Collapse, survive

The edges of the pit were perfectly smooth, and ash drifted around them. The other substances, drawn in as well, lost all their energy upon touching the edge of the darkness, and only then did they begin to move.

At that moment, the darkness vanished abruptly, and the remaining ash was instantly transformed into snow-white ash by the wind, swirling and scattering across the giant crater formerly known as Thousand Feather Academy.

"...Major Himeko!"

Having crash-landed on the Hyperion, the stronger, random Valkyries are in a panic, searching for their leader.

Chapter Fifteen: Destruction and Self-Destruction

Ji Zi collapsed... Fang Jie collapsed in the snowfield.

Why do I always feel like it's more dangerous over there than here?

His long-standing resilience and pain tolerance came in handy. Even though he appeared to be seriously injured... he used ice to stop the bleeding from a mere fatal wound, paralyzed the pain sensation, and used his muscles to close the wound.

And, watching over 'Yae Sakura' who was even more miserable than him.

What came into view was a pair of scarlet eyes.

Higokumaru seemed to have gone completely berserk, losing his mind and ignoring everything around him. He was immersed in indescribable sorrow and kept exerting his strength to tear apart everything that was blocking his way.

It's impossible to tear, absolutely impossible to tear!

The next moment, she opened her mouth, now sprouting sharp canines, and bit down on... the composite blade, Willow Leaf, which was blocking her attack.

"Crack—!"

The knife that had accompanied Fang Jie all the way, the knife he loved so much, shattered instantly.

"Damn it, my knife..."

Fang Jie was heartbroken. He saw that only half of his hand remained, which was still being torn apart and swallowed piece by piece by Ling. The brutal scene made him swallow hard. What if he got bitten?

The next second he dropped the knife and put it in his mouth for Ling to gnaw on—his free right hand, like an indestructible soul gem, grabbed her right hand.

Suck it!

This isn't a place where Otto might launch a Honkai Fission Bomb at any moment; we won't tolerate that.

This is also the awkward part of Yae Sakura's identity; once exposed, Otto would immediately become unruly, implicating a large number of people.

Fang Jie had no time to explain, nor could he let Himeko kill her... If destroying the physical body was useful, would the previous civilization have perished? He could only be prepared to risk everything and give the world a chance.

"You took advantage of the situation and struck me with your blade, but that's not a big deal. If you dare to go any further, the world will be turned upside down!"

Visibly, Yae Sakura's movements became increasingly weak. Already subjected to a violent drain on her energy, she was now less violent but still relentless. Her arm, which had pierced through Fang Jie, was cracking and collapsing into a ball.

The Crimson Cherry Blossom Demon Sword was almost reduced to scrap metal, twisting little by little into a bizarre shape—very fair.

Even so, she continued her ferocious attack, biting when she couldn't tear it apart, even if it was iron... She swallowed it, she swallowed it, and she was going to bite it!

This is the tricky part of 'erosion': the physical body is just a vessel for her, and its absence is not a big deal; it is difficult to completely eliminate.

Fortunately, the solution targets energy.

A strange thing happened at this moment: the sharp teeth that had been chewed up by the special steel that was initially enhanced by Honkai energy were now becoming increasingly weak and powerless.

Go easy on me?

It might be possible at first, but it will definitely be impossible later.

Fang Jie's efforts finally paid off; the 'disarming' process continued, drawing energy from her resistance and even her actions.

An alternative Judas zero rated power.

Until those bloodshot, scarlet eyes somehow regained some rationality, turned bluish-purple, and came to their senses.

"Are you awake, Miss Yae Sakura?"

He confirmed.

"Sober? How can one be sober? Life is like a dream, and when you wake up, everything has changed."

Yae Sakura woke up and immediately asked to die:

"My lord, please do not hesitate, kill me and take this demon with you."

"It seems he is awake now."

If Himeko heard this, her mood would be truly terrible. You can't believe you're lying...

However, the solution is as follows.

"I'd rather kill you than kill her."

He muttered, "You are the free gift," making his meaning crystal clear.

Yae Sakura felt embarrassed for a moment.

"Your Excellency, do you know a demon? I heard you call her... Bell? Is that the name of the fox spirit?"

She clearly cares about this.

She had no idea about this.

Her tone was melancholy and sorrowful, completely unconcerned about the lost arm and the fact that everyone else was seriously injured.

In the chaotic battle in the ward, there are no winners, only survivors.

Himeko has probably collapsed as well.

"Yes, her name is Ling, not some kind of fox spirit."

Fang Jie didn't really want to talk about this.

"That's a long story. If Ling is willing to tell you, then let her tell you herself. If she's not willing... then I shouldn't interfere."

What if the stimulation gets too intense and causes further violence?

I can teleport away again, leaving this vast world for you to mess around with. It's nothing more than an "erosion." The Ironclad Grand Stage is where fateful characters take turns.

But I finally got to know her, even though it was dangerous... I even got beaten up, so I felt like I was losing out if I didn't gain something in return.

"I see." Yae Sakura seemed to understand something, and then asked, "Is your injury... alright?"

"It's probably still important," Fang Jie grimaced.

"It's alright, I should be able to handle it. How about you?"

"Bearing the power of a fox spirit... I can absorb demonic energy to heal myself, and my past injuries have already healed." Yae Sakura said calmly, "However, there doesn't seem to be enough demonic energy here, except for you. After I die, Rin might seek someone else to possess. You'd better kill me, otherwise..."

She doesn't hate Fang Jie; her memories, which have been sealed away, are still stuck on the great battle between Hiyomaru and Kallen.

At that time, Hiyomaru left her severely injured body, possessed a fox-shaped Honkai Beast, attacked Kallen, and even planned to devour Yae Sakura alive in front of Kallen.

Also in order to protect herself, the heavily injured Kallen raised the obsidian spear and fought a final battle with Hiyomaru, ultimately sealing Hiyomaru and herself, who had been infected and turned into a pseudo-Herrscher, together.

What happened after that?

When she woke up again in an unfamiliar city, all she knew was that time had passed, things had changed, and she and Hiyomaru had harmed people again.

Just as the Honkai energy continued to decrease, Hiyomaru lost his suppressive power and was suppressed again by Yae Sakura, who had been suppressing him all along, and she took control of his body.

If Fang Jie were to execute her to eliminate future troubles, she would accept it.

But he seems to care a lot about... bells?

An angry voice resounded in my heart:

Don't call me by that name.

Especially you, traitor!

"careful!"

Yae Sakura only had time to give a warning.

In an instant, Fang Jie saw that one of Yae Sakura's eyes had turned into a crimson beast's eye. Fortunately, he had broken her hand and her knife beforehand, and with Yae Sakura's restraint, Fang Jie, who was rolling away, was not bitten.

I feel like she could bite a Herrscher to death!

The scene appeared to be a chaotic brawl breaking out again in the ward of the seriously injured, with the two sides chasing and biting each other endlessly across the vast snowfield.

It looks ridiculous, but it's not safe at all.

"Wake up, Ring, I'm not your enemy."

"Everyone deserves to die!"

Endless, ever-flowing negative emotions fueled her resolve, and even though Honkai energy was severely insufficient to sustain her, she continued to fight relentlessly.

Fang Jie had no choice but to circle around her, taking advantage of his superior condition and Yae Sakura's restraint, as well as his mastery of the teleportation 'speed force', to absorb her energy remotely until she ran out of strength.

Hiyomaru really can't be killed, and can't be killed. Where can we find another black box and the person who made her lose her mind and was imprisoned? We can only talk to her, but she won't listen to us.

Difficult.

Compared to that, Yae Sakura is much easier to talk to. Damn it, are you really this lazy without Theresa? Take the initiative and unleash your emotions to suppress Hiyomaru! So you two have already developed feelings for each other, haven't you!

Fang Jie turned his head and glanced at 'Yae Sakura' who was still going. Her heterochromatic eyes, which were bluish-purple, looked somewhat helpless and exhausted.

Her injuries were more severe than Fang Jie's and were still worsening, a sign of her life force fading away.

Finally, I couldn't hold on any longer.

"waste!"

Rin was very familiar with this scene; it was just like this five hundred years ago. Although Yae Sakura didn't betray her this time, it was already quite good that she committed suicide instead.

Fortunately, some of the Honkai energy was left to sustain her life, and then...

Black mist rose from Yae Sakura's body and transformed into the black fox, A-Lin.

She needs energy, she needs Honkai energy.

Damn it, there's absolutely no Honkai energy in this world.

Damn it, Yae Sakura is doomed if this continues.

This waste!

And you, why are you running? Let me kill you and take the Honkai energy that still exists within you.

"Don't try to escape!"

Despite her concerns about the force that Fang Jie had unleashed when he was stabbed, Ling could only bravely rush forward. She was not afraid of death, not at all.

Fang Jie was terrified; he didn't want to die, he wanted to live.

Therefore,

"It's no use, you can't catch me."

The black mist swept past, and a small portion of it had already eroded the body above, but it was instantly 'devoured', leaving only a negligible amount, which then stopped rotating.

Most of his shots missed their mark, and he vanished from his spot in an instant, only to find a group of Valkyries inspecting the battlefield.

The sudden appearance of Fang Jie almost drew concentrated fire.

He had no intention of lingering and flashed back to the snowfields of Beloborg.

"See you."

The group of Valkyries were left staring at each other in bewilderment. Had they seen a ghost?

Wait, wasn't that the guy Major Himeko ordered us to keep an eye on? If we can find him, we need to rescue him quickly, he... he's escaped again.

After all, Fang Jie didn't trust St. Freya Academy's medical care at all.

He knew perfectly well what was hidden in that basement, and he didn't want to become alien material on the dissection table of destiny, nor did he want to have a bunch of younger brothers and sisters.

Flashing back to the original spot, Black Mist Bell was searching her surroundings blankly, looking so powerless, just as Yae Sakura's life was like a candle flickering in the wind.

Fang Jie understands this feeling.

“You can’t catch me, Bell, but we can talk.”

Fang Jie put in tremendous effort, remaining in place as the black mist washed over him, sometimes 'devouring him completely,' sometimes disappearing altogether...

He has mastered the trick of splitting the score 50/50.

Even if it is eroded, it can only be 'deactivated' without Honkai energy. Realizing this, Fang Jie developed an even greater desire for her.

But she must realize that she is not someone she can manipulate at will.

This repeated itself, making both the Herrschers and Valkyries on both sides feel like they were seeing a ghost. Finally, Rin was left with only a small amount of black mist in her body. Neither her Honkai energy nor her corrosive power was much stronger than before, and she couldn't control her anymore.