My Honkai Star Rail: Reversing All Phenomena

How could merely coming into contact with those things allow someone to understand and analyze them, turning them into their own abilities?

Grand Duke Inferno could no longer maintain his lofty arrogance. The abilities the descendants of the Primordial Phase Spirit Fire—the Fire Demon Clan—took pride in had been restrained by a human. This was second only to having the destruction he practiced suppressed by someone who was not a follower of Destruction, using power of the Same Origin.

He tried to detonate the Hellfire, without considering whether it could actually inflict any effective damage on Hua Yi.

The Song of Destruction had slipped free of the Conductor's control, and the plan to induce the Space Station's collapse from within had already failed. All Afrit wanted—and could do—was bring as much pain as possible to the one who had stopped Calamity's Grace.

Yet the Hellfire did not explode as the Grand Duke wished. It flickered strangely, as though it might break free of his control at any moment.

"Are you competing with me for control of the Hellfire? Are you a Fire Demon too?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Grand Duke Inferno realized he had asked an incredibly foolish question.

As the supreme leader of the Fire Demon Clan, an Energy Being race, how could he possibly fail to recognize one of his own kind if he had truly encountered one?

This person was certainly no Fire Demon. Yet the pressure he exerted in contesting control of the Hellfire was so immense that Afrit could no longer spare attention elsewhere. He feared exposing another opening and allowing the other party to seize his flames outright.

In contrast, Hua Yi appeared entirely at ease, still able to speak calmly.

"Although Imaginary Tree Theory has been disproven and is no longer the sole Tree of the Universe, Imaginary Energy remains the key for countless beings across the stars to become strong. Your power is connected to Imaginary Energy, and I happen to have a little talent in that area."

What kind of terrifying talent did it take to compete with the leader of the Fire Demons for control over the fire that was the source of his life?

Once, Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, had personally annihilated Tophet with White Star Blaze and the great power of Destruction. The raging flames gave birth to the Fire Demon Clan. These plasma lifeforms worshipped Nanook as the lord of calamity, and they had indeed been inseparable from Destruction since birth.

So why could a [Preservation] Pathstrider contend with the Fire Demons for flames steeped everywhere in the meaning of [Destruction]? The two powers should have ground each other away. How could they engage in such an invasive tug-of-war?

He couldn't understand it.

"...No wonder even when my benefactor's legion arrived in person, it failed to purify this place. I shall acknowledge my rashness for now."

Grand Duke Inferno ruthlessly severed the consciousness residing within that flame, turning it into a fuse. He then poured Power of Destruction into it, forcibly triggering all the Hellfire's energy and detonating it.

The spreading blue flames tore through the air. Just as they were about to engulf the entire office and an even broader area, they were blocked by the Imaginary Isolation Wall Hua Yi had prepared in advance. The violent energy that burst forth and the stable Imaginary barrier ground each other away until both vanished without a trace.

One bit more would have overflowed; one bit less would have caused disorder.

Who Was the Conductor?

"Is it over?"

Asta gripped the Portable Energy Cannon in her hand and looked around the office that had unfortunately become the battlefield against Grand Duke Inferno. Yet not a single piece of furniture or decoration had been burned.

She could no longer sense Hellfire's power, but more than her own judgment, the girl trusted Hua Yi's conclusion.

"It's over. Is there a reward?"

"There is~"

The beautiful girl rose onto her toes and planted a loud kiss on the cheek of the great hero who had protected the Space Station once again. Then she put away her Energy Cannon and wrapped both hands around Hua Yi's arm.

"Grand Duke Inferno detonated the flames where his consciousness resided at the end. Does that mean his main body has no way of learning the Space Station's internal situation?"

"No. Openly, he turned that portion of his residing consciousness into Hellfire fuel, but secretly, he recalled a wisp of it. Grand Duke Inferno can learn every detail of all the offense and defense between us."

"Eh!"

Asta's expression changed slightly in her concern.

"What if he holds a grudge after you stopped his scheme this time? Will he bring the Annihilation Gang along to harm you?"

"The Annihilation Gang isn't some united force. Those bloodthirsty races roam the universe, obsessed with burning and pillaging. They lack the special ability to systematically carry out the will of Destruction. They call themselves Nanook's loyal servants, yet have never received even a glance from the Aeon. Each has their own agenda. Grand Duke Inferno can't command them at will."

"Mm..."

"Don't worry. Afrit lost this operation, and I've displayed enough unusual traits. As he said himself, he won't act rashly again until he has sufficient confidence."

When dealing with the adorable girl, Hua Yi wore a gentle smile. None of the coldness from when he had restrained Spatial Transfer and fought for control of the Hellfire remained.

"Besides, I'm also using this to investigate some things, concerning Fictional Historians and the [Mystery] Path."

"Doesn't Grand Duke Inferno believe in [Destruction]?"

Asta was completely confused.

She knew of Fictional Historians. They were apostles of Mythus, the Aeon of Enigma, dedicated to fabricating, confusing, destroying, and erasing the history of the galaxy. They regarded [Mystery] as their sole purpose and were determined to shroud the universe in fog.

How did that become connected to Grand Duke Inferno?

"My battle against the Antimatter Legion is already in the past. It has become part of the Space Station's history, and few people know that I used Fire of Destruction at the time. Now that the Hellfire Afrit split off has experienced the prison of [Preservation], it has identified me as a Preservation Trailblazer. Naturally, the power that blocked the legion has become power of Preservation."

With no intention of deliberately concealing anything from the girl with whom he had formed the deepest bond, Hua Yi continued.

"Without relying on words or speech, my actions have conveyed information contradictory to Historical Truth to Grand Duke Inferno. He will conclude that [Preservation] protected the Space Station and blocked the legion's advance. That misjudgment will become the shared belief of Eternal Fire Mansion and even some Annihilation Gang members who interact with Fire Demons. It happens to help me play the role of a Fictional Historian and try to touch [Mystery]."

Fictional Historians believed that the past determined the future. Once a universe, planet, civilization, or nation possessed a definite and unquestionable history, its future development would already be fixed. All possibilities would vanish from the future, leaving only a tragic, lonely, rigid course.

Hua Yi was not a supporter of determinism, and he likewise reserved judgment toward the Fictional Historians' philosophy.

He was merely, after learning that Paths transcended time and space, consciously seeking to understand those Cosmic Truths that were closer to spacetime and more likely to affect it.

Learning that Grand Duke Inferno had not merely failed in his scheme, but had unknowingly become Hua Yi's aid and test subject in exploring Paths, Asta stood there with her mouth half open, speechless for a long while.

What reaction would Afrit, who called himself the Conductor, have if he knew all this?

The Fire Demon had used Spatial Transfer countless times, sending thugs descending from flames. He had instigated crises that annihilated living beings time and again, destroying many civilizations including Salit Planet. Yet he had become like an orchestra member moving according to Hua Yi's baton.

And he knew nothing. He noticed nothing.

The girl's head felt dizzy, yet Hua Yi's abyss-deep wisdom did not make her uneasy. Quite the opposite—her beloved was this amazing, and she was happy beyond measure.

Beep beep beep.

Hua Yi's Smart Terminal suddenly sounded with a series of alerts. It was a voice communication request.

Not just anyone could guess a phone number and call it. They had to be a contact or someone from a Space Station department...

Oh, it really was someone he knew.

"Director Topaz, hello."

Hua Yi accepted the call and greeted her. A lively yet rational female voice came from the other end.

"Hello, hello. This should be our first voice call. Unfortunately, this isn't the time for casual chatting—the Company detected several groups of Voidrangers hiding in the star region near Herta Space Station, and we've already dispatched security personnel to eliminate them all."

"On behalf of Herta Space Station, I thank the Interastral Peace Corporation for this Preservation's Good Deed."

"It's only proper. We're partners, after all. Also, I heard that the Key of Enlightenment you left for the Space Station Scholars to study was stolen. The timing is far too coincidental. I believe there may be some plot by conspirators among the [Destruction] believers. The engineers the Company stationed at the Space Station have all undergone internal review. No one committed theft."

"The theft case has already been solved. The culprit was Grand Duke Inferno of the Annihilation Gang. He placed a ball of Hellfire into the Space Station and secretly caused trouble, intending to dismantle the Space Station from within."

"I see. Your efficiency is incredible."

"Not ours. Hua Yi's efficiency is incredible. I just stood beside him and watched while the great hero solved everything."

Asta couldn't help but interject.

She had no intention of taking Hua Yi's credit.

Topaz immediately recognized who the second speaker was from her voice.

"So Station Master Asta is beside Mr. Hua Yi. That makes sense, considering such a mess happened. I imagine Grand Duke Inferno took advantage of the Company's ships frequently entering and leaving the Space Station lately to find an opportunity to smuggle in a ball of Hellfire. This was a Company security oversight. It just so happens that your Defense Department wants to purchase a batch of Company Mechs. I'll make the decision and give you a discount. How does that sound?"

"Topaz, you know me. Rather than a discount, I'd prefer to spend more Credits on higher-performance weapons and equipment."

"No problem. I'll send you a Product List shortly."

Asta said money wasn't a problem, and Topaz replied that as long as there was money, there wasn't a problem.

A Level IV Researcher's Position Doesn't Suit You

The Space Station's defensive weapons truly needed upgrading. But judging by the little rich girl's attitude, she clearly intended to pay out of pocket again.

After ending the call with Topaz, who was still on her business trip and seemed to be working overtime every day, Hua Yi pinched Asta's cheek.

"Follow the Department of Universal Matter's procedures properly. Do it according to the rules."

"Got it."

The Antimatter Legion's attack had proven that Herta Space Station was not entirely safe. There would always be reckless demons eyeing this Wisdom Gathering Place. Strengthening security had become the consensus among every department. Even someone as stingy as Wen Huairen would not "cut costs" in this area.

The Department of Applied Materials would allocate a large sum of funds to the Defense Department. It was foreseeable that Disaster Response Capability in combat would rise sharply afterward.

As Hua Yi issued an announcement revealing that the theft of the Key of Enlightenment involved the Annihilation Gang, suspicions toward the Interastral Peace Corporation naturally vanished. The Space Station lifted its lockdown and once again allowed interstellar ships to depart.

Although the Annihilation Gang was not qualified to be one of the Three Calamities of the Universe, it was still notorious, having caused countless tragedies of destruction.

Previously, the Space Station had been besieged by the legion, and there had not been enough time to complete the aftermath. Now, after personally experiencing being surrounded by demons, people learned that the Annihilation Gang had set its sights on this place. It was only natural for chaos to break out.

From a rational standpoint, Hua Yi should not have revealed the Annihilation Gang's existence. He should have suppressed the truth behind the theft as much as possible, obscuring all information or even crudely omitting it, in order to prevent widespread panic to the greatest extent.

The price would have been rampant speculation. The visiting tourists and Interastral Peace Corporation specifically named in the broadcast would have been treated as suspects, and even the department heads themselves would inevitably have been implicated.

Too many people had reasons to steal the Key of Enlightenment.

But once Hua Yi made it clear that everything was the Annihilation Gang's scheme, those unfounded suspicions lost their persuasiveness. As for widespread panic—

Just as he believed in the firm will of the Space Station's members, the scientific researchers also believed that the Starry Sky Museum protected by a hero could withstand the legion's advance and would not fall to the Annihilation Gang's plot.

The people who had been cooperating with the investigation, determined to help recover the Crystal of Wisdom Lord Hua Yi had painstakingly created, were reassured. Ordinary researchers returned to their workstations with laughter and conversation. Defense Department personnel who had been running about called it a day and left with relaxed expressions. The experts and scholars resumed studying the new Key of Enlightenment, chatting from time to time.

"Station Master Asta was gifted a key too. That's far too valuable."

"Does this count as giving a gift publicly?"

"What nonsense are you old fool talking about!"

"I mean it isn't flattery based on status. It's a boy trying to make a girl happy. Asta and Hua Yi are both young people, after all."

"Oh, right. It's perfectly normal for young people to catch each other's eye. Shouldn't we find a way to give them a little push?"

"Don't mess around with that stuff. What if good intentions lead to bad results? Our top priority now is writing high-quality papers based on the Key of Enlightenment, even developing intellectual property. Hua Yi put so much effort into this. If we can't produce anything decent after half a day, that'd be humiliating!"

Actually, they had already embarrassed themselves when the previous Key of Enlightenment was stolen.

The laboratory fell silent. Those elderly men and women, revered as leading authorities in different academic fields, remembered how they had failed Hua Yi's trust and felt ashamed. Like children who had done something wrong, they stopped talking and threw themselves into their research with utmost focus.

After returning from a sealed compartment, Doctor Ratio walked normally through the Space Station's corridors, able to hear the discussions of passing researchers.

The Annihilation Gang was the true culprit behind the theft of the Path Product, while Hua Yi had discovered that the other party used a flame-type Spatial Curio to transfer it to the Station Master's Office. After attempting to create a blind spot, he had directly fixed it into an object and gifted it to Station Master Asta as a romantic gesture.

Doctor Ratio had heard this story countless times over the past half System Time. Female researchers envied it immensely, imagining one day switching places with the Station Master, while many male researchers beat their chests and lamented that they were not dazzlingly charming young beauties.

His expression remained calm. It was merely that beneath the Plaster Head, no matter how astonished others looked at him, they could not tell.

These people were thinking too simply. They saw only the surface. Behind that so-called romance lay Hua Yi's wisdom and decisiveness. He was even more outstanding than ordinary researchers believed.

He hadn't expected a person like this to appear at Herta Space Station...

Or rather, why would someone like this come to the territory of a Genius Club Member?

Allowing him to remain at such a small Space Station was simply a pearl covered in dust, a terrible waste.

Having made certain decisions, Doctor Ratio quickened his pace and headed directly back to the previous meeting room.

As if he had long anticipated Doctor Ratio's return soon, Hua Yi was already waiting there.

"Mr. Ratio, have you finished what you needed to do?"

"I wouldn't say it's completely finished, but I won't be able to make new progress in the short term either."

Doctor Ratio removed his Head Sculpture. His attitude toward Hua Yi was clearly different from how he treated others.

"I have a question for you."

"Please."

"When you performed the Secret Ritual for the second time, you did not merely create one Key of Enlightenment. You created two, didn't you?"

"Yes. It seems Mr. Ratio was able to extract the Keywords from an announcement that withheld information, then use his extensive knowledge to deduce the correct result. As expected of a scholar renowned throughout the universe."

With flames capable of Spatial Transfer and the Annihilation Gang, Doctor Ratio could fully infer the true identity of the mastermind from those two pieces of information.

Grand Duke Inferno—the Fire Demon who called himself the Conductor.

The destruction of that Nanook believer was mixed with showing off and power, conquest and motive. He could not have merely hidden the Key of Enlightenment. As always, he should have practiced his impure path of destruction, weaving a greater conspiracy with the Path Product.

Ratio could reconstruct most of the relevant details himself.