"I succeeded."
Looking at the motionless body of the Monarch in the distance, and the human-like figure that was being "projected" from within it, gradually solidifying from illusion to reality.
Elysia couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and whisper.
The entire wager was built upon this single arrow—to drive her understanding of the "beauty of humanity" into the Monarch's body, and then, through the power of the Origin Space, to separate the "true 'Bai' as a human" from the Monarch's body, creating a Herrscher, or perhaps a MANTIS-like individual, who possessed the Monarch's power but was inclined towards humanity.
This was Elysia's objective.
However…
Elysia had indeed confirmed with Dr. Mei the possibility that the Black Emperor was once human. But for certain reasons, she had still not formally revealed her own identity as a Herrscher—even though Dr. Mei and several close friends had already more or less guessed it… ever since that Great Ray rescued them all from the Mu continent.
Therefore.
Dr. Mei was unaware of the true nature of Elysia's "Authority" and thus had no way of guessing what Elysia truly intended to do. Because of this, she was unable to correct Elysia on this irreversible mistake.
All of the above.
Was the reason why the arrow that had just landed had completely missed its mark.
Elysia believed.
That the Black Emperor's birth was likely the product of a human experiment.
First, there was the related research on prototype MANTISes like the demon god Zaychik, and later, the artificial Emperor-class Honkai Beast that was slapped to death by the Monarch. Since the Honkai first appeared in the world, the various major powers had conducted countless related experiments, both overt and covert.
Therefore.
There was no logical flaw in Elysia's thinking:
A human consciousness implanted into the body of a Honkai Beast, possessing a human-like way of thinking, yet hating the human society that created it all…
It was all too reasonable.
If that were the case, then as long as she could mend the human heart that he was missing—using the beautiful parts of humanity like "goodness and love" to complete a flawed humanity that was filled with "evil and hate"… he might not necessarily side with the Fire Moth, but he would no longer be able to evade the part of himself that was human.
By doing so.
Human civilization would gain its greatest possible ally.
"Is that so?"
A tone as flat as a simple greeting.
It caused Elysia, who had just let out a sigh of relief, to freeze completely in place.
The human-like figure separating from the Monarch's body, its features not yet even clear, did not gain new life as she had imagined. Instead, it remained motionless, like a zombie frozen by a talisman.
On the contrary, it was the Monarch, who had paused for but a moment, who regained his mobility after less than two seconds of stasis.
"Using the stakes of the wager during the battle itself…"
"Miss Pink-Haired Elf, that's not a very good habit."
Elysia's plan had failed.
It wasn't that there was a problem with her method, but rather that from the very beginning, from the moment Lu Xing "truthfully" told her of his identity as a human…
She had already fallen into the Monarch's trap.
Even if the execution differed greatly from his initial designs, the overall objective had never changed. The moment Lu Xing saw the "Herrscher of Origin" and the Authority of "Humanity," the plan targeting Elysia had already begun.
What is Origin?
What is Humanity?
To understand these two points, the best way was undoubtedly to experience Elysia's Authority firsthand. And so this wager, with both parties having their own ulterior motives, began with extraordinary smoothness, all too "fair and reasonable."
[The Authority of Humanity]
This ability was not unexpected.
It allowed any creature that did not possess the characteristic of being "human" to gain human ways of thinking and behaving… regardless of whether this lack was due to a loss or damage, or if it was never there to begin with.
And this.
Was also where Elysia's judgment had been flawed.
The Monarch had never been without humanity. The positive and negative sides of humanity might sometimes be hidden, but they had absolutely nothing to do with the word "lacking." Elysia had seen countless beautiful, shining points in humanity; although she had also touched upon much of its shadow and betrayal, it had never diminished her trust in and yearning for the beauty of humanity.
Thus.
Elysia subconsciously believed that the humanity the Monarch possessed was incomplete.
But in reality…
The Monarch's strength came precisely from his full understanding of himself, of humanity—it was a cognition that came from having walked the path of a human life, the most personal and fundamental understanding of the self.
"Furthermore."
The Monarch looked directly at the dispirited Elysia, who clearly no longer had the strength for another battle.
"A Herrscher trying to teach humanity what 'humanity' is…"
"Elysia, are you in your right mind?"
Lu Xing did not expect an answer from Elysia.
Having been immunized against the blow of "Humanity," he turned his full attention to the half-formed human phantom behind him. Although its face was unclear, that slightly gaunt body, always dressed in simple clothes from a time he had long since forgotten, was undoubtedly his former self as "Lu Xing."
At the same time, it was also something Lu Xing had never used…
"The Human State."
This Human-State Monarch possessed nearly half of the Monarch's Authorities and Honkai energy, but in essence, it posed no threat to him. Aided by the power of the Origin Space, what Elysia had created using the Authority of "Humanity" was merely a human clone of himself.
Was this Authority weak?
No, and in fact, the opposite was true.
Just imagine.
A non-human opponent (not human or a human-like species) on the same level as the "Herrscher of Human" or slightly superior—what kind of change would occur after it took a direct hit from the [Authority of Humanity], an attack that ignored physical defense (in fact, it also ignored mental defense, because when he took the hit, the psychic barrier Lu Xing had erected had no effect whatsoever)?
This was a power closer to the source than even the [Authority of Sentience]. If used properly, it was sufficient to change the very foundation of certain beings or races. "Humanity," born from "Origin," was many times more powerful than these two simple words might suggest.
That's right.
Both "Origin" and the "Humanity" born from it were powers that, at this stage, could only be categorized in the realm of philosophy.
Trying to extrapolate further…
If humanity successfully passed the test and entered the stars, what kind of terrifying effect could the Herrscher of Human unleash during conflicts with alien civilizations?
Elysia was strong.
She had simply chosen the wrong opponent.
Now.
Having experienced the Authority of "Humanity" firsthand, Lu Xing would naturally not miss the opportunity to integrate this long-coveted power into himself.