Although the Honkai had indeed ended, and countless people on Blue Earth were crying tears of joy because of it, Lihua, at this very moment, felt that perhaps it would have been better if the Honkai was still around… At least then, she wouldn't have to consider how to escape from the group of people around her.
Indeed, she too had long since undergone the sacred severance, becoming an individual capable of independent movement.
But having been used as a test subject for the sacred severance by that guy Li Bei, while gaining this immense freedom, she had also lost that almost inexhaustible power.
Her current strength was still very powerful, but far from being as outrageous as before. And after merging with the Herrscher of Sentience, she was finally no longer that cold world consciousness, but had become a complete living being.
If it were just like this, then life should have remained unchanged from before… But unfortunately, she wasn't the only target of the sacred severance.
Those few clones… those guys, they had also broken free from the main body's control!
After that suicidal sacred severance by that guy Li Bei, not only she, the inventor of the sacred severance, but even Shoko, Lee, and even Twilight—those who were originally his clones—had all gained the possibility of breaking free from control!
Although this Li Bei definitely hadn't expected it at first, what would happen after these clones discovered they were all free was a matter of course.
"Lihua, my Lihua…"
"My heavens, Lihua, you're finally back…"
Looking at the three people who had reverted to their original appearances after losing the power of the sacred severance when she was thrown into another world by some bastard, and who now surrounded her, refusing to leave, Lihua awkwardly shrank her neck.
Back then, in order to deal with Li Bei, she had summoned these three from another world. Now, although they had indeed successfully defeated Li Bei, they had also fallen into this kind of hell because of it.
Although Lihua also knew that these guys definitely wouldn't really hurt her, or even do anything bad, being surrounded by three grown men like this still made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
It wasn't a matter of gender; after all, for her, who was once a compilation consciousness of man and woman, gender was completely meaningless.
The problem was—these people, they were too clingy!
Ever since the Honkai completely ended, these three had been following her around, never leaving her side. Although there was indeed the factor of wanting to ensure her safety, those eyes, as if afraid she would disappear again, made Lihua feel extremely troubled.
Especially in Schicksal's headquarters, Otto, Kallen, and Eleanor, these three highest leaders of Schicksal, who could even be said to be symbols of Schicksal, were now all hovering around her, never leaving her side.
Although there were no other people here, if this matter got out, Schicksal's dignity would be completely gone!
"Really, you three, can you please stay a little further away from me?"
"How can we do that, Lihua? What if you disappear again?"
"That's right, that's right! We finally found you back, we absolutely can't let you leave again!"
"Exactly, exactly! And it's so dangerous outside. If we're not here to protect you, what if you run into some bad guys again?"
Looking at the three people who refuted her in unison, Lihua sighed.
Although what they said did make sense, and it was indeed out of goodwill, these three guys, were they underestimating her too much? At any rate, she was once an existence that almost destroyed the world. How could she encounter danger so easily?
Not to mention, the world was already at peace now. The Honkai, which had plagued Blue Earth for who knows how many eras, had finally been completely eliminated with the help of outsiders.
Although the Cocoon of Finality was powerful, it ultimately had to suffer defeat under the overwhelming might of the Astral Express (Twilight).
Earth was now free from its shackles, and even with the help of the Express, it had successfully leaped from being an unknown backwater in the universe, a place even Aeons hadn't visited, to a modern world connected to the cosmos.
Without the threat of the Honkai, Anti-Entropy and Schicksal no longer insisted on fighting. And those who wanted to cause trouble had either become honest after getting what they wanted, or, like Cocolia, had been taught a harsh lesson.
The current Earth could be said to be harmonious and joyful.
Everyone was peacefully and friendly developing technology, preparing to advance towards the sea of stars and the universe. It was truly a scene of vibrant life and vigorous development.
In these days when everyone was happy, Lihua just couldn't bring herself to smile.
"Ahaha, the weather is nice today… Have you three considered going out for some leisure and relaxation? I don't think you need to keep watch by my side all the time…"
"Sitting beside Lihua right now, watching you drink tea, already makes me feel very happy."
In the magnificent garden of Schicksal headquarters, Otto sat opposite the tea table, explaining to Lihua with a smile.
But then, when his gaze turned to the two women clinging to Lihua's side, refusing to leave, his eyes instantly became sharp. "Kallen Kaslana, Eleanor Schariac—haven't you two realized that your tactless behavior has already made Lihua uncomfortable? Let go quickly!"
"Besides, didn't you two dislike staying in Schicksal's floating city headquarters before? Why are you clinging here now and not leaving? So many places on Earth are short-handed right now. I think you two great talents are very suitable to shine elsewhere."
"That's, of course, for Lihua's safety! Leaving you alone with Lihua, the result wouldn't be any better than a thief guarding gold! Lord Lihua clearly dislikes you, not me!"
Eleanor hugged Lihua's left arm tightly, her gaze towards Otto filled only with disdain and vigilance. "Besides, I'm just a fighter. If someone is to shine, shouldn't it be you? You should go with those old fogeys left from the previous era and figure out how to rebuild their new world, and by the way, peacefully transfer out those remaining Previous Era relics from that Divine Key!"
"You clinging to her like this every day will only cause trouble for Lihua!"
"You're the one who keeps trying to drive me away! You must be up to no good! I can see your scheming practically hitting me in the face!"
The lofty Overseer, the awe-inspiring Valkyrie—these two idols in the eyes of countless Schicksal members were now glaring at each other, sparks and lightning almost shooting from their eyes.
Lihua had to be thankful that there were no other people around at this moment. Otherwise, if the scene of Schicksal's highest leadership quarreling so childishly like children were to spread, it would probably disillusion countless people—Holy crap, who's touching her hand?!!
Lihua, who was still sighing and watching the show, suddenly felt a touch from behind. This time, she discovered a fair, slender hand had, at some point, climbed onto her own.
"Ka-Kallen, you…"
"…Sigh, Lihua, those two just know how to argue all day long… Unlike me, I only care about Lihua's mood." Kallen, who had been silent just now, suddenly smiled, squeezed her hand slightly, then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Want to go for a walk together? Just ignore these two childish fellows, just the two of us."
"Uh… Kallen, where did you learn to say that…"
Terror! That was the feeling in Lihua's heart right now!
Do you know what's more terrifying than someone hitting on you, constantly trying to hit on you? It's having three people around you, all wanting to hit on you!
And what's even more terrifying than three people wanting to hit on you is that not only does she want to hit on you, but she has also learned these chillingly manipulative green tea [a term for someone who appears innocent but is manipulative] techniques from somewhere…
"I learned it online—but that's not important!"
Kallen fluttered her bright, large eyes, looking at Lihua, who was getting goosebumps, with a deeply affectionate gaze she had learned from who knows where. "Oh, Lihua, as long as I'm with you, I'm willing to go anywhere…"
My dear ancestor, please stop blinking, I'm scared!
Lihua wanted to cry out in her heart right now. The only feeling was regret. Why did she lose her mind back then and provoke these three people?
Even if she wanted to fleece them for energy at that time, she could have totally found people who seemed more normal!
Even Eleanor, who originally seemed the most normal, now looked like she had ulterior motives towards her… Ever since being severed by the main body and kicked back to Earth, Lihua's life during this period could be described as filled with trepidation, fearing that one day she would wake up, lift the covers, and find someone lying next to her.
When they reunited on Blue Earth, Otto, Kallen, and Eleanor were all still relatively normal. But ever since the main body orchestrated the final battle for a once-and-for-all solution, the attitude of these three had changed.
Losing a treasured possession again seemed to have dealt them an unusually severe blow. Now, Lihua couldn't even leave the sight of these three.
Wherever Lihua wanted to go, the three of them insisted on following, even tossing aside all other matters.
That bastard main body's sacred severance… Now he's probably living a peaceful life happily ever after.
In the end, she was the one who had to bear everything…
"Actually, um…" After expending tremendous effort, Lihua finally managed to pull her hand out of Kallen's grasp. If not for her physique having been upgraded once before, she wouldn't have had any possibility of resisting at this moment. "I want to see Senti, Kiana, and Mei."
"Of course, you can! I'll go with you!"
"I want to go alone. You see, St. Freya is very safe anyway—"
"No, it's too dangerous!"
Before Lihua could finish her sentence, she was rejected in unison. Not only Kallen, but even Otto and Eleanor, who had been arguing heatedly just moments ago, instantly dropped their previous topic and stared over.
No matter how much they were at odds with each other, as soon as they heard Lihua wanted to go out alone, the three of them unhesitatingly stood on the same side.
"This world is too dangerous, Lihua. If you go out alone, what if you get hurt somewhere? Without someone strong enough by your side to protect you, how can anyone rest assured?!" Otto said extremely seriously.
"The Honkai is gone, where's the threat…"
"It's almost gone, but the Herrschers are still around! People like Kiana and Raiden Mei, and those guys from Anti-Entropy… Even if they know better and wouldn't hurt you, what about those old fogeys from the Previous Era? Those lunatics don't care about anything else when they fight! A few days ago, they fought in the Pacific Ocean, and the fire burned so intensely, who knows how many fish died! What if you accidentally get caught in the crossfire?!"
Damn Unit Three, clearly a junior, yet she doesn't even clean up the mess she left behind, and it even affects me, her senior… Even now, I still have to help her cover up and cooperate! What an ungrateful junior and ancestor…
Sigh, forget it. Even if she really did manage to sneak away alone, she probably couldn't escape the search of these three. The current Earth, apart from St. Freya, was almost entirely under Schicksal's control. Even Anti-Entropy's leader, Welt, had packed up and left. World Serpent was even more engrossed in internal strife. Nowhere could she escape the eyes of these three.
If only I had clung to Unit Four's leg back then and escaped with the Astral Express…
Unfortunately, what's done is done. Reality offered no medicine for regret for Lihua. She could only accept the current situation.
"Then let's take ten thousand steps back. Let's just be blunt… You guys follow me around every day because you care about me, I can understand that—but when I'm taking a bath, can you at least not follow me in… Eleanor, Kallen, I'm talking about you two! Don't think I don't know, you two squat outside my bathroom door every night!"
"W-we're just doing this for your safety, Lihua!" Kallen and Eleanor's faces instantly turned beet red. They stammered and pointed at Otto, trying to explain, "Otherwise, if this pervert does something, it'll be irreparable!"
"You're full of crap! Are you two just guarding against me? You just want to feast your own eyes, you shameless hussies!" Otto was furious. He grabbed Lihua's hand and was about to leave. "Lihua, we can't stay with these two perverts anymore, let's go! I'll find a peaceful place right now, just the two of us—"
"Otto, what the hell are you trying to do now?!"
"You pervert, you have the nerve to call me a bastard!?"
"You two should stay away from us! I was the first one to confess to Lihua back then!"
"Lord Lihua never agreed to you, okay!"
"You two should get in line at the back!"
Looking at the three who were about to turn into a full-blown brawl in the blink of an eye, Lihua remained silent for a long while. Finally, she looked up at the sky, a resigned smile of someone who had seen through life and death appearing on her face.
I just don't want to be captured. Why is it so difficult?
This ridiculous world… Why didn't she think of using Unit Three's plan back then!