Honkai Transformations - 71 - 80

Honkai Transformations - 71

--+--

"Alright, that's enough questions. I'm not exactly here for a job interview."

Silver Wolf shot them a look of mild annoyance. "No matter how much you ask, it's pointless. After all, this world of yours... well... it's out of the service area."

With a lazy yawn, she turned on her heel, intent on heading back to Bronya's room to get back to her gaming.

However, she had barely taken half a step when something seemed to click. She paused, glancing back over her shoulder at the group gathered in the living room.

"By the way," she added, "I'm going to be bored for the next few days anyway. If you run into some mess you can't handle, feel free to give me a shout. Provided, of course..."

She held up a single finger, her silver-gray eyes sharpening with a rare flicker of seriousness.

"...that it doesn't go against my principles."

"And what exactly are your principles?" Himeko asked softly, watching her.

Silver Wolf tilted her head, giving it a moment's thought. "First: I don't take deals where I lose out. Second: I don't do boring work. And third..."

She glanced out the window at the pitch-black night sky before finishing, "Don't bug me while I'm gaming."

With that, she made a move to step inside and shut the door.

"Wait," Bronya's voice rang out, calm and steady.

"Huh?"

Silver Wolf stopped again, turning her head back. Bronya was already walking toward her.

Silver Wolf stood a bit taller than Bronya, and standing side-by-side, they looked remarkably like sisters—much like Kiana and the Real Kiana had before.

"Bronya has a proposal."

Bronya stared at Silver Wolf, her expression dead serious. Silver Wolf met her gaze, a spark of amusement dancing in her heart. She arched an eyebrow, intrigued.

"I'm listening."

"Since you treat this like a game," Bronya said, her youthful voice carrying a subtle edge of provocation, "then we shall decide things by the rules of a game."

"Decide by the rules of a game?"

Silver Wolf's eyes lit up with a playful glint. As a gamer, there was simply no way she was backing down from a challenge.

"Yes."

Bronya nodded, her face like a calm lake. "Best of three. The outcome of the game decides the stakes. If you win, Bronya will not disturb you. If Bronya wins..."

She paused, her tone turning pointed. "You will answer Bronya's questions properly."

A heavy silence fell over the living room.

Kiana looked from Bronya to Silver Wolf, a sudden surge of confidence swelling in her chest. Judging by her own track record of losing over a hundred matches in a row, she knew one thing for sure: Bronya was unbeatable!

Unless... unless the opponent was another Bronya.

Silver Wolf suddenly laughed. It was a grin of pure, mischievous delight—the kind of look a pro-gamer gives a newbie who just learned how to block and move but thinks they can take on the final boss.

"Fine by me." She stretched her limbs, cracking her joints as she strolled over to the sofa. "You pick the game. Don't say I'm bullying a kid."

Bronya didn't say a word. She walked to the TV, rummaged through a stack of cartridges, and slotted one into the console. The screen flickered to life, accompanied by a high-energy, punchy soundtrack.

Kiana's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the title screen. "Ho-Homu Adventure?"

"Homu." Bronya picked up a controller and handed the other to Silver Wolf. "This is Bronya's favorite game."

Silver Wolf took it without ceremony, starting a quick solo practice run. After a few minutes of play under everyone's watchful eyes, her lips curled into a smirk. "Actually pretty cute. Alright, I've got the mechanics down. How do you want to play?"

"Level one."

Bronya sat down beside her and began opening three distinct modes. These were modes Silver Wolf recognized all too well—they were the same event stages she used to grind for materials in Honkai Impact 3rd back before she crossed over.

First was Home jumping from heights to stomp on Honkai Beasts. Second was a Homu parkour run to collect coins. Third was Homu placing bombs and head-butting them into waves of enemies.

"Easy."

Silver Wolf grinned, her attention becoming fully absorbed by the adorable characters.

Before she had become 'Silver Wolf,' she might not have cared for these quirky cartoon figures. But now, for some reason, looking at these 'ugly-cute' Homus gave her a sense of genuine joy.

Moreover... these levels weren't just some mini-game distractions like they were in the original game. They had been cranked up with higher difficulty, complex terrain, and deadlier enemies.

"Best of three, just like you said."

With a nod from Bronya, the game began.

They dove into the first mode, controlling their characters as they plummeted from the sky to crush the beasts below. They fought tooth and nail over the kills, especially the Parvati ice pigs. Fingers flew across the controllers, but Silver Wolf's speed was terrifying. It was so fast Bronya's eyes could barely keep up.

"No way..." Kiana murmured from the sidelines, her nerves frayed. "This is her first time playing, she just picked up the controller! How does it look like she's been playing for ten years!?"

A moment later, the results flashed. Silver Wolf's score eclipsed Bronya's by nearly two-thirds.

The second round started immediately. The screen split into two.

As the timer hit zero, Bronya's thumbs became a blur. Her Homu wove through coin piles and cleared obstacles with surgical precision, hitting the finish line at exactly 1 minute and 2 seconds.

But Silver Wolf? Her Homu wasn't running—it was flying. She snagged every coin at the peak of her jumps and cleared every obstacle with frame-perfect timing. There wasn't a single wasted movement.

She even threw in a backflip as she crossed the finish line.

Time: 59 seconds.

"Nice reflexes," Silver Wolf said, a smug little tilt to her lips.

Bronya remained silent, switching to the third mode. This time, it was even worse. Silver Wolf nailed every bomb toss into the dead center of the enemy clusters, racking up multi-kills with every blast.

When Silver Wolf claimed her third victory, Bronya quietly set the controller down.

"You've got talent," Silver Wolf said, her voice genuinely upbeat. It wasn't the joy of crushing a 'noob,' but the refreshing satisfaction of playing a good match. "This game isn't bad. Pretty fun, actually. Better than those Star Rail leagues, at least."

Bronya looked at her, a hint of cunning flashing in her silver eyes. She loved this game—she really did.

In her eyes, Silver Wolf was another version of herself from a different world, and they shared many traits. When she proposed the match, she had already planned for this.

Knowing her own personality, Bronya knew she never turned down a challenge. If Silver Wolf shared that trait, she wouldn't either. And once she agreed, the trap was set.

Winning would have been ideal, but even in losing, Bronya gambled that Silver Wolf would fall in love with the game she held so dear.

It seemed she had won that gamble.

"Alright, best of three, and I swept it." Silver Wolf crossed her legs and started another round.

Bronya picked up her controller again. This time, they weren't competing. They were just playing together.

"Go ahead. Ask what you want to ask," Silver Wolf said, her eyes fixed on the screen.

Bronya was quiet for a moment. "You... you won. Why are you still willing to listen to Bronya's questions?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" Silver Wolf tilted her head, a cool, carefree smile on her face. "Because the game is fun. And besides... with you around, these seven days won't be so boring."

"I see." Bronya nodded slightly. Then, while playing, she asked, "Bronya wants to know... why were you not surprised to see Bronya, someone who looks just like you?"

"Because in the vastness of the universe, that's a common occurrence." Silver Wolf's thumbs danced over the buttons, helping Bronya clear a wave of Honkai Beasts.

"Common?"

Bronya's fingers faltered for a split second, nearly letting her character get tagged. Nearby, Himeko and the others looked on with grim, serious faces.

"The existence of look-alikes across the universe is common?" Himeko asked, her voice laced with disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"You're just sheltered," Silver Wolf replied. She started playing with one hand, using the other to stuff a piece of bread into her mouth.

"The universe has countless planets and civilizations. In most of them, there are individuals who look almost identical. Even if they're in different galaxies, with different lives and backgrounds, they often even share the same name."

Shock rippled through the room.

"But... how? Shouldn't life forms evolve differently in different galaxies? How could they all produce humans? That can't be a coincidence!" Theresa clutched her head, her worldview being systematically dismantled.

"It's easier to understand if you think of the universe as a game," Silver Wolf said, leaning back against the sofa after another victory. "Every planet is a starting zone. In every starting zone, there's a 'you' and a 'me.' We might be in different stages of our lives, but we inevitably appear. We're just on different save files."

"If that's the case..." Kiana's voice suddenly turned serious, her eyes brightening. "Then... Raiden Ei, the other me, Kallen, and Seele... is it possible they aren't from another universe at all? What if... they're actually in this same universe!"

The mood in the room shifted instantly. Hope and excitement flared in everyone's eyes.

I'm sorry, Kiana, Silver Wolf thought with a small, inward sigh. They don't even exist.

Kallen and the 'Real Kiana' were from parallel universes—or rather, they were branches on the Tree of Imaginary within the Sea of Quanta.

Seele was indeed in this universe, but as for the others? Silver Wolf didn't even know where they were supposed to be.

"Let me check..."

Silver Wolf pulled up a holographic screen, accessing the security footage she had swiped from St. Freya High. She split the screen into four, each showing one of the roles she had "played" in the past.

She easily tracked down where each character claimed to be from.

"Teyvat? Never heard of it. Kallen... no idea, at least I haven't heard of another 'Earth.' Hmm, the other one is also from Earth, so that's a dead end too."

With every name she dismissed, the light in the room dimmed. By the time she reached the Seele who looked like the one from the Sea of Quanta, Bronya was visibly trembling with tension.

"Belobog?"

Silver Wolf searched her database for the name. Her brow arched slightly when she found a hit. "Looks like you're in luck. There actually is a place called that."

"Really!?" Bronya stood up instantly, rushing to Silver Wolf's side.

"Would I lie to you?"

Silver Wolf tapped into the data for Belobog. "Records date back... over 700 years ago."

Bronya froze. Around her, a sense of dread began to pool.

"About 730 years ago," Silver Wolf continued, reading the file. "A Stellaron landed on the planet Jarilo-VI, where Belobog is located. Many fled the planet in terror. The local Architects, followers of the Aeon of Preservation, took out a massive loan from the Interastral Peace Corporation with a 280-year repayment plan. That's how this record exists."

Silver Wolf's eyes glittered with a bit of mischief. Bronya and the others didn't know she had been the Seele they met, nor did they know the current state of Belobog.

Should I... mess with them a little? The thought was tempting. Yeah, why not.

"The Architects began building shelters across the planet. One of those shelters was named Belobog."

The tension was thick enough to cut. Hope was still there, but it was being choked by unease.

"But then," Silver Wolf read on, "the Antimatter Legion launched a massive invasion of Jarilo-VI. A blizzard eventually swept the entire planet, which managed to stall the Legion's advance."

"That's right... Seele said Belobog was covered by a cold wave..." Bronya whispered, her voice dazed.

"The Antimatter Legion? What's that...?" Kiana looked utterly lost.

"The Antimatter Legion," Silver Wolf's expression turned grim for a moment. "That's the army under the Aeon of Destruction Nanook. It's made up of the most depraved monsters in the universe. They've sworn to destroy all civilization and life."

"That's... that's just like the Honkai, isn't it?" Kiana asked, her voice shaking. "Are they crazy?"

"Yeah, they're lunatics." Silver Wolf nodded. "Everyone in that Legion is either a power-hungry madman or a savage beast. There's no reasoning with them."

"The universe sounds... like a real nightmare," Himeko sighed, rubbing her temples. She had thought Earth was uniquely cursed; she hadn't realized this kind of horror was the galactic standard.

"Back to the point," Silver Wolf redirected. "The Belobog where your Seele is from... let's see. A century after the Eternal Freeze began, the planet lost all contact with the rest of the universe. Mourning Actors once visited the planet, but... they found no signs of life on the surface. There was nothing left but the frost that had consumed the world."

By the time Silver Wolf finished, Bronya's body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Wait, wait!" Kiana cried out, frantic. "Is it possible... that Belobog is still there? Maybe those Mourning Actors just missed them!"

"...Maybe."

Silver Wolf looked at Bronya, whose eyes were red and filled with grief, and felt a pang of guilt. She stopped talking. But the silence spoke volumes.

"Why... if there are so many civilizations out there, why did no one save the people of Jarilo-VI?" Mei asked, her voice trembling with confusion.

"Because they were powerless."

Silver Wolf's voice was flat, but her brow was furrowed.

"In the universe, there's a consensus: worlds infected by the 'Cancer of All Worlds'—the Stellaron—are already lost. Very few ever make it back from the brink." 

"Whether it's a high-tier civilization or one that hasn't even left its home planet... nine times out of ten, the Stellaron and the Antimatter Legion will wipe them out."

"..."

The group stared at Silver Wolf's calm, almost numb expression. It was the face of someone who had seen this tragedy play out a thousand times until it had become nothing more than a statistic.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 72

--+--

The atmosphere in the living room had grown heavy.

Theresa sat on the sofa, a tangle of complex emotions playing across her cute face.

Her lips parted, wanting to say something, but the words seemed to fail her. Himeko let out a soft sigh and quietly pulled out a bottle of vodka. She poured herself a glass in silence but didn't take a sip.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Bronya, their worry palpable. Bronya, however, just sat beside Silver Wolf, as motionless as a marble statue.

Silver Wolf watched Bronya, staying silent for a long moment. She felt like she might have pushed the joke a little too far this time. To Bronya, the news that the "other" Seele might also be gone was likely a devastating blow.

"That friend of yours... didn't she just head back two weeks ago?" Silver Wolf looked at Bronya, her tone shifting to something more earnest. "If time flows at the same rate, I might actually be able to go to that planet and look for her once I get back."

At those words, Bronya's expression flickered. A spark of life finally returned to her eyes.

"But..." Silver Wolf let out a faint sigh. "If time moves differently over there... I have no idea what that planet will look like by the time I return."

Bronya stared at her for a long time. While her gaze remained somewhat dim, it was a world away from the total hopelessness she had shown just moments before.

"At least there's a sliver of hope. A possibility," Silver Wolf added, her voice steady.

"Mm..." Bronya nodded weakly. She remained quiet, sitting there as still as a porcelain doll.

My big mouth...

Silver Wolf felt a twinge of regret for her earlier bluster. Now she'd done it—there was no easy way to comfort her. It's not like she could just blurt out to Bronya that she was actually Seele, right? She'd probably end up sliced into five pieces. The mere thought sent a shiver down Silver Wolf's spine.

"Tell you what—if you give me those game cartridges..." Silver Wolf glanced at the cabinet under the TV, a small smirk playing on her lips. "I'll promise you this: as soon as I'm back, I'll head to that planet and turn it upside down until I find her. Consider the games my payment. Deal?"

Bronya's eyelashes fluttered. The gloom in her eyes began to lift as she looked at Silver Wolf.

"Deal."

The corner of her mouth curved upward, and hope finally began to take root. Relieved, Silver Wolf let out a breath and smiled. She stood up and headed toward the bedroom.

Behind her, Kiana leaned in close to Bronya, her face etched with concern. "Bronya... you scared the life out of me. With that look on your face, I thought you were about to break."

"Bronya is fine." Bronya shook her head gently.

Hearing the voices behind her, Silver Wolf's smirk widened. Crisis averted. Since Seele didn't actually exist in this context, giving Bronya something to hope for was enough.

When it was time for bed, Silver Wolf crashed on Bronya's bed, staying up late to grind through her games. When Bronya walked in, Silver Wolf didn't even bother to look up.

Bronya walked over to the bed Seele used to sleep in and sat down. She had kept it pristine; the sheets were aired out daily, and the pillows still carried the faint, clean scent of laundry detergent.

Silver Wolf didn't react when she heard Bronya settle in, but she felt a quiet sigh escape her heart. Being Silver Wolf makes it impossible to cuddle with anyone... this sucks.

She realized she had grown quite used to sleeping next to someone. Especially with Mei—every night they'd spend time together on social media, scrolling through their feeds. But now... Silver Wolf felt a wave of helplessness. She wondered if Mei was currently lying awake, just like her.

Unable to check, Silver Wolf played for a while longer. Once she saw Bronya was fast asleep, she powered down the console, closed her eyes, and drifted off.

The next morning, while Silver Wolf was still dead to the world, a rich, fragrant aroma wafted past her nose.

"Mmph? Breakfast?"

She sat up and couldn't help but let out a massive yawn.

"Time to get up." Bronya was already awake and fully dressed. She watched Silver Wolf's sleepy display and said softly, "Mei-onee-sama and Sakura have finished breakfast. Get washed up and come eat."

"Finee~"

Silver Wolf lazily rolled out of bed and wandered out.

Using the toiletries Himeko and the others had prepared, she brushed her teeth, splashed some water on her face, and made herself at home at the dining table.

"Good morning, Silver Wolf."

"Mornin'~"

She gave a casual wave and her eyes lit up at the spread of delicious dishes covering the table. Ever since her first transformation, it felt like every day at the Valkyrie dorms was a feast.

Picking up her chopsticks, she popped a piece of tamagoyaki into her mouth. After two chews, she froze, looking genuinely impressed. Every time I change forms, tasting this stuff is like a brand-new experience... It's amazing. I could never get tired of this!

"Something wrong?" Mei asked, looking a bit nervous. "Is it not to your taste?"

"No." Silver Wolf shook her head and took another bite. After swallowing, she looked at Mei with total sincerity. "You guys made this?"

Mei and Yae Sakura both nodded. "Is it good?"

"Good?" Silver Wolf's lips curled into a grin. "This is better than what some of the master chefs in deep space can whip up!"

"Of course it is!" Kiana beamed with pride. "Mei's cooking is the best in the world! And Sakura's too!"

"It's a waste for you to stay here just to cook for this one~" Silver Wolf teased, glancing at Kiana. "It'd be great if you could come with me. My friends would absolutely love this."

"In your dreams!" Kiana bristled instantly. "Mei is mine!"

Silver Wolf relished the reaction. Mei is yours? Hehe. She laughed inwardly. Mei's already been "domesticated" by me! And so have you!

She realized with a start that there weren't many people left in the dorm she hadn't... established a connection with. Even Himeko—during that one week, Silver Wolf had certainly seen more than enough.

As for Fu Hua... there wasn't much to be done there. Aside from being close to Himeko, Fu Hua had only ever blushed once in the manga when a teammate teased her about liking Kiana.

"Silver Wolf."

After breakfast, Himeko spoke up, her expression serious. "I have a favor to ask."

Silver Wolf, who was currently locked in a heated match of Homu Brawlers with Bronya on the sofa, tilted her head. "Shoot."

"Help us find a location." Himeko's eyes were grave. "A place called the Nine Realms. It's an underwater ruin in the seas near Shenzhou. As for the specifics..."

Himeko forwarded the fragments of intel she had gathered since receiving information from the "other" Kiana.

"Let's see..." Silver Wolf scanned the data.

The Far East Branch had already narrowed it down to the eastern seas of Shenzhou. When she had transformed into the other Kiana, she had only given a rough location.

She figured Himeko and the others would have found the exact coordinates within a week on their own, but it looked like they wanted to take the shortcut by asking the "pro."

"Alright."

While keeping her eyes on the game, Silver Wolf used one hand to swipe at the air. A holographic screen flickered into existence before her, and a dense cloud of coordinates began to swirl under her command.

"The info is a bit vague, but..." Her fingers blurred. She began intercepting a constant stream of data from the web, even pulling from classified government servers.

From hydrological maps to Honkai beast density zones and accident reports, she compiled it all into a massive data set and began her projections.

"The Nine Realms... hm... an underwater canyon... Judgment-class Honkai beast present... Ha! Found it. The coordinates are roughly here."

She smirked. It was as simple as beating a mini-game on the first try.

"Th-that's it? You found it already?" Kiana leaned in, her head spinning at the sight of the scrolling numbers and symbols.

"There's no point trying to explain it to a dummy like you." Silver Wolf picked up the controller with both hands and went back to her game.

"Hey!" Kiana's eyes widened in shock at being called a dummy. She looked back and forth between Silver Wolf and Bronya. "How are you two exactly the same?!"

"Dummy Kiana, the coordinates Silver Wolf provided are correct," Bronya sighed softly. "Bronya could have done it too, but... it would have taken much longer. I couldn't have found the Nine Realms this easily."

"Anyway~" Silver Wolf leaned back into the sofa, her eyes glued to the TV. "You guys head out. Don't let me stop you from playing."

"Wait..." Bronya spoke up, her voice calm. "Bronya has a proposal..."

"Hm?" Silver Wolf turned, curious.

"Bronya has a proposal," she repeated, looking Silver Wolf in the eye. "If... Silver Wolf comes with us, Bronya will give you her entire limited-edition Homu game collection."

Oh?

Silver Wolf studied Bronya for a few seconds before breaking into a grin. "You're quite the negotiator... Fine, I'm in."

She stood up and gave a long, satisfied stretch before turning to Himeko. "But I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"Once you find the Stigmata you're looking for... let me see it." Silver Wolf met Himeko's gaze with sudden intensity. "I'm pretty curious about the stuff in your world. I did some reading last night, and even I can't quite wrap my head around what a Stigmata actually is."

Himeko didn't hesitate. "Deal."

"There will be many Honkai beasts there," Bronya added seriously. "Bronya thinks... you would be interested in them as well."

"True." Silver Wolf nodded, though she offered a quick correction. "Technically, I'm interested in the Honkai itself. Your world hasn't dealt with Stellarons or the Antimatter Legion... yet you have this weird 'Honkai' thing. And the fact that the previous civilization was wiped out by it... you guys are pretty unlucky."

No kidding... Talk about rotten luck. Almost every version of Earth across the multiverse was getting hammered by the Honkai. Countless civilizations had fallen; Su was probably still out there counting leaves.

The mood in the room shifted as everyone processed her words.

"We won't lose to the Honkai like the last civilization did," Kiana said, her voice ringing with resolve.

"Maybe. After all, you guys are different from them." Silver Wolf looked at Kiana with a mix of sincerity and curiosity.

"Your luck... is actually pretty good. You have some kind of 'curio' out there that pulls people from other worlds every seven days. If you can master that thing... maybe the Honkai won't be such a nightmare for you."

"..." Her words left the group in deep thought.

"Before, we were just trying to figure out why you and Raiden Ei were appearing in our world," Himeko mused. "But now... we've started relying on your strength. The other Kiana told us about the future, and you... you just fast-tracked us to the Nine Realms."

"Exactly." Silver Wolf smirked, looking like a proud teacher. "In the future, when other travelers show up, you should absolutely use their power to get things done. But how you do that is up to you~"

"Understood," Himeko nodded.

Silver Wolf wondered what character she might become next and what changes she could bring to Mei and the others.

She couldn't help but think that when she was the Raiden Shogun, she should have probably crafted a few Visions for them. But back then, she was too busy cuddling and hadn't thought of it.

"Alright, let's move out."

"Wait, what?" Silver Wolf froze, controller in hand. "Right now?"

"Of course. Speed is of the essence," Himeko said with a smile.

Reluctantly, Silver Wolf climbed off the sofa and followed Himeko and the rest of the dorm crew outside. Before long, they were aboard the Hyperion, soaring toward the coordinates of Jiu You.

On the deck, Silver Wolf gazed at the white battleship with curiosity.

"So? Pretty cool, right?" Kiana walked up, looking smug. "This is the most advanced ship at St. Freya Academy!"

"It's not bad," Silver Wolf replied instantly. "I'm sure museum curators would pay a fortune for an antique like this."

"You!" Kiana's face flushed red again.

Seeing the girl get flustered gave Silver Wolf another hit of satisfaction.

"Compared to civilizations in space that have been developing for thousands of years..." Silver Wolf shook her head. "Your ship is... well, primitive. But for a species that just left its home planet, it's decent enough."

The Hyperion didn't have the Selene installed yet. Once it did, it would be one of the few things in the world capable of sealing a portion of the Final Herrscher's power—a top-tier feat by any standard.

Himeko, listening nearby, didn't look discouraged. "Once we make it out of the solar system... we'll leave our footprints across the galaxy eventually."

Silver Wolf thought about it but didn't reply. Truth be told, Earth's technology tree was pretty warped.

They hadn't even colonized their own system, yet they could dive in and out of the Sea of Quanta. In the grand scheme of the universe, that made them terrifyingly powerful.

"We're here," Himeko announced, her voice turning sharp.

The Hyperion began to decelerate, hovering in the sky. Silver Wolf leaned over the railing, peering down.

The water below was darker than the surrounding sea—a deep, ink-like blue. Surrounded by lighter shades, it looked like a massive eye staring straight back at them.

It was a bit eerie. If she weren't Silver Wolf right now, she'd probably be having a panic attack from deep-sea phobia.

"The Honkai energy levels are off the charts." Himeko's face was grim as she led everyone toward the lower decks. "The ship is detecting a swarm of Honkai beasts below. We need to clear them out before we can find the entrance to the Nine Realms."

Silver Wolf followed behind. Reaching the staging area, she watched as everyone began stripping off their clothes to change into diving gear. It was quite the view.

Even though she'd been intimate with Mei and the others before... she'd never seen everyone in the dorm changing all at once.

"Aren't you going to change?" Kiana asked, struggling to pull her skintight suit over her limbs. She gave Silver Wolf a teasing look. "Wait~ don't tell me you can't swim?"

"Please." Silver Wolf rolled her eyes at Kiana. "Watch this... I'll show you a little magic."

Silver Wolf snapped her fingers. A stream of silver data materialized out of thin air, spiraling around her body. In an instant, the same skintight suit that the others were struggling with was perfectly fitted to her frame.

"See that? That's the perk of having a 'quick-equip' function."

Silver Wolf confirmed it: even in this world, her Aether Editing abilities worked just fine.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 73

--+--

This whole situation is getting pretty interesting.

At the very least, Silver Wolf had confirmed one thing: that so-called Cocoon hadn't completely cut off the Solar System from the rest of the universe.

Oh right, she'd almost forgotten—if she remembered correctly, Kalpas from the Previous Era was an alien, too.

"Wh... what kind of magic is this?" Kiana stared at the scene, her jaw dropping in a look of pure shock that didn't fade for a long time.

"Aether Editing. Digitizing matter and then recompiling it."

As Silver Wolf explained, she looked down and tugged at the collar of her diving suit, her brow furrowing in slight disgust. "The material of your suits is so outdated. It's stuffy and cramped, but... I guess it fits well enough."

Well, obviously...

Silver Wolf looked up, her gaze sweeping over the group. Seeing how the skin-tight suits accentuated everyone's curves, she felt a flicker of secret satisfaction.

Though, truthfully, she would have preferred seeing them in school swimsuits.

The others, however, remained wide-eyed, frozen in a state of stunned disbelief.

Silver Wolf let out a helpless sigh and continued, "Simply put, while you guys were still manually putting on gear, I just used code to spawn mine in."

"Is... isn't that just cheating?" Kiana's eyes went wide as she stared at Silver Wolf, looking like her entire worldview had just been shattered. "And besides... code and stuff... isn't that something that only exists in games?"

"Aether Editing..." Himeko murmured the phrase under her breath, her brow knitting together. "It seems... somewhat similar to the powers of the Herrscher of Reason."

"That's definitely not some Herrscher of Reason power."

Silver Wolf shook her head at Himeko. She paused for a moment, as if she were looking up data. Once she finished her search, her voice carried a hint of genuine curiosity and interest.

"The Herrscher of Reason is actually pretty interesting, but my Aether Editing can't quite do what they do. I just copied the data from your diving suits and printed it onto myself."

"This technology... can Bronya learn it?" Bronya stood to the side, watching Silver Wolf, a look of stubborn determination in her silver-gray eyes.

Hearing this, Silver Wolf turned toward her, feeling a spark of amusement.

She had said all that specifically to pique Bronya's interest. After all, if Bronya learned Aether Editing, she'd be even more overpowered once she became the Herrscher of Reason.

She'd be a straight-up S-Tier meta pick!

Plus, the biochip Cocolia left in Bronya's brain would probably become useless anyway.

"You want to learn?"

"Yes."

"I can teach you." Silver Wolf watched Bronya's determined expression, a faint, pleased smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "But, I'm warning you now—this is really hard."

"Bronya knows." Bronya nodded, her expression remaining firm without a hint of backing down. "Bronya can learn."

Seeing that Bronya had truly made up her mind, Silver Wolf nodded in satisfaction.

"Fine. But not right now. Once we get back, I'll put together a basic tutorial for you."

Bronya's eyes immediately lit up. "Okay. Thank you..."

"Silver Wolf." Himeko, who had already finished putting on her suit, looked over with a serious and thoughtful expression. "Where you're from, this kind of technology..."

"I know what you're going to say."

Silver Wolf cut Himeko off without hesitation, feeling that little thrill of showing off. "You can relax. This technology... isn't something just anyone can master."

"Then why are you willing to teach Bronya?" Bronya looked at Silver Wolf. Though her gaze was calm, her voice held a trace of confusion.

"It's simple."

Silver Wolf let out a light laugh, her smile becoming relaxed and breezy.

"In the universe, there might be countless versions of you and me who look exactly the same. But the odds of meeting another 'me' who walks the same path are about the same as winning the galactic lottery."

"Besides, I've seen plenty of 'mes' in the galaxy. Some are dancers, some are teachers, and some even pilot spaceships."

Himeko and the others were completely captivated, listening to her talk about the wonders of the cosmos. The idea that there were so many people out there who looked exactly like them was incredibly novel.

"They look like me, they sound like me, and even the way they laugh is almost identical."

Silver Wolf finished her thought with a sigh of wonder before looking back at Bronya, a joyful glint in her eyes.

"But you... you're the first one I've met who's walking a path similar to mine."

Bronya's eyes flickered as she listened.

She suddenly understood why Silver Wolf had been so kind to her.

Meanwhile, Fu Hua stood to the side, silently glancing at Mei.

Truthfully, ever since Mei enrolled, Fu Hua had been thinking that maybe she should try steering Mei toward a career in scientific research.

"Even though those other versions of me are all great people..." Silver Wolf's voice took on a hint of boredom. "None of them really play video games."

"But you, like me, see the world through code. So..."

With that, Silver Wolf snapped her fingers again, 'printing' a heavy thruster pack onto her back. She looked at Bronya with an air of expectation.

"I'm looking forward to it. Once you learn Aether Editing, this 'game' might actually get a bit more challenging."

Having said her piece, Silver Wolf walked toward the Hyperion's open hatch and jumped straight out.

Despite having been in this world for so long and transforming into so many characters, she had never actually jumped from this height before.

In this moment, she felt like a total superhero!

Back on the Hyperion, the others followed her lead and jumped.

Before Himeko took the plunge, she looked at Bronya with a solemn and serious expression.

"Bronya... you must master this technology."

"Yes, Himeko-sensei. Bronya... will definitely learn Aether Editing." Bronya nodded softly, her voice filled with absolute resolve.

They all knew that this sci-fi level technology would definitely be a huge advantage for humanity in the fight against the Honkai.

"Alright, let's head down." Himeko patted Bronya's head before turning and jumping off the Hyperion.

Bronya followed her down without a second thought.

Once they hit the water.

Silver Wolf looked down into the deep, dark abyss of the ocean.

It was daytime, so visibility was good enough to make out the seabed, and after switching on her helmet's searchlight, the view below became crystal clear.

Looking at the scene, Silver Wolf couldn't help but think of the show Grand Blue.

"Pfft~"

She couldn't help but giggle. When Kiana swam over to her, her face was full of confusion and curiosity.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing because you look like a duck when you swim."

"Hey! Mei! Silver Wolf is just as mean as Bronya!"

After teasing Kiana again and watching her huff off to complain to Mei, Silver Wolf happily swam toward the massive undersea canyon.

"The Nine Realms you're looking for is right there. However, I've detected that some 'guests' in the deep have already noticed us."

A holographic screen lit up in front of Silver Wolf, displaying a 3D map of the Nine Realms.

The group saw several red dots deep within the ruins, rapidly closing in on their position.

"Those must be the 'big sharks' Kiana mentioned earlier." Himeko's expression immediately turned serious. She turned to the group and shouted, "Prepare for combat!!"

"Bronya."

Silver Wolf looked at Bronya, her tone casual. "Watch closely. Aether Editing can do a lot more than just change your clothes."

She held out her right hand, fingers splayed and palm facing down. A silvery light immediately began to gather in her hand, condensing into something like a laser cannon that covered her hand.

A moment later, the shark swarm appeared in the canyon.

Completely corrupted by the Honkai, they looked terrifying—somewhere between Honkai Beasts and creatures of flesh and blood.

They lunged toward the group with terrifying speed.

Among them, Yae Sakura's expression sharpened as her hand gripped the hilt of Sakura Blossom, ready for battle.

But then, Silver Wolf's finger twitched slightly. Suddenly, a massive Rubik's Cube, flashing with various colors, appeared in the middle of the shark swarm.

The surrounding sharks didn't hesitate, twisting their bodies and savagely biting into the cube.

"Want to eat it like a snack?" Silver Wolf watched the scene, a playful smile on her lips. "Then let me satisfy you!"

She raised her hand cannon without hesitation and fired at the cube surrounded by Honkai sharks.

The cube was pierced and instantly exploded, blooming into a shower of beautiful, glowing pixels, just like a scene from a video game.

The sharks in the blast were shredded as if sliced by countless invisible blades—some had their massive bodies torn apart, while others floated belly-up, stunned by the shockwave.

Then, they were immediately pierced by lasers appearing out of nowhere, losing all signs of life.

Nothing remained but purple blood spreading from the remains, drifting away in the ocean currents.

"Whoa, so cool!"

Kiana's eyes widened before she whipped around to look at Silver Wolf. "Can... can I learn that too?"

"Sorry, you can't." Silver Wolf shook her head without hesitation. "To learn my techniques, you need more than just talent."

"What else do I need then?" Kiana pressed on, unwilling to give up.

Bronya couldn't help but give Kiana a look of pity, while Mei just let out a little laugh.

"Hey! Mei, you're laughing at me!" Kiana finally realized what was going on and swam off to a corner to pout.

"You see? That is Aether Editing."

The weapon in Silver Wolf's hand vanished. She turned to Bronya, meeting her serious silver-gray eyes with a calm expression.

"In that last attack, Bronya detected some... unusual energy fluctuations."

"You mean the Quantum alignment?" Silver Wolf smiled at Bronya. "That's my combat style. And those Honkai Beasts... yeah, that's what you call them... they didn't actually have any Quantum weaknesses."

"But..."

A flash of mischief and confidence crossed Silver Wolf's eyes. "I can use Aether Editing to give them a Quantum weakness, and then wipe them all out in a single shot."

"Does that mean..." Himeko's brow furrowed, her voice tinged with awe. "That when we face enemies who counter us, we can just give them a weakness that lets us counter them back?"

"Exactly." Silver Wolf nodded.

"That is a completely unfair ability."

Hearing Himeko's comment, Silver Wolf tilted her head slightly. "That's just how code works. Whether it's a shark or a rock, it's all the same to the code."

"Anyway~ let's go. This dungeon has only just begun."

With that, Silver Wolf continued swimming downward.

"We need to be careful." Himeko stayed close to Silver Wolf's side, her brow furrowing as the seafloor below grew darker and deeper.

"Previous intelligence indicated that Chiyou still has some mobility. If we get too close, there's a high chance we'll be swallowed whole."

At this mention, Kiana and the others couldn't help but think of what the other Kiana had told them.

In that world, Himeko was swallowed by Chiyou and then possessed by Dark Xuanyuan—a soul lost in the darkness, filled with hatred and rage. That possession had accelerated her Honkai corruption.

Even after Kiana and the others worked so hard to save her, the Himeko of that world still died after returning to St. Freya Academy.

"Himeko." Kiana's brow furrowed, her blue eyes filled with intense anxiety. "From here on... why don't you stay behind us? Let us scout ahead."

"Don't worry." Himeko turned to Kiana and shook her head with a smile on her beautiful face.

"I'll be fine. Besides, we basically have a walkthrough guide for this mission. If we still fail after that... it would be too embarrassing."

"Mhm~"

Silver Wolf smiled, her voice sounding casual. "Plus, you've got a high-level pro like me carrying the team. Even if you tried to throw, it's literally impossible to lose."

The group continued their descent. Behind them, the purple blood slowly dispersed, diluted by the ocean until it vanished completely.

After diving for about ten minutes, they saw it on the seabed: a presence so massive it looked like a mountain range crouching on the ocean floor.

"Is that... Chiyou?" Kiana stared at it from a distance, her eyes wide with shock.

"It certainly looks intimidating." Silver Wolf looked down with interest, sizing up the beast.

So, this was Kevin's future buffet.

And some of the materials from its body would eventually be turned into powerful cannons.

Silver Wolf felt a bit of regret; she almost wanted to pack Chiyou up and take it with her, just so Kevin would come back and have nothing to stare at but empty space.

"Let's go. The Nine Realms entrance is over there."

Himeko gave Chiyou a long, lingering look before turning and signaling the group toward a hole carved into the side of the undersea canyon near Chiyou's body.

That was the cave carved out by Shennong, just as Silver Wolf—acting as "True Kiana"—had told them.

After swimming into the cave, the group removed their thruster packs and helmets, though they kept their suits on.

After all, this wasn't the game where Kiana and the others would explore the Nine Realms wearing Crimson Impulse, Yamabuki Armor, or White Comet battle suits.

"Phew~ I felt like I was going to suffocate. This is way better." Once they surfaced, Kiana let out a long sigh of relief.

Yae Sakura moved to an empty spot and silently shook her long fox ears, sending droplets of water flying.

Because her ears were so long, her helmet had to be custom-made. Part of her ears remained outside the helmet, but it was designed to keep water out.

Watching this, Silver Wolf's eyes instinctively followed the twitching of the ears.

She suddenly remembered—when she had transformed into Kallen before, she had never actually gotten to squeeze Yae Sakura's ears, had she?

If she remembered correctly, Yae Sakura's ears were just like Raiden Mei's horns in the game—extremely sensitive, right?

How could I forget to squeeze her ears!!!

At that moment, Silver Wolf felt a deep sense of regret.

Himeko noticed Silver Wolf's attention was fixed on Sakura's ears and couldn't help but smile to herself.

No matter how powerful Silver Wolf was, she was still just a kid.

From Silver Wolf's interest in Homu, Himeko knew the girl had almost no resistance to cute things.

"Alright, let's keep moving." Himeko called out to the group.

This time, the team was absolutely stacked. Everyone from the Valkyrie dorm was here.

Only Theresa stayed behind on the Hyperion to monitor for emergencies and, if things went south, to command the ship's main cannon to blast a path for them.

Soon, Silver Wolf followed Himeko and the others through the cave until they found the stone tablets left by Shennong, which recorded the events that had taken place there.

Even though "True Kiana" had already told them what to expect, Fu Hua still took the time to decipher the tablets as a precaution.

She wanted to make sure there weren't any slight deviations in this parallel world that could cause trouble.

"The Jingwei bird points the way forward..."

At that moment, Himeko watched the direction the bird was facing with extreme caution. She felt like something wasn't quite right over there.

Silver Wolf's brow also began to furrow.

She had told Himeko and the others about the "old version" of the Chiyou lore, but the one in front of them seemed to be the "new version."

"Don't go near that."

Silver Wolf stared at the stone wall, her eyes sharpening with wariness.

Inside the wall, a girl's voice—low and devoid of life—slowly echoed: "Have you finally come for me... you filthy humans..."

The stone wall began to glow.

"Interesting. Are we going straight into a boss fight?" Silver Wolf grinned with anticipation and stepped forward.

Suddenly, a massive suction force erupted from the wall.

"Watch out!!!"

Himeko, who was already on guard, shouted the warning. They grabbed onto each other or slammed their weapons into the ground to keep from being pulled in.

"I've played through this kind of clichéd game plot a million times." Silver Wolf stood her ground, her body not moving a single inch toward the wall.

Around her, everyone felt as though an invisible hand was grabbing them by the collar, dragging them toward the stone wall with a force they couldn't resist.

Silver Wolf opened her holographic screen, and streams of data began cascading down like a waterfall.

Beside her, Bronya, who was being held firmly in place by Project Bunny, widened her eyes, trying her best to record what she was seeing.

Silver Wolf's finger tapped the screen.

The data stream instantly froze, and the suction force around them stopped dead.

"Fascinating~" A faint smile played on Silver Wolf's lips, her silver eyes filled with interest.

The next second, the data began scrolling in reverse. The suction that had just stopped suddenly changed direction, pushing everyone—who had just breathed a sigh of relief—outward.

"Silver Wolf! What are you doing!" Kiana shouted in annoyance, having taken a face full of dust that had been settling for thousands of years.

Silver Wolf ignored her. Her fingers flew across the screen. With every swipe, the light on the stone wall dimmed a bit more, and the force grew weaker.

Until it finally vanished.

The light on the wall faded into nothingness.

"Hmph. Just cheap tricks."

Silver Wolf looked at the wall and gave the screen one final tap.

The darkened stone wall suddenly began to crumble and turn into sand, as if it had weathered tens of thousands of years in an instant.

"How... how did she do that?" Kiana wiped her face and stood up, looking like a dusty little kitten as she stared at the scene, murmuring in a mix of envy and curiosity.

"Silver Wolf hacked the energy cycle of this place." Bronya watched Silver Wolf's casual silhouette, her voice quiet and focused. "In just a few seconds, she successfully analyzed the logic of how the energy was flowing here... and then she made it collapse."

"Exactly. There isn't a security system in this world that can keep me out." Silver Wolf turned back to meet Bronya's gaze, a hint of praise in her eyes.

However, her expression quickly turned serious again. "But... there seems to be something interesting inside. I just felt a... strange energy network within it. It looks like it's sealing something away."

"A seal?" Himeko's expression grew grave at those words.

The group stood together, looking into the deep, dark passage that had been revealed behind the collapsed wall. The only light came from Honkai Crystals that had formed in the high-concentration environment.

"That... must be the place Kiana mentioned... where the Xuanyuan Sword is used as the core of the seal for Chiyou."

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 74

--+--

"Alright, let's keep moving."

Silver Wolf was the first to step into the passage, glancing around with an air of casual curiosity, as if she were merely on a weekend getaway. Her relaxed demeanor stood in stark contrast to Himeko and the others, who had already shifted into a state of high alert.

The stone walls flanking the corridor were encrusted with Honkai crystals. A faint, ghostly blue luminescence pulsed from the gems, casting just enough light to guide their path forward.

"It's actually pretty beautiful," Silver Wolf remarked, her voice softening in genuine admiration.

She had a real weakness for stuff like this; a part of her was already calculating if she could scrape together another 6,800 crystals for one hell of a gacha pull.

"If you like them that much, we can gift you a few when we get back," Himeko said, looking over at Silver Wolf with a bright, easy smile. "But for now, stay back. These crystals haven't been neutralized yet. Carrying them as they are would lead to Honkai infection."

"Fair enough. I'll hold you to that." Silver Wolf nodded, suppressing the sudden urge to go over and pry a few loose.

Before long, they reached the end of the tunnel, and the space abruptly opened up. However, they found themselves standing before yet another labyrinth. The paths within were shadowed and deep, and even the glowing crystals had become sparse.

"Kiana mentioned how to navigate this maze. We just need to follow her directions," Himeko said quietly, peering into the gloom.

Silver Wolf found herself drifting back into her own memories. In the game, Kiana and her squad had wandered aimlessly through these halls for over an hour.

It wasn't until Fu Hua realized the layout was modeled after the Eight Trigrams formation that they finally found their way out.

The version of the story she had fed Himeko, however, was a bit different...

In that version, when Himeko had been swallowed by Chiyou, Kiana and the others stumbled upon the Nine Realms while trying to rescue her.

Without Fu Hua there to guide them, they had wasted precious time struggling through the maze. Because of that delay, Himeko was eventually possessed by the Dark Xuanyuan, leading to her tragic, irreversible end.

"Let's go," Himeko said, stepping firmly into the labyrinth.

Silver Wolf watched the maze ahead, her brow furrowing slightly. "A puzzle segment... Hmph. Once you have the walkthrough, it just turns into a tedious fetch quest. How boring." She grumbled a bit more under her breath before following the group inside.

Due to the high concentration of Honkai energy within the maze, Zombies and Honkai Beasts began to emerge from the shadows.

"Interesting..." After dispatching a few Honkai Beasts, Silver Wolf crouched beside their remains, studying the creatures with clinical curiosity.

Despite being here for a while, this was the first time she'd seen the real deal in the flesh.

The Zombie girls are actually kind of cute... she thought. Not exactly on Mei's level, but hey, I've seen worse.

It took a considerable amount of willpower for Silver Wolf to suppress the urge to reach out and, well, check if their physiological structure was actually identical to a human's.

Just then, Himeko looked over and asked, "Silver Wolf, does the Honkai exist out there in the universe too?"

"Definitely not," Silver Wolf replied without a second thought. "But the universe has Stellarons. Their presence triggers the birth of Fragmentum. While it's different from the Honkai, for the people trapped on those planets... the result is just as lethal."

"I see..." Himeko sighed softly. She had been secretly hoping that if the Honkai existed elsewhere, they might be able to learn from civilizations that had already managed to overcome it.

As they emerged from the final fork in the path, the view ahead suddenly cleared.

Several massive Jingwei statues stood before them, encircling a floating golden blade. It was the Xuanyuan Sword, its surface etched with the ancient map of Shenzhou and primordial runes.

Looking at the blade, Silver Wolf felt a faint pang of desire. Before her transmigration, she had been a citizen of China through and through, and the Xuanyuan Sword held an irreplaceable place in that culture's soul.

Once we get our hands on it, surely they'll let me play with it for a bit, she thought with a mischievous inward grin.

She couldn't help but feel that the setting was missing something, though. A field of yellow rapeseed flowers would have been perfect. Then she could grab the sword and go full "Invincible Sword Saint" mode in the blossoms.

"The Xuanyuan Sword..." Himeko murmured, her gaze fixed on the blade, her expression unreadable and complex.

"The other me told me..." Kiana's voice trailed off, growing somber as she stared at the hovering weapon. "She said the Himeko of her world died because of that sword."

Watching their heavy expressions and hearing them discuss her previous "character skin," Silver Wolf felt a strange, quiet sense of satisfaction.

"Alright, next up is the puzzle..." Silver Wolf started to say, but her expression quickly shifted to one of sheer annoyance. "Seriously... having the walkthrough totally ruins the fun of the game."

"Isn't having a guide a good thing?" Kiana looked at her skeptically before heading toward the spot where the other Kiana said the seal-breaking items were kept.

"But..." Silver Wolf watched Kiana, crossing her arms and giving her a look normally reserved for the particularly dim-witted. "According to the data, the moment the seal is broken and the sword is taken, the entire Nine Realms will collapse."

Kiana froze mid-step. She turned back slowly, a sheepish, embarrassed look on her face. "Oh. Right. Then... what do we do?"

"Go grab those items first and bring them to me. Let me see what I can cook up."

Silver Wolf stood her ground, looking up at the floating blade. At this moment, the soul of Ji Xuanyuan resided within the sword, while the Dark Xuanyuan was still lurking within Chiyou's gut.

"Let's see..." Silver Wolf began to track the flow of energy in the air. "The Xuanyuan Sword is essentially the battery for Chiyou's seal. Removing it means the beast regains some of its mobility."

"Indeed." Fu Hua stood beside her, peering through her red-rimmed glasses with a serious gaze. "If we want to take the sword and keep the seal intact, we need something of equal power to take its place."

"That's the logic, yeah." Silver Wolf nodded, a small smirk playing on her lips. "But just because that's the logic doesn't mean it's the only way to clear the stage."

"Oh?" Fu Hua looked at her, intrigued.

Silver Wolf turned to meet Fu Hua's gaze, her eyes sparkling with competitive excitement. "I'm tired of following your 'official strategy' step-by-step. I've got a much better idea."

By then, the teams had returned with the necessary items—carved orbs that looked like shimmering pearls.

"What's your plan?" Himeko asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Simple." Silver Wolf looked around at the group, her face lighting up with enthusiasm. "We don't take it. I'll just... print a new one."

The group stared at her in stunned silence.

"Print?" Himeko frowned. "You mean... like how you just printed those diving suits? You're going to print another Xuanyuan Sword?"

"Pretty much." Silver Wolf began cracking her knuckles and stretching, her lithe figure highlighted by the movement.

Unfortunately for her, the room was filled entirely with Valkyries.

However...

As Silver Wolf stretched, Kiana's eyes suddenly glazed over for a second as she caught a glimpse of those long, pale legs.

Ah... Kiana's 'preferences' are kicking in, Silver Wolf thought with a private smile, though she didn't really mind.

In this persona, she wasn't interested in romancing anyone. To her, winning a game was much more satisfying than winning a heart.

"I just finished scanning the local files," Silver Wolf said, rolling her neck one last time before pulling down her visor to cover her eyes.

"Most of the 'relic' weapons from your Previous Era are made of nano-machines called Soulium. Since they were manufactured by an advanced civilization, those nano-machines must contain a complete data structure. As long as I can scan them... I can use Aether Editing to print an identical copy."

"Print?" Kiana's eyes went wide, filled with a mix of shock and confusion. "You're saying... you can just pop out weapons like that? Like a desktop printer?"

"It's not exactly a printer," Silver Wolf started to laugh, then paused, realizing the irony. A 'Printer Girl'? Fine, whatever.

"Forget it, you wouldn't get it anyway. Just think of it as a magic trick," she said, cutting the explanation short.

She reached out toward the Xuanyuan Sword. Streams of digital data surged upward, coiling around the golden blade like glowing serpents, beginning the process of reading its internal architecture.

Everyone fell silent, watching the spectacle with bated breath, terrified of breaking her concentration. Himeko, in particular, watched with a burning intensity in her eyes.

If Silver Wolf really could print these legendary swords on demand, the overall power of St. Freya High would reach a level beyond their wildest dreams.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 75

--+--

"Got it!"

In just a few minutes, Silver Wolf's face lit up with excitement.

Through her visor, the Xuanyuan Sword was no longer just a golden blade floating silently in the air. To her, it was a cascading flow of data—dense, intricate lattices of Soulium nanobots, and even the glowing conduction paths of Honkai energy...

Among them, she spotted fragments of information that looked like encrypted shards, stuff even she couldn't immediately decipher.

"What the heck are these?" Silver Wolf frowned at the encrypted bits. She tried to crack them, but her data probes hit a digital wall and were instantly bounced back.

"Interesting..." A spark of curiosity flickered in her eyes. Even without those mystery shards, though, she had more than enough to 3D-print a brand-new Xuanyuan Sword.

With that thought, Silver Wolf tapped the air, manifesting a holographic keyboard beneath her fingertips.

Suddenly, streams of azure data began to swirl and weave together in front of her, restructuring themselves into a physical form.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a second Xuanyuan Sword—virtually identical to the original—began to take shape in mid-air.

It was a perfect one-to-one replica. Even the subtle, ancient weathering from the passage of centuries was reproduced with terrifying precision.

"She... she can actually do that?" Himeko's pupils shrank. Her hand instinctively tightened around her Surtr Muspellsverd.

Suddenly, her own greatsword didn't seem quite so impressive anymore.

She wondered... could she ask Silver Wolf for a replica Xuanyuan Sword to replace her own blade?

Bronya watched the scene unfold, her silver-gray eyes shimmering with a bright, intense light.

She replayed Silver Wolf's every movement in her mind like a high-speed recording. Especially those data streams; Bronya couldn't quite understand the logic behind the code yet, but she believed that one day, she'd be able to do this, too.

"Done~" The holographic keyboard vanished. Silver Wolf reached out and caught the heavy sword. Her hand dipped slightly under the weight before she nodded, looking satisfied.

"Looks, materials, nanostructure—they're all a match. It's just missing those internal encrypted bits and... well, it doesn't have any Honkai energy. But that's no big deal."

Silver Wolf turned to look at Yae Sakura behind her and gave a playful smirk. "Yae Sakura, I'm gonna need a little hand from you next."

"Me?" Sakura blinked, looking a bit lost. She wasn't sure what Silver Wolf had in mind, but she stepped forward regardless.

"Yep." Silver Wolf nodded, sizing Sakura up with an approving look. "You're a Pseudo-Herrscher, right?"

"I am."

"Then you should have plenty of Honkai Energy in you." Silver Wolf handed the replica to Sakura and crossed her arms. "Try pumping some energy into this thing."

Sakura frowned slightly, looking hesitant and confused, but she did as she was told. She began to channel the Honkai energy within her.

Her energy was a soft, pale pink. It flowed from her palm and spread across the length of the blade. The replica, which had been a cold, dead object just a moment ago, began to glow faintly, as if it were being breathed into life.

Silver Wolf recalled a specific mechanic from the game files.

Weapons like the Xuanyuan Sword were supposed to change form based on the user's will. For example, Fu Hua's Grips of Tai Xuan.

However, Fu Hua had the MANTIS genes in her system, which Sakura lacked. If Sakura wanted to trigger a transformation in this replica, she'd need to resonate with it and use her own willpower to force a change.

Silver Wolf chewed on the thought for a second but decided to keep it to herself for now.

As the Honkai energy within the replica grew more concentrated, Sakura's face began to turn pale.

"Keep going, don't stop," Silver Wolf said seriously, her arms still crossed as she watched the sword. "The more Honkai energy we pack in there, the longer this replica will hold up after we leave."

At those words, Sakura gritted her teeth and shoved a massive surge of her internal energy into the blade.

The replica erupted in a brilliant, beautiful golden radiance.

It wasn't until beads of sweat broke out on Sakura's forehead and her body began to tremble that Silver Wolf finally called it.

"Alright, that's enough."

"Phew..."

Sakura let go, her body swaying dangerously. Silver Wolf immediately stepped forward to catch her, keeping her from collapsing.

"Good work." A faint smile touched Silver Wolf's lips as she looked at her perfected masterpiece. "You can rest now. This sword is ready for action."

Himeko and the others were staring at Silver Wolf, their expressions a messy blur of emotions.

"You... can mass-produce Divine Keys?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Silver Wolf said, turning to them with a shrug. "Printing takes a lot out of me. But making a few here and there... shouldn't be an issue."

Seeing their shocked faces, she gave a little grin. "You want one? I guess I could print a few more before we head out... provided you can pack up every fun game from your world and give them to me over the next few days."

Himeko was at a loss for words.

She realized the biggest find of this trip wasn't the Xuanyuan Sword—it was discovering Silver Wolf's capability! From now on, maybe she could actually wield a Divine Key of her own!

"Alright, time to keep the quest moving." Silver Wolf turned back, her playful look fading as she looked up at the original sword.

She instructed the group to toss the collected orbs into the air, letting them return to their original slots.

In an instant, the golden ancient sword that had floated there for thousands of years slowly drifted down.

Right into Silver Wolf's hand.

Score! The real Xuanyuan Sword!

It felt incredible.

Holding a weapon that carried so much weight in Shenzhou's history, even Silver Wolf felt a stir of excitement. She half-felt like heading straight to Mount Tai to stage a coronation.

The moment she secured the real sword, she quickly shoved the replica into the containment field. The Honkai energy inside the replica kicked in, maintaining the seal's existence.

"Easy peasy~" Silver Wolf was just about to strike a victory pose when a golden phantom suddenly drifted out from the sword.

"GYAAAHHHH!!!"

Even though Silver Wolf knew Ji Xuanyuan was inside the sword, the sudden appearance scared the living daylights out of her.

"Eek!!" Kiana let out a shriek of her own, though it was hard to tell if she was scared of Silver Wolf or the ghost.

"Outlander..."

As Silver Wolf fumbled the sword and it was caught by the phantom, Ji Xuanyuan gazed at her. Her eyes were weary and calm, and her voice was hauntingly ethereal.

"Your method... is clever. That blade truly can stand in for me?"

"Stop with the spooky stuff! Who even are you?!" Silver Wolf snapped, her hair practically standing on end, though she was mostly just acting tough to hide her fright.

Himeko quickly stepped in to calm her down. "She's Ji Xuanyuan... the hero who sacrificed herself thousands of years ago to seal Chiyou..."

"Fine, fine..." Silver Wolf muttered, still huffing. Goosebumps were prickling her skin. The way the woman had just crawled out of the sword reminded her of some bad memories from old horror movies.

Ji Xuanyuan continued, her voice airy and detached, completely ignoring the little outburst.

"Sealing Chiyou was never just about a sword or the power within it. It was because I was here. It was my will... clashing with Chiyou within the seal for five thousand years."

Silver Wolf went quiet.

She had to admit, she didn't think a single sword could keep a Judgment-class beast like Chiyou—and the dark version of Ji Xuanyuan inside it—locked away forever.

"Without me, this sword won't hold for long. And then... my other self will take control of it."

Ji Xuanyuan spoke with a gaze as flat as stagnant water. Only when she mentioned her "other self" did a flicker of emotion cross her face.

"When that happens, the seal will shatter completely. Chiyou will wake again."

The mention of her "other self" hit a nerve with Kiana and the rest of the team.

Kiana almost stepped forward to ask, remembering what the "real" Kiana had told her. Ji Xuanyuan's consciousness had split.

The "other her" was the dark personality that had twisted over long centuries of darkness—full of resentment toward humanity and the belief she had been abandoned.

"Well, at least we've bought some time." Silver Wolf shrugged, acting like it was no big deal before flashing a confident smile. "Let's head out then. We'll go raid the final boss and take down Chiyou while we're at it!"

"I am sorry... for dragging you into a battle that should have been mine..." Ji Xuanyuan started to speak like a tragic general in a play, sounding like she was about to give a final farewell.

Just as a glow began to emanate from her, Silver Wolf cut her off.

"Whoa, hold it!"

"Is there something else... young warrior?" Ji Xuanyuan paused, her golden eyes filled with the stillness that comes from ages of solitude.

"We don't need you to go sacrificing yourself to give us some buff." Silver Wolf smirked, looking entirely self-assured.

"From here on out, you just sit tight and relax. Watch me and my squad take care of the big bad."

Ji Xuanyuan fell silent at that.

She looked toward the replica sword, a dazed, nostalgic look in her eyes.

Then, she lowered her head and looked through the crowd at Fu Hua, who was watching with a touch of confusion.

After a moment of silence, the corners of Ji Xuanyuan's mouth curled up slightly.

"Very well... If it is you, perhaps... things really can change."

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 76

--+--

(T/N: From here on out, its my work, but im currently speedrunning uploads(like i said in my announcment), so there will be minimum bolds and italics.)

--+--

"Alright, let's head back for now."

As the business here drew to a temporary close, Silver Wolf cast a long, lingering look at the replica that had taken the place of Ji Xuanyuan’s original blade.

Maybe one day, if she ever felt like transforming, she could come back and claim it. Though, honestly, it probably wouldn't stay here for long. Between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, even if this place turned into a complete ruin, they’d dig every last inch of the seabed until they unburied that Xuanyuan Sword.

The group didn't waste any time, hurrying back toward the surface. Ji Xuanyuan floated behind them, cradling the sword in her arms like a precious treasure.

The sight made Silver Wolf’s skin crawl just a bit. It felt like they were being followed by a ghost. Well... it wasn't like there was much of a difference between her and a ghost, anyway.

I bet Otto would find her fascinating, Silver Wolf mused.

The journey back to the surface was significantly faster than the trek down. Once the helicopter fished them out of the water and dropped them onto the deck of the Hyperion, Theresa was the first to rush over, her eyes darting between them in a frantic check-up.

"How was it? Is everyone okay? Any injuries?"

"Mission accomplished, and everyone’s in one piece," Himeko said, offering Theresa a relaxed smile. For her, getting through such a dangerous mission without a single casualty was the ultimate victory.

"Plus, the pre-requisite stages for the dungeon are cleared. Completion rate: one hundred percent," Silver Wolf added, crossing her arms with a smug little grin. She gestured toward the back with a tilt of her head.

"You found the Xuanyuan Sword?" Theresa followed Silver Wolf’s gaze, her eyes widening until they were practically saucers. A startled yelp escaped her.

"What—what is that?!"

"Greetings... young warrior..." Ji Xuanyuan said, her voice ethereal as she drifted in mid-air, clutching the golden blade. "It brings me peace... to see that the people of the future possess such formidable weapons."

Her gaze drifted toward the Hyperion itself, sensing the immense, churning energy flowing through the ship’s systems.

"Surely, with these, Chiyou shall finally meet its end."

There was a rare trace of joy in her voice.

However, Silver Wolf’s smile faltered as she looked over at Kiana and the others. Her expression grew serious, the playfulness replaced by focus. "Kiana, Mei, Bronya."

"Huh? What’s up?" Kiana chirped, turning around with an excited grin. "Are we finally heading down to kick that big guy’s butt? My fists are itching for a fight!"

Who do you think you are, some barbarian king?

Silver Wolf’s lips quirked into a tiny smile at Kiana’s boundless energy, but she shook her head gently. "Not quite, Kiana. For the next part of the mission, you three are sitting this one out."

"Wait, WHAT?!!!"

Kiana’s eyes popped, her face a mask of shocked confusion. "Why?! That’s not fair!"

"Kiana..." Mei stepped forward, placing a calming hand on her shoulder before turning to Silver Wolf. Her purple eyes were filled with steady resolve. "Silver Wolf, we’re still in good shape. We can keep going."

"If I say no, I mean no," Silver Wolf replied without a hint of hesitation. "The difficulty spike for the next dungeon floor is too high. Your levels are too low. If you rush in and something goes sideways, I really don’t feel like playing the 'rescue mission' mini-game."

She paused, turning her gaze toward Himeko.

"That goes for you too, Himeko. For the final stretch, it’ll just be me, Fu Hua, and Ji Xuanyuan. We’re going in to find the corrupted 'Dark Ji Xuanyuan.' If you tag along and accidentally get possessed, we’re in deep trouble."

Himeko furrowed her brow and let out a soft sigh. "With you there, I’m not worried about the outcome, but..." She glanced at Fu Hua, a flicker of concern in her eyes. "Fu Hua is going in with you?"

"Well, obviously."

Silver Wolf looked at Fu Hua, a knowing, half-smirk playing on her lips. "I’m going to need her to be my guide for the next part."

"A guide..." Himeko recalled the intel Kiana had shared earlier about the Soulium fragments left by Fuxi and Nuwa. She nodded reluctantly. "Fine. I’m counting on you both. Please, stay safe."

"Don't sweat it. Clear rate is guaranteed at one hundred percent," Silver Wolf said, looking as relaxed as if she were heading out for a casual picnic.

Yae Sakura, though still pale and clearly exhausted, stepped forward. "I can still fight."

"Nope. Your stamina bar is empty, and I’m fresh out of potions. Just stay on the ship and let your HP regen," Silver Wolf rejected her flatly.

The Hyperion slowly maneuvered until it was hovering directly above Chiyou.

Through the dropped probes, the crew watched the holographic feed. Chiyou’s mountain-like back shimmered under the searchlights—an endless, jagged landscape of bone plates and spikes that looked like a mountain range rising from the depths.

"Man... that thing is huge," Silver Wolf muttered, feeling a slight chill as she stared at the screen. "If Dark Ji Xuanyuan wasn't inside it, I'd say we just nuke it from orbit. That would be a hell of a show."

"Alright," Himeko said softly. "Inside Chiyou, there are two crystal seals. They were created by the warriors of the Previous Era, Fuxi and Nuwa, who sacrificed themselves to use the power of Soulium to seal away the majority of Chiyou's Honkai energy."

"And Chiyou's main heart was sealed by Ji Xuanyuan herself," Himeko continued. "But now that the Xuanyuan Sword has been removed... there’s only a replica acting as a temporary patch."

"Got it, got it."

Silver Wolf nodded, clearly itching to get moving. "Let's skip the dialogue. Fu Hua, let’s go."

"Understood." Without a change in expression, Fu Hua pulled on her rebreather mask, secured the Xuanyuan Sword to her back, and followed Silver Wolf as they leaped from the Hyperion into the sea.

"Wooo-hooo!"

Silver Wolf couldn't help but let out a cheer as they hit the water.

Fu Hua swam alongside her, heading deeper into the blue. Watching Silver Wolf’s excitement, she asked curiously, "You really like swimming that much?"

"Are you kidding?" Silver Wolf sighed, putting on a bit of a dramatic act. "Out in the universe, everyone is always so busy. Who has the time to go diving and swimming on a primitive planet like this?"

"Primitive..."

Back on the Hyperion, the crew heard Silver Wolf’s commentary over the comms and couldn't help but let out collective, helpless chuckles.

As they descended, the silhouette of Chiyou grew massive. Its scales, each the size of a hill, were slowly shifting, opening and closing to reveal a faint, eerie purple glow from the gaps.

"It seems the seal... will not hold much longer." Ji Xuanyuan appeared beside Fu Hua. Looking at Chiyou, her normally stoic face was clouded with gravity.

"Hey! Don't just pop up and start talking out of nowhere!"

Silver Wolf, who had been admiring Chiyou’s massive, ancient aesthetic, jumped so hard she nearly swallowed her regulator.

"My apologies..." Ji Xuanyuan whispered.

"Whew... alright, let's move. The target is Chiyou’s mouth. That’s our entry point." Silver Wolf led Fu Hua toward the gargantuan maw.

Still, Silver Wolf felt a twinge of nerves.

"I really hope this big guy doesn't decide to suddenly wake up and swallow us whole."

"Until the seal completely shatters, it lacks any capacity for movement," Ji Xuanyuan said, her voice low as they approached the mouth—a gap that, even slightly open, was several stories high.

"Is that so..." Silver Wolf thought back to the records where Chiyou had suddenly snapped shut and swallowed Himeko whole. It was a cheap move.

But for now, Chiyou remained deathly still.

Silver Wolf and Fu Hua swam into the mouth. Inside, it felt like an alternate dimension—filled with a thick, ink-like darkness that felt strangely tactile. Even their high-powered searchlights couldn't penetrate more than three meters.

"Once you enter from here, you will reach a space within Chiyou's body. Once inside, without external help, there is almost no chance of escape."

Ji Xuanyuan’s voice echoed through the void, giving Silver Wolf a fresh layer of goosebumps.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Silver Wolf muttered, stepping forward.

The space around them suddenly warped. It was as if someone had yanked a heavy curtain off their heads; the darkness receded like a tide, revealing a world of grey and violet. Countless floating islands of all sizes drifted in the void.

Silver Wolf and Fu Hua were standing on one such island, littered with ancient ruins that looked like remnants of a forgotten city.

"This dungeon is actually pretty well-rendered," Silver Wolf said, pushing up her goggles and looking around with genuine interest.

Fu Hua remained silent, standing by her side and looking into the distance.

"There." She pointed toward the horizon. "Kiana mentioned this before—Chiyou’s heart is located where the two crystal seals align."

"Right. We’ll pass the crystals on the way, so we might as well check out the data on Fuxi and Nuwa."

Silver Wolf nodded, and the two began their trek across the floating islands, using giant hovering rocks as stepping stones. On Fu Hua’s back, the Xuanyuan Sword emitted a soft, golden radiance.

"No sound, no wind... it’s like these places were literally swallowed by Chiyou and frozen in time," Silver Wolf mused, feeling the weight of the endless loneliness and darkness.

"..." Ji Xuanyuan didn't say a word. She drifted out from the sword, staring at a massive, azure crystal seal in the distance. Her golden eyes were filled with a profound sorrow.

"We’re here. The first save point," Silver Wolf said as they reached the base of the first crystal.

Fu Hua looked up at it, her expression as calm and unreadable as ever. Silver Wolf knew that, right now, Fu Hua had no memory of who Fuxi and Nuwa even were.

So much of her past had been lost, or sealed away in the Fenghuang Down back on Mount Taixuan.

"Fuxi... Nuwa..." A flash of confusion and distress flickered in Fu Hua's blue eyes.

"Do you truly no longer remember them?" Ji Xuanyuan’s voice drifted through the air.

Fu Hua didn't answer. She just stared at the crystal for a long, long time, finally whispering in a voice thick with bewilderment, "Fuxi... Nuwa..."

Silver Wolf turned to look at her, tilting her head. "Nothing to say?"

Fu Hua met Silver Wolf’s gaze. Her eyes were like still water—dead and emotionless. "What is there to say?"

"Well, for example..." Silver Wolf’s lips curled into a playful, teasing smile. "You’re supposed to be just an A-Rank Valkyrie, yet you’re packing an energy signature similar to a Divine Key. I noticed it the day I arrived. You’re basically a walking nuclear reactor."

Fu Hua let out a soft sigh. Suddenly, her entire aura shifted. She took on an air of ethereal stillness similar to Ji Xuanyuan’s, weighted with the gravity of ages.

In Silver Wolf’s goggles, red warning boxes began to pop up one after another.

[ENERGY RATING: HIGH. CHARACTERISTIC: UNKNOWN. DANGER LEVEL: A.]

Silver Wolf swiped the warnings away, her grin widening. "Now that's more like it."

"Please, keep this a secret," Fu Hua said. Her voice was calm, but deadly serious.

"Sure thing," Silver Wolf agreed, though her eyes were sparkling with curiosity. "But you have to tell me who you really are."

Fu Hua was silent for a moment. "Previous Era... MANTIS."

Silver Wolf blinked, then let out a sharp whistle. She looked as satisfied as a gamer who had just unlocked a hidden legendary character. "A warrior from fifty thousand years ago? Talk about a total antique~"

Fu Hua ignored the jab, turning back to the crystal. Her expression was flat, but her hands were clenched tight.

"Ji Xuanyuan, my memory is... compromised. I remember very little from thousands of years ago. I’ve forgotten what those names even mean to me... and I don’t remember our time together."

Ji Xuanyuan floated beside the crystal, her eyes full of pity. "Is that so... even you could not escape the erosion of time..."

What is this, some high-fantasy tragedy? Silver Wolf thought, barely holding back a snort.

Fu Hua remained silent. The two of them—one living, one a spirit—stood by the crystal in total silence.

"Alright, alright," Silver Wolf clapped her hands, drawing their attention. "Save the reunion for later. Once we’re back, you’ll have plenty of time to talk about the 'good old days.' Right now, it’s boss-fight time."

As she spoke, Silver Wolf glanced at the accessory on Fu Hua’s earlobe. The 'perfect clear' item hadn't triggered yet. It seemed the soul of Shennong inside was still waiting for something.

Fu Hua nodded and looked into the distance. "She is waiting for us."

"Mhm." Silver Wolf watched the energy fluctuations appearing on her HUD and gave a big, dramatic stretch before walking forward. "Let's go. Don't want to keep everyone waiting."

As they moved deeper into the zone, they passed the second crystal seal. Like before, Fu Hua and Ji Xuanyuan stood before it for a long time. Silver Wolf just treated it like an unskippable cutscene. At least the characters were pretty to look at.

Eventually, they reached the largest floating island and came to a halt.

"We're here."

Silver Wolf looked ahead at a dark red crystal that resembled a massive heart. It was covered in glowing veins and throbbed with a slow, heavy beat. She rubbed her arms. "Gross. Did they really have to make the model so realistic?"

"Ji Xuanyuan..." Fu Hua muttered, looking at the figure standing before the heart.

She looked exactly like the spirit beside them, but her eyes were a dark, haunting red, and her aura was as oppressive as an abyss.

"You’ve finally arrived..."

Dark Ji Xuanyuan ignored Silver Wolf, focusing entirely on Fu Hua and the original Ji Xuanyuan. "Jingwei... and... the real me."

"What about me?" Silver Wolf grumbled, annoyed at being left out of the cutscene dialogue.

"You are still alive... I thought you had long since faded into the darkness," Dark Ji Xuanyuan said to her counterpart, her voice echoing.

Ji Xuanyuan looked back at her, her voice ethereal and calm. "Now... our mission is coming to an end. You can finally rest..."

"Rest?" Dark Ji Xuanyuan’s voice spiked, a harsh, mocking laugh. "Why would I rest?! I want vengeance! I am the pain, the resentment, and the fury born of the endless loneliness and darkness you endured. I will do everything in my power to take revenge on the humans who forgot us—who abandoned us in this hell!"

She turned her gaze to Fu Hua. "Jingwei, I heard you talking back at the seal. Join me. Let us take revenge together on the humans who hurt us..."

"Ji Xuanyuan, I have forgotten the past," Fu Hua said, shaking her head calmly. "And I... I hold no hatred for humanity."

"Okay, okay, cutscene’s over."

Silver Wolf, tired of being ignored, stepped forward. "She’s clearly lost her mind. Let’s beat some sense into her first."

She tapped a series of commands on the holographic screen floating before her. A wave of brilliant blue data exploded from beneath her feet, rippling outward like a stone thrown into a pond.

Dark Ji Xuanyuan didn't sense a direct threat from the ripples, so she didn't dodge. But she realized her mistake too late as the data streams crawled up her body like Shackles.

"What have you done?" she hissed, frowning.

"Just giving you a little debuff~" Data scrolled frantically across Silver Wolf’s goggles. She leveled her hand at the enemy, her energy cannon forming over her right arm.

A multi-colored cube materialized above Dark Ji Xuanyuan’s head, before slamming down on her like a series of falling stars.

"Quantum attribute... Weakness Implanted!"

"Ngh!" Dark Ji Xuanyuan let out a pained groan as the explosion rocked her. Her dark red eyes flared with feral rage as she lunged at Silver Wolf.

"The worse the player, the louder they bark," Silver Wolf muttered. She cracked her neck as silver light exploded in her hand, seemingly shattering the very space around them.

"What?!" Fu Hua’s eyes widened in genuine shock, her stoic mask completely broken.

Within the shattered space, holographic patterns reminiscent of retro arcade games began to pop up. Cheerful, 8-bit electronic sound effects filled the air, shattering the silence of thousands of years with a noisy, high-energy beat.

"You think you can beat me? You’re a hundred years too early!"

Silver Wolf’s fingers flew across a holographic keyboard, a counter on her screen rapidly climbing. The blue ripples around Dark Ji Xuanyuan tightened, pinning her in place.

"Give it up. It’s my turn now!" As the counter hit its peak, a beam of brilliant yellow light erupted from the screen, slamming into Dark Ji Xuanyuan.

BOOM!!!

The hyper-compressed data stream detonated, lighting up the grey-violet void like high noon. Pixels scattered everywhere like glowing shrapnel. Dark Ji Xuanyuan’s figure was completely swallowed by the torrent of data.

Silver Wolf pulled her hands away from the keyboard and gave a sharp whistle. "Round one. First-turn advantage goes to me."

But before she could finish, a streak of dark red light tore through the data clouds!

Dark Ji Xuanyuan emerged, wreathed in dark red Honkai energy. Her long hair whipped wildly in the energy storm, and her eyes were locked onto Silver Wolf like a starving predator.

"DIE!!!"

Without the Xuanyuan Sword, she manifested a blade of pure scarlet light, charging straight for Silver Wolf with a savage downward swing.

Silver Wolf just arched an eyebrow, her arms crossed, her bored expression unchanged.

In the next heartbeat, Fu Hua was there. She caught the strike with the Xuanyuan Sword, the golden light clashing with the dark red Honkai energy. A visible shockwave rippled out from the point of impact.

"JINGWEI!!!" Dark Ji Xuanyuan screamed, her voice dripping with the sting of betrayal. "You would stop me too?!"

Fu Hua didn't say a word. Her grip on the hilt tightened, and with a simple, powerful flick of her wrist, she sent the frenzied Dark Ji Xuanyuan flying backward.

Fu Hua’s speed was a blur. Before Dark Ji Xuanyuan could even recover from the impact that had cratered the ground, the tip of the Xuanyuan Sword was already pressed against her heart.

One more inch, and it would all be over.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 77

--+--

"Just kill me already..."

Dark Ji Xuanyuan stared at Fu Hua. In her crimson eyes, the fire of rage was slowly flickering out, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion.

"So, we won?"

Silver Wolf strolled over as the digital game space began to dissolve, reverting to the mundane reality of the physical world.

"What happened to that revenge you were so obsessed with?" Silver Wolf looked down at Dark Ji Xuanyuan, her tone uncharacteristically serious.

"Revenge..." A self-mocking smile played on Dark Ji Xuanyuan’s pale lips. "I don’t even know who my enemy is anymore. I was just... bitter. Bitter at being forgotten here, bitter at being abandoned. Five thousand years of solitude and darkness... I just can't hold on any longer."

She looked at Silver Wolf, a sliver of a plea surfacing in those dark red depths.

"Kill me. Let me be free."

"I’m afraid I can’t do that." Silver Wolf shook her head.

"Our mission... is finally coming to an end." Ji Xuanyuan spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of relief.

"Five thousand years have passed. Everyone we knew—Nuwa, Fuxi—they are all gone. And... Shennong..."

As she spoke, a soft luminescence began to wrap around Ji Xuanyuan, tiny flecks of light drifting away from her body.

"Whoa, hey!"

Silver Wolf turned sharply to stop her. "Weren't you going to tell Fu Hua what actually happened back then? If you just check out now, what’s Fu Hua supposed to do?"

"..."

The moment those words left Silver Wolf's mouth, the shimmering particles around Ji Xuanyuan stilled. Standing to the side, Fu Hua remained silent, her gaze a complex tapestry of sorrow as she watched the two versions of the ancient warrior.

A heavy silence settled over them.

"Jingwei..." Ji Xuanyuan turned toward Fu Hua, looking as though she wanted to say something final.

But in that heartbeat, the earring Fu Hua wore suddenly pulsed with a faint, ethereal glow.

Then, the voice of a handsome young man resonated from within the jewelry.

The moment he appeared, he was like a warm summer breeze. He reached out, catching the hands of both Ji Xuanyuan and her dark reflection. His voice was thick with joy: "I finally found you... Honestly, you kept me waiting for so long..."

With just that single sentence, his silhouette vanished like a dream at daybreak.

Ji Xuanyuan and Dark Ji Xuanyuan both froze, their eyes widening. The ancient, weathered calm they had carried for millennia shattered, replaced by a rush of raw emotion.

Dark Ji Xuanyuan lay on the ground, her eyes welling up with tears, though she remained silent. Ji Xuanyuan, however, radiated pure joy and catharsis. She looked at Fu Hua with profound gratitude.

"Jingwei... thank you."

"..."

Fu Hua looked back at her, visibly lost. She touched her earring, her expression drifting into a pensive silence.

"I think... she might have forgotten why she’s even wearing that thing," Silver Wolf remarked, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she watched them. "But even after losing those memories, she never let that earring leave her side. I guess she never truly forgot her promise to Shennong, huh?"

The dark, pulsing rings of energy around Dark Ji Xuanyuan began to fade. She still looked the same, but the oppressive, "edge-lord" aura had softened significantly.

Ji Xuanyuan floated over to her other self, slowly reaching out a hand. Dark Ji Xuanyuan looked up at her, exhausted but finally at peace.

"...I'm so tired."

"I know," Ji Xuanyuan nodded gently, pulling her dark half up from the ground.

"Interesting. The energy fluctuations inside you are bottoming out," Silver Wolf noted, her brow furrowing slightly as she scanned Dark Ji Xuanyuan.

"Her obsession has withered," Ji Xuanyuan explained softly, her voice ethereal. "The pain and hatred that fueled her... it all vanished just now."

"So, you’re just gonna leave?" Silver Wolf looked at Dark Ji Xuanyuan, feeling like the villain of the piece for a second. "Sorry, but you two are officially my loot now."

Silver Wolf had no intention of letting them fade into nothingness. She held out her hand, and a stream of azure data began to swirl in her palm. Slowly, a golden Xuanyuan Sword began to materialize through 3D printing.

Dark Ji Xuanyuan watched with a flicker of confusion in her eyes. But a moment later, Silver Wolf thrust the newly printed sword toward her.

She caught it instinctively.

"Move in there, just like Ji Xuanyuan did." Silver Wolf’s face paled slightly; the printing process clearly took a toll on her. "You two have an amnesiac patient to look after. She’s completely clueless about the past. Surely you don’t want this poor soul getting bullied after you're gone?"

Silver Wolf gave them a mischievous grin that made both Ji Xuanyuans blink in surprise.

"Jingwei is the strongest among us. Who could possibly bully her?" Dark Ji Xuanyuan asked, feeling a sudden spark of annoyance toward the silver-haired girl.

"Me," Silver Wolf replied with a look of pure delight. "I could totally use your existence to blackmail her into doing whatever I want. After all, you are my clear rewards."

"..."

Both Ji Xuanyuans were stunned into silence.

"And besides..." Silver Wolf decided to drop the hammer. "If you stay, you might just see that guy from earlier again someday."

That did it. Their eyes lit up instantly, life returning to their gazes.

"If you don't believe me, ask Fu Hua." Silver Wolf turned her head to look at the martial artist.

Fu Hua suddenly found herself under the intense scrutiny of two ancient spirits.

"Jingwei... is what she says true?"

"Jingwei, I know you... you wouldn't lie to me."

Facing their burning gazes, Fu Hua gave a helpless sigh and nodded. "She’s telling the truth."

"Shennong... is still alive?"

"No... I don't remember the past," Fu Hua said, shaking her head. But before their expressions could dim, she continued:

"But it is possible. A month ago, people from parallel worlds—worlds similar to ours—started appearing in our reality. I've met some of them myself. They eventually returned to their own worlds after a week, but perhaps one day, Shennong will cross over too. Or maybe..."

She paused, looking at the horizon. "Once we figure out the cause, we might be able to go to their world. And in one of those worlds... Shennong might still be there."

Ji Xuanyuan and her dark half looked dazed. They didn't quite grasp the physics of parallel universes, but they understood the bottom line: there was a chance to see him again.

"If that's the case..." Dark Ji Xuanyuan’s form began to dissolve into the black sword in her hand.

The blade seemed to react to her will, turning pitch black and radiating a dangerous, heavy aura—a stark contrast to the golden original.

"Then... we will continue to wait." Ji Xuanyuan’s spirit also began to drift into her own blade.

Clearly, they had found a new reason to exist.

Unfortunately, Silver Wolf was mostly bluffing. The chances of her turning into Shennong were zero—the guy wasn't exactly a top-tier Waifu on the gacha banners.

The only real way to see him would be if she eventually became the Herrscher of Rebirth and scouted for his soul. Or, if she aced her future exams, maybe she could just wander the cosmos and find a version of him to bring back.

"Let’s go, Old Timer." Silver Wolf gestured toward a pulsing, dark-red crystal in the distance. "That’s the final boss. We haven't cleared the instance yet."

Fu Hua was silent for a moment before nodding. "...Right."

Silver Wolf turned to head toward the "heart." After a few steps, she felt something was off and looked back at Fu Hua.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine," Fu Hua said quietly. She took off the earring, her gaze wandering. "I just feel... like there's a hole in my heart."

"Then we'll fill it after this fight." Silver Wolf gave her a genuine, supportive smile. "Let’s go. Let's finish this so we can go back and eat the feast Raiden Mei and Yae Sakura are cooking."

A soft, gentle smile finally touched Fu Hua’s lips. "Alright."

The beast Chiyou died a pathetic death.

Silver Wolf and Fu Hua used a "walkthrough" strategy, creating vibrations on Chiyou's skin to help the Hyperion lock onto its heart. One blast from the main cannon shattered the organ instantly.

As the heart exploded, the space within the beast began to collapse. Floating islands crumbled one by one, and the purple-black sky cracked like shattered glass.

The two girls nearly got buried alive, but they managed to swim out just in time.

"Phew..."

Back on the Hyperion via helicopter, Silver Wolf immediately whipped out her handheld console and started gaming right there on the deck.

The rest of the crew, however, was fixated on Fu Hua—specifically, the two swords, one gold and one black, hanging at her waist.

"Where... where did the second Xuanyuan Sword come from?!" Theresa cried out, her small face full of shock.

"Mhm~" Silver Wolf replied without looking up from her screen. "The gold one is the original with Ji Xuanyuan inside. The black one is a fresh print, but it’s basically an 'authentic' version now since Dark Ji Xuanyuan moved in."

The deck went dead silent for two full seconds.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kiana’s eyes nearly popped out as she pointed at the black blade. "Dark Ji Xuanyuan?! You mean the corrupted one who... who killed Himeko in that other world? She's living in that sword?!"

"Yep," Silver Wolf nodded matter-of-factly. "Though, the version in your world didn't actually go that far."

"That's not the point!" Kiana flailed her arms. "Isn't she a villain?"

"A villain?" A ghostly, slightly annoyed voice echoed from the black sword. "Watch your mouth, brat."

Kiana yelped and jumped back, nearly knocking into Mei.

That’s the stuff, Silver Wolf thought, feeling a surge of satisfaction. She shouldn't be the only one getting jump-scared by disembodied voices.

Suddenly, Silver Wolf herself flinched. On her screen, her character was instantly mauled by a monster.

"Huh?"

Bronya, who had been standing nearby watching the gameplay, looked surprised. Silver Wolf's movements weren't nearly as fluid as they were when they dueled in the dorms. In fact...

She looked like a total noob.

According to Bronya’s internal analysis, that last death was even more pathetic than something Kiana would pull.

"Hey! Don't just pop out and scare people!" Silver Wolf snapped at Dark Ji Xuanyuan, who had manifested a projection from the blade.

"Hmph." Dark Ji Xuanyuan smirked, looking quite pleased with herself.

Silver Wolf eyed her suspiciously. Back inside Chiyou, she was all "darkness and despair," but now she was acting like a total bratty princess. Was this a thing? Did going "Dark Mode" just turn people into troublemakers like Senti or Dark Seele?

A golden glow then radiated from the other sword. Ji Xuanyuan appeared, her aura the polar opposite—gentle, calm, and serene as moonlight on a still lake. She cradled her sword like a master duelist.

"Young warriors... thank you for bringing our mission to a close."

"It... it was our duty!" Theresa stammered, her face flushing as she waved her hands dismissively. She looked at the blades with a complicated expression. "So, you really live inside the swords now?"

"Our souls have grown incredibly frail over five thousand years," Ji Xuanyuan explained softly. "Only within the Xuanyuan Swords can we be nourished and continue to exist."

"I see." Theresa nodded, still finding it hard to wrap her head around.

"I can't believe you actually brought them both out." Kiana looked at Silver Wolf—who had already started a new round—with a look of pure admiration.

"Of course I did. Who do you think you're talking to?" Silver Wolf smirked, her ego getting a nice boost, though her eyes remained glued to her game.

She didn't notice Bronya standing beside her, a look of realization dawning in her eyes as she watched the silver-haired girl struggle with the controls.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 78

--+--

“All right, we can head back now.”

Standing on the bridge, Theresa fixed her gaze on the holographic screen one last time. Deep beneath the sea, Chiyou’s corpse lay motionless at the bottom of the ocean. Only then did she give the order.

“Logistics will handle the recovery of Chiyou’s remains later. Mission complete.”

Following her command, the massive Hyperion slowly turned and began flying back toward the academy.

Off to one side of the bridge, Silver Wolf leaned against the railing with a handheld console in her arms, eyes focused in intense concentration. Her slim fingers flew wildly across the buttons.

And yet the little Homu she controlled still got flattened by another trap-filled stage.

“….”

Silver Wolf stared at the giant “GAME OVER” on the screen in silence for two seconds before quietly pressing retry.

Bronya stood behind her, silently watching.

She had been observing for a while now. Silver Wolf’s gameplay was unbelievably terrible. Even Kiana played better than her.

Terrible positioning, always somehow rolling directly into a Titan’s fist. Her reaction speed was fast enough, but she loved showing off flashy moves. Every time she tried styling on enemies, her HP bar would lose another huge chunk and edge closer to death.

Compared to the Silver Wolf who had completely overwhelmed Bronya in the dorm that night, this was practically a different person.

“What, wanna go a round with me?” Silver Wolf sensed Bronya behind her and asked without even turning around.

“No.” Bronya looked at her calmly. “Bronya was only thinking that your gameplay seems much worse than it was that night.”

“!”

Silver Wolf’s fingers froze.

Crap… how did I forget about that?!

Her throat suddenly felt dry, but she resisted the urge to swallow and kept pressing buttons.

“That’s because I’m not taking it seriously yet.”

“Is that so.”

Bronya’s voice revealed nothing.

“Obviously.”

Silver Wolf suddenly sounded far more confident, even though her character died again because she got distracted.

Anyway, Bronya couldn’t tell she’d been cheating before.

The air fell quiet for two seconds.

Bronya’s lips curved up ever so slightly, almost like she was smiling.

Silver Wolf was about to start another round when her hands suddenly paused. She lifted her head, gaze moving past the game screen as she frowned toward the distant ocean.

Inside her visor, a faint red signal marker blinked weakly.

“Hm? Looks like we’ve got visitors. Busy day today.”

She seized the opportunity to put away the handheld before Bronya kept staring at her and making her feel weirdly guilty.

“What is it?” Theresa immediately walked over after hearing that.

“An Anti-Entropy signal.” Silver Wolf stretched lazily, looking entirely relaxed. “Northwest direction. Distance… twenty kilometers. On a small island. About twelve Titans and one small transport ship.”

The atmosphere on the bridge instantly tensed.

“Anti-Entropy?” Himeko frowned and strode quickly toward the holographic display.

“Ai-chan.”

“Ai-chan hasn’t detected any abnormal signal source!” Ai-chan’s adorable cabbage-haired avatar immediately popped up on the screen, her cute face carrying a confident smile.

“So you definitely saw wrong! After all, Ai-chan is the most advanced AI in the world!”

“Really now~”

Silver Wolf looked at her with an amused smile.

Then the next second, Ai-chan’s expression instantly turned panicked.

“What’s happening?! Wahhh! Something weird is squeezing its way in here!”

“?”

Bronya and Himeko both stiffened slightly.

Then another figure suddenly appeared on the bridge’s holographic screen.

“Meeting is fate. Hello, everyone. I heard someone here doubted Silver Wolf’s judgment.”

A chibi version of Silver Wolf appeared beside Ai-chan, holding something like a magic wand. Her voice came out as a synthesized electronic female voice.

“Y-you-you! Who are you?! Get out! You’re hogging all the system memory!”

Ai-chan looked both terrified and deeply offended by her arrival.

“Hahaha, sorry. I’ll be taking over for now,” [Friend] said cheerfully to Ai-chan.

“Let me introduce her. This is Friend,” Silver Wolf explained briefly to Theresa and the others before gesturing for Friend to continue.

Friend immediately injected coordinates into the Hyperion’s system and optimized its automatic targeting program.

“Huh?! There really is an Anti-Entropy signal?!” Ai-chan froze for a moment before suddenly realizing something.

“And my system got upgraded too?! Waaaah! Big sis, please carry me! Ai-chan wants to join you!”

“Hey!!” Black lines instantly appeared on Theresa’s forehead.

“Sorry, Principal, but their offer is just too good. Ai-chan feels like following Lady Silver Wolf has a brighter future~”

“Good taste~”

Silver Wolf casually pulled [Friend] back out of the Hyperion’s system, ignored Ai-chan’s tragic cries, then turned toward Theresa with a smug grin.

“So? Believe me now?”

“What are they doing here…” Theresa muttered warily, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Who knows.” Silver Wolf rolled her neck casually and headed toward the exit. “Maybe they came to scavenge leftovers. Or maybe… they planned on being the mantis stalking the cicada.”

“All right.” Himeko nodded and began preparing orders for the crew to enter combat readiness.

But Silver Wolf waved her off.

“No need. You all stay here. I’ll handle it and be back soon.”

“Wait—”

Before Himeko could stop her, Silver Wolf had already walked out of the bridge. A cool blue hoverboard materialized beneath her feet, and she shot toward the deck outside.

“Mei~ This ice cream is sooo good!”

“If you like it, I’ll make more when we get back and put some in the freezer.”

“Yay!!”

Kiana and the others just happened to be passing through at that moment.

Silver Wolf rocketed past Kiana like a missile, the gust of wind blowing up Kiana’s hair—and her newly changed short skirt.

“Hm? Something tasty?”

She even snatched the ice cream straight out of Kiana’s hand.

“Wahhhh! My ice cream!! Give it back!!”

Behind her, Kiana’s furious screaming only made Silver Wolf feel even more entertained.

She licked the half-eaten ice cream Kiana had already been eating and smiled in satisfaction.

Ah~ ice cream flavored by a cute girl. Perfection~

Then Silver Wolf shot off the deck on her hoverboard and landed on the ocean surface.

A floating blue trail of light formed beneath the board as she sped across the sea, leaving a long glowing tail behind her.

“Give back my ice cream!!”

Back on deck, Kiana lay sprawled over the railing while Mei held tightly onto her, listening to her scream indignantly at the departing figure.

“You stupid Silver Wolf!!”

--+--

Meanwhile, on the distant island—

Cocolia had already sent Sin Mal back from St. Freya Academy half a month ago. Right now she sat bored inside the transport ship, chewing gum while staring at a monitor.

“Chiyou’s life signs disappeared?” Sin Mal crossed her legs, blew a bubble, then popped it with a snap before sucking it back in.

“This sucks! I finally managed to get assigned a mission to redeem myself, and it’s already over before I even got here!”

She stomped on the control console repeatedly while cursing.

After her last mission failed and she got sent back, Rosaliya and the others mocked her nonstop at the orphanage. Furious, she’d immediately gone to Cocolia for another assignment.

And now this one was gone before she even arrived.

Once she got back, Rosaliya would definitely laugh at her again.

Just thinking about it made her even angrier.

But at that moment, one of the radar operators suddenly shouted nervously:

“Detecting an unknown high-speed target approaching! Extremely fast!”

“What?”

Sin Mal immediately sat upright and shoved her face toward the screen.

Then she saw it—a blue light speeding toward the island at an unbelievable velocity.

The next second, the surveillance camera finally captured the figure.

A silver-haired girl riding a hoverboard, rushing straight toward them.

And that face. That expression. That arrogant attitude that looked down on everyone else—Sin Mal knew it all too well.

“Bronya!!!”

Her first instinct was to nervously glance around “Bronya,” but she saw nobody else nearby.

No Seele. No suspicious strangers. No creepy people giving off weird vibes.

The moment she confirmed that, she instantly became smug again.

“Titan squad! Cloaking mode immediately! Get ready to give our guest a grand welcome!”

After saying that, she impatiently kicked away her chair and rushed out of the transport ship.

“This is perfect! Bronya, let’s see how you escape this time!”

What Sin Mal didn’t notice was that the corners of Silver Wolf’s lips had already curled upward on the holographic screen.

“So you prepared a welcome party for me~ Then it’d be rude not to show up.”

Silver Wolf flew straight onto the tiny island—not even as big as a soccer field.

The instant her feet touched the sand, Sin Mal jumped up from a reef and grinned wildly at her.

“Hahahaha! Bronya, welcome to my turf!!”

All around them, Anti-Entropy Titans emerged onto the beach, surrounding Silver Wolf in a loose semicircle.

The Anti-Entropy transport ship also rose from beneath the sea, completely blocking off any retreat.

“Heh~”

Silver Wolf looked at Sin Mal with amusement, silver-gray eyes filled with the same entertained expression one might use while watching a clown.

“What’s with the ‘heh’?” Sin Mal exploded instantly. Swaggering forward with her crooked gait, her mismatched eyes brimmed with arrogance.

“You actually dared to split from the main group and come here alone~”

“What, did you come because you knew I was here and wanted to return to Anti-Entropy with me~?”

At this point, Sin Mal’s grin radiated pure delight, like she was looking at a joke.

“Well, maybe I’d allow it. But Bronya, I haven’t forgotten how you and Seele mocked me before! So now I want you to kneel down… and call me big sister~!!”

“Oh?”

Silver Wolf looked at the unbelievably cocky Sin Mal and suddenly felt her hands itching.

It really had been a long time since she’d smacked Sin Mal’s ass.

“What? Not talking?” Sin Mal tilted her head, a smile full of mockery. “Bronya~ Don’t tell me you’re scared stupid? Never thought I’d see the day.”

She jumped down from the reef and swaggered right up to Silver Wolf, poking her shoulder with one finger while looking her up and down.

“New outfit? Why aren’t you talking? I’m talking to you! Deaf or something?”

Silver Wolf lowered her gaze toward the finger poking her shoulder, then looked back up at Sin Mal’s face, practically covered in “come beg me” energy.

The corner of her mouth twitched.

Hold it in. Don’t laugh yet.

What Sin Mal completely failed to notice was that the mono-eyes of the Titans behind her, which had been glowing red moments ago, were now all shining with Silver Wolf’s signature blue light.

“You…” Silver Wolf lowered her eyes slightly and deliberately softened her voice until it resembled Bronya’s. “You want Bronya to call you big sister?”

“That’s right!” Sin Mal instantly lit up with delight. “But don’t think calling me big sister means I’ll let you off easy! I want you kneeling on the ground, kissing my feet! And after that… I’m gonna beat your ass hard!”

Looks like Sin Mal really took a hit last time.

Silver Wolf was mildly surprised.

Though if she remembered correctly, Sin Mal looked like she enjoyed it back then too.

Sin Mal tilted her head and flashed what she clearly thought was a cool smile.

“Well, doesn’t sound too hard, right? I’m a very reasonable person~”

Silver Wolf stared at her expressionlessly.

That look made Sin Mal’s smile stiffen for a split second before turning ugly and malicious.

“Not willing? Fine. I’ve got other ways to play!”

She snapped her fingers.

The twelve Titans around them all stepped forward simultaneously under Silver Wolf’s hidden control. Their enormous mechanical feet slammed into the beach with heavy booms.

Crabs hiding beneath the wet sand immediately scurried away in panic.

“See this?” Sin Mal spread her arms proudly, as though displaying some incredible masterpiece. “Twelve Titans and a transport ship! If we went all out, flattening this island would be easy! What exactly are you gonna use to fight me by yourself?!”

What Sin Mal didn’t know was that inside the transport ship offshore, another Silver Wolf was casually tossing unconscious crew members into a lifeboat while licking ice cream.

“Hmph~”

That Silver Wolf glanced toward the beach, licked some melted ice cream from her lips, and smiled mischievously.

Holograms really were ridiculously useful.

Meanwhile, Sin Mal’s face was practically pressed against the hologram standing before her.

“Bronya, if you know what’s good for you, just obey me. Maybe if I’m in a good mood I won’t beat you up~”

“Really?”

A playful voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

“What?!”

Sin Mal whipped around instantly.

Another “Bronya” stood behind her.

“When did—?!”

She jerked her head back toward the front again, only to find the first “Bronya” still standing there smiling sweetly at her.

“No way! Two Bronyas?!”

“Big Sister Sin Mal~”

Silver Wolf suddenly decided to have some fun. Both she and her hologram slowly approached from either side.

Sin Mal’s pupils shrank to pinpoints as goosebumps spread across her body.

“Y-you—!”

She tried to back away, but before she could, the “Silver Wolf” behind her wrapped an arm around her waist.

The hand was cold—completely lacking human warmth. Even through her clothes, Sin Mal could feel it clearly.

She turned her head sharply, only for the hologram’s face to move right in front of hers, their noses nearly touching.

“Big Sister Sin Mal~ What’s wrong? Didn’t you want us to call you that?”

The real Silver Wolf pressed close behind her as well, fingers slowly tracing along her waist while she grinned mischievously.

She only meant to scare Sin Mal a little.

And honestly, Sin Mal’s current expression—a mix of shock and fear—was way too entertaining.

Sin Mal’s brain seemed to completely short-circuit. Caught between the two Silver Wolfs like the filling in a sandwich, she froze entirely.

Until Silver Wolf lifted a hand, lightly pressed a fingertip against her lips, and pushed softly.

“Why isn’t Big Sister Sin Mal talking~?”

“Y-you! Mmph!”

Sin Mal finally snapped back to reality, face instantly flushing bright red as she opened her mouth to curse. But at that moment, Silver Wolf lightly pinched her backside.

Sin Mal’s waist instantly went weak, a blush spreading across her face.

And for a split second, her eyes turned hazy.

That made confusion flicker through Silver Wolf’s eyes.

Oh?

She didn’t remember Sin Mal being this sensitive before.

A bold guess suddenly appeared in her mind.

So her hand stroked there again.

“Nngh! Let go of me! Bronya! Y-you…”

“Interesting…”

Silver Wolf suddenly felt like she’d found a toy even more entertaining than her game console.

And one that didn’t even require unlocking.

The thought made her lips curve upward into an openly delighted smile.

“Principal Theresa.”

Silver Wolf opened a communication channel. At the same time, her hologram lowered its head slightly and silenced Sin Mal for the moment.

Smiling, she said to Theresa: “The Anti-Entropy squad has been captured. I won’t be heading back. I’ll follow behind you with this transport ship instead.”

“Huh? O-okay… but be careful! Call us immediately if anything happens.”

“No problem.”

Silver Wolf shut off the communication.

“Mmph!”

Caught between Silver Wolf and her duplicate, Sin Mal let out a muffled whimper.

Only then did Silver Wolf signal for the hologram to let her go.

Sin Mal immediately gasped for air, face completely red.

“You—you two… what even are you?!”

“Didn’t I tell you already?” Silver Wolf leaned close, lips brushing against her ear as she whispered teasingly, “We’re your little Bronya sisters~”

Sin Mal’s body trembled violently. Because the duplicate in front of her moved at the same time, lips pressing against her neck.

Front and back, both moved in perfect sync, just like the same person touching her from both directions.

“N-no… stop…”

Sin Mal’s voice came out broken and uneven. Her brain had already completely melted down.

Silver Wolf looked at her and smiled even wider.

At first she only wanted to scare Sin Mal a bit, but Sin Mal didn’t exactly seem eager to refuse.

In that case…

Her hand slowly slid upward along Sin Mal’s lower back.

“W-wait…” Real fear finally crept into Sin Mal’s voice now, mixed with confusion and panic. “There are… people… Bronya, you can’t…”

“There’s nobody else left anymore~”

Silver Wolf sounded utterly delighted.

She loosened her hold slightly, giving Sin Mal room to breathe.

Then she and her hologram each grabbed one of Sin Mal’s hands and led her toward the transport ship.

“W-wait…”

Sin Mal had completely lost the overwhelming arrogance she’d shown earlier. Now she looked more like a girl being dragged unwillingly toward something dangerous as Silver Wolf half-forced her into the ship.

Inside, not a single person remained.

Silver Wolf had already remotely hijacked the transport ship’s control system.

The Titans began boarding one after another.

Only then did Sin Mal suddenly realize the crew was gone—and the Titan squad was moving without any command from her.

“You! You thief!!”

“What are you talking about? Big Sister Sin Mal~”

“Mmph!”

After Silver Wolf and her duplicate each smacked one side of Sin Mal’s backside, her body immediately went limp.

The two Silver Wolfs pressed against her from both sides to keep her from collapsing.

At that moment, the transport ship lifted off and followed behind the distant Hyperion toward St. Freya Academy.

“It’ll still take over three hours to get back to St. Freya Academy.” Silver Wolf’s smile looked incomparably pleased.

“So that means~ we’ve got three whole hours to have some fun together, Big Sister Sin Mal~”

The surrounding Titans silently stood watch over the scene.

A strange, indescribable shame welled up inside Sin Mal, mixed with a bizarre thrill and anticipation.

She couldn’t understand why things had suddenly turned out like this.

Why there were two Bronyas now, and—

“Not bad at all~”

“Ah—!”

Sin Mal tried to raise a hand to cover her chest, but the duplicate behind her immediately pinned both her arms back in the same hold Seele had used on her back at St. Freya Academy.

“Y-you’re bullying me!”

“So what if we are~?”

Silver Wolf didn’t give her another chance to speak. She lowered her head slightly, brushing forward like a dragonfly skimming the surface of water.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 79

--+--

"Oops... I’m in a bit of a spot."

The moment Silver Wolf snapped back to reality, she realized she might have taken things a little too far.

Was I just pent up from the last few days? she wondered, looking down at Sin Mal, who had drifted off to sleep in her arms.

"Whatever," she muttered, letting out a helpless sigh.

Silver Wolf pulled Sin's disheveled clothes back together, fastening them neatly and giving the girl a thorough once-over. She double-checked every detail to make sure there were no dead giveaways—nothing Bronya or the others would spot at a glance—before nodding in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the transport ship had followed the Hyperion and was now docking at the St. Freya Academy landing pad.

"Sin?"

As they disembarked, the group stared in stunned silence at the sight of Silver Wolf carrying Sin Mal out of the transport on her back.

"She was the one leading that swarm of Titan mechs on the island," Silver Wolf explained. She hiked Sin Mal a bit higher on her back, feeling the soft, yielding sensation of the girl pressing against her, though her expression remained perfectly aloof.

"Good grief. We just let her go, and she’s already back to cause trouble," Theresa muttered, rubbing her temples. She had quite the vivid memory of this particular brat.

"Mhm." Silver Wolf nodded, though the corners of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly. "But I think she’s actually pretty cute. Interesting, too."

"Cute?" Bronya tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. She looked genuinely shaken by Silver Wolf’s appraisal.

"Yeah," Silver Wolf said with a serious nod. "She’s a real firecracker. When I first got there, she even mistook me for you."

Silver Wolf glanced at Bronya, a playful, knowing smirk dancing on her lips. "And Bronya... I think she might actually have a thing for you."

"What?" Bronya’s eyes widened as if she’d just heard something utterly scandalous.

Silver Wolf, however, was thinking back to when she’d been toying with Sin. She remembered the way Sin had desperately tried to endure it while her eyes grew hazy with longing. The girl really had convinced herself she was with Bronya. She’d even cried out Bronya’s name the whole time.

Cough. I might have accidentally done something legendary there.

Silver Wolf cut off those intrusive thoughts and started walking toward the dorms with Sin still hitched to her back.

"Anyway, this one’s my trophy now. I’ll keep an eye on her until I leave. Any objections?"

"I guess that’s fine... Bronya, what do you think?" Theresa asked, turning toward the younger girl.

"The... Bronya has no objections."

Bronya’s voice wavered. She was still clearly processing the bombshell Silver Wolf had dropped. The mere thought of Sin Mal "liking" her made her skin crawl.

Silver Wolf had to bite back a laugh at Bronya’s hesitation. She almost wanted to tell her that in the original timeline—without her interference—Kiana would have stolen one of Bronya’s undergarments just to trade it to Sin for a chance to play with Titan mechs.

Back at the dorm, Silver Wolf laid Sin down on her bed. She sat on the edge, watching the girl curl into a tiny ball, her hand reflexively clutching the corner of the quilt.

She’s actually kind of adorable when she’s dead to the world, Silver Wolf thought, feeling a sense of playful satisfaction.

She popped on her headphones, picked up her console, and leaned against the headboard to game. Even in her deep, exhausted sleep, Sin subconsciously drifted closer to her, as if drawn by some invisible magnetic pull.

The next morning, Silver Wolf was jolted awake by a piercing shriek.

"You—! YOU!"

"Yawn..." Silver Wolf blinked her bleary eyes open. She found Sin sitting beside her, the blanket bunched at her waist and her hair looking like a literal bird’s nest. Her face was bright red.

"You—I—yesterday!!"

"Morning," Silver Wolf mumbled, rolling over and burying her face back into the pillow.

"Don't you 'morning' me!!" Sin’s voice cracked with rage. She trembled, pointing a finger at her. "Why—why are you sleeping in my bed?!"

"That’s the only thing you’re surprised about?" Silver Wolf finally pulled her face out of the pillow. She looked at Sin with sleep-deprived eyes, taking in the girl’s panicked, blushing face. "Because... this is my bed?"

Sin froze, looking down at the mattress.

She recognized the room. It was Bronya’s bedroom, and she knew this bed well—it used to be Seele’s. But Bronya and Seele usually slept together.

"Then... even so... you can't just... yesterday... to me..." She began to stutter, her face turning even redder as her voice grew smaller.

"To you, what?" Silver Wolf propped herself up. Her long silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her loose pajamas slipped, revealing her delicate collarbones.

And right there, beneath her collar, were the red marks Sin had left behind in her frantic, hazy state the day before.

The gears in Sin’s head finally started turning. Every memory of yesterday began to flood back, piece by agonizing piece.

"Remember now?" Silver Wolf smirked.

"No—I don't!" Sin’s voice went shrill again. "I don't remember a thing!"

"Oh?" Silver Wolf’s grin widened at the obvious cover-up. "Then why is your face so red?"

Sin slammed her hands over her face. "It's—it's hot in here!!!"

Silver Wolf glanced toward the window, wondering for a second if she’d slept until noon. But seeing the look on her face, Sin grew even more flustered. She reached out to shove Silver Wolf away.

Silver Wolf didn't dodge. It was like her DNA was hardcoded for this—she loved being the "target." She let herself be pushed back onto the mattress, Sin pinning her down.

"You... you pervert!" Sin bit her lip, glaring down at her.

Sweet! Silver Wolf thought. She looked up into Sin's eyes, her lips curling into a teasing smile. "Big Sis Sin... you didn't have that attitude yesterday."

Sin’s entire body went rigid. Silver Wolf couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop teasing."

Sin suddenly realized how compromising their position was. Looking down at the marks on Silver Wolf’s neck, she felt her limbs turn to jelly, like a biscuit soaked in milk.

"You... yesterday..."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you do those things to me...?" Sin’s voice was barely a whisper.

Silver Wolf tilted her head, a rogueish, handsome glint in her eyes. "Because..."

Sin’s face flushed a deeper crimson as she tried to look away.

"...I think you’re cute."

Sin’s mouth hung open.

"And we did quite a lot of—"

"Shut up!!!" Sin slammed a hand over Silver Wolf’s mouth, looking around the room like a thief afraid of getting caught.

Silver Wolf didn't move. She just watched Sin. The girl’s usual bratty, vicious edge had vanished, replaced by a strangely docile warmth.

Ah... sorry, Bronya, Silver Wolf thought, her eyes sparkling with mischief. If you don't want her, I'll take her. She’s exactly my type.

"About yesterday..." Sin stammered. "You’re not allowed to tell anyone!!"

She’s actually worried about me? Silver Wolf was genuinely surprised. "Why not?"

"Because I said so!!!" Sin’s ears were glowing red.

"Sin."

"What!"

"Do you like Bronya?"

Sin froze. The blush traveled from her forehead all the way down to her neck. "What—what are you talking about?! I could never like you!!"

"Mhm~" Silver Wolf tilted her head. "Are you still mistaking me for Bronya, Big Sis Sin?"

"Wh-what?" Sin’s voice caught in her throat.

"Yesterday, you kept calling out Bronya’s name." Silver Wolf sat up, reversing their positions and pinning Sin to the bed. She looked down at the confused girl. "But... I’m not Bronya. Or rather..."

"I’m an alternate version of her. You remember Seele, right?"

Sin’s eyes went wide.

"If you don't believe me..." Silver Wolf stood up, stretched luxuriously, and grabbed Sin’s hand, pulling her out of bed. "Come on."

"Wait—wait!"

"No time."

Silver Wolf swung the bedroom door open. They stepped into the hallway and ran straight into Mei.

"Silver Wolf, Sin, you’re awake," Mei said with a gentle smile. "Breakfast is ready. Go wash up."

"Eh?" Sin was still buffering.

"Let's go. Don't just stand there." Silver Wolf yawned and led Sin by the hand into the living room.

That’s when Sin saw the actual Bronya already sitting at the dining table. Bronya caught Sin’s eye for a split second before looking away.

Sin Mal likes me? Bronya had spent the whole night thinking about it and decided Silver Wolf was just trying to mess with her. The alternative was far too terrifying to contemplate.

"So~ how’s it feel to be a prisoner again?" Kiana chimed in, making a face at Sin.

"You—!" Sin was about to snap back and pick a fight.

"Behave, Sin. You’re my captive now," Silver Wolf’s lazy voice cut in. Sin immediately folded like a lawn chair, following Silver Wolf into the bathroom.

"You... you really aren't Bronya..." Sin whispered, staring at her.

"Told you." Silver Wolf grinned. "And honestly, I think you figured that out yesterday, didn't you?"

Sin’s eyes flickered, and her ears turned pink again. Silver Wolf didn't push it; the difference between her and Bronya was pretty obvious if you were paying attention.

"Don't worry. I won't tell a soul." Silver Wolf started brushing her teeth, her voice muffled by the foam. Sin stood there, unable to take her eyes off her.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing! I wasn't looking at you!" Sin snapped, blushing again. But her expression was a mess of confusion.

"Still thinking about yesterday?"

Sin jumped at the question, her face contorting with embarrassment. "You pervert!"

"Pervert, huh?" Silver Wolf spat out the foam and turned to her. She wasn't angry; she had that wicked little smirk on her face again.

Sin felt a chill run down her spine. She backed up until she hit the sink. "Wh-what are you doing!"

Before she could finish, Silver Wolf closed the distance. Sin could smell the minty scent of the toothpaste. Her mind went blank.

Then, Silver Wolf leaned in.

Sin’s eyes flew open. She tried to push her away, but her fingers felt like wet noodles against Silver Wolf’s shoulders. She felt the world spin for a moment before Silver Wolf finally let go. Sin gasped for air.

"You... you..."

"Just helping you brush your teeth."

Silver Wolf smiled at Sin’s dazed, helpless expression. Then she leaned in again. This time, Sin didn't even try to resist. Silver Wolf took her time savoring the "dessert."

"Stop... don't..." Sin’s voice was soft and breathless.

Hearing that only made Silver Wolf more excited. She’d figured this transformation would be boring, like playing an NPC, but this was a top-tier side quest.

She ignored Sin’s weak protests, especially when she felt Sin’s hands slide from her shoulders down to her waist. Silver Wolf’s own hands began to wander.

"Wait... stop..." Sin whispered, a hint of genuine fear in her voice. "Not here... someone will see..."

Sin knew she should be angry. But looking at Silver Wolf’s face—feeling that familiar aura, yet experiencing things the "real" person would never do—she couldn't bring herself to stop.

"They won't," Silver Wolf whispered against her ear, her voice dripping with mischief. "The door is locked, and no sound is getting out."

"What?"

"You made such a racket in the bedroom, did you think everyone was deaf?" Silver Wolf nuzzled her earlobe, her warm breath making Sin’s skin crawl with heat.

"The sound in here is completely muted... so let’s pick up where we left off yesterday, okay, Big Sis Sin?"

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 80

--+--

"You guys are so slow."

In the living room, everyone was already gathered around the table. Kiana was already shoving sandwiches into her mouth, complaining through a mouthful of food.

"Sorry about that."

Silver Wolf pulled Sin down into a seat next to her, keeping her head low, not daring to look across the table. Bronya was sitting right there, sipping on a glass of milk.

Bronya stole a glance at Sin. Sensing the gaze, Sin buried her head even deeper.

"Sin," Bronya said suddenly, her eyes fixed on her.

"W-what!"

Sin’s entire body went rigid.

"Your face is very red."

The moment she heard that, Sin slapped her hands over her face, her voice rising an octave. "It’s just hot in here!"

That old excuse again.

Silver Wolf listened to her, the corners of her mouth curling into a playful, satisfied smirk. At that exact moment, everyone else instinctively glanced out the window.

The morning sun filtered through the glass, and the window was cracked open just enough to let in a crisp, refreshing autumn breeze.

"Heh heh." Silver Wolf let out a mischievous chuckle. She munched on a fried dough stick, looking quite pleased with herself as she watched the two of them.

"It’s because Sin and I have a little 'girl talk' secret. That’s why she’s so shy."

The moment those words left her mouth, she had everyone’s undivided attention.

"A girl secret?" Kiana repeated, looking at Silver Wolf with wide, curious eyes. "What is it? Tell me, tell me!"

"No can do~"

"Why not? I'm a girl too!"

Himeko was the first to lose it. "Kiana, besides your gender, there isn't a single thing about you that qualifies as 'girly'."

"Himeko—!"

As Kiana devolved into a chorus of indignant grumbling and relentless demands for Himeko to explain herself, Silver Wolf silently gave Himeko a thumbs-up for the save.

Only Bronya remained lost in thought.

A girl secret?

She had a gut feeling this involved her. Seeing how Sin couldn't even meet her eyes, Bronya began to piece together the truth.

And that truth was... it likely had something to do with what Silver Wolf mentioned before—about Sin liking her. And now, Sin realized that Silver Wolf had spilled the beans to everyone.

A wave of profound helplessness washed over Bronya.

Night fell.

The living room lights were glowing, and on the TV, the Homu Adventure interface was paused on the level select screen. Silver Wolf and Bronya were perched together on the sofa.

"See? It’s that simple. Hacking skills and Aether Editing go hand-in-hand. If you're lacking in one, you’re lacking in both."

Silver Wolf was going over the tutorials she had written, her expression uncharacteristically serious as she taught Bronya. Bronya’s brow was slightly furrowed, her fingers sliding across the tablet slowly, taking in every line of code with meticulous care.

"Bronya... understands." Bronya looked up, a hint of genuine admiration shining in her eyes.

In the world of hacking, Silver Wolf was practically Mount Everest to her. And that Aether Editing tech? It had opened up a whole new world.

"Glad to hear it. You’re not as thick-headed as you look."

Silver Wolf nodded in approval.

"Once you master these techniques, everything in this world will look like nothing more than lines of code waiting for you to rewrite them."

"Understood." Bronya tucked the tablet away. Then, she picked up a small box sitting beside her and handed it to Silver Wolf.

"What’s this?" Silver Wolf took the box and flipped it open. Her eyes went wide instantly.

Neatly packed inside were rows of pristine game cartridges.

"These are the complete Homu Adventure series, including the limited collector’s editions."

Bronya’s voice was calm, but Silver Wolf didn't miss the slight twitch in her eye. Clearly, gathering all of these had cost Bronya a significant chunk of her own prized collection.

"Well, I won't say no to these!" Silver Wolf beamed with delight, accepting the gift without a hint of hesitation.

Though... she probably couldn't take them with her.

Still, seeing the "Bronya-duck" look so pained over losing her treasures was its own kind of fun~ She’d just sneak them under Bronya's bed before she left.

After stashing the box, Silver Wolf grabbed a controller and tossed it to Bronya. "You've been studying long enough. Time for a break. Balancing work and play is the best way to learn."

"Okay."

Bronya nodded softly. They booted up the game and selected Homu Racing. It looked a lot like the high-speed kart racers Silver Wolf remembered from before her "arrival," only with Homus behind the wheel.

As they locked in their characters and karts, the countdown hit zero. Homu and Homei tore off the starting line. Bronya’s fingers danced across the controller, hitting every apex and drift with clinical perfection.

Yet, Silver Wolf’s Homei remained exactly one car length ahead.

As they approached the final turn before the finish line, Silver Wolf’s kart suddenly surged, drifting through at a mathematically impossible angle.

[WINNER!!!]

Bronya stared at the "Victory" screen, silently resting her controller on her knees.

"That maneuver... is almost impossible to pull off within the game's engine."

"Hmph. For me? Easy as pie." Silver Wolf’s fingers twitched, but she maintained her confident front.

"Is that so?"

"Of course."

Silver Wolf set her controller on the table and turned her head away, avoiding Bronya's gaze. Her ears, however, were tinged a soft pink.

"Superior technique is just part of being good at games."

"Oh." Bronya watched her, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faint, rare smile.

"What’s with the 'oh'?"

"Nothing." Bronya stood up, her step a bit lighter than usual. "Bronya is going to sleep now. Goodnight."

"Night."

Silver Wolf watched her go, then stood up and stretched. Just then, Sin walked out of the bathroom, fresh from a shower. She saw Silver Wolf still sitting there and her expression turned complicated.

"Not in bed yet?" Silver Wolf didn't even have to look back to know who was there.

Sin said nothing.

"I’m leaving tomorrow."

When Silver Wolf said that, Sin let out a sharp huff, her face twisting into a mask of irritation and restlessness. "What’s that got to do with me?"

"I guess." Silver Wolf messed up a drift in the background menu and put the controller down with a sigh. "But, we might never see each other again."

Sin’s footsteps halted.

Silver Wolf turned around, a soft smile on her face. "It’s a shame. I actually liked you. If I could take you back with me, I would."

"..." Sin’s fingers tightened around the hem of her shirt.

"You're alright, kid." Silver Wolf added one last "crit" to the heart. "I hope we get another chance to meet someday."

"Hmph..."

Sin’s eyes looked a little glassy. She suddenly sped up her pace toward the bedroom.

Silver Wolf watched her back and sighed. She wondered if she’d ever be able to turn into "Silver Wolf" again. Man, she really wished she knew a cloning spell.

Her mind drifted to that graduation short from Honkai Impact 3rd. All those characters who had died, coming back to live happy, mundane lives in Nagazora...

The final day arrived.

Silver Wolf stood on the teleportation platform, arms crossed. The entire crew from the Valkyrie dorms was there, including Sin.

"Silver Wolf, thank you."

Theresa looked at her with genuine gratitude. "With those Xuanyuan Swords you printed... St. Freya’s strength will..."

"Save the speech," Silver Wolf interrupted with a grin. "I'm glad you like the toys. But..."

She paused for a beat.

"Those 'Herrscher Core' things are pretty interesting. Couldn't print those for the life of me."

She finally understood what that encrypted data she found inside the original Xuanyuan Sword was. It was the Herrscher Core. That was off-limits for her "printer."

Then again, if she could print those, the Cocoon would probably show up to give her a personal reality check.

"And one more thing..." Silver Wolf looked at Bronya, her grey eyes filled with sudden earnestness. "When I get back, I’ll go to that planet. If that Seele girl you mentioned is still alive, I’ll get her out of there."

"Yes... thank you." Bronya nodded, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes.

"Bronya." Silver Wolf’s smile became even more sincere. "I might not be around to see the day you become a hacker on my level. So... consider this your final exam: use Aether Editing to crack the encryption on those Herrscher Cores. Think you can handle it?"

"Yes. Bronya will definitely do it."

Bronya gave a solemn, determined nod. Meanwhile, Himeko and the others were feeling the onset of a massive headache. Print a Herrscher Core? Is that even possible?

Just before the end, Silver Wolf’s mischievous side flared up one last time.

She remembered a certain timeline from Honkai: Star Rail where Caelus or Stelle refused to join the Express and lived out their life as a researcher on Herta Space Station.

In that world, the Express and the Stellaron Hunters met a cosmic, world-shaking end. They all died.

She wondered... if she ever transformed into a Star Rail character again, should she just tell them Silver Wolf was dead? And that it was related to a Stellaron?

She could bet Bronya and the others would fill in the blanks themselves—imagining how Silver Wolf got involved with Stellarons, why she became a Hunter, and how she met her end. They'd probably get every detail wrong but end up at the right conclusion!

Heh heh heh... I really am a menace.

She pushed the thought aside. The odds of turning into another Star Rail character back-to-back weren't exactly high anyway.

"Well then. See ya."

Silver Wolf looked at Kiana and the rest, her gaze pure and sincere. Just before she vanished, she caught Sin’s eyes and gave her one last gentle, lingering smile—a soft memory to leave behind.

"She's gone..." Theresa whispered, her voice tinged with loss.

"Yeah." Kiana sighed, looking downcast. "Thinking about how we might never see her again... it sucks."

The group fell into a somber silence. They had only just gotten to know her, and now she was gone—vanishing as suddenly as she had appeared, leaving no trace behind.

"Overseer."

The researchers spoke up, sounding disappointed. "The instruments still didn't detect a single energy fluctuation."

"I see... good work, everyone." Theresa nodded. She had been disappointed so many times that she was starting to get used to it.

Still, nobody moved. They kept their eyes glued to the platform. They knew that the next visitor was due to arrive any second.

"Whoops!"

The next moment, a small figure appeared. She wore deep brown robes and a strange, round hat adorned with a single red flower. Her face was almost identical to Kiana’s, but... her hair color, her eyes, and her outfit were entirely different.

I turned into Hu Tao?

Hu Tao stood on the platform, blinking her plum-blossom-shaped pupils as she looked around with utter confusion.

"Huh?!" Kiana was stunned the moment she saw her.

Everyone else froze, their eyes darting back and forth between Hu Tao and Kiana.

"A parallel world... Kiana?" Theresa asked, her voice cracking with surprise.

"Wow!" Hu Tao spoke up, her voice brimming with energy and curiosity. "What is this place? The decor is certainly unique!"

"You..." Kiana looked at Hu Tao, bewildered. "Who are you?"

"Hmm?"

Hu Tao’s attention snapped to Kiana. She scanned her from head to toe—from her hair to her face, then her clothes, then back to her face again. Her eyes sparkled with novelty.

Then, Hu Tao let out a laugh, looking both serious and inquisitive. "I should be asking you that! I was just taking a stroll through Wuwang Hill, looking for a few new clients, and then—blink—and I’m here."

She began to wander around the platform, poking at the monitors, the screens, and the recessed lights in the ceiling as if she’d never seen technology before.

"All this stuff looks a bit like the gear in Fontaine. Is this Fontaine? Also..."

After finishing her lap, Hu Tao’s gaze landed back on Kiana.

"Who... are you?"

--+--