Looking at the oversized dango kneeling on the ground in a prostrate pose, Aaron hadn't expected the opponent to choose surrender so quickly.
Although this trouble-saving result wasn't bad for him, the problem was...
Why does this make me look even more like the villain???
Facing Aaron's silence, Higokumaru immediately thought of something.
It had indeed surrendered with all sincerity, but the problem was the opponent didn't know its sincerity.
Thinking about it, the two were fighting just a moment ago. In this situation, if one side suddenly and inexplicably chose to obediently offer loyalty, it was perfectly normal for the other side to suspect a trap.
No, for the sake of good times in the future, I must show enough sincerity!
Right, I've got it!
When it was sealed in the black box, that big-breasted witch planned to combine its core with some weird stuff to make a katana.
Actually, during these tens of thousands of years, it could have completed that katana at any time—provided it handed over its Herrscher Core.
Hand over the Herrscher Core to complete the katana, and the Divine Key named Jizo Mitama would be finished.
Then I won't be a threat to the Boss anymore, and he definitely won't torment me!
As for whether the opponent would discard Higokumaru after it lost its utility...
Thinking carefully, this man charged from afar at the start, crossing Otto's subordinates just to hunt it down. Maybe he knew about Higokumaru's abilities through some strange channels.
For this man, a living Herrscher of Corruption that didn't cause trouble under his nose was a good Herrscher of Corruption.
There was a high probability he wouldn't feel safe letting it wander elsewhere, so... this was definitely better than getting beaten up for nothing. Why wouldn't Higokumaru choose this path!
In Aaron's eyes, Higokumaru, suppressed under the Demon Castle, directly materialized a Japanese sword.
Then, Higokumaru said to Aaron with an ingratiating smile.
"Boss! This is the Divine Key [Jizo Mitama] I completed using my Herrscher Core! With it, you can use the Authority of Corruption at will!"
"You..."
[Spirit Command: Scan — Activate.]
Using the Spirit Command to scan the sword, Aaron found that it was indeed Jizo Mitama.
And since the sword itself had no consciousness, Aaron's Spirit Command easily completed a comprehensive scan.
Hmm, there really aren't any strange abilities buried in it.
So, this matter is resolved just like that???
Forget it, saving trouble is good.
Using the Power of Dominance to easily dominate Higokumaru's soul, Aaron saw Higokumaru breathe a sigh of relief first.
"Um, Boss... look, I'm already your subordinate now, so how about..."
Continuing to maintain a fawning smile, Higokumaru pointed to the Demon Castle above its head.
"How about... you move it away?"
"...Sure."
After moving the Demon Castle away, Aaron sized up the actively cowardly Higokumaru, then after a moment's thought turned to the bewildered Cecilia.
"Ms. Schariac, please keep an eye on this guy. If it plans to act recklessly, please contact me immediately."
"I understand."
Looking at Higokumaru floating in mid-air, although Cecilia hadn't completely let down her guard, it was hard to connect this creature with an 'Apostle of God that destroys the world'.
Is this creature really one of the thirteen apostles???
Incomprehensible. Why is the gap between it and Sirin so huge?
"As for you..."
Looking at Esdeath with disgust, Aaron spoke irritably.
"You behave yourself too."
"Yes, yes, my dear Master."
Knowing there was a new battlefield outside, Esdeath truly wished she could rush to the world Cecilia spoke of right now and fight to her heart's content against the strong of that world.
But right now, even a powerhouse of this world like Cecilia, who had a better relationship with her 'Master', couldn't operate in this world for long, let alone a soul form like Esdeath.
Besides, Esdeath didn't reach the rank of General of the Empire just by fighting well; her intelligence was relatively passable.
With a little thought, she realized that her relationship with the opponent was, until recently, an awkward one of inexplicably 'killing each other'.
If she didn't think about improving relations, then even if this man had a way for souls to remain in the real world for long periods, he would have absolutely no reason to let Esdeath out.
As for how to improve relations... she could only start by being obedient.
The opponent was strong enough, after all, and didn't reveal expressions unbecoming of a powerhouse like this flying dango.
Esdeath always respected such powerhouses.
At least for now, she really had no intention of causing trouble.
And judging from the duel with Cecilia... okay, it should be called a unilateral massacre, her combat skills still had much room for improvement.
She would exchange martial arts tips with Cecilia here. As for later matters, she would deal with them later.
"Hmm..."
Seeing Esdeath obediently choose to return to the Demon Castle with Cecilia, Aaron turned his gaze to Bronya, who had been responsible for spectating.
But in the next instant, because Higokumaru withdrew its power to actively surrender, Yae Sakura, Bronya, and Aaron returned to reality simultaneously.
"Ah, back."
Feeling her legs return to that 'familiar' sensation, even Bronya, whose emotional circuits were damaged, felt a wave of disappointment in this instant.
She had to admit, the feeling of moving without an exoskeleton armor was indeed much better than now.
But sadly, fake things were ultimately fake.
And, the man seemed to have mentioned in the illusion while talking to those people that the culprit causing this event... was a Herrscher?
Does this mean... if she obtains intelligence about Herrschers from him, or gets that katana with the [Herrscher Core] from his hands, Bronya and Mother Cocolia might have a chance to save Seele!
But now, what should Bronya do?
Forcing it is definitely out. Bronya's strength is far inferior to his. Even Mother Cocolia's Titans might not succeed... Why did I think of robbing him first?
Although this man's origin is unknown, he did save Bronya once. He is Bronya's benefactor, yet Bronya immediately thought of treating him with such an attitude...
Is it because I'm too anxious about Seele...
Seele...
Suddenly realizing her thoughts were too extreme, Bronya felt she had become increasingly obsessed since that incident last year.
Now that a clue had appeared before her eyes, this was already significant progress compared to the past.
Calm down. Bronya must calm down.
Wait, no.
Recalling the strangers who appeared before her just now, Bronya suddenly realized she had missed a crucial piece of intelligence.
Among the two women who appeared, she had seen the white-haired one in Anti-Entropy's database.
Cecilia Schariac. This was the name of the strongest Valkyrie who died in the Second Honkai Eruption fourteen years ago.
And the woman who appeared in that environment earlier had the exact same appearance as Cecilia.
Bronya had heard her adoptive mother, Cocolia, say that Cecilia saved many people during the Second Honkai Eruption.
And Cocolia was one of those she saved.
However, even such a Valkyrie who saved countless people eventually died in the Second Honkai Eruption.
Precisely for this reason, she believed only the Honkai could fight the Honkai, leading to that plan.
But now, Cecilia Schariac was still alive. This... what exactly happened during the Second Honkai Eruption?
Thinking of this missed intelligence, Bronya's eyes... well, because her emotional circuits were damaged, they couldn't immediately become incredibly sharp.
But now, Bronya was certain of one thing.
She had to stay by this man's side.
There were simply too many secrets and mysteries about him. If Bronya wanted to save Seele, rather than looking for Raiden Mei who had disappeared, it would be better to stay by this man's side.
Facing Bronya, who was standing blankly in place, Aaron chose to ignore the special-circumstance little girl for now.
Right now, he felt it was necessary to try something.
Beside the two, Yae Sakura, although recovered from her blank-eyed state, didn't know what to do facing this land made barren by the Honkai.
She didn't have these thoughts before because Higokumaru was possessing her.
Because of the Herrscher's possession, Yae Sakura had been in a muddled state, which was why she had lingered until now.
Once Higokumaru completely left her body, Yae Sakura had to face the mistakes she made five hundred years ago and the pain she couldn't forget.
The dead relatives, her own sins—they were like sharp knives trying to gouge pieces of flesh from her heart.
Only now, having completely turned into a non-human entity, she might not even have the ability to kill herself.
Now, what exactly should I do?
"Ah, one is thinking, and the other doesn't seem to react. No reaction... if no reaction, then forget it."
Walking to Yae Sakura's side, Aaron immediately began drawing the summoning circle he had drawn once hours ago.
"Still no reaction?"
Waving his hand in front of Yae Sakura and confirming the woman had no intention of moving for the time being, Aaron sighed slightly.
"Pure silver and iron. Oh Grand Duke who struck a contract with the cornerstone..."
Sigh, so long, so troublesome.
After chanting that complicated spell, Aaron poured his power into the summoning circle.
And as expected—the circle actually reacted again.
Aaron saw countless rays of light spreading from the circle to the surroundings.
Bronya, having come back to her senses, immediately took a nervous step back upon seeing this.
She couldn't be blamed for overreacting; the things she encountered today were simply too outrageous.
Bronya had already 'died' once in the illusion after being attacked by the Herrscher.
And what happened afterward exceeded her cognitive scope.
A Valkyrie who should have been dead was alive.
A supposedly incredibly powerful Herrscher was easily tamed like a pet by the man before her.
So now—what commotion could this person cause?
Bronya, you must be careful!
Then, in Bronya's eyes, the light bursting from the summoning circle gradually condensed into a small figure.
And Yae Sakura, who had been at a loss, suddenly rubbed her eyes after seeing this figure that shouldn't be here.
No, wrong, this...
"...Sister?"
"Rin?"
This small figure was her sister, Yae Rin, who had been dead for five hundred years!
This tone, this voice, and this petite body—there could be no mistake!
"Rin, why are you... No, that's not important."
"Welcome back, Rin."
Tightly hugging her sister who had been dead for years, happy tears flowed from Yae Sakura's eyes.
"Big Sister..."
Completely unaware of why she had resurrected, Yae Rin also snuggled tightly into her eldest sister's arms, whispering to her sister.
"I'm back, Big Sister."
Seeing the two sisters weeping in each other's arms, Aaron could only say... well, this is fine too.
But well—System, can you speak now?
[What is it.]
They both died five hundred years ago, so why is the soul rolled this time Yae Rin and not Kallen Kaslana? Am I being targeted on purpose?
[First, Yae Rin's soul fragments were already in Yae Sakura's Stigmata Space—didn't you read the manga?]
[Second, Kallen and Rin both died five hundred years ago, true, but the problem is Kallen died in Europe.]
[One person's soul fragments were hidden in the Stigmata Space and preserved, while Otto searched for the other's soul for five hundred years and couldn't find it. If you're rolling for people, of course you'd roll the former—since the latter can't be rolled at all.]
Ah, although saying this isn't a bad thing, but... is it really impossible to resurrect Kallen directly and stop Otto from causing trouble?
[At least this method won't work. And Tester No. 233, please don't take these two Heroic Spirit Summoning Circle summons of dead souls as the norm.]
[Cecilia could be summoned because her soul strength was high, she hasn't been dead for particularly long, her longing for her family was deep, and the Abyss Flower with her soul fragments attached was nearby. Only when these conditions were met could you succeed.]
[And Yae Rin was even simpler. Her soul was in the Stigmata Space. Once Higokumaru's possession was lifted, her soul fragments were free.]
[If you want to use this method to summon other people's souls... at least this System can tell you, with the soul strength of ordinary people, dead is dead.]
[Don't expect to use this means, which already violates the laws to a certain extent, to try and save everyone.]