Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Elysia took a deep breath, tilting her head back to gaze at the moon in the sky.

The moment they emerged, they were greeted by the sight of Earth's shadow.

Just like all those years ago…

"So, this is the continent of Mu in the Current Era?"

Elysia stretched out the new, youthful body she had acquired. Although control over it was still largely in Noldrei's hands, she was gradually getting used to the power it offered.

"How wonderful. The sound of the wind, the chirping of birds, the slithering of snakes, the fluttering of insects… and all the bacteria and viruses… Right, maybe I shouldn't look at those."

Elysia found Noldrei's body to be astonishingly powerful. Her perception covered the entire vicinity, and as she'd noted, not even bacteria or viruses could escape his senses.

There's a saying that beautiful anime girls are free of any bodily impurities, and that perfectly described Elysia now. Noldrei had temporarily crafted her a body that was, in theory, absolutely pristine.

It was the kind of perfect body that wouldn't even get stinky feet after wearing thigh-high boots all day.

"This is our world now. In your terms, you'd call it the prime world. Right now, the nations of the world are developing peacefully, though we're still cleaning up some sinister, reactionary forces. And, well, sometimes we have bad apples on the inside. You know how it is—different political needs all over the globe. If you see something that rubs you the wrong way, please try to understand."

"The Current Era has its own way of doing things, I see."

Noldrei's explanation was quite earnest. Elysia thought he must be a very competent leader.

In fact, Noldrei was a very competent ruler.

"Ely, once we get back to Academy City, I'll introduce you to the Valkyries and Herrschers there. I noticed you seemed to have a preference for girls back in the Elysian Realm, so I'm sure you'll love it. Speaking of which, I feel like you thirteen Flame-Chasers are hiding something from me. The numbers just don't seem to add up…"

Before Noldrei could finish, Elysia covered his mouth with her hand.

"Now, you can't say things like that~ Isn't this all your fault for being so forward? Who just barges in and demands someone's memory data right off the bat? I know I'm a beautiful girl loved by all, but such a brazen approach is enough to make a girl feel all shy and flustered, you know~~♪"

Weird, Noldrei thought. Why does this woman speak in such a strange, sing-song tone?

He mentally reviewed all the people he'd met so far. Aside from Bronya, whose speech patterns were a bit robotic due to brain damage, everyone else communicated more or less normally.

Wow, she's so dramatic… She really doesn't seem like a good person at first glance.

"You don't strike me as a good person," Noldrei said bluntly. "They must have sent you out as a scout."

He had always been one to speak his mind. Since no one could really hurt him, he didn't much care whether Elysia was actually a "bad girl" or not.

"Oh, you're breaking my heart. But that's alright… Once we spend some time together, you'll come to understand me, Elysia. Still, this is my first time getting to play outside in a body created by someone else. It's a strange, unfamiliar feeling."

Having emerged in a body of Noldrei's creation, Elysia knew he hadn't been joking when he said he could replicate all the Flame-Chasers. He truly had the power to do so.

Perhaps that was why Aponia had hidden Kalpas, Griseo, and Kosma. If this Noldrei fellow had learned about Griseo's abilities or Kalpas's identity, he might have just kidnapped them himself.

Fortunately, Noldrei, as a leader of the Current Era, was magnanimous and wasn't one to force the issue.

And so, it was Elysia who had to suffer the fate of being whisked away by Mr. Tentacle Monster.

Still, this body feels a bit odd, she thought. Controlling it is like trying to shape invisible modeling clay.

"I can hear what you're thinking, you know. You can just say it out loud. I don't really care about what you all are hiding."

Noldrei's frankness was, as always, on full display. Even when dealing with Kiana…

No, his interactions with Kiana were different. She was, after all, his only kin in this world.

He casually slung an arm over Elysia's shoulder and said cheerfully, "We have lots of friends back home who can turn into ponies. Once you get there, we'll set you up with a pony identity too."

Speaking of ponies, something else occurred to Elysia. She asked curiously, "What kind of identity are you going to give Mobius, then? I don't think she's really the pony type."

Noldrei immediately shot down the idea of turning Mobius into a pony.

"Of course not," he said. "We'll turn her into that old dragon, Discord. You know, head of a pony, body of a serpent, tail of a dragon, a deer antler and a goat horn, a lion's paw and an eagle's talon, one bat wing and one feathered wing, a goat leg and a lizard leg. Loves chaos, wields incredibly powerful magic, can manipulate things at will, create illusions, shapeshift, and even open portals to other dimensions."

Discord was certainly a memorable character.

As a fan of My Little Pony, Elysia knew exactly who he was talking about. She nodded thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, Mobius's personality is a bit like that old dragon's. Though the actual Discord is much more good-natured these days."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Mobius will appreciate an old dragon's body when she gets out. Come on, I'll take you to try some of the Current Era's alcohol. I wonder if the stuff fermented from your era's plants tastes the same as the drinks we have now."

Noldrei was a bad influence. Not only had he effectively lifted the underage drinking ban in Academy City, but now he was about to corrupt a tens-of-thousands-of-years-old maiden into drinking rotgut with him.

"You're not planning to get me drunk and do something weird to me, are you?"

"You're overthinking it. My heir might pull something like that, but the most I'd do is give you a few lashes with my tentacles. And since you're in a body I made, I won't even use that method to punish you. Huh, wait a minute…"

An idea seemed to strike Noldrei. He looked at Elysia and asked curiously, "Do you memory data-bodies also have sexual frustration?"

Elysia was taken aback by his directness. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded, admitting it was true.

"So how do you all usually… handle your needs in the Elysian Realm?"

"Can we please change the subject? Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to ask a beautiful girl such questions?"

Noldrei replied with a dismissive wave. "My Dr. Tesla, even in her eighties, acts more like a young girl than you do. With her meager figure, tsundere twintails, and even that slightly dorky-cute personality of hers."

"I used to find her annoying, but I guess I've grown attached after smacking her around so much. But look at you! Besides your face, what part of you is girlish? With a body like that, you'd be cast as one of those 'danchi wives' in the shows from Academy City."

Elysia began to suspect she had thrown her lot in with the wrong person.

How could a warrior of the Current Era be so knowledgeable about that stuff? What happened to his image and decorum as the supreme warrior? Was he just dropping the act and showing his true colors now that he was out?