"So, you finally went out for a bit and killed that Mop-Head?"
As if she had just witnessed something incredibly rare, the Princess of the Dead Apostles, who was so weakened she could only sit on her bed for the time being, licked the blood from the corner of her lips. She directed her question to the young man who had seemingly stolen a moment from his busy schedule to come over and feed her his blood.
"Is it that strange?"
The young man, whose wrist bore a shockingly gruesome bite mark, seemed completely unconcerned with his own condition as he addressed the princess who had been so ravenous that she'd bitten him quite viciously.
"That woman was making such a scene. If I didn't get rid of her, it would have been very difficult for me to complete the mission my higher-ups gave me."
The young man, who was clearly getting tired of playing around in the world of the Creators and was ready to go back and cuddle with his own girls, simply shrugged.
"A mission?"
After taking a large gulp of the young man's blood, Altrouge realized that the concentration of mana flowing within it was severely off the charts. A peculiar smile graced her lips.
Mana was an all-purpose energy source, comparable to Honkai energy.
Her condition had been too poor before, so she hadn't noticed this detail while drinking his blood. This time, after feeding, she could easily discern one thing.
This man's internal mana levels were not human in the slightest.
If the life force of a human could be manifested as a torch's worth of mana, then this man's was like the sun reigning over the sky.
And in the world of the Moon, an enormous amount of mana was, in itself, capable of triggering miracles.
The principle by which the Holy Grail grants wishes is that the massive crystallization of mana, upon receiving the will of the wisher, spontaneously connects to the world's various magical foundations, activating countless spells to achieve the wisher's desired outcome.
Judging by this man's mana concentration, he could probably link to all the magical foundations at will.
Miss Altrouge, who knew very well how terrifying magecraft could be in the right environment, narrowed her eyes.
The so-called magical foundations were, in fact, various environments or atmospheres.
In an environment with a strong Catholic faith, the power of the Church's baptismal chants would be amplified.
In an atmosphere where mystical astrology was prevalent, the destructive power of celestial magecraft was nothing short of insane.
Given this man's mana reserves, he could most likely forcibly link to all magical foundations and trigger the most appropriate spell for any situation.
This man was very likely unbelievably strong.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to kill the so-called Military Princess.
Miss Altrouge, who had once tried to restore herself to fighting condition to capture the Military Princess, only to fail so badly she didn't even get to eat her dust, now looked at the man with a hint of scrutiny.
A few years apart, and what on earth had happened to him?
The Princess of the Dead Apostles, no longer quite sure if the man before her could even be described as "human," watched the guy with the ridiculous mana levels, her expression shifting slightly.
And also...
That little girl named Stargazer had said this man was an Immortal, hadn't she?
Miss Altrouge, who had also met Miss Stargazer and chatted with her for a while, finding the young girl quite to her liking, let a playful look emerge on her face.
Immortals. She had met them before.
So, could this man, who Stargazer called an Immortal, be related to that person?
She carefully studied this man who, just before, had been shouting "a simp deserves a horrible death," yet became even more attentive after she declared, "I have fallen in love with the Immortal's husband."
If there was a connection, this was getting truly interesting.
"A mission is a mission. Just think of me as a dog of war, living off of bounties."
The young man, who was indeed striving for the art of Eternal Destruction promised by the system, didn't pay any mind to the change in her gaze and spoke honestly about his situation.
"Although I could have made her my subordinate by offering to resurrect the 'Creator' she cared about most, and then had her leave this world."
"But, I needed a very specific power to get that girl Stargazer to switch paths. So I could only kill her, use her power as a catalyst, and guide Stargazer away from a very dangerous road."
"If she walks the path of Eternal Destruction, she will absolutely get hurt."
The young man scratched his cheek as he spoke.
Although he had promised to teach Stargazer the art of Eternal Destruction, he didn't think she was suited for that path.
Besides, saving the Honkai world didn't require Stargazer to practice Eternal Destruction.
Li Zihan was walking that path himself. Once he achieved Outflow, the first thing to be covered by the new law would be the Imaginary Tree. After he had made the entire Imaginary Tree his own, he would move his Seat to the Sea of Quanta and initiate a second Outflow.
By then, both the main world on the Tree and the World Bubbles in the Sea of Quanta would be saved.
There was really no point in Stargazer practicing Eternal Destruction.
"Oh? Mentioning how good you are to another girl right in front of the woman you are currently pursuing... is that really wise?"
Her red lips parted slightly, her smile carrying a hint of inscrutable interest.
"What's unwise about it?"
The man, who had absolutely no confidence in his ability to multitask and maintain multiple relationships, just shrugged and continued.
"She was one of the few CPs I had back when I was the Captain. The kind where my future vision even shows scenes of us picking out wedding dresses together. If I saw her and didn't go after her, that would be the real problem."
"Besides—"
The young man looked at the Princess of the Dead Apostles, whose mindset and values were on a completely different plane from a human's, and a small smile appeared on his face.
"Do you really care if I go chasing other girls?"
That depends entirely on who it is.
The image of a certain beauty with long, pale greyish-blue hair instantly flashed through Altrouge's mind, and her eyes turned a little cold.
If it was a little girl like Stargazer, who she found quite agreeable, then of course she wouldn't care. She wouldn't even mind giving the scumbag a little support as payment for the blood she drank.
Following the principle of reciprocity, the King of the Dead Apostles thought, having used magecraft to record her conversation with the young man.
But—
That woman, and that woman alone...
Remembering a certain Immortal, Miss Altrouge's gaze became utterly grim.
That female psycho was simply toxic!
However, it didn't take long for the grimness in Miss Altrouge's eyes to dissipate.
She gazed at the bracelet on the young man's wrist. It looked very cheap, like something bought from a third-rate jewelry store. She narrowed her eyes.
This bracelet... she had seen it on another person's wrist. A matching pair, one on the left wrist, the other on the right.
For an Immortal to be interested in a generic, off-brand bracelet was already highly illogical.
And for another Immortal to be wearing the matching one...
No, it was more like a single pair of bracelets had been split, with each of them taking one.
And Li Zihan, the Immortal, possessed future vision.
So, what about the other Immortal?
Did her eyes share the same perspective?
A possible explanation seemed to click in her mind, and Miss Altrouge began to smile.
"You're right. I wouldn't care if my husband had other girls by his side."
"If you want to pursue that girl named Stargazer, then go ahead."
"Whoa, whoa— can I interpret that as a confession?"
The young man raised an eyebrow, questioning her.
"You hold affection for me, you treat me well, and your strength is impressive. Why would I refuse you?"
Miss Altrouge's smile was radiant and charming.
"Tonight, how about I come stay at your place?"