"No problem. I'll teach you the Edge of Taixuan later."
"Great! Then I forgive you, Fu Hua."
Elias grinned and patted Fu Hua on the shoulder.
At this point, his physical offensive power was more than sufficient. As the Herrscher of Fire, paired with the Judgnt of Shamash, there were few enemies who could withstand even a single strike of his Might of An-Utu.
But on the spiritual level, he was still very fragile.
In the Honkai world, there were several ways to gain ntal offense and defense.
First, beco the Herrscher of Sentience. Second, beco a spiritually attuned Fusion Warrior. Third, use Fenghuang Down. And lastly, the Edge of Taixuan technique Fu Hua had mastered.
Elias didn't yet et the requirents for the first three.
But as long as Fu Hua was willing to teach it, he could learn Edge of Taixuan—and with his Herrscher physique, master it quickly!
Elias: (Once I learn it, I want to slash the Will of Honkai just for fun!)
Fu Hua: "There's no rush for Edge of Taixuan. I'll teach you gradually. Besides, Elias, you've already obtained the Key of Domination. That'll help you in learning the technique."
As she spoke, Fu Hua placed a crimson feather from Fenghuang Down onto Elias.
From now on, that feather would act as a dium—helping Elias resist spiritual attacks and allowing Fu Hua's consciousness to appear and assist him in critical monts.
Fu Hua was already used to giving her feathers to those she considered important. It was both a gesture of protection and a token of gratitude to Elias for saving her old friend—and a silent apology for having hidden her identity as a spy.
"Now I want to ask you sothing, Elias. How much do you know about ?"
"Pretty much everything. Class monitor, you're from the Previous Era, right? I've been to the Sea of Quanta twice and t Kevin Kaslana. We even had a friendly bowl of noodles together."
Even though Kevin hadn't said much, Elias was a transmigrator—he already knew everything about the so-called "Immortal."
"What? You t Kevin?! So he's in the Sea of Quanta? He disappeared 1,500 years ago—I was really panicking back then."
Fu Hua was clearly stunned.
Kevin was one of the very few companions who had co with her from the Previous Era to the current one. When he suddenly vanished, Fu Hua had been genuinely shaken.
And Su had disappeared along with him.
Back then, when Fu Hua found herself the last remaining Fla-Chaser, she'd truly panicked.
Now, thanks to Elias, she finally understood—
Those two good buddies had a fallout over ideology and ended up fighting. Kevin dove into the Sea of Quanta, while Su locked himself in the Cosmic Juggernaut. After that, neither of them showed up for any Fla-Chaser etings.
Fu Hua: (Seriously? You two didn't even bother to tell ?! What am I, invisible?!)
After that, Fu Hua—the most honest soul in the Honkaiverse—ca clean about her past.
She skipped over the parts about being betrayed by her seven disciples and the battle on Mount Taixuan, though.
She only said she'd joined Schicksal as a Valkyrie to continue protecting Shenzhou, and was currently carrying out a secret mission personally assigned by Otto Apokalypse.
After listening to Fu Hua's story—
Raiden i, Bronya, Seele, Hiko, and Ji Xuanyuan all felt deep respect for her.
None of them had expected that their calm, dependable class monitor was in fact the legendary Immortal Phoenix who had protected Shenzhou for five millennia!
"I won't say much else—thank you, Fu Hua. These past five thousand years… you've worked so hard."
"…Mm."
Even a simple thank you, a gentle "you've worked hard," brought a warmth to Fu Hua's heart that made it beat just a little faster.
Ever since she had lost most of her power, the Immortal Phoenix could no longer protect all of Shenzhou alone.
That's why she had joined Schicksal—agreeing to carry out missions under Otto's command in exchange for the organization's protection over Shenzhou, keeping it safe from the Honkai threat.
Perhaps among the Fla-Chasers, Fu Hua was just an ordinary human. But she had accomplished sothing even Kevin—the strongest among them—couldn't.
She had protected a land for five thousand years.
"Fu Hua, you don't have to bear that burden alone anymore. We can figure out a way together. It's not like Schicksal is the only force capable of guarding Shenzhou."
Elias gave her slender shoulder another firm pat, as if trying to knock off a bit of that invisible, crushing weight.
"I'll get in touch with Anti-Entropy—no, wait, Welt's nearby. I'll talk to him about this later."
"If Anti-Entropy's not enough, we can bring in St. Freya Academy too. I'm sure Principal Theresa would be on board."
"And honestly, I think you're underestimating the land you've been guarding. After more than five millennia of developnt, Shenzhou isn't weak anymore. Unless it's a Herrscher-level disaster, their own authorities can handle it now."
Elias couldn't help but sigh.
If this honest immortal had ever thought to found her own organization like Schicksal… she'd have left them all in the dust.
Schicksal? Anti-Entropy? World Serpent?
Elias felt they'd all be lining up behind her.
But Fu Hua had only ever seen herself as a warrior—never soone to lead an era.
Though Shenzhou didn't see her that way.
To them, she was practically a goddess.
Everyone knew the legend of the Immortal Phoenix.
And over the millennia, the martial arts and Honkai techniques she had once passed down were still in use today.
They didn't need Schicksal or Otto's power—Shenzhou had long since gained the strength to protect itself.
"...So that's how it is."
Fu Hua blinked, stunned. She felt both relieved and a little embarrassed—like so antique worrying too much about things that were long outdated.
Elias chuckled and gently held her small hand.
"Just look around you a little. You're not alone. You don't have to carry everything by yourself anymore. If you ever need help, we'll all be there for you. After all, you're the class monitor of St. Freya Academy."
"Also, let help heal your physical injuries. While I can't fix the mory issues, I can restore your body to its peak condition."
And with that, flowers blood with the power of creation.
"Hm? This energy… It's a Herrscher ability? The Gem of Serenity! Elias—you beca the Herrscher of Death?!"
Fu Hua's eyes went wide with shock.
She knew that after Dr. Magi's betrayal, the gem had been stolen from Schicksal and ended up in Anti-Entropy's hands.
But she never expected the Gem of Serenity to be with Elias.
"It's a secret~ Well, as long as you don't tell Otto, I don't really care who else knows."
"...I'll keep it from Schicksal."
After a brief pause, Fu Hua nodded solemnly.
She wasn't stupid. She realized that Anti-Entropy must have entrusted the gem to Elias. Though she didn't know why, she did feel it was the right choice.
In anyone else's hands, it might beco the trigger for a massive Honkai Eruption, endangering countless lives. But in Elias' hands...
Fu Hua believed Elias would use the power of death not for decay, but to create. She was almost certain he would put it to beautiful use.
And it wasn't just her who trusted him.
Even Kevin had already acknowledged him.
Kevin: (???))
Fu Hua: (With Kevin's personality, he'd never let a dangerous Herrscher walk free. If Elias t with him twice and ca back safely both tis, that ans Kevin already recognizes him.)
She compared the core of the Herrscher of Death in Elias' hands versus if it had ended up with Otto… Fu Hua didn't even need to think. It was far safer with Elias.
In Otto's hands—this mad scientist of the current era—who knows what horrifying experints might have followed?
Fu Hua had already decided she would resign from Schicksal.
Though she still intended to continue being a Valkyrie.
She would no longer be Schicksal's Valkyrie—she'd be one of St. Freya Academy instead.
"By the way, class monitor, what was that secret mission you ntioned? It sounded so cool!"
Kiana asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
The mont she did, Fu Hua's face turned a bit awkward.
(My secret mission is to monitor you, Kiana…)
Though this girl had the emotional sensitivity of a rock, Fu Hua wasn't about to shalessly say that to her face.
"Ahem! Uh, Kiana—I think I left my gear in the training room. Could you go grab it for ? Like, right now—I really need it."
"..." xN
What an obvious lie.
Anyone with a working brain could tell Fu Hua was just trying to get Kiana out of the room.
Elias and the others all gave speechless looks. That was way too suspicious. As expected from St. Freya's most honest person—Fu Hua had no poker face at all.
"Huh? Why ?"
Well… Kiana didn't seem to catch on.
Maybe because Elias (a.k.a. her external brain) was present, her own ntal processor had entered sleep mode. She pouted, clearly annoyed at being asked to run errands.
"B-because you're the fastest in class! Yeah, that's it—Kiana, you're the fastest runner! Please?"
"Hehe~ Since you say so, class monitor, I'll help this once! Watch be back in ten minutes—no, five! But you have to tell what your secret mission is later, okay?"
The next mont, Kiana dashed out the door.
Fu Hua finally let out a breath of relief.
She even felt a little triumphant. (Was that… my first successful bluff in over fifty thousand years?)
"..." xN
Elias and the others stared in speechless disbelief. A battle of wits between the overly honest and the hilariously gullible? One couldn't lie, the other couldn't detect lies. They were practically scratching their toes through their shoes from secondhand embarrassnt.
The two who caused the awkwardness weren't the ones feeling it—that honor went to the onlookers.
"Class monitor, you pushed Kiana out because your secret mission has to do with her, right?"
"Huh? i, how did you know?!"
"Sigh~ Bronya thinks, with acting skills like that, you could only fool soone like Kiana."
"Uhh… was it really that obvious?"
"Yes! Totally obvious!" x6
Elias, i, Bronya, Seele, Hiko, and Ji Xuanyuan all nodded.
As long as one wasn't an idiot, it was painfully obvious. Fu Hua's success hinged entirely on Kiana being, well… Kiana.
"Alright…"
Fu Hua looked a little dejected that her full-powered deception had been so easily seen through.
Elias couldn't help but wonder—how did this woman eventually manage to con the Herrscher of Sentience, of all people? With acting like that, was the Herrscher just another Kiana-level fool?
"Alright, Fu Hua. Go ahead and finish explaining your secret mission. The Overseer of Schicksal didn't send you here just to observe the ecological habits of a humanoid slipper, did he?"
Hiko joked lightly.
But Fu Hua's face turned serious as she carefully chose her words and began to explain.
"Kiana… she's not the real Kiana Kaslana. She's a homunculus—K423—created by Otto using the cells of the Herrscher of the Void and the Kaslana family. Deep inside her… sleeps the Gem of the Void."
The mont she spoke, everyone except Elias was stunned.
"Fu Hua, what did you just say?!"
"Kiana's a homunculus?"
"You're joking, right, class monitor?"
"This... this can't be true!"
Hiko and the others couldn't accept it.
In their hearts, they had always believed that soone like Kiana—a bright, cheerful girl—must have had a warm and sunny childhood, a loving ho.
Maybe her father was a bit of a goof, maybe her mother was kind and gentle. But surely, she was soone born under the sun.
Even if that wasn't true—there was no way she should have been born in a cold laboratory.
They couldn't reconcile the words "Kiana" and "test subject."
"It's regrettable, but it's the truth. Otto raised her to be the vessel of the second Herrscher of the Void. I don't know what his ultimate goal is, but my mission was to monitor her every move at St. Freya Academy."
"That bastard! How could he do that?!"
"Kiana… that's so tragic."
"She doesn't know this, right?"
"No, she doesn't. She thinks she's a daughter of the Kaslana family. I had planned to take this secret to my grave. It's just too cruel…"
Fu Hua clenched her fists.
At first, she didn't feel much. But anyone who spends ti around Kiana ends up drawn to her—by her innocence, bravery, and kindness. Fu Hua was no exception.
Yet fate was cruel.
The identity Kiana cherished and proudly upheld… was a lie.
How could Fu Hua bring herself to tell her that?
As everyone fell silent in grief, heartbroken over Kiana's origins—
"So that's the truth, huh? Alright, everyone, rember to keep your expressions natural when Kiana cos back. She might be dumb, but she's freakishly sharp at the weirdest tis."
Elias' expression hadn't changed one bit.
Instead, he calmly reminded the others to watch their faces when Kiana returned.
"E-Elias, are you okay?"
The rest were confused.
They had assud Elias would be the angriest. He pampered Kiana so much—never letting her suffer, always fulfilling her wishes.
Even Fu Hua was surprised.
She had fully expected a furious outburst. In her mind, Elias should've already been halfway to Schicksal HQ with Flascion in hand, ready to incinerate Otto.
"Am I angry? Of course I am."
Elias' eyes burned with silent flas.
He had always known Kiana's origins.
But hearing it again now still sent a wave of rage crashing through him.
However…
"But what would anger do? No matter where Kiana ca from, no matter what her origins are—"
"To , she'll always be that food-loving, playful, clingy girl who's brave, kind, and never backs down."
"The one who shouts about becoming the strongest Valkyrie and charges into danger without hesitation—Kiana Kaslana."
"That's sothing no one can ever change."
The image of his silly little Kiana's smile filled Elias' mind, and he couldn't help but smile too.
Her origin didn't define her.
No matter what her past held—
Elias would always love Kiana Kaslana.
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