"Woo——"
For some reason, after hearing Xier's confused question, the spirit deer under her suddenly raised its head high and let out a cry full of joy and contentment.
"Eh? You, what did you say?"
Xier's expression was stunned.
As a creature that embodies the power of the Ruler in the real world, Diana the Spirit Deer is not only a creature that possesses some power of death, but from a certain perspective, it can also be regarded as a kind of extracorporeal organ of Seele. However, compared to most physical organs that do not contain "consciousness", Diana the Spirit Deer not only has a complete set of biological signs, but also has a self-consciousness independent of Seele.
Of course, like the "clones" created by Fu Hua using Yu Duchen, even if Diana has individual consciousness, she is still a part of Xier. And because she is not human, Diana's intelligence level is not high enough to act alone. It's just that, as a creature of power, this spirit deer's understanding of "power" is a little deeper than Xier herself.
Although Seele did inherit the power of creation and decay, that was only because she was more adaptable to the power of life and death than other powers. She did not have the experience of facing the "Will of Honkai" when she became a Herrscher like the Herrschers of the Original World. She had never received the knowledge infusion of the "Will of Honkai", so naturally it was impossible for her to fully understand the power of life and death.
Therefore, even though she became the Herrscher of Life and Death, Seele actually did not fully understand the principles and technical details that allowed her to become a Herrscher.
In her understanding, the reason why she could become a Herrscher was because "Su" implanted the rules of the "cocoon" that imitated the original world into the twin world bubble that Mistress Lin visited. It was by utilizing the rules of "Su" that they were able to attempt to become Herrschers and defeat "Su"'s creation, the bad woman named Vita.
But just now, Diana, the spirit deer, gave her an answer that was completely different from this understanding.
She stood there in a daze for a long while, then stupidly raised her head to look at the young store manager who was covering his face. Her blank expression suddenly turned into a guilty feeling as if she had been caught stealing someone else's things: "I...I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry."
Hearing Xier's apology, the store manager was puzzled. He loosened his hands that were covering his face, and looked a little confused: "Why are you apologizing to me all of a sudden?"
"Because... because Diana said that its existence, as well as the power of creation and withering, were all born from you." Xier said timidly, "I... I'm sorry, have I caused any bad influence on you?"
"...No, to be honest, if your spirit deer and the flower demon in your body hadn't sent me a message, I wouldn't have even noticed that part of the power of the Quantum Sea had been lost. For the amount of power I have, dividing a part to create a Herrscher wouldn't have much of an impact." The young store manager rubbed his face, looking a little embarrassed. "It's just that... suddenly having a daughter out of nowhere... is indeed a bit beyond my expectations."
"..."
Xier's face couldn't help but turn red, but she didn't say anything to refute it at the first time, because she knew that this was indeed true from a certain perspective. After all, after becoming the Herrscher, she had become the other party's creation to a certain extent... There was nothing wrong with calling her a daughter.
"Well, what should we do next?" The young store manager rubbed his forehead, which was beginning to hurt. "Since you have taken away all the power, I am not going to take it back. In the final analysis, you were able to obtain this power entirely because of your own efforts. Although I reshaped the rules of the Quantum Sea and gave most of the world bubbles a nearly infinite existence time, I am not selfish enough to think that everything in the Quantum Sea has become my property. Except for the weeds like 'Su' that made a mess of the sea area under my control, most of the time I adopted the principle of free range, so... what kind of relationship do you think we should have to get along with each other?"
This question stumped Xier. To be honest, having lost her parents at a very young age, she had never experienced the feeling of "father's love". So she did not have any resistance to the sudden appearance of a father. She just found it difficult to accept the reality for a while.
Even though the store manager said that he would not take back the power and emphasized that the power was obtained through his own efforts, based on the facts Diana told her, the fact that she could obtain the power of the Quantum Sea so easily was actually inseparable from the store manager in front of her.
And...how to say it, after knowing all the causes and consequences, Xier couldn't help but develop a feeling close to sympathy towards the so-called "Sa".
After the store manager reshaped the rules of the Quantum Sea, the first person to be affected was Suo, who had been secretly absorbing nutrients in the Quantum Sea. Although the order established by the store manager did not completely eradicate this thief, it also made Suo no longer dare to place his body in the depths of the Quantum Sea.
——It was in this context that the "avatar" created by "Su", that is, Vita, was given the responsibility of dancing on the edge of a knife.
No one knows what sin the so-called "Sa" had committed to cause him to provoke Kiana, the Ruler of the End in the Original World, and the Manager, the Rule Maker at the bottom of the Quantum Sea, in succession within a few days.
Of course, this meaningless sympathy would naturally disappear when one thinks of the bad things that "Sa" had done in the past.
But, what kind of relationship should I have with the store manager...
"You...what do you want me to do?" After thinking for a moment, Xier decisively kicked the ball back.
Since it is an indisputable fact that she has obtained power from the other party, Xier's character will naturally not easily deny the relationship between the two sides.
However, she really had no experience in getting along with the so-called "father". Before today, she had only met the store manager twice, and both meetings left her with a rather confused impression.
It can be said that Xier still knows nothing about this cafe and its young manager. In this situation, she is indeed unsure about what attitude she should use to get along with the other party, so she can only give the choice back to the other party.
"Well... how about this." The young store manager thought for a moment, "This is my first time being a father, and you... although it's not your first time being a daughter, you probably don't have much experience getting along with a father, so let's just make do with this for now? You be more casual with me, and I'll be more casual with you?"
Before Xier could give a response to the store manager's messy and abstract proposal, other people in the hall couldn't help but speak first.
Guan Xing's face darkened, and he couldn't help but raise the feather fan in his hand and hit the back of the store manager's head:
"You are so shameless, you really want to treat other people's little girls as your own daughter!"
The two Bronias were a little overwhelmed. The two double-helix ducks from 2013 and 2017 took steps in perfect tacit understanding, one on the left and one on the right, walking in front of Seele.
Bronya from 2013 said expressionlessly: "Although this Seele is not from the same period as me, I still can't watch her being cheated away by another man."
"I agree." Bronya from 2017 said calmly, "Bronya will protect Seele's innocence."
"...Why don't you ask the person concerned what she thinks?" The young store manager put on a helpless expression, "If she doesn't have such thoughts... I'm not so tough as to force someone to become my daughter."
"... Humph, what are you thinking about? There's no way Seele would agree to that." Bronya from 2017 rolled her eyes slightly and crossed her arms confidently. "No one in this world knows Seele better than Bronya."
"Although Bronya is skeptical about the latter sentence, as for the first sentence, Bronya agrees with you." Bronya from 2013 still had a blank expression on her face, "Seele would not agree."
“…Ahhhh, wait, Diana——!!”
At this moment, the two Bronyas suddenly felt a strong wind coming from behind them.
Because they knew that the person standing behind them was Seele, they did not take any precautions behind their backs. After being poked in the waist by a hard object, the two Bronyas were unable to put up any resistance and could only squat down weakly in the pain from their waists.
They all turned around at the same time, looking at Xi'er in disbelief, and spoke in unison, their voices full of disillusionment and despair: "Xi...Xi'er...?"
"No, it wasn't Xier who did it just now! It was Diana herself..."
"Woo--!! Woo--woo--!!!" The spirit deer that suddenly used its horns to attack Bronya's waist twice made a sound full of anxiety and grievance.
"You, please don't lie to me! It was obviously you who was disobedient... I, I would never want to do anything to Sister Bronya!!" Seele was a little anxious.
“Wu…? Wuu——!!”
"You said you've already slowed down your strength...? No! That's not the point! Even if you've slowed down your strength, you can't suddenly attack Bronya-nee..."
“Woooooo! Woooooo! Woooooooo!!”
"I did fantasize about having a family, but, but you can't just bump into Sister Bronya! Besides, he and I just met the store manager here, how can I suddenly accept it..."
"Ugh——!"
“Wha…what? You said I accepted it when I chose to become a Herrscher… No! I became a Herrscher only because I had to face Vita! At that time, I…”
“Woooo ...
"..."
No one knew what the spirit deer said to Xier. Amid the puzzled looks on everyone's faces in the hall, Xier's face went from slightly rosy at the beginning to extremely red, and her voice became softer and softer as she spoke with the spirit deer.
Of course, no matter how faint the sound was, it was still very clear to Bronya, who was less than a meter away from Seele.
However, the content of those words made both Bronyas stunned at the same time, followed by a long silence.
After a moment's silence, the two Bronias from different time points covered their waists that were injured by the spirit deer, stood up tremblingly, then turned around, walked in front of Seele, and raised their hands at the same time, patting Seele's shoulders on the left and right.
"I'm sorry, Seele, I couldn't be with you when you needed help the most." Bronya from 2017 said with some pain.
"I'm sorry, Seele..." Bronya from 2013 was even more depressed than her other self. Obviously, she recalled the scene where she could only watch Seele get lost in the quantum sea but could do nothing.
Because the power in hand is not enough, it is necessary to borrow from the outside world, and to obtain power from "others" who do not belong to it. Only this point, not to mention Seele herself who said this, even the two Bronyas could not give any reason to refute.
"Sister Bronya, you haven't done anything wrong to Seele, Seele, Seele is just..."
"It's okay, Seele." Bronya from 2013 gently squeezed Seele's right hand. "No matter what choice you make, as long as it's Seele's own choice, Bronya will always support you."
Bronya from 2017 calmly added: "Of course, if anyone bullies Seele and makes Seele sad, Bronya will definitely make that person regret coming into this world, I swear."
“Hey, hey, hey! That’s too much! I’m still listening!” The young store manager glared at the two Bronyas and couldn’t help but mutter in a low voice, “This is really weird. I was trying to find a Seele for you guys out of kindness, but not only did I not find the Seele I was looking for, but a Seele that turned into my daughter flew in out of nowhere… This world is so fucking weird and ridiculous.”
Suddenly, the store manager raised his eyes as if he remembered something: "...By the way, you were suddenly led all the way to my store by your spirit deer. Wouldn't the people around you be worried if they found out you were missing?"
“……Ah!!!” Xier’s expression suddenly froze.
——A world from the future.
“Xi’er——!!”
“Xi’er——!!”
“Xi’er!!! Where on earth have you been————!!!!”
In the Holy City of Salt and Snow, everyone was in chaos after Xier suddenly disappeared, and everyone was in a state of madness.
Chapter 4: The Herrscher's Power and the Stigmata Consciousness are fighting!! (k)
As for the other Xier - let's call her Black Xier for now.
For Hei Xier, this journey in the Twin World Bubble might not necessarily be a happy one, but it was definitely impressive enough.
From tracking the gray snake to falling into Mistlin and a "claw machine" in a cafe.
After being inexplicably captured by that inexplicable coffee shop, he was inexplicably thrown back to the place where he came from.
Trying to return to the original world, he accidentally rushed into the bubble of the twin worlds of life and death.
In the end, with the concerted efforts of everyone, Seele - another her, transformed into a Herrscher born from the Quantum Sea, defeated the bad woman, and saved the twin world bubble that was about to collapse.
Although the process was not easy, to be honest, if Hei Xier were allowed to choose, she would never choose to go through this terrible experience again, but no matter what, the result is always a happy ending. She is also sincerely happy for the "other Xier" who has gained new strength and can no longer rely on "herself" and can also stand on her own.
But just as everyone was enjoying the afterglow of victory and the hard-earned peace—
——Xier is missing.
Completely gone.
At first, He Xier thought that the "other self" was just too busy to meet other companions because he had just inherited the position of "Tower Sage".
But soon, she realized something was wrong.
Although she has been separated from Seele's body and obtained a body that can move independently under Seele's "creation" power, the fact that the two of them are one has not changed.
As long as Hei Xier wanted, she could return to Xier's body at any time.
——As long as they are still in the same world.
"did you find it?"
"No, I didn't find it here either."
"Damn it! Why did Xier disappear even after the world bubble incident ended? Who did it? Who did it? Get out here! I'll beat you to death!"
The world is white. Snowflakes are falling all over the sky onto the white ground, cooling the ground and also cooling the hearts of the people who have not yet left this bubble of the world.
Most of the people who came to this world were Valkyries whose mission was to fight against the Honkai. In most cases, they were not afraid of fighting, and even sacrifice was not unacceptable to them. However, Seele's disappearance was too sudden and too absurd, so absurd that no one could accept it.
The greatest hero of the battle actually disappeared after the battle was won... Only a ghost could accept such a thing!!
To be honest, all the frontline fighters present couldn't believe that Seele, who had obtained the power of death, could disappear so completely. Even if Kiana, the Herrscher of the End, was here, she couldn't let Seele disappear without any resistance. It stands to reason that with Hei Seele's combat qualities, she wouldn't be so confused about this, but the PTSD caused by "Seele's disappearance" was too serious. After all, not long ago, Seele's existence had just disappeared in front of her, and even the memory of her mind had disappeared completely.
Fortunately, the memory in her mind was still intact. If even the memory started to become abnormal, Hei Xier couldn't even guarantee that she could maintain her rational thinking ability.
Not only Hei Xier, but everyone present was extremely anxious about Xier's disappearance. Raiden Mei and Bronya were overlooking the panoramic view of the Holy City of Salt and Snow from two high-rise buildings. When their eyes accidentally met, they saw each other's frowning expressions; the mini Prometheus squatted in front of a translucent virtual screen, with data streams flashing rapidly in his eyes, searching for Xier's behavior trajectory before her disappearance at the fastest speed; Shigure Kirara and Susanna searched everywhere in the streets and alleys, and they almost turned the whole world upside down; after Xier lost her trace, Alien Stigmata 0014 and 0015 temporarily returned to the position of "Tower Sage" to maintain the "rules" planted by "Su" to completely annihilate the life and death boundary of this world before.
“Xi’er——!”
“Xi’er——!”
“Xi’er——!”
On the smooth rocks, in the dense woods, and in the alleys, shouts echoed everywhere, revealing an anxious voice. A girl in red and black light armor desperately rummaged through the wooden trash can on the street, and then after dumping all the contents of the trash can to one side, she looked up to the sky and screamed:
“Xi’er!!! Where on earth have you been————!!!!”
Hei Xier was really going crazy.
She knew Xier's character very well, and knew better than anyone that Xier was not the kind of good child that would make people worry. If she really had something important and needed to leave urgently, she would definitely try to leave a message to tell others not to worry. This disappearance without a trace could only make Hei Xier think of two possibilities: either she was dead, or her personal freedom was suddenly restricted. Hei Xier didn't even dare to think about the former situation, and as for the latter situation -
--Suddenly, the sunny sky darkened, and a pitch-black vortex appeared out of thin air from the boundless sky. Black feathers fell like snowflakes. The people on the ground couldn't help but look up. Raiden Mei and Bronya, who were standing at the highest point of the two buildings, immediately took fighting stances after seeing such a strange scene.
But in the next second, everyone couldn't help but be stunned.
Although the pitch-black vortex looked terrifying, it was filled with an extremely warm power. The slowly falling black feathers were not as strange as they seemed. Instead, they gave everyone in the Holy City who had experienced that battle a very familiar feeling...
...Isn't this the power of creation? How did it become like this? Before anyone could ask this question, a soft voice came from far away in the sky.
"Hold! Sorry—I'm back!"
Xier, wearing a gorgeous dress and black wings, was seen falling rapidly from the dark vortex on a spirit deer whose color had completely changed. The smooth and silky dark chocolate was delicious and charming.
"I didn't... didn't cause any trouble to anyone?"
Looking at Xi'er who had returned to the Holy City of Salt and Snow, Hei Xi'er opened her mouth and uttered an uncontrollable voice of astonishment: "You, why did you suddenly become like this? Xi'er?"
"Hey? Are you asking about this dress?" Xi'er, sitting on the back of the spirit deer, looked at her body with an embarrassed expression, "Is it... not suitable for me?"
Hei Xier suddenly reacted: "...Did you suddenly leave the world bubble to change clothes?"
"No, that's not it. I just went to see the rules of the Quantum Sea..." Xier twisted her soft hair and said carefully, "I seem to have made you worried. I'm sorry."
"I'm glad Seele is okay." At this time, a milky voice came from far away. Bronya, who was wrapped in outer armor, quickly approached the two Seeles with the help of the flight module. "But, can you tell Bronya, what does Seele mean when she said you went to see the rules of the Quantum Sea?"
Following Bronya's question, the people who were just looking for Seele came closer one after another. Shigure Kirara and Susanna were obviously relieved. Two alien stigmata also appeared at Seele's landing point in a flash, and even Prometheus projected his translucent image nearby.
"That's exactly what it means..."
Although Xier, who is now close to adulthood and has gone through many things, is no longer as reserved and introverted as she was when she was a child, she still can't help but shrink her neck timidly when everyone's attention is suddenly focused on her.
