What surprised Lin Chaoyu wasn't the Honkai energy itself; she had already anticipated that they would react to it.
What surprised her was that Fu Hua could actually "draw out" Honkai energy. This contradicted what Fu Hua had said before.
And from Fu Hua's reaction, Lin Chaoyu could guess that this wasn't because Fu Hua was hiding something. On the contrary, perhaps Fu Hua had already told them everything she could, and the current situation was a surprise to her as well.
She doesn't even know the consequences of her own actions?
Lin Chaoyu believed that her master was by no means someone who lacked self-awareness and was driven solely by passion. In that case, what this situation represented was quite intriguing...
So the world really can become completely different in an instant, to the point where even things that should be ordinary become utterly different?
"Mm..." Fu Hua responded, somewhat absent-mindedly. "I've never seen a situation like this either... The world after the Honkai is, after all, different from the world before.
"But you don't need to worry about this. Since you only feel uncomfortable, it proves that this level of power won't have much of an impact on you in the short term."
"This level..." Cheng Lingshuang murmured. "Does that mean if we were to face a worse situation, we wouldn't even be able to resist?"
Fu Hua silently nodded.
They had no reference point. A little discomfort was already like facing a great enemy for them. But Fu Hua, who had experienced the descent of the Great Eruption, knew just how reassuring their "discomfort" was.
"In the upcoming battle, this is also a hurdle you must overcome," Fu Hua said, watching as the Jiang Wanru and Jiang Wanxi sisters quickly adjusted their states. She then casually stuck the sword in her hand into the ground beside her and took a step forward.
"Before Su Mei brings the Titan mechs, I will do my best to imitate the attack patterns of the Honkai beasts. And what you need to do..."
"Is to survive."
Survive.
These two words were spoken with conviction. The six of them could even hear the earnest hope in Fu Hua's words. This undisguised sense of entrustment stunned them all.
They were even... at a loss.
Master... the person who, since childhood, seemed to have walked out of an ancient scroll, would actually have such... such...
Lin Chaoyu suddenly didn't know what word to use to describe Fu Hua.
To her, Fu Hua had practically grown up under her watch. And from their very first meeting, Fu Hua had already possessed a mature demeanor. Whether it was her insights or her speech, her performance was more mature than most adults.
Born with knowledge—this was Lin Chaoyu's evaluation of Fu Hua since childhood.
She seemed to be born knowing what she was going to do, and walked that path with unwavering determination, never regretting, never hesitating, not even wavering in her choices.
Such a person did not exist in Lin Chaoyu's previous understanding. A hero is a hero not because he is born a hero. Are kings and nobles born, or made? Let alone someone born with knowledge?
But Fu Hua had appeared. Such a person was standing right beside her, alive and well.
Lin Chaoyu had tried to expose her, to shatter her "perfect" facade, but she couldn't, and she couldn't bring herself to do it. Fu Hua's very existence seemed to mock her ignorance.
To others, Fu Hua was a genius, a person who stood at an unattainable height. They all looked up to her, and by extension, to them who followed behind her.
The magnificent Seven Swords of Taixu!
But only the members of the Seven Swords of Taixu knew what the attitude of the eldest martial sister, Lin Chaoyu, was towards Fu Hua.
A devout follower, a restrained zealot, a person who regarded Fu Hua as her faith.
She was no better than Ma Feima. In fact, her feelings were even more extreme than his.
In this world, there were not many people like Lin Chaoyu. You couldn't even give such a person a precise definition.
Just like the misunderstanding most people had of Otto, most people couldn't even identify this kind of emotion, and could only define it as "love."
And for a person who lived in someone's faith, she might not be perfect in that person's eyes, but she would never change due to time or external circumstances.
So, when Lin Chaoyu suddenly discovered that the "Fu Hua" in front of her seemed to be slightly different from her memory, she didn't even have time to think "why."
Why... wasn't the reason obvious?
Lin Chaoyu suddenly felt a pain in her heart, a pain that she could only alleviate by taking a deep breath.
At the same time, from the crack that had appeared in the "Fu Hua" in her heart, flowed a thick stream of hatred.
It was a hatred for [Honkai].
Although it had not yet descended, it had already "broken" the most important thing to Lin Chaoyu, so ruthlessly, so coldly.
So this... is Honkai...
Lin Chaoyu's hand, hanging by her side, quietly clenched, her nails digging deep into her palm. The slight stinging sensation allowed her to barely maintain a calm exterior amidst the surging hatred.
She could not lose her composure, especially at this moment, in front of her master and her junior martial brothers and sisters.
"Master, rest assured," she heard her own voice, steady without a ripple. "We will do our utmost to survive."
Fu Hua looked at her deeply, her gaze seeming to penetrate her feigned composure and see the turbulent undercurrents beneath. Yet, it also seemed as if, like before, she had not noticed her emotions.
But in the end, Fu Hua said nothing, only nodding slightly.
"Then, begin."
The moment her voice fell, Fu Hua moved.
She did not use that divine "flying sword," but her movement was so fast that it still left behind afterimages.
She abandoned her sword, her fists seemingly wrapped in that uncomfortable Honkai energy. Sometimes they tore through the air like the claws of a beast, sometimes they slammed down like a heavy hammer.
She would even occasionally unleash an invisible shockwave with herself at the center, trying to disrupt everyone's qi, blood, and mind.
She perfectly simulated the attack pattern of a non-human existence—no routine, no reason, only the most primitive and efficient desire for destruction.
"Form a formation!" Lin Chaoyu shouted, suppressing the distracting thoughts in her mind. She took the lead and stepped forward. Facing the oncoming "monster," her sword style unfolded, instantly transforming into a swaying green willow, swaying with the storm.
She was the eldest martial sister. Although she was not the eye of the formation, as the only one among the Seven Swords who specialized in the "defensive sword style," she absolutely could not lose her composure at this moment.
Lin Chaoyu was the strongest "shield" among the Seven Swords. Fu Hua knew that, and she also knew that bypassing Lin Chaoyu and attacking the others directly was the best choice.
But the Honkai beasts didn't know that.
Similarly, Lin Chaoyu and the others didn't understand what the Honkai beasts were capable of.
"Be careful," Fu Hua whispered. The next moment, she threw the most "foolish" punch at Lin Chaoyu's already prepared defensive sword style.
No, perhaps, when power crosses the limit, someone else is the foolish one.