Two Monsters, Struggling and Betraying One Another

Haiyuan City, Zhongxing Road, Lower Ring District, C281.

Crematorium No. KFDVGE

Christianne sat atop the "garbage mountain," her appearance a far cry from the original Seele Fulei template. Her eyes were now rounder, tinged with a light brown, and her features had transformed into those of a Western European, with a touch of baby fat, making her look youthful and adorable.

It was nighttime. The battle at McDonald's's had dragged on for a long time, forcing the Herrscher of Domination to change her previously preferred makeup and toy-like appearance. In this crematorium, Flora used her powers to sift through the options for a long time before finally finding a new look that suited her taste.

So Christianne was in a good mood. She patted her milky white sack skirt, which was stained with dirt and bright red. Her slender legs, revealing her fair skin, swayed back and forth like swings. Combined with the expression in her eyes, she naturally exuded a girlish charm.

This is clearly not the inherent nature of the Herrscher of Domination, but rather the knowledge and abilities gained after discarding Christianne's corpse, including this girlish demeanor and details that can probably be attributed to these abilities.

She gazed into the distance at the starlight and the vibrant red glow emanating from the morning clouds—a scene created by crematoriums powered by Honkai Energy reactors, which transformed into pure flames to bring peace to the Honkai -contaminated corpses.

The accompanying equipment replaced all the manual steps, allowing the residents, who were barely able to get by for the time being, to avoid witnessing this cruel yet beautifully fragmented scene.

Steel and flames grind away the sorrow of death, while towering skyscrapers and ever-burning neon lights in the distance reflect each other, as if silently proclaiming the resilience and indomitable spirit of humankind.

Christianne unconsciously savored the stunned feeling of her "previous self" nearing death, and smiled. She stretched out her slender arm, her palm blocking most of her pupils and the colorful light in front of her. As she slowly closed it, invisible threads intertwined into a net, making a taut sound.

I will wield all that so-called resilience and indomitable spirit.

This is instinct, it's nature.

But immediately, a message from a distant consciousness swept away all the worries in Christianne's heart. She waved to the missionaries below and said with a happy smile:

"You did it, Flora!"

The nun sensed the new connection point in her consciousness. She raised her face, gazing at the night sky created by the virtual world, and whispered:

"You did a great job."

Christianne thought for a moment and asked:

"So what do we do next? Should we just let that toy kill a few people and then beat the target half to death?"

She earnestly suggested:

"That would definitely make her feel too weak, and she would then naturally choose to have a gene transplant, right?"

The missionary smiled and said softly:

"There are many paths to this goal, but we can't just give her the desire to become stronger; we must also give her hope."

"Otherwise, the plan might not go in the best direction."

Christianne seemed to understand, but not quite. She absorbed experience and knowledge much faster than the missionary. However, her thought patterns and innate logical framework were temporarily overridden by the first human girl she had absorbed, resulting in her displaying an almost foolish naiveté. This indirectly made it difficult for the experience and knowledge that should have belonged to her mind to be put to use.

But she still understood what Flora meant:

"If that toy shows a completely one-sided bias, then the target has no reason to necessarily obtain the Udu-dust quickly."

The missionary said indifferently:

"That's why I said we need to give people some hope."

"Although both your consciousness overlay and my [bewitching] have Shiyu Qiluo's consciousness lifeless, under our control, the actual situation in the outside world can be completely different."

"Once she figures out that the Herrscher of Consciousness's powers can save her friends, the person who most wants her to control the Udu-dust will no longer be us, but herself."

Christianne seemed to understand something and said:

"If the target wants to master the Divine Key, he must accept the Hyper-Mutation Factor program and become Fusion Warrior as quickly as possible; otherwise, he will not be able to meet the basic requirements of Udu-dust."

Flora stated:

"Yes, so the effects of your powers must not be revealed."

Christianne asked:

"Then how should we act? I remember that Flora, your powers are unlikely to change the core will of people with extremely strong wills and special souls; it takes a long time to wear them down to achieve a similar effect."

"Although that toy's soul is within the normal threshold, it has still undergone gene transplantation. The closeness between its soul and flesh is not on the same level as that of an ordinary person, and the difficulty of bewitching it is also different."

"Putting her into a coma and ensuring my subconscious is not disturbed is already the limit of your authority. How can you expect her to cooperate and act out the play?"

The missionary smiled, glancing at the girl's new appearance, her gaze gentle, her tone lingering:

"Christianne."

"What kind of acting skills do you think could fool someone with extraordinary intuition who knows them very well?"

"The answer is that all her expressions and words came from the heart, and all her emotions and struggles stemmed from her true intentions."

"We don't need to do anything. As long as we awaken Shiyu Qiluo's consciousness normally, everything will proceed towards the predetermined goal."

Christianne couldn't help but laugh. She covered her moist red lips, making the gap at the exposed joint of her sleeve even more noticeable.

The girl embraced the nun's soft, supple body and whispered in her ear:

"What about the other toy? Aren't you going to do anything with her? All you've left her with is one-time power, right?"

Flora stroked her long, flaxen hair, her unfocused eyes lowered, as if deep ink were spreading within them. Her lips parted, revealing her pearly teeth, and she uttered a hoarse, deep voice:

"Previously, it was because we weren't sure if that person had truly entered the gene transplant stage, so we couldn't reveal any flaws. Now, it's because no one knows if Mei has developed another instrument for observing souls."

"She's just an insignificant character. Since the seed of power within her can achieve the goal with just one use, there's no need to risk being discovered to still be alive and controlling her for a long time."

The nun's arm, which had been gently stroking the other's hair, gradually split and swelled into countless mouthparts and sticky, dark pink flesh, but then, upon meeting his smiling eyes, it instantly returned to its original state, erasing all distracting thoughts.

This is the Herrscher of Domination.

No matter how well-behaved they look, how sweet their voice is, or how obedient they are, their essence will not change in the slightest.

Flora, however, was unwilling to submit to anyone. This was a game of mutual tug-of-war, and she had only this much to hold onto. She absolutely could not act recklessly and indulge her own desires.

The experience of Su Qing'an killing her taught the missionary many lessons in a sense, and even elevated her behavior and personality to a certain extent.

The monster, who should have been unable to control its desires, learned a terrible lesson and instead became a human who learned to use reason and a simple weighing of pros and cons to control itself.

And so Flora truly resembled the purest and most holy nun in a convent, she smiled and whispered:

"And Christianne."

"Don't you think it's difficult to combine coincidences? Shiyu Qiluo and Carole are her only two long-term teammates and friends. If one of them is found to be in trouble, it can probably be attributed to an accident, but with two of them, it's impossible to ignore the coincidences involved."

"But we're fighting a war of information asymmetry."

"As long as no one gets close to the secret until the very end, he will have everything under control."

Christianne gazed intently at the fading desire in her eyes, her lips curving into an even more alluring smile. Her fingertips lightly traced the slender, supple waist, her inner arousal growing stronger.

My lovely Flora, you are the best toy.

It's a pity we can only eat it properly at the very end.

The distant firelight illuminated the scene, and the two figures swayed indistinctly in the flickering painting, creating an atmosphere that was both alluringly pink and incredibly eerie.

Heavy, suffocating, terrifying.

Accompanied by the oppressive feeling of being forcibly immersed in the dark water prison, Shiyu Qiluo's consciousness was thus revived.

Lucid dreaming?

She couldn't understand why, despite feeling so physically and emotionally unwell, she couldn't open her eyes and truly Awakened.

It was a very strange state, a strange state that you would never want anyone to empathize with.

Shiyu Qiluo clearly felt that she had awakened, but she could not control her body, could not open her eyes, and even... could not interfere with the frequency of her breathing.

This feeling of being paralyzed by a ghost, yet even more clearly and involuntary, lasted only ten minutes before she began to find it difficult to remain calm and deal with the situation.

In a sense, the pain of Fusion Gene is much gentler.

These are two completely different kinds of torment, but Shiyu Qiluo would rather choose the former than continue to sink into this dark world.

A long time passed, yet it also felt like only a few minutes.

The girl's eyelids lifted, allowing her vision to momentarily emerge from the darkness.

But before she could even feel the joy, she came to understand an even more terrifying reality.

She's still asleep.

Or it could be described as the self's consciousness being suppressed into a cramped corner, while the body's autonomy is relinquished to other beings.

"Who are you?"

What is the purpose of controlling my body?

Shiyu Qiluo understood that these questions were foolish, but she had no other choice.

Christianne ignored all questions and simply guided the body to the window, gazing at the dawn breaking outside. Following the missionary's advice, she did not, as before, provoke the original owner's consciousness for amusement.

Flora's reason for ensuring that the effects of the Domination ability remained unknown was to provide Fu Hua with the best reason to obtain the Udu-dust.

To achieve this, the other party must be convinced that Shiyu Qiluo's condition is due to the manipulation and correction of her consciousness; otherwise, Udu-dust will obviously not be able to provide the correct treatment.

In essence, Udu-dust cannot solve the problem of Shiyu Qiluo being manipulated.

Since the power of domination is essentially to weave the body into a marionette of Christianne, the key to resolving this predicament lies in severing the tangled threads within, and has nothing to do with consciousness.

Therefore, the more you say, the more mistakes you make.

The missionary believed that since Christianne's intelligence and reaction ability were worrying, and her personality might even reveal certain things, it would be better to simply keep quiet and let her subconsciousness exist in the same chaotic state. Occasionally, the circuits would be disconnected, allowing Shiyu Qiluo herself to control it, and then everything would be flawless.

Currently, Christianne's subconscious only left behind the orders to attack Fu Hua and not to seriously injure her.

So "Shiyu Qiluo" pushed open the door expressionlessly. She was still dressed in her pajamas, her bare feet touching the ground as she walked slowly into the living room with no concealment. What came into view was Fu Hua pouring cold water.

The girl's back was slender and delicate, her ponytail falling to her waist, her slender fingers dipping into the porcelain cup ring, her profile focused and refined, her eyes lowered as if deep in thought, exuding a habitual aloofness.

After experiencing many things, her temperament has gradually changed to what it is today—seemingly easy to get along with, yet always carrying a sense of aloofness.

But as she sensed the presence behind her, Fu Hua's gaze shifted to Shiyu Qiluo, the unfamiliar aura fading away, replaced by a gentle, comforting warmth.

The morning light streamed into the room, making the eyes that met hers appear even more shimmering and glistening with each blink. Her long, thick eyelashes were even more striking and captivating, revealing her exquisite beauty.

Shiyu Qiluo understood perfectly well that Hua only showed such an expression to a select few.

And naturally, I was included in this group, as I had known him since Canghai City.

Someone like her would never want to hurt the other person, no matter what.

However, the Honkai Energy flowing and trembling within the body was like a roaring and rushing river. The gene power that awakened like boiling water made the Soma Eye hot and scalding, stimulating the flesh and blood to give it several times the power it usually possessed. As if it had been injected with adrenaline, the nerves were instantly amplified and sharpened, causing the vision and figures in front of it to slow down.

Shiyu Qiluo understood that as long as three more seconds, or even less, passed, everything would be alright.

She was about to watch helplessly as an unknown entity used its position and importance with Fu Hua, along with the power it had painstakingly acquired to protect its friends, to annihilate it.

As her comrade-in-arms, she was well aware of Fu Hua's strength.

Even after he becomes Fusion Warrior and completes his second stabilization period, he might not be able to defeat his opponent.

However, direct combat and surprise assassination are two completely different concepts.

The Fusion Warrior's body is constantly filled with massive amounts of Honkai Energy. Under such circumstances, even if they are about to use their full strength, they are as difficult to find as a cat in the dark. Even with the opponent's perception, they would not feel anything is wrong.

Even if Fu Hua notices the difference, preconceived notions that she would never harm her would at most lead her to believe it's a normal disturbance during the second stabilization period, making it difficult for her to take any precautions.

Based on all of the above premises, Shiyu Qiluo's emotions had reached their peak. She truly believed that Fu Hua would die under this despicable means. This extremely fierce resistance, rage, and even the hidden sorrow for that ending all melted into the immense power to break through the mental shackles.

In reality, even if the missionary used [bewitchment] to distort her consciousness at this point, it would be too late.

But the seed of that power lies dormant deep within consciousness, neither exerting any influence nor directly colliding with it; the power of control remains undisturbed, each fulfilling its own function.

Let these emotions do nothing.

Can...

Christianne has given up.

"Hua, get out of the way!"

Almost instantly Shiyu Qiluo gained control of most of her body and immediately issued a warning. However, the Honkai Energy surging within her body was still uncontrollable. Crimson arcs of light burned into magnificent flaming blades, which she slashed down directly!

The apartment building, which is hundreds of meters tall, was penetrated and Honkai Energy was mostly converted into heat.

With a deafening roar, Fu Hua was blown into the air outside the apartment by the sudden attack. Shiyu Qiluo's prompting allowed her to gather Honkai Energy around her with her sword heart and simultaneously unleash a Sword Defense Style, thus escaping unharmed.

However, the girl couldn't understand the situation when her comrade suddenly turned against her and then spoke up to warn her. She watched Shiyu Qiluo down and continued to unleash tangible sword waves, her expression revealing a sorrowful demeanor, her inner thoughts unspeakable.

Little Feather swimming in the Mind Lake spoke up:

"Xiao Fu, it seems like Xiao Qi is being controlled."

The girl calmly conjured layers of Honkai Energy beneath her feet, using them to evade Shiyu Qiluo's relentless attacks, and responded with a frown:

"I know."

"Her attacks were very inaccurate, as if she was deliberately trying to deflect them; she even chose to warn me with her initial strike."

"Is the body being manipulated, or the mind being affected?"

Fu Hua suddenly thought of the missionary who had perished without leaving [Ashes] that day, and the scales in her heart subconsciously tipped in her favor.

A woman's intuition is often terrifying; she sensed then that the monster wouldn't die so easily, and now she naturally connected the dots.

The Herrscher of Consciousness is already dead, and the Honkai Energy index worldwide has not continued to rise recently, nor has any Herrscher reaction been detected. The possibility of her gaining the power to control bodies is not high.

The only others who possessed the power to correct consciousness were missionaries.

At the same time, the fact that bewitching is unlikely to have a perfect effect on people with strong souls also reflects the current situation.

Even if she believes she has found the truth, Fu Hua must face her friend's current situation. If she allows the other party to cause destruction in the city, even if she removes the power of bewitching later, she will not be able to help Qiluo escape punishment.

We must stop Qiluo immediately.

So, after much deliberation, the girl chose the only optimal solution that was currently feasible.

"Xiao Xi, use Sword God."

Thus, the missionaries successfully achieved the second objective in this phase of their plan.

That is, Udu-dust's slumber.