The ugly cat Ragdoll's voice rang out again, tinged with caution: "So, should the risk assessment for this 'master personality,' codenamed [Celestial Judgment] or who calls herself 'Chika', be adjusted?"

Kotori pondered for a moment before replying, "It requires significant adjustments, but the direction is complex. She is not a pure destroyer; her actions have a clear internal logic and purpose. She has some kind of connection with certain humans, which is both a risk and a potential breakthrough in the future."

"Its threat level is extremely high and unpredictable due to the existence of dual personality. When the 'primary personality' is in control, there is a possibility of communication and even cooperation; but once the 'secondary personality' awakens, it is the highest level of disaster."

She concluded by saying, "I suggest that the strategy for dealing with the [Heavenly Judgment] Herrscher be based on a double standard. On the one hand, try to establish limited communication channels with the 'Main Personality' and use its relationship with Shido to guide it."

"On the other hand, we must prepare for the worst-case scenario and be ready to deal with the extreme situation where its 'alternate personality' completely goes out of control. At the same time, we must strengthen our in-depth investigation into the background of 'Walter Yang,' the source of the 'Herrscher of Reason's' power."

A brief silence fell over the communications room, with only a few rag dolls casting eerie shadows in the cold light.

Ultimately, the ugly cat Ragdoll made its decision: "Approval of the assessment and recommendations."

Maintain the highest priority of observation of the [Divine Judgment] Herrscher, cautiously attempt to contact the 'primary personality,' but all actions must prioritize preventing the awakening of the 'secondary personality.' Develop and submit a detailed plan for resource allocation and response as soon as possible.

"Understood." Kotori nodded.

This confidential briefing, conducted in a frenzied tea party-like setting, has temporarily come to an end. But everyone knows that it concerns the [Divine Judgment] Herrscher.

—That white elf with a dual face.

—The mysteries and challenges it brings are only just beginning.

Chapter 168 Giving You My True Name in the Dark

While Kotori was in Fraxinus's communications room, which resembled a chaotic tea party, reporting her complex assessment of the [Celestial Judgment] Herrscher to the vaguely defined higher-ups.

Inside what appears to be an ordinary residence in Tiangong City, the true "eye of the storm" presents a scene of... complete chaos.

Phoenix Institute Chiin collapsed onto the soft sofa in the living room, feeling even more exhausted than if she had fought against AST all day.

He was just about to make some instant noodles to soothe his battered nerves when a vibrant voice, audible only to him, started shouting in his mind:

'I'm hungry! ~☆ I want to eat that! That golden, stretchy thing called "pizza"! And with double cheese and that controversial fruit called "pineapple"! ~☆' The Celestial Consciousness flipped through the food encyclopedia through shared memories and began to gorge itself.

(...What are you hungry for, you consciousness?! And why pineapple pizza of all times?! Has your taste been contaminated by my garbage memories?!)

Chiin inwardly complained, but outwardly replied listlessly, "No pizza, only instant noodles."

'Waaah! This is torture! This is torture for me! ~☆ Believe it or not, I'll go out right now and move that whole 'Bic' shop over here! ~☆'

Chiin sat bolt upright with a start. (Stay put! I...I'll check my food delivery app, okay?)

Having finally managed to appease the "traitor" who was clamoring for pizza by using the excuse of "studying human food diversity," Chika picked up her game controller, ready to relax in the virtual world—

'Oh! This! This looks good! Let me play! ~☆ You're too weak, you actually fought that BOSS three times! ~☆ Watch me beat it in one go! ~☆'

(Hey! That's the save point I finally reached! Don't touch it!)

'Tsk, so stingy! ~☆ I've lent you my power for so long, what's wrong with playing a game! ~☆ Give me the controller! ~☆'

So, to outsiders, it looked like a blue-haired boy sitting alone in front of the TV, gripping the game controller tightly with both hands, his expression sometimes tense, sometimes gritting his teeth, and his body occasionally twisting strangely, as if he were fighting for control with an invisible opponent.

The game characters on the screen also made various twitches, stutters, and inexplicable actions.

"Aaaaaah! Idiot! That's a cliff! Don't jump!"

'Hmph~☆A mere cliff? This king can conquer it with a single spatial teleportation… Huh? What's the skill key again? ~☆'

"See?! GAME OVER!"

'...Let's try again! This doesn't count, I'll have another life! This time it'll definitely work! ~☆'

This is just the entertainment aspect. When Chiin wanted to take a shower to wash away her fatigue—

'Oh? Is this humanity's cleaning ritual? ~☆ Let me see... Hmm, this shower gel smells nice, and the lather is really rich~☆ Wait! Why did you turn off the water! I haven't had enough fun yet! ~☆'

(Save your water bill, you jerk! Besides, you're using my body to play with bubbles!)

When Chiin wanted to read comics in peace and quiet—

'This character's art style is terrible! ~☆ This plot is too cliché! ~☆ Oh? This pink-haired girl with phonics in her speech is quite nice, very much to my liking! ~☆ I can use her as a reference next time I appear in the real world! ~☆'

(Please, spare my aesthetic sense! And don't decide my spirit dress design so casually!)

All night long, Chiin felt like he was taking care of a bratty little sister who had the power to destroy the world, was overflowing with energy, bursting with curiosity, and whose tastes had been distorted by his otaku memories.

You can't hit her, and scolding her might provoke her rebellious nature. If she really runs out and moves the pizza shop, that would be the end of it. You can only coax and trick her, and outsmart her.

He slumped on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

(I'm tired, let's destroy it...)

Deep within his unseen inner world, the white "Divine Judgment Consciousness" was holding the half-bag of potato chips it had "snatched" from the main body, watching the main body's helpless and frantic state, a sly and satisfied glint in its golden eyes.

(Hmph~☆ As expected, the weak and kind can't do without my "protection" and "accompaniment"~☆ Although it's a bit troublesome, it's quite fun sometimes~☆)

The higher-ups at Fraxinus were still seriously analyzing the dual personality and potential threat of [Judgment], never imagining that the "secondary personality" they were so wary of was actually a threat.

Right now, in the mind of an exhausted "older brother/sister," a series of sweet (?) yet devastating daily storms are brewing, all for the sake of the flavor of potato chips and the skills to beat the game.

The real challenge may never lie in the power to destroy the world, but rather in how to peacefully coexist with a "family member" who lives in one's mind and is particularly prone to causing trouble.

After a heated internal discussion about pizza flavors, game tips, and bath bubbles, the living room finally returned to peace for the time being.

—If we ignore the white consciousness in my head humming strange tunes and commenting on TV commercials.

The boy in the living room finally collapsed, exhausted, like a salted fish that had lost its dreams.

The inner turmoil subsided temporarily, as if the newly formed consciousness had also consumed a lot of energy.

Silence permeated the night, with only the occasional sound of vehicles outside the window breaking the tranquility.

Chiin slumped on the sofa, feeling as if his soul had been hollowed out. He stared at the ceiling, and suddenly a crucial question occurred to him.

(Speaking of which... you don't seem to have a name?) He asked himself.

The voice in my head carried a hint of disdain.

(A name? I don't need that kind of thing~☆ I am who I am, the one and only [Heavenly Judge]! With you by my side, calling you is also calling me, that's enough~☆)

Her tone was arrogant, as if her name were a burden. But Chiin keenly sensed that beneath that arrogance, there seemed to be a very faint trace of bewilderment, which even she herself had not noticed.

Like a child who has never owned a toy, stubbornly declaring that he doesn't like playing.

Chiin sat up, her tone becoming serious: "No, even if I'm the only one who can see you, the only one who can communicate with you, I still need a name specifically for calling you."

(……Why?)

There was a subtle, barely perceptible wavering in the voice of the Celestial Judge.

“Because names are very important.” Chiin’s gaze seemed to penetrate the barrier in her heart, looking directly at that somewhat awkward consciousness.

(...Hmph, whatever~☆) She responded casually, but a subtle curiosity was revealed in her thoughts.

Tiancai seemed to respond with a twist of fate, but Qianyuan could "feel" that her attention had been completely focused on him, even with a hint of... secret expectation?

(Anyway, it's your idea, I'm not interested at all~☆ But... since you've so sincerely begged me, I'll reluctantly listen~☆)

Qianyuan found her textbook-perfect arrogant reaction both amusing and heartwarming.

He stroked his chin, deep in thought.

(What should I call her? Little White? Too straightforward. Queen? Too childish. Wangcai? I'd probably get beaten up...)

(Ugh! Naming a child is so hard! I'm such a terrible name-maker!)

He racked his brains, recalling all the works he had read, and combined them with her characteristics—born of thunder and space, her personality like spring water…sometimes clear and pure, sometimes surging and turbulent?

His eyes lit up, and he tried calling out in his heart:

"Since you are accompanied by thunder and space, and your personality is like spring water... sometimes crystal clear and simple; sometimes able to stir up surging waves and contain endless power... how about calling you 'Ah Quan'?"

He was a little embarrassed after explaining his reason.

So he decided to tell a lie, one that, although he had never lied before, would be the most perfect one.

He paused, as if gazing intently at that white figure in his inner world, and spoke with unprecedented seriousness:

"Ah Quan, remember this. A name... is a very important thing."

"It's more than just a code name. It's our coordinates in this vast world, confirming our existence. It's proof that 'I' am 'me'."

"It is our first and most precious link with the world. It is our own original treasure."

Chiin's voice was soft, yet it carried a weight and tenderness that seemed to transcend time.

"So, I'm giving you the name 'A-Quan' now. I hope you can find your own path, like clear spring water, whether that path flows into the sea or nourishes a place... But please, please keep that original 'clarity'."

My inner world fell silent for a moment.

After a long while, a faint, slightly awkward, and barely perceptible response came, and that arrogant voice rang out again, trying hard to maintain its disdainful tone.

But if you listen carefully, you can detect a hint of something that is being suppressed, something that is novel and... perhaps what you could call "liking"?

(Ah...Izumi? ~☆)

(Hmph! Just ordinary! ~☆ It doesn't have the domineering aura of the 'Queen of Destruction', nor the coolness of the 'Herrscher of the End'! ~☆ But...)

(...Since it was you, weak and kind, who racked your brains to come up with this, I, the king, will mercifully accept it! ~☆ From now on, this will be my name... no, my name! ~☆ You must use it well! ~☆)

Although she was still being critical, the slight upward inflection in her voice and her quick acceptance of the new name as her "ownership" betrayed her true feelings.

In that instant, a strange, anchored sense of stability and a faint... joy came from "A-Quan's" consciousness.

Chiin smiled. He could clearly "see" that in his inner world, the white figure, though still with arms crossed and head held high, had an unconscious, small, satisfied smile curving up at the corners of its mouth.

She was like a kitten that had just been given its own collar; on the surface, she seemed indifferent, but inside she was rolling around happily.

"Yes, it's a promise," Chiin replied gently. "Izumi."

(...Hmm! ~☆)

The consciousness named "A-Quan" responded softly. On this ordinary night, besides her power, she finally possessed her own unique "treasure".

The new "A-Quan" kept repeating the two syllables "A-Quan" in his inner world. His golden eyes had lost some of their madness and gained more of the contemplation that belonged to the "individual".

The name, this precious gift from her "half-body," is like the first drop of water falling into a calm lake, beginning to ripple with unknown waves in her newly formed consciousness.

Its weight filled her nascent heart far more heavily than any power to destroy the world.

In the living room, the boy smiled with relief, feeling that all the "fuss" he had gone through that night had been worthwhile.

At least, he has taken a crucial step in dealing with this "family member" living in his mind.

(From now on, you'll have to call me Lord Quan~☆)

(Yes, yes, yes... Lord Sen...) Senin responded weakly, a strong sense of exhaustion washing over him like a tide, his consciousness gradually sinking into darkness, and he finally fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 169 Running away

After exhausting Sen-in and finally collapsing into bed and falling into a deep sleep, A-Quan, whose inner world had finally found a moment of peace, did not settle down.

(Hmph~☆ The weak Shan is asleep, now it's my... no, it's A-Quan's free exploration time!~☆)

(It's so boring staying here all the time~☆ I really want to... go and touch those interesting things myself!~☆)

A bold idea rose in her mind.

She carefully guided the faint power of the Law of Reason core, no longer using it for fighting or constructing weapons, but rather, according to the concept of "ordinary human body" that she had obtained from Chiin's memories, she began to weave and shape it little by little.

(Although the core is damaged and the main body is barely usable... it should be fine to construct a temporary, ordinary body, right? ~☆)

The faint glow of the structure flickered in the dim room, like fireflies on a summer night.

A few minutes later, a white-haired, golden-eyed "girl" appeared silently by the bedside. She was about seven or eight parts similar to the [Judgment] Herrscher form, but slightly shorter, with a more youthful face, and wearing a loose white nightgown made of simple energy.

This is the "body" that A-Quan constructed for himself, for temporary use.

(Success! ~☆)

Ah Quan excitedly waved his little fist, experiencing the brand new feeling of direct contact with the real world.

A-Quan curiously looked down at his new "hands and feet," clumsily moved his fingers, and touched his cheek, his eyes filled with wonder.

(Is this... the physical sensations that the weak Zen usually experiences? ~☆ It's such a... fragile experience~☆)

Looking at the person sleeping so carelessly on the bed, she wrinkled her nose smugly.

But soon, the novelty was replaced by an even stronger curiosity. She began to act like a cat being released into a new home for the first time, full of curiosity about everything in the room.

(Hehe~☆ Now, it's exploration time!~☆)

And so, in the dead of night, a quiet "great adventure" began.

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