"Shhh..."
Michael slowly lifted his head. The first thing he saw was a familiar girl.
"Why are you back again?"
As soon as he spoke, figures of Kevin, Elysia, and Sakura materialized behind her.
His lips pursed. Without hesitation, his eyes t hers. A mutual greeting naturally popped into both their minds—"Hey! Long ti no see!"
Long ti no see? They'd only been apart for two days. But their chests felt full of unspoken words, a need to pour everything out—a sensation they were experiencing for the first ti.
After all, for them, their thoughts and feelings were usually conveyed through glances and gestures.
But now, after that initial greeting, Michael couldn't decipher the aning in her eyes, and vice versa. So... So there are emotions between us that are so complex they require words. These weren't spur-of-the-mont thoughts. How many words could one accumulate in two days? For Michael, it was an accumulation of long-suppressed feelings, born from a certain reticence, from hopes and anxieties built up over a long period.
Now, those feelings filled his chest, pressing heavily on his heart.
"Now's not the ti for this, the situation is critical," Michael admonished himself, carefully pushing those words aside to give his nearly stalled heartbeat so room.
Unexpectedly, his heart suddenly pounded powerfully and rapidly, almost dislodging the words he had just managed to sort out.
Michael bit his lip, remaining silent.
But suddenly, his heart cald, the urgency to speak fading. The girl opposite him had simply narrowed her eyes and given him a smile.
This ti, Michael easily understood the aning behind that smile. One ssage was clear: "Once this is all over, you have to tell everything you were just thinking, without leaving out a single word!"
Michael's lips curved into a smile.
"Ahem! Although you two make want to laugh for so reason, I'd like to remind you—this is not the ti for romance."
Michael's budding smile instantly morphed into a twitch.
The intrusion of external consciousness, and the renewed separation of [Consciousness] and [Instinct] within them, had disrupted the delicate balance this body had just achieved, sending it spiraling back towards a rampage. Michael had anticipated this, but...
"Alright, alright, Kevin. I'd better not catch you staring dreamily at i during our next eting."
"Ah—uh... Michael, you! No! When have I ever stared dreamily at i?!"
"Tsk!"
The Seele-like girl shook her head and walked off to the side, pouting. For so reason, seeing Michael back to normal, even joking with Kevin, made her feel incredibly uncomfortable... no, actually, she knew why.
"Alright, no more chit-chat. I understand Mobius's idea."
Michael spread his hands. He wasn't foolishly fighting the power representing [Instinct] for a day and a night. He'd had plenty of ti to analyze the possible strategies Mobius and Aponia might employ.
Before Elysia, Kevin, and Sakura appeared, he might have still been uncertain which plan they would choose. But seeing this lineup, a sense of clarity washed over him, like an answer revealed.
"Kevin, Sakura, she intends to use the Parvati and Yaksha factors within you to suppress my... uh... while Elysia's Mahamayuri restrains Vishnu and Sesa, giving a chance to reach the core, right?"
Before anyone could respond, he continued, "But I have a better plan."
As Michael laid out the revised plan, seemingly oblivious to anything else, "Seele" moved even further away.
She unclenched her fist from her chest, revealing skin as white as snow, marked by blood-red lines like the sand beneath her feet. A crescent moon and a waning moon appeared, seemingly about to embrace, almost touching, but their potential intersection was sliced apart as if by a blade, leaving long, lingering marks.
She lowered her head, unsure whether she was looking at the marks on her chest or the lifeless sand at her feet.
Her long bangs hid her eyes, which shimred with changing colors, reflecting not just colors, but all the stories of "Seele's" short life.
"Seriously... What kind of a brother is he, not even asking a single question... He figured out Mobius's sche, he knows about the Stigmata's existence... Does he truly not know what's stored in that necklace, or is he..."
She could easily access the stories of what had happened to Michael, but stories were only the results. Thought was a process, a process she couldn't see right now.
Breathing suddenly beca difficult, though breathing shouldn't be necessary in this space of consciousness. It wasn't a physical sensation, but the spreading of sadness in her heart.
She bit her lip hard, preventing herself from making a sound.
She wanted Michael to know the truth. She wanted to tell him herself, but... considering her current state of existence, the joy the truth might bring would quickly be overshadowed by greater despair... so... so...
Suddenly, a warm, heavy touch landed on her shoulder.
Startled, she looked up, her eyes clearing instantly. The marks on her chest faded unconsciously.
She knew Michael was standing behind her, but stubbornly refused to turn around. She longed for him to say sothing, yet feared he'd say sothing she didn't want to hear...
Ti passed slowly in this conflict, until she peeked up and saw Michael kneeling before her, his hand gently on her shoulder, looking up at her.
"Uh!"
Still caught in her earlier conflict, she instinctively recoiled.
Normally, Michael would have loosened his grip, afraid to hurt her, but this ti, he didn't.
"Seele."
He spoke the familiar na again. Strictly speaking, this was only their second eting, but...
"Seele, I don't know how you exist right now, nor why your personality is so... ahaha... but I know you are Seele. You're her, without a doubt, right?"
This ship-of-Theseus question was one that "Seele" herself couldn't definitively answer.
But inexplicably, she nodded.
"Seele..." Michael paused, blinked, as if making up his mind. Then, he said, "I thought I wouldn't get a chance to say these things. Now seems like a good ti."
He smiled gently.
Seele gritted her teeth. Hadn't she hated that smile just monts ago? But now, she couldn't muster any anger, only a strange emotion spreading through her heart.
"First, Seele, as your brother—if you still acknowledge as such... I'm sorry."
Seele sniffled, turning her head slightly.
"Second, Seele, as a warrior, I still have things to do, and... I need your help."
"Hmph! Aren't you amazing? Didn't you take down the Seventh Herrscher all by yourself?"
"Uh... that guy we're about to face is the one who took down the Seventh Herrscher!"
"Humph!"
Michael scratched his head, hesitated for a mont, then a golden light flashed in his eyes.
"You! You... what are you doing! Let go!"
Seele's fists lightly pounded Michael's back.
Michael was hugging her legs, admittedly an awkward position. He wasn't using much force, and if Seele wanted to break free, she easily could.
But she didn't.
"Then... once again, as your brother, Seele, I hope to fight alongside you, alongside my sister. Okay?"
"Hmph..."
"Seele?"
"..."
"Seele is so strong, please help ! Help !"
"You! Fine, I'll help you, but... you have to grant ... one wish afterward."
Then, in this boundless yet confined mindscape, blood-red and azure lights flickered simultaneously. The light, made of tiny particles, gradually solidified into a ripple-like texture, enveloping everything...
"MOOOO—"
"Restraint Unit 1 damaged: 37%!"
"Restraint Unit 8 damaged: 61%!"
The giant craned its neck, struggling against the shackles humanity had imposed, just as it once struggled against the Serpent's bonds. This ti, however, there was nothing for it to bite.
On the projection screen before i, the indicators representing the restraint units locking the giant's joints glowed orange-red. The units suffering the most damage, located on its right shoulder and left knee, were nearly blood-red.
Despite not having taken a step, the kiloter-tall giant caused the ground to tremble violently—more violently than any previous aftershock!
Under the giant's imnse force, the outer alloy of Restraint Units 1 and 8 had visibly deford, showing both folded dents and the bulging outlines of muscles. Even the deep-set wedges were being gradually pushed out by the shifting muscles.
"Vill-V, backup restraint plan!"
"Coming, coming!"
Dozens of prepared helicopters, in groups, magnetically attached ten building-thick specialized steel cables to their corresponding restraint units, the other ends anchored 300 ters deep in the remnants of Schicksal HQ's foundation.
"Bang!" "Bang!"
With two explosions, the main alloy sections of Restraint Units 1 and 8 burst open, sending the wedges flying.
Naturally, the giant's right shoulder and left knee joints were exposed, regaining their freedom.
But when it tried to step forward, the hastily applied steel cables locked its limbs. Even with free joints, it could only manage slight movents under the cables' pull.
"Whew..."
i exhaled deeply. It was anticipated that the ntal intrusion would disrupt the balance between the giant's [Consciousness] and [Instinct], hence the restraint units.
Those things had depleted almost all of Fire Moth's remaining resources. And this was just the beginning. Two out of twelve units were already gone, and the steel cables were just reinforcing the restraint units. If the restraint units failed, the magnetically attached steel cables would beco useless. How long could they last?
"Restraint Units 2 and 7 are under intense pressure. Damage exceeding 50%!"
As soon as Protheus spoke, the units corresponding to the giant's left shoulder and right knee exploded. Now, the Herrscher could bend its legs and swing its arms.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
With every pull and tug, the remaining eight steel cables creaked and groaned, a constant reminder of their precarious state. How long could this last line of defense hold?
"Mobius..."
i turned, looking at the girl who, physically, was only around ten years old.
"If all the restraint units are destroyed, Vill-V predicts that the Second Divine Key can hold the giant for 37 seconds. However, considering she overestimated the strength of the restraint units, it's doubtful it can buy us even half a minute, so..."
"I know, I know!" Mobius waved her hand tiredly. "When that ti cos, it's my turn, right? I won't die anyway."
She chuckled self-deprecatingly. The noon sun illuminated her face, making her appear even paler. How long could such power hold back the giant before them?
i was uncertain. Mobius was the only MANTIS she could currently deploy in actual combat, although her designation was a researcher.
"Looks like we'll need to expand our MANTIS forces. A small, elite team is easier to control, minimizes casualties, and their individual combat power is sufficient in so respects... but their size limits the number of missions they can undertake simultaneously... No matter what, we have to survive this... This race against ti... I hope Kevin and the others reach the finish line before we hit our limit."
i glanced at the three people lying on cots behind her, and at Aponia and Dystopia, who were maintaining the neural link with closed eyes and lowered heads...
Suddenly, the two opened their eyes simultaneously.
"Connected?"
"Yes."
Aponia nodded slightly...
A tremor hit. Before i could relax, a series of explosions echoed.
"No way!"
The remaining eight restraint units burst open almost simultaneously. The thick steel cables crashed to the ground, kicking up dust clouds taller than a person.
The giant clutched its head, taking a random step forward. Suddenly, with a golden flash, its surroundings were enclosed in a golden rectangular barrier, like a giant coffin.
"One, two, three..."
i, Mobius, and Protheus counted down, but only Protheus voiced the numbers.
It had broken through the restraint units so easily, so the Second Divine Key... Vill-V's 37 seconds seed utterly unattainable now. But even one more second would be...
"Crash!"
The barrier shattered like glass. The giant charged forward savagely, colliding with the boundary of the underground city dozens of kiloters away.
"Boom!"
The arched armor plates, designed to bear the weight of the earth itself, instantly cracked in a spiderweb pattern. The giant's movent stalled slightly, then its whole body convulsed. It clutched its head in pain, slamming its forehead against the boundary's armor plates until the armor buckled, revealing the hard permafrost beneath.
The giant punched, kicked, clawed, and even bit at the permafrost, but to no avail. It looked up at the midday sun...
It started to jump. The underground city was barely deeper than its height. If it managed to grab the edge, it might actually climb out!
Of course, with its jumping ability, leaping out directly wouldn't be difficult. But currently, none of the consciousnesses had stable control of the body. Its muscles knotted, and its fingers twisted together, foiling its attempts to escape.
Turning around again, it stumbled toward i's makeshift command post.
The dozens of kiloters might be far, but for its size, it was only about a dozen steps. Mobius clicked her tongue and silently stepped in front of i.
A thick black liquid flowed from her wide sleeves, coalescing beneath her.
"Wait a second, Mobius, you—"
"In my current state, aside from overdosing on ICHOR, do I have any other choice?" Mobius retorted without looking back.
But ti was running out. The giant charged closer, yet she still hadn't broken through Aponia's imposed discipline nor regained the sensation of her dominant consciousness subrging, as she had during the Fifth Honkai Eruption.
The sky suddenly darkened as the giant's foot descended, blotting out the sun.
"Tsk! Do I really have to die again?"
She didn't fear death, but those in the tent behind her wouldn't escape!
"Why aren't these people ready yet?"
Mobius desperately wanted to shout, but with a series of strange sounds, the Herrscher's foot stopped its descent.
"Did the collapse succeed?"
Mobius looked down at her small, pale hands, and a field of pure white flowers that had blood unnoticed around her.
No, it wasn't her!
Then who?
Bewildered, she turned to see the Sixth Divine Key radiating a pure white light at the tent's entrance. Guided by this light, green vines shot out from the white flowers now covering the scorched earth, wrapping around the giant's foot and ankle, then snaking up its leg.
Hips, waist, hands, shoulders, up to its neck.
"The Sixth Divine Key, why..."
i instinctively looked at Elysia, but she still lay motionless. This couldn't be her doing.
"Who is that..."
"It's , of course."
The familiar, teasing tone wasn't Elysia's, but...
"Mobius, move, move!"
Michael, holding the weapon later known as Abyss Flower in his left hand, grabbed Mobius by the back of her collar and tossed her into i's arms.
He lightly clutched his chest, muttering, "Only this much power in that instant? The Core is more uncooperative than I imagined... Fortunately, it's enough to reconstruct my body, and I adjusted the tactics earlier. Also... because I have your help, Seele."
"Hmph!"
A voice with a natural reverb echoed in Michael's ear, accompanied by warmth where his hand covered his chest. Even through his thin shirt, the Stigmata's outline was visible.
"Ready?" he asked without turning around.
This ti, the question wasn't directed at Seele, but at the three standing behind him.
"Haah... Just one extra step, and I'm this tired."
As soon as Elysia finished complaining, the giant let out a pained roar. Its body twisted grotesquely, and four masses of flesh ripped away from its torso, falling into the flowerbed below. With squelching sounds, they began to take the shape of Honkai Beasts.
All familiar faces: Yaksha, Sesa, Parvati, Vishnu... only their sizes seed to have more than doubled.
Indeed, the minor change Michael made to the tactics was that Kevin and Sakura wouldn't rely suppress the corresponding Honkai Beast factors, but guide and separate them from the body. Michael would handle Sesa and Vishnu's genes—this was why he needed the Stigmata's power. Without fully regaining his Herrscher abilities, he couldn't precisely differentiate the original genes from the Honkai Beast factors, let alone sever them.
"Well, it's a good thing I did this. Otherwise, with my current power, dealing with a Pseudo-Herrscher fused with four Honkai Beasts would be too much."
Annihilating them together would have been simpler, but that depended on having a large enough "stomach." If swallowing a whole elephant would burst one's belly, it was better to eat it piece by piece.
"As planned, Elysia, you take Vishnu. Sakura, you deal with Yaksha. Kevin, tsk, Parvati and Sesa are yours! They're all old foes. Shouldn't be too hard to deal with them, right?"
Without waiting for a bewildered Kevin to protest, he tossed a fiery greatsword into his arms. Turning around, his fingers lightly brushed Elysia's hair, and he winked at her.
Unfortunately, now still wasn't a good ti for words.
A golden light locked onto five enemy targets, including Michael's group.
Then, they vanished.
"Spatial manipulation! Vill-V, where did they go?!" i held Mobius in her arms. Though a bit prickly, it felt... nice. Ahem, at least she hadn't forgotten her current duties.
"Four Honkai Beasts and Elysia's group's Honkai Energy signatures detected on the plains 100 kiloters south. But no sign of Michael or the giant. Wait, I'll check the global records... nothing there either."
"He intends to settle it in a Bubble Universe... but that also ans he won't get any support from us."
"Oh, relax! If you ask , you should worry more about your dear Kevin. As for Michael... while he can be disappointing at tis, he's never lost."
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