Cirrus sneered: "Prisoner? If you want to mock me, then mock me directly. Why beat around the bush? It's disgusting."
Stelle smiled and said: "No no no, I didn't have any intention of calling you a prisoner. Rather——"
"You know what, 'old friend'~~ Those words you said just now sounded like you were acting spoiled."
Cirrus's body stiffened, and its gaze became incomparably vicious and resentful.
"What did you say?!"
Seeing signs that Cirrus was about to break, Stelle felt completely refreshed and continued to twist the knife with a smile.
"Little Cirrus, do you want to go back to Mommy's arms?"
"..."
Cirrus was silent for a long while before it finally calmed its emotions and suppressed the feelings it had revealed.
"When it comes to viciousness, humans are not the slightest bit inferior to heliobi."
"Me, vicious?"
Stelle couldn't hold back a snort and launched into cold mockery and hot sarcasm.
"Let's not even talk about how you schemed against me and schemed against the Judges to collect heliobus power for you. Just take right now for example——"
"Have you been trapped in the Creation Furnace and Huiyan's illusion realm for so long that when you see a human, it's like a gambler who has lost everything suddenly seeing a billion credits appear in front of them?"
"You feel uncomfortable all over if you don't possess someone for even a day, right? No matter how vicious I am, I can't compare to you."
Cirrus coldly glanced at Stelle, then suddenly laughed as well.
"I know what you're thinking. You want to use provocation to force me to release the possession? Hahaha, dream on!"
"As long as I'm trapped here for even one day, I won't leave his body."
"The Judges can paste divine curses on this body and smear it with talisman water all they want. It doesn't matter."
"As long as the Ten Lords Commission still wants to preserve the life of their subordinate, I have room to bargain."
Stelle curled her lip: "You've already been reduced to a prisoner. What kind of tricks can you still pull?"
Cirrus said disdainfully: "There's still a lot I can do, little chess piece. As a heliobus, I will exist eternally, undying and indestructible."
"Before the Alliance was established, I had already lived for countless years. After the Alliance disappears, I will still exist for countless Amber Eras."
"I can wait. Wait for you all to let your guard down. Wait for the formations in Fyxestroll Garden to collapse. Time and opportunity will always stand on my side."
"It doesn't hurt to tell you either. Besides us few in Fyxestroll Garden, when the Creation Furnace shattered, there were other heliobi who escaped without a trace."
"Where do you think they are now, and what kind of storms will they stir up on the Luofu?"
"I'm really looking forward to seeing the Ten Lords Commission running around in a panic, with splitting headaches… Hehe… Hahahaha!"
Seeing the sinister and calculating look flash through Cirrus's eyes, Stelle couldn't help but frown.
It was already caught, yet it still wasn't behaving. The Ten Lords Commission really would have a headache.
"What are you thinking about, Stelle."
"…Leon?"
Stelle only then noticed that a figure had appeared beside her at some point. She gestured toward the possessed Cirrus in front of them.
"Wondering what kind of scheme this guy is still cooking up. Sly and treacherous. One look and you can tell it used to specifically seek out this type of person to possess. Quite picky with its food."
"This thing possessed you earlier, right?" Leon asked meaningfully.
"Mm..."
Stelle nodded subconsciously. Then a flash of inspiration went through her mind as she recalled some previous events.
Before she could open her mouth to ask, she heard Cirrus let out a shrill, miserable scream.
Her gaze fell on Cirrus, who was clutching its head and rolling violently on the ground. Stelle was filled with astonishment.
According to a heliobus's characteristics, after possessing someone else's body, even if the host was injured, the heliobus itself shouldn't feel pain, right?
Then what was wrong with Cirrus right now?
"Did you do this?" Stelle turned her head to look at Leon's side profile.
"A member of the Astral Express crew would never watch a companion get schemed against and suffer a loss without doing anything."
Leon admitted it in a roundabout way.
"So, I made a move."
Hearing this, Stelle immediately curved her eyebrows and smiled very happily.
The Astral Express was one big loving family. It felt really good to have a senior backing her up.
Of course, Stelle's smile looked completely different in Cirrus's eyes. The latter was not happy at all.
But right now, the only emotion Cirrus could feel was fear.
This white-haired human… what a terrifying method...
Stelle was extremely curious: "By the way, Leon, what did you do to Cirrus?"
Leon smiled and casually said something that made even the Underworld martial officers guarding Cirrus feel a chill down their spines.
"I merely took away some things that a heliobus relies on to live. To give an appropriate example, it's like making a Masked Fool lose the ability to seek joy."
Stelle tried to imagine Sparkle being unable to find any fun and collapsing on the ground crying loudly. She instantly understood.
Doctor Leon's move was really well played!
Not gonna lie, she was actually looking forward to it a bit.
Seeing how miserable Cirrus looked right now, Stelle felt she had properly vented the frustration that had been stuck in her heart.
"Cirrus, say something. Can you stop howling for a moment? Where did that arrogant attitude from when you were throwing out threats go? I still prefer you when you had that attitude."
"Old friend? Hurry up and say something?"
"Doctor Leon only used a small trick, and you've already become this pathetic."
"Aiya ya, you really—— are trash."
Cirrus really wanted to be so angry that it vomited blood, but unfortunately it didn't have that ability. Only after a good while did the torment brought by that fear gradually disappear.
It shrank into a corner, not even daring to look at Leon.
It didn't dare to provoke Stelle, who was clearly valued by Leon, at a time like this either.
Seeing the once-arrogant and unruly Cirrus become as obedient as a mad dog that had been beaten half to death, Stelle immediately felt there was no point in provoking it anymore.
However, quite a few players almost cheered out loud in satisfaction.
No matter how undying and indestructible you heliobi are, once you run into Leon, who has lived for who knows how many years and whose existence is longer than the entire Xianzhou Alliance itself——
You still have to submit.
"I told you, Leon hubby definitely has a way to deal with Cirrus."
"Don't forget that even Phantylia, in her state as an Emanator of Destruction while also wielding the power of Abundance, was hit with hard control and breaking defense by Leon's ultimate move."
"A tiny little Cirrus still thinks it can flip the heavens?"
Ah Xian had already looked through the subsequent plot developments for the other report routes.
Only Leon could make Cirrus pay a substantial price. It could be said to fit his character very well.
After all, he had lived for a long time, and there had already been the Phantylia plotline as foreshadowing earlier.
A former Emanator of a star god who had lived for so many years — it wouldn't be strange for him to know anything.
However, what the players didn't expect was that Leon didn't use his own methods to punish Cirrus. Instead, he took a shortcut.
Compared to those mysterious Emanators of star gods, such as Finality, Equilibrium, or even Enigmata itself——
The methods of an Emanator of Elation were even more unfathomable.
Manipulating the emotions of all living beings was merely the most basic of basic abilities for an Emanator of Elation.
Aha would naturally know how to do it too, but HE probably never used it even once?
There was no further development from Cirrus for now. Ah Xian turned to go find Huohuo to talk.
She had just pressed the run button when she heard Stelle start speaking. She subconsciously let go of the key immediately.
"Leon, earlier when Cirrus wanted to eat someone, did you secretly protect me?"
The camera focused on Leon.
His eyes were narrowed, pupils invisible. The way he tilted his head and smiled made him difficult to read.
"What protection?"
"…I remember the difference now!"
Ah Xian slapped her thigh.
"Everyone, do you still remember? In Leon's route, after Cirrus released the possession state, Master didn't lose strength?"
"Master only bent at the waist and staggered once, then frowned slightly and stood up straight. Her expression only showed a bit of confusion."
Most importantly, her condition looked completely different from the other routes.
At this moment, most players finally remembered the differences in the plot.
Aside from Leon's route, in all the other character routes, after Cirrus released the possession, Stelle would collapse forward powerlessly, as if injured.