To be honest, Nagami couldn't help but wonder just how much the Herrscher of Binding from the previous era had been holding back for humanity to win at all.
After all, her power to nullify or suppress Honkai energy was utterly absurd.
It wasn't just Honkai energy—any other form of energy was also weakened to varying degrees.
Even the electronics inside mechanical constructs would be affected.
At the "zero output" setting, she could even suppress the bioelectricity within living organisms.
Honkai energy sealed.
Tech powered by electricity disabled.
For normal humans, the moment they stepped into her barrier, their life functions would vanish along with their bioelectric signals.
Instant death.
Maybe fusion warriors could move freely inside the Divine Blessing Barrier for a short while... but without Honkai energy to fuel them, there wasn't much they could actually do. When their time ran out, they'd probably die all the same.
And yet, despite this terrifying advantage, the Herrscher of Binding had lost to humanity?
"The Anti-Herrscher, huh...? Maybe that name meant she betrayed the Honkai itself."
Surely, the Will of the Honkai had been played for a fool.
And what of the Divine Key forged from the Herrscher of Binding's core—Judah's Oath? How strong was this weapon, really?
In the Second Eruption, Theresa had used Judah to the point of nearly soloing a six-core pufferfish.
A six-core pufferfish, mind you!
Even its launcher alone, when boosted by Judah, could reach such absurd levels. And now... Nagami was wielding the real thing.
Even if Fu Hua equipped Yu Du Chen (Feather Dust), she wouldn't be able to cause him much trouble in direct combat—unless she fully reverted to her peak Fusion Warrior state.
Or maybe if she transformed into that terrifying Black Tiger Fu Hua, she'd stand a chance against Nagami armed with Judah.
Golden chains tightly bound her slender, pale legs.
These chains, designed to suppress Honkai energy, wound up along her inner thighs, looped beneath her arms, crossed over her chest, and locked her body in place.
The Shadow Knight Armor's particle jets had already vanished.
Her smooth, bare arms were forced behind her back, tightly restrained.
Her entire body was compelled to stand upright—back arched ever so slightly.
Because her God-Slaying Armor's Eclipse Mode had absorbed the black film layer, large stretches of soft, creamy skin were now exposed to the air.
Only certain critical areas remained guarded by dark armor plating.
The golden chains wrapped against her tender skin. Their special, intricate binding method unintentionally gave off a strangely... provocative feel.
Such a shame, though...
So flat.
Honestly, if this were any other girl, this scene would've been an instant censorship flag. But with Fu Hua... it somehow just didn't hit the mark.
Nagami sighed softly.
The gentle sound made Fu Hua stop struggling.
She raised her head, glaring upward at Nagami—perched casually atop Judah.
Their eyes locked; her clear, saintly blue-green gaze filled with quiet fury as she bit her lip hard.
"What... is the meaning of this?"
Completely bound, Fu Hua finally voiced her anger.
The sensation of those chains biting into her skin left her no room for resistance.
She could tell Nagami meant no real harm—if he had, Judah's zero-output Divine Blessing Field wouldn't have flickered away so quickly.
Still... that single second inside the Divine Blessing Barrier had left her utterly powerless.
Her Honkai energy gone.
The Shadow Knight Armor's support cut off.
And in a battle of this level... one second was enough to decide everything.
So this was the truth.
He'd captured her the instant the fight resumed.
Fu Hua struggled slightly but quickly gave up.
The Key of Restraint bound not only her body but the Honkai energy flowing within her.
With her energy locked away, her physical strength alone wasn't enough to break free.
And besides—she doubted this was Nagami going all out with the chains.
At least he meant no real harm... and a short moment of captivity wouldn't kill her.
Still—the way the chains wrapped around her made her frown deeply.
Something about this binding method felt oddly suggestive. But this was clearly not the time to be worrying about that.
"Ahem. Miss Hua"
Nagami leaned down, speaking in a thoughtful tone, his hand resting lightly on her soft, pale shoulder—ignoring the silky warmth beneath his palm.
"Honestly... I sincerely suggest you start eating more papaya and drinking more milk. Maybe—thanks to your special fusion warrior body—you'll actually develop a little bit more..."
Fu Hua tensed and clenched her fists again, trying once more to struggle free—but the Honkai energy within her was still like a stone sinking in water.
No response. No power.
"Who are you, really?"
Her voice trembled slightly with frustration.
She prayed this boy wasn't someone from her forgotten past—because if he was, she'd have to seriously question her own standards in choosing friends.
"Why does everyone always start with that line?" Nagami sighed, shaking his head. "Seriously though... did Otto send you here?"
With a crisp snap of his fingers, the chains binding Fu Hua suddenly melted away like a receding tide, flowing back into Judah's form.
The massive cross dissolved into shimmering blue particles and gently faded into nothingness.
As the restraints vanished, Fu Hua's instincts kicked in.
But she didn't attack again.
She knew the truth—right now, she wasn't a match for him.
Besides, the purpose of her probing strike had already been fulfilled.
With a graceful twist of her slender waist, Fu Hua spun mid-air and landed lightly on her feet—perfect form, as expected of the Red Kite Immortal.
"Maybe yes... maybe no. Testing you was also my choice," she replied, her expression turning serious as she looked at Nagami with conflicted eyes.
"Do you... know who I was... in the past?"
"Well... let's put it this way," Nagami smiled playfully. "I do know you—but only in a one-sided kind of way."
Nagami, to his credit, wasn't lying—at least not directly.
You didn't always need falsehoods to deceive someone; sometimes, all it took was withholding a bit of the truth to guide someone toward the conclusion you wanted them to reach.
"Oh, right—Hua, I've been thinking of rebuilding MOTH. Want in?"
The idea had just popped into his head, and seeing the opportunity, Nagami blurted it out without hesitation.
A new MOTH, made up entirely of Herrschers—wasn't that kind of badass?
In the future, they could band together and charge into the Honkai Impact 2 world to battle the Honkai itself.
A full-on Savior Squad. No notes. Absolutely flawless.
"What...? MOTH?"
The sudden spike in her voice carried a hint of confusion, and for once, Fu Hua didn't even flinch at the overly familiar nickname he used for her.
It was just that Nagami's topics jumped around way too much.
And honestly, Fu Hua had never been the best at following high-speed conversations.
In most cases, memories long forgotten are hard to retrieve.
But Fu Hua had once used Yu Du Chen to restore the Taixu Sword Heart and unleash the Taixu Sword God—a feat that required immense power.
The catch?
Using that key came with a nasty side effect: it burned away memories.
Thankfully, the burn wasn't completely uncontrollable.
As its wielder, she could exert some influence over which memories stayed or went.
With some luck, she could spare important memories from being sacrificed.
The result, though, was a memory full of gaps and fragmentation.
And memories as important as MOTH?
Those weren't the kind that would be burned away so easily.
Faint, hazy images began to stir in her mind. Her emotions trembled ever so slightly.
But what made her truly uneasy... was this: Otto's intel on Nagami was flawless—so comprehensive it left no room for deception.
Unless someone had somehow used Yu Du Chen to alter the memories of everyone Nagami had ever met since childhood, his background couldn't be faked.
And yet… this boy knew about MOTH?
A term that shouldn't exist in his timeline at all?
'Could he really be a leftover trump card from the Previous Era...?'
"That's right! MOTH, baby!"
Nagami grinned at her, casually throwing an arm around her shoulder like they were old war buddies.
"Didn't you make a deal with Otto? You help him with some missions, and in return, Schicksal helps you protect Shenzhou. I'm not even gonna comment on how flawed that setup is. But if it's just protecting Shenzhou? I can do that too."
"You know about that too?" Fu Hua swatted his arm off her shoulder, frowning slightly.
That agreement with Otto was classified.
Besides the two of them, no one should've known about it. So how the hell did Nagami?
If his intel skills were that advanced... maybe it was possible he'd dug up something about the Previous Era too.
Which... made the theory that he came directly from the previous era seem less likely.
But then how did he know about MOTH?
"Ugh, don't sweat the details," Nagami rolled his eyes. "You really have a gift for missing the point."
Forcing a more serious expression onto his face, he cleared his throat.
"Allow me to introduce the current members of MOTH."
"Me—Nagami. Herrscher of Reason."
He held up a finger and pointed at himself.
Fu Hua looked thoroughly baffled.
"And the rest of the squad? Currently just the Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of Thunder."
He didn't dare mention the part about Kiana possibly being a proto-Finality Herrscher.
No need to accidentally give Fu Hua a heart attack—especially since that whole theory hadn't been confirmed yet anyway.
"But we've got plans! We're looking to recruit a flame candidate, an ice candidate, a death candidate—lots of potential! The future's looking bright!"
He paused, then raised an eyebrow.
"Eh? Hua, why do you look like you just saw the end of the world?"
Fu Hua's face was practically white at this point.
This new MOTH…
...was a nest full of Herrschers.