【That's all】
[More importantly, this incident has undoubtedly proved to everyone that you have the ability to target the Herrscher and can accurately target the Herrscher. Then... why didn't you participate in the first two Herrscher Crusades?]
[Do you have ulterior motives? ]
[During the "Eighth Herrscher Crusade", did you really not take action in order to give Aponia a bargaining chip to go out and force others to accept Aponia's help? ]
[During the "Ninth Herrscher Crusade", you also wanted to make humans lose most of their industrial capabilities so that they could target the ocean, so that you could meet that special Honkai beast, the one named [Skadi]. You didn't say anything, right?]
[People speculate about your past behaviors in their minds and find that everything has an explanation]
[Suspicion, doubt, fear, hatred...dark emotions come over me]
[And you don’t care about it]
[…Is it really so? ]
[You don’t know it, but you know that the time you spend praying is getting longer and longer, and the hand holding the cross pendant is getting tighter and tighter]
[You feel that you are getting further and further away from what you originally expected, but you promised “Him” to obey “Him” words and actions]
[You... don't regret it]
[As expected, you were imprisoned. The Fire Moth could no longer allow a dangerous existence like you to continue to act outside, and you voluntarily walked into the transformed "Deepest Place"]
[You don’t know why, because you should be “innocent”, but you think you are “guilty”]
[You feel lost, but fortunately, you have Aponia here to accompany you, as well as the "Princess" of the "Deepest Place" - Grayshue]
[Although Gresh's companion Kosmo is very wary of you, he cannot stop Gresh from getting close to you. On the one hand, it is because you actually saved Hen's life and allowed Gresh's father to survive. On the other hand, Gresh really likes you.]
[Because you are always "warm", your colors hardly leave any distinct marks on her. Except for the fact that Gretchen often paints some dusk seaside scenes, you have almost no influence on Gretchen.]
[And now, during this period of detention, you have enough time to think about why you are confused]
[It’s just that… I won’t let you collapse. Give human civilization some time.]
[The eleventh Herrscher was born. This time, the Herrscher was extremely strange and could almost completely defeat the Fusion Warrior. The barrier that isolated all energy opened and slowly expanded outwards, step by step, bit by bit, eroding the city where there were only a few humans left.]
[In addition, worse situations are also happening elsewhere]
[The ocean seems to have undergone a worse change, as if it has lost control, or as if it has been inspired. A large number of Honkai beasts walked from the ocean to the land, attacking the only remaining cities. Huge amounts of Honkai energy surged out from the depths of the ocean, providing a steady stream of "troops" for the Honkai beasts on land.]
[Countless people wailed, countless people died]
[On one hand, the "Eleventh Ruler" is already extremely difficult to deal with, and now it is even more targeted at the "Fusion Warrior"]
[On the one hand, with the help of the ocean, there is an endless tide of Honkai beasts]
[The scene was extremely bad, and the Fire-Chasing Moth was forced into a desperate situation for a while]
[In the end, the Fire Moth even had to release some of the "darkness" sealed in the "Deepest Place" in order to gain more power to fight against the collapse]
[After a brutal battle, the Fire Moths finally saved the three remaining cities of humanity, but only a few of the "Fusion Warriors" were killed, including you, and there are only fourteen left.]
[This time, no one cheered for victory, no one celebrated victory, the scene before our eyes was just a "tragedy" - called "the tragedy of restraint"]
[And everyone's suspicion and hatred of you have not eased at all, because they believe that you knew that the moment you were imprisoned in the "Deepest Place", the "Eleventh Ruler" would appear and the disaster of the Honkai Beast Tide would occur, but you did not give any warning.]
[Suddenly faced with such a horrific disaster, the Fire Moth will definitely need your help and the help of the prisoners. The Fire Moth will have no choice but to release you and seek your help... Everything is "guided" by you behind the scenes.]
[In their eyes, you are already an "unforgivable villain"]
[Of course, among these people, there are also people who always stand by you, understand you, and love you, such as Aponya, such as Gracie, such as Alicia and Eden, such as Kevin and Mei, such as... those who have been helped by you in Dusk Street]
[Yes, there are still some people in Dusk Street who are lucky enough to survive to this day, and some of them have even joined the Fire Moths to do some logistical work]
[And they are also your followers in the Fire Moth, and even some fanatical...believers]
[They have already regarded you as a "messenger of God" and can no longer break free from this mindset... The "leaders" have brainwashed them, and they are willing to accept this idea. They believe that you are the messenger sent by "Him" to guide them and lead them to a better future. Just as you transformed the "land of chaos" of Dusk Street into the "Garden of Eden", you will surely bring salvation to this world under the guidance of "Him"]
They firmly believe
[But... every time you see the fanaticism hidden in their pupils, you can't help but feel a certain worry in your heart]
[But soon, you can no longer focus on this matter, because the "Twelfth Herrscher" has appeared, Sakura's sister - Ling]
[This time you were the first to discover it, even before the detection equipment of the Fire Moth]
[Faced with the current situation, you should have directly eliminated Ling, because this is the right thing to do. "He" also said that you can participate in the subjugation battles from the "Tenth Herrscher" onwards. This time, it is also with "He"'s guidance that you can know Ling's situation.]
[But facing Ling, who was only detected as having the "Hersher Wavelength" but showed no signs of becoming a "Hersher", you are a little confused.]
[Especially when Ling knew your intention, she did not show any panic. Although she was still a little afraid, she... did not intend to run away.]
[She is a sensible and smart child. She has long understood how dangerous the "Herrser" is to humans. Therefore, she is willing to be "conquered"]
[Looking at Ling who was pretending to be brave but was actually still trembling, you were a little confused for a moment]
[Is the person in front of me...really a Herrscher? Do you really want to do this? To...attack a child?]
[And... for some reason, you seem to be very resistant to the act of "hurting Ling"... This is the first time you feel resistance to "Him"'s will, and it is extremely clear.]
[When you feel confused, hold the cross sword at your waist with one hand and the cross pendant on your chest with the other hand, and ask “Him”]
[“If you can’t make up your mind, think about it for three days before taking her life.”]
[“He” speaks casually]
[“Why three days later?” — You asked subconsciously]
[“Oh? You want to know?”]
[The tone of “Him” rose slightly]
[“…No, sorry.”——You finally realized what was happening and responded with an apologetic tone]
【“…………”】
[“Him” seems to have lost interest and stops talking.]
[You told "Him" the will truthfully, and agreed to come and "attack" Ling in three days]
【Many people started to act because of your words】
[Scientists are busy studying the abnormality of Ling]
[Sakura is hesitating whether to do that presumptuous thing]
[Ordinary people are still working hard for their tomorrow]
[And some people, because of your words, have gone...crazy]
[Three days later, you are on the road to "conquer the bell" as promised]
[You know that Ying has "betrayed" the organization and wants to take away her only remaining relatives, even if the other party is a "herrscher"; you know that Kevin and Hua have gone to stop her; you also know that what you are going to do next is something you don't want to do - swing the sword towards the child, towards "hope", and bring down the flames]
[But... you still move forward, because you believe that such will of "Him"... must have a deeper meaning]
[“He” will definitely give love to the world]
[However, when you arrived at Ling's cage, you froze in place.]
[In front of me, the soldier who was supposed to be guarding Ling was holding a gun and using the bayonet on the gun to stab Ling, who was tied to the cross, and mutilating the girl’s body]
[Not only soldiers, but also some staff, maybe cleaners, maybe food delivery people, they all released their greatest malice on this girl with excited faces]
[They focused on taking care of the girl's limbs, but also tried their best to keep her alive, as if they were performing some horrible and evil ritual.]
[And you remember them, they...are all the people you helped in Dusk Street, the people who still trust you, follow you, and even believe in you fanatically.]
[You don't understand their behavior, so your thinking stops for a moment]
[Crackle——]
[You can feel that something in your heart... is broken]
[When they see you coming, they wave their tools excitedly]
[“Look, our priest is here, our dear priest, look, we have punished this sinful girl in front of you, this monster in human skin, look, our priest.” - they shouted to you]
[You didn’t respond, and you didn’t know how to respond. You just stared blankly at the girl’s eyes, those lifeless and desperate eyes.]
[When she noticed your gaze, she responded to you with a look full of doubt, and the despair in her pupils seemed to be overflowing]
[What followed was an extremely vivid hatred]
Chapter 20: The Shattering of Faith
[Unfortunately, Ling's life also came to an end at this moment. Her pupils were dilated and she lost consciousness.]
[The people around turned a deaf ear to them. They took the firewood and planks that had been prepared long ago, poured flammable oil on them, prepared lighters, and retreated far away. Before leaving, they did not forget to stab the girl's body twice with their bayonets.]
[The fire was lit. They cheered and were excited. Their faces were ferocious, but they also had ecstatic smiles, as if they had defeated a "herrscher" by themselves, as if they had killed a "monster" that had harmed humanity, as if this would free them from the fear in their hearts.]
[Then, their expressions also froze at this moment]
[Their actions released the true "Twelfth Herrscher". The horrific virus instantly eroded their lives and took control of all the equipment around them.]
[Flames suddenly ignite around you, blocking the possibility of the virus invading you, and the "Herrser" sees this and quickly leaves... Rather than fighting you here, it is better to kill others. This is her "mission"]
[At this moment, Ying arrives late, and her blade is almost instantly placed on your neck. She orders you, she threatens you, don’t hurt Ling, she wants to take Ling away.]
[But you can't respond to her]
【! ! ! 】
[At this moment, Ying also saw the scene in the room. The horrifying scene made her lose the strength to hold the knife. She just knelt on the ground in a daze, staring blankly at Ling's broken body.]
【“…………”】
[Finally, you took action, taking heavy steps, slowly, step by step, towards the girl's body]
[“That’s enough, stop going forward! Isn’t it enough to torture Ling like this?!” - Sakura scolded with a voice full of resentment and hatred]
[In her opinion, it was you who instigated all this, and it was you who caused all this, because you once said that you would come to "attack Ling" in three days. She also wanted to take Ling away in advance, but she was delayed on the first day, detained on the second day, and restrained by Kevin and Hua on the third day, and finally it was delayed until this time.]
[She came here in such a hurry just to take Ling away. At the very least, she had to stand in front of Ling.]
[In her opinion, your method is nothing more than burning them with fire, letting them die in the burning flames. If she and Ling hug each other and die in the flames together, she will accept it.]
[But she didn't know that you would allow people to torture Ling like this... This is simply unreasonable! ]
[“Stop!”——Hate drove her to stand up again, the cold blade attacked, the target was the back of your neck, the purpose was to cut off your neck]
[However, before the cold cherry blossoms got close, they were burned by the flames. The hands holding the sword felt a distorted burning sensation, and the sword that he often used was burned by the flames.]
[It was a short journey, but it seemed very long. She tried her best to stop you, but with the blade burning and her body being tortured by the burning sensation, Sakura could only fall to the ground helplessly.]
[Actually, she can still fight]
[Actually, she can still stand up]
[However, her spirit had already been shattered and completely disappeared when she saw Ling's body.]
[However, she suddenly remembered something that was recognized by everyone in the Fire Moth - if you want to do something, no one can stop you except "Him"]
[She can only beg you not to insult Ling's body again, and beg you to show some mercy]
[But... you just came to the girl tied to the cross, carefully wiped the blood off her face, freed her from the cross of sin, held her, gently, and slowly knelt down in a clean place]
[You put the sword at your waist aside, and did not hold the pendant in front of your chest tightly. You just held her gently in your arms and whispered words that Sakura could not understand.]
[The flames quietly ignited and enveloped the girl's body, but you turned a deaf ear to them. You just held the girl's body and chanted the eulogy over and over again.]
[This time the flames were not fierce, but bright and warm, like the warm sun in spring or a bonfire on a snowy night]
[You gently stroked the girl's back, as if she was just asleep, as if she was not dead yet]
[“…………”——Yakura opened her mouth, but the words got stuck in her throat.]
[She saw the tears flowing down your face amidst the burning flames]
[She heard the apology and guilt mixed in the eulogy]
[She recalled what she had learned on Twilight Street when she first met you there]
[You...are definitely not someone who would kill others like this]
[You... punish with only fire, never with blades or anything else]
[At this moment, looking around at those people with twisted, crazy smiles on their faces, Sakura seems to understand something]
