"Finished watching 'A Flash' too. Anything else?" Fera browsed through the Honkai: Star Rail official account. Most of the content that should have been released was already out.
Just as he finished his takeout, it was time to continue grinding the main story!
...
[Scene shifts.]
[The Xianzhou Luofu, Shackling Prison.]
[A man draped in a long black coat was escorted by two Cloud Knight soldiers, slowly walking toward the light.]
[His coat bore patterns of red spider lilies, and his navy-blue hair, draped behind him, swayed gently with each step. Bandages wrapped around multiple parts of his body stood out starkly in the shadows.]
[Straight ahead, Jing Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, while his disciple Yanqing sat to the side, seemingly waiting for him as well.]
["Yanqing."]
["Yes, General."]
["Later, take a good look at this man."]
[Yanqing raised his head in surprise, eyeing the prisoner before him, unable to comprehend why this man was so important that the General would personally intervene.]
[Once the man came to a stop, Jing Yuan asked in a low voice, "Do you remember me?"]
["...I do." The man spoke coldly, his slightly hoarse voice devoid of any fluctuation, even in such a setting.]
[Only when he slowly raised his head did a trace of madness flicker in his blood-red eyes beneath his sculpted features: "Of five people, and three must pay the price... Jing Yuan, you are not one of them."]
"Tsk tsk, quite a dangerous man."
Kaioh Kaku remarked, "To nurture such ferocity... he must have killed hundreds, if not thousands, right?"
Unexpectedly, this comment sent Miyamoto Musashi into a fit of laughter. "Hundreds or thousands... HAHAHA! Have none of you ever truly killed before?"
As if hearing the funniest joke in the world, Musashi laughed until tears streamed down his face, forcing him to wipe his eyes repeatedly. "Kaioh Kaku, even if you've trained in martial arts for centuries, how many people have you actually killed? Could it be that your so-called 'fist principles' have never even seen blood?"
Faced with this mockery, Kaioh Kaku remained calm, his face maintaining a kindly elder's smile. However, his disciple Retsu Kaioh's muscles tensed up, and he let out a thunderous roar: "Shut your mouth! You insolent fool!"
Musashi smirked at him, taking a long moment before finally suppressing his amusement. "I can tell you've never experienced real slaughter, young man... Your eyes are still pure."
"Those who have truly walked through battlefields and experienced countless fights would never have eyes like yours."
Though furious, Retsu Kaioh had no grounds to refute Musashi's words.
In his youth, Miyamoto Musashi became a ronin and settled in Kyoto, where he challenged the famed "Kyoto's Number One Sword Dojo," the Yoshioka School.
After killing the dojo master, Yoshioka Seijuro, in a duel at Ichijoji Temple, 76 of Yoshioka's disciples who had gathered to watch ambushed Musashi. Yet, Musashi turned the group battle into 76 one-on-one duels, slaughtering all 76 samurai in the end.
This battle made him famous across the land.
"In battle, humans turn into beasts, losing reason and becoming frenzied." Even after four hundred years, Musashi seemed to still reminisce about the exhilaration of that slaughter.
"If you've killed hundreds like I have, you'd understand—that black-clad man on the screen has definitely killed far more than just hundreds or thousands."
Musashi closed his magatama-like eyes. "The number of people he's killed... is beyond counting, even for me. The ferocity and madness in his eyes are somewhat similar to that woman, Jingliu."
"...But not the same, right?" Kaioh Kaku suddenly interjected.
"Indeed. My simple guess—perhaps due to Mara, Jingliu must be consciously suppressing this madness to avoid indiscriminate slaughter... though it's hard to maintain."
Musashi opened his eyes and sighed. "But this man is different. He seems to deliberately indulge the fury within, making madness a weapon in battle."
——
["..."]
[In his dream was that familiar figure.]
[Accompanied by the sound of his shattered sword, a nightmarish voice slowly echoed in Dan Heng's ears.]
["Of five people, three must pay the price..."]
[The man drew his sword and suddenly raised a finger, a mocking smile faintly visible at the corner of his lips: "You—are one of them!"]
[The next moment, the blade pierced through the air, its killing intent striking straight at his face, forcing out an involuntary cry.]
["—Ah!"]
[Dan Heng jolted upright, his chest heaving rapidly. Only after a long moment did his tense muscles gradually relax.]
"It seems Dan Heng's psychological issues are quite severe, reaching the point of 'as you think by day, so you dream by night.'"
In Inazuma's Aisa Bathhouse Hot Springs, Yumemizuki Mizuki lay in the steaming bath, frowning at the young man tormented by nightmares on the screen.
"Alright, that's someone from another world. Even if you want to help him, you can't. Might as well enjoy the moment." Yae Miko, now in a yukata, teased from the side: "What? Is your baku instincts acting up, making you want to fly in and devour his nightmare?"
"As a therapist, patients like him aren't uncommon." Mizuki shook her head, tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear. "Even if you devour it once, his heart will quickly breed new nightmares. With such patients, rather than treating the symptoms, it's better to cure the root cause."
"Oh?" Yae Miko's interest was piqued, and she scooted closer. "How would you treat it?"
"It's obvious that black-haired man is a psychological burden for Dan Heng." Mizuki pondered seriously.
"In such cases, avoidance is the worst approach. The two must talk face-to-face, laying everything out—preferably in front of General Jing Yuan. Jing Yuan seems very impartial, and with him mediating, many conflicts might naturally resolve."
"Uh..."
Perhaps from soaking too long, Yae Miko wiped the sweat from her brow. "Mizuki, your therapy... is quite deadly."
["Hah... hah..." Dan Heng panted heavily, glancing around. Outside the train window stretched an endless starry sky, its faint light casting onto the blue tatami of the data room. The surroundings were silent, devoid of any other sound.]
[That dream again.]
[Just as Dan Heng began to relax, voices suddenly called from outside the door—Stelle and March 7th urging him to come to the main cabin for the train meeting.]
["You go ahead, I'll be right there."]
[Upon hearing his reply, Stelle and March 7th returned to the cabin, where Welt and Himeko were already waiting.]
["Let's go, the route meeting is about to start." Seeing the two, Welt beckoned them over to Pom-Pom.]
[Though Dan Heng was late again, Himeko and the others were long used to it. Once everyone else had gathered, she cleared her throat and announced the start of the meeting.]