Chapter 10 Honkai is Ẅ̴͍́̔͐̒̇͘ā̴̘͉̟̜̻̃̃̈́͘͜t̷̞͊̿̂͐c̴̙̻̝̀̂̽͐͠ĥ̶̻̻̤͋̂̇̄ͅỉ̶̢̢̢̛̉n̷̫̥̦̋̅g̸̟͙̽̽̂ ̵̨̨͇̫̭͆̈́́ͅ (rewrite)

The Emperor-class Honkai Beast roared, its voice shaking the entire cavern. Frost spread rapidly beneath its feet, creeping along the cold stone like living veins of ice.

Hua didn't flinch. In a single fluid motion, she stepped onto the sacrificial altar and lifted the unconscious girl into her arms. The moment her fingers closed around the child—

SHRIEEK—!

A jagged spear of condensed ice shot from the beast's maw, tearing through the air directly toward her back.

Without turning, Hua raised her free hand.

Clang!

The projectile shattered on contact with her bare palm, ice fragments scattering across the cavern like broken glass. Before the frost could even settle, she vanished into a blur of motion.

"Zhaoyu."

She reappeared instantly beside her first disciple at the tunnel's edge. Lin Zhaoyu was still frozen in place, her eyes wide and her breathing uneven—the sheer, suffocating aura of an Emperor-class Honkai beast pressing violently against her instincts.

"Zhaoyu."

Hua's voice sharpened into a blade. That was all it took.

Zhaoyu flinched, snapping back to reality with a gasp. "Y-Yes, Master!"

Hua gently transferred the unconscious girl into Zhaoyu's arms. "Take her. Leave. Now."

Another deafening roar thundered behind them, shaking dust from the cavern ceiling. Zhaoyu hesitated for a fraction of a second, her eyes flickering anxiously between the child in her arms and her master's back.

Then, setting her jaw, she nodded firmly. "…Understood!"

Without another word, Zhaoyu turned and dashed up the dark exit tunnel, her steps swift and sure despite the chaotic tremors rolling beneath her feet.

Hua watched her go, waiting until the last echoes of Zhaoyu's footsteps faded into the dark. Only then did she slowly turn around.

Now… there were no more distractions.

THUD!

A massive, crystal-armored claw came crashing down directly toward her head, fast enough to break the sound barrier.

CLANG!

The impact rang out like heavy iron striking an anvil.

Hua stood utterly unmoved, her bare right hand gripping the creature's colossal claw mid-swing. The sheer kinetic force split the stone floor beneath her boots, yet her expression remained impassive as her glowing crimson eyes locked onto the towering behemoth.

"I don't know how you managed to cross into this world…" Her grip tightened, the beast's crystalline carapace cracking beneath the sheer pressure of her fingers. "…but your existence is not welcome here."

With a sharp, fluid twist of her hips, she drove a devastating kick straight into the beast's joint.

CRACK!

The sheer force sent the creature's massive body flying backward, but the momentum tore the limb right out of its socket—still firmly held in Hua's hand. Blackened crystal and corrupted, glowing flesh split apart with a sickening tear.

Hua tossed the severed claw aside like trash.

The beast crashed against the cavern wall and roared—this time, not in dominance, but in agonized fury. It learned quickly. Charging this monster in human skin would only lead to a swift death.

So it changed tactics.

Violent purple Honkai energy gathered within its jaws, condensing into a swirling, unstable sphere of pure destruction. But instead of aiming at Hua—it snapped its head upward.

The ceiling. It intended to bring the entire mountain down and bury her alive.

Hua's eyes narrowed. Predictable.

Before the beast could unleash the blast, she crossed the vast distance in an instant. Her leg rose into a lightning-fast axe kick, driving straight upward into the beast's chin.

BOOM!

The strike forced the beast's jaw shut with tremendous force. The unstable Honkai energy detonated violently inside its own throat. A muffled, grotesque explosion tore through its skull, sending it staggering backward as a wet, distorted wail escaped its ruined head.

Hua gave it no quarter.

Golden light ignited in her hand rippling, solidifying, taking physical shape. A blade forged entirely of pure, condensed Qi. Its radiant glow cut through the dark, suffocating shadow of the ritual chamber.

In a single stride, she stepped into the beast's guard. The creature tried to raise its remaining arm in defense, but the golden blade traced an effortless, flawless arc through the air.

SHHHK!

A clean, decisive strike.

The Emperor-class beast screamed as bright gold fissures of light spread outward from the wound across its entire torso.

Hua's voice followed, quiet, cold, and absolute.

"Die."

She stepped forward and swung a second time. This time, for its neck.

Just as Hua's blade began its descent the world stopped.

Sound vanished. Motion ceased. The crackle of energy and the fading scream of the beast were swallowed in an instant.

In their place lay a endless, blinding white void.

Hua stood frozen, her sword caught mid-swing. The air felt utterly hollow stripped of life, matter, and time.

Then she felt it.

Far ahead, suspended in the vast expanse of white, a single, gigantic purple eye stared down at her. Cold. Calculating. Ancient.

It was watching her.

Hua's gaze sharpened, a prickle of ancient instinct flaring up her spine. It's watching… me?

Before she could process the entity's presence, reality snapped back like a stretched rubber band.

SHHHK!

Her golden blade completed its trajectory without missing a beat.

The Emperor-class Honkai Beast's head slid cleanly from its shoulders. Its massive body quivered for a brief moment before collapsing to the floor, instantly disintegrating into drifting, ash-like particles of corrupted energy that faded into nothingness.

Silence returned to the cavern.

Hua lowered her hand, letting the golden Qi sword disperse into glowing dust.

"…Hmph." She glanced at the pile of ash. Weaker than expected.

Then again, it made sense. The intensity of Honkai manifestations was tied directly to a world's technological advancement. Teyvat, while rich in elemental energy, lacked the hyper-advanced civilization that birthed true apocalyptic threats. Even an Emperor-class beast here was incomplete and fragile.

But that wasn't what made her stomach twist.

Hua's brow furrowed. The Honkai has noticed this world… That was the real problem.

Her gaze shifted to the perimeter of the chamber. The corpses dozens of sacrificed villagers scattered across the ritual grounds began to move.

Faint twitches at first. Fingers curling against the dirt. Limbs jerking unnaturally as lingering, airborne Honkai energy seeped into their fresh remains.

Puppets. Hollow vessels reanimated by corruption.

Hua exhaled a soft, heavy breath. Golden Qi gathered around her palms once more. As the broken corpses staggered toward her with vacant, glowing eyes, she didn't take a single step back.

Instead, she raised her hand gently.

"…May your next life be kinder."

Above ground—

Lin Zhaoyu stood at the cavern's mouth, her arms wrapped tightly around the unconscious girl. Her eyes remained glued to the pitch-black tunnel entrance. She trusted her master completely. She knew Hua was a being of unmatched strength.

And yet, her chest felt impossibly heavy.

"…Master…" she whispered to the wind.

She checked the child in her arms once more. Breathing stable. No purple veins, no fever. Good.

Zhaoyu took a hesitant step toward the dark slope. I should go back and help—

Then, the sky split.

A blinding beam of pure golden light tore through the heavy clouds, descending like divine retribution. Zhaoyu froze, shielding her eyes from the sudden radiance.

From the heart of the light, a colossal sword descended. It fell slowly at first, radiating an overwhelming, absolute pressure that forced the trees to bow. Its shape was ancient, elegant, and unmistakable.

Taixuan.

Zhaoyu's breath hitched, her eyes widening in awe. "…Master's technique?"

The celestial blade hit the earth.

BOOM!

The impact swallowed the world in sound and light. A hurricane force of wind roared outward, ripping up earth and stone. Zhaoyu was forced to turn her back, holding the child tight as the earth trembled violently beneath them.

Then… silence.

When the dust finally settled and Zhaoyu lowered her arm, the corrupt village was gone. 

Only a vast, smooth crater of scorched ash where life had been moments ago.

Yet, somehow, not a single speck of dust had touched Zhaoyu or the child. She blinked, catching the faint shimmer of a translucent golden barrier dissolving around them like morning dew.

Step. Step.

Soft, measured footsteps approached.

Zhaoyu turned. Hua walked out from the clearing, her robes pristine, her face calm… but her crimson eyes were unnervingly cold.

"Let's go home," Hua said simply. No explanation. No lingering backward glance.

Zhaoyu hesitated for a fleeting second before bowing her head. "…Yes, Master."

She turned and followed closely behind, cradling the rescued child in her arms.

Four days had passed.

Fu Hua had not moved from her seat in the central courtyard.

The mountain breeze brushed gently through her hair, carrying the faint scent of plum blossoms, but the cup of tea resting on the stone table before her had long since gone stone cold. Her eyes remained half-lidded, her posture still as a statue—yet behind her calm exterior, her mind churned.

The destruction of the sacrificial village replayed in her thoughts again and again. Not out of remorse for the act itself those corrupt cultists and puppets had been beyond saving but because of what lay beneath it.

The Honkai. It was escalating far too quickly.

"Tsk." Her fingers tightened imperceptibly against her cloth sleeve.

She had expected the Honkai to spill into this world eventually; the subtle rise in ambient corruption over the last few years had been an obvious warning sign. But an Emperor-class beast? A direct gaze from that void?

It meant the Cocoon or whatever governed the Honkai in this universe had formally taken notice of Teyvat.

Her thoughts drifted back to that gigantic purple eye suspended in the white void.

Fu Hua's gaze darkened. "Ignore it for now," she reminded herself internally. Speculation without more data was a waste of energy.

She exhaled slowly, forcing her posture to relax, letting the tension bleed out of her shoulders. If she stayed frozen here any longer, her disciples would start to worry, and that would only complicate things.

She stood up.

The movement was silent, but after four days of complete immobility, even her slight shift felt like the mountain breaking its silence. Her steps carried her smoothly toward the rear training grounds.

The rhythmic sounds of martial practice reached her ears long before she rounded the corner.

Swish. Tap. Step.

Fu Hua paused at the wood line.

Lin Zhaoyu stood at the center of the yard, her posture impeccably straight, her movements crisp and decisive. Before her, the two young twins, Jiang Wanxi and Jiang Wanru, were attempting to mirror her form with varying degrees of success.

"Keep your stance lower, Wanru," Zhaoyu instructed calmly, using a light wooden staff to adjust the girl's leg placement. "If your foundation wavers, your strike will carry no weight."

Wanru flushed slightly and corrected her stance immediately. Beside her, Wanxi gritted her teeth, pushing her small body to match her sister's form.

Fu Hua watched in quiet approval. Zhaoyu has matured well. She carries herself like a true senior martial sister now.

Her gaze lingered on Zhaoyu a moment longer. It was nearly time to advance her training into the Form Type 2: Energy Techniques. Zhaoyu had already mastered guiding her internal Qi and manipulating flying blades, but shaping Qi into a condensed, physical weapon was the next true threshold.

She is close, Fu Hua thought. She will reach it soon.

As for the twins… they were still far too young. Their physical bodies needed a few more years of basic refinement before they could handle true Taixuan martial forms. For now, discipline and stamina training were enough, and Zhaoyu was managing them well.

Fu Hua began to turn away, but a sudden realization stopped her.

Su Mei.

She wasn't on the training grounds.

That was unusual. Su Mei was calculated and disciplined; she rarely missed a scheduled training session without an explicit reason.

Fu Hua said nothing aloud, but her course subtly altered, her steps carrying her back toward the quiet corridors of the main estate.

(A/n: this a rewrite version of chapter 10 much more detailed. also uhuhu my knowledge only until fontaine. years already since i play genshin hmmm)