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

Even though Theresa's physical age looks like that of a young girl, it doesn't diminish Sato Yuno's respect for her.

The reason she chose to enter St. Freya Academy, besides Su Qing'an being there, was because of Theresa's image of protecting herself as a human even after being beaten and bruised by her.

That combination of strength and gentleness inspired Yoshino Sato to admire it.

If the headmistress of St. Freya Academy is such a person, then I have no reason to suspect that she might be hostile to me.

She nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then you can go out first. I notified Kiana to come pick you up. She should be waiting for you outside," the thoughtful headmistress said.

"Yes. Thank you, Principal Theresa." Upon hearing Kiana's name, Sato Yuno felt as if she had returned to that carefree time. The corners of her lips unconsciously turned up, her hard shell melted away, and her expression softened.

But the expression disappeared in an instant.

Overwhelmed by heavy thoughts, the smile vanished from Yuno Sato's face. She thanked Theresa earnestly, bowed, and left the office.

"Was the collapse caused by human intervention?"

After Sato Yuno left, Theresa muttered to herself.

This could just be an excuse or a lie used by the corrupted consciousness to manipulate Sato Yuno.

But given her suspicions about Cocolia, Theresa didn't think it was unfounded.

Even though her intuition pointed to Cocolia, it wasn't enough to make a decision based solely on the imposter's words and this information.

During this month, while Theresa dispatched personnel to eliminate the Honkai Beasts, she also had people specifically look for any signs of artificially induced Honkai in the city, but nothing was found.

The science department judged that if the Honkai outbreak was entirely artificially induced, the remaining traces would be difficult to conceal.

This means that if there was any human intervention involved in this collapse, it was only a contributing factor.

This is indeed the third collapse.

However, the reason it came into existence was actually from Cocolia.

Besides this demonic woman, Sato Yuno's enemy is also the Honkai itself.

If her guesses are correct, then the so-called revenge is itself a tragic wish that is difficult to fulfill.

Theresa stared silently at the cross placed in the corner.

Honkai is like a river flowing endlessly across another dimension. It is impossible for humans to cut off the ocean, let alone the great power of another dimension.

But... But...

She will not give up the fight.

3. Interlude

"Yuno!" A familiar voice reached Sato Yuno's ears, and before she could react, the person hugged her tightly.

The tip of my nose, hidden beneath the white hair, felt itchy; the girl's body fragrance and the scent of her shampoo were clearly captured by my sense of smell.

It has a refreshing aroma, like lemon blossom tea.

It's a taste I really miss.

"Kiana, it's been a long time," Sato Yuno said with a smile, stroking the girl's head. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Thank goodness, you're alive. Back then, I thought you and Su Qing'an were both dead," Kiana said guiltily, hugging the girl who had almost lost everything in the calamity tightly.

"Mei and I searched for you for a long time at Chiba Academy, but we couldn't find you. It was as if you had disappeared into thin air. In the end, we were almost out of ammo, so we could only keep running and running until we finally arrived at St. Freya Academy."

"And then, neither of you died."

"Thank you, I'm not dead."

In such a world, the fact that someone important can be lost and then regained is already an indescribable act of kindness.

Kiana felt the silent girl in her arms.

She realized that Sato Yuno had changed. Compared to before, her smile had become faint and restrained, her waist was more slender, and her body was excessively thin.

However, compared to the changes in her physical body, there was an even greater contrast in her will. The former Sato Yuno was just an ordinary girl with a certain amount of courage and a sense of justice, but now she has an indomitable will.

It was as if something enormous was pressing down on Sato Yuno's back, but it didn't break her. She gritted her teeth, swallowed her blood, and carried everything on her back, without missing a single item, and continued forward with the burden.

This version of Yuno Sato is like a butterfly forced to break free of its cocoon, beautiful yet fragile.

When she is crushed, the butterfly's wings will be cruelly crushed and torn off, and she will fall into the abyss.

Kiana could understand that Sato Yuno, who was still alive, must have gone through things she couldn't even imagine.

She couldn't empathize with her either.

Just as no one can understand Kiana's own sense of illusion as she stumbles into the air, only Yuno Sato herself can comprehend her sorrow, wishes, and hatred.

but.

"I will become stronger," the white-haired girl whispered firmly in her ear, "strong enough that I will never be defeated again, strong enough that I will never lose you."

"Whether it's Su Qing'an, Yuno, Mei-senpai, or even that little Bronya."

"I don't want to lose any of you. I will protect you. It sounds cheesy, but you are already an indispensable part of my life."

The girl paused for a moment, then looked up at Sato Yuno with her azure eyes and said earnestly, "I will be very sad without you all."

Will you be very sad? Sato Yuno paused, suddenly recalling the days she spent with Kiana at Chiba Academy. She studied the girl's expression and then smiled helplessly.

Honestly, he's usually such a proud and aloof guy, but when it really matters, he becomes terrifyingly frank.

Kiana, you're becoming so popular that it's a terrible sin.

But I like you just the way you are.

"Thank you, Kiana. I'm so glad to hear you say that."

"But it's me who will protect Su Qing'an. I will become stronger than Kiana. And then I will protect you all." Sato Yuno made a challenging declaration.

"Is that so? Hmph, it's a deal in the name of Kaslana, and I won't lose." Kiana proudly raised her delicate chin and said this.

“Then it’s a deal,” said Sato Yuno, looking at the slightly puffed-up white fluffy ball.

After becoming a pseudo-Herrscher, even without using the Honkai energy resistance of the body and the ability to control Honkai energy, one is already far from ordinary.

If she undergoes rigorous training, Theresa believes that Sato Yuno, who has no restrictions on the use of her powers and the Destiny Valkyrie armor, will be qualified to become an S-class Valkyrie.

After all, even a former S-class Valkyrie like her was defeated by Sato Yuno's power. Even though her memories were sealed and she forgot to use the Judas Zero Rated Power Method, it cannot erase Sato Yuno's achievements.

This is one of the factors, besides Theresa's beliefs and feelings, that allowed Yuno Sato to join St. Freya Academy.

Amidst the girls' laughter and chatter, the pain caused by that cruel collapse seemed to vanish in a fleeting moment of time. They could once again chat freely, playfully tease each other, drink perfectly sweet milk tea, and complain about rumors online. Daily life could continue as if nothing had changed.

However, Sato Yuno and Kiana would tacitly never mention Changkong City again.

The wounds etched into the body and soul can only numb the pain, but can never be fully healed.

Kiana couldn't do it, and neither could Su Qing'an.

Even Theresa, the school principal, did not try to dissuade Yuno Sato from her inner hatred.

Because she understood that it was meaningless.

Putting all these troublesome things aside, for Sato Yuno, Kiana, and Su Qingan, their lives at St. Freya Academy have only just begun.

4. Nishikujo Sala

Located in a sea area in the far east.

A huge artificial island sits here, a vast and little-known academy, with European architectural style as its main theme.

From the rooftop of the teaching building, you can see the deep ocean and the azure sky seemingly merging into one line. The sunlight paints golden outlines on the shimmering sea surface, and they surge with the waves, creating a truly magnificent scene.

A poem once expressed this view: where there is a horizon, there must be a vast place, which must be at the end of the world and the end of dreams.

However, for St. Freya Academy, this viewpoint carries a certain inexplicable meaning.

The Valkyries, whose mission is to fight against the Honkai and protect the world, began here.

Su Qing'an gazed at the distant ocean, his dark eyes fixed on the endless horizon, as if he had something on his mind, or perhaps he was simply letting his mind wander.

Opposite him was a woman in her twenties, wearing a white lab coat. Her neat, short hair made her look quite refreshing, and she wore a name tag with her job title on her chest.

Nishikujo Sara, school doctor.

She had placed the Marlboro cigarette pack in the pocket behind the school doctor's badge on her chest, with half of the pack sticking out, creating a strange combination with the school doctor and giving it an odd appearance.

On the table was a half-finished cup of coffee that had been cold for a long time.

She casually placed the document bag and some strange dolls to the side, with faint traces of cigarette ash and brown coffee stains on the ground.

It's clear that the school doctor at St. Freya Academy's usual style and habits are not something to be emulated.

She flipped through the data and reports, her expression complex.

Sara Nishikujo looked up at the rare male figure in the academy. He was not old; at 17, he should have been enjoying his youth to the fullest in the ordinary world. However, in just one month, she had received two reports of him being seriously injured and on the verge of death.

Such a reckless and unrestrained behavior is really embarrassing in this kind of place. Can't you just be reckless and unrestrained in your relationships with men? That's what youth is all about.

Although she was used to the Valkyries' reckless behavior, the fact that Su Qing'an, who was just an ordinary boy a few months ago, had experienced dangers that were no less than theirs still left her speechless.

How unlucky are you?

It's more accurate to say that it's a miracle they survived.

Sara Nishikujo took a Marlboro cigarette from her breast pocket, walked to the open window, lit it with a lighter, casually crushed the menthol capsule, put the cigarette in her lips, and then, as the woman exhaled a long breath, the smoke began to swirl around her.

Her smoking technique was so skillful that it was pleasing to the eye; the faint scent of mint and tobacco filled the room, only to be swept away by the sea breeze blowing in.

The lighter in the woman's hand was a product of a long-established Japanese tobacco company. The silver metal casing was already showing some paint peeling, which suggested that she had been smoking for a long time and was a heavy smoker.

"Tsk, I can't help but smoke before talking about this kind of thing." Restraining her nicotine craving, Nishikujo Sara withdrew her gaze from the sea and exhaled a white smoke ring with a sigh.

She turned her head, stubbed out her cigarette, and said:

"You have less than ten years to live."

“Artificial stigmata are eroding your body and erasing your life, and the more you use the power of stigmata, the shorter this process becomes.”

"Unless you stop fighting Honkai and stop being exposed to strong Honkai energy reactions, you have at most ten years left to live."

At this point, Nishikujo Sara paused and fell silent, seemingly wanting to give the boy some time to react.