Rumble, rumble.
Hot water cascaded over his head, clearing the haze from his tired mind. Ryan ran a hand across his chest; only faint scars remained.
He'd gained a minor healing ability after destroying Śeṣa, so there was no need to risk another fusion.
Caution was second nature to Ryan. Without a full grasp of the Path's essence, everything remained mere mysticism. Unless the situation was truly desperate, there was no point in gambling his life.
"Attempting a second or third Hypervariable Factor after the first? That's a death wish."
Ryan stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, droplets of water sliding from his black hair down his shoulders. He knew about the Chimera Project, but why rush to become a test subject when the research had only just begun?
Besides, the Hypervariable Factor itself still had untapped potential—and the power drawn from a forced collapse was just as terrifying. This 『MANTIS』 path simply wasn't meant for him.
Pulling up a chair, he brewed a cup of coffee and settled in to review the documents spread across the table. After more than a month, his new identity had finally been approved.
CM002.
That was his designation now—official certification as the second High-tier 『MANTIS』. A small checkbox beside it read [Śeṣa] Judgment-Class.
The Fire Moth council had been livid. Two High-tier 『MANTIS』 operatives had appeared without their authorization. Mobius had claimed she was conducting "theoretical research" when she'd requested Śeṣa's remains.
It was unorthodox—achieved outside council supervision and at such a critical juncture. But there was nothing they could do. They couldn't compel Mobius or Ryan to confess. In the end, they begrudgingly accepted the results, demanding all surgical data as compensation.
'Aside from giving Mobius that glorious CM001 title, the only real benefit for me is that I no longer have to use my authority in secret.'
Ryan took a slow sip of coffee. Having fused with Śeṣa's genes, he'd gained dominion over Lightning. It made sense. He wasn't foolish enough to reveal the nature of his powers mid-battle.
More importantly, he'd discovered the key difference between Understanding and Fusion.
Mobius attained immortality.
He gained rapid regeneration.
'A flawed version, perhaps—or maybe my comprehension in that fleeting instant wasn't deep enough. A pity those 『Herrscher』 cores have gone inert. If they were still active, I would've fused every single one into my body.'
He set down his cup, opened a blank document, and began drafting a summary of his current status.
"Herrscher of Thunder's Authority. 1200HW 『Honkai Energy』 ceiling. Abilities: mental interference and rapid regeneration."
Given that it had been less than a year since leaving Chiba Academy, Ryan was more than satisfied. Humanity's combat capabilities were skyrocketing. Back in his academy days, he couldn't even defeat a low-tier 『MANTIS』.
After a moment's hesitation, he deleted the text and began typing again.
Fusion of Hypervariable Factor. 『Herrscher』 Authority. 『God Key』 integration. Raising 『Honkai Energy』 ceiling.
Ryan's gray eyes tracked each line as he typed, weighing every word. These were the four pillars of his path toward greater strength.
"Primary objective: first, push 『Honkai Energy』 to 2000HW—completely crossing the 『Herrscher』-class threshold. Only then consider applying Authority."
Even the finest skill was useless without sufficient Mana. After his clash with the 4th Herrscher and a thorough post-battle review, Ryan realized where the problem lay.
Had he been faster—had his strikes carried just a bit more destructive output—the 『Herrscher of Wind』 would've fallen long ago, never getting the chance to flee.
"It still boils down to raw power. But mere quantity can't trigger qualitative change. Otherwise, I'd already be tearing through the battlefield unchecked. That's the hardest part. Still… everything else is proceeding smoothly."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. He wasn't fighting this war alone—other fronts could cover his deficiencies.
The formation of their small faction had gone seamlessly, rising into a peak within Fire Moth's internal structure that even the higher-ups couldn't suppress.
"All thanks to the 4th Herrscher. As long as she's alive, these so-called geniuses won't sleep easy. They'll have no choice but to hold their noses and accept my terms—watching helplessly as my faction grows."
『Herrschers』 weren't only useful in death. Ryan had said it before: when it came to tactics, no one was more ruthless.
Thump, thump.
A knock on the door. Ryan closed the document in an instant, rose from his chair in his pajamas, and opened the door to find Klein standing there.
"Surgery's finished?"
"Yes. The first phase of the operation is complete. Miss Sakura has also regained consciousness." Klein swallowed hard, taking a steadying breath. "But… there was a minor complication."
An accident?
Ryan's heart tightened immediately. He despised accidents most of all. Becoming a 『MANTIS』 depended entirely on individual disposition—and there was no guarantee that would hold.
"Give me a minute."
He shut the door, changed quickly, slipped into a lab coat, and strode toward the operating room—moving fast, but without panic.
A minor accident, he reminded himself. If Sakura had truly died, Mobius would've called already.
His footsteps echoed down the sterile corridor. Within minutes, he reached the operating room.
Mobius stood by the entrance, hands buried in her pockets, pouting up at the overhead security camera.
The council had supplied the Honkai Beast's body—on the condition that they oversee the entire surgical process, monitoring Mobius's every move to ensure their selected recruits weren't senselessly killed in the process.
That was pure hypocrisy—judging a gentleman by their own petty standards. Ryan could still tell the difference between major and minor contradictions.
"How is it?"
"The operation went smoothly. Just a small, unexpected development. Here's the data."
Ryan took the thick stack of reports, covered in dense graphs and surgical notations. Sakura had been implanted with a Hypervariable Factor derived from the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, [Yaksha]. Mobius's craftsmanship was as precise as ever.
All three candidates recommended by the Fire Moth council had died, not one surviving. Their collective success rate hovered around twenty-four percent—statistically impressive, yet still a complete failure.
Sakura's success rate was thirty-six point seven percent—only slightly higher. It shouldn't have bothered him, yet it did.
"Low-intensity mutation? What exactly does that mean?"
"Exactly what it says. Don't tell me you've gone dull from oversleeping," Mobius muttered, stifling a yawn as she rubbed the corner of her eye. "No idea why, but lately I'm always sleepy. Anyway, I'm leaving this to you."
"Hey, you're the lead surgeon here."
Ryan turned, but Mobius was already gone—vanishing like a shadow. Each click of her heels carried her dozens of meters down the corridor, ghostlike in her retreat.
Tch. Showing off again.
What good was all that power if she refused to set foot on the battlefield?
Ryan exhaled sharply, opened the operating room door, and stepped inside.
A figure sat on the bed's edge, wrapped in a thin white sheet—Sakura. She was staring blankly at her own hands, lost in silence.
Under the fabric, two faint bumps were visible across her chest. Ryan gave her a quick glance, then turned his attention upward.
Even her head was covered by the sheet—but the shape beneath it was… unusual.
"Sakura, your head…"
Her cool expression faltered. For a moment, she seemed at a loss for words before mumbling, "The surgery… had a small accident."
"Let me take a look. It's fine."
"...Okay."
Sakura hesitated, clearly reluctant, but under Ryan's calm and steady gaze, she slowly lifted the sheet.
So it was a fixed genetic mutation.
Beneath the cloth was a pair of ears—soft, pink, and faintly twitching. They were slightly shorter than they'd been in the original timeline. The hypothesis had proven correct: staged injections resulted in reduced elongation. It made no real difference for Sakura, but for Kevin, the implications were enormous.
When Ryan had first met her, he'd felt as if something about her appearance was incomplete. Seeing those long, delicate ears now, he couldn't help but smile.
Yes—this completed her.
He stepped closer and gently prodded one of the ears with his fingertip. It twitched instantly, like a living thing. He tried again, and it darted away from his touch.
"P-Please… don't tease me…"
By the third poke, a soft voice reached his ears. Looking down, Ryan saw Sakura with her hands clasped over her chest, her face glowing red, her violet eyes shimmering with a faint mist.
Ryan froze for a moment. In his mind, Sakura had always been a cold, precise assassin—sharp, composed, and quietly gentle. He'd never seen her like this before. Still, he quickly gathered himself.
"These… donkey ears—are they purely decorative?"
"Yes, I mean… no. I don't know why, but when you touch them, I feel something strange." Sakura hesitated, then added, "Also, Dr. Mobius said they're fox ears."
Fox ears? That long?
Well, that wasn't the important part.
Ryan studied her expression, absently rubbing his chin as he observed the delicate twitching of her ears. "So… are you self-conscious about them?"
Sakura's face immediately fell. She pulled the sheet tighter around her chest.
"This is the price I pay. It's proof that I'm no longer human. I… I think I've become a monster."
So that was it. Not everyone shared Mobius's indifference toward humanity. The Purebloods, for instance, obsessed over preserving their lineage. Most people in this world still clung tightly to the idea of "pure" humanity.
Ryan thought back to the San Diego incident. He'd stopped the Honkai there, saving millions—yet the looks he received afterward still lingered in his memory: eyes filled not with gratitude, but with suspicion.
Were humans ungrateful? No. They simply rejected what was different. It was instinct.
"Are you worried those ears will make people shun you?" he asked quietly.
"A little," Sakura admitted. "But I'm more worried about Rin." Her voice trembled—the vulnerability of someone unaccustomed to showing fear.
"Don't worry," Ryan said gently. "No matter what happens, you'll always be her sister. Have a little faith in Rin."
He smiled softly, brushing a hand over her head. "And personally, I think those ears are… really cute."
"...Cute?"
Her long ears twitched again. She'd expected tolerance, maybe even indifference—but not that. Yet something in his gaze steadied her, made the tension in her shoulders ease.
"Thank you, Ryan. You really are a kind person."
Kind, huh.
Ryan didn't bother to correct her, though a faint, ironic smile curved his lips.
False kindness was nothing more than pretty words.True kindness was the ability to crush an enemy's skull—and still offer comfort to an ally afterward. The method was simple.
"Sakura," he said suddenly. "Get your sword and come with me."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"I said, bring your sword and follow me." Ryan's expression hardened, his hand closing into a fist.
"There's only one way to make you forget your insecurities—"
He lifted his clenched hand.
"—through the rush of power."