Honkai, I'll Transform and Give You a Punch

But Bai Chen would never do that, because from playing the game, he knew there were innocent survivors in Changkong City. Ever since becoming the Herrscher of Flamescion, he had somehow inherited her emotions and part of her memories.

That made Bai Chen, once a law-abiding citizen, even less likely to do something like "I don't eat beef."

"You all rest for a while. Leave the rest to me."

Bai Chen instinctively felt that this alternate form, like the skill he had used earlier, would not last long, so he needed to clear out the nearby enemies quickly.

Although his previous skill had wiped out every hostile in the area, the massive Honkai energy fluctuation caused by the Herrscher of Flamescion's brief appearance had attracted the monsters that had not been far away.

"I won't let you lay a hand on my companions again!"

With a flick of his hand, Bai Chen summoned the Flamescion King's Sword amid a blaze of fire and hurled it into the gathering horde of monsters like a violently burning meteor.

"Whoa! So cool! Could it be that I have an insanely powerful big sister?!"

Only after Bai Chen charged out did Kiana finally snap back to her senses. As she watched Bai Chen fight, her eyes seemed to sparkle with stars.

"Kiana! Are you alright?"

Mei hurried over to Kiana. She had thought she was about to lose someone incredibly important to her again, and she did not want to return to being alone. As for the suddenly appearing Herrscher of Flamescion, Mei took her for Kiana's mysterious big sister who had arrived just in time to save them.

But what happened next shattered their worldview once again.

"Wait! Where did that little brother go?!"

Kiana looked around and discovered that Bai Chen, whom they had set down only moments ago, had vanished. She immediately panicked. If he had been attacked by a Honkai Beast, that would be terrible.

Then Bronya floated over and said hesitantly, "Bronya knows where he went."

"Where is he? We need to save him quickly!"

Realizing that Bai Chen had disappeared while they were not paying attention, Mei asked anxiously.

"He... no, she was covered by something like a character illustration just now, then turned into that powerful Kiana."

What they received from Bronya was that strange, uncertain answer.

"?!"

"Bronya, you're kidding, right?!"

Bronya understood the disbelief on their faces. Although her emotional module had been damaged due to the experiments, making her unable to show emotion, she would not have believed it either if she had not seen it with her own eyes.

Nearby, Bai Chen swung his sword and unleashed a fierce attack. Large numbers of Honkai Beasts were cut cleanly in half, and raging flames burst from the wounds, devouring them completely.

There was no need for technique. An overwhelming difference in power required no additional skill. Bai Chen's so-called sword strikes now were merely him squandering the power he had just obtained.

If Bai Chen wanted to, all he needed to do now was snap his fingers to let the low-level Honkai Beasts and zombies within his perception be swallowed by flames, leaving not even ashes behind.

"You're too spread out!"

Bai Chen raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Under the authority of his power, a massive energy sphere resembling a black hole appeared overhead. Its terrifying pull instantly gathered the scattered Honkai Beasts and zombies together.

They all had futures of their own. They would bring beauty to this world. Bai Chen would never allow a bunch of trash like this to stand in their way!

"Slash!"

Using the black hole to draw in every monster within sight, Bai Chen gripped the Flamescion King's Sword, stomped hard, spun around, gathered power, and swung!

"Boom!"

Scarlet and blue flames swallowed everyone's vision, as if heaven and earth themselves had been burned colorless. A single strike that seemed capable of splitting all things instantly killed every Honkai Beast and zombie, after which they were incinerated without leaving a trace.

"!"

Watching from afar, Siegfried straightened in shock. This was absolutely not power a newborn Herrscher could possess. After all, Herrschers of the current era, having retained their humanity upon birth, could not immediately master their powers skillfully.

In the early stages, a newborn Herrscher could generally be handled by several A-rank Valkyries. Some did not even require multiple A-rank Valkyries.

But the power Bai Chen displayed now was not something A-rank Valkyries could handle, no matter how many there were. How could Siegfried, secretly observing, not be shocked?

Just what was that guy? Looking at the Honkai energy detector in his hand, which was nearly off the charts, Siegfried fell into thought.

Pacification

The battle using the Herrscher of Flamescion had not lasted long at all. Using Herrscher power against enemies weaker than even the small fry in the game's "excellent matchmaking system" was already overkill, not to mention that the Herrscher of Flamescion was one of the most powerful Herrschers.

The entire battle ended as easily as chopping melons and vegetables. Only the high temperatures Bai Chen left behind proved that they had once existed.

He conservatively estimated that he had killed no fewer than a hundred zombies and Honkai Beasts before he saw a massive battleship heading in his direction.

The Hyperion?

Both Bai Chen and the Herrscher of Flamescion were intimately familiar with that battleship. Even though he could only barely make out its outline, he recognized it immediately.

"Teacher Himeko..."

Whether as Bai Chen, once a Captain who could do nothing but watch, or as the Herrscher of Flamescion, who had indirectly caused her death, both feelings of grief over Himeko's fate overlapped. Bai Chen did not even notice the tears falling from his eyes.

Perhaps the Herrscher of Flamescion had grown through everything she experienced and let go of the pain in her heart, but Bai Chen, who had been an ordinary person only half a day ago, clearly could not.

It was only because no one was around that nobody saw Bai Chen's tears. Even Siegfried's surveillance system had been damaged by the intense heat earlier.

The flowing flames originally wrapped around Bai Chen began to flicker unsteadily. Bai Chen instinctively knew that this form would not last much longer.

Before using the Herrscher of Flamescion, he had actually wanted to use another, even more powerful form, but he could not activate it. He had no choice but to settle for using only that form's skill.

But even that form's skill had automatically ended after not lasting very long. Fortunately, it had indeed solved the problem at the time.

Afterward, Bai Chen felt that the skill, along with its original form, had entered a dormant state. It was like he had only used a trial card. Once this Herrscher of Flamescion form ended, he probably would not be able to use it either.

It was just like watching a certain Kamen Rider: showing off every form in the first episode, then having to collect them all over again afterward.

As Bai Chen felt his transformation nearing its end, a thought arose uncontrollably in his heart.

"I want to see her as she is now."

Bai Chen could not tell whether that thought belonged to him or the Herrscher of Flamescion. Perhaps it was something they both wanted.

"Whoosh!"

Bai Chen shot into the sky and flew straight toward the Hyperion.

Inside the Hyperion, a group of staff members instantly descended into chaos.

"Evasive maneuvers!"

"Honkai energy reading from the unit ahead... Herrscher! The Herrscher is coming this way!"

"Quiet!"

Himeko, whose hair resembled flames, stepped forward and instantly brought the commotion under control.

"Deploy the shields. Use the secondary cannons for probing harassment."

Himeko stared intently at Bai Chen on the screen, falling into thought as she looked at that familiar appearance.

"Why does a Herrscher's armor make her look more like a Valkyrie than I do? Could a Valkyrie from headquarters have been chosen to become a Herrscher?"

Himeko could not help feeling uneasy, unsure whether that system still under development could contend with her. But as the Captain of this battleship, she could not show weakness. Headquarters' reinforcements would not arrive for another forty minutes, so they had to hold out.

Under Himeko's command, a barrage of cannon fire rained down on Bai Chen. Bai Chen did not need to dodge. He merely swung the greatsword in his hand, and the flames annihilated the hail of shells.

"Hmph, well. I thought the Herrscher would be some tentacled monster, but she's just an ordinary little girl."

Cold sweat trickled down Himeko's face as she forced herself to remain calm. "Stop the harassment. Aim every cannon at the Herrscher and fire everything..."

At the same time, Himeko instructed the operators to prepare that incomplete system to directly confront the Herrscher. But in the next moment, everyone aboard the battleship froze in place, while several Valkyries instantly drew their weapons and aimed them at Himeko.

It turned out that after flying a certain distance, Bai Chen had directly used the authority of a Herrscher and, relying on his memories, spatially jumped before Himeko and pounced on her.

Tears flowed uncontrollably from Bai Chen's eyes as he hugged Himeko without being able to stop himself. "That's wonderful, Teacher Himeko. You're here. This time, we won't let you get hurt again."

As a soldier, Himeko could have retaliated in an instant, but for some reason, when Bai Chen hugged her, something deep within her heart seemed to be touched. She did not attack him immediately.

"Have I taught a student like this before?"

Himeko was also somewhat puzzled. But she had heard that Herrscher births were related to negative emotions, so she planned to stabilize Bai Chen's emotions first.

Otherwise, given the destructive power Bai Chen had displayed, if they started fighting inside the battleship, everyone aboard would probably be wiped out.

"Alright, don't cry. I'm here, Bai Chen. I've always been here."

Himeko helped Bai Chen stand properly and wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes.

"You must have been through a lot. If talking about it would make you feel better, then tell me."

Himeko stroked the Herrscher of Flamescion's hair, her words carrying the gentleness she showed a student.

"Mm, there's no need."

Feeling the warmth atop her head, the Herrscher of Flamescion smiled and shook her head.

"Being able to see Teacher Himeko before it ends is enough. I only want you to know that I have always remembered your teachings. All of us fulfilled our promise. We turned the world into the way we hoped it would be, so, so..."

The Herrscher of Flamescion babbled about the words in her heart, yet it seemed she could not quite say them.

"You must have worked hard for a long time."

Himeko looked seriously at the Herrscher of Flamescion, who now seemed like a fragile child, with her amber eyes. "You did well. You fulfilled everyone's promise."

Hearing Himeko's praise, the Herrscher of Flamescion widened her eyes at Himeko's face, then bloomed into a brilliant smile like a peony after rain. "!"

"Crack!"

The Herrscher of Flamescion's body shattered like glass into countless motes of light, startling everyone present and nearly making them fire in an emergency.

"Please, save Teacher Himeko..."

Vaguely, Bai Chen seemed to hear Kiana's voice. Then, due to severe exhaustion, he lost consciousness. It seemed transforming consumed far more stamina than he had imagined.

Noticing something was wrong, Himeko reached out and caught Bai Chen's body as he was about to fall. Then, from up close, she witnessed a young girl suddenly turn into a fourteen-year-old boy.

"What's going on? The Herrscher reaction from him has completely disappeared!"

At that moment, an employee who had been collecting data with instruments stared at the equipment in his hands and cried out.

This Is a New Beginning

At St. Freya, after hearing Himeko's report, Theresa's eyes gleamed with wisdom as she instructed, "Don't spread word of this matter for now, especially anything concerning that child."

A person who could transform into a Herrscher and remain in control—if her grandfather Otto learned of this, something unpleasant would probably happen again.

"Arrange for the four little ones to study at the school. As for what comes next, I need to properly welcome my niece, whom I haven't seen in a long time."

Whoosh! Theresa stood from her chair, preparing to show off the dignity of an elder in front of the younger generation.

"Theresa, you really should replace that chair with a taller one."

On the other end of the communication, Himeko finally saw Theresa's full figure and could not help rubbing her forehead.

"None of your business!"

Theresa roared like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

As the two talked, they decided where Bai Chen and the other three would go. Bai Chen had only just awakened and was staring at the empty air before him—or, more accurately, at the panel floating in the air.

So the electronic sound effect he had heard when first using his abilities had not been an illusion. Bai Chen realized that this system-like thing before him was most likely a cheat.

But this system did not seem to have artificial intelligence? Since waking up, Bai Chen had been fiddling with it. Its intelligence seemed even lower than Xiao Ai Tongxue's, though fortunately, he could operate the system through his thoughts.

Bai Chen checked his character panel and found that his age had indeed become fourteen. When he met Bronya later, he would have to call her big sister.

Under abilities, there was an additional skill called Royal Command. Thinking back to the battle that had happened not long ago, Bai Chen roughly understood what it did.

It seemed to let him borrow the powers of others through some method, divided into borrowing skills and transforming into characters. Borrowing skills allowed him, in his original body, to freely use different characters' skills or summon weapons.

But there was a cooldown, and the stronger the skill, the longer the cooldown. With his current physical condition, using Chrono Break would have a cooldown measured in years.

Borrowed skills depended on the original body's physical condition. With his current untrained fourteen-year-old body, he could only use them depending on the situation.

The other option, transforming into a character, stacked his physical condition with that of the transformed character, but it was limited to the transformed character's original abilities and what he himself knew.

It also had a cooldown. The Herrscher of Flamescion's cooldown was likewise measured in years, though Bai Chen could sense that this limitation would decrease or even disappear as he grew stronger.

Bai Chen's gradient-colored eyes stared at the system with no beginner's guide, trying to find some hidden trick within it. Hard work paid off, and he finally found a lottery page. It seemed he could draw twenty times?

May Da Wei bring miracles! All in!

System processing...

Congratulations! You have obtained Nutrient Solution ×20! Invite your friends to draw too!

The system has stored the items in the system space.