Unbothered about the trouble Harry had found himself a few days ago after blowing up Aunt Marge in anger, the Headquarters of the White Serpent Pirates was glowing as if it was Christmas the next day.
This was a place within Darcie's Magical Suitcase, bloated to the size of a world using the Extension Charm.
A Bounded Field separated Darcie's library within the suitcase from the city-sized world, which also kept recasting the Charm to keep it from collapsing, meanwhile.
Within the Bounded Field, the White Serpent Tower stood, seemingly as tall as the sky. Surrounding it were huge, dome-shaped labs dedicated to numerous research. There was also a lake-sized pool, housing various low-grade Pokémon now.
Presently, blobs of golden light were bobbing up and down in the entire sky, which had darkened, giving it the appearance of a low-hanging starry sky.
The entire tower and the domes were covered in decorations.
Zombie Pokémon were rushing up and down the tower as they overworked.
And the entire responsibility of making the place look like a bride had fallen on Tina's shoulders.
But, for the first time after becoming His Majesty's slave, she didn't mind it at all.
Tina, Code Name: Old Sage, wasn't the same 13-year-old girl with height-age complex anymore.
In fact, she hardly believed that she was even a girl!
Not only had she become 14 years old this summer, but she had also… changed — all thanks to His Majesty's daring decision to genetically modify her, fusing her with… the Queen Xenomorph.
This fusion wasn't an ordinary modification, as in the case of Eloise, a storyline character from the Alien and Predator Bubble, either.
The Queen Xenomorph's DNA had already taken a magical turn even before it had been added to her.
The resulting fusion had not only imparted her the strength of a Queen Xenomorph, but even the System had formally accepted her Android status, immensely increasing her original Mana reserves.
Also, she had gained full command over the Xenomorphs under the Queen-level, no matter the Bubble. As long as she was stronger than the Queen Xenomorph of a brood, she could make the entire population of that brood hers.
Electric sparks crackled between the ends of the dorsal spines on Tina's back in excitement.
His Majesty didn't know that the experiment… that she had successfully reached completion, leaving the research lab.
Tina's Master, Morning Mist, wanted it to be a surprise for him.
"Why are you smiling?"
Tina's head snapped back and up, and she eyed Moraine.
She wiped the silly grin from her face, but kept her chin high. Not only was Tina half as tall as the woman in front of her, but also because she was stronger between the two, she believed.
"You think you are stronger than me?" Moraine asked, amused.
Tina didn't need to think that.
She knew she was stronger.
"… Cute…" Moraine reached down and pinched the girl's cheek.
Tina's fingers balled into fists.
She was NOT a little girl! She had the Inheritance of Touko Aozaki! She possessed a King Ghidorah Puppet! She had a mindscape of Mystic Eyes of Enchantments that only His Majesty had made a joke out of…
She had an expired Bounty of 360 million berries!
She was the Old Sage!
She was not… CUTE!
"Keep smiling," Moraine said, walking away.
"…?" Tina opened her eyes and found herself staring at the mirror-like floor, reflecting a girl with a silly smile on her face.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she began… crying.
…
"I am gonna marry her…" Red Sun began, eyeing Tina bawling on the floor.
Two fists came so fast and hit his face with so much strength that he couldn't even finish the sentence, getting sent flying before being plastered into the wall.
As the Top-level 11th Floor Contestant, with a bounty of 700 million berries, slid down, he whimpered. "… to my son…"
Meg harrumphed, Spawn's face donning a scowl next to her.
As Moraine walked up the stairs, she eyed Red Sun twitching against a broken wall that was repairing itself.
Then, she looked at Meg and Spawn, joining the two ladies. "… I don't even want to know."
Selena Hao, Code Name: Spawn, looked at Tina as the girl bawled downstairs. The Top-level 7th Floor Contestant, with a Bounty of 400 million berries, shook her head, trying not to think about her son.
Meg put a hand on her shoulder, guessing her thoughts. "Once His Majesty comes back," she discussed, "we are bound to get harsher Missions. Every time I get stronger… I always end up feeling like it wouldn't be enough."
Moraine's lips twitched. She had been thinking the same. She and Meg both had a bounty of 450 million berries, and both were Top-level Contestants. But where Moraine was on the 9th Floor, only a Mission away from reaching the 4th Set, Meg was still on the 8th Floor.
And that unnerved Moraine. She needed to up her game, advancing in her Elegant Breathing Art, if she wanted to keep an edge over the fallen Priestess. Otherwise…
Suddenly, Meg's eyes stirred, sensing a disturbance in the Bounded Field. "He's here!"
Her words rang loud and clear, making Red Sun and Tina snap themselves up.
All rushed out of the Tower and blurred, appearing in front of the blurry boundary of the Bounded Field.
Together, they kneeled.
Billion…
The word suddenly crawled up in their thoughts out of nowhere.
Two billion and three-hundred million…
Just what kind of adventures His Majesty must have experienced in the Fate timeline, for him to reach this level of strength…
All the members of the White Serpent Pirates were dying to know that.
A step tore through the boundary and landed in front of them.
It also gave them the tiniest hint to their curious question — a boundless magical might pressing on their shoulders.
Instantly, with Tina's one thought, thousands of fireworks littered the sky with joyous booms and sparkling lights.
"Oh…"
It was a surprised, amusing gasp.
Horror, from the depths of their heart, surged to the Contestants' heads, making their eyes go red.
As if hung in time, their heads slowly lifted, eying the figure.
Yes — this figure had slitted eyes, but they were green. Green was his hair, his robes, and the color of his Mana.
His hand was resting on a serpent-like staff, its fanged mouth open wide.
"… that's…" Herpo the Foul hissed, grinning. "… not the welcome I was expecting…"
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