"I'm leaving."
Ryuga rubbed his waist and put on his pants.
Truth be told, the aftereffects of Mobius's "serpentine entanglement" were simply too intense.
It made it somewhat difficult for even him to withstand.
Mobius sat quietly to the side in a "duck sit" position and nodded.
Her long green hair was scattered over her body, concealing her graceful figure.
"Put more heart into 'Project Stigma'; for now, focus on this direction. Later, I will gradually send you the corpses of Herrschers, Honkai Beasts, and Deadwalkers."
Ryuga said.
After all, the mutations caused by each Honkai Eruption have subtle differences, and within those subtleties, world-shaking disparities can be hidden.
Mobius continued to nod.
"If you need experimental subjects, just tell me, and I'll get some heinous death-row prisoners for you."
"I'll also mention this plan to Mei."
The final genetic factor input was perfected by Mei.
Initially, Mobius was leading it, but an accident occurred during the experiment, and Mei stepped in afterward.
"Remember..."
"Hmm?"
Ryuga had just started speaking when he noticed something was wrong with Mobius; her eyes were flickering slightly.
Every time he said a sentence, Mobius would nod, but she simply refused to speak.
His brow furrowed, and a sense of alertness surged.
His right hand shot out, pinching Mobius's small face like a venomous snake's tongue, his thumb applying slight pressure to make her tilt her head up.
Then, his fingertip lightly tapped her fair throat and slid downward.
Gulp~
A sound of swallowing.
Mobius's eyes widened, her pupils contracting slightly: "Oh no, it's gone?"
Ryuga glared, turned to pour a glass of water, lifted Mobius's chin, and then poured the water into her mouth.
He even shook her chin, making her tilt her head back to swallow it down.
"Good grief, you wanted to take mine for research, didn't you?"
Ryuga was almost laughed out of anger.
"It's gone, not a single drop left."
Mobius's lips trembled, her eyes reddened, and her tearful, "undone" look actually carried a few hints of grievance.
"You're the one feeling aggrieved?"
"Tell me, was it your own idea, or...?"
Ryuga was laughed out of anger again.
Mobius's gaze was somewhat evasive, her face puffed out.
Ryuga should have expected it; Ruan Mei's "wicked heart" never dies!
Back at Herta's place, those eyes, as indifferent as water, would occasionally sweep over the area below his waist.
Though the gaze was faint, it couldn't hide the unique investigative desire of a researcher.
Of course, Mobius likely had that intention too.
From the first time he met Mobius, he had guessed it.
She was capable of doing such a thing.
He angrily pinched Mobius's puffed-out little face, then said no more, turning to walk toward the door.
In the private laboratory, the lights were cold white, and the instruments hummed lowly.
Ruan Mei was leaning over her desk recording data, her hair falling over her shoulders, her expression as focused as a statue.
"You're here?"
Hearing the footsteps, Ruan Mei glanced sideways slightly, her voice still as cold as frost, without a hint of emotion.
"Mm. Just came to tell you I'm heading back."
As he spoke, Ryuga took out the "Anywhere Door," gripped the handle, and visualized Herta's bedroom at the Space Station in his mind.
The door pushed open.
Ryuga took a look; it was indeed Herta's bedroom.
In the next instant, he took out a small "Pocket Signal Light," aimed it at Ruan Mei, and unhesitatingly pressed the red button.
Buzz— In that instant, time seemed to freeze.
Ruan Mei's body suddenly stiffened, and the pen in her hand fell to the floor.
Her pupils contracted sharply; her body was forcibly stopped from moving, but her breathing did not cease.
She just couldn't move; her consciousness and senses were all still there.
"You dare to covet my things?"
"You can only have what I give you; you cannot steal what I do not give."
"Hmph!"
Ryuga strode forward, sat on the cold experimental table, reached out to pick Ruan Mei up, and placed her on his lap.
Then, he lifted Ruan Mei's skirt and raised his hand high.
Slap! Slap!
The "Ansai Waist Drum" technique.
The crisp sound of slapping was particularly piercing in the silent laboratory; fortunately, it was Ruan Mei's private lab and she was alone.
Ruan Mei's breathing became rapid, and her cheeks turned flushed, but due to the signal light's control, she couldn't struggle, only allowing the burning pain on her butt to spread throughout her body.
"..."
For some reason, there was also a strange feeling in her heart.
After the lesson, Ryuga leisurely straightened her skirt and sat her back up.
The gentleness was somewhat ironically polite.
Then he jumped off the experimental table, stepped into the "Anywhere Door," and didn't forget to press the green button on the "Pocket Signal Light" before leaving.
Movement was restored.
"Bye-bye~"
Ruan Mei suddenly straightened her back and turned around, but the "Anywhere Door" closed and disappeared before her eyes.
"..."
Feeling the burning pain on her butt, Ruan Mei bit her lower lip, but strangely, there was no anger in her eyes.
Not even a trace.
Returning to the lounge, Ruan Mei took off her outer skirt and stood before the mirror to take a look.
On her right buttock, there was a bright red, eye-catching handprint, with five fingers clearly defined and the edges slightly swollen.
"A coincidence?"
Ruan Mei lowered her skirt again, her heart filled with doubt.
How did Ryuga find her "original body"?
There were many private laboratories of hers in the research institute.
The ones usually outside were her "slices."
Her original body was like Herta's.
But Ryuga actually found her original body in one go?
...
After making his escape, Ryuga went to see Mei and Blanca.
Cangxuan and Danzhu had joined a research group and waved to him from a distance.
After showing his face in front of the excellent employees, he went to pick up Sakura.
Before going to the "Three-Honkai" world, he had specifically sent Sakura over to reunite with Rin.
The two sisters were talking and laughing together.
Rin was reading a basic textbook.
Unfortunately, even a basic textbook was quite taxing on her brain cells; after all, she was still an elementary school student.
Blanca was too busy and often had no time to look after her, so Rin would take time to care for Griseo.
Mm, two-year-old Griseo could already speak clearly.
"Sis, take care of yourself!"
Rin waved her chubby little hand in farewell.
Sakura looked back with a smile and nodded vigorously.
...
The wind of Amphoreus carried a hint of the sandalwood scent unique to ancient temples.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the mottled stone road, draping a thin golden-red veil over this thousand-year-old city.
"Phew, I'm back."
Cipher, who was sitting at a stone table in the small courtyard munching on an apple, suddenly stiffened, her eyes widening like copper bells.
The apple in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ryu, Ryuga?"
Haji-Cipher rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things.
"..."
Ryuga was also a bit curious; how did he manage to run into Cipher every time he came back?
"Mm, why do you look like you've grown a bit?"
He tilted his head, looking her up and down.
"What do you think? How long have you been gone? I've almost evolved from childhood to adolescence!"
Cipher was speechless, standing with her hands on her hips.
Ryuga chuckled and reached out to rub the top of Cipher's head.
"I'll show you a magic trick."
Winking at Haji-Cipher, Ryuga once again released the "Time in a Bottle," enveloping the entire small house.
Next, he took out the "Wallpaper House" from his pocket and stuck it on the wall.
In the next instant, the door opened slightly.
Cipher's eyes widened—wait, the paper came to life?
A pure and flawless pink figure leaped out gracefully.
Her slightly curly long hair was tied into a long ponytail at the back of her head, swaying lightly behind her with her jumping steps.
That face was exquisitely beautiful, without a single flaw to be found.
Cipher felt that even Aglaea, who inherited the divine power of the Romantic Titan, was far inferior.
Those eyes were filled with smiles, and those lips were like dots of vermilion.
It felt as if even her breath carried a fragrance.
Especially that figure that looked down upon all beauties, which jumped along with her hopping movements; Cipher's eyes jumped along with it.
Then, Haji-Cipher's gaze uncontrollably moved toward her own chest, and she bit her lip hard.
(Dammit, another big one.)
Next, a valiant red-clad figure with the aura of a "King of Heroes" stepped out.
She was heroically imposing, with a blade-like sharpness hidden between her brows, yet without losing feminine softness.
Himeko immediately scanned the surroundings, alert like a falcon, her gaze only softening when it touched Ryuga.
(Dammit, they're all so big!)
Haji-Cipher wailed in her heart.
"We've finally arrived. Is this Amphoreus?"
Elysia, Himeko, and Vill-V looked around, feeling a momentary sense of trance.
It was like traveling from a modern society to ancient Rome in an instant.
Hmm?
That's not right either; this was time travel to begin with.
"Ryuga, how did they get here?"
Cipher finally couldn't help it, her small hand tugging at Ryuga's clothes, her cat ears fluttering curiously.
"Didn't you go into seclusion?"
Her small brain couldn't quite figure it out.
How come every time seclusion ended, the Demon God always brought back a group of beautiful women?
Some of the ones brought back last time had left, and now another batch had arrived.
Did you really go into "seclusion"?
Are you sure you didn't go to pick up girls?
Ryuga just smiled without saying a word, only lightly patting her head.
"Little Cipher, you have to maintain a proper sense of mystery to make a girl more charming."
Elysia turned gracefully, leaning down with her hands on her knees, her index finger lightly pressed to her lips as she gave a playful wink, her smile as cunning as a fox.
In that instant, Cipher felt like she was about to be bewitched.
She shook her head vigorously.
"Oh~"
Elysia suddenly froze.
She straightened up, her gaze scanning back and forth between Cipher and Vill-V, her brow gradually furrowing as if she had discovered some earth-shattering secret.
She looked at Cipher, then at Vill-V.
Her small head kept shaking back and forth.
Finally, she simply grabbed Vill-V's hand, pulled her in front of Cipher, looked left, looked right, her head shaking like a rattle.
After a long while.
"Ah—"
An exclamation pierced the twilight.
"Ryu!"
Elysia turned around abruptly, her finger trembling as she pointed at Ryuga, her eyes slightly red, her voice carrying a hint of a tremble.
"You, you, when did you secretly have a child with Vill-V?"
"I, I didn't even know!"
"You've deceived me so cruelly, ying ying~"
Her heartbroken appearance was truly pitiable, enough to move even someone with a heart of stone.
Ryuga's mouth twitched: Keep acting, keep acting for me.
Anyone who didn't know Elysia would surely be deceived by her exquisite acting; even the five-hundred-year acting master Furina was fooled.
But he knew Elysia was playing again.
Cipher's face had already turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Vill-V was even more furious, the veins on her forehead throbbing: "Where do we look alike?!"
"The eyebrows, the nose, the mouth, the hair color, and the outline of the eyes—although the pupil color is different, the eye shape is exactly the same!"
Elysia counted them off with a straight face.
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, finally simply shoving Cipher between Ryuga and Vill-V.
She stepped back two steps and spread her small hands.
"Look, clearly a family of three."
Don't say it—after being fooled by Elysia like this, Vill-V also felt they looked a bit alike.
Looking at Ryuga, then at Cipher, she even lost her own confidence.
"Do we look alike?"
She couldn't help but seek confirmation from her companions.
Himeko nodded.
Sakura also said: "Mm."
When she first entered the Wallpaper House and saw Vill-V, she felt something very familiar but couldn't put her finger on it.
So the root was here with Cipher?
"Hey, with my genes and Ryuga's genes, there's no way we'd give birth to a cat girl, right?"
"Do I have a tail? Do I have ears? She has ears and a tail!"
Vill-V finally reacted and argued back.
How could two normal people give birth to a cat girl daughter?
"Ehe~"
She had played enough.
Elysia gave Vill-V a playful wink, a cunning light flashing in her eyes.
Suddenly leaning down, she picked Cipher up and rubbed against her in her arms.
"So cute, just like me when I was little."
Although she knew Cipher's true origin, Elysia just couldn't help but like her.
She liked her liveliness.
She liked her stubbornness, strength, and loneliness.
Using a lie to deceive the people of all Amphoreus.
Ryuga said she was the same.
So she liked Cipher.
...
Creeak—
The old wooden door slowly pushed open.
"Ci..."
Castorice had just stepped over the threshold with her left foot when she saw the creature suspected to be "Cipher" being held in a "cleavage hug."
She instinctively took a step back, her gaze scanning the small courtyard.
It's here, that's right.
Then she saw Ryuga, and only then did she step forward again, lightly crossing the threshold.
With her hands folded in front of her waist, Castorice bowed slightly and gave Ryuga a soft smile: "Demon God, congratulations on finishing your seclusion. Welcome to Okhema; I am Castorice."
The latter half was addressed to Elysia and the others.
(So beautiful.)
Elysia was also stunned.
Castorice's voice was soft, but it carried a slight sense of distance.
It was like moonlight falling on a frozen lake—beautiful, but so beautiful that one didn't dare to approach.
"Um... could you please release Cipher? She seems... about to suffocate."
Castorice looked up, glancing at the short-armed, short-legged Cipher who was struggling for her life, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Oh my~, sorry, I'm so sorry."
Elysia snapped out of it and quickly loosened her arms, gently placing Cipher on the stone table.
Haji-Cipher took a sharp breath: Dammit, why grow so big?
(I want to grow up too, and then I'll suffocate the Demon God.)
Ryuga: What does that have to do with me?
Wait!
Please don't pity me, bring it on!
"Castorice, I am Elysia, hello."
When she saw Castorice, Elysia felt she was stunned by her beauty.
That posture, that temperament, and the "butterflies" fluttering their wings on her body were beautiful to the point of being illusory.
She couldn't help but walk toward Castorice with light steps.
"..."
This terrified Castorice, who retreated rapidly.
"Apologies. I am the Daughter of the Styx, bearing the power of Thanatos, the Titan of Death. Please, maintain a distance of five steps from me."
Elysia's steps paused; she remembered now.
Her smile faded slightly, and she couldn't help but sigh.
"I wanted to give you a hug."
"Maintaining distance from others is my habit. If you wish, I can stand closer, but... please allow me a distance of five steps."
Castorice lowered her eyes.
As she spoke, she looked up at Ryuga.
In that instant, Castorice's eyes seemed to have a galaxy flowing within them, with a hint of light flashing in the silence.
Elysia gave a playful smile: Oh~
It seems another person has been attracted by Ryu's charm?
It's just a pity.
Clearly so beautiful, yet unable to give a hug.
Elysia thought distressfully.
"Demon God, could you please go and visit Lady Aglaea?"
Castorice said softly.
"What's wrong with the seamstress girl?"
Hearing it concerned Aglaea, Cipher suddenly stood up.
Castorice just looked at her quietly and gave a light sigh: "It's nothing serious, I... just felt a lack in her humanity."
"This should be a defect of the Romantic Titan."
The courtyard fell
into a deathly silence.
Ryuga remembered that a thousand years later, in the plot's time, Aglaea's humanity was not much different from a walking corpse.
After a thousand years of burning, Aglaea was already a pile of cold ashes.
Her soul had become so thin that it would dissipate with a single gust of wind.
She was already moving forward with a dead body.
"Ryuga." Cipher looked up expectantly.
"Don't worry, I have a way"
With that, Ryuga pulled out a red cloth.
To be continued…
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