Prologue

A certain city in a certain province in a certain country.

Lying on the emergency stretcher, vision gradually blurred from clarity...

Opening eyes again, the stabbing pain all over the body made the body lean to the side.

Saw the sunlight pouring into the ward through the window.

The discomfort in breathing made one want to tear off the oxygen mask on the face, but the stabbing pain all over made it impossible to lift an arm. Turning the head, vision slowly focused, seeing the serious expression of the doctor standing beside.

Felt the silent atmosphere in the ward.

The curve on the monitor was getting weaker and weaker, childhood memories flashed by like slides. Is this... the end for me?

Heard that when a person is about to die, they would have a fleeting desire to go home. But where is my home? Who are my biological parents?

Breathing became more and more intense, the trachea making a sound like a broken bellows. Recalling one's life, it seemed to be only loneliness.

Grew up in an orphanage, with no impression of parents in memory.

From the orphanage to university, always felt out of place with others, always accommodating others, going with the flow. Though having many friends, none seemed particularly important, interacting with them felt like completing a task. Preferred to live alone except for necessary contacts.

Asked the lawyer in front to bring the property donation agreement, used all strength to sign the name.

Thinking about how long it has been since visiting the orphanage director and others. If not for the imminent death, perhaps would never have thought of them for a lifetime. Is this what they call "a dying man's words are kind"?

Heh, still alone in death, truly a cold-hearted person.

Closed eyes, energy started to drain, the last breath exhaled, hand fell weakly.

Finally relieved...

"Huh?!"

Didn't I already die?

Vision shifted downward, saw own body being covered with a white sheet and pushed out of the ward.

And I was continuously moving upwards, passing through the hospital roof, floating towards the sky.

Suddenly attracted by a red light, found it was the light emitted by the cube on the ring finger of my left hand. It had changed from silver to red and was expanding.

"Why does this look like the Honkai crystal from Honkai Impact 3rd..."

Before reacting, the expanded "Honkai crystal" suddenly hit my chest, enveloping the entire soul, transforming into a red light shooting towards outer space.

——————

Death is an end but also a new beginning, the cycle of blooming and withering continues endlessly.

Time flies.

At the edge of the universe.

The light of a star began to fade, the light like sparks dissipated, leaving only a silent void.

A red-glowing meteor broke through the night's silence, leaving a long arc in the dim starry sky, crashing into the endless darkness.

The dark starry sky rippled, soon the light disappeared, and the sky returned to silence.

Countless giant "bubbles" filled the entire space, everything was silent, this was the crevice of the multiverse.

A small light burst out of a "bubble", paused in the starry sky, suddenly trembled as if guided, darting straight towards a "bubble" filled with eerie red light.

...

Destiny, Siberian Laboratory.

Night shrouded this cold land, a steel building stood tall on the horizon, looking like a giant prison from a distance, with a large and split gear wing emblem at the center of the building.

Destiny, the oldest organization in the existing world fighting against "Honkai", established to eradicate "Honkai" from the world, has existed since the 5th century AD, with a long history. Originating in Europe, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, with branches all over the world, now controlling most of Europe and Asia.

In its early formation, the organization's structure relied on the framework of religion, and its leader was called "Archbishop", implementing a centralized management. After hundreds of years of development, the religious color of the organization has significantly faded, but the leader of Destiny is still called "Archbishop".

The Siberian Laboratory, after the destruction of the Babylon Tower Laboratory, is the largest laboratory of Destiny in northern Asia.

...

In a high-tech metallic laboratory, the lab looked extremely bright under a lot of lights.

Countless figures in white coats swiftly shuttled in and out, seemingly busy with something.

In this huge cultivation room, nearly a hundred cylindrical transparent containers about three meters high were arranged, each filled with transparent nutrient solution, with a petite white-haired girl floating inside.

Upon closer inspection, each girl in the container was exactly the same.

Beep!

At this moment, the red light on one of the containers labeled with number 404 turned green, and a mechanical voice without any emotion timely sounded: "No. 404 experimental subject maturation completed, can be taken out."

"Take out experimental subject No. 404."

With the order issued, the container marked 404 was moved out of the cultivation room with the sound of mechanical operation.

"Experimental subject No. 404 transfer completed, ready."

The scene shifted, in a laboratory specially designed for Honkai fusion experiments, the 404 container stood alone in the center.

This laboratory is specially made, with high Honkai energy isolation effect.

"The 404th Herrscher fusion experiment, start."

"Experimental subject number, K-404."

"Begin injecting Honkai suppression fluid."

"Injection completed."

"Honkai energy injection preparation ready, start injection?"

In the experimental control room, hearing the researcher's inquiry, a senior researcher in a white coat adjusted his glasses and slowly spoke.

"Start injection."

"Yes, start injection."

Following his command, other researchers in the lab began their work.

The mechanical structure on the dome of the transparent container began to change, with the sound of 'click click click...', multiple mechanical arms popped out for fixation, the girl's limbs were pierced by needles and injected with Honkai energy, and the transparent nutrient solution started to turn light blue due to the Honkai suppression fluid.

Seeing the fusion degree on the container detector screen continuously increasing, the person in charge of the experiment showed a hint of joy in his eyes.

"Honkai energy fusion completed."

With the cold mechanical sound of the laboratory.

Researchers cheered.

"Sir, the first phase of the experiment is completed."

"Immediately start the second phase of the experiment."

"But sir, shouldn't we make some adjustments?"

"Execute immediately!"

"Yes! The second phase of Herrscher core fusion experiment preparation."

Two researchers placed a sealed cube into the groove at the bottom of the experimental container, accompanied by some machine unsealing sound, all indicator lights in the lab began to light up. Subsequently, all researchers began to exit the container room, the container room started to lower the heavy alloy door for high-concentration Honkai energy isolation.

With the completion of the first phase of the experiment, the mechanical arms began to return to their original positions.

Despite being unconscious, the girl's body instinctively curled up from the pain, eyes tightly closed, the breaths were so tiny that they were almost undetectable.

Standing in the experimental control center, the person in charge looked at the silver-haired girl on the monitor, eyes filled with indifference, and looked at the experimental record beside.

Experimental record K-404: The first phase of Honkai energy adaptation fusion is completed, the experimental subject's adaptation to Honkai energy has increased the compatibility with the Herrscher core. Theoretically, the fusion of the two should be without problems...

"Sir, the Herrscher core is ready."

Lost in thought, the experimenter's words pulled the person in charge back to reality, "Hmm, start the second phase of fusion!"

"Yes, fusion begins!"

With the operation of the experimenter, the entire cylindrical container began to slowly thicken, the liquid started to turn purple-red, and tangible Honkai energy particles began to appear outside the cylinder.

The experiment proceeded normally, except for the huge container operation sound, the entire experiment area was silent.

As the fusion detection index on the monitor kept increasing, the researcher beside was somewhat excited, "Sir, it's about to succe..."

Screech!!!

Suddenly! The glass cover of the cylindrical container was covered with cracks, and the metal structures above and below began to twist, the breaking sound interrupted the researcher's words.

The silver-haired girl in the container suddenly opened her eyes glowing with golden light, her blood vessels glowing with ominous red light.

"Warning! Warning! Honkai energy concentration exceeded the index, all personnel please evacuate."

Suddenly, all the lights in the laboratory turned into flashing red lights!

In the control center, the person in charge slammed the table.

"Damn it! How is it like this again!!"

Other researchers also sighed. Although they had seen such a failure scene hundreds of times, and had become accustomed to it, this was the closest to success. What a pity...

After a while, the person in charge spoke.

"K-404 experimental subject, Herrscher core fusion experiment failed. Seal the Herrscher core, stop Honkai energy injection, activate Honkai energy storage, release suppression fluid."

With the closing of the cube in the groove at the bottom of the cylindrical container, the upper Honkai energy storage began to extract, as the Honkai energy concentration was diluted, the container visibly cleared, and the girl inside gradually "calmed" down.

"Honkai energy index returned to normal, alert lifted."

The lab alert lifted, lights returned to normal.

"Dispose of it!"

After speaking, the person in charge turned and left.

Two researchers, after draining the transparent liquid in the container, lifted the girl who had lost all life signals.

Upon contacting the K-404 experimental subject, the two researchers showed a look of disgust, as if throwing away garbage, they somewhat irritably threw it in the waste incineration treatment room, then turned and left without hesitation.

No one thought there was anything wrong, after all, it was just a clone costing less than a thousand dollars, with no personality or consciousness, just a large doll.

And this incinerator had already destroyed nearly a hundred such dolls.

But what they didn't notice was that shortly after they left, a beam of red light entered the "corpse" behind them.

The girl lying in the incineration treatment room slowly opened her eyes, diamond-shaped and crimson pupils filled with confusion