Hessian remained silent, intently watching the TV.
But his hand quietly crept up above Elysia's waist…
To be precise… he simply likes Elysia!
On the TV,
Hua complained: "So this piece belongs to Otto. Turns out a lot of my memories were taken from other people… I really don't like the way I used to act."
She gave a meaningful glance toward the phantom of Fenghuang Down: "I know you look down on me too."
Fu Hua said: "I was worried about you."
Hua laughed: "Haha!… What's there to worry about? I feel great right now—never better! Since I woke up, this is the first time I've felt free, carefree, with no attachments."
"I finally understand who I am. I'm just Fu Hua—simple as that! This Taixu Mountain is my hometown. Walking here, everything feels so familiar yet so new…"
"These feathers, these memories… they're all mine. Countless possibilities are waiting for me. I don't know which one to choose, but it doesn't matter—I have plenty of choices!"
"This is what belonging feels like—I'm good."
With a smile, she continued walking deeper into Taixu Mountain.
Not far along, she spotted another Fenghuang Down feather lying on the ground.
"There's one here too."
Hua reached out and picked up the faintly glowing feather: "There are way too many! Did I leave this many Fenghuang Down feathers on the mountain?"
The phantom of Fenghuang Down gave no response.
She strolled along mountain paths and cliff edges, sometimes lowering her head in thought, sometimes gazing into the distance.
"Tch."
Hua glanced at her, then infused a small amount of Honkai energy into the feather, awakening the dormant memory.
"You are…"
Hua said directly: "I'm your master. Return the memories and power to me."
A faint trace of Honkai energy gently touched Hua, then instantly withdrew.
The Fenghuang Down nodded and dissipated.
Hua glanced at the Fu Hua beside her: "See how obedient she is? If only you were half as sensible."
"…"
Fu Hua remained silent.
"Let me take a look at this memory." Hua closed her eyes. A moment later, she made a strange face, her expression twisting like she'd swallowed a spoonful of salt: "Ugh… it's Dr. MEI."
Fu Hua said: "Probably just some insignificant interaction fragments. I extracted them—there was no point keeping them."
"Yeah, no point. She was just talking about her plans." Hua spat in disgust: "Why did I listen to her so obediently? Look at the results: under her leadership, humanity suffered total defeat, nearly wiped out. They had to hide in cryosleep until the Finality vanished before daring to come out."
"The Ark sent to explore the cosmos—who knows where it went. The Constant Sand that hid in the Sea of Quanta hasn't sent a single message. The doctor was a complete failure. I really don't understand why all of humanity followed her lead."
Fu Hua said: "She stepped forward and took on the responsibility of leading us. People trusted her courage and determination."
Hua said: "Mm, they just didn't trust wisdom. Fine then—courage to rush into the flames like moths, determination to perish together in glory. Yay! Anyway, this time, I'm never listening to her again—and I'm not obeying Otto or following Kevin either. From now on, everything, I decide for myself."
The two continued deeper.
Fu Hua remembered there was a peaceful village of about a hundred people nearby, but in just this short time, they had already encountered several Honkai Beasts and even quite a few zombies.
This made her somewhat worried. Since zombies had appeared, the villagers were likely in grave danger.
"We should hurry there."
"Why?" Hua asked directly.
This caught Fu Hua off guard.
Hua continued: "What does that village have to do with me? There are disasters everywhere in this world, Herrschers popping up one after another—why should I care about one little village?"
Fu Hua started to say: "That's…"
Hua interrupted directly: "There's no longer any 'demons must be slain on sight' rule, right? After the sword heart shattered, that restriction disappeared. Dr. MEI's divine voice isn't messing around in our heads anymore, telling us to do this and that."
Fu Hua immediately said: "But that is the right thing to do."
Hua walked unhurriedly: "Whether it's right or not is up to me to decide. Where's the rightness? Tell me."
Fu Hua said: "If there are trapped people, we can save their lives. If not, we can still prevent future disaster. This journey doesn't interfere with your plans—it's an act of chivalry."
Hua was clearly convinced: "Mm, that's true. When you see injustice, you should draw your sword to help. Anyway, for me it's just a small effort—haha."
The two quickly headed toward the village.
Along the way, they encountered quite a few zombies, all of which Hua dealt with.
"Shh! There's a sound."
She suddenly stopped.
Rustling came from a nearby building. After a moment, a little girl poked her head out from the shadows.
Even in the darkness, it was clear—the girl's face and arms were covered in sinister purple veins.
"She's been corroded," Fu Hua sighed.
Hua immediately said: "She hasn't fully transformed yet."
Fu Hua still understood: "But at this stage…"
"Shut up!"
Hua's sharp rebuke cut her off as she walked toward the girl.
The girl looked at her: "Are you here… to save us?"
Hua nodded firmly: "Mm, don't worry."
She crouched down beside the girl.
Only then did she clearly see the girl's condition and finally realize she could no longer live as a normal person.
"Tell me—what happened here?"
The girl said urgently: "People suddenly went mad… just now, everyone turned white… so many… slashing everywhere…"
Fu Hua was startled: "Just now?… Did this happen today?"
But her voice didn't reach the girl's ears.
"Save me! Please, save me…" The girl begged helplessly.
"I will, I will." Hua gently touched the girl's forehead. The girl calmed down, her eyes seeming to regain their light.
She looked at Hua, her mouth opening and closing as if trying to speak.
Hua said gently: "Wait for me to come back, okay?"
The girl nodded, then closed her eyes.
Fu Hua asked: "What do you plan to do?"
Hua answered calmly: "Avenge her."
Fu Hua said: "This isn't the salvation she wanted!"
Hua kept looking at the girl: "It's all I can give her—you know she won't live much longer… At least this, I'm pretty good at."
Fu Hua understood that too.
She could only say: "Let's look for any other survivors. We have to at least try."
"Fine."
This time, Hua unusually didn't refuse.
She stood up and headed deeper into the village, killing zombies and Honkai Beasts along the way while searching for any other survivors.
Only after thoroughly searching the entire village and eliminating every zombie and Honkai Beast did she return to the girl: "Hey. It's okay now—I beat all the bad guys."
She ruffled the girl's hair, trying to smile brightly at her.
"Everyone's back to normal. You'll be better soon too—don't worry."
"Mm…" The girl nodded. She gazed at Hua with relaxed eyes: "Are you an immortal?"
Hua asked curiously: "You know me?"
The girl weakly shook her head: "No… but you look a lot like… that statue…"
Hua followed her gaze. There was a statue standing not far away on a cliff.
"Look at that statue… Grandpa said it's an immortal from Taixu Mountain. Whenever we were in danger… she would appear and save people from fire and water…"
"This statue was made by our ancestors… I still remember, it didn't used to be so damaged… She was so beautiful back then, just like… an immortal."
"Easy!" Hua lightly waved her hand. A flash of white light passed—broken stones rained down, and the statue was restored as if reborn: "See—is this how you remember her?"
"Yes…" The girl closed her eyes, as if falling into a deep sleep.
Fu Hua immediately asked: "Did you kill her?"
Hua's mood was noticeably low: "I let her have a dream. In the dream, none of this happened—everything turned out perfectly. She can live happily until she passes."
"You told me to save her—this is the most I can do."
Hua stood up and gazed at the distant statue: "Haha, I really look good."
"…" Fu Hua fell silent.
Hua said: "You've barely spoken today. You must have something you want to say, right? It's fine—my mood is already terrible. No matter what you say, it won't get worse. Go ahead."
Fu Hua didn't hold back: "I placed many Xuanyuan Swords and Fenghuang Down feathers around Taixu Mountain. Ordinary Honkai would find it hard to affect this place."
"And after we arrived, Honkai erupted. There's only one explanation…"
"…Enough!" As Hua spoke, the phantom of Fenghuang Down suddenly became transparent, thin as a mirage in the air: "With a single thought, I can make you shut up—or make you disappear effortlessly."
"You're just a piece of Fenghuang Down… a Herrscher from the previous era. I should destroy you immediately. I shouldn't believe a single word you say. But I respect you—I allow you to exist independently, to follow me. You should show respect for my generosity."
"…Don't try to disturb my thoughts anymore, Honkai."
Hua turned and walked away.
The powerful force that had been firmly binding the Fenghuang Down also withdrew.
"…"
The phantom of Fenghuang Down—Fu Hua—knew very well: her power was nearly depleted.
Even so, there were still things she had to do, things she absolutely must do—
Meanwhile,
Hua walked absentmindedly, her mind occupied with thoughts of the Fenghuang Down phantom: Although the phantom was controlled by her power, its actions sometimes seemed beyond her control.
At times she had the illusion that this soul parasitizing the feather existed just as truly as she did.
This made her wonder: "Did I give her too much? Why did I create her back then?"
She knew the answer: at that moment, she was on the verge of death. To leave behind even a sliver of hope, she had poured almost everything into it.
"That's why she feels… so real."
Hua turned back to look at the phantom of Fenghuang Down. Yes, exactly.
Though her form was slightly translucent, standing there, she seemed like the only real existence—everything else felt like mist.
A voice that hadn't appeared in her mind for a long time spoke again: "You should take her back."
Hua said: "…But if I do, she'll disappear…"
She fell silent, as if deep in thought.
After a brief pause, she chose to dodge one question with another.
"Weird. It's been a long time since I talked to myself."
The voice in her mind replied: "With someone else accompanying you, you no longer need yourself."
"…Impossible!" Hua scoffed. But a moment later, she realized the voice meant something else—its words were subtle, yet…
"…I'm being controlled by her? I've lost myself and become the puppet of the feather?"
"No, she never tried to influence me—she couldn't!"
The voice in her mind spoke again: "She is your past. The past is pulling at you, trying to turn you back into who you were. Do you like that? Do you want to become that Fu Hua again?"
Hua refused decisively: "…I don't."
No one answered in her mind. After a while, the voice suddenly spoke again. It sounded faint, weak…
"Repel the external… one must first… pacify the internal."
The sun broke through the clouds, rising slowly yet steadily into the sky.
Hua pondered those words and reached out as if trying to grasp the sunlight.
Golden rays poured through her fingers like a cascading waterfall.
She played with it excitedly for a while before finally lowering her hand, revealing a childlike, innocent smile.
"Tell me about them."
Fu Hua said: "I already told you everything on the way here."
"I was busy rushing earlier." Hua grinned mischievously: "So, after Otto killed me, he really did nothing?"
Fu Hua nodded: "Yes. It was Himeko who acted. She risked everything to awaken Kiana, who had been sealed by the Herrscher of the Void."
Hua hurriedly asked: "Did she die?"
Fu Hua answered: "She fell into the Imaginary Space. I never heard from her again."
Upon hearing this,
Every viewer was stunned.
"Himeko? She just mentioned Himeko, right?"
"Does Fu Hua mean Himeko-sensei isn't dead yet?"
"Holy crap! I love this new Hua so much! Ever since she appeared, all the secrets are getting exposed."
"She fell into the Imaginary Space—the Herrscher of the Void's authority can enter the Imaginary Space—so Himeko will be rescued by Kiana?"
"Amazing! Hua, I love you so much—keep asking, ask more, make her spill everything!"
"It's been so long! So long! Finally, some news that Himeko isn't dead."
"Hahahahaha, as expected of the newborn Hua—she's basically my mouthpiece, basically me!"
"This feels so good. Today I'm Hua's fan—and I'll keep being one."
"Himeko-sensei… wuwuwu… finally, some news about you."
"…"
Inside the company, Himeko—who was watching the TV—suddenly felt energized.
She had asked many times about her own ending, but Hessian had always been vague—sometimes implying she was dead, other times saying she still had scenes later, leaving her unsure whether she was alive or not…
Now, finally, she had confirmation. How could she not be excited?
She had a feeling—the next part would definitely be about her storyline. Absolutely!
This was a woman's intuition!
It had never been wrong.
She turned back to Hessian: "Director Hessian! Is the next episode going to have my scenes?"
Hessian was stunned: "How did you know?"
"Exactly!"
Himeko became even happier and laughed: "Just a guess. Keep watching the show."
Hessian was still a bit confused… He couldn't figure out how she knew. He hadn't leaked anything—how did Himeko know the next episode was the one where Kiana would confirm her final fate?
Did she play Honkai Impact 3rd too?
No!
Impossible.
Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided to just keep watching the show.
On the TV,
Hua said: "What a pity. She was a respectable warrior. But handing the God-slaying Armor to Himeko—wasn't that my own decision? Since Otto thought I was in his way, shouldn't he have stopped Himeko himself?"
Fu Hua explained: "His goal was to use the power of love to awaken the Herrscher. Whether the sacrifice was Theresa or Himeko made no difference to him."
Hua said discontentedly: "So after going in a big circle, everything still followed his script. Haha, what kind of person is he? A god?"
"Doesn't he feel like the ruler of this world? No, ruler isn't right—he's more like… a scriptwriter. Whatever he says goes—everything is part of his plan."
These words struck a deep chord with the audience. They felt that this newborn Hua was practically their own voice in Honkai Impact 3rd—absolutely the perfect mouthpiece!
They wished they could tell her directly: that dog Otto is the dog director!
Unfortunately, she couldn't hear them.
So… everyone decided that during her live stream, they would definitely inform her of this truth.
Fu Hua said: "You forgot how miserable he was for five hundred years."
Hua suddenly spun around, her big eyes sparkling with mischievous delight: "But he never guessed I would come back to life."
Fu Hua said: "He knew. He deliberately healed this body."
Hua said excitedly: "No, he didn't guess I'd come back like this. Do you know how I beat him?"
"…You've told me many times already," Fu Hua said helplessly.
Along the way, whenever she had the chance, Hua would tirelessly recount Otto's miserable defeat at Schicksal's airport.