Without further hesitation, Cheng Lixue and Li Shen quickly organized the survivors and rapidly left this area that was about to turn into a true purgatory along the pre-planned evacuation route.
In the blink of an eye, only Fu Hua and the Seven Swords of Taixu remained in front of the dilapidated courtyard, facing off against the Emperor-class Honkai Beast that exuded an aura of destruction.
The air was thick with heavy dust, the smell of blood, and a pressure of Honkai energy that made the skin tingle.
Su Mei licked her slightly dry lips, but her eyes flickered with a strange light. She chuckled lightly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling...
And excitement.
"Ah... a monster that can melt steel and ignite everything. Just feeling this aura makes one's heart... breed fear."
But mixed beneath this fear was a fanaticism to challenge and conquer.
Ma Feima snorted coldly. Although the palpitations in his heart were unavoidable, this was definitely not fear!
The [Crimson Shadow] in his hand hummed as he took a step forward, his fighting spirit almost piercing the sky.
"Hmph, fear? Even against such a monster, I don't think we will lose! Hasn't Master taught us until now for this very moment?!"
Cheng Lingshuang was the most direct. She didn't even look at the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, only slightly adjusting the angle of [Supreme Freedom], her cold voice without any fluctuation.
"No need for words. Just draw your swords."
Standing beside her, Jiang Wanxi frowned slightly. She could feel the energy level contained within the monster's body far exceeded what had been simulated in their previous training.
She reminded her companions in a low voice, also seemingly reminding herself: "Do not underestimate the enemy. Master said, we... have lost."
Although Fu Hua had never described the tragic state of the "future," she had emphasized countless times—they would lose.
Beside her, Jiang Wanru immediately spat a few times, as if to dispel the bad luck, trying to make her voice sound confident.
"Sister, don't boost other people's morale! We will definitely win! Master is here!"
Qin Suyi did not participate in the conversation. Her gaze followed the direction her husband and daughter had left until their figures disappeared behind the ruined walls.
She took a deep breath and turned to Fu Hua, her eyes filled with determination and a trace of tenderness she couldn't let go of. Her voice was soft but firm: "Master... if I... please, take care of Sushang..."
She paused, as if using all her strength to say the words hidden in her heart, "Please tell her... Mom will always be proud of her."
Fu Hua looked at her with a deep gaze, making no promises or refusals, just nodding slightly.
This silence itself was a heavy promise.
But it would be best for Qin Suyi to say these words herself.
Finally, Eldest Senior Sister Lin Chaoyu took a step forward. Her gaze swept over the faces of every junior brother and sister, seeing caution, fighting spirit, determination, and protection.
She took a deep breath, held "Light Dust Willow" in front of her, her voice clear and firm, breaking the stagnant atmosphere:
"Seven Swords—"
"Assemble!"
---||---
Everything seemed to be heading in a better direction than "before"...
---||---
Inside the Pearl of the Sea, the extremely dense crowd allowed the Honkai to start a gluttonous feast.
Death was reveling, collapse was dancing wildly.
Yun Mengxi stood stiffly in the center of the stage. The spotlight still foolishly shone on her, exposing her pale face and terrified pupils with nowhere to hide.
Below the stage was no longer a sea of stars, but a sea of blood, a noisy hell.
Her brain refused to process this overly cruel reality, leaving only one thought echoing madly in her empty skull, like a stuck record:
It shouldn't be like this.
---||---
The concert ended perfectly amidst the thunderous calls for an encore.
She was exhausted to the point of collapse, but with the brightest smile, she bowed in every direction.
Her brother Yun Feng would definitely rush onto the stage and shove the huge bouquet he had prepared long ago into her arms. On his face, which always feigned seriousness, a silly smile even happier than hers would appear.
Backstage, Liu Zhuohua would nag her to hurry up and remove her makeup. Chen Shicheng had already booked a place for the celebration banquet. The team members would surround her, chattering about every wonderful moment of tonight.
...It shouldn't be like this.
In reality, a zombie wearing an exquisite dress pounced onto the stage, pressing a dance partner at her feet, who was scared immobile, to the ground. Blood splashed onto her pure white dress.
---||---
Maybe after the celebration banquet, her brother would disperse the others and take her alone to that dessert shop he had been talking about for a long time.
He would awkwardly listen to her excitedly reviewing every detail of tonight, and when she got excited, he would quietly push her favorite dessert in front of her.
He would ruffle her hair and say, "Well done, Mengxi," just like when she first won an award on stage as a child.
The city lights at night were gentle, her new song playing in the car, all exhaustion dissipating in the company of family.
...
It shouldn't be like this.
In reality, in the front row of the audience, a little girl holding her light sign was pushed down in the chaos. Before she could cry out, she was overwhelmed by several swarming zombies.
The exquisite light sign was trampled to pieces, soaking in a pool of viscous blood.
---||---
This unprecedentedly successful concert would be a new starting point for her career.
More invitations, bigger stages, more moving music... she could walk to higher places step by step, not only for herself but also to see the scenery her brother yearned for in his place.
She could even imagine that many years later, her brother would lay down his heavy burden, perhaps standing on some award podium with her as a producer, sharing that glory.
...
...Shouldn't... shouldn't be like this...
In reality, the steel frame supporting the stage groaned under the overwhelming burden. A turbulent current of purple energy swept through, and the lighting fixtures and decorations on the ceiling crashed down, crushing several fleeing figures underneath, silencing them instantly.
The structure of the entire venue was collapsing.
---||---
Maybe one day in the future, she would meet someone and start a family.
Her brother would critically examine the person while secretly helping her evaluate them.
She might have a child, and her brother would become the most doting uncle.
She could sing gentle lullabies, telling the child that your mother and uncle once had a beautiful dream together, and they realized it.
...
...That's right...
This world... shouldn't be like this.
...
...Shouldn't...
...Unwilling.
Why now?
Why here?
...She clearly... she clearly had already touched the outline of happiness, clearly had carried the dreams of two people, clearly... the future had so many beautiful possibilities!
Every shattered "possibility" was like a dull knife repeatedly cutting her heart.
That intense, pure unwillingness and resentment at the ruthless deprivation of a predetermined beautiful future accumulated and compressed madly within her body like boiling magma!
"Mengxi—!!!"
A heart-wrenching shout pierced through all the chaos and roars!
Like a madman, Yun Feng knocked away all obstacles and rushed onto the stage covered in blood!
His face no longer held his usual composure, only extreme fear and the madness of wanting to protect his sister.
He saw his sister standing on the stage like a doll, saw the blood spots on her dress, saw the light in her eyes completely shattered.
Just the moment Yun Feng's hand was about to touch Yun Mengxi—
"No..." Her lips, stained red by the blood at the scene, parted slightly, breathing out a faint syllable.
"I do not accept..."