly an impossible task.

Ji Xuanyuan said with a smile:

"Su Qing'an, don't you think it's unfair? With such inferior talent, you're already quite outstanding to be standing on the same battlefield as me."

"But because of these ridiculous reasons, you can only pay the price of your lifespan for your lack of natural talent."

"But those girls are different. One of them has exceptionally high moral character, another is blessed with natural divine marks, and the third..."

She revealed a playful smile, which was the reason why she had always chosen to treat this battle with a playful attitude.

The descendants are really crazy, two agents of the collapsed consciousness?

It's really fun.

"—!"

The truth that Ji Xuanyuan was about to utter was extinguished by the boy's strike.

He shattered the thick ground in an instant.

[Thousand Stars], which had been operating at full power, was increased in speed once again. In just a moment, [Calming Waves], which was imbued with the Holy Lance in the boy's hand, severed the enemy's body.

His lips were stained with bright red blood, and his dark eyes grew even colder.

Su Qing'an knew what she was going to say, but given Kiana's already highly unstable emotions, he wouldn't allow her the chance to reveal the truth.

If the girl were to become a Herrscher now, besides the situation becoming more complicated, the reality she would be forced to face would arrive much earlier.

In her destined and turbulent fate, Su Qing'an hoped that no more unexpected events would occur.

perhaps.

Their acquaintance was not a good thing for Kiana.

The wind carried by the Holy Lance shattered the wall a hundred meters behind her, and the terrifying heat, like magma from the depths of hell, obliterated everything in sight.

The silent roar was extinguished in the vacuum, and in a moment, Ji Xuanyuan's body vanished like graffiti that had been erased.

The terrifying destructive power of Chi You's linked Honkai energy, which couldn't even keep up with the speed of breathing and health regeneration, was different from the previous attacks that had no effect. It was like the difference between ripples drawn with a fingertip on a lake and the explosion of a high-explosive in it.

The highly concentrated Honkai energy and gamma particles maintain a strange frequency, which is the secret of the Spear of Longinus. Its destructive power does not lie in the large amount of Honkai energy, but in the new arrangement formula and the special phase of the gamma particles.

As the crimson holy spear successfully sliced ​​through Ji Xuanyuan's body, it also inflicted upon her a great deal of burning sensation and the intricate pain of having her entire body ripped open.

Within a second, the girl's body was reshaped by Honkai energy, but Ji Xuanyuan couldn't help but let out a muffled howl of pain.

Su Qing'an's next sword strike arrived almost instantly, turning half of her body into charred remains, while the rest of her body continued to melt away. The taste she hadn't experienced for so long left her momentarily disoriented.

She instinctively covered the slash mark that had vanished in the blink of an eye, but the boy's attack was far from over. In the instant she made this mistake, the Xuanyuan Sword she held in one hand could no longer provide an effective defense.

The temperature on the ground was noticeably scorching. The reason Su Qing'an could continue wielding his sword for the time being was simply because the armor's defensive capabilities could still protect his bones.

After severing the enemy's limbs seven times, the Holy Lance's brilliance had dimmed considerably.

Even though the power reactor and the Void Sword Qi were constantly feeding Honkai energy into it, compared to the Honkai energy reserves that the opponent already had, these efforts were far from enough to achieve parity.

As for Ji Xuanyuan, who had been repeatedly humiliated and killed, she had lost the interest in teasing her with words and the desire to say those words. Now, she was a demon made of countless negative emotions.

The chilling killing intent completely overwhelmed any sense of amusement. Chi You's heart seemed to sense the girl's feelings, and the Xuanyuan Sword, acting as a bridge between the two, began to emit an eerie light.

Storm, another storm.

Like a giant dragon exhaling a long breath, fragmented streams of wind began to swirl, and the roar, concentrated into a storm that burst forth in a single second, directly pushed Su Qing'an away.

With gamma particles and most of the Honkai energy concentrated on [Calming Wave], his mobility is insufficient to instantly dodge this area-of-effect skill.

Although it was called an attack, Su Qing'an knew in her heart that it was just a sign that her opponent was no longer going to waste words.

The three people standing nearby were completely unable to intervene in this battle, which seemed to be going very badly on both sides.

It was like a battle on completely different levels.

The boy's combat power was clearly not just due to the artificial stigmata and armor support; his own abilities far exceeded their original expectations. If he had excellent Honkai energy literacy, today's battle would not have been so brutal.

The three of them could understand why Su Qing'an was willing to continue burning his lifespan to keep fighting simply by watching.

The reason is simple: they are too weak.

They're so weak that Bronya's offer to help in the battle is completely unfounded.

He was so weak that if he didn't do this, he wouldn't be able to turn the tide of the battle even slightly.

Even so weak...

If Su Qing'an doesn't burn his life, they can't leave.

Blood was seeping from the joints of the armor, drop by drop. Before Su Qing'an chose to load the Holy Lance, the flowing fire on the armor and the prologue poems engraved in a ring around it had obscured his vision.

But now that all of these have poured into the Holy Lance, the full truth is revealed.

He was constantly bleeding profusely, and now his black armor was no longer what it used to be; the dried blood had almost become a brand new coat of paint.

Unlike his opponent, the boy's disheveled state was completely impossible to conceal.

It must hurt a lot, right?

This is a question directed at him.

Kiana watched those images, her eyes reflecting every moment of blood dripping and shattering, as brilliant colors gradually spread and emerged in the boundless blue.

It must hurt a lot, right?

This is a question I'm asking myself.

Her soul was overwhelmed by restless emotions, and as the girl was consumed by immense sorrow, it was as if another person was asking her a question.

Ask her if it hurts.

It's very painful.

She answered as a matter of course, witnessing her friend gradually walk towards death, feeling her own powerlessness, and hating the unpleasant reality and possibilities.

It's impossible for a girl not to feel pain.

Her kindness, her high regard for Su Qing'an, her fear of loss, and her rejection of sorrow.

All of this is awakening another version of myself.

The self that is... a Herrscher.

You need power, you need enough power to tear everything apart.

In a daze, the girl didn't know who was whispering in her ear.

It sounded like my own voice, yet it also sounded like a completely different person speaking.

The gold paint began to spread and cover the beautiful azure. The girl silently watched the storm approach. She watched the boy being pressed into the wall, feeling the centrifugal force of the wind swirling around her body, and said softly, lost in thought:

"I need strength."

"I need the power to save him."

Amidst the clamor and revelry, Bronya sat atop the Heavy Bunny, embracing Kiana. Beside her stood the silent Mei and the Sato Yuno she held in her arms.

She said softly:

"Kiana, let's go."

Kiana was momentarily lost in thought, unable to grasp the specific feeling, but upon hearing this, she instantly snapped back to reality, anger surging into her mind.