Originally, according to Vill-V's design, "Bodhi's Admonition" was supposed to be used through a super brainwave amplification device.
Just like in the original storyline, a person would be sealed inside a liquid-filled canister and then use the technique through a whole array of equipment.
But Su had gone and done something ridiculous. As he kept using it, he directly figured out how to make the human brain "transmit" on its own.
Sure enough, even though Su had always behaved like an ordinary person, no one who became one of the thirteen Flame-Chasers had gotten there by accident—aside from Pardo.
Comparisons truly were infuriating. And he called himself a medical professional?
Had he learned this from Kevin? Were they all done pretending and simply activating their cheats now?
Could they show even the slightest respect for science? Expert was about to shut herself away from sheer frustration over their performances.
How was that a heart lake? It was practically the Heaven-Dancing Dharma Wheel!
She suggested that Su put on women's clothes and star in a live-action adaptation of Saint Seiya.
In the distance...
Because she was worried about Mr. Moon, Inori had been keeping a close eye on his side of the battlefield. Unable to restrain herself, she remarked, "And he calls that being unskilled in battle? Even I wouldn't have any way to deal with that move."
"No one could possibly defend against that kind of mental attack..."
Suddenly, alarm bells rang in Inori's heart as an eerie and sinister presence spread across the battlefield.
"This familiar feeling is..."
...
War raged on.
A low, makeshift building packed with explosives detonated, blasting the nearby bosozoku into the air.
The Taixu Gang had operated here for several weeks and had not been idle. They had planted a vast number of traps throughout the area long ago.
Drones seized from the Treasure-Stealing Gang circled overhead, providing cover as the Taixu Gang formed a web of firepower.
When the Ghostfire Syndicate saw the Taixu Gang resisting so stubbornly, it finally lost patience.
More weapons supplied by the "companies" were transported onto the battlefield.
Gravity guns, water-molecule dissociators, ability users, and all sorts of other bizarre things that had appeared before emerged endlessly across the battlefield.
And weapons were not the only things the Ghostfire Syndicate had stolen. They had also seized this world's local specialties—
Honkai Beasts and zombies!
They began dragging cage after cage filled with Honkai Beasts and zombies onto the battlefield.
These naturally occurring Honkai creatures were the most terrifying war machines of all. Ordinary blades and bullets could not harm them in the slightest.
Several Taixu Gang members had to concentrate their fire on a single one just to halt its advance.
Worse still, those they killed would often become infected and transform into zombies.
The greatest headache was that the creatures did not kill only members of the Taixu Gang.
Honkai was a double-edged sword. Naturally, the Honkai Beasts would not spare members of the Ghostfire Syndicate either.
Although many of those infected simply died, the birth of even a single elite zombie could overturn the entire battle.
At present, no one could confront an elite zombie head-on. Zombies capable of evading bullets with high-speed footwork were the nightmare of every modern gunman.
The Ghostfire Syndicate's madness far exceeded the Taixu Gang's expectations.
"Is this the strength of Dusk City's top criminal syndicate? We can't beat them!"
"Hurry and surrender! Is it still not too late?"
"I don't want to go back to barely surviving like before."
The Honkai Beasts roared, eager to transform the entire battlefield into a living hell flooded with blood.
A Taixu Gang member attempted to ambush a Seraph-class Honkai Beast, only for his alloy saber to leave nothing more than a shallow mark on its head. Just as he was about to die beneath the Honkai Beast's claws, the hanging scroll of Azure Empyrea he held—the one he had just redeemed with points—began to shine.
He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the dazzling light. When the radiance gradually faded, a beautiful girl who closely resembled Azure Empyrea stepped out from the painting.
"Is that... Azure Empyrea?"
The immortal's gaze was profound, and her bearing was peerless. Merely by standing there, she invoked heavenly phenomena as celestial blossoms surrounded her.
She held a radiant Taixuan Divine Sword and walked through the air, slowly ascending to a high platform from which she looked down upon all living beings. Her white robe outlined her pure, crystalline body in curves... that were smooth, even, and utterly flat.
As she maintained that elegant and unhurried posture, the gang member watched the savage Seraph-class Honkai Beast ahead disintegrate into ash. The Ghostfire Syndicate bosozoku swarming around them also fled in panic after a single flash of her sword.
When the watching Taixu Gang members saw Azure Empyrea descend once more, all of them erupted in delight.
Only a small minority within the Taixu Gang doubted Azure Empyrea. Most of its members had joined precisely because they admired her.
Now that they had the good fortune to witness the immortal's heroic figure with their own eyes, the fans who had heard countless "stories" about her naturally screamed with excitement.
"Azure Empyrea has manifested!"
"Why does the immortal's chest look smaller than the figurine's?"
"Silence! Don't slander Azure Empyrea! She must have entered serious mode and removed the weights she uses to train her chest muscles!"
"Such purity! As expected of Azure Empyrea!"
And the immortal's manifestation had accomplished far more than merely repelling the Honkai Beasts.
At that exact moment, Seele happened to finish restoring the administrative building containing Vill-V with her quantum domain.
Naturally, the Taixu Gang members noticed this miraculous sight.
After all, the administrative building was no tiny bungalow. It was the central tower of Taixu Hospital, complete with a helipad on its roof.
With a disturbance that enormous, it was impossible not to notice.
"Look! The administrative building has returned to normal! It's immortal arts! Genuine immortal arts!"
"Azure Empyrea is terrifying beyond belief!"
"Is this real? I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Even becoming Azure Empyrea's dog would be better than betraying my conscience and helping a tyrant commit evil. This time, I stand with the Taixu Gang!"
"Bah! You just want to be the immortal's dog. How shameless. I only want to be her punching bag."
Uh... I wasn't the one who restored the administrative building... And how am I supposed to respond to that part about being my dog?
This was Hua's first time making such a high-profile entrance and experiencing what it felt like to become the focus of everyone's attention. She was extremely nervous inside.
When she had rescued the Treasure-Stealing Gang before, it had only been a rescue operation. She had not needed to say much, and whatever few lines she did have had been prepared in advance by Vill-V. Hua had not needed to think at all.
Now, however, she had to control the situation as the Taixu Gang's nominal leader. With no script prepared beforehand, Hua was naturally at a complete loss.
Vill-V might have improvised a few words to rally everyone's morale, but Hua had no idea how to give an impromptu speech.
And if she delivered the sort of speech she used in class, she would probably crush their morale instead.
The only thing she knew how to do was fight.
Fortunately, none of the enemies present possessed a Knight-class Honkai Beast. The Ghostfire Syndicate could capture only Beast-class and Seraph-class specimens. With Hua's current martial skill, dealing with them remained well within her capabilities.
To outsiders, Azure Empyrea's taciturn silence appeared cold, aloof, and disdainful of mortal affairs.
Sword in hand, she moved lightly across the battlefield, rescuing one endangered Taixu Gang member after another. Her pure-white dress fluttered in the wind, making her resemble an angel who healed the wounded and saved the dying.
Although she gave no rousing speech to inspire them, her actions were already more than enough.
"Azure Empyrea is cold on the outside but warm within! She's so cool!"
"Azure Empyrea cares about us!"
The Taixu Gang members, convinced they had finally understood the immortal, cheered wildly as their morale soared.
Filled with renewed determination, they threw themselves back into the fierce battle against the Ghostfire Syndicate.