[Clear Condition: Defeat the Herrscher of Corruption]
[Unlock the next area after defeating the final BOSS]
The same voice echoed in everyone's ears, revealing the truth of this Dream World to all.
They thought it was a fantasy, but it turned out to be an RPG game of Hero Taunts the Demon King.
This was a dream NPC named Herrscher, born from someone's knowledge and memories, not a true Herrscher appearing in the world.
But even so...
"There's another Herrscher?"
Kiana, who hadn't even found her footing yet, was taken aback by this sudden surprise. Shaking from the tremors, she lost her balance and plopped onto the ground.
She thought that the Herrscher of the Void, that inherently evil little Herrscher, was the limit, but she never expected there to be someone even stronger.
After this dream Nagazora was on the brink of destruction, another Herrscher popped up to stir up trouble.
"Mei, do you guys know this Herrscher?"
Following her intuition, Kiana asked Raiden Mei, a Nagazora City local.
The girl frowned: "I don't know, I don't really know much about these things."
Before she met Kiana, she was completely ignorant of the truth hidden behind the world, even thinking that her old father was just a rich man with a great deal of power and wealth.
Hearing this answer, Kiana subconsciously retorted: "Why is this Nagazora City like some legendary dilapidated house? You give it a good kick, and who knows how many Herrschers will jump out to teach us a lesson."
Spoken without thought, but heard with intention.
As Cocolia's daughter, Bronya was the first to feel a lingering fear for her adoptive mother's actions.
It was known that Nagazora City had two Herrscher vessels, Kiana and Raiden Mei, both remnants from the Second Honkai Eruption.
Even if the strength of these two Herrschers couldn't compare to their peak, the appearance of two Herrschers was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
If nothing else, Schicksal would first find Cocolia, this troublemaker, disagreeable and would take her out in one fell swoop.
If this Herrscher of Corruption that appeared in the Dream World was real, then the sins she had committed would be even greater.
Fu Hua, with her flat chest, was still pondering the cold notification.
"Herrscher of Corruption..."
The legendary twelfth Herrscher. She vaguely remembered having some interaction with this person, but her memories, which had been overly burned by Fenghuang Down, no longer allowed her to recall anything more.
This warrior from the Previous Era was not only wounded in body, but also in her memory and spirit.
Brian, the young man who knew everything, spoke up at the right time to remind Fu Hua: "The prompt just now said this is the Twelfth Herrscher."
"Then the corresponding Twelfth Divine Key should also exist, right?"
Fu Hua: "..."
That's right, if the Twelfth Herrscher existed, then the Twelfth Divine Key must also exist.
But she searched all her memories and found no information related to the Twelfth Divine Key.
However, the fact that she had no relevant memories might mean those memories were gone; it didn't mean the Divine Key didn't exist.
Moreover, as far as she knew, the Twelfth Herrscher's form of existence was vastly different from that of other Herrschers.
A Herrscher from fifty-five thousand years ago still surviving... she couldn't rule out this possibility.
Humans have limits, but the Honkai is omnipotent.
The Valkyrie's heart gradually grew heavy.
The destructive tremors came quickly and went quickly.
The once-civilized dream Nagazora was instantly devastated, as if ravaged by an incredibly powerful beast.
The appearance of the final BOSS was like pressing the pause button on this crumbling dream, enveloping the entire city in an invisible Amber, freezing everything.
However, the battle between Herrschers had only just begun.
Brian and the others heard the prompt, and so did the Herrscher of the Void.
The girl with snow-white hair and golden eyes turned to look in the direction of the Herrscher of Corruption.
Her rampant expression subsided slightly, but that was all.
Even if she had to hold up this magical feather with one hand, she, the Herrscher of the Void, could still be invincible in the entire dream!
"Herrscher of Corruption? Such a late ranking. You must be an ant so weak that you don't even deserve to have your name remembered."
"..."
The miko with cherry-pink hair and donkey ears tilted her head, her beast-like scarlet vertical pupils filled with a human-like confusion.
This person... no, this fellow kind, what rank is she?
How dare she speak to the great Lady Higokumaru in such a tone!?
Could it be that after she was sealed for fifty thousand years, no one remembered the great name of Lady Higokumaru anymore?
"You don't know me?"
"Why would I need to know you?"
The Herrscher of the Void's tone was as arrogant as ever.
She and Kiana's predecessor, Sirin, was the Herrscher of the Void who possessed six Herrscher Cores at her peak.
If collecting all twelve Herrscher Cores could make one the legendary Herrscher of the End, then she could be considered a half-step to the End.
In the presence of a half-step to the End, a mere number twelve Herrscher was nothing to be concerned about.
On the contrary...
"Herrscher of Corruption, I grant you the privilege of groveling at my feet."
A little sunshine and she's beaming; a little power and she's swelling.
In order to collect the Herrscher Cores of other Herrschers for herself, just like Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void felt she could use this Herrscher of Corruption as an experiment.
Although this was a dream, dreams and reality had some similarities.
And with the feather in her hand, it was impossible for her to lose in this world.
She's bound to win!
The Herrscher of Pufferfish was just that confident.
However...
The miko, shrouded in black energy, looked at the Herrscher of the Void as if she were looking at an idiot.
Are Herrschers these days all this confident?
Forget it, let me teach her a lesson.
"Foolish kin, you have no idea who you're facing!"
Having made her decision, the Herrscher let out a loud shout.
Devouring darkness spread like a creep carpet.
Endless gloom swallowed the entire world, and everything, organic or inorganic, became the fangs and claws of the Herrscher of Corruption.
This was the power of the Herrscher of Corruption, the ability to control all tangible and intangible things like a virus.
A mere Herrscher of the Void who acts like an imbecile and can't even use her own power, what right does she have to fight her!?
"Foolish!"
The Herrscher of the Void, who was suddenly attacked, had a cold expression, and then without hesitation, she poured her power into the feather.
In a psychic world, it's natural to compete in psychic power.
This double-digit numbered Herrscher should be glad this is a Dream World, otherwise, in reality, she would have already been reduced to dust by her.
Higokumaru didn't answer, choosing to prove the Herrscher of the Void's earlier assessment with her actions.
Foolish, but the foolish one was her.
The powerful psychic energy erupting from Fenghuang Down was god-slaying in this dream, but the well-prepared Higokumaru was unharmed, easily dodging it.
HP: 100/100.
During the fight, the swirling black mist filled the entire world, and a cruel smile appeared on the face of the miko with cherry-pink hair and donkey ears: "Got you!"
"!!!"
A sense of alarm suddenly arose.
But it was too late.
Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the Herrscher of the Void's body, and the feather in her hand was stained with an ominous black color.
The power of the Herrscher of Corruption could even spread through tiny particles in the air, turning airborne bacteria into micro Honkai Beasts, making it almost impossible to defend against.
Powerless, the Herrscher of the Void watched as that arrogant woman approached her, unhesitatingly plunged her arm into her chest, grabbed the Herrscher Core, and refined it in an instant!
"You..."
"Hahaha!!!"
The ferocious Herrscher laughed wildly, then unhesitatingly shifted her hunting target to the remaining Herrscher.
To integrate the authorities of other Herrschers, to make herself stronger, and finally, to use this power to destroy the world.
This was the instinct with which Herrschers were born.
From a distance, Brian and the others watched this scene with pounding hearts, feeling as if every molecule in the air was hostile to them.
"It's a good thing this didn't happen when I left Nagazora City."
Young Brian's tone was particularly relieved, filled with sincerity.
He knew the most secrets, so it was only natural that he bore the greatest psychological pressure.
If there was a king of handling pressure here, he felt he deserved the title.
Spoken without thought, but heard with intention.
Hearing this, Fu Hua's eyes shifted slightly, as if she had made some kind of decision.
As they were lost in their own thoughts, the battle between the Herrscher of Thunder and the Herrscher of Corruption began, and it ended with the Herrscher of Thunder's unwilling defeat.
The Herrscher of Corruption, now with two Herrscher Cores, was unrivaled, for a moment seeming like the second coming of a world-destroying demon king.
But in the end, she was just an NPC in a dream.
A time to wake up.
...
The moonlight was soft, the gentle breeze like a dream.
The bright moonlight shone on Raiden Mei's face, combed into several strands by her slender eyelashes, hanging down like black silk.
The girl's delicate eyelids lifted without warning, revealing eyes still filled with fear.
"It was a dream..."
It was like a dream, a dream of a thousand autumns.
Her last memory was of the crazed Herrscher of Corruption wreaking havoc in the city on the brink of destruction, mercilessly pushing the Dream World to its end.
This memory was incredibly real, almost making Raiden Mei think they hadn't left Nagazora City yet and were still surrounded by Cocolia's conspiracy.
Fortunately...
"It was all a dream."
Before the heart in her chest could return to a normal beat, a strong embrace wrapped tightly around Raiden Mei.
"Don't worry, Mei. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side to protect you."
The night was deep, and the snow-haired girl grinned with a mouthful of pearly white teeth, giving Raiden Mei a very sunny smile in the darkness.
On her incredibly smooth shoulders, her cotton pajamas had slipped off inadvertently, revealing a half-shy glimpse of spring.
If a skilled and juicy lesbian were sitting next to this white-haired fluffball right now, she probably wouldn't be able to resist the urge to pounce and put the fluffball in a kneeling/prostrating pose emoticon.
Unfortunately, Raiden Mei was a normal person, and she didn't even see Kiana as a person.
To make Raiden Mei see Kiana as a person, and to bend her sexual orientation... there was still a long way to go.
But, fortunately, there was an opportunity right in front of her.
As Kiana saw it, if she, like that annoying Blondie next door, took advantage of Raiden Mei's vulnerable state, she might be able to get her back by her side soon.
By then, she wouldn't have to worry about Mei's feelings and could do whatever she wanted to that damn Blondie!
Share a bed with her to comfort her; bend her Kinks/Fetishes, and enter heaven together!
With the worldly wisdom in her brain, Kiana had already formulated a perfect plan, just waiting for Raiden Mei's reaction.
However, ideals are plump, but reality is bony.
Kiana's bold actions did indeed bring Raiden Mei a momentary sense of security.
But Raiden Mei hadn't forgotten...
"Kiana."
The girl's voice was languid, making it impossible to discern her mood.
"Mm, I'm here."
Has the personal cook finally realized my good qualities and decided to abandon Blondie to embark on the great journey of To stray from the path of 'essence' with me?
The snow-haired girl was full of expectation.
Raiden Mei: "Have you forgotten what you did before?"
Her gaze was distant, her voice icy.
The previous dream was as real as if it had happened right beside her, and the things Kiana did were naturally quite impressive.
"..."
Sweat trickled down.
Kiana hadn't expected something like this to happen on the very first night at St. Freya High School.
Everyone's dreams were connected, exposing her long-held desires to everyone else.
What that damn Blondie, young Brian, thought was another matter.
The key was the personal cook in front of her...
She put on a fawning smile: "Mei, wasn't that a dream?"
Things you can't do in reality, can't you even think about them in a dream?
In Kiana's view, it should be fine. After all, you're innocent until proven guilty.
She couldn't hope for Raiden Mei to join her in straying from the path of 'essence' for now. Just securing tomorrow morning's food bowl would be a victory.
"But wasn't that your true inner thought?"
How dare you have designs on her future sexual bliss? You white-haired fluffball have courted death!
Raiden Mei threw back the warm covers and, from somewhere, actually pulled out a bamboo stick.
A chill ran down Kiana's spine, raising goosebumps all over her.
The half-bottle of water clanking around the snow-haired girl's neck still wanted to put up a struggle, but her legs had already made a decision for her.
"Mei, Mei, I'll never do it again!"
In the deep night, the white-haired fluffball was chased until she was in a complete panic.
The Russian loli in the same dorm opened her door, took a look, and then retreated back under her covers to save her own skin.
She, Bronya Zaychik, was a woman with the template of an urban elite mercenary. Being foolish would only slow down the speed at which she drew her gun.
...
Next door.
In the deserted dormitory, there was only one person. A slender, gray-haired girl sat alone under the light, looking up information in the Schicksal database.
Everything that happened in the dream greatly concerned Fu Hua. Her sense of responsibility wouldn't allow her to let a potential Herrscher remain sealed beneath a city.
Especially...
"Rin...?"
A familiar name. It seemed her past had some connection with this Herrscher.
...
Nagazora City, under the Yae Shrine's Divine Tree...
"Jie jie jie~"
"Yae Sakura, your doom has arrived!"
A figure with an indistinct face began to cackle sinisterly after ending another cycle of the loop.
After days and days of torment, this foolish miko Yae Sakura had been tortured to the brink of a mental breakdown. This body, which she had modified into a Pseudo-Herrscher, would soon be hers.
But for some reason...
"Why do I feel like someone is thinking about me?"
The evil figure showed a human-like confusion.
But after confirming there was nothing unusual around, just a few foolish humans praying at the shrine, she paid no more mind to this inexplicable chill.
It was probably just another fool like Kallen Kaslana.
Before the great Lady Higokumaru, all else is fleeting.
Better to continue tormenting Yae Sakura.
...
Schicksal Headquarters, Overseer's Office...
"Welcome back, my Valkyries."
Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse specially made time to meet with the Valkyries returning from the Far East.
He had already been informed of the mission's execution in a previous report.
But out of respect for reality and caution, Otto still decided to personally communicate with his subordinates.
"Lord Overseer, Kiana and her group have already entered St. Freya High School under Teacher Theresa's arrangement. What should we do next?"
That white goose was so clueless, she had never given her missions any careful thought.
The golden-haired, blue-eyed man had long understood his student's character. He just smiled knowingly at Durandal's thoughtless way of doing things.
"Durandal, we don't need to hurry."
"Great undertakings are like cooking a small delicacy. The addition of each spice and the control of the heat require patient waiting and careful calculation."
"Kiana is still a young child right now. It's the right time to let her continue her school life."
If Kiana was the main course, then Theresa's St. Freya High School was the frying pan, and the others were the spices and side dishes Otto had prepared for Kiana.
When the ingredients have just been put in the pan, only the hot oil is searing Kiana on both sides. To make the ingredients flavorful, one must pay attention to adding the side ingredients.
Right now, there are only a few people close to Kiana. This situation is still a long way from what Otto expected.
In other words, he needed to wait for enough time to pass for Kiana, the main dish, to form sufficient bonds with others.
Rita interjected: "Lord Overseer, since you intend to deepen the feelings between Miss Kiana and others, why not prepare a sweet romance for her?"
The charming Valkyrie smiled beautifully, her smile exquisite and sweet.
It seemed that in the eyes of this S-rank Valkyrie, arranging a sweet romance for Kiana Kaslana, the vessel of the Herrscher of the Void, was a great thing.
And indeed, it was.
For a young girl of this age, a heart-wrenching love is often more important than all other feelings combined.
After all, no matter what kind of girl, they are all emotional creatures, and even a Kaslana with a head full of muscles is no exception.
Of course, there was a little personal motive of Rita's in this.
Her parents were both alive, so she didn't dare to make a move on Otto, the Schicksal Overseer who had achieved Mechanical Ascension; but she not only had the guts to make a move on Kiana, but they were quite large.
The golden-haired, blue-eyed man's gaze was inscrutable upon hearing this: "Rita, you seem to have some prejudice against your ex-boyfriend."
Ex-boyfriend.
When Otto learned this news from the report, he was amused too.
Although he couldn't say he watched Rita grow up, since she was able to become an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, all of her past was naturally no secret to him.
This girl's fetish was being a Lolicon, liking delicate and cute girls like Theresa; the ex-boyfriend claim was complete nonsense, and it was unclear why she would admit to it at the Far East Branch.
"..."
The topic was rapidly turning towards her dark history, so Rita quickly changed the subject.
Everything that happened in Nagazora City and on the Hyperion was a topic she couldn't even mention.
It was too shameful! It was practically the dark history of a lifetime!
If that bastard Otto found out, she could only consider abandoning her parents and going all out against him.
"Lord Overseer, Rita will handle her personal affairs herself. For now, let's discuss Miss Kiana's future."
Thinking of those incredibly shameful things, a light mixed with shyness and resentment flashed in the depths of Rita's fake smile.
She couldn't even mention those things, but that didn't mean she could choose to just let them go. Kiana's old grudge and Brian's new one combined, she would definitely make these two pay for what they'd done!
"Alright, since you've said so."
Otto understood.
Old and cunning, he could of course guess what Rita was thinking, but since these things weren't important, they didn't deserve to be discussed here.
Let's continue talking about Kiana.
Arranging a love story full of bitterness and sweetness for her was indeed an excellent choice.
The Soulium computer that constituted his body ran simulations on Kiana's relationships, predicting all sorts of possibilities around her, and the feasibility of making her sexual orientation normal.
A plan gradually took shape, but it still lacked a person to execute it.
The thankless job of a matchmaker wasn't something everyone could do.
As Otto was pondering, a communication from the Far East Branch came directly to the Overseer's office, making Otto aware of the identity on the other end.
Fu Hua.
A straightforward person never dallies: "Otto, I have something to ask you. I hope you won't hide it from me."
She was somewhat unable to let go of what she had encountered in the Dream World.
"Of course, my friend. As long as it's something I can say, I will tell you everything."
Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse never lies.
Especially when facing his old friend.
Fu Hua: "How much do you know about the Twelfth Divine Key?"
"Regarding this matter, I think you shouldn't be asking me. Schicksal has never possessed the Twelfth Divine Key, nor have we ever received any information related to it."
After searching the database, Otto still couldn't find the answer Fu Hua was looking for.
"You should look for those who have inherited a greater legacy. They might have what you want to know."
The known Divine Keys are the First, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh.
Most are held by Schicksal, while the damaged Ninth Divine Key is in the hands of Anti-Entropy.
As for the rest, whose specific information is unknown, they should be in the hands of World Serpent, which inherited most of the Previous Era's legacy.
Therefore, Otto believed that if Fu Hua wanted information on the Twelfth Divine Key, she should look for those snakes still lurking in the darkness, not him, the Overseer.
"..."
Fu Hua fell silent upon hearing this.
She knew Kevin must have left behind a contingency plan to implement his Stigma Project.
Perhaps the missing Twelfth Divine Key was in their hands, and everything in the dream was just her overthinking it.
"I understand."
The communication ended. Fu Hua's actions were swift and decisive.
The little interlude ended there. Otto and his Valkyries once again turned their attention to Kiana's love life.
"Now, let us arrange a sweet romance for our lovely Miss Kiana."
"Rita, this mission is yours."
"..."
Huh?
Me, fight the Inner World Protagonist?
Will I win? I'll get pregnant!
...