(A/N: You guys are in for a treat)
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Adam suddenly froze in place, his head snapping towards a certain direction. His mouth parted in surprise, and instantly after, the surprise was replaced by a frown.
"You guys go on ahead." Narrowing his eyes, he clenched his fists. "I need to take care of something."
Before they could react to his words, he continued:
"Don't worry about me. I'm quite strong. I'll meet you back at Chiba."
Adam doesn't want any cliché reactions or questionings. This matter is urgent.
"Huh…" Kiana meaningfully looked at him. "This is quite sudden. But for you to act like this, then it must be really important."
Her words also silenced the other two and made Kyuusyou's mouth close to a pout.
"Though…" The white-haired girl frowned, biting her lip. "I feel really weird. I felt something just now, and my emotions shifted to intimacy and weariness? It's incomprehensible. Please be careful."
For the first time since they met, the elegant 'young lady' Kiana of this world looked…confused and lost.
Evidently…she heard that call- or rather, she sensed it. But since it was intended for Adam only, she only obtained a vague feeling.
"Ah, what's all the fuss about?!"
The dark purple-haired Savior boldly placed her hand onto Adam's shoulder, utterly ignoring the distance between genders.
"Go deal with that side quest and come back quickly!" The Chuuni Savior broadly grinned at him, her light violet pinkish eyes staring straight at his own blue ones. "Otherwise, this Savior won't wait for you! You're so strong! If something happens to you, I won't forgive you, okay?"
She huffed, turning away and pouting as she uttered that last part- which was heard by everyone.
"Alright, alright." He sighed, waving his hand. "I'll be very careful. Thanks for your concern, Kyuusyou."
"Mhmhm!"
Under Kiana's deadpan stare, the Savior didn't have the courage to continue. Instead, she hummed and nodded rapidly.
"Now…"
Adam looked towards the sky- but suddenly, he felt his coat being tugged.
Lowering his head, the silver-haired boy saw a pale, slender hand tightly gripping the edge of his coat.
Slowly, his eyes traced the perpetrator- and light violet eyes entered his vision.
"What's wrong?"
Adam softly asked Mei who had tightly clenched his fabric.
"Take me with you."
At pleading request and hoarse voice, the silver-haired boy fell silent.
"Why?"
Adam finally asked, utterly confused by her request.
Does she want to help? Would she just feel lonely without him? What the hell is going on in this girl's head?
"...."
The purple haired Herrscher remained silent. She just kept staring at him, the emotions within her violet eyes fluctuating.
Even though there are minimal ripples in her expression, even though she has said nothing, and even though she is only insisting while staring at him-
The silver-haired transmigrator has understood what she wants to convey:
'I have nothing to live for.'
'What the hell?!'
The moment he came to a conclusion, Adam cursed inside his own mind. He wandered- did his supernatural senses and natural understanding of the girl named 'Mei' fail him?
[Negative. Judging from individual Mei's emotional readings, this conclusion is correct]
Now that even Great Sage herself affirmed his conclusion, he became speechless, bewildered, and most of all, confused!
"What about your father?"
In the outside world, the silver-haired boy remained calm and collected and directly asked about her only living parent.
After all, the Mei of his world, beyond her friendship with him and Kiana, also had her old father- the one who is still in prison. Because of these factors, she…didn't end up as depressed as 'this' Mei.
But this Kiana didn't seem to know this Mei beforehand. Could this purple-haired girl be so gloomy because she didn't have one friend to stand by her side?
That's…indeed very possible.
"He's dead."
The boy froze at her brief words that were said in a hollow voice. His blue eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat.
'What the fuck??!'
How? Why? When?
Countless thoughts formed and intersected in Adam's mind. How did his father-in-law, Raiden Ryoma, die??!!
Did Cocolia just wipe him out? Did he have an accident? Did a stray honkai beast kill him Kallen-style?
"A-ah? Your father is dead?!"
Kyuusyou, who had been previously looking away while secretly peeking at their exchange, exclaimed in pure shock.
Her pinkish violet eyes widened, and her loud voice woke up the silver-haired boy from his daze/
"Uh…this…."
Kiana's eyes also widened in bewilderment. Her mouth opened and closed, seemingly wanting to say something but not finding the right words.
"...Okay."
Adam took a deep breath. And sensing something in this city stir, he raised his hand towards Kiana and Kyuusyou to silence them.
"I have many questions to ask, and these two are the same." He gestured towards the two surprised girls. "However, our current situation is very dangerous. Just now, I felt something in Nagazora stir."
He glanced at Kiana and Mei.
"You, too, probably sensed that surge in honkai energy." His expression turned dead serious. "I need to take care of 'that'. There's no more time to waste, and you three need to quickly go to the rooftop and barricade yourselves until support arrives."
Without waiting for acknowledgements, the boy not belonging to this world, turned to face Mei once again.
"I can't take you with me. It will be too dangerous for you." He sighed, speaking right from his heart. "Besides…Trust me, where I'll go won't be good for you."
This teen girl didn't know his true origins. Perhaps in her perspective, going with him just meant moving to another country at most-
"I don't care."
Under Kiana's complicated stare, Mei Raiden, the recently awakened Herrscher, instantly gave her answer with an unchanging expression and an even tone.
In those violet eyes, there's no hesitation. There's no confusion about the future. There's no fear of the unknown. What remains is a blazing will of determination that will not be changed or shaken.
"Ah, while I'd love nothing more to have a harem of Meis, you're really putting me in a difficult position." He exhaled lightly, cheerfully, with a joking tone that is contradictory to the serious atmosphere. "However, I care for you, and I don't want you to suffer because of me."
Kiana chuckled at his seemingly nonsensical talk, the corners of her mouth curled up despite the situation.
She is the only one who understands his words. To others, they sound nonsensical, humorous, and…special(mentally unsound).
'Hm, maybe not to Kyuusyou. I'm sure she'll come to a stupid conclusion of her own.'
After that talk in the Ferris wheel, she can confidently say that- in this world, she is the person who understands him best.
"My point is-"
CrackCrackCrack
Adam paused as the ground beneath them started trembling violently, as if a violent stampede of giants was taking place.
"-Strive to master this power."
Adam leaned closer to the girl, enveloping Mei's soft palm with both of his hands.
"Don't worry." He smiled, face relaxed, "I'll eventually come back."
The silver-haired boy finished all he had to say. However, he hasn't finished doing all that he wants to do.
"Huh?"
Under Kyuusyou's and Kiana's bewildered eyes, a mark appeared on top of the Herrscer's hand that is being held by Adam
It was a pitch-black hexagonal shape that contained a cosmic purple star, and inside that star, a small, golden eye without eyelashes is present.
"This is…?"
Blinking owlishly, Mei slowly raised her head, her violet eyes reflecting his gentle smile.
"It's a gift to help you." In an intimate fashion, he slowly rubbed circles over the icon with his thumb. "And this might also just lead you towards me in the future. Or well…It could function as a locator- with me finding you."
Mei looked back down at the mark yet again. She pursed her lips, her shoulders trembling lightly.
At this moment, even the chuunibyo savior had the tact to remain silent and not interrupt.
"....Thank you."
Despite not knowing its actual function and use, the purple haired herrscher's low and light voice still contained deep gratitude.
"I'll do my best."
Her eyes gazed at him once more- this time, with determination. The girl's voice became louder, and to prove her resolve, she brought her other hand together and enveloped Adam's left hand with both her own.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr
The roars of honkai beasts echoed in the distance. Even so, he remained calm.
"Hey hey!"
Seeing him so calm, Kyuusyou also (temporarily) ignored the roars in the distance.
"That's not fair!" She puffed her cheeks, pouting in dissatisfaction. "I also want that cool protagonist mark!"
"Hm?" The silver-haired boy tilted his head in confusion. "But you already have it."
"Eh?"
Adam made eye contact with Kiana and gave her a final smile as the dark purple-haired girl hurriedly rolled up her sleeves and scanned both of her palms-
"Woah!!!!"
She exclaimed, because- sure enough, right there on top of her right palm, is a mark identical to Mei's!
When did this get here?
The Savior wanted to ask-
But when Kyuusyou looked back with an excited expression, Adam had already vanished.
"D-did he just abandon this Savior?!"
Kiana Kaslana sighed in resignation as tears welled up on the chuuni girl's eyes.
"Without Adam to keep you in check, you might just drive us to death."
The Kaslana warrior rubbed her temples, already anticipating the trouble this stupid girl will cause for the whole team.
…
..
.
The shoreline stretches in a pale arc beneath a quiet sky, where the ocean moves in slow, deliberate breaths.
Waves roll in with a soft hush, dissolving into the sand before retreating again.
The air carries a salty undertone, and the atmosphere was fresh from the sea. Light scattered across the water in fractured blues, shifting with every ripple and reflecting the sun.
-Or at least, it should have been.
The sun has been blocked by a reddish-pink, pulsating dot in the sky. From it, countless similarly colored cracks stretched across the sky unevenly.
Thus, the sea is reflecting the reddish hue of the honkai deadspot. It's almost as if the sea has bloody red lines inside it, harboring flesh and blood.
A normally calm, refreshing, and relaxing beach scene has turned eary. The blue associated with the sea has broken- because now, reddish-pink light has invaded this natural wonder.
Even so, amidst this scene-
A 'girl' stood at the edge where sea met land, unmoving.
In this outermost sea area that was the closest to Nagazora city, her presence felt strange and foreign. Although the Honkai eruption has mostly been restrained to the city itself, its range has long exceeded it.
Yet, despite that, the Honkai Eruption should have never reached this seaside area; the girl still stood here, her eyes fixed on the sky.
Long violet hair fell straight past her waist, smooth and luminous, framed by delicate gold ornaments that caught the red light of the deadspot in the sky.
A circlet rested across her forehead, set with a small blue gem that mirrored the bluish-red ocean before her.
Her eyes- beautiful oceanic blue with whitish patterns inside them.
Her clothing flowed like the sea itself. Layers of blue and white fabric draped around her in soft, precise lines, edged with intricate patterns that resembled a religion's- ceremonial and ancient.
The outer robe hung open just enough to reveal a fitted bodice beneath, while long, ribboned panels trailed behind her, stirring faintly in the breeze.
[Image here]
The holy-looking and ethereal 'girl' lowered her eyes, her gaze reflecting the ocean as she simply…waited.
The ocean surged forward again, brushing the edge of her feet before slipping away.
Until finally, the one she called out for arrived and subsequently broke that silence-
"Hey you. That was quite a rude call, you know? You should have been more gentle with it."
The wind shifted, and footsteps followed soon after- they were measured, unhurried, each step pressing firmly into the sand as if the one approaching had no intention of hiding his presence.
The girl with a given name did not turn immediately.
"...."
She had already felt him the moment he entered this space.
This time, so clearly within her range, the feeling she felt earlier was even stronger. And now, she has confirmed it.
"Hm? Are you shy? Oh, I get. You're such a cute and lovely girl, it's normal to be shy around me- a handsome, charismatic, and utterly irresistible man."
The boy's voice reached her, confident, playful, and smiling. His words cut cleanly through the muted rhythm of the waves.
-At that, her gaze lowered slightly, as if the confirmation had settled something she already knew.
"…You came."
There was no surprise in her tone, only a quiet acknowledgment that seemed to hide many thoughts within it.
"Shouldn't I have come?"
Only then did she turn.
The movement was slow and deliberate, her long violet hair shifting gently with the sea breeze as she faced him fully.
The fractured red light from the sky traced along the gold ornaments adorning her form, glinting faintly before fading into the soft blues and whites of her flowing attire.
Those oceanic blue eyes settled onto his own cosmic blue ones with a subtle tension that had not been there before.
"You…."
The girl as beautiful as the ocean parted her mouth, but no further sound came out.
Uncontrollably, her fingers shifted faintly at her side, and for the smallest fraction of a second, her body leaned forward as if to close the distance between them.
-However, she stopped herself.
"Erm…" Adam frowned, his eyebrows rising as bewilderment shone in his eyes. "This is strange."
At this moment, they both felt something-
A strange connection.
"You're a honkai beast?"
The violet-haired girl also frowned, her gaze sharpening.
He felt familiar. As if something of similar origin was within him- or as if her bloodline was inside his existence.
"No I'm not." The boy deadpanned at her. "No- trust me, I'm not. No matter what your instincts say, I'm not a honkai beast. Of course, I'm not a pure human either, but none of my genes contain honkai best genes."
At least not now. His Vishnu gene had been given to the Voice of the World of the Tensura world, and it, in turn, transformed it into the unique skill [Gluttony] and gave it to him.
His current genes are too chaotic. The base is still the evolved form of Human- High Human, but in it, there are countless others mixed in.
Dragon, Devil, Angel….
"Anyways, I'm Adam." He smiled, clapping his hands once. "What about you? What's your name?"
"..."
The not-quite-human girl fell silent at his question.
Part of her wants to investigate further and find out where that faint sense of intimacy and closeness comes from…
However, in the end, it didn't matter. To her, only Kiana is important. And this man needs to go.
"My name is Jyahnar."
With a serene expression, she uttered her name.
Normally, she wouldn't concern herself and bother replying to a mere human, however, that faint sense of closeness made her less resistant to him
"Well, Jyahnar, nice to meet you." Adam nodded in acknowledgement, not even attempting to get close and shake her hand. "Your voice is very beautiful."
"...Thank you?"
The silver-haired boy smiled.
Indeed, her voice is soft, ethereal, and sounds pleasing to the ear. It's like listening to gentle music. Her voice is the kind that relaxes you and lulls you to sleep, even without effort.
"Mhm, I know you didn't call me for idle chatter." Humming, his gaze swept over her face. "So tell me, why did you call me? What do you want to tell me?"
"…Leave. You shouldn't be here."
Her voice remained composed, but the restraint within it was unmistakable. It was not a rejection, and neither did it sound like a threat.
These words sounded less like a command and more like a warning.
"Why?"
Adam's gaze sharpened slightly as he observed her, taking in any change in her expression.
He himself vaguely knows the answer- but he still wants to hear it.
Jyahnar did not hesitate; she instantly told him the reason:
"The Great Will has already noticed you."
At these words, the silver-haired boy's expression did not change, but the faint ease in his posture disappeared.
"As expected." He sighed. "Since it didn't immediately delete me, I had a faint hope. But I guess reality isn't so pretty."
"My memories are hazy." She continued as if he hadn't spoken, her brows drawing together ever so slightly, a trace of irritation surfacing. "But it hasn't taken action yet."
A brief pause followed, her gaze steadying on him
"Maybe it's because you are close to Kiana."
The waves continued their slow advance and retreat, the red-stained reflections trembling across their surface as that name escaped this not-quite-human girl's mouth.
"I have a very strong person's protection." The boy not belonging to this world shrugged, no trace of fear on his face. "I guess it has judged that it's more effort than it's worth to get rid of me."
There was no humor or sarcasm in his tone, only confidence- as if this possibility is a certainty
"No, that's not it."
The indigo-haired girl shook her head in denial
"In my current state, I can't feel its call, and I can't understand it." She added, her voice lowering slightly "But my instinct tells me that it is not the right time yet."
"And…"
For a fleeting moment, Jyahnar's gaze drifted toward the ocean once more
"The 'Old Ones' are keeping a close watch."
The boy froze, his eyes widening to such an absurd degree that his pupils became as small as dots-
However, instantly after, he seemingly calmed down and exhaled:
"...I see."
That nonchalant answer of his caused a visible shift in her expression. Her brows raised, her serene expression tightening into a frown
"Tell me:" Ignoring that small shift, Adam lowered his head and gazed at the sand below him. "How much do you remember? And how did you wake up?"
That was what he wanted to know the most right now.
"I remember that I am a honkai beast, and that Kiana is very important to me. Something happened and caused me to become like this." The ocean behind her surged again as she spoke, the red-stained waves folding into themselves before retreating. "And…I woke up because of you. I don't know the specific reason, but maybe the Will itself woke me up prematurely."
Adam's frown deepened.
"The Will of Ruin…"
He started-
"…The Will can act at any time it wants to."
But she spoke over him. Though her memories are blurry and temporarily inaccessible..as a honkai beast, she knew the Will well enough
"Though it is hesitant to act just because of you, it will orchestrate events to descend if you prove too much of a variable and a threat."
Her expression stilled, returning to that serene, almost detached calm, though the tension had not fully left her eyes.
"It can take over Kiana's body and manifest within the physical realm." The words came plainly, without embellishment, though Jyahnar pursed her lips in obvious dissatisfaction. "Her body is the perfect vessel."
Silence followed.
"Haah…"
Adam exhaled slowly, running a hand through his silver hair as he processed that.
"…Yeah, I thought as much." He said after a moment, "Though having it confirmed plainly like that is nice…or not."
Obviously, such a powerful existence wouldn't fail to detect him. After all, he has no powers related to 'Concealment'.
"Your existence is an anomaly." The blue-clothed girl continued, her tone even. "If you continue to remain near her, there will be consequences."
The wind passed between them again, stirring the edges of her robe, the ribbons trailing behind her, and shifting like currents beneath water.
She didn't explain those consequences- it was unnecessary.
"So, for both your own and Kiana's sake, leave."
For a brief moment, her eyes flickered toward him, something conflicted surfacing and fading just as quickly.
"Or…I'll force you to leave."
Her expression darkened. And, for the first time in this first meeting of theirs, a fierce glint flashed in Jyahnar's serene oceanic eyes.
Even though she feels intimate with this boy, she'll never compromise with Kiana's safety.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down." Feeling a terrifying pressure bear down on him, Adam hurriedly raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not stupid. There are so many terrifying beings in this world, I definitely wouldn't want to stay. Besides, I also have things to do in my world."
How terrifying….He felt death approaching just now. And this isn't even her complete form!
"Such a fierce look really doesn't suit a cute girl like you." The silver-haired boy continued, smiling charmingly. "So please calm down, okay?"
With those words, the killing intent disappeared as soon as it appeared- as though it was an illusion.
"Good."
The girl as holy as the ocean nodded, her expression easing back to serenity.
She didn't comment on his words of flattery, and neither did her expression change because of his cheesy compliment.
"Before I leave…I have an idea. If it works, it might just help Kiana."
Jyahnar's face sharpened once more, her oceanic eyes focusing on him with intensity.
"I'll…Well, you can't really help with this. Sorry." He scratched his head, but before she could get disappointed, he continued. "But you could give me some of your blood. It would indirectly help me, because it might just come in handy when confronting the Will of Ruin in the future."
"..."
The indigo-haired girl sank into silence, her brows furrowing in thought.
This is a traveler from another world- with various unknowns about him. Normally, she should refuse decisively, but….
"Okay."
Jyahnar nodded, the corners of her mouth curling upwards into a small but beautiful smile.
"If it's for Kiana, I'll do anything."
Her smile brightened, and she clasped her hands together over her heart- as if praying.
"..."
The traveler from another world said nothing. His eyes were dazed.
'Why does this girl look so gentle, beautiful, charming, serene, and holy?!'
His inner thoughts were screaming. Because, even after seeing so many beautiful and hot girls and building resistance, right now, he still got affected!
In both of his lives, this honkai beast girl is most likely the best-looking female he has seen thus far.
'Really…What is the Will of Ruin feeding its honkai beasts?'
…
..
.
Adam stood alone on the beach, his hands behind his back as the reddish-blue ocean is reflected in his eyes.
After she gave him her blood, Jyahnar left.
The silver-haired boy has already devoured the blood- and the enhancements and abilities it gave him surprised him, but that's for another time.
"...."
Jyahnar was more friendly than he would have thought.
Frankly, he expected her to straight-up attack him for getting close to her 'beloved', but she didn't.
It seemed that, since she woke up so early because of his presence, this planetary-level honkai beast had lost most of her memories, and thus, became more 'docile'.
'Such a good thing…Praise be to the Chat Room for giving me the Vishnu gene back then.'
The reason for this honkai beast's friendliness is the same as Kiana's slight friendliness back then- The Vishnu gene, which has transformed into the skill [Gluttony].
Though the gene itself doesn't exist, its presence can still be found in Gluttony since it was transformed from it.
And so, instead of a human insect, Jyahnar can treat him as a 'comrade' or companion with it.
"Alright then, enough of that. Let's start!"
Adam clapped his hands, his expression turning serious.
Regardless of Jyahnar's friendliness and the possibility of him getting a honkai beast waifu/pet, he has something more important to do right now-
"Let's hope this works."
The silver-haired boy clasped his hands together, bringing them close to his chest in a prayer posture.
And then, he opened his mouth and indeed started chanting:
"The bubble of infinity from a greater dimension."
"The Queen of Space and Time."
"The Omniscient Eye that overlooks the world."
"I beseech you- Yog-chan, help me!!!"
Those words were the last words Asterios Adam Tempest uttered before he completely disappeared from this world.
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A/N:
I also wanted to split this chapter since it got too long, but well, a promise is a promise.
Next chapter is a transitional one, it'd only have Adam's meeting with the 'bubble'. Since I got a bit burnt out from writing so much, it'd be shorter than usual.
Also…I have no idea what abilities and powers Jyahnar's blood will give him. I haven't thought of anything yet.
Any suggestions?
And for this 4k word chapter, how about a good review or some stones?