"So this is another world?" Kurumi looked around with interest at the cozy surroundings, curiosity in her voice. "Doesn't look that different."
She examined her hands thoughtfully. "My spirit energy feels completely normal… All my powers are intact. So this is what it means to be a 'Fated One,' huh?"
A flickering, inky shadow spread at her feet, rippling like liquid darkness.
"In fact, it feels like using my abilities is even easier now."
The perks of being a Fated One weren't limited to just cross-world compatibility.
There were countless hidden benefits bundled in—truly the most generous item the chat group offered. No contest.
"Nagami, did something happen?"
Inori Yuzuriha's soft, petal-like hair fluttered gently as she tightened her grip on Nagami's hand.
"If my senses are right," Nagami said with a sigh, rubbing his temple, "this world just threw you a massive welcome party. Well... maybe partially because of me."
He looked genuinely annoyed. "I just got home, and I haven't even had a proper 'welcome party' yet…"
"A… welcome party?" Kurumi asked, tilting her head in confusion, one white finger resting against her lips.
"We'll talk on the move. Time's short."
In an instant, shadows spread out beneath them like waves.
They swallowed Kurumi and Inori whole.
At the same time, Nagami activated his Herrscher armament and took off northeast in a flash of light.
"Nagami?!"
The name burst from Fu Hua's lips in a confused gasp.
She squirmed awkwardly in C.C.'s arms—this was the first time in her life she'd ever been princess-carried.
It wasn't like she hadn't had offers.
As the famously stoic "prince" of St. Freya Valkyrie Academy, Fu Hua had more than a few admirers.
Some girls even staged "accidents" just for a chance to get scooped up by her.
But this was not the time for that.
Because the moment she used Fenghuang Down—her spiritual perception artifact—on C.C., she discovered something utterly shocking:
C.C. and Nagami shared the same consciousness.
Not just similar. Identical.
"Exactly," C.C. said calmly, blazing forward faster than sound, the sonic boom trailing behind her. "Otto had a whole warehouse of spare soulium bodies, right? Never thought to run two at once?"
She gave Fu Hua a sidelong glance. "It's called dual-body synchronization. One soul, two bodies. Not that complicated."
It wasn't as if she hadn't wanted to keep the secret, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Fu Hua found out.
With Fenghuang Down, it was inevitable.
Better to be honest and build trust.
Fu Hua was used to keeping secrets, after all.
"I see…" she murmured.
That nagging feeling she'd had for a while about Nagami and C.C.'s perfect coordination suddenly made sense.
She had thought it was some kind of psychic link. She hadn't expected this.
"You're right though… Otto never pulled this off. It's not something you can do with just multitasking."
"We can talk about me later, Fu Hua," Nagami replied in his usual relaxed tone, teasing slightly. "Right now we have bigger problems. Do you still have any memories of Chiyou?"
Ah—Project Fire Seed.
Mei's ultimate contingency plan to pass down the knowledge and technology of one civilization to the next.
It had been carried out by the twin girls, Fuxi and Nuwa—with Hua as their protector.
Back in the Shennong and Xuanyuan era, those three guided humanity's progress.
But when the Judgment-level Honkai beast Chiyou appeared, Hua hadn't been present at the frontline—she was busy elsewhere, fending off other threats.
Still, if any memories of that period remained, there was a chance she'd know something useful.
"Chiyou…" Fu Hua muttered.
She did recall reading about it—records left behind by old friends.
More detailed than legends, but not nearly enough to help in battle.
"I'm sorry," she said, frustration and guilt in her voice. "I don't have anything concrete… If only Fuxi were still here…"
The sorrow in her eyes deepened.
Otto's message had been crystal clear: the Honkai outbreak originated in Jiuyou, in the East China Sea—the very place where Chiyou had been sealed.
A strange tension pulled at her heart.
Something about all this felt familiar.
If she had been there thousands of years ago… If she had stood beside them in that final battle…
Maybe her old friends wouldn't have had to die.
"Fuxi's Codex, right?"
C.C. smiled wistfully.
Of course she remembered the little redhead.
A fire-type support unit, if she recalled correctly.
Equipment Living Form a self-operating combat machine built from soulium, combining weapon systems and synthetic consciousness.
They were known as Armed Puppets.
Normally, battle data would be input into these robots, turning them into seasoned warriors.
Take the Kevin doll, for example—it could fight on equal footing with the so-called "dumb goose" herself.
C.C. was especially impressed, because this doll was supposedly operating at only 1% of Kevin's original power!
Judging from the battle CG, there were only two possible conclusions:
Either Durandal was seriously holding back, or the writers had completely lost it.
Sure, this era's humans were way weaker than those of the previous era, but a 100-fold gap between the strongest warriors? That was just absurd.
In contrast, the Book of Fuxi was classified as a non-combat type mechanical doll.
Fuxi and Nuwa had created it not for battle, but to care for and accompany Fu Hua after their deaths.
Most importantly, they had spent thousands of years with her—keeping her emotionally grounded, helping her retain her humanity.
And preventing her from becoming nothing more than a living weapon designed solely to fight the Honkai.
But eventually, the Fuxi doll ran out of energy and fell into a deep sleep.
"You even know that?" Fu Hua raised her eyebrows, her expression somewhat conflicted.
C.C.—no, Nagami—had information that was just too complete. Fu Hua couldn't help but feel like she had no secrets at all in front of him.
If Nagami were a fusion warrior from the Previous Era like her, he would've had to have been active for thousands of years to possess such knowledge.
And yet… she had never even heard of him before.
The thought made Fu Hua silently shake her head. No—at this point, the odds of Nagami being a fusion warrior like her were basically zero.
"If you trust me, I could help recharge the Book of Fuxi," Nagami offered casually.
With his Rewriting Eye and the power to replicate the Herrscher of Thunder's authority, Nagami was practically the ultimate power bank of the Honkai world.
There was nothing he couldn't charge.
"...You can do that too?" Fu Hua fell silent for a moment, staring at the elegant green-haired girl in front of her with clear surprise.
She had considered trying to power up Fuxi again.
But it wasn't as simple as dumping some Honkai energy into it—
And damage to the doll couldn't be fixed by, say, dropping it a few times and hoping for the best.
The technology behind Armed Dolls was far beyond what Schicksal currently possessed.
Still, if she handed Fuxi over to Schicksal, there was a chance of reviving the little companion.
After all, with Otto's capabilities—and the pre-era knowledge stored in the Imaginary Archive—reconstructing Armed Doll technology shouldn't be impossible.
But even though Fu Hua and Otto had a working relationship, she knew him too well to ever feel safe handing over the Book of Fuxi.
The bond between her and Fuxi wasn't just sentimental—after thousands of years together, they were family.
Fu Hua would rather let the doll slumber forever than let Otto anywhere near it.
But C.C.… might be a different case.
If she truly had the ability—then maybe, just maybe, it was worth a try.
"Fu Hua," C.C. said with a hint of irritation. "You'd better not lump me in with those other Herrschers."
She genuinely felt insulted.
Sure, the average Herrscher might be a few IQ points short of a conversation partner, but she was a cultured intellectual!
Being treated like an illiterate brute? Absolutely unacceptable.
"So? You gonna let me give it a try?"
Fu Hua met her gaze, staring deep into those noble golden eyes.
After a long moment of hesitation, she slowly shook her head.
"Let's talk about that after we deal with the Honkai threat."
With the conversation shifting toward the current crisis, C.C. recomposed herself, slipping back into a serious demeanor.
Chiyou, the Judgment-class Honkai Beast.
While technically ranked below the Herrschers in identity, its power easily surpassed most of them.
Even someone like the Red Kite from the old days—facing Chiyou on the frontlines—wouldn't have been able to win without paying a price.
Because Chiyou wasn't just another challenge.
It was a warning from the Honkai itself—a punishment for humanity's cheating attempts.
And now, thanks to the ripple effects caused by C.C.'s very presence, the beast had broken its seal.
If its power had only received a minor boost, they'd already be counting their blessings.
What C.C. feared most... was that the Honkai Will might decide to roll out a major update—a whole new version of divine punishment.
"Wait… is that Nagami?"
A dazzling blue streak shot across the sky— And before Fu Hua could even finish her question, Nagami had already arrived.
"We need to pick up the pace."
With their synchronized Honkai energy resonating in harmony, Nagami and C.C. accelerated even faster.
Two glowing blue comets, merging into one, disappeared in a flash of icy light across the heavens.
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