I worked day and night, trying to find even a glimmer of hope. From trying to modify the MANTIS procedure to trying to invent a new operation. I tried to use all the Divine Keys we possessed, but they alone couldn't achieve what we needed. I was slowly losing myself in the grief when I had an idea even crazier that any before.
According to Mei's notes, the previous Herrscher, codenamed Domination, while lacking the ability to bend the laws of the world akin to previous Herrschers, it possessed a power to use the power of others if it had contact with their respective cores. The only power fully capable of saving Mei was the Power of Creation from the 6th Herrscher, but using the 6th Divine Key to continuously input it into Mei's body was impossible.
But if I were to use one of the Cores of Domination to control the Power of Creation, implanting it into Mei instead, I should be able to achieve the desired effect. But here lay the biggest stumbling block: if one were to implant a Herrscher core, they would inevitably become a Herrscher. In Mei's current state, it was suicide.
To sum it up, I needed to implant a core into Mei without turning her into a Herrscher; implanting a core into a person would turn them into a Herrscher host; each core could only possess one host. So, if I could first turn someone into a Herrscher host, then extract that core without killing them, then the core wouldn't be able to create another host before the previous one died, making it possible to implant it into Mei.
Of course, finding such a host wouldn't be easy, that what I would say if I didn't have a perfect one already: me. With my Honkai Resistance, I had a low chance of being corrupted by the core, turning into a true Herrscher trying to destroy the world, and with the strength of my will, I would be able to resist other influences the core might have on me.
And so, I prepared everything for the operation, acting in secret, as I can imagine no one would allow me to proceed with my plan once it got out. The process of becoming Herrscher wasn't that hard, nor was it complicated, but I had to take all possible precautions before trying. And, at night two weeks after waking up from my coma, I started implanting the core.
The first thing I felt was the rush of power; even the partial core like that of the Herrscher of Domination still possessed a power far beyond a human body, rivaling some weaker MANTIS. But as quickly as it appeared, it was drowned by a corrupting force different from Honkai, yet having the same origin. When I closed my eyes, instead of the expected darkness, I saw an enormous purple cocoon sitting on the cracked fabric of reality. Even without it speaking, I could feel its intent: the sole desire to embrace this civilization.
Then, faceless figures started to emerge around me. Each the same yet separate, with no apparent characteristics yet different. In the blink of an eye, my ears were filled with voices of the other nine hundred ninety-nine Herrschers, each trying to tempt and convince me to act on their behalf. The constant clatter and noise instantly filled my mind, making it hard to focus and concentrate. I had to use the rest of the night and even the better part of the morning to somewhat adapt to their existence, allowing me to start the next step of my plan.
Walking to the storage, I took the Key of Creation into my hands and felt its power fill my core, allowing me to manipulate it quite easily. When I put it back, it was already somewhat late, almost noon, so I decided to do what I had to do that day and continue my plan the next night. The whole time I worked, I trained my control over the Power of Creation, preparing for later.
Hua, as always, visited me to remind me about dinner, but I excused myself this time, telling her that I had an important matter that couldn't wait or be interrupted. She believed me without question, leaving me to continue working in the lab. When the night started again, I proceeded to extract the core from my body, making me much weaker, but it didn't matter.
With a core in hand, I went to Mei's room in the infirmary. Confirming that there was no one nearby, I sealed the room and quickly implanted the core in her body, allowing the gentle half of the Power of Creation to neutralize the Honkai Energy in her body, slowly clearing it from her body. I observed the whole process, not allowing any accident to occur. When I confirmed that she was fine, I left while making sure no one saw me coming or going.
When the next morning arrived, Mei woke up in a daze, unable to understand what was going on. When Su noticed her awake, he immediately called for Mobius and explained to Mei her current state; but when Mei couldn't feel any signs of Honkai Infection, she knew that something must have happened. With Mobius's help, she underwent a precise checkup which uncovered the existence of the core inside her.
Her first fear was that she had become a Herrscher, but Mobius rejected that; all other indicators showed that she was still human. But that fact filled both of them with dread. Without need for any proof or suspicion, they stormed into my lab with other Flame-Casers in tow.
-"Eno!"-Mei walked up to me and grabbed my collar.-"Are you out of your mind?"
-"What do you mean?"-I tried to act dumb.
-"Cut it."-The equally displeased Mobius didn't bother with my attempts.-"How touching, betraying the whole world for a woman."
-"Friend or foe. Choose."-Kevin pointed the Key of Destruction at my face.
-"I haven't changed."-I pushed the blade away from me.
-"Why?"-Mei couldn't stop the tears from appearing in her eyes.
-"Why wouldn't I?"
-"You gave up humanity! Who knows when you became a beast controlled by Honkai."-Vill-V looked at me with both worry and wariness.
-"You don't need to worry about that. My blood isolates Honkai; my existence is like a poison to it. If I were to lose control, the first thing that would happen is my death, as Honkai would be rejected by my body."
-"You…"-My words shut them up.
I could feel that they worried about me, but I've made my choice, and I won't regret it. In such a tense atmosphere, Elysia clapped her hands to gather everyone's attention.
-"Then why don't we all take a step back?"-She smiled and looked around.-"We all know that Eno can no longer be left alone, but treating him like an enemy is also something we can't do, so let's put him under surveillance. From now on, Eno can't act alone, no matter the situation. We will arrange a rotation and make sure there is always someone by his side."
-"That's not enough."-Mei looked at me.-"Promise. You are to make a vow here and now, before all of us, that you'll never act on your own."
-"This…"-I was hesitant.
-"I can use Discipline."-Aponia raised her hand.
-"No need, I trust him. If he makes such a promise, he won't break his word."
-"How long will such a state last?"-I asked to confirm.
-"Until we win against Honkai."-Mei gave a solid deadline.
-"I can agree to that."
-"Then make your vow."-She took a step back, but her eyes never left mine.
-"I, Enoch of Laterano, hereby vow in front of all witnesses that I shall never act on my own, accepting the oversight of a designated guard. I shall never violate my promise, upholding it until the day of Honkai's defeat."-I made a solemn vow, not planning on playing some word games with them.
Hearing my promise, everyone let out a sigh of relief, their eyes no longer holding the previous worry and wariness. Keven especially approached me and patted my shoulder.
-"Thank you."-To him, Mei held no less importance than to me, so he was genuinely thankful for what I had done.
-"I did what I should."
-"Stop it."-Mei gave us a dangerous stare.-"Eno, I have something to talk to you about."
I nodded and let myself be taken to a side room. Inside, Mei instantly hugged my neck and kissed me deeply. All her emotions mixed into a knot erupted, allowing me to feel them even without my Empathy. Her fear that something had happened to me, her anger that I did something so stupid, her relief that she woke up, her happiness that she could see everyone again, her love that could no longer be hidden. She let me go a few moments later, slightly out of breath.
-"Explain. I want to know every detail about what you did and what effect it has."
So I did. I didn't hide anything from her, but I made the influence of the Honkai's Will sound like almost nothing. She noticed that, but didn't correct me, only making sure she remembered everything I told her.
-"So, our lives are effectively linked now?"-She raised her eyebrow.
-"You can say so. As long as that core supplies you with Power of Creation, then your infection won't relapse, nor will your lifespan flow."
-"Sigh…"-She sat down, trying to calm her emotions.-"I won't lecture you anymore, but please, no, I beg you, don't risk your life for me."
-"I can't promise that."
-"That's why I'm so annoyed."-She ruffled her hair.-"I know that you won't agree, and I even feel happy about it, yet I can't stand it."
-"Then don't worry about it."
-"Easier said than done."-She rolled her eyes.-"Mark my words, Eno, next time, I'll be the one to save you."
-"I'll be waiting for you then."-I smiled, knowing that she was dead serious.
-"We'll arrange for your guards to be on rotation; day and night, don't even think of leaving our sight."-She stood up.-"Take more care of yourself. As you once told Kevin, don't try to be a Hero."
-"I never will. I can sacrifice all this world if it meant keeping you all safe."-I shook my head, plainly stating my mind.
Mei only sighed after hearing that, leaving without another word.
And so, from then on, I was always accompanied by a guard/warden; no matter where I went, more courageous ones even accompanied me to the bath. But I didn't mind their presence. Most of the time, it was either Sakura or Hua, with Mobius, Eden, or even Griseo taking that role sporadically.
My daily life hadn't changed much. Most of the day I either focused on research in my lab or worked on making sure nothing happened to what was left of governments outside. But as time passed, it became more and more obvious that the current civilization was at its last legs.
After the 9th and 10th Eruptions, only about half of the population that existed before the 1st Eruption remained, all concentrated in major cities. The three biggest metropolises amounted to little over 60% of the total population. Due to Honkai concentration being relatively high, life outside the cities was nigh impossible, with Honkai beasts appearing everywhere so quickly that we can't kill them fast enough.
Had it not been for the continuously increasing number of MANTIS capable of securing enough farmland outside the cities, the whole world would be starving long ago. But the food reserves are still a major problem we are facing. Another concern was the attitude of people. While not exactly suicidal or despondent, it was definitely not positive; a feeling of apathy permeates the streets, with few people believing that they have a future to look forward to.
I was quite worried about that, so I asked Eden to organize some concerts and entertainment overall, hoping to lift people's spirits. But no matter what we did, it would only be a temporary fix; if we want to restore hope to the people, we need to defeat Honkai. Yet, without people, our chances for success are getting smaller with each passing day, creating a vicious cycle.
It was only when I watched the slow decay of the civilization through the reports and statistics that I truly felt that this was the end of the world. So after finishing my work for the day, I sat by the window and reflected on the irony of my situation. Not that long ago, I stood in the crumbling world, carrying countless souls to help Artoria avoid the fate of a sinner, and now, I once again stand in the crumbling world, powerless to change anything. It truly is as they say: The wheel of Fortune turns.
-"Eno?"-Hua noticed my silence.
-"It's nothing; I just got lost in thought."-I shook my head.-"Would you like to visit a training ground? I'm slowly getting my Mantra finished, so I'd like to start working on the martial arts part of the SWARA Project."
-"Sure."
Days passed rather peacefully, the world continuing to exist in that state of limbo. Many hope that the next Herrscher appears quickly, yet even more hope it never comes. The prevalent belief is that there will be only twelve Herrschers, but as time passes, this seems increasingly unlikely; even Prometheus starts to deny her previous prediction. In her words: 'There will be indeed twelve Herrschers, as the last one can't be put on the same level as the others. It is the sum of the previous twelve, a purest apostle of Honkai's Will.'
This was instantly put under the highest rank of secrecy by Mei, for rather obvious reasons, and it's only known by her, me, Vill-V, and Mobius. Even other Flame-Chasers are kept in the dark; the risk of affecting their morale is too great, and we can't have them show any doubt in the current state of the world. But even for us, this knowledge changed our approach to a strategy of not putting all the eggs in one basket.
We diversified our research into projects that could bring advantage to a future era, such as Project EMBER: passing on our technology to the future era, STIGMA: creation of more Stigmata to ensure a higher population of Honkai-resistant people in the future, KASLANA: genetically engineering superior warriors utilizing genes of current MANTIS, SCHARIAC: genetically engineering people with a diluted version of my blood, and ARK: to preserve current era fighting potential and bring it to the future era.
But as we got used to the peace, the Honkai has once again thrown a stick into the spokes. With almost no warning, a major Eruption occurred in one of the minor cities, resulting in the arrival of the 11th Herrscher. What was worse, it quickly became apparent that the battle would once again be far from easy, and even further from what we expected Herrscher to be.