Chapter 14
After returning to the temporary Fire Moth camp outside Sapphire City, Himeko quickly dismissed her squad to rest and report, while escorting the three rescued civilians—Adam, Hua, and Carole—into her command tent.
It wasn't just any tent. It doubled as her personal quarters, and more importantly, the safest place in the camp.
There, Himeko sat the trio down and explained the truth: about Sapphire City, the eruption, and the Honkai.
Especially for Hua and Carole—two girls who had no clue what had just nearly destroyed their world—this revelation was nothing short of shattering.
Under normal circumstances, civilians weren't even supposed to hear the word Honkai. The United Nations and Fire Moth had long imposed strict information control to prevent global panic.
But Himeko had made her choice.
She wasn't just interested in Adam—who had somehow fought and killed a Honkai Emperor alone. She was also watching Hua. Both showed exceptional Honkai Resistance, far beyond civilian norm.
Even defeating a Chariot-class Honkai beast was enough to qualify as elite in Fire Moth's ranks. Yet Adam had gone far beyond that.
His feat alone would have instantly qualified him for a Squad Captain position.
But Himeko concealed the truth.
Not out of envy or ambition—but protection.
If the higher-ups learned what Adam had done, he'd be shackled in a lab before the sun rose. His power studied, dissected. Turned into a tool or worse—a test subject.
Out of both gratitude and a quiet sense of duty, Himeko filed a falsified report.
The Honkai Emperor was slain by her—with assistance from her squad. Conveniently, most of them had been unconscious during the fight, making her the sole witness. She was determined to stay that way.
Once her explanation ended, she leaned back behind her desk, arms folded across her chest, silently watching the trio.
Adam said nothing. He glanced toward Hua, waiting. His decision would follow hers.
He knew her history. In the original story, she had joined Fire Moth only after losing everything—her sick father and her only friend, Carole.
But now… Carole was still alive.
Would that single change shift her fate?
Hua's silence was heavy. Her eyes were locked on Carole, filled with uncertainty.
Himeko noticed—and acted.
She looked to Carole, then back to Hua, her eyes narrowing slightly. An idea formed.
"Hua," she said slowly, as if debating whether to speak. "About your friend…"
Hua looked up.
"Carole's infection has progressed further than we initially thought. She's in an advanced stage of Honkai Corruption."
"What?!" Hua shot to her feet, stunned.
Carole flinched, eyes darting away, as if she'd been found out. Hua turned toward her, only now noticing that the thin purple lines of corruption had spread—from her arm to her shoulder, creeping toward her neck and chest.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Hua whispered.
"I didn't want to scare you," Carole murmured. "And it's not like there's a cure…"
"There isn't," Himeko confirmed, voice calm. "But Fire Moth has the means to delay it. To numb the pain. To keep it from worsening—at least for a while."
She let that hang in the air before striking the final blow.
"If you enlist in Fire Moth, your friend will be registered as your dependent. That entitles her to advanced medical treatment—and priority if a cure is discovered."
Hua froze.
Adam recognized the tactic instantly. It was recruitment, plain and simple—emotional leverage wrapped in truth. But even knowing that, he didn't speak.
Because she wasn't lying.
If Hua chose not to join, and Carole was taken to a civilian hospital, they'd be helpless. No knowledge. No equipment. At best, they'd misdiagnose and medicate. At worst, Carole would end up captured—turned into a research subject by the very people who claimed to protect humanity.
Fire Moth was her only shot at survival.
Carole reached out and gently grabbed Hua's wrist only to wince slightly in pain as she said. "You don't have to do this for me."
Hua looked down at Carole's trembling hand, at the corruption slowly creeping beneath her skin feeling guilty.
"No. I'm doing this… because I want to," Hua said quietly, her eyes glisten. "I won't lose you. You… are maybe the only one I have left."
Himeko's expression softened immediately at the heartwarming scene.
"Then welcome to Fire Moth."
Adam smiled faintly. He no longer needed to wait.
"I'll join too," he said. "Preferably under your squad."
Himeko immediately snorted with a huff.
"Of course it's my squad. Even if you want to, I wouldn't allow anyone to poach either of you."
After Adam and Hua agreed to join, Himeko wasted no time running them through the paperwork, her tone brisk—almost hurried. It wasn't just efficiency; Adam could tell she didn't want to give them a chance to reconsider.
Only when their enlistment was official did she let them leave the tent.
Hua and Carole headed toward the medical section under Himeko's orders, Carole scheduled for urgent transfer to Australia.
It made sense—Himeko's squad was part of the Australian branch's Anti-Honkai garrison, temporarily deployed to the Far East. Once the situation here was resolved, they'd return home, and Carole would already be there.
Adam was about to follow when—
"Adam," Himeko's voice cut in, sharper than usual, "don't leave just yet. I have something else to ask you."
He stopped mid-step, glanced back. Her expression was serious, unreadable.
He ran through possibilities. She'd seen everything in the battle with the Honkai Emperor—his unusual techniques, the way he fought. Playing dumb would be pointless. If he wanted her trust, he'd have to give her just enough truth to keep her satisfied… and willing to keep his secrets.
Turning back toward her desk, he kept his tone level.
"Yes? How can I help, Captain Himeko?"
She studied him for a dozen seconds before a faint chuckle broke the tension. She gestured to the chair in front of her.
"Relax. Sit. I just want to ask a few questions."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I know you have your secrets. I'm not here to drag them all out—just to understand enough so I can help you."
Adam nodded. "I understand."
In truth, he suspected she was acting partly out of gratitude for saving her squad from annihilation. But gratitude or not, she wouldn't risk her people without knowing what she was dealing with.
After a moment to gather his thoughts, he began.
"My abilities… they aren't Honkai in origin. At least, that's my belief."
Her brow furrowed. "And you're certain of that?"
Instead of answering immediately, Adam stood, hooked his fingers under his pant leg, and pulled the fabric up.
Himeko's eyes widened. Violet lines crawled up his calf like veins.
"That—" she stopped herself, stepping closer. Her gaze was sharp, clinical, scanning the pattern.
Adam didn't have to explain; she knew exactly what she was seeing.
Infection.
Not the fracture-like marks of overexposure in high-resistance soldiers, but the creeping stain of someone with little to no Honkai resistance—someone who shouldn't have survived breathing the same air as a Honkai Emperor, let alone killing one.
Her voice dropped. "…You should be dead."
"Probably," Adam said evenly. "But the energy I have can suppress it. Without it, I wouldn't have even survived past the first morning four days ago."
He called it Spiritual Energy—mental strength that manifests into physical force. It strengthened his body and his strikes instead of manifesting like the psychic abilities of some people with mental type superpower.
Himeko listened in silence, her expression unreadable, but her mind was racing. If that's true, it explains everything about him. But if it's false… then he's masking something far more dangerous.
Finally, she leaned back in her chair. "Alright. I believe you for now."
Her gaze hardened just enough for him to notice. "But understand this, Adam—unknown variables are still risks. You've earned some trust today since I can't find any lies in your words, but I'll be watching. If anything changes, I need to know before it becomes a problem."
He inclined his head. "Fair enough."
The tension bled from her posture, and she scanned over his personal details after he provided his real name since his appearance had suddenly transformed. Her eyes scanned it—then stopped.
"Wait. You're thirty-four?"
She looked up, her expression caught between disbelief and accusation. Her gaze lingered on his face, tracing the flawless smoothness of his skin and the fresh, radiant glow that seemed to belong only to the unspoiled bloom of youth.
Then she looked at her own.
There was a beat of silence before she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear, "Skin that smooth at thirty-four… heavens are truly blind."
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Captain?"
"Nothing. Dismissed." She waved him off quickly, but he caught the annoyance and hint of jealousy in her tone and expression.
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(AN: Alright, Adam finally joined the Fire Moth. Next, I would focus more on his growth and interaction with a few notable characters. Mainly on his growth in power while also progressing the story with Adam as a soldier.)
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