"Wait a moment... the core can be taken, but the body must remain! Regardless, as her teacher, I must grant her peace."
Lu Ze silently drew the sword planted beside him. If Raiden Mei refused to hand over the body, then the two of them had only one option: fight!
"Is that so... if I don't hand it over? Will you raise the sword I gifted you to fight me?"
The sword in his hand was indeed gifted by Raiden Mei at St. Freya. His name was even engraved on it. However, drawing a sword to fight its original owner was truly ironic.
"No, I won't use this sword. I will only take it back with my bare hands!"
Raiden Mei smiled, as if mocking herself or perhaps him. But she directly reached out and took out two cores, roughly tossed the body aside, and left.
The air was filled with the scent of electricity. She was clearly angered just now, but she didn't fight her old friend for a dead woman.
"Mei, consider this a debt I owe you this time..."
He sheathed the sword in his hand, then walked to Anna's side and held her tightly. He walked step by step out of the place.
I know you love the sea the most, so I've chosen a place by the sea for you. Lie here quietly, listening to the sound of the waves, the cries of the seagulls, and the whistling of the sea breeze.
"This... this is all I can do for you... Anna, rest in peace..."
As the tombstone was erected, a small mound of earth appeared. Anna Schariac, six large characters were carved on the tombstone. My favorite student... it's you too.
The memory ended. Lu Ze gazed blankly at the core before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. I ultimately couldn't give you a good future, Anna...
Back in his room, he saw Anna's photo on the wall and the box beneath it. He opened the box, and the necklace and letter lay silently inside.
"This time, I will let you become my strength. I will forever... pray for you. Now that there is a way to resurrect, those who have passed will eventually return... I also hope to meet you in the future."
The ice-blue crystal silently merged into his body. Frost instantly appeared on Lu Ze's person, and every inch of his skin felt the stinging sensation of the cold.
"It doesn't hurt... how could it hurt... right, Anna?"
In an instant, Lu Ze seemed to see Anna standing quietly beside him, her face beaming with a smile. How beautiful that was... But as the ice enveloped him, the illusion shattered, and he was frozen into a block of ice, becoming an ice-covered person.
As time slowly passed, the ice gradually shattered. Lu Ze escaped from the ice, his appearance completely transformed.
Starlike patterns filled his entire body. His black hair had turned white, and even his black pupils had become ice-blue. Feeling the power of the ice within him, Lu Ze chuckled softly... Is this your power, Anna?
Skyfire Judgment appeared in his hand. With his current abilities, he could completely suppress Skyfire Judgment and even stably wield it to unleash its power. The only cost was his body temperature, which had to be kept around minus ten degrees Celsius, and he had to be in his Herrscher form.
Once he adapted later, he wouldn't need to use his Herrscher form.
"Thank you, Anna, for giving me such power."
Now, Skyfire Judgment could even enter its Judgment Breaker form. After all, Skyfire Judgment detected the energy of a Herrscher core, so it could naturally activate its strongest form. At this time, Skyfire Judgment's attacks would double, and it could even unleash Skyfire at zero rated power.
"Sigh, this is truly awful. My desire to work has been completely extinguished. I'll go rent a shop."
As he went downstairs, he saw the two Fatui Harbingers regaining consciousness. It was probably their first time, so their heads were a bit dizzy. Rosaria almost fell to the ground, but Tartaglia was alright.
"Are you two alright? Sit for a while until the dizziness in your heads subsides."
Lu Ze quickly helped Rosaria to lean on the recliner.
"Shopkeeper, why does the aura you possess feel familiar? Could it be... the power of ice?"
Tartaglia's blue eyes looked at the person before him with confusion. An hour ago, he didn't have this aura. Just an hour later, he seemed like a different person, even stronger.
"It's just your imagination, esteemed guests... If you have nothing else, you may leave. I, on the other hand, am going to Mondstadt to rent a shop to sell Honkai Impact merchandise, books, and the like. You can buy some souvenirs then."
Rosaria's eyes instantly lit up. When she first came here, she had watched the PV of Sirin and immediately fell in love with the character. In fact, most people who played Honkai Impact did so because of her.
"When exactly? And when will Sirin be available in the game? And where is she?"
Perhaps it was due to her height that Rosaria didn't notice the four small figures on the sofa. The sofa perfectly concealed them.
"The specific time will be around the day after tomorrow. She'll be released in the next update. As for her, she's right there. We'll be holding a signing and release event then. You can get Sirin's autograph on the books you buy."
Rosaria didn't pay much attention to the rest of what was said and quickly moved in front of the sofa. The moment she saw Sirin, she felt a bit deflated. The reason she liked this character was mainly because Sirin had a queenly aura.
But the current Sirin had no queenly aura at all; she was completely a shut-in.
Although a little disappointed, the fact that she would be released in the game made her look forward to it.
Mini Theater: Figure Release Event (1)
"Lord Yae Guuji, here is the figure you ordered. I've placed it here."
A female editor from the Hachijo Shrine quickly placed a figure on the table and then hurried away, as she still had to meet her deadline.
"So fast? I have to say, Raiden Shogun's figures sell very well. It makes me a little envious. If I were made into a figure, would it also sell well?"
Upon opening the packaging, an exquisite ceramic doll of Raiden Shogun sat on the table. There was a sword on its feet. The craftsmanship was quite good; in this era, being able to produce something like this was commendable.
"Hmm... I hope Kujou Sara doesn't faint on the way."
On the other side, Kujou Sara was anxiously queuing, occasionally looking ahead to observe the number of figures and count how many were left until her turn.
"How many should I buy this time? One for viewing, one for collecting, one for worship. I still don't think it's enough..."