"Uh... what's going on right now?"
"I don't understand it, but I'm deeply shocked!"
"Hiss—did she just say she's Hua?"
"Umm... that doesn't look like acting."
"It's over, Class Monitor, your account's been hacked!"
Inside the monitoring room of St. Freya Academy.
All the girls stared at the screen in utter astonishment. In the bedroom, the newly born Herrscher of Sentience was raising both hands and shouting, "I am the Immortal Phoenix, I am Fu Hua!"—so shocking it nearly made their jaws drop.
They had gathered here to secretly observe, intending to see when Honkai would let the Herrscher of Sentience possess Fu Hua.
However, Honkai's efficiency exceeded everyone's expectations.
They had thought it would take a few days to see results, but in just half an hour, Fu Hua's body had already been taken over by the Herrscher of Sentience.
Still, the plan had indeed succeeded, which made everyone sigh in admiration—just as expected of their Savior, still as foresighted as ever.
But this Herrscher of Sentience shouting "I am Fu Hua" right after being born completely left them baffled.
(Good! It worked just as expected!!)
Elias tried hard to suppress the upward curl of his lips.
Everything was within his expectations!
Among everyone present, only he, who knew the plot, understood what was happening, so he spoke to explain.
"Ahem! I think she's not pretending. Honkai's original intention was probably to let the Herrscher of Sentience take over Hua's body and create a Herrscher with maxed-out body and mind—the strongest beneath Finality. But..."
Elias glanced subtly at the Fenghuang Down in his hand. At this moment, the real Fu Hua was floating in midair in a ghost-like form.
This Immortal Phoenix looked at the "innocent and lively" version of herself on the screen, unsure how to react.
"Hua, your memories are simply too many. Over five thousand years' worth directly reshaped this newborn Herrscher of Sentience into your form. Right now, she truly believes she is you. At the very least... she has inherited your will."
"Ah... there's even something like that?" xN
The girls were all stunned. Just as Elias would never doubt them, they would never doubt him either. Although it sounded absurd—
It actually made sense.
And as the saying goes, Honkai energy can do anything. In the end, wasn't this kind of unexpected surprise actually pretty good?
"T-Then... what should we do now?"
"No idea. Let's just leave it."
"..."
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Originally, they had planned to observe this newborn Herrscher of Sentience's attitude. If she behaved, they'd treat her well. If not, they'd beat her up and extract the Core.
But now she believed herself to be Fu Hua, directly taking on the mission of protecting Shenzhou, protecting the world, and fighting Honkai... how were they supposed to make a move against that?
"I can't hold it in anymore, this is way too interesting! I'm going to have a proper chat with this Herrscher of Sentience!"
"Elysia, remember to test her nature again!"
"Mhm~ got it, got it~"
Overcome with excitement, Miss Pink Elf had already run out. Elysia had always been deeply interested in Herrschers with humanity, and now her eyes were practically shining.
At the same time, the "Fu Hua" inside the room also planned to go out for some fresh air. As a young and lively child, she wouldn't sit still like some old antique.
Although she regarded herself as Fu Hua, the Immortal Phoenix's memory load was simply too vast.
Combined with the side effects of hyperthymesia, Fu Hua remembered everything—even the most trivial details from an ordinary day fifty thousand years ago.
Even as the Herrscher of Sentience, facing such an enormous amount of memories was a bit overwhelming. "Fu Hua" didn't want to go through every tiny detail.
Moreover, due to the inherent difference in personality between the two, there were some memories she couldn't empathize with—for example... how someone could suppress their feelings for fifty thousand years without letting them out.
On top of that, she had only skimmed through a few important fragments of Fu Hua's memories earlier.
Such as the Third Honkai Eruption of the Previous Era, the battle against Finality, the final day, and recent events in the Current Era.
If compared to watching a movie, then what this "Fu Hua" saw was just a summarized commentary—always starting with "Pay attention, this man is called..."
So while she roughly understood what had happened, she still didn't know the detailed specifics.
Thus, "Fu Hua" was still somewhat confused.
Although she completely believed she was Fu Hua, she still wasn't "used to being Fu Hua."
In simple terms, it was like gears not fully meshing, or a program that could run but still had bugs.
So now, "Fu Hua" planned to do something Fu Hua would do, to eliminate this sense of dissonance.
However, at that moment—
"Hi~ Hua, I came to play with you."
"Hm? Elysia."
"Hey~!"
A pink elf suddenly appeared, wearing a smile as dazzling as falling petals. She leapt forward and gave "Fu Hua" a big hug, taking the opportunity to grope with both hands.
(Mm, the size in every aspect is exactly the same as Hua. Judging by touch, this is definitely Hua.)
Although it looked like she was simply taking advantage, Elysia was actually conducting a serious examination. Still, the strange sensation made "Fu Hua" stiffen, her face flushing red.
"!!!"
She decisively pushed the pink elf away, intending to properly scold Elysia for the sudden ambush.
However, just as "Fu Hua" searched through fifty thousand years of memories to find something harsh to say—
"Elysia, y-you... are you sick or something?!"
"Ehehe~"
Elysia stuck out her tongue and smiled playfully.
Watching from behind the screen, Elias sighed. It really wasn't easy for Senti. She wanted to say something harsh, but Fu Hua never used foul language—an immortal wouldn't curse.
That "are you sick or something" was already her limit.
"Oh come on, aren't we good partners, Hua? A little touching won't hurt. Who knows, it might even make them grow bigger."
"Ew~ y-you, stay away from me."
"Fu Hua" crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the pink elf with visible disgust, instinctively feeling a bit resistant toward her. After all, in her memories, she was always being teased and toyed with by people like this.
Moreover, although she hadn't consciously realized it, the fact that the authority over consciousness had no effect on the Herrscher of Origin also made "Fu Hua" subconsciously feel that Elysia was quite dangerous.
However, seeing her "companion" display a completely different personality from usual, Elysia only found it novel and interesting—so of course she wasn't about to let her go so easily.
"Nope~ Science shows that talking to cute girls helps improve your mood and extend your lifespan, you know."
"Huh? Aren't you into Elias?"
"That's different~ What I feel for Eli is love, while for cute girls and beautiful things it's liking. Besides, Eli likes cute girls, and I'm a cute girl too—doesn't that just prove our compatibility is great?"
Elysia placed her hands on her hips, even looking a bit proud.
"You... I... this... Fine! You win. I don't even know what to say to you anymore."
"Fu Hua" widened her eyes. Facing Elysia in person for the first time, she was genuinely shocked, and couldn't help but think—how could there be such a shameless woman in this world?
What exactly did Elias even like about her?
Her ever-increasing weight lately?
"Wow~ Hua, you changed your outfit."
At this moment, Elysia noticed "Fu Hua's" brand-new clothes—the Herrscher of Sentience's battlesuit—and curiously looked her up and down.
It was a Shenzhou-style outfit in black and gold.
The clothing was adorned with numerous silver cloud, star, and feather-shaped metal decorations. Beneath the golden waist belt was a semi-transparent short hem that barely covered the essential areas, while her smooth, fair right shoulder was left exposed. A diamond-shaped red gemstone hung from her forehead.
She wore a black choker around her neck and a black thigh ring on her left leg. Completely different from Fu Hua's usual low-key and simple preferences, this outfit radiated flamboyance, defiance, and a free-spirited attitude.
If the Valkyries at St. Freya Academy who always saw Fu Hua as a "manly" figure saw this, their beliefs would probably shatter on the spot.
"Mm~ how is it? Pretty cool, right?"
As she spoke, "Fu Hua" struck a cool pose. She didn't even realize this was her Herrscher battlesuit—in her eyes, it was just a new outfit of hers.
To be honest, although she thought she—Fu Hua—was amazing, after reviewing those memories, she still felt a slight disdain toward that old-fashioned personality. She felt that in this regard, "she" really ought to learn more from Elysia.
A person should have their own unique style. What's wrong with being bold? Wearing the same outfit all day long was boring—she was the legendary Immortal Phoenix, after all!
Senti: (I've realized it now. There's no need to be overly modest—just go for maximum dominance.)
As she spoke, she flicked her hair. Becoming a Herrscher had its perks—her hair volume had increased significantly. Her long gray hair now draped behind her like a cloak.
Unlike Fu Hua, who usually tied her hair up using Fenghuang Down as an accessory, "Fu Hua's" hair ends curled upward in a rather aggressive manner—yet it somehow looked both messy and cool.
Elysia blinked, then gave a big thumbs-up, feeling like she had truly broadened her horizons today.
"Beautiful, very imposing. Hua finally figured it out~ You clearly have such a high level of beauty, but you used to only wear uniforms. What a waste~ A girl's charm isn't just about her chest—it's also about wearing cute clothes."
"...Elysia, do you want to fight?"
"Fu Hua" froze for a moment. She looked down at her completely flat chest, then glanced at the pink elf's E-rank "slimes," feeling as though she had been provoked.
"Haha~ of course not. By the way, are you interested in trying a pink dress? It would definitely look cute on you."
"No thanks. That kind of outfit doesn't suit my style. You should go make Mobius wear it instead—just remember to take pictures and send me a copy. I want to laugh at her properly, hahaha~!"
"Uh... Hua, do you dislike Mobius?"
"Hm? Isn't disliking Mobius only natural? Among the Flame-Chasers, she's the only pure villain. All she does is conduct evil experiments and exploit Klein and the others, and also..."
"Fu Hua" began listing Mobius' usual "crimes" one by one. In the monitoring room, the onlookers quietly turned their gazes toward a certain snake whose face had already gone dark.
Well... she wasn't exactly wrong.
"Fu Hua": "If you ask me, we should just kick Mobius out of the team. Hmm... but 'Fourteen Flame-Chasers' would sound weird... then... let's just kick MEI out too. She's not exactly a good person either."
Elysia: "Then wouldn't we become the Thirteen Flame-Chasers? Hmm? That actually sounds pretty nice?"
Mobius / MEI: "...Very well. It seems Elysia has already been brainwashed by the Herrscher of Sentience. She's beyond saving now. So... let's just take both of them out together."
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