READ NOVEL FREE Chapter 321: Buried Memories
Heavy rocks crumbled and shattered under the intense heat of the flames, raining down like scattered flower petals. Ren looked skyward, flicking away a pebble that landed on his head.
So far, both the Herrscher of Stars and the Honkai Will were acting within his predictions, like puppets on strings, playing their assigned roles in his orchestrated drama.
Of course, the Honkai Will, as a higher-dimensional entity, had a broader perspective. Ren didn't dare lower his guard.
On the battlefield, Kiana, wielding Flamescion, tore through the sky, striking down the false star.
The Herrscher of Stars's power rapidly dissipated under Kiana's relentless assault. Even the Honkai Will's constant energy supply couldn't withstand her unwavering resolve.
Kiana's white-haired figure weaved through the floating debris, reflected in Chen Tianwu's dull eyes.
Once, he had been buried under endless rubble, waiting for death. A sudden disaster had shattered his life, mercilessly dragging him into the abyss.
Hope extinguished, only death remained.
His desperate pleas for help, countless "last times," had gone unanswered. He thought he would die alone, forgotten. Then, a white-haired girl had entered his vision, pulling him back from the brink.
"Anna."
Lost in memory, Chen Tianwu stared at the figure battling before him. Memories flooded his mind, nourishing his broken consciousness.
The time he'd spent with Anna had given him his first taste of life's meaning. For the first time, he'd truly felt alive.
Since then, he'd chased her light, craved it, even coveted it.
He hadn't realized his own greed, until, bit by bit, he extinguished that light with his own hands.
"I'm sorry." A dry apology escaped his lips, like a desert traveler choking on sand.
Only through profound pain could he glimpse the darkness within himself. Only after Anna's death had he truly awakened.
Hatred, fear, pain.
All his despair stemmed from his own selfishness. His actions had caused this tragedy, and now, nothing could be undone.
Watching Kiana approach, Chen Tianwu began to fight for control against the Herrscher consciousness.
Humanity was the dawn Anna had protected. Having lost everything, Chen Tianwu's only desire was to die as Anna wished – as a human.
Sensing the Herrscher of Stars faltering, even entertaining thoughts of rebellion, the Honkai Will intensified its energy input, attempting to overwhelm Kiana with brute force.
But Chen Tianwu, his resolve hardened by self-reproach, wasn't easily controlled. His feelings for Anna were both his obsession and his salvation.
He rejected the Honkai Will's power, his consciousness slowly returning.
The Herrscher of Stars was already struggling against Kiana. Now, with Chen Tianwu actively resisting, even the Honkai Will's increased energy couldn't overcome his desire for death.
As the Herrscher prepared to create a gravity barrier, Chen Tianwu seized control for a single, crucial second.
In a battle between Herrschers, a second could change everything.
Kiana, sensing the opening, didn't hesitate. She pierced the incomplete gravity barrier, her flaming greatsword plunging into Chen Tianwu's chest.
The blade tore through his heart, emerging from his back.
Mortally wounded, the Herrscher lashed out, forcing Kiana to release her grip and retreat, relying on Flamescion's residual heat to cauterize the wound and cause further damage.
The Herrscher of Stars was critically injured. With continued pressure, Kiana could wear him down.
But if it were that simple, the Honkai wouldn't be a world-ending threat.
Despair is the seed of a Herrscher, hatred the fertilizer.
"This is my atonement, Anna."
Impaled, his life fading, Chen Tianwu smiled. At least in his final moments, he hadn't broken his promise to Anna. He would die as a human.
His consciousness drifted into fading memories. He wanted to see Anna one last time.
But instead of their time together, a different scene played out before him.
A frail girl trapped under rubble, her fate uncertain.
Chen Tianwu's eyes widened. The trapped girl was his sister – Chen Tianwen.
"Little Wen!" He struggled, desperately trying to save her. But this was just an illusion crafted by the Honkai Will. He could only watch helplessly.
"Save her! Anyone! Please, save her!" His pleas went unanswered.
Then, a familiar figure walked past the debris, stopping by the collapsed building.
"Anna?" His mind went blank. Despair washed over him as Anna merely paused, then ran away.
"…"
Hope, briefly rekindled, was extinguished. He finally understood Anna's panicked reaction when he'd asked her to find his sister. He understood why she'd avoided him.
"So, this is the answer."
The answer he'd sought, the origin of the tragedy two years ago.
The despicable Honkai Will had deliberately concealed Chen Tianwen's true condition, manipulating his perception, making him believe she was still alive. But the Chen Tianwen Anna had seen might already have been dead.
The fact that the Honkai Will could create such a memory suggested two possibilities: either it could access the Akashic Records within the Imaginary Tree, or it had been targeting Anna and Chen Tianwu since the Manila disaster.
Regardless, this deeper despair was enough to consume Chen Tianwu, turning him into a complete slave of the Honkai.
Only destruction is eternal. That was the Honkai Will's raison d'être.
In reality, Chen Tianwu's fading life force began to surge. His dull eyes turned a deep black.
Empty, void, twisted.
Click.
The burning Flamescion greatsword was gripped by Chen Tianwu's hand, slowly pulled from his chest. Even Flamescion's searing heat couldn't kill a Herrscher completely controlled by the Honkai Will.
Chen Tianwu's extensively augmented body meant his heart wasn't a critical weakness, as long as his energy supply remained intact.
He raised the flaming greatsword. Countless pebbles, drawn by an unseen force, coalesced around the blade, forming a massive stone sword hundreds of meters long.
The colossal blade descended towards the disarmed Kiana.