Across the Sea (cont.)

Why does the Herrscher Persona the Void personality residing within Kiana believe that Cecilia was killed by her 'boss'?

"You seem to have many doubts in your heart, and even think that I am trying to sow discord, but..."

"Whatever!"

"Today, you all have to—"

"Mom!"

Just as Sirin was about to utter some harsh words, she suddenly heard a shout directed at her and paused in surprise.

Then, when she turned her gaze to Lin Yi, whose face was full of sorrow but who had not shed a tear, she said with a slightly complicated expression.

"... You still call me Mom? My good daughter."

"No matter what, Mom is Mom!"

At this moment, Lin Yi seemed to have made up her mind. Ignoring Yuno, who wanted to say something, she walked towards Sirin step by step.

"I don't know why my Mom did these things, but I believe that my Mom is not a bad person."

"If you have any difficulties, Mom can tell me, Aunt Bianca, or Grandma Theresa."

"Everyone here is a good person. If Mom were to express her grievances—"

"I'm so sorry, my dear daughter."

After saying those words with utmost gentleness, Sirin suddenly vanished from the spot.

At this moment, Durandal, who was secretly directing King and Queen to appear next to Sirin in preparation for a sneak attack on Sirin, clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction when she saw Sirin reappear with a hint of mockery in her eyes.

This guy...!

Isn't that a bit too much of a concern?

On the other side, Welt, who had already treated Yuno and Mei's injuries, looked at Sirin now and felt his head throb even more.

In the past, Sirin possessed greater power Welt, but she was prone to arrogance when things were going well.

It was precisely because of her unique personality that she was outmaneuvered by Welt several times during the Second Honkai Eruption War and suffered a lot.

However, Sirin, now 'resurrected' by Otto, is clearly much more cautious than she was during the Second Honkai Eruption.

Sirin's biggest weakness was that she was prone to overconfidence and her brain would shut down when things were going well, but now that her weakness has disappeared...

My head hurts so much.

Otto, you bastard! You already tricked me and Siegfried several times back then, and now you've even resurrected the Herrscher of the Void.

The thought of that repulsive face made Welt wish he could manifest Jizo Mitama and plunge the katana deep into Otto's body.

Unfortunately, Otto is not here.

Now, he has to find a way to take all the friendly forces away from the scene in front of the three-core Sirin.

"Ah, Welt, you look like you're up to something again."

At this moment, Sirin walked to Lin Yi's side, gently picked up her daughter, and then suddenly waved gently at Welt.

"I will not give you another chance to scheme against me, you traitor!"

"Mom!"

Lin Yi, who was being picked up by Sirin, did not struggle. Instead, she threw herself into Sirin's arms and shouted loudly at her.

"Stop it! This kind of Mom is really not right!"

"The Kiana Mom I admire is a kind woman who is a bit clumsy but incredibly gentle! The Mom I have now is nothing like the Mom I imagined!"

"If Dad saw you like this, he would definitely be heartbroken!"

Dad... Lin Yu... Senior...

Amid the girl's cries, Sirin, who had originally intended to continue attacking Welt and Durandal, suddenly released her grip on Lin Yi's arm and clutched her head in excruciating pain.

"Damn it... damn it... damn it! You counterfeit, why are you getting in my way at this time!"

Realizing that the other personality within her was not completely silent, Sirin immediately teleported to a distance, creating some distance between herself and the others.

Durandal was preparing to take the opportunity to pursue the enemy, could only shield Lin Yi and Sirin with her body, protecting Lin Yi behind her.

"Xiao Yi, step back, she's not Kiana anymore."

"Yes, my dear daughter, I am not the same person I used to be."

Feeling a splitting headache and unable to exert her full strength, Sirin covered her face and looked at everyone present before coldly speaking to Lin Yi.

"I'll let these good-for-nothings off the hook today because of you."

"But next time we meet, my dear daughter, I hope you... can make a decision that will satisfy your Mom."

After uttering those words, Sirin activated her Herrscher of the Void powers and disappeared from everyone's sight.

After confirming that Sirin was not feinting, Welt and Durandal both breathed a sigh of relief.

In any case, not having to face a Herrscher with three Herrscher Core is ultimately a good thing for the two who now have to protect the wounded.

As for Su, who was still being hunted down by the Herrscher of Reason, she gritted her teeth and, despite the danger of being severely injured by the Herrscher of Reason, concentrated a large amount of her spiritual power into her right palm.

"You bastard, you owe me my apprentice!"

"Hua, it's about time you woke up."

Having completely abandoned his defenses, Su, at the cost of having his body pierced, struck the Herrscher of Reason on the forehead with a palm strike.

Under Su's powerful mental interference, Fu Hua finally regained control of her body, even with the Herrscher of Reason's Honkai enhancement.

"Su, I... I... I..."

After immediately pulling her bloodied hands from her comrade's body, Fu Hua looked at Su, who had a helpless expression on his face, and took two steps back, at a loss.

"Hua, listen to me, this isn't your fault..."

Looking at Welt running up to him, Su smiled wryly and said to Fu Hua.

"All of this today is the result of a Honkai plan."

"Including you, me, Lin Yu, Kevin... and even everyone here, we were all Honkai by the Honkai."

"Your condition is not good, and the core of your body happens to be the Herrscher Core of Consciousness core, which can suppress consciousness, so you often encounter this state of being unable to control yourself."

"But just now, I poured all my remaining mental energy into your head."

"With our previous efforts on Tai Xu Mountain, you should be able to completely suppress the personality of the Herrscher of Reason and return to the front lines in a while."

"... I see."

Fu Hua, who had intended to apologize, looked at Su Kuanwei's comforting gaze and knew that her comrade did not want her to do something that would only make things worse.

However, besides feeling guilty towards her comrades, Fu Hua now harbors another kind of emotion.

That is sadness.

The Herrscher of Reason went berserk because of Lin Yu's death, and how could Fu Hua, as Lin Yu's 'master', not be emotionally affected at all?

She, too, felt immense grief over Lin Yu's 'death'...

No, perhaps it was precisely because of the inability to suppress one's inner emotions that when a vulnerability appeared in one's heart, the Herrscher of Reason instantly gained the upper hand and once again seized control of the body.

At this moment, in the finally quiet scene, there was a very uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Kiana, what's wrong with you...?"

Mei, whose injuries were slightly less severe than Yuno's, was still able to retain consciousness at this point.

Recalling everything that had just happened, she still refused to believe it...

—Believe in the facts that are happening before your eyes.

Lin Yu disappeared, Kiana awakened her Herrscher Persona.

For Mei, who cherished these two people so much, the blow she suffered was even greater than the blow she felt when her father, Raiden Ryoma, was betrayed by Cocolia.

Even if Raiden Ryoma goes to jail, it's just imprisonment.

The disappearance of Lin Yu and the taking of Kiana's body are essentially equivalent to declaring the death of the two on both an existential and personal level.

"Aunt Mei, Aunt Bianca, and Aunt Fu Hua."

Seeing the three people lost in grief, Lin Yi calmly addressed them.

"Don't make that face. Before Dad left, he told us to wait for him, that he would come back."

"My Dad must be a man of his word, so..."

After a brief pause, Lin Yi smiled and addressed everyone.

"Please believe in my father, he will definitely come back."

Whether it was Welt, who had just met Lin Yi, or the others who had spent several days with Lin Yi, they could all sense that Lin Yi, who had just lost her father, was clearly putting on a brave face to comfort everyone.

But when faced with the little girl, no one was so lacking in emotional intelligence as to expose the smile she wore to feign sadness.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Yi."

Looking at the little girl in front of her who was clearly very sad but was trying to remain calm for everyone's sake, Fu Hua, who felt that she had performed very poorly today, said these words softly and then left before everyone's eyes.

"I am not qualified to stay by your side until I am completely 'stable'."

"Aunt Fu Hua has made her decision, and I won't try to stop you, but—it's a promise, you must come back after you're better."

Watching Fu Hua's departing figure, Lin Yi shouted loudly at Fu Hua.

"Dad values Aunt Fu Hua very much. Dad 'll be very lonely if you're not here!"

Moreover, among everyone present, there was one person who had absolutely no connection with Lin Yu.

It was precisely because of this that he was able to make some more calm speculations, given that he possessed some intelligence.

"My fellow members of the Mandate of Schicksal, I now believe that I have demonstrated through my actions that I am not here to start a war."

Welt, who had used the Divine Key multiple times that day, spoke to the crowd, looking somewhat weak.

"So now, can you all calm down a bit and listen to me say a few words?"

After hearing Welt's speech, Mei looked at Durandal was of higher rank than her in the military.

In response to Mei's questioning gaze, Durandal nodded slightly and then spoke to Welt with utmost solemnity.

"Please speak, Alliance Leader of the Anti-Entropy alliance."

"Yes, I know you are all grieving because of Mr. Lin Yu, but I observed his state when he disappeared."

After tapping lightly a few times in the void, Welt pulled up a video from the information screen and displayed it to everyone.

"Cocolia, the executor of our Anti-Entropy, carried out a human quantization experiment called X10 behind my back."

"At the end of this experiment, her adopted Seele, Vollerei, was one of the test subjects and her body was quantumized as a result of the experiment."

"In addition, during the final X10 Experiment, Cocolia's adopted daughter, Bronya Zaychek, obtained Tactical Mech that she named 'Heavy Cannon' after the experiment."

After showing these images to everyone, Welt adjusted his glasses, which had no prescription, and continued speaking to the crowd.

"Based on this information, I strongly suspect that Mr. Lin Yu may not be dead, but rather that his body has undergone quantumization due to a power outburst."

"This..."

Recalling the scene when Bronya summoned the Heavy Cannon, a glimmer of hope gradually appeared on Mei's face.

"You're right! Is Lin Yu really still alive?!"

"It's only a possibility."

Mr. Welt.

Having regained some strength, Su immediately used the last bit of her mental energy to ask Welt a question within Welt's mind.

What you've said...

Of course it's all true; I'm not telling any white lies.

Listening to Welt's speech, Sue felt that she was really tired today.

As a researcher from Previous Era, Su Guqie had also learned about the Quantum Sea.

Because the scene was in complete chaos, Su, who had gathered a great deal of information, was unable to observe certain details after being entangled by the Herrscher of Reason...

Sigh, have I used too much mental energy and it's causing me to become a bit mentally scattered?