Who Isn't a Herrscher? Chapter 19

Even as Luo Mio circulated the Tai Xu Sword Art, he could not suppress the Honkai Energy within his body. The magic power inside him was even being slowly assimilated into Honkai Energy under the influence of the golden fragments.

Purple Honkai markings had already spread across Luo Mio's entire body.

"Snap!"

As if affected by the Honkai Energy, three separate currents of magic power suddenly appeared within Luo Mio's body.

The three currents of magic power battled the rampaging Honkai Energy within Luo Mio.

The Honkai Energy sought to break through the suppression of the three currents of magic power.

The three currents of magic power sought to suppress the Honkai Energy back inside Luo Mio's body.

Wallenstein stood to one side, watching the rampaging Luo Mio.

"So that's it. Yashahime and the others placed three locks inside your body to prevent you from losing control."

Then, looking at the golden fragment in his hand, he grinned at Luo Mio.

"If that's the case, then let's add a little more fuel!"

Wallenstein waved his hand.

The golden fragment flew toward Luo Mio's chest.

"!"

As the fragment flew toward him, the Honkai Energy instantly broke through the three magical locks.

As the three locks shattered, an immense amount of Honkai Energy surged forth around Luo Mio's body.

Like a rabid dog, the Honkai Energy devoured the golden fragment.

When the golden fragment vanished into Luo Mio's body, his consciousness was swallowed by pitch-black darkness.

Inside a shopping mall, Saikyo Neine held an iron fan-shaped Device as she looked at the unconscious terrorists.

"Ha... another place taken care of." Saikyo Neine sighed, her eyes flickering at the same time.

Terrorist attacks had broken out in multiple places across the country in succession. This was absolutely not normal.

"Who exactly is planning thi—"

Before she could finish, Saikyo Neine sensed something. She looked up into the distance in disbelief.

Her hand clenched tightly around the iron fan, and fury filled her face.

"So it was all to target Little Mio!"

The magical locks inside Luo Mio had shattered, and terrorist attacks had erupted across the country at the same time.

Saikyo Neine instantly understood that the enemy's goal was to hold her back!

Inside Hagun Academy, in the chairman's office.

Shinguji Kuroko stood by the window, staring outside with a dark expression. She had been handling documents related to the terrorist attacks when the shattering of the magical locks made her realize what had happened.

"Damn it!"

She opened the window, leaped out, and used her ability to rush toward Luo Mio's location.

At the same time, outside Buku Academy, an elderly man with an extremely grim expression hurried toward Luo Mio's location.

The Pacific Ocean, the largest ocean in the world, lay between four continents!

And in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, within a facility located four thousand meters below the surface.

This base had been jointly built by the Three Great Powers of the world: the League, the Alliance, and the Rebel Army.

It had been established here because half of a Golden Crystal from the Golden Meteor Shower incident sixteen years ago had fallen into the depths of this ocean!

And today, the base detected a sudden violent disturbance from the crystal.

A researcher in a white lab coat spoke to his superior.

"Team Leader! The crystal's energy spread has already risen to eight thousand meters!"

"What!?"

The elderly team leader, whose hair was completely white, spoke in shock.

"Report! Known Biological Entity No. 2 is rapidly ascending toward the surface!"

Another report that shocked the old team leader arrived, but this time, it was not merely shock—it was terror!

"Send those people from the base to stop it! Contact the higher-ups immediately and have the Twelve Apostles and Superman come provide support!"

"And have the base rise to the surface immediately!"

After issuing several orders, sweat ran down the old team leader's cheeks and dripped onto the machinery.

He had joined this base from the moment the facility was first established, and he knew very well the power of that Golden Crystal in the deep sea.

A purple energy that clung to living creatures like a curse, corroding and assimilating them!

Over the past sixteen years, it had even given rise to three gigantic monsters among the known numbered entities!

Every one of those creatures was strong enough to rival the foremost figures of the Three Great Powers!

"Why did it suddenly go berserk today?"

The old team leader had no answer.

Wallenstein looked at Luo Mio, whose eyes were vacant and whose consciousness had sunk into darkness.

Honkai Energy swirled around Luo Mio without any pattern.

His gaze grew unfocused as he stared at the Honkai Energy. "Power... Hahahahahahahaha! So this is White Night's true power?"

"Hahahahahahaha."

"If I had this power!"

As Wallenstein watched the Honkai Energy, a scene surfaced from his memories.

Eleven years ago, in the pitch-black, freezing abyssal sea, Wallenstein had followed the Alliance Leader, the Tyrant, to suppress a white giant dragon in the deep sea. The purple energy used by that dragon had been like a curse—identical to the purple energy now surging around Luo Mio!

It inspired longing! Submission! Fear!

The "absolute" power that could change the world!

Wallenstein stared at the Honkai Energy in intoxication and walked forward step by step.

Looking at Luo Mio, who was half-kneeling on the ground in a coma, Wallenstein reached a hand toward him with an entranced gaze!

"Snap!"

Luo Mio, who should have been unconscious, suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Wallenstein's outstretched hand.

"..."

"!"

Wallenstein looked at Luo Mio in terror and used his ability to pull his captured hand free!

"How is this possible!?"

Luo Mio rose to his feet and lifted his vacant, unconscious eyes toward Wallenstein.

The corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

Luo Mio blinked. When his eyes opened again, his azure right eye had turned golden!

A pupil that seemed like the void itself, symbolizing the end.

The purple Honkai Energy around him gradually turned golden along with the appearance of that golden eye.

"!"

Stared at directly by those golden mismatched eyes, Wallenstein swallowed with difficulty.

Sweat ran down his cheeks. By the time he noticed, it had already soaked his back.

How many years had it been since he had felt such pressure?

Even when he had faced that Strongest Swordsman's Twin Wings in the past, he had never felt such terrifying, despair-inducing pressure.

At the same time, he realized something.

The Luo Mio before him was no longer the person called Toudo Touka!

He was a "person" capable of making a Blazer at the level of the Twelve Apostles feel fear!

"Luo Mio's" Doubts and Departure

"Luo Mio" looked at the wary Wallenstein and spoke.

""""You...""""

"?! Puh—!"

A spray of scarlet liquid burst from Wallenstein's mouth.

His eyes, ears, and nose.

Scarlet liquid flowed from all seven of Wallenstein's orifices at once in an eerie fashion.

Wallenstein looked at Luo Mio with a face full of terror.

Just one word had caused his body to collapse before he even realized it!

"Luo Mio" stared at Wallenstein, seemingly pondering something, then raised his hand toward him.

When Wallenstein saw Luo Mio's hand reaching toward him, he felt as if he had already been seized. Just as he tried to rise and use his ability to dodge, he sensed something strange in the next instant.

"!"

Wallenstein looked at his own body in horror.

At some unknown point, his legs had dropped to one knee. They trembled in fear, while his powerless hands hung at his sides. The Device in his hands had fallen to the ground because of his shaking fingers.

Fear! Despair! Helplessness!

His body's instincts seemed to be screaming at him.

Only submission! Only submission could possibly give him a chance to escape this disaster.

Knowing this well, Wallenstein struggled to raise his head. His eyes were despairing and empty as he looked at "Luo Mio," realizing that he had awakened a monster that absolutely must not exist in this world!

Mysterious golden energy formed into a hand, seized his throat, and slowly lifted him up. Wallenstein's struggle and his final descent into madness made him raise his hands and use his ability in an attempt to pry apart the mysterious force gripping him!

"Impossible?! How can this be!? Absolutely impossible!! You aren't Him! Who exactly are you?!" Wallenstein glared at "Luo Mio" with despairing eyes wide open and roared with all his strength.

His face was ferocious, his features twisted, and the blood flowing from his seven orifices streaked down his cheeks, making him look like an Evil Spirit.

"""I see."""

"Luo Mio's" unbearable voice rang directly in Wallenstein's mind.

Just one word had made blood flow from Wallenstein's seven orifices. Now, four entire words resounded in his mind, instantly making his body convulse as a mournful groan escaped his mouth.

Wallenstein knew that his internal organs were twisting together at that moment, and endless pain crashed into his mind!

And the fear of death that filled his mind!

It left him utterly powerless to resist the "Luo Mio" before him. He could not even use the slightest bit of his ability!

Yet in the next moment, a gentle force repaired his body.

""Fragments of the Core... and they are the same kind of Core fragments as the ones from eleven years ago.""

""So his rampage eleven years ago and Kong's appearance were both orchestrated by you.""

"Luo Mio's" muttering reached Wallenstein's ears, but he had no mind to pay attention to those words now.

The ceaseless pain carved through his internal organs like blades, slice after slice. Yet whenever he felt that his body and soul could no longer endure it, a gentle force repaired the wounds inside his body once more, wiping away all mental exhaustion—then the endless pain swept through him again.

"Luo Mio" ignored Wallenstein and looked toward the sea.

""Is it responding to me, Core?""