The warmest black body (middle) 1

Half an hour after the meal, Rin and the others were wandering outside, but Celine seemed to be unusually sleepy.

“So sleepy~”

“Your Majesty, do you want to sleep?”

“Sort of, can you take me back to the original world to sleep?”

“No problem, anyway, for you, Your Majesty, I can forget about that fighting competition.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Then Rin teleported to explain the situation to Feng Linyin and returned home with everyone.

After arriving home, Celine undressed and immediately jumped into bed. Rin set the air conditioner to a comfortable 26 degrees and gently closed the door before leaving.

In the living room, Bella and Nok were watching anime on TV, while Rin suddenly felt like going somewhere.

“Bella, I’m heading out for a bit, might be back a little late.”

“Alright.”

“Nok, if you want to sleep, just use my bed. I don’t mind you staying at our place.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Then, I’m off.”

After arriving at a hidden place, Rin restored Mio’s body and used her ability to return to the Honkai Impact 3rd world she had visited last time.

Upon arrival, she realized it was noon, and she was standing inside a rotating Ferris wheel.

“Good thing both bodies share the same abilities. But it’s my first time riding a Ferris wheel. If only Her Majesty were here.”

After speaking, Rin teleported to the Celine of this world, who was reading manga in her room.

“Your Majesty.”

Celine turned around and immediately brightened up.

“Did you come to play with me?”

“Yeah, I still worry about you. If anything happened with no one around, it would be bad.”

“You worry too much. By the way, what’s the other me doing now?”

“Sleeping at home. What about Bella?”

“She went shopping with my mom, and they’re getting something tasty for my sister Kiana.”

“That’s good to hear. Looks like the illusion’s lifted too.”

“Yeah. By the way, that Fu Hua came by earlier, checked my condition, and seemed reassured.”

“That Shenzhou tablet girl is actually quite nice. But Your Majesty, you and Bella really need to be careful of Otto. That guy worries me the most.”

“I know. If he dares harm my mom or sister, I’ll kill him.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be that easy. His body is made of soul steel. Destroying one body won’t be enough.”

“Forget that, want to go shopping with me?”

“Of course.”

The two wandered the streets and then went to buy bubble tea.

“Wow, the taste of bubble tea in this world is something we don’t have. Your Majesty, are you getting along with humans now?”

“Still cautious, but with you, I think we can be friends.”

“Of course. You and my other queen are essentially the same person. If Otto dares hurt either of you, I won’t forgive him.”

“Same here. As long as he doesn’t hurt my family or friends, I won’t bother with him… By the way! Can you take me to your world to play?”

“Sure! But I need to let Cecilia know. If you suddenly disappear, everyone would worry.”

“Okay, I’ll follow your lead.”

Then, Celine took Rin to the market where Cecilia was and found her. After explaining everything, Rin took Celine back to her original world.

Although there was still a light drizzle, Rin stopped the rain.

They were now on the rooftop of a tall building. Looking down, Celine noticed some differences from her own world.

“Where should we go first?”

“Anywhere. But Your Majesty, have you eaten?”

“Not yet. You guys have delicious food too, right?”

“Of course. Let’s talk while walking. I know a great place.”

(Good thing both my bodies have bottomless stomachs. But just being with Her Majesty feels comforting. I don’t even know why I like her so much.)

Then Rin took Celine to KFC and glanced over the menu at the counter.

“Excuse me, I’ll have two half-chicken, half-shrimp burgers, two fries, two hot milk teas, two egg tarts, two mashed potatoes, and two chicken nuggets.”

“Alright. Here’s your receipt. Please wait at your table.”

Back at the table, Rin sighed in relief.

“Your Majesty, it’ll just be a moment.”

“It’s okay. But judging by your attitude, you must be pretty close with the other me.”

“Yeah, we eat together, play together. Nothing’s more fun than that.”

“Then can we do that often too?”

“Of course. But your mom Cecilia reminds me of my own mom. Both want to redeem people like us.”

“You’re like me?”

“Actually worse. I died once, and slowly awakened in my sister’s body. I had no memory, but over the years I developed emotions.”

“I see… So you’re worse because of trauma?”

“No, I was born with a nature that enjoyed inflicting pain. But now that I have emotions, I’ve managed to control it well.”

“How do you control it? Can you teach me? Honestly, I’m still not used to dealing with humans.”

“It’s easy. Just try not to dwell on unhappy things. For me, I think about what fun things I’ll do today, what tasty things I’ll eat, what I’ll play with my friends, or other fun stuff.”

“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

After a while, the food was brought to the table. Celine took a bite of her burger and was amazed by the taste.

“This burger is way better than the ones in our world.”

“Of course. These are from old, famous chains. Humans invented so many delicious and fun things. If they went extinct, life would be so boring.”

“Hey, human.”

“Hm?”

Rin turned to see the other Celine—the one in Kiana’s body.

“You just got here?”

“Yeah, came for some food. Watching you and the other me… not bad.”

“Right. By the way, she’s from another parallel universe. The one from my world is sleeping at home.”

“Sleeping? How’d you bring her here?”

“With my own ability. I can travel between worlds, and it’s a very high-level one. Want the same food as us? I’ll order for you.”

“Sure. I want three mashed potatoes too.”

“Okay.”

(Wait—didn’t the queen tell her to call me by name? Why is she still calling me ‘human’?)

Then the two Celines and Rin ate and drank together, but the Celine in Kiana’s body looked obviously bored. Not surprising—she wanted to destroy humanity before, and now suddenly had to stop. It’s hard to adapt.

“Human, besides video games and food, is there anything else fun to do?”

“I’m not sure how to answer that. I usually just eat and play with my queen. She plays games, watches anime, and I buy novels and manga to kill time.”

“So your version of me no longer wants to destroy humanity?”

“I think there’s a problem with that mindset. If someone bullied you at the Tower of Babylon, go take revenge on them. Don’t drag innocent people into it. Otherwise, would you treat your old human friends or your mom as enemies too?”

“I was just asking. Don’t be so serious.”

“By the way, does Rin cling to you a lot?”

“Pretty much. But I’m also grateful to her for having the gods create me. Even though she’s human, I still appreciate that.”

“My queen feels the same…”

Mmm mmm mmm~

Just then, Rin’s phone rang. It was Celine calling.

“Hello!”

“Can you come back and sleep with me? I want to sleep next to you.”

“Now?”

“Mm.”

“This… could you find Bella for now?”

“You’re not free at the moment?”

“More or less. I’m eating hamburgers with two versions of you—one in Kiana’s body, the other is the one from the Honkai Impact 3rd world we visited earlier.”

“How did she come here?”

“I brought her, because you were sleeping…”

“If you’re eating hamburgers, then bring back the same food for us. I want extra chicken nuggets and a drumstick. Get sweet and sour sauce and spicy-sweet sauce too.”

“Got it.”

After hanging up, Rin immediately went to place the order, but Xilin stopped him.

“I heard the phone call. Also, I want ice cream. Order a sundae for them too, and get one for us.”

“What flavor? Chocolate or strawberry?”

“Either is fine.”

“I’m fine with anything too. By the way, I’ll head back once I finish eating.”

“Alright.”

About ten minutes later, they finished everything. After saying goodbye to the Xilin in Kiana’s body, Rin suddenly had an idea.

“My Queen, regarding syncing the memories with the other you last time, you should know about K423, right?”

“I do. But because of me, she probably doesn’t exist anymore.”

“I have a plan. My Queen and Bella no longer need cores—they carry all Herrscher powers within themselves, including me. If I ask the God to give you that ability, and remove your core, then transplant it into a clone, it might work.”

“Great idea! Let’s talk more as we walk.”

On the road.

“Your idea is good, but the clone is still in Otto’s hands. Do you have a solution?”

“Leave that to Xiao An. She’s a god, after all. She has tons of strange powers I haven’t fully figured out. And she’s never shown all of them in front of us.”

“You’re friends with that god, right?”

“Kind of. My stupid little sister is super close to her, like how we are.”

“Then I hope it works out. That way, I’ll have two sisters.”

“Too bad for my Queen though—she was created out of thin air.”

“That’s fine! I’ll bring my sister over to play with her. Oh, and I have an idea—don’t know if you’re willing.”

“My Queen, go ahead.”

“You know I recently lost my three pseudo-Herrschers? Aphrola, Agatha, and Galina!”

“Yeah. One was one-shot by your mom, one killed by Otto, and one had their mind scrambled by that Shenzhou tablet girl.”

“Since you know, here’s my suggestion—ask the other me to recreate those three in your world. It’d be nice to have people to talk to or run errands.”

“Alright, but their powers are hard to control. I’m afraid something might go wrong.”

“Don’t worry. Just don’t give them too much power. Enough so that even if hit by a speeding car, they’d be fine. That level of defense should do.”

“Wow, as expected of my Queen! Much smarter than that cockroach.”

“Of course. If I took studying seriously, I’d surpass her easily!”

“Hehe. My Queen, should we go somewhere private and use a portal to teleport straight to my house?”

“Sure. Sundaes melt if left too long anyway.”

At that moment, back home, Xilin had already changed into pajamas and was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Beside her, Noke’er was sleeping on Bella’s lap, but Bella didn’t mind and gently stroked her head.

“My Queen, I have an idea. Not sure if I should say it.”

“Go ahead.”

“If all our potential power is awakened, then to get stronger we’ll have to go through extreme training, right?”

“That’s what I think too. But for training, we’d need someone of equal or stronger power. If the opponent is too weak, it won’t help at all.”

“I just don’t know if Rin’s willing… but my reason for wanting to be stronger is simple—to protect everyone. I’m sure it’s the same for you.”

“Exactly. Right now, I want to live in peace. But without power, I can’t protect anyone—just like before.”

“I suddenly thought of something—how about borrowing the fusion earrings from Mio? Since my power is about the same as yours, we should become really strong if we fuse.”

“Interesting! Then how about naming our fusion ‘Belin’?”

“As long as you like it, My Queen, I don’t mind…”

At that moment, a portal opened in the middle of the living room. Rin and Xilin stepped out of it.

“I’m back, My Queen.”

“Good to have you back. And welcome to the other me!”

The Xilin beside Rin glanced at the Xilin on the sofa and smiled in response.

“Looks like you live in a nice place. And that one on Bella’s lap is named Noke’er, right?”

“Yeah. Rin, did you bring the food I asked for?”

“I did. And also a sundae.”

“Thanks! I really like ice cream.”

“No problem.”

(I’ll remember she likes ice cream. I need to learn more about the things My Queen enjoys.)

“Other me, how’s life with your mom?”

“Pretty good. After the illusion broke, I had to explain things to Theresa and the others. I also apologized.”

“Glad to hear it. Oh, Rin—our router seems pretty outdated. Can you buy a new one? I don’t know much about that stuff.”

“Sure. That’s my area of expertise. Let’s get a few AX86U Pro routers.”

Xilin then started eating the food Rin brought back. She seemed genuinely happy—it was really delicious.

“Let’s have this for breakfast tomorrow too, how about it?”

“My Queen, breakfast and lunch menus are different. If we go in the morning, it probably won’t be the same.”

“What do they have in the morning?”

“Sorry, I don’t really know the names. Mio doesn’t usually eat breakfast from KFC—mostly lunch and midnight snacks.”

“Whatever. Let’s go together in the morning anyway. Other me, are you coming too?”

“No, I’ll head home soon. But seeing you made friends… I felt a bit uneasy. I wonder, can I make friends too?”

“You should be able to. You have my memories, so you should know what not to mess with, right?”

“Relax. When our memories synced, I felt like emotions synced too. Probably because we’re the same person. But can you freely move between our two worlds?”

“Not right now. But if we ask the God who made us, it should be easy. Rin, do you have any methods?”

“No. That skill is something only I can use—either alone or taking someone with me. I can’t share it.”

“Sigh, what a pity.”

“Other me, it’s fine. With the God’s help, it should be easy. By the way, did the God who made you give you any missions?”

“No. Just told me to live a normal life and not cause trouble. Basically, to not lose my temper. That’s why my mom died before…”

“Which is why having Bella live with me is the right choice—to prevent accidents. By the way, do you know what Kiana likes to eat?”

“K423 Kiana? I know a bit. Just tasty food, like hot pot. And her old family cat.”

“How do you know that?”

“Watched the game chronicle. But it looks like your memories haven’t completely merged yet.”

“Almost done. Oh, and your ice cream—eat it before it melts.”

“Okay. Bella, wake Noke’er up.”

Bella gently patted Noke’er’s face. Noke’er groggily opened her eyes.

“Huh? Did I fall asleep?”

Then, seeing two Xilins, she rubbed her eyes again.

“Eh? I must be dreaming still…”

“No, it’s a Queen from the Honkai Impact 3rd world.”

“Huh?”

Nokel suddenly woke up, realizing she was lying on Bella’s lap, and quickly sat up.

“Did I fall asleep?”

“Yep. Was my thigh comfortable?”

“S-Sorry. But if it’s the Queen from the Honkai 3rd world, which timeline is she from?”

“As for me… I don’t know which timeline exactly, since I’ve already deviated from the original history. But don’t worry, I’m basically the same as the Seele next to you.”

“I see.”

“Also, Rin bought you guys a lot of food. You better eat the ice cream soon before it melts.”

“Okay!”

Meanwhile, the Seele in Kiana’s body had just returned home. However, she came back looking like Kiana—her eyes had turned blue, and even her voice sounded like Kiana’s.

In the living room, Lin saw Seele running over.

“Your Majesty, why have you turned back into Kiana?”

“This has always been my vessel. Also, the usual form I use is when I activate Herrscher powers. In this form, I can conserve a lot of energy.”

“Brilliant as always, Your Majesty. But would you like to eat something?”

“No thanks. But ever since the disassembly, I feel like my thoughts have been a little weird, like someone’s been influencing me.”

“That was me!”

Elu popped out from behind Seele, resting on her back.

“Figures. You’re still incredibly fast—I could barely even catch a shadow of you.”

“I’m already moving slow. It’s just that your power is average. But this Kiana form of yours really makes me want to mess with you.”

“Boring! Instead of teasing me, why not just bring out the real Kiana?”

“Doesn’t seem too troublesome. And I don’t want to see you two bicker either. According to the latest game plot, it seems like you were defeated. But you did seem to accept it in the end.”

“Don’t use the game storyline to judge the living me. Lin, could you make me a cup of black tea?”

“No problem. I’ll bring it to your room once it’s ready.”

“Alright.”

After returning to her room, Seele changed into pajamas and sat on the bed, waiting for Lin.

Within two minutes, Lin brought the tea in.

“Your Majesty, here it is. It’s around 50 degrees now—it’ll be perfect soon.”

“Thanks. Also, close the door. I want to talk to you privately.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

After closing the door, Lin sat next to Seele, looking particularly happy.

“Say, Lin.”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you ask the god to create me? Compared to my original self, you should know I hate interacting with humans more.”

“But I like you, Your Majesty! Just like Rin likes your original self. And it’s not a blind admiration—I genuinely like you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve had this thought for a long time but never had the courage to tell Ahn. Plus, the house I used to live in was full of your figures and merch.”

“You’re not afraid of me?”

“Why should I be? Seele truly treasures her companions—like when something happened to Bella, Seele was devastated. And that was just a misunderstanding anyway. You’ve read the manga, so you know what happened. There’s nothing to hate.”

“You sound like a naïve kid. Anyway, want to go buy some food with me tomorrow?”

“Sure! How about we get some special beef curry rice?”

“Is it good?”

“Of course! And it’s less than 300 meters from here. After we eat, let’s pack a few extra boxes for the other Queen and the others. It’s good to chat and spend time together more—keeps the bond strong.”

“Whatever you like. Speaking of which, want to do something fun together?”

“Sure!”

“Seems like not everyone knows I can completely change my body and voice to become Kiana. Should I pretend to be her?”

“As long as you enjoy it, Your Majesty.”

“Ahem… Mei, Mei! I want to eat your cooking again!”

Lin froze instantly—the tone and voice were exactly the same.

“That’s… spot on.”

“See? That’s my talent! …So, how was it?”

“Completely accurate. Really impressive. But where’s that line from? I doubt the Queen would say that.”

“Just learned it from randomly browsing the game. Picking up a few lines here and there. But it’s just to pass the time. Since I’m not out to exterminate humanity anymore, I really don’t know what to do.”

“Why not use your original self as a reference?”

“No need. She’s just a kid at heart. I’m not exactly the same as her.”

Then Seele took a sip of the tea from the table.

“This tea is really good. What brand is it?”

“It’s not from our world. It was a gift from the Dragon King of the Sword Dance world. The tea leaves are completely different from ours. Thankfully, I’ve learned how to brew it.”

“At your age, kids usually drink soda. How’d you get into tea?”

“Ask Lian. She’s the one who recommended it.”

“Ah, the Dark Queen. What do you think of her?”

“Calm, beautiful, strong, and elegant! She jokes around sometimes too—just like Restia.”

“And what about Arylrita?”

“Pretty much the same. After you and she separated from your fusion, she seemed a bit dazed.”

“Me too. I didn’t expect fusion to create such a powerful force. It only shows that we’ve reached the pinnacle of this world.”

“But in the end, it was fusion—not our individual strength. No one will be able to recreate that kind of power in hundreds of years.”

“By the way, I heard Rin has two bodies now. How strong is she?”

“Roughly a little below Elu. Elu said she could destroy the world like in her diary, but still couldn’t beat Ahn, Anyue, and Elu combined.”

“True.”

“Achoo!!”

Rin sneezed at that moment.

“Did you catch a cold?”

“I’m fine, Your Majesty. Maybe someone’s talking about me, or my nose just itched.”

“If you catch a cold, remember to take medicine! That’s what my mom used to say to me.”

“Same here.”

“After all, you two are basically the same person. But don’t worry—my ability prevents me from getting sick. And once I’ve been hit by a move, it won’t work on me again. I have an analysis and replication system inside me.”

“So, any technique used on you once won’t work a second time?”

“Exactly. Like the one Xiaofeng used to take away my power—I’ve already figured it out. Unfortunately, I don’t have the special energy needed to activate it myself.”

“No worries! You’re already amazing—definitely one of the strongest beings across many worlds. At this point, even calling yourself a god wouldn’t be far-fetched.”

“Of course! But rather than god, I prefer to call myself the Ultimate Lifeform, the Strongest Abyss Witch—Eleia!”

“More like the strongest chūnibyō.”

Nokel muttered sarcastically.

“As Rin, I’m naturally the second strongest Earthling. But as Eleia, calling myself the Ultimate Lifeform is no exaggeration. I can even absorb malice and resentment from other worlds’ evil gods to grow stronger.”

“If you’re the second strongest Earthling, who’s the first?”

“Of course, our Queen! But I’m only talking about Earthlings. If she wanted to rule the world, with my help, conquering multiple dimensions would be no problem.”

“When you put it that way… Queen, what do you think?”

“I just want to live a normal life. I don’t want to stir up trouble.”

“Understood. Following Your Majesty’s will is of utmost importance to me. But, Your Majesty, I’d like to make a quick trip to outer space. May I?”

“Go ahead! Also, don’t keep that version of me waiting too long. She still has to go home.”

“Got it. I’ll head out now.”