Chapte 74: The Seed of Doubt Planted in the Heart

[Aponia seems to be guided by "Her", but you don't know what it is...but you don't mind and won't ask]

[If this is 'Her' guidance, then there must be a deeper meaning behind it]

[And... as a fellow traveler, you believe that everything Aponia does is to fulfill the mission entrusted by "Her", so you don't care too much about her refusal to speak.]

[Compared to that, you need to deal with the problem of the Fire Moth... To be more precise, it is the problem of the Fire Moth's attitude towards you.]

[Because you, Aponia, and Pardofelis have all successfully become "Fusion Warriors", and even because of your "abnormality", Mobius is paying close attention to you, and even has a faint attitude towards you... This makes Fire Moth feel worried.]

[Then, you met Elysia... the girl who had stayed in the church before. She also showed a friendly attitude towards you, which made the Fire Moth even more terrified.]

[In order to let them let down their unnecessary guard, you must take action]

[First, you follow the will of "Her" and go to a high-level person to negotiate, and express your willingness to accept the command and help the Fire Moth fight against the Honkai - but the premise is that the orders of the Fire Moth cannot violate the will of "Her"]

[As a gesture of sincerity, you helped the Fire Moth resolve the chaos caused by those "leaders"... While you were talking to the Fire Moth, all the "leaders" who were either causing chaos outside or enjoying themselves in the stronghold died and were burned to ashes by the inexplicable flames.]

[Including the "leader's" cronies and guards, all those who actively participated in the riots and committed unforgivable "crimes" all died, turned into ashes in the raging fire and the wails that resounded through the sky]

[The people who witnessed all this screamed and were terrified. Those who knew the inside story immediately knew that it was you. You came back. You were dissatisfied with their rebellion and the "crimes" they committed, so you brought down the "judgment"]

[People hurriedly put down their weapons, lay on the ground, and prayed towards the empty space, begging with their eyes closed in fear, hoping that you would let them go and not impose "judgment" on them]

[The chaos caused by the "leaders" came to an abrupt end... Because of your "abnormality" that seemed to have been enhanced by the "Fusion Warrior Surgery", all the "leaders" died.]

[This strange and powerful force amazed and frightened the Fire Moth, but considering that you did show goodwill, they decided to accept your proposal and let you join the Fire Moth and participate in the fight against Honkai.]

[After that, you participated in several battles and gained the trust of Fire Moth with your excellent performance... Of course, more importantly, compared with the other two, you were too useful and too "obedient"]

[Compared to you, Pardofelis, who is also a "fusion warrior", cannot be said to be weak. After completing the "surgery", she naturally gained power beyond ordinary people, but her own personality and behavior destined her to be unsuitable for combat... After discovering that countless efforts could not change her, the Fire Moth also gave up the idea of ​​letting her step into the front battlefield and instead, let her be responsible for logistics]

[However, later on, the Fire Moth also discovered that Pardofelis was very good at "finding things", so in some operations, she would be arranged into the rescue team to let her go deep into the disaster area to find the trapped survivors... and Pardofelis also did a good job, so the Fire Moth was willing to accept this girl who had a little "collecting habit"]

[But facing Aponia... Fire Moth seems to be very repulsive]

[For some reason, she always does some inexplicable things, even some... overflowing "sympathy". Although various signs later show that her original intention in doing these things is good, her expectations are good, but when she does these things, the results... are still bad, and even caused a lot of "vicious incidents"]

[To put it simply, she wanted to do good things subjectively, but objectively, her actions pushed things in a bad direction... Although she didn't really kill anyone, it ultimately caused quite bad consequences.]

[However, even if the Fire Moth knew all this, it could not stop her... because she has the ability to "persuade" others. A more accurate name should be "discipline"]

[This ability seems to be somewhat compatible with you. For example, you set the "rules" and guarantee the "punishment" after committing the "crime", and then Aponia imposes "discipline" to ensure that people will not commit the "crime"... It can be said to be a powerful combination.]

[But the Fire Moth will not accept the two of you acting together, because that would be too restrictive for them... and more importantly, Aponia can use "commandments" to constrain, restrict, and even... control a person's actions. This is much more terrifying than your ability to commit "crimes" to invite your "judgment."]

[However, the Fire Moths cannot attack Aponia directly... Not to mention that they cannot avoid the problem of "commandments", even if they really attack, they are worried that they will incur your hostility... The ability to directly rain down fire and impose "judgment" from a distance is still a bit frightening.]

[So the situation has temporarily stabilized... No one from the Fire Moths will bother you, nor will they dare to bother you.]

[However, one day later, exhausted Aponia found you, "confessed" to you, told you about her "crimes", and received "punishment" from you.]

[She is really tired, depressed, and even a little desperate - you realize this immediately when you see her]

[She tells you about the "sins" she has committed, her lifeless eyes staring at you, never moving away... Just like a person sinking into the abyss looking at the only remaining ray of light, just like a sinner longing for the only remaining salvation, her gaze stays on you, not daring to move away]

[It seems that only in this way can she feel a little comforted and move forward firmly]

[You remained silent and just listened to her talk, and "She"… had no opinion on this either.]

[Immediately, Aponia received the "punishment" from you and said goodbye to you... In order to restrict herself, to appease the Fire Moth, and to let the inevitable "end" come, she decided to leave and go to the place where sins are buried - "the deepest place", to manage those "sinners" for the Fire Moth.]

[The Fire Moth was also happy with this and readily agreed, and you... also expressed your understanding.]

[After that, your life became regular again... you woke up early in the morning to pray, then went out to perform tasks, and returned in the evening. After dinner, you prayed again and went to bed.]

[Compared to the unique and active Pardofelis and the frightening Aponia who needs to be restricted, you are really "obedient", which makes the Fire Moth feel at ease... As long as their orders do not contradict the will of "Her" you mentioned, then the Fire Moth only needs to assign tasks to you. You can perfectly complete the tasks of subjugating Honkai beasts and clearing Honkai, and even lead the team to solve them without any injuries.]

[Well... apart from the fact that you ask for a prayer for the deceased every time you return after completing a mission, you don't have any excessive requests.]

[Even on normal days, you usually stay in your room to pray, or go to the "Deepest Place" to talk about some mysterious topics with Aponia. Other than that, I can only see you in the cafeteria during mealtimes.]

[Of course, you can occasionally be found in the church listening to others' "confession"... Ah, don't worry, this church was converted from a room, and it is also a "privilege" you exchanged from the Fire Moth with your combat achievements.]

[Thanks to this, your reputation within the Fire Moth is still positive... Although you carry the tainted label of "the initiator of the Honkai of Twilight Street", your achievements are real - as long as you go on a mission together, there is no need to worry about casualties, and those who follow you will definitely come back safe and sound.]

[And you are not very averse to gathering and communicating. As long as it is not during "prayer" or when you are carrying out "Her" will, anyone can invite you out... Whether it is Elysia who is loved by everyone, or Mobius who is feared by everyone, you have never refused.]

[Plus, although your words are strange, you always maintain a polite way of conversation, which makes people think that you are unexpectedly easy to get along with.]

[There was even one time when Elysia was hosting a party for her good friend, Eden, and you were forced by the crowd to sing along. Not only did you not complain or resist, but you even sang very well, earning Eden's praise.]

[There was also a subsequent birthday party held by Elysia for a "fusion warrior" named Kevin. You were also invited to attend and gave Kevin a very unique gift - you held his hand and left a slightly distinct special mark on his palm, and stated that this was a gift for the "hero"]

[Then Kevin discovered that the hand with the mark no longer radiated coldness but became warm instead... In other words, he could touch his lover, Mei, again, and hold her hand again]

[This made Kevin and Mei very grateful to you, and they expressed their gratitude to you... However, your actions only aroused the curiosity of Elysia and Mobius, especially Mobius, who came to you several times in a row to study you.]

[But in the end, she didn't figure out much, so you left directly, and Mobius didn't stop you... because she knew that no one here could stop you.]

[It seems that you seem to be getting along well with the Fire Moths under 'Her' will. You have expressed goodwill to everyone, and everyone is willing to return your goodwill.]

[However, this idea will soon change... because the "Eighth Herrscher" appears.]

[At this most critical moment, you refused to fight. The reason was simple. "She" had not given you the order, so you refused to go. No matter how much people ordered you, asked you, or even begged you, you did not move at all.]

[At this time, people suddenly realize that the reason you are friendly to them is because "She" allows you to be friendly to them. Once "She" does not allow, or the orders of the Fire Moths are contrary to "Her" will, then you will refuse to carry out their orders without hesitation.]

[Faced with the "Eighth Herrscher" who possesses the power of "spirit", the Fire Moth has no good solution and can only look for other solutions while going to the "Deepest Place" to ask Aponia for help - she is the only "spiritual fusion warrior" that the Fire Moth has at this time, and the only one who can fight against the "Eighth Herrscher"]

[Although they successfully solved the Herrscher in the end, everyone saw through your hypocrisy, and your opinions began to polarize.]

[Some people think that you are pious and fighting with you is like having God's help, because there has never been a single casualty in the combat team you lead, which is irrefutable]

[Some people think that you are cowardly and twisted and that you only fight Honkai beasts, but you shrink back when facing the "Herrscher" and even invent a "God" to evade responsibility. This is also unjustifiable.]

[But there is one thing everyone knows, they cannot force you. Anyone who wants to force you will be punished by the flames. They have to admit that as long as they stay in your team, they will feel safe - because the combat team you lead has not suffered even a single casualty.]

[So every time you go on a mission, there will be someone who subconsciously prays to be assigned to your team, regardless of whether that person hates you or supports you... No one wants to die, right?]

[Perhaps it is because of this that they are eager to let you participate in the "Herrscher Crusade", because in this way... can the people who stay in your team also complete the battle without injury?]

[You should know that the way you lead the battle is like foresight. You can always know the location of the Honkai Beasts in advance, and know the dense locations of Honkai Beasts in advance. Even if a powerful Honkai Beast appears, it will be burned to ashes by your flames... This is why everyone says that fighting with you is like being assisted by God.]

[Because it really seems like there is a "God" guiding you]

[But this time you refused to participate in the battle against the "Eighth Herrscher", causing people to feel pain and betrayal. After everyone discovered the power of the "Eighth Herrscher", they had to seek help from Aponia... and even began to temporarily recruit personnel to perform "super transformation surgery" to deal with the "Eighth Herrscher". It can be said that at that time, the Fire Moth needed Aponia's help and had to accept her help.]

[After defeating the "Eighth Herrscher", although Aponia followed the agreement and returned to the "Deepest Place", some people still speculated that you did not participate in this battle because you had known the ability of the "Herrscher" for a long time, but did not tell them in the end, so that the Fire Moth had to seek Aponia's help. In this way, Aponia could use this achievement to get a bargaining chip to go out and fight, at least she would not have to stay in the "Deepest Place" all the time.]

[This guess was recognized by some people, but most people did not care. After all, everyone knew that you were an extremely devout believer. If the "God" really did not let you take action, or did not tell you the message of the "Herrscher", then you would not take any action.]

[Or maybe you didn't participate in the "Herrscher Subjugation War" because you felt tired and weak after attacking many times and using your "precognition" ability many times? Many people made excuses for you.]

[Although they don't believe this argument, because if that "foreknowledge" is really an ability, then it must be consumed, and consumption will lead to fatigue. If you are really tired, you would have appeared in your previous high-intensity combat. How could it appear at the time of the "Herrscher Crusade"?]

[Although most people don't care much, these words still became seeds, remaining in everyone's hearts and creating some estrangement...even though you don't care]