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[Itsuka Kotori]: Another Honkai eruption? No wonder that guy's been so quiet in the group lately...
[Kiana Kaslana]: Yeah, and it's way worse than last time. Nagami said this one's going to be a brutal battle!
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Aboard the Hyperion, speeding at full throttle toward Shenzhou, the heiress Kiana briefly explained the situation after seeing Lumine tag Nagami multiple times with no response.
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[Lumine]: Honkai...
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A sharp glint flashed through her amber eyes.
Even her excitement about going on a "date" with Barbara vanished in an instant.
"What's wrong, Traveler?"
Paimon floated in front of the blonde girl, hands behind her back, clearly unaware that she was being a complete third wheel.
"Nothing..."
Lumine shook her head with a faint smile and turned to walk toward her good friend Liben.
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[Akemi Homura]: Do you need my help? I already can bought the ticket.
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!!!
C.C. shuddered instinctively, her entire body tense as she continued charging her railgun.
Her full concentration had been on controlling the electromagnetic currents, so she hadn't been keeping up with the group chat.
But now, staying silent would only make it worse!
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[Nagami]: No! Homura, absolutely don't come here!
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If another time-manipulating powerhouse showed up, the Honkai Will might escalate even further.
They'd all go insane!
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[Shiraori]: Huh...? Why not?
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Her pure white hair shimmered like mercury as it trailed down her back. Crimson eyes sparkled like the world's most flawless rubies.
The dreamy-looking girl tilted her head in confusion.
Miss Shiraori had evolved into her Arachne form and was excited to finally be of help to her dear friends—only to be met with Nagami's flat-out rejection.
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[Blank(Sora)]: Probably because people from other worlds are counted as part of the trial too.
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As expected of the group's resident genius, Sora immediately pinpointed the reason behind Nagami's refusal and cleared up everyone's confusion.
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[Kiana Kaslana]: @Nagami, we're almost at Shenzhou.
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...
"I... I can't do anything…"
Fu Hua's blue eyes shimmered with a mix of uncertainty and sorrow as she stared at the colossal beast—Chiyou—that nearly blotted out the sky.
Torrents of violent energy surged around the creature, dancing along its body like raging solar flares.
It was like standing beneath a living sun.
Silently, Fu Hua clenched her fists, hiding her expression in the shadows.
Over the course of thousands of years, she had endured betrayal after betrayal.
Those who trusted her, who stayed by her side, all eventually got hurt because of her.
No matter how hard she tried, time spared no one.
And now… she didn't even have the strength to protect Shenzhou anymore.
"That's not the face a true Immortal of Chiyuan should be making."
After a moment of silence, Nagami instructed Durandal to move out first, then turned to face Fu Hua, who was lightly biting her lip, frustration and unwillingness written all over her face.
He let out a soft sigh.
Then, locking eyes with her, Nagami's voice grew solemn, his expression intense.
"Fu Hua... do you want to rewrite fate itself?"
"…What?"
Nagami's words, dramatic and a little chuunibyou, snapped Fu Hua out of her spiral.
She blinked in confusion, clearly baffled.
"In simple terms... I mean transforming into the ultimate badass who can beat up the strongest Valkyrie, Durandal.
Lay the smackdown on the top fusion warrior, Kevin, and even stop underage girls from recklessly street-racing motorcycles."
A strange smile curled Nagami's lips, as if amused by his own joke.
The truth was, Otto could have healed Fu Hua's body to its peak—her full power from 500 years ago—at any time.
But Otto wasn't an idiot.
Why restore a potential threat when he could use her as a pawn under the guise of cooperation?
However, now that Nagami had struck a deal with Otto, if he were the one to request her restoration, Otto would likely agree.
But they didn't have that kind of time anymore.
The ultra-evolved Chiyou and the imminent birth of a Herrscher loomed right before them.
There was no time to return Fu Hua to her prime the normal way.
In that case, there was only one option left—
Let her become... Black Tiger Fu!
No transformation device?
No problem!
Just ask the best toy salesman from the Land of Light—Ultramani!
...Just kidding.
In reality, the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience was tied to consciousness itself—closely linked to the soul, mind, and spirit.
And Nagami? He was the King of the Apocalypse Virus.
This virus could infect the soul, even materialize parts of it into powerful Void Arms.
The procedure ahead was risky, but after discussing it with Otto, they agreed:
If there was more than a 50% chance... it was worth trying!
"What are you even talking about?"
Fu Hua recognized every word Nagami said, but strung together, it made zero sense. Still, she could sense the meaning behind his words.
"You... can help me regain my strength?"
She grabbed Nagami's shoulder with both hands, staring directly into his eyes—now glowing with violet six-pointed stars.
"I'm not talking about restoring your powers as the Immortal Chiyuan."
Nagami shook his head slowly, his smile never fading despite Fu Hua's disappointment.
"But... I can give you a new power. One strong enough to protect Shenzhou."
He extended his hand.
"So—wanna give it a try?"
To be honest, Nagami wasn't entirely sure this would work—but after seeing the expression on Fu Hua's face just now, he decided it was worth a shot.
"What kind of power? And what's the price?"
Fu Hua fell silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to meet Nagami's.
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Every blessing from fate comes with a hidden price tag.
Having lived for centuries, Fu Hua knew this all too well.
"A Herrscher."
Nagami gazed into her clear blue eyes.
"Absolutely not! I will never, under any circumstances, become a Herrscher!"
Fu Hua instantly rejected the idea, her brows furrowed tightly.
Was this a joke?
This was his big idea for granting her power?
Nagami noticed the disbelief and skepticism in her gaze and smiled faintly as he continued.
"Of course, Fu Hua can't become a Herrscher..."
He paused for a beat, a cryptic smirk spreading across his face.
"But a Herrscher can become Fu Hua~"
…?
Fu Hua blinked blankly, a giant question mark practically popping above her head.
He was definitely speaking Shenzhou dialect, so why did it feel like she didn't understand a single word?
"You're confused, huh? Honestly, when I first heard this line, I was just as lost."
Nagami shrugged, his expression a little complicated as he looked at Fu Hua's thoroughly baffled face.
But he didn't explain any further.
Instead, he extended his hand toward her.
"Give me Fenghuang Down."
"What do you need Fenghuang Down for?"
She hadn't expected Nagami to bring that up.
Fu Hua frowned slightly, her mind instinctively going into analysis mode.
Fenghuang Down—the Divine Key forged from the core of the 8th Herrscher.
It manipulates brain signals and governs consciousness.
When combined with the Jizo Mitama, it gave its user the textbook "eroge protagonist" skillset.
...Of course, with Fu Hua's personality, that angle would never occur to her.
"This process is a bit complicated, and now's not the time for a full explanation."
Nagami gestured casually, and the rotating six-pointed stars around his eyes shifted toward the crimson feather pin nestled in Fu Hua's silver-gray hair.
Fu Hua looked down, still a bit hesitant, her amber eyes flickering with uncertainty.
But after a brief pause, she finally reached up, removed the ornament, and handed it to Nagami.
As he took the feather-shaped Divine Key, Honkai energy surged from within him.
The artifact bloomed open like a lotus, its intricate structure spreading out like a peacock displaying its feathers.
Several glowing purple six-pointed magic circles slowly formed around Fenghuang Down.
While his Alpha Stigma eyes scanned and recorded the Divine Key's structure, Nagami focused all his attention on the Herrscher core embedded within it.
"Just as I thought—it's already there.."
He whispered as if to himself, gazing into his altered vision at a special soul signature just beginning to take form.
Back in the original, in the past Red Kite Immortal Fu Hua had once said something odd:
"The power of this feather... The 8th Divine Key, Fenghuang Down, seems to hold secrets even I don't understand."
In truth, even then, the soul of the Herrscher of Sentience had already begun to form—an inevitable byproduct of the core's nature.
In the world of Honkai, almost nothing can directly observe the soul.
Even Fenghuang Down, which manipulates consciousness (a major component of the soul), couldn't do it.
At her peak, Red Kite Immortal Fu Hua had sensed this soul's presence—but never fully grasped its nature.
But under the Alpha Stigma eyes, Nagami could see everything.
"See what?"
"Your daughter. She's already forming. Normally, all that's left would be the exhausting 'ten-month pregnancy' part—and then you'd be holding your little bundle of joy~"
"Nagami!"
Even at a time like this, he was still making jokes!?
Veins throbbed on Fu Hua's temple.
She was this close to punching him in the face.
If it weren't for the urgency of the situation, she might have opened the skies with a strike just to shut him up—even if she couldn't beat him.
But Nagami wasn't just talking nonsense.
As Fu Hua used Fenghuang Down more and more—especially if it absorbed large amounts of Honkai energy during use.
—The Herrscher of Sentience would gradually develop within her, using her body and consciousness as an incubator.
Given the nature of this birth, and the deep bond between the young Senti and Fu Hua…
…calling it her daughter wasn't exactly wrong, was it?