I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

"We were comrades-in-arms in Moth for ten years. During that time, there were disagreements, separations, and reunions. No matter what, we stayed together until the very end."

Lin told Kiana everything about himself: his birth as an experimental product, the inhumane human experiments he underwent during his childhood, his time with Kevin during their school years, the battles, losses, betrayals, and pain after joining the Fire Moth, the people he met and parted from... He told Kiana everything.

After hearing this, Kiana was deeply moved and couldn't calm down for a long time.

She had guessed a little before, but she still didn't expect that the history 50,000 years ago was so dramatic, and Lin, whose life was absolutely extraordinary, was just one of them.

After Lin finished speaking, he shut his mouth and gazed at the lake. One wonders if he still saw the magnificence of the artificial lake.

A gentle breeze caressed her face, her silver hair fluttered slightly behind her, and the girl hugged her knees, tightening her coat, and said timidly in a low voice, "You have so many girls who are close to you."

"... Hmm." Lin hadn't realized that things had turned out this way. He had reflected on it, but he didn't know what it was about him that was so attractive.

Having said that, Lin was prepared to be scolded or even beaten by Kiana. He didn't think it was something to be proud of to have entanglements with many women. To have such a thing with another girl when you have a close relationship with one girl was just an excuse, no matter what you said.

Unexpectedly, Kiana let out a long sigh of relief, a sweet smile appearing on her lips.

"So you weren't uninterested in girls after all."

"I have never said that I am not interested in the opposite sex."

"I always thought you were nice to me to keep me calm or because you felt sorry for me. After all, I am the Herrscher of the Void, and you need to create a gentle environment for me."

"That was indeed one of the reasons at the beginning," Lin confessed frankly. "When I returned to this world, I was actually quite anxious, and my rough treatment of you stemmed from that."

"You really do speak your mind when you feel guilty," Kiana teased with a grin, then murmured, "Well... that's good. Thank you for being there for me and helping me back then. Now... I'm able to go much further."

Everything ended quietly and tacitly, and their abnormal relationship should also come to a close at this time.

Kiana stood up and handed the coat draped over her shoulders to Lin. Lin reached out and took it. She smiled at him gently, and he closed his eyes and nodded.

"... You're the first girl I've ever had that kind of thing with."

Lin's calm words made Kiana, who was about to turn and leave, stop in her tracks and turn back to stare at him blankly.

"The first one?"

He nodded firmly. "The first one."

The silver-haired girl's voice trembled slightly. "You've never done this before?"

"At least you're the first one to get to that point."

"Not a single one in fifty thousand years?"

"No."

"Then with Seele..."

"Although it may sound like I'm making excuses, last night was not my intention."

Kiana suddenly stopped talking.

Her beautiful, bright eyes were fixed on Lin, trying to see if he was lying. This time, Lin did not look away and looked back at her naturally and openly.

She suddenly asked a question, a little shyly. "Why... why did you go in from that place the first time..."

"... The shape is too perfect, I couldn't help myself."

"Idiot." Kiana scratched her flushed cheek. "It hurt a lot at first..."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize for something like that."

Kiana bit her cherry-pink lips, her high ponytail dancing in the breeze blowing from the lake. She gathered her hair and said softly to Lin, "I'm so glad to know you have someone you like. It's so good that you can like someone else."

Lin was stunned for a moment.

The girl's smile by the shimmering lakeside was like a beautiful painting, and at that moment, it was etched into his heart.

"Smack."

Lin grabbed the girl's wrist.

"Forest?"

"Go to my room."

"Huh? Huh! What, what are you going to do?"

"He's getting interested."

"Wh-what—"

Lin, holding the hand of the shy girl who was practically fuming, quickly returned to the Anti-Entropy base, went straight to her room, and slammed the door shut.

Coral's "Reversal": Chapter Thirty-One - Even True Herrscher are Professionals at Sifting Through Trash.

From night to day, and from day to night, Lin's room door remained closed for an entire day.

By the end, Kiana felt like a sponge soaked with water; her soft, squishy body seemed to overflow with moisture from any spot. They even used a cup to collect the water, and it filled a whole glass—enough to fill a glass jar and put in the refrigerator to look like yogurt...

Unlike the first time when it was just a brief attempt, this time every available spot and position was used more than once, and it wasn't Lin who initiated it, but Kiana who requested it, because she felt that this was to "cover up" Seele's traces from yesterday, like spraying paint multiple times.

After finishing, the silver-haired girl loosened her ponytail and lay contentedly on the damp, sticky bed, drifting off to sleep. It's unknown whether she'll dream of a white ocean.

Satisfaction? Emptiness?

Neither of these feelings reflected Lin's mood as he sat by the bed.

His dark eyes emitted a faint, eerie light in the unlit room. He looked down at the girl's delicate face. In fact, he had seen enough of her that day, but it still felt somewhat unreal.

I should be very happy right now.

Lin's dopamine secretion was normal during the process, and he could indeed feel his body and mind were very excited, but he did not know whether his consciousness also felt pleasure.

... Thinking about this is pointless. Lin knows very well that he just can't synchronize his mind and body in this aspect, and it would be too troublesome to doubt whether he really has feelings for Kiana.

At least the final result was good...

Is it really a good thing?

Lin didn't know if this was good or bad, but at least it eased the long-standing tension between Lin and Kiana, as well as the delicate matters related to Seele.

However, Lin is now an absolute scumbag and a complete scumbag. In Bianca's words, he is a complete Scum Mushroom. In just one day, he had sex with two girls... no, to be precise, three girls, using his body to solve problems. Even a master of seduction wouldn't be able to do that.

Oh well, Scum Mushroom is Scum Mushroom. As long as it makes people happy, it's a good mushroom.

As Lin was thinking this, he wanted to get up and go to the kitchen to make some late-night snacks so that Kiana could eat after she woke up. But just as he got off the bed, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

While hiding on the Coral Island, Jiu endured humiliation and hardship to recover from her injuries.

The battle with the Herrscher of Domination in the space severely damaged him, and he almost perished there, exhausting all of his Honkai Energy.

His physical injuries and inner emptiness prevented him from even leaving Coral Island.

His rapid recovery in the past was due to his massive Honkai Energy. As long as there was still Honkai Energy remaining in his body, he could quickly replenish it through the surrounding environment and then use the characteristics of the Herrscher of Death to repair his body with Honkai Energy.

But now he is like a dried-up, leaky pool. His Honkai Energy and physical condition have both dropped to their lowest points. He can't even store much Honkai Energy in his body, and his injuries are even more severe. In this vicious cycle, he can only slowly wait for his body to repair itself. This process is the same as that of humans, and it is extremely agonizing for him.

Fortunately, the Schicksal members who were previously chosen to become Herrscher of Domination probably thought he couldn't stay where he was, or for some other deeper reason, so Schicksal didn't seem to have discovered that he was on Coral Island, giving him enough time to recover.

Wearing a baseball cap, Jiu stood in the shadows under the eaves, his eyes fiercely fixed on the sun-baked street.

Lin... that guy is definitely trying to find him too. He might be running around the world right now, not even eating, just to find any trace of him.

Heal his injuries and return to his peak condition before he finds him...

His stomach rumbled in protest. Since he could no longer be self-sufficient in energy, he was experiencing the physiological functions of a normal human being. The fastest way to replenish energy was to eat, so he had to ensure he had three meals a day.

Jiu touched her pockets and then fell silent.

I'm out of money.

Previously, Jiu almost always solved problems with Honkai Energy. When he ran out of money, he would use the power of the Herrscher of Reason to create more. But now he can't use it anymore, and he didn't create more money in advance. All the pockets on his body are cleaner than his face.

Hateful...

This inexplicable sense of frustration made Jiu extremely annoyed, and his dislike for Lin deepened once again. He had no choice but to drag his somewhat sluggish body toward the garbage dump, hoping to find something to eat there.

Human morality and self-esteem didn't apply to him. Jiu's emotions were richer than Lin's, but not much better. Searching through the garbage in public was nothing to him.

"Splash..."

The bread I ate halfway through... went moldy.

The fried chicken I took a bite of... had worms in it.

Leftovers packaged in plastic wrap... were filled with all sorts of sauces.

Jiu searched for something to eat with the same diligence as solving an arithmetic problem, but unfortunately, he could only find trash in the garbage heap. Trying to find treasure in the garbage heap usually resulted in him cutting his finger and still not finding anything.

Meow~ Meow~

"..."

Jiu raised her head expressionlessly and found a small dried fish dangling in front of her.

My gaze slowly moved upwards, from the delicate fingers holding the dried fish to the face of the girl whose eyes were shining and who was meowing.

"...What are you doing?"

"Hmm? Aren't you going to eat it?" The girl shook the dried fish again. The brown fried food looked brimming with calories and deliciousness at this moment. Jiu thought for less than half a second before opening her mouth and taking a bite.

He chewed it twice and then swallowed it.

One dried fish is certainly not enough to fill you up. Jiu wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth with his finger, put it in his mouth and licked it clean, then stared straight at the girl.

"Oh! It really looks like a kitten!" The girl's eyes shone even brighter, and she took out a small dried fish. "So cute, what's your name?"

"... Woman, don't come near me."

Jiu snatched the bag full of dried fish and glared at her fiercely.

The girl wasn't annoyed. She squatted down in front of Jiu, watching him grab the dried fish from the bag, throw it into his mouth, and swallow it whole, smiling slightly.

"When I passed by, I saw you rummaging through the trash like a kitten, so I immediately went to the shop next door and bought you a bag of dried fish. How about it? Want to come home with me?"

Huh? What's wrong with this human woman's brain? She just met a man and immediately asked if he wanted to go home together?

Jiu coldly swallowed the last dried fish, not wanting to pay any more attention to her, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute, little kitty! I have plenty of cat food at home!"

Kitten?

Jiu couldn't help but sneer.

It is indeed a cat, but it is a vicious cat that will one day bite off your human necks and suck your blood.

Jiu walked forward without looking back, while the girl tilted her head and immediately followed.

Coral's "Reversal": Chapter Thirty-Two - The Lonely Herrscher's Tantrum

"Here it is..."

Lin found himself easily entering strange and unusual spaces.

Since undergoing the Hypervariable Surgery, he has frequently entered and exited the Quantum Sea, and his ideology has become extremely unstable, causing him to be passively involved in many events related to consciousness.

And now it seems we've arrived at another inexplicable place.

A suspended spiral staircase was not far away, and all around was an indistinct chaos. Clearly, the other party wanted him to take a step ahead, as if it were a ritual.

There's nowhere else to go, isn't there?

Lin stepped onto the stairs with some caution. He noticed that there were broken mirrors everywhere in the space, as if someone was venting their anger by smashing things.

Recalling what happened before he came in, Lin was already certain of who he would meet. Thinking about it carefully, she must be quite angry with him, especially since he had deliberately provoked her in Sky City to make Kiana try to accept the identity of Herrscher.

But now that Kiana has completely taken control of her body and Herrscher Authority, how can she still exist? Shouldn't she just disappear?

... No, that's not how you should think. Kiana and she aren't related as host and Herrscher consciousness; they are essentially the same person. That's why she can continue to exist in Kiana's body, but she can't shake Kiana's will. Kiana hasn't even realized she still exists because she's like an ant compared to Kiana's consciousness.

The steps aren't long. As mentioned before, the length of the steps depends on how eager the other person is to see you. If the other person is deliberately trying to prank you, then you'll never finish climbing the steps.

Therefore, judging from the fact that Lin only walked for a minute, it is estimated that the other party's anger towards him was almost uncontrollable.

"Human, you don't seem very surprised."

A face identical to Kiana's, but with a completely different aura, and a haughty, arrogant gaze appeared before Lin as he stepped onto the last step.

The Herrscher of the Void.

A Herrscher born from the Second Honkai War of a self-existing civilization, later reborn due to someone's plan.