With that, the preliminary arena matches of the Luminary Wardance Ceremony basically came to a close.
What's that? How did Yuno's battle go?
That girl was so worried about her best friend's condition after seeing her use a life-burning move like One-Inch Punch: World Opener that the moment the referee gave the signal, she instantly ended her opponent with a move jokingly called the "Three-North Shelter Forest Jutsu"—basically Deep Forest Emergence.
Without wasting a second, she sprinted all the way back to the waiting room, shoving the door open with a loud BANG! Her voice was filled with undisguised panic:
"Miyuki!"
"Here!"
The 'Bocchi' who had been sitting quietly on the sofa jumped up with a start.
Looking at her current state—rosy cheeks, clear eyes, steady breathing—there wasn't a trace of the dying, battered girl from the arena.
Fuli waved his hand casually from the side, his tone relaxed. "Don't worry, the treatment here is professional."
Not only had he used the Setsuna Blade: Obscured Moon of the Death Form on her, but just to be safe, he had specifically fed the little girl a drop of Level-3 concentrated 'Fuli Essence'.
The name sounded a bit wicked and easily led people's minds down the gutter to certain white porridge tropes.
But in reality, it was a recovery potion made by Mei, who diluted Fuli's bathwater in strict proportions and combined it with her research on the Life Equation. It contained incredibly pure life energy.
Just a dozen milliliters were enough to fully heal—within minutes—severe internal and external trauma, missing limbs, deep-seated toxins, and various incurable diseases.
It was standard issue for Hyperion members to carry 500ml at a time. Once used up, they could just go to the Massive Electric Corp to get a refill.
"Phew, that's good..."
Seeing her best friend was unharmed, Yuno let out a visibly relieved sigh.
Immediately after, she put on a stern face, her voice laced with lingering fear and reprimand. "I still think crushing that Status Restoration Badge was way too reckless!"
She had seen it with her own eyes earlier. A challenger in the arena next door had been beaten within an inch of his life by an ancient Heroic Spirit. But the moment the referee activated the badge, he jumped up full of energy, ready for round two, completely forgetting he had even lost.
Yes, the badge restored the user to the state they were in when the 'save file' was created, which naturally included rewinding their memories.
Hm?
Yuno suddenly realized something and looked at Miyuki Asakura in surprise. "Wait... did you do it because of that?"
"Hehe."
The person in question scratched the back of her head sheepishly, giving a shy, soft smile.
For Miyuki Asakura, having finally broken free from the shadows of her past, she would rather lose honorably—or even die at Baiheng's hands—than revert to her cowardly, inferior old self!
"You idiot!"
Yuno felt a mix of heartache and annoyance. Taking a big step forward, she wrapped her arm around her friend's head without explanation and started aggressively ruffling her hair.
"Uwah! Yuno, gently! Gently!"
It had been quite a while since the morning battles. Fu Hua was no longer in the waiting room; as the Celestial Phoenix, she had some matters to attend to with the Luofu officials.
"But my cousin asked me to pass a message to you." Fuli cleared his throat, trying his best to imitate Hua's cool yet gentle tone. "'Excellent Edge of Taixu, Student Asakura. If you wish to further refine this path in the future, you are always welcome to come to Mount Taixu in Shenzhou for an exchange.'"
"Mhm."
The response was as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
Even with the encouragement from the Class Monitor, facing the boy she admired still made Miyuki feel shy and awkward.
"Cousin's message is delivered. Now it's my turn."
This scene naturally didn't escape Fuli's notice. His expression turned very serious. "I'm sorry. I didn't recognize who you were earlier."
It wasn't until Yuno rushed over to explain that he connected the girl in front of him with the memory of the disheveled upperclassman being bullied in that alley. Before that, his only impression of her was as the key figure who helped him turn the tide during the Third Eruption.
"No! No need to apologize!"
Unexpectedly, Miyuki's reaction was even more agitated and anxious than Fuli's.
Yuno felt a huge force from under her arm. Before she could react, she was thrown off balance by her friend's subconscious struggle to break free.
What the heck? Is this the legendary 'bros before hoes'—or rather, 'boys before besties'?
The girl felt a bit exasperated, but seeing her friend so full of energy, she was mostly happy for her.
Running up to Fuli, Miyuki began to stammer incoherently. "I-It's my fault! My hair and eye color are different from before... and even after returning to Nagazora City, I never worked up the courage to identify myself to you. I should have thanked you properly much sooner and more formally..."
She lowered her head dejectedly, her voice getting quieter and quieter, tears swirling in her eyes.
Pat!
At that moment, a pair of hands landed on her shoulders.
Fuli's smile was clean and warm, and his voice was gentler than ever before:
"But hey, you did great!"
Miyuki's eyes widened abruptly. The tears in her eyes fell like pearls dropping onto a jade plate.
A thousand words seemed to lose their weight in this moment. She raised her arm, wiping her tears with her sleeve, and returned a brilliant smile:
"Yes!"
Her waist-length hair spread out, like cherry blossoms dancing in the wind. It was so beautiful one would want to stop time in this moment forever.
Ah, the sour stench of youth~
Watching the whole scene, Himeko sighed with emotion. She felt a tiny bit annoyed deep down, but mostly, she wished the best for the young people's sincere feelings.
Wasn't the establishment of St. Freya Academy precisely to witness more hopeful and warm scenes like this?
Of course, after the small talk, it was time for business.
"Unfortunately, the Deva Path can only simulate biological characteristics that exist in nature."
Himeko swirled the Scalegorge spring water in her glass, her tone filled with regret. "If it could simulate Honkai beast organs inside the body too, our Little Miyuki would truly stand at the apex of the Honkaiverse pyramid."
"How could it be that easy!"
Fuli glanced sideways at the greedy older woman, casually popping open a can of Max Coffee.
He had spent so much effort cultivating the Peerless Nine turns just to generate nine types of Honkai beast organs, and this woman wanted a shortcut like that?
"Honkai energy really is miraculous."
Yuno, who had been cramming biology lately, sighed from the bottom of her heart. "Characteristics that take nature hundreds of thousands or even millions of years to evolve can be achieved in an instant with Honkai energy."
"The price is that one slip-up can turn you into a mental wreck or a maniac, or worse, make you lose your sense of self entirely," Himeko warned seriously. "You two little ones better not go astray chasing power blindly! Otherwise, your master here will not hesitate to don her armor, take up Godslayer: Surtr, and clean up the mess herself!"
"Yes!"
Yuno saluted with firm determination.
"Y... Yes!"
Miyuki felt a bit guilty. She had almost been seduced by the voice in her heart to go down the wrong path earlier.
Tch, clean up the mess? Would you really have the heart to? I'll treat you to roast duck and roast goose! Dipped in Mei-sauce!
As a reincarnator, Fuli muttered to himself.
Combining various intel he had gathered, he was basically certain:
The reason Murata Himeko fell in the previous timeline was absolutely to awaken Kiana, who was controlled by the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness.
These teachers always talked tougher than anyone, but the moment something happened to their students, they were always the first to charge in.
"Besides that."
Unaware that someone was secretly dissing her, the older woman spoke up again. "Little Miyuki, can the power of the Deva Path Stigmata be used on others now?"
"I haven't tried yet..."
The person in question answered timidly.
"Definitely!"
Yuno, on the other hand, seemed full of confidence.
She put her hands on her hips, wearing a mischievous grin as if she had seen through everything. "I bet Miyuki didn't even notice it herself. From just now until now, aside from stuttering nervously when facing a certain King of Hyperion who dominates the trending searches, she hasn't paused once when talking to us!"
Himeko raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You observed that closely?"
"Teacher..."
The girl looked at her speechlessly. "If you hadn't noticed that, why would you suddenly ask if Asakura could use her ability on others?"
"Don't use 'old' to refer to me! I'm only in my early twenties!"
Like a cat whose tail got stepped on by a passerby, Himeko hissed through gritted teeth.
Miyuki Asakura herself froze again.
Even the fact that I wasn't incoherent... they noticed that?
Recalling the voice that tried to lure her into depravity earlier, the guilt-ridden girl gritted her teeth and extended her hands toward her master and best friend.
This time, the milky-white glow symbolizing the power of Creation lit up in her palms.
The two targets immediately felt a warm current flowing through their limbs and bones, sweeping away the accumulated fatigue of the past few days.
"It worked?"
Staring at the light, Miyuki murmured, still somewhat in disbelief.
"It worked!"
"Hell yeah!"
"Hell yeah!"
Master and disciple high-fived vigorously, then high-fived Fuli who leaned in.
Himeko was so excited she jumped onto the table, grabbed a bottle of champagne, shook it hard, and popped it toward the ceiling.
The waiting room was instantly filled with a lively and cheerful atmosphere, everyone's face beaming with genuine smiles.
But soon, the older sister sensed something was off.
She tossed aside the empty champagne bottle, narrowed her eyes, and looked down condescendingly at Fuli, who was high-fiving Yuno in celebration.
"Little bro, it's one thing for us two to be happy, but what are you so gleeful about?"
"Better to share the joy than enjoy it alone!" The boy blinked his big, innocent eyes. "How does the saying go? Happiness shared is double the happiness. I'm just rejoicing with the people!"
"Is that so?"
Himeko remained noncommittal. "Now that the rejoicing is done, we at St. Freya need to have a small internal meeting to discuss the follow-up teaching plan. Respected King of Hyperion, shouldn't you go back to wherever you came from?"
"Sure, I won't disturb you then."
Fuli nodded, very naturally grabbed Miyuki's slender wrist, and started walking out of the waiting room.
"Stop right there!"
Now even Yuno realized something was wrong and quickly grabbed her friend's other arm.
Himeko snorted coldly. "I knew you were up to no good, kid. You're coveting our Little Miyuki's ability!"
She guessed absolutely right.
Fuli was genuinely craving it this time.
As the first person to experience the Deva Path's buff, he knew all too well how exhilarating it was to fight without worrying about consumption or injuries.
Not to mention Miyuki Asakura's immense potential. Honkai energy could indeed compress millions of years of evolution into an instant, and possessing the characteristics of an Ultimate Lifeform, wasn't she the same?
Just look at the battle with Baiheng. This girl's only issue was her mindset. Everything else, whether it was basic stats or combat literacy, was absolutely top-tier.
The most critical issue of mentality had been patched and sublimated earlier, and now the Deva Path's healing ability could be used on all teammates!
This was practically a perfect new member tailor-made for Hyperion!
The higher-ups have decided: you will be the team's Chief Healer!
Just imagine: a beautiful girl with cherry-blossom pink hair and eyes like the deep blue sea, sitting alone in a quiet infirmary.
When she leaned forward slightly, the curves looming in her neckline were gently outlined by the light. The pale pink nurse uniform hugged her slender waist, and beneath the hem of her skirt, her tight legs were wrapped in white stockings that revealed the luster of her skin.
The moment you pushed the door open, she looked up, her gaze rippling like water, a shy smile on her lips.
"You're here..."
The girl slowly approached you, her footsteps like feathers brushing past your ears, the air filled with a faint scent of cherry blossoms.
Her hair fell onto your shoulder as she asked softly, "Tell me, where does it hurt?"
Her breath was warm, carrying a sweet scent.
And those blue eyes gazed at you with unwavering focus, as if you were the only person in the world worthy of her tenderness.
——— I'm literally high right now!
Just looking at this mental image, Kiana's complaint about a certain Fuli being a creep wasn't baseless.
The only small problem was that Himeko wasn't having it.
"You brat!"
She jumped down from the table and immediately pinched Fuli's cheeks, pulling them to both sides. "This is the good disciple I spent half a year training day and night! I'm counting on her to take care of me in my old age! And you want to quietly abduct her? You want all the good things in the world for yourself, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
Yuno chimed in from the side, while pulling hard on Miyuki, who still hadn't fully grasped the situation, trying to drag her over.
It wasn't that she was dumb, but she had simply never imagined that one day she would be the object of such a tug-of-war.
"Aiya, isn't it just retirement care? I'll solve that for you, Sis."
Fuli said generously, "Whenever you retire from St. Freya, just come be a consultant on our ship. We'll serve you top-tier ingredients from Mount Taixu, ply you with all kinds of high-end wines, and guarantee you'll forget all those unpleasant things in three days!"
"Pfft, pfft, pfft! Who wants to go there!"
Himeko was unmoved. "Haven't you heard 'better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix'? I'm the powerful second-in-command at St. Freya Academy. Even if I retire, I'll be a respected behind-the-scenes boss. Why would I want to go to another place and start from scratch? Plus, I'd have to watch you young people being lovey-dovey all day. Do I look like someone who wants to torture myself?"
As for whether she could live to retirement?
Before, her body was eroded by Honkai energy because Little Miyuki couldn't heal others. Now that Little Miyuki could heal others, if she was still eroded by Honkai energy, wouldn't the Deva Path awakening be totally pointless?
Not to mention that Massive Electric Corp had started contacting St. Freya's medical department. Once the two sides cooperated, wouldn't healing technology advance by leaps and bounds?
Fuli thought about it and realized she was right.
But watching this piece of fat meat that was already at his mouth slip away, he was really unwilling.
"Ha! Take this!"
"A sneak attack? Watch my Monkey Steals the Peach!"
"Let go! Damn it, Black Tiger Steals the Heart!"
"Hehe, armor's too thick, you can't reach it!"
And so, the two of them started grappling and wrestling at the door of the waiting room with zero regard for their image.
For a moment, pieces of clothing flew everywhere, revealing flashes of skin—what a beautiful sight.
"Mr. Fuli! Master! Stop fighting!"
Both sides were dear to her. Miyuki watched anxiously but didn't know how to intervene.
"Eh! I have a plan!"
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Yuno suddenly had a stroke of brilliance. "How about St. Freya Academy and Hyperion just merge? That way, we can take turns using Asakura!"
W-What do you mean take turns using me?!
The person in question was dumbfounded.
"No, do all of you St. Freya people have designs on our Hyperion?"
Fuli struggled to free his neck from a pair of white thighs while venting his energy. "Before, Theresa kept whispering in my ear about merging every other day. Now you, Yuno, bring it up too? If you ask me, you should just take over as the next Principal of St. Freya."
"Eh! Speaking of that!"
Himeko found a gap to interject. "Theresa really does intend to take Little Yuno as her disciple. When she takes over as the Overseer of Schicksal in the future, the position of St. Freya's Principal might actually change hands."
One Wendy was enough for the stray gems. Or rather, it was precisely because of Wendy's fate that Theresa made such a decision.
Outsiders were never as close as one's own kin when it came to kids.
"Theresa? Can she really teach her well?"
Fuli held a suspicion of ten out of nine regarding this.
With that little radish head, if she got careless one day during sparring with Yuno and got taken down by odorless, colorless poison gas, then woke up angrily wanting a rematch only to be subdued by poison vines again... her dignity as a master would really be nonexistent.
Of course, these were just random thoughts from Fuli.
A dignified S-rank Valkyrie, a hero of the Second Eruption, the head of Schicksal's Far East Branch... how could such embarrassing things happen?
Impossible, impossible~
"An opening!"
Himeko had sharp eyes. Taking advantage of Fuli's distraction, she seized the opportunity, skillfully maneuvered her body, and successfully straddled the boy's waist, pinning him down.
Just as she was about to escalate the violence, a crisp ringtone rang out.
It was Fuli's phone.
He quickly made a timeout gesture and took it out to answer.
"Hello, which friend is this?"
The person who said this was Feixiao.
Even though she was the one who called.
She continued, "Sorry, I had a little to drink at the banquet just now. When I woke up, I found that the names in my contact list seemed to have all been changed by me, so I wanted to call and ask who you are."
Drunk again, huh.
Fuli had deep experience with the Three-No General's trait of going berserk after one cup.
He thought for a moment and deliberately lowered his voice. "Then what did you change my name to?"
Want to play a prank? This guy is super bad!
Yuno pointed and gestured, trying to lower a certain Fuli's glorious image in her best friend's mind.
Feixiao on the other end seemed a bit embarrassed. She scratched her cheek before saying, "Changed it to Ultraman Tiga."
Fuli was silent for a second, then said decisively, "Don't change it back."
"Not changing it back is fine, but you have to tell me who you actually are, right?"
"I am Ultraman Tiga."
"Dark Tiga is also Tiga."
Himeko, unable to watch anymore, rolled her eyes and interjected.
"Dark is fine too."
Fuli replied seriously.
"But Dark Tiga gets whipped by Camearra," Yuno said solemnly. "According to historical records, one of the main reasons Tiga betrayed the Dark Giants camp thirty million years ago was because Camearra liked using whips, and Tiga's skin in ancient times was black."
What kind of history is that? So wild?
As a fundamentalist who would lend light to the petrified Tiga in front of the TV, Miyuki Asakura was dumbfounded.
"That voice... is Instructor Murata Himeko from Schicksal's Far East Branch?"
Feixiao finally identified the relevant elements from the background noise.
She laughed and said, "I see, so it's Fu—mm, it's Ultraman Tiga. I understand."
"Yes, yes! That's it! Sister Dajie (Great Victory), you are absolutely correct! Extremely correct!"
Little Fuli immediately praised her highly, expressing great satisfaction with the fox girl's perceptiveness.
"Hehe, that's good." The voice continued, "By the way, since I've reached you guys, I'll mention that the first day's matches are basically over. Remember to have the two winning contestants go to the main arena to collect their rewards from Referee Yunli."
For the arena matches, defeating the opponent granted qualification for the main Wardance tournament; there was no need for layered promotion.
"Sure, we're heading over right now."
Himeko replied cheerfully, temporarily suspending her PVP with Fuli.
The four of them tidied up their appearances and walked together toward the designated award collection point.
---||---
Meanwhile, at the Yaoqing Delegation Headquarters—
"Hehe~"
In the corridor, Feixiao hung up the call. The tip of her brow, painted with crimson, elongated eyeshadow, lifted slightly. She seemed to be in a very good mood.
"You clearly recognized it was Brother Fuli the moment he opened his mouth on the phone, right?"
Jiaoqiu, following behind her, spread his hands, seemingly finding his leader's behavior a bit superfluous.
"You don't understand this, Jiaoqiu."
General Dajie smiled and said, "Cute boys are meant to be coaxed. Look, after this little episode, he's happy, I'm happy, everyone's in a good mood. Isn't that great?"
"..."
Strange. She's a veteran single dog just like me. Where on earth did she learn these little romance tricks?
Well, first rule out Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book).
Back on the Skysplitter, with their previous experience, Fuli's group quickly arrived at the main arena area.
At this moment, Yunli was sitting bored on the edge of the ring, a bright red tanghulu (candied hawthorn stick) hanging from her mouth.
Her dustless bare feet swung back and forth in the air, looking far more enticing than the tanghulu stained with a bit of crystal syrup and the girl's saliva.
Seeing them arrive, Yunli hopped down with a whoosh.
First, she glanced embarrassedly at Fuli, who was grinning at her, then took out two items emitting a faint glow.
"Specific instructions and usage methods are on them. The orb is Competitor Asakura's prize, and the bracelet is for the other person."
Clearly, this girl was still thinking about the girl whose appearance was similar to hers and whose name also contained a 'Li'—the mysterious old friend who made Fuli look sad when mentioned.
Feeling that she had poked someone's wound earlier, she found it hard to face him.