Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

The wooden door didn't lead to the dilapidated "Broken Axe Bar" Shu had imagined. Instead, every corner of the space exuded a strange, almost decadent luxury.

Polished marble floor tiles, a bar crafted from gleaming glass, and shelves stocked with a variety of liquors Shu had never seen before.

Before the Honkai Eruption, this place was likely a bustling underground club, a hidden den where shady dealings took place and illicit gains were celebrated.

Now, however, the vibrant overhead lights remained off, and the lifeless bodies strewn across the floor, clad in black, completely ruined the atmosphere… or did they?

In a place like this, wasn't a bloodbath almost expected?

Shu guessed a gang war probably erupted just before the Honkai Eruption, leaving no time to clean up the carnage before the world turned upside down.

The guns Kiana had found were likely scavenged from these corpses.

Damn, so many bodies… Just how big was this shootout? He marveled inwardly, quickly passing the glass bar. He couldn't help but take a second look.

The bar was quite large, and perfectly intact. Shu wondered if the gangsters had been incredibly accurate, leaving the bar untouched during the firefight, or if the glass was somehow reinforced to the point where bullets left no trace.

"Screech…" The grating sound of metal being torn echoed from outside, making Shu wince. He knew his time was running out.

The dual-wielding Honkai soldier had sliced through the metal gate several more times. Finally, accompanied by the clatter of falling metal bars, a gap large enough for the soldier to walk through appeared.

It didn't charge. It seemed the brief pause had finally extinguished the last flicker of the soldier's former life, as it resumed its slow, methodical advance.

Stepping through the open wooden door, the soldier turned its head, searching for its fleeing prey.

It was greeted by a round bar stool, hurtling towards its face.

"Take this! Stool-Fu!"

The soldier didn't even flinch, taking the full force of the blow to the face, then collapsing backward.

The impact reverberated through Shu's arms, making him wince and stagger back. He gripped the stool tightly, eyes fixed on the fallen soldier.

"That should do it…" For a full three seconds, the soldier remained motionless. Shu breathed a sigh of relief, which immediately triggered a sharp pain in his chest, making him gasp.

No, I need to make sure! I don't want that thing suddenly coming back to life and taking another swipe at me!

But how? Should I bash it with the stool? Or use its own swords against it?

The gun. Use the gun.

Shu drew his pistol again, checking the magazine. Five bullets left. Two for emergencies…

Two to the chest, one to the head. Even a god couldn't… No, wait, that might not be enough. But a finishing blow with a sword should provide some psychological comfort.

"You're down. You can't dodge now…" Shu raised the gun, aiming at the fallen soldier, his finger slowly tightening on the trigger.

He squeezed.

"Bang—!"

Shu's heart leaped into his throat. A sudden, overwhelming sense of dread washed over him, an icy chill spreading from his waist to his shoulder.

Pure terror made him stumble backward. The next instant, an arc of light flashed before his eyes, narrowly missing his face.

Though the blade was still inches away, Shu felt a searing pain across his face.

But he wasn't focused on the pain, or the near-miss. His eyes were locked on the soldier's cold, orange eyes, gleaming beneath its black, horn-like ornaments.

No emotion, no flicker of recognition, just a cold, empty stare like a dust-covered piece of amber.

And then, his gaze fell on the clear bullet hole in the floor tile behind the soldier.

It had dodged.

Shu scrambled backward, the soldier pressing its relentless advance. Two blades danced in a blur, a deadly net of steel, each strike aimed at a vital point.

Gritting his teeth, Shu focused every ounce of his being on dodging the relentless attacks, forced into a continuous retreat.

This time, there was no chance to create distance. The soldier's pressure was suffocating, each step landing exactly where Shu had just been.

He had no doubt that if he faltered even slightly, the soldier would stomp on his foot without hesitation!

Isn't that a move from a children's playground brawl?!

I can't keep retreating! I'll be against the wall soon!

With no room to maneuver, he would be cut down.

"Bang—!" Shu fired from the hip. The bullet shattered the glass shelves behind the soldier, sending shards of glass raining down.

The pressure relented. Shu gasped, taking advantage of the momentary reprieve.

He touched his face, wincing at the sharp sting. His hand came away coated in warm, sticky blood.

The metallic tang of blood filled his nostrils. Shu spat, his gaze locking onto the soldier as it flipped gracefully to its feet.

He didn't know the extent of the damage, but he could feel the gash running from his temple, across the bridge of his nose, to his other cheek.

Though likely superficial, it had definitely left a mark.

"Tch…" He cursed under his breath, holstering his pistol.

Though it had just saved his life, the gun was useless now.

He'd learned his lesson. This soldier wouldn't be hit by a single bullet. Shu suspected even if he tied the thing up, it would somehow break free the instant he fired and stab him point-blank.

So… close combat it is.

Taking a deep breath, Shu mimicked the stance Fu Hua had taken during their sparring sessions, his body settling into a familiar position.

His mind cleared, the rote movements of the forms he'd learned surfacing in his memory. The individual movements flowed together, merging into a seamless whole.

He could feel that strange power within him rapidly draining away, fusing with the remembered forms, becoming a part of him.

In that moment, Shu felt like he could go toe-to-toe with Fu Hua herself!

"Come on…" His eyes hardened, meeting the soldier's unwavering gaze as it mirrored his stance.