Third Herrscher

Canghai City, Noble Academy.

The vortex created by the Honkai Energy should have displayed an overwhelming force, but here it was like a Pure Land amidst a living hell.

Aside from the excessive tranquility, even the sky above was exceptionally clear.

The calamity befalling Canghai City seems completely unrelated to this place; the benevolent gaze of the gods is watching over this warm land, bestowing upon it a radiance as deep and boundless as the sea.

The girl's body was being melted by a high concentration of Honkai Energy to create a mass capable of bearing the corresponding weight, and this change seemed so silent and wordless.

The curtains swayed in the breeze, and the tables and chairs remained unchanged as always.

The fruit tart hidden in the bag was covered with a layer of snow-white frosting, and next to it was an unopened box of instant coffee.

The small cake that hadn't been opened was carefully placed in the center of the table.

A gentle breeze rustled the postcard attached to the cake packaging.

Her purple hair fell like mercury onto the clean wooden floor, appearing delicate and smooth.

The once jet-black coat was reduced to invisible [Ashes], and the inner garment was also annihilated in the terrifying Honkai Energy, leaving the fair skin hidden beneath completely exposed.

Her pristine, naked body, bathed in the still-bright sunlight, outlined a graceful figure. Her increasingly long hair partially concealed her curves, yet it could not hide her well-developed allure.

These cloying images, however, appear so serene and solemn at this moment that they prevent one from feeling any related desires.

The Honkai will is wantonly reshaping her body, enslaving her will, all to make it its superior agent.

The first two agents didn't even have time to unleash one ten-thousandth of their power before being killed by the current civilization in a semi-conscious state.

This is a flaw, this is a weakness, this is a stain that must be washed away.

Therefore, the third Herrscher must master the power of authority before human civilization is even aware of it.

Using this city as a testing ground, they unleashed this endless, terrifying power to its fullest extent.

At that time, the body's instincts will naturally understand what power truly is.

The Herrscher Core, which links to the Imaginary Space, serves as an infinite reservoir for Honkai Energy, while the power to overturn the laws of the world acts as the natural and optimal formula for using Honkai Energy.

The so-called Herrscher only needs to do this simple thing to annihilate all things.

In heaven and on earth, she is the most revered.

The very nature of power is enough to move the entire world and restart civilization effortlessly.

However, the human being's own status is insufficient to wield such all-encompassing power, so even if they possess all the relevant knowledge and wisdom, their abilities themselves cannot translate them into real phenomena.

This is the core reason why the first two Herrscher suffered defeat.

The creation of the Herrscher is equivalent to embedding the power itself into the Herrscher Core, indirectly materializing the power and forging it into an organ.

In this way, even if the human body and soul cannot bear the power within, the Herrscher can still use the power instinctively and manifest its great power.

Honkai Consciousness can sublimate the physical body to an extreme affinity with Honkai Energy and forge extraordinary physical abilities.

But matters concerning the soul are a different matter altogether.

He cannot completely distort a human's will, let alone elevate the soul—that is simply a pipe dream.

This leads to the fact that the essential element for becoming Herrscher lies in the invisible and intangible soul.

That is why those who are chosen must have possessed pure and resilient souls.

That's why it's always so regrettable to see those humans who become Herrscher.

That's exactly what Satou Yunona is like now.

Clean, beautiful, pure white, and resilient.

Such a soul is like a tulip quietly blooming amidst thick snow, its pure white petals exuding a faint, mysterious fragrance.

The end result was that it attracted demons whose black wings blotted out the sky as they fell.

Even if a suitable target is found, the Honkai Consciousness cannot completely do whatever it wants.

Because the more unique a soul is, the more likely it is to possess extraordinary willpower.

This gives us more reasons to be cautious when choosing a target.

Therefore, young girls become a good choice. Girls at this age are prone to sentimentality and are mostly inexperienced, making them the best targets to take advantage of.

The intelligent system called Honkai Consciousness lacks humanity and emotions.

In order to completely crush Satou Yunona's will, He deliberately chose the most opportune moment, the most heartwarming scene, and the most beautiful instant to violently destroy everything.

And so, unsurprisingly, He succeeded.

Even if the human named Satou Yunona later did indeed possess a terrifying will to disregard His link after undergoing certain trials.

But now, she is still just a flower in a greenhouse, unable to withstand such a direct and drastic uprooting.

Choosing to escape is the only option.

It's perfectly normal to find it unacceptable.

In that empty space where the girl was completely unprepared, utterly desperate and bewildered, her Honkai Consciousness descended.

The soul was overwhelmed, the body was plundered.

Through a series of calculated schemes, Satou Yunona became the Third Herrscher that humanity had to kill.

He amplified the girl's original desire to avoid reality, causing her true consciousness to sink into the deepest ocean, where she dreamed sweet and blissful dreams.

As the brief passage of time passed, the connection and quality modification of the body's organs were nearing completion, and the vortex of Honkai Energy was swallowed up and exhausted by this slender body.

The Honkai Consciousness created a blank personality, which was then filled with corresponding knowledge and past experiences.

As Su Qing'an was escorting the group to the shelter, the Third Herrscher, named Satou Yunona, appeared.

Thus, it was born perfectly.

The feeling of hatching is hard to describe.

Is it strange for an apostle of the gods to crave sunlight?

Her long eyelashes drooped and blinked, and her jewel-like eyes, gazing directly at the soft light, narrowed slightly, their purple hues filled with a cold indifference.

It was as if the violets, which had just withered, had been crushed into paint, and then, with delicate, curved fingertips, the remnants of the petals were dipped and smeared onto the pristine white canvas—so vivid, yet possessing a deathly beauty.

The girl's long hair and eye color looked exceptionally harmonious at this moment, and she lay naked on the silk floor made of her hair, letting the sunlight shine into her eyes, looking somewhat languid.

She raised her five fingers and waved them at the ceiling with a nonchalant expression, looking rather naive.

Satou Yunona is unlike any of the previous Herrscher.

Even if you are schemed against in every way, your consciousness will sink into oblivion.

However, this personality, created by her soul, is still not a soft thing that can be completely driven mad and irrational by negative emotions.

But this is also the result that the Honkai Consciousness needs.

He needs a rational and wise representative, not a beast that only squanders its power.

Therefore, the Honkai Consciousness did not treat the Herrscher the same way as usual, proving that humanity is not an existence that can be so easily crushed.

Therefore, it is just like this unprecedented Honkai that has erupted all over the world.

The Third Herrscher must also be different from others.

She turned over and looked at the outside world from the side, her eyes filled with curiosity.

The cool skin against the smooth wooden board, the delicate strands of hair intertwined to create a tactile and auditory experience.

Satou Yunona said softly:

"Do I need to destroy this place?"

[It doesn't matter; the destruction or existence of a city is meaningless.]

[You only need to follow your current desires, my apostle. Do what you want to do.]

"What do you want to do?"

[Yes, that way you won't lose anymore.]

The girl's expression didn't change much; it was as if, along with the blank in her personality, the areas of emotion had also been erased.

She thought for a moment after hearing this, then pointed in a direction and said earnestly:

"I want to eat the cake on the table, I think it's delicious."

If this is your inner desire, then follow it.

Satou Yunona stood up, tiptoed, and with a slight effort from her tender toes, she walked around the room with clumsy steps, bending her arches.

But soon, the girl realized that while this activity didn't feel tiring, it was also meaningless.

She subconsciously thought the ground was cold, but her senses actually told her otherwise.

What are you doing? Didn't you say you wanted to eat cake?

The girl glanced at the cake on the table and then looked away. She shook her head, which felt particularly heavy because her hair had grown longer. Her indifferent expression remained unchanged, but for no apparent reason, it was tinged with a sense of grievance.

She said:

I don't think I'm very good at walking.

My common sense tells me that someone who can't even walk is stupid.

[That's common sense. I'm giving you this information only so you can better understand your opponent, and not be bound by these things.]

"Oh," she responded, sounding rather pleased.

Satou Yunona picked up the cake, carefully examining the intricate and beautiful knot. Her well-defined fingers threaded through the thin string and slowly untied the knot, causing the postcard attached to it to fall to the ground with a crisp thud.

The girl picked up a piece of cake with her bare hands and stuffed it into her mouth while picking up a postcard and looking at the writing on it.

The handwriting above is neat and rounded, somewhat cute.

Happy birthday, Mom.

The writer's handwriting was very gentle when he wrote these words, which contained a small but profound sentiment, like a rose buried in ice, whose fragrance can be conjured up at a glance.

Satou Yunona chewed on the soft, sweet cake in her mouth, her moist lips and palms covered in white cream.

She puffed out her cheeks and tilted her head, feeling as if she had done something that would be considered bad according to common sense.

Eating a cake that someone else gave to one's mother is something only a bad person would do.

But the gods said there was no need to be bound by human common sense, so the girl felt no guilt whatsoever. She ate the cake in a hurry but didn't feel particularly happy.

The distinct sweetness of the fruit and the fragrance of the cream, combined with the slightly cool taste, should have brought joy, yet tears welled up in the girl's shimmering purple eyes.

Satou Yunona's expression remained unchanged, her emotions unwavering, only her tears, as if proving something, fell like a broken string.

"Why are you crying?" she asked, puzzled.

[Because this is your weakness.]

"So, have I become stronger?"

You've become more unwavering.

"Can't understand."

[It's okay, this is a good thing.]

This was the first time the Honkai Consciousness had so carefully guided a newly hatched Herrscher.

He was like an extremely patient nanny, trying to erase Satou Yunona's obsession in the best way possible without affecting the apostle's rationality.

After eating the cake, the girl's hidden obsession, which had been lingering in the depths of her consciousness, dissipated, and she was completely immersed in a beautiful and warm dream.

In that dream, Satou Yunona finished her normal phone call with her parents, and later that night, she and they video-chatted and laughed as they ate the cake that had never been delivered.

This warm and simple day came to an end, and she continued her ordinary and peaceful life as usual, striving towards her established goals.

Reality, however, is the complete opposite of dreams.

A completely new and pure white personality controls this body, bearing the Honkai consciousness without hesitation.

She retains Satou Yunona's original personality but is molded into the purest form, receiving a deeply ingrained education from the Honkai side.

This is the ultimate goal of the Honkai Consciousness: it needs to grant the Third Herrscher human reason and wisdom.

This outcome, besides freeing her from foolish behavioral logic, also allows Satou Yunona's soul to be fully unleashed, enabling her to wield more power.

If we only grasp a fragment of the essence of this power, there is no way for civilization at this stage to kill the Third Herrscher.

Now, she no longer needs to be taught; she can instinctively use her powers.

The soul in a state of tranquility and peace seems to have a high capacity to accommodate power, initially reaching a realm that the previous two Herrscher had never surpassed.

Although the Third Herrscher is currently just a fledgling, ordinary storms no longer pose a threat to her.

[Get to know your power in a way that you prefer.]

There is no need to guard against or disobey the will of the gods.

He is like the parent of this blank personality, naturally possessing an extremely close and supreme position.

The girl tilted her head and glanced at the dormitory room.

It was filled with objects that brought back memories of friends, fireworks related to dreams and filled with anticipation for the future, and she agreed softly without hesitation, as if none of it mattered.

Satou Yunona casually snapped her fingers.

The crisp sound hadn't even faded yet.

The laws of the world bow down to the power that looks down upon all things.

The power of the Third Herrscher is to control electromagnetic forces.

The essence of this power is to manipulate this majestic and mysterious force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature, at will in the palm of one's hand.

Even the most extraordinary human soul cannot utilize even a fraction of its potential.

Yet even this meager control is enough to achieve the limits beyond the current stage of civilization.

The dormitory building vanished into nothingness like paper burned by flames, and this phenomenon occurred at an extremely rapid pace, coinciding with the sound of fingertips rubbing together.

February 21, 1:03 AM, late winter/early spring.

The Third Herrscher, Satou Yunona, awakens in Canghai City.