---
[6. The Second Eruption began in the Tower of Babylon, a Schicksal-based experimental facility deep within the Siberian glaciers.]
[What caused this catastrophe and the birth of the Second Herrscher?]
[A. Sirin wanted to find her mother.]
[B. Persecuted by Schicksal, she witnessed the deaths of her friends and, seduced by the Honkai, threw herself into it.]
[C. Humanity has its limits! (Realizing the limits of a human identity, Sirin chooses not to be human!)]
[D. The world is so big, Sirin wants to see it.]
The sixth question followed.
Seeing the content of this question,
The expressions of the witnesses of the Second Eruption all grew complicated.
Although she didn't know the details, Mei had learned a lot from Theresa because of the previous questions that touched on it, so she raised an eyebrow.
"...Second Herrscher... Sirin...huh?"
Speaking of this name, she subconsciously glanced at Kiana, who had a very close relationship with Sirin.
In the previous video, Otto had already revealed the entirety of the sinister plan. However, they didn't really have a strong impression of this so-called Second Herrscher.
The only impression they had was from the Final Lesson and the Will of the Herrscher.
As for the reason for the Second Herrscher's birth, as mentioned in the question, they were still unclear.
Perhaps out of curiosity, Mei fixed her gaze on Theresa, a questioning look in her eyes.
And Theresa naturally understood what this meant. However, she appeared deeply conflicted about this.
Einstein naturally understood that Theresa didn't want to expose the darkness of Schicksal to Kiana and the others.
She understood this so she consciously assumed the role of villain, revealing to Kiana and the others the darkness hidden beneath Schicksal's seemingly glamorous facade.
"To treat those suffering from illness, Schicksal built a unique medical facility deep within the Siberian glaciers—the Tower of Babel."
Einstein paused. "But that was only the public announcement."
"According to intelligence we've received from within Schicksal, the Tower of Babel is actually a major, large-scale Honkai research facility. Its primary purpose is to perfect the artificial stigmata technology that forms the foundation of Schicksal's Valkyrie Army."
"Inside the Tower of Babel are orphans from around the world. Schicksal took them from their families under the guise of medical treatment, but their true purpose is to use them as experimental subjects for perfecting artificial stigmata technology."
"The artificial stigmata you see now, products of Honkai, are basically... gained through hundreds and thousands of experiments on these test subjects."
"The fate of these test subjects is that if they're lucky, they might survive the first test, but after that, they'll be subjected to repeated experiments until their usefulness is exhausted."
"These test subjects, having endured so much pain, will meet their end—their bodies will be abandoned in the snow and ice after death, without even a proper grave."
"And the Second Herrscher, Sirin, is one of those persecuted."
After hearing this, a hint of surprise crossed Mei's face.
Under the protection of Raiden Ryoma, she hadn't been exposed to much darkness, so hearing this should have been a shock.
But... thanks to the wisdom her glasses imparted, Mei had already anticipated the darkness she would face.
Bronya on the other hand, showed no emotion. Born a mercenary, she rose to fame at a young age, having long since grown accustomed to the existence of darkness.
The more glamorous a place is, the more filth it harbors. Bronya understood this truth, so she found the evil hidden within Schicksal unsurprising; rather, she would have been surprised if it hadn't happened.
Of the three, Kiana was the only one who reacted most strongly to the revelations.
She was shocked by this appalling crime, yet also tormented by it.
As the continuation of Sirin, her tragic past was etched into her DNA. More than anyone else, Kiana could personally relate to the misery and despair faced by the experimental subjects, as described by Einstein.
Looking at Kiana's complex, dazed expression, Theresa sighed.
Mei and Bronya's reactions were fine, but Kiana's...
This was the reason she was so entangled and reluctant to speak.
For Kiana, always innocent and carefree, having previously lived under Siegfried's protection and not having experienced much darkness, this profound darkness, so deeply connected to her, was a real blow.
However, as the previous video had said, Kiana would eventually grow up...
The stalemate on this issue didn't last long. After eliminating the odd choices, they quickly arrived at the correct one.
However, this time, it was Himeko who made the choice.
As the continuation of Sirin, Kiana should have been the most suitable person to answer this question. However, the darkness revealed by the question shook Kiana's faith, leading her to fall into self-doubt.
Mei wanted to comfort her, but Himeko stopped her.
Not everything can be guided by others, and Himeko, as Kiana's teacher, understood this.
At this moment, Kiana should be left alone to figure things out.
Encouragement from those around her is essential.
But now was not the time.
After answering the question, the Homu reward box arrived again.
This time, it landed in Fu Hua's hands.
Amidst the strange looks from others and Book of Fuxi's disdainful gaze, Fu Hua awkwardly handed the Homu reward box to Himeko.
Himeko opened the box.
The golden light still shone.
From the box, Himeko found... a complete set of stigmata!
Under everyone's eager gaze, the stats for this stigma appeared.
[Thales - Upper/Middle/Lower]
[The ultimate fire-attribute stigma, granting the user immense power]
[Effect 1: Complete Adaptation to Honkai Energy: No longer susceptible to damage from Honkai Energy]
[Effect 2: Fire Adaptability: In combat, significantly increases resistance and self-healing abilities]
[Effect 3: More Courage: While in combat, continuously increases Strength, reaching a peak of 100% strength.]
[Note: Feel the power of this flame!]
The information about this stigma was clearly visible.
Powerful...incredibly powerful.
Mei tried to compare it to the Hannah's upper and middle sets Fu Hua had drawn earlier, but found there was no comparison. This set of Thales' stigmata would absolutely decimate Hannah.
She suspected that even a full set of Hannah's stigmata wouldn't be able to match this set of Thales' stigmata.
Hmm... Speaking of full sets, Mei blinked and couldn't help but glance at Fu Hua.