Come, Make Your Choice!

Yae Sakura felt like she was in a nightmare that she could never wake up from.

Darkness, malice, death, wailing, fear, and despair surged over her like a raging tide, submerging her and steeping her in it. The viscous darkness, as if solidified, bound her tightly beneath the black tide, making it impossible to move.

It was like sleep paralysis, but it was also a dream within a dream.

She kept dreaming, she kept dreaming, the same dream, different dreams...

All of them were nightmares. Eventually, she felt numb.

The colors gradually dimmed, and the scenes were no longer connected.

Gradually, in the dream, she began to be alone.

Even the village disappeared…

Rin, her father, and Kallen…

They had all disappeared. All that was left was darkness, an unfathomable darkness, a darkness that seeped into her bones…

Yae Sakura knew that she was still in a dream, but she was powerless to wake up.

It was as if even her soul no longer belonged to her.

Her consciousness was already hazy. In the few remaining memories she had, she faintly remembered a white-haired girl shouting at her desperately, telling her not to give up.

That voice was so pleasant. That cry still echoed in her heart, telling her not to give up.

So, she had really never given up. She had been steadfastly holding on alone in this darkness…

But now, she felt like she could no longer hold on.

"Is there anyone who can save me? Please, anyone..."

"Kallen…"

In the end, she was just a girl covered in cracks. That was all.

...

"Hah, I survived…"

Lin Wei's limbs were weak. He held onto the remaining half of the wall and slowly slid down to the ground, panting heavily.

It was too terrifying. Heights of seven or eight stories, leaping down from them "whoosh," and then "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh," climbing back up in a different direction. The edges of the walls, railings, windowsills, and even the cracks between tiles, they could all be used to gain leverage...

It was all thanks to Fu Hua's precise movements and superb force-relieving techniques. Otherwise, with Lin Wei's fragile body...

This book could have been finished right there.

Such an extreme sport was just too exciting for a mere mortal like him!

Lin Wei clutched his chest and panted heavily. After feeling that his mind was no longer dizzy, he leaned on the wall and slowly tried to regain his senses and control of his limbs.

Honestly, Lin Wei felt that he was already very strong and very courageous. Otherwise, if someone else had experienced such a loving embrace, they would have lost at least half of their life.

"As the ancient saying goes, 'The sharpness of a sword comes from sharpening it, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.'"

Fu Hua began to speak with a pedantic tone. "Although you have courage, resolve, and strategy, you are still just talking on paper. If you can't even withstand such a small setback, how can you have the opportunity to truly emerge from your cocoon and transform into a butterfly?"

You're flat-chested so you're always right!

Lin Wei was busy catching his breath and didn't bother to pay attention to her, and rolled his eyes fiercely in his heart.

This woman was definitely doing it on purpose.

While being held by Fu Hua and flying through the air, Lin Wei had been trying his best to observe Fu Hua's path and direction, and he was certain that he was still within the Chiba Academy's district.

If that was the case, then the reason they had stopped here could only be that...

Lin Wei's heart tightened, and he felt his heartbeat immediately stabilize.

"Yeah, I've already detected the target's location."

Fu Hua didn't need to ask to know what he was thinking, and directly answered.

"Take this time to adjust yourself. Once it starts, it will be a battle to the death."

She was right. All of his previous plans and calculations had been for this moment.

Lin Wei felt like a slideshow was starting to play in his mind. From his initial plan to simply live a comfortable life, finding a place to pass the time, to the later discovery of his own Honkai erosion and the despair that followed. Then, there was the moment when he managed to cheer himself up, formulating a reckless plan—one akin to an ant trying to swallow an elephant.

Yet, because he had no real capital to rely on, he racked his brains to create a scheme, trying to take advantage of external forces and get something for nothing.

Now, he had finally reached the second key stage.

The first key stage was naturally his first meeting with Fu Hua and the negotiations he had there. That was unquestionable.

As for Bronya, she was just a backup plan and a supplementary plan.

It was said to be a supplementary plan because even without Bronya and her superior hacking skills helping him find Catherine's contact information, Lin Wei could have asked Fu Hua to search for Raven's "nest" in Nagazora City's buildings.

After all, as a shelter for the surviving children of Nagazora City, if it had not been built during the first few moments of the disaster, then there would have been no shelter at all.

But that would be cumbersome, requiring a carpet search. After all, Raven had hidden a group of children here for two years, without being discovered by Anti-Entropy and Schicksal.

Secondly, relying on Raven to contact Gray Serpent wouldn't be beneficial for Lin Wei's goal of creating a mysterious image.

After all, as the ultimate speculator who had a "PPT from the start, and a story that was all made up," some embellishment was necessary.

That made sense, right!

As for the backup plan, if Fu Hua hadn't been interested in him, or if she had refused to meet him, then he would have used Seele as a bargaining chip to coerce Bronya and have the trio risk their lives for him. And Bronya's ability to hand-craft Stigmata immersion equipment could also help him to initially grasp the power of the Stigmata.

But if he offended the protagonist group that much, the price Lin Wei would have to pay in the future would likely be very terrible...

So, the situation now was already the best-case scenario.

It was like a dream. Such an unreliable plan had actually shown signs of succeeding. It was practically a miracle.

Thinking about this, Lin Wei smiled in relief.

If that was the case, then what was there to be afraid of?

Then, he calmly stood up, took a deep breath, walked forward and stood beside Fu Hua, signaling that she could begin.

…

What would five hundred years of hatred turn a person into?

That long of a time was enough to burn away all of its meaning. Patience, pity, guilt, pain, they all lost their significance.

At this time, hatred itself had become the only meaning.

Therefore, when five hundred years ago, she unintentionally opened her eyes and saw that similar face, she had been so excited.

Hehehe, what an interesting village, what close sisters,

What an incompetent big sister...

This was so interesting. Like her memories, which had died along with her life, were so similar, so infuriating, and made her want to tear them to pieces!

After all, she was just a Herrscher, right? Then, she would just destroy everything. She would destroy everything that she hadn't had time to destroy last time!

Hehehehehehe, look, the form that I chose for her, those long, slender fox ears, they're exactly the same!

Seeing her personally destroy the home she was supposed to protect, this kind of drama was truly captivating!

It was so satisfying!

If it wasn't for that detestable white-haired woman who had imprisoned her in that damned box again, she would have destroyed this world a long time ago!

But, she also had that woman to thank. If it wasn't for her meddling, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to witness such a good show.

It didn't matter. She had already waited for fifty thousand years. So what if she was imprisoned for another five hundred years?

At least this time, she was no longer alone!

The next time she woke up, would they play games together?

My ~ dear ~ big ~ sister ~!

Hahahahahahahahaha!

She laughed wildly and unrestrainedly, tears streaming down her face.

"Huh? Can a Herrscher even cry?"

…

"Is that her?"

Fu Hua stood at the corner of a street, looking at the fox-eared girl wandering aimlessly like a zombie several dozen meters away. Her expression was complicated.

If it weren't for the fact that the Miko outfit she was wearing was still neat, and the skin on her arms and face was still fair, she would have a hard time believing that it was still a "living person," just from her movements.

Even though she could sense a high level of Honkai energy coming from the fox-eared girl, Fu Hua still didn't think there was a need to hide herself. She simply walked a little closer to observe her carefully.

The girl seemed to sense something, and stopped walking, looking in their direction in confusion, but she didn't see anything and continued to search for something on her own.

"You were right, her condition is very bad. The two wills within her body are already on the verge of annihilation. It's hard to believe that I have seen a Herrscher from fifty thousand years ago again. It's even harder to believe that a human girl could hold her own against a Herrscher for five hundred years."

Fu Hua turned her head and said to Lin Wei, who was boldly following behind her. She didn't think that this was all due to Kallen's strength. She simply didn't have that kind of ability. This girl named Yae Sakura was able to hold on until now simply because she herself had not given up.

Now, it was Lin Wei's turn. Fu Hua took a step to the side, handing over the stage.

Lin Wei took a deep breath, stepped past Fu Hua, and shouted loudly, "Yae Sakura! RIN!"

…

That's strange. Why do I faintly hear someone calling my name?

And I even heard someone calling Rin? How can anyone still remember my sister's name?

Kallen, is that you coming to save me?

But why can't I open my eyes?

…

What a strange voice, what a strange name. But it sounded like she had heard it somewhere. It sounded like she heard people say it often.

She couldn't remember.

The fox-eared girl opened her eyes, wanting to see who was calling her, but she only saw a man wrapped up tightly from head to toe.

A thick stream of black smoke suddenly separated from the girl, and formed into a large, pitch-black fox. It opened its crimson eyes, which were surrounded by black smoke, walked around the girl, who had become as stiff as a puppet after the black smoke had been pulled away, and stared intently at Lin Wei.

"Who are you?"

The Herrscher didn't make any rash moves. It felt that something was strange. This guy was clearly prepared.

Damn it. If it wasn't for the fact that its condition was so bad…

A human body was truly fragile. After five hundred years of being sealed and eroded, it was already battered and broken.

This was truly detestable!

The Herrscher felt that it was having extremely bad luck.

Five hundred years ago, it had barely managed to escape its seal when that detestable woman had recklessly put her life on the line and forced her back into that damned box.

Alright, you have a Divine Key, and Yae Sakura dragging me down. I can't beat you, so I will give you credit for being strong.

Five hundred years later, after awakening again, she opened her eyes and saw another similar white-haired girl, and two other girls walking through the ruins.

Old and new hatred surged into her heart at the same time.

This time, you don't have a Divine Key, right? And Yae Sakura is no longer able to hold me back.

If that was the case, then she would just take that lively body!

The Herrscher felt that she had a huge advantage, and the Herrscher A'd up to the challenge, and the Herrscher received a GG.

The Herrscher was confused. It never expected that it had become so weak that it had become so vulnerable.

It was even more unexpected that the reason why it had been allowed to leave after being defeated was because its defeat allowed Yae Sakura's own consciousness to awaken for a moment.

That moment of confusion in her eyes, and her frail expression, had moved the white-haired girl's heart, and she had let them go. Otherwise, she would have long since been blasted into smithereens by the giant cannon wielding loli at her side.

After that, the Herrscher, realizing the reality of the situation, had calmed down. It had learned to hide.

It could clearly feel a powerful energy gathering not too far away. If it could obtain that power, it would be reborn.

But in its current state, it was too weak. If it failed, there was the risk that it would be devoured by the other party!

After five hundred years of imprisonment, freedom was within reach. It had to succeed!

In the Herrscher's faraway, and now completely blurry memories, it faintly remembered that as soon as that existence completed its transformation, people would come to suppress and punish it.

If that was the case, when the two sides had injured each other badly, that would be her opportunity to reap the benefits!

But why did the current situation look a little wrong?

The people who were supposed to be punished had come, but why did it look like it was going to be punished?

…

Lin Wei immediately saw through the Herrscher's bluster, and his confidence grew.

"I know you. The Herrscher of Corruption from fifty thousand years ago, the culprit who destroyed the Previous Era. Your name is RIN. You have been subjected to the most ruthless deception and the most shameless betrayal. I know everything about you."

Lin Wei walked step by step towards the Herrscher, without pausing at all. He also glanced at the fox-eared miko, who was as stiff as a puppet beside the fox monster. Compassion arose in Lin Wei's heart.

"Let that girl go. She is innocent, just like you were once. Anyway, she's already at the end of her rope, just like you."

"You're not resigned to dying like this, and I'm not going to last much longer. We're both in the same boat."

"So, I'm here today to make a deal with you."

Lin Wei stopped walking, keeping himself at a relatively safe distance. He slowly raised both of his arms and made a loud invitation.

"Give your power to me, and I'll take you to get your revenge! How about it?"

"How audacious!"

The Herrscher felt extremely offended and ridiculed! A presumptuous mortal actually dared to make a deal with a god!

How dare he!

How dare he reveal her deepest wounds, the terrible abscesses that were oozing with pus and blood. She instantly recalled the fear, despair, and weakness that she had experienced. It turned into a blaze of revenge and a surge of killing intent within her dark soul.

The black fox pounced at Lin Wei, it no longer cared about any traps. It just wanted to kill him now!

"Inch Punch: Heaven Opener!"

Fu Hua, who had been hiding her presence behind him, instantly flew forward and intercepted the approaching fox monster. She sent a full-force blow and scattered it into smoke.

"Aaaaarghhhh!"

A terrifying scream that didn't sound human echoed in the sky.

"Hua… it's you! Hua!"

"Why are you still alive!"

The black smoke reformed, looking in disbelief at the handsome girl who had appeared out of nowhere, before exploding once again. The smoke, like a long whale taking in water, flowed into the fox-eared girl's body.

The girl, who had previously been motionless, seemed to come alive. She opened her eyes, black to the point of being uncanny, and glared murderously at Fu Hua. It seemed that she had forgotten about Lin Wei. With a swift motion, she drew her demon blade and stabbed straight at Fu Hua.

"Why are you still alive! You should have died a long time ago! You should all be dead!"

"All of you should die!"

Fu Hua dodged the sword flying at her and, with one hand, softly grabbed the wrist of the fox-eared girl's sword-wielding hand. She poked her elbow into the girl's arm, making it go numb.

With a swift motion, Fu Hua retracted her hand and snatched the demonic blade away. Using her other hand, she formed her fingers into a palm and forcefully struck the girl in the chest. The impact sent her flying, crashing into a wall. The wall collapsed under the force, and the girl lay groaning in the debris, her eyes still stubbornly glaring at Fu Hua.

She tried to get up to attack again, but she was powerless to stand up. She also refused to make a sound so that her opponent wouldn't have a chance to laugh at her. She just endured like that.

Fu Hua stopped paying attention to her. She fiddled with the demonic blade for a moment, and then lightly tossed it to Lin Wei, no longer paying attention to it.

She even felt a little bored.

The once so terrifying Herrscher had fallen to this pathetic state. This made Fu Hua feel conflicted.

Let Lin Wei deal with it…

Lin Wei felt that the style of the battle that had just taken place was too Wuxia-like and not Honkai-like at all.

He complained in his heart. Lin Wei accepted the blade, and without even looking at it, he tossed it to the side. Then, he slowly walked up to the girl who had collapsed into the bricks and rubble, disheveled and miserable.

"RIN, Hua is innocent. She has never harmed you from beginning to end."

Lin Wei sighed. He believed that he could communicate with the Herrscher of Corruption, so he wanted to try to communicate with her.

You don't know a thing!

The girl glared angrily.

I don't care! I just want them dead!

All of the people from the past should go to hell with me!

Lin Wei didn't comment. He wasn't involved, so he had no right to judge right and wrong. So, he had prepared another plan.

"The reason you've been torturing Yae Sakura is because her appearance, her name, and her experiences are so similar to your own past, right? You even personally made her grow those long ears."

"RIN, it's time to end this. She's innocent. Your era is over."

No! It wasn't over! Hua was still alive, I was still alive, and it wasn't over yet!

The Herrscher was furious.

"Look at you. You need to maintain your hatred and anger to maintain your existence. You also know that the black box has already destroyed all of your foundations! As soon as your breath gives out, you will become a Divine Key to be used by someone else! You're not resigned to this, so you're angry, you want revenge, so you hate!"

"And torturing this girl, who had similar experiences to you, can stimulate your hatred and resentment. It can keep your consciousness from falling, and if you destroy her soul, you can gain a new body, and be reborn! You haven't thought about what would happen after that, and you haven't had the chance to think about it!"

"This new generation has nothing to do with you, and the Fu Hua before you is not the Hua from the past. All of your struggles are destined to be meaningless!"

"But I know a place where your wishes can be fulfilled. Everything you desire is there!"

Lin Wei brought out his trump card again.

"The Fire Moth of the Previous Era left a memory device that contains the memory of the last thirteen fusion warriors of the previous era. Your real sister, Hua, and everyone you care about, and everything you hate, are all there!"

"I know you don't believe me. You haven't believed humans in a long time, so it doesn't matter. I'll prove it to you. The answer is here. You can see it with your own eyes!"

Lin Wei took out the precious Honkai energy inhibitor, stabbed it through his isolation suits, and injected all of it into his body. Then, he reached out and began to tear off the double-layered isolation suit, exposing himself completely to the high concentration of Honkai energy in the outside world.

The violent erosion instantly spread across his entire body. At the same time, an equally violent power swept through his body. The two powers collided fiercely within his body!

Lin Wei felt like every cell in his soul was being torn apart. The unbearable pain made him almost pass out.

But it didn't matter. The time he bought was enough!

He couldn't pass out! This was his only chance!

Lin Wei's expression became frenzied. He raised his arms and shouted hoarsely:

"RIN, make your choice! Are you going to die here with me, or will you merge with me and find the answer by looking through my memories?"

"Then, I will take you to that place…"

"To overturn the Elysian Realm!"