---
In the golden courtyard.
"To some extent, little Senti is actually really amazing," Elysia said with a note of admiration.
In this form, facing Kevin, she was even stronger than when going up against that otherworldly deity — Su — by a small margin. With the Finality Branch's power on his back, he was undeniably standing at the human peak. Yet the Herrscher of Sentience could still fight him to a standstill. No matter how the fight ended — whether she pressed forward or was beaten back — in terms of buying time, she had clearly achieved what she set out to do.
"So that's what's going on with the Herrscher of Sentience — I didn't expect the Stigma Project to be giving her such a boost. In the dreamscape, scattered consciousness is far easier for her to exploit. The model's been polluted… Luckily, she's a human Herrscher," Mobius remarked as she casually glanced at the screen.
She had been thinking about something else and hadn't expected the Herrscher of Sentience to reverse-engineer such a tactic. She couldn't tell if drawing on so many people's consciousness would eventually wash the girl's mind clean and turn her into an idiot.
"She really is like a humanoid Divine Key — just incredibly good at using weapons!" Vill-V sighed, the mix of awe and relief on her face plain to see. She was glad the Herrscher of Sentience wasn't here, or they'd be fighting to the death. If Kevin's armaments had developed along this route, they'd be something to behold. Sadly, it wasn't exactly convenient to ask the person himself how he'd gotten to this point.
Elysia gave her a strange look — she really did lack a bit of tact. Even a Herrscher ought to have the rights of a Herrscher… Well, probably. Maybe this world had laws like that.
"Ah — but this is still far from enough. If you want to defeat him, you're still a long way off!" Kalpas sneered. When it came to battle, his enthusiasm could even surpass Elysia's.
----
At the recording room
"Fighting feels amazing!" the Herrscher of Sentience said cheerfully, her eyes unconsciously drifting toward Luo Mo as if to say — See? She wasn't nearly as bad as she'd looked before!
Maybe calling it fifty-fifty had been overestimating herself a bit, but forty-sixty didn't seem too bad — it was still within a range she could accept.
"But little Senti, it's pretty obvious you were the one getting beaten," Kiana couldn't resist poking the other's waist. "You can actually feel refreshed after that?"
"Hey, well, think about it — all three of you together couldn't beat him. The fact that I could fight him into this state on my own already means I worked hard."
The Herrscher of Sentience put on the look of a child who had tried her absolute best, asking for praise, while outwardly pretending it didn't matter.
( ᗜ ˰ ᗜ )
Bronya seemed as if she had spoken… yet as if she had said nothing at all.
"But this fight is nothing more than falling behind for now. In the end, we will surpass Kevin." Mei clenched her fist, speaking with great determination. Among them, there would eventually be a final battle.
"But in reality, the Stigma Project hasn't even been implemented yet. You guys aren't planning to provoke Kevin, are you?" Luo Mo opened his mouth with a small joke.
"Of course not! Who's bored enough to go and pick a fight with him?" Kiana pouted. No matter how strong he was — even if he was the ancestor and ranked alongside that first-ranked among the Flame-Chasers — she had no reason to meaninglessly challenge him. But when it came to saving the world, they would never step aside either.
"Speaking of which, I'm really curious — who was it that made Kevin abandon what he saw as a sure-win choice? Was it you?"
She looked at Luo Mo with open curiosity, her eyes never stopping their scrutiny. Ever since she came to this world, she had never forgotten to consider his role in its fate. But fighting against the Honkai was far more complicated than her own experiences — two endless eras searching for an answer.
If there had already been a set path, she believed Kevin would naturally follow the script of the "game," even if it meant dissolving himself and sinking into the ocean. But apparently, that hadn't happened.
"I don't have that kind of ability. If anything, the game's progression would only make him more confident in the Stigma Project's value. To convince Kevin, only the matter of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers' safety could work… or perhaps someone involved in the Stigma Project plan refused to cooperate."
Luo Mo said with a wry smile, feeling that the latter possibility was more likely. After all, no matter how you looked at it, those heroes were just memory constructs. Kevin might agree with their ideals, but he wouldn't yield for them.
"Ah~" Kiana nodded.
But when it came to that woman, she really didn't want to make contact… She was far too interested in her own group. In her mind, that self-proclaimed pink fairy lady was even more dangerous than herself — though still slightly less dangerous than the one under the moonlight.
---
Inside the game.
The battle between the Herrscher of Sentience and Kevin was still ongoing.
No battle ends in an instant. Victory and defeat don't come so easily.
At this moment, facing the man she had once followed, the Herrscher of Sentience felt a primal, instinctive fear — and her instincts told her it was completely correct.
Under his serious offense, she had no chance to counterattack. She had been crushed for what felt like forever, every injury she took coming from his relentless pressure, unable to even withstand the very first blow. She had been shattered countless times.
If it weren't for the special nature of this place, she suspected she would have been completely killed by now.
Even without a physical Herrscher's consciousness, this level of damage was almost unbearable. She couldn't draw power from everyone's dreams here, but her opponent could easily suppress her full strength — that was just abnormal!
Is the gap between us… really this huge?
Panting, exhausted in both body and mind, she fought to keep going — but Kevin still looked completely composed, his cold gaze fixed on her.
And this was in her dream — her home turf! Yet he even had spare attention to observe the surroundings?! Was this guy even human? What the hell?!
But even so, the thought of surrender never crossed her mind.
"No… no! Don't even think about it!"
Her face showed signs of strain, but she still shouted loudly.
"I told you — I'll be the one to take him down!"
Kevin felt a moment of doubt, then realized she was echoing her earlier refusal of his offer to surrender. But she wasn't shouting toward him — she was shouting toward the sky, where a cluster of golden starlight was stirring.
She was calling out to an ally.
–Bang!
Golden hair, and armor of the same hue shimmering faintly with starlight — Durandal dropped straight down between Kevin and the Herrscher of Sentience, kicking up a cloud of dust as she joined the fight.
Using a rotation tactic, she continued the battle against him. She was indeed the strongest of this civilization, but before Kevin, she was still not quite enough.
Her armor, originating from a world's relic, carried almost an equal power to that world itself. Two different kinds of Stigma awakening energy filled her body — her strength was undeniable.
Yet every time she clashed with Kevin, there was still a trace of helplessness. Their fists and feet shook the space around them.
The golden light from her star-forged armor kept flaring, drawn from the vast cosmos — yet it couldn't suppress Kevin's cold, world-ending fire.
Kevin reminded her that he didn't have the thing she wanted. Even if she sought the power of Finality, she shouldn't try to take it from him.
Durandal, however, was unusually straightforward — they intended to cut off his shadow.
Kevin, of course, sensed their intention to keep him occupied, but what puzzled him most was why Durandal never once used her holy sword. In this battle, she had been at a disadvantage in terms of weaponry the entire time, yet still refused to draw it.
He became even more wary of her movements.
Durandal didn't care — she simply poured all her strength into fighting this powerful enemy. That was always what she did.
But when Kevin had all his focus on the girl anchoring the starry sea, a different kind of flame — not his own — suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
The holy sword materialized in her hand, wreathed in flames like the stance of one who had embraced the Honkai, and swiftly cut off a portion of the shadow behind him before pausing in midair for a heartbeat.
Unsurprisingly, yet entirely fitting — his most familiar comrade could never be absent from this fight. Striking at the key moment, she had achieved her goal.
"Hua… you didn't have to… risk everything like this." Kevin's gaze turned complicated.
The figure before him was clad in a gown of crimson feathers, her pupils completely red and inhuman, with crimson wings shifting behind her. Standing there, she looked like a living flame, searing into the eyes.
A quiet torch burned in her palm. No one would have expected that after being separated from Kevin, the shadow would remain in the world in this form.
It was Fu Hua — one who had embraced the stance of the Honkai-Reaction.
Perhaps he had rarely, if ever, seen her like this — and perhaps he was the only survivor of that incident to have witnessed it.
The divine sound within the flower's body underwent some unknown transformation. She saw all Honkai as something that had to be destroyed without exception. When she was done destroying, she could even touch all the remaining Honkai objects afterward — she might even destroy herself — this was the final source of Honkai.
Because of the self-healing ability inherited from Garuda, destruction and rebirth kept occurring within her body without pause. That research base back then wasn't abandoned — it was destroyed personally by its guardian. That was also one of the past events Hua did not want to remember.
Whether from subjective choice or objective circumstances, she never again assumed that Form. But when the divine sound no longer existed, this Form would depend only on whether she was willing to endure recalling the pain.
This was something Kevin had never anticipated. As he himself said, he wasn't the type of all-calculating, flawless strategist — he was even a bit clumsy. Yet his strength allowed him to still be able to salvage the current "failure" — as long as he was willing.
---
In the Golden Courtyard
"It's the flower… that flower form… Ah, it's from that record — such a terrible memory. The divine sound… sigh." Elysia sighed deeply.
She had looked through a few materials, but with just a few words from others and some official reports, it was still unclear. That had truly been a great disaster. Humanity, possessing its greatest power, once again revealed the truth of its instability. The divine sound was originally created to suppress runaway willpower, but instead it caused Hua to fall into a state of self-destruction that could not be undone.
No wonder the little one held such a strong opinion toward the divine sound.
For others, divine sound might be just a kind of hypnotic suggestion. But for Hua — who remembered everything forever and could erase so-called "useless" memories — it was an invisible, lightless road.
Because of her special nature, she would only retain memories filled with hostility toward Honkai, sinking deeper and deeper.
"Among all MANTIS, there are always some who are special. I never thought divine sound would have such an effect on her," Mobius said gloomily.
Perhaps MEI had arranged everything in advance, but that seemed unlikely — after all, Hua carried out the Fire Moth missions, and didn't need the same iron will of the Stigma Project. Mobius could only speculate idly in her heart.
"So, what exactly was that shadow?" Hua asked curiously, clearly unwilling to continue discussing topics about herself.
"Yes, yes! I'm curious too," Griseo nodded vigorously, her big eyes full of confusion.
"If I'm not mistaken — it's a corpse. From within Kevin's body, the corpse of a Honkai Beast that had fallen into a dream after death. That couldn't possibly be Kevin's own dream — he stopped dreaming long ago."
"Kevin inherited that power and fell into the corpse of a Honkai Beast. And since Chimera contained the genes of all Honkai Beasts, it naturally included Garuda. His current state and Hua's divine sound form are similar — but not only is he affected by Finality's power, the cocoon's pursuit is also continuously destroying and restoring his body," Vill-V explained with a smile. She understood some of Kevin's secrets better than anyone. The data she had made it easy to analyze his current condition.
"Didn't they say before that it was Finality's power? Was that wrong?" Elysia asked, puzzled.
"How could Finality's power manifest as a shadow? This sacred sword can indeed cut space, but it's still not enough to cut apart the authority of Finality."
"Then why did they cut it down…" Elysia paused.
"Even if there was some residual Finality power, more importantly, it was the cocoon's pursuit," Vill-V said. "Like Kevin said, there's more than one way to obtain Finality's power — but the cocoon keeps chasing Kevin, and even the dream constructs won't let him go. Since they can't locate the cocoon, they naturally can't take it away — which is the perfect, beyond-standard answer."
She wagged her finger with a smile, clearly enjoying the awed looks from the others.
"Tch, you only know because you're standing in the audience's viewpoint and can observe Kevin's moves in real time. Without that, you wouldn't see the whole picture like MEI," Mobius grumbled.
"Hehe~, who knows?" Vill-V crossed her arms, not caring about the accusation. Dr. Mobius's temper was as bad as ever — but she understood her well enough.
---
In the recording room
"Class monitor looks so cool — wow, that armor is really handsome!" Kiana was full of praise for Fu Hua's new form. She always felt that in this game, every armored form the class monitor wore was so dashing and upright. Was it an illusion? No… but calling her "handsome" didn't quite feel right either.
"Hmph, this time they really pulled out all the stops — two big guns: Hua in full battle gear and Old Kid Kevin. I open the show, he closes it. Isn't that an easy all-field MVP?" The great Herrscher of Sentience gave a lofty evaluation.
"Little Senti," Fu Hua said calmly. Herrscher of Sentience immediately reined in her attitude, pouting, "Yeah, yeah."
It seemed Fu Hua's discipline methods were improving — gradually mastering how to keep the little Senti in check.
"Handsome? I traded my life for it," Luo Mo chuckled.
Fu Hua's mouth twitched slightly, but she didn't refute. The "Honkai Reaction form" existed as a side effect of being a MANTIS, not as some benevolent gift to humanity. In most cases, it was a danger greater than any immediate threat — only in the moment before death could it be used as a last-resort mutual destruction method.
"That's not what I meant! I was talking about the armor — will it have pretty skin cards?" Kiana shook her head, looking at Luo Mo expectantly. She could no longer go back to the days without cosmetic outfits!
The most amazing thing was still Fu Hua and the little Senti — both could be controlled in-game, which was simply incredible.
"…Show some respect for your battle against Finality," Luo Mo said with mock sorrow.
"But it's hard for us to use that method," Kiana admitted. She also wanted to know what Kevin meant when he said finding Finality's power didn't require finding him — what other methods were there? But he just wouldn't say! Did he expect her to figure it out? That sounded like a job for the geniuses of this century, not her.
---
In the game
For whatever reason, Kevin did not make another move. He suddenly became curious — why did Hua trust those children so much that she would risk her life for them?
Whether in her Honkai Reaction form or bearing that power, before every battle she put her everything on the line. Even now, to keep that torch aflame, she simply could not stop her Honkai Reaction form.
"They're not just children — they are an era," Hua answered.
The people of that past era, and these girls of the current era — they weren't so different. In their youth, they too had stepped onto the path of resisting the Honkai.
"But you should also know — even if we cannot withstand such a victory, countless geniuses have already given their all."
"If one mistake is made… everything will be overturned, and we will never get a third chance," Kevin's cold words fell like ice. He was not adding any emotion — just stating objective facts. He acknowledged that the Stigma Project was unbearable, yet at the same time, it was still a victory.
No matter the price, humanity must prevail against the Honkai.
That was the solemn promise he once made — back in that bygone era of the dead.
His voice was as cold as ice:
"Unless they can surpass me… with a stance even firmer and truer…"
"Otherwise, I will still be the fate that awaits you all."
In an instant, the few of them felt as though they were facing a great enemy.
Durandal, wary, looked toward him.
Fu Hua only spoke quietly:
"Kevin, you… We, the people of the previous civilization, may have once acted on our emotions. But we never made decisions based on emotion."
"..."
He understood what she was trying to convey.
She was willing to believe in the possibilities of this era, but she was not blindly following hope.
The light she pursued was not something unreachable — it was the tangible fire of humanity's legacy.
Like a blazing torch, carried forward under the illumination of those who came before, traveling ever farther.
"No matter what… this long day should come to an end…"
In the end, he did not snuff out that extinguishing flame.
Instead, he turned away, leaving only the silhouette of his back — solitary yet powerful.
"I only care about results now. If you truly believe you can do it… then bring that result before me."
He turned his head, looking once at Fu Hua, Durandal, and the Herrscher of Sentience, complex emotions in his eyes.
That powerful sense of oppression finally faded.
The three of them all let out a quiet breath.
For now, they had managed to scrape together a temporary victory in this phase.
_____
_____
Side Story: Mid-Autumn Festival: A Night of Reunion Under the Full Moon
--
The Mid-Autumn moon was bright.
Its clear light stripped the trees of their dull colors, draping them in a veil like thin silk mist. In the cool breeze, it shimmered with a silvery glow, dreamlike and illusory.
In the golden courtyard, the cherry blossoms — blooming in all four seasons — scattered petals that added romance and poetic charm to the scene. Under this Mid-Autumn moon, the petals seemed to dance with the moonlight, gently twirling in the air before falling. It was like a scene from a dream.
The stone table and benches beneath the trees were tinged with that same soft glow, whispering quietly of the stillness and peace of the years.
From inside the house came bursts of cheerful noise and laughter.
But, if one listened closely, a certain sweet female voice stood out, carrying a smile that made others' lips curl upward.
"Oh my, Mobius actually made green mooncakes — what kind of trap is this? Did she put something weird in them? Shouldn't someone test them for the rest of us first? ♪"
"Kevin… how on earth did he make blue mooncakes? Is it because they're frozen? Or is it…?"
"Ah, this mooncake looks just like me — it's pink. Do you think they'll notice the difference?"
"Whose mooncake is this black lump? I just hope I don't draw that one. Wait — there's even a store-bought mooncake mixed in here. I thought we all agreed to make them ourselves? ♪~"
A pink-haired figure was sneaking around the kitchen, inspecting each oddly shaped mooncake. Her cute frown and worried look made her sigh over today's mooncake lottery.
Even though she was the one who suggested it, and even supervised the entire process from start to finish…
"Everyone is just too weird! Why do they all turn out like this?!"
Elysia looked helpless, feeling a little uneasy about tonight's feast. Then she spotted a new mooncake — one decorated with a little Griseo figure.
"This must be Griseo's… Wait… someone painted a picture on the mooncake? Oh my."
She couldn't help but be surprised.
"Elysia~, where are you? Time to go."
Eden's gentle voice called her name as she approached, slightly puzzled. Elysia had offered to bring out everyone's mooncakes, but after heading into the kitchen, she hadn't come back for a long while.
"Ah, okay, coming."
Without examining the rest of the mooncakes, Elysia hastily restored the gift boxes to their original condition, then neatly gathered them all — identical in appearance — and cheerfully met Eden at the door.
"Let's go, Eden."
"I wonder whose mooncake I'll draw? I'm really hoping for Mei's. But if I'm being honest about the odds… it'll be a complete test of the mutual understanding between beautiful girls."
Smiling brightly, Elysia pulled Eden toward the door, where the others were already impatiently waiting.
"We've been waiting for you."
Outside, Kalpas glanced at her once, then walked toward the villa next door.
"Hmph~."
Mobius gave a short snort but made no further comment.
The thirteen of them headed toward the neighboring building.
Under the bright moonlight, fireworks bloomed over the academy, falling like silver rain, warm and festive.
As they drew near, they heard the Herrscher of Sentience speaking:
"On this Mid-Autumn night, I invite you all to enjoy… enjoy… what was it again?"
She scratched her head, standing next to Fu Hua in thought, but couldn't recall the right phrase.
Flower, Hua, and "little snack" — if there were two more flowers, it could be called "Five Blessings Arrive at the Door," a good omen.
Unfortunately, someone had already taken all the good ones, leaving nothing behind.
"Seems there are some strange elements mixed in… Where's Luna and Luo Mo?"
Elysia smiled in greeting.
"Him? Oh, he got dragged off by Kongming to watch the moon and solve riddles… Theresa went with them soon after. Honestly, I have no idea what they're all doing."
Senti nodded earnestly, trying not to laugh.
If it weren't for the old timer stopping her, she would have followed them too.
With no need to constantly fight the Honkai anymore, daily life had grown more lively.
On the flip side, Luo Mo's days had gotten much harder — no one held back with their weird pranks on him.
Half his time was taken by Kongming, the other half by Theresa. And while Theresa was far less overbearing, she still had the huge advantage of her position as head of the academy — using it to "randomly" assign him substitute teaching, trick Kongming into taking over his company work, or sneaking into his place while he was sleeping in after a late night.
With Cecilia and Kallen providing support, as long as the schemes kept coming, there was always a way.
"Ah~ I see~."
Elysia nodded knowingly, her mind painting the picture of Luo Mo spending time with the three girls — Kongming's cold face, Theresa's silly antics and Luna… It was almost too charming to bear. She nodded again.
"Then let's wait for him a bit. Come on, let's go in first."
She pushed aside little Senti and Fu Hua. Fu Hua still frowned slightly, as if lost in thought, not too bothered by the noisy surroundings.
Once seated, Elysia quietly whispered with little Senti:
"Can you tell me what filling your mooncake has?"
"I can tell you what filling Mobius's mooncake has~."
"What?! Mobius made one too??"
Little Senti's eyes widened, and she stood up in surprise.
Suddenly, she felt this event was going to be a lot less fun.
Originally, she thought the biggest dangers were Kiana's burnt disasters, the old Timer's pickled mustard greens, and Theresa's bitter melon surprise. She never expected there would also be… Mobius's baking.
...
While they were talking, before long, Luo Mo and the others came back mid-conversation.
"I told you, that riddle earlier wasn't even the right answer! You two are so annoying—didn't we already agree that tonight he's mine!" Kongming huffed angrily, holding a round fan and pointing at Theresa and Luna, her face full of obvious irritation.
"But… it's the Mid-Autumn Festival, isn't this a time for family reunions? He and I are obviously family." Luna looked genuinely puzzled, though a trace of slyness flickered in her eyes.
"Exactly, exactly. Spending time together today is perfectly normal." Theresa nodded firmly. If she really left things alone tonight, the other side would definitely "devour" Luo Mo. Last Mid-Autumn Festival, he'd gotten drunk—so drunk he'd been carried away. In theory, he shouldn't be that easy to get drunk… clearly someone here must have spiked his drink. The thought flashed through Theresa's mind—things were different now, and she naturally had to consider all possibilities.
"Hmph—"
"I was planning to float a small lantern, but you two kept interrupting." Kongming gritted her teeth.
"As human say, you have to be careful of fire." Luna's small face was serious.
"In the academy, of course we have to be careful with candles… besides, in the end we still allowed it, didn't we?" Theresa's reply was a little pale.
"I wanted to release one… not three!" Kongming shook her head and went back into the house first. At this point, half of today's plan could be considered complete, but the other half—the "over-drinking" part—had to be postponed. Come to think of it… were there still other activities tonight?
Luo Mo followed her in step for step, mentally replaying the evening's events. Originally, everything had been going smoothly with Kongming —they'd been quietly enjoying each other's company—but once Luna and Theresa came out, things changed.
The three of them started provoking each other nonstop, arguing all the way. He felt like he'd turned invisible. But if he tried to leave, that was even worse—their eyes would all instantly snap to him, forcing him to stand there obediently and listen.
This sort of situation had been happening a lot lately. Sometimes it made life feel hopeless.
"Haa~" Luo Mo let out a sigh that carried the weight of his life's regrets. Exhausting.
"Clink, clink—Luo Mo, happy Mid-Autumn Festival." Elysia's bright smile shone under the lamplight, her beauty almost dazzling as she held several mooncakes in her hands. Luo Mo blinked in surprise. Then, in the next moment, he felt two sharp stabs of pain on his back—clearly from someone behind him—but only Elysia in front of him could be seen.
Keeping his expression neutral, he said, "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Ellie."
"You look like you're in good shape," Elysia leaned in closer, her fragrance curling into his nose as she spoke with a suppressed laugh.
"…" Luo Mo didn't feel that way at all. In fact, the pain in his back only seemed to get worse. Could she… maybe… stand a little farther away?
"Hm-hm~" Seemingly reading his thoughts in his eyes, Elysia's smile deepened, but she still stepped back two paces and raised the mooncakes in front of her.
"Here, let's exchange mooncakes ♪~" she said cheerfully.
"Oh, right… the mooncakes." Luo Mo muttered. No wonder he'd felt like he was forgetting something—he'd only been thinking about going on a date with Kongming.
---
Inside the house, a variety of mooncakes were laid out together, constantly being shuffled and rearranged. Because they were all pre-wrapped in identical packaging, it was impossible to tell whose mooncake was whose without opening them.
Each person had handmade two mooncakes. Other than being able to give one directly to someone of their choice, the other was mixed into the random pile for the "lucky draw."
In short—it reminded Luo Mo uncomfortably of drawing a bad lottery ticket.
"If possible, I'd really rather not have to draw so many," Luo Mo stressed repeatedly. Who knew what strange and bizarre fillings might be inside?
"Nope," Elysia wagged her finger and smiled sweetly. "You forgot to make yours on time, so now you have to draw for Kallen, Seele, and Bronya too—even though they aren't here, they still left mooncakes behind. That means… you have to draw three."
But in front of Luo Mo, there were already three mooncakes—gifts from Theresa, Luna, and Kongming.
Suddenly, he felt a little lucky. If he actually had made mooncakes himself, deciding who to give them to would've been a real problem. Judging by his usual "luck" with random draws… all he could hope for was to avoid pulling Mobius's.
He quickly picked out three from the pile. Including the three given to him, he had six mooncakes total. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to start with the gifted ones. Frowning slightly, he began tasting them.
"Mmm… osmanthus-flavored, not bad—sweet but not overwhelming," Kongming commented coolly.
"Ugh… why bitter melon?" He stuck out his tongue—in all his life, no matter how many times he tried, he could never get used to that intense bitterness.
"What did bitter melon ever do to you?" Theresa grumbled.
"Reddish filling, sweet and sour… tomato flavor… maybe?" Luo Mo wasn't even sure of his own words. Luna just rested her chin in her hands, smiling with her red eyes glinting in amusement.
"Wow~ This one's really good—red date and bean paste, delicate texture, sweet fragrance… makes you want more," Luo Mo's eyes lit up.
"Eh? How did you pull Mei's? At least… well, at least it's not hers." Kiana muttered in defeat, while Elysia beside her also looked a bit disappointed.
"Hmm… pink outer layer?" Luo Mo examined it carefully. By nature's rule, the prettier something looked, the more likely it was poisonous—you had to be careful.
"Let me see, let me see—is it mine or yours?"
"—Oh, a crystal flower pattern! I didn't expect you'd pull mine, Luo Mo." Elysia's voice carried a hint of joy.
"Mhm… unexpected. The flavor is almost just under Mei's," Luo Mo said after tasting it, giving an objective review.
Having enjoyed four of them already, it still carried some persuasive power.
"The last one… is it green again?" Luo Mo didn't really want to look at this one. Theresa's previous offering had already made him uncomfortable, and now he didn't even want to look — but next to him, a faint glint appeared in Mobius's eyes.
"Bitter melon… Theresa, at least don't release such a high concentration of bitter melon flavor!"
"T-That… that's actually proven to be good for your health! The academy has done research on it!" Theresa said reluctantly. She was only trying to help Luo Mo get used to her cooking, wasn't she? After all, a family shouldn't be eating meals from two different households.
Mobius let out a soft "tsk" from her lips, sounding faintly disappointed.
The others began to unwrap their mooncakes one after another — some eyes lit up with joy, others frowned and swallowed reluctantly, and more followed suit.
But before the event could go any further, Herrscher of Sentience's voice suddenly pierced through the air, clutching her throat.
"Waaah—! Wasabi?! So spicy, so spicy, my head's spinning! Old Timer… how do you have four of these?! Hehe, they look so weird~"
Herrscher of Sentience's gaze gradually went unfocused. Her body could no longer stand upright, and she collapsed onto Fu Hua's shoulder.
"…Looks like someone poisoned the mooncakes. Let me check her body," Mobius said, shedding her usual coldness and putting on an uncharacteristic 'enthusiasm.'
A rare success in acquiring a new experimental subject!
Fu Hua gave her a strange look and shook her head. "Check her body"… that sounded far too familiar. There was no way she could hand her over to Mobius.
"Hurry up, or it'll be too late! Poisoning cases have to be dealt with quickly!" Mobius urged.
But before long, Herrscher of Sentience recovered completely.
"Sorry, Doctor. She's not the kind to get poisoned so easily — and besides, we've got Dr. Vill-V here." Fu Hua firmly refused again, her eyes full of suspicion.
If someone's stomach gets upset, they already know who's most likely responsible… and the Fire Moth knows it too well.
"Tsk… no need to look at me like that. Fine, yes, she ate my mooncake." Seeing she couldn't bluff her way out, Mobius admitted frankly. "But relax — that mooncake only works on Herrschers. Even if you eat it, it's harmless. In fact, after a minute, it might even boost your abilities." She glanced at Herrscher of Sentience with a hint of regret.
–Bang!
Nearby, Kevin froze stiff, a firework blooming in front of his mouth. He wasn't sure whether to bite down or throw it away.
"Relax, you can eat it, Kevin. That mooncake is part of our… internal digestion process. Too bad it ended up with you, all cold and boring," Vill-V remarked in surprise.
The expected cries of shock never came.
"Uh… looks like everyone really put their heart into their preparations," Elysia said, wiping sweat from her forehead. Her lips twitched slightly as she looked at the two culprits. She was starting to feel that perhaps next time, they shouldn't invite them to such events — but then again, excluding them wasn't a pleasant thought either.
"But anyway, this year's festival still ended perfectly, and it's been another unforgettable time. Next, Fu Hua — should we go moon-gazing?"
"…Yes." Fu Hua sighed helplessly, looking at the drowsy little one leaning on her shoulder.
The moon shone bright among sparse stars. Beside the cherry blossom courtyard, petals drifted down onto the stone table and chairs.
A lone full moon, bearing countless poems and culture from humanity, and now the mark of the Flame-Chasers etched into its history.
"Then let me say it again — Happy Mid-Autumn Festival♪~"
"Happy Mid-Autumn~"
"Happy Mid-Autumn."
"…"
"…Mobius, did you really put drugs in my mooncake?! Are you even human?! How dare you trick a child like this!"
And so, the noise continued as always.
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