Nagami's calm, hyper-rational form during "post-ecstasy clarity mode," had left such a strong impression on Elysia that she instinctively stepped up her offensive charm as a countermeasure.
The casual arm wrapping around his shoulder… the subtle lean-in… the almost-embrace.
All of her action is very deliberate.
As a girl, she had complete confidence in her own beauty and allure.
Men are instinctively drawn to charming women, that's just biological reality.
Elysia refused to believe Nagami could remain perfectly rational forever.
As the pink-haired fairy and self-certified super idol, she was determined:
she would find a flaw in his personality—even if it took time.
Not because she wanted anything inappropriate from him.
But because someone this overwhelmingly powerful and calm was, quite frankly, terrifying.
Fire Moth's entire deal with Nagami was one-sided.
Even if beneficial now, if one day he demanded something from their souls…
No one would be able to stop him.
So even a little leverage… a sliver of control… would be something.
And Elysia was confident.
After all Kevin himself once fell prey to her charm! (…annoyed into submission, but close enough.)
Yet…
This situation was far from what she expected.
Fire Moth uniforms is designed by Elysia herself—followed the cosmic truth that asymmetry is beauty.
The side slits revealed just enough skin: elegance mixed with irresistible allure.
And now— a warm hand was resting right on that exposed skin.
Her waist, soft yet toned… smooth like jade…
The touch was undeniably—
'Oh no.'
"See? Elysia can rely on me for all sorts of things~"
Most men in "post-ecstasy clarity mode" would ignore a girl throwing herself at them.
But once they fall out of that state?
If she still dares to tease—
She better be ready for consequences.
Feeling the way her body stiffened in his arms, Nagami's smile remained gentle, warm…
His hand… did not stop roaming.
Honestly? If we're talking waists—
The heiress, true, and the "Sirin" Kiana all had curves that were national treasures.
Especially when judging waist-to-hip ratio…
It was definitely God-tier.
But Elysia is different…
Elysia stood frozen, mind blank.
What… just happened?
Who is this man?
Is this really the same calm, unshakable boy from before!?
Did Nagami mess up her soul during the memory-core work!?
From the side, Mobius who is now reverted into a petite form opened her snake-green eyes.
She blinked.
Then blinked again.
Because what she saw was Elysia clinging to Nagami… and his hand casually gliding across her bare waist.
This was the same guy whose gaze once resembled her in her coldest state—
And now he's doing… that?
Is he pretending?
But why would he?
Mobius narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"Hehe~ Well… thank you, Nagami…."
Elysia forced a stiff smile, turning her head to hide the growing red tint on her cheeks.
The warmth and tingling along her side made her squirm awkwardly as she tried to slip free.
What a disastrous defeat…
Her first experience with man, in fact!
"Oh come now—there's no need to be shy. Helping a girl as beautiful and brilliant as you is my absolute pleasure."
Nagami smiled lightly, placing one hand over his chest while tucking the other behind him, leaning in a formal bow.
"And of course, Dr. Mobius— I've actually been curious whether Herrschers and Fusion Warriors are biologically compatible. That sounds like a worthwhile experiment, don't you think?"
Maybe breaking out of "post-ecstasy clarity mode" sent all his suppressed impulses surging back at once… because Nagami was definitely on a chaos streak.
"..."
Mobius stared, completely thrown off by the 180-degree shift in personality.
This teasing, playful boy was… not the controlled researcher she'd spoken to before.
She took a deep breath and about to speak but she caught the golden-haired girl in his shadow.
Mobius narrowed her eyes again, this time with interest.
"Oh, I agree… But aren't you afraid your little girlfriend here might get jealous?"
Floating elegantly in her hovering seat, Mobius shifted—her pale legs crossing as her slim arms naturally linked around Nagami's arm.
She maintained the same innocent-yet-seductive appearance— the one Nagami was unusually gentle with before.
Nagami simply sighed inwardly. Dr. Mobius had completely misunderstood.
In that state, he acted like that toward everyone.
"Girlfriend? Do you mean Lumine?" he asked, raising a brow.
He felt something soft pressing into his arm — pleasantly distracting.
Not quite as… grand as little Seele despite both being still kid, but still impressively top-tier for her petite physique.
Nagami glanced at Mobius with a hint of amusement before following her gaze toward Lumine.
"Well, now I'm genuinely curious." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If a Herrscher and someone fused with Honkai beast genes were to reproduce… would there be genetic isolation between them?"
With a deadly serious expression that screamed science first, Lumine nodded enthusiastically.
"Doctor, please — you absolutely must research this!"
Her unexpected support rendered both Mobius and Elysia completely speechless.
Even Kevin gave Lumine a complicated look.
Paimon, on the other hand, still had no idea what was going on.
But after witnessing many bizarre situations… all she could think was:
'Lumine must have a deeper plan! Yes, definitely!'
In Paimon's eyes, Lumine would never let herself be the one who loses out.
"C-cough… ahem…" Mobius tried to regain her composure, voice trembling as she replied, "I… will think about it."
Honestly? If a Herrscher volunteered to be a test subject Mobius really… couldn't refuse.
She had run experiments on Herrscher bodies during the previous era, but corpses rapidly lost their unique properties.
And a specimen that precious? She'd only ever had one chance.
Nagami and Lumine both froze for a second.
Yep. That's exactly the kind of answer they expected from Mobius.
Nagami just shrugged and continued activating the rest of the memory modules one by one:
[Gold]
[Decimation]
[Setsuna]
[Bodhi]
"You can now manifest in the real world through these modified memory bodies," Nagami explained to the warriors who were examining their new forms with fascination.
"But this form consumes a lot of Honkai energy, and you can't replenish it yourselves. The advantage, however, is that it accelerates the repair of your souls."
He raised a hand to stop Su as the man tried to speak.
"Don't worry, I won't interfere with your decisions. I'll link your memory bodies to a specialized device. Until your full revival is complete, you must stay within a certain range of that device. Leave it… and you'll be forcibly teleported back."
Then Nagami pointed toward Lumine with a sly smile.
"If you have questions, just ask her. I'm sure you all have a lot to talk about besides the technical details."
"When Kevin finishes his Herrscher transformation, you can choose to stay with World Serpent or follow me. Take your time to think about it."
Having said his piece, Nagami turned toward a figure who had been waiting patiently.
"Let's go."
With a crisp snap of his fingers, a gate of Imaginary Space opened.
Performing the Herrscher transformation inside would minimize any disturbance to the outside world.
"Mm." Kevin nodded, calm and resolute.
He glanced down at the icy gemstone in his hand, exchanged one last look with the fusion warriors…
…and followed Nagami into the Imaginary Space.
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