"Achoo!"
"Lynelle, are you feeling unwell again?"
Sirin, who'd been keeping a close watch on Lynelle's condition, jumped at the sound.
"Not really... More like someone's talking about me somewhere."
Lynelle rubbed her nose. "Never mind that, let's focus on the problem at hand... Even though we destroyed the Tower of Babylon, it's only a matter of time before Schicksal or Anti-Entropy find us."
"And considering our little 'outburst' where we just took out over three hundred researchers, neither side is likely to welcome us with open arms."
"So before that happens, we need to find ways to boost our strength. On top of that, we should stick to less populated areas to avoid causing a large-scale spike in Honkai energy concentration near any settlements..."
"Ugh, that sounds so complicated... You can handle all that, Lynelle. I'll just follow your lead."
As Lynelle rattled off a string of terms she'd never even heard before, Sirin's eyes started to glaze over, little swirls practically visible in them.
One had to admit, even if she wasn't from the Kaslana family, Sirin had a real knack for switching her brain off the moment she had a reliable teammate by her side—a truly Kaslana-esque talent.
"But, Lynelle, after I absorbed the energy from the entire Honkai reactor, I did feel something different..."
"Oh? Do tell."
"First, with all that Honkai energy filling me up, I think I can faintly hear the voice of God again..."
Sirin pressed a hand to her head, looking puzzled. "But, maybe because my abilities have grown, I've noticed something I didn't understand before."
"Lynelle, didn't you say before that those urges to destroy the world and all that were probably the work of God—oh, you know, the Will of Honkai you mentioned? But now it seems like that's not the case..."
"Those tempting voices actually seem to be a side effect of the Herrscher Cores themselves, or maybe from the Honkai energy I absorbed. God's voice doesn't seem to be telling me to do any of that..."
"...?"
Lynelle fell silent for a moment.
If this followed the original storyline, in the early Honkai lore, the Will of Honkai really did put its all into inciting the Herrschers to destroy the world.
Of course, considering the later settings involving Prometheus and the fact that this was a real world where retconning wasn't possible, Lynelle preferred to believe that these early, seductive voices might have been part of the back-and-forth struggle between 'Duck' and the Will of Honkai.
After all, looking at the results, even though the Will of Honkai kept egging Sirin on to destroy the world, having her retrieve the four Cores directly from the Moon had actually given humanity a massive breather, significantly reducing the potential losses they could have suffered facing the Herrschers early on.
But now... Could it be that 'Duck' had gained the upper hand ahead of schedule?
If her memory served correctly, theoretically, 'Duck's' abilities only ensured the order in which the Herrschers appeared; she wasn't this omnipotent.
"So, what did the Will of Honkai say to you?"
"I don't know."
Sirin shook her head. "It seems like whenever you're around, Lynelle, the Will's voice gets all fuzzy, like a bad signal..."
"So, the 'purifying' effect around me not only shields you from the negative influence of the Herrscher Cores but also messes with your connection to the Will of Honkai? Hmm, seems like an AOE passive buff that doesn't discriminate between friend or foe..."
"It's fine! As long as you're here, Lynelle, it doesn't matter if I can't hear it~"
Compared to her original self's extreme devotion to the God of Honkai, this Sirin seemed completely unaware of her role as a "Divine Messenger."
"Second, and more importantly, Lynelle, Lynelle! I found something really interesting inside the Herrscher Cores that might just solve your physical problems!"
"Interesting? What is it..."
Lynelle was baffled.
"As a Herrscher, besides summoning regular Honkai beasts, it seems I can also create a single companion Honkai beast, and I can make this companion incredibly powerful!"
Sirin's voice was brimming with excitement. "According to the information recorded in the Herrscher Cores, the strongest one is a dragon-type Honkai Beast that's so huge it blots out the sky! So, Lynelle, Lynelle, how about you become my companion Honkai Beast? It would fix your physical issues and give you powerful combat abilities too..."
"Mmm... No, thank you."
Although Sirin's suggestion was incredibly tempting, after thinking it over carefully for a moment, Lynelle firmly shook her head.
"Huh? Why not..."
Sirin's face was a picture of confusion. "Is it because being a companion Honkai Beast sounds like being my mount? Don't worry, I wouldn't treat you like a mount or a servant or anything! If you don't like it, I won't ride you... Or, you could ride me instead! I can fly too, you know?"
"What are you even talking about, all this 'you ride me, I ride you' nonsense..."
Lynelle vigorously ruffled Sirin's little head. "I'm not bothered by that sort of thing."
"Then why...? Even if you can resurrect, your body is still fragile right now, isn't it? You said yourself we'll probably be hunted down. If you became a companion Honkai Beast..."
"Alright, Sirin. Well... let's just say I'm not too keen on becoming a Honkai beast. You can save that chance to create a companion Honkai Beast for someone else. As for me... I might get my hands on some other power before long."
Of course, while she said that, Lynelle wasn't that opposed to the idea of being a Honkai Beast herself.
The reasons she refused to become Sirin's companion Honkai Beast were twofold: First, she didn't want to steal Bella's original spot.
Second, in the Second Honkai Eruption, if you ignored some of Otto's strange maneuvers, Schicksal's side practically had unlimited room for error.
If she took on the power of the Dragon of Honkai here, how would that be any different from the original story? The Dragon of Honkai wasn't weak, but with the power creep in Honkai Impact 3rd, it wasn't particularly strong in the early stages, and later it was just a beefed-up super soldier.
Rather than that, she might as well pin her hopes on drawing some powerful Curios or characters. That way, she could at least be an extra combatant.
And there was one more thing... Actually, even though in the original story Sirin fused a Herrscher Core with Benares, she wasn't entirely sure if a Honkai Beast could become a full-fledged Pseudo-Herrscher.
After all, if it were possible, she'd like to try fusing with a Herrscher Core herself in the future. Even if her Honkai energy adaptability wasn't great, her resurrection ability meant she could force a fusion like the old man Welt, doing sit-ups every day, and it wouldn't be a problem.
But most importantly, wouldn't having a white-stockinged dragon maid be wonderful? She liked Bella just as much as she liked Sirin, ya know!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.