Above the canopy where twilight lingered, specks of stars scattered like gemstones, shining brightly in the quiet night. The Milky Way was like a flowing ribbon of light, spanning across the sky and shimmering with a faint silvery glow.
"No, seriously, sis."
In the guest room on the sub-top floor of the Raiden Tower, Fuli held his hot cocoa, about to take a sip, but instead looked at her with deadpan eyes. "Why can you Far East people always say such embarrassing things without blushing or skipping a beat?"
With Mei's naming sense, she could honestly go sit at the same table as Minato Namikaze.
"If you really intend to invite me to join your 'Three-No' organization—no name, no funds, no plan—as technical staff, you'd best prepare yourself to get used to it."
Mei switched her crossed legs. The slipper dangling from the tip of her toe swayed in the air, tracing an alluring arc that would make one's blood pump. "Don't change the subject. Are you sure you want to make the whole world your enemy for me, a (former) Herrscher?"
When the blood is hot, people can often smash through anything with just a few slogans. But once the adrenaline fades, the realities of eating, drinking, and living immediately jut out.
The exposure of the Herrscher of Thunder's identity was absolutely not comparable to a mere warrant from Cocolia.
Various factions of the Honkai side were intertwined and surging like undercurrents across the globe. Cocolia's warrant was effective, at most, within her own turf. Even the conservatives within Anti-Entropy, or the Reformist Executors who didn't like her, wouldn't give her face—after all, Ryoma wasn't dead yet.
But the exposure of an identity was different. Whether for scientific value, blood feuds with the Honkai, or simply wanting to kill the Messenger of Heaven to make a name for oneself... even with Theresa's carefree personality, she would never dare to risk universal condemnation to take Mei in after her identity was fully exposed.
What? You say Mei isn't a Herrscher anymore?
LOL. Who cares if you are or aren't right now? The question is, are you still alive?
Even a corpse has research (and take-advantage-of-while-warm) value!
"Making the world my enemy... not right now."
Scum-Li secretly observed the girl's expression while he spoke.
Finding that not only was she unmoved, but her quiet, deep crimson-purple eyes were staring straight at him, he sheepishly looked away. "However, that premise only applies if we actually needed to make the world our enemy."
"Wait a minute? Herrscher? Raiden Mei?"
A startled, milky voice came from the corner of the room. Bronya, who had been sitting alone sulking, realized she could no longer play deaf and mute.
Knitting her delicate, slender brows, she asked in surprise, "The Herrscher of Thunder... wasn't it Raiden Makka Pakka?"
"Pfft—Hahahahaha!!!"
The little girl's serious and solemn appearance made Fuli burst into belly laughter.
He rolled around on the floor. "Raiden Makka Pakka! I can't believe someone actually said that name I made up on the spot with a straight face! Hahaha, I can't! I can't hold it in!"
Smack!
A hand landed on his shoulder.
"Mr. Fuli~"
It was Mei-Mei.
"There is someone here who cares about the details of the situation."
The beautiful girl, having flashed behind Fuli, spoke faintly. "Could you please reconstruct the truth of the matter in a few words that everyone can understand?"
Ahhh, she was dying of anxiety!
"Okay."
Ah-Li, super obedient.
In the future, he would definitely be henpecked.
Pressed back into his seat by his shoulders, Fuli coughed lightly. "Before the God-King Mask completely shattered, I used it to do two things."
"First."
He held up his index finger. "I activated its ability to manipulate causality to tamper with the cognition of informed parties regarding the concept of [Raiden Mei = Third Herrscher]. I changed the host of the Herrscher of Thunder from you, Mei, to the temporary entity I fabricated: Raiden Makka Pakka."
Mei's cold, glamorous brows instantly smoothed out. Her whole body relaxed, and she slumped lazily into the Eames chair.
That's wonderful. In that case, we don't have to separate.
Such thoughts flowed through Mei's heart.
But immediately, the girl's IQ reoccupied the high ground.
She propped herself up and asked solemnly, "What about Theresa? How did you convince her?"
The "mob-clearing" effect of causality manipulation works on those below, not above. Fortunately, whether present or not, among everyone who observed the battle, the only individual powerhouse with hard power exceeding God-King Fuli was the S-Rank Theresa.
The Engine of Creation was a combined strategic weapon; Increasin and Murata Himeko were borderline; the fleeting Otto never relied on raw power; Mobius and Klein were currently focused on research.
"How did I persuade Theresa? I stuffed the credit for killing the Third Herrscher right into her mouth and fed her until she was full."
Fuli drank his beverage leisurely. "Anti-Entropy's 'Battle of the Century' where the Engine of Creation killed Shesha was broadcast live over the Pacific Ocean. If Schicksal couldn't produce a corresponding achievement, it would look very bad on their face."
"Shesha... hmph."
Savoring the word for a moment, Mei soothed the little creature inside her sleeve that had become disgruntled upon hearing the word 'kill.'
A look of playfulness and mockery swirled in her eyes, as if saying, Just Cocolia? Is she worthy?
Mei took the hot cocoa from in front of Fuli and took a sip. Her action of licking her lips carried a hint of provocative charm. "Pushing such a massive achievement of killing the Third Herrscher onto Theresa... don't you feel reluctant? Once this gets out, a certain Mr. Fuli would instantly transform into a peerless Super Hero on the Honkai side. Money and beauties would come at his beck and call, no?"
"And then be annoyed to death by swarms of challengers? Be bullied and publicly defeated by those old fogies who don't fight fair, falling from grace? Be verbally abused and spat on by countless keyboard warriors calling me a fraud who's 'nothing special'?"
Fuli remained calm and composed. "Serendipity is just serendipity. I still have self-awareness."
He would step into the tier above S-Rank sooner or later; there was no rush.
He would do bigger things in the future, so there was no rush for this petty fame.
"In exchange, Branch Captain Theresa promised to send a large amount of supplies."
The little secretary, Bronya, opportunistically asserted her presence, the twin drills behind her head bobbing and turning. "However, the BOSS returned a portion of them, asking her to give those supplies to the families of the Valkyries who sacrificed themselves in the Third Eruption."
Logically and emotionally, the Hyperion had been called over by Fuli conning Susannah.
Even if the other party knew nothing about it, he wouldn't be completely stingy.
Of course, this guy wouldn't spiral into thoughts like 'I called them here, so I must take responsibility!' The Third Eruption wasn't caused by him. If anyone wanted to criticize or seek revenge, they should go find Cocolia, the main culprit.
Fuli was a man who specialized in zero internal mental friction and never paid attention to moral kidnapping from others.
"I've wanted to ask since just now."
Mei glanced sideways, her attitude very cold this time. "Bronya Zaychik, why are you still here?"
A perfectly good moment alone together had been ruined by this gray-haired girl. And she had even specifically changed into a yukata for this.
Hearing this, Bronya first held up her index finger, then raised a tiny middle finger at Mei.
She said flatly, "The second thing the BOSS did with causality was to repair the damage to Bronya's legs and emotion module. Not only can Bronya walk normally now, but she also won't be unable to express her feelings through facial expressions and voice like before."
"Is that the reason you stayed? The Wolf's Repayment?"
Those who understood the physiognomy of a wolf looking back understood; Mei was practically throwing shade both openly and secretly.
"No. If it were only that, Bronya would be very grateful to Fuli and would try to find a way to repay the kindness."
Bronya said, "However, the prerequisite for all of that is that I am in the same camp as him."
It's hard to imagine a suitable word to describe someone who, after receiving a favor from an enemy once, would not hesitate to betray the comrades they shared trials with and jump ship to join the other side.
Of course, if one's own camp had problems to begin with, taking the opportunity to switch sides is another story. That's called forsaking darkness for light, mending one's ways, turning back to the shore.
"Oh?"
Mei's sidelocks draped down, her smile not quite a smile. "Then what made you betray that woman Cocolia and choose to join our obscure, no-name little organization?"
Fuli put down his cup, gloating. "Of course, it's because that guy Cocolia, without asking for the little lady's permission, arbitrarily implanted a surveillance system and a backdoor device capable of forcibly taking over her body's actions at critical moments right into her precious daughter's brain!"
He had discovered the thing while fixing Bronya's legs. Adhering to the principle of "watching a funeral and not minding if the coffin is big," he immediately told the person involved.
The person involved reacted quickly too—after removing it, she had a massive remote argument with the other person involved on the spot.
To be fair, given Bronya's personality, if Cocolia had just told her before installing it, there was a high probability the girl would have silently allowed Cocolia "Mother" to do it. After all, it could be considered a layer of insurance.
But hiding it—well, that was a different matter entirely.
Mei understood. "So, she had a falling out with her family?"
That explained why she was sulking in the corner earlier and refused to go back even after regaining her freedom.
She didn't even hesitate to sign a Soul Contract with Fuli to become his subordinate.
Incidentally, said contract was kindly provided by a Miss Alice who wished to remain anonymous.
"Parents are always like this."
Bronya said expressionlessly, "For example, someone's father implanted a Herrscher gem called the Gem of Con-something into his daughter's body without her knowing. He even prepared to blast her with the Genesis Cannon, which cost a fortune to build, and freeze her with the Plasma Kagehide the moment she awakened as the Herrscher of Thunder."
"Pfft!"
The specific name-dropping and sarcasm made Fuli unable to hold it in.
LMAO, hahaha!
This time, Mei rarely ignored the provocation.
She turned her head to gaze at Fuli, her lip line long and slightly upturned, as if talking to herself. "In other words, a certain involved party, in the moment before the God-King Mask shattered, not only fixed Bronya's legs and brain but also conveniently thought of an escape route for me, this unlucky homeless person?"
"Isn't that expected? How could I let Mei be homeless?"
Fuli rested his chin on his hand, looking out at the stars through the window, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. "We made a promise. After the Third Eruption ended, we'd get an aerial battleship and go adventuring around the world. How did that saying go? Those who break their contracts shall suffer the Punishment of Rock-Eating?"
Bronya: Ugh, does this guy know what he's saying? Does he have no shame? So cringe!
"Unlike Kiana, I don't understand ACGN references."
Mei, tired from sitting, stretched her body in the chair. While moving her supple willow waist, she breathed out a cool yet ambiguous voice. "But regarding the first half of your sentence... may I view that as a confession?"
Hesitation is defeat! Raiden Mei decisively A-ed up!
Under the loose yukata, that pair of BIG assets, surpassing her peers, bounced and jiggled at the front of her robe (Duang duang), making the Little Duck across from her twitch her eyelids.
"Non-existent."
Fuli withdrew his gaze. "Didn't I say before? No dating or marriage before ascending the Throne of Sequence. Who knows when one might die."
"Mmh, let's write that into the organization's constitution."
He muttered to himself there, as if rambling but also implying something. "Romance-brains are just too annoying, heads full of lovey-dovey stuff and ignoring proper business. Whoever dates gets kicked out the door!"
"Then you, the BOSS, better not take the lead in violating it."
Otherwise, don't blame me if your girlfriend'(S) vanishes off the face of the earth one day.
Understanding his underlying meaning, the Raiden Queen shifted her posture, her gaze drifting to the empty seat. "Speaking of Kiana... do you plan to recruit her?"
"Raiden Mei! Can you sit up straight?"
Bronya couldn't hold it in anymore and slammed the table. "Slumping and twisting like that affects our organization's image!"
Just finding an excuse to vent, really.
"Can't help it. Mainly because my—"
Mei lazily moved her lotus-root-like arms, allowing the BIG under the loose yukata to press against the cool tabletop, squishing into two massive persimmon cakes that made one salivate just looking at them.
She complained, "Sigh, too heavy. If I don't bend down often... tsk, it gets tiring."
BOOM!!!
Bronya looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She blankly raised her hands and vaguely measured her own chest.
Her eyes went dull.
A moment later, it turned into a heart-wrenching realization.
Bronya will purge these damn dairy cows sooner or later!!!
Of course, we behind the screen know this is a story where 8 > 50,000, the dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon, and only a certain Celestial gets hurt.
"Kiana? Let's see what she chooses."
Fuli leaned back in his chair, stretching his arm to block the soft light from his eyes. "If she insists on going to St. Freya, we can't act like bandits and forcibly kidnap her to be a bandit's bride, right?"
Mei was secured. Bronya counted as interest collected from Cocolia.
Of the future three S-Ranks, only the white-haired Tuna was left hanging overseas. That should count as a job well done... right?
Fuli's brain gradually grew fuzzy as fatigue washed over his body.
He thought yesterday was exhausting enough, but today turned out to be even more intense.
The sixteen-year-old baby narrowed his eyes, planning to rest a bit.
A soft, jade-like hand reached out, tapping the Gem of Corruption pendant hanging on his chest through his shirt. "The usage of Jizo Mitama... do you want to know?"
Perhaps still wary of Bronya's presence, Mei didn't use the name "Key of Corruption," but used "Jizo Mitama," a title known only to a very few.
"Mei, you know how to use it?"
The big boy who planned to rest instantly got energized. Boing! He popped right up, fast as lightning!
Mei nodded. As the (former) Herrscher of Thunder, the Honkai energy in her body had been transformed and purified by the Herrscher Core. The resonance between Herrscher energy and the Divine Key allowed her to command the incompletely gestated Jizo Mitama to a certain extent.
"Then is there a way for me to use it?"
"Yes."
"Do tell?"
"I inject Honkai energy into it beforehand, storing it inside as a reserve."
Her fingertips intentionally or unintentionally rubbed against Fuli's chest. Mei said, "You just consume that energy to activate it when using it. For example—"
She grasped the gem and casually tapped the round table in front of them.
A panel that gave Fuli a strong sense of déjà vu appeared before their eyes:
[Name: Conference Table]
[Level: None]
[Category: Item]
[Effect: An ordinary table. Because it is welded to the floor, it wasn't carried off and sold by the 'pluck-every-feather' Anti-Entropy temp workers.]
[Note 1: Size sufficient for two people to lay on it and make babies—ahem, definitely not implying anything.]
[Note 2: Remember to hide from Bronya.]
This was the Third Rated Power of the Key of Corruption: [Information Appraisal]. It could be used on items touched by the holder.
This power is based on the user's cognition. Therefore, the text format and content are analyzed based on the user's knowledge base. If it is an existence completely beyond the user's comprehension, no result can be appraised. If the target possesses hiding abilities—such as camouflage, intelligence erasure, or shielding—it can interfere with, mislead, or directly nullify the appraisal.
"Data-stream protagonist's essential item inspection function, right?"
Fuli muttered secretly in his heart as he spoke: Even Prometheus's character panel has to be handwritten by me personally, and I can only view lottery items from the Finality Coordination System. Compared to this, it instantly looks lame.
"Achoo!"
On the moon, Miss Will of the Honkai sneezed, wrapped her little blanket tighter, and continued to snooze.
"Besides that, counting as an inherent Rated Power, Jizo Mitama can also summon a massive Mind Beast with strength completely identical to yours."
Mei said, "The Mind Beast is fully controlled by you. Its shape is similar to the demon fox that Jizo Mitama transformed into earlier, but the details will be modified to a certain extent according to the user's aesthetics."
"Fox appearance, Mind Beast, according to my aesthetics..."
The image of the flowing style from his God-King mode subconsciously surfaced in Fuli's mind. He casually modified the demon fox into a dragon-fox hybrid with azure and white colors.
Coming back to his senses, he facepalmed. "Great, now I can really go cosplay the male version of the Sky-Striking General."
But is this what you call a Divine Key?
Even the basic ability summons a same-level fighter for a righteous two-on-one beatdown. Now the boy was looking forward to the day he fully controlled Jizo Mitama even more.
Rin, hehehe, my Rin. Don't sleep in the Divine Key anymore! Come out quickly, Master will take you to the temple fair to see the goldfish!
...