Honkai Star Rail: Summoning the Chrysos Heirs — Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Under the Sunlight

[Killed a low-level Abomination.]

[Memory Trace +30]

[Caused a violent explosion at Hongda Chemical Plant, leaving a deep impression in the minds of a few people.]

[Memory Trace +80]

[Left an indelible impression in the memory of one of them.]

[Memory Trace +50]

Just after blinking away the last remnants of sleep, Cyrene found herself staring at a cascading waterfall of translucent blue text.

“Hiss… now that is quite the windfall.”

She rubbed her eyes, repeatedly verifying the thrilling string of numbers hovering in her field of vision. The soft morning light filtering through the curtains did nothing to wash out the bright holographic font. Her gaze drifted downward, locking onto the specific line detailing a rather concerning event.

‘A violent explosion?’

Cyrene tilted her head, her long hair spilling over her shoulder as she peered across the quiet living room.

Phainon sat perfectly upright on the single-seat sofa. He was quietly scrolling through a smartphone, his posture relaxed, looking absolutely nothing like a perpetrator who had just orchestrated a localized terrorist attack.

“Phainon, you didn’t just flatten that chemical plant, did you?” Cyrene asked, her voice carrying a lazy, genuine curiosity.

His thumb paused over the glowing screen. Pressing the lock button, Phainon rested the device on his knee and turned his head. Those striking golden pupils met hers, completely devoid of any turbulent emotion.

“I didn’t flatten it. I merely assisted it in liquidating some excess inventory.”

He raised his right hand, his fingers curling around empty air. For a fleeting second, the phantom weight and scorching heat of a massive greatsword seemed to materialize in his grip.

“The monster’s core structure was actively compressing extremely unstable high-voltage charges deep within its chest cavity,” Phainon explained, his voice a low, soothing rumble that contrasted sharply with the violence of his words. “So, I sent Morning Invader straight through its sternum, directly piercing the core.”

He lowered his hand, his gaze distant as he recalled the kinetic impact of the strike. “The fire of the blazing sun ignited the raw electrical energy inside the creature. Those two violent forces collided, spiraled out of control, and rapidly expanded within that small cage of flesh.”

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he evaluated his own handiwork. “The ultimate result was that the monster converted itself into a biological bomb with a rather astonishing yield.”

“I see… that must have been quite the spectacle.”

Listening to his calm breakdown, Cyrene visualized the sheer devastation—a pillar of golden fire tearing into the night sky, followed by a shockwave of blistering heat melting the concrete. She nodded thoughtfully, digesting the image, before her expression shifted into a gentle pout.

“Just be more careful next time. It would be terrible if you got caught in your own blast radius.”

As for the fate of the abandoned factory, or the millions in property damage left in his wake? That didn’t even register on her radar. It was already a decaying ruin to begin with. If it burned to ash, it burned to ash.

As long as Phainon returned without a scratch, the rest of the world could sort itself out. She didn’t spare a second thought for collateral casualties, either. She knew her summoned companion; Phainon possessed a strict, unwavering code. He would never unleash that kind of destruction if innocent civilians were in the crossfire.

Satisfied with his safety, Cyrene turned her attention back to the floating system panel. She reached out, her pale finger gently poking the hovering text that read [Killed a low-level Abomination].

“Hey, System. Why is the payout thirty Memory Trace this time?” she murmured, her brow knitting together. “The last time I took down a low-level Abomination, it only coughed up ten points. Why the sudden triple multiplier?”

The pale blue screen flickered, rippling like water before the familiar, mechanical voice echoed directly within her mind.

[Because even low-level Abominations are categorized by their raw strength and the difficulty required to terminate them.]

[The entity you instructed Phainon to eliminate previously was exceptionally weak; standard human firearms would have been sufficient to destroy it.]

[However, this specific Abomination possessed extreme survivability. If its internal core was not directly shattered, completely eradicating it with conventional weaponry would have been nearly impossible.]

[As the difficulty of the execution scales, the Memory Trace rewarded naturally increases to match.]

“Ah, so that’s how it works.”

Cyrene’s confusion melted away, instantly replaced by a brilliant, uncontrollable joy. She crossed her legs beneath her, cupping her chin in both hands as her azure eyes curved into delighted crescents.

“This is genuinely fantastic news.”

She let out a soft, airy laugh. “I was starting to worry I’d end up like some miserable assembly line worker, grinding down ten weaklings just to scrape together a hundred points. But if I just hunt down these ‘tough nuts,’ our efficiency skyrockets.”

In her mind, the concept of ‘difficulty’ was a complete joke when measured against Phainon. As long as she anchored him with her Memory Imprint, his sheer, unreasonable combat power meant there wasn’t a single low-level Abomination on this planet capable of making him break a sweat.

Riding high on the revelation, Cyrene scanned down to the final prompt.

[Left an indelible impression in the memory of one of them.]

Her smile faltered, the warmth draining from her expression.

“An indelible impression…”

Cyrene chewed on the phrase, tasting the underlying risk. She turned back to the sofa, her tone dropping its playful lilt. “Phainon, did someone see you?”

The System rarely used words like ‘indelible’ unless it meant their cover had been blown.

Meeting her serious gaze, Phainon didn’t attempt to deflect or soften the truth. He gave a single, calm nod.

“When I infiltrated the second floor of the facility, I detected someone hiding in the shadows. Based on his positioning and gear, he was likely an observer from the Special Anomaly Bureau.”

A faint trace of annoyance tightened the corners of Phainon’s eyes as he recounted the split-second decision. “The speed at which Morning Invader ruptured the core and triggered the energy surge was faster than my initial calculations. To ensure he didn’t vaporize in the resulting blast, I grabbed him and threw him clear of the factory while I evacuated.”

He let out a heavy, quiet sigh. “I simply underestimated human curiosity in the face of absolute death. The moment I threw him, even against the blinding flash of the explosion, he forced his eyes open.”

Phainon looked directly at Cyrene, his voice laced with genuine regret. “Our eyes met for a fraction of a second. This was my miscalculation. I failed to execute the operation perfectly. I apologize.”

Seeing the towering, impressive warrior looking so deeply self-critical, Cyrene immediately waved her hands, leaning over the edge of the table.

“No, no! Don’t you dare apologize for that.”

Her voice was firm, stripping away any trace of her usual laziness. “Pulling someone out of the fire is the right instinct. You did exactly what you were supposed to do. If we just stood by and watched an innocent person burn alive just to keep our secrets… well, that wouldn’t be our style at all.”

She let out a long breath, suddenly slumping forward until her cheek pressed against the cool, smooth surface of the dining table. She looked like a deflated balloon.

“But… this does mean you’re going to have to stay hidden a lot deeper from now on.”

Cyrene extended a finger, tracing aimless, invisible circles against the tabletop. “The Special Anomaly Bureau definitely has your physical profile on file now. Every surveillance camera in the city is probably running facial recognition, hunting for the mysterious ‘man in white’.”

A bitter, heavy sense of powerlessness settled in her chest. She puffed out her cheeks, muttering into the wood.

“It’s my fault. I’m just too weak right now. If I had enough power—enough authority to completely ignore the prying eyes of these factions—you wouldn’t have to skulk around the shadows like some wanted fugitive. You saved a life, and your reward is having to hide. It’s infuriating.”

“Cyrene, it is fine. I do not mind the—”

Phainon tried to interject, hating the sight of her looking so thoroughly defeated, but she didn’t let him finish.

Cyrene snapped upright, her palms slamming flat against the table with a sharp crack.

The heavy, suffocating depression vanished in an instant. In its place was a fierce, radiant fighting spirit. Deep within her azure eyes, a dangerous, beautiful flame of pure ambition ignited.

“I’ve made a decision!”

She pushed her chair back and stood up, planting her hands firmly on her hips as she declared her intent to the empty room.

“We are setting a new baseline. I am going to harvest Memory Trace faster than anyone thought possible. I’m going to become terrifyingly strong.”

She leaned forward, her gaze locking onto Phainon with absolute conviction. “Strong enough that you, and every single companion we summon to this world, can walk out under the open sunlight without a care in the world! And if anyone from the Bureau or anywhere else dares to dictate where we can and cannot go? I’ll make them shut up on a purely physical level!”

Her voice rang clear and sharp, vibrating with a mastermind’s absolute certainty, echoing off the walls of the quiet apartment.

Watching her stand there—so vibrant, so fiercely protective, and looking incredibly cute while declaring war on the world’s shadows—Phainon swallowed the comforting words he had prepared.

The stoic mask he wore so effortlessly finally cracked. The corners of his mouth lifted, inch by inch, until a rare, deeply genuine smile graced his features. He was entirely infected by her blinding warmth.

At that exact moment, the morning sun crested the neighboring buildings, pouring through the window glass and bathing Cyrene in a halo of brilliant, golden light.

Phainon didn’t offer any grand oaths or complex strategies. He simply bowed his head in a slow, respectful nod, his golden eyes reflecting the glowing figure of his master.

“Then, we shall do exactly as you say.”