---o---
"You want to 'hunt' me?"
The question hung in the air, casting a peculiar tension over the surroundings.
"Who knows?" Li Zihan sighed.
While he didn't know the specifics, just watching the sheer force with which Miss Fu Hua was beating the woman up told him everything he needed to know: Miss Altrouge was somehow connected to his future self.
As a top-tier time-based ability user, he had always had a blast playing around with time magic and his Herrscher Authorities.
When in doubt, blame quantum mechanics. If you can't explain it, travel through time.
Relying on his mastery over time, he could effortlessly solve problems that seemed utterly insurmountable.
However, time wasn't some plush ball you could just bat around carelessly. Mess with it too much, and you were bound to create problems.
For example—
A time loop.
For some unknown reason, the Altrouge of the future must have traveled to the Honkai world's distant past and provoked Fu Hua. Consequently, the Fu Hua of today thrashed the Altrouge of today. The Altrouge who was inexplicably beaten to a pulp would obviously not take it lying down, so she would most likely find a way to retaliate—and that retaliation plan was almost certainly connected to the events of fifty thousand years ago.
This was the conclusion Li Zihan arrived at after a period of observation, especially since he couldn't use his Clairvoyance to read the history of the Honkai world.
After all, besides a time loop, he couldn't fathom any other reason for Altrouge and the Immortal, who should have never crossed paths, to be at each other's throats.
And Li Zihan would only ever take people he trusted unconditionally to the upstream of time.
The very fact that Miss Altrouge was able to reach the upstream of the Honkai world's history proved one thing.
The future her and the future him shared a considerably intimate relationship.
Having been thoroughly thrashed and utterly incapable of defeating Fu Hua, Miss Altrouge, for reasons unknown, probably went to fifty thousand years ago along with Miss Stargazer, who had also been messed with by Fu Hua.
Judging by the hard time Stargazer had been given, she must have done something to seriously displease Fu Hua; otherwise, she wouldn't have been set up so miserably.
And as for Miss Altrouge...
When Fu Hua was hitting her, it was clear she was beating her within an inch of her life, holding back just enough not to kill her.
Considering keywords like "hypnosis," "wedding dress," "nuptial gown," and "marriage bed," this "intimate relationship" was likely of the physical, negative-distance variety.
Piecing these conditions together, a rough picture of the truth began to emerge.
Miss Altrouge most likely made a move on Hua before she had awakened her super-mutant genes. She must have hidden Hua away, seduced him, and then proceeded to get involved with him on Hua's own marriage bed.
And while they were at it, she was probably even wearing Fu Hua's nuptial gown and wedding dress.
The thought sent a shiver of horror down Li Zihan's spine.
He and Altrouge fooling around like that... it was a miracle the current Fu Hua hadn't already beaten him to death with the grim resolve of becoming a widow.
No, that wasn't right.
If Fu Hua harbored such a deep-seated grudge, given her straightforward personality, she would never be acting so calm and nonchalant.
Knowing full well that his future self had visited eras beyond just fifty thousand years ago, Li Zihan's mind raced.
In order to retrieve the souls of Fu Hua's friends without altering the main worldline, he had probably traveled to five thousand years ago as well. And by that point, it was highly unlikely he would have kept Fu Hua's memories sealed...
So, the most plausible explanation was that she had already beaten the daylights out of his future self, wasn't it?
As this thought crossed his mind, Li Zihan's expression turned strange.
A time loop...
What a truly bizarre thing.
---o---
However, while Li Zihan was lost in his wild thoughts, Miss Altrouge confirmed one thing for herself.
This man—whose Origin, once his desire and killing intent were aroused, transformed him into the perfect hunter—was indeed interested in her.
From the perspective of a magus, this seemed rather promising.
Miss Altrouge mused.
So-called magi were, for the most part, a group of creatures utterly devoid of morals.
For this man to not take advantage of her weakness and force himself upon her, but instead choose to pursue her normally, made him a model youth in the world of magi.
Knowing full well that if she, in her completely powerless state, were to fall into the hands of a conventional magus, her fate would be horrifying, Miss Altrouge looked at the man who was, at least in his treatment of women, a gentleman.
The King of Dead Apostles, who was in fact a sadist herself, glanced at the youth whose blood was almost too exquisitely delicious, and couldn't help but lick her cherry-pink lips.
She had remained single for this long for two main reasons.
One, she was focused on proving herself as the true successor and had no time for romantic dalliances.
Two, no man had ever truly caught her eye.
If not for these special circumstances, she might have given him a chance to pursue her, just to see if he could display qualities capable of moving her heart.
My physical condition is at its absolute weakest. I estimate it will be impossible to reclaim my position as the legitimate successor of the Crimson Moon for quite some time, the King of Dead Apostles thought.
Regardless of the final outcome, as long as I give him a chance to pursue me, I can legitimately and reasonably demand his blood for sustenance, can't I?
What a pity.
Right now, all Miss Altrouge wanted was to help a certain neurotic dye her hair green. She sighed internally, a touch of regret in her heart.
"My apologies, Lord Li. I already have someone I like."
The weakened King of Dead Apostles smiled earnestly at the man who was so clearly interested in her.
Her smile was as stunning as a night-blooming cereus, exuding a demonic charm.
"Eh? Am I too late?"
As if he had just heard something truly bizarre, Li Zihan stared dumbfoundedly at the King of Dead Apostles, who had just declared, "I already have someone I like."
"Is it so strange? For a girl like me who yearns for romance to suddenly fall in love with someone at first sight?"
It was less "love at first sight" and more "abject hatred born from being beaten half to death." The King of Dead Apostles, who now despised the Immortal to the very bone, smiled with an elegance and charm that belied her true feelings.
This was the King of Dead Apostles who spent her years feuding with the White Wing Lord and plotting to thrash her own sister. And she was talking about love at first sight?
Li Zihan's lip twitched.
He would sooner believe that the Black Knight Sturlut and that gay lunatic, the White Knight Brad, were a couple, or that the Fourth Beast, Cath Palug, would be a lady with a normal sexual orientation upon transforming into a human.
"Could you tell me, just who is this person you like?"
With a growing certainty that he was about to hear something utterly absurd, the young man looked at the King of Dead Apostles who claimed to have fallen in love at first sight and questioned her seriously.
"I don't mind telling you."
The King of Dead Apostles, whose relationship with a certain Immortal was simple yet practically impossible to resolve, smiled brightly.
"I've fallen in love with that Immortal's husband."