Fate's Slave - Shadow Slave X Honkai Star Rail

Despite having taken over Sunny’s peripheral nervous system, Tail did not manage to regain control of his body. After all, the central nervous system — the brain and the spinal cord — were under the opposing Heliobus’ control. Of course, Tail could simply block any signals coming from Sunny’s command center, but that would only create a cascade of problems.

Moreover, it was completely unnecessary. From what Tail perceived, there were no commands coming from the enemy Heliobus himself. It seemed that what he said about only releasing Sunny’s inhibitions was true.

Tail’s being methodically spread through the branching pathways of Sunny’s nervous system, eventually converging at the edges of the spinal cord. Tail trickled a small amount of himself into it, probing the defenses...

Which broke apart immediately, much to his confusion and suprise.

There was something terribly wrong with the Heliobus’ behavior. It was almost like it left a piece of itself unguarded, uncaring if Tail consumed it for nourishment.

After a few long moments of consideration, Tail pushed forth. The parts of the enemy Heliobus that was left in Sunny’s spinal cord served less like fortress, and more like a quick snack that let Tail grow even stronger.

If only more Heliobi were this submissive. He’d be a Devil in no time! Maybe even Transcend...

Heliobi were energy lifeforms — every single one of them was just a fragment of a far greater ancestor. A deep instinct was ingrained into their minds... one that urged them to consume their own kind in order to eventually become whole again.

It was impossible, unfortunately. Although there weren’t many times that Heliobi have been directly killed, just those few lost Heliobi were enough to ensure that becoming complete was naught but a daydream.

Even so, that didn’t mean that there was no use in growing more powerful. Tail would one day become their king, after all.

Snickering as he kept feasting on his snack, Tail reviewed his progress. With every plate he conquered, his progress only accelerated. It may have only been by tiny increments, but it would soon pile up into a tall mountain.

...It was growing hotter.

Why was it growing hotter?

Heliobi couldn’t feel heat.

...No, it wasn’t Tail that was growing hotter. It was his desire. His desire to consume! His desire to dominate everything!

His elusive body wore a feverish grin, flooding Sunny’s nervous system at breakneck speeds.

Bite, bite, bite, bite, bite, bite, bite, bite, bite, bite, bite, bite, taste, taste, taste, taste, taste, taste, taste, taste, taste, taste, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, swallow, swallow, swallow, swallow, swallow, swallow, Asterion, swallow, swallow, swallow, swallow, swallow, digest, digest, digest, digest, digest, digest, digest, digest, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete, excrete...

Tail paused for a moment... before clicking his tongue. A moment later, a fragment of his being was torn off, destroying much of the progress he made towards his Devil Core.

”You again, huh? Hm... I think I’m starting to get what’s going on.”

A small bundle of green flame was removed from his body... a moment later, it condensed and condensed, eventually forming a vaguely humanoid face. The newborn Heliobus, formed from a fragment of Tail’s being, smiled.

”Me again, indeed. I’ll say, I’ve never met an Ascended with mental defenses as stalwart as your own.”

Tail wore a wolfish grin, as if mocking the newborn Heliobus.

”After that little feast, I’ve learned a bit about this pipsqueak’s brain. Looks like it was cut apart and put back together in order to remove you... and now, you took control of a Heliobus to try to forcefully insert yourself back into his mind. Looks like preventative measures were placed, right? So, you failed. Again.”

The newborn Heliobus’ smile grew.

”Something like that—”

Fire.

Fire suddenly encapsulated the Heliobus, red and bright, burning it out of existence.

Tail snorted.

”I was stalling, loser. Didn’t I warn you not to go looking through my mind? Well, I could have dealt with you myself, but I thought a senior like myself should give the pipsqueak’s pet a gift.”

The immolating heat suddenly turned towards him. Tail blinked.

”...And that’s my cue. Can’t you show at least a little bit of gratefulness?”

With that, Tail flowed out of Sunny’s body.

The flames lingered for a moment, before being guided back up towards Sunny’s brain. As they inspected every section, ensuring that no remnant traces remained, they eventually flickered away.

***

Tingyun lingered in Sunny’s Soul Sea, standing atop the dark waters dressed in an ornate hanfu. Her soul weighed heavy, having reached critical mass. Her infantile Shadow Cores were ready to break apart and be reborn from the darkness surrounding them...

But they did not.

Having already burned her mind of all memory of that encounter — all she could recall was that an eerie being tried to engrave its name into Sunny’s mind, but failed to do so — she was no longer at risk of being controlled by that being. The two Heliobi, Tail and the possessed one, were both expelled, with the latter growing far weaker due to parts of its being having been consumed by Tail and Tingyun’s fire.

Turning her head, her burning eyes flickered brighter for a moment. Her silhouette gracefully stepped towards the towering legion of shadows — each a reminder of the blood Sunny shed, both his own and that of his enemies.

Well, he didn’t bleed very often.

Eventually, she stood before a floating black flame. The shadow of the Heliobus that Nightmare killed within the estate.

A small flame flickered in Tingyun’s hand... then, she reached out. As the flame touched the shadow, it quickly spread, consuming the entirety of its being in seconds.

Then, it was gone—

And the dam was broken.