A sea breeze tinged with faint salt brushed gently past, reflecting the radiance cascading down from the heavens. Wave after wave bloomed across the ocean beneath Schicksal Headquarters' floating islands.
Under the night sky, the pitch-black sea shimmered with silver crests stirred by the wind, stretching as though all the way to the horizon.
Suddenly—
BOOM—!
A series of deafening sonic booms erupted in succession. Hurricanes whipped the sea into towering waves, and the very atmosphere surrounding the floating island cluster seemed to tremble violently. The greenery atop the islands rustled loudly.
WEE-OOO—!
An alarm blared through the air. Its piercing cry shattered the night, jolting every Imperial soldier who had been relaxing moments before.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, damn it. Unbelievable. Such a splendid victory banquet interrupted like this. Whoever did this, I'll kick his backside with my boots. I swear I will."
"A sonic barrier? Is it the terminal penetration phase of an intercontinental missile?"
"What are those Navy idiots doing? Are they brainless groundhogs? How did they let an attack reach this far?"
"Whose sector wasn't properly cleared?" An Astartes officer rose, brows tightly furrowed. "Why didn't the interception system respond? You, go—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
"No need. It's one of ours."
In the night sky, as the ice-blue meteor drew ever closer, the Astartes officer understood. No wonder the interception system and the Navy hadn't reacted. It was an ally.
He calmly sat back down and signaled to his comrades and subordinates.
"No need to concern yourselves. A general-level figure. Someone will receive her."
"A general?"
...
The officer's words were soon proven true. The alarm ceased quickly. The newcomer's identity had been confirmed—neither enemy nor missile.
"That was fast." Pure white fingers threaded through thick brown fur as Selene lifted her head and narrowed her eyes.
"Mrrrow~~"
Under Mobius' furious glare—her teeth lightly biting her fingertip—Pardofelis lay sprawled across Selene's lap, purring like a contented kitten.
Selene's fingers scratched beneath her chin, stroked her head, and gently kneaded her ears with practiced ease.
Moments ago, Pardofelis had been trembling under Selene's touch, looking ready to bristle and shriek at any second. Now, she seemed like an entirely different person.
Under Selene's expert cat-petting technique, her mind had gone hazy, her body acting on instinct as she emitted soft animal-like purrs.
"Purr... mrrrow~"
Her eyes were half-closed in bliss. Her tail swayed restlessly in every direction.
Thanks to Selene's healing aura and the power of Discipline, the fur on Pardofelis' ears and tail had already grown back, fluffy as ever.
She was practically being raised as a pet.
Fu Hua wiped away nonexistent sweat and forcibly dragged her gaze elsewhere.
"Ah~ Fu Hua, your junior is truly adorable. Would you like to pet her too—cough—would you like to touch her?" Selene offered, even lifting Pardofelis as if presenting her.
"Your Majesty, perhaps another time. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future." Suppressing the urge welling up inside her, Fu Hua hurriedly changed the subject. "Your Majesty, about General Esdeath... could you tell me more about her?"
She was curious about a woman capable of rising to the rank of general within the Empire's military machine.
What kind of person was she? Was she easy to get along with?
"Well, that girl Esdeath is actually quite friendly." Setting down the "cat head," Selene turned her head slightly, half-lidding her eyes. "However..."
Her tone shifted. A radiant smile bloomed across her face.
"Fu Hua, I'm not so sure about you. A woman like you—so valiant, with such stories in your eyes—she'd probably find you irresistible. Then she'd cling to you."
"Cling—to me?" Fu Hua instinctively stepped back, her cheeks flushing as an alarming thought crossed her mind. "She—she's into women?"
After all, wasn't Kiana one example? And the Kaslana family had a reputation for that sort of thing. Could Esdeath be the same?
Wait. Kiana called Selene "Sister," and Selene did not deny it. Could Her Majesty also be from the Kaslana bloodline?
Fu Hua quickly patted her own cheeks.
Don't overthink it. Her Majesty resembles Cecilia more. She should belong to the Schariac family. Probably not that sort of preference.
"How has your train of thought become so erratic as well?" Selene stared at Fu Hua, dark lines practically forming over her head. "Have you caught it from staying around Kiana too long?"
"No. Absolutely not. Your Majesty, please don't say such things." Flustered as though her thoughts had been exposed, Fu Hua waved her hands, forcing composure.
"Yes, yes." Selene nodded perfunctorily.
Then she scooped up the "cat head" in her arms and, amid Pardofelis' startled cry, tossed her toward the visibly displeased Mobius.
"Wah! Huh? Why did it stop? I wasn't even—ugh..."
Opening her eyes to see Mobius' bright, spring-like smile, Pardofelis swallowed the word she had been about to say.
"Hehe, Snake Sister, such nice weather tonight, right? I just remembered I've got something to do. I'll be going now. Bye-bye!"
She tried to slip away.
"Hold it!"
Mobius' hand shot out, her small fingers clad in dark green gloves locking firmly around Pardofelis.
"Nice weather? It's nighttime! You little thief cat, you don't seem very happy to see me. So attentive when you saw Hua, hm? How irritating."
Though her smile was gentle as spring, her voice seemed to scrape up from her throat as she pinched Pardofelis' cat ears.
"Ow ow ow! Wuu—Snake Sister, I'm sorry!"
Selene shifted her gaze away from Mobius and pulled Fu Hua closer, leaning in to whisper near her ear with unmistakable mischief.
"Later, we'll do this... and then that..."
"W-What? Your Majesty, how do you even know about the clay figurine incident? And that wouldn't be appropriate, would it?" Fu Hua replied carefully, clearly hoping Selene would abandon the idea.
Dan Zhu! This is your fault! Fu Hua screamed inwardly after hearing Selene's proposal.
At that moment—
"Your Majesty, I trust I am not late."
"Perfect timing." Selene rested her chin on her hand, her other hand still placed on Fu Hua's shoulder.
A wave of frigid air swept through.
The ice-blue meteor that had been plummeting toward the floating island came to an abrupt halt midair just before impact. In the next instant, a heroic female general descended from the sky.
Clack.
After dispersing the force of her landing, pristine white high-heeled boots struck the metal deck, producing a crisp sound as cold as she was.
Kneeling on one knee, Esdeath lowered her head, placing her right hand over her chest. Though wrapped in an ornate Herrscher's robe, the tremor of her ample curves beneath the fabric remained impossible to conceal.
Fu Hua's eyelids twitched as she watched.
With such a huge mass of utterly useless fat on her chest, didn't she get tired? And were such burdens really suitable for combat? Was the prestige of this "general" rank perhaps a bit questionable?
Ignoring the silent complaints of the eternally flat Immortal, Selene's attention was drawn instead to the purple-crimson crystal cage in Esdeath's hand.
"Your Majesty, the Herrscher of Sentience has been successfully captured."
Within the twisted black mist inside the cage was a gray-haired, red-eyed girl clad in garments patterned with black clouds.
"Don't move. I'll deal with her," Selene said.
With a snap of her fingers, a black barrier instantly enveloped Fu Hua.
"Wait, Your Majesty, I haven't agreed to this—"
Facing Fu Hua's somewhat complicated expression, Selene replied naturally.
"Relax. I won't do anything to her. It's just a separation barrier so she can't see you. It'll be over in a moment."
Before Fu Hua could protest further, Selene began manipulating the energy. The purple-crimson Honkai energy rapidly transformed beneath her fingers into sky-blue streams of data—charging, gathering, shaping, activating...
Soon, a basic human form was constructed.
Then it was carefully refined. Body shape, hair color, clothing.
I'm not worried about her. I'm worried about...
Fu Hua slowly lowered her hand.
"Hoo... it's all fake. Fake," Fu Hua muttered, taking a deep breath as she forced her expression back into its usual calm stillness.
Yet the way she stared at the doll before Selene was like someone looking at garbage. Dark aura practically leaked from her body as her fists clenched with audible creaks.
Yes. The puppet Selene was sculpting at this moment was unmistakably the appearance of Fu Hua during her Phoenix era.
Except... the perfectly curved chest was an eyesore beyond belief.
"Dan Zhu... this is all your fault..."
Fu Hua looked as though her soul had left her body.
She had already recognized the origin of the design Selene was using to create the puppet.
Wasn't it Dan Zhu's masterpiece from five thousand years ago?
Dan Zhu had always harbored deep regret regarding Fu Hua's nonexistent chest. Back then, she had used Fu Hua's Phoenix form as a base to create the character "Immortal Phoenix," and in order to make her more popular, she had generously enhanced the chest area.
"Your Majesty... what exactly are you doing?" Esdeath asked, completely baffled. She could not understand what her emperor was trying to accomplish.
"Rise. Release that unruly brat you captured and step aside," Selene said with a casual wave, showing no intention of explaining.
"Unruly brat?"
Though still full of questions, Esdeath obediently followed the order.
Meanwhile, Selene wore a mischievous grin as she split off a secondary consciousness.
Some of that useless knowledge she had obtained from Elysia's memory data might as well be used for a bit of entertainment.
"Spatial Lockdown."
"Void Unleashed."
"Imaginary Barrier."
"Mental Barrier."
...
Crack!
The purple-crimson crystal cage shattered open.
Scattered black mist drifted out before gradually condensing together.
"What happened to me? Where is this?"
The gray-haired girl clutched her head, looking around in confusion.
"Tsk! That hurts. Those bastards... where did they even come from? Fighting dishonorably—ganging up when they couldn't win head-on."
The moment she opened her mouth, it was obvious.
Though she looked very similar, this person was definitely not Fu Hua.
"Wait... didn't those guys scatter me earlier? How did I recover this quickly? The Honkai energy density here is ridiculously high!"
"Oh my. Isn't this Senti? Long time no see."
A female voice filled with faint amusement suddenly sounded.
The sound instantly made the girl's eyes widen.
What the— isn't that my voice? Fu Hua?!
While she was still stunned, she suddenly felt a pair of small hands land on her shoulders.
Turning her head, she saw a beautiful red-haired girl standing behind her, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
"You... you... you... why are you here?!"
Senti's crimson eyes widened as she stared at the red-haired girl's almost elfin grace.
That mixture of purity and allure. That fairy-like figure.
She froze.
Her trembling hand rose, pointing at the girl.
"Fu Hua, what are you doing?!"
Having inherited Fu Hua's fifty thousand years of memories as well, Senti naturally knew about Dan Zhu's clay sculpture prank.
"Oh my~" Fu Hua (?) waved her hand casually, looking quite enthusiastic. "Ah, I just encountered a great opportunity, that's all."
"An opportunity?"
Senti examined her with disbelief.
Looking at the identical red eyes of Fu Hua in her prime, she shouted incredulously.
"Who are you trying to fool? What kind of opportunity makes your chest grow?!"
"Ara~"
As though she had just spotted something amusing, Fu Hua (?) suddenly appeared behind Senti without warning.
She wrapped an arm around Senti's slender waist, pressing the soft curves that Senti could never possess in her entire life firmly against her back.
That cursed warmth and softness froze Senti on the spot.
The next moment, Fu Hua (?) leaned down beside her sensitive ear and deliberately breathed a warm, moist whisper.
"Could it be that you're jealous, Senti? Do you want this body too?"
"Ah!!"
Senti's mouth fell open as she slowly turned her head, frame by frame.
Her face flushed bright red at a visible speed, spreading all the way down her neck.
Then she shrieked and leapt away.
Clutching her chest, her face burning with embarrassment, Senti stammered wildly.
"Fu Hua! You old stick-in-the-mud—how did you become so shameless and indecent?! You're basically... basically a female hooligan!"
"Senti, I never realized before that you were this shy," Fu Hua (?) said, the smile on her face growing brighter.
Senti might act willful and domineering, always eager to show off and looking like a tough character.
But in truth, she was still just a brat. A rather simple-minded one at that.
Handling her?
Fu Hua (?)'s fiery crimson eyes flickered with a golden cross-shaped halo.
Resting her hand against her chin, tilting her head slightly to the left, her gaze carried both mockery and faint pity.
"What an adorable child."
"Aaaah!! You're the adorable one! Your whole family is adorable!"
Poor Senti had been teased so thoroughly by Fu Hua (?) that she could barely form a coherent sentence.
It could only be said that this time she had truly encountered a predator of a higher order.
"Oh dear, don't be so disobedient," Fu Hua (?) said as her expression gradually turned mischievous. "Disobedient children need to be punished, you know."
Under that gaze, Senti suddenly felt a chill crawl down her spine.
She involuntarily stepped backward, a growing sense of dread filling her heart.
"Come here. Let me take a look."
"Ah! No! Fu Hua, change back! Wait—you're not Fu Hua! You're not—you— Aaaah!! Someone help me!"