Elysia had burned her Divine Ring.
Using the Monarch himself as an analogy, the [Divine Ring], as a materialization of Authority, contained over fifty percent of her total Authority. The rest, as part of her physical constitution, was fused with Imaginary Energy to form the shell of an "Emperor-class Honkai Beast."
Therefore.
The [Authority of Humanity] she had condensed into that arrow should have accounted for more than half of her own Authority. Considering that a Herrscher's physical constitution was far less robust than the Monarch's, this proportion was likely even a few percentage points higher.
All of this Authority…
Had become the components of the "humanoid figure," which remained stationary directly behind the Monarch. Within it, one could even see a crystal flower that resembled a Herrscher Core.
"A Herrscher's Authority."
Elysia was powerless to fight again; the outcome of this wager was self-evident.
"…I'll be taking it."
Swoosh!!
The humanoid figure dissolved into a sky full of starlight, surging madly into the Monarch's body like a river of stars!
The next instant—
[Holder detected merging with Herrscher Core.]
[Based on the type of Herrscher Core, you have unlocked a new skill: Root Assimilation.]
[Root Assimilation: Transforms the life form of a non-conspecific being into the form of the holder's race.]
After the fusion, the [Authority of Humanity] became a brand-new ability for Lu Xing.
[Holder detected merging with [Origin Core].]
[New [Authority of Origin] detected, system restriction unlocked (1/2).]
[System will now update.]
[System update (6.0) complete.]
[Related task restrictions have been unlocked.]
Unexpected changes occurred, accompanied by a continuous stream of system notifications ringing in his mind.
[Your level has increased to Lv.71.]
[Your level has increased to Lv.72.]
[…]
[Your level has increased to Lv.75.]
[Your level has reached its limit. Excess experience will be converted into attribute points. You have received a reward of 'All Attributes +2'.]
Quest 1: Based on the Will of the Tree / your own judgment, continue a remnant civilization.
Reward: All Attributes +1/completion, Level +1, 5 completions limit.
Quest 2: Based on the Will of the Tree / your own judgment, create a new civilization.
Reward: All Attributes +1/completion, Level +1, 5 completions limit.
Quest 3: Based on the Will of the Tree / your own judgment, destroy more civilizations.
Reward: All Attributes +1/completion, Level +1, 5 completions limit.
Note: The above quests share a completion limit. The next stage will be unlocked after reaching the limit.
Race: Finality · Origin · Imaginary Tree Apostle · Civilization Arbiter
Level: 75
Abilities: Analysis, Civilization Impact, God Fist Pulverizer, Divine Flame Cannon, Stellar Ring, Infinity, Super Perception, [Myriad], Star-Annihilating Cannon, Mimic Materialization, Light of Revelation, Phase Shift, Subspace Lance, Warp Drive, Gravity Control, Molecular Manipulation, Mental Reshaping, Mind Steel Seal, Universal Stagnation, Electromagnetic Command, Perfect Fluid, Atmospheric Modification, Flower of Wither, Bud of Creation, Imaginary Link, Mimic Black Hole, Chains of Heaven's Hope, Divine Grace Barrier, Data Intrusion, Machine Virus, Root Assimilation.
Equipment: Aura of the Dawn
Attack: 611 (Hyper)
Speed: 611 (Hyper)
Constitution: 611 (Hyper)
Evaluation: Honkai
[Authority of Origin]
Obtaining this ability was not surprising.
What was truly surprising was the system's description when he acquired it—
"New Authority of Origin."
In other words, Lu Xing already possessed this Authority himself!
Searching through the Monarch's entire being, was there anything that had existed from the beginning but had never shown any special characteristics?
Yes, there was…
The [Honkai Crystal].
That's right, the Honkai Crystal.
This gem, which resembled a Herrscher Core, had always been "evolving" imperceptibly. It wasn't that it hadn't shown its special nature, but rather that all its special traits were so abnormal that they were beyond deep scrutiny!
"I see."
"So that's how it is!"
What was the Authority of the Herrscher of Origin?
Elysia had created the unique [Authority of Humanity], and both the Authority and Elysia herself were growing stronger at an astonishing rate.
This power came from Origin!
"Fusion and Creation."
The moment he obtained this new Authority.
Lu Xing's understanding of the essence of the Authority of Origin became ever clearer.
Elysia had been exposed to the beautiful side of humanity since she was young, so she continuously absorbed the power of "Humanity" and transformed "Origin" into this unprecedented Authority. Although the Authority itself was singular and difficult to explain, its power had already been partially revealed in the wagered battle just now.
And what about Lu Xing?
He continuously came into contact with and fused with Herrscher Authorities, ultimately evolving himself into a Dharma-Ending-class Honkai Beast with the power of twelve cores.
This was the "Origin" power that he possessed!
If the new prefix was not a joke, then he was about to possess… no, it seemed he was still a little way off from the next stage.
But it didn't matter.
The clues were evident from the quest descriptions.
The phrase "Level +1" had appeared again in the quest rewards, and that "(1/2)" in the description was still extremely eye-catching!
The other half, the method to completely unlock the system's restrictions, no longer required much guessing:
"The Herrscher of Finality."
The Beast of Origin.
That was probably a more fitting name.
However, if he could really take out the Herrscher of Finality, he had no idea what his own "name" would become.
Regardless.
Feeling the presence of the Honkai Crystal within his body, Lu Xing completely understood the source of all his power. The dodecahedron was no more. Under the effect of the [Authority of Origin], the entire Honkai Crystal had completely transformed into a sphere:
A non-smooth sphere with countless reflective facets.
In other words.
The moment he obtained the new [Authority of Origin], the limit on the number of Authorities Lu Xing could absorb and command was also lifted.
When he could absorb the [Authority of Finality]… the sphere within his body would become perfectly complete.
Everything became clear.
His own path forward, the future of civilization, it all became clear in this single moment. The final question would have to wait until the moment the Herrscher of Finality appeared, for him to seek the answer personally.
Before that…
The Monarch's gaze turned to the crestfallen Elysia.
She had witnessed the change in the Monarch after he absorbed the Authority. His aura and sense of pressure hadn't necessarily increased by much, but the level of his life, the leap of his soul… these indescribable things were reflected with incomparable reality into Elysia's spiritual world.
If the Monarch before could have been defeated, now, Elysia could not even muster the thought of fighting him. The faintly familiar feeling she vaguely sensed from the Monarch did not make her feel any intimacy. Instead, she had a premonition that if she were to use her power, she would inevitably be devoured completely by him.