Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

Led by the figure in black, the three women disappeared into the labyrinthine streets of New Moth Town.

They spent the night evading patrols. Fortunately, their pursuers seemed reluctant to escalate the situation, deploying only a small number of regular soldiers. There were no Poison Cocoon agents, rapid response teams, mechs, or helicopters.

Even so, it took them the entire night to return to the vicinity of the base, arriving just before dawn.

Sakura, intending to infiltrate through the hidden ventilation shaft they had used before, was stopped by the figure in black.

"Trust me, that place is crawling with sentries, just waiting for you to walk into their trap."

"So, we were being watched from the beginning?"

Sakura was incredulous. She had discovered that hidden passage long ago, leaving a "marker" to ensure no one else had found it.

And the recent battle at headquarters, while causing widespread destruction, had also altered the surrounding terrain, making the vent even more concealed.

As for their stealth skills, Poison Cocoon specialized in infiltration and assassination. How could they have been so easily detected?

The figure in black paused, his tone strangely mature. "There's no such thing as a perfect disguise. Under careful observation, everything eventually reveals itself."

The words, clearly double-edged, resonated with Elysia, Sakura, and Himeko, leaving them speechless.

"Don't worry, I filed leave requests for you last night. We can walk right through the main gate."

"Immer…"

Himeko sighed.

The figure in black removed his disguise. It was Immer.

"Let's go. We can talk later."

Immer, his usual playful demeanor gone, now resembled Mikael's younger brother.

Despite his young age, his brow was furrowed, his head bowed, as if burdened by heavy thoughts.

Thanks to the pre-filed leave requests, they returned to Himeko's quarters without incident.

As they stepped inside, the three women exhaled in relief, then turned to Immer, who stood by the door, his expression resolute, like a condemned man walking to his execution.

The door closed.

Himeko waved her hand, stopping Sakura, who was about to interrogate him. She leaned back on the sofa, looking tired and indifferent.

"Let him speak."

But her casual tone seemed to agitate Immer even more. He trembled, tears dripping onto his boots.

"You… you're all so nonchalant!"

He slammed his fist against the wall, a dull thud echoing through the room.

But he was just an ordinary human. The pain in his hand quickly sobered him, and he cradled his injured hand, hopping on one foot.

"Pfft!" Elysia was the first to break, followed by Himeko. Even Sakura turned away, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Come on, sit down."

Himeko couldn't stay angry at Immer. Regardless of what he'd done, he had saved them last night.

Elysia brought out antiseptic and bandages. Himeko gently cleaned and bandaged Immer's scraped knuckles, her touch unusually gentle, unlike her usual boisterous self.

Immer fell silent.

Sakura finally spoke. "You're not with Poison Cocoon, are you? Although that place… anyway, you don't seem like a Poison Cocoon agent."

Immer didn't reply, nor did he deny it.

Himeko and Sakura exchanged glances, taking his silence as confirmation. The boy was stubborn, unwilling to betray his "organization," even though it was obvious who he worked for.

Sakura shook her head. Although Vashak had never explicitly stated it, she understood now that her role in Squad 5 had been to provide cover for Immer, the real spy.

And she'd actually believed he'd spared her life…

"He's been planning this for a while, hasn't he?"

Himeko sighed.

"Not really… The lea… Vashak has had outside connections for a long time. Where do you think Poison Cocoon got its funding? The current tension between them is probably just a power struggle."

Himeko considered Sakura's words. It made sense. Although Vashak and Lucien had argued fiercely, they'd maintained a certain level of restraint, keeping it verbal.

And it was a perfect partnership. Vashak had Poison Cocoon, a powerful armed force, but lacked political influence and capital. Lucien had the opposite…

A match made in heaven… or perhaps, hell…

But their ideologies clearly differed. It was only a matter of time before their conflict escalated.

"So… why did you help us last night? Was it because of…"

Elysia didn't say the name, but they all knew who she meant.

"The Squad Leader… he told me everything in Shanghai… he said… if anything happened to him… he hoped I would… help you, for the sake of our… camaraderie…"

Silence…

Immer, uncomfortable with the silence, continued, "Yesterday, when Squad Leader Elysia heard about the cores being moved, she was worried. I reported it, as usual. Then, this morning, I was informed about a special operation tonight—I wasn't supposed to participate, my mission was just to observe and report, but the person in charge accidentally sent me the details. They retracted the message immediately, but I'd already seen it."

"…"

"But… I should have found you earlier… but I was stopped… by that little girl… what was her name…?"

"A little girl you know?"

Elysia raised an eyebrow, sensing something wasn't right.

"Oh! Her name… I can't remember… the one Squad Leader Mikael brought back from Dusk Street!"

"Pardo?"

"Yes! Pardo!"

"…"

"What did she want? No, how did she find you?" Elysia grabbed Immer by the shoulders, shaking him, until Himeko pulled her away, shouting, "Elysia!"

"How did she find me…? I don't know… but she gave me a letter. I haven't had a chance to read it yet."

"Then what are you waiting for?" x3

"Uh… you didn't give me a chance…" Immer scratched his head sheepishly.

He pulled a crumpled envelope from his pocket. Inside were two sheets of paper. The first contained two short sentences, typical of Mikael's concise style:

"Tell Elysia not to worry, I can handle this!" Clearly meant for Elysia.

"If you need help, go to Poison Cocoon." This one, although without a specified recipient, was clearly meant for Immer.

Immer shifted uncomfortably. He stood up abruptly, placing the second letter on the coffee table without reading it, and turned to leave.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now!"

But after a few steps, he turned back, looking at Sakura, his expression a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"Are there… other spies in our squad?"

Sakura paused, then shook her head. "If you're talking about Poison Cocoon, then no. We're not exactly subtle."

That was precisely what puzzled Immer. "But there must be someone else. Someone sent a report… mentioning Elysia's crystal manipulation abilities… I thought it was you, since only the four of you were present at the final battle against Yaksha. But if the Squad Leader could see through me… he wouldn't be so careless with you… so I suspected there was another… traitor in Squad 5."

"Ahem!"

Elysia cleared her throat, a smug look on her face.

"Ta-da! Why does there have to be a traitor?"

"Hmm? Elysia, don't tell me…"

Himeko's eyes widened in realization.

"Heh heh… during the final battle against Yaksha, Mikael, Captain Himeko, and Sakura couldn't have written that letter… so, if we eliminate all the wrong answers, the correct answer reveals itself!"

"Why did you do that?!"

As soon as Sakura asked, she covered her mouth, understanding Elysia's reasoning.

Himeko's expression was a mixture of emotions. She ruffled Elysia's hair.

Elysia had simply wanted to create a distraction, a flimsy cover for Mikael…

Even though it had been… pointless…

She'd done it anyway.