The Xianzhou Luofu—
General Jing Yuan stared glumly at the report in his hands.
The past few days had been the most trying of his long life. First, his old friend Blade, who had been gone for years, suddenly returned to the Luofu. Then, the remnants of the Abundance started causing trouble.
To top it all off, a Stellaron had appeared out of nowhere, turning a large number of his soldiers into Mara-struck.
The endless stream of problems was giving him a stomach ulcer. He was seriously tempted to just retire and foist the title of General onto someone else. The position had become an unbearable burden.
Despite his youthful appearance—he looked to be in his twenties, a handsome boy-next-door type—Jing Yuan was, in reality, old enough that succumbing to the Mara would not be a surprise.
Most of his contemporaries had long since fallen to the affliction, transforming into monsters. The immense pressure of recent years was taking its toll, leaving him feeling increasingly weary.
That was why he was in such a hurry to train a successor.
Jing Yuan had thought he could hold on for a few more years, but he never expected so many troubles to pile up at once.
"Sigh... the Abundance remnants and the Mara are both urgent matters, but the Stellaron must also be dealt with. As for Blade... I'll have to put that on hold for now. And the inquiries from the other Xianzhou ships are becoming difficult to handle. I just hope nothing worse happens."
Jing Yuan picked up his teacup, his head throbbing. He was just about to take a sip when his disciple, Yanqing, burst into the room, looking frantic.
"General! We have a huge problem!"
Yanqing was gasping for breath, having clearly sprinted all the way here.
"Calm yourself, Yanqing. Remember what I've told you. No matter the situation, you must remain composed."
Seeing his disciple in such a panic, Jing Yuan couldn't help but frown.
"Has the Mara spread further, or have the Abundance remnants launched an attack? It can't be that the Stellaron has erupted again, can it?"
Jing Yuan listed out all the worst-case scenarios he could think of. Though each one was dire, his expression remained calm and steady. He knew that as a commander, the last thing he could afford to do was panic. Besides, he had anticipated these possibilities; they weren't enough to break his composure.
But Jing Yuan never could have imagined that the news Yanqing brought had nothing to do with any of those things.
"N-none of them!"
"None of them? Then what is it?"
Jing Yuan's heart skipped a beat. If it wasn't any of those things, what could possibly be worse? Don't tell me the Aeon of Abundance is attacking in person?
"It's... it's the Lord Ravager from the Destruction, and that... that Emanator of Elation and Preservation who's blacklisted throughout the universe! They're fighting at the star-sail skiff port right now!"
"Pfft!"
The news hit Jing Yuan so hard that he choked on his tea, breaking into a violent coughing fit.
"General, are you alright?" Yanqing asked, concerned, as he watched his master double over.
"I'm... I'm fine. Just a little stomach pain," Jing Yuan managed to say, though in truth, he'd nearly coughed up a lungful of blood.
"Yanqing," he said, straightening up, "who did you say was fighting?"
"It's... the Lord Ravager Phantylia, and the Emanator of Elation, Mo Wang," Yanqing repeated.
This time, Jing Yuan really couldn't hold it together anymore.
Damn it all! The Luofu is chaotic enough as it is! Why are those two here?! Are they both insane? Fighting at our port? Do they really have no regard for me at all?!
Jing Yuan had half a mind to summon the Lightning-Wielding Thunder-Clapping Spirit-Squashing Lord and smite the both of them. But he knew it was impossible. As fellow Emanators, neither of them would be easy to deal with.
"Regardless, we must go and see what's happening. How did those two even get onto the Luofu?" Jing Yuan stood up hastily.
As for why Mo Wang and Phantylia were fighting, we have to rewind the clock by ten minutes.
...
"I'm telling you, Miss Tingyun, with your business acumen, you should really consider a position at the Interastral Peace Corporation. To be honest, I'm practically a high-ranking executive there myself. Just drop my name, and you'll be made a manager on the spot."
"N-no, thank you. I think the Luofu is quite nice," Tingyun said, sweat beading on her forehead. "B-by the way, Lord Mo Wang, what brings you to the Luofu? Is it for some important business?"
"Oh, nothing major," Mo Wang said casually. "I just heard that the Lord Ravager Phantylia and the Abundance have teamed up to destroy the Luofu. You know me, as a follower of both the Hunt and the Preservation, I just can't stand by and watch that happen. The Astral Express happened to be in the area, so I thought I'd come and take a look."
The moment Tingyun heard Mo Wang was there for her, a cold sweat drenched her back. How did anyone find out I'm disguised as Tingyun? Who leaked this information? A traitor in the Antimatter Legion? No, that can't be right. Even a traitor wouldn't know what I'm doing.
Tingyun was at a complete loss, unable to figure out how her cover had been blown.
Mo Wang's internal response was simple: That's what happens when you run into a seer who's using cheats.
To be honest, Mo Wang was extremely curious about the identity of that person named Elio. There was something about his mysterious nature and his methods that felt strangely familiar. And the Aeon of "Finality"... why did that sound so much like the Herrscher of the End?
The story practically wrote itself: decades after the end of Honkai, the Herrscher of the Finality gains complete control over the Honkai, becomes a full-fledged Aeon, and decides to pop over to the Star Rail universe for some fun.
Don't be surprised if, after Elio is unmasked, he turns out to be the Ferryman or the Captain. That would make for an awkward reunion in the chat group.
"I-is that so? A figure like the Lord Ravager... appearing on the Luofu? You must be mistaken," Tingyun said, forcing an awkward smile.
"Yeah, I didn't believe it either," Mo Wang replied. "I mean, that old lunatic Phantylia, why would she come to the Luofu? But hey, the one who told me was... well, you could call her my surrogate mother. So I had to come and check it out."
"O-old... lunatic?" Tingyun's face was rigid.
Mo Wang, seemingly oblivious to the change in "Tingyun's" expression, continued, "Yeah, isn't Phantylia just an old lunatic? Always spouting nonsense about 'destruction is the truth of the universe,' trying to blow this or that up. You think she's got a screw loose? And she's ancient, but she's still running around cosplaying. Tsk tsk, she's a lost cause."
"Tingyun's" face grew darker and darker. Her fingers tightened on the hem of her sleeve, her knuckles turning white. Her lips twitched as if she were desperately trying to suppress something.
"And her personality is the worst! She's got a temper like a powder keg. Do you think she hit menopause early? Oh, wait, at her age, she's probably long past that, hahaha!"
Mo Wang was getting more and more into it, completely missing the fact that "Tingyun's" eyes had turned ice-cold.
Finally, "Tingyun" couldn't take it anymore. She slammed her hand on a nearby crate, her voice as cold as ice. "Have you said enough?"
Mo Wang blinked, looking at her with an innocent expression. "Oh, Miss Tingyun, what's wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have? Don't be mad. I just have a big mouth and say whatever comes to mind. Don't take it to heart."
"Tingyun" sneered, the fire in her eyes about to erupt. "Mo Wang, do you think I'm a pushover?"
Mo Wang scratched his head, looking confused. "Huh? Miss Tingyun, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
"Tingyun" took a deep breath. With a sharp flick of her wrist, her disguise vanished, revealing her true form: the Lord Ravager, Phantylia. Her eyes were cold and sharp, her voice filled with suppressed rage. "Mo Wang, since you dare to be so insolent in my presence, don't blame me for what happens next!"
Mo Wang's eyes widened in feigned surprise. "Well, I'll be! If it isn't the great Lord Ravager Phantylia! What are you doing here? And disguised as Miss Tingyun, no less! You've really caught me by surprise!"
Phantylia sneered. "Cut the act! You knew it was me all along, didn't you? You said all that just to provoke me, right?"
Mo Wang threw his hands up innocently. "Whoa now, Lord Ravager, you've got it all wrong. How could I have known it was you? I was just making casual conversation. I had no idea you'd have such a strong reaction. But I have to say, your performance just now was quite entertaining, hahaha!"
Phantylia's face turned completely dark. Energy began to gather in her hands, and the air around them grew heavy. "Mo Wang, you're courting death!"
"Hey, hey, hey, let's not get violent!" Mo Wang said, waving his hands. "We can talk this out. No need for weapons, right? Besides, this is the Luofu. If you make a big scene, General Jing Yuan isn't just going to stand by and watch."
"Jing Yuan?" Phantylia snorted. "He's nothing! Even if an Aeon were here today, I would still make you pay for your words!"
"Oh? You sound pretty confident." Mo Wang shrugged, completely unfazed.
The Cloud Knights, March 7th, and Welt, who had been watching from the sidelines, were completely dumbfounded. How did a beautiful fox-like woman suddenly turn into a Lord Ravager?
"You knew it was her all along, didn't you?" March 7th asked, rushing to Mo Wang's side.
"Er, probably," Mo Wang replied. "You know I have a little connection to the Destruction. The scent of Destruction on her was a bit strong."
In reality, he'd just read the script. He just hadn't expected Phantylia to be so thin-skinned that she'd expose herself so easily. But then again, it was understandable.
With a dual Emanator like Mo Wang standing in front of her, relentlessly badmouthing her true form, anyone would assume their cover was blown.
"Miss Tingyun... is a Lord Ravager?" The Cloud Knights were in a state of shock. Their goddess had suddenly transformed into an Emanator of Destruction. Anyone would feel like their world was collapsing.
"Die!" Phantylia shrieked, launching an attack at Mo Wang.
Even though Mo Wang was a dual Emanator of Preservation and Elation, Phantylia wasn't scared. As a veteran Emanator, she was confident in her own strength.
She might not be one of those brawlers in the Legion who loved physical combat, like Kalpas, but her power was undeniable. In her eyes, Mo Wang was a novice who probably didn't even know how to use his own power. She was sure she could win.
"Welt, March, protect the Cloud Knights! Don't let them get killed just by watching," Mo Wang called out.
To everyone's surprise, he remained completely calm in the face of Phantylia's attack. He did nothing, simply charging straight into her assault.
"What?!" Phantylia was stunned. Mo Wang was completely ignoring her attack and charging right at her.
The next thing she knew, her attack hit him, and he was completely unharmed. He was right in front of her, and his fist connected with her face.
BOOM!
Phantylia was sent crashing into the ground like a meteor, her eyes spinning.
"Why... why are you completely unharmed?" she stammered, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Her attack was easily on the level of an Emanator. Why was Mo Wang completely fine, and how had he managed to punch her?
"Er, I guess my shield is just pretty thick?" Mo Wang said after a moment's thought.
Phantylia: ???
What could he say? That was just how the Path of Preservation worked. His shield was currently bigger than his health bar. People couldn't even damage him. It was the classic Amber Lord playstyle.
Shield-tanking was just that disgusting. You could spend forever chipping away at an enemy's shield, only to have them put up another one that was even tougher than their health bar. It was enough to make you cough up blood. Right, Swarm Disaster?
Phantylia's attack had been strong, yes. It had almost broken his shield. It had almost touched his health bar. But in the end, Mo Wang's shield was just a little bit better. Without the power of the Ambrosial Arbor, Phantylia didn't stand a chance.
But this was just the beginning. Mo Wang still had his Elation and Hunt powers, among other fun things, that he hadn't even used yet. It wasn't every day he got to fight another Emanator.
He was going to give her a truly spectacular performance!