Chapter 251: When Nozomi "left"...
[You sacrificed yourself—Now, everyone in the Fire Moth has basically reached this consensus.]
[After the Herrscher Core was discovered and retrieved, this statement can be basically concluded... Under the attack of two Herrschers and the disaster of the "heavy rain," you still stood up to resist.]
[On the one hand, the weaker fusion warrior, Irine, was forcibly kicked out of the battlefield, so that "Fire Moth" would not lose two high-end fighters at once. At the same time, the only living person was left for "Fire Moth" to collect evidence.]
[On the other hand, you resolutely launched a counterattack in such a difficult and even desperate situation, successfully killing a Herrscher, and also found a way to keep the Herrscher Core for the Fire Moth to find... You have done well enough.]
[Of course, more importantly, this statement is hard to refute. Apart from the fact that they couldn't find the bodies of you and the other people, there isn't really any big problem.]
[But considering that it was Honkai that came, and the seawater also destroyed the ground where the base was located, it is normal that your bodies cannot be found.]
[At this point, you, all of you, except Irine, have been judged by the "Fire Moth" to be—sacrificed.]
[This news was told to everyone who was familiar with you... Let's not talk about people like Vill-V, Mobius, Eden, and Sakura for now. More importantly... "Fire Moth" found Father Enrique and told him the news.]
[At this time, Father Enrique was following the instructions of the church, cooperating with the "Fire Moth" to publicize the disaster of Honkai, and trying his best to tell others how to save themselves when Honkai arrives... Hearing such sad news suddenly made him a little stunned for a moment.]
[After that, there was sadness... But besides the sadness, people seemed to see some... doubt in Father Enrique's eyes?]
[It's like wondering why you sacrificed yourself and why you died.]
[Or maybe he is wondering, since you have already sacrificed and died, then why... does all this still exist, why does everything in the world still exist?]
(TL: ho~)
[However, Father Enrique did not voice these doubts. He just nodded slightly with sadness and watched the people of "Fire Moth" leave.]
[Afterward, for you, your tombstone has been carved, and the funeral has been hurriedly held... everything has been settled.]
[Hua, the girl who was just thrown into the position of captain of the fifth team by Himeko, looked at the tombstone with your and Himeko's names engraved on it at the funeral and fell into shock and confusion for a long time.]
[Finally, it was her teammates who gently patted her on the shoulder and reminded her in a very quiet voice, which brought her back to her senses...]
[Honestly, her mental state is very worrying. The team members even asked her if she needed to apply for leave. Otherwise, going to the battlefield in this mental state... I'm afraid it won't be a good idea.]
[However, in the end, Hua was silent for a long time and said that give her some time, she... wanted to think about it.]
[Afterward, someone saw Hua standing in front of Himeko's tombstone for a very long time. It was not until the evening of that day that she returned to the base of the "Fire Moth" and, after a short rest, took the initiative to accept the garrison mission.]
[Even when others were concerned about her condition, she just shook her head slightly and said, "We must race against time at this moment. The Honkai will not allow us to be sad, nor will it allow us to breathe."]
["My father and my best friend died because of the Honkai… Now, even the person who saved me has died… But this is not a reason for me to stop and rest."]
["I am now the captain, a fusion warrior, and one of the most powerful warriors in the Fire Moth. I must… shoulder my share of responsibilities."]
["Compared to resting, I would rather return to the defense line and guard that sea to prevent similar things from happening again, even... happening to those who have no ability to resist."]
["Protect humanity and fight the Honkai," this is what we should do, and it is what we must continue to do," she said.]
[Suddenly, she seemed to have matured a lot, and her command in subsequent battles also improved rapidly... It seemed that this blow did not break her down, but instead strengthened her faith and gave her a reason to continue.]
[She is in a similar situation to Irine, and her actions are even more extreme than hers... After the news of your sacrifice was confirmed, she began to train frantically. The amount of training was somewhat "extreme" even for a fusion warrior, and many people began to worry about her physical and mental health.]
[In the end, it was only after her parents persuaded her to come back... However, she firmly refused the psychological treatment arranged by "Fire Moth."]
["I know what I'm doing, and I know what I should do"—Irine said this while raising the "lantern" in her hand to signal to everyone.]
[Inside the "lantern", the bright "light" was burning steadily, without any fluctuations or swaying... In other words, her mind was very stable.]
[After that, she received new equipment from Vill-V, and then she took the initiative to apply to "Fire Moth" to continue the original order, become the new team leader, and plan to go to the coastal area to station defense.]
[After thinking about it for a while, "Fire Moth" finally agreed... After all, Irine is also a fusion warrior, and such a powerful force cannot be left unused.]
[After that, it was time to deal with some trivial matters... For example, although you were gone, Vill-V and Mobius knew very well what their responsibilities were, so after being obviously sad for a few days, they returned to their previous state.]
[But there are still some differences... For example, the people in the engineering department found that Vill-V, who was always cheerful and lively, and even a little funny, would suddenly become quiet at certain times, as if she was missing someone... Whenever this happened, they would choose to leave quietly, temporarily giving Vill-V some time to adjust her mood.]
[For example, Pardofelis found that when Mobius was working in the laboratory, she always acted listless and often forgot to eat... although you handed over most of the work to Klein before you left.]
[But unfortunately, Klein doesn't have your "master" level of time management, so the heavy workload has kept Klein busy.]
[However, even in this situation, Klein has been fulfilling her duties, temporarily taking your place, and has been working hard to take care of Mobius's daily life... Although she can't compare to you, she can still take care of it.]
[And Danzhu and Cangxuan don't have much energy to play around now. Without someone who can back them up, they must put their minds to work and start working hard...]
[Of course, more importantly, they are worried that some unintentional action during play will remind Mobius of you... This has happened once before, and at that time, Mobius's silence made them somewhat at a loss, and they don't want this to happen a second time.]
[As for Pardofelis herself... to be honest, she is still a little sad. After all, her "big brother" in "Fire Moth" is gone. This is also the first time she has experienced the catastrophic nature of Honkai... But it has nothing to do with her for the time being. She just needs to live a good life and live peacefully.]
[She must maintain this stable life you brought her.]
[As for the situation of Eden and Sakura... it was discovered by Elysia, but their behavior was no different from that of ordinary people. They were just sad and heartbroken and occasionally showed signs of missing someone for a short while, but there was nothing else going on.]
[However, out of concern, Elysia still tried to cheer them up, often contacting them and chatting with them... After a while, the three of them became friends.]
[Hmm... that's not right. Or maybe Elysia has the same reaction to everyone who is saddened by this incident. She often appears in the Engineering Department or Mobius's laboratory. It's obvious that she cares about them.]
[It's just that Vill-V and Mobius don't really need this kind of care… They know exactly what they should do.]
[However, there are exceptions...]
[Among the many people related to you, there are still some who behave a little "strangely."]
[For example, Griseo and Aponia.]
[Others can understand Griseo's behavior. After all, she is a child. It is normal for her to not understand what "sacrifice" and "death" are... But for some reason, every time this matter is mentioned, Griseo always firmly states that she will meet you again.]
["Brother Nozomi is always here" Griseo always says this, leaving others confused.]
[And Aponia... this nun who always obeys you for some reason, her behavior is even stranger.]
[After learning about your sacrifice, she paused briefly and then... laughed.]
[Yes, that's right, she just smiled very gently, as if she knew something, or saw something very happy.]
[But even when other people asked about this, Aponia's response was so mysterious that it was hard to tell what she was trying to say.]
[However, after saying so much, there are still some things that cannot be changed... You have already left, you have already sacrificed.]
[But even so, the "Fire Moth" still needs to move forward and continue on its own path.]
[Since they know that what's in the sea is a huge threat, they should focus their defense on the coastal areas.]
[It just so happens that the Honkai beasts that crawled out of the sea are getting stronger and stronger, and their numbers are increasing. In the past, each Honkai beast tide would last for two or three hours at most, but now each Honkai beast tide will last for at least half a day... Those seemingly endless Honkai beasts are really scary.]
[But fortunately, although the Honkai Beasts that have climbed up are getting stronger and stronger, they still cannot change their most fundamental problem—they were too weak in their original form. Simply put, their basic values are too low. Even though they have grown a lot now, facing the "Fire Moth" that already has a fusion warrior, these values are still not enough.]
[The only problem is that there are so many of them, like the sea, that they seem to be endless... It's really terrifying. For half a day, twelve hours, there is no interruption of the Honkai Impact tide! And that's at least!]
[All soldiers must stay alert the whole time to maintain the defense line. Almost every time a defensive battle is over, the soldiers stationed have to be replaced... What's even more terrifying is that these strange Honkai beasts seem to be invincible. They will come again after a short while and crawl out of the sea again, making the "Fire Moth" feel uneasy.]
[Also, "Fire Moth" noticed a problem... These strange blue and white Honkai beasts seem to have developed a characteristic—they will eat the remains of their companions, or take them away when they retreat...]
[Even worse, if a huge wave hits, the remains of the Honkai beasts left on the coast will be swept back into the sea without a single one left.]
[After repeated observations, the Fire Moth discovered various different situations... First, after they ate the remains of their companions, the individual would become significantly stronger, and this process was even "instant."]
[That is to say, as long as they take a bite, they will become stronger, without having to go through the "digestion" process at all. They are as smooth as two drops of water meeting and blending into each other... However, considering that they are Honkai beasts, and the essence of Honkai beasts is Honkai energy, this situation does not seem unacceptable.]
[The second thing is... they would take away the remains of their companions when they retreated... How should I put it? It gave them a sense of "fear," as if they had some kind of "intelligence"...]
[However, it is still difficult to infer now. After all, this type of Honkai Beast is obviously different from the Honkai Beast with white and purple as the main colors, making "Fire Moth" unsure whether this is a habit of theirs that suddenly appeared, or whether they have "intelligence" and are doing this to cherish and recycle the "corpses" of their companions.]
[Finally, there are the anomalies of the ocean... At certain times, the ocean will suddenly raise huge waves, forcing the warriors of the "Fire Moth" to retreat, and will also carry away the remains of the Honkai beasts from the coast, making the work of the "Fire Moth" to collect samples extremely difficult.]
[It was as if the ocean was attached to these Honkai beasts, felt sorry for them, and would not allow them to take them away at will.]
[This is somewhat frustrating, but the Fire Moth doesn't have any good solution... After all, according to Elysia's report, the ocean is not accessible to everyone nowadays. If you are not careful, you will be sucked into the deep sea and will never be able to come back.]
[After that, some things happened one after another... For example, a new group of people led by Kevin completed the fusion warrior surgery and joined the coastal defense line;]
[For example, the Honkai beasts in the sea are getting stronger and stronger. Although their attack methods are still very random, relying solely on their huge numbers, as the basic stats of each individual are getting higher and higher, it is becoming more and more difficult for the "Fire Chaser" to deal with them...]
[And the original coast has changed from a relatively stable "defense line" to a "front line" that needs to be fought back and forth.]
[Fortunately, as long as the situation like before where the coastal land is not directly shattered and completely occupied by the seawater does not occur the "Fire Moth" will be able to take it back... This can barely be considered good news that is not good news.]
[In addition, there is also the outstanding performance of the fusion warriors... Kevin is as outrageous as ever. Although he is still a "junior" among the fusion warriors, his combat power has surpassed others and he has almost jumped to the "first place."]
[Even without the original "Subject One" training, he quickly mastered his own strength through just a few actual combats and achieved excellent results several times.]
[It is said that when he was stationed there, he single-handedly resisted the Honkai beast tide for a full eight hours. According to those who were fortunate enough to witness that scene, "Kevin almost froze the entire ocean. As far as they could see, there was nothing but ice and snow."]
[The only thing people complain about is the side effects on Kevin...]
[The uncontrollable low temperature is really too cold, and they are at the seaside. This damp and cold environment is really frustrating... Especially with the sea breeze blowing, the impact of this low temperature is even greater.]
[The only good news is that the low temperature Kevin emits is still within an acceptable range (mainly uncomfortable), and it does not affect other people touching Kevin. It's just that Kevin's extremely low body temperature, which feels like a dead person, will make people shiver subconsciously at the first contact.]
[However... according to Kevin's recent report, he seems to always feel that there is a voice in his head...]
[At first, he thought it was Aponia contacting him. After all, Aponia's ability was too special, and she could indeed do this. But after repeated confirmation... Kevin discovered that this vague "auditory hallucination" seemed to come from the sea.]
[It was as if... there was something or someone in the deep sea "calling" him.]
[Or maybe... there is something in his body that wants to go back, to the sea.]
[Kevin thought this might be a manifestation of the Honkai, so he reported it to "Fire Moth"... Then Kevin discovered that it was not just him; other fusion warriors also had this feeling more or less recently.]
[Especially for the fusion warriors stationed on the coastal defense line, this feeling will become stronger and stronger as they stay on the coastal defense line...]
['Tsk, this must be some kind of Honkai!' Almost everyone concluded so.]
[And then... just like that, a strange disease that manifests as lethargy began to spread among the crowd, and at an extremely fast speed! It even spread towards the base of the "Fire Moth" in a targeted manner!]
[It just so happened that when this strange "sleeping sickness" began to spread, Irine, who was holding the "lantern," also led the team back to the base for rest under the order of the "Fire Moth."]
[In addition, Dystopia also came back to rest, and Aponia, who rarely participated in the battle due to her special ability... a certain unfortunate new Herrscher ran into them.]
[Of course, this is not the worst. After all, due to various reasons, the combat power of "Fire Moth" is already very high at this time, and the corresponding Eruption has also increased the difficulty. The "Herrscher" that was born has also been strengthened. So if they really have to fight each other, the "Herrscher" will still win.]
[But... it's a pity, it's really a pity that this new "Herrscher" met them, or rather, met... you.]
[After all, the "blood" remaining in their bodies will connect you to each other, and therefore... this new "Herrscher" will target them while also directly targeting... you.]
[What a pity, what a pity... It's so bad, so unfortunate that the newborn met you... But it doesn't matter, you won't be soft-hearted because of this.]
[After all... you alone are enough as the Herrscher.]