Zzzla—
As Cangxuan and Dan Zhu stood stunned, a blinding arc of lightning fired from the turrets beneath the starship.
Brilliant thunderbolts, like heavenly tribulation, crashed down from the skies, striking directly at the rampaging Chiyou.
Violet lightning slithered like serpents, crackling with ionized radiation as it filled the air.
"Divine thunder! It's divine thunder!"
From afar, Shenzhou's primitive humans shouted in awe.
At this time, the land was still in the mythic age. To them, the starship was incomprehensible—only the descent of a god.
Under the overwhelming discharge, Chiyou's armored hide blackened and charred. Its massive body convulsed, collapsing stiffly to the ground.
Boom—
Its towering form fell like a mountain sliding down, sending dust and rocks flying as the earth split in a web of fractures stretching for miles.
"So strong!!"
"Even stronger than the Previous Era's weapons!"
Cangxuan and Dan Zhu gasped in awe, then quickly drew their weapons again.
"Now, while it's down—finish it!!!"
The three girls prepared to strike when Setsuna stopped them.
"No need. Stand back."
"Leave this to me."
Shua—
He and Fu Hua dropped lightly from the sky, landing before Chiyou.
Setsuna gazed at the beast.
"Tsk, a Judgment-class Honkai Beast…"
"With you, maybe our Chimera Project will create even stronger fusion warriors."
He extended his hand, summoning the Herrscher of Corruption's power.
Normally, Herrscher beasts could not be controlled by other Herrschers. They were born from self-transformation or as companions to Honkai eruptions.
But Chiyou was wild-born. With brute strength and sheer will, Setsuna decided to try.
Black streams of Honkai energy surged from the ground, winding into Chiyou's body, seeping from skin to core.
This was an erosion aimed at seizing control—not transformation.
Setsuna wanted to see the true limit of his authority.
"Honkai energy!!! Herrscher of Corruption!!!"
"And it's a man Herrscher!!!"
Cangxuan and Dan Zhu were utterly shaken.
From his methods alone, there was no mistaking Setsuna was a Herrscher.
They knew the devastation the Herrscher of Corruption had brought in the Previous Era.
Weapons clattered into their hands, aimed at Setsuna.
A male Herrscher controlling corruption, flying starships—
This world was beyond bizarre.
"Lower your weapons. Setsuna… is our friend."
Fu Hua pressed their hands down.
"Eh?"
"What?!"
The two were stunned.
"You even made friends with a Herrscher?"
Cangxuan blinked.
Fu Hua had always been aloof. In this world, her friends could be counted on one hand.
And now she called a Herrscher her friend?!
From any angle, it was absurd.
"Has society developed too fast, and I fell behind? No, wait—it's only this era!!!"
Dan Zhu groaned, knocking her head in frustration.
"The times have changed."
Fu Hua recalled Setsuna's words, giving the shortest explanation.
"???"
Meanwhile—
Setsuna poured torrents of corrosive power into Chiyou.
He felt the monster resisting with raw Honkai energy and its own will, straining against his invasion.
Born naturally of Honkai, not crafted as his minion, its rebellion was fierce.
But against near-limitless power, even a Judgment-class beast was insignificant.
Corruption spread through its every vein, its flesh, its core, its very heart…
The Herrscher's power suppressed the beast completely.
Minutes later—
Chiyou slowly rose to its feet.
Rooar—
It let out a low growl, then lowered its head in submission before Setsuna.
"Good. Stay put. Don't cause trouble."
Setsuna turned.
The starship slowly descended to the ground.
Thump—Thump—Thump—
The colossal beast stepped heavily aboard the interstellar battleship.
Under the power of erosion, its will and spirit were fully under control.
The sheer size of the Judgment-class Honkai Beast made the entire ship tremble as it entered, cramming the cargo bay to its limit.
"Aba aba…"
Cangxuan and Dan Zhu stood frozen, dumbfounded by the sight.
What the hell?
A Judgment-class Honkai Beast!! What was he going to do with it—keep it as a pet?!
Wasn't this a bit too insane?!
"Next… is the three of you…"
Setsuna cleared his throat, turning toward them.
"Waaah!!!"
Cangxuan and Dan Zhu shrieked, hiding behind Fu Hua.
"Don't come any closer!!! Jingwei, help us!!!"
...
Ten minutes later.
"Thank you so, so much!!!"
"And… we're very sorry!!!"
In the starship's control room, the two girls bowed deeply to Setsuna, both in thanks and apology.
Thanks—for saving their lives.
Apology—for instinctively trying to attack the Honkai and Herrscher.
Beside them, Jilin sat in a daze.
As a pure native girl, she had never seen high technology before.
Cangxuan and Dan Zhu were from the Previous Era, so at least they had some mental preparation for things like spaceships and advanced machinery.
"So, that's the situation."
"We came from 3500 years in the future—to save you, to take Chiyou back for study, and also to test our time-jump technology."
Setsuna gave them a brief explanation.
"Is that… true?!"
The two were wide-eyed with shock.
"You'll know when the time comes. You can come with us and see for yourselves."
Fu Hua nodded.
"Oh?!…"
Cangxuan paused.
She and Dan Zhu often said Fu Hua was rigid and dull, but they also knew she never joked, and never lied.
With her assurance, the truth was easier to accept.
"Since you're from 3000 years later, what happened to us in the future?"
Dan Zhu tilted her head curiously.
Setsuna answered bluntly:
"Originally, the three of you died in battle to seal Chiyou."
"And since I was far away, I couldn't intervene. I'm sorry."
Fu Hua closed her eyes as she spoke.
"Oh…"
The three thought back to their recent desperate struggle. It wasn't surprising.
Against such a monster, mutual destruction was the best possible outcome.
"Then what happened after we died? What about Fu Hua?!"
Cangxuan suddenly grew curious about that other worldline, tugging at Setsuna for answers.
"You two left her the Book of Fuxi, right? She lived with it for over a thousand years."
"When Little Fuxi's energy finally ran out, Hua went mad, becoming an unfeeling anti-Honkai fanatic."
"Thankfully, we arrived early, or things would've gotten messy."
Setsuna casually revealed Fu Hua's dark history.
"Hey!"
"Blade Mantra has already been cured, alright!!"
The immortal pinched Setsuna sharply, scolding in protest.
...
"Hmph, just as I thought—without anyone beside you, you'd stray off the path."
Dan Zhu nodded sagely, lecturing Fu Hua from above.
"But now, with someone by your side, you're much more normal than before."
"Eh?"
Fu Hua blinked, confused.
"You're such a blockhead."
Cangxuan glanced at Fu Hua, then at Setsuna, and pouted.
"But if you save us here and change the worldline, won't that cause a butterfly effect and alter the future?"
Dan Zhu asked, frowning.
"No."
Setsuna thought a moment, then explained.
"In the original worldline, the three of you perished with Chiyou."
"Now, by bringing both you and Chiyou back, the end result in this world is the same—you're gone."
"As for small bugs, our research division can use mathematical laws to intervene and correct the worldline locally."
"So it won't matter."
"Oh, that makes sense."
Cangxuan and Dan Zhu nodded in sudden realization.
Jilin, meanwhile, was still lost.
"Me? Am I going too?"
"Of course. If you stay, it'll create a bug."
Setsuna tapped the table.
"According to the original line… you awakened your stigmata, temporarily repelled Chiyou, forced it back into Jiuyou. Many years later, after your tribe grew strong, you went into Jiuyou and sealed it with your life."
"The Youxiong tribe will be short a chief for now, but I'll arrange a replacement. Besides, don't you want to see Shenzhou thousands of years in the future?"
The proposal was far too tempting. Neither Cangxuan, Dan Zhu, nor Jilin could refuse.
After a little thought, they agreed.
"Excellent."
Setsuna connected to the observation station.
"I have successfully captured Nuwa, Fuxi, and the Yellow Emperor. Beginning worldline observation and correction. Preparing to return."
...
"We are currently conducting worldline observation and deduction. Please wait a moment, Commander."
The research division's reply appeared on the holographic interface.
"Constructing mathematical models of the Commander's era, formulating a worldline correction plan…"
Inside the space station—
Hundreds of research lolis opened countless complex calculation windows on the holographic screens,
Running computations at dizzying speed.
"Hmm, this time Chiyou was subdued several years earlier than the original timeline's slaying. Its destruction amounted to only three percent of estimates…"
"To ensure Shenzhou's development remains unchanged, we must set seven correction points… specific plans as follows…"
The lolis dove into intense calculations, leaving Cangxuan and Dan Zhu staring in wonder.
"What is this…?"
"Using mathematical laws to deduce the future."
Setsuna explained.
"Although bringing you and Chiyou along makes the outcome the same as the original worldline, across a span of thousands of years, even the smallest change could cause enormous differences."
"To minimize changes after a time jump, we use mathematical law weapons to simulate world development."
"If anomalies appear, we can correct them in time."
"Oh…"
The two girls exchanged glances, sighing with admiration:
"Deducing the future?! Amazing, your civilization has mastered such a technique…"
"Truly indistinguishable from the gods."
"This technology indeed comes from another godlike civilization, the Zero-Homer."
Setsuna smiled.
"When mathematical law weapons are mastered to the extreme, all things can be solved—we can deduce from the birth of the universe to its very end."
"When performing time travel, nothing is more suitable for correcting the worldline."
In the past, the spiritron transfer device couldn't be used recklessly for fear of unpredictable changes to the future once the past was altered.
But with mastery over mathematical laws, they could preemptively correct the worldline, ensuring the future developed as desired.
"Incredible."
Cangxuan fiddled with her scroll, then poked Fu Hua.
"Didn't expect your friend to be this amazing—greater even than the humans of the Previous Era!"
"Not only can he travel back through time to save us, he can also repair the worldline. Tsk, too strong."
"…"
Fu Hua fell silent, thinking: You haven't even seen the Eternal Snowfall in its full form yet.
Setsuna had only taken a small craft from the Juggernaut. If they saw the colossal warship larger than an asteroid, every person from the previous civilization would tremble.
While the lolis simulated the worldline, Setsuna chatted casually with Cangxuan and Dan Zhu.
Compared to Fu Hua, these two ancestors of humanity were far more lively.
Both came from the Previous Era, and were brimming with curiosity about new technologies.
"When civilization was still in its infancy, teaching them math or physics was like playing music to cattle. So we could only spread knowledge through legends."
Cangxuan sat cross-legged on the sofa, stroking Little Fuxi's head as she spoke.
"Things like opening the heavens, patching the sky, gods descending to the mortal world. Bit by bit, we became the gods of myth."
"If people thousands of years later learned their ancestors of Shenzhou were actually the two of us, wouldn't they be disillusioned?"
Pfft—
Setsuna chuckled.
"It doesn't matter. Each universe has its own case. In another, there are cute girl versions of King Arthur, Nero, and even a mechanized, ascended First Emperor."
"King Arthur? You mean the Arthurian legends? That's tied to the West…"
Fu Hua looked puzzled.
"No no, I mean the one who fought in the Holy Grail War. Like you, she didn't understand people's hearts."
Setsuna realized Fu Hua and the ahoge king had something in common.
"Right, you saved our lives, but I have nothing to repay you with. Let me give you a figurine."
Dan Zhu suddenly remembered something.
She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a clay figurine, placing it on the table.
It was about the size of two palms, shaped exactly like the immortal Phoenix. The craftsmanship was exquisite, even her expression vividly captured.
"Jingwei is usually too serious, so to better spread culture, we made some figurines."
"Here, this is my best one. I'll give it to you!"
Dan Zhu quickly painted it, making it look nearly identical to Fu Hua herself.
The only difference was the proportions.
"Of course, I made her pitiful figure a little more attractive. This way, at least it's more pleasing to the eye, right?"
"…"
Setsuna stared at the figurine's nearly D-sized proportions, feeling a powerful sense of dissonance.
"Dan Zhu, that feels like a personal attack."
Fu Hua cracked her knuckles.
"Or do you prefer flat? I can file it down for you?"
The black-haired, red-eyed girl pulled out a file, tilting her head.
"I'll take it as is!"
Setsuna accepted without hesitation.
"Mm, true enough—art imitates life, but also goes beyond it."
Dan Zhu nodded knowingly.
"…"
Fu Hua suddenly felt like using Dan Zhu and Setsuna as her practice dummies…
She couldn't beat Setsuna, but Dan Zhu was fair game.
...
The group chatted a little longer.
Setsuna learned about Cangxuan and Dan Zhu's situation.
It was much as he already knew: the two were working with Fu Hua on the Project EMBER, imparting knowledge to humanity of the current era.
The plan's intent had been to accelerate the new civilization to the level of the Previous Era.
But as they passed on more and more advanced knowledge, they realized each time the technology exceeded the era's limits, Honkai emerged.
Smaller Honkai incidents at first were dismissed, easily handled by the three of them.
But when Judgment-class Honkai Beasts were born from overly advanced teachings, it was too late to stop.
"So in this world's rules, the Project EMBER was doomed from the beginning…"
"Everything we've done was meaningless…"
Cangxuan rubbed her temples, biting her lip.
"Even proving a wrong path is still a contribution to fighting Honkai."
Fu Hua answered calmly.
"…"
As they spoke, a communication from the research division came through.
"Commander, we've simulated the current timeline and its development. The changes to the worldline are minor."
"However, to ensure Shenzhou's civilization evolves correctly, we need you to fix one small issue."
"Go ahead."
Setsuna gestured.
"It's like this."
Kayo Senju paused.
"In the original timeline, after awakening her stigmata and temporarily repelling Chiyou, Jilin drew all of Shenzhou's tribes to the Youxiong clan and was revered as the Yellow Emperor."
"From then on, Shenzhou's people traced their lineage to the Yellow Emperor's tribe. But since you took her away early…"
"We'll need to provide Shenzhou's early humans with some foundational technology, helping them form the prototype of a nation."
"Oh."
Setsuna looked at Jilin, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
If he was taking Shenzhou's ancestor away, naturally he had to help settle her tribe first.
"How do we do that?"
He asked again.
"Well… considering local traditions, the best way would be through myth and legend…"
Grey thought aloud.
"Why not become an ancestor of Shenzhou yourself, just this once?"
"Maybe after this time jump, Earth's archaeologists will dig up artifacts you left behind."
"???"
—
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