"Sakura Blossoms Fall!"
It sounded like a technique from Yae Sakura, but in fact, it was Miss Mei's skill.
Clad in crimson armor, the girl slowly lowered herself into a battōjutsu stance.
Her lightning-fast dash was accompanied by a sharp slash—crackling electricity danced around her blade as it cut through the Honkai beast, sending it flying once more.
There were no sparks from metal clashing against metal—because her plasma blade was infused with frozen Honkai particle chains.
You could probably use it to shave ice for a snow cone… though Ice Tenten would probably be a better choice for that.
"Amaterasu!"
Mei's ultimate technique—an ominous glow burst from the slash of her plasma blade.
Surrounded by lightning, the girl swung again and again, each strike falling on the exact same point, the momentum building.
With each blow, violet lightning crackled and roared. Over a hundred strikes landed in just under two seconds.
A blinding flash of thunder streaked across the sky.
Standing several meters away from the stunned Honkai beast, Mei sheathed her blade in a single smooth motion and exhaled slowly.
In the next instant, a violent pillar of violet lightning tore down from the swirling black clouds above, slamming into the beast and detonating the sword's energy lingering on its body.
The explosion lit the sky—what had been a Cathedral-level Honkai beast now burst apart like a firework.
Suddenly, Mei felt her body slipping out of her own control.
Her sleek black hair started to shimmer with crackling lightning.
Her eyes shifted, now glowing with flickers of violet-red light, and the tips of her hair turned a distinct purple.
Her entire presence shifted—what was once a calm warrior now radiated the intense, commanding aura of a queen.
———————————————————————
[Mei]: The other me... what's happening?
———————————————————————
In the past, she would've panicked at a takeover like this.
But now? She'd grown used to sharing her body with her Herrscher persona.
They actually got along pretty well.
After all, she was also Raiden Mei, and the Herrscher had just as much claim to the body. Still, it'd be nice to get a heads-up next time…"A new kind has been born! No... three of them?!"
Her finely arched brows lifted in surprise.
Turning toward a Cathedral-class Honkai beast preparing to strike, the Herrscher narrowed her eyes and barked a single word:
"Scram!"
Like a kitten meeting a tiger, the massive beast froze mid-charge.
It flinched, recoiled, then spun on its heels and scrambled away with even more speed than it had arrived.
Though she'd lost the ability to command Honkai beasts freely, the Herrscher aura still put her at the top of the food chain.
Just her presence was enough to terrify creatures of this level.
———————————————————————
[Mei]: What?! Did you say three Herrschers just awakened? That's... impossible!
———————————————————————
Textbooks clearly stated that only one Herrscher could emerge during a Honkai outbreak that passed 1,000 HW on the Honkai Wave scale.
Three at once? That shouldn't be possible—even if the current outbreak had surged past 10,000 HW!
"No need to guess—it has to be Nagami's doing!"
Crystalline wings of thunder sprouted from her back. The Herrscher raised her palm, sparks surging across her fingers. She flung a bolt of lightning like a spear, vaporizing dozens of Honkai beasts surrounding Bronya in one brilliant flash.
Then she soared into the sky, flying toward the sea.
"We'll find out soon enough."
———————————————————————
"Now it's Kiana time!"
In a single step, the girl shot forward with blinding speed.
Her slender form bolted ahead like a streak of light, reaching a Honkai beast that had slipped past the heiress and true Kiana's defenses.
With explosive force, she launched a roundhouse kick—her right leg crashing into the beast with a thunderous boom that echoed like a bomb.
The massive creature was blasted skyward, spinning through the air.
"Take this!"
The tuna-girl roared with spirit as she unleashed another heavy kick, her twin pistols occasionally flashing like fireworks between blows.
(Important note: This is not proper gun kata!)
"I knew it! I really am the protagonist of this world!"
A sudden burst of Honkai energy swelled inside her body, making her wonder if she had awakened some godlike ability amidst the chaos.
She pictured herself rapidly ascending to S-rank Valkyrie, living a dream life with Nagami on one side and C.C. on the other.
But she failed to notice that, deep in her right eye, golden molten light began to form—replacing the sapphire blue of her iris.
At this moment, her right eye had completely turned gold.
"Hey! Sirin! Slow down! Do you know my old man or not? Hey!"
Fueled by the strange new power, her movement speed soared dramatically.
The heiress and true Kiana glanced over, catching sight of the golden glow in her eye.
She hesitated for a moment—but said nothing.
Instead, she simply picked up her own pace to match, driving both of them to their limits.
"Hey!!"
For just a second, something must have clicked in the tuna-girl's mind—the golden shimmer in her eye receded, but didn't vanish entirely.
———————————————————————
Above the Eastern Sea—
Long, wine-red hair streamed behind her like a blazing flame.
Sparks danced in the air around her like drifting embers—a vision right out of a Shana-style Flame Haze transformation.
Her shapely legs were wrapped in crimson-and-black stockings.
She radiated power. And this was only the beginning.
The way her black and red-colored pleated skirt barely covered the tops of her thighs created an irresistible visual contrast—like an absolute territory designed to tempt the eye.
The most eye-catching part, however, was her chest—her outfit featured a bold cutout like torn black lace, revealing skin beneath.
It was as if the Vermilion Knight had fused with the Scarlet Fusion.
With her blazing red lips and mature, sultry features, any man with functioning intelligence would have a hard time keeping his composure!
Her radiant golden eyes burned with a fire that seemed ready to incinerate everything in sight.
"I… I've become a Herrscher?!"
There was no mental link with the Honkai consciousness, meaning no new Herrscher personality had emerged.
But that didn't mean Murata Himeko was unaware of what had just happened to her.
Quite the opposite.
The moment she regained her senses, Himeko—who had fought against the Honkai for over ten years—instantly understood the changes within her.
And for the first time in ages, she felt truly alive.
She hadn't felt this good in years.
In fact, calling this state merely "healthy" would be an understatement.
Her body now brimmed with power—an incredible level of physical prowess combined with a vast, ocean-like reservoir of Honkai energy… and the terrifying authority to manipulate molecular motion itself.
As everyone knows, there are three basic conditions for combustion:
A flammable material.
An oxidizer or fuel source.
The ignition temperature of the material must be reached.
Combustion is, at its core, a violent chemical reaction that releases a huge amount of energy.
But the Herrscher of Flame could release the energy within matter itself—ignoring the first two conditions entirely, and making the third as easy as breathing.
[TL Note – Welp no kHerrscher of Flamescion then]
Which meant... calling her the Herrscher of Destruction wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"How… did you even do this?"
"Easy," Nagami replied with a grin. "One Herrscher vessel. One Gem. Bam—Herrscher of Flame."
He nodded in satisfaction as he observed Himeko's transformation.
"You know that's not what I meant."
Her voice was thick with complex emotion. And yet, there was no trace of madness or bloodlust.
Himeko could tell—her mind was entirely her own.
"I'll explain the details later," Nagami said. "For now, how does it feel, Miss Herrscher of Flame?"
His tone was teasing, but he was already analyzing her new body with his Alpha Stigma Eyes.
'Herrscher of Flame Authority: copying in progress...'
"It feels…"
Power surged through her veins.
As Himeko hovered in the sky, she casually flicked her slender fingers—and a fireball several dozen meters wide materialized instantly, reducing a distant swarm of Honkai beasts to ash.
"Absolutely incredible, I felt like I became younger."
Himeko reached out and hooked a finger under Nagami's chin, lifting it gently.
"Looks like this body won't be a problem anymore. More than enough to satisfy you, right~?"
A sly, alluring smile curved her lips as she leaned in close.
"Then when the time comes, you'd better go all the way with me. I won't be satisfied that easily~"
A flirtatious line with a not-so-subtle undertone.
Nagami froze.
Himeko's playful attitude made it impossible to tell whether she was joking or being dead serious.
'...She was joking… right?'
Seeing the confused look on his face, Himeko smiled even wider and gave him a cheeky wink.
"Wait a second... did you just get younger?"
That wink—it wasn't seductive. It was youthful.
Full of girlish charm.
"I have no idea," Himeko said with a shrug. "I've never heard of becoming younger after turning into a Herrscher. Besides… I don't feel any different in that sense."
She turned her head to look at Fu Hua, who was just now forming her Herrscher armament.
"You turned Fu Hua into a Herrscher too?"
"Nope. It's a Herrscher turned into Fu Hua."
Nagami dropped yet another cryptic line that made you want to punch him.
He turned to glance at Fu Hua, still dormant.
It was probably because the Herrscher of Sentience needed time to absorb Fu Hua's memories.
That would explain the delay in her awakening.
Also, some of the Honkai energy that should have gone to the Herrscher of Sentience had been siphoned off by the sudden birth of the Herrscher of Flame, leaving her a bit underfed.
Still, it wasn't a problem.
Perhaps Nagami's audacious act of "creating a Herrscher defector" had finally provoked the Honkai to its limits—because now, the imaginary Tree of Origin had opened its gates right next to Himeko.
And an endless torrent of Honkai energy was pouring forth.
———————————————————————
Daily Uploads!
Unlock bonus chapters by reaching specific milestones with [Power Stone] votes!
Go to p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to access more than 50 advanced chapters.