Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

Falling from the sky, arms outstretched, Jiang Qiao closed his eyes, a sense of freedom washing over his body and soul.

Slowly, his eyes opened, but they were no longer Bronya's silver, but a vibrant, divine orange, the color of the Herrscher of Reason.

The atmosphere changed, as if time itself had paused.

Reversed, suspended, his descent halted, the silver-haired girl stood suspended in the air.

During this transition, her sleepwear vanished, replaced by a flowing construct of binary code, shimmering blue and white.

Her cogwheel eyes, devoid of emotion, met the gaze of the original Bronya, causing a tremor in her heart. The data was also transmitted to the Anti-Entropy warship, reflected on the main screen.

Welt jumped to his feet, eyes wide with shock.

"Did she… succeed?"

Tesla couldn't discern anything, but she could tell from Welt's reaction that something significant had happened.

"...Yes." Welt nodded after a moment's silence.

He could feel the connection to the core, a part of himself, fading away as [Bronya] opened her eyes.

To grasp the power of the Herrscher of Reason so quickly, to fully transform…

He'd always wanted a successor, but this speed felt a little… jarring. In comparison, he'd struggled for years, guided by Tesla and Einstein, to control the power of Reason. [Bronya] had done it in less than five minutes!

Comparing his slow progress to hers, Welt wondered if he was just incompetent.

Sensing Welt's self-doubt, Einstein tried to reassure him. "Don't be discouraged, Joachim. She already possessed the Herrscher of the Void's power. It's not surprising she'd be faster with another."

"There's no need for reassurance. I can recognize true talent when I see it. Someone who can grasp the power of the Void before Reason is truly extraordinary." Welt sighed, then looked at the screen. "Still, the power of Reason is unique. I wonder if she can wield it effectively."

While [Bronya] had transformed, that didn't mean she could immediately access Reason's power. It demanded knowledge, wisdom, far more than other Herrscher powers. Without that, it would be the weakest.

"Yeah, it was hard enough for you with all the tutoring we gave you." Tesla commented. She didn't expect [Bronya] to be able to do much with it. At most, she might create some tanks or guns.

Welt nodded, a mix of resignation and pride on his face. "Looks like I'll have to mentor my successor." Jiang Qiao's brilliance made him feel rather inadequate, so he decided to take some pride in his experience as the Herrscher of Reason. That was enough for [Bronya] to learn from, right?

—While they didn't expect the third Herrscher of Reason to be capable of much, they weren't concerned about the battle against Chiyou. Even if she couldn't wield Reason effectively, her Void powers were more than sufficient.

"Wait, Mophead, are you playing music?" Tesla asked Einstein. Einstein rolled her eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"Then what's with the music?" The strange music, barely audible through the wind and rain, could be heard even by the Anti-Entropy warship.

Chiyou also heard it. The beast tilted its head, puzzled.

What the hell is that noise?

While confused by the childish melody, Chiyou focused on the figure in the air. Instinct told it the small creature was dangerous. Despite being part of the Honkai faction, the relationship between Herrschers and Honkai Beasts was ambiguous. And the Herrscher of Reason was clearly an enemy of Honkai.

—Chiyou unleashed a powerful beam, hurtling towards the girl in mid-air.

A blast of frigid energy obscured their vision.

But then, the strange song intensified, and through the ice, a pair of massive blue mechanical hands appeared.

[Bronya] gently touched the hands, and the silver-haired girl was no longer the same.

A white ruffled skirt, a flowing garment woven from blue and black tech, showcasing her pale skin, and a blue gem were set on a perfect small chest.

Red accents adorned her white stockings and a pair of high-tech boots. A butterfly landed on her head, forming a crown, her silver hair falling into a graceful spiral.

"To attack someone while they're changing is rather rude." Her expression had become more expressive, her voice now filled with life.

"But expecting a Honkai Beast to understand human etiquette is too much." She clenched her fist, savoring the new sensation.

"Is this the power of Reason?"

—She was a Herrscher of Reason, yet at the same time, she was something more. She was, in essence, a Herrscher of Truth in the form of Reason.

Why? Because while he liked the look of a Herrscher of Reason, he prefered the aesthetic of a bike-riding gremlin.

Also, he was too lazy to change his form again.

Having just acquired the powers of Reason, he'd subconsciously chosen the initial form. And after finishing his transformation, he saw no point in changing his clothes. So, [Bronya] remained in this first stage.

"ROAR!" Chiyou, feeling ignored, unleashed a deafening roar. The sound sent shockwaves through the ocean, and any human would have been deafened.

But—

"Why are you yelling? I'm not deaf!" She touched her ear, her voice laced with annoyance.

"Stop that!" She raised her hand, and a silver-tipped bullet materialized.

Einstein's eyes widened.

"M-Mophead, that's…!"

"I know!" Einstein retorted.

That's my creation! How could I not know?!

—The silver bullet. The one that had killed the Herrscher of the Void in the Second Eruption.

"How did she make that?!" Tesla wondered. The silver bullet was classified information. While Welt had access to it, there was no way [Bronya] could have known how to create it!

"That's not important! If that hits, things will get ugly!" Einstein frowned. The silver bullet was designed for large-scale Honkai, and not to be deployed near populated areas, like Shenzhou.

"Contact her! She can't use that!"

"Too late! She already fired it!" Hearing that, Einstein nearly fainted.

But—

BOOM!

The silver bullet slammed into Chiyou, sending a mushroom cloud into the sky.

However, the blast was small, the impact limited.

Not that it wasn't powerful. It was twice the original design but… the range…

…it was tiny!

Tesla commented, "Mophead, when did your silver bullet get such a short range?" The original could reach ten kilometers. This one barely reached five.

"The range isn't small, it was contained."

—Crack.

Something transparent shattered. The silver-haired girl lowered her hand.

By using Void authority, she'd created a small space resembling the real world, then detonated the silver bullet inside it, increasing its power while reducing its range.

"I know my limits, you know." She said, her voice echoing through the comms.

She knew the consequences of using the silver bullet. She couldn't be reckless. And if she used it carelessly, Kiana and the others would get hurt.

She chose this approach because—unlike the [Tlaloc] in the Sea of Quanta, this one couldn't be defeated by sheer numbers and a motorcycle.

Chiyou was massive, like a mountain. A motorcycle wouldn't even dent it.

"The Honkai energy readings from Chiyou didn't disappear. It's still alive!" Einstein, having collected data on Chiyou's vitality, shared it with [Bronya].

"I know." [Bronya] glanced at the creature, its body regenerating, seemingly unphased.

"That healing power is impressive." She noted as she analyzed the rapidly regenerating tissue using the Herrscher of Reason's abilities.

That one blast was designed to test its defense and healing. It hadn't been for killing. She needed data.

While the silver bullet had boosted the damage with vacuum compression, it hadn't been particularly effective. It wasn't surprising. Chiyou was known for its defense.

"Chiyou has a defensive field. There are several large Honkai energy sources inside its body. Destroying them might be more effective."

While her use of the silver bullet was reckless, it had provided valuable data.

"Understood." [Bronya] nodded.

That was how Chiyou had been defeated in the original story.

But while she could also obliterate it with the flick of a finger, there was also the matter of the Soulium and the Xuanyuan Sword buried within. While a mass-produced Divine Key wasn't worth much, it was still a Divine Key. If he could obtain them, he would be that much stronger.

With that thought in mind, she vanished again.

…

"So this is Chiyou's interior?"

Her white boots stepped onto the damp ground. The silver-haired girl observed her surroundings, her cogwheel eyes processing data at lightning speed.

The power of Reason was truly impressive.

Besides reconfiguring matter, its analytical abilities allowed for instant information gathering.

As she walked, a sensation made her stop.

"Ji Xuanyuan, I know you're watching." Her voice carried through the dark caverns.

A young girl in ancient Shenzhou garb materialized before her.

"...You know me?"

"I've a history with Hua." She spoke vaguely.

Hua was the future Immortal Phoenix. And as a friend of both Nuwa and Fuxi, she had likely told Ji Xuanyuan of her past life as Hua.

"Is that so…?" Ji Xuanyuan didn't dwell on it. She was little more than a wraith, and couldn't think too much. Hearing a familiar name was enough.

"How many years have passed?"

"Roughly five thousand."

"..."

"Is the Red-Eyed Immortal still alive?"

"She goes by the name Fu Hua now."

"A new life, then. That's good." Ji Xuanyuan seemed wistful.

"May I know your name?"

"Jiang Qiao—you can call me Bronya for now."

No longer referring to herself as Bronya, [Bronya], having completed her transformation, had shed her old habits.

"...Are you a descendant of Lianshan?" The Jiang Clan came from the Yan Emperor, Lianshan.

"In a way."

"...Never mind. A friend of the Red-Eyed Immortal. I wish to ask you to help me with something."

"That's why I'm here."

"Eh?" Ji Xuanyuan looked confused.

"You know what I want?"

"Yes."

"To deal with the corrupted version of yourself, no?"

Ji Xuanyuan paused.

"And before that, tell me where the Xuanyuan Sword is."

"...Okay."

Ji Xuanyuan paused before complying. She was used to slow dialogue, not this lightning-fast exchange.

She tried to show the way, but—

"That's too slow. Just tell me the direction."

With so many energy sources, even as a Herrscher, she couldn't precisely locate the Xuanyuan Sword. But with a direction, she could make it happen.

Before Ji Xuanyuan could react, the silver-haired girl teleported with Void powers, a blur of motion. Even Ji Xuanyuan, a spirit, couldn't match her speed.

As she moved, [Bronya] deactivated the various cores, arriving at the Xuanyuan Sword.

"As I suspected, it's already been removed." She picked up the sword.

The Xuanyuan Sword was the core that contained Chiyou, and with it gone, Chiyou had fully awakened.

Ji Xuanyuan, who was bound to the sword, shouldn't have been able to appear before him.

"Who removed the sword?" [Bronya] looked at Ji Xuanyuan.

"...I don't know. I woke up, and the sword was gone, and Chiyou had awakened." Ji Xuanyuan looked confused. She was supposed to empower the one who removed it. Instead, she'd been left in a sword, with her power draining until this girl had arrived.

"..." [Bronya] raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the edge of the sword, which was where her hand was reaching for. Project Bunny handed her a white hair.

The cogwheels in her eyes spun as she analyzed the hair with Reason's powers.

She smirked, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Well, that's an unexpected surprise."