Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Fu Hua's fists clenched, her brow twitching, blood pressure rising.

He was pushing it.

Did he think she was a pushover?

Lin Wei chuckled nervously, scratching his head. He knew he was being unreasonable.

But he had no choice. Only Fu Hua could help him with this.

He sat up, straightened the bedding, and walked towards her, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Again? Seriously?!

Fu Hua's blood pressure spiked. She wanted to punch him.

One more word, and I'll…

"Say, if I become enemies with Otto and Schicksal in the future, whose side will you be on?"

…Fu Hua's, obviously. Who else?

Fu Hua fell silent. She hadn't considered this before, but it was a distinct possibility.

She glanced at Lin Wei. He wasn't exactly a peaceful person.

"It might sound arrogant for a mere mortal like me to say this, but I'm naturally a villain. I always assume the worst of people. Especially when the person targeting me is Otto Apocalypse."

True, neither of you are saints, Fu Hua thought.

"Oh well, no use worrying about the future. If Otto decides to come after me, I'm as good as dead."

Lin Wei stretched, his expression casual, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

You? Give up without a fight?

"But even a scoundrel like me wants to do some good once in a while…"

A wistful expression crossed his face.

"I once heard a story. About a boy on a beach after low tide, throwing stranded starfish back into the sea, one by one."

"For the boy, it was just a flick of the wrist. For the starfish, it was the difference between life and death."

"A man approached him and asked, 'There are so many starfish, the ocean is so vast, does it really matter what you do?'"

Lin Wei's smile turned childlike, his voice rising, as if he were the boy in the story.

"The boy picked up a starfish and said, 'It matters to this one.' He picked up another. 'And it matters to this one.'"

He finished the story, looking down at his hands.

"I'm just another starfish. Someone's kindness gave me a chance to live."

"Even if my heart is tainted, at least my hands are still clean…"

He sighed, shaking his head, then walked out of the room without looking back.

He felt his face flush. Time to escape.

Fu Hua watched him leave, silent.

She knew what he wanted.

Always playing the hero, pushing the dirty work onto others, she thought.

She wasn't fooled. His speech was a performance, a way to give her a reason to help him. Part performance, part genuine.

But she hadn't intended to refuse. If he said it was a simple task for her, there must be a reason.

But she still didn't understand one thing—

He spoke like a good person, acted like a good person…

Why did it all feel so… wrong?

Fu Hua was baffled.

Maybe she should just lecture him.

…

The sky was still the same unsettling shade of purple, the sun barely peeking through the clouds, a testament to the world's continued existence.

Lin Wei reached out, catching a ray of sunlight. It felt warm.

He'd done this before, back when he was desperate, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Back then, it had been morning, the sunlight coming from a different direction. Now, it was almost evening.

But he'd caught it. Before sunset.

He could now breathe the air of Nagazora without fear, the Honkai no longer a threat.

That was enough.

"I thought you told me not to approach the power sleeping within her."

Fu Hua had identified Lin Wei's destination. Her life detectors had picked up a signal. She wanted to know why he'd changed his mind.

"If a Schicksal Valkyrie came here, wouldn't their first instinct be to eliminate it?"

Lin Wei didn't answer directly, stating the obvious instead.

The only available Valkyrie in the Far East Branch was Theresa. But Fu Hua was just a student at St. Freya. Requesting S-rank backup, especially the branch leader, for her first mission would be too conspicuous, jeopardizing her surveillance mission.

So, the reinforcements would come from Schicksal HQ.

And they wouldn't be as hesitant as Theresa.

As for Fu Hua…

He glanced at her.

She was different. She had her own principles.

And she wasn't a typical Valkyrie. She was Otto's collaborator, an outsider.

"Fu Hua the Valkyrie" was just another role she played.

"I should give life a chance. I want to see if it's a monster or a harmless creature."

"I wasn't in a position to do this before. But now, I can try."

He was still weak, but his victory against the Herrscher had changed him. He was no longer afraid.

A giant of spirit was still a giant. In this world, there were ways to strengthen the flesh to match the will.

"If it's not a human, but a Honkai beast, or some other agent of the Honkai, I can at least take it down with me, can't I?"

If Rin unleashed her power, he would be incredibly powerful, albeit briefly, before his body disintegrated. A few seconds was enough.

"Hey!"

Rin understood. She'd been disgusted by his weak body.

She wasn't happy. He hadn't asked for her permission.

Lin Wei apologized mentally, but he wouldn't change his mind.

"This way, I won't be a burden. Win or lose, I can accept the outcome."

If he was going to live, he would live on his own terms, follow his heart, not just survive.

Like when he'd risked exposure by posting those rumors.

He'd done it for his own peace of mind.

Fu Hua nodded, acknowledging his resolve. A man with principles couldn't be truly evil.

Lin Wei smiled, handing her the blade again.

It wasn't appropriate to bring a weapon to this… meeting.

…

"Yuno, wake up! You'll be late for school… Do you hear me?"

Strange, I'm already in class. Why is Mom waking me up?

Why is it so quiet? Where are my classmates?

"Yuno! Are you deaf?..."

The gentle voice turned to impatient urging, then to angry shouting, then to physical blows.

No, Mom isn't like this…

The girl couldn't control her body, couldn't even open her eyes. Like sleep paralysis.

Was this all a dream?

She felt a pang of guilt, blaming herself for being lazy.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'll get up now," she tried to say, but her lips wouldn't move.

The blows intensified, her body screaming in pain.

She wanted to beg for mercy, but she was trapped in darkness, helpless.

Was this a nightmare? Why couldn't she wake up?

Someone, please help me… anyone…

A knock on the door, then heavy footsteps. A man's footsteps.

Was it a hallucination, or…

"Dad, is that you? Help me…" she cried silently.

…

Lin Wei found the classroom Fu Hua had described. The door was open, desks and chairs overturned, books and stationery scattered on the floor, clothes and shoes piled in a corner, everything covered in dust. No bodies.

Green vines snaked across the room, converging on a lone figure huddled on the platform, her chest rising and falling, alive but seemingly in great pain.

Lin Wei knocked politely, waited, then entered.

He wasn't worried. Rin had assured him the entity within her wasn't awake yet. But he shouldn't provoke it, or she wouldn't be able to save him.

She'd also given him a pointed look.

He was puzzled. Rin was supposed to be a gentle, kind girl. What had happened to her?

Then, it hit him. He slapped his forehead, realizing the cause—

Fire Moth, look what you've done!

Despicable!

He cursed the long-dead organization as he approached the sleeping girl.

He was weak, non-threatening. As long as he didn't show any hostility, he should be safe.

Another day, another victory for the weak!

His mind raced, filled with nervous chatter.

The more stressed he was, the more his thoughts spiraled.

Why was he like this? He was a serious person!

He continued his internal debate, carefully avoiding the vines as he approached the girl.

He ignored the possible toxins in the air.

Please! What poison could be worse than the Herrscher of Corruption?

Some of the vines were withered, some vibrant.

The withered ones extended from the windowsill, where a potted plant used to be, piercing the girl's body.

The fresh ones sprouted from her own flesh.

She was one with the plant. Not a pseudo-Herrscher, then.

This world's Herrscher powers and numbers were fixed. There was no "Herrscher of Poison." Perhaps in some forgotten era, but not this one.

The four confirmed pseudo-Herrschers were just puppets created by Sirin, their powers limited.

"You really messed up the lore, didn't you…" he thought, resisting the urge to complain out loud. He'd never trusted the game's story anyway.

He reached the girl, his heart filled with pity.

Her world had been destroyed, her family, her school, her normal life, all gone.

And now, he had to wake her up to this cruel reality.

Was this too cruel?

Perhaps it would be kinder to let her remain in this dream, free from pain and sorrow.

He suddenly understood Theresa's dilemma in the original story.

"But… you're alive. You should keep living. Only the living can create the future, can change this hateful world."

"So… don't give up. Don't lose yourself in the nightmare."

He whispered gently, like a lullaby, a bedtime story. A feather in his hand glowed faintly. He'd borrowed it from Fu Hua, not to use its power, but to soothe the girl's fractured mind.

Fu Hua watched from the doorway, his compassionate demeanor reminding her of the "Buddha" she'd read about in ancient texts.

She shook her head, dismissing the absurd thought.

Him? A Buddha? Impossible.

The girl heard a gentle whisper, like a prayer, a blessing. She couldn't understand the words, but she felt a sense of comfort, of warmth.

She relaxed, as if she'd found a safe haven, and drifted off to sleep under the gentle light, the pain and sorrow easing from her face.

"Sleep well, little one. Sweet dreams. And when you wake up, remember… you still have a future."

Lin Wei whispered, then retracted the feather.

He carefully lifted the girl, intending to carry her away from this place of sorrow.

He lifted…

And couldn't budge.

His face turned green.