"Do you play games?"
Bronya suddenly asked.
"What kind of game?" Mushoku Kika was puzzled.
"I made a game myself, called Honkai War. Want to try it? I need someone to test it."
"Sure."
Mushoku Kika nodded.
"Then you'd better be mentally prepared!"
A mischievous smile appeared on Bronya's face. With a thought, before Mushoku Kika could even react, she was drawn into a new world.
To be precise, a virtual game world.
In this game world, Mushoku Kika would temporarily lose part of her memory and play the role of a god named Will of Honkai, tasked with destroying or ruling over human civilization.
Throughout the world, various human events would occur—from great wars and natural disasters to daily life like farming and eating.
As the Will of Honkai, Mushoku Kika could use her special abilities to influence and control these events, altering their outcomes.
This was the game Bronya had developed to select qualified Herrschers.
Upon entering, Mushoku Kika overlooked human civilization from a god's-eye view.
[Only Task: Create a beautiful world.]
Watching Mushoku Kika's initial confusion, Bronya was satisfied and curious to see what she would do next.
After a brief daze, Mushoku Kika began to act.
She used her abilities to trigger a Honkai Eruption, creating hordes of zombies and Honkai Beasts.
But soon, humanity's armies suppressed them.
All zombies and Honkai Beasts were annihilated.
Mushoku Kika saw a world notification: Humanity has discovered Honkai Energy and begun researching it.
She thought for a moment, then continued producing Honkai Beasts and zombies.
Mushoku Kika kept creating them, clashing with humanity again and again.
But as time went on, humanity's anti-Honkai weaponry became increasingly advanced. The number of super soldiers—called MANTIS—also continued to grow.
Gradually, Mushoku Kika found herself overwhelmed.
In the end, she stopped resisting and gave up the fight against humanity.
Without the threat of the Honkai, humans began fighting among themselves. Sixty years later, a massive civil war broke out and lasted for three years.
Human civilization perished.
Mushoku Kika stared blankly at the result for a moment.
Bronya, however, wasn't surprised.
Most of the test participants she had selected, lacking prior memory, always reached the same conclusion the first time.
After her failure, Mushoku Kika restarted the world.
Second Cycle—begin.
This time, she didn't trigger the Honkai Eruption immediately. Instead, she did nothing and simply watched human civilization play out on its own.
As time passed, the planet's population increased, resources dwindled, and wars broke out.
The war lasted five years.
Human civilization perished.
Third Cycle—begin.
...
Watching Mushoku Kika fail over and over, making different choices each time, Bronya gradually understood what kind of person she was.
A woman who neither cared about humanity's life nor its fate—a woman who acted purely according to her own will.
Such a personality.
Was it suitable for becoming a Herrscher?
Naturally, yes.
Kiana Kaslana had her own standards for those who would become Herrschers.
Her requirements weren't high.
Only those who were excessively self-righteous or delusionally benevolent would make her reconsider approving them.
"My dear daughter, come give me a hug."
Kiana Kaslana appeared beside Bronya, pulling her daughter into her arms and affectionately rubbing against her cheek.
"Mom, stop it. I'm not a child anymore."
"And weren't you playing with those elves in that magic world?"
Bronya turned and looped her arms around Kiana Kaslana's neck with practiced ease.
She knew perfectly well who "Kiki" was behind the alt account.
Kiana Kaslana smiled, brushing through Bronya's silver-gray hair. "Got bored and came back. Those elves were all flat as boards—flatter than Fu Hua."
"The elven race has genetic issues, Mom. If you want, I can modify them."
Bronya whispered softly in Kiana's ear.
"Forget it. When I want to, I'll handle it myself."
Creating a potion to give elves fuller chests wasn't actually that difficult.
"By the way, have there been any unusual events in the other worlds lately?"
Ever since she had delegated the affairs of several worlds to Bronya and Sirin, Kiana had a lot more free time.
"Nothing much in the others. However, in Miss Kongou's world, a few conflicts have occurred between humans and the Fleet of Fog."
The world of the Fleet of Fog—she hadn't imposed control there, leaving management to the Fog themselves.
"Has humanity in that world recovered? To be causing trouble so soon?"
"No. It's just that Amano Kotone of the Fog is too gentle. The humans there thought she was easy to bully and tried testing her limits."
If anyone dared to test her own limits, Bronya wouldn't hesitate to wipe out their entire bloodline.
If necessary, she would even annihilate nine generations.
Only overwhelming deterrence could make people behave.
Since hell existed, killing people was no big deal.
Without true soul annihilation, death was merely reincarnation—recycling into the furnace once more.
"Let the Fog handle their own affairs in that world. How about the Honkai world?"
"No major changes."
Bronya wasn't particularly concerned about humanity living in the dream world of the Stigma Space. They could do whatever they pleased.
Living in reality or in dreams—it made no difference to her, as none of it fell under her jurisdiction.
If her mom hadn't told her to monitor that world, she wouldn't even bother checking it periodically.
"No changes, huh?"
Kiana Kaslana pondered for a moment. With Kevin's abilities, that world would likely remain stable for a long time.
But… how should she bring her beloved Mei home?
Infiltrate the dream world of the Stigma Space?
That didn't seem feasible.
She wasn't sure about others, but Mei's face was definitely one of Kevin's top priorities for protection.
If she tried to steal her away, Kevin would notice immediately.
Even though Kevin wasn't her match, Kiana didn't want to start a fight just yet.
"By the way, that thing I asked you to do."
"Mom, the memory data of the Elysian Realm and the electronic lifeforms from Mars are ready. We can begin transferring them here anytime."
Bronya reported truthfully.
"Well done. Proceed."
Kiana Kaslana nodded in satisfaction.
The memory data of the Elysian Realm and the electronic lifeforms from Mars were part of a plan she had arranged long ago.
"Understood, Mom."
Starting with the memory data of the Elysian Realm, the Will of Ruler's derivative entities that Bronya had secretly deployed began to act.
They started to corrode and parasitize the facilities within the Elysian Realm.
Entering the information space.
Although the Elysian Realm was physically isolated from the network, that posed no obstacle to the omnipresent Will of Ruler.
Bronya, having received Kiana Kaslana's authorization, could create derivative will-entities for command and control.
Aponia, who had merged with the Elysian Realm, was the first to sense something invading.
The Herrscher of Corruption?
Black tentacles sprouted everywhere across the information space, each creature bearing a glowing violet vertical pupil at its center.
The nun kneeling before a statue slowly opened her eyes.
Aponia stood, turned around, and her serene blue gaze fixed on the invading derivative entities.
"What are you?"
These unknown monsters had dared to invade her domain.
The moment Aponia spoke, the derivative entities extended their tentacles and launched an attack.
In Mobius's laboratory—
"Damn it, let me go!"
Mobius's slender, serpentine body was tightly bound by the black tentacles of the derivative entities. She tried to struggle, but couldn't break free.
Caught by this strange creature, she found herself utterly unable to use any of her powers.