"So, Hua went through all that in the current era..."
After Lynelle recounted the whole story from beginning to end, Aponia couldn't help but fall into silence.
"Mhm, so right now, the SWARA's existence has actually become a kind of shackle for Fu Hua. If this restraint isn't removed, her strength might..."
"Ah..."
Aponia let out a soft sigh.
"If you see Hua after you leave, please tell her I'm sorry on my behalf. Even though I was mentally prepared back then... the SWARA I gave still steered things toward a terrible outcome, just as it always does."
"Sister Aponia, how can you say that?" Lynelle quickly shook her head and grasped Aponia's hand.
"Fu Hua has never blamed you. I believe everyone feels the same... Even though the SWARA did cause many tragedies, I'm sure that through it all, Fu Hua gained something even more precious."
"Even if the ending can't be changed, we should at least decide for ourselves how we reach that ending... Isn't that what you've always been trying to do, Sister Aponia?"
Aponia was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly gave a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Lynelle... You really are so much like her. Even your perspective on this is startlingly similar."
"If I didn't know Elysia hadn't meddled with your values, I'd almost think you two had secretly rehearsed this together."
"But, back to the matter at hand, Hua's problem still needs to be solved. Based on your description, it seems we really only have one method right now."
"Lynelle, you need to completely shatter Hua's Sword Heart. Because of the Taixu Sword Heart, her Sword Heart is essentially bound to the SWARA."
"Without breaking the Sword Heart, it will be very difficult to eliminate the SWARA's influence."
"But... how do we shatter the Sword Heart?" Lynelle asked, puzzled.
"For now, there are only two paths," Aponia explained patiently.
"The first is to find someone who, like Hua, has also cultivated the Taixu Sword Heart, and whose strength reaches a very high level—at least enough to utilize the Taixu Sword Heart."
"On that foundation, through extremely precise control and with Hua's own cooperation, there might be a chance to shatter the Sword Heart."
"However, this method has too many variables. Leaving aside whether such a person, who shares a deep connection with Hua, even exists in the current era, the sheer requirement for strength alone makes this approach nearly impossible... So, I'd advise you to choose the second method."
"And the second method is...?" Lynelle perked up her ears.
The first method Aponia mentioned was clearly the one Fu Hua used in the original story, though since Cheng Lixue is alive in this timeline, she could be the one to shatter Fu Hua's Sword Heart.
But given Lixue's feelings for Fu Hua, Lynelle was afraid that if something went wrong, Lixue might just freeze up on the spot... and that would be a huge problem.
"The SWARA is essentially an extension of Discipline," Aponia said with a soft blink.
"So, all that's needed is someone who also possesses Discipline abilities to either remove the SWARA from Fu Hua or counteract its influence through a reverse Discipline."
"But, aren't you the only one who can use Discipline, Sister Aponia?" Lynelle tilted her head. "Do I need to bring Fu Hua to the Elysian Realm?"
Aponia looked quietly at Lynelle, smiling without a word.
"Uh..."
Under Aponia's gaze, Lynelle realized what she meant.
"Sister Aponia, you don't mean... you want me to use Discipline, do you?"
"Why not?" Aponia asked with a playful smile. "As the Herrscher of Corruption, you are also a mental-type ability user, aren't you?"
"Besides, Su told me that your mental aptitude is actually quite good. But he felt his own abilities might not suit you, so he asked me to teach you how to use psychic power. I just had reservations about your situation at the time, so I kept putting it off until now."
"Wow, there was such a past?" Lynelle asked, stunned. "But something like Discipline must be really hard to learn quickly, right?"
"Of course. Even with your talent, it would likely take a year or two to roughly learn how to use Discipline," Aponia nodded.
"However, I have a method that would allow you to release Discipline without going through the learning process."
"R-really?" Lynelle's eyes instantly lit up. "I want to learn that!"
"Silly... this is for emergencies. To be precise, it's like implanting a set of shortcuts for using Discipline into your body."
Aponia smiled helplessly and continued, "But since you want to learn... [Please] relax your mind and body."
Under Aponia's softly spoken commandment, Lynelle's eyes immediately grew hazy.
She obediently allowed Aponia to draw her into an embrace, resting her head against the most ample bosom in all of Honkai Impact 3rd.
"So good..."
Aponia knelt on the floor, gently stroking the girl's back to help her gradually relax, while quietly using her Discipline ability to guide Lynelle into a deeper hypnotic state.
If Snake saw this scene, there'd be a pretty high chance she'd lose control on the spot. But Aponia had no such thoughts herself.
The reason for using such a suggestive method was simply out of necessity.
There was no helping it.
Mental-type abilities were indeed powerful, but they also had a significant flaw: unless there was a vast disparity in strength, it was hard for one mental-type user to affect another.
A good example was how Su, whose power was far inferior to that female version of Su, still managed to escape back to the original world.
So, Aponia could only use this more primitive hypnotic method.
Only after the girl had completely relaxed in her arms and entered a hypnotic state could she imprint the Discipline shortcut onto her.
To be precise, it was a method for quick-use Discipline.
Sensing that Lynelle had fully entered the hypnotic state, Aponia lifted the girl's head from her chest and met her dazed pink eyes.
"Lynelle, from now on... [Please] firmly remember my words and the trajectory of my power."
"When you wish to use Discipline, [Please] use your Origin power to activate the Discipline imprint. Then, with a sincere heart, make a wish to your authority, and express the content of your wish in the form of a Discipline."
If Snake or Elysia were present and heard the content of Aponia's commandment, they'd probably be stunned.
After all, the "quick-use Discipline" method Aponia left for Lynelle wasn't actually using Discipline at all.
It was essentially a shortcut that worked by "wishing to the Origin authority, allowing Origin power to simulate Discipline."
Yes, that's right. The method Aponia mentioned—the one that would let Lynelle cleverly use Discipline—was simply to make a wish to the omnipotent Origin authority.
Through its nearly "as-you-will" power effect, it would simulate Discipline.
Origin, isn't it just amazing?
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.