Chapter 29: Saving People

Xin Yu walked along the shattered road. He felt that as he used the power of Nihility, the energy associated with this ability, which had settled within him, was now colliding with the Spiritual Power in his body. The two forces clashed constantly, relentlessly wearing each other down. Yet, both seemed inexhaustible; whenever a portion was consumed, new energy would replenish it. Xin Yu could only silently endure the strange nausea brought about by this internal energy collision. It wasn't the agony of pain, but rather a sickening sensation, as if his internal organs had gained lives of their own and were attacking each other. Xin Yu checked his direction. If he continued back at his current pace, he estimated it would still take about three hours. Three hours wasn't particularly long, nor was it short. If he used flight, Xin Yu felt he could reduce the time to under ten minutes. However, in the current situation, entering a flying state would likely attract attacks from those giant mosquito-like monsters he had encountered earlier. Furthermore, he hadn't even reached Foundation Establishment yet, still being at the Qi Refining stage. Prolonged flight consumed an terrifying amount of Spiritual Power. Not to mention, the two energies within him were still clashing. Flying recklessly in the air was simply too dangerous. If Xin Yu wanted to speed up now, his only option was to stop clearing out the monsters along the way. But these monsters wouldn't give up chasing Xin Yu. If ignored even for a short time, large numbers of them would quickly gather, drawn by sound or some other reason. Facing a large horde of monsters would be troublesome even for Xin Yu. And if he attracted five or more of those massive creatures he'd seen before, his only option would be to flee. Besides, if there were still survivors, every monster he killed increased their chances of survival. Ōno Nao sprinted through the city ruins. Relying on his familiarity with the city built over many years, he easily found paths unknown to ordinary people, darting quickly through the urban wreckage, doing his best to avoid the various monsters appearing on the roads. Although that giant beast earlier had forced him to leave his Master's home, he couldn't just flee the city alone. That would be too dangerous; he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be unforeseen dangers along the way. Unfortunately, the situation earlier had been too urgent, and he had been completely focused on escaping. Otherwise, he should have at least left a note. "Such a devastating disaster erupted in Nagazora City in an instant... The authorities should find out soon. After all, this involves an entire city, and Nagazora isn't some remote backwater. Rescue teams should be dispatched before long..." "I wonder if the government actually has experts like Master? Otherwise, can conventional weapons like planes and cannons really take down monsters several stories high?" Ōno Nao opened a manhole cover and unhesitatingly climbed down. Here, he had to thank the unique geography of the Far East. Being an island nation, coupled with the climate, the country received very high rainfall. To ensure proper drainage, the sewer systems here were built exceptionally large and wide, perfectly suitable for people to run and walk within. Some homeless individuals even chose to set up their makeshift homes in the sewers. Ōno Nao walked through the sewer tunnel. After resting briefly and getting his bearings, he relied on past memories to continue his journey. If he remembered correctly, after traveling a bit further, he should reach the shop he recalled. That shop was essentially a black market store, specializing in selling all sorts of contraband. Although ordinary firearms couldn't harm those monsters, the shop should have some stockpiled radio equipment. Perhaps some of it was still usable, allowing him to contact the outside world. Just as Ōno Nao rounded a corner, a small figure suddenly appeared ahead. For a moment, both he and the figure froze in place. Only after both realized the other showed no hostile intent did they cautiously back away from each other. Now, they began to properly observe one another. "A kid?" Ōno Nao stared, slightly愣神 (lèng shén - dumbfounded/愣 = stupefied, 神 = spirit/mind -> stunned/spaced out), at the very cute girl before him, dressed in children's clothes. In the midst of such a disaster, there were actually survivors? And a child, no less. "Great! There are other people!" Seeing that Ōno Nao wasn't a monster but a living person, the girl immediately jumped for joy and ran over quickly, paying no mind to his fierce appearance and dyed hair, which clearly didn't scream 'good guy'. "Mister! I have a few friends with me, but one of them has a really high fever! Can you please help him?!" Ōno Nao looked down at the girl tugging at his sleeve, her face full of pleading. If it were his old self, he probably would have refused without hesitation in this situation. After all, just surviving was the limit right now. But... Ōno Nao felt the power within his body, recalled the image of his Master saving him that night. He took a deep breath and spoke in the gentlest tone he could manage, "Okay. Can you take me to see your friend? I need to check his condition first, then I can go to a pharmacy to get some medicine for him." "Thank you, Mister!" The girl beamed happily and started pulling Ōno Nao in another direction. Ōno Nao looked at the girl's hand holding his, thinking inwardly. Master, your disciple won't bring shame upon you. Ignoring a child's plea for help – if he did such a thing, he would simply be disgracing his Master. "...How... is this possible..." Aboard Anti-Entropy's airborne carrier, Cocolia's previous cold composure was gone. She stared in disbelief at the images displayed on the screen. According to original projections, a newly born Herrscher who hadn't absorbed sufficient Honkai energy should have been easily captured. But the current surveillance showed that the deployed Titans, even the Quantum-enhanced ones, had been reduced to fragments scattered on the ground. Bronya, meanwhile, had sustained severe injuries during the battle. If Project Bunny hadn't blocked Raiden Mei's attack at the last moment and thrown Bronya clear with all its might, she likely would have died there. Cocolia hadn't expected the Third Herrscher to possess such power right after birth. The problem now was that all deployable Titans were wreckage on the ground. Sending the remaining ones would be futile. Contact with Bronya was lost, her fate unknown. The initially advantageous situation showed signs of collapsing entirely, simply because they had miscalculated the Third Herrscher's strength. Bronya felt her body sinking endlessly. Her already fading consciousness was plummeting towards some darker abyss. "Is Bronya going to die?" A fierce unwillingness surged within Bronya. She hadn't brought Seele back yet, hadn't fulfilled her promise. How could she fall here?! That surge of defiance pulled Bronya's consciousness back from the brink. The girl struggled to open her eyes, finding herself lying amidst rubble. The exoskeletons equipped on her legs were completely destroyed. Project Bunny was also severely damaged and likely wouldn't recover anytime soon. Bronya's own body was covered in injuries; the smell of burnt flesh emanated from some spots. Just as Bronya tried to determine her location, she suddenly saw a Deadwalker wielding dual blades emerge ahead. The moment she saw it, Bronya knew she might not be able to fulfill her promise after all. "Perhaps this is the fitting end for an assassin." In her final moments, Bronya thought this. Those who kill should be prepared to be killed. "Goodbye, Seele. Bronya failed to keep her promise to you." Bronya closed her eyes, awaiting her deserved end. Then, she heard the whistle of a long blade cutting through the air and the sound of it slicing through flesh, but strangely felt no pain. She opened her eyes and saw the dual-bladed Deadwalker that had appeared before her dissolving into fluttering ash. A man wielding a grayish-white long blade slowly knelt down, looking into Bronya's eyes. "You are safe now," he declared.