Amidst the miserable cries of the trio, the torturous journey of three days and four nights passed in a flash.
"Holy sh*t!!!"
Sweat soaked his forehead hair. Fuli jerked his eyes open in the familiar room.
The piercing screams from his nerve endings hadn't yet faded. The abrupt cessation of the intense pain left him at a loss. Instinctively gasping for air, he propped himself up and looked around blankly with his crimson eyes.
"The physical examination was already done earlier. Congratulations on surviving the side effects of the Body Modification Serum."
Sitting by the bed, Mei offered her congratulations softly, her slender fingertips brushing over the heavy book resting on her lap.
"Very good! Very spirited!" Kallen patted her little brother on the shoulder, giving him a thumbs-up with a bright expression. "You didn't embarrass our Hyperion!"
"Ow, ow, ow! Gentle, gentle!"
The boy hurriedly signaled the Saintess to go easy on him, then looked toward Kiana and Bronya, who were still unconscious nearby. "What about those two...?"
Mei answered calmly, "Due to differences in constitution, they'll wake up a bit later."
"Oh."
As long as they made it through.
Fuli thought, and after adjusting to his condition, he stood up.
"I'm going to the Taixuan Mountain training grounds to check the results."
"Sure. I'll watch over things here."
"Me, me, me! Brother, I'll go with you!"
Having faced Mei alone for three days had practically suffocated Kallen. She volunteered, raising her hand high.
"No problem."
The boy naturally wouldn't refuse. The two walked side-by-side on the path leading to the holographic Mount Taixuan.
Just as they arrived at the edge of the training grounds, Fuli rubbed his flat belly. "Sister, get me something to eat?"
"I'll notify the chef Cat Cakes then."
"No, I want to eat something made by your own hands, Sister."
"Hiss—!"
Hearing this, Kallen sucked in a breath of cold air, seriously suspecting that Mei missed something during the physical exam.
Not only does he intend to let a Kaslana into the kitchen, but he also wants to eat food made by a Kaslana?
Brother! Something is wrong with you!
"Wait a moment then."
Upholding the mindset of a worker, the Saintess phased out and headed toward the kitchen.
Her demeanor actually showed a hint of impatience, seemingly very happy that her culinary skills were being recognized (?).
"..."
After sending Kallen away, Fuli sat down cross-legged alone.
Reaching out, he pulled open his shirt and stared intently at the patch of skin on his left chest, which seemed normal.
As if responding to his gaze, a faint purple glow emerged from deep within the flesh, quickly outlining and condensing.
In the blink of an eye, a perfectly structured mark surfaced clearly. Three sharp arcs interlocked and rotated around each other, forming a triangular symmetrical closed loop filled with unknown power.
[Host...]
Prometheus looked worried.
She was all too familiar with the appearance of that metallic mark. In the current civilization, it was known as the Triquetra or Celtic Knot, an immortal symbol carrying heavy history, cultural accumulation, and religious significance.
However, tracing back to the distant Previous Era, it possessed a completely different name and essence of power—the Stigma of Domination.
[...The ability awakened by the modification serum is determined by the beliefs established in the subject's mind.]
Relevant information flashed through Prometheus's mind. She hesitated for a moment, about to comfort her Host, who seemed to be recalling the Theater of Domination again.
Unexpectedly, Fuli suddenly reached out and ruffled the girl's hair vigorously.
"This thing can be considered a byproduct at best." He exhaled a breath of stale air and said cheerfully, "The true ability awakened this time isn't this."
Fuli wasn't stupid. Being only one step away from the Critical-level, he could already sense that his combat power before dying in the previous loop was off.
To put it bluntly, if the current him were placed in front of his past self from back then, he probably wouldn't last ten rounds before being torn to shreds.
Combined with everything those bastards of Domination did to him, the thought that "they were preparing to convert the corrupted me into a new Herrscher individual" naturally intruded into Fuli's mind.
Even though they didn't succeed in the end, the traces had already been imprinted on his soul.
That's right. The reborn Fuli naturally possessed the Stigma of Domination.
In the past, the World Serpent cadre "Hare"—Misteln Schariac—was very curious about how a mere mortal could accommodate multiple high-ranking Stigmata simultaneously. She even disguised herself as Cecilia to infiltrate Fuli's dreams to find out.
Things have to make sense. Yes, even if Fuli was talented and had a Honkai adaptability of 6500 HW at age 8, he couldn't just ignore genetic conflicts within his body, right?
That wasn't talent; that was f*cking biochemical mutation, human experimentation.
[Name: Stigma of Domination]
[Grade: A]
[Category: Passive/Permanent]
[Effect: A metallic triangular symmetrical closed-loop mark located on the left chest. Capable of perfectly accommodating conflicting powers within the body.]
[Note: We, the chicken-headed Herrscher of Domination (Legion), hate wasting things the most. Usually, every grain of rice in the bowl must be eaten clean. Everyone go out and line up! I guarantee everyone gets to eat something hot this week!]
This was why.
The ability of the Herrscher of Domination was to steal Herrscher authorities. A natural Stigma was essentially an imaginary database created to imitate a Herrscher Core, so accommodating other Stigmata was naturally a piece of cake.
Noticing that the Host wasn't immersed in the shadows of the past, Prometheus secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then asked in confusion:
[Strange. Since the Host came with the Stigma of Domination after rebirth, why wasn't it displayed on the system panel?]
"Forgot the setting, didn't you, babe?"
Fuli looked at her amusingly.
[?]
The girl tilted her head in confusion.
[The character panel of the Finality System only records items and skills drawn by the system itself. Those possessed by the Host must be actively recorded.] Dr. MEI, appearing like a ghost, explained: [Before injecting the modification serum, the Host didn't know his soul was engraved with the Stigma of Domination, so naturally, it wouldn't be written on it.]
Th-that works too?
The little AI was dumbfounded.
She originally thought it was just a useless setting for laughs, but it turned out to be waiting for this moment!
[To be honest, I've always thought the Host was the best vessel for the Herrscher of Domination of the Current Era.] Taking several photos of the shocked Prometheus without a word, Dr. MEI put away her camera leisurely. [Just look at the facts. The most typical example is Divine Departure. A comprehensive advanced skill created by referencing hundreds or thousands of fragmented techniques—isn't this the essence of the Thousand-Man Herrscher (Legion)? Calling it the "Domination Form" of the Setsuna Blade wouldn't be an exaggeration.]
"Blech!"
Baby Li dry-heaved and couldn't help cursing, "Knock it off. Nobody thinks you're mute if you don't speak!"
From beginning to end, his philosophy was to draw his blade against the stronger. Those bastards who only bullied the weak weren't worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as him.
"Ehehehe, chicken soup is coming!!!"
Just then, Kallen came skipping over carrying the chicken soup.
"Kaslana Special Ten-Tonic Nourishing Soup! Little brother, come taste it!"
She placed the pot, half as tall as a person, in front of Fuli, expectation shining in her beautiful brows.
"———Alright!"
Staring at the bubbling purple soup for a moment, considering that he was the one who asked her to make it, the boy gritted his teeth, lifted the huge pot, and poured it all down his throat.
Smacking his lips, he said in surprise, "It actually tastes surprisingly good?"
"What do you mean 'surprisingly'!" The Saintess patted his shoulder affectionately, putting her legs together and sitting beside him. "Knowing you just suffered for three days and four nights and your body is weak, how could your big sister make hellish cuisine to harm you?"
"Then this pot?"
"I asked the Cat Cakes to make it. Of course, I helped a little bit."
Kallen held out her hand, her index finger and thumb indicating a one-millimeter gap.
[Just helping a little bit turned the chicken soup this purple, huh?]
Fuli clicked his tongue in wonder. Before the little fists came hammering down, he changed the subject. "Sister, I awakened a new sword technique. Want to see?"
"From the Setsuna Blade?"
"Uh, it can be categorized under that?"
"Then... let's see it?"
"Alrighty."
The Stigma of Domination was something that had been hidden in his body all along and just happened to surface due to this opportunity.
But the sword technique Fuli mentioned was the true harvest of this modification serum injection.
He looked around. The Shadow-Trailing Sword condensed into a human-sized hand in the air, grabbed a nearby lamb that clearly had a death wish, and forming his fingers into a sword, slashed at it.
"Baa..."
The instant death effect of the Stigma of Death triggered. It died.
"Ah, this."
Fuli felt awkward. He thought to himself, Why did this extremely low probability instant death trigger now of all times, just when I'm showing off my new skill?
He hurriedly grabbed a piglet and repeated the previous operation.
"Oink..."
The piglet sighed, its aura visibly weakening by a large chunk.
Seeing such a strange scene, Kallen frowned. She said bluntly to Fuli, "You know your sister is dumb. Can we stop beating around the bush and just say it?"
"Fine."
Having failed to act cool, the boy nodded resentfully and displayed the information panel manifested by the Jizo Mitama's Rated Power in front of them.
[Name: Setsuna Blade: Moon Hiding in Twilight (Yueyin Huiming)]
[Grade: A]
[Category: Systematic Sword Technique]
[Effect: Form of Death. One thought grants death, one thought grants life.
When the weapon strikes the target's life itself, it forcibly deals percentage-based damage; the effect can also be reversed. Drawing the blade can heal oneself or others, consuming a large amount of energy.]
[Note ①: Must hit the life form itself. It does not work when hitting armor. It is also applicable to elemental life forms, etc.]
[Note ②: Riven Flesh, Heart-rending Blade!]
"A rule-based ability," Kallen raised an eyebrow.
Rule-based abilities existed in the Honkai world too. The most typical examples were Herrscher Authorities.
Even though Honkai energy had the basic property of shaking physical laws, each of these abilities was incredibly overpowered.
"It's probably because I just got the Stigma of Death recently, so I awakened this move."
Fuli dismissed the info panel. He looked like he was sitting upright, but his eyes kept glancing over.
Knowing his thoughts, Kallen chuckled, "Pfft." She actively pulled the boy into her arms and rubbed his cheeks with gratification. "Yes, yes, yes, my little brother is the most amazing."
Frost River Reflecting the Moon, River Lethe Guard, Heaven's Endless Abyss, Moon Hiding in Twilight...
The Setsuna Blade wielded by Fuli had essentially broken away from the framework of the 8th Flame-Chaser and Yae Sakura, becoming a sword style unique to him.
"Why not change the name? It doesn't have much to do with the original version anyway." The Saintess had a sudden idea, gesturing with her hands in front of her chest. "Fuli One Sword (Ittou), Primeval One Sword, or something?"
"Let's forget that."
The boy refused decisively.
Keeping "Setsuna Blade" allowed him to explain that the creator of the sword technique was a chunibyo, and as a latecomer, he was just following the book. No matter how loudly he shouted the move names to look cool, someone else would take the blame.
If he changed the name, wouldn't the title of chunibyo fall on his own head?
"I think it sounds nice!" Kallen felt it was a pity. "Fuli Ittou: Rain of Four Lights! Fuli Ittou: Infinite Evil Instant! Doesn't that sound super cool?"
"Let's talk about it later. Later."
The boy waved his hand to brush it off. He casually fired a mini Heaven's Endless Abyss as firepower, roasting the dead lamb and—
He looked at the piglet trying to escape, condensed the Shadow-Dragging Sword, and threw it over.
Swish!
—and the now-dead piglet on the Shadow-Trailing BBQ rack.
There were still two sleeping in the room. He'd bring one back for each of them to replenish their strength.
As the King of the Hyperion, he had to care about the subordinates who brought him value!
Before long, accompanied by the smell of crispy skin and tender meat, Sauce, who had been busy in the fields, charged over, sticking out his tongue and circling Fuli and Kallen.
"Woof!"
So what if I'm a mechanical dog? Little Master Mei already installed an eating module for this Old Pig—I mean, me!
"You glutton. Catch!"
Fuli tore off a leg of lamb with a laugh and threw it over. The dog jumped high, caught it in one bite, and lay down on the side to feast.
Another ten minutes or so passed, and a communication screen unfolded in front of the two.
"They woke up."
Mei's expression was rarely this subtle, and her dark gaze kept glancing outside the camera frame.
"This outfit doesn't fit well. Do you have a larger size?"
A cool voice carrying a familiar tone rang out from off-screen. Fuli paused. Just as he realized who it was and wanted to look closely, Mei hastily dropped a "Just get over here" and hung up the call.
"Strange."
Fuli and Kallen exchanged glances. He swatted away her small hand that was sneaking toward the roast leg of lamb.
"Let's go back and check first."
"Nom nom nom!"
The boy stood up holding the roasted pig and lamb, and Kallen followed closely behind, gnawing on a pig ear.
By the time most of the pig head had been gnawed off, the two arrived at the room door.
He raised his hand and knocked.
"I'm back. Can I come in? No one is changing clothes inside, right?"
"Come on, what are you dawdling for at your own room? If you see someone changing, treat it as fan service!"
"Easy, easy, I have food in my hands, don't push."
With the gluttonous Saintess pushing and shoving from behind, Fuli leaned forward and burst through the door.
Looking up, he froze in place.
Pure, beautiful, silky silver-gray long hair was tied into a ponytail, cascading freely over exposed, fair, fragrant shoulders, making the skin look like congealed fat.
The collarbones were accentuated by black silk ribbons and cords, adding a touch of cold magnificence.
A unique, form-fitting, black-and-white asymmetrical outfit adorned the girl's luxuriously slender body. The long indigo hem just managed to cover her left leg, which was wrapped in a white stocking, further outlining the perfect curve of her slender waist.
Angel and devil—two distinct temperaments mixed on the girl's frail body. Combined with the pair of full breasts on her chest that seemed ready to burst out, she exuded an irresistible temptation.
"The chest area of this new battlesuit is a bit tight. I hope it can be modified as soon as possible."
The tall, silver-gray-haired girl was discussing something with a weird-looking Mei. Hearing the door open, she turned her head.
"Onii-Chan?"
Her cherry lips parted slightly, her eyes misty, her voice laced with surprise and joy.
Just based on this, Fuli could be certain.
This stunningly beautiful girl with an angelic face and a devilish body was none other than his flat-chested little sister, Bronya Zaychik, for whom he usually couldn't muster a single bit of sexual interest.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished from the spot with a flash step.
In the next instant, a large hand struck, ruthlessly kneading the Silverwing: N-EX's incredibly broad and magnificent front armor, constantly changing it into various beautiful shapes.
"Sister, you smell so good!"
Giving a thumbs-up with his other hand, the boy smiled with a clean, sunny grin.
...