Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　Sakura did not agree with Kevin's explanation.

　She raised her voice and questioned him angrily.

　"We both have Honkai Beast genes within us, yet we are fusion warriors who protect humanity."

　“Rin has no symptoms. She can control that power. She won’t hurt anyone.”

　“You…you can’t take her life away.”

　Seeing the tears streaming down Sakura's face and hearing her sobbing words, even Kevin couldn't help but feel conflicted, and his tone softened a bit.

　“Sakura, I understand how you feel. But the Eleventh Herrscher’s abilities are beyond everyone’s imagination. No one could have imagined that disaster would strike in that form.”

　"We can't afford another loss like that."

　“Ling’s situation is special, but she must be supervised. Please trust Dr. Mei to make a wise judgment.”

　Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, a determined light shone again in Sakura's eyes.

　She looked at Kevin, her tone resolute.

　“I don’t doubt Dr. May’s character, but I can’t trust Moths. Kevin, do you know how those people have always looked at us?”

　“I don’t care about myself, but now that the bell is in their hands, I will absolutely not stand idly by.”

　"Step aside!"

　The thought of the suffering Ling might endure made her unable to bear it any longer.

　Faced with Sakura's resolute decision, Kevin's expression also turned serious.

　He earnestly tried to persuade Sakura to calm down.

　“Sakura, the Fire Moth needs you, we need you. I won’t hurt you, but I will never let you pass through here.”

　With that, Kevin raised the Third Divine Key, which had transformed into a greatsword.

　Seeing this, Sakura was equally defiant.

　She gripped the katana tightly, letting the blade gleam with a cold, icy light.

　"Kevin, we've known each other for so long, but you've probably never seen my true abilities in person, have you?"

　The words fell.

　A sharp blade flashed with cold light, and the greatsword burst forth with thunder.

　As the two drew their swords, it seemed as if space itself stood still.

　The white-haired warrior, wielding a thunder sword, slowly walked towards his target.

　One step, two steps...

　Then, the person in front of me disappeared.

　"What!?"

　He instinctively turned around, only to find that the cherry-haired girl who should have been standing in front of him had already come up behind him.

　Without giving Kevin any time to react, Sakura ran deeper into the passage without looking back.

　At the same time, the alarm sounded at an inopportune moment.

　"Attack alarm. Not from them, it came from another floor."

　Kevin quickly glanced at the terminal in his hand and saw that the alarm displayed on the screen did not originate from the 17th basement level where they were, but from another area adjacent to the laboratory.

　"not good!"

　Kevin felt a sudden tightness in his chest, realizing that something even more urgent might have happened.

　Just then, Dr. Mei's communication request rang out, interrupting his thoughts.

　"Kevin, where are you? I need you to move out immediately."

　"Mei, what's going on?"

　"The Herald has awakened."

　Through the real-time video footage transmitted back by the monitoring system, Hua and Padofelis witnessed firsthand Sakura's astonishing sword strike.

　In that instant, the blade light unleashed by [Frosty Prison Ice Sky] froze the surrounding space.

　"So...so strong..."

　Witnessing the dazzling brilliance of this strike, Hua, a martial artist, could deeply appreciate the profound mysteries it contained.

　This also involuntarily stirred up an indescribable sense of awe in her heart.

　It was at this moment that Dr. Mei's voice clearly reached their ears through the sound system in the F-23 monitoring room.

　"Sakura has already set off, Hua, the rest is up to you."

　"Dr. Mei, what do you need me to do?"

　Hua responded quickly.

　Since Himiko, who transformed into the Seventh Herrscher, the Herrscher of Flame, did not die at Kevin's hands, he did not have much affection for her despite Dr. Hua Yinmei's leading experiment on the new super-mutant factor [META-MORPH].

　However, compared to the tense and hostile relationship between them in their original world, the relationship between Hua and Dr. Mei is obviously much more relaxed on this planet where the necromancer was born.

　"I have always believed that the human will can unleash the most brilliant light. When Rin sees Sakura, her consciousness will definitely fluctuate, and that strong fluctuation may be enough to shake the Herrscher's will, thus causing it to have a weakness."

　After a brief pause, seemingly to give Hua a moment to think, Dr. Mei continued.

　"Although this is the first time I've seen this type of Herrscher, from what I can see, the Twelfth Herrscher is essentially an ultimate virus with self-awareness... To deal with such a Herrscher, Hua, we can only rely on your Feather of Dust."

　"You only get one chance, so don't miss it!"

　Upon hearing this, Hua was taken aback.

　She instantly understood everything from Dr. Mei's words—

　Sakura's trip to see Rin was part of Dr. Mei's plan!

　However, it was this insight that stirred up waves of anger within Hua.

　Using the deep sisterly bond between Sakura and Rin as leverage in an attempt to eliminate the latter.

　This approach, from any perspective, seems excessively cold-blooded and ruthless.

　Especially considering that Sakura has always been loyal to the Moth of Flame and Dr. Mei...

　Now, they are being treated like this; how can this not make people feel indignant and resentful!

　"Dr. Mei, was all of this part of your plan? How far are you going to fool us?!"

　"Do you think this is a joke? Then consider it a joke. I don't expect your understanding."

　Mei's voice remained as calm as ever.

　"I'll do anything to defeat the Honkai and to continue human civilization."

　...Naturally, I am also willing to accept all anger and hatred.

Chapter 646 Sealing the Twelfth Herrscher

　"I will obey."

　Taking a deep breath and trying to suppress the raging anger in his chest, Hua closed his eyes and began making final preparations.

　This is not for the plum blossoms, nor for the continuation of human civilization, but for the cherry blossoms, for the bell.

　She couldn't let Sakura and Rin's sacrifices be in vain.

　As Hua raised his right hand, the eighth divine key, the key of consciousness, the Feather Crossing Dust, which resembled an ornament on his wrist, began to emit starlight-like light.

　Immediately afterwards, crimson feathers, as red as flames, drifted down, as if a magnificent snow of red feathers was falling from the sky.

　With the assistance of Yu Duchen, Hua's consciousness emerged from her body and began to set up the battlefield for the final battle against the Twelfth Herrscher.

　Under her control, the crimson feathers scattered all over her body slowly gathered around her consciousness and then quickly transformed into a box that emitted a mysterious black and red luster.

　The next moment, the box quietly lost its physical form in the material world.

　Thus, a trap specifically designed for the Twelfth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Corruption, has been set up around Hua.

　With the powerful force of Feather Crossing Dust, this invisible and intangible trap was enough to deceive Lingna's keen senses.

　Now, all Hua needs to do is wait quietly.

　Waiting for what Dr. Mei called the only chance!

　Just as Hua was setting up the consciousness trap, she bypassed Kevin's Sakura by using a slash that froze space and continued rushing towards the 33rd underground floor where Rin was imprisoned.

　Along the way, she encountered numerous assassins who could easily destroy an entire modern company-level unit, but these assassin groups were like fragile pieces of paper in front of Sakura, a fusion warrior, and could not pose any real obstacle.

　With overwhelming force, she swiftly dispatched the assassins who attempted to block her way, and without hesitation, Sakura stepped into the 33rd underground floor.

　She sped through the winding corridors, her figure flashing past one tightly closed iron gate after another.

　The increasingly piercing alarm sounded in her ears, constantly assaulting the girl's nerves.

　Hurry, faster... Ring, where are you?

　The mottled bloodstains on the ground constantly stimulated Sakura, making her even faster.

　Finally, she found the solitary confinement cell with the imprisonment bell.

　"Ring! I'm here to save you!"

　With an anxious shout, Sakura burst through the door without hesitation, her eyes darting eagerly into the depths of the room…

　However, what she saw was a heartbreaking scene.

　That once lively and lovely girl is now covered in shocking scars.

　Blood splattered everywhere—on the ground and the walls—as if silently telling the story of the girl's despair and pain in the final moments of her life.

　Human malice was laid bare before Sakura at this moment.

　Before anyone knew it, Sakura had knelt down on the ground, her eyes devoid of any light, staring blankly at the scene before her.

　The air was thick with the smell of blood, and the scene before her was like the sharpest blade, piercing her heart and leaving an indelible mark on the depths of her consciousness.

　"Ring... If... if I could be faster..."

　Sakura, mentally broken, sat blankly on the ground, unresponsive to the ever-surging horde of assassins.

　As a Hero-level Fusion Warrior, these assassins would be utterly insignificant to her under normal circumstances.

　Just like the assassins who tried to stop her advance before, this group of assassins couldn't even buy her time under Sakura's sharp blade.

　But now, everything is different.

　Now that Sakura has completely given up resisting, these assassins, whom she would never normally take seriously, are now enough to take her life.

　Fortunately, at that moment, a torrent of lightning swept in, instantly turning these assassins to ashes.

　Seeing the tragic scene before him, and confirming that there were no enemies, the remaining white-haired warrior sheathed the Judgment Key in its greatsword form.

　"cherry……"

　Kevin called out softly, but received only a silent response.

　The girl before me seemed to have fallen into some bottomless dark abyss, along with her deceased sister.

　He had expected her to be surprised, confused, angry, or cry; he had imagined countless possible reactions.

　But now, Sakura just sits there quietly, refusing to wake up no matter how others call her.

　Shaking his head, Kevin connected to the communication channel and reported the situation on the 33rd underground floor to May, then silently waited for May's next instructions.

　"Kevin, the true form of the Twelfth Herrscher is an ultimate virus with self-awareness..."

　Dr. May's voice came through the communication system, conveying this crucial information to Kevin as planned.

　She knew that with Sakura's perception abilities, she would hear this message.

　As May had predicted, things unfolded exactly as she had anticipated.

　When the communicator announced that the Herrscher of Corruption had not yet been destroyed, Sakura, who had been sitting still, finally reacted.

　"Ring... is she still alive?"

　Staring blankly at Kevin, Sakura's voice trembled slightly.