The atmosphere in the war room was scorching.
Michael felt a dampness forming at the small of his back. He tugged at his collar, trying to shake off the discomfort.
Noticing this, Sakura silently released a wisp of cold air.
In his daze, Michael seed to hear a chorus of synchronized breathing. He wasn't the only one struggling with the heat. The anger in the room was palpable, burning through everyone present.
It was strange.
Michael had believed himself beyond emotional fluctuations, yet as the flas licked at his heart, a surge of anger rose from deep within him.
But i remained unaffected.
Sweat-drenched bangs clung to her forehead, yet her expression remained calm. Before Keer could react, she decisively released the next recording.
...
"If this is i's disguise, it wouldn't be surprising. With her capabilities, she could easily piece together so clues in a short ti.
But what's the point of such a disguise? Does she want to stay out of it, only to overturn everything at the last mont? Impossible. Unless the First Herrscher is willing to intervene."
He paused, then continued.
"But if he intended to suppress humans by force, he would have done so long ago. Besides, our next move is aid precisely at this—tearing apart the last threads of trust between Fire Moth and Anti-Entropy!"
As the second recording played, the sound of rapid breathing echoed from the other side of the screen.
"Well, Secretary-General Keer, do you have anything else to say...?"
"Hehehe..."
Keer chuckled twice, cutting i off.
She didn't react—no anger, no rebuttal. Instead, she simply crossed her arms and waited, her confidence unwavering.
"i, have you fallen so low that you have to resort to such despicable ans? Everyone knows there's a woman nad Vill-V in Anti-Entropy. Altering a few unrelated voice patterns to sound like us wouldn't be difficult for her, would it?"
His words had barely left his mouth before the room erupted.
A chorus of boos filled the air. Boots and socks flew in protest.
Michael sighed, covering his nose as he pulled out another hard drive.
"Oh? How about this one then?"
...
"First, although Lezlun doesn't have their full trust, at least half of the staff we sent are his people. To maintain the balance, we still need to purge the staff.
"Second, we still don't know Kevin's current condition. If Kevin is still alive, all our actions will be a joke—so, we have to kill him."
This wasn't just an audio recording.
It was a video.
From Keer's own perspective.
The footage clearly captured the other ten [SEELE] mbers.
Keer fell silent. Not because he lacked a way to refute the accusations—he could have simply claid, like before, that Vill-V had forged it.
But this ti, he was too shocked to react.
Because this... had actually happened.
And worse—how was this cara seemingly mounted on his head? How could it move, tracking his exact line of sight as if it were reading his mory?
Most importantly, the previous two leaks could be blad on a traitor. That possibility, while troubling, was manageable.
But this?
This was a demonstration of force.
If the other party could install a cara on him without his knowledge, they could just as easily take his life the sa way.
Wait.
Damn it!
Did i give them our location?! She actually told a Herrscher such crucial information?! She actually trusts a Herrscher this much?!
Keer and the others could never understand it.
To them, whether it was Phamas, Hiko, Ken, or even the later i, their trust in the First Herrscher had to be based on utility—a calculated reliance on his power to fight other Herrschers.
But i's actions made sothing terrifyingly clear:
Between the First Herrscher and you so-called higher-ups—
We trust him more.
We acknowledge him more.
(Though, in truth, it wasn't this world's i who gave Michael their location—it was the i from the world bubble. But if that one made such a choice... could the i standing by Michael's side truly choose any differently?)
He didn't understand.
But he was shocked.
So much so that he could only hum a few tis, his mind reeling, his will to resist nearly crumbling.
Yet i didn't give him the chance to recover.
She tapped her fingers again.
One by one, the screen lit up with undeniable evidence—proof of [SEELE]'s involvent in the Poison Cocoon riot.
The revelations were damning:
1. A recording and transfer record showing that Poison Cocoon mber .684 received 100 kilograms of gold and a promise of freedom—in exchange for assassinating Kevin with an electromagnetic sniper rifle, framing Imr in the process. (The paynt had already been routed into Anti-Entropy funds.)
2. Financial records detailing the production of diluted Honkai beast fusion factor injections, bearing the logos of Anti-Entropy and Mobius, based on i's research.
3. Distribution logs proving that 130 units of the diluted Honkai beast fusion factor injections had been sent out:
-- 100 to Poison Cocoon dorms.
-- 20 to Poison Cocoon patients in the dical area.
-- 10 taken from storage by Michael—now officially recorded.
Each revelation tightened the noose around Keer's neck.
His resistance was already crumbling.
And i had only just begun.
...
Faced with a mountain of real and forged evidence, Keer was finally speechless.
Sure, he could have kept denying everything. He could have insisted that it was all Vill-V's fabrication, a grand conspiracy orchestrated by the First Herrscher.
But there was no point anymore.
Because, just as i had said—
////
"Next, I'll submit this evidence to the United Governnt's council, legal departnt, inspection departnt, and the humanitarian departnt. If you—or any of you—have justifications to make, then go talk to that group of wig-wearing judges! If you have so self-righteous explanation, go and speak to those bloated counciln!"
////
A landslide of cheers erupted from the soldiers.
With two decisive taps on her keyboard, i severed communication with the United Governnt.
The soldiers loved it.
And as for possible retaliation?
i wasn't worried. From this day on, Fire Moth would be more united than ever. As long as the Honkai existed, those bureaucrats wouldn't dare cut off funding completely.
And if the Honkai disappeared?
Then their struggle would have already ended.
What else would there be left to say?
Of course.
Of course.
There was still one more thing to do today.
i sohow procured a small hamr and lightly tapped it on the command console.
"There's one more thing!"
Her voice was calm—too calm.
Yet, effortlessly, it seized everyone's attention.
Elvin, who had been about to cut the broadcast, hesitated. His hand hovered over the controls before he slowly pulled it back.
i continued.
"As you all know, a few years ago, when I was still just a high school girl at Chiba Academy in Nagazora City, the First Herrscher and Elysia were already serving in Fire Moth's Fifth Squad. Dr. Mobius was one of the organization's founders.
Why did they leave Fire Moth?
Because of human prejudice.
The words hung heavy in the air.
"The people in power back then refused to recognize Michael as human.
But I am different."
A murmur rippled through the room.
i pressed on.
"Kevin and I can both vouch for this—the First Herrscher is not like the others.
Putting aside his power, he is fully human.
More than that, he possesses a beauty that belongs to humanity—sothing that many who claim to be 'human' sorely lack."
She didn't na nas.
She didn't have to.
Everyone had seen what had just transpired. Everyone knew exactly who she was referring to.
Then, she turned.
And stretched out her hand.
"So, Michael... please co back."
Michael, caught completely off guard, could only stare.
And then—
"I can also vouch for Michael's character!"
Hiko's voice rang out loud and clear.
Then ca Ken.
Fuxi.
Nuwa.
Elvin, still adjusting the recording equipnt.
Andre, excitedly tugging at his beard.
And countless other veterans—those who had survived the Second and Third Honkai Eruptions.
One by one, they shouted themselves hoarse.
And yet, even as their voices rose, their eyes—all filled with excitent, fear, and hope—remained locked on a single figure.
Michael.
But in the end, these people were the minority.
Fire Moth was a combat organization—one with an exceptionally high casualty rate.
Among so-called veterans, for every ten, perhaps only one remained.
And in this command room of over a hundred people, fewer than twenty bore the scars of past battles.
The new recruits far outnumbered them.
At first, they had been caught up in the montum—the cheers, the declarations, the sheer weight of i's words.
But then, doubt crept in.
Not doubt in i.
Not doubt in Michael himself.
But that deeply ingrained, instinctive human fear of change.
Sure, they had all heard the rumors about Michael. So had even gossiped about him in their spare ti. A few had entertained the fantasy—what if the legendary First Herrscher really did return to Fire Moth?
But now that it was happening?
Now they hesitated.
Was Michael truly as harmless as he appeared? As Dr. i and the others swore he was?
It was like a celebrity with millions of fans—yet how many would actually dare to stand in front of him? Shake his hand? Speak to him?
And Michael wasn't just a celebrity.
He was a Herrscher.
An existence that, by all accounts, shouldn't be standing here, in Fire Moth's war room, being welcod back as one of their own.
And yet—
i's hand remained outstretched.
She was waiting.
For Michael's decision.
Michael was caught completely off guard by i's actions. Their original plan was to use the "fight fire with fire" tactic—undermine Vasak, eliminate Lezlun's staff, sever ties with the United Governnt, and allow i to take control of Fire Moth.
But now, i had acted before they could carefully deliberate. The question of whether Anti-Entropy should return to Fire Moth—and when—was sothing they should have decided together.
Instead, Michael found himself staring at i's resolute expression. It was clear: strike while the iron is hot. Finish it all in one battle.
Three seconds passed. Michael didn't reach out to i's hand. Instead, he picked up the small hamr from the table and tapped it heavily, drawing everyone's attention. Even though he was already the center of focus, this gesture demanded more.
He raised his fingers—index, middle, and ring—pointing them high into the sky. It was a clear coincidence, a universal gesture. People in ancient Shenzhou and Europe swore oaths like this.
But his words weren't an oath.
The air around them chilled, tightening in their chests.
Michael took a deep breath, trying to suppress the sharp pain in his lungs. Then he shouted, his voice steady and powerful, cutting through the tension:
"Fire Moths!"
The mont the word left his lips, all noise vanished. The excited shouts, the whispered doubts—everything fell silent.
"Fire Moths." It was the na of their organization. But this ti, it wasn't just a na; it described sothing else entirely.
Humans.
This was the intention of the one who had first nad them.
For a moth, chasing a fla was an instinct. There was no glory or romance in it—only a biological pull. Yet, for Michael, Elysia, i, and many others, the na carried a fierce obsession.
Because this na was romantic.
It represented the countless generations of people who had advanced with unwavering determination, hurling themselves toward a seemingly impossible goal.
On the surface, it only symbolized humanity's most primal survival instinct. Yet, through the blessing of civilization, it ca to represent sothing far more precious—perseverance.
A perseverance that carried legendary stories of the end tis.
And most importantly, it embodied that beautiful, never-to-be-abandoned hope within the human heart.
The hope that, even in burning themselves out, they could keep the light of civilization burning.
That was what Michael wanted to say.
He wanted to share his struggles during each Honkai Eruption, to tell them about the loneliness and prejudice he'd faced, to speak of his own path as a "Fire Chaser." He wanted to tell them that he was just another Fire Moth, like them.
But suddenly, he realized there was no need for all these words. So much was caught in his throat, words that wouldn't co out. Besides, hadn't they already understood what he ant?
The simple phrase escaped his lips, and it was as though a waterfall poured down—countless droplets falling, each one resonating in the hearts of everyone present.
It rippled outward in circles.
Many burst into tears, and even Michael felt choked up. It was as if the mont he spoke that word, everyone could feel the perseverance buried within his futility, the hope hidden in his despair.
"No... No, no, no! That wasn't an illusion! That wasn't just a coincidence!"
Michael's blurry gaze scanned the room, his heart racing. Soone had used a ntal perception thod to send their emotions directly into the hearts of every soldier present.
Tears stread down the faces of the new recruits as his eyes passed over them, before landing on a figure standing outside the crowd, brought in by the Second Key.
The nun's face remained serene, her lips curled into a smile as she clasped her hands in prayer.
And there, the cute pink-haired girl turned her head away, delicately touching her elf-like pointed ears with her finger.
"Thank you, Aponia, and... Elysia..."
Just as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere shifted.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
i tapped the table with a sharp knock, her voice cutting through the heavy silence. "Fire Moth is an organization that follows the principle of the majority submitting to the minority. Since Michael doesn't object, I declare: in accordance with Article 3, Andnt 27 of Fire Moth's Regulations, a full organization referendum will be held starting now—to decide whether Fire Moth will accept the rger with Anti-Entropy. It requires a two-thirds majority. That's all."
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