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

The boy's steps and sword movements were as natural and rhythmic as a dance. This was a martial art for killing, and to the assassins, the person in front of them was undoubtedly a vengeful ghost.

In just a few steps, he saw through the assassin's chaotic and simple movements, and every sword strike hit the vital points. The new [Calming the Waves] did not require him to deliberately expend energy to control Honkai energy.

Cutting through the bones and flesh of the assassins was as easy as cutting through a snowflake.

The image of the young assassin reminds the Valkyrie of a stage performance—smooth, elegant, and with a fixed ending.

Although killing these assassins wasn't difficult for her, Lin Xinchan, a C-rank Valkyrie, felt her heart pounding for some reason.

So handsome.

Moreover, the side profile where his face was splattered with blood when he swung his sword was also very handsome.

And that serene, aloof expression that's given off an air of asceticism from the beginning is also amazing.

She looks just like Lady Fu Hua!

Lin Xinchan, who was initially a little disappointed that Principal Theresa had asked her to work overtime, now felt rather pleased.

This world is indeed, in essence, dominated by people who value appearance.

"It's 8:30 a.m. now. I'll wait here until 3 p.m. Please return within that time." Lin Xinchan spoke in a businesslike manner.

"Then I'll trouble you." Su Qing'an replied, slowly sheathing his sword.

"By the way, what's your name?" Lin Xinchan couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm? My name is Su Qing'an. I'll be enrolling at St. Freya soon. Please take care of me in the future." Since it wasn't exactly a secret, he introduced himself like this.

"Huh? Are you from China? And you come to St. Freya to study?" Lin Xinchan was clearly surprised when she switched from Japanese to Chinese.

"Yes. That's settled then, we'll talk about it when we get back." With that, Su Qing'an walked towards Qianyu Academy.

Watching the boy's retreating figure, Lin Xinchan suddenly wondered what interesting and fun things would happen at St. Freya Academy in the future.

St. Freya Academy is an all-girls school by default, so it's really interesting that a male student is suddenly enrolling.

Thinking this way, she couldn't help but look forward to that day.

The scene will definitely be very interesting.

-----------

The law of sines, a/sinA=b/sinB=c/sinC=2R, was written in neat handwriting in the notebook. Sato Yuno's little head bobbed in the air, clearly looking sleepy.

"Sato?" The teacher on the podium called out her name, instantly dispelling her drowsiness. She unconsciously straightened her back, a slightly timid expression appearing on her face.

My math teacher is very easy to talk to after class, but she is always quite strict in class.

Sato Yuno, worried about being criticized, found that after the teacher reminded her, she simply turned her back and continued writing formulas on the blackboard, showing no intention of pursuing the matter further.

Huh? I thought he was going to say something like, "Come to my office after class."

Ms. Asagami was so gentle today.

Although the math class felt exceptionally long, Sato Yuno felt she couldn't let it go to waste and decided to listen attentively.

Using the Law of Cosines, b² = a² + c² - 2accosB, and continuing to memorize the formula she only half-understood, Sato Yuno had already lost most of her previous determination.

"I can't do this, math is so annoying." She gave up easily and began to curse, "Math should be a death sentence, give me the death penalty!"

That was a little girl's innocent and somewhat adorable thought.

The sky outside the window was as blue and gentle as Ms. Asagami on the podium, yet it was also strange.

Sato Yuno couldn't quite put her finger on what strange feeling she was getting.

It was just a simple sense of incongruity, but it was fleeting and quickly slipped through my fingers, impossible to trace back.

The white clouds in the sky are just like Kiana's hair. Kiana's hair is so beautiful! The shopkeeper's hair is pure black, which is also very nice. Compared to that, my light purple hair should be pretty good too, right?

By the way, where's Kiana? She must have fallen asleep during such a boring math class, right?

Sato Yuno turned to look at the seat next to her, but only saw an empty seat.

Huh? Where's Kiana? Did she skip class?!

No, no, no, that slight sense of incongruity is getting bigger.

She and Kiana should have gone to school together today. On the way to school, the girl turned her head away and said that the gift she gave was very ordinary.

However, the phone charm she never took off told Sato Yuno that she was being tsundere.

That textbook-perfect arrogance was completely natural; it was the girl's innate personality.

This is a perfect kind of tsundere; the girl will be honest when she needs to be, but she's a little awkward at other times.

At that time, Sato Yuno thought that this personality was almost too cute.

These details are crystal clear, yet the girl suddenly vanishes.

Sato Yuno's perspective shifted, and she looked in other directions of the classroom, discovering that the other students were all listening attentively to the lesson.

After class, I'll ask the others: when exactly did Kiana run away?

With this question in mind, the girl continued listening to the lectures, memorizing endless mathematical formulas, falling into an endless loop...

52. The Illusion (Part 1)

What lay before them was an endless expanse of ruins. The once towering school buildings had all collapsed, and vast stretches of rubble covered the ground beneath, burying countless corpses.

It seems that after Kiana and Raiden Mei left, this place was destroyed by Honkai Beasts, and he could no longer recognize that this place was originally a school.

Familiar scenes can only remain in memories.

Senba Academy... he sighed silently. If he had been as strong as Hua back then, could he have stopped this calamity?

If we had known earlier that the older sister was Himeko, could we have used the power of destiny to stop this collapse?

It's probably impossible. Without evidence, Himeko Murata wouldn't let her emotions cloud her judgment.

He really can't do anything.

Even though he understood the limits of his abilities, he still couldn't help feeling resentful and saddened by the tragedy.

Moreover, his friends were also dragged into hell.

He clearly believed he wouldn't regret it, but the unexpected event that occurred prematurely overturned everything, forcibly filling his heart with regret.

He regretted it.

The idea that Honkai will occur at the scheduled time is naive and arrogant.

This is the main cause of the current situation.

Is what he wanted to see when he returned here really a dead soldier or a corpse that Sato Yuno had turned into?

No, he wanted to see her alive and well.

However, Su Qing'an understood that such thoughts were nothing more than willful delusion.

Crossing the ruins, he walked alone through this apocalyptic scene, feeling as if he were revisiting a familiar place and seeing everything changed, but even more saddened and sorrowful.

How many times will this happen in the world?

One day, the Honkai will bring even greater despair to this world, but before that happens, I have already been locked at my limit.

In the end, all we can do is helplessly watch as beautiful things gradually become scarred and devastated, and sigh with regret.

The boy mechanically swung his sword indifferently, and in the nearly one-hour walk, he had killed almost all the assassins who appeared in front of him.

He thought he was tough enough after surviving two deaths, but when he saw this desolate emptiness, he couldn't help but feel disheartened.

Su Qing'an thought of Hua. How many important people and things had she lost over such a long period of time?

That despair must be far deeper than any despair I've ever experienced, a despair that has accumulated to a greater degree.

Fifty thousand years ago, that innocent girl was also shaped by despair and suffering into the person she is today.

Su Qing'an stopped in front of the only well-preserved building in Qianyu Academy, which was a library.

The building standing in front of them looked very out of place amidst the dilapidated surroundings.

But why didn't I notice it immediately?

With these questions in mind, he walked up the steps, pushed open the half-closed door, and entered the library.

The moment I stepped into the library, everything before my eyes became bizarre and surreal.

Immediately, he became delirious.

On a sunny afternoon, several stray cats were eating cat food from a bowl placed at the entrance of a coffee shop, the air already carrying a slight chill.

Su Qing'an stood behind the bar in the coffee shop, somewhat lost in thought.

He was no longer wearing the Kevlar bulletproof vest and special jacket and trousers that Theresa had given him, and the sword in his hand was nowhere to be seen.

The boy was wearing an apron over a gray, plain sweatshirt.

He was holding a freshly latte art coffee in his hand. Lost in thought, his hand wobbled slightly, spilling coffee onto his old-fashioned white sneakers.

Su Qing'an didn't pay attention. He looked at the scene in front of him. Sunlight streamed through the French windows onto the wooden floor. A wind chime swayed by the door, making a crisp sound. A white-haired girl wearing the same apron as him was wiping the table with a rag.

Everything was incredibly gentle.

The aroma of coffee in the air was also genuine.

But why? After a moment of stunned silence, he felt a sense of emptiness and unreality in everything before him.

The Honkai Impact is just three months away, so these ordinary days are incredibly precious. Don't overthink it, just enjoy these peaceful days.

A voice in my mind said this.

Thus, the sense of incongruity, the feeling of unreality, and the intuition of noticing something strange are all buried under the permafrost covered by snow all year round.

"Su Qing'an?" Kiana turned around and saw the dazed boy, and said.

"...What's wrong?" he asked, as if waking from a dream.

"What are you spacing out for? You've spilled coffee!" The girl sighed and went to find some tools to mop the floor.

"Okay, thank you." He placed the coffee cup on the bar, washed his hands, took off his apron, walked to the doorway outside the shop, squatted down, and petted the chubby orange cat.

The boy stared at the plane flying across the sky and the trail of clouds it left behind, and fell silent.

This kind of life is good.