The long-lost—no, perhaps not so long—sense of weakness surged from the depths of his consciousness again. The moment Lin left the seam, he was back in his body. Coughing up a mouthful of familiar purple-green blood, he felt his heart beating faintly. It was the rhythm of life.
He had revived, or rather, his consciousness had returned to his body.
"Boom!"
Two figures simultaneously crashed to the ground. They didn't allow themselves any time to adjust. Both rolled over instinctively, grabbed their respective weapons, and charged toward each other.
"Boom!"
A large hole was violently punched through the Fifth Branch building from the inside. Lin flew out amidst the wall fragments. At the last moment, he threw his dagger away and grabbed the edge of the broken wall, bringing himself to a halt, then dropping into the floor below.
The black mist surged over his head the moment he fell.
The floor Lin dropped into was the very same serum room where the Sixth Herrscher had taken him and used Phase Transfer before.
Kevin, who was still on this floor, and Elysia, who had just arrived, were left speechless at the sight of Lin, who had returned from the dead.
"She's on the floor above!" Lin didn't have time to explain anything. He pulled out his handgun and turned to aim at the breach.
But the anticipated ambush didn't come, which made Lin immediately realize that the Sixth Herrscher was likely using the Authority of Creation to heal her wounds. Kevin and Elysia thought of the same thing. They simultaneously pulled out grenades and threw them out the window. The violent explosion nearly tore off the floor above their heads.
Upon seeing the still-pale Sixth Herrscher appear from the dust, the rest of the soldiers also raised their weapons and attacked her.
These attacks could all be blocked by her shield, but the sound of the Titans' engines starting up behind her and the armor-piercing rounds boring straight toward her forced her to dodge and abandon healing herself.
She didn't use Phase Transfer to escape. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but rather…
Lin took two breaths. The feeling of breathing air again was surprisingly good. Without looking back, he threw the seized Phase Transfer device into Kevin's hand, staring at the high-and-mighty, yet beleaguered, Sixth Herrscher.
After the recovery of his memory, his experience of life and death, and the transfer of his consciousness, he had gained many insights and likely undergone many changes. But for now, he had to complete the subjugation of the Sixth Herrscher.
Without the Phase Transfer device, the Sixth Herrscher had no choice but to break through the encirclement. She directed her hand downward. The black mist surged toward the soldiers below, but being extremely weakened, she couldn't control the black mist properly. It was easy to dodge.
However, she didn't expect the black mist to actually kill anyone. After using the move to delay them, she spun around and began breaking through the Titans' encirclement.
Lin's consciousness had been expelled from her body. All she needed to do now was reach the tree she had planted and use the Authority of Creation to heal herself, returning to her peak state.
By then, she would properly deal with these annoying pests.
"Elysia, take care of Lin." Kevin had a lot he wanted to say, but now was not the time for conversation. After putting on the nearly broken Phase Transfer device, he spoke to Elysia, activated the anti-gravity flight device, and followed the Herrscher.
Despite their exhaustion, the soldiers followed suit. Some rode the Titans, others simply ran on foot, chasing the Sixth Herrscher in the direction of the giant tree.
The final moment of the decisive battle had arrived. The burden of the survival of the Far East, even humanity, rested on their shoulders.
Thus, in the desolate ruins, Elysia, her head down, her bangs concealing her expression, silently glanced at Lin, who was leaning against the broken wall and coughing.
He still looked so weak, yet his eyes were so clear and resolute, clearer than ever before.
It was as if vitality had returned to this man who had always disregarded himself. He looked healthier now than even at his peak, despite having only one eye, one arm, and one leg.
His inner self had changed.
"Elysia, help me up." Lin looked up and said to the pink-haired girl standing still. His tone was not much different from before, but with his face fully exposed, it sounded noticeably softer.
Elysia smiled and walked over, gently supporting his side where he was missing an arm: "Lin… you…"
"I know you're angry right now, but let's talk after all this is over, okay?" Lin seemed to guess what Elysia was about to say and urgently interrupted her.
"How could I be angry at you~ It's just that I thought I had accepted the fact that you had passed away… But seeing you now, my eyes are tearing up. It's so baffling…"
"Is that so? Then we'll talk slowly after we go back." Lin looked intently at the lowered head and trembling shoulders of Elysia. He didn't say anything more. Instead, he looked at Prometheus I, lying in the corner. Supported by Elysia, he walked up to the inert Prometheus I.
She was still clutching Lin's helmet in her arms.
Lin reached out and connected the helmet to Prometheus I's synthetic body. Her frozen system was reassembled inside the helmet, and then he picked it up and smoothly placed it on his head.
"…"
"Prometheus I, restore system settings."
"…"
"Prometheus I."
"…Lin?" Prometheus I's unchanging system voice showed an unprecedented fluctuation.
"It's me. Restore system settings. Prepare for combat." Lin checked the magazine of the handgun with one hand, only to remember that the bullets had been removed by the Sixth Herrscher. And this standard-issue handgun, long obsolete, had no bullet stock in the Fifth Branch.
"Lin, your appearance does not comply with the laws of nature. Preliminary assessment suggests a virus in the internal system. Preparing to run anti-virus…"
"…I haven't seen you smile yet, so I won't die."
"…"
Smile?
Elysia didn't understand why Lin said that, but Lin knew that Prometheus I's database must still record that conversation. She could understand the meaning of the phrase.
"…Is it really Lin? Not a virus?"
"I don't have time to explain this to you. If you don't want me to take back most of your independent system control, then execute my order immediately." Lin reluctantly resorted to this near-threat to make the stalled Prometheus I follow his command, but it was surprisingly effective. Prometheus I immediately accepted his return from the dead and restored the system to normal.
Whatever they had to say, it would have to wait.
Lin didn't know if he would survive to see the distant future, but until then, he was willing to imagine what his future would look like.
He limped to the Councilman's corpse. The Councilman had already died from Honkai Energy erosion while Lin was fighting the Sixth Herrscher.
But the Councilman's brow was naturally unfurrowed, as if he hadn't suffered from the Honkai Virus before his death, merely sleeping peacefully.
Lin scrutinized the face that had vanished from his memory. It felt distant, yet also familiar.
He reached out and took a single bullet from the Councilman's inner jacket pocket.
"Thank you, and goodbye."
Under the starlight, the "devil," the "human," had a subtle, indiscernible smile on his face of relief.