In the latter half of the 20th century, residents of the Far East waved their banknotes and aggressively purchased land in Latin American regions like Argentina and Brazil.
Whether driven by the inherent insecurity of an island nation sitting on colliding tectonic plates, or a conspiratorial plot to create a second homeland, the fact remained: the buyers continuously linked their lands together, eventually forming ecological niches similar to Chinatowns.
"Your drink."
"Thank you."
At a mobile Japanese stall on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, a handsome and composed middle-aged man accepted the warmed shochu from the owner.
The clear liquid swirled in the celadon cup before being drained in one hearty gulp.
Surprisingly, despite having all his subordinate forces seized by Cocolia and being imprisoned for months before escaping with the help of Einstein and others, Raiden Ryoma's mood wasn't terrible.
"Raiden Makka Pakka, Raiden Makka Pakka... Hmph, that Fuli brat has a wicked sense of humor."
Murmuring the name of the Herrscher that had repeatedly appeared in the recent Conservative Faction meeting, he filled the empty cup again.
Only when the red sun of dawn rose on the horizon did he prop himself up and run back to Anti-Entropy's hidden base nearby like a child.
He threw himself onto the bed, untied the Plasma Kagehide he always wore at his waist, and flung it aside with force, as if discarding something incredibly heavy.
Then, with a smile, he fell into a deep sleep.
...
Back in Nagazora City, Fuli—who had unknowingly gained the approval of his future father-in-law—ended his conversation with Cocolia.
He turned around, his hand casually reaching for his waist.
Only when he grasped empty air did he realize that 'Little March', which had been hanging there before, had long since vanished into smoke.
Time to get another handy weapon.
Pondering this, he couldn't help but miss the handy equipment he originally possessed, which was now slumbering somewhere unknown.
Before his rebirth in the previous loop, Fuli possessed two sets of weapons: one main and one backup. His main weapon was the prize for winning the sword challenge at the Shenzhou Luminary Wardance Ceremony—a full-spectrum combat weapon personally forged by Fairy Yunli, the head of the Flamewheel Octet who stood at the pinnacle of weapon refining at the tender age of twenty.
His secondary weapon was the PRI-ARM tachi, Plasma Kagehide, gifted by Mei after the 'lap pillow incident'. At the time, Mei had said with a serious face that this long blade was forged with her father's heart and blood, and at its maximum output, it could freeze even a Herrscher for an extremely brief instant!
Back then, Fuli thought the girl was joking and didn't pay it much mind, but after obtaining it, he discovered it could actually do it.
Thinking about it now, whether it was Plasma Kagehide or Genesis, both were actually prepared by Raiden Ryoma for the awakened Herrscher of Thunder.
No matter how powerful Genesis was, it was a ranged weapon; it had to hit the enemy to deal damage.
That was why Raiden Ryoma took on the role of restraining the Herrscher, wielding the Plasma Kagehide—specialized for binding—to maneuver and entangle the Herrscher, creating an opening for a one-hit kill.
Looking at its classification as a melee weapon, presumably, that guilt-ridden father intended to die together with the daughter-who-was-no-longer-his-daughter in that boundless artillery fire, journeying to the Yellow Springs together.
"Alright."
Thinking about these messy things, Fuli couldn't help but yawn again. "Time's up. Sleep, sleep."
Before long, the boy, who had spent most of the day dealing with Mei, Bronya, and Kiana, fell into a sweet slumber.
The late-night air was filled with a serene atmosphere, as if the whole world was sleeping, with only the breath of the night echoing gently in his ears.
Time ticked by. Suddenly, the vent in the room on the top floor of the tower was opened from the inside by a pair of small hands.
"Heave-ho~♪"
First to emerge was a pair of slender legs clad in patterned black boots.
She fumbled downwards, extending her reach, only to accidentally get stuck halfway.
"Ugh..."
Beautiful eyes of pink and blue looked down distressingly at the large mass compressed together by the vent at her chest. Elysia pouted, rarely complaining about her overly perfect development.
Shimmying up a bit, she took off her coat and shirt meant for warmth to reduce thickness, held her breath, and pushed down hard.
This time, she successfully broke free.
"Hehe, Miss Elf's big victory~♪!"
Landing on the ground, Elysia clenched her pink fists and cheered softly, but immediately covered her small mouth, looking nervously at Fuli who was sleeping like a log nearby.
Guehehe, didn't expect this, did you, Little Li? Grand-Auntie is here for a surprise night inspection!
What? You ask how she managed to bypass the layers of barriers in the ME Corp Park and arrive precisely at Fuli's room?
Hmph, a beautiful maiden's heart can do anything!
Triumphant, Elysia tiptoed over without making a sound.
Examining that handsome face, the girl nodded with satisfaction. "Even though I've seen him many times in my dreams, he really is a cute child."
"I heard about it from Little Miyuki. You worked hard in the battle earlier."
She bent down and slipped under the covers, gently pulling the boy into her embrace, letting him pillow his head on her chest as she hummed softly.
Under the girl's gentle soothing, Fuli's breathing gradually became long and steady, and his muscles—tense and ready for a sudden encounter at any moment—relaxed.
His cheek nuzzled vigorously against the two soft 'pillows'. After mumbling that they were more comfortable than Mei's thighs, he curled up like a shrimp and fell into the deepest sleep.
Question: Who was the first person to sleep in the same bed as Fuli after his rebirth?
It should be Mei, right? Since he already successfully romanced her.
It must be Durandal! The childhood friend promise is invincible!
Kiana, who holds the 'White Moonlight' title, surely has a fighting chance.
Huh? Grand-Auntie?
"You just mentioned... in a dream?"
"In a dream means—hm?"
Noticing a third party, the Elf Miss turned her head sideways and saw Prometheus floating in mid-air.
She tilted her head. "Um, are you also Little Li's girlfriend?"
"..."
This bizarre reflex arc caused the complex emotions in Prometheus's eyes to get stuck in her throat like an old complaint she couldn't spit out.
Her eyes flickered as she changed the subject. "Please tell me what happened in the dream."
"Oh, that."
Wow! This child didn't deny it!
The girl narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. Seeing Bronya-Prometheus becoming gradually irritable, she smiled slyly. "It was a dream I had before."
"In that dream, Little Li wasn't so eager to help me buy concert and plane tickets. Instead, he took a taxi to the airport to pick me up."
"Just as he picked me up, the Third Honkai Eruption broke out!"
She sighed faintly. "Seeing that so many people were about to suffer, and the aftershocks of the Great Eruption were spreading outside Nagazora City, a power suddenly surged within my body. In one breath, I inhaled all that Honkai energy!"
"As a result, the 'me' in the dream couldn't move! My injuries kept worsening, to the point where I was about to die!"
"But even in that terrible situation, Little Li in the dream never gave up on Grand-Auntie!"
Elysia said with heartache, "Even though he was covered in wounds himself, he tried so, so hard to carry me around, dodging attacks from countless monsters and zombies."
"Unfortunately, the 'me' in the dream ultimately couldn't control the rioting Honkai energy."
"Little Li still refused to give up. Even when he could have escaped, he insisted on running back, saying with a serious face that if we die, we die together!"
The girl sighed softly. "To let him leave safely, the 'me' in the dream could only use my last bit of strength to make him forget those unhappy past events."
Prometheus couldn't help but ask, "And after that?"
"After that, I woke up!"
This was the most important reason why Elysia had specially run to Nagazora City early.
There were some things she wanted to witness with her own eyes.
"Is that so..."
Hearing this, Prometheus exchanged a glance with Dr. MEI, who had appeared at some point.
"Resonance between fellow Elysias?"
"Perhaps that dream of hers was the Host's actual experience in Nagazora City during the previous loop."
The Gem of Conquest alone could only trigger a Great Eruption covering Nagazora City; this was a conclusion drawn from both theory and reality.
But Cocolia, who triggered the Great Eruption in the previous loop, didn't know that K423, who housed the Herrscher of the Void's core, was also in Nagazora City.
The Gem of Conquest originally belonged to the Herrscher of the Void. Once a Great Eruption was triggered using it as a focal point, it would be strange if a chain reaction didn't occur.
The Herrscher of the Void had already awakened once, four years ago.
Currently, she was still lurking within Kiana, ready to seize the body at any time.
Yet, even so, only Nagazora City suffered in the previous loop.
K423 was not only alive and kicking but even had the leisure to rush to the rooftop of Senba Academy to 'defeat' the Herrscher.
Why?
Because by a stroke of coincidence, the girl named Elysia arrived in the vicinity of Nagazora City on the eve of the Great Eruption.
Even though she hadn't awakened, her nature compelled her to recklessly accept the massive Imaginary Energy, forcibly suppressing the Great Eruption to cover only most of the city!
And as the price...
"As expected."
Dr. MEI looked complicated. "No matter which 'you' it is, it is still you."
Unawakened and Awakened are two different concepts, not to mention that it wasn't uncontrolled Honkai energy induced by herself.
Honkai beasts created by different Herrschers would fight each other; Honkai energy naturally behaved the same way.
"Hm?"
Not quite understanding, Elysia tilted her head. Just as she was about to ask something, a blush suddenly climbed up her pretty face.
"Little Li, Little Li, hurry up and let go of Miss Elf!"
The girl coquettishly leaned close to his ear to coax him. The sleep-addled boy obediently turned over, releasing the creamy, solidified soybean-like object (breast) he had just bitten onto.
Relieved, the Elf Miss looked up, immediately meeting the teasing gazes of the Moon Duo.
"I am Little Li's elder!"
She puffed out her cheeks, speaking plausibly, "Comforting a junior or something... can you not look at me with those dirty eyes?"
"Comforted him right into the blankets."
Whisper whisper.
"Seems like the favorability accumulated from the previous loop isn't low."
Whisper whisper x2.
Seeing the Elf Miss rarely about to bristle, Prometheus changed her tone.
"Your dream only lasted until the Third Eruption occurred. Do you want to know what happened after?"
Compared to other guys whose backgrounds were unclear, Elysia was undoubtedly someone they could pull to their side.
Because they reached a consensus, they specially revealed themselves.
Hearing that she could hear the story of what happened to Little Li afterward, Elysia immediately pricked up her ears.
Prometheus cleared her throat and recounted the bits and pieces she had heard from Fuli earlier.
As the narrative unfolded, Elysia's embrace of the boy became gentler, and her gaze upon him grew even more loving.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
While Fuli was 'sleeping under the same blanket' (fog) with Elysia, Prometheus, and Dr. MEI in the penthouse villa of Raiden Tower, Kiana's situation was more complicated.
The girl had originally run to the Hyperion to return the White Comet battlesuit she was wearing and incidentally ask Theresa for news about her stinking dad.
As a result, seeing the numerous Valkyries busy as bees dealing with the remnants of the Third Eruption battlefield, her feet were nailed to the ground and she couldn't move a step.
She busied herself along with them until midnight. Only after finishing the assigned task of annihilating the Shadow Dash zombies did she run to the edge of the deck to rest and catch some cold breeze.
Soft moonlight spilled onto the earth, flowing like mercury, draping a mysterious veil over everything under the night sky.
Firefly-like glows cut through the darkness across the land—those were the resolute backs of Valkyries heading to the battlefield to relieve their withdrawing teammates.
A warm coffee touched Kiana's cheek.
"Who!"
The distracted girl squatted on the railing, looking warily.
"It's me, Miss Kiana."
As expected, it was Increcin.
Currently on the Hyperion, only this 'Famine' of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse could get so close without triggering the Kaslana's god-tier intuition.
"New mission?"
Kiana took the coffee rather coldly, her demeanor clearly expressing dissatisfaction with this person using Word Spirit to control her earlier without explanation.
She understood the other party's actions. On a battlefield where S-Ranks clashed, the intensity of Honkai energy was abnormally high. Only she, a Kaslana, could deliver the item safely; anyone else would just be Zombie +1.
But at least tell me! Is being a Riddler who doesn't speak human language that fun?
"Yes, being a Riddler is indeed very interesting."
Seeing Kiana freeze, the nun smiled slightly. "Please don't misunderstand. I don't have scary abilities like mind reading."
Kiana muttered, "You read it from my expression, right? Seriously, what did idiots ever do to you..."
"That isn't being an idiot; it's being straightforward and outspoken."
Increcin clasped her hands together, her slender fingers interlacing over her chest. "And I do not dislike straightforward children."
But I dislike you!
Kiana wanted to say that, but as soon as she saw the pristine white nun's habit, cropped to reveal quite a bit of skin, the over-the-knee white silk stockings with pale purple lace trim, and the pair of "Thunder" (breasts) at her chest—the biggest she had encountered so far—she didn't dislike her as much as before.
Humans always become exceptionally tolerant toward individuals capable of breeding and nursing excellent offspring.
However, thinking of breeding offspring, for some reason, the image of Fuli in God-King mode suddenly surfaced in the girl's little brain.
Ah-Li, that guy... didn't expect his base stats to be so good... It's decided! From now on, I'll design his look personally!
Few people knew that Kiana actually had quite good taste in fashion coordination and design.
From the omniscient perspective of us outside the screen: as MiHoYo's poster girl, Kiana Kaslana's models and new battlesuits naturally had top-tier artists helping with the design.
But from the character's own realistic perspective: whether it was Void Drifter, Flamescion, or even the Herrscher of Finality (God of Earth), those beautiful armors were all designed by the girl herself and then materialized using her Authority.
I feel like Ah-Li would suit a white-themed coat, jade-textured pendants and earrings. After his hair grows out, tie it with silk ribbons embroidered with star and moon patterns. Ideally, pair it with armored trousers and boots—No, no! That overlaps too much with his previous look! Kiana, think again... Guehehe~
"Miss Kiana."
With a voice as intoxicating as a nightingale, showing not a hint of distress, Increcin said gently, "Even though I am long accustomed to the heat of others' gazes falling on my skin, could I ask you to pay a little attention to your image?"
"Ah!"
Snapped back to reality, Kiana hurriedly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. With an attitude that looked like she was trying to cover it up but was actually boldly sophistical, she argued, "Don't get me wrong! Although this Young Miss was staring at you just now, the person in my head wasn't you!"
Somehow that feels even worse.
The smile on Increcin's face deepened. "Then who was it? Could I [Ask] you to satisfy my tiny curiosity?"
"It was A-woo—"
At the critical moment, the girl bit her tongue, preventing herself from accidentally blurting out the truth.
"You are really despicable! Hiss! Who uses Word Spirit on people at the drop of a hat!"
Tears in her eyes, she complained loudly, fanning her throbbing tongue with her small hand.
She thought to herself, Luckily the Word Spirit wasn't strong this time. I broke free without much effort and didn't expose my inner thoughts.
"Is that so? Hehe, then I apologize."
Noticing the fleeting molten-gold light in Kiana's eyes when she resisted the Word Spirit, the nun subtly took two steps back. "In exchange, how about I help Miss Kiana solve the troubles in her heart?"
This sadistic woman didn't reduce the strength of the Word Spirit just now.
"Troubles? What troubles could this Young Lady have?"
Kiana couldn't be bothered to deal with this guy who forced people to do things all the time.
Just then, someone below called her to move materials. She downed the hot coffee in one gulp, leaped up, and vanished from Increcin's perception range in a few bounds.
"Oh my, she left."
The nun said with regret.
She gripped the railing at the edge of the deck and 'looked' toward an unknown corner with her ribbon-bound eyes.
"Since Miss K423 has left safely, could our Branch Chief stop anchoring your weak, pitiful, and helpless colleague with the Chains of the Betrayer?"
The breeze blew away the clouds obscuring the night sky. Cold moonlight spilled down, illuminating Theresa's tender, serious, and cute little face.
Her traditional nun's habit covered her soft, petite body, revealing only a glimpse of exquisite ankles clad in white socks. It was the complete opposite extreme of Increcin's erotic outfit, which was "High EQ: Cosplay; Low EQ: Horny-on-Main."
"Weak and pitiful? You're as humorous as ever."
Theresa scoffed, retracting the chains of Judah and coming to her side.
Even these few steps made the girl, whose injuries had not yet healed, secretly suck in cold breaths several times. Noticing this, Increcin smiled and didn't expose her brave front.
Because it was super cute.
Theresa waved her hand, and Judah, an extension of her will, mimicked a chair with its chains.
She sat down unceremoniously and asked the question in her heart: "Why didn't you execute the mission assigned by Headquarters?"
After the Third Eruption ended, Schicksal issued two orders to the Far East Branch respectively:
The first, issued by Otto: Absorb Kiana into the Far East Branch.
The second, issued by the Council of Elders, just two words: Retrieve Fuli.
Theresa could understand retrieving Kiana. Otto hadn't revealed a single shred of inside information about K423 to her, but she also had Siegfried as an intelligence source.
A clone of Kiana and Sirin's genes, the vessel for the Herrscher of the Void's core...
This man, who had lost his wife in his youth, his daughter in middle age, and even his right arm four years ago, yet still rushed to the front lines of fighting the Honkai, hadn't missed a single warning to his old friend.
Having experienced the Third Eruption, under the stimulation of massive amounts of Honkai energy, the Herrscher of the Void inside Kiana was gradually becoming unstable.
With Otto's personality, wanting to bring the girl under observation was all too normal.
As for those insects in the Council of Elders... Hah! Even if I don't mention Fuli practically giving me the credit for killing the Herrscher of Thunder, just based on him saving me and turning the tide in a crisis, I could never raise a hand against him!
Furthermore...
Rubbing the Spirit-Gathering Ring on the middle finger of her left hand—symbolizing a passionate relationship—Theresa said, "With your strength, retrieving Fuli while I was in a coma from heavy injuries shouldn't have been difficult. Why didn't you do it?"
"Tit for tat, how about it?"
Increcin threw out her terms. "I can answer this question honestly. In exchange, Lord Theresa, please also answer one of my questions faithfully."
"You're so wordy!"
Theresa rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine."
Then she saw Increcin actually take out an A-Rank Soul Contract. She scratched her head and yelled, "Hey, hey, hey, is that necessary? You're taking this too far!"
"Please rest assured. I will not ask questions involving matters outside my clearance level."
The nun, having written the contract, handed it over attentively, her expression clearly spelling out one word—
Gossip.
"Tsk."
Seeing no issues, and since she had started the topic herself and couldn't refuse easily, Theresa signed it reluctantly. "Here, done."
"The reason for refusing the Overseer's order is simple."
Increcin, having achieved her goal, smiled beamingly. "First, just as S-Rank Valkyries are to the Overseer, and Divine Squads are to the Council of Elders, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have belonged to the Tribunal since the Reformation."
"Of course, even so, executing orders from the Overseer is still within our duties. However, the premise is that the other party has not concealed the circumstances of the mission itself."
Otto's mission was to absorb Kiana into the Far East Branch. If it were anyone else, he might have actually fooled them.
But Increcin, who also had her own intelligence sources, knew very well that Kiana Kaslana and K423 were two completely different existences.
Theresa, who had also thought of this, nodded in understanding.
"As for Fuli, firstly, the mission to retrieve him was issued by the Council of Elders. Reason for non-execution is same as above."
The nun said, "Secondly, the same reason I didn't rush to the battlefield earlier: I am afraid of death."
Increcin didn't want to die, so she only organized Valkyrie troops on the periphery to fight Honkai beasts instead of going to the battlefield personally to fight the Herrscher of Thunder.
Increcin didn't want to die, so unsure if Fuli could still unleash that slash, she absolutely wouldn't risk her life.
Is it hard to understand? No.
People who view death as a return home are few to begin with. Must existences with powerful strength be fearless of death?
No one ever made that rule.
"Is that so."
Theresa stood up thoughtfully, rubbed her chin, and turned to leave.
A hand grabbed the hem of her clothes from behind.
"Lord Theresa."
"Wh-what?"
The girl sweated profusely, speaking dryly.
"I answered your question. Shouldn't you answer mine now?"
"Hmph, f-fine."
Seeing she couldn't wiggle out of it, Theresa turned around reluctantly, only for her small face to smack Duang right into Increcin's unhideable E-cup assets. She instantly suffered a fatal blow to both body and mind.
But immediately, the other party's words pulled her from the indignation of a legal loli and plunged her into another kind of embarrassment.
"Since the Third Eruption has ended."
The nun pointed to the Spirit-Gathering Ring on the girl's middle finger and said meaningfully, "Why haven't you returned that item to its original owner yet?"
Theresa opened her mouth and blurted, "About this, I—"
Increcin shook the contract. "My Lord must tell the truth~"
"..."
The girl opened her mouth, then closed her eyes.
Gritting her teeth and stomping her foot, she shouted in self-abandonment, "An old woman who hasn't dated in her forties got her heart set aflutter by a fresh-faced, handsome boy nearly three generations her junior handing her a ring, alright?! And it was during a life-or-death crisis! Besides, he touched me all over, inside and out! Since I was born, he's the only boy who's ever treated me like that! Doesn't that mean I'm definitely unmarriageable now? Plus, I can use the ring to block those second-generation lolicon schemers with ulterior motives. It's convenient both emotionally and logically!"
The next ruler of Schicksal, the current Head of the Apocalypse family, an S-Rank former Valkyrie, wielder of the Key of Binding, Far East Branch Chief, St. Freya Academy Principal...
Any one of these heavyweight titles would casually attract numerous suitors for Theresa.
Not to mention she was a white-haired beautiful loli whose body hadn't changed in forty years! Countless cases have proven that those gentlemen in Western society have a thing for exactly this!
According to an investigation by Shigure Kira (who wished to remain anonymous), even for a flawless beauty like the Schicksal Saintess Cecilia, the internal adoration within Schicksal was far less than what Theresa received.
After Cecilia married Siegfried, it was a draw, but after Kiana was born, Theresa took the lead again.
The reason?
Cao-wannabe lechers! Traitors! Rebels! Scoundrels!
Theresa herself was naturally sick to death of these guys. If conditions allowed, she would have poked their eyes out one by one long ago.
But now, it was perfect. Don't ask; if you ask, the Principal is currently in a passionate relationship.
Flash marriage, do you understand?! Flash marriage! It's all the rage these days. Look, the ring is even on the middle finger! Do I need to raise my middle finger to demonstrate?
What? Who is the fiancé?
None of your business who the fiancé is!
Even he doesn't know!
Moreover, while she hadn't recognized him at first due to the massive age difference, after all this time, Theresa could barely recall the little tyke who used to sneakily follow behind Kiana, charming her out of her mind.
Consider it compensation. At least she could use the status of 'fiancée' to warn those people in the Council of Elders not to extend their claws too far.
After all, the real Kiana had already long since...
"I see. I understand."
Seeing the sorrowful look on Theresa's face, Increcin consciously changed the subject. "However, since you intend to disobey Headquarters' orders, you should at least have a suitable reason."
"We can't spare the manpower because we're investigating the damage from the Third Eruption."
"Are you sure you can drag it out that long?"
"What do you mean 'drag it out'?"
Theresa rolled her eyes and hollered, "Specifically which locations did the Herrscher of Thunder attack? How many square centimeters were affected by Shesha during the battle? How many cubic meters of soil were destroyed? What is the total surface area involved? How much impact will the dissipated Honkai energy have on the land of the Far East, and for how many years will this impact last? Can you know these data points without an investigation? Wouldn't investigating these take a month or so?"
Hearing this, Increcin fell into silence.
Damn, truly worthy of being the next Overseer!