"I, I'm back?"
Byakuya stood blankly in front of the mirror.
He subconsciously looked up at the time to confirm that the system was right. Although he had spent several months in another dimension, less than a second had passed in the original timeline.
And that child's body had also returned to that of a teenager. His body, which had been largely eroded by Honkai Energy, had now completely recovered to normal.
At the same time, several new powers emerged.
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the Second Honkai Eruption simulation. Based on the bonds you have Built, your rewards have been successfully distributed. Please confirm.]
"Hmm? Is that so? Let me take a look."
Byakuya raised an eyebrow. Perhaps still immersed in the afterglow of this adventure, he showed no excitement, but was still eager to confirm how much stronger he had become.
The next second, the system interface changed, and something similar to a game character attribute interface appeared.
[Your gains from this Crossing are:
Herrscher of the Void · Incomplete, Herrscher of Death · Incomplete, Herrscher of Flame · Incomplete, Herrscher of Wind · Incomplete, Herrscher of Thunder · Incomplete.
Fusion Stigmata (Schariac + Kaslana)
Shaniat Holy Blood, Kaslana physical quality, super game talent, self-limit breakthrough, absolute Honkai Energy adaptability...]
Byakuya blinked. Although he didn't quite understand, it seemed very luxurious and powerful. By the way, was there something strange mixed in there?
What the heck is super game talent? The art style of this reward is completely different from the others, okay?
The system also provided an explanation for this.
[Host, the rewards you received are randomly determined based on the power you gained in the simulation and the abilities from the objects you formed bonds with.
In this crossover simulation, you became a Five-Core Herrscher, thus gaining five incomplete Herrscher Authority.
And you formed bonds with specific characters, Sirin, Cecilia, Kiana/Durandal, and others,
Therefore, you obtained their Stigmata, Saint Blood, and some other random abilities.]
"...Uh, alright, so it can be like this."
Byakuya raised an eyebrow and accepted this explanation.
At the same time, he thought that in this case, the super game talent reward probably came from Cecilia, after all, his mother-in-law's gaming skills were actually super strong.
At the same time, he also noticed a uniquely shaped Stigmata appearing on his back, unlike the set of three Stigmata (upper, middle, and lower) in the game.
Although there was only one Stigmata, this one was incredibly complete and complex, basically covering half of Byakuya's back, and from it, he could sense two different powers.
"What's with this Stigmata?"
[This is your exclusive Stigmata. Its function is also very simple, which is to fuse the power of other Stigmata. Currently, you have fused the Kaslana Stigmata and the Shaniat Stigmata, and you can simultaneously enjoy the power of both Stigmata.]
"Holy cow, really? Hey, wait, does that mean I'm now configured like Durandal? The Golden Saint Goose configuration! Hmm, what does the ultimate future-is-promising guy say!"
Byakuya was genuinely surprised this time.
Durandal could be said to be the true protagonist of Honkai Impact 3rd. In the original plot, she didn't die even after falling from ten thousand meters with a severe head injury in her childhood. Afterwards, she also had the powerful talent of being able to infinitely improve herself as long as she worked hard.
The most fundamental reason for this was that she was a perfect fusion of the Schariac and Kaslana bloodlines, inheriting both the Schariac and Kaslana Stigmata.
With such a configuration, given enough time to grow, Durandal might even be able to end Honkai by herself.
Although Byakuya felt that as a lazy person deeply affected by the 'lying flat' literature of the 21st century, he certainly couldn't learn that girl's diligence and self-discipline, but with this configuration, he couldn't be too bad even if he wanted to be!
In addition, those incomplete Herrscher Authority, although certainly much inferior to true Herrscher, could also raise Byakuya's strength by several major levels.
The mobility of Herrscher of the Void, the destructive power of Herrscher of Flame, the self-regeneration ability of Herrscher of Death, the interference power of Herrscher of Thunder, and the defensive power of Herrscher of Wind, although none of them were complete Authority.
But with all of them combined, Byakuya felt that his current strength was comparable to an S-rank Valkyrie. At the very least, defeating Sister Rita, the Herrscher of Lust, would definitely not be a problem!
"Ah~ so refreshing, I got rich in one go."
Byakuya put his hands on his hips, extremely happy.
Before tonight, he was just an ordinary person without any Honkai Energy resistance, but now he had the hard power to directly interfere with the early Honkai Impact 3rd plot.
"Oh, right, how's the plot change going?"
Byakuya seemed to suddenly remember something and asked the system with concern. He knew that his time travel had changed a lot of the plot, and God knew how much the plot had collapsed now.
He recalled that the system had previously told him that the so-called historical correction had very little interference with him, and the endings Byakuya changed would not be easily reversed.
[Please rest assured, Host. According to the information investigated by this system, Cecilia and Siegfried, who survived, have joined Anti-Entropy, and Sirin and others are also safe.]
[Theresa still established St. Freya Academy, but it is basically completely cut off from Schicksal.]
[However, please note that although the corrective force of history is weak for you, it still exists. The general plot has not been affected, for example... if you had not stopped it, the Great Eruption in Changkong City would still have happened.]
[At the same time, Kiana/K423 still exists, and your changes to the past did not result in her never being born.]
The system displayed a large amount of information, all of which were the differences and changes in the current world line compared to the original plot after Byakuya changed the plot of the Second Honkai Eruption.
But no matter what kind of changes, the general direction has never received significant changes. Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent all exist, with no difference.
At this moment, Byakuya seemed to realize something. He stared blankly at the 'threads of fate' displayed by the system.
"System, could it be that..."
[Host, it seems you have understood. This system only gave you the opportunity to return to the past. You can rewrite all the past plot, but the present and future are different... that requires you to Trailblaze personally.]
The past that has already happened can still be changed.
But the future that hasn't happened, of course, cannot be changed.
If left unchecked, future events like "Final Lesson," "Stars of the Sky," and "Fires of the Past" would still happen, one by one.
But fortunately, Byakuya already had power. The system could allow him to return to the past, allowing him to gain strength from the past, and thus—to Trailblaze a brand new future.
"Haa~ Good morning, Mei, Kiana, you two are still cute today." The next day, Byakuya stretched, relaxing his body after waking up.
Sunlight shone through the window onto him, faintly revealing the boy's body beneath his white shirt.
On the sofa sat a cute Paramecium, while next to her, Mei, full of wifely charm, was sweeping the living room with a mop.
"What morning? It's already noon, Byakuya, but seeing as you just called this miss cute, I'll let you off this once, hehe~"
"Haha, alright, alright, then thank you, our ultimate, invincible, super cute Kiana."
"Eh, eh, su-suddenly saying such things." Kiana's face flushed. For some reason, she felt that Byakuya today seemed much more enthusiastic than yesterday.
Mei next to her was also a little stunned, thinking, Kiana didn't attack me last night, could it be that she went to attack Byakuya? Otherwise, why would her favorability suddenly increase so much?
"Cough, cough, Byakuya, I didn't wake you up because you were sleeping so soundly. I left lunch for you…"
"Huh? Oh, yay, thank you, Mei. As expected, you're the best, Mei. It's been so, so long since I last had your lunch, I'm practically drooling."
"Eh? What do you mean 'so long'?"
"Last night was also the first good night's sleep I've had in a long time, though I felt like something was missing in my arms."
Byakuya said with a sigh of emotion. Although he had acquired a bed in the Babylon Laboratory, the hellish environment made it impossible to fall into a deep sleep.
His night in Mei's guest room last night was arguably the most comfortable sleep he'd had in months, though it was a pity he couldn'n hug the girls to sleep.
"Mm, as expected, Mei's cooking is the best. It's truly a delicacy."
"No, it's not that exaggerated."
"No, it is. I've realized again that being able to eat Mei's cooking is an irreplaceable happiness for me." Byakuya said with utmost seriousness.
Only after experiencing the deepest hell do people truly understand how wonderful and precious their ordinary daily lives once were.
"!!!"
After Byakuya's sincere and direct praise, the Raiden Mei was about to be sunk.
She quickly grabbed the nearby chair to avoid losing her composure, but Mei's cheeks were still flushed. She felt she couldn't bear Byakuya's deep gaze, and her heart was pounding like a drum.
Byakuya was still a bit dazed and unreal at this moment.
Although only one night had passed for Kiana and Mei, for him, several months had gone by.
And what happened during these months was far more thrilling and dangerous than both his lives combined.
It was a journey to change the past.
Byakuya gained not only powerful strength from that journey but also a heart that cherished beautiful things.
(Mei's cooking, it's been so, so long since I last had it. Even food that was hundreds of times worse in the Babylon Laboratory was a luxurious delicacy.) Thinking this, Byakuya unconsciously turned his gaze towards the girl.
"Stare~~(indivual_indivual)"
"Byakuya, is there something on my face?"
"No, I just want to simply look at you."
"Guh-woo!"
"Mei, can I hug you for a bit?"
"Clang!!"
Ignoring Mei's shy, steaming head, Byakuya further proposed an 'excessive' wish, instantly causing the her brain to crash.
She was so shocked that the ladle in her hand fell to the ground.
Yesterday, Mei was still thinking of taking it slow, step by step, to make Byakuya gradually fall for her.
But now, Byakuya had directly thrown a disrespectful straight ball, leaving her completely at a loss.
" Byakuya, what's wrong with you? Uh, I'm not saying no, it's just… today, you're a tiny bit too enthusiastic and direct."
"Am I? I just missed you all so much. Uh, it's hard to explain… just think of it as me having a very, very long dream last night. I don't know if it was a good dream or a Nightmare, but… it was really long, and very tiring." Byakuya took a deep breath, then exhaled, and his shoulders slumped.
"..."x2
Mei and Kiana couldn't understand his words, but both saw the fatigue in the White-haired Boy's eyes, especially Kiana, who found that gaze incredibly familiar.
It was like a traveler who had just finished a long journey, like herself not long ago when she first arrived in Changkong City.
"..."
Byakuya opened the window and looked outside.
The weather wasn't warm anymore, but compared to the extreme cold of Siberia, it felt warm and comfortable to him.
During the time simulation, he had missed Mei and Kiana countless times, missed the former's delicious cooking, missed the latter's innocent smile, missed the feeling of the girl's lap pillow, and missed the times they had lunch together.
For him, this was a long-awaited reunion. The longing accumulated for the two girls during the simulation made Byakuya unconsciously more enthusiastic and proactive now.
"Mei, can't I?"
"Yes, of course you can!"
Mei took a deep breath. It was just a hug, after all. Although she didn't know what dream made Byakuya act this way towards her, she couldn't wish for anything more!
However, she felt she needed to prepare herself mentally. Hugging the boy she secretly adored was too difficult for a budding Yamato Nadeshiko like her.
But the next second, Byakuya had already embraced her.
"...Mm, hehe, Mei smells so good."
"@#+!@#*%!"
"Byakuya, Byakuya, look, Mei is about to faint! Let go of her quickly, let me do it!"
"Ki, Kiana, I'm fine, don't worry about me, I can keep going!"
Mei unconsciously swallowed. For some reason, the moment Bai embraced her, she felt incredibly comfortable, as if every cell in her body was cheering.
"Wuwuwu, so unfair, I want a hug too!"
"Hm? Kiana wants one too? Okay."
Byakuya blinked, giving the Paramecium a big hug without showing any favoritism.
Kiana was instantly stunned. It was her first time being hugged by a boy her age.
"No, I meant hugging Mei! Who wants to hug you, Byakuya, hmph~ Byakuya is really bold today, but trying to take advantage of this young lady will bring you bad luck."
"I'll share a drumstick with you."
"Gulp! Is this about drumsticks? This is about a girl's dignity and purity!"
"Two drumsticks, no, three!"
"..."
Half a minute later.
Kiana was happily eating a drumstick.
She had been craving it for a long time. If Mei hadn't said it was lunch left for Byakuya when he woke up and forbidden her from touching it, the Paramecium would have devoured it long ago.
And while this Kiana was happily gnawing on a drumstick, Byakuya was also enjoying sniffing this Kiana. Both parties were satisfied, a win-win situation.
"Hiss Hiss Hiss~ So refreshing!"
After satisfyingly sniffing Kiana enough.
Byakuya also picked up his chopsticks and enjoyed his lunch. The Cook's cooking was equally a delicacy worth his full appreciation, so… he didn't notice the unusual behavior of the two girls.
Mei: (What's going on? Why is Byakuya so attractive today? He always makes me want to get closer to him uncontrollably. I really, really want to lean against him…)
Kiana: (Calm down, calm down! What's wrong with me? Why does Byakuya look so pleasing to the eye? Has this guy become a human aphrodisiac? No, no, I must calm down. He's Mei's boyfriend. Eh, wait, aren't they fake lovers? Then it's fine!)
Neither of them knew that the reason their hearts were pounding and they were uncontrollably developing feelings for Byakuya was actually within their own bodies.
The conquest gem and the gem of freedom.
These two herrscher cores, buried within the two girls' bodies, had, after 15 years, once again sensed the presence of their original owner, Byakuya.
Thus, the cores instinctively wanted to merge with Byakuya.
After all, regardless of adaptability, Mei and Kiana were Herrscher vessels implanted later, while Byakuya, in the Second Honkai Eruption 15 years ago, was a divine apostle personally chosen by the will of honkai.
He was the true master of these two cores!
The two cores instinctively wanted to get close to Byakuya. This had nothing to do with the will of the two girls; it was Kiana and Mei's bodies instinctively wanting to cling to him.