Chapter 2 - Inevitable Encounters

Sapphire City - Honkai Impact 3rd World - July 2016 - Immediately after the previous chapter

(Fuchou Jingshen's P.O.V)

I've been staring at that damn battleship in the sky for several seconds now and I am still struggling to figure out a way to actually get up there, why couldn't my herrscher domain be something like fucking portals or something like that rather than what I do have, that being sentience.

Granted, I wouldn't actually be me if it wasn't for the fact I did gain the domain of sentience, but fuck if I ain't jealous at least of that fucking idiot Kiana gaining the ability to fly so freely. While most herrschers have some level of flight, unfortunately for me and my own past choices I can't actually fly normally..

Perhaps I could figure it out later, but that could potentially tip off that fucking will of the honkai bitch if my earlier display hasn't done so already. Yes, I know that the will of the Honkai is technically genderless but damn if I don't feel the need to call it a naggy bitch anyway..

Considering all it seems to want is the destruction of humanity, at least from what I can understand from both my memories and my other memories just seem so fucking stupid considering their tendencies to turn humans into their herrschers..

Speaking of my memories as % ~#!, it seems that whatever old-timer did back there was a rush job as while I can remember plenty of details regarding the various media I've played as them, more intimate details like family name, relatives, lovers and even their name is completely corrupted.

Even trying to recall the name just comes out as simply % ~#!, even trying to recall the name in my head just results in a headache and a buzz in my head. It probably happened due to the fact a human mind was attempting to meld with mine and ultimately some details were lost as a result..

However, as I am pondering I find myself recalling one of said memories that made me instinctively use that super saiyan power and I grin as I realize I don't need to figure out the issue with flight anymore..

Now then, let's see if I can't catch up to Kiana and hope I don't have a flashback as I did earlier. Fuck just thinking about what happened before pisses me off, however, I ultimately remain calm, at least for now..

Taking a moment to see if I can truly fly, I focus and slowly find myself gently lifting from the ground. "Hah, at least those memories and abilities aren't corrupted!" I say with an eager grin, with the ability to actually fly up to the Selene I can now catch up to the others.

However, I look up and see a ton of those damn drones flying about, knowing if I suddenly soar upwards I'd be a target for those things, a possibile priority target at that. It's right then that I spot some more Honkai heading my way and get a particularly interesting Idea..

"If I can't fly up, I guess I could just fly through.." I say before taking a moment to briefly look down the street and out to the waters near this city, just to make sure I can camouflage myself in the hordes of Honkai and the Honkai-corrupted Zombies in the city before nodding my head.

It's right as I am about to make my way through that I remember that I still look like a much longer-haired version of Old-timer, save for my dazzling red eyes. At first, I briefly look around to see if there are any broken-into shops I can take a gander at for at least a temporary wardrobe change before another one of my memories floods into my head again..

"Oh yea, it seems I didn't come with just some new powers…" I say as I idly look at the Ornate bracer that I didn't have previously on my left arm. Seeing the myriad of options for body alterations and mind alterations, I decided to ignore the mind alterations as I have no use for them as the Herrscher of Sentience..

The body modifications, on the other hand, give me the perfect idea. I decided to see if I can't present myself as old-timer's long-lost big sister, at least as a momentary ruse until I can actually talk to her.

For that, though I think I'll increase my bust size by a fair amount, not too big though as I do want to still kick ass with ease. As for my backside though, eh it's not as much of a problem so I just increase that until it's a nice bubbly backside to show off.

At least the dress still fits, even with the enlarged assets although admittedly I didn't go to the max with either option. Still, at least they won't be able to say I'm a clone of Old-timer or some dumb shit.

With that issue swiftly handled, I think it's time I finally make a move. I float into the air before positioning myself to get a clean run through the street right out into the bay of Sapphire city. Once I have myself ready, I take one last glance up to the Selene above me before flying right through the hordes of Honkai in the streets and blast right through to the bay waters and then soar upwards toward the Selene..

Meanwhile

(General P.O.V)

"Major Himeko, we just detected the Herrscher signature has left sapphire city and has begun to make a rapid ascent, estimated trajectory is….The Selene Battleship!" one of the technicians says, startling the Schicksal members who hear it, especially Major Himeko whose worry for Kiana, Mei, and Bronya now only grows even worse and says..

"Can we get a visual on the Herrscher themself..?" Her words has the technicians of Schicksal scrambling to find a visual feed from any of the drones in the air currently. Before long they are able to get a visual feed and the sight is something that shocks Major Himeko..

"Is that…..Fu Hua…?" Himeko asks bewildered, seeing an eagerly grinning woman that looks way too similar to Fu Hua. However. upon a more better close-up of the feed reveals that the woman may look like Fu Hua but there are some clear differences such as larger sexual attributes, longer hair, and distinct red eyes..

Not to mention Fu Hua should still be back at St. Freiya if Himeko's memory serves correctly, meaning whoever this woman is, it's definitely not Fu Hua. Still, as Himeko gathers her thoughts, she simply decides to finally let the girls know that a Herrscher is coming their way..

She only hopes that Kiana won't do something reckless..

Back with Fuchou

(Fuchou Jingshen's P.O.V)

As I continue to fly towards the Selene, I ponder on how to exactly I intend to present myself to the girls, considering that I might be rather suspicious to them considering I'm not a Valkryie like them.

Before long though, I do manage to make it to one of the outdoor sections of the Selene and can immediately sense three, no four distinct energy signatures. Three of them must be Kiana, Mei, and that Russian chick, Bronya if % ~#!'s memories serve correctly.

Then the last one, if said memories are accurate on that front as well, must be Rita Roseweisse. The Direct hand of Otto Apocalypse herself, although the reason as to why she is here is still hazy.

However before I can really get a proper handle on where everyone is on the ship, I spot Honkai beasts coming at me with the intent to kill. "Oh look, more cannon fodder to throw at me, as if it will manage to kill me like the multiple other times I didn't work…"I say before getting into a familiar stance, the same stance that Old-timer and I know all too well..

I rush forward with blackened feathers briefly appearing behind me as I do, slamming my left fist into the carapace of one of the smaller Honkai and shattering it as it was delicate china. One of the more Humanoid Honkai rushes forward to try and strike me in the back but I manifest the blade form of my abilities, the red dao weapon, in order to block the attack from behind. "Ooohoh..?" I say as I glance back before shifting to the left, away from the humanoid Honkai before shifting my red dao into its whip form and immediately swiping down to lash it.

The attack is enough to bisect the humanoid honkai in two through the left shoulder down, allowing me to focus on the emperor-class honkai beast that has just manifested itself in front of me.

The Emperor Class Honkai in front of me is the species known as the Imperator, by far the weakest of the Emperor class Honkai but is still very much a problem. As I am about to face the Imperator Honkai beast in front of me, however…

"NEKO-CHARM!" a young yet very familiar voice says as a large cat-like paw comes out of a gateway from the side of the Imperator and slams it into the side of the Battleship. As Imperator is slowly gathering it's bearings, I spot the owner of the voice on one of the other outdoor sectors of the battleship..

"Kiana…" I say as I see a grinning white-haired girl, looking so carefree and warm. For a brief moment, I grimace as I momentarily see in the girl's place, the dead body of Kiana nailed to the wall of the moon base by her own sword..

I shake my head and the brief overlapping sight is gone, replaced by the sight of said girl, the younger Kiana coming up to me with a bright smile. "Hey I didn't know we were getting back up, name's Kiana Kaslana!" the white-haired girl says, yea this is definitely Kiana but about three years younger..

"Call me….Fuchou Jingshen…." I say, not sure how to respond to all this right now as it is clear that I am at least a year or so away from my…birth..so to speak. Kiana merely gives a bubbly smile and suddenly grabs my hand..

"Let's go meet up with the others already, I need to see Mei-senpai!" Kiana says before the young valkyrie begins to forcefully drag me around while I am still trying to truly process that I actually went back in time, that this is not some sick dream and what happened before is…reality..

It was one thing to be told by some new memories and abilities, it's another to have the proof of it all dragging you along with a bright smile. Even so, seeing Kiana in this time being so bright and happy, I want to see her stay like that..

Several minutes later - In another part of the Selene

(General P.O.V)

As Fuchou and Kiana continue working together to clear out the Honkai on the Selene, Kiana soon spots Mei Raiden and sprints off to take out the humanoid Honkai that is about to try and perform a sneak attack on the ravenette..

Seeing that the two have things handled, Fuchou decides to keep watch while having a brief moment of levity between themselves. However, she then spots some incoming Honkai approaching and rushes over to the two, regretting to need to interrupt the two as she says..

"Look, you two can both be gay for each other later, right now we got some small fry coming our way.." As Fuchou turns away to look for the incoming Honkai, she doesn't notice that her words have left both Kiana and Mei blushing deeply while taking occasional glances at each other..

They eventually move away from each other to focus on the incoming Honkai, which turns out to be led by an Emperor-Class Honkai known as the Flame Emperor, a Fire version of the earlier Imperator Honkai albeit much stronger than said Honkai due to the elemental enhancement..

Before either of the Schicksal Valkries, Mei and Kiana can make any sort of move, however, Fuchou reacts quickly and form the whip state of her weapon in order to quickly eliminate many of the smaller Honkai.

At first the two are stunned at how fast Fuchou was able to clear out the honkai, but the two quickly rush forward to try and take on the Flame Emperor at the head of the pack thanks to Fuchou clearing away the more smaller honkai in order to clear them a path.

While Kiana is glad for the backup, Mei is more worried about where this sudden unknown came from and what her goals were. Regardless with Fuchou keeping the unusually large amount of minor Honkai away, the two are able to keep pace with the dangerous Emperor-Class Honkai.

So far the fight between the three is turning out to be a slow and steady victory for the valkyries, however without warning one of the smaller honkai races past Fuchou who wasn't expecting it to suddenly rush away from what they perceived as a greater threat to strike Kiana in the back..

Fuchou and Mei both see this with their eyes widening, while Mei is frantically trying to finish the fight to check on Kiana's condition, Fuchou has a decisively different reaction. Mei immediately feels a surge of Honkai energy rapidly forming behind her before she spots Fuchou soaring right at the Flame Emperor Honkai and with her weapon in it's Dao sword form, begins to furiously carve the honkai into pieces with a furious expression on her face..

All while Mei can see the tell-tale sign of immense honkai energy coming from Fuchou, considering how she is tied to a Herrscher herself, the Herrscher of Thunder…

P.O.V Shift

(Fuchou's P.O.V)

After eviscerating that Flame Emperor, I turn around to see Mei looking at me with a frightened look in her eyes, I curse as I realize I probably let slip too much of my power during that rage moment of mine..

"W-what are you…?" I hear Mei ask, frowning as I stare at the future Herrscher of Thunder before me, sighing before simply saying.. "Look, I'll answer whatever questions you want from me after this ship is secured and not before…ok..?" While staring into Mei's eyes directly.

At first, she looks at me with a mix of fear and suspicion before slowly nodding her head, seeing that I am making absolutely no hostile moves toward her before her gaze focuses squarely on Kiana.

As the two of us rush over to see to her wounds, Mei looks at me before I say.. "Hey, unlike some people in this world, I actually give a damn about those I fight alonside.." My mind flashes back to that bastard Kevin while my words turn dark at the end, however, it's enough to allow Mei to focus on Kiana's wounds alone.

All while I keep a close eye on any potential incoming Honkai that might come in the meantime, but soon enough it's not a Honkai beast that approaches but the third of the Schicksal Valkrie Trio, the one who would become the Herrscher of Reason in the future…

Bronya Zaychick

The Diminutive Russian hacker stares at the three of us with a confused expression, lingering on me for several seconds longer before she comes on over to check up on Kiana herself. Soon though Bronya gets into contact with her superiors and I spot the figure of an impossibly familiar woman..

"HimEkO.." I say, memories clashing between two versions of the exact same woman, one who is a captain born well over 50,000 years ago, and of course the one in front of me who is of the current era who is..

"Major Himeko, Bronya has made contact with Kiana, Mei, and one unknown.." Bronya says to the spitting image of Captain HIMEKO from 50,000 years ago, the busty redheaded woman narrowing her eyes as she soon says..

"This unknown, would they happen to have Grey hair, Red eyes, and an ornate black Chinese dress..?" Major Himeko asks Bronya who nods in confirmation, Major Himeko then calmly and yet slowly says..

"Girls, that woman you're with is an unknown Herrscher…" The declaration makes both Mei and Bronya's eyes widen as they stare at me with a sense of dread and shock before they draw their weapons in a defensive stance toward me..

"Jeez, I try to help you lot and you turn on me for just being a Herrscher…" I say, honestly feeling particularly hurt by the sudden guarded looks I'm getting from these three, but most of all the wary tone of Himeko who sounds so damn much like HIMEKO it's unsettling to me..

"Y-you're a Herrscher…?" Mei asks as if she didn't already hear Major Himeko announcing this to them, to which I sigh and nod but soon find myself seeing an open communication line crop up between me, the valkyries and of course Major Himeko somewhere..

"Herrscher, while I thank you for not attacking my squad, I must ask what is your motive for being here..?" Major Himeko says, truly puzzled as to why I'm not reacting to Humanity in the same way other herrschers have..

I scoff and simply say.. "Simple, I saw your girls hop on this floating fortress you call the Selene so I decided to help out, is that so hard to believe..?" Major Himeko is silent as she takes in this response before asking another question..

"Then why have you chosen to fight against the Honkai, are they not who you should be fighting alongside…?" This question just has me begin to chuckle before I can't help but laugh, the spines of the Schicksal women shivering at the sheer malice my laughter at the ridiculousness of the thought I'd be willing to be a slave to that thing..

"First let me say this major, If I had to choose between Humanity or the Honkai, I would go with humanity because despite how many backstabbing, cruel, and spiteful people you tend to be, at least you have even a sense of individuality…" I say, my word dripping with disdain in regard to the Honkai, especially considering their existence is the entire reason what happened back on the moon occurred in the first place…

And while I know I couldn't have been born without the Honkai, I flat out just don't care as I owe them nothing. Not after all the shit I've been put through, although I wouldn't mind killing a select few members of humanity for obvious reasons…

"Secondly, I must point out that if I had truly harbored any ill intent towards your dear Valkries at any point, you wouldn't have much left of them to bury.." I say, making Bronya, Mei and even Major Himeko's eyes widen as it's clear that this is not an Idle bluff.

"And finally, let's just say the three of them remind me of some of those I hold quite dear, those that I lost before all this…" I say, not hiding the sadness coming from my voice as I don't think I've truly had the chance to process everything that's happened in the last few hours and I probably won't until I'm safe..

Worrying about potentially breaking down later aside, I can see that my last comment has the three of them thinking, with Kiana finally waking up as she recovers from her injuries. "Kiana!" Mei says as Kiana sees that she's in Mei's embrace….and decides to snuggle in to said embrace, making Mei Blush, Bronya shakes her head and Major Himeko sighs before chuckling at Kiana's antics..

With the tension broken, Major Himeko focuses on me and simply asks.. "While this is a truly unorthodox situation, I need to ask….will you keep my Squad safe..?" I chuckle and nod before saying…

"Considering who they remind me of, I can't bring myself to say no to that…" A very faint smile on my lips which I can see Major Himeko notice, her eyes widening briefly before she relaxes and says..

"You're a strange Herrscher, you know that right Ms…?" I can see she wants to know my name so I simply respond by saying.. "Fuchou Jingshen, while that isn't my real name, it's the one I am currently using as the one I previously had….is not mine to keep…"

Himeko's eyes briefly narrow at the Chinese-sounding name and is likely making connections to a certain other Chinese woman in Schicksal, which would point them in the right direction if this encounter occurred in a year or two's time..

Fuck if this whole time-travel angle is going to get confusing for me, I never really needed to think about this shit before but thanks to Old-timer's stunt that sent me here, I have no choice although thankfully my other memories are quite helpful in making me a lot more able to understand this..

Soon enough Himeko focuses on Bronya who merely has her ensure I am kept in the loop since I am now confirmed to not be a hostile threat to them before she cuts the communication. It is an awkward silence before I decide to interject and say..

"So….I do believe we have a battleship to take….?" This makes Kiana, Bronya, and Mei nod although Mei's gaze lingers on me longer than the others as the four of us quickly start making our way into the ship's interior..

Battleship Selene's Command Room - 10 minutes later

(Fuchou's P.O.V)

I watch curiously as Bronya works on trying to gain access to the Selene's systems, so far the resistance from the Honkai after we entered this massive battleship in the sky has been strangely minimal.

A stray memory from my other life reminds me of a comment that was said on the internet in that world once, if there is a large open space with no enemy for no reason there is almost certainly a boss fight incoming, or at least that's how I recall it being said.

I don't exactly pay attention to what's being said as this room is just setting me on edge for some reason. It's like I should know what's about to happen but at the same time my memory of what is supposed to happen isn't exactly mine but % ~#!'s so my mind is struggling to properly recall it.

It's only when I hear the alarms sound do I finally remember what is supposed to happen and look at Bronya transforming into that black and red corrupted state known as Dark Bronya. At first, she seems to be considering attacking Kiana and Mei due to this corrupted state brought on by the malfunction of her battlesuit, the source of a Schicksal Valkyrie's power..

But then she spots me and I am suddenly forced to leap to the side to avoid taking a beam from Bronya's Robot, her means of attack which has also been corrupted by the malfunction. While I do briefly consider fighting Dark Bronya myself, I grimace as I realize that Dark Bronya is just to…weak to handle any but my weakest attacks head-on.

This means I can only really do one thing…

"Hey you two, are you two gonna stand there like idiots or are you gonna knock your friend out of this bizarre state by force?!" I say, looking at both Kiana and Mei with an annoyed glare which immediately forces them to begin trying to carefully take down their fellow Valkryie.

Kiana gracefully dodges many of the beams that try to come the two's way while Mei begins landing slashes to try and disable Bronya's robot, although it's armoring is making it difficult. All the while I have no choice but to remain the distraction, oh how the mighty have fallen, the Herrscher of Sentience little more than a fucking moving target for a russian chick's attack robot, yay..

It's during this entire debacle, I lose track of the energy signature of the fourth non-honkai being on this fucking ship. Eventually, Kiana and Mei do manage to take down Bronya and knock her out of that corrupted state, Dark Bronya is soon returned to being the normal Bronya who looks confused as to how she ended up in that state..

Eventually, though the Selene is made to head for St. Freya and as it does, focus returns on the herrscher in the room, namely me. "So uuh, what are we gonna do about Fuchou here..?" Kiana asks, to which Himeko who was listening in ends up responding by saying.. "That depends on Fuchou herself..isn't that right Ms. Herrscher.."

I can't help but sigh and simply say.. "Look if you don't mind, I'd rather stick with you lot since I am pretty sure that I could be of use to you lot.." My words make the three Valkries on the Selene with me look at each other while Major Himeko hums in thought and asks..

"So, what you mean to say that you want to join Schicksal..?" Himeko's question surprised Kiana, Bronya, and Mei as they all believed that a Herrscher would never willingly join Schicksal. "Well it's not like I got anywhere else I can be I suppose.." I say, although internally I know that if I do join Schicksal, I can stick close to Kiana, Bronya and Mei, perhaps even help with the shit they had to deal with in the past..

Although that also means I'll have to deal with the past version of Old-timer, which is fine with me since even though she's not my Fu Hua, she's still Fu Hua so I will enjoy having a nice fun spar with her later on in that case..

My reply completely catches Kiana, Bronya, Mei, and Himeko off guard as they never thought that a Herrscher would willingly want to side with Humanity, although they can tell that I could technically be counted as an abnormal Herrscher, at least by this point in the timeline.

And so as the Selene continues making its way to St. Freya, the rest of the day is spent trying to figure out exactly how to explain that a fucking Herrscher of all things is joining Schicksal..

Meanwhile - Schicksal Office of the Overseer

(General P.O.V)

The Office of one Otto Apocalypse is more akin to a headmaster's office in design as the man himself, with long blonde hair and wearing a regal purple coat is busy dealing with another persistent bane of humanity, paperwork, when he gets a communication call from his Aide Rita Roseweisse..

"Overseer Apocalypse, the Flying Battleship Selene has been retaken by our forces hand is on route to return to St. Freya for analysis.." Rita says, making the blonde overseer smile as he takes a sip of his coffee before he soon responds by saying..

"Ah good, then it seems everything is proceeding as planned then.." Otto Apocalypse says as he takes another sip of his coffee, however, Rita continues her report by saying.. "Indeed although we have recently gotten a report that a new Herrscher has been detected and has strangely been instrumental in helping the reclamation of the Selene.."

Curious at this new development and what it means for his plans, he soon asks.. "I take it you have gotten a proper visual reference for this new unknown Herrscher then..?". Rita nods and as Otto is taking another sip of his coffee, he sees the photo of what the Herrscher in question looks like and can't help but perform a spit-take as this new Herrscher is practically a dead-ringer for Fu Hua.

However, the Overseer of Schicksal knows that at the same time, it cannot be Fu Hua as she's been at St. Freya during this entire debacle regarding the Selene's appearance, even so, it cannot be a coincidence this Herrscher is almost Identical to Fu Hua..

While he is tempted to use the Void Archives in his possession to look into this new Herrscher, the fact that she's not hostile to humanity and instead the Honkai fits all too well in his plans and so instead he intends to merely keep a close eye on her.

And if the report is accurate, perhaps in time he could potentially meet with this herrscher in person in order to get a better understanding of the honkai through her. In the end, Otto Apocalypse can only see good things coming from accepting this Herrscher's offer to join Schicksal..

Good things indeed….

Author's Notes

Careful Otto, Fuchou already "killed" you once in the previous timeline!

Anyway I do apologize for how late this one came out, IRL ended up clashing with me on this one, and plus there is just a lot of source material for Honkai Impact 3rd to go through in order to make sure I am not making a mistake..

Let's go through the Points of interest in this chapter..

The Corrupted Memories

Normally in a Waifu Catalog story like this, it is supposed to be the contractor possessing a version of the companion and Memoria would give the contractor a bunch of the episodic memories and personality from the original entity that is being possessed.

However, in this version of events, Fuchou is more of a fusion between the contractor and the Herrscher of Sentience which has resulted in Memoria not working as intended. While the template abilities and techniques are unaffected as well as much of the meta-knowledge, intimate details of the contractor have been corrupted, leaving Fuchou mostly still the Herrscher of Sentience with the contractor having only so much influence in how they now act..

As for why it happened, remember that Fu Hua back in the prior timeline hadn't the time to do more than a mere rush job for the process. While the corrupted memories will fix themselves over time, it will indeed take time..

The Flashbacks - Kiana and Himeko

Let's do Kiana's first because Himeko's is a doozy to be sure.

Kiana is probably one of the few people that the Herrscher of Sentience, before this time-travel stuff occurred, actually gave a damn about due to how close they became in the early 20s chapters and the early 30s chapters..

Plus with how violent Prior Timeline Kiana's death was, Fuchou wasn't gonna be able to avoid having a momentary flashback on this one. Thankfully Fuchou should get better regarding this over time, especially after spending enough time around the warm and bubbly Kaslana.

Himeko on the other hand..

Himeko has a ton of relevance to Fu Huha and as a result, the Herrscher of Sentience. this is due to a lot of comic-related backstories between the previous era woman known as HIMEKO who is practically Identical to Major Himeko herself.

Much of this particular story is relegated to the comics of the Honkai verse so I will try to look into it in order to flesh out the relationship between Himeko and Fuchou the best I can. Especially since it will become a point of contention between Fu Hua and Fuchou..

Otto Apocalypse's scheming

From what I remember, Otto Apocalypse's aim in the future is for a human to bear the power of a herrscher. With Fuchou practically willing to join Schicksal, it suits is plans incredibly well although it is highly doubtful that he'll drop his plans for his intended Herrscher just because Fuchou so helpfully aided his plans unintentionally..

St. Freya not appearing as planned.

I ended up having to move this to the next chapter due to how much was going on regarding the events on the Selene alone. Rest assured we will be heading to St. Freya itself during the next chapter!

With that in mind, next time in Sentient Wrath: Arrival in St. Freya and Fuchou encounters Fu Huha

See you all on Wednesday!