Well, it's time for the wrap-up...
First off, congratulations to your boy Shu for clearing the Herrscher of [Dream/Dawn] in a single, no-death run!
That was no easy feat, pulling off a speedrun in such a hopeless situation, and even rocketing up to become the current meta's T0 (Tier 0: boundless in verse) character.
Think I'm going to nerf him in the next few volumes? Nope, nope, nope. I can guarantee that Shu's current power level will remain absolutely T0 until the final arc; he's the type who just can't lose a straight-up fight.
Now, some of you might be asking:
[1. Shu is getting stronger and stronger, to the point where he's practically broken and in a tier of his own. What kind of difficulty could possibly bring back a sense of unpredictability to the story?]
Easy. He's getting put on the ban list!
But not the "sent to the penalty box" kind of ban. No matter how strong Shu is, he's still just one person. He can't be in two places at once. So, in the next volume, and even for several volumes to come, Shu won't be the main focus.
He's now at a point where he can become a background figure, like Kevin Kaslana. After all, he's had plenty of screen time. Isn't it time for other characters to get their moment in the spotlight?
There are still characters who haven't even appeared yet!
[Translator's Note: A lot of you have probably noticed the Re:Zero inspiration. In the first few volumes, Shu's suffering was a lot like Subaru's—constantly facing defeat and death. Now, as the author states, he's shifted to a different kind of suffering, more like Reinhard's: being the strongest in the world, but unable to be everywhere at once to prevent every tragedy.]
[2. Is the plot a bit too cheerful? It doesn't feel hopeless enough, like it could use a lot more angst.]
Alright! You asked for it! I'll just wipe out the entire Fire Moth headquarters in the next volume, no survivors! (jk)
To be honest, I anticipated this reaction to the lack of angst. The story you're reading is actually version 1.1. I did a lot of polishing on the original draft—basically, I toned it down a bit.
You can go back and check. I've never directly depicted any death scenes. I've always described their deaths metaphorically.
If I wanted to make the writing more brutal, I'd just have to spend a bit more ink describing the gruesome details of their deaths, like in some horror stories.
I could tell you that what Kiana was losing at the station wasn't blood, but ruptured organs. I could describe what was really pouring out of the gaping wounds on Raiden Mei's and Bronya's bodies. I could tell you that the head of that Chariot-class Honkai Beast wasn't just covered in a tattered cloth, but also scraps of flesh and gore, even severed limbs...
Not to mention the Herrscher of Evolution later on... In my original idea, I was genuinely planning to create a massive amalgamation-type monster. But I decided it wasn't necessary, so the final version, [The Champion], took its place.
No matter what happens in the middle of the story, this is ultimately a world with hope, not some grimdark post-apocalyptic tale.
Human nature can be ugly, but this story is about civilization, and civilization is a shining light. When that light touches every person, they too will surely shine.
I don't want the Yellow-Browed Demon to "win" again. [A reference to a demon from Journey to the West who creates illusions; here, it means I don't want a fake, tragic reality to be the final outcome.]
[3. Why was this volume so long?]
You think this was long? I compressed the outline as much as I could, okay? In my original plan, Shu was supposed to rewind time twice here, letting Sirin get a double-kill achievement!
But yeah, 103 chapters is a lot. However, Shu won't have as much screen time in the next few volumes, so let's just give him these final moments in the spotlight.
[4. Why don't you ask for gifts at the end of chapters?
Mostly because I'm afraid of ruining the reading experience. Ending on cliffhangers is bad enough. If I started asking for gifts right after a cliffhanger, how would that be any different from straight-up telling you: "My dear readers, you wouldn't want this series to go on hiatus, now would you?"
While I do rely on that income every month, it's not like I'm in a desperate situation. Besides, asking for gifts today won't pay off until next month, so it can't help with any immediate needs. There's not much point.
That's why I rarely include author's notes in the main text. Breaking the fourth wall like that can really ruin the immersion.
[5. There were probably other questions, but I can't find them or don't remember them clearly, so I don't want to answer randomly. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I'll answer them in the author's notes section.]
Okay, for those who just want to see the preview for the next volume and don't want to listen to my artsy ramblings, you can skip to the end now.
Next up is this volume's main theme. Many of you have probably figured out that the theme was "original intentions," right? [The original term is "初心" (chūxīn), meaning one's original aspiration or passion.]
Just as Joyce said, a person's life is like the four seasons. We all go through the stages of sprouting, growing, withering, and silence.
I've always remembered the phrase: "Young people are full of vitality; they can change the world. The future of the world is ours."
But I also raised this question back in Volume 3: The social classes are rigid and fixed. We aren't world-shaking geniuses, so we don't have the power to break through this established hierarchy. What do we do?
I threw in the towel. There's nothing I can do about it, except chug some "chicken soup for the soul" and keep trying.
I just redirected my efforts elsewhere—back to my original passion.
Let's not talk about grand principles this time. Let's talk about Shu.
In the very beginning, Shu wasn't the Herrscher of [Wish]. He wasn't even in the Honkai universe. He was on the set of an Ultraman show. He used to actually be an Ultraman...
At the time, I wanted to write a story about becoming a hero from scratch, step by step. He's terrible at fighting monsters his first two times, is too scared to transform the first time, and so on.
I designed many forms for him, a complete story arc, how he would transform, how he would grow, and what kinds of enemies he would face...
His first defeat would be against Galactron, only achieving victory through cooperation with humans.
Facing the threat of Alien Hipporito, he would be turned into a bronze statue. Countless people would then relay his transformation device back to the statue, allowing him to obtain a Light Form and become a master of beam attacks (basically, a mage).
Then there would be a fight against Zetton where his beam attacks are useless. He'd draw on the support of fallen heroes from a martyrs' cemetery to awaken a Martial Arts Form. (Red Ultras never lose!)
And finally, the great battle against his own dark side, transcending himself to become the Light of "Hope"...
He never got the chance to become light before I shelved the idea. It wasn't until recently that I dusted it off and brought him into the world of Honkai.
His personality didn't change, and his backstory didn't change much either. The biggest difference is... he no longer has his original safe harbor.
He was supposed to have a younger sister, but now he doesn't.
Regarding the Herrscher of [Dream], she wasn't originally Sirin, just an ordinary little girl who became a Herrscher because of major conflicts with her parents and a distorted worldview.
The plan back then was to coax her like a child, putting on a show to make her realize she was the one in the wrong. In the end, the Herrscher would go berserk, pulling the moon out of the sky due to her obsession, and Shu would have to push it back.
Later, the Herrscher became Sirin, and the conflict manifested as a dreamscape. In that version, Shu would be killed once by the courtroom's judgment mechanic, die again after openly rebelling alongside Joyce, and finally, after winning over Sirin, he'd barely scrape by with the help of HOMU.
But I couldn't let it go... My childhood slapped me across the face. It asked me if I still loved Ultraman. If I still believed in the light. I really wanted to say that I stopped believing long ago, that I've already passed the spring and summer of my life and entered my autumn.
I've forgotten old account passwords, forgotten the answers to my own security questions. I've even forgotten why the Ultraman Shu transformed into was named 'Xiu-luo-ruo-si' [休洛若斯], what word that was even a homophone for...
I've forgotten it all...
But this is a novel. It doesn't have to be too realistic. So, I changed the outline for a third time and let Shu get his main account back.
So in the end, we all lose our childhoods. Congratulations to me, I've finally become an adult...
Summary: The things you couldn't have in your youth will haunt you for a lifetime. Since we can't change the future, let's use all the strength of our youth to satisfy the past. The child you once were is the easiest to please.
...
---NEXT VOLUME TEASER---
["Theresa, are you sure you want to lead the team? Are you really going to dump all this paperwork on your poor old grandpa who's going senile?"]
["Huh? Grandpa is not senile! He has way more energy than I do!!"]
["But I'm a grandpa now. It's time for you to grow up, Theresa..."]
["Growing up doesn't mean doing your grandpa's paperwork like it's homework!!"]
["Kallen-senpai, this..."]
["Sigh... You'll get used to it... probably..."]
["Are you telling me you lost to a rookie? Was all that training for nothing? And you call yourselves Fire Moth's Titan pilots. You might as well hand over that Titan mecha signed by Captain Shu to the new recruit!"]
["No! Captain Himeko! Boss Himeko! I've shed blood and sweat for Fire Moth! You can't take away my Captain Shu-autographed Titan mecha!!"]
["Then get back to training! Or are you just waiting for that rookie to come and take one of your spots?"]
["But Boss Himeko... that rookie... she's no ordinary person!!"]
["Yeah, yeah! She feels almost like the Herrscher of Finality from back then!"]
["Almost like Kiana? Wait, who's that?"]
["Report to HQ, Lord Otto! There's a zombie horde on the front lines in Canghai (Sapphire) City, Sector B! Many zombies and Honkai Beasts have appeared! Requesting special forces support!"]
["Understood. There's a special forces team near your position. They'll be at the front lines shortly."]
["Special Forces Team Leader, codename 'Judah'! Arriving to provide support!"]
["Special Forces Team Member, codename 'Durandal,' arriving to provide support!"]
["Special Forces Team Member, codename 'Maid,' arriving to provide support."]
[In the dead silence, the observer looked up, and everyone could see the terror on her face.]
["It's... It's—!"]