Third Herrscher Could Only Flee

Satou Yunona subconsciously responded:

"No."

The girl paused for a moment, then looked up and saw the boy's face. Her fingertips, which were holding the puff pastry bag, trembled slightly, and she clearly felt a strong sense of guilt for a moment.

Ugh, it's a suspicious human!

As the girl crouched down, lightning flickered faintly in that instant. In the blink of an eye, a violent gust of wind blew up the stray hairs on Su Qing'an's forehead, and what was reflected in his dark eyes was the huge hole that suddenly appeared in front of him and the continuous collapse.

The Third Herrscher vanished like smoke the instant his words fell, but the slightly furrowed brows of the young man also disappeared along with him.

[Thousand Stars] Extreme state loading, Artificial Stigmata released once again.

The girl in front of me is an opponent that cannot be stopped unless I go all out.

After the little girl hugged her pink backpack and breathed a sigh of relief while standing on the ATM three kilometers away, Su Qing'an gently grabbed her slender arm. His earnest words pierced through the hustle and bustle of the wind and reached her ears.

"Come back with me, it's dangerous here."

The words had barely left his mouth.

A burst of dazzling, interwoven white-hot lightning obliterated every inch of land within a mile radius. The rampaging Honkai Energy raged like a greedy wolf, briefly creating a hellish landscape where lightning plasma swirled.

A second before the sense of crisis coursed through his spine and permeated his entire body, the soul-chilling terror of death had already made Su Qing'an take a step back.

This step successfully crossed the boundary between life and death, yet the temperature, hot enough to melt the body, still touched the skin.

Fortunately, the [Stigmata]'s absorption limit for Honkai Energy wasn't pushed to its limit, which prevented Su Qing'an from getting injured.

He glanced at his right arm; the clothing there had vanished into invisible particles in the lightning.

The Third Herrscher, Raiden Mei.

The essence of power is the control of electromagnetic force.

This is data that once existed in my mind, and also information given by the Third Herrscher of the later era.

But in this Previous Civilization, the Third Herrscher is the girl before us.

Yes... Satou Yunona.

Incomprehensible, unbelievable, absurd, and illogical.

Why Herrscher?

Why Herrscher?

Yes, why can't it be?

Why do I take it for granted that all difficulties are merely the limits I've set for myself?

Logically speaking, after the Third Herrscher was born in Changkong City, the Pseudo-Herrscher Satou Yunona, appeared shortly afterward.

If the Honkai Energy is sufficient.

If Raiden Mei, who originally possessed the Herrscher Core, wasn't present, then Satou Yunona would be the most likely candidate to become the Herrscher.

She was the perfect candidate to become Herrscher more than most people.

I should have thought of it long ago, I should have understood it long ago, and I should have prepared for it long ago.

... But what good would it do to know beforehand?

Has Su Qing'an truly ignored this possibility?

Did he really never consider this possibility?

The boy, while despising himself, never let his guard down and desperately tried to survive, so he didn't hesitate to consider any possible outcome.

Even unintentionally, Su Qing'an had already considered the worst possible consequences.

So even now, facing the facts head-on, he is still not particularly surprised by the outcome.

But the heavier pressure and the looming threat of death crushed the faintest hope, like a candle flame, like an unprecedented, devastating blow.

The power of the Herrscher is beyond question; understanding even a fraction of the essence of their authority is enough to grasp the immense power they wield.

Even so, Su Qing'an would not waver in a purely combat situation.

As he analyzed earlier, both Herrscher and Pseudo-Herrscher have undeniable weaknesses.

Killing an opponent of this caliber is not impossible.

Assuming Su Qing'an harbored murderous intent from the beginning, the moment Satou Yunona looked up and was momentarily stunned could have determined many of the outcomes.

However, all these weaknesses are based on the premise that the other party has not yet developed hostility and is in a relaxed state, not intending to fight.

Regardless of whether the other party is still in this stage, Su Qing'an's original goal was not to kill the other party.

This motivation, imbued with goodwill and a desire for redemption, is precisely the reason for all the constraints.

He will die.

If you engage in a duel with such a half-baked understanding, you will die.

The reason is simple: the weaknesses that apply to Herrscher are even more pronounced in him.

If it weren't for the [Stigmata]'s passive ability perfectly suppressing the thunderstorm phenomenon caused by Honkai Energy, Su Qing'an would have already been reduced to dust.

The domineering power of the Herrscher far exceeds the understanding and imagination of ordinary people.

Moreover... this attack was less of a deliberate warning from the other party and more like a kitten whose tail had been suddenly pulled, waving its paw at someone.

The girl's dazed face and still-shaken expression proved everything.

She didn't use her full strength or take it seriously; this area-of-effect attack was simply a natural consequence of being startled.

For Herrscher, power is a special organ that is linked to Satou Yunona's soul, and therefore will fluctuate strangely depending on her will and mental state.

The burst of power just now can be explained as a stress response, so Su Qing'an has no intention of immediately engaging in combat with the other party.

His goal is to restore Satou Yunona's original consciousness, put her into a state of restraint like Mei's, and then gradually master this power—that would be the best outcome.

Even if it's not certain whether the Honkai Consciousness can carry out a counterattack within the Herrscher Core, there must at least be limitations to its control over will.

Considering Raiden Mei's willpower, this standard is likely to be surprisingly not very high.

Satou Yunona an ordinary family and has had a relatively smooth life. In terms of willpower, she is probably far inferior to Raiden Mei.

It's completely impossible to awaken someone through words in this situation. However, if there were a certain bond between the two, like in Changkong City before, verbal calls might have some effect.

But right now... my interactions with Yuno aren't deep enough to reach a profound level.

The ineffectiveness of words was the first thing Su Qing'an realized about the situation, but the other party's extraordinary Herrscher consciousness offered a hope that defied common sense.

Upon seeing itself, its first reaction was to flee in fear, and even in the second after launching its attack, it failed to press its advantage and squander its power.

Unlike the Herrscher of the past who were filled with negative emotions upon seeing humans and deliberately caused massive destruction and loss of life, Satou Yunona before her was like a child with incredible power, possessing the potential to be taught to do good.

Now that she has not committed any crimes, she is like a blank sheet of paper.

Even regarding subsequent handling issues, Su Qing'an should have the leeway to negotiate with the Moth to Fire.

If it succeeds...

This Honkai war was not simply a matter of humanity enduring losses, but rather a situation where we were able to deal with the Herrscher without suffering any damage, while also gaining reinforcements from one of the Herrscher.

This will be an epoch-making epic, and also a link with the devil.

But the Honkai Consciousness is definitely not stupid. Since it intentionally shaped Satou Yunona's consciousness in this way, it means that it also has its own plans.

And at present...

In terms of timing, who goes first, strength, intimacy, and other factors, the opponent holds an absolute advantage.

To place one's hopes on this is to seriously underestimate the Honkai Consciousness and to be far too optimistic.

Even though countless images and possible outcomes flashed through her mind, Su Qing'an still did not choose the most convenient way to leave.

He looked at the girl standing there and said softly:

"This city has lost its former order, and life at school may be hard to go back to, but your friends are still waiting for you."

"That's why I'm taking you back, even if... you're Herrscher."

Satou Yunona stared intently at the human's face, though she didn't quite understand what Su Qing'an was saying.

What about the city's former order, what about school life, what about friends waiting for me?

I can't understand it or hear it.

These are things that don't exist in my memory.

Novel and unfamiliar, yet subtly warm, like the cool and sweet cream filling a cream puff.

I actually wanted to figure out what it was, but she was an apostle of the gods.

Although I can't help but play Mind's Eye on the gods, call them liars, and occasionally find them annoying, I sincerely believe that Herrscher is the same as being an idiot. Can I ever back out?

But a god is a god.

The destruction of civilization is an unavoidable future, and hostility towards humanity is an inevitable outcome.

It's either you die or I die.

Satou Yunona and humanity are in such an absolutely opposing position.

Aside from the weight added to the language by the Honkai Consciousness, the real reason for these ideas lies more in the passive actions within the blank personality.

It's not some heinous cognitive distortion, nor is it a means of correcting one's nature; these things would shake the purity of the soul.

Therefore, the Honkai Consciousness merely issued three core suggestions at the very beginning of this consciousness, without affecting the purity of the soul.

They are unable to understand each other.

Regardless of one's perception of civilization, it must be destroyed.

Gods are the only beings worthy of trust.

This is the real reason why, even though Satou Yunona's previous statements clearly favored the human side and showed great disdain for the Honkai side, she didn't care about the Honkai Consciousness.

Even before encountering humans, the girl fantasizes about whether she can coexist peacefully with them, and she wouldn't mind giving them her powers and restricting them at will.

But in reality, this is a scene that will never appear in any future; once humans are encountered, those seemingly useless hints will play a decisive role.

Given her current state, it's impossible for Satou Yunona to be changed by simple words.

In her social circle, apart from her parents, no one could use emotions to sway her will or create a loophole to break this subconscious constraint.

But as the boy's face came into view, the girl's heart couldn't help but flutter strangely, and a joy burst forth from her chest that surpassed even the pleasure of drinking cola.

Her blood felt inexplicably hot, as if the Costa Rican sea breeze was clearly brushing against her cheeks. Seagulls in the distance were waving their white wings at her, and sapphire rose petals were falling softly, causing the white veil on her head to sway slightly. The crowd around her cheered for her, while the girl riding a bicycle on the shore could only turn away with envious eyes.

This inescapable sea of human suffering held the distrust and murderous intent born from the hints, preventing the girl from making a move.

In a blank state of consciousness, having lost all memories, she is no longer bound by common sense or past relationships.

Only the remnants of that world line, as light as smoke yet vividly clear in a blank world, could express true emotions.

The legacy of Satou Yunona the previous timeline is attempting to shake the current Herrscher Persona.

This was such an absurd situation that even the Honkai Consciousness couldn't comprehend it. The spark of this emotion was so faint that it could almost be assumed that it didn't exist at all.

Normally, she would at most consider it an illusion and ignore it, without wavering.

But things are completely different now.

Given her current situation of having nothing emotionally, any emotion or feeling is something that Satou Yunona cannot ignore.

This led the girl to defy common sense and match him to the point of extreme empathy.

She almost felt the same way about Satou Yunona in that timeline, understanding her emotions and feelings almost as if they were her own.

But this was only a fleeting moment, so short that the Honkai Consciousness was completely unaware, so short that Su Qing'an's words had barely fallen, so short that the girl herself was utterly bewildered.

Satou Yunona recalled the experience of her arm being touched by the boy's fingers, but she could no longer comprehend the feelings behind it.

My heart rate returned to normal, but the lingering emptiness was a testament to the existence of something.

Leave.

That was her first reaction.

Satou Yunona knew that if she continued to linger here, she would inevitably kill her opponent no matter what.

She couldn't comprehend what that sudden heartbeat represented, because the gods had deliberately left no common sense about emotions in that consciousness.

From the perspective of the Honkai Consciousness, its apostles have no need for these useless things.

Emotions will only become a tool for Satou Yunona's original consciousness to awaken, and it would naturally be a good thing if they could cause her to have difficulty understanding these things.

Even if the girl understands nothing and comprehends nothing, she can still understand why she feels this way.

Even if killing is inevitable, he doesn't enjoy it.

If it were this strange human who was killed... I would dislike it even more.

Therefore, fleeing was the only option.

Just as the Honkai Consciousness is confident, with today's technology, there is no vehicle in the world that can compete with the Third Herrscher in terms of speed.

The Heat Barrier and sound barriers that Su Qing'an could break through under abnormal [Thousand Stars] conditions would be enough to re-evaluate the significance and assessment of the Moth to Fire, but these seem commonplace under the mobility of the Third Herrscher.

Her figure vanished completely in the deafening roar of thunder, leaving only a scene of utter devastation...