Successfully piercing the zombie made her sigh in relief, but just as she intended to pull out her hand, a lifeless hand grabbed the Phase Transfer device on her wrist!
Horror and panic surged through her as she looked up and saw the zombie "looking" at her with an incredibly calm gaze.
Yes, zombies are typically low-level Honkai organisms that only know how to destroy and slaughter, with intelligence no greater than that of a beast. Yet, in the zombie's murky yellow eyes, she saw a clarity of thought rarely seen even in humans.
That gaze reminded her of a person.
No, he had anticipated her ambush from the very beginning!
…
Lin had guessed that the Sixth Herrscher would strike when his vigilance dropped. He knew her combat style too well; it was a style directly inherited from his own. Thus, the extravagant use of Authority, common among previous Herrschers, would rarely occur with the Sixth Herrscher.
As long as she still "believed" herself to be human, she would employ human combat methods.
For this, Lin had to truly appear undefended. Even a hint of caution could be seen by the Sixth Herrscher as a trap.
Therefore, this was a gamble: betting on whether she would aim for an instant kill.
Honkai organisms have a core similar to a heart. Aside from the head, which controls the entire body, their true weakness lies in this core. Lin calculated that she would not attack the head but the core position—the center of the zombie's chest—as it was an easier target than the head.
Fortunately, he guessed correctly.
He ripped off the Phase Transfer device, and the moment it was seized, the black mist inside the Sixth Herrscher instantly burst out, surging toward Lin. (Monthly fee group 694936135)
His already scorched left hand turned completely into ash less than half a second after touching the black mist. Lin decisively drew his dagger, cut off the necrotic part that was spreading upward, and immediately activated the Phase Transfer device.
In the Sixth Herrscher's look of disbelief, Lin vanished.
…
Could he still exit this space?
In a space where the five senses were lost, where even time and thought were questionable, a fragile consciousness questioned itself.
Could his weakened nerves and crippled body still endure?
As he waited for the next second or the next year to arrive, a substance that was damaging his body triggered a sense of pain.
Pain?
Here, not to mention sight and hearing, maintaining a grasp on the reality of the world and the existence of one's own consciousness was a huge challenge. Pain was a luxury "feeling."
And with this faint yet undeniable sense of pain, Lin once again maintained his consciousness, preventing its disintegration in this brief yet protracted moment.
Mobius… there won't be a chance to thank her now…
After a moment, Lin collapsed onto the hilltop, gasping for breath with a speed that felt like his lungs were turning inside out. Large beads of sweat constantly broke out on his forehead and dripped down. His sole remaining fluorescent green pupil completed the dangerous cycle of dilation and constriction in less than a second.
The spot where his left hand had been was bare, leaving only the part he had consciously cut away. After another close encounter with the Emperor-class Honkai Beast and the Herrscher, the burden of Honkai Energy erosion had reached its limit. If the fluorescent green liquid hadn't been surging through his blood vessels, burning away the corrupted parts like fire, he wouldn't even have the strength to stand up.
Weapon: Secured.
Phase Transfer device: Recovered.
Left hand: Lost.
Chest: Severely wounded.
Lin tore his clothing and gave himself a rough bandage. It wouldn't stop the bleeding, but it would buy him some time.
Lin knew that given his physical condition, he likely couldn't make any more major movements. But no matter how harsh the conditions were, they were not a reason for him to give up here. So, the next time would be the moment he intended to decide the winner.
The Sixth Herrscher's condition was relatively easy to deal with. She saw herself as human, and was indeed very close to human. Therefore, Lin could treat her as a human who possessed partial Authority.
The concepts of fighting a human and fighting a Herrscher were not comparable.
…
"Lin, you aren't hurt, are you…"
She looked anxiously and worriedly at "Lin," who was standing still.
"…No." "Lin" sighed deeply. "I apologize. I let him get away."
"That zombie… I feel like it was different somehow…" Her head began to ache, making it difficult for her to recall the feeling the zombie gave her.
But that gaze was truly unforgettable. A bone-deep pain lingered in her heart.
"You're overthinking it, Seele. A zombie is a zombie. Don't have any pity for them." "Lin's" azure viewing window glowed faintly in the darkness, like a flickering ghost fire. He said to her, who was filled with doubt, "Having any illusion that they are still human will lead you into the Honkai's trap. That is a desecration of the fallen."
"Desecration… Right, right… You said those words before. How could I have such thoughts…"
Her eyes lit up at this sentence, and she recovered her "clarity." Lin had once said that there could be no hesitation; that would be an insult and a betrayal of the dead.
"Even if a Honkai creature can retain human consciousness, the probability is so small that it's equivalent to the birth of the very first organism…"
Could such a coincidence possibly happen to her?
Frankly, no.
Therefore, she had to abandon all illusions and focus wholeheartedly on the battle.
…
"Has the Emperor-class Honkai Beast really appeared…" Kevin sat in the "cockpit," which lacked any operational equipment, coldly observing the constantly updating frontline data.
Upon seeing the information that Lin had chosen to fight the Herrscher and the Emperor-class Honkai Beast alone, and his withdrawal from Fire Moth, his gaze froze for a second, but quickly returned to calm.
Why, exactly, are humans still killing their own kind?
Why do those who don't want to die, die?
Why do those who don't want to kill, kill their comrades?
In the eyes of that dead traitor, his unwillingness, his determination, his malice, and his righteousness, Kevin saw only one sentence.
"Are you satisfied with this world?"
He searched his heart. He placed his hand over his heart, which was still beating but no longer felt pain, and asked himself if he was satisfied with a world like this.
For Mei, he could sacrifice his life. She was his everything, an existence whose meaning far surpassed everyone else's.
But what Mei wanted was a future where the Honkai was defeated, a beautiful future… without such betrayal and fratricide.
Thus, she became rational, cold, and utilized everything, drifting further and further away from the shy girl she once was.
And what about him?
Was he satisfied with this world, which was enough as long as Mei existed?
The fractured Fire Moth and Lin's dying body kept flashing before his eyes.
Was he truly… satisfied?