I never thought that one day I would wake up to a sight like this.
Tall buildings collapsed, rivers diverted, and the atmosphere filled with some kind of strange dust from an unknown substance.
Darkness covered the land, with not a trace of light in the sky, only an endless cold and the aura of death.
The streets that should have been bustling were now devoid of a single person...
Oh, wait.
There are plenty of people.
They're just all Honkai Zombies.
They have a human form, but they can no longer be called human. Zombies are no different, are they? Unrecognizable faces, flesh and bone twisted, bodies mangled and broken...
Penglaiji Ryn switched between her heavy cannon, greatsword, and dual daggers, spinning and leaping among the Honkai Zombies. Every flash would take away the last shred of life from many of them.
The girl's fighting movements grew slower. The gruesome sights before her and the turbid, foul air disgusted her.
The road lay ahead, but Penglaiji Ryn felt as if there was no point in continuing to kill like this.
Nagazora City had a population of over 3 million, along with countless other creatures. People had turned into Honkai Zombies, animals into Honkai Beasts...
With just the two daggers in her hands, she could never kill them all...
Penglaiji Ryn looked up at the young man in the sky. Unlike her, who was somewhat fatigued, he had maintained a smile the entire time, as if he had seen such sights countless times and had grown accustomed to them.
"Tired?"
Ryn landed beside Penglaiji Ryn, scanned the area, and cleared out a safe zone.
"A little... but more than physical fatigue, my heart is even more tired." Penglaiji Ryn put away her weapons and stood beside Ryn, panting heavily, but the turbid air did little to make her feel better.
Her eyes were filled with confusion. Whether it was her lost memories or facing this world that had already been destroyed, Penglaiji Ryn didn't know what she should do, or what she could do...
"The world has been destroyed. Maybe we're the only ones left, along with these robots... Big Brother, do you think we have any reason to exist anymore?"
Ryn patted Penglaiji Ryn's little head and comforted her with a smile, "The world is destroyed, but we're still alive, aren't we? As long as we're alive, there are still many unimaginable possibilities.
What's more, we're not the only ones in this world! Don't forget the resistance base the Guide mentioned. We've never been alone."
Ryn paused, then pointed into the distance.
"Look, they're here."
Penglaiji Ryn followed Ryn's pointing finger and saw in that direction, a group of young girls armed with crude weapons were fighting their way through the horde of Honkai Zombies, carving a path towards them.
"Let's go, they're here to pick us up." Ryn reached out and changed the gravity nearby, slightly weakening the Honkai Zombies' movements and reducing the pressure on the resistance fighters. Then he summoned his Sword of Stars and led the charge towards the resistance.
The world was destroyed by a Herrscher, and the hatred of the survivors towards Herrschers was unimaginable. Ryn didn't want to go around telling everyone he was a Herrscher and inviting their resentment.
"I see, then I understand." Penglaiji Ryn patted her cheeks and pulled herself together. She shouldered the Phased Weapon Array Greatsword and charged towards the resistance's position.
A few minutes later, Ryn and the other successfully rendezvoused with the resistance. However, the leader of the resistance group surprised Ryn a little.
"Sorry, sorry, we're a little late. Are you two hurt?" Carrying a worn-out giant scythe, a grown-up Seele looked at Ryn and Penglaiji Ryn with a smile.
"You guys are amazing! To be able to take down so many zombies, it looks like our big family is about to get some strong members."
Seele happily walked up and hooked her arms around Ryn's and Penglaiji Ryn's necks, pulling them into her embrace.
"See...le?" Ryn was a bit dazed. Although it was certain that people from different worlds would have different personalities, the Seele of this world was too cheerful and enthusiastic...
"Are you... from the Resistance?"
Penglaiji Ryn felt a little embarrassed by Seele's actions. Even though Seele was also a girl, wasn't this a bit too intimate...
"You know my name, and you know about the Resistance. It seems you already know a bit about us, which will make explaining things later easier."
Seele made a gesture, and the rest of the resistance members immediately readied their fighting stances again. "It's not safe here, we can talk about the rest later. Let's head back to the base first."
Seele led Ryn and Penglaiji Ryn towards the direction of the train.
Halfway there, Penglaiji Ryn tugged on Seele's sleeve.
"This direction... we just came from here. Is the base over there?"
"Yeah. Did you know? A long time ago in Nagazora City, there was also a Great Honkai Eruption here, and a Herrscher was born—the Herrscher of Thunder. Nagazora City was her territory, but the Herrscher of Thunder abandoned her subjects. Without a Herrscher to lead them, the Honkai creatures can only wander around aimlessly.
But it is because of this that humanity has been given a final chance to breathe.
Our base is built on a small island surrounded and isolated by seawater. The seawater can block Honkai energy and also defend against some Honkai creature attacks."
After speaking, Seele playfully punched Ryn and Penglaiji Ryn. She let out a soft sigh, then smiled and said.
"You two, instead of staying on the train and waiting for our rescue, you ran out. We had to go a long way around to find you."
Ryn helplessly spread his hands and retorted in a low voice, "That place was being attacked by Honkai creatures, we couldn't just sit there and wait to die."
"Ahem, so I'm not blaming you~ I'm just complaining a little."
Seele grabbed the Guides No. 5 and 6 from Ryn's and Penglaiji Ryn's waists and glared at them fiercely.
"Did these little guys get scared and encourage you to run away!"
"No, no, we just asked it for the location of the resistance base, we were planning to fight our way there ourselves..." Penglaiji Ryn quickly explained. Seeing Seele's fierce expression, Penglaiji Ryn was afraid that Seele would scrap the two Guides in the next moment.
"Is that so... then why didn't they tell you that the only way to St. Freya High School now is by train!"
Seele pinched the Guide's little face and pulled it hard.
"It's not my fault. The sea route is just impassable for you, but Mr. Ryn could have just flown over..." Guide No. 5 explained in a small voice. Since Ryn could fly directly over the moat, what was the point of mentioning the railway line...
"You can fly...?" Seele looked up at Ryn as if she had heard something incredible.
"...Yeah." Ryn hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. "I was once subjected to Honkai energy modification experiments. I have some abilities that far exceed those of ordinary people, so you can call me Superman."