"What?"
"You're not joking, Amon?"
"Lily! Climb on my back! Run!"
"Oh Lord, I swear by Buddha—this thing must be sent by God…!"
"Stop talking nonsense, Tugaming! Run!"
"Can't help it…"
The crowd erupted into pandemonium. Parents dragged screaming children in frantic flight; some fumbled for concealed weapons; others hurled curses at false advertising; many raised phones to capture the nightmare…
"This is absurd."
Otto sighed—the words slipping out, unclear whom he addressed.
He drew Cecilia to her feet and retreated to a shadowed corner railing.
"No! Everyone! Run! That zombie just conjured a scythe from thin air! It—it's coming from over there! Get out!"
Gunfire cracked in the distance, interwoven with raw human screams—each one severed abruptly, like strings snapped mid-note.
Hearing this, who could fail to comprehend? They cried out from throats already slashed—and in that final gasp of agony, something—perhaps no longer human—severed their vocal cords with merciless precision.
"My God!"
"What are you standing around for? Run!"
"Yeah, just outrun the others!"
"Lord, please send a holy child like Jesus to clear these zombies for Buddha…"
"AH—!!!"
The crowd suddenly parted. A man clutched his throat, eyes bulging in terror, purple veins spiderwebbing across his skin. He tried to scream—but the sound perished in under a second. He didn't even qualify for deadshi transformation; he simply curled inward and collapsed before the horrified onlookers.
"Urgh—!!! Lily, what the—?!"
Another scream. Eyes turned—a man piggybacking his girlfriend stared in wide-eyed shock and disbelief, then toppled forward. A gaping void yawned in his chest. The girlfriend astride him froze for several heartbeats, then slowly turned to the crowd. The blood-drenched heart in her hand still twitched faintly; her pallid skin resembled a corpse rising from its coffin.
People finally beheld her face clearly. Purple glow-lines of Honkai erosion spread across her ashen cheeks; her pupils gleamed with eerie, lifeless light, like the eyes of a dead fish staring from the depths.
"AAAAAHHH—!"
Someone shrieked hysterically and bolted toward the park exit. His piercing wail flipped a switch—the crowd surged like a tidal wave toward the gates.
"Hey Tugaming, don't leave me!"
"Sorry Kashan, I'm terrified of dying like that!"
"Tom, killing won't help! Those zombies don't eat people—they just slaughter! They won't stop because you—ah!"
"Sorry old buddy, but a corpse might slow them down."
Amid the chaos, only Cecilia and Otto beside her remained unmoved.
The woman felt a quiet unease stir within. She glanced at Otto, yearning to ask something—but found his eyes closed in serene focus.
As though sensing her gaze, Otto opened them and extended his hand. A massive golden lance slowly materialized in his palm.
"Mimetic Black Abyss White Flower—a simulated echo of your former weapon," the man murmured, placing it in her grasp. "Follow your instincts. I have your back."
Cecilia nodded, accepting the lance. A familiar yet distant sensation coursed through her; the grip still seemed to carry the lingering warmth of his palm.
She steadied her breath and stepped forward, intercepting a deadshi.
"Stop!"
The deadshi showed no interest in dialogue. It raised its scythe high, poised to bisect her.
Cecilia regarded it calmly—only resolve etched upon her features.
She should have felt fear. Her fragmented memories offered no foundation for such composure. Yet recalling Otto's unwavering calm and his promise filled her with boundless courage.
Onii-sama will protect me.
Always.
Even beneath a Honkai fission bomb—huh? What is that?
The phrase surfaced unbidden. Cecilia tried to chase it, but her hands moved without hesitation—she raised the lance to parry, spun gracefully, and thrust straight into the deadshi's skull.
The creature that had just slain its boyfriend cracked at the brow, crumpling to its knees. As it slid lifelessly to the ground, its eyes briefly cleared. It gazed down at the heart still clutched tightly in its hand.
Then—nothing more.
Cecilia frowned—not from the instant tragedy of betrayal and parting (her current memories could not yet grasp such intricate sorrow).
She was troubled by the elusive term that had appeared, now vanished without trace from her mind.
Again.
Always like this.
Memories were like mist—close yet intangible. The harder she grasped, the swifter they fled.
She turned to Otto. Behind him loomed a massive cross; he leaned against it casually, holding her pale yellow-green down jacket, offering her a faint, reassuring smile.
Onii-sama has my back.
Cecilia's heart suddenly steadied.
Meanwhile, deadshi stirred—some swift, some lumbering—gradually encircling her.
They were few at first, but under Honkai's erosion, fallen victims rose anew. Eyes turned crimson; purple lines crawled up necks.
More and more deadshi.
"Then come."
The woman murmured softly. Her right hand spun the lance—not with perfect fluency. Golden mist unfurled from the weapon.
Some deadshi sensed the mist's terror and faltered instinctively, but most—stripped of consciousness—stepped into its embrace.
Then…
Their flesh dissolved in moments. Outstretched arms melted mid-reach, leaving only gleaming white skeletons.
This was Black Abyss's "Abyss" dominion. Though severely diminished in mimetic form, in Cecilia's hands it still corroded with devastating grace.
The deadshi's advance crumbled beneath the golden haze. Cecilia pressed forward—lance thrusting in relentless rhythm, striking multiple foes at once.
"Technique's still rusty…"
Otto watched the fluid onslaught and sighed softly.
Indeed, Cecilia's strikes flowed seamlessly, overwhelming her enemies—but Otto clearly saw she relied solely on muscle memory. Several times deadshi closed in; only the mist spared her.
Against hordes, basic assaults sufficed—but against a Herrscher or Kevin's caliber… she lacked decisive finishers.
The woman seemed to sense this herself, frowning faintly. She spun the lance like a knight—then vanished from the deadshi's sight in the next instant. Only Otto caught her leaping silhouette.
Cecilia soared high, inverted the lance, and plunged straight into the deadshi circle's heart!
Tremendous Honkai energy erupted outward. The lance raised golden mist into the night, sweeping every direction!
Eroded bodies disintegrated. Deadshi after deadshi wailed their final cries, rotting away—bones and all.
Cecilia wiped away nonexistent sweat, turning to seek Otto—like a child awaiting an elder's praise.
But her eyes widened the next instant—overwhelming pressure bore down from behind!
Her peripheral vision caught her shadow swallowed by a massive, inhuman form. Its owner raised a circular object high, smashing down with swift, vicious force!