Lone Star in Changkong (I)

The black-clad mercenary carried the small boy into the heavily guarded ME Company.

Raven felt as though this wasn't real. She had caught her that easily? The Crimson Kite Bird hadn't been brought along, so she couldn't obtain information through **. Raven strongly suspected the little one had some trick up her sleeve.

After all, back in Yae Village, this little one had put up quite a fierce resistance.

(PS: Raven and Jackal thought Xing was a girl, so they always referred to Xing as "she.")

She recalled Xing's transformation when she had been badly injured last time. That form undoubtedly possessed power comparable to an S-Rank Valkyrie.

Natasha Siola failed to realize that, aside from a mercenary's vigilance, the greater reason she thought this way was that, deep down, she did not want Xing to fall into Jackal's hands. Otherwise, she would not have gone along with the situation and let Xing escape in Changkong City, nor would she have held back in Yae Village, where she could have taken Xing down in one strike, and fought against Xing's three Bonded Weaponry in succession.

In Jackal's laboratory at ME Company—

A blonde woman in military uniform stood with a grim expression, confronting the dark-skinned woman wearing a wolf-head mask who sat before the lab bench. The Gem of Stillness was stored within a container in the center of the laboratory.

"Jackal, just how long are you going to drag this out before beginning the experiments on the Gem of Stillness?" Cocolia asked the relaxed-looking Jackal with clear displeasure.

Jackal did not even spare her a proper glance, simply staring at the data on the screen as she spoke leisurely. "What's the rush, Cocolia? And besides, are you ordering me around? Get clear on the difference in status between you and me."

"You!" Cocolia clenched her fists, wishing she could smash that dog's head in with one punch. But she held herself back, because she knew she needed World Serpent's help.

"Oh, right. The plan has changed. I don't intend to activate the Gem of Stillness directly anymore," Jackal suddenly said.

Cocolia looked up in shock. "What do you mean? Is World Serpent going back on its deal with me?"

Jackal chuckled and waved a hand. "Don't misunderstand. I never said we weren't going to create the Herrscher of Death. It's because I've found its vessel—a perfect vessel."

"A vessel?" Cocolia asked, utterly confused.

Just then, the laboratory door was pushed open. The black-clad mercenary walked in carrying Xing, who was still under anesthesia. "Hey, Jackal. I brought the person you wanted."

Jackal rose excitedly and turned around, staring with eager, burning eyes at the small boy in Raven's arms. Even though her hair and eye color had changed, Jackal still recognized her at once. "There's an old saying in Shenzhou: speak of the devil, and the devil appears. Cocolia, allow me to introduce the star of this experiment—the holder of a Natural Stigmata, the current host of the Gem of Conquest, Xing Kaslana, the young lady capable of turning humans into weapons!"

"I'm a boy... Wait, when did the Gem of Conquest get inside my body?" The boy barely raised his head as he corrected her. He had no idea that the Gem of Conquest had bounced back and forth between his and Mei's bodies once.

Jackal also had no idea that the Gem of Conquest had already returned to Mei's body.

"Stop pretending, little one. I pulled down your underwear and checked last time," Raven whispered to him.

???

"Let me out! I'm going to kill her!" Yae Sakura roared within the Stigmata Space.

Xing, who had been keeping her suppressed inside the Stigmata Space all this time, said, "The plan. The plan is important. Just bear with it."

Earlier, in Tesla's laboratory—

"No, I absolutely refuse! You're going there to die!" After hearing Xing's plan, Tesla's expression shifted from shock to anger.

"I don't agree either! What do you mean by having that person capture you, infiltrate ME Company, and voluntarily become the vessel for the Gem of Stillness?" Kiana punched the wall, leaving a deep dent in the metal surface.

"That black-clad big sister should be able to obtain information on my location somehow. During our previous clash, she revealed that she belonged to the 'Serpent.' Let's make a bold assumption: if someone in the 'Serpent' saw value in me as a holder of a Natural Stigmata, then while they were preparing to create a Herrscher, they suddenly got their hands on me—would they still choose to activate the Gem of Stillness and leave the Herrscher's birth to chance? Wouldn't I be a better choice?"

"But Xing, how can you guarantee she'll take you to ME Company instead of bringing you directly to the 'Serpent's' base?" Mei said worriedly. "The risk is too great. There must be another way."

"Bronya believes Xing's plan has a high chance of success." Bronya, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.

Kiana turned toward her in shock. "Bronya, are you trying to put Xing in danger?"

"We have no way to enter ME Company directly. If we ask the Principal for help, setting aside whether she would believe us, we don't know when Cocolia will activate the Gem of Stillness. Xing's plan is the safest and most likely option. But Bronya does not want Xing to do this, because—" ** looked at the silent Xing. Only after a long while did she continue:

"Because Bronya doesn't want to lose Xing." A trace of worry and fear passed through eyes that had previously shown no emotional fluctuation.

Holder of a Natural Stigmata, experiments, loss... For some reason, these terms kept circling in her mind, and a fragment of her past forced its way into her thoughts.

"Seele..." A girl with black hair tinged with blue and snow-white skin appeared in her mind. Bronya murmured a name she herself did not know, and tears streamed down her face.

Xing smiled and gently wiped away **'s tears. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I can use that Pseudo-Herrscher's power. I can still escape if I need to."

Back to the present—

"Xing Kaslana?" Upon hearing that name, Cocolia's eyes filled with boundless killing intent. "You'll pay for Bronya with your life!" She swiftly pulled a pistol from her pocket, but just as she was about to pull the trigger, a dark crimson Raven Feather suddenly pierced her hand. The gun dropped from her numb fingers.

"Cocolia, what are you trying to do?!" Jackal's heart had nearly leaped into her throat just now. Fortunately, Raven had reacted quickly.

"She killed my daughter, Bronya Zaychik. I want to kill her!" Cocolia's bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Xing in Raven's arms.

"Bronya? Little one, I remember she wasn't—?" Raven looked at Xing, who gently shook his head. Wait, this anesthetic wasn't working. He could already move a little after such a short time.

"Heh, you have so many daughters. What's the big deal if a few die? I seem to remember you killed one yourself, didn't you? Her name was Seele Vollerei, I think. Oh, and wasn't your deal with World Serpent related to her too?" Jackal looked disdainfully at Cocolia, who resembled a madwoman, dancing wildly in her minefield.

(Although Seele had not died. She had merely become a Quantum State and gone to the Quantum Sea.)

"You!" Cocolia was so enraged that she lost all reason. Just as she was about to punch Jackal in the face, Raven promptly struck the back of her neck with a hand chop, knocking her unconscious.

"Can you watch that mouth of yours? If I'd been any slower, that dog head of yours would've cracked open." Raven looked at Jackal with disgust. If she had not considered that Jackal would settle the score with her later if she did nothing, she would never have helped.

"Heh, that woman isn't ruthless enough, yet her ambitions are huge. Sooner or later, something was bound to happen." Jackal waved a hand, then looked fervently at the equally disgusted boy and reached out to stroke his face. "Come now, let me... ngh!"

The instant her fingers touched Xing, a faint electric current swept through her body. Jackal instantly became a puffed-up dog—literally.

"Pfft~" The two of them laughed without the slightest sympathy.

"Th-this is the Herrscher of Thunder's power?" Jackal paid no attention to her appearance, recalling the sensation from moments ago with an intoxicated expression. "How wonderful. You will definitely be able to withstand its genes..."

Xing nuzzled against Raven, who had buried his head against her chest. "Is there something wrong with this person's head?"

Raven, who could not feel the current due to her combat suit and Fusion Warrior physique, replied, "No. She's just plain stupid."

Damn it, such an idiot was actually my colleague. How embarrassing!

Jackal quickly came to her senses. "All right, Natasha, take her to my other laboratory."

"Huh? Aren't we implanting the Gem of Stillness into her?" Raven asked, confused.

"Of course we are, but before that, I want to optimize her body and raise that already-high success rate a little further. You go on ahead. I need to make some preparations here for the artificial Herrscher and Project Stigma experiments afterward."

Project Stigma!?

Xing's pupils abruptly contracted. He knew what Jackal intended to do in Changkong City—the Sky Meteor incident had been brought forward as well. That event, which had originally taken place in Sky Dome City and been resolved by Kiana after she temporarily gained the power of the Herrscher of Void, had now fallen onto his shoulders.

Was this the butterfly effect? He had stopped Mei's awakening, only to trigger an even more serious event.

"What does 'optimization' mean?" Xing asked Raven on the way to the laboratory.

"A surgery that will make your body more compatible with Honkai Energy. Don't worry, you should be fine," Raven said after hesitating for a moment. A thought suddenly surfaced in her mind—was there still time to let her go?

What am I thinking?! Raven gritted her teeth and crushed that thought. She was a cold-blooded mercenary, not some kind-hearted orphanage director!

Inside the laboratory filled with all kinds of machinery, Raven placed him on what looked like an operating table, secured his limbs and torso, and injected a vial of medicine into his body.

"What is this?"

"A sensory anesthetic. You won't feel any pain for a while." Raven's expression was somewhat grave. After pulling out the syringe, she turned and left.

No way, right? A possibility arose in his heart. He forcibly suppressed Yae Sakura, who was trying to emerge, and waited for Jackal's arrival.

Jackal did not make him wait long. Before long, that punchable voice came through the laboratory speakers.

"Did you know, little one, that there is a technique for combining humans with Honkai Beasts? It can grant an ordinary person power sufficient to rival a Herrscher—provided they survive the surgery, and the Honkai Beast they fuse with is powerful enough."

"You are very fortunate, because you have met me—not only can I provide the finest technology and equipment, but also the genes of a powerful Honkai Beast. I will give you the power to slay gods and turn you into the sharpest blade in the hands of the 'Serpent.'"

"There is an Emperor Class Honkai Beast capable of devouring other Honkai Beasts for endless evolution. The reason it was only Emperor Class was because it was only Emperor Class when it was destroyed. In the Previous Era, however, with the strength of a Judgment Class beast and its endlessly evolving ability, it had ascended into the ranks of Finality Class Honkai Beasts. Its name was—Vishnu."

"You probably don't understand what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter. You'll find out soon enough."

Countless mechanical arms holding syringes pierced Xing's body. Several even entered his brain, and an unknown liquid shimmering with eerie colors flowed into him.

The Kallen's Song stigma on Xing's right hand shone with frightening brilliance.