In another laboratory on the Floating Island, Asagami Fujino arrived with September and October.
"How on earth did you do it?" October was shocked to the extreme when he realized the place he was in was actually an island floating in the sky.
"It's just a small matter." Asagami Fujino gave a humble smile, and September, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
October gave a few dry laughs. His understanding of Asagami Fujino's strength had increased by several more levels, going from "unfathomable" to "better not even think about it" to avoid being struck by shock—though October had already been dealt a crushing blow to his confidence.
"Lian Zhen, you're here?"
Just as she was about to open the door to give it a try, Asagami Fujino saw Lian Zhen coming this way carrying a tray.
"Principal, you're back." Lian Zhen was a bit surprised to see Asagami Fujino. Only Literary Star knew about the news of the Principal's return, so it was normal for Lian Zhen to be curious.
"Delivering a meal to Dr. Q, I see~" September teased, looking at the steaming food on the tray Lian Zhen was carrying. "Lian Zhen, keep it up! Work hard to win the Doctor over!"
Lian Zhen's face instantly turned red. She hadn't expected that her feelings for Dr. Q would be seen through so easily; she thought she had hidden them well.
The laboratory Asagami Fujino had arranged for Dr. Q wasn't far from here, so it wasn't surprising to run into Lian Zhen. For this girl who liked Dr. Q in the manga but never expressed her feelings until the end, Asagami Fujino intended to give her a hand. A faint light flickered in her eyes, and fate was nudged by Asagami Fujino from that moment on.
After doing this, Asagami Fujino smiled and said, "Go on, deliver it to Dr. Q."
"Mm." Lian Zhen nodded quickly and left shyly.
"Alright, let's go in." Asagami Fujino said as she pressed a hand against the machine next to the laboratory door. Following a series of identifications, the heavy metal door opened.
The interior of the laboratory was very spacious, but it was more like an empty shell of a room than a lab, as no machinery could be seen upon entering.
Walking further inside, two doors appeared before them.
"Is it here?"
September felt a kind of pull, a strange resonance. This feeling came from behind one of the room's doors, and the light-attribute magic within her body showed signs of faintly boiling.
"Your elemental stone is in there." Asagami Fujino placed a hand on September's shoulder. "Go on!"
"Mm!" September nodded heavily and walked toward the room that was giving her that sensation. With every step, the feeling of attraction deepened, and the light-attribute magic in her body began to boil uncontrollably.
"September will be alright, won't she?" October asked worriedly. Activating the Seventh Sense was not without danger. To some extent, the danger of an elemental stone was no less than that of an element needle. The stronger the element represented by the stone, the more dangerous the fusion process would be, even if the user's compatibility with the stone was high.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't let September take risks," Asagami Fujino said confidently. Although merging with an elemental stone carried a certain level of danger, for September, who had studied Light Magic, it wasn't worth mentioning. The light-attribute magic in September's body would help her offset the danger of the fusion to the greatest extent, neutralizing it completely. Furthermore, September's compatibility with this light elemental stone was the highest in the entire stolen star world, so there would be no danger at all.
"Alright, it will take some time for September to merge with the elemental stone. You come with me first." Saying this, Asagami Fujino walked toward another room, and October quickly followed.
The other room actually looked a bit like a laboratory, with rows of machines lined up. In the center of the room was something resembling a pool, filled with a strange green liquid.
"Lie down in there," Asagami Fujino said, pointing at the green pool.
"Huh?" October let out a confused sound.
"Your body is too weak. I need to strengthen it, otherwise, you won't be able to withstand what I'm about to do next." As Asagami Fujino spoke, she walked to a machine and pressed a few buttons. The green liquid immediately began to bubble, looking just like boiling water.
"What exactly do you want me to do?!" Looking at the seemingly boiling water, a few drops of cold sweat couldn't help but roll down October's forehead.
"Do you know about the eight elements?" Asagami Fujino asked.
October nodded. He himself possessed one of the eight elements—Fire—so he naturally knew something about their existence.
"Since that's the case, it'll be easy." Asagami Fujino sat on the machine and looked at October, explaining, "The eight elements are divided into Ether, Light, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Lightning. A person who possesses all eight elements simultaneously can evolve into a higher form, which is the True God form."
"True God?!" It was the first time October had heard such a term.
"That's right. Lucifer's original goal was to gather the power of the eight elements, and even the original K was the same." Asagami Fujino smiled and took out two rings, the Black Emperor Star and the White Star Emperor. "The eight elements originally came from Karenkaza—that is, the meteorite that fell from the sky as recorded in the ruins. It came from Karenkaza, and the Gusilan Empire can be said to be a branch of Karenkaza left on Earth, a symbol! And you and the other Black Moon Iron Cavalry are the last surviving lives after the destruction of Gusilan and Karenkaza."
"I see." October nodded in shock and asked, "Then what exactly is this True God thing?"
"The strongest form a person with the eight elements can reach. It belongs to a god in the truest sense. Even resurrecting deities or rebuilding the world would be a piece of cake." Asagami Fujino smiled and tossed the white star emperor ring in her hand to October.
October quickly caught the white star emperor ring and asked in confusion, "This is?"
"The white star emperor ring. It contains the power of the eight elements and can allow you to reach the True God form. However, if you were to reach that form now, your physical body would be unable to support the Power of a True God. In the end, you would only become a soul without a body, possessing the Power of a True God but unable to survive for long."
The True Gods of the stolen star world are very strong, but they have a major drawback: they must have a powerful physical body to support them. In the original development, during the final battle, Qi Xiaosai used the incomplete eight elements remaining in the Gods Hand to become a demi-god. However, even so, his original body was destroyed under the Power of a True God, turning him into an energy form or a spirit body that would dissipate and result in total death before long.
In the original development, K—that is, Muir V—began executing the Blood Sea Plan after obtaining October's body, absorbing power to bring the body to a terrifying level to withstand the True God's power.
Therefore, physical strength is extremely important in the stolen star world. This was also why Asagami Fujino had beaten Ryusei earlier; otherwise, how could Ryusei's body have become as strong as it is now? In terms of pure physical strength, the current October is no match for Ryusei, especially after Ryusei absorbed the hells blood, which strengthened his physical intensity to another level.
"Put the ring on. Remember not to absorb the power of the eight elements inside just yet. Get in first; we're ready to start," Asagami Fujino said with a smile.
"Wait!" October looked at Asagami Fujino and said in a deep voice, "Can I ask why you're doing this? And where did your power of the eight elements come from?"
This was the doubt that had been lingering in October's heart. He still didn't know what Asagami Fujino's goal was. Furthermore, why did she possess the power of the eight elements? Logically, September shouldn't even have Light, one of the eight elements, yet Asagami Fujino held it in her hands.
"My goal? I just wanted to see the hero who saves the world." Asagami Fujino smiled and added, "As for where the eight elements came from, it's simple. The so-called Power of a True God is not worth mentioning to me."
Aether, Light, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Thunder—the eight major elements—swirled around her. Asagami Fujino looked at October's surprised face and said, "Aren't you going in yet?"
On the other side, the palace where Muir V was located.
It was a luxurious palace, entirely black with red stripe decorations; at a glance, it was the standard setup for a villain.
"This castle is so ugly, I should tear it down and rebuild it," Muir V muttered while standing on the castle.
"Don't say such childish things." A hand reached out from behind Muir V, gently hugging him. A beautiful woman rested her head on Muir V's shoulder and laughed.
"Manya, why are you here?"
Being hugged by Manya, Muir V's face turned red like a boy experiencing it for the first time. If outsiders saw this, they would certainly be scared to death.
"I didn't expect His Highness Muir V to have such a side. As expected, only Sister Manya can make His Highness Muir V show this expression." Ink Flower, appearing out of nowhere, couldn't help but tease as she looked at the blushing Muir V.
Manya's face also turned slightly red, and she quickly let go of Muir V, pretending to be angry as she looked at the mischievous Ink Flower. "Ink Flower, if you keep this up, I'll ignore you!"
"Aw! Sister Manya, how can you be like this!" Ink Flower quickly wiped the smile off her face.
"Alright, Ink Flower, stop messing around." Muir V also turned around, looking at Ink Flower helplessly. It wasn't the first time this little devil-like girl had done such a thing, but he didn't hate it; she added a bit of vitality to this somewhat lifeless castle.
However, if the people outside saw this situation, they would probably be shocked to death again, wouldn't they?
Inside the castle that outsiders saw as a symbol of death and fear, there was actually such an incongruous and warm scene.
"By the way, where did that fellow Hugh go?" Muir V asked.
"If it's Hugh, he should be with Molong right now. Does His Highness Muir V want me to call him?" Ink Flower asked.
"No need, he has finished his mission, so whatever. However, there is something I need you to do." As he spoke, a strange expression appeared on Muir V's face, and even Manya beside him looked the same.
Ink Flower noticed this too and suddenly had a bad feeling. She asked weakly, "What exactly is it?"
"Uh, this..." Muir V also found it difficult to say, but looking at Manya beside him, he still said, "I hope you will go and seduce someone!"
"Ehhh!!!"
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