Honkai Impact: The Dream Keeper

(Previous episode...I don't want to rewatch it)

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"Heh..." Long Qiao exhaled, then looked at the broken mirror on the ground. She saw the monster in the mirror and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Spider Orphnoch and Bull Orphnoch were taken aback by the change in Dragon Cho, and everyone else was astonished as well.

"Brother Qiao... I never imagined that Brother Qiao would actually be that monster, Orphnoch!" Kiana exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hey, hey, hey, this can't be real, right? Coincidentally, he's Orpheus?!" Menmo was also taken aback.

"That's for sure. Since Takumi can use Faiz for so long without turning into sand, then we can be sure that Takumi is an Orphnoch, because only Orphnochs can use Faiz without their belts turning into sand," Qingmo solemnly informed everyone.

"You...you're actually an Orphnoch?" The Spider Orphnoch was shocked. "Well, after all, only an Orphnoch could use Faiz so perfectly without any problems."

"Hehehe, I knew it after the signs appeared yesterday. But it's not all bad; at least I have more power now," Long Qiao said, clenching her fist.

Then, the spider Orphnoch quickly released several spider silk threads towards Long Qiao. However, instead of sparks, the threads emitted rings of purple ripples as they struck Long Qiao; the threads were absorbed by him.

"What? How is this possible?" Spider Orpheus was shocked. She then fired several more spider silks at Long Qiao, but without exception, they were all absorbed by Long Qiao.

Then Long Qiao raised her arm and released an energy ball towards Spider Orpheus. The energy ball struck Spider Orpheus at extremely high speed. Spider Orpheus stood frozen in place for a few seconds before dissipating into atomic form and disappearing into the air.

"Holy crap?! Damn it, it's just gone???" Men Mo, who was watching, was completely dumbfounded.

"Yeah, they just... well, what was that again? Anyway, they just vanished. That's amazing!" Kiana said.

"It's become an atom! I never expected Qiao to be so awesome now. First, absorb the enemy's energy, and then launch it back as an energy blast. Isn't that a counterattack? Impressive!" Qingmo said with a smile.

"Is this the power of Orphnoch? It's really strong, hahaha (?￣ ? ￣?)" Long Qiao said, clenching his fist.

"Next, it's you, you damned bull." Long Qiao then retrieved a unique greatsword from the void (similar to the Godslayer Sword in CrossFire) and strode confidently toward the terrified bull, Orphnoch.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Don't come any closer!!!" Bull Orphnoch was clearly terrified; for every step Long Qiao took, Orphnoch retreated three.

"Hehehe, scream all you want, no monster will come to save you even if you scream your lungs out, hahaha...hehehehehe." Long Qiao grinned maliciously as she used her exclusive ability to teleport to Bull Orpheus, lifting him up with one hand.

"Hey, Bronya, Mei, I have a feeling that Choji is the villain!" Kiana stared in disbelief at Choji's performance.

"That's true," Zhang Qing said, rubbing his forehead.

At this moment, Long Qiao, holding Orphnoch in one hand, slashed diagonally at it with his knife in his right. But instead of sparks, what erupted was blood—bright red blood! This crimson blood flew towards Long Qiao, leaving him completely stunned, as well as the onlookers.

"Pfft—cough cough, what the hell is going on? Shouldn't weapons explode with sparks when they hit something? This is better, it's just exploding with blood!?" Men Mo spat out the water he had just drunk.

"It seems that Qiao's greatsword can penetrate armor, thus achieving a direct attack on the flesh," Qingmo observed, recognizing the power of Long Qiao's weapon.

"Wow?! This God-Slaying Blade is that awesome? It pierced through armor right away?" Long Qiao exclaimed excitedly, looking at the blade. Then he glanced at the groaning Bull Orpheus on the ground. "Hehehe, if I don't chop you up and make you into roast meat today, I'm not Qiao! Take this! Take this!" Long Qiao chased after him and took two more slashes.

"Damn it! I'm not running anymore! Just because I'm not a bull doesn't mean I'm a little calf!" Bull Orpheus then charged at Long Qiao.

"Heh...you think my blade is only good for breaking armor? If so, you're underestimating me," Long Qiao said with a smile.

Long Qiao then dodged the bull's charge, followed by a horizontal slash that struck the bull. Then, to everyone's astonishment, Long Qiao unleashed a second attack. The blade and hilt of the sword separated, connected only by an iron link. In the blink of an eye, this second attack, imbued with armor-piercing power, pierced the Orphnoch's head, spurting out a stream of bright red blood…

"Alright, it's your turn next, Herrscher," Long Qiao said slowly, looking at Yuno.

"Hey! Qiao, you, Menmo, Zhang Qing, and I just need to force her Herrscher consciousness back. Leave the rest to me. As for Kiana, you guys just keep an eye on her," Qingmo instructed.

No problem x3

Then, Ryu and the other two took out their drivers, but Ryu used the Sengoku Driver, which he hadn't used in a long time. However, this time Ryu used the Strawberry Lock Seed, which he hadn't used before.

"Henshin!" x3

[Lock On! Soiya! Ichigo Arms! Spark!]

Amidst a series of dynamic sound effects, Long Qiao transformed into Kamen Rider Gaim Strawberry Armor.

"Oh my, what a coincidence, you have a new form too!" Menmo said enviously.

"Hehe, I already had this before, but I just hadn't used it. I also have the pineapple seed lock. Alright, let's get ready. I'll use the strawberry kunai to clear the way, you guys get close to her." Long Qiao held the kunai in reverse.

"Received, hehe, bro's here to hack your account." Then, Menmo took out the Faiz card from the card box.

【KamenRide! Faiz!】

Menmo thus became the Decade version of Faiz

"Huh?! Brother Mo, you stole my account!" Long Qiao said helplessly.

"Don't worry about the details, and I've wanted to use this for a while now," Menmo said excitedly, then summoned his pirated Faiz Blade. Zhang Qing also obediently summoned his Dragon Army Knife.

As Long Qiao managed to pierce the attacking vines, the battle with the Herrscher officially began...

"Now it's our turn to shine!" Before the words were even finished, Long Qiao drew two more kunai from his waist and charged towards Yuno, slashing at the vines surrounding her with his kunai.

"Damn it, don't underestimate me!" Yuno roared, manipulating her vines as she charged towards Ryuu.

"Ha, well done!" Long Qiao then pinned the kunai in her hand to the two vines that had arrived first, and then took out the peerless military knife tucked at her waist. She then jumped aside to avoid all the attacking vines.

【Lock On!】

Long Qiao removed the strawberry seed and installed it on the hilt of the Peerless Military Knife.

[One? Ten? Hundred! Ichigo Charge]

Accompanied by a dynamic sound effect, Long Qiao slashed a giant strawberry kunai into the sky. Then, this giant strawberry kunai fired a barrage of invisible strawberry kunai beams from the ground, striking Yuno like a torrential rain.

"It's not over yet." On the other side, Menmo also inserted the Final Attack Control Card into the Driver, while Zhang Qing silently swiped out the Final Descent Card.

【Final Attack Ride! Faiz! 】

【FINAL VENT】

The two then jumped up and kicked at Yuno simultaneously, but their kicks landed perfectly, sending Yuno flying against the wall.

"Phew, I almost kicked her to death, but her Herrscher consciousness was able to retaliate," Menmo said, wiping away non-existent sweat.

"Okay, thanks for your hard work. Leave the rest to me." The four then walked over to Yuno, who had been kicked away and was kneeling on the ground.

"Heh... Hurry, just kill me! I don't want to suffer like this anymore. I've killed all my classmates, what hope do I have left to live?" Yuno cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't be afraid, Qiao and the others will help you," Bronya said expressionlessly, having come with the others.

“Bronya, you think too highly of me. This kind of thing should be handled by the Blue…White Mage,” Long Qiao said, glancing at Qing Mo.

"Yes, don't worry, we will save you. We will be your last hope." With that, Qingmo placed the contract ring on Yuna's finger.

"Brothers, get ready for battle!"

"Roger that!"

As the scene begins with Yuno's life and gradually deteriorates, the space begins to crumble, and the Herrscher's consciousness gradually takes shape.

"Brothers, let's go!" Then Long Qiao replaced the Strawberry Lockseed with the more damaging Pineapple Lockseed.

[Lock On! Soiya! Pine Arms! Destroy!]

【KamenRide! Gaim!】

"Hey, you stinky Herrscher, ever felt like you were instantly killed? Want to experience it?" Long Qiao, hidden behind his mask, revealed a wicked smile.

"What's the point of talking to it, brothers? Just unleash your ultimate attack and take it down!" With that, Men Mo inserted the Ultimate Control Attack Card and unleashed his finishing move.

【Final Attack Ride! Gaim! 】

"Okay, okay, I got it."

【Pine Squash!】

Long Qiao pushed the lever and began to build up power.

【FINAL VENT】

Zhang Qing immediately began charging up his ultimate attack, then leaped towards the Herrscher. Seeing Zhang Qing initiate the attack, the other two followed suit with their Knight Kicks, ending the Herrscher's consciousness. But the matter wasn't over yet…

"Roar……"

"Holy crap?! What the hell is that thing? It's huge!" Seeing the suddenly appearing creature, Long Qiao and the other six were stunned.

Because what came into everyone's view was an enormous Honkai Beast, a Honkai Beast formed from Honkai consciousness, and its strength was quite considerable. As soon as this Honkai Beast appeared, it began to bombard everyone. Just as the shells were about to hit Long Qiao and the others, a huge body blocked their way...

"Are you all alright?" Qingmo, sitting atop the Demon Dragon's head, called out to the group.

"It's nothing, but White Demon, you're so cool!" Men Mo and Zhang Qing said, their eyes shining.

"Haha, alright, I'll take care of the rest now. Demon Dragon, let's go!" Qingmo then steered the demon dragon into battle, while the six people below frantically dodged the "gifts" falling from the sky.

However, after about ten minutes, the battle ended when the demonic dragon breathed a fireball at the Honkai Beast... After the battle, everyone watched as the scene before them returned to its original state, and then ran to Yuno's side, whose body was on the verge of collapse.

"Yuno, are you... alright?" Qingmo asked.

"Huff...huff...Big brother White Mage, cough cough, can you come here for a second?" Yuno called out weakly to Qingmo.

"Okay," Qingmo immediately ran to Yuno's side and helped her up.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, Yuno kissed Qingmo's forehead and said...

"Cough cough, big brothers, you don't need to blame yourselves too much. I'm really grateful to you for rescuing me from the darkness. It's just a pity that I can't go to other places to see the world properly." Yuno started to sob as she spoke.

"Yuno..."

"Alright, big brothers, thank you so much. Goodbye..." With that, Yuno turned to ash and vanished into the world...

With this, the Cherry Blossom Reminiscence arc officially concludes...

Yuno's death solidified Ryuu's desire to protect all his loved ones...

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(Stay tuned for the next episode)