The full squad of Cocolia's orphanage might be completed soon…
What am I thinking?!
…
I can vividly recall the time my mind blanked out. I thought I could finish this mission while they are in separate bedrooms. I didn't expect Bronya to come to Sin's room by herself.
Looking at the two women beside me, it felt surreal. One is desolate and petite. The other is plump and supple. The contrasting figures of Bronya and Sin gave a different kind of contrast.
This made me remember Cocolia.
Back then, she was imprisoned by Anti-Entropy. In consideration of Earth's future development, she was sentenced with two hundred years in prison. Seele and Veliona gave her different kinds of life-extension pills, allowing her to live up until now. It's not that difficult with our current capabilities.
When the time comes, I can bring it up to them. It's up to them on whether we should release Cocolia or not.
A poking sensation appeared on my waist. I looked down and saw it was Sin. Her heterochromatic eyes looked up and met my gaze.
"Mn. Let's do it."
"What's it?" I asked.
"Synchronization."
"Of?"
Her blush deepened with each teasing I dealt with. It was as if we hadn't spent all those nights together.
"I am kidding. Should we do it now? We might disturb Bronya."
"Hn…"
Sin glanced at the sleeping Bronya. Her fluffy rabbits pressed themselves against my left arm. She used it as a body pillow, going as far as to clamp my arm with her legs. It is enough to awaken my sleeping dragon.
Sin saw it grow taller, her blush deepening further.
"I… I will take care of it… What Sister Bronya caused…"
*****
"You don't need anything else?"
"Yes. The formation will suffice."
Bronya dressed up in an oversized white t-shirt. Her huge pair of breasts could not be hidden by it. Sin Mal, on the other hand, sat on the edge of the bed without wearing anything. She shifted her sitting position sideways, meeting Shi Tian's gaze.
"Let's do it."
"Um."
She handed out her palms to him. Seeing them, he gently held them.
It wasn't necessary, but for Sin Mal's sense of ritual (and affection), Shi Tian chose to carry on.
The spiritual connection between them grew. Five years of dual cultivation yielded great benefits. They could clearly feel the emotions between each other.
Shi Tian's teasing, interest, reciprocation of love, concern…
Sin Mal's bashfulness, extreme joy, obsessiveness…
The sheer satisfaction of this 'understanding' is another form of pleasure.
Beyond that, it was Sin Mal's eyes.
It exists beyond the scope of the Honkai. It is a pair of eyes that can glimpse at the soul itself. Sin Mal once saw through Seele's hidden darkness. She thought it was Veliona at work, but no. It was Seele.
It was proven with Seele's seven hundred years of time loop. She turned out to be an obsessive yandere because she has that potential in her. It was through these eyes that Sin Mal saw Shi Tian's brilliance.
Now, he saw it too.
…
'The golden orb. What did it see in me?'
Over his long life, Shi Tian hadn't forgotten. The greatest reliance he has to overturn the story of Honkai Impact was the golden orb. It is the core of the immortal cultivation he spread.
Even, he can boldly surmise that the Dao that needs to be comprehended at the Dao Integration Realm will come from here.
The future projection that keeps appearing despite the anomaly of the Imaginary Tree's temporal dimension? It is also caused by this.
Why would a transcendent existence pay attention to someone like me?
Shi Tian saw a hint today.
'This is… me.'
The chaotic, ever-changing color flashed in his eyes. Instantly, it halted into a pure golden color. Chaos no longer remained. From then on, it remained a dazzling gold. An inviolable gold, one that never changes no matter what happens.
This is Shi Tian.
Click-!
Hum-!
One by one, strings appeared in his eyes. Endless strings tied themselves to his very being. Their intangible nature turned tangible in his fingertips.
Such is the Karmic Severance Sword.
'My nature… is being unchangeable. To remain true to oneself.' He sighed. 'I am a protagonist material from the get-go.'
Shi Tian did not exit this state. Instead, he set his sights to his Stigma Space. Prior to his breakthrough, he removed the 'Divine Sword' in his Stigma Space, all for this exact moment.
'I can try doing it now. Anchor my Tao Heart inside the Stigma Space… and induce its tendency to tear open an entrance to the temporal dimension.'
He went straight to it. He first re-inserted the Karmic Severance Sword to the Stigma Space. A part of his soul separated from him. Its excruciating pain made him frown.
The fragment of his soul carried a trace of his Karmic Severance Sword. It is the literal meaning of inserting one's Tao Heart to the Stigma Space.
Cling-!
Hum-!
It began to change. The core of the stigma space is the genetic information of the stigma awakened—of Shi Tian. It stopped at that. For it to grow, it requires a "status", the very same "status" a cultivator gains by stepping into the Divine Transformation Realm.
In this case, the fragment of his soul is the status.
It did not take long before Shi Tian sensed its upgrades.
'To grasp a Dao… or rather, a Path of this world.'
He felt its incompleteness. The surge of "status" of the stigma space brought an urge for it to 'connect' to the temporal realm. Only then can a real "Path" be stripped from this world.
Li Shushang's Pseudo-Formlessness works with a fake authority. It is merely a stripped off copy of a real authority. It couldn't even compare to 1% of the real authority. It can only affect Divine Laws at best.
Shi Tian remained still. A light gray slit appeared within the stigma space. The laws of time he had comprehended showed him what it was.
The temporal dimension, made tangible.
'The secrets veiled by Erudition and Remembrance…'
He decisively stepped inside. What greeted him was the cosmos. The pure pitch black was dotted with countless colorful stars.
Crack-!
Shi Tian turned around. He saw a "shattered glass".
'The Past.'
He determined what it was.
'Memories… Fuli?'
As if responding to his thoughts, the cracks spread out. The moment a glass shard "fell", the visage of the Aeon revealed THEMSELVES.
Shatter-!
Shi Tian's consciousness was set adrift…
*****
A/N: Alrighty. This is the beginning of the Amphoreus arc. Just a heads up, it will be separated into two arcs. One of them takes place now. The other will take place once Earth's imaginary barrier falls. All I can say is, it will be a crucial plot for Tian's "self-coronation".