"It all feels like a dream," Li Zihan mused, sitting in Ishtar's temple and reminiscing after familiarizing himself with the workings of the underworld.
Across from him sat Ling, rolling her eyes. She had been used as a tool yet again, kicked out of the Herrscher core once more.
"What's wrong? After getting another good girl into your bed, is there still something you're not satisfied with, or something you want to say?"
Ling had truly lost all hope for Li Zihan. She had watched him learn the authorities of the underworld, then shamelessly cling to Miss Ereshkigal, playing pitiful until her heart softened, and finally sleeping with her.
Is this guy really here to save the world?
Hey, hey, hey, where did that man go who, relying on an information advantage, forcibly integrated the three major organizations of the Honkai world and successfully snatched numerous Herrscher positions from the hands of the Honkai?
Although she was beaten soundly and had been used as a laborer ever since her capture, Ling had still admired the Li Zihan of that time.
After all, a person who could solve all problems with a smile before anyone else even realized there was an issue—wasn't that incredibly cool?
But...
Ling sighed as she looked at the scumbag before her. Last night, he had relied purely on his thick skin, holding the goddess of the underworld and proceeding in a sequence of "I'll just hug you... I'll just touch a little... I'll just take off some clothes... I'll just rub against you..." until he had slept with the goddess who had initially only agreed to a kiss and a hug.
Every sentence was a tactical maneuver. To achieve the final strategic objective, he employed tactical deception, lowered the target's vigilance, and laid a solid foundation for the next tactical action.
How had the brilliant genius of the past devolved into someone who now only obeys his 'Hunting' instinct, using sweet nothings to deceive innocent young maidens and then tumble into bed with them?
For some reason, Ling felt a little sentimental.
Still, his actions could be seen as consolidating his forces. After all, Ling recalled him saying that he would work with the goddess of the underworld to restrain the creator goddess once she fell into the underworld, and then use some kind of sword of binding words to seal Tiamat's authority to endlessly reshape her environment.
Although... his methods were a bit ridiculous, one thing was for sure: after this, as long as he asked, the mistress of the underworld would certainly assist him.
"No. From now on, I will face Tiamat alone."
Then, words that stunned Ling emerged from the mouth of Li Zihan, who had already obtained sovereignty over the underworld.
"From now on, the confrontation with Goetia and the reception of the Honkai's descent will only involve you, me, and Tiamat."
"Just the three of us?"
Ling, who Li Zihan was treating as his backup plan in case Tiamat couldn't brute-force Goetia's second Noble Phantasm—the Ars Paulina, the Temple of Time—stared with wide eyes.
"Do you think I could bear to let Bronya and Eresh and the others go onto the battlefield?"
A certain someone—who would have scored very high as a lover if not for his ridiculous Origin and attributes and his stubborn refusal to suppress his Chaotic Impulse—said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
His previous talk of bringing Eresh into the battle was purely because he felt he might not be able to 'conquer' her in a short time and thought fighting side-by-side could increase her affection.
Now... now that he could take her straight to bed, fight side-by-side my ass.
Clearly, the next thing to do was to solve this problem quickly, then go back to cuddling with the girls, and figure out a way to get Mei to forgive him.
Li Zihan thought to himself, estimating that among all the girls around him, Mei was probably the only one who couldn't accept the whole harem thing.
Besides... he had a feeling that if he gave Mei the training manual for Sea Tiger's Annihilation Fist, he probably wouldn't be able to defeat her.
After all...
Title: Hong Kong Manhua Powerhouse
Once equipped, this title cannot be removed. Equipping this title grants a bonus to Hong Kong manhua martial arts, a bonus to luck, a bonus to physique, the resilience of a cockroach, a bonus to internal energy cultivation...
Special Effect: The Greener, The Stronger.The wearer of this title will find their spouse's infidelity rate increased, their spouse's rate of being raped increased, and their spouse's probability of being killed increased. For every time the wearer is cuckolded, their internal energy and physique will be drastically enhanced.
The boy, who had always felt that Mei was a good girl and practically the perfect wife, but had let himself run wild and piled a heap of green hats on her head, let his gaze drift.
If that description was true, then Mei—who was already a master of electromagnetic fields and was naturally born with abilities that many Hong Kong manhua powerhouses only gain after cultivating to their absolute limit...
Whatever, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, he thought. If Mei really became that powerful, then he would just have to become even more powerful. As long as he could guarantee his own strength would forever surpass that of the girls around him, he wouldn't get the hatchet ending, right?
The boy, who would never take back a gift he had decided to give, no matter what happened next, thought resolutely. Besides, the System did say that once he completed the 'Guardian of Humanity' mission, it would help him find the power system that best suited him.
Once I find the power system that suits me best, there's no reason I'd lose to Mei, right?
With that thought, Li Zihan stood up naturally and stretched. To avoid getting beaten to a pulp by his intended wife in the future, it was time to get serious.
He waved his hand, and a gateway opened to the place where Gorgon, whose senses were connected to a certain degree with Tiamat's, was imprisoned.
"Alright, enough talk. Time to get to work."
The boy, now holding a Celtic treasure that could effortlessly pierce the defense of Kavacha and Kundala and inflict wounds that would never heal, grabbed Ling's slender wrist and stepped through the spatial gate.
And then—
As if heaven and earth had flipped, the boy appeared before the ferocious Demonic Beast Goddess, who was guarded by numerous Honkai beasts.
"Long time no see, Gorgon," the boy greeted the Demonic Beast Goddess, who was bound by the weapon known as the Chains of Heaven. He sounded enthusiastic.
"Are you well?"
"Thanks to you, I'm doing just fine," a weak voice replied. The tips of the Chains of Heaven, now imbued with the properties of the Oath of Judah, had pierced her body, completely incapacitating her. Gorgon's lowered head lifted slightly.
She stared at the wantonly arrogant hero, her eyes filled with nothing but venomous hatred.
"I was just thinking, could you change back into your small, cute form, like Ana?" the boy asked, as if joking. He once again took hold of the Chains of Heaven he had acquired after defeating Kingu and opened a gate to the underworld.
"If you do that, I don't mind taking a little more time to adjust the way I wake up Tiamat."
"Ana? That weak and cowardly version of me?" Gorgon, who had always known another version of herself existed in this world, felt the venom in her expression intensify.
"Heh, you might as well just kill me than ask me to become her."
"Well, then there's no helping it."
"As a pretty-face chaser, I guess I can't bring myself to show you mercy."
With startling ease, the boy, whose figure was utterly minuscule compared to Gorgon's, dragged her into the predetermined battlefield—the underworld.
Then, he plunged the soul-devouring sword into Gorgon's heart.