With the God of Honkai's interference eliminated, Theresa and Herrscher Theresa resumed their deadlock, just as when they first clashed.
Herrscher Theresa held the advantage with her innate affinity for Herrscher abilities, able to disrupt Theresa's energy flow with mere thoughts. Conversely, Theresa excelled through her superior combat awareness and experience—especially wielding Judah, her most familiar weapon, with exceptional skill.
In a sense, being able to contend equally with her own Herrscher Aspect so soon after becoming a Herrscher was uniquely impressive. There was indeed reason why Zeke and Otto selected her for the Herrscher of Binding experiment.
"Argh!"
In her hospital room, Theresa suddenly clutched her head, her delicate brows furrowed in pain. Her right eye glowed azure, while her left shone pure gold. After a moment, both eyes gradually returned to their natural blue hue, and the anguish on her face eased.
"To think she'd be this tenacious—it certainly won't be easy."
Theresa bit her lip, helplessly shaking her head. She understood mastering Herrscher powers would not happen overnight.
Apart from Fu Hua and Seele—the exceptional cases where their Herrscher Aspects were fervent fans of their true selves—every human-side Herrscher had endured immense hardship to complete their transformation.
Rushing things would only lead to failure—a principle Theresa understood well.
Leaning against her bed, Theresa took a moment to recover from mental exhaustion before lifting the covers and getting up.
"Icarus, please contact Zeke and tell him... I wish to visit Himeko. Also, could you bring me some clothes?"
"Certainly, Miss Theresa," came the gentle, clear voice of a young girl in response.
For several seconds, Theresa stood still, taking a deep breath. Noticing the clean nun's attire laid out on the bed, she began undressing, revealing her slender, fair-skinned body as she removed the hospital gown.
"Rustle, rustle!"
After the soft sounds of fabric brushing against skin, Theresa donned her usual nun's dress and meticulously tied the snowy white, lacy headscarf around her head, looking both dignified and adorably charming.
"Clap! Clap!"
"Himeko, just a moment, I'm coming to see you."
Theresa lightly patted her cheeks, refreshing herself, and stepped out of the room.
Following Icarus's directions, Theresa arrived at what appeared to be the entrance of a laboratory.
There, Zeke dressed in his black military uniform stood on one side while Hera, clad in her red gown, waited opposite, both seemingly anticipating her arrival for some time now.
"Grandpa, you're still alive?"
"My sincerest apologies; I'm hanging on by a thread for now. Did that disappoint Little Theresa?"
"Come here."
"Oh, do you have a surprise for me?"
Hera approached with a smile.
Then, she felt herself tightly embraced by small arms.
The grin gradually faded from Hera's face, replaced by an indescribable and complex expression.
"Little Theresa?"
"Don't talk... Just let me hold you for a moment," Theresa mumbled, her head buried against Hera's midsection.
She had always known of Otto's remarkable resilience, certain he would survive. Yet seeing Hera standing before her filled her with relief—though she couldn't help but question if feeling happy about Otto's survival was truly appropriate.
Unable to find an answer, Theresa slowly released Hera, dispersing those emotions.
Hera savored this rare display of affection from Theresa, overwhelmed by a mix of feelings that momentarily left her speechless.
Theresa turned to Zeke, who stood silently observing them as if deep in thought, and curiously asked:
"While it's true you can go anywhere, aren't your duties usually quite demanding? With medical examinations or experiments, shouldn't you be busy? I'll come find you later for any matters."
"...I'm on leave right now."
"Huh?"
Zeke's matter-of-fact response caught Theresa off guard.
In her memory, even before ascending to the throne, Zeke had always been a workaholic. Each day was filled with endless decisions to make and experiments to conduct; aside from meal times, he rarely had any free moments. After becoming emperor, even Kiana, who spent virtually every waking hour with him, occasionally complained about his lack of availability, highlighting the immense workload Zeke carried.
However, humans aren't made of steel, and taking breaks is indeed essential.
After a brief pause, Theresa nodded slowly. Blinking a few times, her eyes suddenly lit up with realization.
"Wait! Could it be that because Kiana is angry, you're afraid to face her? With nowhere else to go, have you come here seeking my intervention?"
"Thud!"
Just as Theresa finished speaking, Zeke's fist slammed into her head like a hammer.
"Ouch!"
"Don't jump to unrelated conclusions," Zeke stated expressionlessly, his voice equally devoid of emotion.
Why did everyone assume he couldn't handle Kiana's issues? It's just a squabble; Kiana has done this before. Offering some extra treats should suffice, or if not, I'll simply take her back tonight for...private tutoring, engaging in deep conversation—surely, she'll be well-disciplined afterward.
To Theresa, however, this seemed like guiltiness showing through.
"Pfft! Alright, alright, I won't bring it up again. By the way, Himeko is inside, right?"
"Right. Control your emotions; newly awakened Herrschers tend to lose control easily. Don't force my hand."
"I will, I understand." Theresa nodded firmly.
After their recent clash, the Herrscher personality didn't have much energy left for mischief, and Theresa herself was mentally prepared this time around. She was confident that nothing would go wrong.
With that settled, the trio entered through the open laboratory doors.
Inside a sealed tank lying horizontally, Theresa saw Himeko's body stripped of all limbs, still marred by numerous wounds.
Himeko's eyes were closed, her chest no longer rising and falling. Her peaceful appearance almost made it seem like she was merely asleep. But Theresa knew well—she had died at the hands of her own berserk Herrscher personality.
"Himeko..."
Theresa reached out, gently caressing the smooth, icy glass as if trying to touch Himeko's face beyond it, her eyes gradually reddening.
"You fool, I told you not to come seeking death. If something happened to me, wouldn't this leave me unable to rest even in death?"
Theresa vividly recalled the early days when Himeko first applied to join Saint Freya Academy. At that time, she had just lost all her teammates—including her beloved captain, Ragna—to the Herrscher of the Void. Consequently, Himeko was highly sensitive, often jolting awake from nightmares during sleep.
To ensure she could sleep and maintain her work performance, Himeko—who wasn't much of a drinker before—began relying heavily on alcohol as a sleeping aid. Thankfully, Valkyries have extraordinary constitutions; otherwise, who knows if she would've survived such reckless behavior?
Eventually, Theresa couldn't bear to watch this continue, and without realizing it, became Himeko's pillow for comfort.
Their friendship sprouted during that time, growing rapidly stronger with each passing day.
Later still, Theresa persistently urged Himeko to quit drinking, while Himeko kept an eye on Theresa's diet and work habits.
Through their peculiar compatibility, they forged a deep bond almost unwittingly. To the point where Himeko was willing to help Theresa devise strategies against Schicksal's archbishop, and Theresa slowly revealed the buried secrets of her past.
For this person, I am willing to die. At some point, their relationship had reached this level of intimacy.
And now, here lay Himeko, willingly sacrificing her soul for her dearest friend.
"And you even asked Kiana to tell me you don't blame me... Honestly, I haven't even complained about how you disobeyed orders and broke your promise yet!"
"I'm sorry—this is my first and last time, I swear. I'll never harm my friends again, Himeko. I promise."
Forcing a smile, Theresa tilted her head back, trying to hold back tears.
She had already cried enough today; any more would make it seem like the esteemed Principal Theresa's tears were cheap, not to mention how swollen her eyes might be tomorrow.
"Drip!"
A tear hit the glass tank, splattering into droplets.
Theresa couldn't suppress her sorrow and guilt as tears continued to fall.
"Hey, that's enough now! It's not like I lost your bitter melon or ripped your comics. Don't act as if I've been bullying you, silly Principal!"
With a teasing, languid grin, a pair of arms wrapped around Theresa from behind, accompanied by these words.
The familiar voice, warmth, scent, and the unmistakable softness she felt at the nape of her neck left Theresa frozen on the spot, her thoughts momentarily blank.
The fiery red-haired woman embracing Theresa possessed a mature, sultry figure. She glanced sideways with a feigned complaint towards Zeke, yet there was an unintentionally alluring charm in her gaze.
"Ah!"
Zeke glanced at Hera, seeing only innocence reflected in her smiling eyes. He shook his head and sighed.
In front of Theresa, Himeko's body flickered within the liquid-filled chamber before vanishing completely, leaving behind only the gently flowing pale blue fluid.
Reviving Himeko was always planned, so her physical body had been sent to the necessary location long ago. What appeared in the tank was merely a remarkably realistic virtual projection.
Initially, Zeke and Hera intended to use this opportunity to subtly guide Theresa further but didn't anticipate Himeko emerging just as she started crying.
Of course, it wasn't entirely unwelcome.
Theresa had no time to ponder Zeke's intentions; instead, she instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Himeko's waist, sobbing with joy and exclaiming,
"Himeko!"
"It's me, indeed~"
"You're not dead?!"
"Well, technically I did die, but then I was revived. Oh boy, technology these days advances so rapidly, it's truly astonishing. I feel like I can hardly keep up... Ow! Theresa, you're hugging too tight. Ease up a bit, my waist is about to snap!"
"You deserve it for tricking our Principal!"
"Hey, I was just following orders! Don't take your anger out on me! Let go already; my waist hurts so much—I swear it's about to snap, you weirdo headmistress!"
The two engaged in a heated argument, with Himeko looking both exasperated and furious—like an older sister stuck dealing with some mischievous kids. Theresa's eyes were still red, traces of tears evident, but her smile bloomed like a radiant flower.