Chapter 129: Ana's Crisis! The Descent of Virtual God's Remains: Rationalism!

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"Your Majesty..."

Facing Sirin, Bella felt momentarily at a loss. Her inherited memories were limited, primarily focused on her training as a maid. Seeing Queen Sirin like this, she couldn't comprehend what had occurred.

Sirin noticed Bella's confusion and hesitantly explained the reason.

"Lady Ana... was stabbed?"

To cater to Sirin's interests, Bella had extensively studied related topics, enabling her to understand Sirin's concern.

She also vividly remembered Lady Ana.

Before arriving in this world, Bella had encountered Lady Ana. Initially, she harbored resentment towards her, considering that Ana had hurt her beloved Queen.

However, upon witnessing Sirin thriving in this world, Bella understood everything.

"Your Majesty could request the Honkai Impact 3 writers to modify this part of the storyline," Bella suggested after a brief moment of contemplation.

However, Sirin shook her head. If it were truly possible to influence another world through this game company, she wouldn't have appeared here at all.

In other words, even if the game company yielded under her instructions, it would not affect the course of events in the alternate reality; it would merely be self-deception.

"..."

Although Sirin didn't explicitly state it, Bella could roughly guess the reason behind her hesitation.

"Your Majesty, consider the positive side. If Lady Ana perishes in that other world, might she then join you here, by your side?"

"M-maybe..." Sirin responded uncertainly.

"But...but I truly hope my sister can live better in that world!"

Bella remained silent. This indeed presented a difficult dilemma, no wonder Queen Sirin felt troubled—it stemmed from her inherent kindness.

Unfortunately, there was little else Bella could do. She simply embraced Sirin, offering the only comfort within her power as a maid.

In the Honkai World, as Ana froze time with Absolute Zero and sliced through space using Shunra's Instant Sword Technique, her consciousness finally traveled back several years to the Manila Honkai.

Just as Ana anticipated or rather hoped for, she arrived precisely at the location where the Manila Honkai erupted.

Underneath the sky, a terrifying Major Honkai Eruption unfolded, causing refugees to scatter in panic. Above, the Empress of Winter descended silently, bringing frost with her presence.

However, the fleeing refugees below remained oblivious to her existence. Even if someone looked up, it seemed they couldn't perceive her at all; no one could sense her presence.

Ana descended from the sky, becoming the sole figure moving against the crowd. People brushed past her without making contact, and remarkably, they instinctively avoided colliding with her, as if she were invisible yet tangibly present.

Here, Ana felt both existing and non-existent simultaneously.

She couldn't fully comprehend her current state but sensed that things were not as simple as they appeared. Time travel, returning to the past, should theoretically be beyond the capabilities of a Herrscher, yet somehow, she managed to achieve it. However, according to Ana's understanding, her success was incomplete.

Nevertheless, this didn't hinder her from pursuing what she desired.

Manila, a place Ana knew intimately well; countless times, nightmares of its devastation had jolted her awake, causing her to remember every street and even each fallen refugee vividly.

Guided by these memories, she swiftly reached her destination—a crumbling building on the verge of collapse.

There, she spotted a familiar figure.

Long chestnut hair draped over a standard Valkyrie uniform, exuding grace and beauty. Yet at that moment, the silhouette appeared frightened and vulnerable.

Indeed, it was herself—the Ana Schariac during Manila's Honkai outbreak.

Suddenly, Ana halted amidst the ruins as she heard a young girl pleading desperately for help.

The girl seemed to notice Ana's presence as well.

"Big Sister... Please save me..."

Those feeble, agonized cries evoked deep sympathy, striking Ana's heart like hammer blows one after another.

Ana felt this way, sensing that the other Ana across from her experienced the same emotions.

However, ultimately, the terrified Ana chose to hastily flee.

As Ana's figure gradually receded, she noticed that beside the pleading girl, the young boy struggled to open his eyes before closing them again.

A small kindness is forgotten, but a large one breeds resentment.

For some reason, this saying suddenly emerged in Ana's mind.

How could it be? Regardless of whether Ana saved Chen Tianwen or not, her actions were still beneficial to Chen Tianwu. He had no right to blame Ana for not aiding his brother.

Rescuing someone requires courage, capability within one's limits, and prioritizing responsibilities.

In reality, even if Ana focused solely on escaping without saving anyone, she would have been justified. As a Valkyrie guarding this area, she fulfilled her duty.

To put it bluntly, the value of an elite Valkyrie far surpasses that of several ordinary civilians; there's virtually no comparison.

Even if Ana did nothing, the bishop wouldn't hold any grudge—it was entirely expected.

Facing Honkai, human sacrifices are inevitable.

Moreover, only Vice-Captain Ana remained from the entire Snow Lotus Squad. For humanity, this Valkyrie team had already given more than enough.

Unfortunately, neither Ana nor Chen Tianwu shared this perspective.

If Chen Tianwu and Ana truly held such beliefs, then Ana wouldn't be here now.

As Ana departed from her past self, she stepped into the ruins and approached the little girl, extending her hand towards her.

Contrary to expectation, Ana's hand did not pass through the girl; instead, it genuinely grasped the child's arm.

Perhaps sensing the icy chill emanating from Ana, the little girl shivered and struggled to open her eyes.

"Big Sister... Save me!"

With her last remaining strength, the girl clung to the edge of Ana's clothing. The will to survive when faced with death is unimaginable, though it was difficult to define what exactly she was seeking rescue from.

"..."

Staring at Chen Tianwen before her, Ana momentarily felt uncertain. Initially, she had little hope for this time-travel attempt, but now it seemed she might have actually succeeded. However—what should she do next?

She couldn't bring the little girl to the future, and based on her assessment of the girl's injuries, even if Ana had intervened earlier, there was no way to save her life.

Yet, having made contact with Chen Tianwen, Ana could no longer stand idly by.

She had to do something!

With that thought, Ana leaned down, gently lifted the girl, and then turned to depart.

She could sense that the nearby boy seemed to show slight signs of reaction, though it was unclear what he did before lapsing back into unconsciousness.

This didn't cause Ana to look back; regardless, she knew Chen Tianwu would encounter her counterpart from this timeline later, so there was no need for concern.

Her immediate priority now was to save the girl named Chen Tianwen in her arms. If she could accomplish this, the future Heart Demon or Herrscher personality might cease to exist, effectively addressing the root of the problem.

Thus, Ana emerged with Chen Tianwen from the rubble and swiftly flew in a particular direction. Being intimately familiar with the area, she naturally knew where to find Chen Tianwen's best chance of survival.

Within the region affected by Manila's Honkai outbreak, hospitals and medical facilities were overwhelmed and incapacitated. Restoring healthcare services would require assistance from Schicksal.

However, the surrounding areas outside Manila had not yet faced such dire overcrowding issues. By taking Chen Tianwen to regions unaffected by Honkai, she stood a chance of being saved—

"Big Sister, it hurts so much..."

The moan from the girl in Ana's arms interrupted her thoughts.

Looking down at the young woman, a tender expression crossed Ana's face.

"Don't worry, help is just around the corner."

As she spoke, Ana intensified her control over her Authorities, completely oblivious to the implausibility of the situation.

After all, the current Ana was merely a consciousness, not a physical being. While traversing space-time might be less challenging for a consciousness compared to one's corporeal self, logically speaking, it should have been impossible for a disembodied presence to embrace and carry a tangible human form.

It seemed that Ana's determination to achieve her goal had clouded her judgment, which was understandable given the circumstances. Ultimately, despite having acquired numerous psychic abilities through Su and Aponia, she wasn't inherently adept at manipulating minds or spirits.

Being human, everyone has their vulnerabilities, including Su and Aponia; naturally, Ana was no exception.

With Chen Tianwen in tow, Ana swiftly flew to another city. There, she located a hospital with utmost urgency and handed Chen Tianwen over to the medical staff.

Sitting on a chair outside the hospital emergency room, Ana let out a long sigh, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her heart.

With her minor assistance combined with the doctors' treatment, Chen Tianwen would soon be out of immediate danger. As for his recovery and future care, Schicksal already had a well-planned arrangement in place.

However, as time passed, Ana increasingly sensed something amiss. It was a difficult sensation to describe, occasionally accompanied by palpitations, as though some unknown entity were watching her closely.

Despite looking around, Ana found nothing unusual.

But as minutes ticked by, that unsettling feeling grew stronger, as if the presence was drawing nearer to her.

Suddenly, alarm bells rang in Ana's mind, prompting her instinctively to stand up and evade just in time. Simultaneously, a beam of light struck where she had been sitting moments ago.

The surroundings began to fade, colors disappearing, transforming everything into shades of black and white.

At the same moment, a vast arena materialized before her. At its center stood a massive mechanical figure resembling a combination of Fontaine's guard machinery from Genshin Impact and the Virtual God Remains from Honkai Impact 3.

However, its appearance was distinctly different from what Ana expected. Just as she felt puzzled, a piece of information suddenly surfaced in her mind: "Virtual God Remains - Rationalism."

This creature had never appeared in the game Honkai Impact 3, but conceptually, it resembled Existentialism, Nihilism, and Mysticism.

Rationalism's exterior featured numerous coin-like elements, resembling a balance scale, embodying reason and deep intellectual inquiry.

As Rationalism manifested before her eyes, Ana wasted no time. She promptly activated her Herrscher Authorities while swiftly creating distance between herself and the entity.

If nothing unexpected occurred, this Rationalism seemed to be the final Ascension trial. However, its sudden appearance left Ana uncertain about the nature of this test.

For just an Ascension related to the Herrscher of Ice, such complexity wouldn't be necessary. If it were Primogenitor's trial, then Mysticism should have emerged instead.

Rationalism represents timeless truth, the cornerstone upon which civilizations are built, serving as both the foundation and prerequisite for forging new paths.

In essence, Dr. Mei from the previous civilization era followed Rationalism, and everything Kevin bore represented this path as well.

Nihilism was the road walked by Mobius, while Elysia embraced Mysticism.

As for Existentialism, it was the path taken by both the Herrscher of a Thousand Souls and the Herrscher of Corruption.

Without question, neither Kevin nor Mei had triggered the descent of Rationalism. Now, with Rationalism appearing before Ana, it signifies that she has, in some sense, surpassed Mei and Kevin, truly touching upon realms beyond human reach.

Of course, such power comes at a cost, making Rationalism unparalleled compared to the other three Virtual God Remains.

Just as Ana thought about evading, the Virtual God Remains swiftly pursued her. Its halo, resembling golden coins, charged directly towards Ana, leaving her no choice but to continue dodging.

Despite Ana's constant evasions, as the embodiment of Truth, the Virtual God Remains could always anticipate her moves. Eventually, there was no escape from its attacks, showcasing the formidable power of Rationalism.

This sensation felt akin to an ordinary person facing off against the Herrscher of Truth; every action was entirely predictable by their opponent. From the outset, Ana found herself at an absolute disadvantage, virtually powerless to retaliate.

"Boom!"

With a deafening explosion, Ana was blasted away, crashing into the illusory wall before plummeting down.