Chapter 86: Himeko's Teacher and Himeko's Father Are Fighting!!
["Professor Murata Ryosuke, do you realize what you're doing?"
"You've betrayed your alien allies."
Murata Ryosuke retorted: "I fulfilled our agreement to eliminate the Scout Star, so he honored his promise and linked me to the collective consciousness of the Hugues."
"But what happens afterward is my own freedom."
"This was a fair transaction."
Welt wanted to argue further, trying to make him return to his original ideals, but Murata Ryosuke wouldn't listen.
He outright stated that whether it was the 4th Divine Key, the Hugues, or even his own daughter, they were all just pawns to achieve his goals. "My target has always been you from the very beginning, Welt Yang!!"
Murata Ryosuke's pitch-black eyes stared at Welt, filled with greed. ......
Back on Earth, the doctors who couldn't contact either of them began investigating Ryosuke. Although they deduced the truth from their findings, there was nothing they could do to help Welt from Earth.]
[March 7th]: "What a scumbag, even scheming against his own daughter."
[Stelle]: "All this plotting just to get close to Uncle Yang?"
[Huohuo]: "H-how can someone be a father like this?"
[Tail]: "Exactly! Even worse than Little Coward's parents!"
[Qingque]: "This must be at least 0.4 Scotts worth of bastardry."
[Scott]: "When did I become a unit of measurement for bastardry!?"
[Scott]: "Being used as a measurement unit is bad enough, but you didn't even pay me royalties!!!"
[Scott]: "This is copyright infringement! Infringement!"
[Kiana]: "Such a Scott-like outburst that it actually diluted my anger."
[Welt, still severely injured and having just unleashed a barrage of attacks, was no match for Murata Ryosuke and could only dodge and hide. Like most villains, when Murata Ryosuke gained absolute advantage, he began monologuing about his experiences. "Anti-Entropy's leader, and also the first Herrscher—there couldn't be a more suitable candidate."
"Do you know how happy I was when I saw your records in Schicksal's database?"
"I used the 4th Divine Key as bait to make contact with Anti-Entropy.
Unfortunately, you didn't show up."
"I waited for an opportunity but unexpectedly encountered you on campus. That's when it hit me!" "The righteous and kind first Herrscher, full of human weaknesses, would never abandon his student in need."
With a casual wave of his hand, Murata Ryosuke sent Welt flying. Hiding behind cover, Welt was shocked: "You mean..."
Tentacles writhing around his body, Murata Ryosuke spread his arms: "When entering the world of the Hugues, I deliberately exposed my coordinates. I knew the Sky People would act swiftly."
"You're the one who hurt your own daughter!"
Furious, Welt materialized a pistol and fired at Ryosuke.]
[March 7th]: "Just as I thought! It was Murata Ryosuke who orchestrated Himeko's injury!"
[Honkai Star Rail - Cocolia]: "Unworthy of being a father!"
[Siegfried]: "Abandoning your own flesh and blood for this? What kind of man does that!?"
[Silver Wolf]: "LMAO, even the Duke of Inferno treats his children better than this!"
[Murata Himeko]: "I never imagined this was how Father saw me... But what about that letter? Did he really write it?"
[Theresa]: "Himeko..."
[Murata Himeko]: "Alright, don't look so worried. I'm fine. Although I did become a Valkyrie to uncover the truth about Father's disappearance..."
[Murata Himeko]: "Captain Ragna and everyone at St. Freya Academy gave me so much warmth."
[Kiana]: "So... Ms. Himeko, can we have less homework?"
[Murata Himeko]: "Double it!"
[Ratio]: "Kiana, your homework is doubled!! Welt asked me to oversee your education. You pose no threat to me in academia, but in pedagogy, you've humiliated me!"
[Kiana]: "Nooooooo!"
[Bronya Zaychik]: "Hang in there, Kiana!"
[But Welt's attack was blocked by a barrier before him. What kind of power was this? It felt familiar to Welt, as if he'd encountered it before.]
[March 7th]: "The Second Honkai War!"
[Stelle]: "Seems like Sirin's authority isn't as well utilized as these Divine Keys."
[Murata Ryosuke produced a portal forged from candy: "You've noticed it already. Then it's time to play this trump card."
Endless tentacles surged forth, dragging Welt into the world beyond the portal.
The once-beautiful candy house had turned into ruins, with all the Hugues imprisoned by the dishonorable Murata Ryosuke. "The Hugues were originally beings without physical form, existing only as consciousness. After linking with their collective consciousness, I finally approached the source of their power."
"To combat the Honkai, they mobilized all their technological might and Herrscher cores to create this fortress sanctuary."
"Then when the Sky People attacked, they abandoned their physical bodies and preserved their consciousness here before warping to another planet."
"The original power of the Hugues merged with this fortress, creating a spatial-dimensional weapon surpassing current human civilization."
"Yes, yes—it's fundamentally the same as the 9th Divine Key in your possession."
"I call it—[Exo-Key]."]
[Raiden Mei]: "Isn't this just another Divine Key? A weapon forged from Herrscher cores."
[Vill-V]: "Not bad at all. Quite an innovative use of Herrscher cores."
[Theresa]: "A Herrscher with spatial-dimensional authority... We haven't encountered one like that before, have we?"
[Kevin]: "Different civilizations, different technological directions—the Honkai will produce Herrschers with corresponding authorities."
[Durandal]: "So we might encounter Herrschers different from those in the Previous Era?"
[Kevin]: "No."
[Durandal]: "?"
[Su]: "Theoretically speaking, the Herrscher of the Void's authority should be capable of achieving what this Exo-Key does."
[Mobius]: "Pity your 2nd Herrscher completely lacked such capability! All she could do was throw spears around."
[Herrscher of the Void]: "??? Who says I can't use it? This is my authority—how could I not know how to use it?"
The pufferfish couldn't stand hearing this—she knew her own authority perfectly well. She'd even studied at the Previous Era's base for a while and could create dimensional labyrinths (though admittedly not on par with observing parallel worlds like the Thousand-Crowned). But even though Miss Pufferfish knew the truth in her heart, she'd never admit it. A Herrscher's dignity must be maintained at all costs.