Chapter 161 – Doctor: How Do I Compare to C.C. body?

A blinding flash of lightning tore across the sky, splitting apart the clouds heavy with thunder and gloom.

Nagami had ascended to an altitude of nearly ten thousand meters, yet even here, the extreme environment had no effect on him.

"This height should be enough."

The device sealing the Originite crystal dissolved into shimmering blue particles, fading from view.

The Originite crystal itself, like a piece of rare amethyst, pulsed with a mysterious and mesmerizing glow.

Nagami's gaze sharpened.

From the void around him, strands of radiant, silver-violet energy emerged—like flowing cosmic ribbons—and began to orbit his body.

A soft, eerie hum echoed through the air, resonating from the very heart of the void.

As the power of kings gathered, the glow from the Originite crystal grew increasingly intense, radiating with a brilliant violet-silver light.

His black hair flowed in the wind stirred by the crystal ribbons.

With no hesitation left in his heart, Nagami reached out and laid his hand upon the Originite crystal.

Within the network of the Apocalypse Virus, a storm was brewing.

They had sensed the presence of countless Originite veins. The desire to evolve surged through them.

Nagami felt a formless energy begin to concentrate around his right hand. It was as if the void itself trembled with the sound of colliding crystals.

"In the name of the King…"

He raised his right hand as if pulling the threads of a massive celestial mechanism. Immense power surged through him.

"Devour the Originium!"

From the crystal, a torrent of deep purple and black shards burst forth.

Tiny void crystals scattered around him, releasing a soft, dreamlike glow, blossoming into pure violet light.

From the core of the evolved Void Principle, surges of Honkai energy infused with the void's power erupted outward.

In that instant—blinding violet light shot into the sky!

Auroras of purple tore through the heavens, splitting apart the thunderous clouds like a blade.

From the tear in the sky, warm sunlight, long absent, spilled down onto the world below.

At that moment, people across Terra lifted their eyes toward the heavens.

A certain commander of the Guard Bureau's Special Inspection Unit took down the last troublemaker with a swift kick—then looked up, stunned.

A serpent lying dormant within Talulah's soul stirred from its slumber, rising to the surface to gaze skyward.

A silver-haired bounty hunter, hunting alone in the wilderness, paused and raised her head.

"N-Nagami… h-he… he…!"

Amiya stammered, completely unable to form a coherent sentence.

The sheer magnitude of what she had just witnessed left her dumbfounded.

Despite her young age and her experience still far from matching Kal'tsit's, Amiya was, after all, the leader of Rhodes Island.

She had seen all manner of Originium Arts.

But this? This couldn't possibly be classified as Originium Arts.

This had already surpassed the limits of biological comprehension—

This was something on the level of a divine miracle.

Under the full release of Nagami and the Apocalypse Virus, pure violet light mingled with golden sunlight and transformed into particles of violet-silver so small they couldn't be seen by the naked eye.

These spread out across Terra…

And entangled themselves with the Originium virus that was ever-present in the world.

They fell upon mountains, sank into the deepest oceans…

And then—countless Infected across Terra watched in stunned disbelief as the Originium crystals embedded in their bodies suddenly shattered and dissolved!

But before they could rejoice, many of them noticed something else—another kind of crystal, shimmering like violet amethyst, was now growing in its place.

The two forces—Originium and Void—clashed violently inside the body.

For the lucky ones, the battle between them ended in a miraculous double knockout, freeing them from both viruses.

They returned to being completely healthy—normal humans.

But for the unlucky, the Originium virus inside them fought back with intensity.

Their infection levels skyrocketed.

New crystal growths erupted across their bodies, and many were pushed straight into late-stage Oripathy.

However, the Apocalypse Virus—obeying Nagami's direct command—never attacked human cellular structures.

Some remnants remained in a crystalline form on the surface of their bodies, but they were entirely harmless.

Having found a clearer path to evolution, the virus no longer needed to consume human souls for power.

Only a small fraction of it latched onto human souls to form Void Armaments—a preparation for what was to come.

Nagami still had an experiment to conduct.

He needed to create Alaya.

Through the collective consciousness of the Apocalypse Virus, Nagami received reports from the front lines—of a war.

Their sudden emergence had caught the Originium virus off guard.

In the initial clashes, the Apocalypse Virus held the upper hand.

But Originium adapted quickly.

Fierce counterattacks and mutual devouring followed.

The current win ratio stood at 6:4—in Originium's favor.

Terra had become little more than a petri dish for war.

Whichever side survived would claim evolution.

"These things in the deep sea…"

Nagami narrowed his eyes as new feedback came in from the virus that had merged into the ocean floor.

"…Forget it. Not dealing with them for now."

"Originium has too strong a home-field advantage… I'll need to initiate the 'Apocalypse Protocol.'"

Speaking to the Apocalypse Virus' networked consciousness, Nagami made his decision.

Once the Void Virus stabilized across Terra, he'd bring in Mana Ouma—the Queen—and begin the global-scale ritual known as the Apocalypse Protocol.

It was based on the ending of Guilty Crown, when Eve triggered the final ceremony.

But this time, he wouldn't crystallize humanity's consciousness.

Instead, he would use the power of human souls to consume Originium completely.

To do so, the virus first needed to reach every corner of the planet.

That would take time.

Above, the blue sky shone as clear as glass.

The wind flowed softly.

Mountains rose and fell in endless waves.

Everything looked peaceful—serene.

But behind that peaceful veil, a brutal war was unfolding in silence… unnoticed by the world.

Now, all Nagami had to do… was wait.

Let the Bullet Fly a Little Longer!

Stashing the Originite crystal away, Nagami left behind what was essentially the Apocalypse Virus's home base.

Not that it mattered much—it was just a "house" at best.

Unlike ordinary people who might struggle their whole lives just to buy one home, as long as the virus existed, Nagami could build another one with ease.

Descending rapidly from tens of thousands of meters above, he casually straightened his collar and glanced toward the black-haired girl with a raised brow.

"So, what do you think, my dear Doctor? It's sunny now~"

"I expected something impressive… but I didn't think you'd cause this much of a stir."

There was a glimmer of light in her deep, inky eyes.

The Doctor slung her arm around Nagami's shoulders, buddy-style.

"So basically… I'm invincible now!"

Compared to the Guilty Crown universe, the Arknights world was undeniably stronger.

But to Nagami, it was still a walk in the park—he could clear every challenge with no damage, basic attacks only.

However, achieving a happy ending was far from easy. That wasn't something brute strength alone could fix.

The rift between Infected and non-Infected was deeply rooted, a scar etched into society—one not easily healed.

He'd once considered pushing Terra toward a good ending… but the thought was fleeting at best.

He didn't want to meddle in human politics, and his relationship with Kal'tsit wasn't nearly as close as it was with Shiraori or Lumine.

But now… things had changed.

Because of the Doctor.

"Hehe~"

Sensing Nagami's shift in thoughts, the black-haired girl practically leapt into his arms, delighted.

"As expected of me!"

She hadn't read any thoughts contaminated by the group chat data, but she had caught Nagami's final conclusion.

"Get off, will you?!"

Completely unreserved, Nagami coldly pushed the girl away—palm to chest.

His hand met something soft, which briefly slowed her advance. But that moment of resistance quickly vanished.

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[Doctor]: So, how do I compare to C.C.?

[Nagami]: I can't tell through clothes. Why don't you strip down sometime and let me judge properly?

[Doctor]: If you insist… I wouldn't mind. Since we share sensations, whatever pleasure you feel, I'd feel too. Might be worth trying, don't you think?

[Nagami]: What the hell, woman...

———————————————————————

Nagami facepalmed, at a loss for where to even begin criticizing her.

"Things are about to get rowdy in Terra," he said. "Kal'tsit, keep yourself safe. With the intel you have, you should be able to handle any chaos coming your way."

"Understood."

The lynx woman nodded firmly.

"Wait, wait! Don't you mean Reunion Movement, not chaos movement!?" Amiya, completely missing the joke, corrected him with all seriousness.

"Are you talking about some… special kind of intel, Mr. Nagami?"

"I'll leave that for Kal'tsit to explain."

With a flick of his hand, Nagami recreated the containment device using Herrscher power, sealing the Originite once more.

"You're leaving already? Aren't you going to—"

The Doctor didn't finish her sentence, but she'd already read what Nagami intended to do. She sighed, her expression turning oddly complex.

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[Doctor]: Tch. Off to charm another girl, huh…

———————————————————————

Of course, he had promised true Kiana he'd resurrect Cecilia, and he had to act fast.

Time in the Honkai universe wasn't frozen.

———————————————————————

[Nagami]: I don't think you're in any position to judge—'me', who's getting snuck into bed by female Operators every night.

———————————————————————

A six-pointed star shimmered in his eyes.

A stunning swirl of violet-silver energy, flecked with stardust, gathered in his hand.

Soon, a crystal-like blue core materialized in his palm.

"The… Herrscher of Thunder's core?! For me?!"

The black-haired girl's eyes sparkled with surprise—and a little delight.

"I can't replicate the real thing, but based on my understanding, I've made a low-grade imitation.

It doesn't have the authority, but it can produce electricity. I've already charged it up for you."

He tossed the core to her casually.

She fumbled to catch it, her expression shifting into something unreadable.

"With this, you could probably level Chernobog or Lungmen three or four times over. And since Kal'tsit's around, I trust it'll be used wisely until I return."

"Also, I infused it with a portion of my Void power. Only I can activate it—anti-theft system included. Thoughtful, right?"

"Wait… destroy Chernobog three or four times!?"

Amiya practically bristled like a startled bunny.

Her ears stood straight up.

She swallowed nervously, staring at the glowing blue crystal in the Doctor's hand with genuine horror.

If she hadn't just witnessed Nagami's earlier display, she would've written it off as nonsense.

But now…

"Hehe~ Let's hope we never need to use it."

Tossing the core into the air like a toy, the black-haired girl walked back to Nagami's side and took his hand.

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[Doctor]: 'I'... Don't you want to try it just once? I might be even more special than that body of yours… or even C.C.~

———————————————————————

Her eyes shimmered, black as ink and soft as water. That usually cool expression now carried a dangerously seductive undertone.

Had Nagami not been able to feel the mischief in her thoughts, he might've actually fallen for it.

Still… he had to admit. She might be more special than C.C…

Facing the dangerously enchanting black-haired girl, Nagami smirked coldly.

Then slowly raised his middle finger.

With a flash of white light, he vanished.

The Doctor wore a devilish grin—but deep down, she was puzzled.

Something had interfered with Nagami's thoughts just now. She hadn't been able to read them.

Kal'tsit, watching the cheerfully humming Doctor stroll back toward the island, shifted her gaze to a private message in the group chat.

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[Nagami]: Kal'tsit, if the Doctor's ever in danger, @ me. I'll be there instantly.

———————————————————————

…She hadn't expected to be fed this much dog food.

Left behind was Amiya, shouting "He disappeared! Spatial Originium Arts!" in a daze.

Kal'tsit just shrugged and walked calmly toward the island.