I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

[Mebius even mocked the Fire Moths as a bunch of laughable trash, who actually reclassified "Herrschers" as human because of your "special performance," and even wanted to restrict you, all because they feared your "hunting Herrschers" attitude. It's truly laughable.]

But none of this could change the mind of the Flame Chaser, because there is one thing about you that cannot be changed—that abnormal Honkai energy that is almost like that of a "Herrscher".

[This is irrefutable evidence, and the reason why the Firemoth insists on not letting you return to the base... But they are also unwilling to destroy you, after all, you have indeed shown a friendly attitude, and Aponia has also verified that you are indeed maintaining your own consciousness. Alicia and Sakura also acknowledge that you are still you, and at the very least... Gretchen's attitude can also corroborate some things.]

Therefore, after some discussion, the Moths of Fire decided to give you a "mission"—to clear out the units imprisoned in the "Deepest Place" and observe your condition... They want to conduct a test.

Of course, to avoid upsetting you, Gretchen has already been moved to a new location and is being cared for by Kosmo. Aponia will remain in the "Deepest Place" to observe your condition with Velvet and will take measures to restrict you if necessary.

[To be honest, this is a very strange mission. Although the "Deepest Abyss" is home to many criminals and "failed experiments," it is also a kind of "resource" in a sense. The Poison Chrysalis really likes to use this kind of "resource," and choosing to clean it up at this time... Why? Is it because the leader of the Poison Chrysalis has become a "Herrscher," that they can't wait to start the purge?]

Although you felt it was strange, you still carried out the order because you knew that if you wanted to return to the Firemoth, you had to show an attitude of "still obeying orders" so that the Firemoth would believe you were still human, and people would accept you, so that you could stay by their side as before.

Moreover, cleaning the "deepest parts" is not a difficult task for you now.

More importantly, Alicia and Sakura were also promised that as long as they showed an attitude of "obedience," the Fire Moth would be willing to believe that they were still "human." Therefore, they reluctantly accepted the order.

But soon you realize you're wrong, you're all wrong, and the so-called promises never existed.

The Firemoths never intended to accept you, nor did they intend for you to return... They would not allow someone with extremely strong Honkai energy, or even someone who is suspected of being a "Herrscher," to return to the Firemoths.

They ordered Vervier to renovate the "Deepest Place" specifically to imprison you, and the so-called "cleaning out of the criminals in the Deepest Place" was nothing more than a pretext to buy you time and distract you.

They were worried that you would become enraged and resist after discovering the truth, so they left Aponia to restrain you, and even... deliberately sent Alicia and Sakura to calm you down, all so that you would "voluntarily" accept your imprisonment.

[No matter how much Alicia and Sakura emphasize it, as long as you are told the truth, you will voluntarily accept imprisonment. In order to fight the Honkai and for humanity, you will understand the difficulties of everyone and be willing to sacrifice yourself to protect humanity.]

[But Moth Chaser doesn't believe it, because in previous test records, you strongly disliked dark and enclosed rooms, and your emotions would even become abnormal... Moth Chaser doesn't think you would voluntarily be imprisoned because of an order, let alone be willing to stay quietly inside.]

Their final argument against Alicia and Sakura was simple—for the sake of humanity, they could not accept placing a "time bomb" back into the Firemoth base.

[...This is absolutely hilarious, the way the Moth Chasers the Flame is acting.]

[However, in the end, things did indeed turn out exactly as Moth of the Flame had predicted. When you discovered that you had been deceived, imprisoned in the "Deepest Place," and ordered never to leave, you did exhibit extremely extreme emotions... If it weren't for Alicia and Sakura's comfort, probably a large part of the "Deepest Place" would have been torn down.]

This further solidified the Fire Moths' resolve—you are no longer "human," you must be restrained, and if necessary... you must be eliminated.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Fourteen Heroes

From that day on, you never left the "Cage" of the "Deepest Place." You were even ordered not to leave, and even when Möbius came to you for experiments, you had to stay in the "Cage," and not for long, because Moth was worried that you and Möbius might be discussing some escape plan.

After all, Möbius has become increasingly "crazy" since Klein's death, and his interest in you has reached a "fanatical" level. Moth is worried that Möbius might release you directly to study you or to conduct some kind of special experiment.

Even Alicia and Sakura have to apply in advance to enter the "cage" before they can visit you. In other cases, they can only meet you through the observation window... It's fair to say that you are being guarded against by the Fire Moth in every way.

This kind of wanton suspicion is truly... disgusting.

[However, at this stage, the Fire Moth doesn't want to deal with you directly. After all, Mebius and May both said you have great research value, and Alicia, Sakura, and Kevin are also vouching for you, saying that if you show any abnormality, the three of them are willing to act as vanguards to... subdue you.]

[So you settled down peacefully in the "Deepest Place"... Come to think of it, the entire "Deepest Place" used to hold countless criminals and "failures," and now it's used to hold only you, which is somewhat ridiculous.]

Although your experience in the deep sea has made you somewhat accustomed to the dark and oppressive environment of the "deepest place," this enclosed room still puts you under mental pressure. In addition, Vivi's occasional magic shows and the noisy atmosphere make you feel somewhat irritated.

However, you didn't complain. After all, you could sense that Virvi's thoughts and intentions were good. She hoped that her performance would relieve some of your pressure and, incidentally, allow her to unleash her desire to perform... Therefore, you would applaud briefly at the end of her performance as a way of expressing your attitude.

As for whether you actually watched her magic show... you don't care, and neither does Velvi. She performs, you clap, that's all that matters. You should know that Velvi also has the responsibility of "monitoring" you.

Aponia, who was originally intended as "insurance," went to "take care" of Gretchen.

Alicia and Sakura will visit you when they have time. Although you all know that this is an arrangement made by Moth of the Flame to soothe your emotions, you no longer care. After all, you understand Moth of the Flame's choice to imprison a dangerous individual, a suspected "Herrscher"... It's normal.

[Everything is for humanity—that's what you think.]

[You probably still have some grievances, more or less, right? It's just that you've kept them all bottled up inside.]

"At least I can't put them in a difficult position—that's how you convince yourself."

For you now, as long as you can still be with them, as long as you can still see them... that's enough.

As the days went by, more and more things happened within the Firemoth organization.

Based on your physical data and the experiences of Kosmo who had previously encountered a similar situation, Mebius developed an ability called "Artificial Collapse." This ability allows fusion warriors to gain even greater power, but at the cost of becoming completely "inhuman," exhibiting a "Honkai" state. Furthermore, without a sufficiently strong will, it is very likely that... they will completely become "Honkai creatures," never to return to human form.

This ability was undoubtedly dangerous, but it was ultimately accepted by the Firemoth, after all... the Firemoth needed this power right now.

Regarding fusion warriors, Mei has also made new research results—the "META-MORPH reagent," which is the final product of the "mass production of fusion warriors project." Although the fusion warriors produced in this way cannot compare with the original few, and even require near-death battles to stimulate the "hypermutation factor," this method at least prevents people from dying directly during the operation.

[With the addition of mass-produced "Divine Keys" made from the "Tenth Herrscher Core," the core strength of the Flame Chaser was replenished, and the war against the Honkai was temporarily stabilized. Although it was impossible to reclaim the land occupied by the Honkai, at least the existing cities could be guaranteed to be free from Honkai attacks.]

[Later, Alicia proposed the "Three-Person Squad Plan," a suggestion based on the "Tenth Herrscher's" excellent group combat skills. The plan was to have Fusion Warriors fight in teams of three, allowing them to get to know each other better and improve their effectiveness against the Honkai. This would also allow new Fusion Warriors to become familiar with their powers more quickly and bring them closer together.]

Because the existing number of fusion warriors had reached an army-like scale due to the "mass production plan," the Firemoth agreed to the plan and began small-scale testing.

The final result was naturally pleasing. The three fusion warriors cooperated very well with each other to fight the Honkai, especially the high-threat Honkai Beasts. They were able to maintain the suppression throughout the entire process, and there were no casualties... The only problem was that a small number of people would experience some "minor issues".

For example, Aponia always says strange things and tries to persuade her teammates to "become enlightened," and Sue is concerned about her teammates' mental state... This is nothing, it's just that she's too concerned.

[What's even more troublesome is Qian Jie... Yes, Qian Jie has also become a fusion warrior. He always causes chaos during battles, ultimately delaying missions... which is a major headache for many people.]

When Sakura told you all this, you didn't know how to comfort her. After all, you weren't even considered a "fusion warrior" by the Firemoth; you were just a "prisoner"... So, all you could do was gently hug her and try to comfort her with your somewhat clumsy words.

At times like this, Sakura always hopes you can touch her ears, and then she can rest quietly in your arms... This helps relieve her stress.

Fortunately, cases like Thousand Calamity are ultimately isolated incidents. The "Three-Person Squad Plan" has proven effective among ordinary fusion warriors, which is why it is being vigorously promoted by the Fire Moth.

[Thanks to this, the Moths' battle against the Honkai has become much easier, and they even have the opportunity to expand outwards and continue to build new cities...]

Unfortunately, the Honkai has dealt you another blow... because the "Eleventh Herrscher" has appeared.

[That was a special "Anti-Herrscher" who could deploy a unique "barrier" that could slowly expand. As long as one was inside it, all things related to "energy" would be suppressed, with a particularly noticeable effect on Honkai energy.]

[Ordinary fusion warriors will die from bodily dysfunction if they remain within the barrier for more than a minute. Ordinary people can only sustain themselves for two breaths before dying due to the loss of their bioelectric voltage. Furthermore, all machinery within the barrier will cease to function because there is simply no energy to support its operation. Even if forced to start, it will immediately malfunction, break down, and become unusable.]

[Add to that the slowly expanding barrier... it's safe to say that as long as the "Eleventh Herrscher" exists, even if it does nothing, human civilization will slowly march towards its demise.]

In the end, the Flame Chaser had no choice but to take a desperate gamble, committing all its fusion warriors to defeat the "Eleventh Herrscher."

Even at this critical moment of life and death, they still refused to release you, arguing that "their existence as a suspected Herrscher might cause uncontrollable mutations upon contact with a true Herrscher... Human civilization cannot withstand the devastation of two Herrschers."

【……hehe】

[So much so that by the time you finally find out, it's all over, just like the "fusion warrior surgery" before... everything has ended without your knowledge.]

This is really... annoying.

--------

"Um... Ai... Sister Ai Li, can I not go... I always have a really bad feeling about this place..."

"Oh dear, Phyllis, don't worry. Wang is a very nice person. Although he seems awkward most of the time, he can be quite straightforward sometimes."

Alicia led a brown-haired girl with heterochromatic eyes through the "Deepest Place," heading towards the only prison.

"Is...is that so...but why do I feel so cold here...Ugh!"

The girl named Padofelis seemed to suddenly sense something, her whole body stiffened, and the strange cat tail behind her and the pair of cat ears on her head also straightened up in that instant. She was like a cat whose fur had been puffed up in fright, her body frozen in place and unable to move.

She felt a sense of being "targeted"... a feeling that she could be "hunted" at any moment.

“Love… Sister Ellie…”

Padoflis gently tugged at Alicia's sleeve, her face contorted with grief, pleading for her protection.

"Haha~ Phyllis's reaction is so cute~ But... Wang, don't go too far, okay? After all, this is Phyllis's first time meeting you, and you're not that familiar with each other yet~ Leaving a bad impression on your companion can make the girl dislike you."

"I haven't done anything yet, she's just overreacting."

Xi Wang's voice came from the darkness ahead, and a pair of golden pupils with scarlet outer rings appeared in mid-air. Even through the observation window, the predatory feeling made Padofilis's hair stand on end.

But... in mid-air?

Padoflis was somewhat surprised for a moment. Only after the room gradually lit up with scattered, ocean-blue light did everything inside the "cage" become clearly visible.

The entire "cage" was inexplicably filled with bubbles, as if it were in water, but there was no trace of water. The walls were covered with a blue substance that looked like moss, and the blue glow came from it. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was not moss at all, but a blue "liquid" that would slowly wriggle back to its original position as it was about to slide off the walls, as if it had a life of its own.

Xi Wang himself was still wearing that "hunter's outfit," holding that strange, deep blue greatsword in his arms, floating quietly in mid-air, rising and falling slowly, as if he were immersed in the ocean.

This "cage" has been transformed by the uncontrollable "water" aura emanating from Xi Wang, becoming something resembling an ocean... except that it is not filled with water.

“Hello, Kitten… Speaking of which, Sakura mentioned to me before that you were supposed to come to see me with her, but you voluntarily changed your mind. I’d like to thank you for that, since Sakura… well, she’s allergic to cat fur.”

Xi Wang "swam" from mid-air to the observation window, looked at Padofelis, and said in a tone as soft as possible.

"No...no...no...no need to be so polite?"

"...Has she always been this timid? And according to their habits, cats should like fish, right?"

Seeing Padofelis trembling and unable to speak clearly, Xi Wang looked at Alicia with great confusion.

"Phyllis's just an ordinary person~ She became our companion due to some accident, and Nozomi isn't an ordinary [fish] either... Hmm... Do cats like large aquatic animals like killer whales? I don't really know... I'll have to ask Mebius later~"

Alicia answered Xiwang's question with a smile.

"But won't you invite me in? I miss you so much! It's so heartbreaking to be turned away like that~"

"Shouldn't we allow moths that chase after fire?"

"Oh dear~ Cute girls do have a few little privileges after all~"

Alicia smiled and gently shook her head, her pink hair swaying in the breeze.

"And the current situation has forced them to make concessions...after all..."

At this point, Alicia's eyelids drooped slightly, revealing a low mood, but she quickly concealed it and smiled as she spoke.

"Alright~ It's not good to keep bringing up these sad things when we meet. Let's talk about the future instead~"

"……it is good."

Xi Wang nodded, turned and left the observation window, while Alicia pulled Padophilia, whose body had gone limp and who was exhausted from fear, toward the entrance of the "cage"... There was no way around it, because of herself, Padophilia was still too sensitive to this special aura, and the feeling of being "hunted" at any time was really unpleasant.

Moreover, when Alicia led Padophiris into the "cage", Padophiris turned completely gray, and he could even hallucinate the white souls spitting out of her mouth... This left Xi Wang speechless, even though he hadn't done anything.

Alicia let out a silvery laugh, gently patted Xiwang's shoulder, and offered him some comfort.

Hmm... But it's strange that the cat is afraid of the fish, even to the point of fainting... Why would I have such a dream?

Fortunately, with Alicia's help, Padofelis gradually recovered and slowly became acquainted with Xiwang.

Soon, under Alicia's guidance and with Padofelis's own optimism, she quickly accepted the existence of Dawn. Although she was still instinctively afraid, she was no longer so frightened that she froze... and even started playing in the "cage" under Alicia's guidance.

Simply put, you can "swim" here.

Although there is no water here, the constant emanation of the "water" aura from Xiwang transforms this place into an environment similar to the ocean. The air is also regarded as "seawater" and can move freely. The bubbles that keep appearing out of thin air around us are also due to this reason.

This special ability to swim in the air intrigued Padoflis, and she played around there for a while, gradually reducing her fear of Xiwang.