Schicksal Headquarters — the Floating Island.
Thunderous booms echoed across the sky.
Durandal, the Immortal Star Anchor, was locked in fierce battle against a slender figure wreathed in black mist.
"How interesting… truly interesting. Durandal, you really are the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal."
Durandal laughed heartily, her voice steady and strong. But the other woman's expression—Durandal corrupted by the Will of Honkai—was strangely distorted.
"Who are you really?" Durandal demanded coldly.
"Hahaha! I am the complete Fu Hua! I am the true and perfect—Herrscher of Sentience!" The entity roared with wild laughter.
Right now, she held nothing back.
"You're not Senior Fu Hua," Durandal shook her head. "She would never harm so many innocent people." She pointed down at the wreckage below the Floating Island.
"Eh…?"
The Herrscher of Sentience paused, scratching her head. "Oh… right. I did hurt those innocent people."
"Little Shi, stop this."
"Who are you calling 'Little Shi'?!" the Herrscher of Sentience snapped back instinctively. She turned and saw Koji and his group standing on the deck of the Hyperion.
Theresa stared in disbelief. The entire Schicksal Headquarters was in ruins.
"Lady Theresa," Einstein said gravely, "that energy reaction—she's a Herrscher!"
Tesla nodded in unison beside her.
Theresa's expression hardened. She hadn't expected a Herrscher to appear right in the heart of Schicksal.
"I'm not a Herrscher!" the Herrscher of Sentience protested. "I'm Fu Hua! I'll defeat the Honkai myself!"
Honkai Will: "Sigh… Herrschers these days are impossible to manage."
"Little Shi, check your own body," Koji said calmly. "Do you feel anything… strange?"
The Herrscher fell silent. For her, reading her own internal state was effortless.
…The Herrscher core.
Who was she, really? Fu Hua? Or the Herrscher?
Her thoughts spiraled into confusion. She could no longer tell.
"Hahaha! Fine then! If I'm the Herrscher, then let's fight!"
She covered her face with one hand, laughing manically. "Since I'm a Herrscher—then I'll go all out!"
Boom!
She punched Durandal with all her might, sending her flying. A flash of red gleamed in her eyes, and she charged straight toward the Hyperion.
"Borrow your Judah for a moment."
Koji took the massive weapon from Theresa and began chanting:
"Judah's Oath—Zero Rated Output."
"Divine Grace Barrier—Directional Deployment!"
The Judah's Oath activated like a weapon case, releasing several golden spears. Interlocking gears spun as radiant light burst forth.
"What?!"
"Ahh!"
A small Divine Grace barrier enveloped the Herrscher of Sentience. She grunted as the Honkai energy within her body rapidly dissipated.
This was anti-Honkai technology. A Herrscher's power could not surpass the limits of the Divine Grace field.
"Restraint energy…?"
She felt the painful constriction throughout her body. From Fu Hua's memories, she knew exactly what this force was.
Even the power of her consciousness could not escape; she was completely sealed by the field Koji had derived from the Divine Grace Barrier.
"Little Shi, we mean you no harm," Koji said gently. "You're not a cold-hearted Herrscher. You can still be our friend."
The Herrscher of Sentience groaned from the floor, her voice muffled. "Hmph, friend, huh…"
Theresa watched Koji silently, her expression complicated.
The way he handled Judah—even more precise than she could—left her astonished. He'd managed to shrink the barrier's radius so precisely it didn't even touch him. Normally, it enveloped both wielder and target alike.
Who's the true master of Judah here?
Koji dismissed the barrier. The Herrscher's aura calmed. As expected, she no longer resisted—perhaps realizing she no longer held the advantage.
"You're a Herrscher. And St. Freya Academy… seems to produce quite a few of those."
"Hey! That's slander!" Theresa protested. "St. Freya is a Valkyrie academy!"
Koji smiled. "Kiana, Mei, Bronya—who's currently inheriting the Herrscher of Reason's core—and Wendy, the Wind Herrscher… all from St. Freya. And now this Herrscher's body belongs to Fu Hua."
"Little Shi, with so many Herrschers, someone needs to lead them. You have the power and experience. You can guide Kiana and the others to defeat the Honkai."
Theresa froze, unable to respond.
Tesla and Einstein exchanged an uneasy glance.
"Wait—did you just say Bronya is inheriting the Herrscher of Reason's core?" Tesla's eyes widened.
"Yeah," Koji said casually. "Walter's body isn't fit to house the core anymore."
Tesla and Einstein looked at each other in shock. A matter that huge—and they hadn't heard a word of it.
Still, they didn't object. Bronya was one of theirs, after all.
Koji's words hit Theresa like a spiritual nuke. She could only squat in the corner, drawing circles on the floor.
"St. Freya… is it even a proper academy anymore?" the Herrscher of Sentience asked bluntly.
Theresa's head snapped up, eyes full of outrage. She too began drawing circles in frustration.
She couldn't deny it—there really were too many Herrschers linked to her school.
The Herrscher's Honkai energy gradually stabilized, and she stood up again. After Koji's talk, she seemed to have come to terms with things. There were already so many Herrschers fighting for humanity's side—what reason did she have to oppose them?
"Well then," she said with a grin, "someone needs to lead them to victory. I suppose that's my role."
"No more fighting?"
Durandal sheathed her holy sword, sensing no hostility from her opponent.
"No," the Herrscher said, smiling. "Durandal, you're impressive. To forge such strength on your own…"
Far stronger than that Rita, she thought smugly. Didn't even lose in one blow.
"Excuse me, what was that?" Durandal blinked.
"How should I address you?" she asked evenly.
"Call me 'Lady Herrscher of Sentience,'" the woman replied, patting the metal plate on her chest proudly.
Durandal's eye twitched. That chestplate... so flat… She felt a faint, inexplicable irritation.
(End of Chapter)
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