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

As a result, the dark patterns gradually disappeared on the surface of the heart ice, just like the veins of blood. These dark things and cracks appeared faintly in the depths of the heart lake, like maggots clinging to the bone.

However, the previous collapse was completely slowed down. A kind of terrifying willpower suppressed all emotions and pain, and forcibly reversed the sudden crisis.

The cruel truth, the despairing reality, the dashed hopes, the shattered expectations.

These are all true, and it's also true that I was almost at my breaking point.

But we cannot admit defeat.

Su Qing'an stood in front of a clothing store in a shopping mall, looking at his reflection in the glass, and said:

"We can't give up yet."

"Unless the outcome is changed..."

The boy gazed at the face reflected in the glass, flickering in and out of sight with the light, as if muttering in a dream, or as if confirming some inescapable truth. His murmured tone was like stepping into a soft snowdrift, yet also carried an eerie certainty:

"anyway……"

"Su Qing'an, you can't admit defeat."

4. Vague memories.

Yes.

Su Qingan cannot lose.

He wanted to change that future, a future completely different from when he was all alone. Having established bonds, Su Qing'an was bound by these chains and became the excellent player the gods needed.

The boy was not born with the talent to bear this pressure and pain, but his emotions enabled him to break through his natural limitations and make his will stronger.

Gods...

Perhaps this deity believed in the power of love more than anyone else.

He believed that love was enough to make a boy who originally only knew how to escape reality cross the limits beyond limits and stumble and crawl to the invincible other shore.

But now, Su Qing'an has undoubtedly fallen short of His expectations.

[Soul Essence: 78]

This is the change that occurred on the panel after the third death.

The soul attributes that Su Qing'an gains with each death are his only reliance, and this death was no exception, granting his soul even greater resilience and quality.

This is why he can still suppress all the cracks in his sword heart back to their deepest point.

His "momentum" has become even stronger, which can be seen from the fact that the defense systems of previous civilizations were disrupted to the point of partial shutdown by his "momentum." This is a substantial manifestation of the enhancement of the essence of the soul.

If Su Qing'an were to take a look at his own panel, he would find that his soul essence, which was originally only four times that of an ordinary person, is now eight times that of an ordinary person.

The reason why the [Stigmata] did not completely fail and could even help him share some of the pressure from Honkai energy erosion was that the essence of his soul played a role that accounted for 90%.

This evolutionary leap, which is enormous compared to any previous one, is certainly not without reason.

Rather than saying that Su Qing'an's soul characteristic is that he becomes stronger after experiencing death and being tempered, it is more accurate to say that Su Qing'an's soul characteristic is that he becomes stronger after experiencing death and being tempered.

Rather, death is merely a point of reckoning. The real reason that makes the soul stronger, aside from the trials caused by death itself, lies more in the pain and experiences accumulated before death.

Following this logic, it's understandable that Su Qing'an's soul essence would double this time.

The reason is simple.

This was the first time Su Qing'an had truly experienced the pain of restarting. The longest restart he had ever experienced was only a week, and the shortest was less than a day.

This time was completely different. In the six months that followed, the boy underwent a complete transformation and gained a great deal.

However, all of this has now been reduced to ashes and no longer exists.

Anyone who has understood what they have gone through should feel that the current situation is justified.

Why is Kenshin on the verge of breaking?

This is a reason that needs no explanation; the fact that it hasn't shattered already proves that Su Qing'an is abnormal.

Normal humans cannot bear this sudden accumulation of weight and pressure while also having the determination to change the future.

The dark patterns within the ice in his heart writhed restlessly, and a will deeper than the cracks began to gradually devour these pointless distractions and weaknesses. This was an unnatural disappearance, the boy's attempt to suppress all sorrow with pure determination and perseverance.

Because he cannot show weakness, because he must never let his sword heart shatter.

With the sword heart shattered, Su Qing'an lost.

This is the only thing he cannot accept.

I cannot bear to see the people I care about end up like that.

This reason alone was enough for Su Qing'an to overcome all difficulties and obstacles.

The boy silently walked into the clothing store, ignoring all the customers and salespeople coming and going, and casually picked up a set of casual clothes before going into the fitting room.

This behavior, which was clearly not particularly ethical, did not draw any condemnation. Su Qing'an was like a shadowy figure that did not exist in this world, and people would not even notice her when she brushed past them.

The moment the garment is picked up, it detaches itself from the subconscious of those around it, becoming something that never existed in the first place.

Rita's stealth skills have been unintentionally developed by the boy to an even more terrifying level, which is obviously related to the improvement of her soul essence.

【Tibetan】.

This ability originated from someone else and evolved into its current form in Su Qing'an's hands.

But now it's being wasted, becoming a means for people to skip out on their bills and get something for free.

To blend into this era, normal attire is essential. To save time, Su Qing'an, who is somewhat mentally unstable, chose this option without considering any details.

This behavior is very similar to that of a hero in most RPG games who randomly rummages through villagers' houses for gold coins and potions.

Of course, if this is a necessary sacrifice to defeat the Demon King, then the hero's actions instantly appear very righteous and noble.

The boy, dressed in brand-new clothes, went barefoot to the shoe store next door, ending his barefoot state.

Su Qing'an's unwashed face looked strange against her brand-new clothes and shoes.

But he didn't care about any of that; most of his energy was currently focused on suppressing his sword heart.

People have a certain tolerance level. As long as he can withstand this pressure for a long time, Su Qing'an will be able to resolve the issue of his sword heart sooner or later.

Whether it's a problem on the verge of collapse or a state of being covered in dust, as long as a clear and definite goal is established and a new core of will is set up, the sword heart will slowly recover to its original state.

As long as... there are no unexpected events.

...

...

Su Qing'an is shopping.

If I had to say something, he was a wanderer.

There was no home for him in the previous civilization.

In the timeline before the reboot, all of his own trajectory in this world was received by Su Qing's safe disk. He had the savings left by his parents, the coffee shop that Sister Ji Zi decorated for him, and a house in Canghai City.

During those confusing years, material things were not a source of pressure for the young man, and if he had been willing, he would never have faced such a tragic end.

Now, Su Qing'an has no choice, nor does she have a home.

Su Qing'an didn't know where to go or what he was going to do. Across more than 50,000 years of time, how could he possibly influence that distant future and change the ending to the way he wanted?

There's absolutely no way to start.

Can we defeat the Honkai?

This seemingly most realistic answer was, in fact, a source of despair for Su Qing'an, who knew it was impossible to achieve no matter what.

But apart from that, all that lay before him was a hopeless void.

There is no answer.

So, is defeating the Honkai the only option?

However, the idea that defeating the Honkai will achieve the goal is itself a false proposition.

To put it bluntly, let's assume the previous civilization didn't perish.

Will the era he experienced, those people, and that entire timeline still exist?

No, not anymore.

This is a question that leads to despair once you think about it deeply. No matter what, the answer that Su Qing'an hopes to find will not exist in any corner of this world. What he is pursuing is nothing but a vain joke in the current era.

Unless... immortality.

The boy gazed at the crystal ball in the shop window. Inside, a small wooden house was covered in snow, creating a vast expanse of white. Several dolls were making repetitive and adorable movements, while a reindeer beside them wore a scarf.

Time seems to stand still within it.

These images were reflected in his dark eyes, like a combination of a cold snow scene and a night lit up with lights.

Unless, after this era ends, Su Qing'an can sleep like a flower and arrive at the next civilization, and then spend those long years with an almost immortal lifespan.

By then, Su Qing'an will be able to change many, many things.

He can prevent the collapse of Changkong City from happening again, and he can make Sato Yuno receive Sato Natsuyuki's Kyo Yuzen.

He could kill the living dolls of Kanbara Village ahead of time, thus ending the Kanbara family's fate sooner.

He could have prevented Himeko Murata from embarking on the path of a Valkyrie from the very beginning, and even saved her parents' lives earlier.

Su Qing'an grasped at this glimmer of hope as if it were a lifeline.

The boy knew that immortality was difficult. Although he didn't know the specific methods, he knew that the conditions required to achieve immortality must be extremely demanding.

Just like the Key of God.

Even with Rin's natural stigmata as a cheat, without the adaptability of the Divine Key, it's impossible to pull it out, and the conditions for immortality certainly wouldn't be much easier than this.

But this is hope.

Having hope is enough.

As long as this expectation serves as an anchor, Su Qing'an can clearly define his goals and path.

Ten thousand years of loneliness, the hopelessness of waiting, the storm stirred up by the butterfly effect... Su Qing put all these trivial details behind her.

Before thinking about these things, just move forward.