"You're here."
"Of course I am. I was only outside for 30 minutes."
As he sat back down on Welt's sofa, Adam rolled his eyes at him
He crossed one leg over the other once again, casually picking up the cup filled with water as he drank it all in one gulp
"You make a good bargain, and... I never really had a choice, did I?"
Welt let out a tired sigh, his expression filled with resignation and frustration
The combination of Raiden Mei and this boy…...Really, he had absolutely no chance at all.
Even if he hadn't planned on refusing this deal, it still somewhat frustrates him that, from the beginning, he has been at an absolute disadvantage
His wounded body could give out if he went all out…..Thus, he had no room to refuse and could not actually bargain with the other party.
Welt was aware of that. He felt frustrated and useless, but he could do nothing about it.
-Of course, if this student were unreasonable or made any excessive demands, he wouldn't hesitate to go all out in an effort to take him down with him
Fortunately, the other party was reasonable and didn't strike a deal with that blond-haired madman
"Don't sound so bitter, leader of Anti-Entropy." Adam smiled, crossing his hands in front of his chest. "You're trading a…part of honkai for a way to defeat honkai itself. It's more than fair, isn't it?"
"....." Welt's eyebrows twitched. "Thank you for your generosity, student Adam."
….
Though it came off slightly sarcastic, the brown haired man felt the opposite.
Using honkai to defeat honkai was always a method he doubted. After all, even the previous era failed. So, what could they, who were far less advanced, actually do?
Sure, relying on their seniors to pave the way and use their past wisdom to innovate and find a way out sounds plausible….But unfortunately, honkai doesn't wait for them.
The first honkai eruption was in 1972, the second was in 2000, and the third was in 2014.
The time for Herrschers' birth is getting shorter and shorter, and they are gradually running out of time.
So when it came down to it, Welt actually had no qualms about trading a Herrscher core for more hope
His dissatisfaction merely came from his helplessness. However, unlike another childish Herrscher, he wouldn't let his own personal emotions control his actions
.....If he truly wanted to bargain, he could only offer the other party more
…
"You're very welcome."
The silver-haired boy smiled brightly at him
"Have you made your choice?"
At his expected question, Welt and Tesla looked at each other, making eye contact
"....Yes"
The brown haired man replied. And, taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak-
"We want to know about Otto's true goal, the will of honkai, and honkai."
He paused, eyebrows furrowing.
In fact, he was quite puzzled why Honkai and Will of honkai were considered separate….However, considering this boy's 'future vision', there should be a good reason to keep those two separate
"....Alright then."
Adam glanced at the red-haired girl on the holographic projection, and looked away
Hm….It seemed that he gave them too much of a difficult choice. He expected them to choose World Serpent- but right, compared to Honkai and their main enemy, they obviously put a mysterious organization on the back end…..
"Let's start with honkai."
He tapped his thigh, eyes straightening into absolute seriousness as he opened his mouth and prepared to yap-
"Wait."
The first herrscher raised a hand, interrupting him before he even started
"Hm?"
"Firstly….."
Welt took a deep breath, eyes flaring crimson. He lowered his hand, palm facing the ceiling
"Let's discuss the details of our deal again- we also want to know something else. "
A crystal-like object shimmering with pure light appeared in his hand and-
A brilliant blue light, tinged with an otherworldly sci-fi glow, bathed the entire room like a rising tide of flames
-This was the Core of the Herrscher of Reason!
"...Oh?"
Before even processing his words, Adam's eyes inaverdetedly fixed on the core in Welt's hands
"....We also want to trade this-"
He raised his other hand, and in that palm lay a pure dark ball of darkness.
It was akin to a black hole, with outer edges stained with a blood red color exuding an otherworldly light
-Divine key, Star of Eden
"In exchange for information concerning World Serpent, that Star Rail world, and…." He paused, turning to look at Tesla, "...Our future."
He spoke softly, his face filled with concern
"....I see."
The silver-haired boy closed his eyes in thought.
"....."
Then, mechanically, he turned to look at Tesla on the screen beside Welt.
Uncharacteristically, she remained silent with her hair bowed down, mainly blocking her eyes from being seen
….
That was….interesting
Adam never thought that information about World Serpent, Star rail, and some bits of the future would be worthy of a whole additional divine key
But for them to make this choice….It seemed that they really valued feelings.
….
"Well, since you're so sincere…"
He put his hands on his thighs, slowly standing up with deliberate motions
"Consider it a gift born of respect….."
All around him, a bluish-golden Aura began flooding the room with its brightness
"-I'll also unlock….Aura for you."
…
..
.
The moonlight deepened as the satellite of this earth hung in the sky like an eternal guardian.
Adam strolled along the small path beside Saint Freya's garden, his steps light, practically skipping.
-This, along with the bright and genuine smile on his face, showed just how great his current mood was.
A gentle breeze swept against his face, ruffling his silver hair
Resting quietly in his pocket was the Herrscher of Reason's Core, exuding a bluish glow and glimmering like a sapphire. The Star of Eden was already in his [Stomach], being analyzed by his trusty skill.
The transaction was complete.
He delivered all the info, and he also gave them a power beyond the Imaginary Tree's. He unlocked Welt's Aura and taught him how to unlock other people's Aura as well
Of course, the way of unlocking Aura for non-Remnant natives and people who weren't Chat Rooms members was different, and….Unfortunately, the Aura unlocked by this method is very little and can't be increased in any way.
He also informed them about the fact that he can make some basic skills, within limits. He told them to think long and hard about what they want to custom-make.
…But as an organization that doesn't use humans to fight against the honkai, Adam doesn't expect them to request offensive skills.
And though he didn't expect them to also offer up the Star of Eden….He did provide that info about their future as 'bait' to make the negotiations a bit easier.
-It was more successful than expected.
…
While Adam's thoughts were running freely, his body was swiftly moving towards the woods of St.Freya Academy
Night was certainly the best time to sneak away unnoticed
To fuse with the core and become the new Herrscher of Reason….He would need to make a 'stir' and cause a mini-honkai eruption.
Of course, he will instantly absorb all the overflowing honkai energy, preventing it from harming the enviroment- but it would still cause a commotion that wouldn't easily be hidden
'Hm….'
The silver-haired boy let his thoughts ponder once again
….
What should he do with the wills inside the core?
The first herrscher of reason, Welt Joyce, defended the city of Berlin from a honkai fission bomb dropped by the Overseer of Shickshal
However, this man couldn't shield the city. Those who died became part of the Herrscher core
300.000 people, along with the original Joyce's will remain in the core- that's why, Joachim, the second herrscher of Reason, can easily maintain his humanity, resist honkai's influence, and fight for civilization
-Worthy of being called Honkai's first traitor
And.... he does have an idea on what to do with those wills….It's just doubtful whether it'd actually work.
…..Even if it didn't, no harm will be done anyway
….
As Adam gazed upon the Herrscher core in his hand, his black sclera and glowing blue eyes reflected the countless souls that held the spirit of rebellion
"…..The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage."
He muttered softly
Even now, those fragmented souls continued to resist Honkai's corruption for the wielder of this power.
Their protection had extended to Bronya as well- allowing her to successfully become the Herrscher of Reason, and later, the Herrscher of Truth
"You can….temporarily sleep and rest."
His eyes glowed, and the souls in the core flickered and calmed down, like lights slowly turning off.
"Fou~"
Adam exhaled, his sclera turning back to white as his eyes stopped glowing. Feeling his head ache, he raised a hand, massaging a temple slowly
Fortunately, using telepathy to put them all to speak worked spectacularly.
"I feel shit."
With a frown, his face scrunched.
Though Jean's psionics is very, very, very strong, it still took a huge toll on him to put 300.000 wills to sleep.
Fortunately, they were only somewhat incomplete wills, not actual people. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to do it all at once
"..."
Feeling himself recover slowly, the silver-haired boy clenched his hand around the Herrscher core of Reason
Then-
"Get ready, Great Sage."
[Understood!]
Booooooooooooom
A violent storm burst forth.
From Adam's body, torrents and pulses of Honkai energy surged continuously like an unstoppable flood, displacing the air from its intensity
This tide, laced with a pinkish-red glow, poured into the blue Core before him
Shhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
The blue crystal in his hand exploded with brilliant light, illuminating him and the forest in a bright and suffocating glow
...…
Adam only had one second to gaze upon a realm full of dim, asleep stars before he found himself in a pure white space of nothingness
In front of him stood….a white, colorless, featureless humanoid figure that had a rough shape and outline of his own body.
Akin to his reflection, it was familiar in form, yet it was foreign.
It was….god
…
..
.
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A/N:
Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I have to make sure that the next scene is as PEAK as possible.
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