Honkai Star Rail: Corruption System

Daziel met Kafka's gaze, a storm of emotions swirling within him.

A decision pressed down on him, urgent and unavoidable.

He inhaled deeply, a desperate attempt to calm the chaos raging in his mind. It felt futile.

"Understood," he finally said, the words a release. "Then immediate trouble first."

Escape. That's what Daziel chose, a temporary retreat from the tangled web of his thoughts. He needed to help Kafka, to deal with the Cloud Knights at the door. Later, there would be time for complicated problems.

He couldn't let a few soldiers derail everything.

"Very well," Kafka's voice was a silken thread. "Let me just remind you, Elio's prophecy makes this fight inevitable. Helping me means confronting the Cloud Knights, Daziel."

Daziel hefted the baseball bat, a grim nod his only reply. "I know. Thank you for the reminder."

"Go on then. I'm eager to see this," Kafka murmured, a hint of something unreadable in her tone. "After…after this is over, how will you handle me? I'll be waiting when you return…"

Her voice softened further, trailing off. She slipped off her coat, revealing the sheer white shirt beneath – the delicate outline of lingerie faintly visible underneath.

Mom always said purple was captivating…

...

"Hold it right there! You – how did you emerge from that house?"

The commanding Cloud Knight's voice cracked with authority, his spear tip glinting menacingly. "We have an anonymous tip! We're here to apprehend a wanted criminal! Drop your weapons, and surrender now!"

Daziel surveyed the fully armed Cloud Knights, irritation spiking in his chest.

Kafka's words from moments ago still echoed, a disorienting jumble in his thoughts.

He recalled the original plot; this fight was fixed. Persuasion was pointless. They wouldn't back down.

Too much trouble. No time for this nonsense right now…

Daziel muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on the baseball bat.

No attempt at reason, no explanations. Just a wide, brutal swing. The bat connected with bone and flesh.

Bang!

A sickening thud, and the lead soldier crumpled.

"So, the pretense is gone! Villainous accomplice! Brothers, charge! Take him down!"

With a battle cry, the remaining Cloud Knights surged forward, spears leveled.

"Hmph!"

Daziel snorted, his feet shifting, blurringly quick as he danced around the spear thrusts. The baseball bat became a whirlwind, each swing a hammer blow.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The dull thuds of impact resonated as Cloud Knights fell, their cries of pain mingling in the air.

Daziel channeled his frustration, the simmering unease, into each strike.

Yet, restraint held him back. Each blow was measured, meant only to incapacitate, not kill. They were still living beings, after all. Soon, the last Cloud Knight lay groaning on the ground, combat ineffective.

Daziel's breath wasn't even ragged. He surveyed the chaotic scene – the scattered bodies, the upturned dust – but the knot of annoyance in his gut remained, stubbornly unmoved.

He turned and walked back into the room.

Kafka was seated at the table, a playful curve touching her lips as he returned.

"That… was unexpectedly direct, Daziel."

Kafka's voice held a languid drawl. "I honestly thought you'd try to talk them down. You always were the righteous type."

Daziel remained silent, simply approaching her.

"What is it? Do you believe Elio's prophecy now? Think this fight was inevitable?" Kafka continued, her tone edged with a subtle probing.

Daziel offered no reply, his silence hanging heavy in the air.

The answer was a tangle. The influence of the plot he'd read, perhaps a grudging acceptance of Kafka's words, maybe just a raw impatience with these petty obstacles…

"Forget it," Kafka shrugged, her tone softening, becoming almost gentle. "Doesn't matter if you don't want to talk about it."

She let her gaze drift lower, a suggestive warmth entering her voice. "Now then, it's time to indulge your desires, isn't it? What are you going to do with me?"

Still silent, Daziel produced the handcuffs and shackles scavenged from the fallen Cloud Knights. He moved towards Kafka.

Kafka's eyes flickered to the restraints in his hand, a spark of surprise quickly morphing into a seductive gleam.

"Oh? So you do have a taste for this sort of game. When did that develop?"

She extended her hands, offering them to him, her gaze locking with his, alluring. "Was it when you saw me restrained in the Matrix of Prescience? Was that when you started fantasizing about this?"

Daziel's brow furrowed. He disliked her overly suggestive tone.

"Stop with the games. Lie down on the table, Kafka. I won't repeat myself." Daziel's voice was low, firm.

"Aiya, alright, alright. No need to be so forceful. Anything you want, darling." Kafka complied, smoothly sliding onto the table, assuming a yielding pose.

"Do you want me to take my boots off? Would that be…more convenient for you? Don't worry, they don't smell! Remember our missions? Shared rooms? You've smelled them before, maybe you just forgot…" She tilted her head, those ambiguous eyes flickering up at him.

Daziel's lip twitched.

This wicked woman. Playing these games… an ordinary guy would be completely lost.

Even Daziel, veteran of a century-long battle with Topaz, seasoned Galactic Baseballer alongside March 7th, felt a tremor of… something.

His other bat… even it felt the urge to rise to the occasion, to start a different kind of game entirely.

Calm down. Need to stay calm!

"Hey, you… bad woman," Daziel growled, trying to inject steel into his voice, hoping to drown out the rising tide within. "First, you were worried I'd manipulate you with verbal commands, and now you're pulling this… the whiplash is real, you know!"

"Because," Kafka said, her voice taking on a feigned fragility, "I've resigned myself to fate. If you're going to toy with me anyway, why not take control? Maybe then… you'll be gentler?"

Kafka's gaze met his, a deliberately pitiful expression. "So… about the boots? I remember, you used to stare at my purple stockings. Didn't you?"

Did I really have that kind of fetish before? Or… No… No need… right?

This woman was dangerous.

Daziel forced himself to focus, hands trembling slightly as he used the handcuffs and shackles to secure Kafka's wrists and ankles to the table's edge. "I'm just worried you'll try your verbal command trick again. Since you're…incapacitated, I'm tying you up for my own safety."

At his words, Kafka's playful smile faltered, a flicker of disappointment crossing her features.

"Is that all? And here I thought you actually wanted something more interesting…"

________

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