Under the curtain of night, in the room of the King of Hyperion—
"That's basically the situation, Cousin."
Fuli sat cross-legged on the bed, his freshly washed hair tips still damp, explaining the purpose of his trip to Fu Hua via communication.
"Mhm, I understand."
Fu Hua's tone was as calm as ever, but a trace of apology flitted across her delicate brow. "I'm sorry. It's all because of me that you have to disguise yourself to set foot in Shenzhou."
"What does this have to do with you, Cousin!" The big boy was filled with righteous indignation. "It's Situ Qinghong and her gang! They crave my body! They are despicable!"
Just watch me take revenge later!
Awoo, holding a grudge!
"It... it's probably not that extreme..."
After all, he was the kid she watched grow up, so Fu Hua tried to defend them a little.
Then she asked seriously, "Is there something you need me to do, contacting me specifically like this?"
"Just a normal report! Cousin, you just do whatever you need to do; no need to give me special care."
Rather, special care would cause trouble. With the Celestial of Mount Taixu by his side, his whereabouts would be exposed to others in minutes.
"Alright then, I wish you prosperous martial fortunes."
Fu Hua didn't mind too much. How much trouble could a mere idol cause?
After a brief silence, her voice softened slightly. "After the Luminary Wardance Ceremony ends, I plan to visit Lixue. Cousin, will you have time then?"
The subtext was clear: Can you accompany me then?
Cheng Lixue, a member of Schicksal's Snowwolf Squad, the strongest A-Rank Valkyrie in history, sacrificed heroically during the Second Eruption.
More importantly, she was the only disciple formally accepted by the Celestial of Mount Taixu after the Mount Tianqiong incident.
This bond was basically no different from mother and daughter.
The reason Fu Hua wanted her cousin to accompany her to Mount Taixu to sweep the grave was to tell the disciple who had passed away:
There are still people in the world who are purely good to me, just like you were. You don't need to worry about your master in the other world anymore.
Fuli wasn't too clear about the twists and turns inside, but he could catch the intense sorrow permeating Cousin Hua's words when she mentioned this senior.
So he nodded solemnly. "Of course I have time!"
Being a second late would be disrespectful to the invitation.
Once the atmosphere lightened, he chatted about recent events, amusing Fu Hua until she smiled several times, before the call ended with mutual reluctance.
Kallen's head hung upside down from the ceiling, her magnificent pure white braid swinging back and forth.
"I'm a little jealous."
She puffed out her cheeks, expressing dissatisfaction that the sibling ecological niche was being squeezed by a third party.
"Surely not?"
Fuli scratched his cheek. You are all my wings!
"I want revenge."
Leaving this sentence behind, the Saintess dissolved into starlight.
Leaving the big boy on the bed bewildered, not quite understanding what she was expressing.
The next morning—
Yawning, Fuli sat up in bed, a trace of lingering desire in his eyes.
In last night's dream, the phantom thief girl named Nocturne broke into his room.
A purple raven mask covered the upper half of her face, but it couldn't hide those Danube-blue eyes, skin as lustrous as Alpine snow, and those cherry lips full of soft beauty.
The rose-purple dress fitting her curves outlined the girl's graceful figure, highlighting the fullness of her chest. Her lower body featured a pair of long, slender legs wrapped in purple pantyhose and perky buttocks, leading down to enchanting high-heeled boots.
After breaking into the room, this woman, as charming as a night raven, ignited the tip of Fuli's spear without a word.
The two went back and forth, engaging in a deep exchange that the readers in front of the screen would love to see.
Making a certain someone still lack energy despite sleeping for over ten hours, and until the end, he never got to see the peerless true face under her exquisite mask.
However, since it was a half-mask, it didn't affect Miss Sixth Serenade gulping down the hot dog. It was hard not to suspect it was premeditated.
After washing up and having breakfast, Fuli arrived at the hangar.
Pacing to the Yukikaze he piloted before, he turned around.
"I can't take you with me this time."
"Why?"
Big Bronya put one hand on her hip, very dissatisfied with this.
Raiden Mei was a tech otaku focused on staying in Massive Electric; Kiana hadn't recovered from her illness; Shenzhou was the domain of the super AI Bai Ze, so Kallen couldn't easily intrude.
So, the only one left who could watch her fickle brother and stop him from attracting bees and butterflies was her, who had nothing to do, right?
Fuli spread his hands and reasoned with her: "I dare to go to Shenzhou relying on the identity forged by Kallen because of the Void Abyss Dark Star God Talisman given by Ella. If you go, the Taixu Front will investigate you thoroughly in minutes."
Having experienced the Kanas incident, the Hyperion group was already on the Taixu Front's watchlist.
"Damn it!"
Bronya, understanding this point, gritted her teeth.
What is the most despairing thing in the world?
Knowing that her brother would definitely hook up with cute girls when he went out, yet being thousands of miles away, helplessly watching and unable to do anything.
Her eyes rolled, and the light of ether editing flickered at her slender fingertips. "Do you need me to help Bro optimize his facial data to make the disguise more thorough?"
Just adjust it to be ugly! Super ugly! The kind that makes anyone with a slight sense of aesthetics want to vomit upon seeing it!
Big Bronya was eager to try.
"No need, your brother is very satisfied with his current looks."
Fuli refused decisively, giving his little sister no chance to perform.
"I'll bring back gifts."
Flipping into the Yukikaze, he pulled the joystick. The canopy lowered, the engine roared, and the fighter jet soared into the sky.
"Just not bringing back a new member would be a blessing."
The strong wind blew Bronya's silver hair. She curled her lip, turned back to the bridge, and continued to discuss cooperation details with Theresa on behalf of the Hyperion.
Sapphire City, under the night sky—
Among the endless flow of people, a girl wrapped tightly and wearing a mask stood at the intersection. Her lake-green eyes were fixed on the looming back across the street, wanting to catch up, but forced to wait due to the changing traffic light.
Her name was Robin, a singer, a star.
Excessive modesty is equal to pride; the girl knew her global influence, otherwise she wouldn't have disguised herself like this just to track someone.
The person she was eyeing was named Inazuma Makoto.
She was one of the backup dancers selected by Robin after auditions for the Sapphire stop of this world tour.
Not only were her looks sufficient, but her dancing skills were also top-notch.
Robin was a gentle person. Makoto was indeed nervous at first, but during practice, she quickly became familiar with this international superstar she could previously only look up to.
They couldn't quite be called friends; even if the former didn't care at all from the bottom of her heart, the issue of status stood there after all.
Time flew, and the concert date approached. The tacit understanding between the lead and the backup dancers was steadily improving.
However, at this critical juncture, Robin keenly sensed something wrong.
A few days ago, Makoto's personality changed.
It wasn't small things like her dance steps becoming stiff, cooperation dropping, or forcing a smile. On the contrary, after that, her dance became increasingly stunning, and she changed her usual quiet style of staying in a corner, actively participating in exchanges with other companions, talking and laughing freely.
At first glance, this seemed like a good thing.
The reality side wasn't the Honkai side, and even on the Honkai side, understanding worldly wisdom made one more popular.
Where there are people, there is Jianghu (politics/society).
And since the Honkai side was mentioned, naturally Robin's other identity must be mentioned.
The Chief Tuner of the Vatican, an existence possessing supernatural powers like her brother Sunday.
With this power, she captured the dissonance in Makoto.
Whether out of concern for a companion or to reduce the probability of accidents during the concert in response to the audience's expectations, after finishing today's rehearsal, Robin disguised herself and trailed Makoto from afar, trying to figure out exactly what happened.
Green light, pedestrians please cross.
Hearing the electronic prompt in her ear, the girl pulled up her mask and walked quickly across the street to chase the target.
Regrettably, Sapphire City, just starting its nightlife, was crowded. Coupled with the traffic light change cutting off the crowd earlier, unfortunately, after chasing deep into a quiet alley, Robin finally lost the target.
She sighed a little, discouraged, but not much.
Compared to almost dying from arterial bleeding caused by a stray bullet scratching her neck during a UN peacekeeping operation, this small setback wasn't even fit to carry her high heels (which many jokingly called lunch boxes).
The only worry was that the alley was too quiet, easily reminding one of some terrible developments.
But it doesn't matter! Shenzhou is recognized as one of the safest countries!
Robin curled the corners of her mouth under the mask.
Moreover, I, Robin, am not a nobody. When the Tuner's power is unleashed, even ordinary Critical-grade powerhouses have to think twice!
The priority is to return to the hotel to regroup and prepare for tracking again after work tomorrow!
Thinking this, she turned to leave.
Whoosh!
A large hand shot out from the darkness without warning, carrying a sharp wind sound, and precisely covered the girl's tender, cherry-soft lips!
"Mmph mmph mmph!"
Robin's pupils shrank abruptly.
The concealment ability of the comer was so strong that no one noticed even when he made his move!
Because the person who struck was Fuli!
Presence Concealment: A byproduct of cultivating the Human Immortal Path, a special skill capable of masking and cutting off one's own presence for covert operations.
Initial rank is D, increasing with the cultivation of the Human Immortal Path.
With multiple applications against the Outer Ways, the current Fuli had reached B-rank in Presence Concealment.
Relying on this to shield against Robin's supernatural perception, he hid in the darkness and struck suddenly, perfectly capturing this suspicious guy tracking his mission target!
After leaving the Hyperion, Fuli first went to the nearby Marshall Islands to take a flight to Tokyo, then transferred from Tokyo to the international metropolis of Sapphire.
Not long after landing, based on the intelligence provided by Kallen, he found Makoto training her dance steps at the Sapphire Stadium and began tracking her from a distance.
Purpose?
Of course, to see if any malicious person would follow her!
Look, didn't he catch a target (referring to Robin) right away?
A huge harvest!
Fuli had noticed this sneaky guy long ago.
The reason was simple: her temperament was too good.
Light blue curly hair pressed under a light brown beret, the red-brown trim of the brim shining brightly in the light and shadow.
A violet ribbon tied into a spreading butterfly shape at the collar of her trench coat, star-shaped diamonds twinkling faintly on the side of her neck.
With this look, even if her face was completely covered by a mask, she stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens.
Before, there were too many people for Fuli to act. Who would have thought this guy would follow Makoto into a deserted alley deep inside, walking right into the trap?
Then the King of Hyperion would now eliminate harm for the people.
Let me see!
Howling in his heart, his free hand grabbed at the mask on Robin's face with lightning speed.
At this time, Robin also realized she had been kidnapped, and it wasn't an ordinary kidnapping.
An ordinary person's physical fitness couldn't restrain her seemingly delicate body, and the movement of restraining someone from behind was so practiced.
I understand! Miss Makoto's recent abnormalities must be the work of this person!
Robin thought, opening her mouth, and a clear singing voice erupted with majestic energy.
"Rise! Up into my—!"
Sway to My Beat in Cosmos, a classic track from the hit album INSIDE.
This line was the part where the climax of the song began, and for the singer girl, it was also the activation syllable for the melodic secret art created by combining her own experiences: Concerto of a Thousand Tones · Fugue of Stars.
Once this illusionary secret art that infected others with emotions, sound, and energy started instantly, people within a large range centered on the caster would recall the beauty in their hearts, temporarily forgetting their anger, desires, slaughter, and ambition, forcibly placed in a peaceful state.
Conversely, the existences selected by the caster would not be affected, thereby gaining the first opportunity to act. In short, releasing the Ultimate to pull the action bar for all allies (crossed out).
With Robin's ability as a Tuner, the Concerto of a Thousand Tones · Fugue of Stars released by her was enough to make even Critical-grade targets dazed for a moment.
As long as the attacker behind her was tripped up by the secret art, the girl could seize the opportunity to distance herself and then unleash various secret rituals using sound as a medium to counterattack!
This wave, the advantage is mine!
It can only be said that Robin's plan was indeed perfect.
The only miscalculation was that the person she faced was Fuli.
Concerto of a Thousand Tones · Fugue of Stars, right? Did the power reach S-rank?
No?
Then good, the invincible Golden Armor first weakens your interference effect by ninety percent.
The remaining bit was troublesome, but definitely not enough to make Fuli mentally dazed to the point of being forcibly peaceful.
Most crucially, the energy fluctuation of the illusionary secret art made him realize: This disguised bastard tracking the mission target is from the Honkai side, just like me.
Not an ordinary person, right? Good.
First Rated Power of Jizo Mitama, Expand!
Prerequisite of skin contact, met.
Star Saint's Path, Activate!
"Hooooooohhh ohhh ohhh!!!"
Thus, a beautiful, high-pitched, and melodious cry filled with "immortal energy" suddenly shattered the deathly silence and darkness of the alley!