I'm a little panicked when I cross the collapse

As the white light disappeared,

That blinding brilliance left an afterimage on Alicia's retina, as if someone had forcibly torn a hole in her world and then stitched it back together in an instant.

The air still retained a lingering heat, and tiny dust particles drifted slowly down in mid-air, as if time itself had slowed down.

Alicia paused for a moment.

The next second, she ran like a madwoman towards the place where Kevin and Himiko had fought.

Her clothes were whipped up by the strong wind, her long pink hair flew wildly behind her, and each step she took landed heavily on the broken ground.

The once smooth plaza had been completely destroyed in the battle, with cracked stones resembling skin scratched by a giant beast, and signs of collapse scattered everywhere.

She ran very, very fast, so fast that she could barely breathe, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, as if it were about to break free of her ribs.

The wind whistled past her ears, but she couldn't hear anything else; all she could hear was the same thought repeating endlessly in her mind—

“Xiao Qiong will be alright. He must have already resolved all the troubles. As usual, he will stand there with a smile and say to me, ‘Aili, I’ve taken care of it. Go back now.’”

She has always believed that.

It all started when Lu Qiong appeared in her world, when he saved her once, and when he smiled and said, "Leave it to me..."

She believed in him, just as she believed that dawn would surely come and that spring would surely bring flowers.

So when she bypassed the collapsed ruins and finally saw the situation clearly, it was completely different from her beautiful imagination of Lu Qiong successfully resolving all the troubles and finally making a triumphant retreat.

The world is clearly vast, yet why is the distance to Lu Qiong so short?

The distance of just a few dozen meters felt like crossing two completely different worlds.

What she saw was not a triumphant hero returning home, but a desolate battlefield.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and the pungent smell of residual Honkai energy; the two odors mingled together, making one want to vomit.

The ground was pitted and uneven, and the rocks eroded by Honkai energy showed strange black patterns, like some kind of ominous curse.

And in the heart of that devastation—

A familiar figure was kneeling on the ground.

His back was slightly hunched, and his once straight spine now seemed somewhat fragile. His uniform was already soaked in blood, the once neat hem torn into countless pieces, and his exposed skin was covered with wounds of varying depths.

Lu Qiong was holding someone.

That was a woman who had long since lost her life.

Himiko lay quietly in his arms, her eyes closed, those once vibrant red eyes never to open again.

Her face was so pale it was almost transparent, and there was still a trace of blood on her lips. Her red hair, which had been draped over her shoulders, was now disheveled and mixed with the dust on the ground.

Her chest remained completely still.

Lu Qiong held her like that.

Alicia's steps came to an abrupt halt at that moment.

Her heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain was so intense that she could barely breathe, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if she were about to collapse at any moment.

"No...it's impossible..."

She murmured to herself, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

She instinctively took a half step back, as if trying to escape from everything in front of her.

At this moment, Ellie desperately wished that everything she was seeing was an illusion, or that she had simply wandered into the wrong place.

She preferred to believe that she had accidentally stumbled into a nightmare, and that everything would return to normal if she closed her eyes and opened them again.

As long as I open my eyes again—

Lu Qiong would smile and wave at her, saying gently, "Let's go, Ai Li, let's go to training together..."

But reality, like a cold knife, pierced her fantasy.

Lu Qiong raised his head slightly.

His face was almost transparently pale, his lips were cracked, and there was still blood at the corner of his eyes. His eyes were no longer as bright as usual, but carried a deep weariness, as if even lifting his eyelids required a great deal of effort.

He saw her.

Those eyes, which used to always hold a gentle smile, are now filled with pain and guilt.

Alicia trembled and finally couldn't help but take a step.

Her steps were unsteady, as if she might fall at any moment, but she still ran towards him desperately.

"Little Qiong... Little Qiong—!"

Her voice was hoarse and choked with sobs.

She wanted to rush to his side, to hug him, to make sure he was still alive, still breathing.

She wanted to tell him that she had arrived, that she had been waiting for him, and that she had always believed in him.

She wanted to tell him that as long as he was still there, that was enough.

But just as she was about to get close—

"No... don't come any closer, Ellie."

Lu Qiong suddenly spoke up, stopping Alicia's actions.

His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

The voice was hoarse and broken, as if it were being forced out from the depths of the throat.

Each word was accompanied by a violent cough, the man's shoulders heaving with each cough, and blood slowly trickling from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto Himiko's cheek.

Alicia stopped abruptly.

Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air, her fingertips trembling slightly.

"Why...why...?"

Her voice choked with emotion, and tears finally streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"Xiao Qiong, you're injured. I... I can help you, I can—"

"call.........."

Lu Qiong let out a soft breath.

He struggled to lift his head and look at Alicia.

There was no anger or resentment in his eyes, only a deep weariness and tenderness.

"Still...still a little short..."

He said with difficulty.

"The energy of the two Herrscher cores is still unstable... Please wait a little longer..."

He slowly raised his hand and pointed to his chest.

There, a faint yet incredibly violent light flickered.

That was the light emanating from the core of the Herrscher.

Alicia's pupils suddenly contracted.

Only then did she notice that two Herrscher Cores were floating around Lu Qiong's body, perched on his chest. One was a familiar red, belonging to Himiko; the other was an eerie cyan, belonging to the Herrscher of Wind.

The light from the two cores intertwined yet repelled each other, emitting a piercing buzzing sound.

The air was violently vibrating, and Honkai energy was surging wildly.

That was an extremely dangerous situation.

The slightest carelessness could trigger an unimaginable disaster.

"What are you doing.........?"

Alicia's voice trembled.

"Xiao Qiong, are you crazy?! Do you know what you're doing will—"

"I know."

Lu Qiong interrupted her.

His lips curled up slightly, revealing an extremely forced smile.

“I know this is dangerous... but I have no other choice. This is the last thing I can do.”

Lu Qiong took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calm.

He lowered his head and looked at Himiko in his arms.

His eyes were so gentle they were almost sorrowful.

Alicia's tears fell like pearls from a broken string, streaming down her face.

She looked at Lu Qiong, at his body covered in wounds, at Himiko in his arms, and at the two Herrscher cores that were originally poised to erupt at any moment, but were now suppressed by Lu Qiong.

She suddenly felt so powerless.

She is Alicia, a member of the Fire Moth, and a warrior who once stood on the front lines of the battlefield.

But at this moment, she could only stand not far away, watching helplessly as the person most important to her walked step by step into the abyss.

“Xiao Qiong.........

She choked back tears and called out his name.

"You promised me... You said you would come back... You said we would... save this world together..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

Lu Qiong's body trembled slightly.

A flicker of pain crossed his eyes, as if he had been stabbed by something.

"I'm sorry, Ellie."

A few minutes later, he spoke again.

The voice was softer than before, yet carried an unprecedented calmness.

"I may be unable to fulfill the promise I made to you."

He slowly closed his eyes, as if he was suppressing something.

"I...I am not the savior after all."

"Just an ordinary person who can't do anything or change anything."

He smiled to himself.

"but........."

Lu Qiong looked at Alicia and continued, "I believe you."

Lu Qiong's voice suddenly became firm.

"Just like you... once believed in me too."

"This world... may not need a savior."

"What it needs is someone like you."

"You will do better than me."

He slowly raised his hand, pointing into the distance.

"Ellie, look—"

"Although this sky is shrouded in the shadow of collapse, it will eventually clear up."

"As long as there are still people willing to look up, as long as there are still people willing to strive for that little bit of light..."

"The world will not be completely plunged into darkness."

His voice grew softer and softer.

"I probably won't live to see that day."

Lu Qiong raised his right hand high, his fingertips trembling slightly in the air, as if blown away by an invisible wind. The next moment, tiny particles of light began to appear on his palm, like shattered stardust, peeling off and scattering little by little from between his fingers.

The light particles gathered and spread upwards along his arm, like a silent avalanche. His sleeves, skin, and bones gradually became transparent under the erosion of this light. His once clear outline began to blur, leaving only a vague human figure standing silently between heaven and earth.

Himiko, held in his arms, was also engulfed by the same light at the same moment. Her body seemed to be broken into countless tiny points of light, intertwining with Lu Qiong's light, becoming indistinguishable from one another. In the end, the two figures simultaneously transformed into a dazzling but brief rain of light, silently dissipating on this already ravaged land.

Between heaven and earth, only the howling wind and the lingering energy waves in the air remained.

Alicia stood not far away, her body trembling slightly. Her pupils reflected the trajectory of the dissipating light rain, as if she could still see Lu Qiong's final smile. This time, she could no longer maintain even a sliver of reason; tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, rolling down her cheeks and dripping onto the ground, raising tiny specks of dust.

"No...don't go..."

She muttered to herself, her voice broken and hoarse. The next second, she rushed towards the direction where Lu Qiong had disappeared, as if she had gone mad.

When she reached the clearing, there was nothing left, only faint energy fluctuations in the air. Alicia reached out, desperately trying to grasp the scattered light particles in the air, her fingertips tracing the air, but she couldn't hold onto anything.

"Lu Qiong!!!"

She finally broke down in tears, collapsing to her knees, her hands gripping the earth so tightly her knuckles turned white from the force. Her shoulders heaved violently, each cry like a knife, cleaving the deathly silence of the world.

……

Meanwhile, in the command center of the Firemoth headquarters, a completely different scene unfolded.

On the enormous holographic screen, the lightning bolt that pierced the heavens and the earth ten minutes earlier was being replayed. In front of the screen, several high-ranking officials sat together, their faces filled with excitement and shock.

"Hahaha, so that's how it is!" A tall man slammed his hand on the table, his eyes gleaming with barely suppressed light. "The one that caused that terrifying phenomenon ten minutes ago was actually the Third Divine Key—the Seven Thunders of Purification? Dr. Mei, I hope you can confirm this information."

His tone carried a hint of urgency, as if he feared that the conclusion would be overturned.

Mei stood to one side, dressed in a white researcher's uniform with a badge of the Fire Moth pinned to her chest. Her gaze was somewhat vacant, the scene from just moments ago—the image of Lu Qiong and Himiko vanishing together—repeatedly flashing through her mind.

Those were her friends, and her former comrades-in-arms.

But under everyone's gaze, she took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging emotions in her heart, and made her voice sound as calm as possible: "That's right. The weapon in Lu Qiong's hand earlier was indeed the Third Divine Key, the Seven Thunders of Purification."

She paused, her brow furrowing slightly. "But... I don't know when he took it out. I clearly sealed it away."

Another high-ranking official shook his head, seemingly unconcerned about the detail: "None of that matters. What matters is that the Divine Key possesses the immense power to annihilate the Seventh Herrscher, who possesses two Herrscher Cores!"

As he said this, a burning glint flashed in his eyes: "We must retrieve it immediately to prevent it from falling into the hands of those with ill intentions."

"Furthermore," he changed the subject, "the Divine Key project can also be restarted. In order to face the even more powerful Herrschers of the future, we must master even greater power!"

Mei's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something. Her gaze involuntarily drifted to the window, as if she could still see the sky torn apart by lightning through the thick walls.

"But... Lu Qiong, he..."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable sadness.

However, before she could finish speaking, the high-ranking official with two tassels on his shoulder waved his hand impatiently, interrupting her: "We are all saddened by Colonel Lu Qiong's death. But he is dead."

He paused, his tone turning cold and resolute: "Before he died, he was able to defeat the Seventh Herrscher and demonstrate the true power of the Divine Key. I can only say—he died a worthy death."

Inside the command center, the air seemed to grow heavy at that moment.

“Dr. Mei,” the high-ranking official continued, “what you should be doing now is focusing on developing other Divine Keys to contribute to the future of humanity, instead of wasting your breath here on a dead man.”

Mei's body trembled slightly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened. Her gaze swept across the faces of the several high-ranking officials, and all she saw was calmness, calculation, and a thirst for power.

No one mentioned Lu Qiong's past achievements anymore, nor did anyone care about his sacrifice. In their eyes, he was merely a tool that had completed the mission, "experimental data" that proved the value of the Divine Key.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that the air seemed to freeze. Finally, she slowly lowered her head, her voice so low it was almost inaudible:

".........yes."

Her answer echoed in the empty command hall, yet it sounded particularly pale.

Meanwhile, on the distant battlefield, Alicia remained kneeling on that open ground, her face already soaked with tears.

She raised her head, gazing at the now calm sky, her lips trembling slightly, as if silently calling out a name that would never answer her again.