"Ahhh!!"
Senti's scream shattered stone and shook the mountains. The sheer volume and shrillness of it left Fu Hua—who was watching the spectacle from the sidelines—utterly silent.
"Get away! Don't touch me, you damn pervert! No—ahh~!"
"Oh my~ Let me see... hmm... still not enough. Far too flat, aren't you?"
Through the pitch-black barrier, Fu Hua watched Senti being utterly routed inside the "illusion" by... herself. Her entire body went numb.
The one inside—was that really her?
From behind, Fu Hua (?) wrapped her arms around her prey and relentlessly teased the pitiful Senti.
Fu Hua observed carefully.
That fair, smooth skin. That delicate, pitifully charming face. Those flame-like crimson eyes. And that beautiful cascade of fiery red hair...
...Wasn't she even more alluring than the original herself?
Ignoring a certain excessive lump of fat, the Immortal suddenly felt that her portrait rights had been violated. And if you were going to violate them, could you at least consult the original owner before making arbitrary modifications?
A few seconds later, Fu Hua, trembling slightly, spoke in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, you..."
She turned her head toward Selene, whose expression was growing increasingly unrestrained. Fu Hua's face was tangled with conflict, her words hovering at the edge of her lips.
Her self-respect and embarrassment warred fiercely within her.
"Ah~ What an insincere child," Selene said lazily, resting her chin on her hand atop the table as she swayed her head slightly.
"I can feel her emotional fluctuations. She was clearly delighted to see you, yet she forced herself to suppress that joy in front of you."
"Your Majesty!"
"Ahem..."
Reining in her smile, Selene coughed lightly and adopted a perfectly serious expression.
"It was Fu Hua who did that. What does it have to do with me, Selene?"
Although the separated fragment was indeed a small portion of Selene's secondary consciousness, the behavioral guidance loaded within it originated from Elysia's memory construct in the Elysian Realm.
If one rounded up generously, then the one doing all this was the Pink Pink Miss. It had nothing to do with Selene.
At most... she had merely added VR real-time recording, sensory synchronization, and third-person observation. That would only make her an accomplice at worst.
She, Selene, stood upright and feared no shadow.
Faced with Fu Hua's expression of "It can work like that?", Selene maintained an utterly flawless composure, meeting her gaze without the slightest trace of guilt.
"It should be ending soon. That brat has probably realized something by now."
Inside the layered barriers—
Fu Hua (?) tilted her head and stuck out her tongue as if nothing had happened.
"Uh... sorry. I might have gone... a little overboard."
Senti, having finally broken free from Fu Hua (?)'s clutches, snapped back to her senses. Under the other's ill-intentioned gaze, her body instinctively shrank inward as she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
"Hey now... Senti, don't ignore me. Are you angry?"
Barefoot, Fu Hua (?) crouched beside her and gently poked her shoulder.
No response.
"Don't be so cold. Truly angry? Fine, then you can have a turn instead..."
As she spoke, Fu Hua (?) lifted her head at a forty-five-degree angle toward the sky, squeezed out two tears, and said pitifully,
"It's just that we haven't seen each other in so long. I got a bit enthusiastic. Is that really reason enough to treat me like this?"
"You're not Fu Hua..."
"Hm? What was that? I didn't hear you clearly."
"You're not Fu Hua!!"
Boom—!
"Whitetiger Dashing!"
"Wah!"
With an exaggerated cry, Fu Hua (?) tilted her head, pivoted, and raised her arms—clamping down on Senti's recoiling fist.
"Really angry now?"
Her delicate arm collided with the gauntleted fist, producing a metallic clang.
"Bastard! Stop disgusting people here! I'm going to puke!" Senti snarled, her smile devoid of warmth as she twisted her arm.
Her other hand swept downward—wipe—
Clang!
A crimson steel whip snapped into existence in Senti's grip, lashing toward Fu Hua (?)'s lower body in a torrent of blazing flames.
Whoosh!
"I thought we were friends," Fu Hua (?) said lightly, hands clasped behind her back, utterly unflustered.
Boom!
In the next instant, she vanished. The whip struck the air where she had stood, detonating with the roar of a heavy bombardment.
Five or six steps away, Fu Hua (?) reappeared in her fiery phoenix form, looking pale and faintly sorrowful.
"Friends, my ass! Fu Hua would never do something like this!"
Raising her head, Senti twisted the steel whip in her hand. It morphed into a single-edged halberd, its blade pointing directly at Fu Hua (?).
"Will of the Honkai! This is your doing, isn't it? Where's that ice-playing woman? Tell her to get out here!"
"That idiot! That big fool! I told her long ago—give me the body! I would've led her to resist the Honkai's erosion! Why wouldn't she listen to me?! They're all idiots!"
Bang!
"Damn it! Damn it damn it damn it! Imposter! Fu Hua—where are you really?!"
Stamping off the ground, Senti shot skyward with halberd in hand. Gripping it sideways, she brought it down in a mountain-cleaving arc straight at Fu Hua (?).
"Take a guess."
"Guess my foot! Die! Die die die die! Just die already!!" Senti roared.
"Unfortunately, you can't," Fu Hua (?) replied.
Her voice grew faint and distant. She bent her knees—fast as lightning.
Fu Hua (?) launched forward in a starting stance, her fist splitting the trembling air. Senti had anticipated the strike; her halberd was already rising.
Bang!
They collided and separated instantly.
Senti began circling Fu Hua (?), shifting footwork constantly. From time to time she lunged in—one slash, one whip, one halberd strike.
Explosions rocked the enclosed space like an endless chain of New Year firecrackers.
"Fu Hua who isn't Fu Hua—tell me! Where is the real Fu Hua?!"
The edge of the halberd scraped against the underside of Fu Hua (?)'s punching right hand. Senti stepped forward and unleashed a shoulder strike, smashing her left shoulder toward Fu Hua (?)'s jaw.
"Right before your eyes," Fu Hua (?) answered, responding with a mirrored iron mountain shoulder strike.
They collided again.
A thunderous explosion followed, the aftershock of two inhuman beings clashing making even the surrounding space shudder.
"Tch! Not bad for a fake!"
Using the recoil, Senti slid back three steps, then leapt further to widen the distance. Resting the halberd across her shoulder, she was just about to continue taunting—
When she suddenly noticed.
Fu Hua (?)'s figure was beginning to fade.
"You..."
"Ah, looks like time's up. The energy sustaining this body has been completely exhausted..."
As she spoke, Fu Hua (?)'s fading figure stepped forward and, smiling gently, brushed her fingertip against Senti's cheek.
"You bastard!"
Senti lashed out, trying to grab her—but her hand passed straight through the dissolving body.
Clatter!
"Wait!"
Her halberd slipped from her grasp as panic flickered across her face. Yet the particles of light that composed Fu Hua (?) continued slipping through her fingers, scattering into nothingness.
Outside the barrier—
"Hm? Is this what they call being all bark and no bite?" Selene commented lazily, clearly satisfied with the show.
"Partially." Standing respectfully at Selene's side, Esdeath offered her analysis. "Based on my exchange with her earlier, combined with her behavior inside the illusion... Senti, was it?"
Repeating Selene's nickname for the Herrscher of Sentience, Esdeath continued calmly.
"In combat, she is extremely eager to show off and talks incessantly. What doesn't match her childish demeanor is that her martial skill and proficiency are exceptionally high."
Her face was far too young—even by the standards of an ordinary Imperial Auxilia soldier. Yet the razor-sharp aura emanating from her was undeniably real.
Though Esdeath had defeated and captured the Herrscher of Sentience in a short time, she had to admit—purely in terms of technique, she was inferior.
The Ice General, tempered by countless battles, made that judgment without hesitation.
The reason Senti had been captured so easily was simple. She currently possessed no physical body—only an individualized mass of Honkai energy.
Under the Empire's coordinated pursuit and Esdeath's blunt suppression through sheer Honkai output, there had been no opportunity for flashy techniques.
To redirect a thousand pounds with four ounces, you first need the four ounces.
After finishing her assessment, Esdeath glanced toward Fu Hua and asked with mild confusion,
"You and her are... family, correct?"
She had almost said mother and daughter—but her eyes briefly drifted downward before she swallowed the words.
One could only say... the child had suffered.
Did your gaze just shift two centimeters downward? And what is that pitying look supposed to mean? Do I need your pity?
Fu Hua's eyelid twitched. Silently reciting the mantra of Edge of Taixuan to steady her mind, she forced a polite smile.
"General Esdeath, is there anything else?"
After a pause, Esdeath added,
"It feels as though she is trying to prove something. Seeking acknowledgment."
...
When Fu Hua (?) completely dissipated, Senti felt the world spin violently. By the time she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a different place entirely.
"What now? Is this some kind of stupid trial? Is that old fossil behind this?"
She shook her head, slowly adjusting to the lingering discomfort in her body. Looking around—
She saw the ice-wielding woman.
And beyond her, seated at the banquet table, were countless giants clad in power armor.
Senti knew full well how troublesome they were. Especially those occupying the main seats—each at least three and a half meters tall. The insignias and decorations of different Legions emblazoned across their armor were more than enough to indicate their extraordinary origins.
"'Ⅰ,' 'Ⅸ,' 'Ⅴ'..."
As her gaze circled the room, Senti's expression grew darker.
"You damned tin cans again!"
"Watch your mouth, little girl," Esdeath stepped forward, her expression frostbitten. "Shall I tear it off for you?"
"If you've got the guts, kill—"
Her words froze mid-sentence.
In the next instant, Senti's eyes met a pair of crimson pupils.
Cold sweat began to drip down her forehead.
The moment she saw her, she understood.
Even without knowing the woman's name, the faint authority etched upon her presence revealed everything.
The end of all suffering and torment. The true will of a god. The existence whose appearance signified the destruction of human civilization—
The Herrscher of Finality.
"Yo."
The Herrscher of Finality greeted her with a charming yet icy smile. Her exquisitely shaped legs shifted as they crossed elegantly, crystal high heels trimmed in gold tapping crisply against the metal deck.
"Eighth Herrscher—Herrscher of Sentience. A Herrscher who inherited the memories of a warrior of the Previous Era. Sometimes, I wonder why you inherited the mission as well."
Seated at the head of the table, Selene swirled the wine in her glass gracefully before taking a delicate sip.
"Did you enjoy the illusion?"
Though phrased like a question, her tone was cold as iron, suffocating in its pressure.
She felt like a humanoid abyssal beast capable of devouring a small creature whole at any moment.
Even a Herrscher would feel fear.
This was the pressure of Finality—the apex of the Honkai food chain.
"I'll—"
Before Senti could even react consciously, her Herrscher instincts had already surrendered.
By the time she realized what had happened, she was kneeling on the cold metal deck.
"A simple question," Selene said smoothly. "Assuming I do not end the world—do you wish to die, or live? Do you wish to become a hero admired by millions, or a piece of trash reviled by millions?"
"What do you mean?"
Resting her cheek against one hand, Selene smiled sweetly.
"Very simple. I am forcing you to become my dog. Refuse, and from this very moment, I will begin counting. Every ten minutes, I will erase one city."
Within the sealed barrier reserved for observation, Fu Hua's face darkened.
That phrasing sounded... disturbingly familiar.
Indeed—Selene was testing Senti.
She wanted to see whether this version of Senti—who inherited Fu Hua's memories but possessed a far more reckless personality—cared for the common people as Fu Hua did.
Before they separated, Fu Hua had insisted that Senti was not corrupted by the Will of the Honkai. She had refused to relinquish her body, but had offered Senti the option to stay and assist her.
Senti, however, could not accept two consciousnesses sharing one body. Using her authority as a Herrscher, she had left Fu Hua's body.
With that, they parted.
Fu Hua also lost the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience.
"You can't do that!"
Good.
Hearing those words, Selene nodded inwardly.
Attachments and hesitation—those were leverage.
Snap.
"Hua, I leave her to you."
With a flick of her fingers, the sealed black barrier dissolved.
To Senti's dumbfounded shock, Fu Hua—clad in her blue-and-white Valkyrie uniform—appeared out of thin air at Selene's left.
"You're the real Fu Hua? Not a fake?"
Senti's gaze hovered two meters below Fu Hua's face.
She seemed convinced.
"...Yes."
Resisting the urge to crack her skull open—since when is chest size a method of authentication?—Fu Hua nodded calmly. She pushed up the red-framed glasses on her nose. A streak of white light flashed across the lenses.
Taking a long breath, Fu Hua stepped forward.
She extended her hand toward the seated consciousness of Senti.
"Shall we?"