If you can't beat them, join them

'To fight against honkai, you must become honkai'

Who was it that said that quote?

Was it a famous saying…. or just a conclusion Adam came up with after finishing the first part of Honkai Impact 3rd in his previous life?

It doesn't particularly matter

This was the 'truth' of most worlds

When an external threat which has potential for destruction appears…. Humanity studies it

They make technology out of it, they incorporate that threat into themselves, and they find ways to combat that threat…

There are so many examples of this in all of fiction:

Demon Slayer with Demons

Black Bullet with Gastrea

Resident Evil with the T-Virus

Date a live with Spirits

Naruto with Chakra itself

Fairy Tail with the Dragons

Steins;Gate with the time machine

MCU with the infinity stones

See, most of the worlds above have major threats… But those threats are also the source of power and change for most of the major characters

'The source of the problem is used to solve the problem'

It's a paradoxical solution— using the power of the enemy to defeat the enemy.

And there is no need to look further than that which happens in the silver-haired boy's major universe

Honkai Impact 3rd with honkai itself

MANTIS, Stigmata, Divine keys…

In the previous era, all of which were used to fight against honkai existed only because of honkai's presence

This is especially the case with MANTIS- humans who have integrated with honkai more deeply by fusing with the DNA of honkai beasts 

And in the current era….

Even more ridiculous. Herrschers who are supposed to be the apostles of god and bring destruction to civilization are turning against Honkai and fighting for humanity

…. All because a pink-haired Honkai Jesus sacrificed herself

"And so, to fight against the darkness, you must become one with the darkness"

Adam said, no emotion in his voice while spreading his hand outwards… As if his sentence was just simple logic

Because it was

If a civilization isn't so technologically advanced that it can ignore or annihilate the external threat, then it must develop and adapt accordingly to combat that threat

Clap….Clap…..Clap

"Well said!" Merlot clapped slowly, a grin on his face as excitement filled his eyes

"I realized that Grimm are a superior species…." He started, his voice filled with passion "And so, for humanity to evolve, they need to integrate with the Grimm!"

He mimicked Adam's gesture, spreading out his hands

"Whether it was to have the power to fight against these creatures, or to evolve, I- no- We needed to improve the Grimm, and then use them as a vessel!"

"You know, I proposed this to the higher-ups at Atlas…" His expression darkened "But they condemned me! They saw me as crazy! As a government organization, I thought they would be more open to doing experiments regarding the Grimm, yet they rejected…."

Now that was an interesting piece of information. With Ironwood's character, he would most likely accept as he partially knew Salem's horror…. Yet he refused?

"You know…" His voice took a chilling undertone "I was contemplating joining Salem for a brief amount of time"

"And why didn't you?" 

Adam asked back, raising his eyebrow at the old guy

Merlot and Mobius did have similarities… But they could not be compared at all, obviously

Mobius was a true genius in biology- she was far better than this guy…. Oh no, perhaps Adam had this opinion because he preferred a poisonous sharp-tongued loli to a creepy old man

One thing that was similar though, was the desire to become one with the enemy

Mobius became a MANTIS- a half- honkai beast half-human.

And Merlot wanted to… Become a Grimm-type creature? Or study Grimm and improve humans?

Well, they both had the desire for evolution

And this old guy had the opportunity to join Salem- someone who could control and create Grimm

It was a precious chance, and Merlot should have been very tempted to join her as it was a chance for him to conduct more experiments and obtain deeper knowledge

"It's a pity she wants to destroy the world" Merlot sighed, disappointment evident in his voice "I am living in this world, and if it was destroyed, how would I conduct experiments? It is not worth it, the world is better off not getting annihilated"

He shook his head, complex emotions flashing in his eyes

"I see…."

Adam voiced out plainly

He had to admit, he didn't expect a 'villain' to want to keep the world stable. Although Merlot's reasons were twisted, the silver-haired boy had to admit that this guy was not actually a 'bad guy' in the truest sense

He just wanted to create a 'perfect' Grimm, and use it to evolve humanity. Could anyone judge him for that? 

Maybe he conducted unethical experiments…. However, wouldn't it be excusable and forgiven as long he succeeds?

A few lives lost for the potential chance for humans to obtain new means to combat the creatures of darkness….

Logically, it was absolutely worth it. 

And it would be considered stupid of Atlas not to support him because of 'moral reasons', so there must be something else going on behind the curtains

"Anyway" Merlot clapped his hands "Although it is nice that you understand the usefulness of my research…. But I still need some combat data for my subjects"

…..

The old man smiled. But completely different from his previous amiable demeanor, his current smile was a cruel one, as if he disregarded everything and only cared about some mere combat data

"...."

Adam, his arms still spread out, didn't respond

Merlot chuckled, shaking his head

BAM

Reinforced steel doors snapped open around him

Various twisted types of Grimm came out, each more monstrous and grotesque than the last. Some had additional limbs, others had glowing red eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness, and a few had metallic augmentations that made them look like abominations of science and nature.

One particularly menacing Grimm, a Beowolf with cybernetic enhancements, lunged forward. Adam easily dodged its initial attack. He put his hands in his pockets, not taking defensive action, and his posture was full of flaws

It looked like he was taking a stroll at a park

"You see, Invader" Merlot's voice echoed through the chamber, "These are not ordinary Grimm. These are my creations. Enhanced, stronger, and more resilient. I call them the Apex Grimm"

Adam raised an eyebrow, dodging another attack from behind with ease "And what makes you think you can control them? Most Grimm are mindless beasts."

Merlot laughed- a cold, detached sound. "That's where you're wrong. My modifications include a control chip embedded in their brains. They follow my commands- they are the perfect soldiers."

"Interesting…."

The silver haired boy murmured, his now golden eyes scanning the creatures around him

"However…" He raised his hands, bringing them close together "It is not nearly enough for me to actively take action"

Clap

Adam clapped his hands-  a dull, echoing sound resounding in the laboratory 

And-

Bam

The sounds of bodies dropping to the floor sounded next. Around him, all those twisted abominations, all Grimm that Merlot worked so hard to create-

They dropped to the floor like dead insects

"What?!"

Merlot's eye(s) widened, his mouth hung slightly agape as he witnessed his dear creations dropping to the ground with just the clap from a human

"Heh"

Adam chuckled, a mocking sound like thunder piercing through Merlot's brain

"I am the Incarnation of Corruption-" He grinned, a malicious- red glow flashing in his eyes "-A virus that can corrupt anything- whether that is creatures or machines"

"You-!"

Merlot didn't have the chance to voice out his doubts or surprise, with a gesture of Adam's hands, he fainted, dropping down to the floor in the same pathetic way as his creations

The silver-haired didn't stop there. His eyes closed, he delved into the old guy's mind, peaking into his knowledge

"I see…"

Adam muttered, opening his eyes that returned to the color blue

"Did you get that?"

He asked out loud, as if speaking to the air

[Yes Master]

A robotic voice sounded in his head. It didn't have any emotion in its voice

'With the information I obtained, would you be able to simulate what a perfect integration with a Grimm would be like?'

[With a normal human? Unknown]

"Hmm…."

Putting a hand under his chin, he pondered

"What if you added the data you obtained from my body" The silver-haired boy tilted his head "Perhaps the data from when there was nothing except Vishnu's gene in me could help us create a technique that could be used to integrate a normal human with any creature- magical or otherwise"

Perhaps it is quite wrong to research a technique like that on the basis that it would be used on normal humans…. However, with such a technology/ technique as a base, it could only be improved from then on

What Merlot did, and the MANTIS from his own world awakened a new desire within him

…..There were so many overpowered creatures out there in the world of fiction, so why not create a technique to 'fuse' these creatures with another being?

Maybe a bit useless for one who has [Gluttony]..... But he isn't a slime like Rimuru, and his body isn't as malleable

A technique like that had many advantages and no disadvantages. Adam would be able to use it both on himself and the people he will grow to care about

[....]

[Possible, but it would take a while to deduce a skill similar to what Master has envisioned]

"I don't mind" He nodded "But a skill, huh? Yeah… It would be more convenient if it became a skill instead of a technique or a technology"

Of course, he had no worries about the death of someone when using such a skill

First of all, he had obtained the fountain of youth from the Gacha of the Chat Room. Sure, he couldn't create it out of nothing and produce it as if it were as common as water

But he had the ability, so now it wasn't a question about the fatality rate, but he cared more about the rejection of the integration of a creature, and whether the body would be able to bear 'fusing' so many times

Of course, it would be better if there was no risk of death when using it, because it would mean this 'skill' was great and didn't need much optimization

"Well then…"

With his hands in his pockets, Adam looked at the downed Grimm in front of him

Of course, there were many more Grimm in this facility

"Let's just devour them and move on. I have much more to do"

He shook his head, deciding to finally leave the facility after devouring these creatures and analyzing their exact structures as it could be helpful

"As for that guy….."

The silver-haired boy's eyes strayed to the light projection, which still bore the image of the fainted Merlot

'.....'

After a moment of hesitation, Adam decided to leave him alive

It wasn't because he was merciful. It was just that this guy provided him with some helpful knowledge, and he was not truly evil

Perhaps his methods were a bit extreme, and maybe human experimentation was heresy to some people, but he still felt it wasn't that bad

Sure, Adam's moral compass was a bit skewed… But he still wasn't a person who would use innocent people as lab rats

Although Mobius did the same, she only did that to dying people who gave her consent

Still, though, Adam didn't have the responsibility to judge Merlot for his crime.

He technically could…. But why would he do that?

What this guy did had nothing to do with the silver-haired boy, so he had no intention of killing him

Oh, maybe it was fickle of him to do so, especially when he killed and devoured Adam Taurus

….But so what? He certainly didn't care

Adam could excuse his action of letting Merlot go by saying that it was for the greater good of Remnant, as this guy had the potential to develop a new way for people to combat the Grimm

But again… What did the future of Remnant have to do with Adam?

"Maybe I could also cooperate with him…"

The silver-haired boy shook his head, turning around and spreading his arms, palms open in preparation to use his skill. 

It was time to leave this facility. He only came here for this guy's knowledge and research, so after obtaining that, everything else had nothing to do with him

….

…

..

.