The Past...

Fu Hua didn't respond to Herrscher of Sentience offer of a communication channel.

But having a line of communication could be useful in case she needed to find the Little Senti. It was definitely necessary.

As for the other things the Herrscher of Sentience said, Fu Hua just ignored them.

Everyone else around them was enjoying the show. You see, Fu Hua is usually pretty quiet, and the Senti is always so energetic, so whenever they're together, funny things always happen.

Watching them argue was pretty entertaining, and Fu Hua's face showed more expressions than usual.

It was a good situation for everyone, wouldn't you say?

-----

It was a reunion with a long-lost friend after five hundred years - this was already the second time in such a short period, a fact that left one speechless.

The moment Fu Hua laid eyes on her, enlightenment struck.

All the things she had struggled to understand suddenly became clear, and her doubts were answered.

"The you that Kiana and the others met wasn't a figment of the Herrscher of Sentience's imagination," she declared.

"You've always been...here."

Lin Zhaoyu, her face filled with sorrow, gazed at her master, the giant sword looming above them, its golden light piercing the Gray sky.

She didn't want to see this, but couldn't stop it either.

"But all of this is meaningless now, Master," she said, her voice filled with despair.

"The events of five hundred years ago are long over. And now, not only me..."

"But even you...will be consumed by the dust of time?"

A sigh escaped her lips. Even she, it seemed, hadn't expected this outcome.

The Red Kite Immortal, the creator of the Taixu Sword God, was about to be slain by the very being she had brought into existence. A poignant moment for everyone.

Knowing both sides so intimately, she felt utterly helpless.

"The power of the Taixu Sword god you created...is unstoppable," she lamented, her voice filled with despair.

"You, more than anyone, understand this, Master. Battling with a similar divine essence might offer a sliver of hope, but you...don't have the time to reforged your sword heart."

A mix of sadness and guilt lingered in Lin Zhaoyu's eyes. She gazed at her Master, the woman she once thought invincible, and felt a pang of grief.

"Not necessarily."

Fu Hua shook her head. She understood the Taixu Sword Qi better than anyone.

"The Five Essences of Taixu, it's the connection to the mind that truly matters. And at its core, divine essence is still just a manipulation of Honkai energy..."

"I still have the means to block it, redirect it, even dissipate it."

And in her mind, the faint glimmer of dark gold beneath the divine sword reappeared, flashing briefly.

"The Xuanyuan Sword, 'Grip of Taixu'...Master, are you going to take that blow with your own body?"

"With my sword heart shattered, how much of the Taixu Sword God I can block is still unknown. But theoretically...it's possible."

"But Master, it's your own Sword God - formless, boundless, originating from within. Tangible energy can be countered...but what about the 'formless' part? You don't have the Feather of Fenghuang Down anymore."

"Only by blocking this blow can I find a chance, a chance to do more to stop Otto. For this, I must..."

Fu Hua paused, then said it aloud.

"...say goodbye to you."

"...Master."

Lin Zhaoyu bowed her head, letting out a barely audible sigh. Her eyes, like a still lake, reflected a wave of emotion.

"You've decided...to leave the past behind?"

Lin Zhaoyu knew it in her heart.

Taking the sword energy with her body, bearing the Taixu Sword God with her memories...

This was something Fu Hua had done countless times before.

All her past, all that she had experienced, was being sacrificed in this moment.

As she had said, to protect "the now," the person before her had sacrificed her past countless times.

Compared to the Schicksal Overseer who sought to destroy the present and reclaim the past, they seemed to stand at opposite ends of a scale.

So, would she use the past as fuel again?

To abandon the present for the past, to burn the past for the present...which was right, which was wrong?

But it seemed there was no other way.

-----

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not even calling me? You'd rather burn the past than call for backup?"

"Or, you could just fake fight with that guy, you know?"

"I mean, I don't think he'd mind. You're such a stubborn old Antique!"

The Herrscher of Sentience watched Fu Hua with a furrowed brow, muttering her complaints.

Couldn't she at least run away if she couldn't beat it?

Going head-to-head, really? Couldn't she see what a state she was in?! Seriously!

"Yeah, yeah, this time I'm on Team Senti, so Class Monitor...you should just leave it to me. You've already solved a huge problem, anyway!"

Kiana slapped her chest, beaming with excitement.

One person doing one thing, teamwork isn't a bad thing. Besides, during the dubbing, the Class Monitor didn't even show up, but didn't the problem get solved anyway?

"Who started calling me 'Little Senti'?! Call me—the Great Herrscher of Sentience!"

The Herrscher of Sentience narrowed her eyes, displeased.

[Yeah, yeah, the Great Herrscher of Sentience...Ugh, how embarrassing] Veliona voice chimed in beside Seele, clearly not impressed.

"But it was a matter of great importance. Every ounce of strength would be a source of hope..."

"Though in the end, my plan failed, and the other side won...sigh."

Fu Hua said helplessly. She couldn't remain indifferent to such a catastrophic event. Knowing what she did, regardless of the reason, she felt obligated to do everything in her power to stop it.

"Fu Hua, are you going to burn your past memories again like the Second Eruption?"

Elysia couldn't help but ask. Of course, she didn't want Fu Hua to erase her past. It was fun meeting new versions of Hua, but she didn't want Fu Hua to hurt herself like that.

She still remembered the scene when they left the Elysian Realm. Fu Hua had actually let her hug her tightly.

While her mood was good, she was truly worried about her friend and her memories.

"I can burn them, but the me inside has no such intention," Fu Hua said calmly, pointing at the screen before turning to face them.

"And I won't have that thought in the future either."

"Whew, that's good."

Elysia breathed a sigh of relief, her smile broadening.

".....Sigh, Hua, no, Fu Hua. Actually, if your memories ever get full, or if you need a boost in combat strength, you can try burning the ones about me. I wouldn't mind..."

Mobius sighed, resting her slender hands on her chin, exuding a strangely fragile aura.

Fu Hua's face darkened, her body stiffening. Taking a deep breath, she said to Mobius helplessly,

".....Doctor, memories come in many forms. Those about you are undoubtedly very profound."

Of course, she understood what Mobius meant. In fact, Mobius had made her intentions quite clear, never trying to hide them.

She just wants to drag more people onto the experimental table, that's all.

"Even if I deleted the part about you, my body's memory would bring it back quickly."

Fu Hua couldn't help but rub her forehead, feeling like Mobius was always trying to trick her. Couldn't she find another sheep to fleece?

"Sigh..." Mobius sighed, realizing that she wouldn't get any help from that angle, then turned her head to show off to Elysia.

"See, Elysia, Fu Hua clearly has a better relationship with me. You? You should just go to sleep, you've been forgotten."

Elysia couldn't help but twitch her lips, feeling like Mobius was being unfair.

A better relationship, huh?

That was just her body's warning telling her about the danger! Elysia seethed with indignation. But in truth, Fu Hua had indeed made a strong impression of Mobius back then.

-----

Facing Lin Zhaoyu's question, Fu Hua shook her head, rejecting it.

"No."

Lin Zhaoyu couldn't help but look at her, her eyes filled with anticipation, hoping for a different choice, even though it was one she couldn't guess.

"That was something I used to do."

"By discarding memories, they became my strength, like pure fuel."

"Only now do I understand what it means to remember every moment of the past."

"Those memories are gone, but after burning, they still leave an indelible mark on me."

"As 'Hua', as 'Red kite Immortal', as 'Fu Hua'..."

"They are like nodes in my life, connected to each other, forming the path I came from."

"That's not destiny, it's the path I chose for myself."

"The fleeting moments of life are nothing but failure followed by success."

Fu Hua spoke solemnly, revealing her inner will.

She refused to compromise with reality anymore. Those vivid memories were once her past selves, living and breathing.

She wouldn't use them as fuel anymore.

"You're relying on your 'past' and 'experience' to win today, aren't you?" Lin Zhaoyu confirmed.

"Those are all I have. Perhaps... you could add luck to that."

"..." Lin Zhaoyu fell silent.

Imagine, who could hear the words "relying on luck" from the mouth of Red kite immortal?

Are you Phoenix? Have you ever thought you were a chicken?

She had no reason to object, nor the ability to stop her...

It was just something that the former Red kite immortal would never say, or rather, it was impossible.

"Zhaoyu. I've made my decision... I'm going to 'tomorrow', taking all my 'past' with me."

"As long as I can do that, the past... will extend from this moment, just like tomorrow."

She wouldn't let go of any precious memories anymore, they were all part of what made her Fu Hua.

"Without the past..."

Fu Hua mused,

"...how can there be a future?"

Lin Zhaoyu let out a sad smile, bidding her farewell, sighing,

"Alright, Master,"

"If fate allows... we'll meet again."

Her thoughts began to swirl, time flowed once more.

"It's time, come, This Sword, I'll take it!"

The sword, formed by divine power, was unavoidable, about to pierce Fu Hua's forehead—just like back then.

Only now, the people on either end of the hilt and blade had long since changed.

"All that has passed, is now..." Fu Hua had said this countless times, as time flowed by.

But today, everything was different.

All that has passed,

"I will... remember it all."

"Not a single piece missing!"

The memory fragments of her seven disciples materialized, each piece peeling away, dispersing, representing Fu Hua finally breaking free from the shackles of the past.

"At the end of countless detours, Master, you finally found the real 'you'."

As memories flooded back, the Honkai energy within Fu Hua surged, and the Sword God... was finally blocked.

The dark light that had been adrift in the sword's shadow stabilized.

[Fu Hua is second to none when it comes to surviving against all odds]

[Ugh, the situation is dire, even Fu Hua is gambling... and she actually won?]

[Otto has so many hidden cards, he just casually stopped Fu Hua with one hand]

[As expected, Fu Hua's luck is all used for surviving, no lie!]

[Comment…]

-----

"Blocked the Taixu Sword God? Well, well, Old Antique, you still have some tricks up your sleeve, huh?"

The Herrscher of Sentience patted Fu Hua on the shoulder, speaking in a very appreciative tone.

Fu Hua stared at the hand resting on her shoulder, silently looking at the other, her meaning clear.

But the Herrscher of Sentience didn't take it seriously, remaining nonchalant, chuckling.

"How did you do it? Tell me."

She said it without hesitation, in her eyes, anything belonging to the Old Antique was hers, and hers was still hers, nothing to be concerned about. Right?

"I don't know..."

Fu Hua simply shook her head.

"Huh?" The Herrscher of Sentience looked doubtful.

"Without experiencing it first-hand, who can truly understand? Even knowing the principle doesn't guarantee you can actually do it..."

Fu Hua said helplessly.

Her in-game self was desperate, with no other options, but she now had more than one way to deal with this.

Besides, the second Eruption was indeed blocked by that move, and without any injuries. No matter who the opponent was, it at least proved that it was possible. The Taixu Sword God wasn't invincible, nor was it a guaranteed death sentence.

"Ugh, no matter how many times I see it, it's still so cool, chanting a spell, two fingers together, then whoosh, a giant golden sword bursts out from the sky, so cool!"

Kiana's face flushed with excitement, she waved her hands and feet, introducing it to others.

"Let's talk about it when Kiana can actually use it one day."

Bronya rolled her eyes.

She believed Kiana had the potential, and knew she was already learning. But without Fu Hua's constant guidance and the pressure of powerful enemies, it would probably take a while.

What made her even more annoyed was that she had confirmed she didn't seem to have the aptitude, learning was a real pain, might as well not learn.

"Hey, you're just jealous of me."

"Hmph, Bronya will take Seele out for a spin when she has time."

"Cough, cough, Bronya, lend me your motorcycle for two days, okay?"

"...No!"

"Come on, come on, just two days, Mei wants to go out and play too!"

"Alright, actually Seele gets a bit car sick, Bronya will take Mei-nee..."

"Go, go, go, I won't lend it!"

-----

Fu Hua gasped for breath, her strength depleted after the previous clash. However, her opponent was even more exhausted, bringing them back to a level playing field.

"While I still prefer to avoid a prolonged battle, this is the best outcome I could have achieved," she said.

"Not the Red kite Immortal, not the Grandmaster of the Taixu Sword School... there's actually another way? Wow!" Li Sushang exclaimed; her voice filled with awe.

"What an incredible feat! You truly are worthy of being the founder of the Taixu Sect."

"This move is truly brilliant, Red kite Grandmaster, you win!" she said with a straightforwardness that belied her exhaustion. Her internal energy was nearly depleted, leaving her powerless to continue fighting.

Fu Hua remained silent. She was in no better shape herself, unable to offer support. In fact, she was even worse off than her opponent. It might be better to engage in another battle and satisfy her opponent's desire to fight.

"Right now, we're both unable to provide any assistance to other battlefields. Therefore... we can finally settle this on equal terms!"

"This is my way, as 'Fu Hua'..."

She extended a hand forward, a gesture that seemed both like a punch and an invitation to battle.

"...the greatest respect I can offer you in this 'duel'."

"Excellent! 'Fu Hua'... I accept!"

Sushang was taken aback for a moment, but seeing her Grandmaster's invitation, she couldn't refuse. With a slight smile, she drew her sword.

Let's fight!

Again!