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

This massive project was extremely complicated, but unavoidable.

And this is a custom-made Kyo Yuzen for Kanbara Yu, does that mean that in that person's eyes Kanbara Yu is a girl like cherry blossoms?

Such delicate, elegant, and innocent things are truly beautiful.

The girl looked at herself in the mirror and sighed.

But Sato Yuno is not a cherry blossom.

But wouldn't fireworks be better than cherry blossoms?

She likes fireworks.

A life lived like cherry blossoms is one way, and a life lived like fireworks is another.

Rather than blooming in spring and slowly fading away, it is better to illuminate the entire night sky in an instant, so that it will be less likely to be forgotten.

Sato Yuno took off her kimono and changed back into her original clothes.

Since the kimono wasn't a gift from Sato Natsuno, the girl naturally wouldn't feel any attachment to it.

Perhaps she is still waiting.

Waiting for that impossible future, in which the man will hold the kimono that belongs to Sato Yuno and smile at the girl, saying, "I didn't break my promise."

But that's like you're strolling along the curb when suddenly an aircraft carrier descends from the sky, and the people inside come out and tell you that your future self has invented a time machine.

If you get on the ship now, I'll tell you the secret to tomorrow's five million lottery ticket.

It was so absurd, ridiculous, illogical, and...sad.

You see, what you're waiting for is something you'll never get.

And nobody will tell you.

How far is forever?

Sato Yuno used the towel handed to her by the maid to wipe the CPB lipstick off her lips. Just as she didn't suit this kimono, her own lighter lip color seemed to make her more comfortable.

Now that it's confirmed that the armor's thickness is fine to wear under a kimono, all that's left is to go to Kanbaru Village and kill that living doll, and this mission will be over.

She was wearing a Kyo-Yuzen dress that Shuichi Kanbara specially made for Yu Kanbara.

So since I've shared a bit of your father's love for you, I'll help you kill that so-called living doll in exchange.

Yuno Sato doesn't want to see another father like Natsumi Sato die.

The power plundered from the Honkai could be used for revenge, and perhaps also to protect some of the things that Sato Yuno likes.

That's not bad either.

20. Within this world, is there anything that can live forever?

"Su Jun, I don't know if you've ever heard this saying."

"I'm all ears."

"Life is but fifty years, and the past seems like a dream. Is there anything in the world that can live forever?"

As Shuichi Kanbara drove, his gaze was fixed on the rugged, winding road ahead. He was merely looking at the road conditions, yet it seemed as if he were seeing something much more distant.

“That must have been said by Oda Nobunaga,” Su Qing’an replied, sitting in the passenger seat while Sato Yuno sat in the back.

They were already on their way to Kambara Village.

Su Qing'an understood what Kanbaru Shuichi was saying.

This statement is undoubtedly applicable to ordinary people. Whether it is Su Qing'an, Shenyuan Shuichi, or even the immortal who has protected China for five thousand years, the concept of fifty years as a number will eventually disappear.

Before their demise, they would clutch tightly to what they cherished.

"Yes, Su-kun. For me, this life is enough. As long as I can end the fate of the Kambara family, rescue Yu, and fulfill my promise to my wife, I will have no regrets."

Hey, you know, when an old man says something like that on the road, he's setting a flag for himself, right? Characters who say things like that in anime usually don't come back. At most, the main characters will put a bouquet of white flowers on his tombstone and carry on his spirit.

But what about the person who died?

Some only have a single bunch of white flowers left, which will soon wither away.

So the moment the man said those words, Su Qing'an felt a sense of unease. He thought, "With us protecting you, you shouldn't say such nonsense."

What if your jinx comes true? It's really strange that your first mission is to collect the client's corpse.

But Shuichi Kanbara's words were so serious, so serious that it seemed he could see the ending, so serious that it seemed he truly didn't care about death.

She was so serious that Su Qing'an could only remain speechless.

After all, how could you say something offensive and ruin the atmosphere at such a serious time? That would be incredibly rude of you.

Kanbaru Shuu glanced at the photo frame placed beside him and smiled happily.

Su Qing'an followed his gaze and looked at the family photo.

It's clear that the photo is quite old. Shuichi Kanbara is still very young in the photo, with an adorable little girl on his shoulder, and a woman with a gentle and serene smile standing next to him.

This is an ordinary, harmonious scene of a family of three.

“My wife didn’t die because of the doll. She had always been in poor health and passed away from an illness a few years ago.”

When Shuichi Kanbara said this, there was no sadness in his eyes. Instead, a pure and bright smile, like that of a young boy, appeared on his face. It was as if, for this man, thinking of his wife was something to be happy about.

“She asked me to protect Yu, which was my wife’s only request before she died. How could I not do it?” said Shuichi Kanbara.

This is a promise from a man to a woman, and a promise from a husband to his wife.

So even if you have to go through fire and water, search high and low, you still have to do it, right?

Su Qing'an was the same.

Therefore, he had no grounds to refute anything. The reckless things he had done had already cost him half his life, so what could he possibly teach Shuichi Kanbara?

Besides, there's no need for preaching.

Sometimes, it is a kind thing for a man to have the opportunity to risk his life.

Shuichi Kanbara wasn't actually that strong. He had some basic training in martial arts and iaido, but he was only considered decent among ordinary people.

But what use are martial arts and iaido techniques if you're facing a living puppet?

Even a genius like Raiden Mei can only kill assassins with the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style.

But there's a saying...

So what if it's useless? Useless wood is still wood, as long as it can be burned!

Shuichi Kanbara kept a sacred sword in the trunk of his car.

That is a sword that has been worshipped day and night in the shrine of Kambara Village for five hundred years. Because it was not designed to be used in actual combat, this sword does not have a tsuba (handguard).

However, it seems that he was tainted by the evil spirit of the living doll, and the blade was so sharp that it could cut hair in an instant. On the day his father was sacrificed ten years ago, he took away this sacred sword.

Today, Shuichi Kanbara returned to Kanbara Village with this nameless divine sword. He didn't know if he could break the chains of tragedy this time, but what did it matter?

I've been clinging to this life until now, just so I can use it to fight one last time.

Even if that day were now, Shuichi Kanbara would have already prepared to die.

"Mr. Kambara, we will do our best to protect your and Kambara Yu's lives." In the end, Su Qing'an could only offer this somewhat official statement.

Sometimes, a man can become a true friend with just a word or a drink.

Su Qing'an is not good with words and speaks very little. But the fact that he could give such a reply already proves that he approves of Kanbara Shuichi.

"Of course, I believe you. But if, if that day ever comes, Su-kun, Ms. Sato, please prioritize protecting my daughter's life."

Shuichi Kambara's tone gradually became heavy.

"...If that time really comes, we will respect your choice, Mr. Kambara," Su Qing'an replied after a moment of silence.

He thought that assigning you a very low-level task to a semi-A-rank and a pseudo-Herrscher was incredibly lucky.

It was as if fate had decreed that the two of them would end the destiny of the Kanbara family.

Under such circumstances, it is understandable that Shuichi Kambara is worried, but what does Su Qing'an have to worry about?

He was as if he had been infected by the tragic heroism of the samurai charging into battle, a hero who never returned, as embodied in Shuichi Kanbara.

Therefore, I couldn't help but feel that things might get to that point.

However, things are still far from reaching that point, so it's better to plan ahead than to worry unnecessarily.

After that, the car fell silent as the conversation ceased, the only sound breaking the stillness being the roar of the Maybach's engine.

Su Qing'an gently stroked the instrument case, inside which was the weapon [Ding Feng Bo] that had accompanied him until now.

This time, the enemy is not just the living dolls; the villagers with cult-like twisted beliefs may also be the enemy.

If we were to divide the battle, then king against king, soldier against soldier, would naturally be Sato Yuno, the pseudo-Herrscher, dealing with the living puppets, while Su Qing'an would be responsible for dealing with the others.

This means that he might be planning to kill someone.

Don't assume that just because he died twice and killed Honkai Beasts and assassins, he can be completely unmoved and have no feelings about killing.

If such a person really existed, he'd probably be the protagonist of some cold-blooded, dark fantasy novel.

But Su Qing'an is not.

He was essentially just a 17-year-old boy whose willpower was only directed at his ability to withstand emotional stress and pain, as well as his stubbornness.

This may not be ordinary, but it is definitely not related to a cold-blooded killer.

The mere thought of raising a sword against one's own kind would make a boy feel uneasy.

If Shuichi Kanbara's account is accurate, and the victims were indeed deeply sinful, killing them might not elicit any moral condemnation.

However, imagining the sight of a sword blade slicing a human body to pieces, Su Qing'an could not possibly feel indifferent or accustomed to it.

He hated being a judge.

If he were to draw his sword, before witnessing those sins firsthand, Su Qing'an's only reason for killing would be that the other party also harbored murderous intent.

Perhaps it was for him, or perhaps it was for the client.

But no matter who it is, the boy will retaliate with his sword in the same way and with the same killing intent.

Many things are not about right or wrong, but about perspectives.