Let me reiterate—although the Flame-Chasers of Fire Moth all regard each other as trustworthy and important companions, even akin to family from a certain perspective...
Without Elias leading and coordinating them, unity is simply impossible.
Perhaps precisely because each Flame-Chaser possesses overwhelming individual strength, they severely lack the ability to coordinate with one another.
Simply put, each of them is a god in solo combat, but when gathered together, they only end up dragging each other down.
On top of that, among the women there exists an additional layer of rivalry in love. This results in a situation where—even when someone encounters danger—as long as it isn't life-threatening, the Flame-Chasers will usually choose to watch the spectacle first.
For example, right now.
"Tsk tsk! This is way too entertaining."
"Didn't expect someone would actually try to snatch Hua's account."
"Haha~ Come on, both sides, give it your all!"
Although the current situation appeared somewhat dangerous, with the Herrscher of Sentience and Fu Hua looking like they might start fighting at any moment, everyone knew things were still fully under control.
They all had the ability to suppress the situation at any time, so every single one of them chose to sit back and enjoy the show, with absolutely no intention of helping.
At this moment, however, a certain Miss Pink Elf—who had already bought drinks and popcorn from Pardofelis using three crystal flowers and was eagerly waiting to see how things would unfold—had no idea.
In the future, she too would face a crisis where her "account" would be stolen.
"Herrscher, get out of my body. I believe even without me explaining, you understand clearly just how great the difference in personality is between you and the real Fu Hua. You are not truly me."
Fu Hua stated the facts to the Herrscher occupying her body. At the same time, she had to admit in her heart that she had indeed developed a feeling called jealousy toward the other.
This rude being, like a willful child, had effortlessly accomplished something she hadn't managed in fifty thousand years.
Fu Hua currently had no physical body, so just now she could only watch helplessly as "she" kissed Elias. At most, she could only shout in her heart, "Let go of Elias—let me do it!"
This feeling of "there's nothing I can do" was unbearable. Fu Hua felt as though she were trapped in a nightmare.
"Hah? I have Fu Hua's body and Fu Hua's memories, so of course I'm Fu Hua. As for personality... I admit I'm quite different from the one in those memories, but so what? People change all the time."
"Fu Hua" crossed her legs and folded her arms, refusing to back down.
"And the me in the past was way too rigid. The current me is different. I'm stronger, more decisive—I can do anything! So I am the complete Phoenix, the complete Fu Hua, the complete... me!"
"..." xN
Although it felt a bit unfair to Fu Hua, everyone present had the urge to applaud Senti. If nothing else, her presence and momentum were absolutely overwhelming.
But that was normal. After all, unruly children were always fearless and brimming with inexplicable confidence.
Compared to calm, steady, reliable, rule-abiding Fu Hua, Senti was lively, passionate, reckless, and unrestrained. The two were like opposite sides of the same coin.
(Though thinking about it... I feel like Hua is the yang, and Senti is the yin... maybe it's just prejudice carried over from a past life, but Hua feels more dominant while Senti feels more submissive... yeah, better not say that out loud.)
Elias silently commented in his heart, watching the "Fu Hua vs. Senti" spectacle with great interest.
"There is no logic in your words, Herrscher," Fu Hua said expressionlessly.
"Hmph! Stop calling me Herrscher—it's annoying! If I really were one, then you'd be my dad, okay?!" "Fu Hua" frowned in irritation.
"...I don't have a daughter like you. Stop claiming relatives. And why 'dad'?"
"Isn't it obvious? Looking like that, should we go out on the street and ask people whether more think you're a man or a woman?"
"..."
The "Flat Immortal" twitched at the corner of her eye, feeling as though she had been struck straight in her weakest point. She had the urge to cough up blood.
If she had a physical body right now, Fu Hua swore she would split this brat open with a single strike—even if it meant using her own body, she'd still crack her skull open!
No matter whether more people voted for "male" or "female," as long as even one person chose the former, she had already lost!
"Y-you're the same, aren't you?"
"I—I'll definitely grow in the future!"
"Fu Hua" placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her equally flat chest. Though she had no real basis, she sincerely believed she still had the chance to grow.
"By the way, why are you so certain I'm a Herrscher? My belief has always been to fight against Honkai. If I were a Herrscher, shouldn't I at least have gone through something like Elias, Elysia, or Welt—deciding to fight for humanity?"
"So your accusation makes no sense at all. Everyone, judge fairly—would Honkai really allow such a messenger to exist? A Herrscher who is inherently opposed to it, using its power while raising a rebellious sword against it?"
"That's obviously impossible, right? What, did Honkai lose its mind?"
(Uh... she actually makes a good point~) xN
If they didn't already know the truth, they might have actually believed her.
Elias lifted his head with a subtle expression, looking out the window at the bright moon in the daytime sky—or rather, the Cocoon of Finality on the moon. He couldn't help but wonder what Honkai's current state of mind was.
Honkai: (...Don't even mention it! I thought this was my chance to turn things around, but the moment I let go, this brat was gone. This is f—%#@...!)
Though incomprehensible, it was clearly filled with colorful language.
Up to this point in the Current Era, every Herrscher had defected. In Honkai's eyes, Senti—occupying the Immortal's body—was essentially the village's last hope.
Yet the moment she was sent out...
She immediately defected to the enemy.
If Honkai truly had emotions, it would already be mentally collapsing right now. If someone were to approach it at this moment and propose the "Pseudo God Plan," asking to rewind time five hundred years and start over...
Then even without Prometheus interfering, Honkai would absolutely agree.
Honkai: (This match is torture! Everyone defecting—how the hell am I supposed to play this?! I want a restart!)
Fu Hua: "Herrscher of Sentience, I understand your situation is very special. It is not your fault that you cannot recognize your identity, but... you are undoubtedly a Herrscher. If you don't believe me, you can ask anyone here."
"Fu Hua": "Hah? Why are you still saying that? Fine then—Elysia, Elias, Kiana, you all judge! Loud and clear, tell her who the real Fu Hua is!"
Elias, Elysia, and Kiana exchanged glances, somewhat helplessly amused.
Continuing to watch them argue would indeed be entertaining—but it was almost time to eat.
Nothing was more important than food. And while watching the drama was fun, they couldn't actually let Fu Hua's "account" be stolen.
Thus, under Senti's stunned gaze—
"Sorry, Hua... well, I'll just call you Senti like Elias does. You really aren't the real Hua."
"Yeah! Our class monitor definitely isn't as reckless as you, Senti. There's no way she'd confess to Elias face-to-face like that."
"Ahem... it's about time to switch back. Senti, if you want, I can help you make a new body."
"N-no! You've got it wrong, right?! Why are you all choosing her?! I'm the real Fu Hua! Elias—you're joking, right?!"
"Fu Hua" widened her eyes in shock.
Looking at the three who had all chosen the "other her," she felt deeply betrayed, like a bullied child. She even looked a little aggrieved.
"I—I refuse to believe I'm a Herrscher!"
Elias sighed softly and reached out to pat "Fu Hua" on the head. But he knew that right now, she had to accept reality. The rest could be handled slowly afterward.
"I'm sorry, Senti. I understand how you feel, but this is the truth. Be good... return the body to Hua first."
"No! I won't! I'm not giving it back—wait, that's not right! This body is mine to begin with! Why should I return it?! If you say I'm a Herrscher, then show me proof!"
"Alright then. But first, let me say—I really like you, Senti. Thank you for your confession just now."
As Elias spoke, his right hand was already equipped with the pseudo Divine Key—the Hand of the Void. Then, that hand, containing immense spatial power, reached directly into "Fu Hua's" chest.
(...Hm? That just now felt like it hit something.)
Elias raised an eyebrow slightly, but quickly refocused. His movements were practiced—after a brief rummaging, he pulled something out.
It was a Herrscher Core radiating dense Honkai energy.
The Core of the Eighth Herrscher—the Gem of Sentience.
If one needed proof of being a Herrscher, there was no evidence in the world more direct and irrefutable than a Herrscher Core.
"How is this possible?! How could it be like this?!"
"Fu Hua" widened her eyes, staring at the Gem of Sentience that Elias had pulled out from her flat chest. Her entire being froze in shock.
Now, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she couldn't. After all, what kind of Herrscher wouldn't recognize their own Herrscher Core?
Moreover, strictly speaking, the Herrscher of Sentience has no physical body. Its very existence is a form of consciousness—one could even call it a meme. In that sense, this Gem of Sentience is essentially the body of the Herrscher of Sentience.
"Senti, this is reality."
Elias returned the Herrscher Core in his hand to "Fu Hua." She stared blankly at the Core—more precious than any gemstone in the world—yet her eyes were filled with disappointment instead.
"...Damn it! I can't accept this!"
Feeling the resonance between herself and the Gem of Sentience, she could no longer escape reality. In the next moment, Senti hurled the priceless treasure onto the ground in disgust.
At this moment, she felt like a complete clown. She even had the impulse to rewrite her own consciousness—or even everyone else's—so that all would believe she was Fu Hua, not some Herrscher.
At that very moment, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
(You have finally remembered your identity. That's right—you are a Herrscher, my apostle of Honkai. Your purpose is to destroy human civilization. The time has come... fulfill your mission, Herrscher of Sentience!)
What an authoritative voice—an existence far beyond human comprehension. Just hearing it made Senti, as a Herrscher, instinctively want to obey.
And in that instant, she understood.
This was her creator. This was a god. This was Honkai.
It could only be said that Honkai had truly gone all out this time, giving Senti the same "favored child" treatment as Sirin in the original storyline.
It directly injected its will into her mind—and this was not the fake "Will of Honkai" disguised by Prometheus, but the true Honkai itself.
However, just as this god expected the Herrscher of Sentience—who had finally realized her true identity—to carry out her mission and wreak havoc upon the Current Era...
Senti: "Hah? Who do you think you are? So what if you're Honkai itself? You want me to destroy the world and I just do it? Wouldn't that make me look pathetic? No thanks—get lost!"
Honkai: "???"
Before Honkai could even react, Senti directly muted it.
The connection between Honkai and the Herrscher of Sentience was like a phone call. Because Honkai had higher authority, any call it initiated had to be answered, and the Herrscher had no right to hang up.
But Senti just so happened to be the Herrscher who controlled consciousness. While she couldn't hang up... she could mute the caller.
Senti: "Hmph~ That stupid Honkai actually tried to trick me. Doesn't it know how badly it's been losing these past two seasons? If I really agreed to destroy the world, I'd be dead the next second."
Right now, the peak combat forces of two civilizations were gathered inside this Valkyrie dormitory. Compared to the Previous Era, the Current Era's human faction was even more terrifying.
Not to mention the fifteen Flame-Chasers of Fire Moth from the last era—even all the Herrschers of the Previous Era, including Finality, had joined humanity's side. Add in the Current Era's own formidable strength...
Even ignoring all that, Elias alone was enough to pin Honkai to the ground and beat it senseless.
Senti: "Do you really think I'm stupid? Just because I'm a Herrscher doesn't mean I have to listen to you. Besides, times have changed—where is there even a Herrscher still on your side?"
Honkai: "..."
Even after realizing she was a Herrscher, the influence of Fu Hua's memories on Senti had not disappeared. Compared to Honkai—which was cold, emotionless, and treated Herrschers as mere tools—
Senti naturally preferred humanity.
And more importantly, the reason she had been so stubborn about becoming Fu Hua wasn't just because she mistook herself for the Immortal Phoenix.
It was because she had developed admiration.
For Fu Hua, for the Flame-Chasers, for Elias, for both the Previous Era and Current Era—for all those who had fought to protect human civilization from Honkai, heroes worthy of the name.
Those epic, magnificent memories stirred something within her. She wanted a life like theirs—proud, glorious, passionate, vibrant.
Wasn't that far more meaningful than being Honkai's puppet?
That said, Senti still felt deeply dejected. She wasn't Fu Hua... she was just a clown...
"Senti, be good~ don't be upset."
"Here, come on, I'll treat you to some popcorn."
"Don't overthink it. Being a Herrscher isn't so bad."
Seeing the once lively and confident Senti now crouching on the ground in self-isolation, everyone stepped forward to comfort her.
Elias used telekinesis to retrieve the Herrscher Core she had thrown away earlier, his expression somewhat complicated. It was probably the first time he'd seen a Herrscher treat their own Core like this.
Clearly, the identity of a Herrscher had dealt Senti quite a blow.
"Eli, hurry and use your talent for comforting girls. Look, Senti is about to wither," Elysia said.
"I'm not a flower... and what do you mean my talent is comforting girls? Ely, why are you stating facts so bluntly?"
Elias rolled his eyes at the pink elf, then hugged the withdrawn Senti and began to coax her.
"Ahem, Senti... I actually think you should be proud of yourself. After all, you've accomplished something none of us could. That's really amazing."
"Eh? I... what did I do?"
Senti looked at him blankly, clearly not remembering doing anything remarkable.
"You're the first Herrscher in history who, from the moment of birth, was willing to fight for humanity. Just like you said earlier—even I, Elysia, and Welt didn't make that decision at the very beginning."
Elias gave her a thumbs-up. Senti froze for a moment, then visibly grew proud.
"That's true!"
"Right? This represents another solid step forward for humanity in overcoming Honkai. So now, on behalf of the world, I welcome the great Herrscher of Sentience! Let us celebrate your birth with thunderous fireworks and applause!"
As Elias spoke, he shot Vill-V a glance. The master magician immediately understood, somehow pulling out a fireworks machine and setting it off.
Elysia also took the lead in applauding.
Senti stared blankly at the scene—the dazzling fireworks, the enthusiastic applause—and Elias, who had even lowered his mental defenses, guiding her to use her authority over consciousness on him.
In that instant, she clearly sensed it.
The white-haired boy before her was genuinely happy about her birth. And his affection toward her was so high that even she felt a little embarrassed.
All her dejection vanished in an instant.
"Ahem! F-fine! Since you're all welcoming me so warmly, I'll give you face! Everyone, look at me again—I have another announcement!"
Senti coughed lightly and stood up.
"I, the great Herrscher of Sentience, hereby declare that from now on, I will use my identity as a Herrscher to assist humanity! With me here, Honkai is nothing but trash! Humanity will win!"
This time, she wasn't speaking as "Fu Hua," but as herself—the Herrscher of Sentience—choosing to fight for humanity.
At this point, the number of Herrschers fighting for humanity had reached a staggering 1,021—this not even counting the increasing number of pseudo-Herrschers at St. Freya Academy.
(Honkai: "...How am I supposed to play this?")
"Good. That's enough, Senti. You don't need to become Hua—you just need to be yourself."
"Yeah! That's right! I don't need to become Fu Hua!"
Senti immediately exited the body, returning the Immortal's body to Fu Hua. Then, using the Gem of Sentience as a core, she constructed her own memetic body.
But just as everyone was thinking she was easy to reason with—
"I don't need to play some old fossil! I already confessed to Elias—I did something she couldn't do in fifty thousand years! I've surpassed Fu Hua! This is the real me—the all-powerful Herrscher of Sentience! Hahaha~!"
"Taixuan Eminence!"
Watching Senti fully embody the "inflation" trait of a Herrscher, Fu Hua—now surrounded by dark energy—showed no mercy. The moment she regained her body, she unleashed a strike of Taixuan Eminence at this unruly child.
A colossal red-gold flaming sword pierced through the clouds, through the dormitory ceiling, and descended directly onto Senti's head.
The meaning of this strike was crystal clear.
Fu Hua: "Herrscher of Sentience... I've tolerated you for long enough!"