Chapter 534: Anti-Entropy Sovereign Welt! Hua, You Are Way Too Cold-Hearted!
"Phew…"
"Chat, I need to take a breather!"
"The content from these last two chapters has left me a bit suffocated…"
"Let's sort through everything first."
Little Gui pulled up screenshot after screenshot of the plot alongside her notes.
To experience this game to its fullest, she had done her best to be as meticulous and serious as possible.
"First, let's take a look at the history of the Honkai."
On the screen was the very content Himeko had explained during her lecture.
[ The Honkai is a catastrophic disaster born alongside civilization, descending upon it perpetually…
In 1953, the First Honkai erupted in Berlin, marking the first time humanity discovered…
High concentrations of Honkai energy gather to form a core within a human body, giving birth to a Herrscher capable of distorting the laws of physics…
In Siberia during the year 2000, the Herrscher of the Void awakened, and the Second Honkai became a disaster affecting global civilization… ]
…
"A Herrscher that distorts physical laws? Sounds pretty badass!"
"Just how strong is a Herrscher compared to an Emanator?"
"For an Emanator, destroying a star system is a walk in the park. The Herrschers here are probably on par with fairly powerful Pathstriders."
"Wendy, who awakened as the Fourth Herrscher, went back and forth against the main squad of three B-rank Valkyries. Honestly, she didn't feel very oppressive."
"And then an Anti-Entropy mech took her out with a single slap [ sad ]."
"Honkai isn't all that much…"
"Put me in, coach, I could take 'em!"
…
Little Gui nodded.
"True. Up until now, the catastrophic nature of the Herrschers and the Honkai hasn't been shown in a particularly visceral way."
"I've summarized it!"
"There are two key points worth noting from these early chapters!"
"—Mei is the Third Herrscher, and she holds the Gem of Conquest inside her body."
"—Kiana has a massive connection to the Second Herrscher; she constantly hears the Second Herrscher's voice in her dreams!"
"Thinking about it like that, it's pretty wild!"
"Two members of the main party have the potential to awaken as Herrschers… It turns out the big boss was me all along!"
As soon as Little Gui said this, the barrage exploded with intense discussion again!
…
"The Second Herrscher is probably like a Heliobus possessing her—it wasn't wiped out completely back then!"
"Don't tell me… later on, both Kiana and Mei will turn into Herrschers and join hands to destroy the world?"
"Himeko: What? All my students are Herrschers!?"
"My heart goes out to the Himeko of this world."
"Himeko: I'm tired. Just destroy it all."
"When is Mei awakening as the Third Herrscher? She looks so imposing!"
"Where's the First Herrscher?"
"Bros, I just realized something explosive! The character profile in Honkai: Star Rail says Welt is the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy~"
"Huh?"
"Could this be Uncle Yang's home world!?"
"Holy shit, the foreshadowing runs that deep!?"
"I rushed to log in and check, it really is!"
"Confirmed, totally confirmed!"
"Then how did Welt end up on the Astral Express? Man, talk about an information overload all of a sudden!"
…
Aboard the Astral Express.
"Oh my gosh!"
"Uncle Yang… you were that amazing when you were young!?"
"I had no concept of it before!"
"From now on, I've decided to call you Lord Sovereign!"
March 7th seemed to have bounced back to her usual lively, cheerful self.
Because after her relentless begging and pestering, Old Yang had finally told her.
Though everything that happened on his home world wasn't perfect, it had ultimately reached a decent conclusion.
Knowing that, March perked right back up!
No matter how painful things seemed right now, in the end, the people of that world must have defeated the Honkai and saved their home!
Old Yang pushed up his glasses, helpless. "That is all in the past."
"Today, I am no longer the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, nor am I the First Herrscher."
"Still, that's incredible…"
Suddenly, March 7th froze!
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"What did you just say, Uncle Yang!?"
"Y-You're the First Herrscher?"
"The Herrscher born during the First Honkai that broke out in… in Berlin!?"
March 7th stared in utter disbelief!
Old Yang's gaze turned deep and solemn.
Faced with her question, it was hard to give a simple answer. He nodded, then shook his head.
"March, the story is far more complicated than you imagine."
"When there's a chance, I will tell you about it."
March 7th nodded and turned her attention back to the stream!
Now, she was intensely curious about everything that had happened on Old Yang's home world!
"They're all pretty girls!"
"Even though it's a bit angsty, seeing them fight side-by-side still feels so heartwarming!"
"A pretty girl like me should definitely be playing a game filled entirely with pretty girls!"
"Look at this scene—how sweet is that!?"
Right then, on the stream's screen:
Kiana and her mother, Cecilia, had defeated the Second Herrscher together.
Kiana was acting like a spoiled child in her mother's arms.
"Can you hold me for a little longer? Just a little longer."
Kiana wore an expression of pure bliss.
Cecilia gently stroked her head. "Mm, for as long as you want."
"You did great, Kiana."
"Mm, hehe~"
So sweet!
Even though March 7th had no memories of her past and had no idea who her mother was, she completely immersed herself in the moment!
She even felt a sudden urge to copy Kiana, acting spoiled in someone's warm embrace…
Her gaze drifted toward the gentle, elegant Himeko standing beside her.
Sob sob sob…
Himeko, can I hug you for a little bit? Just a little bit!
March 7th was just about to open her mouth!
When an abrupt twist shattered the scene!
…
"Kiana, why are you here!?"
Theresa looked at Kiana in shock.
"Theresa? Haha, you took way too long to get back."
"Cecilia and I already took care of the Second Herrscher!"
The confusion on Theresa's face deepened!
"Eh? What are you talking about, Kiana?"
"There's… no one else here…"
Kiana burst out laughing. "What silly nonsense are you saying? Isn't Lady Cecilia standing right beside—"
Before she could finish, the words caught in her throat!
Because the instant she turned her head, the gentle mother beside her had vanished completely!
Not a single trace of her existence remained!
The surrounding scenery instantly reverted to the cold, sterile data space.
Kiana stood frozen where she was!
Theresa hurriedly warned, "How did you sneak into this data space?"
"Come back with me right now, the things in here are—"
Bzzzt!
A cloud of grey mist suddenly surged forward, swallowing Theresa whole.
A figure emerged, indifferent.
"To ensure you do not interfere with our mission, please take your leave for now, Principal."
It was none other than the Class Monitor, Fu Hua!
She was clad in black and gold armor, her expression cold and resolute.
Turning to the still-dazed Kiana, she spoke: "Your mother is not here."
"This data space has never contained any virtual environments or AI."
"The Babylon Labs and Cecilia never existed from the start."
Kiana's composure shattered completely!
She spun around, taking a defensive stance. "What… are you talking about!?"
"No, you're lying!"
"Mom was right beside me the whole time…"
"We defeated the Second Herrscher together…"
"I protected my mom…"
"GIVE MY MOM BACK!!!"
Kiana rushed forward.
The clash between the beautiful illusion and the cruel reality was too much for her to bear.
She shoved at Fu Hua, her entire frame trembling violently.
Fu Hua could only say with a sigh, "All of it was merely your own illusion."
"From the moment you entered this data space, you have been standing motionless in this exact spot."
"It was the Herrscher's trick, trapping you within your own dream."
"Everything you saw, everything you experienced was fake."
"The Cecilia you sought, the mother you fought so desperately to protect…"
"Was nothing more than a phantom Sirin forged from your deepest desires."
…
"Stop talking, please, stop talking!"
"Pain, so much pain!"
"Holy crap, that's merciless!"
"Fu Hua, you're brutal—piercing through the illusion right to the heart like that!"
"Who wouldn't break down at this point? Sob sob sob…"
"As a doctor, I get it. When a patient is on the brink of collapse, you don't lay out their exact odds of survival—you give them emotional comfort…"
"It's mostly because Kiana was so deeply invested; her hopes were raised so high, which makes the despair hit that much harder."
"Fu Hua probably just wanted Kiana to let go of this false comfort once and for all, so she wouldn't be puppeted by the Herrscher…"
"This Second Herrscher isn't just about wanton destruction—she knows how to break a person's soul!"
"Phantylia: Now this, I've got to sit up and watch!"
"I get it now! The Honkai is just a diet version of Nanook, and Herrschers are just diet Emanators!"