["So-So powerful… Just sensing your existence is delicious enough to make me tremble!"]
["Let me have a taste—what does the one who drove away Phantylia taste like!"]
[A cluster of cyan ghostly flames suddenly rose behind Stelle. Taking advantage of the moment when she turned her head in surprise, with a "whoosh," it drilled straight into her body. The next second, Stelle's eyes snapped wide open. She stared blankly down at her own hands… Right now, her entire body was radiating the same cyan flames characteristic of a Heliobus.]
["Not bad, not bad. I'll just temporarily attach myself to your body then?"]
[The sharp voice finally manifested a form, turning into a flame dumpling with huge googly eyes—looking quite a bit uglier than Tail.]
[To this, Stelle reacted with unexpected calm: "Fine, then stay there. Just don't cause trouble."]
[The googly eyes widened even further: "…Whoa, your emotions are super relaxed. It's almost like this body doesn't belong to you? Sister, what makes you so open-minded?"]
["Also, what's that thing deep inside your body? A sun? It's so hot!"]
[The Heliobus introduced itself as [Cirrus], noisily declaring that it couldn't stay in her body for long—it just wanted to get out of this damn place. It proposed a cooperation with Stelle: it would help her escape this illusory maze, but in return, Stelle had to help it evade the Ten-Lords Commission's pursuit.]
[With no other way out at the moment, Stelle could only agree to a temporary strategic alliance and take things one step at a time.]
——
Jujutsu Kaisen
"This Cirrus doesn't look all that threatening." Kusakabe Atsuya flicked the ash off his cigarette. "As long as it doesn't possess anyone, a Heliobus's danger is pretty limited. Feels less threatening than a Grade 1 curse spirit around here."
Ieiri quietly lit a cigarette and asked: "Kusakabe, do you think Phantylia is threatening?"
"Phantylia… Now that's threatening on a whole other level. If a monster like that appeared here, it could probably crush the planet in minutes." Kusakabe still felt lingering fear from that earth-shaking battle—it was completely beyond anything humans could get involved in.
"Then why don't you think about why Cirrus could sense Phantylia's aura… and what form Phantylia briefly took when she emerged from the fabricated 'Tingyun' back then."
"…"
Following Ieiri's words, Kusakabe closed his eyes in thought. From Phantylia's way of never showing herself directly, to how the battle required the power of Abundance to fabricate a physical body… As he pondered deeper, a large bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, and the upright cigarette in his hand wilted like an eggplant hit by frost.
"Phantylia… was also a Heliobus?"
"Mm-hmm." A faint smile finally tugged at Ieiri's lips. "You're not completely hopeless after all, Kusakabe."
"Also, I'd rather think of the Creation Furnace as the Xianzhou Luofu's version of 'Prison Realm'—precisely because those little flame dumplings are so dangerous that they had to use one of the Artisanship Commission's supreme treasures to suppress them. Who knows if there's a sleeper inside with the potential to become the next Lord Ravager?"
——
[With Cirrus's assistance, Stelle was soon about to exit the illusion barrier. But as she entered the next small room, Huohuo's figure suddenly appeared before her.]
["Stelle, it's you! F-Finally, a living person!" Huohuo panted heavily, overjoyed: "Wuwu, I-I thought I'd be trapped here forever and never get out… Seeing you is such a relief!"]
[Huohuo hurriedly asked about Guinaifen's whereabouts. Stelle had originally intended to say "She must be trapped in some corner somewhere," but the words that came out were completely different from what she was thinking.]
["Don't bother looking. Guinaifen has probably already been eaten by a Heliobus by now, right?"]
[The tone was utterly cold and indifferent, giving no hint that the two had been companions not long ago—as if Stelle's blood ran even colder than Jingliu's ice.]
[Stelle was shocked inside, but the next second, Cirrus's extremely punchable giggling voice rang in her ear: "Hehe, the vocal cords are the easiest muscle for humans to manipulate."]
["Stelle, you can definitely find the way out, right! Please take me with you…" Huohuo gave a pitiful, pleading look.]
["This great one can't stand your cowardly attitude. You're a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission—how come you're always begging others for help?"]
[Huohuo grew even more aggrieved upon hearing this: "You know I'm not cut out to be a Judge at all. I used to think that working in the Ten-Lords Commission long enough would build up my courage, but now I realize… if you're no good, you're just no good."]
[Looking at Huohuo's shrinking figure, Tail was so furious he could grind his back teeth to pieces: "Tch, useless thing. How did this great one end up sealed on you?"]
[Huohuo glared resentfully at Tail and quietly grumbled: "All you do is show off all day. The moment we let our guard down, we both fell into someone else's trap… Who's the useless one here!"]
[The Stelle controlled by Cirrus coldly glanced at the bickering pair, then turned to leave: "It's useless even if you follow me. I'm going now. You'll be left here alone. Goodbye!"]
——
A Certain Scientific Railgun
"What the hell… This Cirrus guy never intended to cooperate properly from the start!"
Watching Cirrus act so wantonly, Misaka Mikoto finally understood why the Xianzhou had to suppress all these seemingly harmless little demons. This… was way too dangerous! Even someone like Stelle couldn't resist—if these things were let loose, the entire massive Xianzhou would descend into chaos in an instant.
"Using someone else's body to say things that aren't true and hurt others—this kind of despicable behavior is just… just…"
She couldn't help but keep watching the screen, yet the more she watched, the angrier she got. In the end, her fury caused electricity to start crackling around her chestnut short hair with "pachi pachi" sounds, immediately drawing the attention of many people in the café.
"Hey, calm down a bit, will you?" Kamijou Touma, sitting directly across from her, quietly tried to soothe her.
"Don't get too mad. Mr. Tail will definitely step in eventually." Touma pointed at the flame dumpling beside Huohuo. "As one of their kind, Mr. Tail has surely noticed something off already. Didn't he say he's one of the most dangerous Heliobi? Trust him."
"B-But what if Tail isn't a match for that guy?" Misaka Mikoto took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. After calming down a little, she voiced her worry.
"Tail is currently in a sealed state. If he wants to show his full power, Huohuo would have to release the seal, right? With how much he and Huohuo love to bicker, what if he gets angry and runs off? Wouldn't that mean the Ten-Lords Commission personally let the most dangerous Heliobus escape?"