"C.C, where exactly are we headed?"
With a bright smile, the little tuna girl took C.C's hand and swayed back and forth, her voice soft and sweet.
"The real Herrscher has already been dealt with, but there's still a fake one over there. That's our target."
C.C's beautiful face was illuminated by a gentle smile that seemed almost too real, and her golden eyes shone with a clear and pure light as she gazed steadily at the tuna girl.
In an instant, a rosy flush spread across the girl's face, and her smile turned silly and dazed—she was clearly smitten.
Holding C.C's other hand was the heiress Kiana.
She felt the warmth and smoothness of the girl's soft palm and glanced dispassionately at the tuna girl, who had completely fallen for C.C's looks.
'Hmph! Falling for C.C's beauty—how shallow!'
She has no idea that C.C's true self is actually Nagami.
There's no sincerity in feelings like that!
'Unlike me, who loves both of them equally!'
The heiress Kiana felt a small sense of smugness.
After all, she was the only one in this world who knew C.C's true dual identity.
A little secret between two people always helps strengthen bonds, doesn't it?
"A fake Herrscher?" The tuna girl scratched her head, curiosity written all over her face.
"Mm-hmm, that's the one~" With both hands occupied, C.C just raised her delicate chin to indicate the direction.
The young lady and the tuna girl both lifted their heads, following the line of her gaze to spot a blue figure in the distance.
"That's…" The young lady narrowed her eyes, her calm expression sharpening as if to pierce the distance itself.
It was a young man in a hooded cloak.
The wind whipped his coat, making it flap and ripple dramatically.
Sensing the young lady's gaze, he raised his head, and his eyes seemed to break through the distance to lock onto the trio steadily approaching him.
Around him, swirling like a storm, were orbs of pitch-black energy—deep and ominous, like miniature black holes.
Even though his face was hidden in the shadows, there was no mistaking the arrogant air that surrounded him.
"That's Welt. But just a clone, really. You've… seen it before, so you probably know,"
C.C said with a mocking smile as she watched the man strutting forward as if the whole world were his stage.
Though he was called "Lord of the Alliance" by some, everyone knew the truth: he was nothing but a cheap imitation.
Sure, he possessed a fraction of the First Herrscher's power, enough to half-bake an imitation of the Ninth Divine Key—Eden's Star—and manipulate gravity.
But that was the extent of it.
"Oh~ so that's him."
The heiress Kiana searched her memory for the storylines of Honkai Impact 3rd and soon wore an enlightened expression.
Meanwhile, the tuna girl stood frozen in place, dazed and lost, glancing back and forth between C.C and Sirin's smooth banter.
She understood each word individually, but put together, it was like some cryptic riddle.
'What's going on? Why does it feel like I'm the only one who doesn't get it?'
'What are you guys talking about behind my back?'
Feeling left out, she blurted out a question in confusion.
"Um? What are you guys talking about? What's this 'Welt' and 'fake one' stuff?"
"That's a bit complicated to explain, so to save your poor brain cells, I won't bother."
C.C tapped a delicate finger against the tuna girl's smooth forehead, her smile unusually gentle as she offered her reassurance.
For anyone else, it might've felt like an insult, but if it was from C.C—no problem at all!
The heiress Kiana gave the tuna girl a disdainful look.
This is it?
And you still want to compete with me?
"Hah! You've seen my power and yet you don't run? Instead, you choose to walk straight toward me?!"
With both hands casually tucked into his pockets, the arrogant young man snorted as he spoke, the very picture of smugness.
His words were enough to make C.C's DNA itch in irritation.
But none of the three even spared him a glance, ignoring him completely.
"This guy's goon vibes are just way too obvious."
A faint golden glow flickered in the young lady's blue eyes before vanishing.
She sighed softly and drew her Lunar Guardian, aiming the barrel straight at Welt.
If you want to act like a boss, at least be ruthless and keep your mouth shut.
"Hmph, insignificant ants dare to act so arrogant!" The self-proclaimed "Alliance Leader" sneered, showing no intention of dodging even when staring down the barrel of the gun.
He clearly didn't believe the girl's bullets could pierce his energy barrier.
For all his posturing, he was just a puffed-up blowfish—lacking the bite to match his bluster. And this would be his downfall.
Without hesitation, the young lady squeezed the trigger.
The bullet whizzed out, spinning furiously, tearing through the air with a howling gust.
'Bang!'
The round zipped so close to Welt's cheek that he could smell the acrid tang of gunpowder.
The energy barrier was effortlessly shattered, but the bullet's trajectory was just slightly altered.
Welt's smug grin froze instantly, his gaze turning ice-cold. Fury burned in his eyes, hot and molten as lava. "You dare court death!"
With that, the black energy swirling around him suddenly solidified.
The air twisted and warped, as if smeared by ink.
The earth itself seemed to tremble and crack.
Dirt and debris flew everywhere, the crushing weight of gravity bearing down like an invisible mountain.
But those piercing blue eyes, flickering with golden light, didn't show even a flicker of fear.
For the girl who could wield the Saniyat Saint's power, this was no big deal.
Bending down gracefully, C.C. swept up the startled grass bug girl in a princess carry, effortlessly lifting her off her feet.
In an instant, the green-haired beauty blurred across dozens of meters, gracefully evading the crushing gravity.
'Boom!' The ground crumbled under the force, as if steamrolled by an unstoppable force.
A cloud of dust and shattered rock rose like a curtain, obscuring everything in sight.
"Tch." With a face that practically said, "Did I just waste a fortune on this?," the heiress Kiana gently set the tuna down.
Then, like an arrow loosed from its bow, the green-haired girl shot forward, a streak of color.
Her slender frame radiated with boundless Honkai energy, surging like a dam bursting its banks.
Facing down this arrogant foe, the Honkai energy—like a lover's jealous rage—erupted with an intensity that defied logic.
It burned like molten lava, a searing tide flowing into C.C.'s hands, turning white skin to glowing embers.
Golden eyes replaced by violet six-pointed stars, spell circles formed around her delicate fingers, merging into a blazing magic circle.
What to do in a pinch?
"Fireball," she said calmly.
The still air ignited.
A sudden, cataclysmic blaze roared to life, and the temperature spiked instantly.
The heat twisted the air like a mirage, molten rock from the earth's core brought to the surface.
A fireball so massive it blotted out the sky.
A wave of searing heat rolled forward, overwhelming everything in its path.
Welt, caught mid-motion, felt an inexplicable heaviness pinning him in place—like a stack of crushing debuffs weighing him down.
He knew this sensation all too well.
Many had perished in his gravity fields—yet now he was the one trapped.
As the inferno reached him, the last thing he saw was the pure violet of those six-pointed stars, and the faint, devastating smile on the girl's lips.
Then—
'BOOM!!!'
The world exploded in fire and thunder.
Scorching mist filled the air, howling winds roaring like dragons.
It was as if molten rivers had poured across the earth itself.
At the center of the blast, Welt's false body was consumed by the searing winds, reduced to smoldering ash.
He wasn't even a pretty girl—C.C. had no reason to waste time on him.
One fireball, no mercy, straight to oblivion.
And, as a bonus, she picked up the trick of controlling gravity with Honkai energy for free.
A cheap clone like him was never going to survive this hellish blaze.
After all, C.C. hadn't held back at all.
Though, honestly… calling that spell "Fireball" seemed a bit ridiculous now.
Should I name it with Naruto style like before?
Or maybe it was time for a new, more grandiose name?
As she gazed at the lava-like landscape of red-hot earth, C.C. found herself lost in thought.
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