I Am Honkai

Chapter 916: As If in Another Lifetime

Beyond Teyvat, within the profound void.

Entering a random hyperspace jump tunnel without anchored coordinates, the endless turbulence battered Griseo. She was struggling to maintain the stability of the Ark, while leaving behind a traceable trajectory for the Eighth Herrscher to pursue, all while doing her best to steer the ship as far away from Teyvat as possible.

"Warning, warning. Ark structural damage: 72%. Warning, leakage detected in the power compartment. Ship integrity continuing to decline. Dangerous navigation, dangerous navigation. Please terminate the jump immediately. Completion has dropped below 70%. Continued jumping will cause irreversible structural damage to the vessel. Unable to repa—"

Beep!

Griseo expressionlessly shut off the shipboard AI broadcast.

The control room fell silent once again.

Her ten fingers slowly lifted from the controls. The girl pressed her lips together, her already inexpressive face growing even dimmer.

She had done everything she could.

Using the mixed energy leaking from the damaged auxiliary power compartment as bait—this was a technique hastily developed and applied by the Fire Moth of the previous era during their war against the Honkai. Mixed with Honkai energy, if the Eighth Herrscher could track her to Teyvat, there was no way it wouldn’t notice it.

As for Teyvat... whether that gentleman Neuvillette of Fontaine could fully utilize the "legacy" she had left behind, whether he could withstand the unprovoked disaster brought by her arrival, and even whether they could overcome the Honkai in the subsequent civilization trial—Griseo did not know.

She could no longer interfere. There was no time to change anything. Nor was it possible anymore.

"Everyone... I’m sorry. I made the decision on my own to entrust the Project ARK to the new civilization I encountered. The Project ARK has failed. I was the one who brought the Honkai here, so I must take responsibility. They shouldn’t be dragged into this because of me... I shouldn’t cling to survival and pass this disaster onto an innocent world... everyone, you would support me, right?"

Silently picking up the photo frame from the console, gazing at her heroic companions within it, the blue-haired girl murmured to herself, revealing a faint smile as if freed from a burden.

"Everyone... how are you doing over there?"

Gently stroking the photo, Griseo’s gaze lingered on the display showing the Ark’s structural integrity. The constantly dropping crimson numbers reflected in her violet eyes, filled with guilt and regret.

"Dad, Mom... Grandma Mobius, Kosma, Mama Aponia, Sister Hua, Brother Kevin... Griseo... misses you."

Holding the frame tightly in her arms, the girl of the stars closed her eyes and slowly sat down.

Under the ever-shifting, fantastical lights of the hyperspace jump tunnel, Griseo leaned against the control console, curling up slightly. Her body tilted, as if peacefully falling asleep within the embrace of the stars.

The shrill alarms of the engines, the cracking sounds of the ship’s overburdened structure, the short-circuiting of damaged equipment... the distorted mechanical noises echoing from the shadows were like the tolling of a death knell.

Clang!

The outer armor of the observation window in the control room reached its limit and shattered apart.

The world lit up.

Griseo will soon be reunited with everyone.

Murmuring silently, the girl ceased thinking. Through the clear vibrations transmitted across her skin, she felt herself being violently flung upward by a tremendous force—like a moment of weightless flight—before falling...

"..."

"..."

Huh?!

She hadn’t died.

There was no pain. No burning sensation. Why could she still think?

Griseo suddenly opened her eyes.

An inverted world.

Her enhanced night vision, granted by her superhuman state, allowed her to see clearly. The Ark was undoubtedly destroyed.

The forward observation window of the control room had completely collapsed, leaving a gaping hole. The deck bulged unevenly, and various cables and data interfaces protruded in tangled disarray.

The blinding light she had felt moments ago seemed as though it had never existed. Before her lay a world of pure darkness.

No—this was not simply deep space.

Griseo made her judgment. Nowhere in the universe could produce such absolute darkness. Even a black hole should exhibit flowing light, and the ship would be dragged along by gravitational forces.

Moreover, when she took out her personal equipment, there was no response. Her brush, her lightsaber generator—all were devoid of light, of presence. The warped deck, the severed cables and wires—even they were suspended in midair, completely motionless!

Within this seamless prison of darkness and this suffocating stillness, Griseo’s face turned pale, like a flower on the verge of withering, stripped of its former brilliance.

"Who is it?" She tightened her grip on the lightsaber generator, clutching the photo frame in her arms. Her voice was incredibly weak.

Rumble—!

As if in response, the moment Griseo voiced her despair-filled question, the Ark moved.

Crack, crack—

The entire metallic structure of the Ark began to rotate, following that intense spatial fluctuation and immeasurable Honkai energy... no, there was no need to search for it. It was everywhere, enveloping all directions, all senses—an overwhelming presence, like a Leviathan crammed into a fish tank.

Her gaze followed the turning of the Ark, leaping past the torn opening of the collapsed observation window.

"H-how is this possible..."

The light in her eyes vanished. Griseo parted her lips, her small face first showing disbelief. Then her brows knit tightly, her lips drooped. On her normally expressionless face, endless unwillingness surged visibly. Her entire expression filled with frustration and despair, as though an indescribable pain were gnawing at her heart.

That was the despair of losing hope in resisting the Honkai.

Rumble—

A colossal shadow enveloped the Ark. In her physical perception, something suffocating obscured her vision. It was as if the sky and sun themselves had been blotted out.

"Identification: signal frequency matches that recorded by the exploration shuttle of the expeditionary fleet stationed in the Sixth Trial Star System."

A deep, metallic, and majestic voice resounded beside Griseo’s ears. It carried immense power, like the toll of an ancient bell crashing into her mind.

Amid dazzling Honkai lightning and the roaring collapse of the void, a vivid, cold iron-gray presence extended and rose between the rippling hyperspace tunnel and the real universe. Twisted luminous patterns and lines adorned it, stretching endlessly into deep space—like a cosmic god severing reality and piercing dimensions, gazing down upon the unexpected prey caught at its fingertips.

Griseo looked up at this entity—one she could not perceive in full with her naked eyes.

She—and the Ark—were captured by a special force field, imprisoned at the tip of this giant’s finger. It wasn’t that there was no light. It was that the giant had completely blocked out all starlight in the universe.

As it moved, celestial bodies and planets—distant yet seemingly within reach—slowly came into Griseo’s view. In front of this giant, the planets of the star system were no larger than bowling balls.

Only the term "cosmic god" could describe it.

It was too vast.

Its coloration—terrifying.

Mottled yet pure, beneath the cold iron gray lay hues of blood and fire, as if painted by raw violence and the plunder of endless wars.

At that moment, another thunderous voice echoed as if right beside her ears.

"No internal identification data. Not an Imperial citizen. Why does she bear traces of Honkai?"

Blazing radiance flared like two embedded suns as another iron-gray mass rose from the opposite side—another cosmic god!

"Indexing database. Accessing Valkyrie Corps and Schicksal Group homeworld governor archives. World Serpent records..."

Hum—

From yet another direction, a new cosmic god manifested!

"Cross-verification complete. Matches the rebellious act carried out by the previous-era illegal organization, Fire Moth: Project ARK."

One after another, these entities appeared. Though their sheer size limited her field of view, Griseo could still discern subtle differences in their voices—but she had no way of knowing just how many there were.

At this moment, even someone as emotionally reserved as Griseo experienced violent emotional upheaval, her expression becoming unusually vivid.

Their conversation itself meant little to her—she had already accepted death. Being killed, erased—none of that mattered.

What she feared was Teyvat.

There was no way it could win! Even if Neuvillette fully absorbed her "gift."

If these cosmic gods descended...

Griseo did not dare imagine it.

Her expression changed drastically. The calm and serenity of someone prepared for death vanished instantly, replaced by fear and unease. Self-blame, regret, guilt... flooded the kind girl’s heart.

She had brought the Honkai here.

"Confirmed. Remnant rebel of previous-era illegal organization. Enemy of the Empire. Purge."

The emotions of the one bearing the mark of "Stars" were insignificant. Judgment descended amidst the exchange of the gods.

"In the name of the Holy Empress, I—the Punisher God of the Imperial Astartes Second Punisher Legion, Trial Executor—sentence you to death..."

At the fingertip of the Punisher God restraining the Ark, light and heat burst forth in response.

"Wait—spare her—!!!"

At that very moment, a hyperspace rift tore open the veil of the real universe under the authority of space. Kiana arrived in pursuit.

She sensed it clearly—the Ark’s signal was at the leading god’s fingertip. With no time to marvel at the grandeur of these Honkai gods or her elder sister’s efficiency, Kiana leapt forward in several spatial jumps, appearing before the leading god and gesturing quickly.

"It’s a misunderstanding. This is a misunderstanding. Friends of the Second Legion—she’s with me."

"Colony World No. II—202149 (Attack on Titan). High Planetary Governor, senior director of the Valkyrie Corps, auxiliary army brigadier general of the Empire—Governor Kiana Kaslana?"

The Punisher Gods exchanged glances.

The newcomer was identifiable, held significant rank, and possessed a special status.

The energy at the fingertip dissipated. The leading god ceased his action. After a brief pause—less than a second—he flicked his finger, sending the Ark along with its "rebel remnants" toward Kiana.

The leading god regarded Kiana with a friendly gaze as she stepped forward, dressed in a neatly tailored governor’s uniform, a halo of subspace lances forming behind her.

After all, Kiana’s governed region belonged to the Second Legion’s sequence. Though their views sometimes differed, their relations were generally amicable.

In the eyes of many Punishers, as someone suspected to be related to the Empress—an Imperial princess in all but name—Kiana’s assignment within the Second Legion was itself a sign of the Empress’ favor. Other legions might not even get such an opportunity.

After all, a few colony worlds meant little. Whatever the Governor did was of no consequence—so long as taxes were paid and auxiliary troops supplied. If she was overly merciful, then so be it. The iron-blooded Punishers could use a touch of softness.

"Ah... oh, thank you."

Seeing them relinquish their "prey" so easily, Kiana felt somewhat embarrassed. "May I ask your unit designation? I must repay this favor." She cupped her hands politely.

"No need, Governor. All for the Holy Selene."

The leading god shook his head and added, "Since she is one of yours, please ensure proper registration." As for why she had not been registered—he had no interest in asking.

Procedure was sufficient. Based on the energy readings of the Ark and its passenger, Kiana’s status as a high planetary governor was more than enough to vouch for her.

If anything went wrong, it would be handled by the Imperial Capital—especially given her special status.

"Mm, thank you. This is due to some historical complications..." Kiana did not elaborate further. "I’ll register her as soon as possible."

Relaxing slightly, Kiana extended her hand. A subspace force field enveloped the entire Ark. At the same time, she issued a command to dismiss the Honkai Beasts she had summoned, no longer needing to suppress the "harmful" or "unstable" aspects of Honkai energy—everything was withdrawn.

Only then did she properly observe the Punisher Gods.

Their efficiency was astonishing. The "Proposal for the Ascension of the Imperial Astartes Divine Legion" had only just been issued, yet experimental units had already been deployed into this trial world, conducting adjustments and operating freely.

Her gaze briefly lingered on the insignia on a Punisher God’s left shoulder—the scaled-up Teigu: Adramelech—before she looked away, inwardly reflecting that divine ascension would likely soon spread across the Astartes Legions. The Empire was changing rapidly...

She could not afford to slack off.

While Kiana observed them, the Punisher Gods were discussing something among themselves. Suddenly, one of them turned his gaze toward the hyperspace channel formed by the Ark’s unanchored random jump.

"Commander, I’ve found something interesting. It could serve as a gift for our Sixth Trial Garrison."

"Let me see... oh? A pod of whales. Capable of traveling between planets, feeding on planetary energy for growth. Single-horned, blue-violet gradient bodies. Suitable both as ornamental species for the Imperial gardens and as cuisine for the royal table. Acceptable."

Thus did the leading Punisher God evaluate.

After all, beyond the dragon-like aesthetic preferences of Empress Selene, her interests in food, collection, and enjoyment were widely known.

Though they had been selected as the first batch for Astartes divine ascension and could not attend the capital’s celebrations, it did not prevent them from searching the universe during their trials for new species and rare treasures—to present as tribute to the Empress.

No sooner said than done. After nodding to Kiana, space in the outer void twisted. In the blink of an eye, the once-crowded star system became empty.

Only Kiana and Griseo remained, the latter stepping out from the shattered observation window of the Ark’s control room, the two of them facing each other.

"..."

"..."

"Um..." × "You are..."

After a moment of silence, they spoke at the same time.

Kiana let out a soft laugh. "You go first." She studied the young Flame-Chaser before her—the junior of Squad Leader Fu Hua, her comrade, the youngest of the Flame-Chasers, and the last to return.

"After the murk of suffering, your color is warm... and beautiful."

Having calmed down, Griseo—feeling as though a lifetime had passed—returned to her usual blank expression. "Colors tell me you have no malice. But... as a Herrscher, why did you save me?"

"Because the era where Honkai was a disaster has ended."

"..."

Griseo simply stared at Kiana.

That sounded hard to believe. The Honkai disaster that had just occurred in Teyvat was undeniable.

"Perhaps that’s not entirely accurate. But at least for us, the era where Honkai was a disaster has ended."

For those outside the Empire and its affiliated forces, Honkai was still a catastrophe. Thinking this, Kiana gave a wry smile and corrected herself. "Now... it’s an era of coexistence with Honkai."

"Your mission is over."

Kiana glanced at the photo of the Flame-Chasers clutched in Griseo’s arms. "Come home. To a new home. Begin a new life in the Sacred Selene Empire."

As she spoke, she extended her hand. "Squad Leader Fu Hua—everyone you remember is waiting for you."

Riiiip—!

Behind Kiana, the void tore open under the power of subspace. A beautiful gray-haired, green-eyed woman stepped out, smiling warmly at Griseo.

"Long time no see, little Griseo. You’ve grown."

—

—

4 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven