Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 430 Negotiations Failed

"Um... Durandal, you can let go now."

Slightly embarrassed, Qiong quickly stepped back half a step from Durandal's embrace as soon as he landed, his movements swift, as if Durandal had something unclean about her. But Durandal's hand remained on his back—this subconscious protective gesture, which Rita found somewhat irritating.

Rita's fingers tightened silently, but her face still beamed with a smile—don't misunderstand, there must be a reason why Qiong and K423 are here, right?

"Lady Durandal, thank you for your support."

Durandal didn't pay attention to Rita immediately. Her gaze followed Qiong's retreating figure. Only after confirming that he was steady did she withdraw her arm. Then she revealed her weapon—the Black Abyss White Flower.

"I'm sorry, Sora, did I hurt you too much? Hmm... I felt a strange sense of familiarity with you just now..."

"Familiarity?"

"Ah."

Durandal's gaze never left Qiong's face, and her voice carried a hint of confusion.

“Just now, I felt like I’ve seen you somewhere before—and it shouldn’t be at Schicksal Headquarters or the Far East Branch…”

Rita's smile froze on her face.

"Lady Durandal, isn't this not the right time for a chat? Those 'friends' over there..."

Rita glanced meaningfully at Wendy, who looked like she was facing a formidable enemy.

It must be noted that due to the overflow of the Herrscher of Wind's power, no vehicle on the EOS could safely break through the outer edge of the storm, which had winds equivalent to a Category 18 typhoon, to reach the calm eye of the storm where Wendy and Rita were located. Forcing their way in would have been the same fate as when Qiong and the other three were piloting the shuttle. Lacking reliable vehicles, Durandal carried Qiong, while Kiana held onto Durandal, and the three of them, relying on the thrusters of the Shining Knight, forced their way into the eye of the storm…

……

"Sister Ta is right, we need to check on her condition first!"

Qiong could roughly guess that it was because of that holy mark, but now was not the time to explain. He rushed to Rita's side and pulled out his flaming spear that was three-tenths of an inch deep into the ground.

"Sister Ta Zi, are you alright?"

Qiong's gaze fell on the joint of Rita's left arm armor—although it hadn't been penetrated, it didn't look completely intact.

Did he come all the way here just to check on me?

Rita paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head.

"It's alright, Qiong-kun, it's just that the armor is a little damaged."

"But just now in the sky, we all saw you being chased and running around, panting heavily—"

"Don't go too far!"

Qiong's words were interrupted by a sudden tornado.

Before the sudden tornado struck the two, Durandal's figure had already cut between them like a white-gold lightning bolt.

The moment the tip of the Black Abyss White Flower spear touched the tornado, a ripple-like white wave spread out. When the raging tornado came into contact with it, it seemed to be smoothed out by an invisible hand, silently disintegrating and dissipating.

Air currents converged from all directions, and Wendy floated in mid-air, her skirt fluttering, a hint of impatience flashing in her blue eyes.

"Junior, it's you again? I already let you go before, why did you chase after me? Do you want to die?!"

Dome bypassed Durandal and faced Wendy directly.

"Senior, you can't say that. You were the one being chased and beaten by us before—"

Before Qiong could finish speaking, Durandal took another half step forward, bypassing him and pointing diagonally at the ground with her black abyss white flower. Undoubtedly, she was giving Wendy an ultimatum.

"Valkyrie Wendy, stop now, it's not too late."

"Close hand?"

Wendy chuckled, and the wind around her became even more violent.

"Stop? It's you hypocrites who drove me to this dead end!"

Countless wind blades gathered around her, but instead of immediately attacking the group, they swirled rapidly around her, forming a cyan barrier. Her gaze passed over Durandal, fixed on Qiong, and then swept over Rita and Kiana behind him.

"One, two, three... Ha, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, the S-rank Rita, and you, this troublesome junior."

Wendy's voice was laced with mockery.

"You really think highly of me..."

"Hey, hey, hey, what about me?"

Ignoring Kiana's protests, Durandal raised the Black Abyss White Flower, Rita tensed her muscles, and even Kiana, who had just been complaining, prepared to join in. A conflict was about to break out, but at that moment, Sora stepped forward and stood between Durandal and the others and Wendy.

"Wait, everyone, don't rush into fighting! Senior, you too, we're all from St. Freya, at least go easy on me... Can we talk?"

Wendy, who was about to explode at Durandal, paused for a moment.

"Let's talk?"

Wendy watched as Qiong awkwardly stopped her companion from stepping forward, a hint of mockery and doubt flashing in her eyes—mockery, of course, because even in this life-or-death situation, Qiong still wanted to talk first; doubt, well…

What else is there for them to talk about?

"Qiong, what's wrong with you—"

Qiong turned to look at Durandal.

"Durandal, I'm going to take a trip. You all stay here and watch over me!"

"Qiong, are you sure..."

"Qiong-kun, what are you trying to do?"

"Ask Kiana!"

Qiong didn't continue. After extending the invitation to negotiate, he very sincerely planted his Flame Spear in the ground, braving the fierce wind, and smiled as he raised his hand to indicate that he wasn't carrying any weapons. He simply produced a top hat as if by magic and put it on his head. This move, which seemed like he was deliberately offering himself up, left Durandal and Rita dumbfounded.

If they didn't have a certain level of trust in Sora and know that she had some abilities, plus the fact that Sora did have experience communicating with Herrschers (referring to "convincing" the Third Herrscher to be their girlfriend), and Kiana wasn't explaining Sora's motivation for persuading the Herrscher to lay down her weapons and become a Buddha, the two of them probably would have immediately pinned this gray-haired guy down, knocked him unconscious, and thrown him to the back...

Meanwhile, Qiong, who had been preparing for a talk therapy session since before the crash, also recalled Wendy's weaknesses as an enemy unit... well, okay, she couldn't remember.

Because the Herrscher of Disgrace is so weak, it seems to be full of weaknesses.

However, although Wendy's current performance isn't ideal, seeing her bare legs, white clothes, and not a trace of green yet still chasing after Sister Tower, Qiong still thinks caution is best. After all, even disregarding the extremely low probability that she could use the Void Front, Schicksal, and the Human Alliance fleet as a slowdown to defeat Wendy in another timeline, the current Wendy is an A-rank Valkyrie who has only been in an experiment that failed a few days ago. She's far superior to the crippled version of Wendy who spent years in a wheelchair and lost all her basic skills. In any case, she should be somewhat stronger than the disgraceful Herrscher he remembers, right?

But that's about it. With powers she wasn't very familiar with and her original A-rank Valkyrie qualities, she definitely couldn't kill Rita. She could beat Rita but couldn't beat him. And beat him... well, it was basically impossible.

Besides, to his left is the future Herrscher of the Void, Flame of the End, and to his right is the infamous Herrscher of the Void, Touko. Not to mention the super-dumb goose behind him! Tell him, how can he lose?

Four against one, the advantage is in my hands!

The moment she realized she had the upper hand, a figure flashed through Qiong's mind—the mature and steady senior member of the train crew who always advocated for resolving problems through communication rather than violence.

He said that if the conflict can be resolved through dialogue to achieve the goal, then reason should be used to persuade others.

Qiong always followed Lao Yang's teachings closely, and combined with her own initiative, she decided to try negotiating first.

Wendy watched as Qiong approached empty-handed, the raging winds around her subsiding considerably. She tilted her head, the blue light in her eyes flickering uncertainly, as if trying to understand the behavioral logic of this humanoid creature.

Is this something a human being would do? Isn't that just plain suicide?

Thinking of this, Wendy was even more puzzled. Despite her puzzlement, countless wind blades were still aimed at the Dome—and this time, the hypocrite had no time to dodge, and Durandal had no time to save him!

"Talk? I didn't agree! Besides, what's there to talk about with a pathetic piece of trash who can't even beat a few of you ungraduated Valkyries? Sympathy? Or lecturing? Hypocrite! Get out of here—"

"Senior, aren't you cold with your legs bare?"

"what?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the wind blade suddenly stopped.

Wendy subconsciously looked down at her bare legs, her expression changing from ferocity to astonishment.

"Qiong-kun, don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to ask this question now?"

"So this is how you communicate with a Herrscher?"

Qiong didn't look at the dazed Tako-nee or Durandal who was "learning" from him. He took a few more steps forward and spread his hands.

Qiong took a deep breath and abandoned all defensive stances. He raised his arms and spread them out to the sides, palms outstretched—a pose practically suicidal on the battlefield of Honkai.

Aside from Bishop Otto, who could scare people to death by doing this, it poses no threat to anyone else (except for a certain guy called Rakshasa).

If you want to deal with the super-powerful version of Wendy, the best way is not to suppress her with force, but to play the emotional card. Unfortunately, there is no scholar named Totori in this timeline who can be used to play the emotional card. Coralli, who is the substitute, has probably gone back. Therefore, Sora has to go and implement the "little bird" tactic herself.

Seeing Qiong's suicidal behavior and her bizarre thought process, Wendy was a little unsure of what to do.

"Senior."

Qiong's tone was gentle; if you ignored the setting, he would seem like a sunny and cheerful young man.

"It's windy here, and you're wearing this... tattered rags? Aren't you cold?"

"How dare you say that!"

Wendy instantly flew into a rage. Her clothes were ruined like this all thanks to him!

"Stop pretending to care about me! You hypocrite! I'm going to—"

Wendy's anger surged again with the gale, and cyan wind blades swirled and roared around her, ready to unleash their fury at any moment. However, Qiong did not retreat; she merely adjusted her hat and took another step forward into the raging torrent of air.

"Senior, don't be angry. Girls get wrinkles when they're angry—of course, you can keep having more. Your eyes are quite pretty when you're angry, hehe."

Rita's smile vanished completely. She gripped the scythe tightly, ready to drag the gray-haired man back at any moment.

However, Wendy's rage faltered; she clearly hadn't expected Qiong to say that—was it an insult? Teasing? Or... was she really praising her? A huge sense of absurdity even overwhelmed her anger.

Taking advantage of the moment when she was stunned, Qiong continued the conversation in a manner that seemed to be discussing the weather.

"Furthermore, when you were chasing after Sister Tako... cough, when you were chasing after Miss Rita, you actually had several opportunities to kill her, right? But you just deliberately missed. You didn't actually... want to kill her, did you?"

Rita's lips twitched slightly.

"So what you really want to do right now, senior, isn't to kill us all, but to leave this place and find somewhere no one can find you, right?"

"So what if it is?!"

Wendy looked at Qiong with a cold smile.

"Will you let me go? Those two S-rank Valkyries, and you too, will you let me go?"

Anything is possible.

Qiong revealed a radiant smile, but what she said almost made Wendy lose her levitation.

"However, before we discuss this issue, I want to say... Senior, come back."

Qiong looked at her earnestly.

"Destruction wasn't your intention; it's the effect of Honkai erosion! This effect can be countered, just look at Mei... Oh, by the way, my girlfriend is also a Herrscher. I think you two might have something in common."

This statement is like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

Although they already knew about this, Durandal and Rita were still somewhat surprised. As for Wendy, her eyes were filled with disbelief.

A female Valkyrie who is dating a Herrscher...?

"The headmistress said that St. Freya will always be your home, we can—"

"Teacher Theresa? Home?"

Wendy suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with bitterness and irony.

"You mean, my family put me on the operating table to have the Desire Gem implanted? My family immediately sent people to kill me after I lost control?"

"No, I mean..."

The airflow behind her became violent again.

"I have no way out, junior. Do you think I don't want to go back? But in this state... is it even possible for me to go back?"

"You can go back! For example, my girlfriend is the Third Herrscher—"

Feeling she had said something wrong, Qiong tried to comfort Wendy, but at that moment, something unexpected happened.

"Oh, so you're talking to me because I'm the Fourth Herrscher?"

Wendy's gaze grew increasingly cold.

"In the end, it all comes down to this. Herrscher... Gem... Ha, so in your eyes, I've never been Wendy, just the Fourth Herrscher, a monster that needs to be controlled or eliminated, right?"

The talks broke down.

Wendy's aura exploded outwards, and the cyan wind blades, carrying strong wind pressure, performed a series of moves that turned her into a master of drawing lines, yet she failed to hit Qiong with a single strike.

However, no one would praise Qiong's good luck. Rather than saying it, Durandal wanted to do it—she gripped the Black Abyss White Flower tightly, and Rita also lowered her center of gravity slightly.

"That's not how it is, senior, listen to me—"

"enough!"

Wendy interrupted Qiong sharply, her voice trembling with excitement, and the last trace of hesitation in her eyes vanished, replaced by anger.

"I've heard enough of your hypocritical words. Junior, your naiveté... is disgusting."

She raised her hand and pointed to the sky.

"But since you're so eager to 'talk,' then let your life be the final word in this conversation!"

Countless compressed wind blades tore through the air, slashing and killing from all directions toward the sky.

"Qiong, back off!"

Durandal gave a low shout, preparing to lead Qiong out of the attack range. However, a deep, steady voice was faster than her movements, echoing through the heart of the storm before she even arrived.

"If he's not suitable, then let me, the Herald, talk to you, shall I?"

Space seemed to freeze for a moment.

A tall, slender figure appeared without warning on the island's beach. The man wore glasses and possessed a refined air, yet he carried an undeniable sense of gravity. He simply raised one hand, in which lay a purple Star of Eden.

Those wind blades, powerful enough to tear through alloy, collided with the black hole that suddenly appeared in front of him after he gripped them tightly, vanishing without a sound, without even causing a ripple.

Wendy's pupils contracted sharply, and a strong sense of crisis made her instinctively want to retreat. However, she found that the space around her had become incredibly viscous, the wind that was once as easy to control had become stagnant and heavy, and many small black holes had appeared around her without her noticing.

Walter Young adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses calmly fixed on Wendy, who stood in the air, filled with astonishment and uncertainty.

"Nice to meet you, Fourth Herrscher... or rather, Miss Wendy. I am Welt Yang, the leader of Anti-Entropy, and also the Herrscher of Reason."

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That darn roommate, dragging me into playing Don't Starve... I need more updates...