The figures standing before them were as follows:
After witnessing the events of the story and earning the approval of Joyce and the elder Yang, Bronya Zaychik inherited the Core of Reason, officially becoming the third Herrscher of Reason.
Herrscher of Reason — Bronya Zaychik.
Displeased with the original Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, who had killed Instructor Himeko in the story, Kiana returned the Core of the Void to Sirin, who had been moved by Cecilia's kindness. Thus, the Queen of the Void made her return.
*(Having seen the story unfold, they knew that the current Sirin was not the original Sirin. Both were inheritors of the name, yet neither was the true Sirin.
Thus, this version of Sirin, who had not yet triggered a Honkai disaster, had not spilled blood—save for Siegfried's arm.
There was still a chance for redemption.
Even so, Kiana only returned the Core of the Void to Sirin after confirming that Cecilia's influence had truly changed her.)*
Herrscher of the Void — Sirin.
The instigator of the Third Honkai Eruption, Raiden Mei, with Wu Tong's help, became the Herrscher of Thunder. As for the original consciousness of the Herrscher of Thunder, Wu Tong resurrected it as a separate entity.
Herrscher of Thunder — Raiden Mei.
Then there was Wendy, who, with Wu Tong's assistance, fully fused with the Gem of Desire and transformed into the fourth Herrscher.
Herrscher of Wind — Wendy.
Next was Seele Vollerei, who, after sealing her memories and reliving the story through an illusion, unsurprisingly became the "Daughter of the Sea."
Herrscher of Death and Rebirth — Seele Vollerei.
Similarly, Kiana, who had also sealed her memories and experienced the simulated story, earned the recognition of the Gem of Haste through her growth, successfully preventing the emergence of the seventh Herrscher. Instead, she became a crimson warrior with a high ponytail and a flowing cape.
Herrscher of Flamescion — Kiana Kaslana.
Lastly, there was the eighth Herrscher, born from Fu Hua's body—the Herrscher of Sentience, who possessed all of Fu Hua's memories and martial prowess, yet remained a staunch anti-Honkai warrior.
Herrscher of Sentience — "Little" Sentience.
Wu Tong looked at the seven Herrschers before him and nodded in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Theresa was being teased by the others.
"Principal Theresa, out of the fourteen Herrschers, seven are from St. Freya. That's quite something."
"Is this St. Freya's way of dealing with Herrschers? Absolutely terrifying."
"As expected of the principal, achieving what the rest of us never could."
"Theresa, it seems your educational philosophy holds merit after all. Emotions truly can create miracles."
...
And how was our dear principal faring?
Theresa, nearly crushed by their words, radiated such palpable gloom that it could almost be seen with the naked eye. She crouched in a corner, drawing circles on the ground.
Soon after, the crowd dispersed once the excitement died down.
Otto, accompanied by Kallen, bid farewell to Wu Tong and the others before leaving St. Freya Academy. Yae Sakura followed closely behind.
Rita and Durandal also departed with Otto. With the Honkai still unresolved, the two S-Rank Valkyries had their hands full.
As for Li Sushang, she chose to stay, intending to atone for her sins under the guidance of her ancestor, Fu Hua, in hopes of reviving her mother and master. However, that would likely take quite some time.
Cecilia, pulling Theresa—who still hadn't recovered—along with Himeko and the others, comforted her as they left the training grounds.
In no time, the training area was empty save for the seven Herrschers, Xiao Xuan, and the remnants of the Previous Era like Fu Hua.
"Alright then, let's set off, ladies," Wu Tong said with a smile, addressing the group.
"Mm, let's go."
Hearing Wu Tong's words, Fu Hua snapped out of her daze, her voice slightly wooden as she replied.
She could already imagine how overjoyed Elysia would be upon seeing so many Herrschers fighting for humanity.
At the same time, she could also picture the reactions of the others when they encountered this many Herrschers.
Fu Hua massaged her temples, already thinking about how to protect these seven Herrschers.
The thought gave her pause.
Who would have thought? After a lifetime of battling the Honkai, she was now considering how to shield Herrschers.
Truly, how unpredictable life could be.
Seeing no objections, Wu Tong waved his hand, and a dimensional curtain infused with the Authority of the Void manifested, transforming into a grand gate.
Beyond the gate lay a thin, grayish-black energy veil—more akin to a portal now.
With the Authority of the Void enhancing its spatial manipulation, the dimensional curtain's capabilities had grown significantly. It could now connect nearby worlds within the endless void and even alter its appearance at will, no longer confined to a wall-like form.
Wu Tong renamed the upgraded dimensional curtain the "Dimensional Portal."
On the other side of the gate lay the headquarters of World Serpent, its location revealed to Wu Tong by the organization's former member, Raven.
The women exchanged glances before stepping toward the portal. Fu Hua led the way, with the others following closely behind.
Swish—
Once everyone had entered, Wu Tong stepped through as well.
The portal, standing tall in the void, dissolved into countless particles of light and vanished.
Europe.
World Serpent Headquarters.
In the dimly lit halls of World Serpent, a dimensional portal suddenly materialized, hovering in the air.
Gray Serpent and the others witnessed this but showed no surprise.
When Raven had abruptly announced her departure from World Serpent days ago, Gray Serpent had already deduced that Wu Tong had recruited her.
Yet Gray Serpent didn't mind. If trading Raven could ensure the return of all the Flame-Chasers, it would be more than worth it.
With the Flame-Chasers back, the Honkai would be nothing more than a trivial nuisance.
Gray Serpent, blinded by his unwavering faith in the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, clung to this belief.
Thus, after Raven leaked the headquarters' location, Gray Serpent not only refrained from reprimanding her but even rewarded her with a bonus for bringing Wu Tong and the others to World Serpent.
Now, as they beheld the dimensional portal, their hearts swelled with excitement.
At last... were the Flame-Chasers finally returning?
Passing through the portal's veil, the group felt as though they were enveloped in a watery layer of temporal energy before emerging inside World Serpent's headquarters.
"Wow, so this is what Wu Tong's space-time gate feels like? The journey was... kinda nice," Kiana exclaimed the moment she arrived, attempting to describe the sensation of traversing the portal.
But after racking her brain, she could only settle on the word "nice" to summarize the experience.
"Idiot Kiana, if you can't describe it, then don't. You're only embarrassing yourself," Bronya retorted without hesitation, her tone dripping with playful sarcasm.
Mei, standing nearby, could only sigh at the familiar scene.
Though the two trusted and respected each other deeply, their daily interactions were more akin to fire and water, leaving Mei at a loss.
When will you two ever grow up?
As she watched the pair bicker once more, a faint hope flickered in Mei's heart.
...
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(End of Chapter.)