"This is outrageous! Absolutely unacceptable! He went too far this time! I was just conducting regular combat training with Kiana in the training room! We weren't vandalizing property outside or playing pranks on anyone; it was completely normal training! How dare he treat me like this?!?"
During dinnertime in the living room, Senti paced back and forth near the sofa, still sporting a swollen red mark on his forehead. His anger flared, causing occasional stomps of frustration.
Fu Hua sat on the sofa, stroking the Book of Fuxi while watching Senti pace restlessly. She wanted to soothe him but wasn't sure where to begin.
Suddenly, Senti turned towards Fu Hua, pointing to his reddened forehead indignantly:
"Look for yourself! That guy definitely amplified the impact using gravity manipulation and even assaulted my mind brutally with erosion power! Are you kidding me? I didn't do anything wrong! Why would he treat me like this?"
"Look at this yourself! That guy definitely amplified the impact with gravity manipulation, and he even assaulted my mind with raw corrosive energy! Are you kidding me? I didn't do anything wrong! What gives him the right to treat me like that? Old Antique, Little Fuxi, say something—whose side are you on?!"
"Erm, well..." Fu Hua scratched her face, caught between conflicting emotions, unsure of what to say.
Meanwhile, the Book of Fuxi rummaged through its long sleeves and produced a large medicinal patch, which it handed to Senti.
"Here."
"Oh, thanks." Accepting the patch, Senti brushed aside her bangs and applied it to her forehead. Then she continued angrily demanding answers: "Make your stance clear already! This time, he's clearly the one causing trouble—it's not my fault! Humph!"
"Senti, I think we should just pretend nothing happened. After all, he is now the emperor; arguing with him won't get us anywhere."
"I'm not interested in arguing with him—I want to teach him some physics!"
"Sigh! You're being quite unreasonable here. Think about it, can you really beat him?"
The Book of Fuxi touched upon the fundamental reason behind Senti's plea for support—if she could have defeated Zeke, she would've sought retribution directly instead of asking their guardians to intervene.
Clearly, the Book of Fuxi was unwilling to intervene directly. With puffed cheeks, Senti's expectant red eyes locked onto Fu Hua's gaze.
"Well... umm... I think Zeke must have his reasons. Let's hear him out before taking any action, okay?"
"Aaargh!"
Seeing Fu Hua trying vaguely to smooth things over without addressing her concerns, the disappointed Senti stomped her feet in anger. Eventually, she collapsed on the ground, kicking and flailing like a petulant child throwing a tantrum.
This time, both the Book of Fuxi and Fu Hua recognized her genuine grievance, momentarily at a loss for how to stop her.
As the situation escalated, Kiana arrived just then. She approached, leaned down, and looked at Senti sprawled on the floor with a warm smile, extending a hand.
"What's going on here? Come on, get up. You're the mighty Red Kite Immortal; wouldn't you be laughed at if people saw this?"
"So what if I'm an immortal? Can't immortals seek justice too? Tell me yourself, what exactly is that Zeke guy up to? Why would he treat me like that for no reason? Does he think I'm easy to push around?!" Senti pointed emphatically at Kiana, raising her voice indignantly.
Kiana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, offering a remorseful smile. Then, clasping her hands together, she pleaded charmingly:
"Apologies, I'll speak for Zeke here—my sincerest regrets! You see, he thought I was pregnant just now, which got him quite excited. I promise to make it up to you; please don't be upset, Senti!"
"What?! Are you expecting a little one? Let me take a look!" With a swift leap, Senti's previous grievances vanished as she exclaimed loudly, reaching out to touch Kiana's belly.
Her shout instantly captured everyone's attention, leading to a flurry of exclamations.
"Big Sister Kiana is pregnant?!"
"They're having a child?!"
"A baby for Big Bro Zeke!"
"Grrr, Sin should have been the first to get pregnant—I can't believe this!"
"Do we need to offer congratulations?"
"Red red red bean rice! We must prepare red bean rice!"
"Hold on, what gift should we give?"
The chatter filled the air.
Kiana hadn't anticipated such explosive reactions causing chaos throughout the gathering. She quickly clapped her hands forcefully to regain attention.
"Clap! Clap!"
"Everyone, listen up—it's just a misunderstanding. I'm not pregnant, so don't jump to conclusions... And Senti, stop touching me already, I've told you there's no baby!" Kiana gently swatted away Senti's hand, rolling her eyes helplessly.
Senti rubbed his reddening hand, visibly crestfallen as if he had lost a cherished toy. He muttered to himself,
"Her belly is flat and soft... It seems there really isn't... Well, never mind then, it's not true after all..."
Why do you care so much about whether I'm pregnant or not? Are you thinking that even if you can't beat Zeke, you could still take on his child? Kiana's lips twitched, unable to fathom Senti's intentions. As she observed the various gazes directed her way from across the room, she sighed heavily, resting her forehead in her palm.
Clarifying this misunderstanding would likely require some effort.
As Zeke efficiently wrapped up some official duties and entered the living room, all eyes instinctively turned towards him.
"What's going on?" Zeke calmly queried, returning their gazes with icy blue eyes devoid of any discomfort or embarrassment.
"It's about the pregnancy thing; I just finished explaining it to them!" Kiana, holding a plate piled high with meat, explained helplessly.
Zeke nodded.
"Not pregnant yet, that's all. Let's eat."
With these words, Zeke stifled everyone's curiosity, took his seat at the central head position, and began dining as if nothing was amiss.
The phrase "not yet" carried a profound implication, causing several girls involuntarily to clench their hands and sparking wild speculations among many present.
After this peculiar dinner, Zeke summoned Otto, Kevin, and Fu Hua aside, leaving the rest for Kiana to handle amidst her mounting stress.
"Checkmate, my dear friend!"
In the emperor's palace, on a massive black-and-white chessboard, Zeke watched as Otto placed his king piece over Zeke's queen. Lifting his gaze to Otto, he remarked:
"This is a game of chess."
"C'mon, give me some credit! Look at how depleted my side is—it'd be too embarrassing to lose like this," Otto chuckled, pointing at his nearly empty half of the board.
Zeke remained silent, merely waving his hand to clear away the chess pieces.
Fu Hua rose from her seat nearby and busied herself with the exquisite tea set, swiftly pouring fragrant brews for all four individuals present.
Moments later, as they sipped their tea, Zeke began explaining:
"Based on the intelligence we've gathered so far, the connection between the Young Lady and Finality appears quite significant. The importance of investigating further goes without saying. My decision is for Otto to accompany me personally, to meet this enigmatic Young Lady whose origins and stance remain unclear."
"I'll go too!" × 2
Both Fu Hua and Kevin put down their cups simultaneously, speaking with determination and resolve.
Zeke pressed his cup to his lips and took a sip. "Ah, excellent tea... My arrangements have their own rationale. The extent of the Young Lady's abilities and allegiances remains unclear, introducing numerous uncertainties on this journey. I don't wish for our crucial combatants to risk such dangers. Otto's consciousness is akin to a spiderweb suspended within the mental realm; each strand extending outward represents a real-time connected backup of his consciousness across networks. Losing one instance may not be insignificant, but it wouldn't cause irreparable harm. As such, he is the most suitable piece for reconnaissance."
"As you say, my dear emperor!" A golden-haired maiden gracefully approached, waving her fan, and stood behind Otto. With a warm smile mirroring Otto's, she calmly observed everyone present.
At that moment, Kevin furrowed his brow.
Fu Hua shook her head and said, "Otto... Or should I say, Hera going along doesn't concern me much, but why must you take such risks, Zeke? Your importance far surpasses ours. Given the high uncertainty involved, it would be more appropriate for us to handle this mission!"
"No, my presence is essential. Firstly, the Young Lady's mastery of spatial manipulation far exceeds conventional methods. Even Cosmic Juggernaut and Kiana would be powerless against it. The only approach lies in tracing her origin from an informational standpoint and following that trail as data entities to potentially locate her whereabouts. Only I can accomplish this, and Otto might be the sole individual capable of keeping pace with me right now. Beyond us two, no one else can reach that place."
"But...but we still shouldn't let you take such risks!"
"This isn't a risk," Zeke calmly explained. "I've also mastered Otto's consciousness division and network technologies. By creating a tenuous connection, I'll extract a fragment of my consciousness, ensuring only this piece accompanies Hera. This minimizes potential losses significantly."
As he spoke, Zeke held out his hand, revealing a dazzling golden speck of light.
On the nearby floor, another version of Zeke gradually materialized. The golden dot floated towards this figure's forehead and merged within.
Soon, this second Zeke opened his serene ice-blue eyes.
He slowly raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, and said, "It works smoothly."
The original Zeke, seated on the imperial throne, nodded, then looked at everyone present and continued:
"To avoid any extreme scenarios affecting my and Otto's avatars, such as dangers spreading through our consciousness connection—Fu Hua, your task is to activate the Void Sword Divinity whenever needed and decisively sever the link between us and our avatars, just like how you severed Sirin's connection with the Will of Honkai years ago. Of course, this is for the most unlikely contingencies, merely a precautionary measure. Hopefully, there won't be such terrifying risks."
Given Fu Hua's ability to even disrupt the continuous flow of the Will of Honkai, entrusting her to ensure no danger reaches their true forms was the most suitable choice.
After a moment of hesitation, seeing Zeke's unwavering gaze, Fu Hua nodded reluctantly.
"Alright, I understand. Later, I'll retrieve my true form from Senti and stand ready to intervene at any time. You two can proceed once everything is set."
"Agreed." Zeke nodded.
Then, he turned towards Kevin and said, "As far as I know, you've faced the Final Herrscher head-on before. With various powers bolstering you, you achieved the remarkable feat of incapacitating Finality for twelve hours. In any case, your impression of Finality must be deeply ingrained. We're keeping you here to provide references, aiding us in confirming the Young Lady's identity. Additionally, if the Final Herrscher of this era has indeed appeared, it would be best for you to observe carefully and prepare to risk your life to expand on past victories."
"Alright... If possible, please call Su over as well; he can provide additional insights."
"Understood. You two prepare yourselves, and I'll wait here with Otto."
Zeke waved his hand, summoning a chessboard onto the table, clearly indicating his intention for another match.
Otto nodded eagerly and confidently moved a pawn, seizing the initiative.
Kevin and Fu Hua exited the palace together, leaving behind only Zeke and Otto to continue their conversation through the chessboard.