Chapter 187: Storming the Elysian Realm with Herrschers
Little Senti opened her eyes and sat bolt upright in an instant. She raised one hand and flexed her fingers into a fist — the sluggish, foggy feeling she'd woken up with had vanished without a trace.
"Welcome back, Little Senti." Nuwa patted the Book of Fuxi on the cheek. "You might feel a little off at first — I went ahead and updated everything, after all."
"Things were so rushed before, a lot of it wasn't properly set up. Now that it's all been updated, there shouldn't be any more problems."
"Mm..." Little Senti shook her head slightly. The increase in her system's programming left her feeling a bit disoriented, so she opened her self-diagnostic suite to take stock of exactly what had been added.
"There really is quite a bit more in there."
Nuwa counted on her fingers. "I updated some of your processing systems and storage, and the weapon systems that were barely functional before have been reinforced using the Key of Domination."
When they'd originally built Little Senti, it had been purely to keep Fu Hua company. Her weapon systems were limited to self-defense — though calling them "self-defense" was generous. The attack strength was less about protecting herself and more about making enough noise to attract attention.
As long as she caught Fu Hua's attention, Little Senti's safety would take care of itself. So when they designed the weapon systems back then, the guiding principle had been: power doesn't matter, but the racket had better be loud.
"Review complete." Little Senti climbed aboard her round orb and floated upward. "I don't think it adds that much, honestly — given the current situation, one extra doll's combat strength isn't going to tip any scales."
"Better to have it than not." Nuwa shrugged. "There were leftover materials, so we used them. If something comes up, at least you can hold your own."
"Mm." Little Senti nodded, then drifted over to hover beside Fu Hua, who had been watching quietly the whole time. "Blockhead, now we can stay together forever."
The upgraded body contained a core extracted from the Key of Domination. A Herrscher Core wouldn't degrade or age — which meant she could stay by Blockhead's side from here on out.
That said, it didn't actually make Little Senti the Herrscher of the Legion. What Irene had said earlier was just a joke.
"Mm." Fu Hua patted Little Senti's head. "Welcome back, Little Senti."
"Right... I think I understand now." Little Senti had been watching the two of them from the side, and then suddenly turned to look at Fu Hua. "Hey, you ancient relic — I'm giving your body back."
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Fu Hua didn't agree right away; instead, she found herself worrying about what Little Senti would do without a body.
"Oh, honestly — I'm returning what's yours and you're still overthinking it." Little Senti looked at Fu Hua the way one looks at someone hopelessly dense. "As for me, don't worry. I'm the Herrscher of Sentience."
"You've been walking around in soul form through Fenghuang Down all this time — so why wouldn't I be able to do the same?"
The moment she finished speaking, Little Senti detached herself from Fu Hua's body. Wreathed in dark feathers, her own form materialized beside her.
If Fu Hua's irises were a soft, refined blue, Little Senti's eyes glowed crimson. Her clothing was predominantly black, with a streak of white dye woven through her hair. As for the rest of her...
Irene's gaze drifted briefly to Little Senti's chest and she tilted back slightly. It seemed that aside from the eye color and the hair highlights, Little Senti had made at least one other particular modification to herself.
Whether out of embarrassment or simply a desire to edge out Fu Hua in one more department, she'd managed to upgrade from a perfectly flat airstrip to something in the vicinity of a modest A-cup hill.
However modest the result, it was there — even if it was just a little bit of wishful thinking on her part. But as long as Little Senti was happy about it, that was what mattered.
"Mm..." Little Senti picked up a compact mirror from the nearby table and, under the guise of checking her own reflection, cast a quick, sidelong glance at Irene — then looked back at herself and gave a small nod.
Little Senti picked up Fu Hua's body, gave it a once-over, then flexed her own fist. "Feels about the same to me. Alright, stop hesitating — I've already vacated the premises. It's not like I'm going to let it just sit here and ferment."
"Thank you." Fu Hua nodded, gave Little Senti one last pat on the head, then dissolved into a scatter of feathers that streamed back into her own body.
"I return something, and you still have so much to say about it." Little Senti grumbled under her breath as she set Fu Hua's body down on the nearby bed.
Then her gaze drifted toward the remaining Key of Domination parts left over from the modifications, sitting on the bedside. "If you're not using those, can I have them?"
"Take them, we've got no use for them." Nuwa nodded. The ceiling on what those things could do was already set — if Little Senti wanted them as a souvenir or a gift for someone, that was perfectly fine.
"Taking them, then." Little Senti scooped up the Key of Domination fragments, and the dark feathers on her hands swirled around them, gradually reshaping the material into something new.
The programs originally stored within the Key of Domination began to shift form in accordance with Little Senti's intentions, slowly taking shape in her hands as a massive, bladeless greatsword.
Little Senti looked at the bladeless greatsword in her grip — and seemed not quite satisfied. She grabbed the remaining Soulium that hadn't been used and stuffed it in as well.
Under Little Senti's modifications, the original bladeless greatsword had transformed further — it was now something that looked more like a sword case packed with multiple weapons, while still serving as a greatsword in its own right.
Irene raised an eyebrow at the weapon taking shape in Little Senti's hands. It looked familiar — wasn't this the exact weapon Little Senti used in Honkai Impact 3rd after she became a playable character?
Some of the decorative details were missing, but nine times out of ten, Little Senti would gradually work her way toward that look anyway.
"Yes. Now this is a weapon worthy of me." Little Senti gripped the red handle and swung it up and down with a look of complete satisfaction. "What's the point of just using your fists? I definitely lost to Kevin because of my weapon. That's what happened."
"That's debatable." Irene patted Little Senti on the shoulder. "But since we've wrapped things up on our end, we should head back to the Hyperion — everyone's probably been waiting on us for a while now."
"Let's go, then." Little Senti released the greatsword, letting it float alongside her. "Come to think of it — since I woke up, I haven't even said hello to any of them yet."
"That's because the first person you saw when you woke up was me." Irene shrugged, then looked over at Nuwa and the Book of Fuxi. "You two should come back with us as well. And speaking of which, Little Senti — are you walking out there like that, or would you like to come stay inside my head for a visit?"
"Let's save that for another time." Little Senti shook her head. She'd be coming back out soon anyway, and besides — Irene had acknowledged her as a master. What kind of master would ride around hanging off their own student? She wasn't some ancient relic who needed a disciple's arm to get around.
"We'll pass too." Nuwa and the Book of Fuxi both shook their heads. They hadn't experienced being out in the world yet — compared to the other role cards Irene carried, Irene at least transformed into those occasionally, letting everyone get a taste of what it felt like to be alive again after so long. But since the two of them had been rescued by Irene rather than being her cards, they didn't get that treatment.
Now that they finally had the chance, naturally they wanted to stay outside a little longer.
Besides, the two-hour window that Little Senti had mentioned when making the cards was calculated based on two people engaged in intense physical activity — fighting, specifically. In combat conditions, it would last roughly two hours.
After all, no one could guarantee that Little Senti wouldn't suddenly snap — but as it turned out, Little Senti's stability far exceeded their expectations, so that safety margin had never been needed.
Their energy expenditure up to now had been nothing but conversation, and they'd barely moved an inch. With virtually no drain on their reserves, the time they could remain manifested had multiplied accordingly.
"Then do as you like."
— Hyperion —
"Welcome back! Though I have to say, you've brought back quite a crowd this trip." Theresa came up to the deck to greet Irene, Fu Hua, and the group trailing behind them.
She then turned to look at Little Senti standing nearby, and for a moment wasn't quite sure how to introduce herself.
"Hello there, Principal Theresa — for now you can call me Little Senti." Little Senti put significant emphasis on the words "for now." "This is, more or less, our first meeting."
"Oh, hello, hello." Theresa shook the hand Little Senti extended, then turned her head toward Irene. "Have you two already talked things through?"
"What else would I have been doing out there for so long?" Irene nodded. "Have you forgotten how charming I am?"
"I can't decide whether to call you self-absorbed or what." Theresa shook her head at Irene. "Anyway, I'm glad you're back. But who are these people?"
Theresa looked at the two figures accompanying Fu Hua. It wasn't that she didn't recognize them — she had even met them before. But hadn't both of them been dead the last time she saw them? She and Welt had personally handled the handover of their remains. So how were they now...?
"Principal, you've actually met these two before." Irene turned and gestured toward Nuwa and the Book of Fuxi. "Nuwa and Fuxi — or as they're known in Shenzhou legend, Nüwa and Fúxī — researchers from the Previous Era."
"Wait a moment..." Theresa looked at Irene with a suspicious squint. "According to the records, both of them died in the Battle of Chiyou. We even handed their remains over to Shenzhou ourselves."
"Naturally, I collected their souls back then." Irene smiled. "Don't worry — these are the real ones from this world."
"You really are something else..." Theresa shook her head with a helpless sigh. It seemed Irene had been doing things behind their backs again.
The elevator behind them chimed, and Bronya and Wendy stepped out onto the deck. "Sister Irene, you're back?"
"I'm standing right here in front of you — what do you think?" Irene turned to smile at Bronya, then looked over at Wendy. "Wendy, you made it back too."
"Of course I finished up — otherwise I wouldn't be back." Wendy nodded, then put on a playfully aggrieved expression. "I was planning to rendezvous with you first, Sister Irene, but you went off to find someone else instead."
"I didn't exactly have a choice." Irene spread her hands and glanced toward Little Senti. "It's not like I could have picked a better moment for Little Senti to show up — but everything should be fine now."
"Then it's settled." Wendy smiled at Irene. "By the way, Miss Irene, you should be a little more careful lately."
"Speaking of which — does the other Wendy miss this Wendy? It's been so long without any contact."
"Did you spend so much time around Bronya that you picked up her habit of referring to herself in the third person?" Irene turned to Bronya. "Bronya, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Bronya has nothing to explain." Bronya shook her head, then looked over at the group following behind Irene. "Class Monitor is back too?"
"Don't worry, I've already sorted everything out with everyone." Irene nodded, then went through the same introductions she'd just made, going down the line for Bronya and Wendy's benefit.
"Hello there, Classmate Bronya, and Classmate Wendy." Little Senti greeted the two of them warmly, a subtle flicker passing through her eyes as she took them in.
"Hello everyone — I'm the Book of Fuxi." The Book of Fuxi floated forward and offered a polite greeting. "I owe you all my thanks for looking after my Blockhead in the past."
"Blockhead?" Bronya tilted her head, then slowly shifted her gaze toward Fu Hua. "Oh, I see. Please don't worry, Book of Fuxi — Class Monitor has looked after us just as much."
"Just call me Little Senti." The Book of Fuxi drifted upright on her orb, looking at everyone before her, something flashing through her eyes — because as far as she could sense, every single person present seemed to carry the aura of a Herrscher.
"'Book of Fuxi' sounds so formal."
"Speaking of which." Irene glanced around and noticed two notable absences. "Where are Kiana and Mei? Where did those two go?"
"Perfect timing on your part, actually." Wendy shrugged. "It's lunch right now — so where do you think Kiana and Mei are?"
"That bottomless pit, honestly." Hearing that, Irene knew exactly where Kiana was. "Well, might as well eat together. Come on, let's go."
"I need to take you all somewhere — even if we have to lay low from Otto for a bit, it's a good place where you can train your abilities properly."
Wendy and Bronya exchanged a look, puzzlement flickering between them. Bronya turned to Irene. "Right now, Sister Irene?"
"That's right. Don't worry, it's very safe." Irene reached up and patted Bronya's head. "And there are some wonderful people there."
"As the Herrscher of Reason, you need to understand the structure of a wide range of weapons, equipment, and technologies — there's someone there who can help you with exactly that."
"Can't Dr. Tesla help with that?"
"Dr. Tesla is brilliant, of course — but compared to this particular person, she might just fall a little short." Irene raised her hand and pinched a tiny galaxy into existence at her fingertip.
At that very moment, the Hyperion began to change course. Irene had already notified Rin to set sail for the Elysian Realm. Theresa sensed the shift and turned to look at Irene.
"You're steering the ship again without asking."
"How is that my doing? The ship moved on its own." Irene shrugged. "Relax — I would never do anything to hurt any of you."
Little Senti watched Irene thoughtfully from the side. How to put it — maybe it was just instinct, but she had a pretty good guess as to where Irene was planning to take them.
With that thought in mind, Little Senti looked around at the crowd gathered here, took in the overlapping Herrscher auras rising and falling throughout the group, then looked down at herself.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
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