Chapter 1288 Farewell

The frozen time seemed to begin flowing again.

The suffocating feeling of "fading presence" around Zijing receded like the tide, her five senses returned, the stagnation in her thinking disappeared, and she could clearly perceive the scorching sandstorm and the roughness of the gravel under her feet again.

The golden light in Chu Xia's eyes had subsided, replaced by a slightly empty black and white.

"The testing is nearing completion," she said with a smile, as if she hadn't been the one who had just been fighting.

The girl took a step back, and golden ripples, like waves, began to spread across the space beside her.

“I’m leaving.” Chu Xia’s gaze swept over Qian Jie, Kosmo, Sakura, and Alicia, who were waiting outside the barrier, before finally returning to Zijing’s face. “I won’t be appearing in this form again for a while. Please pass on a message to Bronya, Seele, and the children of St. Freya… ‘Chu Xia’ had a lot of fun. Next time, I might visit them for tea in a more ordinary way.”

This sudden, almost mundane farewell created an eerie contrast with the surrounding devastated battlefield.

She paused, her black and white eyes fixed on Amethyst, as if trying to see something deeper through his eyes: "You and I both know that the real enemy has never been each other, nor the 'collapse' of these worlds' internal cycles. Those 'them' who cast their gazes down from a higher place and manipulate fate at will are the obstacles we need to overcome."

“As… a potential comrade-in-arms who is on the same path of confrontation,” the corners of her mouth seemed to curve slightly, but it was gone in an instant, “don’t fall too far behind, another ‘me’.”

Her figure began to become transparent, like mist merging with sunlight, and her voice became ethereal: "If we meet again and you're still only at this level... maybe I'll consider eating you as a 'snack' to complete my own path? After all, absorbing 'myself' might be the fastest way to evolve."

His tone was relaxed, even joking, but Zijing could clearly sense the undisguised seriousness and... a hint of cold longing within it.

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure vanished completely into the golden ripples. At the same moment, the enormous "restraint barrier" that enveloped the desert shattered like a broken mirror, silently disintegrating into countless golden specks of light that rapidly disappeared into the air. The omnipresent, oppressive feeling that silenced all power also vanished without a trace.

The desert returned to its usual scorching heat and deathly stillness, as if the fierce battle, the eerie barrier, and the Herrscher's arrival were nothing but a dream. Only the lingering, not-yet-fully-calmed chaotic Honkai energy in the air and the few scorch marks left on the sand by the dissipated Honkai beasts testified to the extraordinary events that had just occurred.

The moment the barrier vanished, Qianjie was the first to rush over, the scorching flames almost brushing against Zijing's clothes. "That bastard! He ran fast!" He gritted his teeth and looked around, but could no longer catch any trace of Chuxia.

Kosmo and Sakura followed closely behind, vigilantly sensing their surroundings.

Alicia hurried to Amethyst's side, her pink eyes filled with concern as she looked him up and down: "Amethyst, are you alright? Is anything bothering you? That child... what did she do to you?"

Zijing let out a slow sigh of relief, stretching his limbs, which were stiff from prolonged tension. The return of his strength felt good, but the mental exhaustion lingered. He shook his head: "I'm fine. Just now, she... mainly conducted some 'tests'."

"'Test'?" Qianjie's anger flared even more. "Lock us out here and test you like we're monkeys? Who does she think she is?!"

“She is now the ‘Herrscher of Bindings’,” Amethyst stated calmly, “and the way she controls and expands her powers far exceeds what is usually recorded. She can precisely bind specific concepts and even affect the sense of existence.”

Sakura frowned slightly: "Herrscher of Binding...what is her goal in choosing to become this?"

Amethyst looked up at the distant sky. "Like me, she needs to fight against those higher beings. For this, she needs power and has chosen the path of 'restraint' to ascend."

Alicia sighed softly, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "That child... she looks so adorable, yet she chose such a lonely and dangerous path. To fight against the gods... she could have cooperated with us."

Zijing could understand some of it, a principle similar to "two tigers cannot share one mountain." "She's serious, and extremely proactive. What happened today is probably just the beginning. She's hiding to further 'develop.' We must speed up our preparations."

Just then, Zijing's communicator rang urgently.

Upon connecting the call, Theresa's anxious face appeared on the screen. The background seemed to be the infirmary of St. Freya Academy, with many students lying in the shadows.

"Amethyst! How's the situation over there? We just detected a huge Honkai energy reaction in the desert, but it suddenly disappeared!" Theresa spoke quickly. "More importantly, something happened at the academy! About twenty minutes ago, more than thirty students and several teachers suddenly fell into a coma without warning! Their vital signs are stable, but they can't be woken up no matter what they do. It's a bit like those sleepers in City A before, but not as serious..."

Zijing understood instantly. This was probably Chuxia's "backup plan," or more accurately, a convenient part of her grand scheme.

These unconscious students and teachers were likely marked by Chu Xia in the past. If anyone were to attack her, these people could be kept as hostages.

Now that she has achieved her goal and withdrawn her power to leave, this kind of insurance is no longer necessary.

“Theresa, don’t worry.” Amethyst softened her tone. “This shouldn’t be an attack. The unconscious person will most likely wake up naturally within a few hours to a day without any aftereffects. The reason… is related to the Herrscher who just appeared in the desert, but the target wasn’t the academy; this is just a side effect.”

He briefly explained the situation in early summer, but omitted some details, emphasizing that the other party had already left and would not appear in a hostile manner in the short term, but that it was necessary to be wary of their future movements.

Theresa visibly relaxed upon hearing this, but her brow remained furrowed: "Another Herrscher... and such an unpredictable one at that. Just how many more troubles will this world throw its way..."

Communication ends.

On the edge of the desert, the setting sun painted the dunes a golden-red hue. Thousand Tribulations was still muttering curses under his breath, Kosmo gazed thoughtfully in the direction where early summer had disappeared, Sakura quietly wiped her scabbard, and Alicia softly hummed an ethereal yet slightly melancholic melody.

Zijing looked towards the direction of St. Freya Academy, then looked up at the night sky where stars were gradually appearing.

The Herald of Binding, who descended in a special manner, was like a stone thrown into a lake, creating ripples before quietly disappearing into the deep water.

After this battle, the countdown hanging overhead, called "The End," seemed to have silently moved forward another notch.