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

The girl didn't understand his meaning at first because of the tinnitus, but the boy's subsequent reckless actions made her understand.

Su Qing'an placed his right hand on the hilt of the sword, his fingertips traced the three characters before his palm slowly closed and gripped it.

The scenery beneath the tree canopy seemed like another world in the distance.

Then, without hesitation, he sprinted forward and leaped down.

Legend has it that the world's tallest tree is 156 meters tall, but the ancient tree that Yuno Sato casually sculpted is even taller, growing a full 200 meters tall on a mountain. Looking up at the sky, the high clouds seem to be within reach, and the clouds below are also within touch.

Su Qing'an, carrying nothing but a sword, jumped from a height of 200 meters. This courage and decisiveness were something he had never possessed before.

This constant recklessness is really putting people in a difficult position. The girl gave a complicated, unspoken smile.

Holding his breath and silently reciting the Sword Heart Mantra, the sacred mark on the young man's back ignited with a magnificent crimson hue, as beautiful as blood.

A gust of wind blew through her hair, brushing against her cheeks.

His body pierced through the clouds, and the sounds of Honkai energy colliding in the distance could be heard even high in the sky.

Su Qing'an has never understood what it means to conserve one's strength, because he has never had such an opportunity in any of his battles.

He had become accustomed to a situation where he had to fight for survival at all costs and use every ounce of his strength to fight for a chance to live.

and so.

When it's time to burn, it should burn.

The boy laughed happily, as if a furnace had been ignited inside his body, filling him with a sense of fullness, and power was continuously being transformed out at some kind of cost.

Stigmata? They're really useful.

Just like last time, the collapse of the world could travel around his body in the form of light spots.

He wanted it to be faster.

Honkai energy readily accepted the boy's will, the light points transforming into flame-colored streams of air. The surging propulsion made the gusts of wind on his face even more fierce, but the boy's eyes were fixed straight ahead, and the corners of his lips naturally curved into a beautiful smile.

The wind whistled past his ears, and the scenery in his eyes changed faster and faster, the shape of the pillar of light already reflected in his pupils.

But that's not enough; it needs to be even faster. He thought.

Thus, the light converged into a magnificent torrent.

A silent roar echoed across the sky.

The boy's sudden and rapid descent was like a shooting star, piercing the darkness.

The Honkai energy beams that rippled across the ground had not yet been extinguished.

Immediately.

A myriad of rays of light accompanied the falling meteor.

But in a fraction of a second, all that radiance surged into the sword sheath, and the night instantly fell silent.

Then, in that instant, he drew his sword.

All things were silent.

A torrent of light poured out, descending once more frenziedly, annihilating the pillar of light and easily submerging the residual fluctuations of the two intertwined Honkai energies.

All obstacles were cleaved in two by the magnificent sword light.

The sword cleaved through the mist and sliced ​​through the body.

It also severed the five-hundred-year-old destiny of the Kanbara family.

Before the living doll could even wail, the sword, accompanied by a dazzling torrent of light, annihilated the mangled demonic body.

The cracked red gauntlets emitted a feeble wail and a mournful cry before finally shattering.

The remaining light stream transformed into the Guardian Sword Stance within the Void Sword Qi, landing with a final roar, as light and sound gradually faded away.

The young man walked steadily across the ravaged land, and the [Calming the Waves] sword slowly returned to its sheath.

The night was peacefully immersed in gentle tranquility, the wind blew across the earth, and the dark flames vanished like a mirage.

The towering ancient tree disintegrated into countless shimmering green light spots. Sato Yuno landed, the vines around her waist vanishing into nothingness. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and tucked it behind her back, her face looking much lighter.

Then the girl walked to Su Qing'an's side and said with some helplessness:

"Stop being brave."

Even though that defensive sword stance negated most of the recoil, the terrifying speed at which it fell meant that even if 99% of the force was removed, the remaining 1% would still be enough to severely injure the boy's body.

The reason he was still able to walk and sheathe his sword before was simply because the power of the Holy Mark had not completely dissipated.

Suddenly, a series of double images appeared before Su Qing'an's eyes. It should have been an unsettling situation, but the night and the gentle breeze calmed her mind. However, with the girl's words, the only warmth in her body was pulled away, and a sense of powerlessness spread throughout her body.

He fell, and the vines that formed afterward wove a cradle, gently embracing the boy's body.

A vibrant green light illuminated the darkness, flowing into the body and slowly healing the wounds.

They... won.

But there are still things left undone.

His obsession, pulling at his weary and empty body, told him not to fall asleep.

We can't rest yet.

He couldn't stop swinging his sword yet.

Once the brief healing effect fades, the two will once again step onto the battlefield.

40. How can you reason with someone like that?

Shuichi Kanbara sat cross-legged on the ground, carefully wiping the sacred sword with a damp towel from the basin. Blood seeped through the gaps between his palms and fell into the basin.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The continuous sounds were particularly clear in the quiet environment.

The man was unharmed, but in that short period of time, he killed seven villagers.

It could be a backstab or a head-on fight.

In the latter case, the status of the clan chief of the Kambara clan undoubtedly played a very important role. In their eyes, Kambara Shuichi was still an existence that was difficult to disobey and that they could not choose to attack directly.

In the life-or-death duel, Shuichi Kanbara took advantage of the opponent's confusion and hesitation, and used the Divine Sword to take his life.

But this was pretty much the limit. Even if they were lucky enough to avoid injury, the physical strength they had expended in the numerous battles where they had used all their strength to swing their swords had reached a point where they had to rest.

Even if one is unwilling to admit it, the physical abilities of Shuichi Kanbara, who is not yet forty years old, have deteriorated to a point that is no different from his appearance, or even more serious.

He closed his eyes and breathed, seemingly trying to adjust his body to the best state for battle.

The old man once said that a true martial artist can instantly adjust his body to the most suitable state for fighting while simultaneously entering a state of perfect tranquility.

Shuichi Kanbara wasn't naturally gifted; neither his mindset nor his physical condition allowed him to achieve the leap in one bound. But the fact that he was able to do so was a breakthrough in itself, almost miraculous.

According to the old man, this is something only a genius could do.

He was certainly not a genius, but for some reason, as the festival day drew near, Shuichi Kanbara's mind, having been cleansed of all distractions, had become clear enough to barely support him in doing the same thing.

Shuichi Kanbara undoubtedly grasped the Mind's Eye. Unlike geniuses like Mei Raiden, what enabled this man to achieve this was never his passion for martial arts, his obsession with becoming stronger, or his exceptional talent.

Rather, it is the vision of protecting the only thing we cherish.

Ten years of sharpening a sword.

This man, who could be considered dull-witted in martial arts, has reached a level that some martial artists can never reach in their entire lives, ten years later.

Even though the Honkai energy's erosion prevented him from quickly entering a competitive state, and his Mind's Eye was incomplete, it was still enough.

"Daigo, you've come." The man opened his eyes. In the distance, countless figures flickered in the candlelight in the darkness, like demons and ghosts.

"Lord Kanbara, please tell me, where is Miss Yu?" Daigo asked earnestly. The villagers behind him blocked the narrow entrance, and the faint candlelight reflected on his compassionate face, making his eyes indistinct in the shadows.

"In the end, it's still you. Is this fate?" Shuichi Kanbara didn't answer Daigo's question. He seemed to be recalling that scene from ten years ago, and said this.

"Lord Kambara. As you know, this is the rule. It has been like this for five hundred years. Kambara Village has been able to continue peacefully and harmoniously for so long because of the worship of the gods," Daigo said.

He should be becoming less and less human due to the corruption of Honkai energy. It would be normal for him, as a living puppet, to only have the thought of capturing Kanbara Yuu in his mind.

The man who led the villagers here before looked like a most fervent saint, but now he is so earnestly trying to persuade Shuichi Kanbara.

"Just because it's been like this for five hundred years, does that necessarily mean it's right?" Shuichi Kanbara stood up, staring directly into Daigo's purple eyes, and said softly:

"That's what you told me back then, Daigo."

“…That’s all in the past, Lord Kanbara,” Daigo said after a moment of silence.

"Even if it's a blood sacrifice at the cost of human lives, do you still think it's right?" The man looked at his childhood friend and sighed.

"It seems I can't persuade you, Lord Kanbara. It's a real shame, but you're the only one I truly don't want to take action against."

Daigo said with a sigh, "Of course I know where Shinbara Yu is. There's no other reason why this man would wander around killing people and then return to this place except that this is where Shinbara Yu is hiding."

"How could you possibly reason with me?" Kanbaru Shuichi laughed, as if mocking him.

“Yes, it’s impossible to reason with someone like you. As a believer in God, I should also abandon those inappropriate thoughts,” Daigo agreed.

The current Shuichi Kanbara is not the yakuza king of Kanagawa, not an entrepreneur who runs a huge conglomerate, nor the head of the Kanbara family, which has been passed down for five hundred years.

The man standing here now is nothing more than a father.

How ridiculous it is for you to reason with a father and say you're going to take his daughter's life.

The only outcome, naturally, was that they drew their swords against each other!

"Take a nap, Lord Kanbara. Everything will return to normal when you wake up," Daigo said, waving his hand to give the order.

The villagers behind him walked forward indifferently. Daigo's target was Kanbara Yuu, and if Kanbara Shuichi didn't stop him, the villagers naturally wouldn't attack him.

But this is obviously impossible.

"I'm being unusually indecisive, and I shouldn't be rambling on like this." The man raised his divine sword, and just as Daigo thought he was about to attack, he used the sword to pierce the black cloth beside him.

M61 Vulcan cannon.

This weapon, which was removed from an American fighter jet and presented to Shuichi Kambara, would shatter even a true suicide soldier under the terrifying power of its maximum rate of fire of 7200 rounds per minute.

He was never a pure martial artist.

One-on-one duels and sword fights are the spirit of the samurai, but in a group brawl, do you think I'm an idiot for not letting you experience the changes of the times?!