"Alright. If you feel any discomfort at all, be sure to let me know immediately," Mobius instructed while connecting various instruments to Silas.
"I understand, Doctor," Silas replied, nodding in acknowledgment.
Today was the scheduled day for a full medical examination. Once the results were in, his daily routine would likely fall into a consistent loop: training → lab visits → rest.
After all, he had signed the agreement to become Mobius's experimental assistant.
Speaking of which, there was something Silas had been wondering for a while—was it really just him and Elysia who had been reborn?
On the way to the lab, he had tried to probe Klein for answers. According to her, Mobius had been noticeably less dedicated to her research lately.
But that didn't line up.
The Mobius he remembered from the previous era wasn't just a research enthusiast—she was a full-blown scientific fanatic.
Slacking off? Could that really be true?
Silas wasn't clueless; he'd spent his last life fighting the Honkai after all. While Lilith might have been his strategist, that didn't mean he lacked reasoning skills of his own.
Though… Kevin did seem to just follow whatever Mei told him to do.
Lying in a nest of complex instruments, Silas closed his eyes and pondered.
Why hadn't Mobius told him about her own rebirth?
Given her intelligence, there was no way she hadn't realized that he was reborn as well.
On the other side of the lab, Mobius stared at the cascading lines of data on the screen, her eyes widening.
Her voice slipped out in shock: "How is this possible?!"
Silas opened his eyes. "Is something wrong, Doctor?"
"Ahem. No, it's fine... It's just—your Honkai resistance is among the highest of all current MOTH soldiers. Seems bringing you back was the right decision," she replied, though her eyes never left the screen.
"Is that so..." Silas muttered, deep in thought.
One of the highest?
He knew the top Honkai resistance belonged to Elysia, due to her innate Herrscher nature.
As for himself… his resistance was certainly above average, but to be in the same tier as Elysia? That couldn't be right.
If it were like Mobius to speak precisely—as she usually did—she would have said something like "second only to Elysia". And the shock on her face just now... it wasn't an act.
Which meant—Silas had a new theory.
Coincidentally, the same thought crossed Mobius's mind.
She stared intently at Silas's data: his Honkai energy resistance was nearly identical to Elysia's. Far beyond what a normal human could achieve—unless one counted Kevin.
But that wasn't what truly stunned her.
What stunned her was that this data… didn't match what he had in the previous era.
In that past life, during the battle against the Seventh Herrscher, she and Mei had launched the MANTIS Project. Kevin, who had the highest natural Honkai resistance, volunteered to be a test subject.
Unexpectedly, Silas had also caught wind of the project and insisted on joining.
Kevin fused with Pavanti, while Silas chose to fuse with Agni.
Kevin's side effects were well-known—perpetual hypothermia. Silas, meanwhile, endured constant burning pain, a side effect of Agni's influence.
There was one unexpected benefit: Silas's Honkai resistance increased post-surgery. This laid the groundwork for his later participation in the Chimera Project.
But coming back to the current issue—
The level of resistance Silas was displaying now was absurd. Mobius could only think of one possible explanation:
Silas had become a Herrscher during the Final Battle.
Not chosen by Honkai—but born from his own will.
He retained his humanity. Yet, to this day, none of them had ever fully understood what his Herrscher authority actually was.
Now that she reconsidered…
Could it relate to time? But why wouldn't he know? Unless... it activates post-death?
Mobius didn't dare jump to conclusions. She immediately concluded the tests and summoned Elysia for her own full-body examination.
As for Silas, he returned to his training per his schedule.
"Mobius, why the sudden checkup? You already have my data." Elysia lounged on the examination table. "Unless... did something show up in Silas' tests?"
"A serious problem," Mobius said, eyes fixed on the device as she typed away. "I suspect he's become... a natural-born Herrscher, just like you."
Elysia's eyes widened.
She'd heard from Vill-V that Silas had once become a Herrscher—but Mobius was saying he still was?
"But there's one thing we can be relieved about. I haven't detected any traces of a Herrscher Core inside his body. In other words, he's currently a human with a Herrscher's body—but without a Herrscher Core." Mobius finished comparing the data between Elysia and Silas. As she had expected, aside from the absence of a core, the rest of his stats were nearly identical to Elysia's—as another natural-born Herrscher.
Elysia sat up from the pile of instruments, walked over to Mobius, and looked at the data flashing across the screen. "Vil-V told me once… that during the final battle against the Herrscher of the End, Silas briefly distorted time and space. Maybe… his Authority really is time."
Then… what about her Authority? What even was it?
Mobius fell silent, recalling that desperate battle—where only Kevin had been strong enough to fight at the end.
That distortion... Was that the moment?
Mobius shot her a look. "You guessed your Authority correctly. He was the first Herrscher born from it—one who fought for humanity. The true 13th Herrscher."
Elysia's pupils shrank in shock.
"As unbelievable as it sounds, this is likely the only explanation that fits. He unleashed his full Authority without even knowing it himself—and because of that, we were reborn. Now, a more accurate way to describe him would be: a Herrscher who hasn't awakened yet."
Elysia's body trembled slightly. She took several deep breaths to calm herself, then asked, "So, if Silas really is the true Thirteenth Herrscher, does that mean… he won't awaken until all twelve Herrschers have descended?"
"In theory, yes," Mobius replied. "Elysia, where are you going—?"
The only answer she got was the hiss of the lab door sliding shut.
Mobius stood there silently for a moment. Then she dropped what she was holding and chased after her.
"That's not why I told you!" she shouted.
Out of shape from years of lab work, Mobius wheezed as she finally caught up—only to find her frozen like a statue outside the training room. Mobius followed her gaze—and froze too.
Inside the training room, Silas had Sakura cornered against the wall, one hand pressed next to her head. Sakura's face was flushed, her eyes downcast, her whole demeanor radiating helplessness.
WHAT. THE. HELL. IS GOING ON HERE?!
________________________________________
Time rewound to the moment Silas left the lab and headed for the training room. Sakura was already there, waiting to begin today's session.
But training wasn't what weighed most on his mind right now.
There was a question he needed answered—one tied to a theory he'd been formulating. On one hand, he needed confirmation to prove his hunch. On the other... if his guess was right, then Vil-V's mental state might require urgent attention.
He had originally planned to ask Elysia about it, but Mobius had dragged her away for a physical examination. He thought about waiting—but then he ran into Vil-V in the hallway. For a brief moment, her eyes had turned… terrifying. Not in a predatory way. It was more like… the kind of look that made you feel like you were about to be locked in solitary confinement.
No time to waste! Sakura was honest enough. Asking her would do just fine.
So, the first thing he blurted out when he saw her was:
"Sakura, can you answer me seriously? You and the others—Mobius included—you're all reborn, aren't you?"
Sakura's hand, resting on the hilt of her blade, twitched slightly. Though she was second only to Hua in terms of honesty, the fact that she had once been an assassin meant her training let her lie with a straight face when needed.
"Reborn? What are you talking about?" she asked calmly. "I've only just met Dr. Mobius not long ago. Silas, what are you even saying?"
The fact that she'd managed to keep this secret hidden for thousands of years within the Elysian Realm, even from the other Flame-Chasers, was proof of how flawless her deception skills were.
Almost flawless.
"Really?" Silas didn't buy it. He knew how good Sakura was at masking the truth. If she didn't want to talk, there wasn't much he could do. But… he remembered something Lilith once told him—eyes don't lie. And if they do, it just means you're not looking closely enough.
"Then look into my eyes," he said, his voice steady. "Can you really say you don't know anything?"
Sakura had been trained to deliver false intel while maintaining eye contact. So, she met his gaze without flinching.
Silas narrowed his eyes. Not close enough, huh...
He took another step forward. Instinctively, Sakura stepped back. Step by step, she retreated until her back hit the wall. The distance between them shrank rapidly.
For some reason… Sakura suddenly found herself unable to meet Silas's gaze. Her cheeks flushed unexpectedly. She looked down—completely against her will.
And then…
The sound of the training room door creaked open.
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