[Jingliu]:"Reviving someone could never be as simple as exchanging one life for another."
If it were that easy, why would there be tragedies of five lives lost for three saved?
[Otto]:"As for the true meaning of this revelation... well, that depends on whether this screen will show it."
Not that Otto had any intention of explaining it himself.
[As the divine revelation unfolded and the illusion collapsed, the Herrscher pulled Ruoshui from her body and regained consciousness. The massive shockwave sent Fu Hua flying. "So these feathers are what the 'god' mentioned - the things affecting my thoughts."
"How dare you deceive me, you insignificant insect!"
Now fully awake, the Herrscher crushed the feather to dust. *"Just as I thought.
These feathers were suppressing my power—* Now witness the true might of a Herrscher!"
Freed from the control of Fenghuang Down, Sirin reveled in her restored Herrscher authority, her arrogance swelling once more. The Authority of Reason activated, conjuring countless massive boulders from nothingness. The Authority of Flame ignited, setting the boulders ablaze with raging fire. "With her Herrscher powers fully unleashed...If we let her escape now, not even all of Schicksal could stand against her."
Fu Hua watched the Herrscher with grave intensity, seemingly weighing her options before closing her eyes in final resolve. 'To stop her... I must burn Fenghuang Down.' "All that once was..."
Memories of Danzhu, Cangxuan, and Jilin wielding the Xuanyuan Sword began fading away. "I entrust to this blade..."
Memories of Cheng Lixue and her wayward disciples burned away in turn. Fenghuang Down! First额定Power! Past recollections ignited in her mind, dissipating into unstoppable might. The surging flames transformed into a Garuda before coalescing into a colossal sword of fire that pierced heaven and earth. THE! DIVINE! SWORD! OF! TAIXU! "B-braggart! Mere insects daring to...!"
Facing Fu Hua's assault, Sirin teleported frantically to evade while still spouting defiance. Fu Hua stood like an immortal from legend, gazing down upon the mortal realm from the heavens. "The Divine is the ultimate transformation, speaking through all creation's wonders, yet formless beyond comprehension."
"This is the fifth essence of Taixu Sword Qi—Divine Essence.""Formless yet needing no form, this sword fills all space—this sword is space itself. Thus it exists everywhere and strikes without fail."
Herrscher—this blade—
cannot be blocked.]
[Yanqing]:"What an incredible strike! Truly unstoppable! But wait—did I see my counterpart in Fu Hua's memories just now?"
[Sushang]:"So this is the true Divine Essence?"
Watching the heaven-piercing sword in the video, then recalling her own attempts at Divine Essence, Sushang fell deep into thought.
[Elysia]:"Hua, no wonder you remember nothing. Is this how you use Fenghuang Down? Treating yourself so carelessly? If you keep this up, the Pink Elf will cry, you know?"
[Fu Hua]:"...It was an emergency..."
[Elysia]:"No excuses allowed!"
[Mobius]:"Little mouse, what happened to your Divine Voice? Why resort to Fenghuang Down's imitation?"
[Fu Hua]:"After an accident... my Sword Heart shattered. The restrictions and enhancements from Divine Voice vanished as well."
[Elysia]:"Who did this?"
For a MANTIS to sustain such damage—no ordinary foe could accomplish this.
[Fu Hua]:"Well... I've forgotten."
[Elysia]:"Hua, a lovely girl must take better care of herself! And where were Su and Kevin when you got hurt?"
[Kevin]:"..."
[Su]:"..."
[The overwhelming sword intent split Babylon Tower apart. Every counterattack Sirin attempted proved futile—her defenses torn like paper. Finally, the Divine Sword pierced through all imaginary barriers, stabbing directly into the Herrscher's consciousness.
Upon entering her mindscape, the divine manifestation taking Sirin's form shattered instantly. "The Divine Sword of Taixu—formless and boundless."
"This blade penetrates all physical barriers to strike at consciousness itself—the imperceptible, unknowable depths.""Unknowable, thus unresistable. From within to without, reduced to nothingness. This strike... I definitely landed it."
Then why hadn't the Herrscher vanished? Something enormous lurked in the Second Herrscher's subconscious—something that took the Divine Sword's blow for her. After unleashing the technique, Fu Hua collapsed weakly, blood trickling from her lips as Ruoshui shattered in her grasp. "Could that have been... 'God'? Second Herrscher... was this misfortune on my part... or destiny sparing you?"
As Fu Hua finally lost consciousness, she was caught unexpectedly by someone presumed dead—Welt. "No. You did well."
"Get out of here now. That power you used has reached its limit."
"The Honkai consciousness restraining me suddenly vanished. I never imagined she possessed such strength."
"Ein... our final gamble succeeded. Now I must bide my time—the Second Herrscher cannot discover my survival."]
[March 7th]:"Mr. Yang! You're alive after all!"
[Stelle]:"Why do you sound like you already held his funeral?"
[Mobius]:"I see. Using a Herrscher core as a vessel for consciousness? Modern-era cores can do that?"
[Yunli]:"You're telling me a sword that cleaved a tower that high was a mental attack?"
[Sushang]:"Well... yes? Taixu Divine Essence is purely spiritual..."
[March 7th]: "The kind of 'mental attack' that gives enemies existential crises?" [In reality, Fu Hua awoke coughing blood, now too gravely injured to continue fighting. Through sheer will, she urged those around her to flee—though her burning memories left their names forgotten, some instinct told her they were precious to her.
"No...Master."
Cheng Lixue passed her unconscious master to Otto. At this moment, Lixue seemed at peace. Smiling down at her master, she whispered: "This time... you called me to protect you."
Watching her master carried to safety with serene resolve, Lixue turned unwavering eyes toward their enemy: "I'll hold off the Second Herrscher."]
[Fu Hua]:"Lixue—no! Don't!"
[Kiana]:"Class Rep! Stop using that power! We don't want you to forget us!"
[Mobius]:"The MANTIS factor in your body has nearly all deactivated. What happened? Garuda's regenerative abilities are top-tier."
[Gray Serpent]:"Lord Fuxi, should you find time... World Snake maintains complete medical facilities."
[Fu Hua]:"Fuxi? You mean... me?"
[Hua]:"Other me... just how much have you forgotten?"
Though she always claimed to be just a memory fragment without memories... even she seemed to recall more than her present self.