"My god! Is Hua finally going to take the throne?"
"Seriously? For real? Is a miracle finally about to happen?!"
"Is the longest unrequited love in human history actually about to end?"
"Are we really about to witness history today?!"
"Oooh! Go, Hua, go!"
All the Flame-Chasers of Fire Moth stood up at once.
If it were anyone else taking that position, they absolutely wouldn't accept it—but Fu Hua was a different matter. As companions from the Previous Era, they knew her emotional history better than anyone.
She was clearly a character who appeared extremely early, and she had already accumulated an enormous amount of feelings over twelve cycles.
And yet, after fifty thousand years, even the youngest among the Flame-Chasers, Pardofelis and Griseo, had already pulled far ahead, while the Immortal Phoenix remained stuck exactly where she had been five ten-thousand years ago.
This longest unrequited love in human history, combined with a chest as unchanging as a steel plate even after millennia—in a sense, Fu Hua was even more suited than Elias for the Signet of [Eternity].
And only Fu Hua herself could remain this composed.
Even bystanders like Elysia and the others were anxious on her behalf.
They truly didn't want to share Elias with others—but even Mobius felt in her heart that if Fu Hua were the one to take that step, she could accept it.
She might even offer congratulations.
After all, as the only honest person among the fifteen Flame-Chasers, no one disliked Fu Hua. On the contrary, everyone secretly hoped that this blockhead would one day finally blossom and find happiness.
Gulp!
Fu Hua herself took a deep breath, her heart pounding wildly. She felt more nervous now than when facing Finality in the past, and immediately activated an Artificial Cascade to "boost her defense."
However, as the saying goes—the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
There are no miracles in this world without reason.
Just as Fu Hua thought she was about to receive a confession—
"Sorry, Hua. This time, I need you to act as bait." Elias said apologetically.
"Eh?" Fu Hua froze on the spot.
"Let's create a trap that lures Honkai into walking straight into it. Your perfectly refined body after fifty thousand years makes you more suitable than anyone as the host for the Herrscher of Sentience."
Elias gave a thumbs-up as he said this.
There were many conditions for Honkai to select a Herrscher, but the most important factor was aptitude, followed by opportunity.
As a purely mental-type Herrscher, the Herrscher of Sentience's ideal host was undoubtedly the perception-type MANTISes. While Fu Hua, as a Garuda MANTIS, was not originally a perception-type—
Having undergone the SWARA Project and grown over fifty thousand years, although her body hadn't developed much, her mental strength was no weaker than that of perception-type MANTISes.
Moreover, for nearly five thousand years, she had used the Eighth Divine Key, Fenghuang Down, as her personal weapon—an artifact created from the Core of the Previous Era's Herrscher of Sentience.
It could be said that Fu Hua was the human most familiar with the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience—the perfect host Honkai longed for but could never obtain.
Elias' own body could achieve the same, or rather, if he were used as bait, the probability of being chosen by Honkai would be one hundred million percent—but... if the body of a Savior Flame-Chaser were possessed by Honkai, the Current Era would be finished on the spot.
"...Oh. I-I see."
Fu Hua revealed a subtle expression. The forced smile on the Immortal's face looked even worse than crying, and she subconsciously clutched her already shattered Dao heart.
She felt that if this continued, she might directly blacken into the Herrscher of Sentience.
She had thought it was a confession—but it turned out to be about fighting Honkai.
Well, the latter was indeed an extremely important matter. And this time, it really was her own overthinking that led to this outcome... so thought the most honest Flame-Chaser of Fire Moth.
(Uwaa, Hua is so pitiful...)
(Stay strong, Sister Hua. I'll draw a doujin of you and Brother Elias later. At least it'll help ease your thirst.)
(I'll look into medicine that can make Hua grow bigger later. She's flatter than even my younger form—how is she supposed to win like this?)
Since the Dusk Era, the long-running series "Fu Hua Wants to Take the Throne" had already aired for over fifty thousand years. Yet even now, the finale remained nowhere in sight.
This was even more of a "lifetime series" than certain elementary school detectives or straw-hat pirate crews.
(Uh, this feels kind of guilty somehow.)
Elias' lips twitched. He felt like he had done something bad.
(Maybe I should just confess later...)
For Fu Hua, who had been secretly in love with Elias, the best possible conclusion would naturally be for her to muster the courage to confess and then be accepted.
But honestly, Elias was tired of waiting.
Though he was a perfectionist, some things simply couldn't be forced. Since Fu Hua absolutely refused to take the initiative, then Elias would have to confess instead.
But of course, not now. The timing and setting were wrong. After all, she was a girl who had loved him through twelve cycles and over fifty thousand years.
If he were to confess, it had to be done perfectly—grandly—not carelessly.
And there was another point.
He needed to summon Senti first. After all, the "Immortal Phoenix Herrscher Transformation" plan had long been prepared.
"But Elias, what exactly are you planning to do? Won't Honkai see through this as a trap?"
"Don't worry. With the corrective force of fate, it will definitely work. Ahem—I mean, with Prometheus, who has infiltrated the Cocoon of Finality, assisting us, the success rate is quite high."
Elias patted Bronya's head. Prometheus immediately puffed out her soulium chest proudly, indicating that her counterpart on the Moon would surely meet Elias' expectations.
"As long as we provide Honkai with a body that offers no resistance and can be easily possessed, that's enough. So Hua, can you temporarily transfer your consciousness into Fenghuang Down?"
"Mm. That's no big deal."
Fu Hua nodded without hesitation.
In truth, this wasn't something that could simply be called "no big deal." Using one's own body as bait—despite having Elias, the Flame-Chasers, Herrschers, and Valkyries present to guard her—the risk Fu Hua faced was still not small.
But no one present said anything further.
Because the girl named Fu Hua before them was a Flame-Chaser of Fire Moth—a warrior, a hero, an immortal who had fought Honkai since the Dusk Era fifty thousand years ago.
So for her, this level of risk—staking her own body without even risking her life—was not something worth hesitating over.
"Very well, then the operation begins. Pseudo Divine Key, Fenghuang Down—Zeroth Power!"
A lotus-shaped Divine Key appeared in Elias' hand. As Honkai energy poured into it, its petals rotated and bloomed, transferring Fu Hua's consciousness and even her soul into the Divine Key.
To be honest, Elias had considered that in the future, when he traveled back five hundred years, he might just toss a Pseudo Fenghuang Down with an instruction manual to Otto. If the corrective force of fate didn't interfere, Kallen might actually survive.
"Zeroth Power... this is my first time having my consciousness transferred by it. Before, I only used this output to burn memories and enhance the Taixuan Eminence. This feels... quite strange."
"Hua, do you feel uncomfortable at all?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Elias nodded, then hung the lotus-shaped Pseudo Fenghuang Down at his waist like a pendant.
As a side note, although Fu Hua's Fenghuang Down originally took the form of a feather, Elias was used to shaping it into a lotus like in the game from his previous life. Since soulium could freely change form, there was no difference in function.
Fu Hua's body, now without a soul, stood in place. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, still maintaining her Artificial Cascade form.
So... now they could do whatever they wanted!
"Hua, you're so light."
At that moment, Elysia had already moved in for some intimate contact. Miss Pink Elf extended her sinful little hands, touching all over the Immortal Phoenix's body... especially that flat expanse.
Public announcement from the Flame-Chasers: beware of lesbians in Elysian Realm.
"Elysia, don't touch my body randomly."
"Rubbing it can make it bigger, you know."
"R-Really?!"
"Mhm, of course it's true... probably."
Elysia blinked, not entirely certain. After all, she had no need for such things—Elias himself could testify that she possessed a pair of E-rank "slimes."
Now, let us rationally analyze why the Immortal Phoenix couldn't grow.
First, using elimination—
Griseo proved that being a MANTIS wasn't the issue.
Li Sushang proved that Edge of Taixuan wasn't the issue.
Future Bronya proved that time wasn't the issue.
Aponia proved that SWARA wasn't the issue. (After all, it was originally a pseudo ability of her [Discipline].)
Even in the future, a certain vampire girl would prove that race wasn't the issue.
That didn't leave many explanations for the Immortal Phoenix. So where exactly did the problem lie? Perhaps... it was simply congenital deficiency, or the fault of her metamorphic factors.
After all, it was well known that the Garuda Honkai Beast's metamorphic factor possessed extremely strong regenerative properties.
And it was also a fire-attribute Honkai Beast. Perhaps it had simply burned away all the excess fat on the Immortal's body. (smirk)
Garuda: (Chest? Just a burden in battle. Let me burn away those lumps of fat to prevent them from becoming a weakness later.)
Fu Hua: (...I want to change my metamorphic factor!)
...
After that, Elias placed Fu Hua's body in the bedroom. This perfect body without a soul, with the corrective force of fate and Prometheus in play, would inevitably be chosen by Honkai.
Even without Prometheus, Honkai would still select this body to descend its will. After all, if successful, humanity would lose a top-tier combatant.
And a Herrscher occupying the Immortal's body would very likely become the strongest Herrscher beneath Finality.
Honkai: (A chance to turn the tables!!)
Elias: "The conditions are all in place. Now we just need to wait. Honkai, just this once, do your best—don't disappoint me."
Facts proved that Honkai was quite reliable. Less than half an hour after Fu Hua's soul left her body, the Immortal's body was chosen.
...
Within a boundless darkness, the soulless body gained the attention of a god and was implanted with a nascent consciousness.
[Hey~ wake up. You've slept long enough!]
A lively voice echoed in its mind, and the newborn consciousness asked in confusion—
"Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"
[Ah~ not this routine. That went out of style fifty thousand years ago. Your brain isn't damaged. Go check your memory bank and figure out who you are. Hurry up and get up—we've got a lot to do.]
"...Who are you?"
The newborn consciousness asked the energetic voice in confusion, and immediately received an answer.
[I'm your id, okay? The most primal, most genuine, most free version of you—hehe~]
[And I'm your superego. Don't worry—you're not mentally ill or insane. We are you, and you are us. You are the ego—but you haven't fully formed yet.]
At that moment, another voice joined the conversation. Compared to the lively one, this voice was distant and steady... Vill-V would probably be quite familiar with this kind of situation.
"I am... the ego?"
[That's right, that's right~ The reason you feel confused now is because you've forgotten who you are. So go remember—your memories, your emotions, your thoughts. These are all essential parts of you. You can't lack any of them.]
"...Alright. Then let me think..."
The newborn consciousness obediently agreed. Though she didn't remember these two voices, they felt strangely familiar, and she instinctively followed their guidance to recall "her past."
Even though the soul had left the body, a person's memories remained in the brain's hippocampus. The newborn consciousness didn't need to do anything special—she simply had to recall, and the body's memories naturally surfaced.
And then, she saw—
A girl standing alone in the cold wind. A warrior clad in armor, exterminating Honkai. An immortal guarding Shenzhou in solitude. A simple and reliable Valkyrie known as the class monitor.
All of these were "herself."
And also that brilliant and tragic Previous Era—after being saved by a white-haired boy, she chose to follow his back, becoming the fourteenth Flame-Chaser.
Id: [They are all you.]
Superego: [They once were you.]
Fifty thousand years of memories surged like a tidal wave into this newborn consciousness. Mission, experiences, martial arts, abilities—and most importantly, emotions. This overwhelming information forged a brand-new "self."
"...So this is me."
She was a Flame-Chaser. She was simple, somewhat dull, yet immensely powerful.
The newborn consciousness held no doubt. In this world, people might lie—but memories never do. Everyone has a past, and it is the past that shapes the present.
[Very good~ You're getting into the rhythm now. Tell us—what is your mission?]
"My mission is to defeat Honkai!"
The newborn consciousness answered without hesitation.
[Then what is your name?]
"My name is... Fu Hua."
At this moment, the newborn consciousness solidified her identity, deviating from the expectations of the god that had sent her down right from the start.
(Honkai: "%!*%!")
In reality, "Fu Hua" opened her eyes. Her crimson pupils gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling, and she sprang up from the bed in a single motion.
Then she declared once more—
"I am the Immortal Phoenix! I am Fu Hua! Hahaha!"