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

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In the desolate ruins, ripples spread through the space, and the girl suddenly appeared in reality.

Her cherry-blossom-colored hair danced lightly in the wind, and her black undershirt outlined her beautiful curves, but the details of her figure were obscured by the off-shoulder shrine maiden outfit.

The girl wore a shimenawa (a type of sash) around her waist, a plaid skirt, white stockings, and wooden clogs—a rather unusual combination.

But the strangest thing was the pink fox ears on her head.

That was a shrine maiden. In this dilapidated and silent city, this unidentified shrine maiden wandered aimlessly. Her aura was like a sanctuary, and both the assassins and the Honkai Beasts instinctively kept their distance from her.

Compared to Sato Yuno's Honkai energy reaction, the shrine maiden's body contained a Honkai energy index far exceeding that of the former. The Honkai energy that was simply overflowing formed a distorted scene that could be seen with the naked eye, just like the product of a child randomly scribbling on a drawing with a red pen.

Red lines or currents of energy swirled around her, ominous and terrifying. The witch's eyes were empty and lifeless; she simply walked forward.

The ruined city, which would be difficult for ordinary people to traverse, was like flat ground to her. Ignoring any obstacles or hindrances, she moved straight ahead. The half-collapsed buildings were merely touched by the Honkai energy manifested by the priestess, and they were reduced to ashes in a few breaths, just like paper being ignited by fire.

A large amount of black dust drifted behind the priestess. She gazed in a certain direction, her expressionless face revealing a meaningful expression.

The "witch" smiled, a dangerous yet delightful smile:

"They are compatriots."

The shrine maiden named Yae Sakura was asleep, while the entity that had taken over her body walked toward Sato Yuno.

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St. Freya Academy.

"Headmistress Theresa, shortly after Su Qing'an entered Qianyu Academy, a huge Honkai energy fluctuation appeared inside, and the Honkai energy index in the vicinity began to rise gradually. Please give instructions."

Lin Xinchan dialed Theresa's contact number. Normally, with her authority, she should have reported to the person in charge of the mission department or Himeko Murata first. However, since this mission was assigned by Theresa herself, she was only temporarily authorized to dial Theresa's communicator.

At this moment, the Honkai energy detector on the Destiny armed helicopter is emitting a warning red light and characters.

It should have been a simple and easy mission; the only enemies that appeared in this mission were the assassins and the assault-class soldiers.

Even Theresa wouldn't have expected anything unexpected to happen, which is why she assigned C-rank Valkyrie Lin Xinchan, who was in charge of logistics, to escort Su Qing'an to Changkong City.

But now an accident has occurred.

From an instrumental perspective, it appears as if a storm forged with Honkai energy has swept through Chiyu Academy. The eye of the storm is naturally calm, but the surrounding assassins have begun to mutate due to the increased concentration of Honkai energy, and even some advanced Honkai beasts have gradually emerged.

"That kid is really unlucky. With such a Honkai energy mutation, aren't there only a few possibilities left? No matter which one it is, it's all very troublesome."

The moment she received the call, she put down her comic book. Theresa calmly assessed the situation and issued her orders:

"What happens next is beyond your control. Go back to the Far East Branch before the situation affects you. Leave the rest to me."

After receiving Lin Xinchan's reply, the call ended.

"Principal Theresa! The Science Department reports that a huge fluctuation of Honkai energy has suddenly appeared in Changkong City." A projector popped up on the table, displaying the audio along with satellite images of Changkong City and the Honkai energy index simultaneously.

"I already know, the Science Department has identified it as a new Honkai Beast?" Theresa asked, frowning.

"...It's Honkai energy stronger than that of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast. The Science Department suspects it's the fluctuations of a Herrscher." The person on the other end also seemed puzzled by this matter.

In theory, each Honkai event only results in the birth of one Herrscher. As the Third Herrscher, Raiden Mei cannot be said to have been born because of this Honkai event. Since the Gem of Conquest was already buried within her, it would be more accurate to say that she awakened to become a Herrscher.

Therefore, theoretically, it is not incomprehensible that another Herald would appear.

However, the Honkai energy concentration in Changkong City is completely insufficient to condense another true Herrscher, and the possibility of condensing a Herrscher core is zero.

This suggests that the Herrscher fluctuations detected so far are very likely not those of a true Herrscher.

Is it a pseudo-law enforcer?

Although the opponent drew the Joker, it's fortunate that it wasn't the King.

I hope you're unlucky enough to run into a pseudo-Herrscher, otherwise all I'll be doing is collecting your corpse.

With a heavy heart, I picked up the huge golden cross.

The eleventh key of God is called the Oath of Judah.

When Theresa uses the Key of Binding, she can fight even a Herrscher-level character.

Let's bring him back before Himeko finds out.

Whether it's corpses or something else brought back, it's the principal's responsibility.

Former S-class Valkyrie Theresa Apocalypse remained calm, but a murderous intent surged in her blue eyes.

Collapse, collapse.

When will this kind of world end?

57. The Final Battle (Part 1)

Standing in front of the pseudo-Herrscher was a girl. Judging by her appearance alone, she should be a young girl attending elementary school obediently. However, her solemn and dignified expression and exquisite nun's habit gave her an inexplicable sense of holiness that made her a force to be reckoned with.

The heavy golden cross rested on her petite body, and the stark contrast between her strength and appearance created a sense of absurdity for a moment.

They rushed from St. Freya Academy to Changkong City in a short period of time.

Theresa, who had located the pseudo-Herrscher based on the violent Honkai energy reaction, looked at the boy entangled in vines in Sato Yuno's arms and said coldly:

"Put him down."

At this moment, a murderous intent surged within those usually gentle, ocean-like blue eyes.

The massive Key of Restraint crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar, and a chain was pulled out from the center of the cross. Accompanied by the girl's murderous intent, the end of the chain transformed into a straight, sharp spear.

At over forty years old, Theresa Apocalypse is undoubtedly a battle-hardened Valkyrie. For opponents far superior in strength and deserving of pity, she will deliver a death as gentle and merciful as a nun.

However, the opponent is a pseudo-Herrscher, someone who needs to be taken seriously.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't say anything unnecessary.

Preemptive strikes and catching the enemy off guard to gain the upper hand in battle are what she does.

However, the person who prompted her to come so quickly was in the hands of this pseudo-Herrscher, which made her feel hesitant to act rashly.

"He is my exclusive collection until I lose interest. Let those arrogant humans be buried on the spot."

Without anger or murderous intent, Sato Yuno stared at Theresa as if she were looking at a patch of polluted air, her only expression being a frown of disgust.

Humans, indeed, fill me with utter disgust.

The broken and distorted mindset is rooted here, and only when she sees the handsome face of the young man does the former Sato Yuno seem to briefly return.

As the conclusion was reached, countless vines emerged in the void surrounding Theresa, carrying a massive amount of Honkai energy as they surged forth.

They wanted to penetrate the girl's petite body and weave a web of blood and flesh.

useless.

Eight chains extended from within the cross, slashing away at their own pace and severing all the vines without a trace of struggle. With just a slight cut, the vines, tougher than steel, turned to ashes.

The Oath of Judah is a divine key forged by the Moth Chaser, an anti-Honkai organization from the previous civilization, using the core of the eleventh Herrscher, the Herrscher of Binding.

Like the Herrscher of Binding, it has the power to nullify Honkai energy and weaken other forms of energy to varying degrees.

For Theresa, this level of attack was meaningless.

Does this pseudo-Herrscher consider Su Qing'an an important being? If so, it would explain why she didn't take action against Su Qing'an.

Upon first serious observation of the pseudo-Herrscher's face, Theresa, realizing the truth, let out a sigh.

It's Sato Yuno.

Because of Su Qing'an's request to go to Changkong City, she had specifically looked up and read the girl's file.

She was indeed an ordinary girl. If she hadn't broken down, she would probably have complained about the amount of homework, the strictness of her teachers, and the conflicts with her friends.

What people care about should be the weather, articles about horoscopes, and new products in milk tea shops.

She was an ordinary girl, and she deserved an ordinary life.

Now everything she once possessed has turned to dust in her memories, never to return.

Sato Yuno was corrupted by the Honkai and became a pseudo-Herrscher.

It became something that Theresa Apocalypse had to eliminate and kill.

Based on the current situation and previous information, Theresa guessed the general process: Su Qing'an entered Chiyu Academy and encountered Sato Yuno, who was or was about to become a pseudo-Herrscher.

Judging from his tattered clothes, Su Qing'an may have been seriously injured, but his exposed skin was intact.

Preliminary assessment suggests this is due to one of Sato Yuno's abilities as a pseudo-Herrscher.

Heal? Having analyzed the other party's abilities and weaknesses, Theresa had already made her decision.

In order to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, eliminating Sato Yuno, who is a pseudo-Herrscher, is the only option.

As the head of Schicksal's Far East branch, Theresa had to set aside her own emotions and standpoints to prevent such a dangerous entity from infiltrating the Far East.

"Yuno Sato, let me end your suffering." With a pronouncement of her resolve and judgment, she swung her spear.

Eight unretracted chains shot out, and once they bound her body, Sato Yuno, whose Honkai energy was locked, would lose the ability to resist. The spear would then pierce the girl's heart and shatter the pseudo-Herrscher core.

By then, the girl named Sato Yuno will be completely dead.

It's very dangerous. The opponent's weapon is strange; this is definitely not a human that can be killed easily. It's like a stubborn stone in soft soil, and crushing it would require an immeasurable price.

The "gods" only grant power and the intent to kill humanity, not arrogance. So-called arrogance is composure built on absolute power.

At this moment, Sato Yuno, who was not in a favorable position, lost her composure. She did not make the foolish choice to let Theresa easily enter the defensive line.

Countless thorns sprouted from the ground and coiled on the surface, becoming a barrier to the enemy's advance, but this was only the beginning.

Under the power of the Herrscher, ancient trees sprang up from the ground, completely blocking Theresa's path and vision.

The iron birch in China is already the hardest plant in the world. It is three times harder than oak and twice as hard as ordinary steel. However, even it is far less hard than the plant material made by Yuno Sato.

Such a tight defense was completed in the blink of an eye; even if it wasn't a true Herrscher, such power was dangerous enough.

This is why Theresa did not waver in her determination to kill Yoshino Sato, even though she knew that Sato had retained some humanity.

Unlike Raiden Mei, who developed a Herrscher personality, Sato Yuno's original will was twisted into her current form.

Theresa was unaware of this, but to ask her to gamble that the other person's feelings could overcome the erosion of decay was far too unrealistic.

Kill her, and many others will be spared from harm.

"Trying to escape?" Sensing the source of the violent Honkai energy fluctuations receding into the distance, Theresa said calmly: