Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　"Kevin, where is she?"

　"Sakura... what do you want to do?"

　A sense of foreboding welled up in Kevin's heart.

　"I'm going to find her."

　Sakura's answer was brief and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

　Upon hearing Sakura's answer, Kevin's pupils constricted sharply, and he stared at the girl in disbelief.

　"Are you crazy? She's not Rin anymore!"

　“Ling must be very lonely right now. She has always been a child who is afraid of being alone... She needs me.”

　The piercing alarm echoed on the 33rd basement level of the Moth of Fire headquarters, but neither of them paid any attention to it at the moment.

　Kevin knew that letting Sakura leave this place would inevitably be a journey of no return.

　Therefore, he angrily rebuked Sakura, trying to stop her crazy idea.

　"Don't joke around! Rin is dead!"

　Without any extra movements, Sakura simply reached her hand to her waist in an extremely calm manner.

　Realizing what she was about to do, Kevin quickly stopped her.

　"Sakura, stop right now!"

　But it was too late; the blade was already drawn.

　Sakura's attack completely "frozen" the space.

　Time slows down, consciousness scatters, and everything comes to a standstill.

　In those brief few seconds, in this dark realm, she was the only one who could move.

　Then, Sakura walked past Kevin and embarked on a journey to find her sister, a journey from which there was no return.

　A clash of ideologies is undoubtedly extremely dangerous.

　Although in most situations this intangible contest does not directly shake the material world, the degree of danger it harbors far exceeds that of actual confrontation.

　Even the slightest negligence could lead to serious damage at the level of consciousness, or even to the soul, resulting in irreversible consequences.

　However, this time, Lady Luck was on Hua's side.

　Seizing the opportunity when Rin's consciousness showed a weakness, she successfully imprisoned the Twelfth Herrscher's consciousness in a pre-prepared consciousness trap.

　Only then did Hua slowly open his tightly closed eyes.

　"I wonder how Sakura is doing..."

　Muttering to herself, Hua stood up, took a step, and ran towards the direction where Ying was.

Chapter 647 Conversation in the Corridor

　Just as the battle of consciousness between Hua and Rin, who had transformed into the Twelfth Herrscher, came to an end, Kevin also arrived beside Sakura.

　The warrior with cherry-blossom hair leaned quietly against the metal ruins, like a withered flower in the ruins.

　The pendant that she once treasured has now lost its former luster and vitality, along with her frail figure.

　Seemingly sensing Kevin's arrival, Sakura, despite her severe injuries, spoke with difficulty.

　“Kevin…I know you’re right…”

　"Mei has sealed away the Herrscher. She said that at the last moment, the Herrscher's activities became disordered for no apparent reason."

　Having experienced countless battles, Kevin was naturally able to discern that Sakura's injuries had reached a point of no return.

　Therefore, at this moment of parting, he decided to tell Sakura the outcome of the matter she cared about most.

　"She didn't miss that opportunity."

　Upon hearing this, Sakura smiled with satisfaction.

　"That's good. I stayed with Rin until the very end... until the very last moment... she was still my sister."

　“I protected… my pride as the older sister…”

　Looking at Sakura in this state, Kevin remained silent for a moment, then spoke softly.

　"...You never regretted it in the end, and that's enough."

　The girl's eyes gradually dimmed, but a hint of a smile flickered at the corner of her eye.

　Perhaps she saw something, something only she could see.

　"Kevin...I have one last request..."

　"I am listening."

　Kevin knew that Sakura's life was nearing its end, and all he could do was fulfill her last wish.

　Sakura was filled with gratitude, and she begged Kevin to take her body back to her distant hometown and bury her under the cherry blossom tree.

　Upon hearing Kevin's promise, the last glimmer of light in Sakura's eyes vanished.

　Fifteen minutes later.

　Upon entering the 33rd underground floor where Kevin and Sakura were, Hua witnessed Kevin leaning against the wall.

　The white-haired warrior appeared lost and disoriented, as if he were deeply entangled in Yu Duchen's illusion, immersed in endless thoughts.

　Sensing Hua's approach, Kevin spoke.

　“I saw that everyone in the base looked like they had lost their souls, and I knew it was you.”

　"Kevin..."

　Hua had never seen Kevin like this before, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.

　but,

　Kevin did not expect a response from Hua.

　He just kept asking himself the questions.

　"Is there a problem with the seal on the Twelfth Herrscher?"

　"Yes."

　Hua nodded and gave an affirmative answer.

　"Really? That's good."

　Kevin's voice remained low, seemingly carrying a hint of barely perceptible relief.

　Looking at Kevin, Hua slowly walked to the alloy wall in the corridor and sat down.

　"Is Sakura alright?"

　"She's dead."

　Kevin's voice became unusually heavy.

　He turned his head and gazed into the distance, at the place where the Herrscher had been imprisoned.

　He had already taken Rin's body away and placed it with Sakura.

　Unexpectedly, Hua fell silent.

　After a long while, she managed to find her voice and asked again.

　"...How severe were the losses?"

　"Although the casualties within the base are less than a thousand, those who were too close to the Herrscher have become suicide soldiers. The virus spread too quickly, and we simply couldn't stop it in time. Thanks to you and Pado, if it weren't for your timely elimination of the suicide soldiers, there probably wouldn't be any survivors left in this base."

　Upon hearing Kevin's account, Hua sighed and responded calmly.

　"This seems like good news."

　Today, the people on this planet have long been accustomed to the endless disasters and heavy losses brought by the Herrscher.

　In comparison, fewer than a thousand casualties are certainly not an unbearable burden in this turbulent era.

　"I haven't told you the bad news yet."

　Looking at the ravaged ground before him, Kevin continued.

　"The Herrscher took control of the defense system and launched all the stockpiled Honkai energy fission bombs at all human settlements on Earth."

　"what?!"

　Upon hearing this, Hua exclaimed in surprise.

　Immediately, she lowered her head in frustration, her voice filled with self-blame and helplessness.

　"I'm sorry... I couldn't stop her..."

　"No, it's okay."

　Shaking his head, Kevin gave an answer that surprised Hua greatly.

　"It's always like this, isn't it? You're not really surprised."

　"..."

　Hua was speechless; she knew that everything Kevin said was true.

　"Humanity always wins at a great cost, achieving only a meager victory. The Honkai's offensive only grows stronger, each wave more terrifying than the last. We held out for the twelfth time..."

　Kevin's voice revealed an undisguised frustration and exhaustion, emotions he had never shown in public before.

　"But in fact, everyone knows... a long time ago, that all victories are just a disguise for defeats, so that we don't look so miserable."

　As a hero of humanity, Kevin has always borne enormous responsibility and pressure, and he cannot show such pessimistic emotions in front of others.

　But now, in front of his comrades, he finally let down all pretense and defenses.

　"Humanity has lost, Hua."

　Kevin's voice was very soft, like a murmur coming from a distant dream.

　"But this is a fact that we absolutely cannot accept as truth..."

　Leaning against the wall, Hua took a deep breath.

　“I didn’t expect you to say that… I thought anyone could give up, but you never would.”

　Do you want to hear the truth?

　Kevin revealed his true feelings.

　"I haven't given up... because I've never persisted. As for me... I don't care. What is Honkai? What will happen to humanity? I don't care at all."

　“I didn’t join the Firemoth to save the world or protect peace. I’ve always been selfish, but… I’ve made it through, that’s how I got here.”

　“I can’t admit it to anyone… I can’t admit it to her, especially not to her.”

　"...I thought I was a hopeless, rotten person."

　He lowered his head.

　This was a vulnerability that Hua had never seen before since she met Kevin.

　Hua Anfu said.

　“We’re all the same, Kevin. No one is born a hero; we’re just a group of ordinary people who have walked this path.”

　“I also miss my hometown, and I recall my past dreams... and then I ask myself, what am I doing? This is not what I want.”

　“I always followed others, first the captain, then you. Of course, the doctor always walked in front. I followed in your footsteps, thinking that this was my path.”

　"But actually no one forced me; I'm walking the path I chose. Although I don't like it, it's my choice. I can stop at any time, I can fall behind..."

　"That's all fine, Kevin. And no one has the right to blame you."

　Kevin kept his head down and whispered in a voice only Huaneng could hear.

　"But I have..."

　Hua was unsure whether he wanted to respond.

　The two remained silent until Kevin looked up.