[The scene shifts back to Sirin.]
After receiving the message, the girl urgently teleported to a location 17 kilometers away from Babylon Tower.
"Huff… Huff…"
"This is my first time teleporting such a long distance…" The girl felt as if all her strength had been drained.
She glared at the small Honkai beast and grumbled, "Why did you make me run away? I wouldn't have lost…"
The Honkai beast merely fluttered its wings, gesturing for Sirin to look ahead.
"!"
"This… is?! You led me here for this?"
Before her stood a massive cocoon, dozens of meters tall, radiating intense Honkai energy.
Without hesitation, the small Honkai beast burrowed straight into it.
"Wait for me!"
Sirin scrambled to her feet and reached out to touch the cocoon's surface.
To her surprise, the shell felt like liquid, allowing her to pass through effortlessly.
"This place… My body can go through?"
"!!"
Inside a hospital room, a young girl sobbed quietly.
On the bed, her mother lay on the verge of death.
"Mom… Don't leave me alone."
Sirin stared blankly at the illusion before her.
Though she knew it wasn't real, tears streamed down her cheeks unbidden. "I don't want this…" she whispered.
At that moment, the seductive voice in her ear grew clearer.
"That's right."
"Tear open the hearts of humanity, and you will truly become a Herrscher!"]
[Raiden Mei]: "I never imagined the Herrscher of the Void had such a tragic past. No wonder the Honkai chose her as its Herrscher."
[Kiana]: "Why…? Why does seeing this make my heart ache so much? What is this pain I'm feeling?"
[Herrscher of the Void]: "Silence! Humans—and you, vessel—I don't need your hypocritical pity!"
[March 7th]: "What was that creepy voice? Ugh… It feels so sinister!"
[Stelle]: "Why don't you just become a Herrscher?"
[March 7th]: "No thanks! I'm perfectly fine as I am."
[Tesla]: "Could that voice be the Honkai's will? Some kind of 'God of Honkai'?"
[Honkai: Star Rail – Welt]: "No. That voice is actually a crucial element in our fight against the Honkai. It's hard to explain in just a few words—you'll understand once the screen shows more."
[Mobius]: "Hmm… So this plan succeeded after all. This will greatly increase our chances against the Honkai."
[As Theresa and the others began their pursuit, Sirin—fully swayed by the Honkai's whispers—finally embraced her role as a Herrscher.
Under her command, countless Honkai beasts swarmed Babylon Tower!
Thanks to their tracking systems, they soon located the massive cocoon where Sirin was hiding.
"But what is this thing? Is that purple-haired girl really inside?"
Theresa followed Oath of Judah's guidance, preparing to enter the cocoon.
"Don't touch it!"
Welt urgently called out to stop her as he sensed a sudden surge of Honkai energy from within. "Get away from there—now!"
"Got it!"
But just as Theresa turned to retreat, dozens of pale arms shot out from the cocoon, yanking her inside!
As the head of the Kaslana family, Siegfried couldn't abandon his comrade.
However, Welt insisted that securing their remaining forces took priority, urging them to regroup and plan their next move.
Amid their argument, the cocoon suddenly hatched—unleashing a colossal Honkai beast with red and blue markings!
Siegfried, caught off guard in his impulsive charge, was its first target.
"W-Wait… hold on—!!"
And just like that, Siegfried was swallowed whole by the beast.]
[Kiana]: "Uh… Did my dumb old man just fail at looking cool?"
[Murata Himeko]:Sigh. "Theresa, you really need to work on your battlefield awareness. Maybe cut back on the manga a little."
[Theresa]: "That was an accident! An accident, got it?!"
[Ruan Mei]: "These Honkai beasts appear to be silicon-based lifeforms, yet they exhibit traits of energy-based life. They can be converted from ordinary carbon-based organisms or form naturally under intense Honkai energy. Fascinating!"
[Bronya Zaychik]: "Those shadowy hands earlier resembled ghosts. Is that also an application of the Herrscher of Void's authority?"
[Yae Sakura]: "As the name suggests, the Herrscher of Void's power is tied to space. Naturally, such effects are possible."
[Inside the cocoon—perhaps due to Sirin's deliberate allowance—Theresa witnessed fragments of the girl's past and, in turn, the sins of Schicksal.
"Your parents… They died from an illness known as 'Honkai.'"
A blurred figure loomed over four young girls, speaking in a gentle tone. "But don't be afraid. The Schicksal Organization will take care of you."
At that time, those children believed they had found salvation.
Little did they know they had stepped into an even crueler hell.
"You're fortunate—born with natural resistance to Honkai corruption."
"For the sake of humanity… we need your help in some experiments."
"It might hurt at first, but don't be scared."
Sirin stood motionless like a puppet as researchers injected high-concentration Honkai serum into her body.
"Stop this!" But this was merely an illusion—a memory long past. There was nothing Theresa could do to intervene.
"This test subject is failing too? Tch… Useless."
Without a shred of remorse, the researchers tossed Sirin—now ravaged by Honkai corruption—into a cell, indifferent to whether she lived or died.
She grew up in that nightmare, burying every friend who had entered the lab alongside her with her own hands.
Finally reaching Sirin in this fabricated world, Theresa wrapped her arms around the girl from behind and offered a heartfelt apology for Schicksal's atrocities.
"Heh… Now you pretend to care?!"
Lifted by Honkai energy, Sirin soared into the air, glaring down at Theresa with golden eyes brimming with hatred.
"Too late! I WILL have my revenge!"]
[Qingque]: "As they say… 'Behind every cruel soul lies deep suffering.' Who could endure such inhuman torment and still treat the world with kindness?"
[Boothill]: "What in the ever-loving—?! Your 'Schicksal' is just as rotten as those damn corporate scumbags!"
[Yae Sakura]: "I thought I had seen the darkest depths of humanity in MOTH's experiments… But it seems there's always something worse."
Within the Elysian Realm, Sakura clenched her fists—gripping her blade only to sheathe it again in frustration.
If only she weren't just a memory fragment… If only she could break free and do something.
Seeing those children made her think of her own little sister, twisting her heart with unbearable rage.
[Kosma]: "…Children are civilization's future. If this is how we fight the Honkai… then is there even a point?"
Watching Griseo mourn for those lost children, Kosma wrestled with his thoughts before typing out something wholly unlike himself into the chat.