The moment Kiana stepped into the portal, Sirin took back control of the body, citing the excuse that "it's easier for me to clear the level."
She wasn't lying. Looking out with the higher-dimensional perspective only the Herrscher of the Void possessed, she saw that of the total six Imaginary Spaces, two had already been declared broken, their corresponding energy runes dim and lifeless.
One was violently dismantled by Siegfried; the other was the one she had just passed through.
The mausoleum's trials corresponded to Genghis Khan's obsessions, manifesting in forms most acceptable to the challenger.
For instance, Fuli's trial represented the aging Khan's "Thirst" for immortality, extending into a Genie capable of granting any wish.
Bronya represented his "Ambition" to conquer the world. Thus, she commanded the Kheshig army, ready for battle, poised to swallow mountains and rivers with iron cavalry and complete the unfinished business of his life.
Fu Hua's God of Strategy System was essentially the monarch's desire for "Dominance" over others. By giving subordinates options that seemed to offer leeway, one could subtly influence them, eventually turning them into puppets at one's disposal.
Siegfried symbolized "Choice." As a person of high status, whether one wanted to or not, there would inevitably come a time when lives and interests had to be weighed on a scale.
Not everyone has the capital to shout, "I'll protect everything!" Most people only receive one harsh slap of reality after another.
If one doesn't wake up before then, only the loss of everything awaits.
As for Sirin, what she encountered was an overly "Inflated" Ego.
In that trial, the avatar of Genghis Khan's obsession asked her if there was any existence in the world more 'beautiful' than himself. If so, she was to list them.
Sirin, astonished, pointed at herself, basically asking, Are you blind? Can you not see this magnificent face?
Immediately, she was subjected to a 360-degree, no-holds-barred roast by the opponent. From her lackluster personal strength to the Khan's many history-making achievements, even her looks were ruthlessly critiqued because she "looked like an idiot."
Flustered and exasperated, the Queen threw a pile of objects at him. Accidentally, Kiana's compact mirror was tossed into the mix.
The avatar of the King picked up the mirror and was instantly stunned by his own reflection!
It was simply... too beautiful!
The avatar slowly suffocated in the magnificence of his own beauty, and then ceased to breathe.
He actually... died from being too beautiful!
Sirin: "...I feel like if I retort, I lose. Whatever, let's go."
Having settled the avatar in an incredibly frustrating manner, the Queen, now having cleared the stage, drifted in the gap between Imaginary Spaces.
She didn't choose to go directly to the battlefield. Instead, she used her Void Authorities to set up interception measures, blocking Fuli and the others who were about to clear their trials from advancing further. At the very least, she had to wait until the outcome of Siegfried's battle was decided.
First, she sealed the Imaginary Space where Dr. Zhou was. The old geezer shouldn't come and cause trouble; if you run over there, the servants will just have to protect you.
Next, she sealed Bronya. In the process, Sirin took a moment to peek at the situation inside.
The anticipated large-scale conquest hadn't happened. Instead, a wicked martial arts technique was spreading widely across the European continent.
That technique, created by Bronya and her elite subordinates after some research, possessed the powerful effect of rapidly increasing a practitioner's strength.
The only minor drawback was that the first page read: 'To master this divine skill, one must first swing the blade and castrate oneself.' Also, after mastering it, one's remaining lifespan would be reduced to thirty years.
That's right, it was the Honkai World's version of the Sunflower Manual.
The content was annotated using various methods, creating a "Dummies' Guide" that even Kiana or an illiterate person could understand.
Realizing what Bronya was doing, Sirin sucked in a cold breath, murmuring to herself, When it comes to being ruthless, you win.
Sure enough, over the next decade, all of Europe fell into chaos.
If you didn't practice the Sunflower Manual, your enemies would, and they'd turn around and kill you.
With a sharp weapon in hand, killing intent arises naturally. Even an unrelated passerby might see you are weak and cut you down—kill you first, then kill your beautiful wife and concubines.
Cultivation meant just one chop. Although you lost your "little brother," at least self-preservation was no longer an issue, and you could live for another thirty years.
Thirty years! In medieval Europe, the average human lifespan didn't necessarily reach that number!
Consequently, a massive number of Europeans, including peasants, chose self-castration to pursue power. At first glance, the overall combat power level skyrocketed, but the result was a sharp decline in the male ratio and the collapse of social order.
During this period, high-level organizations represented by Schicksal and the Castle Council tried to step in and ban it. Unsurprisingly, they were boycotted by everyone.
Originally, power could only be held by you lot. Now that we mud-legged peasants have made such a huge sacrifice, you want to ban it with a few light words?
War! War! We've found you high-and-mighty noble lords an eyesore for a long time! Are kings and generals born of a special breed?!
Under Bronya's manipulation—pitting the inside against the outside—the two sides, already class enemies, quickly started a massive war. Society fell into chaos, violence became constant, and the already scarce male population declined rapidly.
Females, unseeded, could not conceive, and the number of newborns dropped by half.
Thirty years later, as the last batch of Sunflower Manual practitioners died out, Schicksal, having suffered heavy losses, looked around—white bones exposed in the wild, not a rooster crowing for a thousand miles.
The entirety of Europe was desolate.
"No, seriously, how did you turn a perfectly good game of Europa Universalis into this mess?"
Watching all this, Sirin was speechless. Where are your Kheshig troops? Charge! Kill! Hiding behind the scenes playing these insidious tricks... how are you any different from Raiden Mei?!
Alright, Her Majesty the Queen still held a grudge over how the honor student Mei had taken her down without shedding a drop of blood.
Finally, as the situation reached its end, the Mongol Iron Cavalry, having developed to its peak, charged all the way to Vienna under Bronya's leadership. Realizing she was about to clear the level, Sirin hurriedly set up a barrier to block the teleportation.
She casually shielded the nodes for Fuli and Fu Hua as well, then wiped the imaginary sweat from her forehead with lingering fear. The Second Herrscher of the past was truly naïve.
You can't pull off operations like Bronya's, but surely staying on the moon and throwing meteors at Earth is something you can do, right? Or at worst, create a few more Pseudo-Herrschers. It's not like the six cores aren't providing a steady stream of Honkai energy.
Noob!
While Bronya was slaughtering everyone in all directions, Fuli also completed his trial.
The Genie let him pass with tears in his eyes.
The boy hadn't made any excessive wishes. Since he knew from the start that this was just an Imaginary Space, making whimsical wishes would only result in being mocked for unauthorized expectations and unauthorized disappointment.
So he spoke:
"First wish: An endless supply of organic fertilizer (feces)."
"Second wish: An endless supply of boy's urine."
"Third wish: I want you to eat and drink it all within five minutes."
The Genie flew into a rage and immediately announced that Fuli passed.
Ultimately, this level tested whether the person involved would be swallowed by endless desire.
Since he had said such things, what it represented was self-evident.
However, almost immediately, a trace of awkwardness appeared in the Genie's small eyes.
"You're saying... something is blocking the teleportation, and I can't go to the World Bubble where the battle is taking place?"
"Y-Yes, that is the case..."
"Useless trash. Move aside, I'll do it!"
Fuli grabbed his long sword and walked to the teleportation gate. The silver bird-shaped sigil in the center of his chest burst forth with blinding light.
In the next moment, relying on the ability of the Stigmata of the Void, he appeared at the edge of the World Bubble where Siegfried was.
Stigmata of the Void: Transfers 80% of Space-attribute effects. Combat power increases when in an Imaginary-attribute environment.
Sirin never expected that Imaginary Space was never her home court alone.
Nor did she expect that Fuli wasn't the only one who could do this.
Accompanied by a flash of light, Fu Hua, dressed in a butler's outfit, appeared not far from him.
The Celestial of Empyrea had spent thousands of years researching martial arts to counter the thirteen Herrscher Authorities. Naturally, the Herrscher of the Void was included.
"Cousin!"
Fuli's eyes lit up. He was about to lean in, but then remembered something. He lowered his face and spoke the code: "Train the body to resemble a crane."
Fu Hua, who had been a little happy to reunite with her little cousin after untold hardships, immediately made a cringe face upon hearing this.
"Thirteen palace maids penetrate Jiajing." Recalling the rendezvous code agreed upon earlier, her expression turned peculiar. "I come to ask the Way with nothing left to say?"
"My son also colludes with the Japanese!* Yay! It's really Cousin Hua!" The boy happily bounded over, circling her. "Cousin, this outfit is so handsome! If I were a girl, I'd definitely marry you."
[T/N: This entire exchange is a series of nonsensical/meme codes based on Chinese history and internet slang.]
"Haven't you said that once already? Wait! Do you also think I look more like a guy?"
Having just experienced the critical hit from the Dating Sim God System, veins instantly popped out on the girl's forehead.
The pure white men's formal suit was tailored from jacquard silk with dark patterns. The peak lapels were sharp as blades, the waist design outlined fierce lines, and the special cuffs tightly fastened around her wrist bones. Black leather gloves and silver wrist guards glinted with a metallic chill under the cold light. Beneath the elegant posture lay a dormant edge as cold and sharp as an ice field.
This outfit, Night Squire, was the reward for clearing the trial. In terms of both style and buffs, it lost nothing to the top-tier Third Generation Valkyrie armor. The only problem was that this thing was tailored strictly for a male physique.
"Definitely not. We've shared a bed so many times; I know exactly how much Cousin weighs," Fuli chuckled, seemingly oblivious to the danger. "Besides, I've figured it out over the past two days. A martial artist as skilled as Cousin can definitely control the accumulation of fat. Keeping this body shape is clearly for the convenience of fighting enemies. When the time comes, like when breastfeeding our future children, poof—they can grow out just like that!"
"I appreciate your explanation, but did you just say something incredibly inappropriate with a straight face?!"
Fu Hua rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. She took off the Night Squire coat and handed it to Fuli. "Take it. It's not much use to me. And let's be clear in advance: this does not count as a token of affection."
Taking it, the boy teased, "Aren't you afraid I'll do something excessive to these clothes?"
" It belongs to you now. What you do with it is your decision."
He sleeps holding the real person every night; who would be interested in the clothes?
"Okay~"
After exchanging pleasantries, the siblings looked into the distance. The scale of this World Bubble was surprisingly large. Even if it couldn't compare to the one that landed in Foggy London, it was the size of several prefecture-level cities. The spatial barriers had been specially reinforced, which was why it hadn't collapsed from the shockwaves of a battle between S-Ranks.
'Genghis Khan' was the first to sense the intruders' presence.
Fuli had Presence Concealment (C) active, and Fu Hua used similar methods to hide herself. Unfortunately, firstly, their strength was far from S-Rank, and secondly, as the master of the World Bubble, 'Genghis Khan' possessed certain administrative privileges.
He didn't immediately draw his bow at the two. Instead, he spoke in a voice like rolling thunder: "Disgusting aura. They seem to be your companions as well, Kaslana."
"Tsk!"
Siegfried gritted his teeth, parrying the thrusting spear with his sword. He realized the opponent did this to make him hesitant to act for fear of collateral damage.
In Greek, "strategy" and "trickery" share the same root word.
As one of the greatest strategists of ancient times, the Mongol Khan certainly didn't mind using such means to threaten his enemy.
Getting the answer he wanted, 'Genghis Khan' laughed heartily. His muscular arms thrust the spear repeatedly, unexpectedly turning the tables in a short time and suppressing Siegfried.
It wasn't just that the latter was looking over his shoulder; the former's strength was genuinely increasing.
This was the mode Shuhu had designed. For every person who passed a trial, a certain aspect of 'Genghis Khan's' obsession would be completed, and his combat power would increase significantly.
Just like the myth of Hundun Boring Holes, every change was earth-shattering.
However, Shuhu had held back this time; she hadn't prepared an Imaginary Space corresponding to the seventh hole.
This way, 'Genghis Khan' could remain in a state approaching his peak without crossing the line, avoiding the fate of Boss Hundun who dissipated into heaven and earth.
Fuli and Fu Hua had good eyes—the former due to natural talent, the latter due to seasoned experience.
They quickly judged from the dimming of the celestial phenomena that Siegfried had fallen to a disadvantage. The erupting Sky Fire (Shamash) was no longer brilliant; instead, it had a sickly quality to it.
"We can't hesitate any longer!"
Fu Hua's expression turned stern. One hand pointed to the sky, the other towards the enemy.
Her aura transformed into an exploding cyclone. A brilliant sword tip, gathering the light of the Seven Stars, extended from her palm. Chaotic lightning condensed and spiraled around her, finally converging in the girl's hand into a heaven-tilting divine sword pointed straight at the enemy!
Edge of Taixuan: Eminence! (Taixuan Sword God!)
Yes, she intended to use her trump card right from the start. While Siegfried was still capable of distracting 'Genghis Khan', she would end the battle quickly with a single Blade of the Supreme.
This was the best method. As for the First Rated Power of Fenghuang Down deleting memories... worst case scenario, she could find her cousin later and ask him to contact Prometheus and Dr. Mei to figure something out.
After all, we've slept together so many times. Sleep a bit more and I'll get used to it again.
"!!!"
Fck! I knew she could still use it!*
Shuhu, located in the Proper World, felt her knees go weak, and an urge to turn tail and run sprouted within her.
The psychological shadow caused by the Blade of the Supreme was imaginable.
However, thinking of the backup plan she had specially arranged, she kept her hands behind her back and stood her ground, trying her best to look like a calm, unbothered big shot.
"Your tail is spinning so fast! It's about to fly!"
Eleanor looked on with an expression of pure innocence.
"It's shedding season recently. Just shaking it out."
Shuhu waved her hand dismissively.
...