I Am Honkai

Chapter 911: Who Wants to Knock Away "Finality"? It’s Already at Your Doorstep!

Whoooosh—!

Carrying thick smoke, searing heat, and an unstoppable impact force, the ’meteor’ descending from beyond the heavens smashed violently into the rocky shoreline of Erinnyes Island.

Boom—!!!

The protruding mountain rock located between the Opera Epiclese and Marcotte Station bore the full brunt of this sudden catastrophe that had befallen the people of Fontaine.

Shaded caverns and lush green lawns—once a natural vantage point from which one could overlook the clockwork mechanism Icewind Suite of the Fontaine Research Institute as it danced, and admire the magnificence of the grand opera house—were, in a single instant, razed to the ground, ignited and incinerated, transformed into a sea of blazing red.

The earth trembled, scorching winds howled, and heavy curtains of smoke rolled outward in all directions with the shockwave. Leaping tongues of flame even crossed over the embankment channels that separated landscaping and drainage systems around the buildings. Wood chips, shattered stones, and ash rained down with the heatwave. The once clear and pristine Fountain of Lucine had already turned murky, and the wide plaza before the opera house lay in utter disarray, strewn with boulders as tall as a person.

Crackle... crackle...

In that instant, the Opera Epiclese seemed to fall into a domain of silence.

Only the whistling of hot wind remained, the explosive roar of spreading flames, the mournful hiss of boiling water, the clatter of falling stone fragments and dust...

On the opera house plaza, where tensions had already been stretched to the breaking point due to the crisis of the Primordial Sea, the disaster of Poisson, and the increasingly imminent prophecy of Fontaine’s dissolution—further fueled by the machinations of certain interested parties—the considerable crowd that had gathered to protest and denounce stood dumbfounded as they watched everything unfold.

"Is this divine punishment?"

"Divine punishment my ass! It’s another explosion from the Research Institute, isn’t it? What are the Palais Mermonia, Neuvillette, and the Hydro Archon even doing? Accidents like this keep happening again and again—"

"Where’s the Hydro Archon? Yeah, bring her out! As a god, shouldn’t she protect us? Have her extinguish this fire and answer our questions! Don’t think you can scare us off like this!"

After all, these were the people of Fontaine—possessors of the most advanced industrial technology among the Seven Nations of Teyvat. They coexisted with supernatural forces such as Visions and had witnessed past great explosions at the Fontaine Research Institute. They reacted quickly.

Aside from a small number who still hesitated, the crowd—many of whom had been swept along by surging public sentiment—immediately erupted into chaos.

Some stumbled crookedly after being overturned by the blast wave, covered in ash and gravel, screaming as they fled. Others were struck more directly by falling stones, blood streaming from their heads as they clutched their wounds and cursed loudly.

Of course, their actions were honest enough. Curse if you want—but run first!

No one had seen any monster invasion yet, but the fire was already advancing.

"What do we do? The young lady’s assignment seems completely ruined. Too many blindly obedient civilians followed our people here..." One of the men in black retrieved his top hat that had been blown away by the shockwave and adjusted his glasses, their lenses cracked. The rose insignia on his clothing caught the light as several of them exchanged glances.

"That thing that fell... what was it?"

"No idea..."

Among them, the apparent leader swallowed as he stared at the smoke-choked, flame-engulfed devastation on the mountain slope to the right of the opera house. "There’s no choice. Inform the young lady immediately. Our plan to disguise ourselves as rioters and ignite public opinion has been interrupted by an external factor."

"The fire’s too large. With our numbers and no equipment, we can’t put it out. Have our people withdraw first. Request assistance from the Gardes. Call the Melusines as well. Many people need their wounds treated."

Crack!

At Marcotte Station, where the aquabus gondola docked, two figures—one tall, one small—who had just arrived on Erinnyes Island began running toward the opera house.

"Look! Over by the opera house—it’s a sea of flames! That’s terrifying!"

The smoke from the spreading inferno coiled upward like a massive black-and-white dragon, spiraling into the sky and devouring everything around it. The floating silver ’little sprite’ pointed toward the meteor’s landing site, her small face filled with worry and lingering fear.

"So many people are affected... Aether, don’t tell me this is another huge crisis like in Liyue or Inazuma, with some ancient god reappearing. Why do we always run into things like this? Even though... uh... what we’re doing—conspiring to force and put a god on trial—is kind of outrageously rebellious too..."

Muttering gloomily, the silver ’little sprite’ Paimon followed closely behind the blond youth. The apocalyptic sight before her brought back none-too-pleasant memories. But when her gaze fell upon discarded protest banners questioning the Hydro Archon lying on the ground, she hesitated awkwardly.

After all, what they were doing now—colluding with Neuvillette and others—was indeed an attempt to force and judge the Hydro Archon, Furina.

Regardless of their intentions, they were undeniably picking a fight with a god.

"It’s not Lady Furina. The source of the fire—that mottled aura—I feel like it’s familiar."

Struggling to push upstream through the main thoroughfare now packed with evacuees fleeing from the opera house, the blond youth Aether fixed his golden eyes on the meteor’s impact site.

The energy dispersing from there was not the elemental power of Teyvat, nor the power of the Abyss. Instead, it stirred memories long buried within him—an instinctive reaction from his very body.

A sensation he had not felt in five hundred years...

It was the ’aura’ of the cosmos he had perceived while drifting beyond worlds with his twin sister, traversing the void between dimensions.

"From beyond the sky." After crossing the canal and stepping onto the dried, scorching slope at the edge of the devastated plaza, the youth gazed forward and spoke with solemn certainty.

"Aether, you’re not going in alone, are you..." Paimon tugged nervously at the edge of his single-sided cape.

Shing!

A slender long sword materialized in his hand. His intent was unmistakable.

At that very moment—

Drip... drip... drip-drip...

Raindrops fell onto the blade’s edge, splashing into crystalline droplets. Aether’s grip paused slightly.

Soon, a fine drizzle descended like threads of silk, dampening his clothes and halting the spread of flames.

Ssssss—

Thick white steam billowed as water met fire and soaked burning wood. It was as though a vast mist had enveloped the world, like a soft white gauze curtain painting everything into a hazy rain-washed scene.

"It’s raining... It’s Neuvillette!" Paimon belatedly realized, joyfully floating in circles around him.

Tap tap—

Before Aether could respond, hurried footsteps sounded behind them.

"Traveler!" A familiar female voice called out urgently. Paimon’s eyes lit up at once as she waved enthusiastically. "Navia! We’re over here!"

A mixed unit of Fontaine Gardes and clockwork meka arrived in support, carrying various firefighting and rescue equipment. Among them, surrounded by old acquaintances from the Spina di Rosula, a striking figure stood out— a golden-haired beauty with long curled locks, dressed in an elaborately designed black-and-gold Gothic gown and wearing a delicate top hat.

"As expected, you’re here. The moment I saw what happened on Erinnyes Island, I rushed over." After nodding toward Paimon and Aether, Navia covered her mouth and nose. "I also saw the Chief Justice and Lady Furina set out."

As she spoke, her gaze involuntarily shifted toward the meteor’s impact site. She frowned slightly. "What exactly happened? Was it a natural disaster, or—"

Before she could finish—

Rumble—!

Amid ringing ears, the scorched and blistering cliff face split apart. Chunks of earth larger than houses, tangled with withered root systems, were flung high into the air. Caught in a suddenly erupting vortex of water, they arced outward in parabolic trajectories, trailing sparks as they flew over the smoke-shrouded scorched ground and slammed against the walls of the Opera Epiclese.

Crash—!

Even from such a distance, everyone clearly felt the repulsive force of the impact against their faces. The choking white smoke was instantly blown away, and their field of vision abruptly cleared.

"Come out!"

"Outlander! Whether your descent was intentional or not, your actions have forced the people of Fontaine to pay for your mistake, causing significant casualties and property damage, and inflicting severe destruction upon public institutions such as the Opera Epiclese... In the name of the Chief Justice, I shall pronounce your sentence."

A clear, inviolable voice rang out from within the sunken, fractured crater.

Immediately after, strange azure pillars of water burst forth from the ground as if conjured from nothing. Towering waves surged like countless ferocious beasts, baring fangs and claws as they rolled and roared, crashing violently in all directions.

Roaring rush—

...

A few minutes earlier.

At a collapsed and shattered corner of Erinnyes Island—within the Ark.

The entire vessel had embedded itself deep beneath the mountain rock. The extreme temperatures generated by atmospheric friction had turned the surrounding hundreds of meters into a hellscape of molten lava and blazing fire. Seawater surged inward, and the vaporization reactions produced an endless shriek of steam.

"Ugh... I feel a little dizzy..."

Griseo rubbed her forehead lightly as she rose from the central control console. "As expected of Sister Vill-V’s creation. The hull structure is largely intact, but..."

The sky-blue-haired girl paused, looking at the flashing red warning data on the screen.

"Engine overload. Severe armor abrasion. Multiple auxiliary compartments damaged. Multifunctional robotic units lost or partially destroyed..."

"Fortunately, the Ark’s primary data storage core is undamaged. It just needs repairs."

That was Griseo’s assessment.

During these fifty thousand years, she had not merely slept in a cryopod. With the knowledge and tutorials left behind by scholars of the Previous Era—Vill-V, Dr. MEI, Grandma Mobius, and others—she had educated herself into a fairly competent scholar and engineer. Maintenance and repair posed little problem, given time and materials.

"Still... it seems I’ve caused trouble."

From what she had witnessed and recorded during the emergency landing, it was evident that this new world, untouched by Honkai disaster, possessed civilization—and not a primitive one. Judging by the cities and towns, it somewhat resembled the steam age recorded in the database, the technological level prior to the First Industrial Revolution. Her intuition told her it was not that simple.

And her forced landing...

Though she had deliberately avoided densely populated areas and city centers at the critical moment, collateral damage had been unavoidable. She had crashed near a magnificent and ornate official building on the outskirts, collapsing and altering the surrounding terrain. The impact had threatened a nearby transportation hub and directly triggered a minor earthquake, coastal landslides, and fires across this island reef.

"I’m sorry."

Through the porthole and the split holographic display in the central control room, she could see thick smoke already billowing outside. Griseo’s expression dimmed.

"Deploy fire-suppressant agents. Activate all safety protocols."

Picking up the oversized fountain-pen-shaped device she carried with her, the girl retrieved the Anchor of Voyage from the armory while simultaneously pulling up atmospheric composition data captured by the sensors.

—Clean air, water vapor, particulate matter. Nitrogen and oxygen content exceeding 98%—

"For now, it’s safe. ...Let’s extinguish the fire first." Griseo made a decisive choice.

Considering potential language barriers, she also equipped the multifunctional simultaneous translation analyzer developed by Vill-V, enhanced through research on Honkai and Herrscher cores.

Just as Griseo stepped onto the disembarkation deck, preparing to investigate the outside situation—

Rumble—!

A towering column of water, enough to form a lake, surged forward like a tsunami. Clang! As it extinguished the blazing fields and trees, it drenched the charred trenches and craters. The molten, lava-like mountain rock was forcibly cooled.

Thud—

An ornate gentleman’s cane struck the ground. Ripples spread outward. The tsunami swelled like a grand symphony as it welcomed its master. A dark-blue figure stepped forward upon the waves.

In human form—a dignified and handsome man. His pointed ears and vertical silver pupils marked him as something beyond ordinary humanity. His long silver-white hair, tied at the tail and streaked with subtle highlights, cascaded behind him like a pristine waterfall. He wore a solemn and elegant multi-layered Baroque-style French suit of dark patterned satin with pleated gradient designs.

"...In the name of the Chief Justice, I shall pronounce your sentence."

"Outlander."

His gaze resembled that of a judge presiding in court—solemn and unwavering—as it locked onto the emotionless girl stepping out from the fallen object. After finishing his declaration of guilt, he extended his hand with equal composure.

Deep and awe-inspiring torrents gathered once more, rolling and surging like a lion’s roar, baring their fangs as they gradually formed the radiance of judgment.

"Cease resistance. Surrender peacefully."

Though the devastation of Erinnyes Island and the casualties among its people filled him with sorrow—even stirring anger—his sense of justice was etched into his very soul. He remained impartial, acting according to duty. He did not vent his anger. He did not strike lethally at first sight.

The sky-blue-haired girl: "..."

"Regrettable." After a long silence with no response, he took her silence as refusal. "Chief Justice of Fontaine: Neuvillette. I hereby declare that I shall place you under arrest."

Rumble.

The moment he moved, the earth itself trembled.

The water roared, surging forward with unstoppable force toward Griseo.

Boom—!!

With the explosive impact, shattered mountain rock burst outward like the spray of a showerhead. Hundreds—thousands—of spiraling water cones shot toward Griseo in a single overwhelming barrage.

What no one realized was that Griseo’s constant leaping and evasive maneuvers were simply because—

She couldn’t understand a word.

Different languages. Talking past each other.

You speak yours, I speak mine. Might as well not speak at all.

She was an outlander. It was a fact that she had caused losses. Taken to an extreme, paranoid minds might even see her as the harbinger of disaster—perhaps even exposing this civilization to the gaze of the Honkai.

"Anchor of Voyage, deploy. Automatic defense mode."

Aware that she was in the wrong, Griseo silently urged the onboard AI developed by Sister Vill-V to accelerate its language analysis. At the same time, her movements did not cease. Activating the oversized fountain-pen-shaped device in her hand—vrrrm!—a blue blade of light extended, its extreme heat continuously severing and vaporizing the crashing torrents.

Rumble—!

"You cannot escape."

The waterfalls raged. The gathered source-water power surged ever more violently. The immense tidal force made the coastline for miles tremble. The sound of the tsunami boomed like thunder, buzzing with boundless fury and strength. Mountain bedrock shattered into fragments under the high-speed churn of vortices, flung wildly into the sky.

"Only defending and not attacking... do you have some unspeakable difficulty?"

Gradually, the man calling himself Chief Justice Neuvillette sensed something amiss.

That girl... judging solely by appearance, she was not weak. With that peculiar cross-shaped weapon and the high-temperature fire-element beam blade in her hand, if he did not increase his output threshold, he would not be able to subdue her quickly.

Especially—

Neuvillette’s solemn gaze shifted toward the massive metallic construct behind the sky-blue-haired girl. That object... a ship? A vessel capable of flight? Was it the vessel itself—or something stored within it? The aura of what seemed like an elemental energy inside it gave him an extremely unsettling sensation.

Cold.

Very cold.

A bone-chilling cold that made even him uneasy.

"You... are unable to speak?" Neuvillette was no unreasonable tyrant. He gradually slowed his assault and asked.

Griseo remained silent.

"..."

"..."

In a certain sense, the two were alike.

Both were the type whose facial expressions were sparse—almost absent. Neither could read anything from the other.

"Outlander. The power you wield, the energy element you possess, the technology of your weapons—none belong to the Seven Nations, nor to the Abyss, as far as I know. If it is not that you cannot speak, then is it a matter of language incompatibility?"

Neuvillette probed cautiously.

Griseo still said nothing.

Please, Sister Vill-V’s translation program... hurry up and finish parsing.

"Neuvillette!"

At that moment, a voice called out. The golden meteor and the silver-white meteor arrived one after the other. "Lord Neuvillette." Behind them followed Fontaine Gardes, Melusines of the Palais Mermonia, Duelist Agents, and other officials who had come for disaster relief. They stood upon the muddy, uneven ground, glaring indignantly at the girl confronting the Chief Justice.

"Traveler. Perfect timing. If it is you, you should be able to communicate with this suspect. I do not sense malice from her."

Neuvillette did not stand on ceremony. He was well aware of the Golden Meteor’s special nature. If communication could be achieved, so much the better. If matters could be resolved without further force, that would be preferable.

Of course, he had no intention of relinquishing the authority of ancient seas. A suspect remained a suspect. Difficult circumstances might warrant leniency—but never exemption from judgment.

"Alright."

Having cooperated many times before, the blond youth nodded without hesitation. Holding his dull-edged sword, he stepped forward in a few light bounds, landing upon the devastated terrain where trees had been uprooted. From roughly twenty paces away, he spoke.

"You also come from beyond the heavens." His tone was certain.

Griseo tilted her head.

His colors are beautiful... warm...

Suddenly, Griseo stepped forward and grasped the blond youth’s hand.

"Whoa—Aether!" Paimon jumped in fright.

"I’m fine." After a brief pause, Aether quickly steadied himself. He looked at the small device the girl had pressed into his palm, then back at her as she withdrew at once.

"You want me to wear it?" Observing her pristine pale-violet eyes and the gesture pointing to her ear, he understood. "Alright. I trust you."

Aether fitted the small device onto his right ear. A faint numb coolness brushed his skin. Instantly, an inexplicably enthusiastic female voice chattered unintelligibly for a moment, then shifted into a mechanical, emotionless tone. After a burst of static, a soft trembling voice emerged.

"Hello. I am Griseo."

"Thank you for your trust. This is a translation-assisted parsing device." Griseo bowed politely. "I am still learning. I have not fully mastered Sister Vill-V’s technical applications in this field." Her voice was slightly halting at first, but soon smoothed out.

"Griseo? So it’s simultaneous translation and parsing? What kind of technology is this? Oh—right, hello. My name is Aether. You also came from beyond the heavens?" Aether asked hesitantly, voicing the question that concerned him most.

"Yes." Griseo nodded seriously. "If you mean from beyond this continent—yes."

"That’s great. Do you have a way to leave?"

"I do. But..." Griseo’s tone shifted as she turned to look at the Ark, its hull scorched black and smeared with mud from the crash. "I need to repair it. The Ark is my vehicle. I require time..."

"Really?!"

Thud. Seeing the two conversing, Neuvillette gently tapped his cane.

"That will be enough. Communication time is over. Suspect in the ’Erinnyes Island Fire’ case—you now understand my words, do you not?"

"I must assess the extent of property damage and casualties, and then render judgment upon you."

The Chief Justice declared with impartial severity, "You may choose to refuse and resist, but I am likewise authorized to employ compulsory measures." Now that language barriers were removed and procedures fulfilled, he would uphold the law.

"I..." Griseo parted her lips slightly.

Prison?

Truthfully, she did not wish for that. She had far more important matters to complete.

Yet looking at the devastated terrain around her—the scarred and pitted earth, the seawater flooding inward, the charred landscape, the injured civilians... even the partially collapsed Opera Epiclese and Marcotte Station—she could not simply ignore it.

She had been educated otherwise.

After all, she was not a certain someone.

"Very well. I am willing to accept punishment. But may I ask... is there a way to make amends? I carry a mission entrusted to me by everyone. A mission that must be fulfilled."

Her voice was subdued.

"I will adjudicate in accordance with the law, taking circumstances into account."

Her attitude of admitting fault pleased Neuvillette. To acknowledge error and bear responsibility rather than evade it—that was commendable. Yet the mission she mentioned also stirred his curiosity.

"It may be impertinent, but may you tell me your purpose in coming to Fontaine? If you prefer not to, I shall not compel you."

"I did not come to Fontaine intentionally. This was an accident. My civilization has been destroyed. Everyone is dead. I may be the last survivor."

Spoken in the soft tremor of an innocent girl’s voice—yet depicting a scene of absolute cold and cruelty.

"Destroyed?!"

Paimon gasped, darting behind Aether’s head in fright.

"My apologies."

Even someone as emotionally restrained as Neuvillette could not help but grow solemn. If she spoke the truth, then the burden she bore far exceeded his own.

"The one who should apologize is me." Griseo shook her head and extended her hands, indicating that he could restrain her. She would accept judgment. "A remnant who slipped through the destruction of ’Finality’... I may bring calamity upon this world." She lifted her eyes to the sky—so peaceful it hurt.

If she could choose, she would not wish this. She did not want to trouble anyone, nor bring disaster to anyone. But did she have that choice?

"Hey, don’t be so pessimistic. Our group is really strong. We know several very powerful gods."

Seeing her dejected expression, Paimon could not help but offer encouragement. "That whatever-it-is ’Finality’ you mentioned—if it comes to take you away, we’ll protect you! If we can’t beat it, we’ll call reinforcements! We’ll knock it flying!"

Paimon raised her little fists enthusiastically.

Griseo did not wish to dampen her goodwill. "Thank you."

"Hehe, it’s nothing. Oh, right—my name’s Paimon." She placed her hands on her hips. "See? Life should be bright and positive—ahh! Aether! What’s that?!"

A crimson radiance ignited across the evening sky.

Strange arcs of light crisscrossed the heavens like rifts splitting the firmament.

A deep halo enveloped the atmosphere in an instant. The air itself warped. Reality overlapped. Silhouettes of glowing aberrant beasts—varying in size and form—seemed poised to force their way into the material world.

Crack—!

"Roooaaar—!!"

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