"Finished watching all the PV, is there anything else?"
Chen Yue flipped through the official account of Honkai: Stelle Rail. Most of the content had been released.
The takeout was also finished, and it was time to continue with the main story!
—
「 The scene shifts.
The Xianzhou Luofu, Scalegorge Waterscape.
A man in a long, black, flowing coat, escorted by two Cloud Knights, slowly walked towards the light.
The pattern of a spider lily was embroidered on his coat, and his dark blue hair, which draped over his shoulders, swayed gently with his steps. He was wrapped in bandages in several places, which stood out starkly in the shadows.
Standing directly in front of him, Jing Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, while his disciple Yanqing sat alone, seemingly waiting for him.
"Yanqing."
"Yes, General."
"Later, observe this person carefully."
Yanqing looked up in surprise at the prisoner before him, not understanding why this man was so important that the General himself had to appear.
When the man stopped, Jing Yuan asked in a deep voice, "Do you remember me?"
"…I remember." The man spoke with extreme coldness, his slightly hoarse voice betraying no emotion even in this situation.
As he slowly raised his head, beneath his sculpted features, his blood-red eyes revealed a hint of madness: "Of five people, three must pay the price… Jing Yuan, you are not one of them." 」
「 .....」
~ Baki World ~
"Tsk, what a dangerous man,"
Kaio Kaku exclaimed,
"To nurture such ferocity… he must have killed hundreds, even thousands of people, right?"
Unexpectedly, his words drew a burst of laughter from Miyamoto Musashi,
"Hundreds, thousands… Hahaha! Have none of you truly killed anyone?"
As if hearing the funniest joke in the world, Miyamoto Musashi laughed until tears streamed down his face, only able to rub his eyes continuously,
"Kaio Kaku, even if you have practiced martial arts for hundreds of years, how many people have you truly killed? Your so-called 'fist principles' probably haven't even seen blood, have they?"
Facing the mockery, Kaio Kaku remained calm, his face maintaining a kind smile like an elder. However, Kaiou Ri, behind him, tensed his muscles, letting out a roar like muffled thunder,
"Silence! You insolent cur!"
Miyamoto Musashi smiled at him, and after a long while, he chuckled,
"I can see you've never experienced real combat, young man… Your eyes are still too pure."
"Those who have truly experienced the battlefield and countless battles do not have eyes like yours."
Although Kaiou Ri was angry and annoyed, he couldn't refute Miyamoto Musashi's statement.
Miyamoto Musashi became a ronin in his youth and settled in Kyoto, where he challenged the Yoshioka dojo, known as the "Number One Kendo Dojo in Kyoto."
After killing the dojo master, Yoshioka Seijuro, in the Duel of Ichijoji, the 76 disciples of the Yoshioka family who were watching swarmed Miyamoto Musashi. However, Miyamoto Musashi killed them one by one, turning the encirclement into 76 one-on-one duels, ultimately killing all 76 samurai.
This battle made him famous throughout the land.
"In battle, humans become beasts, lose their minds, and become frenzied."
Even after four hundred years, Miyamoto Musashi seemed to reminisce about the exhilaration of that battle.
"If you had killed hundreds of people like me, you would know that the man in black in the light screen has killed far more than a hundred or a thousand."
Miyamoto Musashi closed his comma-shaped eyes,
"The number of people he killed… is countless, and it's hard for me to judge. The ferocity and madness in his eyes are somewhat similar to the woman named Jingliu."
"…But not the same, right?"
Kaio Kaku suddenly spoke.
"Yes, my simple guess is—perhaps due to the Mara, Jingliu should have been intentionally suppressing this madness to avoid mass slaughter… but it's difficult to achieve."
Miyamoto Musashi opened his eyes and sighed,
"But this man is different. He seems to be intentionally indulging the madness within him, using madness as a means during his battles."
—
「 "..."
In his dream, it was that person's familiar figure.
Accompanied by the broken sword in his hand, a nightmarish voice slowly echoed in Dan Heng's ears.
"Of five people, three must pay the price…"
The man drew his sword, raised his hand, and pointed. In a daze, Dan Heng saw a mocking smile appear on his lips: "You—are one of them!"
The next moment, the sword tip lunged towards him, and a bone-chilling killing intent rushed towards his face, making him cry out in surprise.
"——Ah!"
Dan Heng sat up, his chest heaving rapidly. After a long moment, his tensed muscles gradually relaxed. 」
「 .....」
~ Genshin Impact World ~
" It seems Dan Heng has serious psychological issues, to the point of 'thinking about something during the day and dreaming about it at night'. "
In the hot spring bathhouse in Inazuma, Yumemizuki Mizuki lay in the steaming bath, frowning at the young man troubled by nightmares on the screen.
"Alright, he's from another world. Even if you want to help him, you can't. Why not enjoy the present?"
Yae Miko, now wearing a bathrobe, teased her,
"What's wrong? Is it your professional disease as a dream eater? Do you want to fly in and eat it whenever you see a nightmare?"
"As a therapist, I see many patients like him,"
Yumemizuki Mizuki shook her head, flicking a wet strand of hair behind her ear.
"Even if you eat it once, new nightmares will quickly grow in his heart. For such patients, it's better to treat the root cause than the symptoms."
"Oh?"
Yae Miko became interested and moved closer to her,
"How do you treat it?"
"It's obvious that the black-haired man is a source of anxiety for Dan Heng,"
Yumemizuki Mizuki thought seriously.
"At times like this, the worst thing to do is avoid it. They need to talk face-to-face.
Lay everything out—preferably in front of General Jing Yuan. Jing Yuan seems quite just. With him as a mediator, perhaps many conflicts can be resolved."
"Uh…"
Perhaps due to soaking for too long, Yae Miko wiped the sweat from her forehead,
"Mizuki, your therapy… is quite deadly."
—
「 "Hoo… hoo…" Dan Heng panted heavily. He looked around. Outside the train window was a vast sea of stars, and faint light cast upon the blue tatami mats in the data room. The surroundings were silent, with no other sounds.
He had that dream again.
Just as Dan Heng was exhaling in relief, Stelle and March 7's voices suddenly came from outside the door, urging him to go to the carriage to prepare for the train meeting.
"You guys go first, I'll be right there."
Hearing the reply, Stelle and March 7 returned to the carriage. Welt and Himeko were already waiting there.
"Let's go, the train's route meeting is about to begin." Seeing the two, Welt beckoned them over to Pom-Pom.
Although Dan Heng was still late, Himeko and the others were no longer surprised. After everyone else on the train arrived, she cleared her throat and announced the start of the train meeting. 」
「 .....」