With the final execution of Kane Pepian, the incident in Jigui City finally came to a close. However, that didn't mean all matters were settled. Right now, for instance, Fuli had to face a stern reprimand from his fuming little AI.
["Host! Letting the Herrscher of Ice's vessel come into direct contact with a Honkai source of that magnitude was far too dangerous! It's sheer luck that no accident occurred. What would you have done if something had gone wrong?!"]
Facing Prometheus's rapid-fire condemnation, the boy felt a little wronged himself.
["How was I supposed to know that Anna, after agreeing so readily, would turn around and try to swallow that enormous amount of Honkai energy whole?!"]
What normal person would do that? He asked if she could handle it, she said yes, and then immediately went and risked her life. He had thought that, at most, she would use her ability to control Honkai energy to transfer the source or detonate it from a distance. While that might have spawned some Honkai Beasts to attack the city, wasn't Yunli there to handle it?
Is there something wrong with the Schariac bloodline? You moron, cherish your life a little more!
["This matter isn't entirely the host's fault,"] a rational and calm female voice joined the conversation.
["Perfection is impossible in all things. If you review the timeline of the entire incident, you'll understand that at that critical moment, with intelligence still unclear, they had to make that choice to minimize potential losses."]
Dr. MEI paused, then smiled. ["Besides, I don't believe our battle-hardened host would truly be helpless against a newly born Herrscher of Ice, even if she was carrying numerous precious items forged by a Baiye."]
Prometheus, who had witnessed Fuli's growth from the very beginning, fell silent. Finally, with a light huff, her form vanished from his retina, cutting the connection to the Terminal Co-processing System.
Back on the moon, Dr. MEI sat leisurely on a lunar rock. Dressed in her signature white lab coat and black stockings, the beautiful woman crossed her long legs and teased playfully, "Our little Miss Will of the Honkai has become quite a bit more human recently, hasn't she?"
"Spit it out," the little AI shot her a look, clearly telling her to get lost.
"I'm a little concerned about this Schariac race," Dr. MEI said, her smile fading. "They aren't Kaslanas, who carry the bloodline of world-saviors, nor are they Apocalypses, descendants of Buddha with deep ties to the Dev-A-Lokas."
"It's as if they suddenly appeared in the Current Era, displayed their unique power, and logically joined Schicksal, becoming one of the three major shareholders, standing on equal footing with the other two families."
At these words, Prometheus temporarily dropped her sulking act. She frowned. "Do you have a specific theory?"
"Only some rather unreliable speculation at the moment." Dr. MEI held up her hand, forming a tiny gap between her thumb and forefinger.
"Coincidentally, I also have a rather immature hypothesis over here." The little AI looked over with her inorganic crimson eyes. The two paused, then, as if by telepathy, spoke the same name:
"Elysia."
At the end of the Previous Era, Elysia, who had become the Herrscher of Human, stated that she would give the Herrschers of the new civilization a chance to choose for themselves.
Although she always had the phrase "A beautiful maiden's heart is omnipotent~♪" on her lips, the fact remained that the Sequence Herrschers, as projections of the Herrscher of Finality in different dimensions, were highly bound to the Cocoon, innately constrained and controlled by the End.
Good intentions cannot break the absolute gap in power levels.
Shouting "love and justice" to power up and defeat a superior enemy is something that only happens in bubble-worlds where the laws of physics are less rigid. No matter how pure, innocent, cute, and charming she appeared on the surface, as a battle-hardened veteran who fought from the Second Eruption until just before the Finality's descent, and a strong contender for MVP who had witnessed countless sacrifices, Elysia knew this better than anyone.
And coincidentally, among the many battles she had experienced, there was an enemy whose authority could largely ignore power-level gaps. That was the tragedy that directly led to the formation of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers: the Tragedy of Binding, caused by the Eleventh Herrscher, the Herrscher of Binding.
Dr. MEI spoke slowly. "We both should remember that after Elysia became the Herrscher of Human... the whereabouts of the Herrscher Core within her became unknown." Before her end, the girl as brilliant as a blooming flower had smiled and said:
The final "Key of Flawlessness" actually exists within all our hearts, and through it, I shall remain in this world forever.
"This sentence sounds a bit nonsensical at first," Dr. MEI's voice was gentle, "but what if we interpret it differently? Did Elysia, through her own unknown Herrscher authority, acquire some of the properties of the Elysion Pedion barrier? And did she turn this property into a failsafe, quietly burying it within the human DNA sequence?"
"When a human individual undergoes Herrscher transformation, this failsafe is activated," Prometheus picked up the thread, a ripple in her cybernetic voice. "It gives the Herrscher vessel, which should have been completely controlled by the Cocoon, a chance to break free from the End's shackles and fight for the ones they love."
"And in some people of the Current Era, this life factor is naturally more concentrated than in others," Dr. MEI continued her deduction. "So much so that it created a wondrous fusion with the Stigma genes within them, giving rise to the Schariac clan, who, like Elysia the Herrscher of Origin, are born with a certain degree of control over Honkai energy."
"The so-called Sacred Blood and Saintly Power are likely the products of developing this special gene," she concluded.
"They possess properties that counter Honkai energy, like a Elysion Pedion barrier flowing through their veins, but they aren't as rigid as the Power of Binding. They can also resonate with the Black Abyss and White Flower to exert even greater power." After all, that Divine Key, symbolizing creation and withering, had been Elysia's weapon from the very beginning.
"Speaking of which, that commoner, Eleanor, was later given the Schariac surname," Prometheus recalled another detail. "The host's previous speculation was that the Schariac clan was weak at the time and had to give face to Otto, the Overseer's third son."
"Looking at it now, it's more likely that after Eleanor, who suffered from the Honkai disease, was saved, she initially activated the Schariac factor in her body, meeting the conditions for being accepted by the family. So they went along with the matter."
Dr. MEI pushed up her glasses. "Speaking of which, our little host seems to be quite familiar with that Miss Eleanor, doesn't he?"
"Familiar is an understatement. He's even more familiar with the Schicksal Overseer who woke her up from the cryo-pod," Prometheus rolled her eyes, seeing right through her. "That man is a lot of trouble. I advise you not to make any rash moves." She paused, then added, "At least wait until the host reaches S-rank."
"Yes, yes~" Dr. MEI raised her hands in a French military salute of surrender. Then she added, "By then, we can also tell him some of our speculations about the system, the Cocoon of Finality, or his rebirth, right?"
Prometheus remained silent.
---||---
After a thorough inside-and-out physical examination of Anna, Fuli was brutally honest and told her the truth: she was the Herrscher of Ice.
The girl in question provided a vivid demonstration of what a jaw-dropping, pupil-shaking shock looked like, her mouth agape for a long time. Fortunately, she wasn't so single-minded as to draw her swords and commit suicide on the spot, which made the ever-vigilant Fuli secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
He warned her sternly, "Yunli and I are trustworthy partners. Even if we know you're a Herrscher, we'll keep it a secret. But you'd better not tell anyone else for now, not even your parents or Asta."
"Mhm, mhm!" Yunli nodded vigorously beside him. "If word gets out and those crazy scientists find out, they might just kidnap you and slice you up for research!"
Anna didn't deny the possibility. The last Sequence Herrscher to remain sane like her was named Welt. It was precisely because of the Herrscher of Reason's deterrence that Anti-Entropy was able to rise in just a few decades to become a superpower capable of rivaling Schicksal.
But she was still a little conflicted. "But, about the regular physical check-ups..."
"Just tell Schicksal that from now on, you'll have your check-ups on our Hyperion," Fuli offered a solution with a slightly sly smile. "As our big financial backer, it's perfectly normal for you to enjoy some shareholder benefits once in a while."
Can "enjoying shareholder benefits" be swapped with "the shareholder enjoying Fuli"? Anna, whose hobby was writing romance novels, felt her mind start to race. The boy had to call her name three times before she snapped back to reality, her cheeks slightly flushed as she returned with them to the ruins of the Pepian building.
"Oops." Gazing at the massive, smoldering mound that looked like the aftermath of a volcanic eruption, Fuli scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Looks like I went a little overboard." He had been hoping to snag some loot, but now the place was as clean as if the Hero had already passed through.
"Teacher Fufu, you're amazing..." Standing beside him, Anna looked up, staring blankly at the terrifying scene of destruction caused by Heavenly Abyss of Infinity. The scorching air distorted her vision, and rivers of lava snaked down the volcano's slopes. She hesitated and asked in a small voice, "Can I really cool this place down?"
"You're the mighty Herrscher of Ice!" Yunli said with her arms crossed, more confident than Anna herself. "Even if you're just a baby right now, handling a scene of this level shouldn't be a big problem."
Fuli took the opposite approach. "Anna, you don't want this scorching lava to flow into the nearby residential areas, harming countless innocent people and their homes, leaving them homeless, do you?"
"I'll do my best!" Hearing this, the girl's eyes instantly filled with determination. She took a deep breath and reached out towards the scorching crater that seemed to lead to hell.
The next moment, a miracle happened.
The surging heatwaves were soothed by a winter's caress. The slowly flowing lava cooled and solidified at a visible rate, turning into dark igneous rock. If one were to look down from above, they would see a giant crimson lotus of ice crystallizing and blooming out of nowhere, transforming the scarred earth into a magnificent, silvery-white landscape.
"Authorities really are convenient..." Fuli clicked his tongue in amazement. The destructive power of his Heavenly Abyss of Infinity was no less than that of an unsheathed Might of An-Utu, and he had unleashed that slash with his full strength in a fit of rage.
To put it bluntly, if his blade had been aimed just a little lower, he would have created a straight fault line across the island that reached the depths of the sea, achieving a geological wonder on par with the Musoujin Gorge. In human terms: he would have cut the island in half.
And yet Anna, a fledgling Critical-class Herrscher, had cleaned it all up in a matter of moments. It made sense, though. The Honkai consciousness in her core had been purified, but her connection to the Imaginary Space remained. With a continuous supply of Honkai energy, if she studied physics and chemistry like Mei and fully mastered the essence of her authority, her potential would be nearly—
Hey, wait! Did she just call me Teacher Fufu? Fuli was startled and instinctively turned to look at Anna.
The girl, having just finished her purification task, happened to look over at the same time. In her beautiful, rose-pink eyes, joy and affection were normal, but why was there also admiration and adoration?!
My dumbass apprentice writer I picked up online happens to be a Schicksal Valkyrie who is now not only a high-ranking senator but also a Herrscher? Don't you think this plot development is a little too forced, God?!
The boy roared silently in his mind, but couldn't help but look at Anna with a pang of pity, clearly remembering the tragic end of the Herrscher of Ice from the previous timeline. This kid is a year younger than me...
But it's okay! As long as your Teacher Fufu is alive, disaster will always be one step behind you! What? A love-triangle battlefield? Our little angel Anna is so gentle and considerate, how could she possibly do something so outrageous!
Completely forgetting that a nice person's descent into darkness is the most terrifying thing of all, Fuli raised his hand and gently ruffled the girl's soft hair.
"Eh?" Anna was stunned for a moment, but her tense body soon relaxed. She closed her eyes and let out a satisfied "purrrr" from her throat.
Yunli, watching from the side, suddenly felt like she'd been force-fed a mouthful of PDA. She was about to say something when she saw a pair of very warm-looking shoes being held out in front of her.
"The ground's all ice. It's cold."
"Hmph, you sure know how to please girls." Yunli grumbled as she bent down to put them on, thinking to herself, This philanderer. I wonder which unlucky girl will end up as his primary wife.
Murasame, having just finished a call with Old Wataru on Fuli's phone, sighed. "After all this, I wonder what will become of Jigui City in the future."
"Don't worry, human vitality is stronger than a cockroach's," Yunli said, putting her hands on her hips, her energetic self restored. "But you, old man, we're about to part ways. Have you thought about what you'll do?"
"I have, sister, I have!" Murasame puffed out his small chest, looking serious. "Just now, Little Bro Fuli gave me the preliminary information about divine authority. I plan to do as you said, Big Sis Yunli, and work hard to gather faith, striving to one day truly transform into a god!"
"Ambitious. Ever considered debuting as a VTuber?" Fuli applauded. "Don't mind all the 'Yuzusoft fans are so cringe' spam online. The moment you say 'Ciallo～(∠・ω<)⌒★', the bandwagoners will flock to you."
"No, no, no," Murasame wagged a finger, looking very experienced. "Don't be fooled by all the meme-spammers online. The vast majority of them just copy and paste to follow the trend. They don't even count as basic believers, let alone provide any truly useful faith energy."
In fact, being devoted enough to a galge character to generate faith energy is already super ridiculous in itself... Anna thought sheepishly.
"SO!" Murasame leaped up from his tiny body and landed lightly on the snow in front of the trio. He turned around stylishly. "I need to change into another image that is more down-to-earth and familiar to the public to better promote myself! And it's best if it's one that already exists!"
"Such as?" Yunli raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Such as—this!" Murasame reached back and tied his long, green-blue hair into two lively pigtails. His traditional kimono also transformed into a modern blue-and-white sailor fuku. The black necktie and shiny metal cufflinks were particularly eye-catching in the night. The absolute territory between his knee-high socks and short skirt, and the musical note embroidery on the hem that bounced with his steps, made him look as if he had stepped right out of a virtual melody—
"Holy shit! It's Hatsune Miku!" Fuli and Yunli exclaimed in unison.
"Precisely!" Murasame flicked a leek with a smug look. "From this day forward, I am no longer Murasame, nor am I a man! I am the manifestation of a virtual singer's will in the third dimension—the Hatsune Miku Bodhisattva!"
"That's possible?!" Anna was dumbfounded. "And you just accepted a female identity like that?"
"Well, I raised Wataru all by myself anyway, so I'm used to being both a father and a mother," Murasame waved his hand dismissively, then said shamelessly, "Little Bro Fuli, I heard your VTuber account has over a hundred thousand followers. How about giving me a referral later?"
"That shouldn't be a problem..."
BZZZT—!
Just as the boy agreed, Anna and Yunli's phones vibrated with a notification. They took them out and opened them.
Large-scale Regional Mission "Eternal Calamity's Blazing Sun: The City of Burning Sin" has been completed. Reward: 50,000 Points.
"NICE!"
"Alright!"
The teens cheered excitedly, high-fiving each other and showing the youthful energy befitting their age. Then, Fuli's phone also rang with its unique notification tone. He took it out and saw that the Matrix of Prescience had issued a second personal mission:
Contestant Fuli, please return to the Luofu as soon as possible to provide the hardworking General Fu Xuan and Diviner Qingque with professional lap-pillow and ear-cleaning services. The point reward will be determined by the service recipients' evaluation.
Matrix of Prescience Friendly Reminder: It is recommended that you role-play as a boyfriend or husband and provide caring whispers. The probability of receiving a higher score will be greatly increased~
Wait, didn't you say the missions were all related to World Serpent? What the hell is with cleaning a high-ranking official's ears? And I have to pretend to be her man? Things aren't that dire, are they?
The boy was bewildered, strongly suspecting that a certain little sparrow was using her official position to get some personal benefits after working too much overtime.
But in any case, the tense and exhausting night was finally over. The first light of dawn broke as a red sun slowly peeked over the blue sea horizon. The salty sea breeze, carrying the freshness of dawn, swept past the trio standing at the port, ready to take a ship back to the Shenzhou mainland.
Walking ahead, Fuli noticed Yunli hesitating several times, as if she wanted to say something but was too embarrassed. He turned his head and asked proactively, "Just say what's on your mind. The Miss Yunli I know isn't this hesitant, is she?"
"You're the one who told me to say it!" Hearing this, the artisan maiden no longer hesitated. She took a courageous step forward, then immediately shrank back again. "Never mind, never mind. Just pretend I didn't say anything." She was really curious about what Fuli had seen in the illusion to make him so angry, but she wasn't the type to rub salt in someone's wounds just for the sake of knowing.
Damn it! I'll just have to live with this itching curiosity for the rest of my life! Yunli thought indignantly, stomping her foot on the gangway leading to the ship's deck as if to vent.
"Hehe~" Looking at the girl's slender back, which carried a hint of frustration and stubbornness, the corners of Fuli's mouth unconsciously curved up. The letter from the previous timeline, the one that had helped him pull himself together during his darkest moment, seemed to appear before his eyes again.
My Treasure, remember:
The sun you see is the sun from eight minutes ago;
The moon you see is the moon from one second ago;
The stars you see are the stars from who knows how many tens of thousands of light-years ago.
The past is past. What remains in your mind is just a distorted illusion;
The future has not yet come. What is in your mind is just a complex projection;
The past and the future, they are both illusions.
Do not be trapped in illusions.
Try to feel—now, this moment.
Feel your body, feel where it is tense, then close your eyes and take a deep breath.
This single moment is everything.
The past cannot be changed, and the future cannot be pursued.
Only this moment is real.
People are fragile. A sip of water can choke you to death, a kiss can also be fatal;
People are also strong. Even after losing limbs, organs, or even a part of the brain, a person can still live in this world;
Fate is fickle. A person can die in their sleep at home, a person can do nothing and have all their wishes come true;
In the end, all people die.
But not now.
At least for this moment, live well.
—by the super Great King Yunli who anticipated that a certain idiot would definitely give up after this Great King died, and so also asked a friend to send this.
"What are you still dawdling for!"
"Teacher Fufu?"
The sea breeze blew past, the girls' calls carrying warmth.
"Coming, coming! By the way, does anyone know how to clean ears? My next mission is related to that... Who? Your Sister Lingsha?"
Cherishing that warm memory, Fuli, under the morning sun, quickened his pace to catch up with his companions.
(End of Volume V: Volume 5: The Hyperion is Thriving! - Afterword)
This volume ended up being a bit long. Since the city incident is resolved and the matter of the previous timeline's Yunli has reached a stopping point, I've decided to start a new volume.
As usual, there will be two free interlude chapters at the end of the volume, written for the love of it. They should be up this afternoon or evening. Also as usual, one will be related to the true main plot, and one will be about some happenings from the previous (?) timeline.
That's all, thank you for your support~