204. Taixu Sword Qi Modified Version
Exusiai's cheeks were as red as apples. Undeterred, she lunged at her sister, who was leaning against the headboard, again:
"Sis! You swear you're not lying to me?"
"Really, really it was just," Exusiai's voice was low, tinged with a hint of embarrassed annoyance, "...it was just you and your brother-in-law...doing that kind of thing? And then using empathy to make me like that? I don't believe it!"
She recalled the overwhelming, bizarre sensations she experienced before fainting, as if a subtle aftertaste still lingered deep within her body.
"My parents tried it before when I was a kid! At most... at most it would give you some pleasure, nothing like that that would send you flying into the sky!"
The thought of herself collapsing like a powerless doll made Exusiai furious, and she flipped over and pounced on Lemuen on the soft bed.
"Tell me the truth!" she demanded aggressively, straddling Lemuen.
Lemuen, though pinned down, showed no sign of panic. Instead, with a touch of indulgent helplessness, she reached out and ruffled her sister's fluffy red hair:
"It's true, silly sister. What good would it do me to lie to you?"
"That's true…" Exusiai pouted, like an angry pufferfish, "but I've never heard of such a thing before! Is Sankta's empathy really this… this terrifying?"
Lemuen blinked, revealing an innocent yet slightly teasing expression.
"I didn't expect your reaction to be so intense."
"Aaaaah! Sis, you're so unethical!" Exusiai cried out indignantly.
"How can you treat your sister like this! I'm going to tell Mom! I'll tell her you're bullying me in this weird way!"
Lemuen's expression remained unchanged as she calmly retorted, "Oh? Who do you think Mom will believe? Will she believe her well-behaved daughter Lemuen, who has always been sensible and never caused her parents any worry, or will she believe her mischievous little devil Exusiai, who is always laughing and occasionally conducts explosive experiments?"
Exusiai's aura deflated instantly, like a punctured balloon:
"Um...it seems...that makes sense."
Knowing that her mother would definitely side with her perfect older sister, and that she herself would be nagged not to disturb her sister's love life, Exusiai suddenly felt that her life was bleak. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she let go of her sister and lay flat next to Lemuen like a salted fish that had lost its dreams.
The room fell silent, save for their breathing. After a long while, Exusiai cautiously turned to the side, her voice barely audible:
"...Speaking of which, sis, you two...aren't you married yet? Isn't this...a bit inappropriate?"
Lemuen chuckled softly, and amidst Exusiai's gasp, she nimbly flipped over, instantly reversing the offensive and defensive positions, pinning her sister beneath her. Lemuen's fingers, warm and tinged with a hint of threat, gently traced Exusiai's ribs and waist, causing her sister to giggle and wriggle.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Lemuen's voice was low.
"I believe in him. And…"
She paused, her face slightly flushed.
"To be honest, it's kind of addictive. The most important thing is..."
"If we don't hurry, he might… really not be your brother-in-law anymore."
Lemuen's last words were like a pebble thrown into Exusiai's heart lake, instantly stirring up ripples of the indescribable, ultimate experience that had arisen from the shared feelings of that night.
Exusiai's face flushed red again, and she quickly changed the subject:
"W-what do you mean, sis? What do you mean he's not my brother-in-law anymore?"
"It means exactly what it says," Lemuen turned over and lay back down next to her.
"I am not the only one who likes your brother-in-law."
"Yeah...yes." Exusiai thought of Xiling's face and the occasional aura he exuded, and inexplicably felt that this made a lot of sense.
She suddenly remembered something more important and sat up abruptly.
"That's right, sis! What exactly is the Silver Church? You promised to tell me today! Don't go back on your word!"
"The Silver Church…" Remian's expression softened as she mentioned it.
"It was… founded by a few friends and me."
Her gaze fell on the ceiling: "As for the purpose of its founding..." She turned her head and gave her sister a pure and firm smile: "To change the tragedy before us and to redeem lives in suffering. This is our original ideal and the meaning of the Silver Church's existence."
"Huh?!" Exusiai's eyes widened in surprise.
"So, sis, your church... only has eight people in total?!" She looked enlightened.
"No wonder I've never heard of it before!"
Lemuen simply smiled and did not refute.
In this world, the members of the Silver Church are indeed few and far between, and there may only be her and Xiling for the time being.
But... in other worlds, this number would be unimaginably large.
But those are lights from another world.
Ultimately, the problems of Terra must be addressed by Terra's own children.
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In the world of the Elden Ring.
The Tarnished kept muttering some kind of incomprehensible incantation through his hands and mouth.
This is precisely the mantra of the Taixu Sword Qi, and also its divine sound.
Divine sound
Essentially, it is a process of shaping and extending.
Its main purpose is to allow people to master more aspects of Honkai energy.
However, Honkai energy can only be activated within the Honkai world.
It doesn't work well in other worlds.
However, at this moment, the one in the Tarnished hand was not lifeless. A sparse magical energy was being forcibly gathered, shaped, and extended with each strange syllable uttered from his mouth! It was no longer Honkai energy, but pure magical energy!
"The divine is the ultimate in transformation, the wondrous manifestation of all things, and cannot be questioned by form..."
The moment the last syllable fell, the Tarnished suddenly opened his eyes! Above his outstretched palm, a silver sphere made of pure magic, slowly rotating, floated clearly, perfectly stable, radiating a soft and pure light.
"It's done...!" A tremendous surge of joy erupted in the Tarnished's eyes. He abruptly stood up, clenching his fist into the air.
"I did it!"
"Congratulations." A cool, calm voice suddenly came from behind him.
The Tarnished was startled and looked back, only to see Melina's figure coalescing from thin air.
"Huh? Melina? When did you...?" The Tarnished was somewhat surprised.
"…I just came to check on you." Melina's gaze seemed to deliberately avoid his excited face, landing on the floating magic sphere.
"It seems your research has made good progress."
"There's progress, big progress!" the Tarnished exclaimed excitedly.
His modified version of the Taixu Sword Qi is far less limited than the Honkai Energy version one. It can not only be given to people in the Elden Ring World, but also to group members and people in other worlds.
Although Melina didn't fully understand what all he had done meant, seeing his genuine joy, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly:
"Congratulations."
"Thank you!" The Tarnished nodded vigorously, then his burning gaze refocused on Melina, a slightly embarrassed yet expectant smile on his face.
"Um… Melina, there's something I'd like to ask you for a favor?"
"There's no need to make such a request, just say it." Melina tilted her head slightly.
"I want you to try learning this!" The Tarnished clasped his hands together, his eyes sincere.
"It will not only allow you to control magic more precisely and efficiently, but it might even... break some natural limitations in the use of magic! This will be of immense benefit to you!"
Most importantly, he needed a reliable test subject with sufficient skill level to verify the universality of the technique.
Once Melina successfully masters it, this "New Taixu Sword Qi," which he has modified beyond recognition yet is full of potential, can truly become a gift for all his companions.
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The sky over Roberta, the land of peace, remains as clear as ever.
The witch, riding a broomstick, passed through familiar fields and forests, the wind ruffling her long, gray hair and the hem of her black robe.
"My father and mother will be so surprised to see me back so suddenly," Elaina thought, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips. The broomstick traced a smooth arc as it landed steadily towards the home she remembered.
Before she had even fully landed, she saw that familiar figure in the courtyard—her mother, Victorica, was hanging out the clean white sheets to dry.
Hearing the whooshing sound of a broom, Victorica looked up in confusion and saw the gray-haired witch slowly descending.
"Ah, I must be missing Elaina so much; everyone looks like her... This traveling witch, her figure and demeanor are quite something..."
"Mom, I'm home." Elaina's clear voice broke Victorica's thoughts.
"…Huh?" Victorica's clothespin fell to the ground with a thud, and she covered her mouth in disbelief.
In the warm living room, Elaina sat on her favorite sofa, while her father and mother sat side by side on the opposite sofa.
"Why did you suddenly come back? Why didn't you write to tell me beforehand?" Victorica spoke first.
"Yes, Elaina! Why didn't you say anything?" Elaina's father exclaimed with delight.
"I just wanted to come back and see you all," Elaina said, holding a warm teacup, her voice calm and gentle.
"I missed you all."
She expressed her longing so directly.
This sentence was like pressing a switch.
The joy of the two people opposite them was overshadowed by worry.
The two got up almost at the same time and squeezed to the left and right of the sofa where Elaina was sitting.
"Elaina," Victorica gently took her daughter's hand, "What happened? Tell Mommy."
"Is there anything wrong with your body? Are you tired?" The father carefully examined his daughter's face, trying to find any trace of something amiss.
They know their daughter too well.
To suddenly and so bluntly say she misses you all, and then come home without any warning? This isn't like my daughter at all!
Feeling her parents' concern, Elaina smiled gently, put down her teacup, and stretched out her arms to put her arms around the shoulders of her two closest relatives, pulling them closer.
"Can't I just be missing you?" Her voice had a slightly coquettish nasal tone.
"I'm really fine."
Seeing that her parents still looked unconvinced, Elaina didn't explain much, but simply rested her head gently on her mother's shoulder.
When the light of the Seed of Light shines upon all living beings… those brave souls with wills of steel and ideals as bright as the stars will walk with even greater determination, advancing solely towards their predetermined goal. But what about Elaina?
She was just an ordinary witch who loved to travel.
Travel is a hobby, a pleasure in life, not an ideal that burns through one's life.
In a long dream, she lived an ordinary yet fulfilling life.
Although her memories were blurred, the sense of reality that had settled in had quietly changed her.
She can be more honest with herself now—if she misses someone, she comes back; if she wants a hug, she reaches out. Just like now.