The environment Hua created with Fenghuang Down wasn't complex; whether it could even be called an illusion was debatable. More accurately, it was just a form of psychological suggestion she and her disciple often used during "heart-searching."
After all... the heart is the most important, yet most fragile part of a person. It's too easily stained by dust, developing unnecessary emotions and attachments. If this dust accumulates for too long, one forgets their original purpose...
"Ah..."
Hua sighed, irrelevant thoughts inexplicably surfacing.
It made sense. For ordinary humans, life is but a journey of a few decades. Even if Stigmata awakeners possess physiques far exceeding ordinary people, they can't compare to the near-endless lifespans of MANTIS.
That's why she needed to create this method to constantly dust off her heart, discarding all distracting thoughts, all for that single, initial purpose...
However... for these two twenty-something girls before her, the time they'd experienced, the people they'd met, the events they'd encountered were still too insignificant. It wouldn't take long for them to arrive at their own answers.
As she thought this, a murmur reached Hua's ears. She glanced up and saw the Kaslana girl showing signs of waking.
"So this is the Kaslana conviction..."
Hua was momentarily silent—though expected, this was a bit too fast.
As for the Schariac...
Without Hua even realizing it, a bitter smile bloomed on her face.
She quickly shook her head, brushing aside the sentiment categorized as "dust." Seeing Kallen was already half-awake, she hesitated for a moment, then took two steps forward, preparing to help her up.
"Don't touch her!"
Hua's advance stopped abruptly. A pebble, the size of a goose egg, whizzed past her nose. The next moment, a blond, blue-eyed young man spread his arms protectively in front of Kallen.
"O... tto..." Kallen whispered.
"It's okay... I'm here. It's okay, I'm here."
Otto swallowed hard, neurotically repeating the phrase twice. Only then did he begin to size up the "enemy" before him.
Their eyes met. He saw the girl's brow furrow as she muttered something nonsensical:
"Hm? You have his blood too?"
"What do you—"
Otto's Adam's apple bobbed. Before he could finish his question, he suddenly found his body frozen in place, unable to move, not even able to control the movement of his eyes!
"It's over!"
He didn't know what was happening, but being unable to move on a battlefield meant he was nothing but fish on a chopping block.
But was that truly the case?
Only when his right hand turned to grasp the empty air beside him did Otto realize—it wasn't the girl before him who had immobilized him, but rather he had lost control of his own body.
"Void Archives, what are you doing?!"
His hitherto "friendly coexistence" with the Void Archives had gradually lowered Otto's guard and some of his enmity. Of course, given the vast power difference, even if he were more vigilant, he couldn't resist the Void Archives' actions.
He understood, of course; he'd considered the possibility of the Void Archives possessing his body from the very beginning. But he hadn't expected it to happen at this moment!
["Ehehe?"]
The Void Archives responded with a strange chuckle.
["Alright Otto, just quiet down a bit. Leave the rest to me—did you really think you could beat her?"]
"No, I..."
Otto's words were cut off by the sound of rattling chains. The next moment, the heavy cross was dragged towards him by... himself. No, by the Void Archives.
"If you want to harm Kallen, you'll have to step over my dead body."
Otto instinctively wanted to cover his face, but alas, his body wouldn't obey his will.
"Otto..."
Kallen weakly tugged at Otto's trouser leg, momentarily speechless, just staring at his back.
Her thoughts were still jumbled, her body devoid of strength. What bewildered her even more was that Judah's Oath, which should have been under her control, was now obediently responding to Otto's summons. As the weapon's original master, she couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but she actually felt a faint, almost imperceptible excitement emanating from the Divine Key's core.
"Could this be... understanding what one must protect..."
As for Eleanor, she had actually been awake for some time. But seeing Otto resolutely standing before Kallen, she bit her lip, closed her eyes again, and pretended she had never woken up.
And Hua... Hua's brow furrowed even deeper. She took a long look at "Otto," took half a step back with her left foot, clenched her left fist by her waist, and extended her right palm diagonally, adopting a long-unseen opening stance.
The wind moaned ceaselessly, unknowingly sweeping away the dust that filled the entire sky. The sunset's afterglow draped over Hua, a dazzling red.
The two faced each other, motionless. Though neither yielded verbally, neither launched an attack.
After a short while, Hua relaxed her stance. Otto suddenly found himself back in control of his body, but no matter how he called out to the Void Archives in his mind, he received no response.
He hesitated for a moment, then used the opportunity to help Kallen up, only then hearing the steady footsteps behind him.
Hua's gaze bypassed Otto, landing on the two familiar figures behind him. She snorted softly and turned to leave.
"Wait, Hua!"
Kevin quickened his pace, moving past Otto until he was only a step away from Hua. Su followed at a more leisurely pace.
But Hua seemed to have no intention of conversing with her old friends. Her steps faltered for only an instant before she continued to walk away without looking back.
Shing—
"That's..."
Forced, Kevin pulled out two pistols from his coat. Merging them before him, they instantly transformed into the blazing Cleaver of Shamash, its tip plunged deep into the earth. He didn't know what to say or do. Perhaps there were more tactful ways, but for the moment, this was the only way he could express his stance—
Friend or foe, choose!
Hua's steps indeed halted, but she delayed turning around, her thoughts unreadable.
"Judgment of Shamash!"
Compared to Hua's silence, Kallen and Otto became incredibly agitated. The same Judgment of Shamash, the same tall figure, the same protective stance before them, only... he couldn't be Francis Kaslana. He didn't seem to care much about them either, only slightly tilting his head to glance back when he heard someone call out the name of his weapon.
"Who exactly are you!" Kallen mustered all her strength, supported by Otto, to stand.
White hair, sky-blue eyes—undoubtedly another Kaslana, but...
"I've never seen you in the Kaslana family! And why is Judgment of Shamash in your hands!"
"Hmph!" Kevin turned his head away, unwilling to answer.
Su opened his mouth, hesitating whether to say something. The situation had suddenly become very chaotic. Kevin's mind was consumed by Hua, or more accurately, the potential Michael behind her. Meanwhile, his descendant was fixated on him, or more precisely, the Judgment of Shamash in his hands.
And, of course, a girl feigning unconsciousness lay nearby, oblivious to the unfolding drama.
However...
Su opened his eyes a sliver, glancing back at Otto.
Their eyes met. Otto felt a pang of guilt for some reason and silently averted his gaze. Su, merely following his intuition, had only glanced briefly before turning back to join Kevin in persuading Hua:
"Hua, we don't know what you went through after we parted on the moon, but... since you're alive, standing here unharmed, I believe it's necessary for us to exchange information, don't you agree?"
"Is that so?"
Hua slowly turned around. Her expression was somewhat strained, but at least she didn't leave immediately.
Actually, she could have left directly. "Undoubtedly, thanks to SWARA, now, and for a long time to come, you will be the strongest 'human' in this world."
Mobius's smug words still echoed in her ears. SWARA had granted her limitless potential for growth and sealed away the greatest risk of being a MANTIS. Against Kevin in his prime, she might not have been a match; after all, even Finality couldn't take that moon-igniting blow head-on. But that strike had ultimately inflicted irreversible injuries on Kevin. Even with Su's assistance...
"Kevin, put away your Shamash. Friend or foe... Kevin, can you still enter Active Honkai Reaction now?"
"Yes."
Kevin answered without hesitation, but it only earned him a shake of Hua's head:
"Kevin, you're still the same. Your descendant is the same way—what's the point of being stubborn?"
As Hua turned away again, her long hair reverted to its normal dark grey.
Kevin's grip on the sword hilt tightened. As Hua began to walk away again, he finally couldn't help but say:
"Hua, you still recognize us. That means after using Fenghuang Down on the moon, you..."
"Don't flatter yourself, Kevin. My current feelings towards you amount to nothing more than recognizing the names 'Kevin' and 'Su'."
Hua cut Kevin off bluntly. She wasn't wrong. For her current self, the memories preserved in Fenghuang Down were less her own past memories and more like the memories of a girl named "Hua."
Hua's memories, what did they have to do with her, Phoenix?
That was indeed the case, but the fact remained, it didn't mean Kevin could accept it:
"Then what about the Fire Moth? In your eyes now, what is the Fire Moth? What was everything we fought for?"
"You should ask the past me that question, if you ever meet her." Hua turned her head slightly, seemingly answering Kevin, but subtly glancing at the bewildered Otto.
Kevin opened his mouth, completely lost for words.
"Any other questions? If not... I'm returning to Mount Taixuan. Schicksal, you created it? Keep them in line. Next time they use Honkai's power so recklessly..."
Kevin took a step forward, about to say more, but Su grabbed his arm. Su then stepped forward himself, adopting a gentler tone:
"Hua, we have no intention of offending you, but you should understand that our reason for being here isn't solely because of you. By the way, not long ago, we discovered a strange creature suspected to be a creation of Mobius. We're not trying to get to the bottom of everything, but if you're willing, just answer a few simple questions... Three! Only three questions, is that alright?"
Hua's heel, which had been about to touch the ground, instead tapped lightly. She hesitated briefly, then stepped back.
She gave no explicit response, but her attitude was self-evident.
"In that case, I'll ask directly—first question, Hua, Mobius, is she still alive?"
"..."
Hua took a deep breath and paused for a long time, as if they weren't communicating face-to-face... or rather, back-to-back, but talking on phones with a bad connection. Only after a delay did Hua's answer come:
"Mobius... she was once alive. Now, I don't know."
Su whipped his head around the instant he opened his eyes; Kevin did the same. They looked at each other for a moment, understanding dawning in their eyes—Hua wouldn't speak meaningless nonsense. "She was once alive" definitely didn't mean she was alive in the Previous Era, but rather after the world entered its cycle of rebirth.
"As expected... Did he spare specific individuals, or everyone?"
Su tilted his head, not voicing the overly direct question. He had a more pressing doubt:
"You don't know? Hua, did something happen to you all afterwards?"
This time, Hua's reply came swiftly and mercilessly:
"Is that your second question?"
Su pursed his lips; he knew he'd wasted an opportunity. So, according to their previous agreement, only one question remained.
What exactly happened after the Final Herrscher War?
How many other Flame-Chasers survived?
Why did they willingly rejoin? And why did they still proactively execute the "Project EMBER" devised by Mei?
Between the Fire Moth and Michael, if you had to choose, which side would you pick?
Countless such questions swirled in his mind, but there was only one last chance, and... it wasn't even certain Hua would answer.
If it were someone else, say Mobius, Su might have tried using his psychic abilities to probe his former comrade's mind. But Hua, as the wielder of the Eighth Divine Key, Fenghuang Down—the only Key of Sentience Su hadn't managed to retrieve—was clearly immune to psychic intrusion.
So, the choice of question could only rely on Su's own intuition.
After some thought, he asked in the most direct way possible:
"Hua, Michael, is he still alive?"
Hua went silent again. She seemed completely unprepared for Su's question... No, it wasn't that she hadn't expected it; rather, she had known from the beginning that this was Kevin and Su's goal. It was just that even after spending so much time preparing, she still couldn't answer the question the moment Su asked.
However, it wasn't really an answer, but a choice. Michael was alive; Hua certainly knew that. So the answer was fixed, requiring no thought. What she truly needed to contemplate was whether to tell them openly or conceal it.
But prolonged silence itself spoke volumes. Su nodded knowingly, not pressing further.
"I understand, Hua. If, someday in the future, you wish to return to the Fire Moth... you should still remember the location of the headquarters, I won't repeat it... Kevin, let's go."
Su tugged at Kevin, who turned and left expressionlessly even before Su applied force.
Soon, only Kallen, Otto, and Eleanor remained behind Hua.
Given everything that had happened, she should have left directly. But now, uncharacteristically, she turned back. Ignoring Otto and Kallen, still deep in shock, she walked straight to Eleanor, who was feigning unconsciousness, and pulled her up.
"Let... go of me!" Eleanor struggled, but after only two or three seconds, she heard the chaotic sounds of men and horses approaching from behind.
Her face brightened, and she taunted Hua: "Still not letting me down! Schicksal's main army has arrived! Even if you're strong, you can't fight an army alone! Where's your Ming main force? In the end, Schicksal will win this battle!"
Hua shook her head pitifully, casually setting Eleanor down. She then turned to face the vast army approaching slowly under the sunset glow.
"Fight an army alone, you say..."
As the words fell, though she stood perfectly still, the massive formation, like a dense cloud bank, seemed to scatter as if blown by a gale. Men and pack animals alike collapsed to the ground simultaneously.
"This... this..."
That was an army of over a hundred thousand, and their "destruction" took only half a sentence.
Eleanor turned her head rigidly, meeting Hua's cold gaze.
"Alright, you can go back now, with your Divine Keys. But these two will stay, as hostages of the defeated."