Chapter 485: 2.2 Main – Pinokangni (156)

"Your existence is for annihilation?"

"Aren't you the same? Blade, the ending you crave... has never been defined by others. If I die now, I'm just a weapon. But I think... I should die as a person."

"Even though its definition is far from us, isn't the answer that ordinary people spend their whole lives seeking just that? A short name that can be left on a tombstone..."

"The piece that belongs to me once bore 'Glamor Iron Cavalry', now bears 'Star Core Hunter', and someday... it will inscribe Liuying's name, and the brilliance she blooms with at life's end."

……

Meanwhile, somewhere in Thus we have: Liúmèng Jiāo…

"Didn't expect it, old man, your headless and tailless plan actually succeeded. Are all your nameless guests just hot‑blooded fools?"

Jialake looked up at the horizon: "I can smell the false beautiful dream ending. That group of nameless guests, though young, truly have the ability to do this... just like you did back then."

"What a pity, I couldn't let you witness this scene with your own eyes. I'm afraid I don't have that fortune either... when a fiction is seen through, it essentially ceases to exist."

"Hmph, not to mention those nameless guests, that winged kid on his head is just like you—stubborn, doesn't shed a tear at a coffin... Fate plays tricks; if not for this damned destiny, we probably wouldn't even get to chat together."

"But in the end we let out a fierce curse. That feels better. Do you remember how those bastards cursed us back then? Hmm? They said, 'Go to hell, damned traitor'..."

"Mikhail, I don't know if what they said is true, but if the heart seeks freedom, it deserves to go to hell... I'll be heading down to find you soon, old thing."

"... let's have dinner together again in hell."

"Oh, almost forgot, one more thing... I toast you with this cup of 'Gathering and Parting at Times'... star..."

"To the imperfect... tomorrow."

——

Jujutsu Kaisen.

"Suddenly realized I still feel a bit reluctant to part with Mr. Jialake..."

Huzhang sighed regretfully; this was still their first time learning about the forces of the mysterious Star God, and they hoped to rely on Mr. Jialake to learn more about the Fiction Historian.

"He's lived enough, even stabbed Xingqiri with a blade; Xingqiri now isn't someone anyone can wound." Mingming smiled, tugging his braid, "I don't know what Xingqiri plans, but if he merges with the power of order, Pinokangni's situation will undergo a major reversal."

"Merging with order? Sounds abstract... Xingqiri deliberately set the time during the Harmonic Grand Festival, also to summon the Qi Xiang Choir, right? But isn't that thing only summonable by Zhigengniao?"

"Hmm." Rixiaobu Duye exhaled a long puff of smoke, "So I'm curious whether Xingqiri can actually persuade his sister to summon the Qi Xiang Choir; if not, the Harmonic Grand Festival is just an ordinary celebration, and even if he's a destiny‑walker of order, what can he do?"

Moreover, regarding the Qi Xiang Choir, at least Rixiaobu Duye can't tell from the name what combat power it might have; could the choir have hidden abilities? Perhaps it can create a domain similar to a sorcerer's barrier?

——

In the dim cave, the campfire cast the two shadows onto the jagged stone wall; Huangquan squatted on a smooth slate, biting into a plump berry.

The berry contained a spicy sting, yet Huangquan remained expressionless, chewing bite after bite, seemingly feeling nothing.

"You... have lost your sense of taste?" the elder fiddled with the fire, sparks crackling, illuminating the deep shadows between his wrinkles.

"Some flavors are still detectable... like a faint sweetness." Huangquan squinted, "Before coming here, my previous stop was Eerkelong. There, purple‑red snow fell from the sky, and when held in the mouth... it tasted like raspberry. Not exactly sweet, but unforgettable. Whenever I look back, I find the linked paths... not a profound narrative, but a series of unforgettable moments."

"Don't mind it. The gradual loss of self... is a reality every self‑destructor must face. At least I haven't completely lost my senses and memory."

"Then congratulations on adding another footnote to your journey." the elder asked curiously, "By the way, are you alone?"

"No, I have a companion in Eerkelong. She's tiny, a nameless guest, wants to launch herself into IX... she always says she wants to walk a path deeper and farther than Bi Ajili."

"Small in stature, big ambitions... what's the outcome?"

"She... became a stagnant pool of death."

——

Honkai 3.

Mei's companion... could it be Kiana's counterpart? Bronya said suddenly.

"Bronya, you, stop talking nonsense! There's no reason for me to be dead before I even appear!" Kiana puffed her cheeks, her twin ponytails swaying, "And! Tiny... no matter how I look, it doesn't match me; it looks more like Auntie's figure."

"Hmm, actually now that I see it, my counterpart is powerful but her situation isn't good." Mei narrowed her brows, shaking her head lightly, "She's a self‑destructor of a void destiny; if it continues, her end will likely be like that officer in the locust plague, fading into oblivion."

Mei doesn't think Huangquan fears death; rather, when a void destiny is walked far enough, once self is lost, senses and memory fade, and it continuously contaminates other destinies, essentially becoming a world‑threatening beast.

... She doesn't want her counterpart to reach that fate.

"Don't rush, Mei—"

Kiana slipped behind the girl, blinking her bright blue eyes, "My counterpart hasn't appeared yet, right? Maybe she's already on her way to rescue Mei. Mei just needs to wait patiently."

"Kiana, could you be a bit slow?" Bronya smiled lightly, pointing at the scene in the sky, "Miss Mei really needs your help right now."

——

"Ha... condolences."

"Sorrowful? I don't think so. That girl left smiling; she never regretted her choice and surely hoped I'd bid her farewell with a smile... I indeed did so."

"That's proof you're grieving for her," the elder said.