Let's set aside the sight of Anna curled up like a hamster on her bed for now. Aboard the Hyperion, speeding toward the border between Kazakhstan and Shenzhou—
"Strange, why'd she suddenly stop replying?"
Fuli stared at the silent screen, mulling it over for a long moment before concluding that he'd been a bit too forward.
An online friend was, after all, different from someone you'd actually met. Even with years of rapport, suddenly asking them for an investment was really overstepping his bounds.
Fufu So Cute: I was just kidding, lol, don't take me seriously!
Fufu So Cute: [Animated Sticker]
Tapping out two more messages to avoid any awkwardness, the boy put his phone down. With a look of utter disgust, he continued scrubbing his right index and middle fingers—the only two parts of his body that had engaged in an "in-depth interaction" with the Death Knight, Miss Ai.
As for what exactly had transpired within the Realm of Death?
Let's just put it this way: if a third party had been present to record the entire process and show the video to someone else, that person would grip their phone for dear life, terrified the contents might violate national sovereignty.
Fuli knew he should be objective, rise above his emotions, and look at the situation rationally.
For example: Einmaid had acted that way because she was being corrupted by Jizo Mitama, a Honkai Impact 3rd RB divine weapon; the thousand-year celibate Death Knight lineage, being subjected to such treatment by the opposite sex for the first time—and not with a gentle, gradual approach but with a "Partial Expansion Jutsu" that went from zero to a hundred instantly—had been overwhelmed by an unprecedented intensity, causing her to roll her eyes back and completely fall from grace; the ducal lady, who had been fiercely dominant her entire life, had taken a soul-searing punch to the gut from the burning Key of the Three Gods, causing her to awaken her inner 'female!' in the face of an invincible powerhouse's crushing might. (yapping!)
But as the victim, recalling the 'hideous' state of that woman in the throes of her catastrophic passion, Fuli simply couldn't remain objective.
"Ah Li, Ah Li!"
The sound of cheerful footsteps approached, and the boy, still diligently washing his fingers, felt a weight settle on his back.
He glanced up at the smart mirror in front of him and, as expected, saw a white-haired Tuna clinging to him with all four limbs, grinning foolishly.
"Hee hee~ What do you think? Do I look good?"
Her long, straight, silvery-white hair was adorned with an orange-trimmed, star-patterned hair clip. Her mismatched eyes—one dark gold, the other ice-blue—created a striking visual impact. Her black-and-white one-piece battlesuit was inlaid with dark alloy plates.
As she shifted, the tips of her hair and her star-printed cape fluttered in sync.
Her choice of a single gartered thigh-high stocking on one leg and a garter ring on the other left most of her slender, beautiful legs exposed.
The peaks beneath her white chestplate were not large, but they were perfectly proportioned to her slender figure—any more would be too much, any less too little. Their lovely curve trembled gently with each breath.
Kiana's new look immediately reminded Fuli of the Void ranger from the previous timeline.
The only difference was that, compared to the girl whose heart had been filled with a sorrow deeper than death back when he had cared for her, the smile on this girl's face was pure and adorable. She tilted her head and leaned in affectionately, the dimple on her right cheek like a small vortex of honey.
When she winked her left eye, her lashes fluttered, scattering a halo of golden light.
—Crap! It's a heart attack!
The huge Kiana-con, his heart pounding, frantically began to chant the Fudo Myo-o's Fire Realm Mantra, hoping the exorcism that could incinerate three thousand worlds would quell the stirring in his heart.
At the same time, he nonchalantly asked, "Why the new look? Was White Comet not good enough?"
He'd extracted the C-rank Purification Mantra and turned it into a Light Cone. Since their effects were similar and the Fire Realm Mantra's level was higher anyway, it was a good trade.
"White Comet is comfy, but it's a bit too form-fitting, you know!"
Kiana wrapped her arms around his neck affectionately, her long, toned legs winding around his waist as she swayed back and forth, showing no intention of getting down.
She said with a charming pout, "I don't want any man other than you to see me like that, Ah Li, so I asked Mei to modify my armor! Do I look good? Do I?"
Fudo Myo-o's Fire Realm Mantra: Epic Fail!
Dammit, why is this paramecium being so forward all of a sudden? Maintain some professional distance between employee and boss!
Fuli completely forgot about washing his hands.
But Kiana, her heart's burdens lifted, felt this wasn't nearly enough!
"Ah Li, Ah Li! I just took a nap. Guess what I dreamed about?"
"You dreamed about a middle-aged man with a TV for a head saying he was going to exterminate the entire 2D world, leaving no one behind?"
"Don't be a troll today!"
The girl clearly got the reference. "Listen, I dreamed I became Cupid from Greek mythology! Whoosh~"
[That's it! Go for it, human!]
Sirin, observing from the shadows, cheered her on. It seems the love advice she'd imparted—gleaned from eight thousand gal-games—hadn't been in vain!
Right now, I am the God of Conquests!
"Cupid?"
An image popped into Fuli's head: a tiny Kiana with white wings, holding a mini bow and arrow, and squeaking in a baby voice.
"Pew~ I'm gonna shoot through your heart~"
My... my maiden heart!
Then, as he clutched his chest, he heard Kiana continue, "In the dream, there was a man cowering in a corner, crying helplessly. He said, 'I'm still young, I don't want to be in a relationship! I have a mortgage and a used car loan to pay off, and I have to work overtime every day! Please, I have a younger brother, can't you go shoot him and that woman instead?'"
"'I'm sorry,' I said."
"And then I mercilessly drew my bow: 'But I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm Cupid.'"
"..."
"..."
The smiles on Fuli's and Sirin's faces vanished simultaneously.
Three seconds later—
[ARE YOU A PIG?! NO, EVEN A PIG HAS A BETTER BRAIN THAN YOU! IS THAT REALLY WHAT YOU SAY AT A TIME LIKE THIS?]
Sirin roared internally.
"You're so twisted! You're rotten to the core! Get away from me! My mom told me good kids shouldn't hang out with bad people!"
Fuli cried out, his heart aching.
"Eh? Huh?"
Kiana panicked. "B-But that's really what I dreamed!"
[You don't always have to tell the truth! Also, from now on, stay off TikTok and those other trashy apps!]
Life isn't easy, Sirin sighed. [...Whatever. Since you've already ruined the mood, we'll end this conquest attempt for now. Just interact with my servant (Fuli) normally. I'll go back and formulate the next plan to raise his affection level.]
[Oh... okay.]
The white-haired Tuna hesitated, then quickly regained her energy.[I'm counting on you, my other self! With the two of us working together, we'll definitely take Ah Li down!]
[Hmph.]
The Herrscher lifted her chin haughtily before vanishing from Kiana's perception.
Meanwhile, as Fuli was nursing his broken heart, BZZZT—
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out and saw two new income notifications.
The first was the final payment from Asta, but it was quickly transferred away by Bronya, their budget manager, into the organization's newly opened public account.
The other transfer, however, came from his online friend, Cairahcs. The note attached read: [Teacher Fufu! You can do it! ♡]
"She actually sent it."
The boy was deeply moved. The number of Crystals Cairahcs had sent couldn't compare to Asta's fortune, but this was an act of pure trust in him as a person, not a transaction for something like a Light Cone.
Wait a second! Crystals?
Checking the account again, Fuli confirmed that the transfer was indeed in Crystals, not US dollars, pounds, or any other real-world currency.
He felt that his theory (from Volume 3, Chapter 19)—[The reason Cairahcs went offline in the previous timeline was because she was a Valkyrie affiliated with Schicksal]—could now be confirmed.
I just wonder which one she is, he thought.
To be able to invest such a large sum so casually, she had to be more than just some B-rank or A-rank Valkyrie.
Speaking of which, the name Cairahcs... if you read it backward, it's almost like Scharia—
"Hellooo? 1-2-3? Testing, testing? 1-2-3?"
The voice calling by his ear broke his train of thought. He turned his head and met Kiana's sparkling eyes.
"We're rich now! When are we getting this month's salary?!"
The little girl lying on his back had clearly seen the transfer records on his screen too.
"Salary? What salary?"
Fuli was happy to tease his pet cat. "The Hyperion gives you a job, covers your room and board, and even provides an amazing training environment like the Fuli Well. And you still want a salary? You want to have your cake and eat it too, huh?"
"I don't care, I don't care! I want my salary, I want my salary!"
Kiana hopped down and started shaking his arm, whining. "It's been so long since I've secretly bought snacks! My VIP delivery service with Miss Sadako is about to expire!"
"Don't you even start about your snacks!"
Fuli flicked her forehead good-naturedly. "Last time, I wonder who it was that scarfed down so many that they skipped a proper meal, making Mei walk around with a dark cloud over her head for three whole days! The rest of us had to suffer too, you know!"
This was a Kaslana!
For a Kaslana to skip a proper meal, who knew how much the goofball had secretly stuffed herself with!
"Ah, well..."
Kiana looked around guiltily, muttering under her breath that her sister (Durandal) gave her so much pocket money it would be a waste not to spend it. By spending, she was stimulating the great cycle of the market economy!
With that thought, the girl's confidence returned.
Little did she know, given Bianka's personality, if she found out her little sister was eating snacks all day instead of proper meals, she'd probably drag her to the training grounds on Mount Taixuan and put her through hellish training until the bad habit was completely broken.
Hmm, a strict mother in a certain sense?
BZZZT—!
A light screen materialized in front of Fuli. On it, a chibi Kallen stared blankly. [KABEDON! Bianka Ataegina is requesting access to the Hyperion. Does the Great King permit it?]
Usually, when the AI took over like this, it meant Kallen had been dragged off by Mei to ME Corp for experiments related to the Chimera Project.
"What is this? Speak of the devil?"
Kiana scratched the back of her head, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "It's my sister! Ah Li, hurry up and let her in!"
"Hey, don't forget that if I lose the bet, she gets to drag me back to Schicksal HQ to be her sparring partner."
Fuli pointed a finger, chiding the girl for siding with an outsider. Just because Bianka was an upstanding person didn't mean she was on their side!
"Huh? That's a thing?"
The girl's blank look made it clear she had completely forgotten. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and clapped her hands. "It's fine! The treaty limits my sister to Critical-class power. As long as we do a righteous three-on-one battle, she won't be able to take you away even if you lose the bet!"
"I can't pretend I didn't hear that, Kiana."
A delicate, oval face with the pure beauty of a young maiden appeared before them. Her features were as if carved by the heavens themselves—bright teeth, enchanting eyes of a startlingly clear azure blue, and golden hair that shone like cascading sunlight.
Appearing before the two of them was the projection of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie.
"Ah!"
Caught red-handed, Kiana instantly turned into an ostrich, burying her head behind Fuli's back. With her little butt sticking out, she mumbled,
"Sister can't see me, sister can't see me..."
Bianka shot her a helpless look before crossing her arms. "Our meeting in London was too rushed, and the situation was too—"
Recalling Rita's beastly behavior toward the young Fuli back then, the girl's face flushed slightly. She cleared her throat. "In any case, congratulations on your partnership with Interastral Peace Corporation, which has solved the Hyperion's budget shortfall. Though personally, I find it quite a pity (she whispered)."
"Asta is a good woman," Fuli said with genuine feeling, unconsciously stroking the spot where the little heiress had bitten him.
[Hoping she'll bite you somewhere else next time?] came the voice of the ever-present, ambiguously smiling Dr. MEI.
[Oh, shut up!]he retorted fiercely in his mind.
"It's mainly because the Hyperion has demonstrated its value," said Bianka, oblivious to the mental exchange. "I have some dealings with Miss Asta. She is by no means a naive ditz who can be swayed by a few words."
"I'm sorry," Fuli said, feeling a little guilty. "I can't disclose the details right now."
The girl shook her head. "I understand. I would also feel uncomfortable if you casually revealed our agreements to others."
The two shared a look and a smile, their silent understanding making Kiana pout with displeasure.
The Palatinus Equinox's projection spoke again. "Aside from that, I regret to inform you that although it is time for our weekly spar, I must forfeit this time due to pressing matters."
"In exchange, I shall be taking Lady Durandal's place today, Master Fuli~"
The sound of elegant footsteps echoed down the empty corridor. A custom-tailored Dark Rose maid outfit perfectly accentuated the newcomer's enchanting curves. Her ample chest, slender legs, and tiny waist were flawlessly proportioned.
"R-R-R-Rita—!"
The boy froze in terror. The memory of nearly being eaten in the last timeline, combined with everything that had happened in London, came flooding back.
His PTSD flaring, he tried to duck behind Kiana, only to find that the paramecium had already made a grand escape while he was talking with Durandal.
"D-Dammit!"
His back pressed against the cold wall, Fuli shouted, "Miss Rita, open your eyes and look! I'm a galactic pretty boy now, a far cry from the shota version you like!"
"Rita is aware of that!"
The maid gracefully approached and fell gently into his embrace. A flower of exquisite beauty bloomed quietly, yet it was tinged with an undeniable fragility.
"Please don't resist," she whispered. "Just let me hold you for a little while... just a little while..."
Her wine-red eyes, framed by long lashes, were shaped like alluring almond blossoms. Within them hid determination and affection. The slight curl of her lips was impossibly languid. Her waterfall of hair added a touch of maturity.
No, her maturity needed no such embellishments. Every glance, every smile was an invitation, yet none could hide the faint sorrow that clouded her features.
Realizing something was wrong, the boy decisively looked at Bianka's projection. But what met his eyes was not the jealousy or surprise he'd seen in the past, but a pair of blue eyes brimming with melancholy and guilt.
[Rita... she's about to undergo the natural Stigmata implantation surgery,] the girl's low voice echoed in Fuli's mind. [They've already tested it. The compatibility is extremely low. The success rate is less than 20%.]
That's right. The implantation of a natural Stigmata also depended on compatibility.
At the end of the day, it wasn't a plug-and-play Light Cone; it was an extraordinary and incredibly precise genetic sequence, utterly different from a normal person's.
Implanting a completely foreign set of genes into another person's body could lead to organ mutation, metabolic disruption, and neurological damage—and those were the minor problems. A hypersensitivity reaction causing multiple organ failure or a collapse of immune tolerance could at least be managed with technology.
The real fear was the emergence of a novel condition with no precedent. In that case, not even the gods could save you.
If the Stigmata's owner willingly transferred it, the chances of an accident were greatly reduced with their cooperation.
But the natural Stigmata Schicksal had acquired was harvested from the dead.
Not only that, but this Stigmata, codenamed "Lost Rosemary," possessed the attributes of Illusion, Wither, and Lightning—all of which had extremely low compatibility with the ice-aspected Rita.
[What about Abyss Flower?]Fuli quickly asked.[Can't the Key of Creation handle it?]
[It can,]Bianka sighed. [But the problem is that the natural Stigmata's grade is too high, and it contains the 'Wither' attribute, which is troublesome as it specifically counters Creation. On top of that, Rita's own powerful resistance as a S-class (Critical) Valkyrie makes it even harder. To adjust her genetic map accordingly, the Divine Key would have to be unlocked to its Zeroth Power.]
Fuli frowned. As far as he knew, even three years from now, Durandal in her Palatinus Equinox form was still often seen meditating under a tree, communing with Abyss Flower. It was obvious she couldn't use it at that level now.
Otto could unlock the Zeroth Power of the Key of Creation using his imitation, Void Archives, but the copy was far inferior to the original, only reaching the level of the genuine key's First Power.
[That's why she came here... to say goodbye.]
After silently thinking those words, Fuli looked down at the maid curled up in his arms.
Gray-gold bangs hid the girl's eyes. Her slender fingertips traced his chest like a kitten's paw pads testing the water's warmth. Even her breathing carried the long, sweet rhythm of melting toffee.
The once bewitching and seductive Dark Rose was now as docile as a kitten.
Yet Fuli knew that Rita would never give up this chance.
Just as he himself had spent over half a year in the last timeline just to step into the world of the Honkai, the girl had her own convictions.
Rita Rossweisse was a genius who had become an S-rank Valkyrie at a young age. She would never resign herself to her future ending here, nor would she accept becoming a "common person who knows her place," a mere footnote in the stories of great figures.
Even if the chance of success was only one in five, even if failure would most likely mean death, she would cling desperately to this one and only opportunity to climb higher.
Bianka undoubtedly understood her childhood friend. Thus, despite her own worries, she hadn't tried to stop Rita.
All she could do was silently wish her friend luck in her dance with death, while trying her best to synchronize with Abyss Flower, striving to master the Divine Key's Zeroth Power before things became truly irreversible.`