Following numerous attempts, "Fu Hua" found herself kneeling on the ground, utterly bewildered and questioning her abilities.
"It doesn't make sense..."
"Could it be that eating too much lately has made me sluggish...?"
"Or have I been neglecting my training...?"
"Honestly, how could I possibly lose to someone in martial arts...?"
Fu Hua squatted beside her, listening to these murmurs, and couldn't help but smile indulgently. She gently stroked "Fu Hua's" little head.
"How can an old relic like you be so strong?" "Fu Hua" turned, looking puzzled at Fu Hua.
Fu Hua gazed back with a warm smile, which gradually faded, transforming into a mix of complexity and heaviness.
"Old relic?"
The puzzled "Fu Hua" observed the change in Fu Hua's expression.
From those eyes filled with complex emotions, "Fu Hua" instinctively sensed something amiss. Struggling to force a smile, she hastily tried to lighten the mood: "Ah, um, why don't we call it a day? You look tired; you should come back soon, or else..."
"I know from my past diaries that I've attempted teaching martial arts by forcefully implanting training memories—yes, I have done such things before."
"Old antique, you..." began "Fu Hua," taken aback.
"However, acquiring martial cultivation through digested memories is challenging. Most of the time, these implanted memories conflict with the recipient's own, resulting in only a fraction—one percent at most—of martial experience successfully transferring.
To enhance this transmission's effectiveness, there's only one way: the recipient must relinquish their personality and memories, hypnotizing themselves into becoming me. Only then can they smoothly accept the cultivation memories and convert them into their own martial prowess.
Ideally, the recipient would fully identify as me, both internally and externally. This would enable nearly complete absorption of all martial arts memories, transforming them into personal martial cultivation. However, doing so means the recipient ceases to be themselves, instead becoming another version of me, distinct yet not truly me."
Fu Hua spoke slowly, her clear eyes reflecting "Fu Hua's" gradually shifting expression.
"Fu Hua" sat down, scratching her head with a forced calm demeanor.
"Why bother telling us what we already know?! Aiya, enough chitchat - hurry back here! Remember, you're just a consciousness backup; staying out there too long risks damage!"
"Listen to me," Fu Hua continued, undeterred. "Even if everything went perfectly as I described, achieving the most flawless memory transfer, the cultivation gained from memories is never truly honed through rigorous practice. There will always be slight discrepancies. Though imperceptible to others, these differences exist. A touch less strength, slightly slower chi circulation, marginally weaker vision and reaction speed... With every aspect being just off, when facing someone who has genuinely cultivated their martial skills, the disparity becomes unmistakably clear."
With a sigh, Fu Hua crouched, hugging her knees, and gazed gently at "Fu Hua."
Yet, "Fu Hua's" face suddenly turned pale.
"I...I don't want to hear this anymore. If you don't wish to return, then I'm going back to sleep!"
"You understand what I'm saying, don't you? I know you're very clever."
"Y-you... Ah! I've heard enough; I'm leaving!"
"You mentioned not remembering anything from those weeks you were unconscious, unsure why you lay there for so long. Now, I can return those memories to you," Fu Hua gently offered without any hint of coercion. Yet her words cornered "Fu Hua," leaving no escape.
"Fu Hua" clutched her head, hiding the shifting emotions on her face, and remained silent.
In the stillness, Fu Hua let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh—you're quite intelligent, so surely you must have noticed some inconsistencies, even if just slightly? For days now, I've been hesitating, but the truth eventually needs to be revealed, do you understand?"
"...I don't want to hear this; I'm going back to sleep!"
"You're already confronting this issue. I don't wish to force you, but truly, do you not want these memories?" Fu Hua extended her hand, holding a golden feather between her fingertips, presenting it before "Fu Hua."
Fu Hua froze.
"Fu Hua," similarly clutching her head, showed no reaction either.
After a long moment, Fu Hua couldn't bear forcing this straightforward and innocent child any further. She decided to retract the feather for now, intending to discuss it another day.
But suddenly, "Fu Hua" reached out and grabbed hold of the feather.
"Little Fuxi, Ji Lin, with the great battle imminent, I must project my Sun Divinity to protect Kiana. Please take care of my body while I'm away."
"Kiana, Void Sword Divinity, are you truly ready for this?"
"This is Kiana's Divine Essence? Excellent! Brilliant!"
"Kevin, Su... Long time no see. I never expected to encounter you again like this."
"Huh? My physical body ran away on its own??"
"What should I do now...? Let's observe first; even as a Herrscher, I mustn't rush into decisions."
The sequence of memories seamlessly merged with Fu Hua's own.
Her face drained completely of color, leaving her pale as death.
"No way... It can't be..."
"I am Fu Hua... I'm Fu Hua..."
"Old relic... this illusion... This joke isn't funny!" "Fu Hua" stammered, trembling, forcing out a smile and hoping to hear from Fu Hua that it was indeed just a prank.
But Fu Hua only gazed at her, reaching out gently to stroke her hair without providing the reassurance she desperately needed.
"Fu Hua's" pupils began to quiver, and suddenly, she turned—Kevin stood afar, expressionless, wielding the Greatsword of Destruction.
This sight pierced "Fu Hua's" sanity like a sharp dagger.
"Lying... You're lying... How could I possibly be a Herrscher? I am Fu Hua! I must defeat Honkai! I am Fu Hua!" She clutched her head tightly, her crimson eyes violently shaking. A surge of intense pain and chaos engulfed her mind, tearing at her rationality as if ripping apart her very soul.
"I'm not... I am... I am..."
"Calm down! Don't get agitated! It's alright! Everything is fine! Kevin just acted on his own; he didn't mean any harm..." Fu Hua hurriedly embraced "Fu Hua," trying to soothe her distress.
However, the destabilization of her identity unleashed the inherent madness, destruction, and bloodlust innate to Herrschers, overpowering rational restraint and gradually eroding "Fu Hua's" sanity inch by inch.
"You're all... lying to me!"
"Boom!"
As "Fu Hua" screamed, a dense black mist continuously surged from her body.
"Aghhh!"
With a crazed cry, "Fu Hua" struck out, piercing through Fu Hua's Soulium form with a single punch. The rampant Honkai Energy coursed through, tearing Fu Hua's entire body apart.
Watching her disintegrating figure, Fu Hua momentarily froze. Just before fading away completely, she managed a wry smile at the shocked and terrified "Fu Hua."
"The old relic!" This sight swallowed whatever remnants of reason "Fu Hua" had left.
In the distance, Kevin, constantly vigilant for any changes, furrowed his brow and swiftly bridged the vast expanse to stand before the stunned "Fu Hua," now engulfed by black mist.
Fortunately, he observed that Fu Hua's consciousness merely merged rapidly back into her body without causing further complications.
Kevin inwardly sighed with relief. Then, noticing "Fu Hua" staring blankly at her fist, he raised his sword, its blazing tip pointed directly at her.
"Choose: friend or foe?"
"Ahh—"
The response to Kevin was a shrill scream, no longer resembling human sound.
Subsequently, "Fu Hua" swung her greatsword, striking with immense force akin to a towering mountain.
"Boom!!!"