Honkai Star Rail: I am Godzilla, domineering and rampant.

"No need for a reward. I just wanted to ask, can we come along to the Scalegorge Waterscape? No other reason… it's just that, recently, there've been some… unusual happenings there?" Yanqing asked vaguely.

"Scalegorge Waterscape? We're going to the Scalegorge Waterscape?! I'm in!"

Upon hearing that, Bailu put her hands on her hips, looking determined and ready.

-------------------------------------

Inside the Star skiff.

The Ten-Lords Commission and the group were clearly divided.

"I've received orders. You may accompany us, but you are not to act without permission. If you dare defy me, I will not let you off lightly," Xueyi said indifferently.

"Of course. It was rude of me to make such a presumptuous request," Yanqing said with a slight shake of his head, apologetically.

But the Scalegorge Waterscape… that place, he really couldn't allow these people to wander around freely. Who knows if they might provoke Godzilla somewhere? Plus, he didn't want them to make too much noise while capturing the stray Heliobi and end up alerting The Preceptors.

Either scenario was something he didn't want to see.

The Xianzhou Luofu was about to face the Emanator of Destruction Scorching Flare. If it fell into chaos before the wind even arrived, it would be a ridiculous disaster.

...

"I say, you little coward, didn't you already succeed once? Why are you still acting like such a wimp? You're making me lose face here, alright?"

"B-but that big guy is really scary, and you even said the Heliobi we're after is a big eyeball… Just thinking about it gives me chills."

In a corner, a little green foxian tried to shrink into the shadows, keeping a low presence as she whispered to her own tail.

But the tail wasn't having any of it. Its voice echoed throughout the Star skiff, one was deliberately quiet, the other was bold and carefree.

The combination of the two was truly eye-catching.

"That tail… is that thing really not a ghost?" Guinaifen leaned close to Sushang's ear and whispered.

She still felt like Heliobi matched the description of a ghost on the Xianzhou.

Some kind of energy lifeform, just call it a ghost and be done with it.

And that gloomy-looking judge across from them, just being near him gave off a chilling sensation that made her shudder.

"What are you saying?! Think I can't hear you? Listen up! I'm a Heliobi, not some ghost! What kind of trash ghost could ever compare to me?" shouted Tail, clearly annoyed at Guinaifen's words.

"The Ten-Lords Commission actually fused Heliobi with a foxian's tail? That's certainly a rare technique," Yanqing said with great interest, watching as Tail puffed up mid-air.

The judge named Hanya was behind them, occasionally making things worse. Oh, and it looked like she was about to turn Tail over too.

"Huohuo is a special case. When she was young, she placed Heliobi in her tail. When the Ten-Lords Commission arrived, they could only use a technique to fuse the two and maintain a balanced state," Hanya explained.

Her voice was bleak, and with her expressionless face, she gave off the air of a cold beauty.

"Elder sister, if Hui Yan was caught so easily, then Cirrus must be quite formidable. Be careful in the operation ahead," Hanya said as she turned to the seated Xueyi with concern.

Her sudden change in tone caught everyone off guard.

By the way, the name "Cirrus" was provided by Tail. Though it was clearly Heliobi, he insisted he identified her scent and realized who had escaped.

"Heh, not bad, I guess. If I were at full strength, I wouldn't just sense it was Cirrus, I could chase her down and beat her up no problem," Tail said proudly.

"Talking big again. I didn't see you helping just now," Huohuo muttered softly.

Hearing this snide remark, Tail's expression darkened immediately, though it was always a ghostly green anyway.

"Hey, you really think I've been too nice lately, huh, you little coward? Who was it trembling in fear just now, with their legs almost giving out?!"

"Ugh, "

Huohuo, who didn't have much combat ability to begin with, was instantly overwhelmed by Tail's verbal onslaught and curled up defensively.

...

"Hehe, grandpa, sir? I just came in by accident, got lost, really. Just treat me like a blade of grass, drifting away with the wind, please let me go," Cirrus said ingratiatingly.

Though she had no limbs, the little thing still managed to put on a show for Godzilla, demonstrating the attitude of "if you failed to please your boss, it's your own fault, not the environment's."

If she could turn back time, Cirrus would slap her past self hard and knock her flying with a stick.

There was definitely a reason she came to the Scalegorge Waterscape.

As an energy lifeform, Heliobi had a strong sensitivity to human emotions, and there were roughly two main ways for it to grow stronger.

One was to devour other Heliobus. The devoured ones would retain consciousness inside, crowded together awkwardly.

Of course, some unlucky ones might never regain form until they're either devoured again or discovered and sealed.

The other method was possession. How powerful the result is depends entirely on how strong the host is.

Phantylia, for example, used Ambrosial Arbor's power to craft a body that fit her aesthetics and was immensely strong, bearing both Abundance and Destruction. Sadly, she didn't last long before being blown apart.

When Cirrus learned this, she was both relieved and regretful.

Such a great body, if it had been hers, that would've been amazing. Phantylia wouldn't have used it even if she got out, but Cirrus could've made great use of it with just a bit of tweaking.

Back to why she came to the Scalegorge Waterscape.

Godzilla's current mood was simple: sleep.

But even this singular emotion, in terms of quality and quantity, completely overwhelmed the sum of everyone Cirrus had previously encountered.

And it wasn't even moving.

That instantly made Cirrus think, could it be the same situation as theirs?

With a "might as well try" mindset, at worst, she could just run, she came here.

Who knew everything was fine when they arrived, but now there's no way back.

A huge vertical pupil opened, and the overwhelming pressure almost made Cirrus unable to breathe.

The aura was undeniably real.

Take Godzilla, for instance, even if he did nothing and just stood there, you'd still be able to feel the terrifying and domineering presence pressing down.

It made people not dare to offend him.

Cirrus was just a poor, weak, and helpless Heliobi. In terms of identity, she was merely a fragment of the Great Heliobi Ignamar.

Not to mention her fragmentary self, even Ignamar would have to bow down in front of Godzilla.

Godzilla's tail remained above Cirrus's head, motionless and as steady as Mount Tai.

"This thing is worlds apart from Phantylia, it's like comparing a formal garden to a weed patch."

Godzilla stared at Cirrus, feeling quite bored.

If Phantylia was an ocean, then Cirrus was just a small creek, one that was nearly dried up.

Such a weakling wasn't even worth Godzilla making a move. Even if she was handed to him, he wouldn't bother opening his mouth.

"Forget it. I'll let you keep Phantylia company."

With that thought, Godzilla's tail was about to move.

"Heh, I wanna see what kind of thing could be fiercer than me. Back when I was rampaging around, you little brats weren't even born yet. Yeah, I'm talking about you, you yellow-haired shorty."

"Tch, you think I'm scared of you or something? I'll see for myself today what's so terrifying that, whoa… o-old bro's busy, huh."

After a loud noise, everyone fell silent.

Even the most arrogant one, Tail, from before shut up.

"M-m-monster!"

"Eek, "

"Lord Xueyi! Lady Hanya! Help!"

"Big guy! I came to play with you!"

Three simultaneous screams broke the silence at the scene.

Bailu held a gourd, walking toward the scene with an expression that words couldn't describe.

Sushang handled it better than the rattled Guinaifen.

At least she'd seen something similar before at the Alchemy Commission , though that one wasn't nearly as big.

...

Xueyi had never imagined that subduing a Heliobi would be such a daunting task.

At least for this one that had just escaped and didn't even have a host body, Xueyi had been cautious but didn't sense much danger.

That changed when she saw Cirrus, who they had been chasing, now curled up obediently, and in front of her, a black mountain opened its majestic eyes and silently stared at them.

Due to the uniqueness of the Ten-Lords Commission, Xueyi knew of Godzilla's existence, but not many details, only that he played a decisive role in the battle against Phantylia, a key force in the entire conflict.

Only after seeing Godzilla in person did she realize how inadequate that prior information was.

A behemoth hundreds of meters tall lay on the ground, tail included, he might have stretched a full kilometer.

Such an unimaginably massive creature appearing alive in Luofu was now in front of them, and its mere presence altered the very flow of spiritual energy in the area.

"It's you?!"

Cirrus recognized Tail, the most combative fragment of the Great Heliobi Ignamar.

Normally, if she ran into him, she'd surely mock and provoke him, but now she found him endearingly familiar.

"Help me out, quick! Get me away from this thing! Do you have any idea how scary it is?!"

Cirrus felt weaker by the second just standing next to Godzilla.

This wasn't an illusion, Godzilla's energy-absorbing field was always active. If not for its usual slow absorption rate, she'd already have been reduced to a husk with just her mind left.

"Don't look at me! I don't know you!" Seeing Cirrus glance at him, Tail immediately shook his head and shrank back.

What a joke, he could feel it too, same as she could.

If that guy hadn't paused his abilities, he'd be in even worse shape than Cirrus.

Godzilla ignored the screaming Cirrus and the three members of the Ten-Lords Commission, who looked like they wanted to speak but dared not.

He transported Bailu, who had climbed up his tail, to his back, then deftly twirled his tail tip to pull a six-sided bronze vessel buried in a mountain of ore and brought it before Cirrus.

Cirrus, completely outclassed by Phantylia, didn't even have the ability to make the vessel use full power, it just sucked her in directly.

She let out a shrill scream before disappearing.

Godzilla weighed it in his hand, light as a feather. Satisfied, he stored it away.

Another piece for the collection.

The violent scene left everyone present staring at one another.

"Uh… do you think he'll put Tail in there too?"

Huohuo whispered. Tail instantly exploded.

"Damn you, you coward! Can't wait to see me gone, huh? Just you wait till we get back! See how I deal with you!"

He might not be able to handle the big guy, but he sure could handle this little one!

Did they think he'd been wasting his years doing nothing?!

"Judge Xueyi, I advise you, personally, not to bring up that Heliobi again. See that six-sided bronze vessel? Phantylia is still sealed inside."

Before Xueyi could speak, Tail exploded again.

"What! Say that again, you brat!"

...

In the end, the Ten-Lords Commission mission was a perfect success...

As for subduing Heliobi, well, who said it had to be done by them?

With that esteemed general's guest lending a hand, it might have gone even better than if they'd done it themselves.

While the Ten-Lords Commission did stand above other departments of the Xianzhou to some extent, they still knew how to be flexible.

Yanqing acted as a personal guarantee on behalf of the general. After returning, he will report to the Ten-Lords Commission, and it will be up to them and the general to discuss matters, this is no longer something these judges can decide.

"Sushang! Guinaifen! It's okay! Everyone is doing great."

Bailu stood atop Godzilla's head, waving and shouting to the people below.

"..."

"..."

The two didn't know what to say. They looked at each other, and both read speechlessness and confusion in the other's eyes.

"A guest of the great general..." Staring at Godzilla's enormous body, Guinaifen swallowed hard.

With that kind of presence, it looked like he could squish her into minced meat with just a casual move.

No! Even a breath from him might cook her eight-tenths through!

Guinaifen was quite sure that messing with the restricted zone wouldn't end well.

A hundred-meter-tall beast as a guest of the Xianzhou? That's a bit much, isn't it!

"Actually, it's not bad. Once you get used to it, staying near Godzilla is really comfortable. Miss Tingyun and Lord Yukong both enjoy being around him."

It felt like you just accidentally said something really dangerous.

Sushang stared silently at Yanqing.

"Oh right, Miss Guinaifen, about photos and videos of Godzilla, I hope you won't record anything casually. It could cause issues with the source of the zone's influence."

Guinaifen quickly nodded, her face tense.

What a joke. Who was she, and who was the one across from her?

She knew broadcasting these visuals would draw massive attention, but if it's between internet traffic and her life, she knew what to choose.

If she carelessly got herself a few centuries' sentence in the Xianzhou, there'd be nothing left but regret.

Wait! No!

She might only be detained for a few decades.

Whew, that kind of sentence might be manageable...

...

Upon reaching the Alchemy Commission.

Heading away from the Scalegorge Waterscape, the three finally let out a sigh of relief.

Having a puppet body only made Xueyi immune to conventional threats and able to quickly return to work after damage by changing bodies.

But her emotions hadn't gone wrong.

That psychological pressure nearly triggered her to attack instinctively.

"Sis, are you okay?"

Hanya looked at Xueyi worriedly, reaching out to support her.

"Lady Hanya, I feel like my legs are no longer mine." Huohuo's little face looked bitter, her legs still trembling.

"Tch, useless thing. Just seeing him scared you like this. How are you even a judge? Wouldn't it be better to just hide in the medical ward?"

"Tch, if it weren't for you, I'd already be running my own little street stall." Huohuo weakly shot back.

Despite their constant bickering... or rather, Huohuo always being suppressed by Tail's presence...

Xueyi waved her hand.

"I'm fine. We must return to the Ten-Lords Commission Commission quickly and report everything. Wait! Hanya, your hand!"

Just as Xueyi was about to head back to the Ten-Lords Commission Commission, her gaze sharply turned toward Hanya's hand.

The sudden change startled both of them. Huohuo also looked at Hanya's hand.

A stunned expression appeared.

Hanya and Xueyi had both died in the Third Abundance War centuries ago.

Unlike Xueyi who lived again with a puppet body, Hanya had been resurrected, as a 'zombie'.

Her current body was cold, far beyond normal tolerance.

Her skin tone was also rather gloomy.

But right now, Hanya's hand had a hint of a living person's flesh color.

It was brief and faint, but Xueyi recognized the change at once.

She would never forget Hanya's appearance, or any detail of her body.

Even with a puppet body, that feeling...

"What's happening to me..." Hanya looked at her hand in disbelief. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but now that her sister pointed it out, she could see the difference.

Though the feeling was fading, gradually returning to her usual state.

But this was already a major difference!

"Lady Hanya, are you... coming back to life?" After a pause, Huohuo wasn't sure what term to use and settled on "coming back to life."

"No, that feeling is fading."

Hanya clenched her fist. The warmth in her palm was quickly disappearing.

It felt... melancholic.

"Well now, even zombies can revert? This world sure is something." Tail chuckled teasingly, glancing at Hanya.

"Shut up!" Xueyi snapped at him, her gaze locked with concern on Hanya.

"Hanya, have you perhaps experienced anything unusual lately?"

Hanya shook her head. "I've been by your side since I received the assignment. This kind of change…"

"Let's not rush. We'll go back to the Ten-Lords Commission Commission together and ask the Ten-Lords Commission. We'll surely figure out what's happening to your body."

Xueyi said softly.

...

Seat of Divine Foresight.

After the meeting concluded, the previous tension was completely gone... though only because war hadn't truly broken out.

"Jing Yuan, aren't you going to check on Yanqing? I get the feeling that child's mindset is a little unstable."

Watching Jing Yuan playing chess calmly with her, Yukong finally spoke.

"Hmm? Heh, trust the youth. He'll handle it just fine."