"Hua, I'm sorry."
"You have to live on."
In the inferno, the woman with fiery red hair raised a hand. Clad in flames, she gently tapped the forehead of the gray-haired girl before her with her right index finger.
A helpless smile played on her lips.
As if to say there are just some things in this world that cannot be helped.
For example... becoming a Herrscher!
Then, the Herrscher of Flame pushed the gray-haired girl to the ground.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting," the Herrscher of Flame said.
"It's fine. I told you I would wait," replied a man with hair as white as the moonlight. His tone was flat, yet it held an irresistible power.
"Mm, thank you." Flames burned around the Herrscher of Flame as she walked toward the man named Kevin Kaslana.
Crack, crack, crack.
But the closer she got to the man, the more the temperature of the air around them plummeted.
It was a cold that could freeze fire itself.
The flames enveloping the Herrscher of Flame gradually dissipated.
"Let me see it... the human who can defeat a Herrscher," the Herrscher of Flame said with a smile.
Kevin raised his hand. His once-human form twisted, and the surrounding temperature dropped sharply. The Herrscher of Flame slowly opened her arms, offering no resistance.
An ice flower bloomed within the Herrscher of Flame. Her hot blood dripped onto the ice, like a flower of fire.
The Herrscher of Flame, HIMEKO, died at the hands of the first MANTIS, Kevin Kaslana.
And the gray-haired girl, lying on the ground, watched this scene with wide eyes.
"Captain!!!"
Fu Hua's eyes snapped open.
She sat up in bed, her thin tank top soaked with sweat.
She pressed her right hand to her head and clutched the collar of her top with her left, gasping for breath.
Why... why did I dream of what happened a year ago again?
Her captain, HIMEKO, had become the Herrscher of Flame a year ago. After incinerating Australia, she was defeated.
And Fu Hua was the sole survivor of HIMEKO's squad.
The thought made it hard for her to breathe. Why was she always the only one who survived?
Why did her captain have to become a Herrscher?
Fu Hua's face was haggard. So much had happened in this past year.
The Herrscher of Flame, the Herrscher of Sentience, the Herrscher of Rock, the Herrscher of Domination—four Herrschers had been born in a single year.
85% of the planet's cities had been destroyed.
(Because Fu Hua awakened her super-transformation factor and became a MANTIS a year after the Herrscher of Flame was defeated, it means four Herrschers must have appeared in that year. That's even faster than MHY releases Herrschers.)
In order to fight these four Herrschers, humanity had paid an enormous price.
A heavy atmosphere filled the MOTH base.
Fu Hua glanced at the clock on the wall.
Today, MOTH was holding another ball. But unlike the cheerful atmosphere of last year, the prolonged battles and the seemingly endless despair had worn down the soldiers' spirits, leaving everyone exhausted.
Including Fu Hua.
Under these circumstances, no one was in the mood to dance and make merry, yet no one was willing to suggest canceling this annual tradition.
Because humanity needed to smile, too.
But unlike last year, Fu Hua now understood a little of why Captain HIMEKO had dragged her to the ball.
Just for today, let's take a breath.
That's why Fu Hua had been lazing in bed, not getting up.
She lay under the covers, where it felt as if someone were holding her, so warm that she didn't want to leave.
Fu Hua felt she was becoming a little dependent on this feeling.
Like an addiction.
She struggled out from under the covers, but as she did, she felt her pert butt being patted several times.
As if in disapproval of her getting up so early, urging her to go back to the warmth of the bed.
The Big Brother Otto I'm imagining is getting more and more brazen.
What started out like a newly married couple had, over the past few years, turned into a very familiar old married couple.
Fu Hua walked to the mirror and looked at her own haggard reflection.
My mental illness seems to be getting worse.
But it didn't matter.
After changing into her combat suit, Fu Hua went to the training room. Even though there was a ball tonight, she didn't slack off on her training.
Because she needed to get used to her new power.
Not long ago, during a planned MOTH mission, Fu Hua's super-transformation factor had awakened, and she had become a MANTIS.
Hearing the door close, Otto remained in bed. He had been sleeping in the same bed with Fu Hua for several years now. According to the daily missions refreshed on the system panel, not even a full day had passed in the real world.
Fortunately, when it came to some insignificant plot points, the Herrscher of Corruption would just accelerate the world's time. Clearly, she also felt those parts were unimportant.
To make Fu Hua suffer, she had to pick the most essential content for her to experience.
Otto, however, felt like he was about to become Fu Hua's guardian spirit.
He continued to lie there. About five or six hours passed before the door opened again.
Fu Hua had returned from training.
After quickly showering, she changed into the same cheongsam Captain HIMEKO had picked for her last year. Last year, she had only wanted to grab a free meal at the buffet, but she ended up being dragged onto the dance floor by Captain HIMEKO.
Thankfully, her captain was formidable and had monopolized her, so no one else could cut in.
It was the same dress this year, but the person who had chosen it was gone.
However, she didn't have to worry about being pulled into a dance this year. As the sole survivor of the 5th Squad led by HIMEKO, Fu Hua was suspected by the other soldiers of being a Herrscher's accomplice.
Fu Hua was called "the witch's companion."
The other soldiers kept their distance from her.
Her friends in Sapphire had died in the Third Honkai Eruption. Her friends in the 5th Squad had died in the Seventh Honkai Eruption. Fu Hua no longer wanted to make friends.
When she arrived at the venue, her attire attracted some glances, but upon realizing she was "the witch's companion," all eyes quickly turned away.
Fu Hua was happy to be left alone. She treated the place entirely as a buffet. As a MANTIS who had been constantly on the move, it had been a long time since she had eaten such delicious food.
However, she also saw some people at the ball with sullen faces, doing nothing but burying their heads in their food.
With the Honkai raging and 85% of human cities destroyed, not everyone could escape this cruel reality.
Fu Hua carried a plate of food to the balcony. No one was there.
Placing the plate on the railing, she tilted her head back. The music from the ballroom drifted out.
Fu Hua couldn't help but recall when Captain HIMEKO had taught her to dance.
Now, things were the same, but the people were gone.
Her eyes narrowed. Fu Hua decided to leave as soon as she finished eating. This place offered no relaxation at all; instead, it only made her heart feel heavier.
Just then.
Fu Hua felt a hand take hers.
She turned to look beside her. The space was empty, but Fu Hua felt as if someone were standing right there, holding her hand, even placing a light kiss on its back.
As if inviting her to dance.
This was, indeed, Otto's doing.
Though his perception had been blocked, Otto, who had been by her side all this time, still extended an invitation to Fu Hua.
A smile appeared on Fu Hua's face.
This must be the Big Brother Otto I'm imagining.
On the balcony, Fu Hua raised her hands as if a dance partner stood before her, and began to move with the music flowing from inside.
Fu Hua felt as if she had gone back a year in time, as if she were dancing with Captain HIMEKO again.
The song ended, and the dance was over.
Fu Hua's hands remained in the air. She stared at the empty space before her.
"Thank you for always being with me," she said suddenly. "But we can't be together yet."
"After all, it hasn't been fifty thousand years."
---o---