"Is it... that the Herrscher's will in your body is starting to become restless again?" asked Raiden Mei.
"...No, that's not right. You misunderstood, Mei." Kiana shook her head. She lowered her head to look at her chest and gently covered it with her palm. "Rather than saying that I'm restless...it's better to say that I seem to be too content."
"What does this mean?" Raiden Mei frowned slightly.
At this moment, Kiana's body suddenly trembled slightly, and Fu Hua's translucent figure emerged in the air.
"Let me tell you." Fu Hua's expression was quite complicated. "Although the consciousness of the Herrscher of the Void has been temporarily suppressed by my ability and Kiana's personal will, she has never stopped struggling."
"But just after Sirin said that, the Herrscher consciousness in Kiana's body suddenly stopped all struggles and movements... It was as if it had suddenly given up fighting with Kiana for her body."
"How does it have anything to do with me?" Xilin was stunned. "Also, what was the sentence I just finished saying?"
"You said that you were originally a fashion designer." Fu Hua said softly.
"Fashion designer... Is there anything strange about this?" Xilin scratched her head, looking puzzled.
"No, it's not the fashion designer that's weird, but the fact that you became a fashion designer." Fu Hua said, "Of course, I'm not talking about how weird it is that you became a fashion designer, but after hearing that you became a fashion designer, the Herrscher consciousness in Kiana's body suddenly stopped all struggles."
"The Herrscher's consciousness... is it the consciousness that suddenly attacked me last night?" Xilin frowned. Perhaps because she recalled the scene last night when she was almost killed by Kiana who suddenly lost control, her face became a little ugly.
"Yes." Fu Hua nodded. "You just said that when you were traveling between different worlds with that 'Captain', you had seen several 'selves' from other worlds, right?"
"Yeah, I guess the 'Xilin' in your world probably left you with a bad impression." Xilin crossed her arms, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have all shown such wary and somewhat unbelievable expressions when you saw my face."
"If you feel offended by this, we can apologize to you. The stargazer was right. It's our fault that we made a mistake in identifying the right person to be hostile to. We shouldn't impose our inherent impression of the 'Xilin' we know on you," said Fu Hua.
Fu Hua's frankness made Xilin a little overwhelmed: "Don't apologize. After all, even the past me, when I first came to other worlds, would subconsciously think that those very familiar faces were people I already knew. I won't force you to do something that I can't do myself."
"Do you want to know what 'Xilin' in our world is like?" Fu Hua asked softly, "Although you are not the same person in the true sense, the reaction of Kiana's Herrscher consciousness to your words and actions has briefly proved that you two still have a considerable degree of commonality."
"Wait, what do you mean?!" Xilin's eyes widened, and her thoughts were a little stuck. "Are you saying that the will in Kiana's body that suddenly attacked me last night was the 'me' in your world?"
Chapter 4: Memory Jumping Back and Forth (k)
Xilin's extremely shocked voice made Fu Hua fall silent.
From the bottom of her heart, she didn't want to talk about that tragic history in front of this kind-hearted child who was as kind as an angel. Moreover, even in their original world, Sirin, who became a Herrscher during the Second Collapse, was not a wicked child from the beginning.
Fu Hua herself is not very clear about the specific details of Xilin's birth, because Tianming has never announced the real reason for the birth of the second Herrscher, and now she does not have much memory left about the second collapse.
But even so, based on Fu Hua's understanding of Tianming, since Tianming chose to deliberately ignore the birth process of the Second Herrscher, she was almost certain that the reason why Xilin committed herself to Honkai was most likely related to Tianming's dirty history.
Is there something in this world that can judge the sins of Tianming? Perhaps there is, but it probably does not exist on the earth today. Now that the Second Collapse has already ended, Fu Hua does not want to blame Tianming too much for what he did in the Second Collapse, because it has no practical significance. But at the same time, with her personality, Fu Hua cannot simply put all the faults of the Second Collapse on Xilin.
Just as it was impossible for her to put all the blame for the Herrscher's revival on Kiana.
Fu Hua's silence made Xilin reveal a hint of dissatisfaction, but she did not choose to continue asking the other party. Instead, she turned around and left without looking back, and the hurried footsteps gradually faded away outside the door.
"Uh..." Because Silena turned around and left with such a strong momentum and an unprecedentedly serious expression, Qiana did not dare to stop her at the first time, and a somewhat embarrassed expression appeared on her face: "Did we... make her angry?"
"It's probably normal to feel angry." Raiden Mei sighed, "Although I didn't see Kiana lose control last night, after all, we almost hurt that child. To be honest, her willingness to have a calm conversation with us is already a reflection of her gentle personality."
At this moment, a clear questioning voice suddenly came faintly from outside the open door.
"Captain, what is my relationship with that girl named Kiana? Don't treat me like a child like those people do. I know you know the truth. I want to hear the truth."
Captain? This title made Mei Raiden stunned for a moment.
"I told you not to call me Captain in this store... Oh, forget it." The clean young voice of the store manager came from far away on the first floor. "You came here suddenly to ask this question. Maybe they told you something? What did they say to you?"
There was no refusal, nor any confusion about Xilin's question, which showed that the person who spoke was indeed very clear about the matter concerning Kiana.
The moment she realized this, Mei Raiden's face turned pale.
The store manager was the captain that Xilin mentioned, and that captain was very familiar with their affairs...
He actually knew us a long time ago? Although Mei Raiden could not make a definite conclusion about this, her mind still uncontrollably recalled those broken images that kept flashing not long ago.
“……”My head started to hurt again.
Mei Raiden's body shook slightly, and Kiana, who noticed something was wrong, immediately supported her body.
"Mei, what's wrong with you?" Kiana asked, "Why did your face suddenly become so ugly? Is it because you didn't sleep well last night?"
"Oh, you're still worried about me, but you haven't solved your own problems yet." Raiden Mei pulled a stiff smile from the corner of her mouth. She looked at Kiana's expression full of concern, suddenly reached out her hand, and gently pressed Kiana's smooth forehead. "I'm fine, I'm just a little tired. Seeing your weird face makes everything better."
"That's good...wait, was I suddenly scolded?" Kiana looked confused.
Mei Raiden did not answer Kiana's words, but took a deep breath, stood up straight again, and the expression on her face became energetic again.
He is just very familiar with us, but this alone is not enough to confirm that the ship... the store manager really has known us for a long time.
Didn't Xilin also say that when they traveled to different worlds, they would occasionally see the same existence in different worlds.
Guanxing, who looks very similar to Dean Theresa, Brownie, who has a slightly eccentric personality, Rita, and even Xilin herself... Almost all of these shop assistants have been seen by them before, or are even very familiar to them.
Since they could see familiar faces in this store, it means that the manager of this store should have come into contact with people who are very similar to them in the past, such as "Kiana" and "Raiden Mei".
At this time, Xilin's convincing words came from the first floor again:
"She said that the consciousness that suddenly attacked me last night was Xilin from their world. Is that right?"
This question made the two people and one soul on the second floor prick up their ears.
They were all very curious about what kind of judgment the store manager, who seemed extremely powerful and knew a lot of things, would make on this issue.
"No."
But in the next moment, that light-hearted conclusion made the three of them stunned.
Not only the three of them, but Xilin was also visibly stunned by the store manager's answer.
She quickly asked, "No? But Kiana and the others clearly said...?"
"That idiot knows nothing. You believe whatever she says?" The store manager interrupted Xilin without hesitation.
"..." Kiana's eyes went dark, and she almost subconsciously wanted to rush to the first floor to argue with the store manager. Fortunately, Raiden Mei and Fu Hua reached out in time and held her shoulders on the left and right.
"Calm down! Don't be impulsive!" Fu Hua whispered.
"Yes! Kiana!" Raiden Mei also whispered to persuade, and at the same time secretly breathed a sigh of relief deep in her heart, "You know yourself that we just met the manager of this cafe last night. It is completely understandable that he doesn't know what happened to you."
"I... Of course I know." Kiana pouted and said aggrievedly, "But he doesn't have to scold me from time to time like this..."
On the first floor, behind the bar, Xilin glanced at the staircase to the second floor without leaving a trace: "If the will in her body is not the 'me' in that world, then who is she and why is she so hostile to me?"
The store manager took a sip of the steaming milk and looked at Xilin: "Why do you care about her so much? Is it just because the will in her body suddenly hurt you?"
"..."
This question made Xilin speechless. She was not the kind of cold-blooded person who was unwilling to lend a helping hand to others, but during the days of traveling with the captain, she also realized that it was impossible for her to break all the tragedies.
Even if it is someone like the store manager who has reshaped the rules of the quantum sea and world bubbles, he can only ensure that those world bubbles will not die out due to their own fragility and the erosion of the quantum sea, but he cannot interfere too much with the birth, aging, sickness and death experienced by the humans in those world bubbles.
"...I just can't stand it." Xilin turned her head away and said stubbornly, "If the captain doesn't want to tell me, then I won't continue asking."
"Who said I don't want to tell you?" The store manager touched Xilin's head. "I just think that for this kind of thing, we should wait until the person involved arrives at the scene before we can discuss it properly."
"Those people on the second floor, have you had enough of eavesdropping? Isn't it time to change into your uniforms and come down to report to me?"
"Or do you want me to invite you down?"
——Three minutes later, Mei Raiden and Kiana, who had changed into their uniforms, appeared in front of the bar on the first floor, while Sirin sat next to the store manager and listened.
"…Did you know that we could hear you?"
Kiana asked with a stern look on her face, her silver teeth chattering.
"What else? Do you think I'm the kind of person who only talks bad about others behind their backs?" The store manager shrugged.
That indifferent look made Kiana even more unhappy, but she did not choose to stir up trouble at this time.
After all, the store manager helped her control the Herrscher consciousness in her body, so it would be better for her to just endure the scolding.
"What do you mean by I don't understand anything?" After suppressing her resentment, Kiana went straight to the point and asked, "Can you know the true form of the Herrscher's consciousness better than me?"
"When I say you don't understand anything, I mean it literally," the store manager said casually, "If you really understood the Silin in your world, would you let the Herrscher consciousness in your body become like this?"
This time, not only Kiana, but even the gentle Mei Raiden couldn't help but feel a little angry.
Those images that flashed through her mind were indeed just her illusions. She said this to herself deep in her heart while looking directly at the store manager's face: "Manager, I respect your ability and thank you for helping Kiana, but please don't expose Kiana's wounds."
"You don't understand what Kiana has been through these days--"
"I accidentally entered a fantasy world and reunited with my family. Then I was abducted by Heaven's Fate, and my body was taken over by the Herrscher's consciousness. During the time when I lost control, I hurt my companions and killed my own teacher. After I got my body back, I went into exile in Sky City. I also solved... No, I haven't encountered this yet."
The store manager closed one eye and touched his forehead with his finger:
"Anyway, this should be about what I remember. Is there anything I missed?"
It was so quiet, so quiet that it was scary. Except for the sound of Rita working in the kitchen, the entire bar and the lobby on the first floor were plunged into silence so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Mei Raiden's pupils contracted deeply.
Kiana's face turned paler and paler as the store manager spoke. She couldn't help but take a step back. An indescribable chill cut through her back like a knife.
"Looking at your expression that looks like you're about to vomit, you must have gotten all of them right." The store manager sneered, and for some reason his tone sounded a little self-deprecating. "I thought I had forgotten everything, but I didn't expect you to remember it so clearly."
Kiana and Mei Raiden didn't know why the manager had such a self-deprecating expression, but Sirin noticed it.
She pursed her lips and suddenly felt a little regretful for interfering in Kiana's affairs without permission. However, as the saying goes, it is hard to undo what has been done. The choice that has been made cannot be undone even if she regrets it. So she could only stretch out her hands and silently cover the manager's palms, trying to convey her body temperature as much as possible.
The store manager held Xilin's hand with his backhand, gently touched her tender palm, closed his eyes slightly, and signaled her not to worry.
"You...how did you know...No! Why do you know it so clearly!?" Kiana raised her arms like a frightened cat, her blue eyes filled with fear and vigilance.
"Rather than investigating why I know so much, shouldn't you be more concerned about your own situation?" The store manager turned his gaze back to Kiana's direction. "Let me make it clear in advance that although my ability can forcibly intercept the power of the Herrscher Core, the scope of this ability is limited to this cafe. This means that as long as you walk out of the door of this cafe, the power of the Herrscher and the erosion caused by the Herrscher Core will return to your body."
"So, if you really want to control the Herrscher consciousness in your body forever and stop yourself from losing control, there are only two paths before you."
"The first rule is to commit suicide immediately... But if you really commit suicide, without the Herrscher core in your body, it will probably go berserk in an instant and kill everyone in Sky City."
"If we're lucky, after slaughtering this city, the people from your world might be able to suppress the out-of-control Herrscher Core in time and recover it."
"If my luck is a little worse, there might be a Herrscher in Sky City... Hehe, we can't rule out the possibility of creating another Herrscher of the Void right away."
"What—" Kiana gasped instantly, her eyes filled with shock and intense fear, "How is this possible? If I commit suicide..."
"Why, didn't you learn history well?" The store manager smiled and said, "No, judging from your situation, maybe destiny doesn't dare to tell you the true ending of the second collapse."
Chapter 4: Thus, the three royal families from different worlds gathered here (k)
It was later determined that the total number of casualties exceeded eight digits, all A-level Valkyries were killed, and the property losses caused were difficult to calculate. The Second Collapse, the most tragic collapse disaster in the existing human history, can be said to have caused indelible trauma to Destiny and human civilization.
As reserve Valkyries currently studying at St. Freya's Academy, Mei Raiden and Kiana have certainly read about major historical events like the Second Honkai Impact 3 in history textbooks more than once.
But in the history they learned, the Second Honkai Impact 3rd... and the Second Herrscher at that time were successfully controlled by the Final Destiny.
Of course, they had no way of knowing that at the end of the Second Honkai, long before Destiny launched the Honkai fission bomb for the Second Honkai, Sirin had already been defeated by Siegfried who had entered a semi-collapsed state. That is, when Sirin was on the verge of death, the core of the Herrscher of the Sky also lost control, which almost caused a horrific disaster that swallowed up half of the Asian continent.
"At that time, Destiny was able to suppress the Herrscher Core that lost control thanks to Cecilia's sacrifice. However, for Destiny today, without a Holy Blood holder like Cecilia, simply using the Black Abyss White Flower will not be able to completely offset the Honkai Energy released by the Herrscher Core of the Void."
The milky liquid in the glass was completely gone after the manager drank the last sip of milk. He pulled a napkin from the edge of the bar, gently wiped his mouth, then crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket.
"Ah~ If it's Theresa, she could use the 0th rated power of the Constraint Key to control the out-of-control Honkai radiation. But if things really develop to that point, she will probably have to follow the same path as your master, paying the price of your loss of control with her own life."
"Well, after knowing this, are you still prepared to commit suicide as a last resort?"
The store manager supported his cheek with the back of his hand, and looked at Kiana with a smile, whose face was becoming paler and paler. His tone of voice was frivolous and casual, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him at all.
"..." Kiana lowered her head and clenched her teeth tightly, her whole body trembling slightly under the control of guilt and terror.
This indescribable horror, not only because she knew that even suicide could not completely solve the series of problems brought about by the Herrscher of the Void, but also because of the devilish whisper of the store manager, which made her feel as if her entire body and mind were completely controlled and dominated by the other party.
Mei Raiden turned her head slightly and looked at Kiana, who was pale and sweaty. After hesitating for a moment, she did not speak for Kiana as usual. Instead, she closed her mouth and fell into silence.
Although Kiana felt unspeakable fear at the store manager's words, it was precisely because of that fear that she lost her previous sharpness and was unable to notice a key thing at the first time.
And Mei Raiden, who was a bystander, realized that thing.
Undoubtedly, the words and the condescending tone of the store manager did carry a cold and oppressive aura, but if we ignore the tone of the store manager, ignore the condescending attitude he displayed by taking advantage of the information gap, and simply look at his purpose, it is not difficult to find that everything he said was actually to dispel Kiana's idea of trying to use suicide on the spot as the ultimate guarantee.
Even if you commit suicide, you are the embodiment of disaster, and the mess you leave behind will still kill your elders and companions. Although Mei Raiden feels a little distressed for Kiana, who is so terrified that she almost doubts her life, she has to admit that the manager's words are much more effective than her constant attempts to stop Kiana from hurting herself.
The silence lasted for a long time, and finally, the sound of nails hitting the table broke the almost frozen air.
"Well, seeing how scared you are, you probably don't plan to use this first simple but ineffective method to solve your problems."
"Then let's talk about the second approach."
The store manager said with a smile.
"But I don't think I need to give you any hints about the so-called second method. After all, the efforts you have made during this period of time are to completely control that power."
