Someone in the Multiverse, Transformed into Fu Hua at the Start Chapter 29

Sure enough, in the next moment, golden-red flames erupted from Tiamat's belly, and the black tide that had been churning within her body was completely evaporated.

"That is—!?"

Yet the figure that appeared before everyone's eyes was entirely beyond anyone's expectations.

It was not the form they were familiar with. Her once gray hair had turned white, while the tips and the locks at her forehead blazed like burning flames, red. Her eyes were no longer the cool, gentle pale blue, but scorching, fierce, the same crimson as the flames in her hair and brow.

The white form-fitting outfit she wore had been incinerated by the temperature that made it impossible to keep one's eyes open even from a distance, leaving only enough cloth to cover her body.

But what drew the most attention was her current appearance, which was no longer human.

On both sides of her head, and from her chest extending down her left arm, red feathers sprouted. Her hands and feet were covered in hexagonal scales like gemstones, while her fingers and toes had transformed into golden, claw-like bone.

"What in the world..."

Ritsuka and Mash stared wide-eyed.

"Without a doubt... a god..."

Roman said those words for the second time, but this time his shock was far greater than before.

If Tiamat had reclaimed the form of a former goddess through her Beast Spirit Base, then Fu Hua had reached the domain of gods with a mortal body—an ordinary Spirit Base. Just like Tiamat moments ago, the dense aura of divinity was no mere Divinity; it was a pure divine body.

Fu Hua's gaze swept over the others only briefly before turning back to Tiamat.

She casually tossed the Holy Grail in her hand toward Ritsuka. It wasn't that she didn't want to approach them—it was that she couldn't.

Though her Divine Sound had shattered and her mind remained unaffected, this was also the first time she had grasped this power. Even for someone as precise in controlling her strength as Fu Hua, she was somewhat startled by her own condition.

Power surged endlessly, a vitality she had never felt before, giving her an illusion of transcendence.

But this power did not spark joy within her... because all she felt now was lingering fear and fury.

Though she also sympathized with Tiamat's plight, harming her disciple was another matter entirely.

With that thought, Fu Hua's mind was left with only one goal: quickly finish Tiamat, then help Amber restore her consciousness.

As temperature exploded from Fu Hua's hand once more, she punched Tiamat's flank from midair. Driven by her fist and arm, a firebird far surpassing Amber's Sword God in power materialized out of nowhere. The bird, half the size of Tiamat herself, slammed into the goddess, drawing another wail of agony from her.

"Get out of here, now!"

Merlin's pupils contracted sharply as he used magecraft to block the scorching heat radiating from afar. Even though it was just raw temperature, he found it more exhausting to resist than the Tide of Chaos.

But that was only natural. Tiamat was no longer a god, while this heat came from a true deity—no, an Immortal's attack. When gods fight, mortals suffer. Merlin understood the meaning of that saying like never before.

"Leave it to me!"

The pterosaur had already been cooked feverish by the heat, its body dehydrated and its mind hazy. Ereshkigal had to use her Underworld authority to carry Ritsuka and Mash away.

Watching Fu Hua carbonize half of Tiamat's body with a single blow, Ereshkigal couldn't help but swallow.

She had said earlier that she was holding back, but now she realized—if Fu Hua had truly intended to kill her back then, even her Underworld might not have been able to protect her...

"Everyone, move to the surface! This is no longer a war we can interfere in!"

Merlin shamelessly grabbed Ritsuka's arm and let himself be lifted by Ereshkigal as he shouted at Ishtar and Anna.

"I know, I know!"

Ishtar frantically dodged an attack from Baal Lahmu and quickly ascended.

Anna used her chains as grappling hooks to move upward.

"Aaaaaa—!"

Tiamat, having lost most of her body, seemed to realize her own end was near. She let out a mournful cry. The Baal Lahmu, sensing their mother's plight, madly flew toward Fu Hua.

"Thoughts on impermanence and death..."

Fu Hua sighed inwardly, but felt no pity. She raised her left hand slightly. Without needing a Sword Heart, she simply used her body to summon flames rivaling the sun's temperature from all directions.

"Life and extinction have their time!"

The violently rising temperature, accompanied by crushing wind pressure, ignited within the Underworld. The others moving toward the Underworld's entrance only saw a terrifying, blazing light rising beneath their feet.

"Tiamat's Spirit Base... silent..."

Chapter Sixty-One: Afterword

"Old fossil!? What the hell is going on!?"

When Fu Hua returned to the surface, before anyone else could even speak to her or share in the joy of victory, the Herrscher of Reason's voice rang out, filled with confusion and anger.

As the Herrscher of Reason, she naturally knew exactly what was happening to Fu Hua. If Amber were still present, the consciousness in this body wouldn't be dominated by Fu Hua. And now, forget about who was in control—Amber's consciousness had simply vanished.

She and Amber had only known each other for a few days, but bonds like theirs couldn't be measured by time. That was what it meant to be kindred spirits at first sight. How a relationship would develop could often be seen from the very first meeting.

Having someone who understood her and trusted her unconditionally was a comfortable companion for Fu Hua, and even more so for the Herrscher of Reason.

Amber's personality and temperament suited her well. Though she didn't like being called "Treasure Zhi," as the great Herrscher of Reason, she could tolerate a little brat's whims. In fact, the fact that Amber could be so at ease and interact with her without restraint actually pleased the Herrscher of Reason quite a bit.

She had never taken Tiamat seriously, so she hadn't thought much of this so-called final battle. But she never expected that in the short time she wasn't watching, Amber would end up in such a mess.

"...It was my mistake."

Fu Hua had nothing to explain. This was the result of her own carelessness.

The others looked at the two of them in confusion. Gilgamesh furrowed his brow as he observed Fu Hua, who was clearly no longer human.

(Everyone, don't get hung up on why there's Divinity. I said in an earlier chapter that Mesopotamia is different from other places—you can't just decide to be a god, nor can you decide not to be one. Anywhere else, Fu Hua wouldn't have Divinity, but in this land, even if she doesn't want it, she has to have it. Neither Xiao Shi nor Fu Hua has any interest in being a god, but that's just how the rules work here.)

The situation with the two of them instantly dampened the joy of victory.

"Sorry, Amber... I still have other things to do. I might not be able to say goodbye."

Fu Hua had originally planned to explain that the two of them weren't the same person, but thinking about the roleplay Amber had insisted on all along, she ultimately held back.

She felt Amber should keep her name, but if that would only lead to Amber's disappointment, it was better not to say anything.

The Herrscher of Reason glanced at Fu Hua with confusion.

The old fossil actually didn't say it? Normally, she'd just lay it all out straight, wouldn't she?

But seeing her suddenly being so cautious was amusing to the Herrscher of Reason. The anger in her heart cooled a bit, and she understood that while Amber had a problem, it probably wasn't too serious. Since she could be saved, naturally she'd go help too.

"I'll go with the old fossil. You all can hold a celebratory feast with gratitude toward the great Herrscher of Reason!"

The Herrscher of Reason waved her hand grandly and followed Fu Hua's footsteps.

"...?"

Three of the biggest contributors had left three. Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Reason had vanished without a trace, and the Old Man of the Mountain had departed without a word.

Everyone's excitement cooled somewhat, but... oh well. They'd meet again someday. For now, the priority was to celebrate this hard-won victory.

Meanwhile, Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Reason arrived at a desolate Mountain Peak. With Fu Hua's permission, they both entered the space of Feathered Dust.

"Was she corroded by that Black Mud?"

Seeing Amber's condition firsthand, the Herrscher of Reason immediately understood what had happened.

"Amber's situation isn't that bad, but it's not good either."

Fu Hua frowned as she explained: "We both have expertise in consciousness. Let's first stabilize Amber's Spirit Platform and try to awaken her awareness."

The Herrscher of Reason looked deeper into Feathered Dust. There, a shapeless mass of black consciousness existed, filled with violent and dark aura. Just looking at it gave an unsettling feeling. She frowned: "You didn't deal with this thing?"

"...The situation was urgent. I had to eliminate the threat quickly and free up time to tend to Amber's consciousness. Besides, this consciousness isn't easy to handle."

In short, she hadn't had time to deal with it.

But now that there was nothing pressing, she said: "Amber's condition isn't critical. Let's get rid of this consciousness first, or it might cause problems later."

"Not so fast."

However, the usually aggressive Herrscher of Reason suddenly rolled her eyes, then glanced at the fallen Amber and looked at Fu Hua with amusement: "Speaking of which, old fossil, I've had this thought since I came out. Don't you think our Amber looks a lot like someone?"

"Huh?"

Fu Hua thought for a moment but came up with nothing. In theory, her memories were almost identical to the Herrscher of Reason's, the only difference being the year or two since the latter's birth. Finding no match in her memories, she had to ask directly: "Who?"

"Shier!"

The Herrscher of Reason wore an expression of 'how did you not see that': "I've been wanting to say it for a while. Don't you think if you changed her hair color to blue, her eyes to blue, and gave her a short haircut, she'd look exactly like Shier?"

"Well..."

Fu Hua had no basis to judge: "I've never actually met Shier in person. I've only seen her from Amber's memories... a two-dimensional Shier. So I can't really say if they look alike."

"Ah, right."

The Herrscher of Reason recalled that point and nodded helplessly: "Fair enough."

But soon, she moved on to the next topic: "So, since she looks so much like Shier, wouldn't it be interesting if she had a fun second personality too?"

"..."

The Herrscher of Reason's words made Fu Hua think of a term from Amber's mind, so she said: "Don't treat that consciousness as a substitute for another Shier. They're fundamentally different."

"What substitute!? What do you take me for?"

The Herrscher of Reason couldn't hold back: "I just think that Shier is interesting. What are you thinking? Besides, this consciousness hasn't even fully formed yet. In other words, it hasn't even been born. Are you just going to erase it like that?"

Hearing this, Fu Hua finally understood.

The Herrscher of Reason was feeling sympathy.

Indeed, while this mass of consciousness was a factor that harmed Amber, it wasn't the root cause. Moreover, it had taken on Amber's colors. One could say it was another consciousness born from Amber. This was different from the Herrscher of Reason, but there were similarities.

"If you can guarantee it won't affect Amber, then I have no objections."

Fu Hua nodded.

"Don't you trust me? We're both masters of consciousness. If anything goes wrong, can't we just suppress it?"

The Herrscher of Reason laughed, patting her chest confidently.

And so, the two began working in tandem within Feathered Dust, tending to both consciousnesses.

Chapter 1: Draw Cards First! (Transition Chapter)

Her head felt groggy and heavy. Though in her memories she had spent a long time in this state, ever since she died, she had never experienced it again.

"Mm..."

Consciousness slowly returned. Amber could feel the dizziness now. Her last memory was being engulfed by Tiamat's Black Mud. What happened now? Without her, did the others defeat Tiamat?

"Amber?"

Seeing the girl slowly regain consciousness, Fu Hua was both startled and overjoyed. She reached out, placing her hand over Amber's forehead—the position of her Spirit Platform—and intensified the power of the Sword God.

"Ah...?"

Her head felt as if doused in cold water, and Amber's eyes snapped open.

"Master?"

Gazing at the pure white space before her, the girl blinked in confusion: "Tiamat, how is everyone?"

"The battle is over."

Fu Hua gently brushed aside Amber's bangs, revealing her smooth forehead: "Ritsuka and Mash returned to Chaldea with Jaguar Man. Ereshkigal and Ishtar's Spirit Bases have faded with time... Gilgamesh has also reached the end of his life."

"We won, huh..."

Amber sighed with relief at first, but quickly realized she hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye to them. A pang of sorrow and frustration welled up inside her.

Yet she soon caught onto something wrong: "Wait? Master? How long was I unconscious?"

"Give it a few more years... and it'll be 4,900."

Fu Hua's tone was calm, as if stating the most trivial of facts.

"Oh, so it's only... 4,900 years?"

Amber had assumed it wasn't long, but hearing that terrifying number sent her heart racing with panic: "You and Shi Bao waited for me in this world for 4,900 years!?"

Forget 4,900 years—even 4 years or 90 days felt like an eternity to Amber.

"It wasn't just the two of us."

Fu Hua broke into a smile: "This world has no Honkai. Though a few terrifying disasters struck, they were far away and never reached us here."

"Uh... where is this?"