Morning sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the quiet room in golden light.
Ryan sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, clad only in shorts. His shirt lay discarded nearby, revealing a lean, defined physique—broad shoulders, sculpted deltoids, and eight-pack abs that rose and fell with each breath. His glasses and scholarly expression lent him an oddly academic air, as if he might launch into a philosophical debate on martial theory at any moment.
Exhale…
He slowly released his breath and opened his eyes, relaxing the subtle tension in his muscles.
But his brows furrowed.
Killing intent?
It had been faint—barely perceptible—but real. A shadow of malice brushing against his senses.
Someone's targeting me?
He mulled it over in silence. Fire Moth's internal politics were treacherous enough. Infighting, maneuvering, hidden knives in the dark… nothing new. The more valuable he became, the more some would want to either use him—or erase him.
A superhuman was a priceless asset. But to the wrong hands, he could be a walking weapon.
Ryan stood and stretched, joints popping as he arched his arms overhead.
A red beam of light pierced the room—thwip!—splitting a wooden post nearby in two.
Long-range Honkai energy manipulation. At distance, the precision weakened—hard to use against real threats. A secondary ability, then. For now, not worth prioritizing.
"Fine. I have time. I'll grow into it."
What intrigued him more was short-range teleportation—the kind the Honkai Emperor had used.
Was that the ceiling of low-rank Honkai Beasts? If the Honkai Emperor had that... what might a Herrscher offer?
A grin tugged at his lips as he approached the window.
Outside, Nagazora City basked in spring light. From this luxurious suite, half the skyline stretched before him. Office workers hustled toward the station. Students waited at crosswalks. Cars flowed like river currents.
Beneath it all, Fire Moth operated—watching, containing, silencing.
Ryan's eyes narrowed as he glanced north. Reporters crowded behind barricades. The "terrorist attack" had been covered up, of course. But some traces remained—damaged structures, unexploded devices. Civilians were kept out.
"Poor students," Ryan muttered. "They left for break, came back to find their campus cratered. Who're they supposed to complain to?"
He shrugged, pulled a T-shirt over his head, and checked his phone while munching on breakfast.
Several unread messages waited—his junior sister, Su... He had kept his cover story straight: academic suspension, assisting an investigation. The same line Kevin used.
Fire Moth hadn't probed further.
Ryan had checked into this high-rise hotel the same night. Returning to campus was out of the question—he didn't need to be paraded around as a "survivor."
Su wasn't fooled. Smart girl. She didn't push, but she knew.
Ryan scrolled through his notifications. Without Mei or her lab, there wasn't much keeping him here.
"I should prep for Shanghai. The third Honkai incident isn't far off."
He vaguely remembered the scale of it. Massive. Unstoppable. Fire Moth wouldn't be able to cover it up. Cities would fall. Important people would die.
He leaned back, expression unreadable.
If I hadn't intervened... Kevin would be dead. Mei too.
The more he altered history, the more uncertain it became. He was threading a needle through a hurricane.
"Better to be cautious. I haven't hit a wall yet—no bottleneck. But the beasts are changing. Stronger. Smarter."
A break from research was fine. His spear was enough. Let the Far East Branch breathe for now.
Ryan tapped on a pink icon.
"Fine. I'm free for lunch."
[Blossoming Flower]: Great! How about Roppongi? There's a yakiniku place I love there! (drooling emoji)
[Void]: Okay. Meet at the station. White T-shirt, black trousers. Don't be late.
[Blossoming Flower]: (Nodding emoji)
"God, I'm bored enough to meet a netizen."
He tossed the phone aside.
No idea why he'd agreed yesterday. A moment of weakness, maybe. Among all the worried messages, this one had stood out. He wasn't the type to ghost people. Once he said yes, he followed through.
Post-battle cooldown. If anything went wrong, there was always mass memory alteration.
He pocketed his phone, grabbed sunglasses, and headed out. But the moment he stepped into the lobby—he paused.
Surveillance.
Subtle. But he felt it.
Progressives again?
Those firebrands were obsessed with exposing Fire Moth's corruption. Still, he smirked.
Let them watch. I'm just meeting someone for lunch. They'll get bored.
He walked out into Nagazora's spring streets.
The city was vibrant—sunlight glinting off windshields, girls in skirts and patterned stockings strolling past cafes. Takoyaki stalls filled the air with a savory aroma.
He wasn't a monster.
He bought a skewer and casually bit into it, watching a group of high schoolers pass by. One girl's skirt fluttered up as a car passed; she quickly smoothed it down.
Ryan blinked, not at her legs—but at the ice cream truck behind her.
Meanwhile—
"The target shows no signs of abnormality, Lieutenant. Doesn't match special forces profiles."
On a screen, Ryan turned slightly, captured by a network of surveillance cameras.
"Watch fewer movies," Rose muttered, chewing on a rice ball. "You think he's a Honkai Beast? At best, he's just a guy. But higher-ups are watching, so stay sharp."
The others nodded.
Even if this technically overstepped their authority, they believed in their cause.
Fire Moth controlled the world. But it didn't understand the enemy.
They remembered the Herrscher of the Void incident.
The pink-haired girl who turned the tide had saved millions—yet the brass didn't offer medals. They offered suspicion. Surveillance. Quiet threats.
They feared her. Feared that kind of power.
And when superhumans rise, what happens to the old order?
The progressives had chosen their side.
"We defeated two Herrschers," Rose said quietly. "But there are more out there. And our casualties are only rising."
Resentment simmered inside the vehicle.
Fire Moth had fought the Honkai for decades, evolving from blind panic to calculated response. To many, this "cataclysm" had become manageable—just another crisis to control, budget, and spin.
Some even argued that more deaths in remote areas might help reduce population pressure.
But those same cynics feared something else entirely:Humans who wielded Honkai Beast-like power—for only such anomalies could overturn the fragile balance of mankind's rule.
"You… what are you looking at?"
A crisp, springlike voice pierced the mood, scattering gloom like sunlight through stormclouds.
Rose blinked, startled. Behind her stood a girl—bright as a blossom, pink-haired, radiant, and somehow… already inside.
They hadn't heard her arrive.
No one panicked. No one reached for a weapon.
Her presence was a balm.
"Miss Elysia, you—how did you get here?"
"Relax. Call me Ely," she said breezily, waving. "Also, who's under surveillance?"
She had followed Rose from lunch, tailing her like a curious cat. No one questioned it. It simply… was.
"Miss Elysia—Ely—someone we're monitoring. We're concerned he might… pose a threat to you."
"I already said, no need to worry," Elysia smiled. "We just have different perspectives. That's not something to fear—just something to understand."
Her words carried a lightness that softened even hardened soldiers. But Rose still hesitated.
"I think I saw him at Mobius's lab," Elysia added casually, peering at the screen. "The boy who killed the Honkai Emperor."
She leaned closer, her violet eyes alight with curiosity.
"He doesn't look evil. You can relax."
Rose swallowed. She can see that?
"His name is Ryan," she said after a pause. "Our footage shows he left the hotel around noon. Based on trajectory, he's heading toward Roppongi. Likely meeting someone."
"Roppongi?"
Elysia checked the digital clock on-screen.
"Almost noon. He's probably going for lunch."
"There are restaurants near the hotel," Rose explained. "But Roppongi is mostly bars and izakayas—not a place you eat alone. We think he's meeting someone discreetly."
Elysia said nothing.
Then her expression subtly changed. Eyes glinting, she pulled out her phone and typed something quickly, glancing up just in time to see the figure on the screen reach for his phone.
Ah… so that's how it is.
Mischief bloomed across her face like spring wind rippling a lake.
"Hee hee hee, I've discovered something very interesting."
Her voice carried a strange contagion. Even the tense soldiers smiled faintly, unsure why, as if the world had tilted half a degree toward laughter.
Ding.
Ryan glanced at his phone, frowning slightly.
[Blossoming Flower]: So sorry! Something urgent came up. I have to return to Mu Continent. I'll treat you to dinner next time to apologize! 🙇
(attached: a blurry airport photo)
He stared. Annoyance flared—but he paused, finger hovering over the block button. Then a chuckle escaped him. Bitter. Wry.
Why am I even mad?
They were just a stranger. A netizen.
Anyone could die tomorrow in a Honkai outbreak.
Better to keep distance. Fantasies weren't reality.
[Void]: It's fine. We'll meet another time.
[Blossoming Flower]: You're not really mad, right? Should I come over now?
[Void]: No need. Take care of your business. We'll have more chances.
He pocketed his phone, brushing it off.
Just digital noise. No need to invest anything real.
He glanced around the street, uncertain where to go next. After a pause, he turned back.
Maybe I'll just return to the hotel.
Kevin and Mei were gone. Su was smart, but he didn't want to worry her. Yet somehow… his steps wandered toward the academy.
He'd barely gotten far before stopping.
"I thought you were just observing from afar." His voice was cold. "You're bolder than I expected."
A few meters ahead stood the same lieutenant from earlier. She was dressed now in a casual ice cream parlor uniform, expression unreadable.
"Dr. Ryan," she said, "someone wants to see you."
"See me? Who?"
"Please follow me."
No threats. No armed squad. No ambush.
If Fire Moth wanted him dead, they'd need a small army—and they wouldn't risk it in a civilian zone.
Cautious, Ryan followed.
They passed through the edge of a city park. The spring afternoon was lively—children laughing, families chatting, flowerbeds bursting with color. It was too alive for danger.
Still, Ryan's instincts were coiled tight.
The lieutenant gestured to a flower-lined path.
"A park meeting? Confident, aren't you," Ryan muttered, slipping a hand into his pocket, fingers brushing the cold surface of a Honkai suppression charm.
The sweet scent of blooms hung thick in the air. Strangely… calming.
Neural relaxation? Pollen-based tranquilization?
The thought flickered, but he discarded it.
Then he saw her.
Pink hair.
Sitting on a bench behind the flower wall.
She sat with one leg crossed over the other, her hand propping up her head casually. As he approached, she straightened, her eyes lighting up.
Violet eyes. Warm smile.
A smile that rivaled the spring itself in beauty, made the world slow down.
"Hi," she said softly. "I'm Elysia. I've been waiting for you."