After meeting again, Theresa jumped up and hugged Himeko tightly—she had to, since she wasn't tall enough to reach otherwise.
"Himeko, what are you planning to do next?" Theresa asked, landing back on the ground a bit embarrassed. She had missed Himeko too much.
Himeko smiled softly, like an elder embracing a child. "I'm already at the age where I could retire," she said lightly.
Theresa nodded. She actually didn't want Himeko to go back to the battlefield either.
"Otto… you're not dead?"
"Well, it figures. You can just replace your steel body at will," the Herrscher of Sentience muttered, clenching her fist again.
Otto looked at the floating island, one-third of which had been destroyed, and sighed helplessly. What a house-wrecking husky she was.
At least the floating island hadn't crashed completely.
"If you still want to fight, go ahead," Otto spread his arms wide. "This is only a soul-steel body anyway. I've got plenty more."
"You…"
The Herrscher of Sentience gritted her teeth in fury. Looking at Otto's smug expression made her even angrier, but she had nowhere to vent it.
"Fu Hua's consciousness is in the Elysian Realm," Koji said. "If you want to see her, go there. You should know where the entrance is."
"That old fossil's in the Elysian Realm?" The Herrscher of Sentience thought back—yes, there were some memories related to that place.
"Come to think of it, there's that stiff, uptight version of her in there too…"
Remembering the memory-body Hua, the Herrscher of Sentience smiled faintly, as if something amusing had come to mind.
"I'm leaving. Once I find that old fossil, I'll come back to you guys."
She vanished instantly, leaving only a few black feathers drifting to the ground.
"Is it really fine to just let her go?" Theresa asked worriedly. "She's still a Herrscher—an extremely powerful one."
"Theresa, what do you think of little Shiki?" Himeko smiled.
"Like a child," Theresa replied without hesitation.
"She's barely been alive for a single day," Koji added.
Both women twitched their mouths. Fair enough—no lies there. The Herrscher of Sentience had indeed just been born.
Elsewhere, in the meeting room, Otto faced the two heads of Anti-Entropy.
"So, Doctors, will you continue opposing Schicksal—or come back?" Otto asked with a graceful smile, waiting for their reply.
"Phew…" Einstein sighed deeply. "As expected of you, Otto. You know every one of Anti-Entropy's bases."
She wondered how he'd learned all that, but even if they knew, it made no difference. Anti-Entropy had no chance of turning the tables.
"Otto, I have one last question," Einstein said seriously. "Will you truly devote yourself to fighting against the Honkai?"
She hadn't allowed Tesla to speak at all; the redhead fumed silently beside her.
"Of course," Otto replied. "I swear upon the name of Saint Kallen—Otto Apocalypse will hold nothing back in this war against Honkai."
"Good. I actually believe you," Einstein said, giving him a meaningful look. She understood well what Kallen meant to Otto. If he swore on her name, he was serious.
"Not everyone in Anti-Entropy follows your ideals," she continued. "There are still factions you can't control."
"I don't intend to waste time on that," Otto said calmly, resting his chin on his clasped hands. "Dr. Einstein, handle them as you see fit. I won't spend our limited time on politics."
"How about imprisoning those who refuse to comply?" Tesla finally interjected.
"Fine by me." Otto nodded. He didn't want needless killing either—Koji had asked him to overcome the Honkai with the smallest possible cost.
At the World Serpent base—
Gray Serpent stared helplessly at the house-wrecking husky (the Herrscher of Sentience). "Great… another three troublemakers."
"Hey, tin can! Hurry up and let me into the Elysian Realm!" she demanded. Around her feet lay piles of robot debris—those pieces of scrap metal hadn't even slowed her down.
"...Requesting flowers…" the AI mumbled, clearly broken.
With no better option, Gray Serpent opened a quantum communication line.
"Gray Serpent, what is it?" Kevin's calm voice came through.
"Lord Kevin, the Herrscher of Sentience wishes to enter the Elysian Realm," Gray Serpent said respectfully.
Kevin fell silent. Another Herrscher wanted in already? The order of appearances was getting absurd.
"Who became a Herrscher this time?"
"The Herrscher of Sentience—manifested through Fu Hua's body."
Another long pause. Kevin's expression was complicated. The body of his old comrade…
"…Let her in," he finally said. He didn't mind letting Elysia meet yet another Herrscher.
When he returned to the real world, he'd have quite a few people to catch up with.
Koji returned to Teyvat and exchanged stories with Lumine about the past few days.
"Dainsleif?"
"Yes," Koji said. "He really did know your brother. But they were enemies, so don't get too close to him. That man's chasing the Five Sinners—while forgetting the power sleeping inside himself."
"I wasn't planning to," Lumine nodded. She didn't need Dainsleif to learn about her brother anyway.
"If he's my brother's enemy, then—" She made a throat-slitting gesture.
Koji sighed. "Unless he harms you, don't bother with him. Let him be."
Lumine nodded again. Aether hadn't told her the full story, but she knew her brother had gone through an unforgettable journey.
"Koji, take me to the remaining elemental powers," Lumine said. "I want to master them all."
"The remaining elements, huh?" Koji smirked. "You could try absorbing the Abyss's power instead. It's far stronger than elemental energy."
"I'll pass," Lumine said firmly. She wasn't ready for something like that.
(End of Chapter)
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