"This world that hurt Elias again and again is not beautiful at all!!"
The Queen's cold gaze swept across the crowd, her voice sharp as a curse. In that moment, the expression on the Herrscher of the Void's face was even angrier than when Bella had attacked her earlier.
"It was for the sake of protecting those so-called beautiful things that he bled, that he suffered!"
Her overwhelming presence silenced everyone around.
"Herrscher of the Void, could it be that Elias is the reason you're..."
Everyone was stunned. None of them had expected that the Queen's wrath toward the world was born from Elias.
Due to the sacrifice of a certain soon-to-appear pink elf, all Herrschers in the current era—regardless of alignment—possess humanity. They are no longer the mindless puppets used for destruction as in the Previous Era.
And to possess humanity means the ability to think, to act with purpose. Thus...
Whether it is to destroy the world.
Or to fight for humanity.
Herrschers with humanity must have a reason driving their actions.
And the Herrscher of the Void chose to destroy the world—because of Elias!
...
During the Second Eruption, when Elias awakened as the Herrscher of the Void, the Core did not give birth to a Herrscher consciousness.
The reason was that the Will of Honkai had descended personally.
Back on the Moon, the Will of Honkai had not only bestowed him with four other Herrscher Cores, but had also entered Elias' body itself. In a sense, the Will of Honkai at the time was Elias' Herrscher personality.
However, following Elias' downfall, the Will of Honkai also perished.
It was not until Otto fused the Gem of the Void into Kiana's body that, after several years, the long-vacant Herrscher persona was finally born as Kiana's other personality.
As Welt had said:
A Herrscher Core can house memories, will, even souls. When this newly born, young and immature Herrscher of the Void gained self-awareness, she immersed herself in Elias' memories. And then...
She began to hate this world.
"Why? Why did they have to cut open his body with knives and inject dangerous drugs into him? Why did they torture him with such cruel methods!"
"Ahh... he's so kind. He willingly endured such pain just so the girls wouldn't suffer."
"Hahaha! Good kill! Those scumbags deserved to die that way! Great—he finally became strong!"
"Damn it! You blind, idiotic humans! Fighting for the sake of protecting the beautiful? He saved so many, yet you treated him like that!"
"Humans! Using such despicable methods to threaten him! If it weren't for those girls dragging him down, if he hadn't been protecting all those irrelevant people, there's no way you could've hurt him!"
Due to the system, the memories recorded in the Herrscher Core were limited to Elias' experiences during his time-travel journey.
Thus, what the Herrscher of the Void saw were only the events of Elias in the Babylon Laboratory, where he willingly became a test subject to protect Sirin and the others, and his final moments as the Herrscher of the Void fighting to protect everyone.
Those noble and tragic memories deeply moved the Herrscher of the Void.
In that moment, she fell for Elias. She loved him. And at the same time—she began to hate the world on his behalf!
By the way, the day she finished viewing the memories stored in the Core was the day Kiana turned ten.
That was the Herrscher activation event once observed by Schicksal.
Otto had speculated that Siegfried's presence triggered the girl's inner Herrscher personality—but that wasn't the case at all.
She had awakened out of fury, having just seen Elias' memories.
After awakening, the Herrscher of the Void immediately saw Siegfried in front of her—and began exacting her revenge.
Herrscher of the Void: "It's all this husky's fault! If he hadn't run into Elias and delayed him, Elias might never have gotten dragged into everything that followed! Maybe none of that would have happened!"
"And that bastard actually attacked him the moment they met! Then he was utterly useless afterward! I'm so mad! I swear I'm going to butcher this idiot!"
As a result, she tore off one of Siegfried's arms.
Afterward, Siegfried left Kiana's side. While Kiana wandered the world, the Herrscher of the Void continued to observe the world through her eyes.
And the Queen came to a conclusion:
This world was not beautiful enough. It did not deserve the boy she had fallen in love with. She swore that on the day she descended into the world, she would make everyone who had ever harmed Elias pay the price!
But then came a surprise.
Herrscher of the Void: "Impossible? No, it must be him! I'm sure of it! He's alive—Elias is alive! Hahaha~ this is wonderful! I knew you'd be okay!"
At Chiba Academy, when Kiana saw Elias again, it was also the moment the Herrscher of the Void saw the one she had longed for in her dreams.
Since then, the Queen had been watching Elias through that paramecium's eyes. That full-max affection level inevitably influenced Kiana, causing her to fall for him at lightning speed—ahem, to quickly fall deeply...
The Herrscher of the Void also learned more about him—not just the memories stored in the Core, but a fuller, more complete understanding of Elias. The result was...
The Queen fell even deeper in love.
The boy was far more charming than what she had seen in the memories. But...
He was also far more heart-wrenching.
She saw that even after losing his Herrscher powers, Elias continued to act to save others. That woman named Raiden Mei was one of those he saved.
The danger of that event had been gut-wrenching for the Herrscher of the Void, who at the time could only watch from within Kiana, powerless to act.
Fortunately, the outcome had been good.
Otherwise, had she witnessed Elias sacrifice himself again, Nagazora might have witnessed a once-in-50,000-years phenomenon—two Herrschers simultaneously rampaging and awakening.
After joining St. Freya Academy, the Herrscher of the Void thought Elias could finally live a peaceful life.
But unexpectedly,
He had only drawn closer to the vortex of danger.
The Chiyou incident, the Herrscher of Wind event, and now the ongoing Schicksal assault—the boy she loved had once again collapsed in a pool of blood.
And so, the Queen's fury erupted completely.
"Why?! Why is it always like this?! If this so-called beautiful world must be built on his blood and life—then I will destroy it! To me, a world that constantly throws him into danger and pain is not beautiful at all!!"
The Herrscher of the Void raised her hand and grabbed a Subspace Lance, hurling it with all her might at the people before her!
But with her Honkai energy exhausted and her stamina depleted, she could barely even aim.
Sirin, Cecilia, Durandal, Theresa, and the others all wore complex expressions.
They finally understood the Queen's reason for rebelling against the world.
But the truth left them all speechless.
The Herrscher of the Void was not, as they had initially assumed, an innately evil personality aligned with the Honkai. She had chosen to oppose the world to avenge the boy she loved.
"That's not it... Elias wouldn't think like that. His acts of salvation were never meant to be something so sad!"
Theresa forced herself to deny it.
"Of course he wouldn't! Because he's kinder than anyone! No matter what danger or sorrow he faces, he would never resent this world. But—he shouldn't have had to go through any of it in the first place!!"
The Queen's impassioned words drowned out Theresa's voice.
Recalling all she had witnessed—Elias' sacrifice during the Second Eruption, and the pain he endured again today—her heart ached to the point she could hardly breathe.
"Just like the name of this gem."
The Herrscher of the Void clutched her chest, grasping the Gem of the Void (CN: Gem of Freedom) through her flesh and blood, and gritted her teeth.
"Elias could've been the freest person in this world—just like the name of this gem! He could've gone anywhere he wanted, and no one would ever be able to hurt him!"
"But you became the chains that bound his wings! It's all your fault he couldn't fly freely!"
Tears streamed down the Herrscher of the Void's face.
She staggered to her feet, picked up a Subspace Lance from the ground, and swung it furiously at the people before her.
Clang!
She struck first at Sirin, the closest person to her. But the violet-haired girl, now an S-rank Valkyrie, easily caught the blow—an attack filled only with blind rage, devoid of any technique.
"Oh, now you're tough? If it weren't for you being held hostage by Otto back then, he wouldn't have had to give up his Core!"
"..."
Like someone drunk, her steps unsteady, the Herrscher of the Void stabbed her Subspace Lance toward Cecilia next.
"You too! If he hadn't gone to save your daughter, Elias might still be alive!"
"I'm sorry..."
"Hmph! And all of you! Everyone in this academy was his burden! This time again, he faced a Honkai Fissile Bomb to protect you all!"
The Herrscher of the Void glared at each person present, eyes full of resentment.
Elias himself had no weaknesses. He was strong enough that no one could hurt him.
But these people became his weakness. It was they who made the perfect Elias no longer perfect!
"So this is the reason you hate us..."
Everyone looked at the Herrscher of the Void in shame, feeling as though a giant hand had clenched their hearts, suffocating them.
Because she wasn't wrong.
Though they were proud of their bonds with Elias, those very bonds had become his weakness, causing him to fall into danger again and again.
"I will create a world where he will never be hurt again. I will kill anyone who could ever become his weakness. Once all those unnecessary things are gone, Elias will never be harmed again..."
The Herrscher of the Void believed Elias was still alive.
She knew he had the Gem of Haste inside him.
Even if he had sacrificed himself again, she believed that in fifteen years, Elias would come back to life—just like after the Second Eruption.
Until then, she would eliminate everything in this world that could drag him down, hurt him, or make him vulnerable and imperfect.
"Elias would never want you to do this."
"I know! But so what?! This is what I've decided. In the end, I'm the one who fell in love with him on my own. What he thinks of me... doesn't matter!"
The Queen flashed an arrogant smile...
In the past, a certain Thunder Queen vowed to fight for all that was beautiful in the world—for Elias.
Now, this Void Queen had resolved to destroy the world for Elias—because it was not beautiful enough for him!
This was love she forced upon him unilaterally, with no need for his approval or anyone else's permission.
After all, she was the Herrscher of destruction!
"You say all that, but you've already lost. So, could you kindly return the body to Kiana?"
"...You! I'm going to kill you!"
"Er, sorry."
Fu Hua, ever direct, spoke aloud the reality of the Queen's defeat, making the Herrscher of the Void flush with anger.
"Hmph! Whatever, you don't seem threatening anyway. You're like a wooden log, and so... flat. Out of pity for how flat you are, I'll spare your life."
"Pfft!"
Fu Hua felt a blow straight to the chest. The immortal pressed a hand to her flat chest, nearly coughing up blood.
Did the Herrscher of the Void just use a psychic attack?
The Immortal Phoenix glanced around at everyone present, then looked down, her expression drained of color.
She couldn't help thinking—maybe it was the result of the Meta-Morph, or the SWARA, or some drug Mebius made her drink in the past. Otherwise, how could she have gone fifty thousand years without growing at all!
"...Whatever your motive, you've lost today, Herrscher of the Void. Twisted as it may be, I acknowledge your feelings for Elias. But as a Valkyrie, I will not allow you to destroy the world."
Durandal spoke righteously.
She didn't quite understand emotions like love—they felt too distant. All Durandal cared about was protecting humanity, defeating the Honkai, and regaining her lost memories.
She had lost all memory prior to age eight. Normally, someone like her wouldn't cling to the past and would simply march forward.
But for some reason, Durandal felt she had to recover those memories. She couldn't explain why.
It felt like something precious was hidden in that past—something she must find. Not her parents' identities, but someone even more special.
"Hmph! Don't think I'll give up so easily. I will return! As long as you don't kill this girl, I will remain in her body. One day, I will destroy this sinful world for him!"
"If possible, I'd rather you fall in love with this world—for me."
Just as the Queen finished her threats and prepared to relinquish the body, a familiar voice rang out.
"!!!" xN
Everyone spun around toward the voice, and there he was—Elias, standing behind them, gaze fixed on the Herrscher of the Void.
"Elias, you're okay?!"
"Mm, I've finished regenerating. Didn't I tell you all that I'm the Herrscher of Rebirth? Ordinary methods can't kill me."
"Uh... now that you mention it..."
Theresa and the others froze. The crisis had been so sudden and severe, they'd completely forgotten Elias was the Herrscher of Rebirth.
Relief flooded in—followed quickly by embarrassment.
Elias looked at everyone with a wry smile, then walked directly toward the Herrscher of the Void.
"Thank you for loving me, Herrscher of the Void."
"!!!"
The previously imperious Queen was now struck speechless.
Though her love for Elias had been intense, extreme, and possessive—in truth, it was all just a one-sided crush!
Until now, she had only watched Elias through the paramecium's eyes. She'd never even spoken to him directly!
The Queen immediately became flustered and tsundere, folding her arms and turning her head away to avoid looking into Elias' eyes.
"Fall in love with this world? Don't be ridiculous. I'm the Queen of the Honkai, a Herrscher."
"In this day and age, who isn't a Herrscher? I am too. Now let me see your eyes properly."
"No, stay back! Elias, what are you trying to do?!"
Before she could resist, Elias cupped her face in both hands, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Her golden eyes were radiant and dazzling—completely opposite of Kiana's gentle blue ones. Of course, they were opposite personalities from the same source.
"I hope you can give up on destroying the world. Please? Even though so many dangerous things have happened... I truly love this world," Elias said sincerely.
"...Why? That would only create unnecessary weaknesses. You could remain perfect and strong."
"No, you've misunderstood. The reason I'm strong is because I have people I want to protect. That strength exists to rewrite tragedy. And more importantly..."
Elias pulled her into a gentle embrace and whispered:
"You're now one of those people I want to protect~"
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