'Beep—beep—beep!'
Suddenly, the communicator flared to life. A blue holographic display materialized in front of C.C., showing a single, familiar ID:
[Otto Apocalypse]
She tapped to accept the call.
"My dear friend, I believe you owe me an explanation regarding the whereabouts of a certain Mr. Nagami..."
The voice was lazy, laced with a flippant charm, but the man on the screen—seated in the Bishop's chair at Schicksal HQ—stared directly at the elegant green-haired girl with piercing turquoise eyes.
Despite his tone, his gaze was sharp, serious.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not accusing you of anything—yet. It's just that something... unexpected happened. And I need to confirm whether you're involved."
"Has a Honkai outbreak occurred... in Shenzhou?" C.C.'s voice, soft and melodic like a mountain stream, drifted through the communicator.
Floating thousands of meters above the ground, she didn't respond directly, eyes still narrowed in concern as she gazed northeast.
"...As I suspected."
Otto's fingers flew across his keyboard. Using his authority as Schicksal's Overseer, he began issuing high-priority commands one after another.
The colossal machine that was Schicksal began to stir under his direction.
He rose, accompanied by his ever-faithful secretary Amber, and made his way to the specially-prepared aerial vehicle.
Glancing once more at the screen where C.C. still stood, Otto raised an eyebrow knowingly.
"Yes. We've received confirmation from our Shenzhou branch: the Third—or perhaps Fourth—Honkai eruption began in the East China Sea roughly thirty minutes ago.
It's already surpassed the scale of the Third, and Honkai energy levels are still climbing."
"The East China Sea..." C.C. murmured, a sense of unease rippling through her.
Even without the memory playback functions of the group chat or her vast soul-based knowledge—she wouldn't forget this part of the Honkai story.
This was Jiuyou, the central battleground of the Xuanyuan Arc.
And wasn't the Fourth Herrscher supposed to be... Wendy?
The thought flashed across her mind and then she dismissed it. After everything she'd done, the plot was long past salvageable.
Otto hesitated.
Then, with an odd tone that mixed weariness and subtle regret, he scrolled through a short list of emergency contacts on his terminal.
"My old friend must be absolutely beside you right now…"
Now seated in the aircraft, Otto rested his chin on one hand and casually crossed his legs as he juggled the endless flood of incoming data from another terminal.
"So, Miss C.C., would you care to explain what exactly your real body has been up to?"
His tone was slightly sarcastic.
A little too calm.
C.C. looked at the man on-screen—holding a crystal glass filled with rich red wine, looking more like a bored aristocrat about to embark on holiday than the mastermind of Schicksal.
Then she smiled.
Under the sunlight, her expression bloomed like a flower.
"Honkai is, at its core, a trial from the Imaginary Tree. And trials, naturally, vary depending on the level of the student."
She tilted her head slightly, almost playfully.
"I didn't do much. Just brought over a friend from another world with the power to reverse time... about half an hour ago."
Otto froze.
His pupils shrank.
For a split second, the wine glass in his hand trembled—then he hurled both the glass and the expensive wine (worth more than a year's salary to the average worker) aside without a second thought.
His expression turned solemn and deadly serious.
Amber was stunned.
She'd never seen Otto like this.
His emerald eyes were now razor-sharp, focused with terrifying clarity.
Not even during the Second Honkai War had Otto ever radiated this level of intensity.
Amber immediately straightened up, ready for orders.
"Amber." Otto's voice was like steel on stone—low, heavy, and unyielding.
"Activate Protocol One. Full speed to Shenzhou. And notify Durandal tell her to get there immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Without even waiting for the door to close behind his departing secretary, Otto flicked his fingers, turning the swarm of incoming reports into a floating halo of holograms.
Dozens of red-flag notifications lit up the air before him.
His emerald eyes swept over them, cold and calculating beneath golden bangs.
A dangerous light glinted in his stare.
"Don't worry, my friend," he murmured to the absent Nagami. "I swear Schicksal will ensure the damage from this Honkai eruption is minimized. No matter the cost."
C.C. chuckled, the edges of her lips curling in satisfaction.
"I'll hold you to that, Overseer Otto. I won't keep you, then."
And with that, the transmission ended.
Watching Otto go all-in, fully activated and deadly serious, C.C.'s smile brightened even more.
Honestly, with Kallen's resurrection still in my hands, manipulating Otto is just too easy.
———————————————————————
[Kiana Kaslana]: Nagami, what happened?! Why did everything suddenly—
———————————————————————
In this world, there are fewer than five people capable of sensing a large-scale Honkai eruption without the aid of specialized equipment.
And the heiress Kiana Kaslana was one of them.
C.C.'s strange behavior naturally drew attention, and sure enough, Kiana messaged Nagami in the private chat.
———————————————————————
[Nagami]: My male body is back. Maybe... that's why the Honkai erupted in Shenzhou.
———————————————————————
Even in a crisis, Nagami still found time to explain the situation clearly to Kiana.
———————————————————————
[Kiana Kaslana]: What?! No wonder Mei rushed out so suddenly after getting a message... We're coming too!
———————————————————————
The ever-righteous Kiana couldn't just stand by while the Honkai wreaked havoc.
———————————————————————
[Nagami]: Of course! But things are urgent—I'll go on ahead. You all can take the Hyperion and catch up.
———————————————————————
As she descended slowly through the air, C.C. spotted someone racing toward the Saint Freya airfield at incredible speed.
It was Fu Hua—a blur moving so fast she was nearly a shadow.
C.C. hesitated, then flew in her direction.
Her face was full of anxiety.
The ancient, eternally youthful girl bit her lip, pushing her body to its limit as she sprinted toward the launch site.
Never had she imagined that the Fourth Honkai Eruption would strike Shenzhou—at the very site where Chiyou was sealed.
This was bad. Unthinkably bad.
"Fu Hua! Hop on!"
A flash of green appeared like a ghost in front of her.
"C.C.? What are you—"
Fu Hua skidded to a halt, startled, eyes widening as she took in the sight of the green-haired girl floating in midair.
Her Saint Freya uniform was replaced by a striking off-shoulder dress in black and white.
Her sleek armor ended in a blossoming hem, like a flower in full bloom.
Her long, pale legs were wrapped in sheer black stockings.
It was the unmistakable look of a Herrscher—a manifestation of power.
Fu Hua had sensed it too. A Herrscher's presence.
But... wasn't Nagami the First Herrscher?
Then... what was C.C.?
"This is actually really easy to explain," C.C. said casually. "Actually, I don't even need to explain. Just try sensing me with Fenghuang Down."
She knew Fu Hua had probed Nagami before, but C.C.'s immense mental energy had deflected it.
Since she mostly kept a low profile, Fu Hua hadn't been suspicious enough to test her.
But the situation was different now.
"And anyway, we can talk on the way."
Before Fu Hua could respond, C.C. floated down, bent slightly, and without warning scooped her up in a princess carry—one arm under her legs, the other behind her shoulders.
"My speed's a lot faster than a standard aircraft."
Crystalline wings burst into existence on C.C.'s back, glowing with brilliant blue light.
Every speed-enhancing skill she'd brought from the world of Kumoko was primed and ready to fire.
Shadow space wasn't suited for long-distance travel—but maybe it was time to teach that puffer dragon to duplicate teleportation...
"Wait, C.C., you—"
Before she could finish, C.C.'s delicate figure erupted with blinding radiance, wings blazing, slicing across the sky like a shooting star.
The fierce winds were held at bay by a blue energy shield.
Fu Hua's shock swallowed her questions as she stared at the ever-shifting scenery zipping past.
Then she looked down at the girl carrying her the flawless face, the calm, determined expression.
C.C.'s earlier words echoed in her mind.
A single red feather seemed to fall silently beside her.
In the next instant, Fu Hua's entire body stiffened, and her blue eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"Nagami?!"