Lu Xing did not deliver a finishing blow.
His remaining Honkai energy did not permit him to do so. Although the Emperor had gone to the Flame-Chaser base in his main body, he still had an "avatar" at the Great Rift.
The death of this body was not to be feared.
The crucial thing was that "Plan Four: Take the Keys of God" would be impossible to complete.
As for the other reason...
Lu Xing wasn't worried that Kevin could still power up in his current state, but rather that he himself no longer had the time or the opportunity.
Swoosh!!
A roaring gale howled through the air.
Less than two minutes after Lu Xing's withdrawal, a figure interwoven with black and white had already rushed back at what could only be described as a frantic speed!
The Black Abyss White Flower, Elysia.
As an aside.
At this moment, everyone ignored a certain detail:
The Emperor-class (Doomsday-class) Honkai Beast "Maheśvara" that Elysia had fused with did not grant a Fusion Warrior the ability to fly.
Thud!
Elysia, wielding the Black Abyss White Flower, landed on the ground with a haste... even an expression of panic that no one had ever seen on her before.
The tragic sight all around...
There were barely any living people left in the entire base. No, forget ordinary people, even the Fusion Warriors—Sakura's body was charred to a crisp, an injury that was simply beyond human means to heal; Mobius had successfully suppressed Su (by injecting the serum into his body), but although the two had reverted from their Artificial Honkai Eruption state, they had also consumed all their Honkai energy, left with almost no strength; Vill-V had suffered the least impact, but she did not excel in combat and lacked Mobius's formidable regenerative power, so her injuries were by no means light; Kevin was also grievously wounded, and if not for his own superior strength, he might have been no better off than Sakura.
The only one on the field whose condition was still somewhat passable was Dr. Mei.
As for the reason...
"Elysia."
"Mei, wait a moment."
In an extremely rare display, Elysia did not, as she usually would, face the difficulty with a playful joke to smooth things over.
The Fairy Miss's expression grew serious in a way no one had ever seen before.
Bang!
The silver lance fell to the ground, and a slender black sword was drawn from within.
The two-colored lights intertwined and merged into one—
"Heilge Lanze, die Welwitschia. (I am the black from the abyss, I am the white from the heavens; born before Creation, existing after Annihilation; I will give the water of the spring of life freely to the thirsty to drink.)"
Unlike the First Power Rating, Holy Lance · Blossom, the voice that came from Elysia's lips was no longer sonorous, but so soft it was almost heart-wrenching.
The chanting of the entire hymn was unbelievably slow.
A few simple words were drawn out for nearly ten full minutes.
Illusory flowers gathered into a field.
Pure white petals scattered across the land.
Sacred and solemn, magnificent and beautiful.
"Key of God · Black Abyss White Flower, Zeroth Power Rating—"
"Holy Lance · Welwitschia!"
Elysia was in anguish.
The anguish came not only from the loss of life, but from the fact that among so many familiar, smiling faces, she could only choose to save a precious few...
To abandon the majority to save a select few.
This was not a choice one would expect from Elysia, who loved everyone.
But she had to do it.
The creative power of the Black Abyss White Flower could witness the miracle of bringing the dead back to life.
But to act on so many people at once... it was impossible. Trying to save everyone would more likely result in saving no one at all.
Therefore—
Within the domain of pure white, the most radiant light enveloped Sakura and Kevin simultaneously. The remaining quarter of the power rippled over the other three.
As the core of the Flame-Chasers, it was their responsibility to bear the lives of others, to live on and face the incredibly cruel reality!
Pat.
As the power of creation continuously flowed in, Sakura finally showed her first reaction—though it was merely a faint twitch of her fox ears, it at least indicated she had regained the power to breathe.
Kevin's situation was slightly better.
Pierced organs and massive internal and external bleeding were commonplace for Kevin even before he became a Fusion Warrior... they were merely fatal wounds, that's all.
His main problem now was the backlash from the Honkai factors due to excessively drawing on his power. If not for Kevin's perpetually calm (expressionless) face, the mutation occurring on the surface of his body, which he was desperately trying to suppress, would absolutely have been mistaken for a precursor to an Artificial Honkai Eruption.
All of this required the coordinated use of the powers of creation and decomposition.
For Elysia, such delicate work meant a greater expenditure of energy.
After a long time, just as Vill-V opened her eyes due to a feeling of stuffiness (she had fallen in an awkward position)—
"Elysia!"
Dr. Mei quickly rushed toward Elysia, who was tilting backward from exhaustion.
"I'm..."
"Fine."
"Just a bit drained, that's all."
"Mei, that thing..."
Stopping Mei in her tracks, Elysia gently extended her right hand toward her.
With a rare expression of surprise on the doctor's face, Mei quickly handed over a gem-like object. From Dr. Mei's actions, it wasn't hard to see that this gem had likely been "embedded" in the [Blank Key].
"Thank you."
Elysia was visibly relieved after taking the "gem."
"It seems..."
"My suggestion was helpful, wasn't it."
Lu Xing had left quickly, and the reason was precisely Elysia.
Elysia, wielding the Black Abyss White Flower, had an unknown upper limit to her combat power, but she was at least on the same level as Kevin.
If he had stayed even a moment longer, he might have been intercepted by Elysia... and at that point, it would no longer be a question of whether or not he could get away.
The reason Lu Xing had failed to kill Dr. Mei was also because of Elysia.
Through that unknown "gem," the [Blank Key] on Mei's body was able to connect to the Black Abyss White Flower in Elysia's hands over an ultra-long distance. The power of creation was constantly protecting and repairing Mei's body, keeping her in perfect condition at all times. At the same time, the consumption of this creative power allowed Elysia to sense if Mei was in danger.
As an aside, it had been Elysia's idea for Mei to wear the [Blank Key] at all times and to remove the Fourth Key of God from the satellite.
Elysia's concern for Mei... was far more meticulous than that of a crude blockhead like Kevin.
Likewise, it was during the first exchange of blows that Lu Xing had discovered the presence of the power of creation.
Although it seemed like a long time, the entire process from Lu Xing blocking the [Lightning · Iaido Slash] to charging the [Atomic Breath] was just over five seconds. After sensing this ability, which was extremely similar to [Infinity], Lu Xing roughly determined that he would likely have a very difficult time killing Dr. Mei. While continuing to attempt that objective, the Imaginary Emperor began preparations for his other branch plans.
Which was precisely what had just transpired.
"Mei."
Kevin staggered over.
The power of creation could only pull them back from the gates of hell and ensure their injuries wouldn't worsen in the short term, but it couldn't instantly restore their vitality. Completely healing their wounds and restoring the normal function of their Honkai energy could only be solved by time.
"To defeat... to stop it."
"That plan, let me do it."