"Understood. This place is the future of the world I'm currently in."
Xin Yu took a sip of the cola someone had left in this base, then calmly accepted this reality and asked, "So, is there anything you want me to change?"
"Eh? Why are you so sure we need you to change something?"
"Although I didn't hear your previous conversation, whose past doesn't hold regrets? Who hasn't experienced parting at least once?"
Xin Yu looked at the Raiden Mei on the screen, who looked much older than the one he knew, and said, "Like Raiden Mei. I only met her after Raiden Ryoma was imprisoned. If the past could be changed, no one would wish for their beloved family member to stay in jail."
"And Kiana, you know far more than your past self, and you know where your father is. If the past could be changed, you probably wouldn't want to blindly chase your father's elusive figure anymore."
"How could any grown person not have a past they wish they could change?"
Xin Yu looked at the fizzy cola in his hand and stated his own hidden circumstances very directly.
"Besides, I don't have much time left anyway. From the moment I lost my memory and reawakened, the countdown on my life started ticking incessantly. Although a few accidents extended my lifespan, the truth is, if I don't make a breakthrough soon, I will definitely die within a month."
"If I can do something within this limited life that is enough to change someone else's entire life, that's actually not bad for me... Becoming a profound figure in someone else's memory, that also counts as proof that I existed."
Upon hearing Xin Yu's words, Kiana immediately reached out and grabbed his arm. Just the next moment after contact, Kiana's expression suddenly changed.
The other party's Honkai energy resistance and adaptability weren't particularly high, but the Honkai energy accumulated within his body had already reached a level that would kill even a B-rank Valkyrie. Under such circumstances, the other party could still interact with them seemingly unaffected!
"You..."
Seeing Kiana's astonished gaze, Xin Yu understood she had likely perceived the problem with his body. After thinking for a moment, he stated very directly.
"Mm, maybe you've noticed. I've already lost my sense of taste, and my body's sense of pain has also become much duller. Right after I woke up, I could still feel the pain of a kitchen knife cutting my finger and the sting of direct contact with salt. But recently, even if I cut my own wrist, I don't feel any pain at all."
"...Honkai energy erosion."
This phenomenon caused the gazes of the St. Freya members to focus on Kiana once again, each face filled with complex emotions.
Back then, when Kiana first awakened, she must have been in a similar state.
"I can save you."
Kiana took a deep breath, suppressing all the complex emotions within her heart, and looked at the youth opposite her with determined eyes.
"If I used someone's life to exchange for Teacher Himeko's life, even if Teacher Himeko were resurrected, she would definitely blame me... So stay. I will heal you. If it's possible afterward, then you can try changing the past."
"Even if doing so might cause me to lose the ability to transmigrate, making it impossible for you to change the past?"
"Yes, even if I lose this chance."
Xin Yu looked into Kiana's eyes, surprised that those originally sky-blue eyes would become like this in the future.
"Kiana, how strong are you in the future?" Thinking that the other party might be one of the protagonists of this world, Xin Yu suddenly asked this question.
"Very strong, I guess. I don't really know exactly how strong, after all, I haven't been the Herrscher of Finality for long."
"That's right. After all, idiot Kiana is a bad student, doesn't even know how to use her own powers, so she's still taking remedial lessons now," Bronya interjected.
"Bronya! Don't mention that at a time like this!"
"Speaking of which, Kiana, have you finished your homework? I remember it was due two days ago. I've been busy these past two days and forgot about it." Theresa chimed in.
"Aunt Theresa... about that..."
"Kiana, didn't you mention earlier that you met Xin Yu while eating instant noodles? So, just how much instant noodles are you still hiding?" Mei asked.
"Mei... I..."
Xin Yu watched Kiana turn around to interact with those friends, family, or perhaps even her lover on the screen...
In short, Xin Yu could see that Kiana seemed very happy and fulfilled now...
In a daze, some lost memories resurfaced in his mind...
He saw, from a first-person perspective, himself standing before a train, waving goodbye to Kiana who had already boarded.
He watched as the scene began to pull away, everything becoming a video playing on a phone screen. And within that video, lines of text began to scroll continuously, forming sentences.
[Does this story really have anything to do with ■■?]
[Who says it doesn't? Didn't everyone collectively cyberbully Kevin in the end? Lol]
[Lmao! The main story was deleted and changed, now ■■ isn't mentioned at all. Now that the ending is near, they drag us out for cash grab, right?]
[Does this story really need our participation?]
[How I miss the version that could kick me offline with one foot]
[Homeland... Homeland...]
[Goodbye Kiana, Goodbye Honkai Impact 3rd]
[Where's the Kiana and Mei fluff? It's the ending already, why no exciting scenes!]
[Mei Top is real!]
[Enough already, this is ■■ fanfiction, can the lily-pigs die somewhere else!]
[Oh ho ho, their lovey-dovey bothers you? Are you even in the main story? You're just shouting here!]
[Here it comes, here it comes! I knew something was missing! Start the rhythm! Fight, fight!]
...
Xin Yu remembered some things about this game. Perhaps because of the contact with the future Kiana, he recalled something: it seemed the protagonist of this world, Kiana, ultimately saved the world.
So that's how it is... It turns out even the players enjoying this game from across a dimension weren't very important either.
And I, this player, have merely crossed the dimension. My importance is the same.
"■■"
Xin Yu seemed to suddenly hear someone calling him. He turned around and saw many blurry figures. He saw those figures, smiling one by one, calling out to him.
He looked back and saw Kiana Kaslana standing under the light, happy and fulfilled.
He saw figures appear one by one beside her, filling the space around her, packed tightly, without a single gap.
He looked towards the back, where many blurry figures existed. It was pitch black there, with rows of dark shadows standing like ghosts from a horror movie. But among those terrifying dark shadows, a place was left for him.
Xin Yu walked towards it in silence. Finally, his figure completely merged into the darkness and disappeared.
And the group over there, still chatting idly, only realized something was wrong the moment Xin Yu vanished completely. Everyone's gaze shifted back to where Xin Yu had been, only to find it empty.
...
When Xin Yu regained consciousness again, he found himself lying on a vast, open field. The sky was overcast, and light raindrops fell on his face, chillingly cold.
Xin Yu stared blankly. Just now, when he stepped into that darkness, an unprecedented sense of emptiness enveloped him. The feeling made him almost want to give up his life again. But in that instant, he lost consciousness, and when he came to, he was here.
And just then, red suddenly appeared in Xin Yu's vision. He saw a person holding a red umbrella, shielding him from the rain.
"Who... are you?" asked a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Raiden Mei.