The Fire-Chasing Herrscher Who Destroyed the World

"Hoo..."

The exhaled air sprayed on the mask, leaving a large cloud of white steam that could not be wiped off. Wearing this kind of thing, the field of vision is already narrow, and now it is like going deep into the fog, and you can't see the scene in front of you clearly.

But sometimes it is a good thing to be unable to see.

It's nothing more than charred land and reinforced concrete fragments with human body contours.

"What is going on here... Kevin, aren't we going to Sakura's hometown?"

Bronya's voice echoed in the heavy chemical protective suit, making people feel more depressed.

Compared with Bronya, who was wrapped tightly all over, Kevin had only two bags of corpses and a Fire Moth uniform on his body.

"Yes, this is Sakura's hometown."

Faced with Bronya's question, Kevin was as frugal as ever.

"So... Sister Sakura's hometown has been destroyed a long time ago... No!"

The land under his feet was still emitting heat, and the black raindrops that occasionally fell from the sky also showed that it had not been long since the nuclear bomb hit this place.

Kevin glanced back at her, and his answer was still very calm:

"Yes, when Sakura and you made an agreement, this place was not like this."

"What is going on?"

Bronya leaned over and grabbed a handful of soil. The top layer of soil was soaked by the dark rain, and the soil below showed the unique purple color of Honkai.

"I told those soldiers before that we won, we defeated the twelfth Herrscher, and it is true. I didn't lie, I just didn't say it in full."

"So..."

"As you can see, this is the price of defeating the twelfth Herrscher."

"The destruction of a city?"

Bronya stood quietly on the scorched earth, not knowing what to say.

Comfort? Does the man in front of her really need her comfort? Moreover, as an "outsider", the "shock" she felt about the destruction of the entire city was much greater than the "sadness". Comforting Kevin without being able to deeply understand this sadness always feels that such behavior is no different from the kind of high-handedness and indifference, just blindly selling chicken soup for the soul.

It will only make the already hurt people feel the pain more clearly.

However, Kevin shook his head.

"No, you misunderstood me."

"Understood... Wrongly? What do you mean?"

Kevin stopped, half turned his body, and his lifeless eyes fell on Bronya.

"Not one city, but three. And not ordinary cities, but the last three cities of mankind."

"...Ah?"

"This is the current situation of mankind. Long before the birth of the 12th Herrscher, our civilization only had the last three cities left. And not long ago, in order to seal the 12th Herrscher, Mei used the nuclear missile launch authority of the Fire Moth as bait to set a trap. You have heard and seen the final result. The 12th Herrscher was sealed, but before that, He launched all nuclear bombs on the last three cities of mankind."

"Is this... worth it?"

Kevin's eyebrows Mao raised his head:

"Of course it's worth it, it's all worth it."

"Do you really think so?"

"How I feel, is it important?"

Kevin spread his hands and shook his head:

"But if you insist on asking, I can tell you very clearly. Bronya, it's all worth it, this is what I think in my heart. In this collapse, no one did anything wrong."

"Including the soldiers who killed Ling?"

"Including them."

Kevin's unhesitating answer and decisive tone made Bronya silent. She couldn't tell whether the man in front of her was telling her his heart or just taking the opportunity of the conversation to numb herself.

The two moved forward again, and Bronya didn't know what the meaning of such behavior was.

Having lost everything that can be called a reference, can Sakura's hometown really be found in this almost razed wasteland?

Or is Kevin also trying to find something, stubbornly looking for something that he clearly knows cannot exist here.

As he walked, he did not remain silent, but kept saying something that was close to an excuse in Bronya's eyes:

"Rin is indeed a Herrscher, or rather, the Herrscher had already awakened a long time ago. That was the first reaction of Honkai energy that we noticed, and it was precisely because of death that He grew rapidly. Those soldiers did not mistake their target. Although we condemn this behavior morally, the Fire Moth has never had a rule of "not torturing Herrschers". Even so, killing Rin was not their intention."

"Not their intention? Why do you have to defend those who are already dead?"

"No, it is precisely because they are already dead that I don't want them to go to hell with a stigma. Do you remember the ability that Apolonia exerted on you not long ago?"

"That woman...she just said the word [please], and I..."

"Well, that's her ability, commandment. Just using words can affect a person's subconscious. You should understand the value of this ability. In order to prevent those desperate soldiers from losing the courage to fight against Honkai, Zhuhuo The moth acquiesced to Aponya's commandment to give everyone "Never give up hope against Honkai". This is why they killed Suzu. Everyone's original intention was correct, but they just met a wrong ending. That’s all.”

"..."

"And Mei was not wrong. She acquiesced to Alicia telling Sakura about Ling. This has fulfilled her friendship as a comrade. And after discovering that Ling is the Herrscher, what choice does she have? It's hard to say it. , this matter was my fault, Ling was originally placed in my care, it was me who left the 33rd floor underground in order to prevent Sakura, and Mei was not at fault after that! That is an area that all fusion warriors cannot touch. In that place, humans are as weak as when they first encountered the Herrscher. It is enough for Mei to seal the Herrscher. No one can protect everyone, no!"

"Can I understand that you are defending your comrades and your lover?"

"Whatever you think, it doesn't matter to me."

Sure enough, the man in front of him was just numbing himself.

As long as the original intention of doing something is not wrong, even if it leads to the wrong ending, can this person be forgiven and understood? Perhaps, but everyone has a different understanding of the so-called original intention, and it also has different weight in everyone's heart. The judgment of guilt ultimately relies on the consequences of the behavior.

Bronya believed that the man in front of her understood all this, but she still did not say anything in the end.

The reason is simple. As a bystander, no matter what she says, she cannot change the history that has already happened.

Besides, Sakura is dead and there is no trace of Xi'er here. Bronya has lost her reason to stay here. The Kevin in front of her is probably just a reflection of the past, and what Bronya is looking for is his original body. She followed Kevin here just to fulfill her agreement with Sakura and take a look at the cherry blossoms in her hometown, but here Now that it has become like this, the promise cannot be fulfilled.

The reason why I'm still here now is just because I can't find a way to leave.

"This is Sakura's hometown."

Kevin suddenly stopped, faced the ruins with nothing visible in front of him, and softly uttered these words.

"Here? How did you see it?"

Kevin pointed to the terminal on his wrist:

"It's very simple, just use the satellite map of the past to locate it directly."

"..."

This is indeed an effective method, and Bronya did not think of it before. This is of course due to experience. Bronya did not get the help of satellites when she was performing missions. Naturally, it is difficult to think of taking advantage of this, but this is not important.

"There are no cherry blossoms here..."

"Compared to cities and humans, Sakura is the most fragile thing. In the final analysis, it is Sakura who takes it to heart as an obsession. But you and I should understand that when humans have reached this point... ...No one cares about cherry blossoms. They ceased to exist long before the nuclear bombs fell."

Bronya didn't answer, and she really couldn't find any words to answer Kevin.

She just stood silently three meters away from Kevin. At this distance, even wearing a chemical protective suit could not block the pervasive chill - both from Kevin's body and from his words.

"Old friend, you can sleep here forever."

Kevin sighed softly and took out a blue sphere from his arms.

"This is?"

"The Key of the Ninth God, the Law of the Star Sea."

Like a robot, Kevin ruthlessly read out the name of the weapon in his hand.

"Sakura, you are not the first fusion warrior to die, but you are the first Ying Jie to die. Although they do not recognize this title. But I feel that if she can catch up with your funeral, she will not want to die. It would be unromantic to just dig a hole and bury this Ying Jie. But we don’t have time. I hope you like this gift.”

After the words ended, the law of the Star Sea began to tremble slightly, and the color of the blue shell gradually deepened until it turned blood red.

The land in front of Kevin also floated upwards under the influence of invisible forces, creating a pit deep enough for two people to sleep.

Kevin let go of his hand, but the God Key was still suspended in the air. He jumped into the pit, placed the bodies of Sakura and Ling in an embrace, and then jumped up again.

"Do you have anything to say?"

Bronya shook her head slowly.

Kevin snorted softly, and held the Xinghai Law with his left hand again. The purple soil that was originally floating in the air fell like a cracked wall plaster.

But suddenly, Bronya, who was just standing aside and watching silently, rushed out. Kevin's attention didn't seem to be very focused. When he belatedly stretched out his hand, he realized that he could no longer stop the child.

Fortunately, there is still time to forcibly reverse the rated power of the Xinghai Law.

"Bronya, you..."

The words that I originally wanted to scold finally turned into a sigh and the soil that had not yet fallen was suspended again.

Although Bronya remained silent, she moved extremely quickly. She just lay down on the edge of the pit, grabbed a handful of soil from the pit, and then quickly got up and ran back.

"What are you doing?"

Kevin asked angrily, probably because he was afraid of Bronya's sudden action and regretful that he was distracted at that moment.

The mask of the chemical protective suit was full of white vapor left by rapid breathing. Bronya couldn't see Kevin's expression clearly, and Kevin couldn't see Bronya's face either.

However, Bronya raised her hand and spread it, and the black soil full of radiation slipped from her fingers, leaving only a shrunken and withered pink petal in her palm.

"Uh...hum..."

Bronya heard Kevin snort. As the white mist on the mask faded, she saw Kevin turning his face away. The God's Key in his hand bloomed again. The thick soil covered Sakura and Ling. Covered with corpses.

"Sakura, I will not erect a monument for you, at least not now. I swear to you, to everyone who is still alive - human beings will definitely defeat Honkai... And at that time, only at that time, many things can be done It makes sense to get up.”

Kevin raised his head and faced the thick ink-stained sky. When his words fell, the sky seemed to brighten for a moment, and then violent thunder swallowed up the end of his words.

The ink-like rain poured down in an instant, and everything Bronya could see was covered with black vertical lines, like a game screen with a problem.

There was a "cracking" sound beside him. The moment the raindrops touched within three meters of Kevin, they were frozen into hail and rolled to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Hurry up and leave. With the environment here, you won't be able to last long even in these clothes."

Bronya nodded.

The two turned around in the dark mist, and after taking only two steps, Bronya suddenly spoke amidst the sound of rain:

"Kevin, why do you say...the Herrscher will never turn back into a human?"

"Um?"

Bronya saw the silhouette of the man in front of her move, probably turning his head to look at her.

"It's common sense in this world."

"...Bronya feels that you just chose a more effective way to deal with it instead of choosing the truth."

"Whatever you think, I believe everything I have personally experienced more than what humans are more willing to believe. During the sixth collapse, when I pressed the muzzle of the automatic rifle against Herrscher's forehead, Herrscher The woman suddenly showed human emotion and she cried and begged me to kill her."

"Then what?"

"I mistakenly thought she was still alive, so I hesitated for a moment. At that moment, her power killed tens of thousands of people on the street who had no time to evacuate."

"..."

"So, when Honkai chose my comrade to become the Seventh Herrscher, I did not hesitate to kill him who smiled at me."

"?"

If Bronya didn't react at all when Kevin mentioned "The Sixth Herrscher", then when the "Seventh Herrscher" came into her ears, Bronya finally realized something was wrong—— This is different from what I saw in the previous world bubble!

"What about Mikael?"

Bronya finally asked her doubts.

"Huh? Which Mikael?"

"ah--"

Bronya continued to move forward, but she felt that something had changed in the world.

Everything in front of him began to distort, and became as unreal as a reflection in the water.

At the same time, a familiar voice sounded in Bronya’s ears:

"Oops! You're finally out!"

"Mikael!!!"

Bronya only felt that her vision flickered for a moment, and the scenery in front of her eyes turned into countless floating golden squares. Of course, that figure was also indispensable.

"What? After staying in a strange world for so long, and suddenly seeing familiar people again, don't you feel excited?"

"..."

Bronya looked at the man in front of her warily. She always felt that there was something abnormal about the Mikael in front of her... hmm?

"Who are you Mikael?"

Bronya suddenly pointed at the Fire Chasing Moth uniform on Mikael and asked.

"Of course it's the Mikael you're more familiar with!"

Mikael spread his hands, but Bronya remained unmoved, her expression and movements remained the same.

The corners of Mikael's mouth twitched, and he quickly waved his hand:

"Okay, I won't lie to you. We have only met once. How many days have we spent in... your original world?"

"..."

"Sigh... It seems that in just a few days, I have done a lot of bad things in the original world in the future. You were not so nervous when you saw me before."

"If you are Mikael in that world bubble, where is Siel?"

Bronya finally couldn't help but interrupted Mikael's thoughts, but there was no surprise in what she asked, and Mikael shook his head in boredom.

"Xie'er's current situation is a bit special. I can let you see her, but you have to prove to me that you have some potential first."

"No problem, but you have to show Bronya your sincerity."

The corners of Mikael's lips curled up.

"Oh? I didn't hesitate at all."

In this regard, Bronya's answer was extremely straightforward——

"I had no choice."

Should I say she was too impatient or too sober? Mikael smiled and shook his head.

"Next, you will experience two more world bubbles similar to the previous ones. I don't need you to do anything extra. You only need to give your own 'choice'. Your choice will also prove your potential. ”

"Can you explain it a little more clearly?"

There was no choice, but Bronya didn't want to be thrown into the bubble of the world without even knowing the criteria for "proving potential."

"You just have to make a choice."

Mikael repeated the words with a smile, and before Bronya could speak, he made an offer that she couldn't refuse——

"Oh, by the way, you can see Xi'er in the next world."

"!"

Bronya will not refuse, Bronya cannot refuse, Mikael understands this very well, so his smile becomes even brighter.

"Bronya is fine, you can leave at any time. But Bronya still has a question."

"explain."

"Why is the world just now... different from what Bronya has learned about? Kevin, he doesn't even... know you? And what he said is that the Herrscher can't turn back into a human, but I remember that you are clearly …”

"Well..."

Mikael's voice dragged the old man, and then he suddenly laughed:

"Guess!"

"..."

"But one thing is correct - the Herrscher indeed cannot regain his 'humanity'. For our era, this is a law that cannot be broken away from. And the reason why I can escape from this bondage is just because I am the Herrscher. . Kiana, Mei, and Walter earlier are actually like this, but this is only for us. If it is for humans, such as Bronya, if you become a Herrscher, Then this Bronya standing in front of me will disappear completely, do you understand what I mean?"