Breaking into a cold sweat, aren't you, Otto? (cont.)

In the following time, Lin Yu severed the connection between the Key of Restraint and the Blank Key, and instead had Yuno cooperate with him to conduct the Herrscher Core Connection Experiment.

However, the connection experiment with the Tranquility Gem was noticeably less successful than the previous connection with the Divine Key.

In Chapter 19 of the original game, after Raiden Mei defeated the Herrscher of Rimestar, she said that the two cores were 'alive'.

Lin Yu now understands why Mei emphasized the importance of living back then.

Although I defeated the Herrscher of Death and awakened Yuno's consciousness when I was in the suburbs of Singapore, it does not mean that the Herrscher of Death's personality disappeared from its core.

Even after Kiana became the Finality, Sirin's evil side still remained in her body. I only beat up the Herrscher of Death; it would be a miracle if I could destroy that personality on the spot.

And now... tch, you don't dare to fight head-on, so you can only obstruct me from the shadows when I'm connecting to the core?

"... That's enough."

At that moment Yuno had placed her hand on the Blank Key, suddenly let out a cold snort.

After Yuno snorted, Lin Yu suddenly felt that the consciousness that had been hindering him suddenly disappeared.

Wow, what a powerful suppressive force!

Although the Herrscher of Death's personality is just a baby compared to Mei's [Stigmata Personality] and Kiana's [Sirin's Evil Face], you'll chicken out with just a cold snort from the main personality...

Oh well, since they're not one of us, let them be all talk and no action. It's a good thing after all.

Himeko, who was watching the two of them from the side, frowned slightly as she looked at Lin Yu, who had mobilized his powers.

Based on Lin Yu's performance when connecting to the [Key of Judgment] and [Key of Restraint], Himeko once thought that Lin Yu should also have a very impressive performance after connecting to the Tranquility Gem.

But even with Yuno, the owner of the gem, helping and supporting Lin Yu, Himeko could still see that Lin Yu's use of the Herrscher of Death's powers was far inferior to that of the other two Herrscher.

When Lin Yu unleashed the lightning of the Herrscher of Thunder, Himeko could sense that he had a very high level of control over the lightning.

The lightning, which should have been leaping around everywhere, was actually controlled by Lin Yu within the palm of his hand.

Needless to say, Lin Yu can manipulate the Constraint Authority Constraint Barrier as easily as he can mold clay, shaping it into whatever form he desires.

Although the Constraint Barrier and the Divine Prayer Barrier are not exactly the same thing, considering that Theresa became half-crippled after using Divine Grace once, Himeko really felt that Lin Yu's performance of playing with Play-Doh was a bit too frightening.

It was precisely because the first two connection experiments went too smoothly that Himeko felt that Lin Yu, who was clearly not good at using the Creation and Repair abilities and the Withering Black Mist ability, seemed a little off.

But she quickly realized what was going on.

The one who's not right now isn't Lin Yu, but the Lin Yu from before.

Today was Lin Yu's first attempt to connect using the Core and the Blank Key, which Himeko and Theresa both believed should have been extremely dangerous.

The fact that Lin Yu is currently unable to fully control the Herrscher Authority is exactly what the two of them expected.

Okay, now it has been proven that the first two connection experiments were the accident.

Although Lin Yu's progress in this area is terrifying, his mastery of the Herrscher Authority is still within our expectations.

That's strange. Lin Yu could say he'd adapted to the Herrscher Authority beforehand, but the Constraint Authority...

How can he play so well?

At that moment, Himeko suddenly felt a chill.

It wasn't that she felt any gaze was fixed on her; it was mainly that Himeko was reminded of one of her unfortunate students who had already graduated.

Wendy, the genius girl designated by Schicksal Headquarters as a potential fourth S-rank Valkyrie, had another identity before heading to the Oceania Branch —a student at the St. Freya Academy.

It was only because Wendy was so talented that she was able to graduate smoothly at the age of thirteen, even though her academic scores were not very good.

Then, something bad happened.

At that time, Otto suddenly demanded that each branch recommend a sufficiently powerful and young A-rank Valkyrie to go to headquarters.

Theresa, having somehow overheard that Otto was planning to implant the Herrscher Core into the Valkyrie's body for an artificial Herrscher experiment, was extremely worried for days.

In minor matters, Otto will definitely indulge Theresa if she Theresa cute.

But this was clearly no small matter. No matter how much Theresa thought about it, she knew very well that Otto would not tolerate her behavior in this situation.

Therefore, Theresa ultimately made a reluctant choice.

She didn't tell Wendy about the experiment, but directly recommended Wendy to Otto as A-rank Valkyrie candidate nominated by the Far East Branch.

This behavior was undoubtedly a 'betrayal' for Wendy.

However, Theresa's single-minded approach to this matter is also quite simple.

Wendy is very strong; there's a chance she'll survive if she goes there.

Others who weren't adaptable enough to participate in this experiment would probably have died immediately.

Of course, everyone knows what happened next.

Wendy failed to become Artificial Herrscher, but she managed to keep the Desire Gem within her body and stabilize it.

However, knowing the inside story, Himeko looked at Lin Yu, who had completed the connection with the Herrscher Core, and suddenly felt...

—The bishop, won't he notice this and then kidnap Lin Yu and implant the Herrscher Core?

The only difference between Wendy and Lin Yu is that Lin Yu only demonstrated the adaptability of the Herrscher Core after displaying S-rank strength.

If Bishop Otto went mad...

The bishop may be a cold-blooded person, but he shouldn't be that crazy.

If Lin Yu gets into trouble, Mei and Yuno will definitely go crazy first.

The two Herrscher went berserk at the Far East Branch, and Theresa, who hadn't fully recovered from her injuries, couldn't control them.

Even for Theresa's safety, His Holiness the Bishop wouldn't harm Lin Yu by sending him to conduct experiments with such a low success rate... what a load of rubbish.

I remember now!

After Wendy went to the Oceania Branch, I contacted her again. She told me that the bishop had told her, "If you complete this experiment, you will have Herrscher- level power and be able to help more people."

If the bishop uses this reason to fool Lin Yu —the kid will almost certainly fall for it.

Looking at Lin Yu, who had already severed the connection with the Herrscher Core, Himeko barely maintained a calm expression on her face and said to Lin Yu.

"Alright, that concludes today's experiment— Yuno, go back and keep an eye on him."

"I know you usually like to act like nothing's wrong, but after switching connection cores three times in a row, even if you look fine now, you must actually be incredibly weak."

No, that's not true.

Major Himeko is right. After switching cores three times in a row, theoretically I wouldn't be lying on the ground like a dead dog, but I wouldn't be in the same state as I am now. I would just feel a little uncomfortable.

But facts are facts. No matter how much I feel something is wrong, it doesn't change the fact that I can connect smoothly with the Herrscher Core.

Although in today's experiment, the time I spent connecting the three cores did not exceed one minute, and the total time was less than the time Dr. MEI spent fusing the Herrscher of Herrscher of Thunder Core.

However, Dr. MEI's connection was forced to terminate 201 seconds after fusing with Herrscher of Thunder Core due to overload, and I...

I feel like I can hold on for at least a few more minutes.

When I swallowed that Simulated Herrscher Core, I only conducted a 'military exercise' in advance, based on the worst-case scenario.

But now, I feel I still have to face reality.

I've easily accomplished something as difficult as connecting to Herrscher Core, so what's next...?

—Damn it, Honkai, you're really targeting me, aren't you?

This problem is getting serious.

I can guarantee Honkai I won't instantly collapse when Honkai throws its core at me, but—that's all I can guarantee.

This requires me to be at my peak to ensure my will is strong enough. In other words, if I reveal a huge weakness, Honkai will definitely throw its core at me without hesitation, forcing me to go berserk.

I had similar suspicions before, but this time, I finally understand completely.

From now on, the difficulty of battles will change from "Hard" to "Souls".

At that moment, Lin Yu and Himeko exchanged a glance, and simultaneously had the same thought in their hearts.

I need to find some time to talk to Lin Yu privately.

I need to find some time to have a good talk with Major Himeko.

His problem is very serious, and I must make him realize just how dangerous Bishop Otto is.

It now seems that the God-Slaying Spear, the [Herrscher Killer], is most suitable for Himeko, who is usually not seen by Otto and is unlikely to be hypnotized and Himeko by Feathered Dust.

This kid is a good prospect, and I don't want him to follow in Wendy's footsteps.

Although Himeko's strength has declined due to the HSN Serum, she is still smart. The 'backup plan' I need requires someone with brains.

But right now, with Yuno still standing there, I can't bring myself to speak.

But right now, Yuno is still by my side, and she still trusts Otto, so I can't talk to Himeko directly in front of her.

At this moment, Yuno, holding the Seven Thunders of Retribution and dragging the Oath of Judah, glanced at the two people in front of her and said to Lin Yu.

"Senior, please take off the Blank Key."

"I'll take these things back to the armory—no matter how tough you try, don't touch the Divine Key again."

Yes, yes, yes.

At this moment, Lin Yu, who had taken off the Blank Key, reluctantly placed the armor on the Honkai Energy vines summoned by Yuno.

"Yuno, have you noticed that you seem to be getting more and more verbose?"

"This is proof of my physical and mental well-being."

As she brushed past Lin Yu, Yuno rolled her eyes at Lin Yu in annoyance.

"Do you expect me to watch you rush around every day and approve of your bad habit?"

"Alright, Yuno, say no more."

Himeko felt really strange looking at the vines that were constantly being 'decomposed' by Oath of Judah and then constantly 'reborn' by Yuno's power.

Yuno is clearly no less skilled Mei in Yuno the degree and precision of her control over her powers.

However, for some reason, Yuno, as the Herrscher of Death, can only manipulate the destructive power of 'Death of Withering' and cannot manipulate the restorative power of 'Life of Creation'.

At first, she thought it was just a simple case of being unbalanced in her studies, but now, looking back, she realizes that the imbalance was far too severe.

"Lin Yu, you should rest here for a while. Yuno and I will take the things back to the armory first."

As for her conversation with Lin Yu, Himeko certainly wouldn't pull Lin Yu aside to whisper something right now.

This matter is of utmost importance; she must keep it hidden, hidden, and hidden even more.

If Himeko finds out that Otto has 'slandered' Otto, then her life will definitely be difficult from now on.

Himeko is not afraid of death, but not being afraid of death does not mean she likes trouble.

Now that her lifespan issue has basically disappeared, she's not stupid. Why would she make things difficult for herself by reminding her juniors to be discreet and avoid being noticed by the boss?

As the two left, Lin Yu sat down cross-legged and finally closed his eyes.

However, Lin Yu, who had closed his eyes at this moment, was not resting, but silently reciting the Sword Heart Technique that Fu Hua had taught him, trying to stabilize his mind with the Sword Heart and the Mirror Mind.

I have to say, you're being overly cautious.

[The connection experiment went very smoothly this time, but after you finished the experiment, the first thing you did was start silently chanting Divine Sound...]

Oh well, it's not all bad.

What's wrong with you today? You've suddenly stopped making witty remarks. I'm really not used to it.

[It's nothing. It's just that this system occasionally thinks that if some of its hosts had even a tenth of your cowardice, they wouldn't be buried in the ground or even scattered at sea now.]

Looking at it this way, your choice might not be the most correct, but it's relatively safe.

Wow, you're really serious today.

So, Mr. System, could you please give me some advice on what I should pay attention to right now?

[What else is there to be aware of—you freak, you can talk to this system while simultaneously reciting the Sword Heart Technique???]

This isn't to prevent you from suddenly speaking up, which would draw my attention and lead to misunderstandings. That's why I specifically started researching special methods for multitasking.

[How could this even be researched?!!!!]

Well—hehehe, as long as you have a brain, that's enough!

Wow, suddenly she's making a sound like a little devil.

Okay, enough joking around.