"Kiana." Fu Hua's voice echoed in her mind. It had been silent for so long that Kiana had nearly forgotten she existed.
"Class Monitor?" The title slipped out, but Kiana immediately corrected herself. "Fu Hua, why have you appeared again?"
Fu Hua noticed the girl's awkward change of address. It made her somewhat happy; it showed that Kiana still considered her a companion deep down.
Fu Hua had wanted to say something as she had before, but the mysterious person's earlier words suddenly came to mind. She swallowed them and ultimately only said stiffly, "You've had a hard time lately."
"..." Kiana froze at those words. She could clearly sense that Fu Hua was different from before. Previously, Fu Hua had focused entirely on the Honkai corruption within Kiana, worrying more about the disaster Kiana might cause if she lost control, while rarely placing the girl herself first.
The sudden change left Kiana at a loss. She could only force her tone to remain firm as she asked, "What do you want from me? Let me make this clear first: I won't listen to you and abandon Rita."
"I feel like you've developed a deep misunderstanding of me. I... no, that isn't important." Recalling their previous conversation in the mindscape, Fu Hua swallowed her unnecessary words once more. "Your will's resistance against Honkai corruption has improved significantly, but your body still can't keep up with the output of Honkai Energy during battle."
"So?"
"I have a cultivation method that can help you better dispel Honkai corruption. I don't know whether it suits you, but it should be quite effective for you right now."
"A cultivation method... Class Monitor, I suddenly feel like you're one of those vendors selling pirated books under an overpass." Kiana complained weakly. During her time wandering through Shenzhou, she had naturally seen plenty of people claiming to be disciples of the six great martial arts sects, but most of them had been nothing more than incapable con artists.
"I'm different from them. This is a cultivation method I developed myself, continuously refined over tens of thousands of years. It can now greatly buffer the effects of Honkai Energy."
"Tens of thousands of years?"
"..." Fu Hua suddenly remembered that Kiana did not yet know her identity. Her previous conversation with the other [Kiana] must have given her the wrong impression.
"In any case, whether you learn it or not is your choice. I won't force you to cultivate, nor will I interfere with any of your decisions. Come find me if you decide you want to learn it. Right now, what you need is to find somewhere safe and rest." After saying that, Fu Hua proactively withdrew her consciousness from the mindscape so as not to disturb Kiana.
"..." Fu Hua's words left Kiana deep in thought, but this was not the time to linger. Shencheng Pharmaceuticals was surely still hunting them everywhere. She needed to find somewhere to hide first.
She looked in the direction of the hospital. She did not know whether Su Jue had sensed the earlier commotion, but she could not return there yet. She could only take Rita to an abandoned garage and settle down there temporarily.
Elsewhere, Raven stood amid the ruins of the Shencheng building... with a face full of dark lines. She was the person in charge of this Stigmata Project mission. Now, before the Stigmata Project had even begun, more than half the base was gone. This was tens of billions' worth of property, along with World Serpent's arrangements over the years. If it all ended up destroyed on her watch, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Even if they did not hold her additionally responsible, merely making her pay compensation would cost her more than ten villa islands.
Maybe I should just run away. When the time comes, I'll push the blame onto Jackal. She was the one who chose to fight Schicksal, and she's probably dead by now anyway. She had already begun planning her escape, but soon realized bitterly that, compared to the vast World Serpent, the chances of someone as insignificant as her successfully fleeing were minuscule.
"It's all Jackal's and that Schicksal woman's fault. I only went out to hunt down those scattered Valkyries. Who would have thought someone would blow up my home?" she muttered continuously, when the communicator in her hand suddenly rang. It was Jackal.
"Save me..."
"You're actually not dead? Looks like I'll have to silence you."
"Hm?"
Hearing Jackal's confused voice, Raven hurriedly brushed it off. Murdering an executive was a serious crime; she could only think about such things. But since Jackal was not dead, should she split half the blame with her?
Immortal Vermilion Bird
After successfully rescuing Jackal from underground, the two quickly began consolidating World Serpent's remaining forces in Sky City. Though the main force had been wiped out, they had operated here for so long that the remaining troops were still enough to carry out the next phase of the plan.
"Jackal, Schicksal's Valkyrie escaped from your hands, after all. You know what I mean, right?" Xiola tossed Jackal a crutch. Jackal was covered in wounds from flying debris, and even worse, the lower leg that had only just healed had broken again.
Jackal's expression darkened at Raven's words, but she did not say much. After all, Raven had rescued her. Sharing responsibility was fine. "World Serpent can afford losses of this scale. What matters is whether the Stigmata Project can continue."
"Almost the entire industrial district has been destroyed, and all the agents I prepared have been ruined. If we can't find a substitute tool to continue the plan, neither of us will get off easy."
Standing at the edge of the industrial district, Raven looked at the massive wreckage of the Eos transport ship amid the blazing flames. Scorching heat battered her face, yet a smile curved her lips.
"It seems Schicksal's people never dreamed that after destroying so many of our materials, they would still leave behind exactly what I needed." Raven's gaze passed through the sea of fire and landed on a faintly exposed Honkai Energy engine glowing pale blue within the mostly ruined wreckage.
The remaining work robots swiftly brought firefighting equipment and extinguished the blaze. Raven immediately inspected the engine. It was a power source developed by Schicksal specifically to provide aerial propulsion for transport ships, and was itself a powerful Honkai converter.
"As long as we modify it, it can become an ultra-high-output Honkai Energy amplification device. Its stability may not be as convenient as the agents, but it will be enough to allow the Stigmata Project to proceed normally."
By now, the crash of such a massive transport ship had long drawn the local authorities' attention. World Serpent would have to expend tremendous effort to remain hidden. However, Jackal and Gray Serpent had already begun preparing to smash the pot and go all in. The chaos in Sky City was growing increasingly severe, and if the authorities wanted to manage it uniformly, they would need to centralize the population. Millions of people would be crammed into the narrow downtown area. Once this engine was successfully activated, everyone in the city would become test subjects for the Stigmata Project.
"In the end, victory will belong to the Serpent." The two exchanged a glance, each seeing the smile in the other's eyes.
Inside the abandoned garage, after laying Rita down, Kiana also fell asleep from exhaustion. Her condition was slightly better, however; she had merely entered a deep sleep.
Yet during this sleep, she discovered that her consciousness remained awake. Her mental space was pitch-black, and she could not see anything.
"Kiana, you're here?" Fu Hua's voice suddenly rang out in the dark consciousness space. Kiana jumped, then noticed that at some point, a pale red feather had floated before her. The voice came from it.
"Class Monitor?"
"Hold this feather. It is Feather Dust, the Eighth Divine Key that houses my consciousness. It will bring you to my side."
Kiana did not immediately obey Fu Hua. She was no longer the girl who trusted others unconditionally, so she chose to split off part of her consciousness and cautiously probe the feather.
She slowly scattered her attention until, at a certain moment, she generated several meaningless fragments of consciousness, then drove them forward to test it. This was a technique she had learned after experiencing that despair.
—She was no longer that foolish little tuna. She had become a warrior who had learned independence and caution. Though still somewhat immature, she had at least grown.
And that was what Su Jue had always hoped for.
Only after confirming that there was nothing wrong with the feather did she touch it. The darkness around her consciousness brightened, and when she came back to herself, she was already standing within a lush mountain forest.
"This is?"
"A mindscape constructed from Feather Dust and your consciousness." Fu Hua pushed open the oil-papered wooden door of a small cottage beside the courtyard wall and stepped out. She wore a green robe, her gray hair tied behind her back. Her bearing was detached from the mundane world, truly carrying the grace of the Immortal Vermilion Bird who had long been passed down in Shenzhou's legends.
Kiana was utterly shocked to see Fu Hua dressed like this. Fu Hua had always kept her hair short, but now, combined with the surroundings, this elegant immortal-like appearance made Kiana feel as if she had stepped into a dream from a xianxia world.
"What a strange dream."
Seeming to see Kiana's confusion, Fu Hua explained, "You are not wrong to think of it as a dream, because this space is built from the intersection of our memories."
"It really is you, Class Monitor? Why are you dressed like this? You look so cool. But if this is the intersection of our memories, then half of it should be mine too."
"That is because I have far too many memories, which formed the scene you see now."
"Too many? Aren't you the same age as us, Fu Hua?"
"By agreement, there are some things I should have told you." Fu Hua fell silent for a few seconds before continuing, "This is how I looked throughout the past several thousand years. I am a MANTIS from the Previous Civilization. It has been... fifty thousand years, I believe."
"!" The sudden information left Kiana completely stunned. By the time she recovered, Fu Hua had already walked to the center of a Bagua formation.
"You're lying to me, Class Monitor. I won't believe it."
Unfortunately, after revealing this information, Fu Hua had no intention of explaining further. She beckoned to Kiana. "You can uncover more of my secrets yourself. What you need right now is to improve your combat ability. What you learned before will not be enough to support the battles ahead."
"But..." Kiana remained hesitant. Whether it was the suddenly mentioned cultivation method or Fu Hua having lived for fifty thousand years, neither was information she could digest all at once.
"If there is something you wish to protect, strength is indispensable. St. Freya can provide you with only limited help. If you want to further master the Herrscher of Void's powers, you must at least learn how to understand Honkai." Standing in the courtyard, Fu Hua began moving in a peculiar stance. Her gestures were neither rushed nor slow, yet in Kiana's eyes, they carried a unique rhythm.
Though the movements were gentle, Kiana could vaguely sense wild winds, rumbling thunder, and swallows cutting across the sky.
"How wondrous."
"Kiana, come. Let us fight. Although your control over your strength is already improving rapidly, you still have much to learn about preventing Honkai from harming your body."
As they spoke, the two swiftly began fighting. After only a few exchanges, Kiana was clearly forced into a disadvantage. Yet this only ignited her fighting spirit. Wiping away the blood at the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with resolve.
Only strength could protect those she cherished. She would not allow tragedy to happen again.
Calling for Backup
"Loosen the muscles and invigorate the blood!"
"Unblock the channels and open the meridians!"
"Hiss... Class Monitor, I seriously suspect you're using this as an excuse to get revenge!" Kiana's entire body was flushed red, waves of heat escaping from her skin. The bruises she had sustained in the previous battle were gradually fading beneath Fu Hua's "beating."
Because of the immense time difference between the mindscape and the outside world, Kiana had already undergone nearly a week of training here under the effect of a dream within a dream. She had pushed her body almost without pause, often training for an entire day at a time. With such intense training, the slightest carelessness could leave hidden injuries.
Thus came Fu Hua's massage technique. However, the process was truly torturous, even more uncomfortable than fighting. Still, the results were indeed good. After several days, Kiana could clearly feel that her body's adaptation to Honkai Energy had improved significantly.
Unfortunately, the time had been too short, and her mastery of Taixu Sword Qi was not particularly high. Even so, Kiana's combat strength had now surpassed that of an A-Rank Valkyrie, making her a true S-Rank.
Just as Kiana prepared for the next training session, the space suddenly began trembling violently. Fu Hua gazed at the mountains in the distance as they gradually shattered, then nodded toward Kiana.
"It seems you will wake soon. Your talent is very high; you achieved this much after only a short period of training. From now on, you must practice diligently and strengthen your control over your body. I think the Herrscher of Void..." Fu Hua nearly said something unnecessary again and hurriedly stopped herself. The past few days with Kiana had felt completely different from before. Though they had spent most of their time training, it felt as though their relationship had grown much closer.
Even back at St. Freya, constrained by her identity and Otto's mission, Fu Hua had always maintained a certain distance from her classmates. She had never thought there was anything wrong with that, until her earlier conflict with Kiana made her begin wondering what she had done wrong. However, with her blunt personality dating back to the Previous Civilization, how could Fu Hua have figured such things out?
Instead, after making a deal with that mysterious person earlier and speaking according to the other party's requirements, her relationship with Kiana had improved considerably. Fu Hua did not understand the reason behind it, but she did not dislike the feeling. The person had listed several forbidden keywords, which was why Fu Hua had managed to stop herself in time.
The mindscape completely collapsed, and Kiana slowly woke. When she opened her eyes again, she was still in the garage. She had not rested for very long. Although it was already deep into the night, at least she had not slept until morning.
"Hiss." The moment she woke, she felt a soreness throughout her body. The training in the mindscape had only involved her consciousness, but under Feather Dust's influence, her body in reality would subconsciously adjust itself and achieve an automatic training effect. Still, that effect was limited; consciousness training could not replace physical training.
Rita, lying on the other side, had not yet awakened. Kiana could only get up for now. She opened the passage to her mental space, allowing Fu Hua to appear before her.
Fu Hua, having only just manifested, did not yet understand the situation, especially with Rita's presence. Kiana could only briefly explain what had happened recently, naturally leaving out everything about Su Jue.
"The Stigmata Project..." Upon hearing Kiana mention those words, fragments of information remaining in Fu Hua's mind began surfacing. Though she had burned away many memories over the past tens of thousands of years, the important ones had been preserved.
"You know about it, Class Monitor?"
"Yes. It is one of several salvation plans left behind by the Previous Civilization. If I remember correctly, the person in charge should be Kevin Kaslana."
"Kaslana?"
"Yes, the Kaslana family's ancestor, and also the world's strongest MANTIS. You must be careful around him. If he sees you, he will absolutely try to kill you." Fu Hua sighed, but did not say more. Some things could not be explained clearly. After briefly telling Kiana about World Serpent's origins, she returned to Feather Dust.
Some answers had to be found by Kiana herself. That was also part of the agreement.
Faced with Fu Hua's silence, Kiana did not press further. She had changed too much over the past few months. If Fu Hua would not tell her, then she would investigate it herself.
Moreover, after spending an entire week in the mindscape, even though she knew only a few hours had passed in reality, Kiana still found herself worried about Su Jue. Now that Rita was out of danger, it was time for her to return.
After she left, Rita, who had supposedly been sleeping, suddenly opened her eyes. Watching the direction Kiana had gone, Rita frowned in thought.
"Who was she talking to?" When Kiana had not been paying attention, Rita had heard her quiet conversation. Through the narrow slits of her eyes, she had discovered Kiana speaking with an invisible figure.
And the direction she had gone seemed to be the hospital?
Rita immediately took out her communicator to contact Schicksal, only to discover that the communication channel's signal had been completely intercepted by World Serpent. They had most likely obtained the relevant bands and frequency data from the wreckage of the Eos.
She did not panic. If a squad lost contact for twenty-four hours, Schicksal would dispatch troops to conduct a direct search. World Serpent might have complete control over Sky City right now, but once the army arrived, they would only be purged.
After putting down the communicator, she took out a phone printed with a cat pattern from within her close-fitting clothes. It was a backup phone she and Durandal used to contact each other privately. Bianca had originally had no need for it; Schicksal's issued communicator was more than enough for her. But Rita had specifically printed a photo of Bianca's cat, [Stan], on it, which was what finally convinced her.
"Mission message. Report to: Durandal. Reporter: Rita."
After briefly describing the mission's course, Rita put away the phone.
Durandal rarely used her personal phone and checked it infrequently, but at Rita's request, she had developed the habit of checking it once a day. Moreover, because Rita had previously sent some "strange" messages, Bianca did not take phone messages too seriously. That was why Rita had specifically written the word mission in the title.
"Let the Herrscher of Void draw their fire for now. Once Lady Durandal arrives, neither the Herrscher nor World Serpent will escape Schicksal's grasp."
As storms gathered over Sky City, the training grounds at Anti-Entropy's temporary base in the Far East remained brightly lit.
Sweat had already soaked the girl's clothes, and the weapon in her hand had become incomparably heavy, yet she continued swinging with all her strength. Only after completing one thousand swings did she drag her exhausted body to a nearby bench and sit down.
Her phone screen had lit up. Half a minute earlier, it had received a new message.
A Visit
Though far too many things had happened that night, ordinary people still had to continue their normal lives. By the time Kiana returned to the hospital, the sky had begun to brighten with the first pale light of dawn.
Avoiding the numerous surveillance cameras, Kiana pushed open the ward door.
The boy on the hospital bed lay quietly, already fast asleep. Kiana sighed in relief, and the weight in her heart finally fell away. She tiptoed to the bedside, moving as quietly as possible for fear of waking Su Jue.
After an entire night of fighting and several days of training in the mindscape, she was already exhausted in both body and mind. She sat on the little stool meant for attendants beside the bed, only then noticing a small meal box on the bedside table. A note was stuck to it, written in Su Jue's elegant handwriting.
"Dinner delivered by the nurse. I saved half for you."
There were no words of concern, yet Kiana sincerely felt a sense of reassurance. She opened the meal box. It was merely an ordinary nutritious meal. For someone who had expended so much stamina, it barely counted as enough, but she still ate every bit of the now-cold dinner, then neatly put away the utensils.
Returning to the bedside, Kiana looked at the boy's profile, a strange emotion rising within her heart. She lowered herself, gradually drawing closer to his cheek. She could even feel Su Jue's breathing.
"Good night."
In the end, she only brushed the boy's cheek with her hand, then returned to her small stool and fell deeply asleep against the window.
She did not notice that after she fell asleep, Su Jue, who had been sleeping in the hospital bed, quietly opened his eyes. With a silent sigh, he once again fell into slumber.
When Kiana woke again, it was nearly noon. The blazing sunlight had warmed the entire room, while the endless footsteps and conversations outside the ward drifted inside. Kiana rubbed her eyes and stretched, only to meet Su Jue's gaze as he leaned against the headboard with a book in hand.
Her face instantly reddened. Kiana hurriedly pulled down her clothes to cover her exposed belly, then subconsciously wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. Fortunately, she had not drooled this time.
Before you continue