"Come here, Senti, lie down."
"Let me check if your development is normal."
On the space station, inside the life sciences laboratory—
Setsuna had Senti, wearing Fu Hua's body, lie inside the stasis pod.
Nearby stood Grey, Sumire Muroto, and a large group of biotech research lolis and Angeloids.
"Tch—"
"I'm telling you, my new body must be exactly the same strength as that old fossil's… no! Stronger than hers! Ten times stronger!"
"Otherwise, I'll just stay in this body forever and never leave! Let that old fossil play games in the server instead!"
The Herrscher of Sentience tossed off her coat in a few quick motions, lifting her chin proudly.
Truthfully, she was very satisfied with herself—or rather, with Fu Hua's body.
At this moment, Fu Hua's body was at nearly peak condition. After years of tempering and modifications, it had become extremely powerful.
Its Honkai adaptability was also exceptionally high, allowing her to freely use Herrscher powers through it.
Aside from being slightly lacking in figure, it could be called perfect.
"Relax. We're copying and reconstructing at the molecular level. Not even a single cell will be missing."
Setsuna tapped Senti on the head.
A child was still a child—always noisy.
Clack—
The stasis pod closed.
Invisible beams scanned her body again and again.
On the holographic interface, Fu Hua's body model gradually constructed.
Thanks to the highly advanced biotech of the interstellar era, they could examine her inside and out with precision.
"Mm… her body has undergone multiple modifications, plus thousands of years of training. In terms of physique, she's at the very top compared to the humans at the base."
Grey and the research lolis smacked their lips while looking at Fu Hua's body parameters.
As an Immortal, she was nearly undying. In the original timeline, even if her limbs and meridians were broken, her skull pierced by a sword, or Otto shot her in the head, she could preserve her consciousness.
As long as her mind and soul weren't completely destroyed, she could gradually repair her body.
"…"
Inside the game world, Fu Hua's expression turned complicated as she overheard their praises.
She felt like she was being seen through inside and out.
And during the body modeling process, the projection image was fully naked!
Though molecular modeling wasn't as direct as a photo, one could still make out things.
Senti, on the other hand, didn't care at all.
Lying in the pod, she sprawled out and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Look all you want. That old fossil's figure isn't impressive anyway—nothing worth seeing."
"…That's my body."
Fu Hua grumbled helplessly from the server.
She wanted to rush out immediately and smack Senti twice with Taixuan Eminence.
"Height, weight, body contour modeling complete. Proceeding with internal scan…"
After building the basic form, the equipment began analyzing Fu Hua's deeper power systems.
"Mm… Fu Hua is a MANTIS. Her DNA contains human traits as well as Honkai beast elements."
"Breeding a new Honkai beast would be troublesome. We can just copy this DNA directly. That way, the new body will retain the same Honkai adaptability."
As they observed, everyone suddenly noticed the scanner marking a high-energy object inside Fu Hua's body.
It resembled a crystal, condensed with immense Honkai energy.
"A Herrscher Core?"
Setsuna was surprised.
It was the energy core formed within a Herrscher's body when high-density Honkai energy concentrated. It allowed a Herrscher to wield Authority and control Honkai beasts and dead soldiers.
When Honkai shoved consciousness into Fu Hua's body and transformed her into a Herrscher, naturally a Herrscher Core was produced.
"Uh… considering Fu Hua is Fu Hua and Senti is Senti, we'll need to transplant the Herrscher Core into the new body?"
A research loli scratched her head.
"Hey! You're not planning to turn me into a Divine Key, are you?!"
Senti panicked.
"Of course not. That would be a waste."
Setsuna smiled as he replied.
To Setsuna, the value of a Herrscher itself was greater than that of a weapon forged from its core.
"Uh… the transplant surgery shouldn't be hard, but I think the Herrscher Core itself has great research value?!"
Grey and the group of research lolis had their scientific spirits ignited.
"This thing grants Herrschers their respective Authorities, and allows them to command Honkai beasts… Each Herrscher's Authority, or superpower, is different."
"Could we replicate its structure, compress Honkai energy, and try making a new Herrscher Core?"
The nanobot's imagination ran wild.
"???"
Fu Hua was dumbfounded.
In the Previous Era, Herrscher Cores had been turned into Divine Keys only because their structures were utterly indecipherable—there was no way to analyze them, so they were simply used to drive weapons.
But the Starsea Empire went even further, directly attempting to imitate Herrscher Cores.
"Approved. You can make a knockoff or budget version, but don't conduct destructive experiments on the original Herrscher Core."
Setsuna nodded.
He had full confidence in the Empire's scientific prowess.
The Empire's research division gathered the top scientists from Azure Lane, Heaven's Lost Property, Stellaris, and other worlds. Anything was possible.
"Oh, right! Don't forget something else!"
Senti suddenly shouted.
"Make me bigger!! I want… to be like the carrier shipgirls!"
Her gaze swept over Setsuna's companions, settling on Taihou and Formidable.
It was all that old fossil's fault—fifty thousand years and still underdeveloped, worse off than shipgirls only decades old.
"Uh… okay? We'll do our best…"
...
During the period of constructing Senti's new body and researching the Herrscher Core—
Fu Hua herself remained stuck inside the server's virtual world.
She waited anxiously, longing for the moment Senti would be sent away so she could return to her original body.
Because she was online every single day, her companions at the base mistook her for some kind of no-life grinder.
They were astonished by Fu Hua's apparent dedication.
Meanwhile, the Herrscher of Sentience wandered the station, occasionally undergoing checkups and cooperating with research.
As a theoretical fifty-thousand-year-old with an actual age under three, she showed great curiosity toward the Starsea Empire's technology.
Strutting around with Fu Hua's body, she toured all the advanced wonders of the interstellar era.
"Speaking of which, I'm really curious about this 'Authority' thing."
"You all have your own superpowers—what about me? What can I do?"
One day, Tohru and the others suddenly grew curious about Senti's abilities.
Back when they ganged up on her, the Herrscher of Sentience hadn't managed to do anything before being beaten down by five at once.
For this "Honkai traitor" and new companion, everyone was curious.
"Hmph—"
Senti struck a deliberately profound pose:
"Sentience is the source of all souls. I am the one who governs the thoughts of all beings."
"All human consciousness, memories, and thoughts fall under my control."
"So basically, your ability is mental manipulation magic?"
The dragon girl tilted her head.
"Please, that's child's play to me."
Senti pouted.
"Consciousness! Consciousness is the root of every soul! Controlling it means controlling destiny itself, don't you understand?!"
"Anything related to awareness, I can control."
"For example, I can alter your cognition, create illusions, and drag you inside. If you die in that illusion, your brain and consciousness will believe you're dead."
"Oh…?"
Setsuna and the others were intrigued.
"Want me to show you?"
Seeing everyone's curious faces, Senti rolled up her sleeves and raised her pale fingers, waving them before their eyes.
"Look here, everyone. Focus your attention on my finger… left, right, left…"
"Ohhh…"
The group stared intently.
"Ding! The Herrscher of Sentience has modified your consciousness. You now believe that I am the Commander of the Starsea Empire."
Hands on her hips, Senti smirked proudly.
"Ahem. Now, tell me—what fun treasures are in the Empire's vault? Bring them all out for me to see!"
"Eh?"
Mio and Tohru stared blankly at her.
Clang!—
The next moment, Ikaros smacked her on the head with a critical hit.
"Master, her mental state is unstable. I recommend physical treatment."
"Why weren't you affected?"
Senti squatted on the floor, clutching her head as she stared at Setsuna and the others.
"Did you do something?"
Mio and Tohru exchanged confused looks.
They thought Senti was just joking.
"No, no, what's wrong with you people?"
"Why doesn't Herrscher Authority work on you?!"
Senti looked at Setsuna and his companions in bewilderment.
"Didn't you feel anything at all?"
"Uh… well, kind of. I felt like someone was trying to interfere with me using magic…"
The dragon girl scratched her head.
"No, something's not right!"
Senti's expression twisted.
"Wake up. Your Authority can control ordinary people, but it doesn't work well on transcendent beings far stronger than you."
Setsuna ruffled her hair.
Her ability was versatile, true—it could drag people into illusions for battle.
But its weakness was also obvious. Against beings too strong, even if she dragged them into illusions, it was just another battlefield. The Herrscher of Sentience still might not be able to beat them.
"Hah?"
Senti glanced up and down at the group before her.
She pointed at Mio first.
"What about her? Why couldn't I even get her into an illusion?"
"Because she didn't want to."
"?"
"Mio is the Spirit of Origin. When she opens her domain, she can do whatever she pleases, rewrite any rule she wishes."
"…??"
"Why does she have such a broken ability?!"
Senti sulked for a moment, then pointed at Tohru.
"And her?"
"She's a dragon. A demigod. Her rank is higher than yours."
"…"
"What about the shipgirls and the Angeloids?!"
"They're artificial intelligences. You're the Herrscher of Sentience—you can't control AIs."
"I can just fight them with Edge of Taxiuan!"
Senti refused to give in.
"Sure. But Ikaros' range can strike from Earth all the way to Neptune's orbit. Apollon can shatter asteroids. What about you?"
Setsuna chuckled.
"…"
After asking around, Senti went silent.
"Ahhhh—"
"So in the entire Starsea Empire, the only ones I can bully are the lolis?!"
She hugged her head, stomping her feet as she looked around the station.
She thought that with the title of Herrscher, she'd at least be above others. But now she realized her status here might be rather low.
"Everyone in the base is equal, whether they go on expeditions or work in logistics."
"In the future, I'll be forming a Herrscher unit. You'll be part of it."
Setsuna pinched her cheek.
"A Herrscher unit? Then I want to be the leader."
Senti tilted her head upward defiantly.
"No wait, who said I'd join you in the first place?!"
"Life on Earth was great for me—doing whatever I wanted, going wherever I pleased, dumping my troubles on others. Totally carefree…"
Clang—
Setsuna knocked her on the head again, cleared his throat, and gave a signal to the dragon girl.
"Mio, Tohru, don't you think it's about time we made Senti return Fu Hua's body?"
"On second thought, this Herrscher's a bit disobedient. Letting her run free could be troublesome…"
"Oh?"
Tohru cracked her knuckles, the sound echoing ominously.
"Understood, Commander. I'll beat her down right now and shove her into the consciousness upload machine."
"Stop!!!"
Senti paled.
"I surrender! I surrender, okay?! I'm on your side too, fighting Honkai!!"
"I'm one of you!!!"
"…"
Setsuna and the shipgirls exchanged glances.
"Looks like her mind really did get scrambled by Fu Hua's consciousness earlier…"
"Tch. Maybe we should send little Senti to take classes with the little shipgirls?"
...
About a week later—
News came from the life sciences division.
Senti's new body had finally been completed.
Inside the pristine white laboratory, Grey and the research lolis sat before a holographic console, tuning parameters.
Against the wall stood two life-support pods side by side.
Inside one pod lay a fair-skinned woman with long gray hair, her appearance identical to Fu Hua's, dressed in casual clothes.
Her eyes were closed as she rested quietly.
"We've completely copied and cloned Fu Hua's body at the molecular and DNA level. Its functions are nearly identical to the original."
"As for the cost… well, forget it, not important. We're not short on money."
"Once we transplant the Herrscher Core into her, this one will be yours."
Grey nudged her chin at Senti.
"Well? Satisfied?"
"Ho~~"
Senti clicked her tongue, pacing over.
She looked, nodded at first, then shook her head.
"Overall, it's fine. But why does it look as flat as the old fossil?"
"Didn't I say I wanted a body like the carrier shipgirls? This is way off!!"
The cloned body was naturally identical to Fu Hua's—flat figure included.
"Uh, through our tests, we found Fu Hua's body exists in a delicate balance."
Grey explained.
"She underwent super-mutation modification, locking and reinforcing her vital signs at optimal state. In other words, what you see now is her most perfect form."
"Adding extra fat isn't difficult, but it would lower her overall functionality. During consciousness transfer, unexpected errors might occur—or the system might auto-correct it."
"…"
It took Senti a while to realize her dream of a curvier body was impossible.
Finally, she turned toward Fu Hua's projection:
"Old fossil, so you were born flat? No fix even after all these years? You're holding me back…"
"???"
Fu Hua, who had cultivated for thousands of years with a calm heart and expressionless face, felt an unprecedented urge to beat someone.
She glared at Senti, biting her teeth, then took a deep breath.
"Compared to cultivation, figure is a trivial matter. Do not obsess over externals."
"Really? Funny, when you met the shipgirls you were jealous of Taihou and Richelieu's bodies, weren't you? You just never said it out loud."
…With access to Fu Hua's memories, Senti naturally twisted the knife.
"??!"
The two looked ready to fight through the glass.
Setsuna quickly had Senti lie down, soothing her.
"It's fine. Actually, this is a carrier-class figure too. If you don't believe me, I can find a carrier shipgirl with the same build as you."
"Really?!"
Senti's eyes widened in surprise.
"Commander, do you realize you just insulted three people in one sentence?!"
Grey twitched at the corner of her mouth.
Soon after, the consciousness transfer procedure began.
Hum—
[Consciousness upload ready]
[ID verified. System check complete]
With a hum, the Herrscher of Sentience's mind was uploaded into the terminal server.
The noisy Senti fell silent at last.
"Say, could Honkai throw down another Herrscher consciousness?"
Setsuna rubbed his chin, eyeing the two identical Huas.
"…?"
"You trying to bait Honkai into a trap?!"
Grey was stunned.
"Even if the Will of the Honkai went brain-dead and tried the same trick again, the memories in Fu Hua would still scramble it."
"In the end, you'd just get another silly one like Senti."
"…"
Setsuna thought for a moment. If every Herrscher ended up with Senti's personality…
Too weird.
The more he thought, the weirder it became.
About ten minutes later—
While Fu Hua and Senti were glaring at each other in virtual space—
[Initiating consciousness download]
With the mechanical prompt—
Shwoosh—
Fu Hua felt her awareness pulled through a channel.
After crossing an endless darkness, she opened her eyes again.
She was lying in her familiar stasis pod.
After the ordeal of being uploaded and possessed by the Herrscher of Sentience, she had returned to reality.
She pushed open the pod cover and sat up slowly.
Stretching her body, she felt a sense of dislocation, as if she had lived through another lifetime.
"Immortal, your body's functions are normal. But we transplanted the Herrscher Core into Senti."
"You've stayed too long in virtual space. Your mind may need time to adjust back to reality."
Setsuna patted her shoulder.
"Mm. Thank you."
Fu Hua nodded politely.
Then—
Bang—
The other pod opened.
Another girl, with the same face and figure as Fu Hua, stepped out.
She now wore a black ancient-style outfit patterned with silver clouds. Her legs and left shoulder were bare, with metallic ornaments of stars and feathers hanging from the neckline.
A golden sash cinched her waist, beneath which hung a translucent short skirt barely covering the essentials. A horn-like metal ornament adorned her head's left side, and a black thigh ring encircled her leg.
Compared to Fu Hua, she looked far more flamboyant, brimming with nonchalance and willful freedom.
"Aha!"
"The great Herrscher of Sentience has returned!!"
—
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