"Obsession..."
"Will it turn 'me' into something like that?"
Hua put down the "martial arts manual" in her hands, murmuring to herself in the vast, empty tent. It was clear that the Celestial Immortal Chiyuan who had just appeared before the seven disciples of Taixu was not their true master.
Although her voice and appearance were identical.
This one's identity was... [The Thirteenth Flame-Chaser · Hua].
That's right!
Although the Monarch had only specified three [Apostles] for the mission, it didn't mean that other Apostles were not allowed to participate independently!
The Empire observed many parallel worlds, but aside from the last trip to Teyvat, this was the first time they had come to a leaf on the Tree with over 99% similarity. Such a novel experience was also an excellent "sightseeing" opportunity for the awakened Apostles.
Setting the others aside for a moment.
In any case, when Elysia mentioned this matter at the "Regent-Consul meeting," Hua had paid close attention.
On a side note.
Although Hua's seat was ranked second to last, just above Pardofelis, it did not represent her true strength. Among the Fourteen Flame-Chasers, only a mere three could claim with absolute certainty that they could defeat Hua in a fight.
Hua, a master of both the [Authority of Sentience] and the [Authority of Domination], had already arrived in this world ahead of schedule, following the pre-marked singularities while Elysia and the others were still in their preparation phase.
Of course.
Even if it was an action taken in a personal capacity, it was certainly done with the Monarch's permission. Without the Monarch's help, breaking through the turbulence of time would still be quite difficult for an Apostle.
Ding.
A white, dice-sized cube appeared in the palm of Hua's hand.
Then, enveloped by golden particles of light overflowing from the void, it quickly vanished.
This was a fragment of the [Authority of Origin].
It was something the Monarch required. In the "Current Civilization," Elysia's [Authority of Origin] would manifest piece by piece with the birth of the thirteen Herrschers. Relying on [Root Regression], the Monarch would use the [Authority of Man]—created from his own [Authority of Origin]—to replace the original parts within the Herrschers, thereby swapping out the power of [Origin].
Once the [Origin] parts of all thirteen Herrschers were separated, the Monarch would obtain a complete [Authority of Origin].
During this process.
The Monarch himself would not directly act against the Herrschers.
The "origin point of time" he established five thousand years ago was merely to serve as a guide, allowing him to intervene in all "singularities" simultaneously. These streams of time, upon encountering a "singularity," would still follow their original course, but when all the "rivulets" converged... that is when the change would become absolute.
---o---
Since this was a self-funded tour.
Of course, the work had to be completed first. Unlike Rin's silent and subtle movements, Hua went straight for Chiyuan, who was currently fighting a newborn Monarch-class Honkai Beast.
As per the Monarch's request.
Hua did not make direct contact. Instead, she used the power of the [Authority of Sentience] to activate the [Fenghuang Down] that Chiyuan carried with her. For an Apostle of the Empire, using a Honkai Core to create a consciousness that obeyed their commands was not a difficult task.
This wasn't creating something from nothing.
To put it bluntly, it was using the long-vanished "Herrscher consciousness" within the Key of God (Herrscher Core) as a shell and injecting one's own will into it with a specific logic.
This was a level of consciousness manipulation that even a Legion Commander could perform.
Having Hua do it...
Could only be described as overkill.
And this Herrscher of Sentience—infused with Hua's own consciousness and a massive amount of Honkai energy, absolutely capable of overpowering the Celestial Immortal Chiyuan—
Was given a simple, easy-to-raise name by Hua:
"Shibao."
---o---
One shouldn't expect Hua to have any talent for naming.
The names of the disciples she had taken were all chosen with Su's help. Apostles were lofty beings, but they were not completely detached from the mortal world.
When Hua walked the lands of the Empire, she had taken on a disciple using a disguised identity. And her most recently accepted second disciple's name "happened" to be Su Mei... that's right, her first disciple's name also "happened" to be Lin Zhaoyu.
And this...
Was why Hua's voice sounded a bit strange when she saw the "Seven Apprentices of Taixu": not only had she met her own counterpart, but someone had even thought of the names for the disciples she might take in the future.
"Now then..."
Half of the Monarch's mission was already complete.
The other part was better left for tomorrow:
The great army of Tianming standing in the West must not be allowed to return. The reason this was a singularity was not about which side won or lost, but about "how many Tianming troops could retreat" and "the attitude of the Seven Swords of Taixu towards the Celestial Immortal Chiyuan."
Rin's actions on her end were swift.
Using the simplest and most direct method, she had already locked onto the coordinates of the former "Herrscher of Erosion" and the "Honkai Consciousness."
And...
The possibility of Otto Apocalypse being cuckolded.
This was something that had surprised Hua and the other Apostles. The time fragments they had received were relatively complete, so they were well aware of the enormous role that Otto—a man of considerable influence in the Empire's middle echelons—played in this timeline.
Therefore.
Hua had to weaken Tianming to the greatest extent possible here. According to the original flow of time, although the Celestial Immortal Chiyuan eventually appeared, she only defeated Kallen Kaslana, the captain leading the Valkyries, and mostly wounded rather than killed the common soldiers.
While this forced Tianming to retreat without a fight, it also left behind a major hidden danger.
The defeated Tianming, upon returning to Europe, issued a large number of indulgences to compensate for the losses and negative impact of the failed war, which became the cause of a series of subsequent disasters.
On the other hand.
Although Kallen was no match for Chiyuan, the [Eleventh Key of God · Oath of Judah · Key of Binding] she wielded still had a latent effect on Chiyuan. Kallen could only use a tiny fraction of the [Oath of Judah]'s power, but the lethality of the [Authority of Binding] against Fusion Warriors was... self-evident.
This incident.
Also laid the groundwork for the assassination attempt on Chiyuan a year later.
"Eradicate all of Tianming's violent forces."
The military arm was the key to Tianming's control over Europe. What would happen if this expeditionary force, seeking wealth and "glory," was completely wiped out on the Kipchak Steppe?
Hundreds of thousands of lives.
Whether spoken or in reality, it was an incredibly large number.
But for an Apostle of the Empire...
What was the concept of "scouring the earth"?
Every single "scouring" was accompanied by the dissipation of hundreds of millions of lives.
A mere few hundred thousand...
That was all.