At the deepest depths of the Pacific Ocean.
"To think you actually captured a Herrscher alive. Is there anything in this world you, Elias, cannot do?"
"Hurry and let me go over! I can't wait to properly study her!"
"Hahahaha~! As expected of The Deep End, designed by this century's greatest magician, Vill-V! Even an apostle of the gods, a Herrscher, has no chance of escaping. Truly, I outdid myself!"
Dr. Mei, Mobius, and Vill-V all stared with excitement at the imprisoned Herrscher of Death, Sheele.
This was humanity's first time capturing a Herrscher alive! Capturing the apostle of the gods itself! The significance was beyond measure!
Unconsciously, the three turned to Elias at their side. Their eyes overflowed with admiration that could not be contained. This boy was simply too incredible, as if there was truly nothing he could not accomplish!
"..."
For some reason, Elysia remained silent.
Staring at the Herrscher girl named Sheele on the monitor, she once again felt a sense of kinship. More and more, she suspected that her true identity might also be that of a Herrscher.
But when she remembered that she felt the same kinship toward Elias as well, a sliver of relief bloomed in her heart.
"Vill-V, what's the situation? Does the Herrscher of Death have any chance of escaping?"
"None whatsoever! Her Authority seems to only affect living beings. This prison is built entirely of soulium—there's absolutely no way she can escape!"
Vill-V spoke proudly, not realizing her words nearly drove Mobius insane with jealousy.
(What?! A prison built entirely of soulium? Does she have resources to spare like that? Haven't her funds been cut? Damn it, Mei you bastard, what happened to my research budget…)
The snake clutched her chest in agony. Right now her funding was so pitiful that even instant noodles had to be split across two meals.
Looking at Vill-V's extravagant, unrestrained appearance, Mobius was overcome with jealousy.
"Mobius, why are you looking at me like that?"
"No reason. Just wondering where exactly my research budget ended up. Why is there such a huge gap between us, Mei? Don't you agree…"
"Cough, cough! Anyway—Elias, what do you plan to do with the Herrscher of Death?"
Feeling the piercing stare of those snake-like eyes, Mei shuddered and quickly changed the subject.
The dangerous topic of budget must never be touched! She could never admit she had diverted Mobius' funds into her own projects.
Once Mei's words fell, all three women turned curiously toward Elias, waiting for his response. How to deal with a captured Herrscher was no trivial matter.
In truth, once news spread of the Herrscher of Death being captured alive, countless people around the world had already begun scheming. Some wanted to dissect her and unearth the secrets of Herrschers. Some wanted to interrogate her and force the truth of the Honkai. Others simply demanded she be executed.
But whatever their intentions, one thing was certain: countless eyes now watched the Herrscher of Death, Sheele, with hungry desire. Yet none dared make a move.
Because this Herrscher was Elias' prisoner.
After defeating four Herrschers and now capturing the sixth alive, his prestige was beyond question. No one dared to touch the Herrscher without his permission.
"I want… to tame her."
Elias' gaze remained fixed on the monitor, where Sheele sat in silence.
The moment his words fell, all four girls revealed astonished expressions.
"You said… you want to tame this Herrscher?"
"My god, is that even possible?"
"No… maybe it is. Don't forget, she's the only Herrscher so far who's actually begged for mercy."
"I still think it'd be better to let me dissect her."
Elias paid their voices no mind, his eyes locked steadily on the monitor.
He knew well that Sheele's begging was nothing more than a façade. In the original timeline, when Kevin spared the Herrscher of Death, she immediately attacked humanity again.
It was proof that even this was but another form of the Honkai's deception.
Just like how the Herrscher of the Void's Authority countered humanity's long-range weaponry, how the Herrscher of Thunder's accompanying Honkai Beasts targeted humanity's melee elites, and how the Herrscher of Wind's ability to escape targeted humanity's lack of speed.
As for the Herrscher of Ice… she died too quickly to be studied.
In any case, the Herrscher of Death, Sheele, begging for mercy was also nothing more than another Honkai scheme, aimed at exploiting humanity's sympathy.
If Elias had not known the story, once he softened and released her, the losses would have been unimaginable. But…
(I don't remember exactly how the Herrschers of the Current Era regained their humanity and broke free of the Honkai's shackles. But since the Current Era managed it, perhaps the Previous Era can too.)
Even if the Herrschers of the Previous Era lacked true humanity, they still displayed emotions. Since that was the case, Elias felt it was worth trying. If humanity couldn't be restored, then he would cultivate it anew.
And, from a personal standpoint, he truly didn't want to kill this Herrscher girl who looked exactly like Seele.
(If I can find a way, maybe in future cycles I could do the same as in the Current Era—conquer the Herrschers, and turn them into allies who fight for humanity. And…)
If he could reawaken the humanity within this Herrscher girl, make her stand on humanity's side, and gain the recognition of the people—then even if his Herrscher identity was exposed one day, there would still be room for negotiation.
"Taming a Herrscher… such a thing sounds like a fantasy. But if it's you, Elias, I feel it might really be possible."
Mei thought for a moment before speaking. In truth, she agreed with Mobius this time—having a living Herrscher to research and analyze could yield monumental discoveries.
And that path carried the least risk.
But since this was Elias' decision, then surely it was the correct one. Moreover…
(It feels like with Elias' methods, he might really be able to conquer a Herrscher. After all, if he could deal with Eden in just a single night, could a Herrscher really be harder?)
"So, what do you plan to do—subdue her by sleeping with her? Although this Herrscher of Death looks underage, remember that the laws protecting humanity don't apply to Herrschers. You can do as you like, Elias."
"Mei, your expression really doesn't make me want to 'do as I like.'"
Elias rolled his eyes. Women truly were creatures that said one thing and meant another. But truthfully, he did have confidence.
After all, it was Seele. Whether White Seele or Dark Seele, Elias could handle them both with ease. Though this one was "Sheele," she didn't seem much different.
"Before subduing—cough, taming her, I need to pull out the wildcat's fangs so she doesn't bite anymore. I plan to dig out her Herrscher Core while keeping her alive," Elias declared.
Though The Deep End was unbreakable, caution was still warranted when dealing with a Herrscher. Yet both Mobius and Mei shook their heads at once.
"We've already run a full body scan on her. The X-rays didn't find any Herrscher Core inside."
"You two sure work fast. But Herrscher Cores are far more special than most people think. It's normal that X-rays can't detect them."
Elias spoke as if unsurprised.
Seriously—did people really think Herrscher Cores just grew inside bodies like kidney stones? As a Herrscher himself, Elias understood better than anyone.
A Herrscher's body was merely the fixed coordinate of the Core.
In reality, every Herrscher's Core existed within the imaginary space. Only when a Herrscher died, and the coordinate was lost, would the Core drop from imaginary space into the real world.
And the place it dropped into was their body.
(After all, the size of a Core isn't that small. Each one is usually about half the size of a palm. To think it was just stuffed inside a body—ugh~!)
Elias shook his head at the uncomfortable thought. For someone like him with multiple Cores, his body wasn't exactly a handy pouch to stuff things into.
In fact, Otto's artificial Herrscher project was exactly that—forcing a Core into the flesh of a Valkyrie, then leaving it up to fate whether she could adapt to it or not.
For example, Wendy had been made that way. But the consequence was severe erosion of the body by Honkai energy. Even if she became a Herrscher, her strength was pathetic, and the Core could be easily taken away.
After all, storing a Core in flesh and blood versus storing it in imaginary space were two completely different concepts. A body of flesh was like an unlocked box—you could cut it open with a scalpel and dig out the Core.
But hidden within imaginary space, it was as if stored inside a fortified vault. Unless you smashed the vault—killed the Herrscher—there was almost no possibility of seizing the Core.
When Elias dug out Wendy's Core back then, it had been easy only because she was an artificial Herrscher, and her Core could be taken directly.
But the Sheele before him was a genuine Herrscher. To obtain her Core without killing her was practically a fantasy.
After all, the "vault's" password was known only to its owner. Without the ability to open imaginary space, one wouldn't even have the chance to attempt cracking it.
However…
"No problem. Leave the Core extraction to me." Elias smiled confidently, patting his chest.
Wasn't it convenient? As the Herrscher of the Void, he possessed the ability to open imaginary space. He could obtain the Core without harming the Herrscher's life.
Of course, even as the Herrscher of the Void, opening the imaginary space tethered to another Herrscher wasn't easy. But that was only a matter of time. Eventually, he could force it open.
Like a safe with a password—once you knew how many digits, you could simply try every possible combination.
"You really are capable of anything, aren't you?" Mobius widened her eyes in shock.
"Heh, up to now, Fire Moth has never discovered the Second Herrscher's corpse or who stole her Core. Looks like the answer has finally surfaced." Mei teased, glancing at Elias.
"In that case, now I'll activate the [Imaginary Interferometer] to make this Herrscher girl behave. Then, Elias, you can do whatever you want with her."
Vill-V spoke in a tone that could easily be misunderstood. She pulled out a switch and pressed it hard. Instantly, the Herrscher of Death who had been thrashing wildly on the monitor convulsed and collapsed to the ground, her Authority temporarily sealed.
...
"What's happening?! My power is gone?! No—it's not gone. Something strange is interfering, stopping me from properly using my Core!"
Sheele stared at her own hands in horror. Unable to use her Authority, she felt utterly insecure.
Just then, the door that hadn't budged no matter how she attacked it suddenly swung open. A white-haired boy stepped inside—the very human who had captured her, Elias.
"Human! What are you trying to do to me? I warn you, don't come any closer! Or I'll kill you!"
"Still putting up a tough act, huh? Give up already. Oh, right—if you're willing to hand me your Core yourself, this will all be much easier, and you won't feel anything strange."
Elias flexed his wrists and fingers. The last time with Wendy hadn't been proper, so this was truly his first time extracting a Herrscher Core. He was a little nervous.
It reminded him of a certain hero who transformed using three coins. That series really had been all about "digging out hearts"—everyone was constantly pulling out cores with chest shots.
"Hand over my Core? Dream on! Wait—what are you trying to do? No, don't! Stay away from me! Don't hurt Sheele!"
"Your personality is like those two fused together. Sharp-tongued like Dark Seele, but the moment you're scared, you turn into timid White Seele."
Elias found it fascinating. This Sheele was arrogant yet cowardly, carrying Dark Seele's madness and yandere streak while also showing White Seele's frailty and weakness. He thought she truly had potential for discipline.
Although right now the Herrscher of Death displayed only the flaws of both sides, if tamed properly, perhaps she might one day show the strengths of both.
Dark Seele's bravery and strength.
White Seele's gentleness and kindness.
If those were combined, Elias could hardly imagine what a wonderful girl she would become. But that was a goal for the future. For now, what he needed to do was confiscate her dangerous weapon.
"Relax. I don't think it'll hurt."
Elias pressed down Sheele's hands with his left, while his right hand—glowing with the power of the Herrscher of the Void—reached toward her chest. A gate of imaginary space slowly opened within her.
"Don't—don't come any closer!"
Sheele tried to struggle, but she could not resist Elias' strength. This Herrscher, who should have made the world tremble, now shivered like a frightened little lamb.
As Elias' hand reached into the gate of imaginary space, as expected, a repulsive force surged forth, like magnets of the same pole pushing apart. However…
"Sorry, but this isn't up to you." Elias ignored the repulsion and forced his way in.
The Authority of the Herrscher of the Void burst forth. His hand plunged deep inside, searching for Sheele's Core.
"Guhah! N-no! Something's coming in—this strange feeling—my… my Core!"
"Mm. Finally found it."
Elias' eyes narrowed as his hand, reaching into Sheele's body, grasped the Herrscher Core. With a sharp pull, a black Herrscher Core was torn out.
"Yaaahhhhhh~!"
Sheele's eyes rolled back as she let out a bizarre scream.
In the monitoring room, Elysia, Dr. Mei, Mobius, and Vill-V instinctively pressed their legs together tightly.
"You bastard! I'll kill you, I swear I'll kill you! Give me back my Core—that's Sheele's! You can't take it!"
Tears welled in Sheele's eyes as she gnashed her teeth. Her face flushed red with shame as she stood on tiptoe, trying to snatch back the Gem of Serenity in Elias' hand. But at less than one and a half meters tall, she couldn't reach it no matter how hard she tried.
In the end, all she could do was angrily pound Elias' chest with her tiny fists.
"It belongs to me now. But if you behave well in the future, abandon the Herrscher side of the Honkai, maybe—I might return the Core to you."
Without her Core, Sheele could no longer truly be called the Herrscher of Death. With one hand pressing on her head, Elias rendered her wild punches useless, striking only empty air.
Yet inside, Elias felt a little disappointed.
Even with her Core removed, Sheele hadn't regained humanity. She remained a Herrscher personality of the Honkai.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I'm a Herrscher! How could I ever betray the Honkai?!" Sheele bristled in fury.
"Mm? Isn't betraying the Honkai common sense for a Herrscher?" Elias replied seriously, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"I don't understand a word you're saying! You despicable thief, give me back my Core right now! Or else—I'll get really mad! Sheele can be very fierce! Awooo—uwahhhhhh!"
"..."
Elias glanced down at the girl biting into his arm, only to end up hurting her own teeth and bursting into tears. He could only shake his head helplessly.
It seemed there was still much training to be done.