"Coming back from the dead?"
Elysia sat on a chair with Vya in her arms, smiling as she looked at Himeko across from her. "No matter how you think about it, something like that is simply marvelous~"
Beside her, Mobius was also examining Himeko with keen interest.
She had always felt there was something odd about Himeko's half-alive, half-dead state.
Now, seeing things this way, the reason for it didn't seem so strange after all.
"It appears now that you are a Herrscher who is alive and possesses human consciousness."
Mobius tilted her head slightly, a playful smile curling at the corner of her mouth. "Is it merely a pretense, or something else?"
Himeko had long anticipated such questions. She replied calmly,
"...I truly cannot prove it, and to be honest, I don't know if I pose any risk now either."
Mei was contemplating seriously nearby. Sorting through the known information, she slowly spoke:
"So, you're saying that after being frozen by Kevin, you did not die, but continued to exist in the world in a spiritual form..."
"And because the Eighth Herrscher wanted to take over your body, you came back to life with Aponia's help?"
Hearing this, Himeko chuckled and clapped her hands. "Correct, that's exactly it."
The matter sounded bizarre, yet upon closer thought, it held a thread of logic.
Mei knew the only questionable point was why Himeko's consciousness hadn't dissipated, but that was most likely also related to Vya...
As for the part involving Aponia afterward, she was well aware of what the Signet of Discipline could do, so that made sense too.
In fact, Aponia must have secretly intervened during the process of eliminating the Eighth Herrscher as well.
"So, when can I go back?"
Himeko spread her hands. This was her primary concern. Staying in this special prison was simply too uncomfortable.
Having regained her body, she had ironically lost her freedom.
Mei shook her head, explaining:
"Certainly not for the time being. We still need to observe for a while longer, and news of you cannot be widely known yet. Otherwise, it would definitely cause many problems."
"Tsk tsk, I actually have a rather good idea."
Mobius suddenly smiled, a flash of slyness in her eyes.
Mei nodded. She naturally understood what Mobius was referring to.
"Hmm... performing a MANTIS surgery on a Herrscher... It's worth a try."
Even though Himeko had lost her Herrscher core, her body still retained a Herrscher's strength.
After the surgery, however, she would also be bound by Vya's constraints. This might prevent any potential risks, and moreover,
it would add a considerable combat asset for them. It was indeed a feasible plan.
"Well... I agree too, then. It's not like I have much choice in my current state anyway."
Himeko was quite open-minded about it, stating nonchalantly. Having already died once, what was there left to fear?
...
A barely perceptible shift crossed Elysia's expression, and her hand resting on Vya's head unconsciously relaxed its hold.
She looked at Himeko, thinking silently to herself...
Himeko's current situation... seemed rather similar to her own...
"Big sister... what's wrong?"
Vya, sensitive as ever, noticed Elysia's unusual demeanor. She lifted her little head, looking at Elysia with confusion.
"It's nothing~ I was just thinking how miraculous this all is~♪"
Elysia instantly regained her usual cheerful smile, replying in a light tone.
"Mhm mhm!"
Vya nodded in agreement, her small face full of anticipation. "Sister Hua and the others will surely be very happy too!"
"Yes~ Truly wonderful news~♪"
Elysia chimed in with a smile, though a trace of complex emotion seemed hidden deep within her eyes.
...
Actually, Vya had discovered her new ability as well. Ever since that gray-haired sister entered the consciousness space, she could go there anytime, anywhere.
And it seemed the brothers and sisters inside the consciousness space could come out too...
But most of them were unwilling to. Vya couldn't understand it at all. Why not?
...
Everything afterward proceeded relatively smoothly. Himeko's MANTIS surgery was carried out without a hitch.
After the surgery, they even had Himeko test the might of the Judgement of Shamash. As expected, Himeko could nearly unleash the weapon's full power.
Watching the entire test, Mei gradually conceived a brand-new idea: enabling humans to replicate the power of Herrschers.
But realizing this idea seemed far too difficult, involving too many unknowns and likely yielding little reward for the effort.
Current research prioritized projects where time and gains were proportional, especially since the next Honkai Eruption could arrive at any moment.
After discussing with Vill-V, the latter continued to press Mei for the core of the First Herrscher.
Mei truly didn't understand. She looked at Vill-V, puzzled. "Vill-V, why are you so fixated on the core of the Herrscher of Reason? Currently, the primary authorization for crafting Divine Keys lies with you. The cores of other Herrschers are all available..."
Due to the unique nature of the Herrscher of Reason's core, Mei was conducting in-depth research on it and had no immediate plans to forge it into a Divine Key.
Moreover, she had already achieved promising research results, developing the "Prometheus" series of robots utilizing the Herrscher core.
It was for the sake of... stealing the spark of knowledge from the hands of the gods.
"Because it will be a peerless creation, a masterpiece even I cannot foresee."
Vill-V said with a smile, her eyes gleaming with fervent light.
For her, the pursuit of ultimate creation was the greatest pleasure, her sole pursuit.
Mei was still somewhat unconvinced. "Is creating something completely uncertain really that compelling?"
Vill-V replied as if it were obvious:
"Isn't that precisely what makes it most compelling? People always fear the unknown, but deep down, don't they also wish to conquer it?"
…
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