This question needed no answer.
Elysia's attitude had already proven everything.
Her seemingly incomprehensible Authority, [Humanity], was also laid bare as changes occurred within Lu Xing's spiritual world. As he [Analyzed] the Herrscher of Origin, the System underwent a long-overdue upgrade.
The so-called Version 5.9 came with no functional changes, only adding a few lines of a simple narrative poem:
The starlight and moonlight fall, weaving a gentle fairy tale,The bountiful earth nurtures a newborn sprout.The flawless maiden walks among the crowds, taking in all the beauty of humanity,The Heroine of the True Self dances in the apocalypse, embodying goodness and love to the very end.The Herrscher of Humanity becomes a newborn seed,Blooming upon a slender branch, a fleeting flower of humanity—That flower's name,Is Elysia.
"The daughter of a god."
"The daughter of a god... who embraces civilization."
Lu Xing's thoughts had never been so clear.
Combined with the information and enlightenment he had gained the moment he was promoted to [Civilization Arbiter], all the previously unclear puzzles were solved in an instant.
If Lu Xing had not appeared, Elysia would have sacrificed herself as the false Thirteenth Herrscher. This was not to prove the conclusion reached by Prometheus that "humanity can only unite in the face of a powerful enemy," but to bestow her own authority upon all future Herrschers:
[Humanity].
Since it was all Herrschers, that naturally included the being who was her complete opposite: the Herrscher of Finality.
The last remnants of humanity could not possibly survive the Herrscher of Finality.
But!
If this Herrscher of Finality, devoid of any personal feelings and destined to judge the entire civilization, were to possess the Authority of [Humanity], what kind of choice would She make?
Without a doubt, survival is the instinct of all intelligent life.
Once the civilization collapsed into the Quantum Sea, the Herrscher of Finality, as a true avatar of the "Will of Honkai," would also lose her reason for existence and fall into a long slumber until her vessel decayed and her consciousness returned... her "self" dissipating. To avoid reaching this point, She would ultimately choose to leave behind an ember of civilization.
And then... after a long fifty thousand years, She would reappear in the name of the "Honkai God."
All of this, including the true purpose of the Herrscher of Finality, was something Lu Xing could only speculate on:
To live, to increase her "companions"—Herrschers who also possessed humanity, which was also Elysia's wish—and to understand the path of the "Will of Honkai"...
That's right.
The Herrscher of Finality had personally witnessed Otto walk the path of a "False God," and She had undoubtedly helped him. Who could say that this wasn't an experiment by the Herrscher of Finality?
Why did Otto want to become a "False God"?
A "God" possessed the great power to [Erase Reality] and [Create Worlds], but becoming a "God" meant one must walk a fixed [Path] that was "bound" by rules.
Therefore, to maintain a complete sense of self and aim for the power to [Change the World], which was a level below [Create Worlds], was the road taken by a "False God."
What was a [Path]?
Simply put, the Imaginary Tree is the universe, and the Quantum Sea is the abyss.
A [Path], as part of the Imaginary Tree, was what was often referred to in fantasy novels as a "road of rules" or the "three thousand great Daos." The being who walked at the forefront of a [Path] could completely occupy the Imaginary Energy on that "road," as well as the power of the rules it represented.
In other words, the Herrscher of Finality, as a true avatar of the "Will of Honkai," wanted to observe the process of Otto becoming a False God to see clearly what the [Path] to becoming a "False God" or even a "God" truly was. The true Will of Honkai could undoubtedly be called a "God," but it was not entirely impossible for an avatar to take its place.
The above speculation was not necessarily correct, but it could definitely be traced back to the source. Just like the "Gods" mentioned in the concept just now, in the world of Honkai, such beings who stood at the highest dimension besides the Tree and the Sea were usually called:
[Star Gods].
"The true God of Honkai."
"What kind of existence is that?"
"And why would It let a special Herrscher like Elysia enter civilization?"
Lu Xing did not know the answers to these questions. Perhaps only at the moment he faced the Herrscher of Finality directly would he have the chance to get the answers from her.
And... to overturn his current speculations.
His scattered thoughts reconverged.
Elysia's identity as the [Herrscher of Origin] and the information the system update had "provided" him held far too much to uncover.
However, all that could be set aside for now.
They were indeed important, but for the current situation, or rather, at his current level and point in time, he had not yet reached the stage where he needed to engage with them.
"Elysia."
The Monarch's gaze slowly lowered, looking at the tiny human before him.
"You must have many questions."
"Coincidentally, I also have quite a few questions whose answers I need to verify."
Without any visible action, two spatial ripples spread out from the "voids" in front of Elysia.
"But before our exchange,"
"Thump."
Two figures were unceremoniously thrown out of the gate!
"Let's consider them... a reward for answering the first question of the exam correctly."
"Exam?"
Before Elysia could understand what he meant by "exam," a slightly dazed voice called out from in front of her.
"Miss Elysia?"
"Klein, Imur."
This was Lu Xing's so-called reward.
Klein and Imur, assistants (adjutants) to Mobius and Kalpas respectively, had both become members of the "Thousand" during the Herrscher of Domination incident. Lu Xing had used the Authority of Domination to release them from its control and remove their Herrscher Cores, helping them return to their "human" identities.
"If you want to catch up, there will be plenty of time later."
Lu Xing interrupted the trio's exchange.
Although they had regained their human identities, their experiences and memories as part of the Thousand-Person Herrscher had not vanished from their minds. At this moment, Klein and Imur perhaps understood better than any other Fusion Warrior just how terrifying the being before them was... judging from the dread that the Herrschers of Domination felt, a fear so great they dared not even speak his name.
"This exam has been going on for a long time."
"It's time to see how the other questions have been answered."
"VMMM."
The phantoms of twelve space-time gates appeared in a ring on either side of Elysia. The westernmost one was the first to solidify from illusion to reality.
"Whoa!"
Amidst a boisterous cry, a scantily clad girl with a large, swishing tail was the first to rush out of the gate!
Following close behind was... with a ferocious expression... no, the moment it emerged from the spatial gate, the big crab recognized what was happening and instantly deflated.