The Outbreak of the "Third Honkai Eruption" - Honkai: Withered White Camellia

Just as Li Wu was racking his brain trying to figure it out, Kevin spoke up.

[Deliverance] Kevin: "They know Hua is dead. But they are completely unaware of the supplementary information you just added. The number of people who know the full truth is very, very small."

[Mist] Li Wu: "You know?"

[Deliverance] Kevin: "You should know as well."

[Mist] Li Wu: "???!"

[Deliverance] Kevin: "Five hundred years ago..."

Kevin paused for a moment before continuing.

[Deliverance] Kevin: "[Endless] convened a full gathering of the Elysian Realm five hundred years ago. If you wish to uncover exactly what transpired back then, it might be best to ask him directly."

"As for everything else you said, it is all true. [Daybreak] informed me that he owes you a favor. What do you intend to use this favor for?"

Kevin's words were completely straightforward, devoid of any probing or testing.

Li Wu knew he was wearing a disguise, but Kevin was an administrator. Disguises in the Elysian Realm were meaningless to him.

[Endless]?

Another administrator of the Elysian Realm, identity entirely unknown.

[Mist] Li Wu: "Help me monitor a few people. If possible, absolutely prevent them from making any contact with Fu Hua."

[Deliverance] Kevin: "Give me the list."

Seeing Kevin be so direct, Li Wu hesitated for a few seconds before handing over the list of "old friends" who posed a fatal threat to Fu Hua in Act II.

In the manga, Hua's death deeply implicated numerous martial arts clans in Shenzhou, nearly causing their complete collapse.

In the Previous Era, Hua had been implanted with SWARA—a subliminal neural modification designed to compel her to fight the Honkai at absolutely any cost.

Its physical manifestation effectively programmed her with the overriding directive: "All who succumb to demonic corruption (Honkai) must be executed."

It was precisely because of this setting that the Seven Disciples of Taixuan, acting purely out of self-preservation, had no choice but to strike. They delivered a fatal backstab while Hua was pouring all her strength into fighting the Honkai rampaging across Shenzhou...

Yes.

As the Present Era civilization flourished and the Honkai lay dormant, to better prepare humanity to fight the Honkai, Hua took on the alias "Phoenix" and passed down numerous martial arts techniques to talented individuals.

As time stretched on, these teachings birthed the vast majority of Shenzhou's martial arts clans.

Although the techniques Hua taught weren't inherently dangerous, how many normal humans could actually adapt to Honkai energy?

In an era without advanced firearms, almost everyone who had the opportunity practiced martial arts.

But the moment the concentration of Honkai energy in their bodies exceeded their control threshold, they would be completely dominated by an overwhelming desire for destruction, turning into bloodthirsty, mass-murdering maniacs—much like a Herrscher.

They couldn't quite be called zombies, because they still retained their human intellect. And that was exactly what made them so incredibly dangerous.

One of the Seven Disciples of Taixuan was dominated by this exact desire for destruction. To protect the family members she lived with day and night, and under the instigation of the martial arts clans, she colluded with the clans to murder the one known as the "Sage of Taixuan."

Although the crisis was suppressed during the Middle Ages, human greed is eternal. The martial arts techniques were still passed down from generation to generation. And every few generations, someone would inevitably be consumed by the desire for destruction.

Therefore, when these clans learned that the "Sage of Taixuan" was about to resurrect in the body of "Fu Hua", they mobilized all their resources and power, completely willing to pay any price to murder Fu Hua before she could fully awaken.

In the manga, World Serpent was completely unaware of this plot. They just let Fu Hua roam free. And since the protagonist had no connection to World Serpent, he was forced to fight these super-powered martial artists with his mortal body just to save her.

Li Wu wasn't an idiot. Since he already knew the plot, manipulating World Serpent into dealing with them beforehand was obviously the much smarter decision.

When it came to protecting Fu Hua...

His interests perfectly aligned with World Serpent's. He didn't have to worry about betrayal.

The only downside was that he wouldn't be able to farm Fu Hua's affection points.

In the manga, the protagonist and Fu Hua were childhood sweethearts. The protagonist later played the role of the hero saving the damsel in distress, making Fu Hua fall hopelessly, inescapably in love with him. That classic trope could no longer be staged.

But what did that matter?

As long as everyone could live happily, that was enough.

He didn't need to deliberately play the savior, and he didn't need to deliberately romance anyone.

Doing what he had to do to ensure their survival was more than enough.

That was how Li Wu saw it.

[Deliverance] Kevin: "World Serpent... No, I will personally arrange for personnel to monitor them. I will not give them a single opportunity to make contact with Hua. The Feather will continuously drain your mental energy. If you have no other business, leave. Do what you need to do with peace of mind."

Kevin issued the eviction notice.

Li Wu nodded. After the harsh lesson he learned last time, he had no intention of pushing himself past his limits.

Just like before, Li Wu mentally grabbed the strange 'nerve thread' connected to his brain and yanked it out. His consciousness instantly became hazy.

When he woke up and opened his eyes again, his surroundings hadn't changed at all.

However, his mind felt incredibly, profoundly exhausted. His head felt heavy, and his brain struggled to engage in high-level cognitive thought.

"I still have a little time. I'll head to Deep City and take out Tlaloc... It's just a quick detour anyway."

Li Wu reached his hand out, utilizing [Future Loan] to instantly teleport to Deep City.

[You have pre-borrowed the distance from Nagazora City to Deep City. You must traverse 1,098 kilometers within two days.]

The massive underwater ruins appeared before his eyes. The glowing blue mechanical architecture and the schools of fish swimming outside the barrier were a lot to take in.

Strangely enough, Ruslan had said Cocolia arrived in Deep City ahead of schedule. Li Wu pushed his superhuman senses to their absolute limit, but he couldn't locate her among the swarms of researchers.

But right now, Li Wu didn't have the mental energy to overthink it. He violently pushed his way past the guards and arrived in front of the spatial rift connecting Deep City to the Sea of Quanta. He hesitated for only a few seconds before diving straight in.

In an instant, the surrounding space violently warped.

According to the plot, this was the easiest access point to the Sea of Quanta in the entire world.

When traveling through the Sea of Quanta, the Sea would manifest various monsters based on the entrant's memories or deepest fears.

Li Wu waited in the Sea for a long time, but the Honkai Beasts manifested by the Sea of Quanta simply refused to appear. He began to feel confused.

"Is it because I'm a transmigrator, so the Sea of Quanta can't read me? No, that's not right. The lore explicitly states that it manifests various types of Honkai Beasts based on the entrant's memories or fears. Even if I'm a transmigrator, I understand the history of this world better than anyone, and I definitely have memories of fear. Logically, the types of Honkai Beasts I'm most afraid of should be appearing right now."

Li Wu used his rapidly dwindling mental energy to analyze the situation.

Forget it.

"I'll just finish this quickly... and then go back and get some proper sleep. Pre-borrow..."

Li Wu stretched his hand forward. Before he could fully execute [Future Loan], the surrounding space began to violently fluctuate.

He thought the manifested monsters were finally about to appear. But shockingly, massive swarms of Honkai Beasts simply poked their heads out, took one look at his face, and instantly scrambled back, vanishing into the depths of the Sea.

It was as if...

The Honkai Beasts were the humans, and he was the horrifying monster manifested by their deepest fears.

"Tlaloc. Come out and take your beating."

[You have pre-borrowed the special Quantum Monster that fears you: Emperor-Class Honkai Beast, Tlaloc. You do not need to pay a price.]

Fears me?

No price needed?

Two completely baffling concepts appeared in the System prompt. Li Wu wanted to think deeper about it, but his mind was just too exhausted.

The best he could do was force his eyes open, concentrate all his remaining focus on the battle, and lock his gaze onto the colossal beast that had suddenly appeared.

Its gigantic body, resembling a terrifying deep-sea leviathan, completely filled his field of vision. Tlaloc's pale, gray-white body exuded a profound aura of mutation and the unknown.

However... perhaps due to the spatial fluctuations distorting his vision, Li Wu almost thought he saw Tlaloc—the very same Tlaloc that had peaked upon its debut in the game, relentlessly hunting down the Herrscher of Reason Bronya—visibly trembling in fear.

There were too many things he didn't understand. Li Wu didn't overthink it. He just charged forward, using the most primal, violent 'ORA-ORA' punches to completely obliterate it into raw data.

Throughout the entire process, apart from letting out a few deafening shrieks of agony, Tlaloc didn't even attempt to fight back.

Yes.

Even a weak, Chariot-Class mosquito Honkai Beast would launch a desperate counterattack before dying. Yet Tlaloc, a terrifying Emperor-Class beast, acted like a literal punching bag, completely unresisting as Li Wu beat it back into raw data that dissipated into the Sea of Quanta.

"Ugh... that was weird. But... whatever. As long as the crisis is resolved..."

Li Wu narrowed his eyes. The battle hadn't been intense at all. It hadn't even triggered an adrenaline spike.

Dragging his exhausted body, Li Wu transformed into a human missile, sprinting toward the nearest airport at an inconceivable speed.

The city seemed to shrink into a miniature map beneath his feet; with a single bound, he could cross vast distances.

Along the way, Li Wu noticed numerous unknown gazes tracking him.

No, they weren't gazes. It felt more like being 'locked onto'.

Satellite surveillance, radar arrays, long-range telescopes...

These 'gazes' were initially filled with extreme vigilance, but the hostility rapidly faded away.

Half an hour later, Li Wu successfully boarded a commercial flight heading back to the Far East.

Except, he didn't sit inside the plane.

Completely defying all laws of aerodynamics, he sat calmly on top of the fuselage, his eyes closed as he rested. The violently rushing, freezing air currents were completely blocked by a barrier formed of Honkai energy.

Within the massive kinetic movement, Li Wu seemed to merge perfectly with the aircraft.

"System. I'm going to rest for a bit. Remember to wake me up when we arrive."

[Mhm. Goodnight.]

The System's tone was no longer mechanically reading off text, but Li Wu was far too exhausted to notice.

The Feather had massively overdrawn his mental energy. He had absolutely zero capacity left to ponder the bizarre events in the Sea of Quanta, let alone analyze the minor details of a casual conversation.

Very quickly, Li Wu's consciousness grew hazy. Only a blurry layer of invisible mist remained, quietly shrouding his body.

The mist had no color. It was nothing but formless, absolute chaos. Within it, flashes of every single item and outcome Li Wu had ever pre-borrowed occasionally flickered... subtly, imperceptibly steering the destiny of the world toward a singular, inevitable outcome.

...

In the half-hour while Li Wu was asleep, Nagazora City was struck by a cataclysmic disaster.

He will definitely blame himself when he wakes up.

The System thought to itself.

But there was nothing that could be done. Even if he had stayed in Nagazora, the severe mental exhaustion from using the Feather would have still forced him to fall asleep.

The script was an unfulfilled destiny. The System could certainly offer warnings about events within the script. But against facts firmly anchored by [Future Loan], warnings were completely useless. Because they lay completely outside the script, the System possessed absolutely no authority to provide answers.

After all... its very existence was a product of "Effects Preceding Causes". Just as a fish cannot fly in the sky, its foundational code absolutely dictated what actions it could and could not take.

[Act I: "Their Unknown Other Side".]

[Save Point Updated: With the assistance of Otto Apocalypse, Cocolia has successfully assassinated Raiden Mei.]

[Main Quest: .]

[Location: Nagazora City.]

[Target: Raiden Mei.]

[Objective 1: Help Raiden Mei's human persona triumph over the Herrscher persona, and ensure she survives the Third Honkai Eruption.]

[Completion Rate: 95% -> 0%.]

[Objective 2: Raiden Mei dies.]

[Completion Rate: 100%.]

[Act II will be forcibly initiated in ten minutes. Save Point will be updated.]

Ten minutes.

What an agonizingly short amount of time.

The commercial flight, filled with passengers returning home, rapidly approached the largest airport in the Far East.

Without a single exception, every citizen within the borders of the Far East received the exact same emergency news broadcast:

[The Third Honkai Eruption has broken out in Nagazora City. Currently, zero survivors have been located. The concentration of Honkai energy in the surrounding areas has reached lethal levels. Please completely avoid approaching Nagazora City under any circumstances. The Far East government is urgently contacting Schicksal for emergency disaster response...]

[At present, Nagazora City is completely uncontrolled. Do NOT approach Nagazora City! This is not a drill! We repeat, do NOT approach Nagazora City!]

Countless passengers pulled out their phones. Seeing the contents of the breaking news, horrific expressions of sheer terror washed over their faces. They felt a profound, lingering dread, simultaneously thanking God that they and their families didn't live in Nagazora City.

That was a Great Eruption!

Every single Great Honkai Eruption resulted in the deaths of millions of people!

If it hit a smaller country, it was no different from absolute national annihilation.

"It's been over a decade... I never thought I'd see another Great Eruption in my lifetime. The last time I saw a Great Eruption on the news, I was still in high school..."

"Yeah. And to think it actually happened right here in Nagazora... That's the most heavily populated metropolis in the Far East. The death toll is going to be..."

People all throughout the airport sighed in sorrow. Even complete strangers huddled together, anxiously discussing the cataclysmic event that was currently sending massive shockwaves across the entire globe.

And amidst the endless, echoing sounds of mourning filling the airport... Li Wu stood frozen in the crowd. His eyes were utterly hollow, his gaze absolutely locked onto the news broadcast playing on his phone.

Even as his fingers involuntarily crushed the phone, shattering the screen into a pitch-black void, his emotions remained like completely shattered glass. In the absolute depths of his heart, a massive, festering, agonizing wound had violently ripped open.

This kind of wound could never be healed. Even with the best doctors and the most advanced technology in the world, it could never be cured.

"The Third... Eruption..." Li Wu's voice trembled uncontrollably. His pupils dilated erratically, shaking chaotically like a kite with a severed string.

"No... Impossible... She promised me... I clearly..."

Li Wu could barely even stand. He grabbed the wall with one hand to support himself. His other hand violently gripped his own face, his fingernails digging deep enough to leave five bloody scratches.

His throat seized up tightly. His words choked in his mouth.

"Sys... System... System Panel... Open the Quest Panel!"

As he spoke, Li Wu violently pressed his hand against his own forehead. As long as he was fast enough, he would instantly kill himself and regress back to a point in time before the Third Eruption happened!

But when Li Wu saw the Quest Panel, he knew everything was already too late.