Honkai Impact 3: Deadwood

"The Day of Lost... That day, the time of our world... was indeed reversed by the End. If it weren't for you who possessed the Trace of Nothingness and Su and Wei Wei who happened to stay in the Thousand Worlds and One Vehicle at that time, we would never have noticed it."

That's right...

Just as Kevin said, at a certain moment before the day when the branch was meaningless was about to end, the time of the entire world was reversed for a full 24 hours due to the birth of the "Hersher of the End".

The only people who could prove this was Zhi, who had managed to avoid the time reversal by relying on the special power of "space", and his and Kevin's two comrades at that time.

As a precursor to awakening, the moment the "Hersher of the End" is born will trigger a completely uncontrollable flow of time. This phenomenon is generally considered to be a direct manifestation of the "time" power possessed by the "Hersher of the End", which is theoretically impossible to achieve.

No one can stop the passage of time, and no one can turn back the wheel of time, but if "time" itself is also a servant of "God", how should everything be concluded?

Therefore, the captain had unrealistic fantasies about this. At that time, he had indeed done everything he could, but if he could really do it again, would his... no, would their ending be different from now?

"The awakening of the Herrscher of the End will indeed trigger the phenomenon you want, but if you want everything to develop in the direction you envision, it is only possible if you, as the carrier of the End, are still alive."

"Are you trying to say that even if I could turn back time, I wouldn't be able to change anything...?"

"No. A disaster that you risked your life to prevent will only become worse if it happens again without your intervention."

The white-haired man coldly explained a possibility that made the captain feel terrified.

There was indeed no room for doubt in what the other party said. His body was already seriously injured and in danger. Putting aside the consequences of forcibly returning to his own world through the power of the "Key of Space", once the "seed" of "the end" deposited in his life sprouted, and he had changed the direction of the flow of time, would he really be able to withstand the erosion brought about by the "collapse"?

"As the carrier of the End, you are not subject to the interference of the power of time. Even if you return to the previous time, your injuries and mental fatigue will not return to their previous state... The most likely possibility is that your soul and body will be swallowed up by the collapse on the spot, and directly become the body needed when the End truly arrives in the future."

"What if I'm not dead?" the captain asked coldly.

"Do you think that's really possible in your current state?"

"..."

Kevin's rhetorical question forced the captain to face the cold and desperate answer that he already knew in his heart.

"The End" and "The Origin" have achieved a kind of clever balance in his life. For thousands of years, he has never felt unfair about this, nor has he told anyone about this fate that will come one day. Everything he does is in the hope that the people of this era will one day grow up to be able to defeat himself who will become the "Rosterer of the End".

He never despaired of his fate. Even if those around him who cherished him equally would one day wield their weapons against him, he only hoped that he would be the one to disappear.

———When the "first" human civilization was coming to an end, she condensed her flowers, her love, all the beauty she had witnessed in the world, and her longing for a certain person into an irreplaceable star to be given to the next generation of civilized people.

The rebels of the last civilization lost their glory, honor, and everything. In the end, they also struggled just to pass on the hope of defeating "collapse" to the next generation of civilization in their eyes.

This tiny hope, passed down through countless years of hardship, is intertwined with the will of the people of this era. A single thought difference could cause everything to go to waste.

No matter how much he wanted to save the things he cherished, the captain knew that he could not waste the will of the dead and the hope of the living in exchange for a future that might be worse than the present.

In his current state, if he forcibly activated the "first rated power" of "Trace of Nothingness", he might collapse completely.

In that situation, once you choose to commit yourself to the fate of "end"... the result is predictable.

But the captain was absolutely unwilling to let them bear all the future difficulties. No matter how hard the road ahead was, filled with separation and suffering, she could not choose to escape and find a safe "bubble" to live alone as Kevin said. That would truly ruin her... and their hearts.

Therefore, there is only one path he should choose now.

"I'm going back, and that's not going to change, Kevin."

"..."

After hearing the captain's answer, Kevin's expression remained unchanged. As he spoke, he raised his hand and summoned something again.

———It was a crystal clear, cherry pink crystal flower carved from a girl’s purest heart and flawless love.

"This was originally something Alicia entrusted to Eden, hoping that she would hand it over to you one day in the future."

"Eden..."

When hearing this name, the captain's expression froze for a moment, which was enough to prove that this name touched his heart.

Thousands of years ago, when he heard from Chi Yuan about the final choice of his friend with the inscription "Gold", he remained silent for a long time and did not speak to anyone, so that he was finally severely "taught a lesson" by Dan Zhu, who was extremely worried.

But his silence at that time was not out of sadness or confusion about his friend's choice. On the contrary, it was because the moment he heard Chi Yuan's explanation, he understood the thoughts in the heart of the best friend he and Alicia shared, who treated him like a close relative. That's why he was so silent.

"Eden..."

"Before she left, she said she believed you were still alive and handed it over to me. Now, it's time to return it to its rightful owner."

"..."

Seeing that the boy was staring at the crystal flower in his hand without any reaction, Kevin took the initiative to hand it over. The flawless crystal flower exuded a pure glow and slowly floated towards the boy.

"Alicea has turned a part of her existence into it. Accept it, Zhi. You don't have to face the "end" alone. Become the "herrscher of origin" of this era. You can still have enough power to protect the things you want to keep before the "end" comes."

"But in the end, I will still be The End, Kevin."

"No," the white-haired man shook his head, his eyes revealing unwavering determination: "Zhi, I promise you, this time, we will definitely defeat "Honkai", and you, in the future without "Honkai", will still be there. "

"Kevin..."

"The life she continued in you should be continued by you."

……

Maybe, that's it.

He tried desperately to change this unacceptable ending full of separation and tears, but everything has a price. If he was not careful, not only would the lost lives be irretrievable, but the living would also be pushed into the abyss of death by his choice.

For me now, accepting it and trying my best to save other lives may be the best choice...