[Until—
They were all shattered! Under the pitch-black sun, all the divine blades fractured, falling one after another to the ground. The demons stretched out their sharp claws, grabbing the blade-wielders, trying to drag them into the abyss. "The price of every victory is the entirety of the mortal world."
Acheron, her crimson horns grown, tightly shut her eyes as she plummeted downward.
The once-prosperous city turned to ruins, then decayed. "And in the end, even this [entirety] is lost."
Reflected in Acheron's eyes was the city burning in flames, yet she was powerless to stop it, powerless to save it. "Izumo forged twelve Sentinels, only to ultimately craft the [Blade of World's Burden]... and forged them into two Bearers."
Raindrops pattered down, yet civilization had long vanished. Upon the scorched earth, Acheron drew her blade and pointed it forward. "The first is [Beginning]."
Before Acheron stood a colossal sword, forged from the wreckage of countless blades, towering like a mountain. "The second is [End]."
Beneath the sword mound lay piles of monster carcasses as vast as mountains. The black demons continued their endless slaughter. Upon seeing Acheron drawing her blade, they lunged at her like the Buliyans who had stumbled upon ruins of abundance—brandishing their weapons, fearless of death.]
[Honkai Impact·Welt]: "Now I understand—this can't be the Honkai. If the Finality has already been mastered by someone, then the disaster should be over."
Old Yang relaxed again. As long as it wasn't the Honkai, there was nothing left to fear. Unless... that Luocha guy was actually called Otto?
[Mobius]: "Using divine power to oppose divinity... So these demons are the corrupted people of Izumo?"
[March 7th]: "No way... It's that brutal?"
[Theresa]: "Honkai corruption also causes erosion. At least zombies are better-looking than demons, right?"
[Seele]: "Way better-looking! Even Honkai beasts are kinda cute, aren't they?"
[Argenti]: "You have an eye for beauty. Though Honkai beasts possess their own purity, to ordinary people, they are nothing but calamity."
[Boothill]: "Holy Puffball! Is your precious Knight of Beauty gonna start praising flowers and trees next?"
[Argenti]: "Mr. Boothill, it seems you have profound insights into beauty as well. I see purity within you too."
[Stelle]: "What kind of cosmic praise cult is this?!"
["Across the land, seventy thousand and forty-seven blades were forged—yet only one could save Izumo."
Acheron wielded the blade named [Beginning], cleaving through hordes of demons as effortlessly as slicing melons and chopping vegetables. "But you and I already know—
The path to salvation does not exist,
And tomorrow leaves no trace."
Yet the demons seemed endless, wave after wave, without cease. "Humanity rebelled against the gods, only to turn themselves into demons;
We staked everything, only to bring about the ruin of two worlds."
Finally, Acheron exterminated every last demon. With the power of [Beginning], she shattered [End]. Thunder roared across the sky as the colossal sword collapsed—[Beginning] and [End] broke together. "That Takamagahara where gods fell—long ago... It must have been as beautiful as Izumo once was."]
[Tesla]: "What do you mean 'the path to salvation does not exist'?!"
[Fu Hua]: "This segment carries immense implications. It seems there's a deep connection between Izumo and Takamagahara."
Fu Hua rubbed her third eye. Ever since this screen appeared, the amount of data she had to deduce and record had multiplied several times over. And that damn general just kept saying "the capable bear more burdens"—yet never offered to hand over his position.
[Eden]: "In a way, Izumo's past is even more tragic than ours. At least we still had hope back then."
[So... do you still remember why Izumo forged blades? The rain continued to fall as Acheron stood amidst the ruins of the broken city, gazing up at that pitch-black sun. "For a lie—a destination that never existed."
"We have long stepped into Its shadow.
Every step forward can never be taken back."
Acheron drew the broken remnant of [Beginning]. Blood-tears streamed from her eyes, leaving crimson trails down her face before dripping onto the blade's edge. Blood rolled down the fractured edge, forging a new blade.
"Until the final [Blade] (person) was forged—[Nothingness]. Acheron gripped the scarlet longsword as her demonic horns scattered in the wind. Amidst the void, her hair turned pale white as she swung her strongest strike at the black sun in the sky. Encircling the void-black sun, blood soaked its surroundings, reflecting Izumo's glorious history. Until—they all returned to nothingness. "I know this world is as fleeting as morning dew... and yet..." ]
[March 7th]: "Another brutal struggle... Another civilization wiped out."
[Stelle]: "At this rate, even our cheerful March is gonna get depressed."
[Ratio]: "A civilization perished within nothingness, assimilated by its erosion."
[Herta]: "That black sun at the end... Is that the [Nihility] Aeon?"
[Herta]: "The Simulated Universe could use some new material. For researching Nihility, adding a small DLC isn't too much to ask, right?"
[Screwllum]: "Izumo's experience provides valuable insight into Nihility's nature—but I must object."
[Screwllum]: "Logic: The erosive assimilation of Nihility is extreme. We cannot predict whether this would damage the Simulated Universe's hardware."
[Herta]: "That just makes me more interested. What's a little new equipment? I can just build it myself."
[Acheron]: "Thank you..."
[Herta]: "Why thank me? I'm just doing this for my own research."
[Einstein]: "If a Herrscher's power is comparable to Izumo's calamitous gods..."
[Tesla]: "I get the Herrscher of Finality—but what the is Origin supposed to be? Is there another Herrscher on par with Finality?"
[Schicksal Archivist]: "Even our Schicksal database has no records on this. Previous civilizations left no data either."
[Elysia]: "Oh~ That's for you to find out~"
[Einstein]: "So you do know something, don't you?"
[Stelle]: "Riddlers get out of the universe! Uncle Welt~ Do you know?"
[Honkai Impact·Welt]: "Well... I won't spoil it either."
[March 7th]: "Uncle Welt! Even you?!"
Welt sighed. Of course he knew what Origin was—and why Herrschers in this era retained their humanity. After the Final Battle, Mei recorded everything about Elysian Realm. They shouldn't be forgotten—the heroes of previous eras, warriors who bore the name of Ego. They sacrificed so much for civilization's survival... He wouldn't ruin their moment. After all, it was their secret to keep—until they uncovered it themselves or Elysia chose to reveal it.