After quickly finishing off the mutated mecha, Van came to Himeko's side.
"Are you alright, Himeko?"
"I'm not badly hurt." Himeko wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Right, why are you here? What about Kiana and the others? How are they?"
Van shook his head and explained everything from beginning to end.
"We got separated after entering, and I haven't gotten any news about them."
"Could they have fallen into another place?"
Himeko forced herself to stand up, but the strong dizziness made her stagger. "We have to go find them!"
"Wait a second."
Van supported Himeko's body, which was about to fall. "In your current state, you simply can't hold on to go find them…"
BOOM!
A loud sound echoed, and the entire cave shook violently. Chiyou also let out an ear-splitting roar.
As the cave trembled, the scene switched to Kiana's side.
"What! Those crystals were actually Chiyou's seal?"
Kiana stomped her foot in anger. "We thought they were the heart and destroyed them."
"Regret is useless now, Kiana." Raiden Mei comforted her. "Rather than wallow in self-blame here, what we should be doing now is think of a way to fix it."
"According to Bronya's scan, the place where Honkai energy is gathering right now should be the true location of Chiyou's heart."
"Then what are we waiting for!" Kiana grabbed her dual pistols. "We must hurry and destroy it!"
The cave's shaking became more and more intense, rocks continuously fell from above their heads, as if the entire space was about to collapse.
Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya rushed through the dark corridor, heading toward the core area where the Honkai energy was gathering.
"Faster! Hurry up!" Kiana shouted anxiously as she ran.
Her twin guns gripped tightly in her hands, her eyes full of determination.
"Kiana, watch out ahead!" Raiden Mei suddenly shouted.
The corridor ahead was blocked by a huge falling rock.
"Leave it to me!"
Bronya calmly raised her hand, and Heavy Bunny 19C appeared behind her, blasting the giant rock blocking the path to pieces.
The three continued forward without the slightest pause.
At the same time, Van, carrying the unconscious Cinnabar and Himeko, had already arrived first at the location of Chiyou's heart.
At the center of the cave, a huge, pulsating, dark red heart floated in midair, surrounded by countless tendrils formed from Honkai energy, releasing an oppressive and suffocating pressure.
At the very moment Van approached, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.
'Leave, one chosen by the gods. You and I are the same kind, but if you insist on going forward, then I will have no choice but to kill you.'
Van ignored the voice in his mind and instead turned his head, eyes firm as he looked at Himeko beside him, and spoke softly, "Himeko, this should be Chiyou's heart. Soon, there'll probably be a fierce battle. You hide here first, and come out when it's all over."
Himeko nodded, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by calm. She swiftly retreated behind nearby cover, her figure hiding like a ghost in the shadows.
———
[In the real world.]
[Is this about to be a BOSS fight?]
[Looking forward to it! I can admire my husband's handsome moves again!]
[Wait, aren't you curious about what that mysterious voice said? Why did it say Van is also one of the chosen, and that they are the same kind?]
[This is clearly a foreshadowing planted by MiHoYo's scriptwriters!]
[Master, I understand now! Based on how the protagonist team loves to betray, Van will definitely betray them too someday!]
[You bastard, what on earth did you just understand!!!]
———
In the video, as Van continued forward, the entire cave began to shake again.
Accompanied by the neighing of warhorses, a girl in black armor riding a horse emerged from Chiyou's heart.
The girl had the same appearance as Ji Xuanyuan, but that crazed expression showed their difference.
The black-armored girl's eyes glowed crimson, and the Xuanyuan Sword in her hand was wrapped in ominous black aura.
"This is your choice? Still ignorant and fearless just like before!" The blackened Ji Xuanyuan growled, suddenly charging at Van.
Van didn't respond, simply drew his longsword coldly and met her attack.
The black Ji Xuanyuan's strike, filled with sharp Honkai energy, pierced straight toward him, but Van gently sidestepped, avoiding the deadly blow.
His movements were fluid like flowing water, as if he had already predicted Van's every move.
His sword tip flicked lightly, knocking aside the Xuanyuan Sword in her hand. Then, stepping forward, his sword flashed like lightning, aimed directly at the Honkai core in Van's chest.
Black Ji Xuanyuan roared, trying to counterattack, but in Van's eyes, her movements were slow and clumsy.
Van's sword drew a beautiful arc through the air, easily shattering the Honkai core.
"It's over."
Van's voice was low, but carried an unquestionable authority.
Ji Xuanyuan's body trembled violently, and the crimson light in her eyes began to flicker.
The black Xuanyuan Sword in her hand weakly fell to the ground, Honkai energy rapidly dissipating from her body.
As the Honkai energy dispersed, Ji Xuanyuan regained a brief moment of clarity. A bitter smile appeared at the corner of her lips, "Finally… I'm free from this endless loneliness… Thank you…"
Van's sword trembled slightly. He knew, this was Ji Xuanyuan's final moment.
"Ji Xuanyuan, your will was never completely devoured by the Honkai energy, right?" Van asked softly.
Ji Xuanyuan nodded, the light in her eyes gradually fading: "Yes… but I can't go back anymore… Van, promise me… protect Shenzhou… and… finish your wish…"
As her words ended, Ji Xuanyuan's body turned into tiny points of light, dissipating into the air.
Van's sword finally lowered, and he stood silently on the spot, not moving for a long time.
At that moment, hurried footsteps came from the cave entrance.
"Van, we're here!" Kiana's voice rang out.
She, Raiden Mei, and Bronya had finally arrived.
"Van, are you alright?" Raiden Mei asked with concern.
Van slowly turned around, expression unreadable, only nodded lightly, "I'm fine… But we must destroy Chiyou's heart as soon as possible, or else it'll be too late."
At this moment, Himeko also came out of the shadows and joined the battle.
Kiana gripped her twin guns tightly, her gaze resolute.
"Leave it to us!"
The group quickly charged toward Chiyou's heart, preparing for the final strike.
Yet, the moment they approached the heart, the cave shook violently again. Chiyou's roar deafened their ears.
"Careful! Chiyou is retaliating!" Bronya warned.
"Doesn't matter! We must kill it in one blow!" Kiana raised her guns, Raiden Mei and Bronya also prepared their weapons.
"All together!" Van shouted, and everyone unleashed their strongest attack at the same time.
BOOM!
A massive energy shockwave exploded on Chiyou's heart. The dark red heart began to crack, and the Honkai energy rapidly dispersed.
Chiyou's roaring gradually weakened, and the entire cave started collapsing.
"Run! This place is going down!" Van shouted.
Everyone dashed back toward the path they came from. Behind them, space was shrinking, and the passage quickly closed up.
It was obvious that Chiyou, at its end, wanted to drag them all down with it.
Seeing the closing tunnel, Bronya decisively summoned Heavy Bunny and aimed the cannon forward, blasting open the closing fleshy walls.
Everyone ran with all their might. The passage behind had completely collapsed, the sound of flesh pressing in grew louder.
"There's light ahead!" Kiana suddenly shouted.
The four sped up and finally burst out of Chiyou's body at the last moment.
Just as they escaped, the tunnel behind completely closed. Chiyou's massive body let out a final, earth-shaking wail, then slowly sank into the sea, turning into ruins.
They stood in a safe place, panting heavily, staring at the devastation before them.
"We… succeeded?" Kiana asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Chiyou has been destroyed." Raiden Mei replied with a smile.
Van looked into the distance, silently saying in his heart, 'Ji Xuanyuan, your sacrifice wasn't in vain… Thank you for protecting the land of Shenzhou all these years… We will meet again.'
The wind swept across the land, as if carrying Ji Xuanyuan's soft reply.
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