[When you lose consciousness in another world, you will cross over to this one. When you lose consciousness in this world, you will return to the world you originally belonged to.]
After offering Dr. MEI a solemn apology.
The pink fairy girl who had completely failed at studying Quantum Mechanics, The Macroscopic World, and Many-Worlds Interpretation Theory…
Skipped her daily training.
And returned to her room in a daze.
When a girl has something on her mind, it is hard for her to focus on anything at all. That was exactly the situation Elysia was in right now.
She cared. A lot.
Were the words of the girl in her dream actually true? If she fell asleep again, could she really travel to another world?
Practice is the only way to know the truth.
Holding onto that belief, Elysia lay down on her bed, trying to test whether Kiyono Inori had lied to her.
So let me ask you this.
If someone sleeps from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. the next day, a full thirteen hours, would they still be able to take a nap at noon?
Of course not.
Elysia tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Lying there, she only felt herself growing more and more awake.
And then.
"All units, please be advised. All units, please be advised."
"A high concentration Honkai energy reaction has been detected. Energy level is estimated to exceed 3070 HW. Honkai detectors have been confirmed functional. It is inferred that the Fifth Herrscher has appeared."
"Satellite imagery has been transmitted."
"The Fifth Honkai Eruption has been confirmed to have broken out in the Rosentina Archipelago near the Mu Continent. Honkai energy concentration is continuing to rise. Fire Moth drones have already attempted infiltration operations to gather intelligence on the newly emerged Herrscher."
"All teams, assemble at the military airport within five minutes. Assemble at the military airport within five minutes."
The shrill alarms and emergency broadcasts of Fire Moth tore the girl out of her daydreams and dragged her back into reality. Here, she was not some little kitty, but a resolute warrior.
Honkai.
Having already joined Fire Moth, Elysia had a clear understanding of what that word meant.
Every Honkai eruption cost tens of millions of ordinary people their lives. Those who were luckier lost their homes, were displaced, and became refugees.
In this world that was anything but gentle, Honkai was the embodiment of all suffering.
"Hah… good thing I did not fall asleep. I knew the fifth one might not be far off, but I did not expect it to come this fast."
Elysia sighed as she donned her anti-Honkai combat suit and hurried to the Fire Moth military airport.
"Elysia, you are late."
Most of the people were already gone from the base. A man in a specialized uniform spoke up. "But your timing is just right. We happen to have a huge problem that needs your strength."
Fire Moth moved with frightening efficiency.
In just a few minutes, through satellite photos, drone reconnaissance, and even the deliberate sacrifice of stationed personnel, they had grasped the Herrscher's abilities by any means necessary.
Extreme low temperatures.
The ability to condense moisture in the air into ice, forming razor-sharp ice spikes. The erupting cold waves could easily crush any mechanical creation of Fire Moth.
The Herrscher also granted Honkai beasts ultra-low-temperature traits. The temperature in the Rosentina Archipelago region was already approaching absolute zero.
But… fortunately.
The Herrscher had not been born in a densely populated area.
The Rosentina Archipelago lay far from modern industrial civilization. Primitive tribes maintained traditional lifestyles there, living isolated from the rest of the world.
Before the Honkai disaster erupted,
The Mu Continent government had even classified attempts to contact the islanders as criminal acts, all to prevent tribal extinction and ensure outsiders stayed far away from the archipelago.
That distance.
Gave Fire Moth a generous margin for error. So much so that after local stationed members deliberately sacrificed themselves,
The higher-ups intentionally delayed the plane carrying their existing trump card, Kevin, and dispatched several more teams to die probing the Herrscher's further abilities.
Yes.
Fire Moth's warriors were not volunteering to give their lives to investigate the Herrscher. They were given mandatory orders by the higher command.
Originally, someone as talented as Elysia should have been thrown straight into the battlefield to suppress the Fifth Herrscher. But now, a small complication had arisen.
The Fifth Herrscher's accompanying Honkai beast.
It appeared in the South Pacific Ocean, between the Rosentina Archipelago and the Mu Continent. Satellite observations showed it advancing toward the Mu Continent.
So.
The leaders of the Previous Era made a swift decision.
They sent Elysia to deal with this Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.
Even though Kevin during the Fifth Honkai was, in theory, stronger than Elysia, his actual combat experience was far inferior. Facing a Herrscher alone, he could very well fail.
"Having strength really is enviable. After this incident, her status will surely rise even higher. Though the suspicion she faces will grow as well."
Watching Elysia leap alone into the military helicopter, the commander in charge of this operation rubbed his metal index finger, recalling the task given to him by his superiors.
[Focus observation on Elysia]
The higher-ups' suspicion toward her had been accumulating for a long time. The Second Herrscher, the Third Herrscher, the Fourth Herrscher. This woman had repeatedly demonstrated extraordinary power.
But to the leadership, that very power was also a deadly Sword of Damocles.
If Honkai were to disappear from this world one day, then warriors who could fight Honkai would lose their value. The stronger the warrior, the more they would be feared.
When that day came,
Assassination plans targeting this woman would surely be put on the agenda. Thinking this, the Fire Moth commander's expression darkened.
This was a good opportunity to climb upward.
"You lot… follow."
With a hand signal, the commander boarded another stealth aircraft along with agents from an organization not directly under Fire Moth, tailing the helicopter Elysia was riding.
Now was not the time to act. But they could collect combat data and possible weaknesses first.
…
Elsewhere, Elysia had already arrived above the sea where the Fifth Herrscher's accompanying Honkai beast lurked.
"This… is actually pretty convenient?!"
The accompanying Honkai beast shared the Herrscher's ice-manipulating traits. Under its extreme cold domain, vast stretches of ocean had frozen solid.
An endless blizzard raged, blotting out even the midday sun. The scene was no different from what Elysia imagined Antarctica or the Arctic to be like.
"Then… shall we say hello first?"
With a light whisper, Elysia took out a specially made composite bow from her Elysia-exclusive equipment.
During the Fifth Honkai period, Elysia was already skilled with and fond of using a bow. But the MANTIS project had not yet begun, and Kevin was still a green recruit with little experience.
Elysia often had to bear the pressure of the frontline, so she also carried a beautifully crafted one-handed sword in her pack.
The girl raised her bow.
Aiming at the black, alien silhouette slowly emerging from the snow-white expanse, she took a deep breath. The icy air flowed through her mouth and nose into her body.
Perhaps… that ordinary world, where she was simply a naive little kitty, was truly just a dream.
She breathed steadily, each breath drawing in the surrounding Honkai energy and infusing it into the arrow in her hand. She could clearly sense that destructive Honkai energy circulating obediently within her body.
A pink arrow.
At the last moment, she added a flashy effect buff to it. Then, adorned with blossoms, the pink arrow shot through the air like an intercontinental missile, streaking toward the Honkai beast hidden in the icy shadows.
"Huh?"
Elysia blinked.
She had used this move countless times, but this time something felt different. Somehow, a strange gray-white energy had mixed into her beautiful pink arrow.
And.
A bizarre voice echoed in her mind.
[Alright, that concludes the story of Cao Cao. Everyone, split into four groups, choose a famous Three Kingdoms figure as your discussion topic, and later send a representative to share your group's results.]
It sounded like a teacher.
[Kiyono, can I be in a group with you?]
[Lady Kiyono, please, I will do anything! This is the request of my lifetime!]
The chatter of girls overlapped noisily.
"Kiyono… Inori-chan, is that you?" The pink piggy-cat, head full of question marks, asked almost reflexively.
[I am fine with any…] The girl's voice suddenly dropped to a mosquito's whisper halfway through. [Elysia Cat, um… can we really connect voice across worlds like this?]
[Kiyono, please!]
[How about setting Zhuge Liang as the topic? After all, Kiyono is basically Hanasakigawa's Zhuge-sama!]
The girls on the other end kept chattering, even growing in number. The buzzing noise made Elysia frown.
Oh, so this is how it is, you naughty Inori-chan. I am here fighting for my life, and you are over there having a blast with other girls?!
Is that acceptable?
That is not acceptable!
"Inori-chan, I never said you could not be close with other girls. Really. I am not some demon, after all."
"But what is with so many people? That noise has to be over ten girls! You are only sixteen, right? Sixteen and already throwing music parties?"
"If this keeps up…"
"At thirty-two you will host two music parties, at sixty-four four parties, at one hundred twenty-eight eight parties, and in the end you will ascend as the god of music party domains!"
"As a cute, beautiful, kind-hearted pure-love warrior, Miss Pink Fairy, I might have to defeat you. For real."
Elysia held back a laugh, her tone serious and cold.
[I am telling you, this is a class assignment from the teacher! These girls just want to freeload by grouping with me. I do not even understand what music parties you are talking about!]
The girl on the other end sounded helpless.
"Hmm? You know how it is. Girls do not care about the details. Make sure you reflect properly, okay? Otherwise I will turn into a cat and not let you pet me!"
The pink piggy-cat snorted righteously.
…
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