Fire Moth vs. Midnight Wormwood

Fire Moth Temporary Camp—

Mei set up a large pot. After spending so much time with Kiana, she was used to her friend's seemingly bottomless stomach. Even though the number of white-haired fluffballs she had to feed had doubled, it was no problem for the Herrscher of Hunger.

Fortunately, Xing didn't eat as much as Kiana. It was probably because he was a little younger than Kiana.

He was really grateful to him. Although he had been turned into a weapon by him last time, he felt much better after being turned back, and that "self" had disappeared. If Xing needed his strength, it wasn't impossible to do so occasionally.

Speaking of which, why haven't these two come back yet?

—Separator—

In the dilapidated village, two white figures advanced rapidly.

"Kiana, her target is me. You hurry back and notify the Headmaster." Xing was very panicked right now.

"You want me to abandon you? I can't do that!" Kiana's attitude was very firm.

Arrows with raven feathers landed silently in front of the two, and their bodies instantly froze. The mercenary had somehow circled around to their front.

"Little ones, I don't want to leave meaningless wounds on you and your friend. It's better not to resist," Raven said nonchalantly, admiring her claws.

"Don't underestimate me!" Just as Kiana was about to raise her gun to shoot, an arrow grazed her cheek and flew past.

"What exquisite archery." Kiana's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

"That was a warning. If you move rashly again, don't blame me for being merciless." Raven put down her bow and arrow.

"It's okay." Xing was silent for a moment, then gave her a smile. "It's fine." There was no fear in his red pupils.

"Good child, come with me. Don't worry, she won't mistreat you wantonly."

As long as your body can withstand the genes of that Honkai Beast, Raven added in her heart.

"Sorry, you'll have to find someone else. But you can't change the name Fire Moth." Xing unslung the greatsword from his back and stuck it into the ground.

I can't win. The current Big Three are no match for Raven. The gap is too large. Unless... no, that possibility is too small.

Just as Xing was about to walk towards Raven, a hand firmly grabbed him. "You're not allowed to go," Kiana's low voice sounded.

"We can't win against her."

"How will we know if we don't try?"

"You'll die."

"I don't care."

"...Idiot."

Xing had a bit of a headache. I was ready to sacrifice myself, why are you sending me off? But this is Kiana, isn't it?

Raven watched the two with great interest, not in a hurry at all. Could a cooked duck still fly away?

"Honestly, I don't want to go with her either." Xing looked at her, sighed, and then became resolute. "I have a plan, with less than a one percent success rate. Want to try?"

"Of course!"

"Okay, first take your hand off my arm, you're hurting me. Then give me your hand."

The two hands clasped tightly, and an endless white light erupted from them, illuminating Raven's surprised expression.

Setting supplement: Xing can control his transformation effects.

On the vast ice field, the young man walked slowly through the heavy snow. The screams of countless girls echoed in his ears, and he gritted his teeth, continuing to advance.

In this snowfield, he saw—

The beginning and end of a tragedy.

The tragedy of Babylon, the Herrscher representing all humanity, the unstoppable Tai Xu Sword God, the loving Saintess, and the final companionship.

A purple-haired girl appeared before him, her golden eyes filled with sorrow.

Xing extended his right hand, trying his best to touch her, but a Haoming energy fission bomb that fell from the sky turned the place into fragments.

In a cold incubator, a new consciousness awakened.

The white-haired girl and his father looked at her, just as she had looked at them before.

"Protect your sister."

The father finally accepted her.

The greatsword burning with Heavenly Fire was stuck in the ground. The father finally departed.

The white-haired girl lay on the ground, lost and bewildered. The golden eyes, hidden by bandages, gradually faded their violent glow.

Xing reached out to her. The girl raised her hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally reached out.

The white light finally condensed into a card. The young man held it, a confident smile appearing on his face.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card from my hand, Valkyrie Fusion! Send the monsters designated as Fusion Materials from your hand and field to the Graveyard, and Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck!"

Raven wanted to stop him, but it was too late. Xing was chanting rapidly.

"Fuse, Kiana!" The bewildered white-haired fluffball was decomposed into countless blue light particles before she could react, condensing into a pair of dual guns. They looked quite like Heavenly Fire Judgment, just a different color.

"New nameless flame, temper the blade of courage at this moment and pave the way for me! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8, Judgment Knight!"

A boy transformed into a handsome young man, clad in white knight's light armor, with a pure white cape fluttering behind him. He held twin silver-colored pistols. His blue eyes opened, his right eye flickered for a moment, and finally returned to red.

"Now it's our turn..." The newly born White Knight hadn't finished his entrance line when the black mercenary appeared before him, kicked him in the abdomen, and sent him flying.

His pure white cape was covered in dust. The knight clutched his stomach, curled up in pain on the ground. Hadn't they said knights always had a beginner's protection period during their first transformation?

"So flashy, you scared me." Raven patted her chest with a disdainful look.

"Hey, aren't you a bit too weak?" Kiana's dejected voice echoed in his mind. The knight coughed a few times, patted the dust off himself, and stood up.

"As expected, the gap is too big." Xing tightened his grip on the twin pistols.

"Hey, answer me honestly, have you ever done this to Mei?"

"..."

"You bastard!"

Blue bullets flew from the muzzles. Raven leaned to the side, and the bullets hit a large tree behind him, breaking it in half.

"Good power, but useless if you can't hit." The mercenary rubbed his claws and approached the knight.

Inside Xing's Stigmata space—

Herrscher Mei shattered her restraints with a powerful tremor. "Finally, finally, I've waited for a new body!" She poured all her strength into it, taking advantage of the moment the two bodies merged and the Stigmata loosened its seal, escaping into another body.

"This is my escape route!" Herrscher Mei excitedly pushed open the door. A girl with white hair and golden eyes leaned on a throne, smiling at her happily: "Welcome, my other half~"

"Sorry to bother you!" Herrscher Mei quickly closed the door and crouched beside the expressionless white-haired nun, trembling.

It's safer here!

The knight's body slammed violently into a large tree. Intense pain shot through him. Before he could even catch his breath, Xing quickly dodged. Raven's feather arrows pierced the forest, and the resulting red shockwave sent him flying. His twin pistols fell to the side.

"That hurt so much..." Xing flew several circles in the air before landing, then rolled on the ground several times to dissipate the impact. Before he could get up, Raven was on top of him, grabbing his chin with her left hand.

"Sister Natasha, you're so heavy..." He didn't dare say it directly.

"Oh my, look at what you've done to yourself. Wouldn't it be better to just come with me obediently?" Raven bent down, almost face-to-face with him. "However, you always manage to surprise me."

The mature woman's hot breath hit his face, and he could clearly feel the weight of two soft mounds pressing against his chest.

"To arm your companions and grow yourself at the same time, is that your Stigmata ability? Last time in Changkong City, you also borrowed that girl's power to defeat that little rabbit, right?"

"Um, look, flying swords!" Xing pointed above her head.

"Heh, a cheap trick. Do you think I'm a child?" Raven sneered, then suddenly sensed something was wrong. She looked up and saw the twin pistols that had been sent flying earlier now in the air. The gun handles merged together, and the entire twin pistols transformed into a sword hilt, with a silver blade extending out.

In an instant, the twin pistols became a greatsword. From today on, it would be called Knight's Judgment! Xing thought.

Seizing the moment Raven was stunned, the knight's lower body forcefully pushed her away. At the same time, he leaped from the ground into the air, grabbing the falling Knight's Judgment.

"Miss, do you know how to deal with an enemy that moves at high speed?" Fiery red energy gathered on the blade. "The answer is to use a skill with a very large attack range to clear the map!"

The knight swung forcefully, and red sword energy instantly pierced the battlefield!

"Hereby, I pronounce judgment!"

—Divider—

Behind Yae Village, a scarlet eye opened in the darkness. "I can feel it, the scent of that woman!"

Golden chains followed its frantic struggles, and its already illusory outer shell further dissipated.

—Divider—

On the forest path, the White Knight's figure collapsed, returning to the two of them.

"Why did you run off right after you attacked? And what's your plan?" Kiana said weakly.

"That sword probably didn't do much damage to her. As for my plan, we'll talk about it when we get there." In their black and white vision, the pink flow was very clear.

As long as I can get to that place...

"Where do you think you're going?" The mercenary's voice arrived unexpectedly. Apart from the hem of his clothes being scorched by flames, he was unharmed.

Raven patted the dust off herself. "That form just now should be comparable to Schicksal's A-rank Valkyries, right? Unfortunately, it's not enough to deal with me."

Just as she approached the two, she seemed to sense something and quickly shot an arrow behind her, causing the newly fired shell of the Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C to explode.

"You again?" Raven frowned, looking at the troublesome little rabbit.

At the same time, in a certain world bubble, Siola in Sky City was fiercely lecturing Bronya while pulling her ear.

"Kiana, Xing, are you two alright?" Mei emerged from the nearby woods. "You were gone for so long, Bronya and I came to find you. Luckily, Bronya installed a tracker on you beforehand."

"When did she install it? Never mind, Mei, I need your power!" Xing grabbed Mei's hand in front of Kiana.

"Uh, can't use a subservient? Then, use a 4-star Mei to star-tune a 4-star me!" Since they had merged before, it was now a familiar process.

4★ + 4★ = 8★

"Stop it, you!" Kiana watched helplessly as Mei transformed into four purple halos and a Katana.

"Lightning that tears through the sky, become my friend, and cut down all impurities! Synchronous summon! Be born, Level 8, Blade of the Thunder Queen!"

A small amount of samurai armor adorned his body. Xing unfurled his sleeve, drew his sword, and transformed into a purple stream of light. "Regarding the answer to that question just now, there's actually a better solution, and that's to 'clock up' like her!"

Inside Xing's Stigmata space—

Herrscher Mei's eyes snapped open. "Finally, finally! The other me, I'm back!"

The white-haired nun watched her depart, flinging a chain after her. While it couldn't pull her back, it would prevent her from causing trouble for Mei for a while.

The clash between light purple and dark red was fierce. Within seconds, several large craters appeared on the ground, lightning and raven feathers dancing together, weaving a tapestry.

Seeing the two fighting further and further away, Kiana shook off Bronya, who was supporting her. "Don't mind me, hurry and chase them."

Bronya: "..." It's rare for me to be gentle with you, and this is how you repay me?

Raven obediently gave chase, completely unconcerned about whether the exhausted Kiana would be killed by wandering Maniacs and Honkai Beasts.

"Thunder Breathing—" The electric current stimulated his cells, squeezing out every last bit of potential from his body. Xing held his katana with both hands and slashed at Raven at maximum speed, leaving trails of electricity on the ground.

"First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!" (He just shouted it; Xing couldn't actually do this yet.)

Just as the katana was about to strike Raven, Raven twisted her body at a strange angle, then quickly jumped up and fired a fully charged arrow.

Midnight Wormwood's ultimate skill—Night Raven's Cry.

Although Xing was in a high-speed movement state, for Raven, it was merely a bit difficult to aim.

Everything happened too fast for Xing to react. He could only block in front of him with his katana to avoid being pierced by the arrow.

The purple katana flew high into the air and then landed on the ravaged forest floor, transforming back into Mei. The girl lay on the ground, managing to lift her head to glance in Xing's direction before passing out.

Xing, who had crashed through several large trees along the way, collapsed powerlessly. Two consecutive Bonded Weaponry activations, and both were full-power battles. His stamina was long gone, not to mention that he was also seriously injured.

"Damn it, just a little more..." Xing was somewhat unwilling. He had been intentionally controlling the direction of their battle, fighting from the village to the mountains. Oh, right, did he happen to dismantle a dilapidated shrine just now?

"This is where it ends, little one." Raven exhaled, stretching her muscles. "You can't escape... Why is it you again?"

Bronya picked him up expressionlessly. "Use a four-star Bronya to attune a four-star Xing."

"You're wrong, Bronya," Xing weakly grasped Bronya's hand. "Stack the four-star you with the four-star me."

Another cold snowfield. Xing stood there, watching a girl being trained into a cold killer, then by chance entering an orphanage and meeting a girl named Seele Vollerei, who rediscovered her emotions.

However, during an experiment, Seele's body decomposed into a Quantum State and disappeared from reality. And that experiment was supposed to be hers.

To see Seele one last time, Bronya voluntarily entered that domain, thereby receiving Seele's final gift—Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C. But because she stayed too long, the nerves in her legs and her emotional center were damaged, causing her to lose the ability to walk and to no longer feel emotions.

"I'll help you find her." In the pure white space, Xing looked at the expressionless Bronya. "So, can you smile a little?"

Bronya placed her fingers on the sides of her lips, forcing a smile onto her face, physically.

Returning to reality—

The bodies of the two transformed into two streams of light, merging into a black vortex that suddenly appeared on the ground.

Then, countless light particles surged out, condensing into a new figure.

"A burning heart shall awaken a cold shell. Plan the future with reason, Overload Summon! Appear, Rank 4, Otherworld Hacker!"

Perhaps because they were both young forms, the transformed Xing was still a young boy. Three silver spiral ponytails hung behind his head, and a set of high-tech clothing adorned his body. Xing pulled down the goggles on his forehead and smiled faintly.

"Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C, Ride On."

The greatly transformed Heavy-Duty Rabbit appeared behind him. With a blue and white main color scheme, it underwent a series of rapid transformations, becoming a handsome motorcycle.

"Wow, Heavy-Duty Rabbit's a big upgrade!" Bronya's passionate voice came through the headset, almost deafening him. "Your ability is so cool! Ugh, what are you hesitating for? Hesitation leads to defeat, you know? Hurry up and drive the motorcycle to smash her!"

What's going on? Why does my Bronya have a hint of brownie flavor? And weren't you a girl of few words? Why is your emotion suddenly so rich?

"I don't know what's going on, but after merging with you, my emotions seem to have recovered. Oh well, don't worry about it, just go hit her!"

Xing mounted the Rabbit and then ran away.

Raven: "?"

Bronya: "?"

"What are you running for? Hit her!" Bronya yelled into the headset.

"Hit your head! If I actually hit her, I'd probably have my license and the car impounded."

Xing activated Honkai Vision, tracking the pink streak. "We're almost there."

Arriving deep in the mountains behind Yae Village, Xing had the Rabbit transform back into its original form. Then, with a wave of his hand, the Rabbit's hands directly turned into a large cannon.

"Fire."

The soaring cannon fire engulfed the area.

—Divider—

"Is that enough?" Bronya asked, supporting the exhausted Xing after he disarmed.

"Yeah, that's enough. You should go to Kiana and Mei; they need you. As for me, it's up to luck. Oh, right, remember to contact the Headmaster."

Bronya remained silent for a moment before leaving in another direction.

Watching the increasing pinkness around him, Xing found a shattered rock and sat down. He had just had Heavy-Duty Rabbit bombard this area; she should be coming out soon, right?

Raven's figure appeared at just the right moment. She clapped her hands. "Little guy, I have to admit, you're really good at stirring things up."

"Thanks for the compliment," Xing forced a smile.

"But do you think I don't know your little schemes?" Raven's lips curved into a distinct arc. "From the moment you merged with your kin-sister, you've been intentionally leading me here. I guess you have the ability to sense the flow of Honkai Energy, right? Coincidentally, I have that ability too."

"Huh?" Xing was a little confused. Thinking about it, she really did have "Honkai Vision," though hers required capturing a Honkai Beast first.

"You probably want me to fight the Pseudo-Herrscher sealed here, right? Coincidentally, she's also one of my targets for this trip. I made thorough preparations before coming," Raven's tone was full of mockery.

"Ready to go with me to the World Serpent, little one?"

Just as Xing was about to answer, he felt a chill rush straight to the crown of his head, like a little mouse being stared at by a serpent.

He looked back and saw a large, crimson fox that had appeared on the rubble at some point. Its pair of blood-red eyes were fixedly staring at him.

"Kallen's aura..."

Author's Notes—

Finally tying up the introduction.

I originally planned to split this chapter into three, but I ended up combining them. So, can you count this as three updates?

Oh, right, Duck Duck hasn't recovered her memories yet. When Xing browsed her memories, she didn't feel anything. The interactions made were all subconscious.

PS: After disarming, Bronya will lose her emotions again.

Next Chapter Preview! The one who makes others green will eventually be made green!