31. The 10th Herrscher——Hua!
[Since Kevin became a MANTIS, you've rarely needed to go on field missions. Mostly, you've been responsible for rear-line medical support and experimental assistance using your abilities, saving warriors who failed in the MANTIS transformation process, greatly reducing casualty rates.]
[Soon, Elysia became a MANTIS, integrating the Honkai beast genes of "Maheśvara". Before getting on the operating table, she even joked around with you a lot. It took you considerable effort to stop a furious Mobius from taking underhanded action.]
[Later, Mobius also underwent the transformation using the Honkai factor from "Śeṣa". Klein and Nuwa performed the main surgery. Even though you knew the outcome, you were as nervous as a husband waiting outside a delivery room. Thankfully, everything went smoothly.]
[After integrating Śeṣa's genes, Mobius's appearance didn't change, but her waist became as flexible as a water snake's, and her tongue became longer and more agile. Unfortunately, she's now stronger than you, so you can no longer bully Mobius.]
[After that, you all performed several more MANTIS surgeries consecutively.]
[The all-too-familiar "Sakura". It's hard to imagine that in the next civilization era, a girl who looks exactly like her would accomplish something even Otto couldn't—she integrated the Honkai beast factor named "Yaksha".]
[Kevin's acquaintance, "Kosma", a young boy who puts on a strong front but is somewhat soft inside—he integrated the Honkai beast factor named Viṣṇu, possessing limitless potential.]
[And then there's Aponia. The first time this nun met you, she stared at you with a strange expression for quite a while.]
[She integrated the Honkai beast named Mitra. Her "Commandment" talent, something neither Mobius nor Mei would acknowledge, underwent a more direct sublimation.]
[Considering her "Divine Voice" would greatly impact Fu Hua in the future, you explicitly warned Aponia that her use of Commandment to control others would only lead to disastrous outcomes.]
[Of course, besides them, Blanca's husband Ato, and a girl closely connected to Kosma, "Dystopia", also became MANTISes.]
[Just like that, you became the first nine MANTISes in human history.]
[Afterwards, you and Elysia held a birthday party for Kevin.]
[Later, the 8th Herrscher emerged... however, Fire MOTH had only just approved the man named "Su" to join them.]
"Don't worry, Mr. Gao qi. If we can find a way to stop this disaster and rescue the people at the 5th Research Institute, I'm willing to take any risk."
Looking at the man with a resolute expression about to enter the transformation chamber, Gao qi exchanged a glance with Mobius beside him and said nothing more.
"Then please proceed quickly, Mr. Su. Capturing this big bird called 'Garuda' behind the 8th Herrscher's back cost us a lot of effort."
After the transformation began and Su fell into slumber, Gao qi let out a soft sigh and casually released a wisp of Creation energy to ensure Su's vitality.
"What's on your mind, Zero?"
Soon, a pair of delicate hands wrapped around Gao qi's chest from behind, and a considerable weight pressed against him.
Although Mobius appeared extremely self-centered in public, only in front of Gao qi did she occasionally become quiet and somewhat gentle.
"Just thinking that even with power, achieving perfection is still so difficult. Sometimes good intentions might even backfire."
Shaking his head, Gao qi couldn't help but sigh.
The eruption of the 8th Honkai Eruption might be related to Gao qi.
The 8th Herrscher, the Herrscher of Sentience, attacked using a classic method of memetic pollution, spreading like a virus. Anyone who saw information carrying the Herrscher's power would fall into an endless slumber until death.
The Herrscher of Sentience in this era was different from the well-behaved "Little Senti" in the modern age; it was a true weapon of mass destruction. Knowing its abilities, Gao qi immediately sent warnings to Elysia and the 5th Research Institute at the outbreak location, posing as a "Prophet" from an untraceable IP address.
Yet this time, the Honkai outbreak still occurred earlier, faster, and stronger. The 5th Research Institute, where Su's mentor, Dr. Sparcy, was located, fell instantly. Su had only just been selected as a MANTIS candidate; the specific transformation plan wasn't even finalized, and the current surgery was a rushed job.
Thanks to the "Will Lock" developed by Dr. Mei, Fire MOTH was able to avoid contamination.
This reminded Gao qi of the previous two simulations. Each time, after he stayed in the simulator beyond a certain point, the world would begin to reject him.
The most direct evidence was the premature outbreak of the Honkai. The more Gao qi tried to change things, the stronger this backlash became.
And after Gao qi's death, the subsequent history would strive to correct the plot back to its intended course—even if it couldn't fully restore it, it would try its best to align.
It was like a poor writer who noticed a plot hole but couldn't change the earlier chapters or retcon them, forced to desperately improvise.
In other words, even in the simulated world, the "fate" shaped by the Will of Honkai, the Imaginary Tree, the Sea of Quanta, and the collision of their powers not only existed but was clearly aware of Gao qi's presence.
Regarding this, Gao qi had two hypotheses.
One: The simulation system was truly amazing, capable of simulating the changes in the Imaginary Tree and Sea of Quanta caused by Gao qi's presence.
The other, even more astounding: The simulation system actually transported Gao qi to different leaf-planes of the Imaginary Tree or world bubbles in the Sea of Quanta.
Which one it was, Gao qi needed a few more simulation runs to figure out.
With the premature 8th Honkai Eruption, Gao qi knew the world had already begun to reject him, and the rejection would only grow stronger.
But Gao qi wanted to at least hold out until the 10th Herrscher.
During the 10th Honkai Eruption, the Herrscher of Dominance, composed of 1000 individuals, selected Klein as one of them.
She ambushed and killed Mobius, but Mobius's power allowed her to resurrect, entering an Overloaded Meta-Morph state where she unconsciously killed Klein.
Although Su later concealed the truth, Mobius, having lost her only confidant, completely spiraled into obsession.
As Mobius's lover, Gao qi naturally didn't want her to suffer such a tragedy.
However, based on the experiences from previous simulations, once the world starts targeting him, all the positive changes Gao qi brought about might instead lead to even greater disasters.
If that were the case, then Gao qi could only choose to seek death in advance and arrange his contingency plans—
"Huh? If achieving perfection were an easy task, then what have I been working so hard for all this time?"
It was then that Mobius spoke. Her tone carried a gentleness reserved only for Gao qi.
"Precisely because there are so many imperfections in this world, I want to manipulate the laws of life and death, complete the evolution of life, and seek the truth of all things..."
Walking up to Gao qi, Mobius met his gaze. Ever since her MANTIS modification, her beautiful pupils could vertically contract like a snake's, giving her a unique kind of beauty.
"Because perfection is difficult to achieve, I want to strive to accomplish it. My power of 'Snake Molt' exists for this very purpose—if I unfortunately die on the path to seeking answers, then I just need to try a few more times, right? If I die during this process, don't be sad, because I will return."
After lightly kissing the corner of Gao qi's mouth, Mobius returned to her work.
But her words carried a different meaning to Gao qi.
Yes, he and Mobius were so alike. She had multiple "Snake Molts," and Gao qi had many simulation attempts as well!
Let's do it!
"Heh, well, if I die, Mobius, you better not be sad either~~"
"That won't do. You don't have Snake Molt—you're much lower-level than me. Zero, you are not allowed to die!"
Gao qi smiled at Mobius, resolving not to worry about the damn butterfly effect. He was determined to confront the 10th Herrscher head-on!
---
[Su completed his MANTIS modification, reverse-locked the location of the Herrscher of Sentience, enabling the warriors to successfully defeat it. Several MANTIS, including Dystopia, sacrificed their lives.]
[The 9th Honkai Eruption occurred. You did not intervene. The scope of the Honkai remained unchanged. The entire Mu Continent was swallowed by a black hole, becoming the Pacific Ocean. Parts of some cities were quantumized in advance by Dr. Einstein of the Previous Era, entering the Sea of Quanta along with the technology of armed dolls.]
[Ato sacrificed himself. Kosma left Anti-Entropy because he was disillusioned by Kevin's coldness in sacrificing Heng to secure a tactical advantage. You and Mobius brought him back after his severe Honkai transformation turned him into a "Demon Horde" and restored his consciousness.]
[The engineer Vill-V developed the Divine Key known as "Black Abyss White Flower." Considering your compatibility was the most optimal, the twin spears were entrusted to you for use.]
[You began focusing on preparing for the battle against the 10th Herrscher, staying by Mobius's side.]
[Soon, the Herrscher of a Thousand emerged. While their individual abilities were not strong, their destructive potential was immense, and they were spread across the world.]
[Upon detecting the appearance of the Herrscher of a Thousand, you strictly forbade Klein and the others from coming into contact with potential sources of infection that could lead to being dominated.]
[You informed Mei about the possibility that the Herrscher of Domination might have infiltrated the upper echelons of Anti-Entropy and prepared a plan to lure out the enemy to eliminate the Herrscher of a Thousand all at once.]
[Everything proceeded step by step.]
---
"By the way, Mr. Jörmungandr, I don't think I've ever seen what you really look like."
One day, while Gao qi was investigating potentially dominated members within Anti-Entropy, Fu Hua—who had been somewhat distant from him lately—suddenly approached him. With a calm expression, she made casual conversation for a while.
"Oh, no problem. I'm just used to wearing a mask outside. Mobius also doesn't really like others looking at me—"
Gao qi, having no wariness towards Fu Hua, directly took off his mask before quickly walking away.
Finally, Fu Hua saw the familiar face she had long guessed.
Watching Gao qi's retreating figure, she couldn't help but raise her hand towards him, but the word "Brother" stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken.
Recently, tormented and struggling but unable to confide in anyone, not even wanting to disturb Gao qi, she had one night suddenly heard a voice in her mind.
[Do you see, my poor little one? Your beloved brother has returned from the dead, but he has fallen in love with another woman, forgetting all about you, his sister. They revel night after night, while you can only lie alone in an empty room night after night—sob sob, how pitiful.]
The voice by her ear, as if emerging from hell, devilishly tempted Fu Hua towards corruption.
"No, I can't—"
Fu Hua's martial arts, honed through years of battle, had long reached a state of enlightened mind. Clearing her heart of distractions should have been easy.
But Brother Gao qi was her weak point, her pressure point, the problem she couldn't face.
[Why can't you? Do you want that woman to keep your Brother Gao qi bound in her grasp, or do you want him to belong only to you? Come on, is this even a choice? We can make your amnesiac brother remember every little detail about you, forget everything about that woman, as if you and he were never separated. You can become 'us' together, forever—]
The ethereal voice grew even more captivating, while in reality, Fu Hua's expression became increasingly distorted.
[Come, come. I can discard all the useless individuals and gather the power within you. We understand your sorrow. Take him back, possess him, dominate him! Love him!]
Finally, Fu Hua—who had not yet become a MANTIS and was in a fragile mental state—smiled, an unusually radiant smile. On her body, the Stigmata of the Herrscher of Domination began to manifest.
"Ahahahahaha, Brother Gao qi—you are mine!"
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?