"Talk about an opening bombshell."
Inside a luxurious, exclusive lounge aboard the Interastral Peace Corporation's designated spacecraft docked at the Luofu.
Topaz stared at the live broadcast of the Wardance on the holographic screen, so thoroughly shell-shocked that she completely forgot to sip the cocktail she had been holding to her lips for the past minute.
"What's wrong, little Jelena?"
An elegant, melodious female voice laced with a hint of indulgence chimed in. The purple-haired mature beauty sitting on the sofa opposite her smiled, her long, pale legs casually crossed.
"It's nothing, Madam Jade."
Topaz snapped out of her daze, her fingertips absently tracing the rim of her glass. "I was just thinking about how, a couple of days ago, I actually had the sheer honor of teaming up with the legendary Marshal of Taixu to hunt down those Fragmentum projections of the High-Cloud Quintet. I can't help but marvel at the bizarre arrangements of fate."
"Oh?" Jade raised an eyebrow, a flicker of keen interest in her eyes. "Then does our dear Director Topaz plan to leverage this connection for anything?"
"Absolutely not!" Topaz replied crisply, her eyes clear and unyielding.
She looked up, flashing a confident, bright smile at the senior executive who had single-handedly mentored her. "If my head was completely filled with schemes on how to exploit a serendipitous bond to extract personal profit from the Taixu Frontline, that would be the absolute lowest of the low!"
"Hehe. Little Jelena has really grown up~"
This scene wasn't exclusive to the IPC. Similar conversations were echoing through the core headquarters of Anti-Entropy, Britain, the Tavern of the Masked Fools, the Vatican, and countless other major factions.
The high-profile return of the Celestial Phoenix was like hurling a massive boulder into an already churning lake; the resulting ripples were expanding at an exponential, terrifying rate.
Meanwhile, on the Schicksal floating island headquarters suspended high above the Mediterranean Sea.
Inside the Overseer's office, a blonde man stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the rolling sea of clouds.
"Compared to a one-sided, wishful sacrifice... a mutual, two-way devotion truly is far more heart-stirring."
"Congratulations, old friend."
He raised a crystal goblet filled with sparkling amber liquid, toasting the dawn breaking in the distant east.
"A two-way devotion, huh~"
A lazy female voice with a drawn-out, teasing lilt suddenly drifted through the quiet office. The loyal secretary, Amber, standing by the Overseer's side, visibly stiffened.
The tragic history of Otto and Kallen was an open secret within the upper echelons of Schicksal. Many were well aware of the Overseer's agonizing, five-hundred-year-long unrequited love.
But knowing about it was one thing; daring to point it out so bluntly—and with such obvious mockery—made Amber wish she could spontaneously deploy to five different Honkai warzones just to escape the room.
But then again, the only person capable of infiltrating this heavily guarded office without triggering a single alarm—and the only one with the sheer audacity to utter those words—could only be her.
"Miss Ella." Amber sighed, her voice leaking the profound exhaustion of someone who had long since grown accustomed to the intruder's antics. "Please, refrain from appearing like a ghost next time."
"Sorry, sorry."
The utter lack of remorse in Ella's voice made Amber shake her head in defeat. Being the head secretary of this organization was getting harder by the day.
---||---
Back on the Luofu Xianzhou, inside the Skysplitter.
Fuli stood perfectly still, glaring at Mobius out of the corner of his eye. He complained in a thoroughly exasperated tone:
"Since you clearly knew all the intricate twists and turns behind this 'welcome ceremony,' why didn't you give me a heads-up? Do you have any idea how massive of a misunderstanding that caused?!"
Sometimes, the thing stabbing you in the back wasn't a knife. But honestly, the boy would have much preferred it to be a knife.
Thank god he had instinctively deployed the omniscient domain of the Cold River Reflects the Moon and uncovered the truth at the very last second. If he had actually drawn his sword and blindly charged the stage like a hero out for blood... just picturing that unimaginably humiliating scene made his face burn. He cringed so hard his toes could have excavated a three-bedroom apartment on the spot.
What was this equivalent to?
It was like a friend mysteriously messaging the group chat promising "massive VIP benefits." So, Fuli excitedly dragged the entire Hyperion family into the chat, rubbing his hands together to claim the loot.
And what were the "benefits"?
A 1.5TB zip file of completely uncensored Far East adult videos.
Noticing that Fuli's hostility had blunted slightly, Mobius finally sauntered back over with a sly, thoroughly pleased grin.
"Why didn't I tell you in advance? Naturally, because I wanted to witness my precious baby Li's adorable, panic-stricken face with my own two eyes~♪!"
"Fuck off! Stop copying my little great-aunt's verbal tics!"
"Waaah, baby Li is so heartless! Tossing me aside the second he's done using me!" The Snake instantly went into full drama-queen mode, collapsing to her knees and wiping away completely non-existent tears.
"But just as a side note, the main reason we kept you in the dark was because we were terrified the Celestial Phoenix might find out about the ceremony and shut it down," she explained, suddenly dropping the act. "'Given the Celestial's personality, if she knew the truth, she would absolutely refuse to let us mobilize such an absurd amount of manpower and resources just for her.' That was the general consensus."
"So even I became a security risk that needed to be managed?"
"Who told you two cousins to be practically glued at the hip? Better safe than sorry."
"Fine. What about you, then?" Fuli asked, crossing his arms. "Aside from playing the role of the bouncer to stop an impulsive idiot like me from ruining the surprise, what exactly was your part in all this?"
"Healing the Celestial, obviously," Mobius answered matter-of-factly. "The Taixu Frontline's biotechnology isn't advanced enough to completely eradicate the horrific, compounding injuries their ancestor has accumulated over five centuries. For a delicate, fate-defying procedure like this, naturally, they had to hire a professional."
"And so they found you?"
"It's not like they could go to Schicksal," Mobius scoffed. "God only knows what kind of extortionate, soul-binding price that deeply scheming Overseer would demand. Compared to him, I am merely a weak, pitiful, and utterly helpless Anti-Entropy Enforcer. To the Taixu Frontline, I'm clearly the safer, far more manageable option. Right?"
An Anti-Entropy Enforcer? Weak, pitiful, and helpless?
Her logic was so utterly flawless that Fuli genuinely had no words to rebut her.
"What was the price? Because I highly doubt the grand Infinite Serpent is the type to obediently follow orders just because she was mildly threatened."
"Who said that? Who said that?!" Mobius shrieked in mock outrage. "Baby Li, if you threatened to never kiss me, hug me, or lift me up ever again, I'd commit seppuku right in front of you! Do you believe me?!"
This woman was like a literal cheat engine that guaranteed an SSR every ten pulls!
It sounded completely mundane at first glance, but in normal scientific research, forget getting a 5-star result—there wasn't even a basic 4-star pity system! Compared to Mobius's insane output, even the stingiest gacha games looked downright charitable.
"Of course, aside from the compensation, it also helped that I have quite a bit of personal history with the upper echelons of the Taixu Frontline," the Snake winked at him. "Do you know Lingsha?"
"The name rings a bell."
The former Cauldron Master of the Luofu's Alchemy Commission; a brilliant, fiercely intelligent Vidyadhara healer. After stepping down to let Bailu take over, she was invited out of retirement by Situ Qinghong. She currently served as the deputy director of the Taixu Laboratory—a solidified member of the Taixu Frontline's absolute core circle.
Mobius smiled, a look of genuine nostalgia on her face. "She was one of my finest students."
Well, that explained it.
Fuli nodded, but then a glaring inconsistency suddenly struck him. "Hold on a minute. You have deep ties with the Taixu Frontline. Before this, you casually helped Tribios—a Schicksal Senate Elder—solve his soul-splitting issue. And behind the scenes, you're constantly tangled up in some messy dynamic with Madam Vill-V. Are you even an Anti-Entropy member at this point?!"
"You can't be so rigid in life! Joining Anti-Entropy doesn't mean I'm only allowed to interact with people inside the organization." Mobius spoke with absolute, unapologetic righteousness. "You have to make as many friends as possible. That way, when a catastrophic accident eventually happens, you'll always have an escape route."
Of course, the unspoken prerequisite to all of this was that you had to be overwhelmingly competent, so those 'friends' didn't just chew you up and spit you out.
"Anyone who manages to carve out a legendary name for themselves is an absolute menace," Fuli muttered under his breath. Then he raised an eyebrow. "Lingsha's teacher? Exactly how old are you this ye—Mmph?!"
"A question like that is entirely irrelevant! As long as the exterior is young, that's all that matters!"
Mobius aggressively withdrew the hand she had slapped over his mouth, arguing passionately. "You men only care about young, beautiful bodies anyway! And let me tell you, this Snake's skin is so tender you could squeeze water out of it! I am forever eighteen!"
"Being young and pretty isn't enough. The assets have to be massive too," the absolute fundamentalist of 'large tracts of land' emphasized solemnly. "So, did you really take a loss on this deal? You didn't demand any compensation at all?"
"Naturally, that's impossible."
Mobius ticked off her long, slender fingers one by one, listing them off like cherished family heirlooms. "Light-Dust Willow, Peerless, Clear Wind, Traceless Fall, and the Crimson Judgment in little Yanqing's hands that was used as the conduit for the healing energy... Setting aside the Ink-Stained Fragrance which already has a master, the other five Divine Keys of Domination passed down from the Seven Swords of Taixu are my payment for this transaction."
So she took the very weapons that once mutilated my cousin as the payment for healing her body and soul? Fuli mused silently.
"Speaking of which, baby Li."
The Snake shamelessly slithered into his personal space again, pressing against him. "I've heard a little rumor. Word on the street is that the great King of Hyperion possesses an utterly monstrous talent for destroying weapons. It's said that no matter how peerless or legendary a blade is, after a few days in your hands, it inexplicably snaps in half."
As soon as her words fell, five Divine Keys of vastly different shapes and designs—all radiating staggering auras of power, including the Crimson Judgment Yanqing had just wielded—materialized in the air around them, shimmering with breathtaking, iridescent light.
Her glossy, alluring lips parted slightly. The beauty exhaled a fragrant, intoxicating breath, whispering seductively, "How about it? Tempted? With all these Divine Keys combined, it should be enough to feed your destructive little habit for at least half a year, right?"
"Pass."
Fuli didn't bother hiding his absolute disgust. "Swords stained with my cousin's blood? Just looking at them makes my skin crawl. I have zero interest."
Besides, the Plasma Kagehide +12 in his hand—forged with the blood, sweat, and tears of Ryoma Raiden—was already ridiculously powerful. Its actual performance wasn't necessarily inferior to these mass-produced Divine Keys forged from the fractioned cores of the Herrscher of Domination.
His was a blade capable of freezing a Herrscher! (Source: Trust me bro).
"I see."
Hearing his answer, Mobius's eyes narrowed. An invisible but utterly overwhelming force abruptly coalesced in the air.
CRACK!
The five Divine Keys of Domination let out simultaneous, ear-piercing shrieks of agony. Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spidered across their blades. A millisecond later, they shattered into thousands of fragments, right on the verge of complete annihilation.
"Holy shit! Was that really necessary?!"
Fuli was genuinely shocked and hastily reached out to intervene. But he was half a step too late; all he managed to do was violently seize and contain the five Herrscher Cores that served as the power sources for the weapons.
"Didn't baby Li say he hated them?" Mobius tilted her head, putting on a flawless mask of innocent bewilderment. "Things you hate are an eyesore to me too. So I just conveniently took out the trash for you~"
Her attitude was so nonchalant she might as well have been tossing away a few crumpled napkins.
"...Tch."
Even knowing full well that this smiling, wicked woman was deliberately using this extreme method to aggressively farm his affection points... the boy found his opinion of her subtly improving just a tiny, microscopic bit.
No! Fuli! You have to stay vigilant! He warned himself internally. No matter what honeyed words this woman spouts next, you absolutely cannot fall for her traps again!
"As for your adorable, prematurely mature cousin," Mobius smoothly pivoted the topic, entirely unbothered. "Her current combat strength should have completely stabilized at the upper S-rank level."
"Wait, didn't you say she was completely healed?"
Ah, poor little Fuli. Completely and utterly manipulated by the bad woman.
"Physically, she is flawlessly healed. The issue lies here." Mobius raised a slender finger and tapped her own temple.
The Blade Mantra of the Edge of Taixu—or more accurately, the SWARA technology—initially functioned as a physical modification. But as one cultivated it to its highest depths, it profoundly altered and bound the practitioner's mind and spirit.
After all, Dr. MEI originally developed it based on the mantra of the Third Pioneer of the Fire Moth, Aponia.
Currently, Fu Hua's Blade Mantra remained shattered, preventing her from freely commanding her Eminence (Sword Ki). Furthermore, because the Blade Mantra was broken rather than completely excised, its lingering suppressive effects still throttled her biology, making it impossible for her to unleash her ultimate trump card: the Active Honkai Reaction (Artificial MANTIS form).
This level of combat power was elite among S-ranks, but it clearly fell short of her absolute peak.
To put it in terms the viewers beyond the screen would understand: It was exactly like the original timeline after the Herrscher of Sentience vacated Fu Hua's body, but before Fu Hua fought the awakened Li Sushang—a state where her inner demons hadn't yet been entirely purged.
"I see..."
Fuli nodded thoughtfully, a solemn look settling over his face. "Understood. It looks like curing my cousin's psychological blockages is a job only I can handle."
Wow, this guy really knows how to say the most arrogant things with a totally straight face.
As for the supposed issue of the Celestial Phoenix's identity being exposed, it wasn't a real problem. Fu Hua's primary theater of operations was the Origin World (Earth), which wasn't covered by the live broadcast of this Wardance Ceremony. There was no need for her to hide her face back home.
And even if she did need to hide, the Taixu Frontline had a mountain of convenient gadgets for that. Like the Abyssal Dark-Star Talisman Ella had given Fuli earlier.
With that trinket, as long as he didn't actively announce his identity or do anything flashy, anyone who looked at him would merely think, 'Wow, he's really handsome,' completely failing to connect him to the King of Hyperion who perpetually dominated the trending search algorithms.
Having completed her commission, Mobius cheerfully pocketed the five reclaimed Herrscher Cores of Domination, already calculating how to recycle the trash.
Maybe craft a few new biological weapons?
She had just managed to leech quite a bit of premium inspiration off her baby Li, so she was guaranteed a high-rarity drop this time!
---||---
After parting ways with Mobius—who sprinted toward the nearest laboratory with the terrifying urgency of a mad scientist on a high—Fuli walked alone down the long corridor leading back to the waiting room.
As his footsteps echoed, the boiling roar of the crowd, the cheers, and the endless discussions seemed to be blocked out by an invisible barrier, fading into the background.
His cousin definitely had an endless string of celebration banquets to attend right now. She needed to catch up with old friends from the Taixu Frontline, sharing the profound joy of a reunion that spanned centuries and crossed the boundaries of time and space.
As an outsider with no direct connection to that heavy, 5,000-year history, he knew he should be tactful and stay out of the way. He shouldn't interrupt their hard-won moment of reunion.
Despite knowing this, Fuli couldn't help but picture the scene inside the pocket dimension.
His cousin was surely standing in the absolute center of the most dazzling stage, surrounded by countless gazes of fierce reverence and burning adoration. She was probably raising a glass, chatting and laughing freely, her usually stoic face blooming with a rare, genuine, and deeply relieved smile.
Flowers, praise, sincere gratitude, glory, and warmth...
All of it rightfully belonged to her. It was the absolute highest honor a hero deserved—the final, triumphant chapter answering a millennia-long vigil.
Thinking of this, a wave of profound, heartfelt relief swelled in the boy's chest. Yet, intertwined with it was an inexplicable sense of restless melancholy.
It felt exactly like standing outside the glass window of a magnificent banquet. He could clearly see the brilliant lights inside; he could almost feel the searing warmth and smell the rich aroma of the food... but he remained forever separated by a layer of transparent glass.
The corridor was dead silent. Outside, clouds obscured the sun. The only thing keeping him company was his own shadow, stretched long and thin under the exit signs, allowing a quiet, hidden loneliness to quietly seep into his heart.
"Aren't you going to wait for me?"
The sudden, gentle question—like the clear meltwater of a snow-capped mountain flowing over river stones—instantly shattered the silence in Fuli's heart.
That voice?!
His footsteps slammed to a halt. He spun around in sheer disbelief.
In the interplay of light and shadow at the far end of the corridor, a young girl stood quietly.
Her snow-white hair reflected the vicissitudes of eternity, yet deep within her crimson eyes burned an inextinguishable, brilliant flame.
It was Fu Hua, fully restored to her true form as the Celestial Phoenix.
Seeing her younger cousin's eyes bulge out in an utterly adorkable expression of shock, the corners of the girl's lips curled upward. A shallow, breathtaking smile dramatically softened her usually cold features.
"Aren't you going to wait for me?" she repeated, a rare, teasing lilt dancing in her tone.
"N-No, wait!"
Fuli finally snapped out of his daze, waving his hands somewhat incoherently. "Cousin, shouldn't you... shouldn't you be out there, attending the massive celebration the Taixu Frontline threw for you? There are so many people cheering for you..."
"I've already seen all of it, haven't I?"
Fu Hua took a step forward, walking toward the boy at a calm, unhurried pace.
When she finally stopped right in front of him, she tilted her head up slightly to look at the boy who was now just a bit taller than her. A warm, gentle light flowed through her crimson eyes. "That scroll spanning five thousand years of history... while magnificent and awe-inspiring, is ultimately just the past."
"But my cute little cousin..."
She paused, her voice soft yet impossibly firm. "...is still out here, waiting all alone for his older cousin to come back to him."
"..."
A surge of overwhelming warmth exploded in Fuli's chest.
He opened his mouth, desperately wanting to say something else—to ask if her body was truly, completely healed, or to ask what her plans were now.
But right at that moment, without any warning, Fu Hua's face was illuminated in a blaze of gold.
Outside the massive observation windows lining the corridor, the heavy clouds that had blanketed the sky for miles were suddenly, quietly parted by a gust of wind arriving from nowhere.
The sun pushed its way through the gap. A dazzling, brilliant golden light pierced the glass like a celestial sword, bathing the young girl completely in its unreserved radiance.
The silhouette of a kite-bird soared past the window, flying parallel to her standing figure.
The sunlight traced the gentle curves of her unearthly, pristine face. In this single, transcendent moment, five thousand years of accumulated frost, blood, and sorrow melted away, leaving behind nothing but pure relief and absolute peace.
The scene was so unspeakably beautiful that Fuli almost couldn't believe such a perfect coincidence could exist. He genuinely suspected he was trapped in an Infinite Tsukuyomi illusion.
It wasn't until the girl in front of him opened her arms and pulled him into a warm embrace that he finally woke from the dream. He returned the hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her slender frame, burying his face into her broad chest.
Mhm. It was a reassuring flatness.
He closed his eyes, confirming that the warmth and the reality in front of him weren't an illusion.
And so, like a child who had finally found his way home, he held her just a little bit tighter.