22. Sirin: "I Woke Up and I'm Not T0 Anymore?" / 23. Immortal Chi Yuan, I Wasn't Lying

"Inch Force - Heaven-Splitting!"

With a powerful Honkai Energy fluctuations, Fu Hua, with her usual terrifying force, slammed into Sirin's abdomen, sending her flying dozens of meters before finally stopping.

"Things went relatively smoothly. Next, all we need to do is..."

Before she could finish speaking, Fu Hua sensed something was wrong.

At this moment, the Void Grip in her hand was covered with a layer of black mist, which was still spreading upwards.

Despite having just taken a powerful blow from her own short-range attack, Sirin stood up again as if nothing had happened.

No, to be precise, her injuries were healed in an instant.

"This is... the Gem of Serenity..."

"Otto actually implanted this thing in you...?"

"Still as foolish as ever, human." Sirin let out a disdainful chuckle. "Wasn't being tricked by this clown last time enough of a lesson for you?"

"Or have you forgotten the comrade who died for you last time?"

"Companion?"

Fu Hua had no recollection of who the companion Sirin was referring to was, but upon hearing the word, she felt a pang of pain in her heart.

But Sirin didn't give her a chance to reminisce about the past. Surrounded by the aura of death, Sirin charged towards her.

"Unable to suppress from a distance, and unable to inflict damage at close range, this is truly..."

Forcing herself to stay alert, Fu Hua tried to find a glimmer of hope amidst Sirin's relentless onslaught.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Sirin: I woke up and I'm no longer a T0?

"Cough, cough..."

"Human, you can't even withstand this level of intensity? You seem weaker than the last time I saw you."

Sirin grabbed Fu Hua by the neck with one hand, watching her struggle in her grasp with amusement.

"You should have two Divine Key, right? Why haven't you used the other one, those feathers?"

"Is it that you don't want to use it, or is it that it can no longer be used?"

Sirin seemed to want to say a few more words to Fu Hua, but her expression suddenly changed, and she flung Fu Hua's body into the sky, instantly leaving the spot.

At that moment, a javelin made entirely of frost was rapidly approaching from the sky.

Just as the attack was about to strike Fu Hua's figure suddenly disappeared, and then Durandal's figure appeared in a cloud of icy mist.

"Sister Bianca, I saved her."

Xi unfurled a scroll and released Fu Hua.

"Such serious injuries... I'm sorry, I'll treat you after I defeat Sirin. Xi, let's place Fu Hua in the painting first."

"Ahem, thank you... Please be careful, she has already mastered the power of the Gem of Serenity."

"It's nothing," Durandal said, the black and white lance in her hand radiating a terrifying glow.

"Creation and decay are not her privilege."

"Another one, another overconfident human..."

Sirin waved her hand dismissively, and Benares, who had been waiting in the air, swooped down, unleashing a terrifying breath in the air.

"Big Dragon? That's perfect, I know quite a few of them too."

Watching Benares swoop down, Xi slowly unrolled a scroll. Instantly, Benares's figure appeared in the painting, along with several blue "Great Freedom".

"Oh? Interesting, it can create its own space?"

Sirin didn't care about Xi's actions, or rather, she was confident enough in her control over space.

"To offset my home-field advantage in terms of space? You've really gone to great lengths to deal with me."

"However, even without the aid of Imaginary Space, you still cannot defeat me."

"Then let's see if you can catch my gun!"

Two phantom spirits instantly appeared beside Durandal, forming a pincer movement and attacking Sirin together.

"A trivial trick."

Sirin raised her hand, and several Spear of Subspace came together, heading towards Durandal's spear tip, completely disregarding the attack.

Then, Sirin was sent flying.

"???"

Sirin quickly regained her balance, her eyes revealing undisguised surprise.

"What kind of power is this? It feels somewhat similar to that woman's... I underestimated you, human."

"Looks like I need to get serious."

Despite Sirin's many harsh words, the reality was that she was completely helpless against Durandal.

The Spear of Subspace couldn't break through the defenses at all, and the withering black mist was restored by the opponent's Black Abyss White Flower. Even when he wanted to banish the opponent to the Imaginary Space, he was interfered with by the little girl. Before he could successfully banish her, he would be trapped in the painting, and when he tried to break free from the painting's influence, he would be restrained by Durandal.

However, the opponent's attack was extremely fierce. Sirin felt that if she hadn't possessed the core of the Herrscher of Death, she would have been severely injured by this terrifying guy long ago.

Even so, after more than ten minutes of intense fighting, the opponent showed no signs of fatigue, whether in terms of physical strength or Honkai Energy consumption.

To be honest, Sirin was starting to have second thoughts.

Just then, another uninvited guest arrived at the scene.

"It's you... that clown."

Sirin's tone was full of disgust.

"What a magnificent battle! As expected of the Queen of Honkai, your figure is always so dazzling."

Otto slowly stepped off the aircraft, a flippant and mocking smile on his face.

"Forget about the boring flattery. I can't see a shred of respect in your behavior."

"It seems you don't want to communicate with me. Fine, as an apostle of God, you certainly have the confidence to do so."

Several streams of blood-red fluid emanated from his body, slowly coalescing and flowing, eventually transforming into several blood-red spiral cones that swirled around his sides.

"However, I don't think now is the best time for us to take action, do I?"

Sirin raised an eyebrow. She was already at a disadvantage in this battle, and the appearance of this familiar man, with his crimson spirals, gave her an intense sense of unease. She had felt the same way on the battlefield of the Second Honkai Outbreak.

"Hmph, you are indeed not worth my going to great lengths."

Since the other party has given her a way out, Sirin won't be so arrogant as to insist on a fight to the death. It's not too late for her to come back and take revenge after she retrieves the rest of her scattered cores.

Moreover, his own Honkai Energy been mostly depleted, while the other side is acting as if nothing happened, and he doesn't even know who the Herrscher is.

"As expected of the Queen of Honkai, she not only possesses power comparable to that of a god, but her foresight in seeing the big picture is also truly remarkable."

"Boring compliments."

She casually opened a portal and brought Benares, who was still in the painting, out. Sirin gave a soft hum and disappeared into the void.

"Phew, finally got rid of her. If she had kept causing trouble, things would have gotten really complicated."

Seeing Sirin leave, Otto finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bishop, I need an explanation." Durandal said in a deep voice, "The Second Herrscher is extremely dangerous. Even if you want to conduct experiments, Bishop, you need to consider the risks."

"Sirin, who has mastered two cores, is clearly not someone we can deal with easily."

"Don't rush, Durandal."

Otto said with a smile, "As for Sirin, I naturally have other means as my trump card."

"I need evidence; otherwise, I'll prioritize resolving the Honkai."

"Does this count as evidence?" Otto pointed to the crimson spiral on his body.

"The Schariac Holy Blood has an absolute restraining effect on Honkai Energy, and now, one of my combat-specialized Soul Steel bodies is carrying this Holy Blood and is preparing to head to the Hyperion."

"..." Durandal didn't speak, but she was clearly not very satisfied with the result.

"How about this, Durandal, give me a day," Otto continued. "If I can't solve Sirin's problem within a day, I will synchronize Sirin's location with you. Then we can bring her back first, and then talk about the experiment."

"Sigh..." Durandal sighed, clearly annoyed by Otto's "willfulness".

"Alright, Bishop, I'll await your good news."

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Immortal Vermilion Bird, I Didn't Lie

"Don't worry, Durandal, there will be good news."

Otto revealed a confident smile.

"You guys go back to headquarters now, let me have a private chat with my old friend."

"Alone? Shouldn't you use my Black Abyss White Flower to heal it first?"

"I can mimic the Black Abyss White Flower at any time, and its healing effects may not be that obvious to her."

Otto flatly refused Durandal's treatment, and after watching them leave, Otto slowly released Fu Hua from the painting.

"Old friend, old friend, the last time I was so badly injured was probably five hundred years ago at Sky Peak."

"In short, I'll treat you first, as a way of celebrating the less-than-perfect end of the first phase of the experiment."

A golden cube appeared in Otto's hand.

"Why..."

"Oh? My old friend, it seems you're still out of the loop? Well, I still have some time; I can explain it to you..."

"Heh, no need. Xi's painting doesn't block out sound. I heard everything you just said. Your plan is laughable just thinking about it."

Fu Hua's eyes were filled with anger. "The so-called day is not the time you set aside for yourself, but the time you set aside for the Second Herrscher, right?"

"You wait, wait until Sirin catches up with the Hyperion, and then kill them one by one."

"It seems you know more than I thought. Let me think, did Xia Ling tell you this?"

"However, it doesn't matter. After all, I will go there in person this time to observe the experiment up close and ensure its smooth progress."

"There should be some trump cards on the Hyperion that I don't know about, but they are most likely related to the Moon Throne that Theresa received before. In order to ensure the stability of the experiment, I still need to destroy it."

Otto paused for a moment, his eyes flashing with a complex mix of emotions.

"My friend, I'm asking you this seriously now."

"Your behavior has gotten out of my control, so I've chosen to tell you everything."

Even so, will you still resist me, or will you still try to stop me?

"Oh, a friend?"

Fu Hua seemed to utter those two words through gritted teeth.

"Your words contain not a shred of conscience, only bottomless selfishness and lies..."

"You trample on other people's feelings, toy with other people's fates, and you don't even feel like a bad person for a single moment..."

"Otto Apocalypse, you fill me with the deepest sorrow and disgust."

"——"

The golden cube changed shape in Otto's hand, eventually transforming into a golden pistol.

Mimicry - Heavenly Fire Judgment.

In a daze, Otto had already raised the muzzle of his gun and made his decision.

"Immortal Vermilion Bird, I didn't lie..."

"Yes, we found it."

"Is this... the Key of Blankness?"