Chapter 200: Flying is Faster Than Running
[Genshin Impact - Zhongli]: "Wise's deduction is logical and highly consistent with the known clues. It seems that finding and destroying that fifth soul is the key to breaking this stalemate."
Even Zhongli's affirmation of Wise's speculation invigorated everyone. At last, they saw a glimmer of hope, a potential path to shattering Nikador's immortality.
However, one keyword still refused to fit neatly into the theory: [Remolding].
What did it signify? Was it another component of Nikador's resurrection mechanism? Or was it the very key to breaking the cycle—a way to forcibly remold all of Its soul fragments back into one?
But if that were the case, why would the entity, after expending so much effort to craft its undying body, ever cooperate? The few members of the chat group not currently locked in combat found themselves sinking into deep thought.
Meanwhile, the brutal cycle of battle in the Hanging Edge City Colosseum raged on.
Stelle's burning Flame Lance and Phainon's greatsword once again combined their might, blasting back the newly resurrected Nikador. Seizing the opening, Mydei slammed a punch imbued with mountain-shattering force into Its chest, sending a web of cracks spreading across Its dark golden form.
Yet, it was not enough. Neither the destructive power of the Stellaron, nor Phainon's attacks amplified by the Chrysos Heirs, nor even Mydei's earth-shaking fists could truly end the fight.
Nikador's resurrection seemed to have no cooldown, no cost. Each rebirth was heralded by a more frenzied roar, its power seemingly undiminished.
"Its resurrection... is there really no limit?!" Phainon panted, his voice ragged with a mixture of fatigue and frustration.
"No! Absolutely impossible!" Mydei's single eye burned with an unyielding flame as he stared down the enemy, which was already beginning to coalesce once more. "All things in this world operate under their own laws! Not even a Titan can defy them! There must be a flaw we haven't discovered! There must be a way to break this!"
As if to punctuate his words, Stelle and Phainon's combined assault once again shattered the freshly reformed Nikador.
And this time, it seemed a critical point had finally been reached.
Bzzzzzz—
A low hum, one that connected throughout the entirety of Hanging Edge City, suddenly emanated from high in the sky. The sound came not from any of the Nikador fragments, but from the true giant sword—the Blade of Heavenly Scourge—a weapon hundreds of meters long suspended high above the city ruins.
Under the three warriors' shocked gazes, the colossal blade, which had been dormant for countless years and seemed little more than a part of the city's backdrop, actually began to move.
Like a sleeping behemoth stirring from its slumber, the greatsword's blade began to adjust its angle with excruciating slowness, crushing several already crumbling high-rise ruins in its path.
Finally, the sharp tip, radiating an ominous and destructive aura, came to a steady halt, pointing in a clear direction: Okhema.
An icy dread washed through Phainon, and in that single, horrifying instant, he understood everything.
"It... It never intended to settle things with us here!" Phainon's voice trembled with a cocktail of shock and fury. "It's using us! Using these repeated deaths! It's using the process of Its soul fragments being destroyed and reborn to temper and charge that Blade of Heavenly Scourge!"
His voice rose in dawning horror. "Even if It endures a hundred deaths, a thousand deaths, Its true purpose is to finish forging this blade, and then... pierce through Kephale's body!"
Mydei looked up at the blade aimed at Kephale, his gaze a storm of pain, anger, and deep disappointment. He roared at the coalescing fragments of Nikador, his voice thick with a universe of suppressed emotion. "God of my people! Why must you fall to such a state?!"
The only response was Nikador's mindless, frenzied roar.
Mydei took a deep, shuddering breath, forcibly burying his emotions. He turned to Phainon and Stelle, his tone becoming incredibly decisive. "Savior, Stelle! The battlefield is in a stalemate. We cannot continue like this!"
"You two must return to Okhema immediately! Inform Aglaea of the situation here and your conjectures. We must gather everyone's wisdom and find a solution as soon as possible!"
Phainon looked at Mydei, a flicker of reluctance in his eyes. He knew all too well what this meant. Even if Mydei possessed a peculiar immortal body, staying here alone to hold back this infinitely resurrecting monster, an entity that existed only for slaughter... the cruel cycle of repeated death and agony he would endure was an unimaginable torment.
"Mydei, you..." Phainon began, but Mydei cut him off.
The former Crown Prince of Hanging Edge City stood tall, his gaze as firm as bedrock. "Let me stay. Let me and the God of my people..." He paused, his voice hardening. "Have a complete reckoning. This is the duty of the citizens of Hanging Edge City, and it is the destiny I must face!"
Phainon saw an unshakeable resolve in Mydei's eye. He hesitated no longer, nodding heavily. "...Take care!"
He turned and clapped a hand on Stelle's shoulder, who had just finished an intense discussion in the group chat and was slightly dazed. "Stelle! Let's go! We need to get back to Okhema and discuss countermeasures with Aglaea!"
"Ah? Oh! Okay!" Stelle snapped back to attention, immediately grasping the urgency. Hearing that they needed to find Trianne to open the Gate of a Hundred Worlds, her eyes lit up as she thought of the fastest possible method. "Flying is faster than running, right!"
Without another word, she pulled out her treasure—the Bamboo-copter—and popped it on her head. The small rotor began to spin rapidly. She then grabbed Phainon's arm, and with a whoosh, the two of them lifted off the ground, soaring rapidly in the direction where Trianne had hidden when they first arrived.
The wind rushed against their faces as the ruins below rapidly receded.
While trying her best to control her direction and balance, Stelle seized the moment to update Phainon. "Just now, we were discussing in the group, and Wise had a new speculation..."
She concisely relayed Wise's theory about Nikador's soul being split into five parts, with the fifth part being the key.
Phainon listened, his brows furrowed in silent contemplation throughout the journey. Wise's speculation made a great deal of sense; if all the information they had was true, then this might be an explanation that was terrifyingly close to the truth.
But... where was the fifth soul hidden? And what did "Remolding" mean? The history of Hanging Edge City had long been buried by the black tide and the sands of time. Too many historical records were lost, leaving them with far too few clues...
Just as Phainon was starting to feel dizzy from Stelle's bumpy flying, his mind still struggling to find a path forward, Stelle's excellent vision allowed her to spot the situation on her other companions' battlefields below.
She did her best to maintain her balance (with little success) while peering down at the smoke-filled ruins. The first thing to catch her eye was the Hall of Strife, where Dan Heng and March 7th were located.
That entire area seemed to have transformed into a frozen jungle. A giant Nikador was encased within an incredibly ornate mountain of ice, its spear-wielding posture frozen solid. The ice layer was thick, and frigid air billowed off it in waves—clearly the masterpiece of March s powerful Six-Phased Ice.
It was an effective, if temporary, seal. But Stelle knew that once March's energy was exhausted or she chose to withdraw her power, the Mad King would inevitably break free again.
"Wow! March is amazing now!" Stelle murmured softly. She couldn't resist the urge to wave hello, but as soon as she lifted her left hand, she felt Phainon suddenly sink below her. A startled yelp escaped her, and she quickly grabbed on again with both hands, causing Phainon to let out a suppressed gasp.
Giving up on a physical greeting, she opted to call out in the group chat instead.
[Honkai: Star Rail - Stelle]: "I see Dan Heng and March 7th! The ice seal is a huge success! It's so cool!"
[Honkai: Star Rail - March 7th]: "What's going on? How can you see us?"
[Honkai: Star Rail - Stelle]: "Look up! Mydei is holding back Nikador over there by himself, and he told us to go back and gather intel to figure this out. I figured flying is faster than running, so I'm using the Bamboo-copter to take Phainon to find Trianne."
March looked up, spotting the two swaying figures high above. A pang of sympathy shot through her—for Phainon. She could only hope he wouldn't get too airsick from the Bamboo-copter's wild ride.
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