It had to be said, the moment Fuli truly understood Rita's intentions, his affection for her skyrocketed.
This was true despite the fact that the black-bellied maid had nearly taken his first blood in the previous timeline, and despite the "White Moon of London Incident" just a few days ago, where he'd been locked in a dark room and subjected to all sorts of unspeakable things.
He realized that beneath her scheming, teasing exterior, the two of them were essentially the same kind of person.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that the old Fuli had always held a certain prejudice against Rita. He had only ever seen her glamorous facade, consistently ignoring the tears and sweat she shed behind the scenes.
He couldn't really be blamed. For the maid whose creed was "perfection in all things," letting Master Fuli see her in a discomposed state was, in itself, a dereliction of duty.
She concealed it so well that she never revealed even a sliver of the vulnerability that makes a person so captivating.
"A one-in-five chance of success..."
Still, from Fuli's perspective, those odds really weren't that low.
His previous life hadn't been nearly as smooth as this one. Coupled with his unique brand of the Kaslana spirit—calm on the surface but secretly a meddler in others' affairs—he was constantly getting entangled, both voluntarily and involuntarily, in all sorts of thorny situations, each one a close shave.
While these events had blessed him with a bunch of troublemaking friends like Alice (Houraiji Kyuusyou) and Yunli, and setting aside the fact that the vast majority of them were women, the whole experience had generally been more trouble than it was worth. The fact that he'd survived until 2017 was pure luck.
Of course, just because Fuli didn't think a 20% success rate was low didn't mean he thought Rita Rossweisse was being dramatic for making this decision.
The anthem of humanity is the anthem of courage. Anyone who, knowing they might be walking to their death, still holds their head high and faces their fate, is a brave soul deserving of respect.
For a maid like this, Fuli felt he had to do something.
His first plan was to temporarily lend her Jizo Mitama.
That's right, the Divine Key.
Logically speaking, if the weapon could replicate Stigmata, it should surely be able to assist with an implantation.
[That's not possible, Host,] Dr. MEI hurriedly interjected, vetoing the proposal. She pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing.
The last thing she needed was for this kid to pull some disastrous, epic stunt where he ran off to Schicksal, only to get himself and the Divine Key detained.
She pushed up her glasses and explained,[The reason the Key of Corruption can replicate the highest-grade Stigmata is because the Previous Era's Dr. MEI inputted a mandatory program from the 'Project: Artificial Finality' into the Divine Key Casket. It activates automatically once the imprinting conditions are met.]
[Mandatory?]
The fact that he was the vessel for an artificial Herrscher of the End didn't surprise Fuli. Natural Stigmata were, in essence, imaginary databases created by Previous Era scientists to mimic Herrscher Cores, recording vast amounts of genetic information.
As the highest-grade Stigmata corresponding to the thirteen Herrschers, they were essentially man-made, inferior Herrscher Cores in the form of DNA. Anyone could guess what you'd get if you gathered them all.
[Correct, mandatory,]Dr. MEI nodded.[Regardless of whether the Herrscher consciousness within Jizo Mitama is willing or not, as soon as that program is activated, the Divine Key's performance is pushed to its absolute limit to complete the Stigmata replication as quickly as possible.]
[As an incomplete Divine Key, replicating a Stigmata requires an immense price,]Prometheus the cat added, peeking out. [This is one of the reasons the Herrscher consciousness within the Key of Corruption has yet to awaken.]
In other words, without the mandatory program driving it, Fuli wouldn't be able to use its power to help Rita unless he could unlock its Zeroth Power.
Hilariously, it was the exact same situation Durandal was in with Abyss Flower. Talk about a match made in heaven.
[I see...]
The boy scratched his cheek.
He had always suspected that the reason Rin hadn't woken up yet was because she despised him for utterly destroying her but was powerless to resist.
So, she'd simply steeled herself, closed her eyes, and pretended nothing was happening. By that logic, it was like he was toying with the beautiful Herrscher's body (the Divine Key itself) while she couldn't fight back, unlocking all sorts of 'positions' (power levels).
Turns out, the truth was that Rin was being so thoroughly over-exploited by him that she didn't even have the strength to open her eyelids.
—Crap! Why does that sound even lewder?
No! It was the fault of the woman in his arms!
This pure-yet-seductive beauty, usually so scheming and bewitching, was now acting all meek and fragile, clinging to his chest. Her moist eyes were veiled in mist, and her soft gasps were wrapped in warm breaths. She looked utterly captivating, ready to be plucked at a moment's notice. Who wouldn't have their mind wander in this situation?!
Having found a perfect excuse for his wicked thoughts, Fuli confidently flipped his hand over, producing a glass-sealed vial of medicine.
Knowing its effect, Prometheus was reluctant. [Host, is it worth it?]
[She was a comrade-in-arms, after all. And last time, I relied on her and her 'embrace of death' to defeat the enemy.]
The boy was just as reluctant, but he decisively handed the item over.
"Master Fuli?"
Pushed away gently, Rita looked up, dazed. Her fairy-like, exquisite features were arranged in an expression of clear confusion, which gave her a unique charm.
"Here, take it!"
Fuli unceremoniously shoved the vial into her arms, then quickly took a large step back as if afraid he'd change his mind.
Nearly half a month had passed since his last 10-pull. With the Finality Cordination system providing one single pull per week, he had accumulated two more chances.
The luck buff from meeting Pardofelis hadn't worn off yet. On top of that, Fuli had gone to his usual good luck charm, Kiana, for help. With the power of two lucky cats, he had, incredibly, pulled ultra-high-grade skills and items both times.
He'd set the other one aside for now. As for the one he'd just given Rita:
[Name: Hades' Lament for the Futility of True Medicine]
[Grade: A]
[Category: Item/Consumable]
[Effect: A true resurrection medicine that infringed upon the domain of the Underworld and angered the great god Zeus. Its ingredients include the blood of a Gorgon and high-purity divine power. It possesses the ability to fully resurrect a human or demigod from even the most absurd of conditions.]
[Remark: If there is no way to live, there is no fear of death. Only by not fearing death can one find life.]
That's right. This was the elixir of life created by Asclepius, the god of medicine in Greek mythology, son of the sun god Apollo, and the demigod hero who became the constellation Ophiuchus.
The medicine would have no effect on the Stigmata fusion itself. Its one and only ability was to resurrect Rita—restoring her to her optimal pre-death state—if she were to die from the failed implantation.
Whether that "optimal state" meant a perfectly fused Stigmata or her pre-implant state, Fuli didn't know; he'd never used the stuff. But considering it was an extremely precious A-grade consumable, it was unlikely to lead to the awkward predicament of reviving only to die again immediately from the conflict.
This was why Prometheus was so reluctant. In a critical moment, this thing was literally a second life.
However—
Sigh...
Watching the firm resolve in her foolish host's eyes, the little AI let out a soft sigh.
If anyone was to blame, it was Miss Kiana for engraving the Kaslana will into his very bones when he was a child. No matter how much he tried to consciously shake it, the mark would remain in his subconscious.
As for Dr. MEI, she had already been muted by both of them for her vehement protests.
As an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, Rita was not lacking in identification skills.
After reading the description of Hades' Lament, she looked up, about to speak.
"Don't say anything to shake my resolve."
Her thin, cherry-pink lips, slightly parted, were met by his raised index finger. Fuli deliberately put on a stern face.
"It took me a lot of effort to make this decision. If you don't want Uncle Alexander and Aunt Emily to mourn their daughter in their old age, you'll take this and go have your surgery."
He turned and walked two steps forward, then couldn't help but turn back and add fiercely, "And don't get any sappy ideas about repaying me. My only advice is to get through the surgery safely and then return it. Otherwise, don't blame me for raiding Schicksal and ransacking your home to cover my losses!"
In the days to come, whenever Rita recalled this moment—recalled the boy's feigned ferocity and the unconcealed worry in his eyes as he glanced back—the incandescent light would scatter like drifting willow catkins.
His eyes reflected the clear, faint light of the sky outside, so bright and brilliant it was as if they had peered into the bottom of her heart and illuminated a forgotten corner.
"Shake your resolve? Not at all."
The maid shook her head, and that bewitching, mysterious, and alluring smile returned to her devastatingly beautiful face.
She said playfully, "Rita was just thinking, if a little hug and a bit of whining can earn me such a wonderful gift as a resurrection potion, then if I were to go a step further, wouldn't I be able to—"
"Hey! Rita!"
Bianka's projection, which had been silent until now, slammed a hand on the table. "Don't make jokes like that!"
"Oh my? Lady Durandal, you're still here?"
As if just noticing the Palatinus Equinox's presence, the maid pressed a hand to her cheek in feigned surprise.
'I'm so sorry, Lady Durandal,' she thought, the warmth at the corner of her lips growing ever more radiant. 'But I, Rita, feel I really must fight for him just a little.'
...
Niflheim, one of Schicksal HQ's nine main floating islands, was home to the renowned St. 1504 Laboratory.
"Welcome back, Miss Trailblazing Lone Hero."
In a spacious room filled with all sorts of sci-fi equipment, a teasing voice accompanied approaching footsteps.
A tall, curvaceous, red-haired beauty wearing a monocle appeared before the returning Rita.
Elizabeth Nagamitsu McSmith, the seventeenth successor of the Nagamitsu name, and the lead supervisor for the Stigmata implantation surgery.
"It's been a while, Miss Nagamitsu."
The returned Rita calmly stood and bowed, her form-fitting silver suit outlining her infinitely beautiful figure.
From her posture, it was clear she was ready for the operation.
"To be honest, while Schicksal was indeed the first organization to conduct human research, in terms of individual achievement, we are far inferior to both Anti-Entropy's Mobius and that Dragon Maiden of the Taixuan Front."
Nagamitsu nonchalantly removed her gloves. "If we could have them perform your surgery, the success rate of the Stigmata fusion—well, it certainly wouldn't be a mere twenty percent."
"Schicksal would never expose a rare Concept-Interference Stigmata to a potential rival, nor would it allow one of its S-rank Valkyries to have a hidden backdoor installed during surgery, turning her into a time bomb that could be detonated at any moment," Rita responded rationally, earning a regretful nod from Nagamitsu.
All Stigmata, whether natural or the artificial ones Schicksal created based on them, could be broadly divided into three types:
The most numerous were the Body-Interference type, which modified and enhanced the physical body.
The second most common were the Natural-Interference type, which controlled and manipulated the environment and elements.
The rarest were the Concept-Interference type, which controlled and interfered with a specific concept.
Setting aside certain individuals with built-in protagonist plot armor (like Asakura Miyuki, who awakened the Deva path), under normal circumstances, the rarer the type, the greater its potential.
And the natural Stigmata, Lost Rosemary, which combined the traits of Illusion, the Underworld, Wither, and Lightning, was the very personification of the concept of "Witch."
"Let's just look forward to what you'll be like after you succeed," Nagamitsu said, putting on a surgical mask and looking at Rita on the operating table. "When that time comes, I'll design your new Valkyrie battlesuit, same as always. How about it?"
"No problem. Though this is the first I've heard that you're such a polymath, Miss Nagamitsu. Not only are you deeply involved in battlesuit design, particle physics, and quantum mechanics, but you also dabble in Stigmata... research..."
Rita's consciousness grew hazy as the anesthetic began to take effect.
"Dabble? Not at all," Nagamitsu said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You can tell by my pure tech-nerd look that I know absolutely nothing about Stigmata implantation."
"Huh?"
Rita's mind snapped back to sharp focus.
What?! You don't know anything and you're going to operate on me?!!
She forced her eyes wide open and saw Nagamitsu's teasing face, and beneath the surgical lights, the alluring figure of a woman with long, pale-golden hair.
The dazzling, sun-like hair cascaded naturally over her shoulders and back, the silky strands fanning out. Her bangs were neat and smooth, framing a face so beautiful it was almost demonic, its fragile beauty capable of capturing one's very soul.
"...Miss Ara?"
"Don't listen to her nonsense."
Dressed in a white lab coat, Ara didn't even spare Nagamitsu a glance as she floated over. "The one operating on you today is me."
Schicksal also had a top-tier doctor whose skills were not much inferior to Mobius's.
That was the man who had held the seat of Overseer for five hundred years, the man judged by the Key of Revelation to be the wisest—Otto Apocalypse.
As his alternate-universe counterpart, Ara was equally skilled in this field.
Seeing that Ara was the surgeon, Rita visibly relaxed.
"Then I'll be in your care."
She closed her eyes again, her thoughts rapidly blurring under the effect of the anesthetic.
"Oh, right," Ara said, as if just remembering something while putting on her sterile gloves. "Honkai energy is a power that possesses a partially idealistic nature. Even if something unexpected happens during the surgery, as long as you can hold firm to your convictions, it's not impossible to call forth a miracle."
"What... do you... mean?"
"Simply put, I want you to establish a belief."
Ara said, "Not some ideal like 'fighting for all that is beautiful in the world'—with your complex personality and experiences, you'd have to be a fool to believe that. I mean a more direct, more raw, and more concrete anchor."
"A desire so strong it will make you struggle even when you've fallen to the bottom of the abyss and see no hope. A desire so intense you won't give up even if your bones are crushed one by one."
She concluded, "Gluttony, Greed, Envy, Pride, even Wrath will do. As long as it can make you grit your teeth and invoke the idealistic nature of Honkai energy, with its help, there is a very high probability that the Lost Rosemary will fuse successfully."
Rita was silent for a long moment, her voice as thin as a thread.
"Lust..."
"What?"
"Lust... is that okay too?"
"No problem," Ara nodded.
"I understand."
The girl closed her eyes, and the two most important figures in her life slowly emerged in her mind.
—An extremely powerful desire, one involving those two.
—Then, it has to be this!
Rita stepped forward and, right in front of the golden-haired Valkyrie, maliciously embraced the handsome boy who was a head taller than her.
Standing on her tiptoes, she whispered in his ear:
[After the surgery is a success, while Lady Durandal is out working, I will invite you to her home.]
[After dinner, I will bathe with you, Master Fuli.]
[And after our bath, in Lady Durandal's bedroom, on her bed, I will do the deed with you to my heart's content.]
[I will make you feel several times more pleasure than you do with Lady Durandal, and I will respond to you with moans of pleasure several times louder than hers.]
[It's a promise!]
...