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

Secondly, it appears irritable, but its reaction is different from that of a normal pseudo-Herrscher or Herrscher in response to the outside world.

She tries to make some contact with human civilization, seems to have some interest in playing video games, and also likes to eat snacks.

Regarding this, Su Qing'an even suspected that the other party was carrying a bag filled with snacks, because he saw the exact same snack remains and another half-eaten chocolate in the arcade's trash can.

By the way, this chocolate has a different flavor than the one I saw last time; this one is raspberry.

Aside from this small detail, there's something else that's strange.

That is, although there was trash everywhere inside the Ferris wheel cabin, Sato Yuno actually threw the remnants of her snacks into the trash cans where there were, which made her seem inexplicably well-behaved and obedient.

It's like a primary school student being led by their teacher to visit various tourist attractions.

She would wear a little yellow hat, carry a backpack full of snacks on one side, and keep her hands obediently on the backpack straps. She would occasionally want to throw a tantrum, but she would remember her parents' advice and hold back her emotions.

She will consciously abide by the rules that have been carefully explained, but she will do whatever she wants with things outside of her knowledge. Finally, she is also very curious about any tourist attractions.

Su Qing'an was indulging in this somewhat amusing analogy, while her body slowly began to recover from its overexertion.

In the still chilly season, the boy was surrounded by rising mist, and his skin gradually returned from blood-red to crystal-clear white within three minutes.

Just as a machine operating at its limit is doused with a large amount of coolant to prevent it from crashing, Su Qing'an also needs to do the same to ensure that his physical strength and bodily functions are still at their peak when he meets his opponent.

When facing an unknown enemy, he must perform at his absolute best in the instant they meet in order to quickly gain a short-term advantage. Only in this way can he possibly achieve his goal.

Five minutes later, the boy, without activating [Thousand Stars], leisurely walked to the mall about one kilometer away from the arcade.

Su Qing'an stood silently at the entrance of the mall, where he could clearly sense Sato Yuno's soul aura inside.

This was the first time he had come so close to the simulated Sato Yuno. Her soul aura had not changed in essence, but it seemed to have undergone a strange twist, becoming more profound and elusive.

He did not have the ability to understand the aura of the soul in the past, so whether the changes in the girl's soul now are a normal phenomenon after the simulation is still a mystery.

Although the other party didn't know why they stayed there, this action certainly made things much more convenient for me.

Otherwise, this endless pursuit would continue for who knows how long.

Su Qing'an stepped onto the now-defunct escalator and walked to the corner of the third bakery on the second floor.

The scene that came into view far exceeded my original expectations.

Sato Yuno's appearance has undergone a huge change, appearing as a relatively older girl, a sight never seen in the previous timeline.

Her original emerald eyes were transformed into a pure hyacinth purple, and her figure and height showed signs of aging.

But compared to this...

Su Qing'an watched the little girl stuffing cream puffs into her pink backpack and said quietly:

"Yuno, did you pay for your cream puff?"

72. The Third Herrscher can only run away.

Sato Yuno responded instinctively:

"No."

The girl paused for a moment, then looked up and saw the boy's face. Her fingertips, which were holding the puff pastry bag, trembled slightly, and she clearly felt a strong sense of guilt for a moment.

Ugh, it's a suspicious human!

As the girl crouched down, lightning flickered faintly in that instant. In the blink of an eye, a violent gust of wind blew up the stray hairs on Su Qing'an's forehead, and what was reflected in his dark eyes was the huge hole that suddenly appeared in front of him and the continuous collapse.

The Third Herrscher's figure vanished like smoke the instant his words fell, but the slightly furrowed brows of the boy also disappeared along with him.

[Thousand Stars] Under extreme conditions, artificial stigmata are unleashed once again.

The girl in front of me is an opponent that cannot be stopped unless I go all out.

After the little girl hugged her pink backpack and breathed a sigh of relief while standing on the ATM three kilometers away, Su Qing'an gently grabbed her slender arm. His earnest words pierced through the hustle and bustle of the wind and reached her ears.

"Come back with me, it's dangerous here."

The voice just fell.

The dazzling, intertwined incandescent lightning obliterated every inch of land within a mile radius. The rampaging Honkai energy raged like a greedy wolf, briefly creating a hellish landscape where lightning plasma swirled.

A second before the sense of crisis spread through his spine and permeated his entire body, the soul-chilling terror of death had already made Su Qing'an take a step back.

This step successfully crossed the boundary between life and death, yet the temperature, hot enough to melt the body, still touched the skin.

Fortunately, the limit of the [Stigmata]'s absorption of Honkai energy was not pushed to its limit, which prevented Su Qing'an from being injured.

He glanced at his right arm, where the clothing had dissipated into particles invisible to the naked eye in the lightning.

The Third Herrscher, Raiden Mei.

The essence of power is the control of electromagnetic force.

This is data that once existed in my mind, and also information given by the Third Herrscher of the later era.

But in this pre-civilization era, the Third Herrscher is the girl before us.

Yes... Sato Yuno.

Incomprehensible, unbelievable, absurd, and illogical.

Why a healer?

Why a Herrscher?

Yes, why can't it be?

Why do I take it for granted that all difficulties are merely the limits I set in my own mind?

Logically speaking, after the Third Herrscher was born in the former Changkong City, the pseudo-Herrscher Sato Yuno appeared not long afterward.

If the Honkai energy is sufficient.

If Raiden Mei, who originally possessed the Herrscher core, were not present, then Sato Yuno would be the most likely candidate to become the Herrscher.

She was the perfect candidate to become a Herrscher more than most people.

I should have thought of it long ago, I should have understood it long ago, and I should have prepared for it long ago.

...But what good would it do to know in advance?

Has Su Qing'an truly ignored this possibility?

Did he really never consider this possibility?

The boy loathed himself while constantly striving to survive, never letting his guard down, and he didn't hesitate to consider any possible outcome.

Even unintentionally, Su Qing'an had already considered the worst possible consequences.

So even now, facing the facts head-on, he is still not particularly surprised by the outcome.

But the heavier pressure and the threat of death crushed the faint hope, as fragile as a candle flame, like an unprecedented, devastating blow.

The power of the Herrscher is beyond question. Understanding even a fraction of the essence of their authority is enough to comprehend the immense power they wield.

Even so, Su Qing'an would not waver in a purely combat situation.

As he analyzed earlier, both Herrschers and pseudo-Herrschers have undeniable weaknesses.

Killing an opponent of this caliber is not impossible.

Assuming Su Qing'an harbored murderous intent from the beginning, the moment Sato Yuno looked up and was momentarily stunned could have determined many of the outcomes.

However, all these weaknesses are based on the premise that the other party has not yet developed hostility and is in a relaxed state, not intending to fight.

But putting aside whether the other party is still in this stage, Su Qing'an's goal was not to kill the other party.

This motivation, imbued with goodwill and a desire for redemption, is the very reason for all the constraints.

will die.

If you engage in a duel with such a half-baked understanding, you will die.

The reason is simple: the weaknesses that apply to Herrschers are even more pronounced in him.

If it weren't for the [Stigmata]'s passive ability perfectly suppressing the thunderstorm phenomenon caused by Honkai energy, Su Qing'an would have already been reduced to fine dust.

The domineering power of the Lawyers far exceeds the understanding and imagination of ordinary people.

Moreover... this attack was less of a deliberate warning from the other party and more like a kitten whose tail had been suddenly pulled, waving its paw at a person.

The girl's dazed face and still-shaken expression proved everything.

She didn't use her full strength or take it seriously; this area-of-effect attack was simply a natural product of being frightened.

For a Herald, power is a special organ that is linked to Sato Yuno's soul, so it will fluctuate strangely depending on her will and mental state.

The burst of power just now can be explained as a stress response, so Su Qing'an has no intention of immediately engaging in combat with the other party.

His goal is to restore Sato Yuno's original consciousness, put her into a state of restraint like Mei's, and then gradually master this power, which would be the best outcome.

Even if it's not certain whether the Honkai consciousness can carry out a counterattack within the Herrscher core, there must at least be a limit to its control over will.

Considering Raiden Mei's willpower, this standard is likely to be surprisingly not very high.

Sato Yuno comes from an ordinary family and has had a relatively smooth life. In terms of willpower, she is probably far inferior to Raiden Mei.

It's completely impossible to wake someone up through words. However, if there were a certain bond between the two, like in Changkong City before, verbal calls might have some effect.

But right now... my interactions with Yuno aren't deep enough.

The ineffectiveness of words was the first thing Su Qing'an realized about the situation, but the other party's extraordinary Lawyer consciousness gave her hope that was different from common sense.

Upon seeing itself, its first reaction was to flee in fear, and even in the second after launching the attack, it still did not press its advantage and squander its power.

Unlike the Herrschers of the past who were filled with negative emotions upon seeing humans and deliberately caused massive destruction and loss of life, Sato Yuno before her was like a child with incredible power, with the potential to be taught to do good.

Now that she has not committed any crimes, she is like a blank sheet of paper.

Even regarding subsequent handling issues, Su Qing'an should have the leeway to negotiate with the Moth Chasing the Flame.

If it succeeds...

This devastating war was not simply a matter of humanity enduring losses, but rather a situation where we were able to deal with the Herrschers without suffering any damage, while also gaining reinforcements from one of the Herrschers.

This will be an epoch-making epic, and also a link with the devil.

But the Honkai consciousness is definitely not stupid. Since it intentionally shaped Sato Yuno's consciousness in this way, it means that it also has its own plans.

And at present...