Chapter 205: Clouds Leave No Trace 『 Part Five 』
「 "When he was but a child, his heart was consumed by a singular thirst for vengeance against the Abominations. He crossed the star-ocean, coming to Xianzhou to seek an apprenticeship. When I first laid eyes on him, his head barely reached the hilt of my sword, yet he boasted that with a mortal lifespan of merely a hundred years, he would master the myriad artisan crafts of the Artisanship Commission."
Speaking of this, Jingliu could not help but let out a soft scoff. "A mere puppy, yet his arrogance rivaled that of the High Elder himself."
"I initially looked down upon his wild, unbridled nature. Unexpectedly, when our paths crossed again, the weapons he forged had left his masters in the dust. He even claimed the title of 'Furnace Master,' the highest honor within the Artisanship Commission."
As the two conversed, Yanqing had already darted ahead, arriving at the Creation Furnace first. He looked down at her from the top of the stairs with a triumphant air. "Big Sister, you didn't go easy on me just to let me win, did you?"
"How could that be? Your swordsmanship has improved at godspeed; I simply couldn't keep up," Jingliu said with a pursed-lip smile.
Yanqing assumed their purpose at the Artisanship Commission was to pay respects to the short-life species predecessor they were discussing, but he was caught off guard when Jingliu asked faintly, "When did I ever say he was no longer of this world?"
Dan Heng's gaze sharpened with shock. "He transformed into a long-life species?"
"A fair guess. Fate loves to play such cruel jokes," Jingliu's voice gradually grew low and gloomy. "Some people, despite possessing dazzling wisdom and brilliant intellect, always make the most foolish choices at the turning points of destiny."
"Smart as he was, he actually deluded himself into thinking he could use the flesh and blood of the Emanator of 『 Abundance 』, Shuhu, to help the Imbibitor Lunae bring a fallen friend back to the mortal realm."
Jingliu tilted her head back, gazing at the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor entangling the Creation Furnace before her, and took a deep breath. "His folly ultimately turned him into an undying monster. His soul shattered, his spirit crushed, he fell into becoming the very evil he despised most in life—truly, a trick of fortune…"
"Given his deeds, he should have been suppressed in the Shackling Prison for eternity. But I gave him another kind of freedom." Jingliu smiled coldly. "I took away his hollowed husk of a body, granted him a thousand deaths, and taught him swordplay, ensuring he would never forget the karmic retribution of his past life. I heard that after he gained a new lease on life, he even chose a new name for himself…" 」
「 .....」
〜Baki World〜
"A thousand deaths…"
Inside the Tokugawa residence, Hanayama Kaoru sucked in a cold breath. Although Blade's attitude toward Jingliu made it easy to guess that something had transpired between them, the idea of killing someone over a hundred times… that was still beyond Hanayama's imagination.
However, unlike Hanayama, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, Retsu Kaioh stood beside him, trembling uncontrollably. Every muscle in his body was taut as a drawn bowstring, and his breathing had become rapid and heavy.
"Retsu, what is wrong with you…"
Tokugawa was curious about Retsu Kaioh's state. Was he afraid?
…Impossible.
As a Kenpo master bearing the title of "Kaioh," Retsu was a man who would not flinch even in the face of death.
Retsu Kaioh finally spoke, his voice a mixture of longing, envy, and a trace of barely suppressed excitement.
"To possess an undying body and revive infinitely… Does that not mean one could challenge this Lady Jingliu forever? To personally receive her sword techniques for all eternity?!"
Images flashed through his mind—scenes of himself being easily cut down by Jingliu time and time again, only to crawl back up each time… Retsu Kaioh felt no chill. On the contrary, he felt his blood almost boiling over, burning within his veins.
"The gains would be immense… and could be infinitely applied to the next attempt!"
—
「 Meanwhile, within the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Luocha was inquiring how the General planned to quell the calamity brought by the 『 Abundance 』. Jing Yuan's answer was strictly by the book: "The Alliance follows the Reignbow Arbiter's decree to hunt down abominations without end, all for the sake of one day eradicating Yaoshi and returning life and death to their proper tracks."
Luocha was not surprised by this answer. While the sentiment was admirable, it was undeniably narrow-minded. In the current universe, the Hunt is not the only faction wishing for Yaoshi's demise, but to truly eliminate the 『 Abundance 』 is an absurdity bordering on a joke.
To completely sever Yaoshi's curse, one must seek another method from the source.
"My master received a divine revelation, returned from the Mara-Struck condition, and traveled across many worlds, finally finding the method to undo this deadlock…"
"I'm listening." Jing Yuan stared at him coldly.
Luocha gave a faint smile, cutting the conversation short at the perfect moment. "Apologies, General. It seems the next move… must be played on the Xuling."
"Just as I expected. Pleading guilty was merely a means to an end," Jing Yuan said, unsurprised. "Using the Ten-Lords Commission's edict to travel to the Xuling, to face the Six generals and even the Marshal directly… that is your true objective."
"—And that thing in the coffin is prepared exactly for that purpose, isn't it?"
Even though Jing Yuan had hit the nail on the head, Luocha continued to smile unhurriedly. "General, as you said just a moment ago, this matter is no longer up to you or me. The Alliance's laws are thus, and they brook no alteration."
This time, even Jing Yuan couldn't help but praise the tightness and thoroughness of Luocha's plan; he had already laid his pieces all the way to the Alliance's core.
"You really have changed, Jing Yuan."
As they spoke, a deep voice suddenly drifted in from outside the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Blade walked slowly from the direction of the Hall. His gaze swept over the blonde man beside him before settling steadily on Jing Yuan. "To think the you of today would actually admit to being one move behind." 」
「 .....」
〜Honkai: Impact 3rd World〜
The laboratory lights remained bright even at midnight. Tesla looked up at Luocha's confident expression on the screen, her fingers tapping anxiously on the armrest of her chair.
"Killing the 『 Abundance 』 from the source… is such a thing really possible?"
Welt remained silent for a moment before whispering,
"Star Gods often represent a certain concept in the universe… Perhaps he doesn't need to truly kill the 『 Abundance 』."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"The death of a Star God… the impact it would have on the Path of 『 Abundance 』, or even on the Pathstriders who tread it, remains unknown."
Welt pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"My hypothesis is this: What Luocha wants isn't the death of the 『 Abundance 』, but some form of… more profound change."
"For example… replacement."
Tesla froze for a moment upon hearing this, then narrowed her eyes.
"Are you saying this guy might be utilizing the Alliance's act of 'Deicide' itself? To then replace Yaoshi and become the new Star God of 『 Abundance 』?"
Tesla shook her head in disbelief.
"That guess is way too far-fetched…"
"But Madam Herta has already stated that the origin of some Star Gods was human, correct?"
Welt posed a different question.
"Then what do you think the origin of Yaoshi is? In the Odes of the Thousand-Handed Merciful Medicus, Salvation Chapter, there are records of a dialogue between Yaoshi and the Emanator Shuhu. It was a speech characteristic of a person… Although we cannot rule out the possibility of it being a fabrication by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, you also cannot prove that their origin wasn't human, can you?"
"Hmph…"
Tesla lowered her head in thought for a moment, but couldn't come up with an answer. Instead, she raised a new doubt:
"Then why would he do all this?"
"Considering he is an isotype of Otto, we cannot rule out the possibility that a 'Kallen' exists in his world. If his obsession is to resurrect Kallen, he likely intends to utilize the power of a Star God to achieve that end."
—
( Translator-kun: What if Kallen here was the opposite—like Blade, wanting to die but unable to? That's why Loucha wanted to defy Abundance and end the curse… just saying. )