The aftermath of the battle was a scene of utter devastation.
Sirin still didn't know what she was feeling. She stared blankly at the scene before her, having even forgotten that her Herrscher form had been updated.
After crawling out from under a pile of rocks, all she could remember was banishing Otto to the Imaginary Space.
Whether Otto could return alive was anyone's guess. In any case, those banished there rarely ever came back.
Did... did I get my revenge?
For my companions, for Cecilia... and... what else...?
Sirin tried hard to remember. She had even avenged the Second Herrscher.
"How does it feel?"
She fell silent, seeming to hear the voice of a familiar yet annoying person.
"What are you thinking? Still not satisfied after killing Otto?"
Noldrei looked down at the girl.
At this moment, Sirin was covered in dust and dirt, half-buried in the ground. She looked like a certain ninja who had half his body crushed.
"You... it's you! You bastard!"
Hearing this voice, Sirin gritted her teeth in anger. But it wasn't the kind of anger she felt toward Otto, the kind that made her want to kill him on sight.
"Didn't you say you were taking me out for a lesson?! Why did you bring me here?! You monster!"
The young girl had never been so deceived. She felt like an innocent girl whose pure heart had been betrayed by a scumbag.
"Hmm?" Noldrei was slightly confused. "Well, did you learn civil engineering?"
Sirin was taken aback for a moment, then her expression suddenly changed as if she had realized something.
She actually had. The android network contained a wealth of professional knowledge. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to use her space-time abilities with such power in battle.
Twisting gravity, controlling light, sound, and lightning—she could achieve the effects of her previous multi-core state with just the Herrscher of the Void Core.
"N-No..."
The girl stubbornly turned her head away, refuting Noldrei's question.
"Then have you figured it out yet? The fact that you're not the original Sirin? The memories and emotions from the Herrscher Core have taken over your body, and you've carried them with you to this day."
Noldrei's question left Sirin at a loss for words.
The android Cecilia had brought not just a Herrscher Core, but also the real answer to the collection of tragedies that was Sirin's life.
"What's that got to do with you? Mind your own business!"
Sirin quickly climbed out of the dirt. She felt like a clown. Whether it was revenge or anything else, Noldrei had seen her at her most pathetic.
"Did I do it? I didn't force you to do anything. I always asked if you were willing every time we went out. I only disciplined you when you were about to start killing people."
Noldrei's answer didn't reassure Sirin. Instead, it reminded her of the android Cecilia's fate.
"No, you harmed that android Cecilia! You're no better! You and Otto are two peas in a pod!"
Sirin still couldn't forget what the android Cecilia had said to her. The memory of her only made her feelings toward Noldrei more complicated.
Noldrei's attitude was much calmer. "Just a slice of a Stigma's will," he said. "Only someone like you, whose life consciousness has been completed, would I treat as a person. You just haven't experienced that kind of life. What do you want to do next? An android's consciousness can only serve to transmit emotions."
"Without a Herrscher Core, what's the difference between you and the android Cecilia? At least, she used her own power to obtain a Herrscher Core and complete her spiritual will before she died."
"Now, if I'm not mistaken, her spiritual will has been successfully imprinted into the core of the android network. And you, who hold the authority of the android network, will become the behind-the-scenes master of all androids in the world. What's there to be unhappy about?"
Noldrei's explanation was very clear, but the clearer it was, the harder it was for Sirin to accept.
"I hate you! Stay away from me!"
Sirin glared at him, feeling that this man was filled with a cold, detached realism. She was completely unaware that her heart was growing softer, and that she could no longer easily slip into the role of a Herrscher bent on destroying human civilization.
"Is that so? I thought after I taught you so much, you'd change your attitude toward me. At least show me a little respect in terms of status. You should know that for you and Kiana, I've always insisted on playing the role of a father figure."
"You should call me 'Papa'!"
Noldrei nodded, quite certain that this was the role he played in their education.
The mention of this made Sirin even more flustered and angry. How could someone be so shameless? Would a normal father do something like this to his daughter?
"Pervert! Go away!! Go away!!"
Sirin's head felt like it was about to explode. She never thought Noldrei could say such a thing.
This had to be the fault of Far Eastern culture!
Just the thought of having to call this guy "Papa" made her skin crawl and a wave of shame rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
"Do you need me to give you a warm embrace? I saw you were fighting quite fiercely. Do you still have the strength to stand?"
Noldrei's sudden gentle demeanor did not reassure Sirin. In fact, it made her even more uncomfortable.
Is this guy going to make a move on me?!
Sirin suspected he was up to something.
But when she didn't move for a long time, Noldrei took the initiative and lifted her up from the ground.
"What... what are you doing? What's that poking me?!"
Sirin was startled. She instinctively tried to struggle, but then she saw Noldrei extend a tentacle from somewhere, holding a golden cube, and place it in her hands.
It was the Void Archives that Otto had been using.
"I say... could you help me out of here too?"
The Herrscher of Corruption, Void Archives, had shed its AI identity, but the guy it was facing had also changed roles.
Before, it was Otto, driven mad for Kallen. Now, it was a man from the future, driven mad by his own arrival.
Void Archives felt that its life was rather unfortunate. It had been hoping to trade some of its knowledge for a little freedom.
"No way. You'll do your job properly. This thing was originally meant to seal the Previous Era's Herrscher of Reason. Now it's just sealing another Herrscher of Corruption. When we get back, I'll have the fox keep you company. You're both Herrschers without parents, so you can look out for each other."
Noldrei's words made Void Archives very uneasy. It immediately pledged its allegiance. "I am a Herrscher of humanity, a Herrscher of the People! Please, let me become human! I don't want to be a Herrscher anymore, or a Herrscher Core, or an AI!"
Sirin looked at the small gadget with surprise, as if she had found a new toy.
Noldrei couldn't care less about a box's struggles. He just said to Sirin, "From now on, it's yours. Congratulations, you've now obtained the seat of power that Otto once held."
"A seat of power? What's that good for?" Sirin was confused. She wasn't the type to pursue power.
"What's it good for? Perhaps the power to judge the inner spiritual world of human criminals?"
Noldrei's words terrified Void Archives. Don't you have any intention of using this power yourself? Are there other, more important powers you're holding onto? If Otto had won, would the person being held in your arms be different?