The warrior, whose body was harder than a steel plate, showed only a flicker of confusion in her eyes before her resolve returned.
A Herrscher should not be here.
But before she could make a move, a brilliant golden light filled the sky.
From within the light, a holy and slender figure emerged.
With her appearance, the entire square seemed to become sacred and grand, as if accompanied by the faint sound of a choir.
"Hua, [Please] stop."
The voice was benevolent and gentle.
"...Aponia?"
Hua lifted her head, her eyes filled with disbelief.
When was the last time she had seen Aponia?
She could no longer remember.
The one bound by[Discipline]in the Deepest Place almost never stepped outside her "cage."
"Hua, [Please] leave. I will handle things here."
"..."
Hua looked at Aponia in silence, then nodded.
She was always like this.
After her hometown was destroyed, the young Hua was like a walking corpse... well, perhaps not to that extent. But things like "goals," "plans," and "expectations" were nowhere to be found in her.
The young woman's path was shrouded in uncertainty, and she became someone who could only act according to the will of others.
When the Captain was still alive, she followed the Captain's instructions.
After the Captain died, she acted on Dr. MEI's orders.
And now, Dr. MEI was gone too...
Although Hua had always kept a respectful distance from Aponia, she did not deny the nun's desire to "save" others.
And while she didn't quite understand why Aponia was asking her to leave, Hua didn't intend to question it.
...After all, Hua knew that Aponia harbored a deep sense of guilt regarding Ling.
And though Ling had now become a Herrscher, her threat level was...
Hua shook her head.
This was the most pathetic Herrscher she had ever seen.
The question currently on Hua's mind was: now that Ling has appeared here, should I tell Sakura?
Also, why was her belly so big?
Hua departed, filled with confusion.
Aponia's gaze fell upon Higokumaru's pregnant belly.
"Are you alright?"
Higokumaru snapped angrily, "What are you staring at Wu's belly for? If you're that envious, have that demon knock you up too."
"Mmm~ To nurture a new life?"
Aponia placed the back of her hand against her cheek, a shy and expectant look on her face. Her pale cheeks flushed slightly.
Her original holy aura transformed into a maternal gentleness.
The sight infuriated Higokumaru.
Hey, what are you blushing for?
Ah, right. This was a lewd nun.
Higokumaru still remembered her time as the principal of the Convent of the Holy Maiden, when that dog Ye Feng had fed her milk every day.
Hm?
Milk?
A flicker of confusion appeared in Higokumaru's eyes.
Is there something wrong with drinking milk?
Before Higokumaru could ponder it further, Aponia spoke. "My apologies, that was rude of me. I have asked you here this time in the hopes that you would help deliver a message."
"Ha? Deliver a message? Who do you think Wu is? Your messenger pigeon? Wu gets punched the moment Wu arrives, and now you want Wu to deliver a message? Wu would rather die, jump into the Sea of Quanta, than..."
"It is a request from Little Feng."
A stream of information was then injected into Higokumaru's mind.
It was the conversation between Ye Feng and Aponia regarding "Chiyou."
"—Urk!"
The rest of Higokumaru's defiant words got stuck in her throat.
Dog thief Ye Feng?
Wait a minute. That's not right. How does that dog thief know Wu is here?
Crap, I've been exposed!
That dog thief is making a show of force!
A pain shot through Higokumaru's belly.
But this time, it wasn't a contraction; it was a phantom pain.
She could already imagine the twisted punishments Ye Feng had in store for her.
But!
Higokumaru had her own pride and backbone.
It was just pregnancy. Even if she were carrying decuplets, did they think she would be afraid?
"Hah!"
Higokumaru let out a cold laugh. She floated up, her body sinking into the air as if submerging into the sea, slowly detaching from this dimension.
"Go back and tell that dog thief—"
Higokumaru's arrogant voice echoed through the air:
"The Hyperion's mere communication system is nothing but an earthen chicken and a pottery dog in Wu's eyes. Wu can erode it in an instant."
Of course she was scared.
---o---
The message was delivered.
Kiana naturally trusted Ye Feng; he had never lied to the Tuna before.
Even the blockhead Theresa and Fu Hua, after some discussion, agreed that they could not act rashly for the time being.
But Himeko's team, which had already gone deep into the Ruins of Jiuyou, had activated the Immortal Red Kite statue next to the Xuan Yuan Sword, which in turn had activated the colossal beast Chiyou at the bottom of the sea.
Although Chiyou was still sealed, its body had begun to move, instinctively devouring everything around it.
"Calculating based on its current speed and heading, Chiyou will make landfall in another ten hours. We've already notified the relevant authorities to evacuate the populace along the coastline, but Chiyou can devour things limitlessly. We can't just let it be."
"So what do we do now? How can we stop this behemoth?"
"That bastard Ye Feng, really. He only said we couldn't touch those two crystals, but he didn't say a single word about how to deal with Chiyou."
The Tuna slapped her hands together. She understood! He was definitely waiting for her to go find him!
"Mei, knock me out," Kiana said, turning her head.
"Huh?"
Mei was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood. "Kiana, you're going to find 'Ye Feng'?"
"Right. He definitely has a way."
Mei looked at Kiana, her eyelids drooping slightly.
That time, in that world, she had wanted to touch Kiana, but she had dodged...
While Mei's mind was wandering, she suddenly heard a thud. Kiana went limp and collapsed.
Bronya retracted her mechanical arm, holding Kiana as she stated in a monotone voice, "If Sister Mei cannot bring herself to do it, it is best to leave such matters to the Bronya. The Bronya is well-versed in all parts of the human body and can control the force, ensuring fainting without brain damage."
"Ah, y-yes, of course..."
Himeko and Theresa also approved of this plan. They had all come to understand the miraculous nature of "Ye Feng."
The only problem was when Kiana would wake up.
"Let's give her an hour," Theresa said. "Wake Kiana up in one hour."
An hour was more than enough time for Kiana to get the information.
The moment her eyes closed in one world, Kiana's eyes snapped open in another.
"Tuna? What are you doing here?"
The first thing she saw was Ye Feng.
And what's more, this was the infirmary. Her body felt cool and refreshed, as if something had been applied to it.
The Tuna had a million things she wanted to complain about, but—
"There's no time! Ye Feng, tell me, how do we deal with Chiyou?"
"Oh, so that's why you're here. Easy, easy."
Ye Feng sat on the hospital bed, pulled the privacy curtain shut, and then pointed down.
Kiana snapped, "Are you serious right now!? You have such a sick sense of humor."
"Don't worry. I've already adjusted the time flow. One day here is equivalent to only one minute in the outside world. That's more than enough time for us to communicate and find the best solution."
"You bastard, is that the only thing on your mind?"
The Tuna shot Ye Feng a disgusted look, but she still walked over to him and knelt down with practiced ease.
...
"My knees are sore from kneeling... Ah-wuwuwu~~ hooh, hooh, ogh~~ You bastard, don't pat my head... So, what should we do?"
"Don't talk. Keep eating."