Hope

Shigure Kira's dream, Enoshia knew without even looking, had surely succeeded in transforming her from the "Herrscher of Deathly Sound" into the "Herrscher of Celestial Sound." Once Shigure Kira fulfilled her wish in the dream, she pulled her out.

As Shigure Kira returned to reality, everyone outside noticed that the black mist within the forward area had thinned considerably, and the figure within the mist gradually became clearer.

"Is that... the Herrscher of Frost?"

A startled voice echoed across the skies of Siberia, because behind the thinning mist, standing atop that flower, was a creature with a serpent's head and a human body, but lacking a long tongue—the opposite of Nuwa and Fuxi.

"A Herrscher's form isn't human? What... what's going on? Forget a Herrscher, Schicksal has never even heard of a Honkai Beast like this."

Beyond that, the gravity across the entire battlefield was only about twice the normal level, which was essentially negligible for these Schicksal elites and for Sirin and Bella.

Before long, the communicator buzzed again.

"Hey, Theresa, you were right on the money. Bird's Nest Head and I spent so long analyzing this strange Herrscher, and we finally got results. It, it actually..." Due to the critical situation, communication between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy remained open at all times to exchange intelligence instantly.

"Doctor Tesla, please don't get too excited. Lady Theresa, and everyone at Schicksal, allow me to explain. Our energy detection results are consistent with Lady Theresa's conclusion. This strange Herrscher can use more than just Honkai Energy. Whether it's energy absorption, creating illusions, or that terrifying regenerative ability, it all comes from this mysterious energy."

"Since we only have observational data and no physical samples, the research we can do is very limited, and many results are essentially speculation. After comparing the various data we observed, we found that no substance or life form on Earth can emit this kind of energy. Therefore, we can conclude that this Herrscher's vessel is an alien."

"Based on this hypothesis, many questions are resolved. Because it's an alien, it can use a second energy source different from Honkai Energy; precisely because its body structure is vastly different from Earth's life forms, it can carry far more Honkai Energy than a human, and thus, can simultaneously become a Herrscher with two Herrscher Cores."

Although Einstein's words provided reasonable explanations for many problems, they weren't very helpful in solving the immediate issue.

"Furthermore, the energy within that Herrscher has fallen into a certain degree of chaos. We speculate it's related to the Oath of Judah in Lady Theresa's hands. Although the effect of the Oath of Judah's Zeroth Rated Power was less than ideal, it successfully disrupted the energy flow within its body. Judah's chains are like fish bones—even if spat out, they still scratch the esophagus."

"Based on this, we believe the next step should be to actively make it absorb energy to break its limit, thereby triggering a self-detonation. Although this method has many uncertain factors, it's currently the best way to bypass its terrifying regenerative ability."

"Without a doubt, doing this will cause the Herrscher of Frost to continuously grow stronger before breaking its limit. But what the critical value of energy it can absorb is, we have no way of knowing. We can only calculate from the fact that 'the Oath of Judah can affect it' and other parameters: if it absorbs more than 8000HW of Honkai Energy in an instant, it will trigger an explosion. But as I said before, its vessel isn't an Earth life form, so the theoretical maximum energy we calculated using other Herrschers as references may not be correct."

"Secondly, if the Herrscher of Frost self-detonates after absorbing 8000HW of energy, not to mention that the Honkai Energy will spread across the globe, causing immeasurable impact on the entire world, everyone at the center of the explosion will absolutely... have no chance of survival. But if we can teleport it elsewhere just before it explodes..."

Before Doctor Einstein could finish her sentence, everyone's eyes fell on Sirin.

Whether it was the 8000HW output power or teleporting such a dangerous object away, she was crucial. Einstein's words had reached this point, which was already a clear hint.

Upon hearing this plan, Bella immediately showed a displeased expression. Without a doubt, Sirin would not only have to exert a great deal of effort but also face immense danger.

Sirin, however, was not angry. She slowly walked over to the others and said calmly, "It's not impossible for me to cooperate with you, as long as you agree to one condition."

Everyone swallowed nervously. They feared that the condition Sirin was about to propose would be impossible for them to fulfill.

Her gaze swept across their faces, finally settling on Cecilia's face, and her eyes softened considerably: "I want her to live with me forever."

For Sirin, revenge was certainly important, but receiving love was clearly more important than revenge.

"Huh?!"

Except for Cecilia herself, who was fully aware, and Siegfried, who had some inkling, everyone else's eyes went wide upon hearing Sirin's condition.

However, before Cecilia could explain, Theresa was the first to understand: the look in Cecilia's eyes when she looked at Sirin was not the kind of relationship some people were imagining. It was clearly the same look she gave Kiana—a mother looking at her daughter!

"To be able to influence a Herrscher like this... as expected of Cecilia." Theresa nodded repeatedly, watching the two getting along harmoniously.

Seeing that Siegfried had no objections either, the others realized they had been overthinking things. Although Siegfried was a tolerant and generous person, he clearly had no intention of becoming a cuckold. If there really was something between them, even if it was a Herrscher, Siegfried would not hesitate to grab Divine Fire Judgment and duel her.

Of course, this couldn't be blamed on the others for letting their imaginations run wild. After all, Cecilia was only 24 years old, just ten years older than Sirin. In a world full of lesbians, Sirin's words were hard not to misunderstand.

Although it was a strange misunderstanding, this little interlude relaxed the group, who had been on edge the entire time.

In fact, it wasn't just these few who were overthinking; Sirin was too. Regarding her proposal, once they understood her true meaning, the others had no objections. Sirin only said she wanted to live with Cecilia; she didn't say she couldn't fight.

From a rational standpoint, if placing some restrictions on an S-rank Valkyrie could control a Four-Core Herrscher, it was undoubtedly a gain.

Theresa had even started to think about future life: "Once this is over, I'll talk to Grandpa and see if he can let Cecilia stay in the Far East for a while... using recuperation as an excuse. It'd be best if she could stay in the Far East permanently, so Sirin could also spend some time at St. Freya Academy and experience normal campus life like others her age. I just wonder what Kiana will think when she wakes up and finds she has a sister over ten years older than her."

A picture formed in Theresa's eyes: a clear, sunny morning. Cecilia, holding Sirin's hand, arrives at the gates of St. Freya Academy, looking a bit timid at the unfamiliar surroundings. Kiana, unwilling to be led by the hand, runs around the school gate, curiously asking what this place is for. Theresa herself has to patiently explain in terms Kiana can understand while also making sure she doesn't fall and get hurt. Siegfried, instead of helping, encourages Kiana to exercise from a young age.

Over a decade later, when Kiana is old enough, she also comes to St. Freya Academy. Under the setting sun, she walks to the gate with her schoolbag, and her sister is already waiting there, handing her a drink she loves. The two sisters walk and chat, from studies to life, from school experiences to what's for dinner tonight. Before they've had their fill of talking, they find themselves at their doorstep.

Back home, Cecilia cooks a table full of delicious food. In the evening, Sirin, Kiana, Cecilia, Siegfried, and herself—a family of five—sit together, enjoying a harmonious dinner... A future like this doesn't seem so bad, does it?

Thinking this, Theresa and Cecilia exchanged a smile. Then, Cecilia nodded seriously: "Sirin, I agree. Once this is over, I'll set aside a room at home, just like in the dream, to be your bedroom."

"Oh, and unlike the dream, you'll also have a little sister named Kiana. You can tease her when you're bored, and when I'm busy, you can help me take care of her. In short, I'm sure you'll be satisfied with your new life."

Although Cecilia was only ten years older than Sirin, Sirin seemed to see the figure of her mother again in her warm words.

Seeing the happy expression on Sirin's face, Bella smiled. For her, compared to destruction and killing, seeing Sirin happy and joyful was the happiest and most joyful thing of all.

"Oh no, I forgot to include her in the plan." Theresa, looking at the smiling Bella, slapped her forehead.

"She... seems to be a Judgment-class Honkai Beast born from Sirin, and the relationship between her and Sirin doesn't seem to be a simple master-servant one... Hmm, if she could come to the Far East too, Sirin would probably be even happier."

"Hey, everyone's here. What's... going on?" The newcomer was Nicholas, who had just woken up from the dream last. The moment she arrived, she saw the previously fierce Herrscher of Void, like a child, throwing herself into the captain's arms, completely throwing her off.

Just as she was about to ask the others what had happened, she noticed the still-damp tears at the corners of her own eyes.

"Really, I held it together when I saw her in the dream just now, so why now..."

In her dream, she and Salome went to the dessert shop Salome had recommended on her first trip to France, and they ordered the exact same parfait as back then. Even though she knew it was a dream, and that in reality they were separated by life and death, Shub still smiled and said her final goodbye.

Enoshia treated her the same as everyone else. When she had fulfilled her wish in the dream and wanted to return to reality, she brought her out.

"Nicholas, you..." Shigure Kira, seeing her somewhat wistful expression, immediately understood that she must have dreamed of Salome.

"Kira, I'm fine. Since everyone's okay, I'm relieved."

When the last person broke free from the dream, the black mist surrounding the Herrscher of Frost completely vanished. Everyone understood that the moment for the final battle had arrived.