"So, you're saying this masked man is the Overseer of Schicksal? He shouldn't... why...?!"
Kiana froze, stunned by the unexpected answer.
"As the supreme leader of Schicksal, an organization dedicated to fighting the Honkai, why would he release a Herrscher intent on destroying humanity? Right?" Hermit voiced the Knight's confusion, and the white-haired girl nodded.
"Because he seeks an answer, yearning to fulfill a lifelong wish..."
"And only a god can grant him that answer... That's why the Second Herrscher cannot die in his eyes, at least... not yet. She's the most likely path to finding that god."
The colossal dragon-like Judgment-class Honkai Beast seized its queen and soared beyond the atmosphere, hurtling toward the Moon. On the ground, the others could only watch helplessly as she vanished into the distance.
"...The current Schicksal Overseer, Otto Apocalypse, has already lived for 500 years. If he so desires, he could live another 500... until his lifelong wish is fulfilled."
"So, what exactly is his wish... that he would even release a Herrscher for it?!"
"Don't be so impatient, Kiana—everyone craves the truth, but without dismantling and analyzing the tangled web of clues and obfuscation, who can truly see it?"
"You must always remain calm. It allows you to perceive others' flaws and oversights—"
Hermit shook her head at the restless Kiana before her and gently tapped her forehead.
"I wish I could be as composed as you, but how can anyone stay calm in such a situation...?"
The young Knight rubbed her slightly sore forehead and grumbled loudly.
"Because anger serves no purpose other than to make you more furious."
"What good is anger? Just makes you yell louder when you fight? Does your damage output depend on yelling?"
Hermit gazed at Kiana, who paused, then shook her head decisively.
"Exactly. Now, keep watching... The truth of any story always reveals itself in the end, doesn't it?"
"Fine... but this Overseer is seriously infuriating..."
Kiana muttered under her breath, dutifully following Hermit's footsteps.
"Let's put that aside for now..." Hermit seemed to abruptly cut off a scene, shifting the perspective to a desolate, gray-white landscape.
"What did you just cut off, Hermit? Why were we seeing Stinky Dad and Mom?" Kiana demanded, glaring at the Hermit for interrupting the vision of her sister Cecilia falling from the sky.
The Hermit merely offered a cryptic reply: "Don't let kids get into early romances!"
"Uh..."
The Hermit's stern tone instantly quelled Kiana's curiosity.
"Is this the Moon? What are we doing here?" Kiana asked, surveying her surroundings. Her gaze lifted to the blue planet hanging in the distance, and she immediately understood their location.
"After being rescued by Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse, that dragon-type Honkai Beast brought the Second Herrscher here... to the far side of the Moon."
"Huh? Why's there a ruin here?"
Kiana turned to see a dilapidated ancient temple standing silently.
"That's a relic from the previous civilization," the Hermit explained. "In that era, humanity sealed a portion of the Honkai's power within this place."
"The Second Herrscher obtained the power that had been sealed here in the past... and some of those powers should be very familiar to you..."
"The Thunder of Conquest, the Storm of Desire, the Flames of Haste, and the Death of Serenity—these are the four Gems, each representing an extension of a specific Herrscher Authority..."
"The Thunder of Conquest... isn't that the Gem of Conquest Mei possesses?"
Kiana looked at the Hermit, who nodded, confirming the girl's suspicion.
"Having acquired five Herrscher Authorities, the Second Herrscher has now embarked on a path of no return... a path of self-destruction."
The Hermit watched the purple-haired girl laugh maniacally as she levitated pillars and rubble from the ruins, transforming them into meteorites to hurl at Earth. Her tone carried a hint of mockery and pity.
"Self-destruction? Why?" The white-haired girl picked up on the mockery and pity in the Hermit's tone and asked curiously. "Shouldn't a Herrscher with five Authorities be incredibly powerful?"
"Kiana, do you know why the first thirteen Herrschers were each born with only one Authority...?"
The Hermit suppressed her emotions, reverting to her usual icy tone.
"Um... I don't know. They can't just accommodate it, right?"
"That's the correct answer, Kiana—they cannot accommodate it. Each foreign Authority they acquire adds to the burden on a Herrscher, let alone five..."
"The only reason she's unharmed right now is thanks to the Gem of Serenity."
"The Second Herrscher, consumed by the near-infinite power granted by her 'God,' has completely forgotten about her physical body..."
"So, this 'God' doesn't sound like a good entity either..."
"Ha... A God's way of thinking is far different from that of humans. It merely revealed the existence of these Authorities to the Second Herrscher, and she actively requested the Gem from it..."
"That being probably just found it amusing to grant her this power. After all... for it, it's utterly insignificant—maybe even a source of amusement?"
"So, these gods are just a bunch of amusement-seekers, huh?"
Kiana rolled her eyes at this.
"Well, you're not exactly wrong..."
Hermit nodded in agreement with Kiana's assessment.
"Let's return to the heart of the story. The meteor dropped by the Second Herrscher has already caused tens of millions of casualties on Earth, forcing both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy to respond."
"Their response was directed at the Second Herrscher's provocation against Anti-Entropy's Leader, the First Herrscher Welt Yang..."
"Having gained new power, the Second Herrscher was no longer satisfied with her current state..."
"She craved more power—and sought to kill the First Herrscher, whom she saw as a traitor to the gods, to prove her loyalty to them..."
"The Second Herrscher invited Welt Yang to the Moon for a final duel—"
"And from that moment onward, her countdown to destruction officially began..."
"Why do I suddenly feel so bad for the Second Herrscher? Her boss is just in it for the amusement, and she didn't even realize her body was falling apart..."
Kiana muttered to herself, and Hermit, overhearing the girl's muttering, sighed:
"This child has been a tragic figure from the very beginning, both before and after becoming a Herrscher..."
The scene then shifted again.