Chapter 403

Kiana, whose consciousness of the Herrscher of Finality is dormant within her, will gain all the knowledge of the Herrscher of Finality once she awakens, just like an Awakener of Stigmata, and her own personality will be replaced by the Herrscher of Finality.

After all, for a girl who has only lived for a little over ten years, her memories are insignificant compared to the vast and long-standing memories of the Herrscher of Finality.

This is like pouring a pond of ink into Jianghu; it won't change the Jianghu's color at all. Instead, the ink will quickly be assimilated by the Jianghu.

Kiana wasn't surprised. She looked at Freya and asked.

"Freya, are you sure I'm the mastermind behind this?"

"Yes, you and Bianca both fit the criteria of 'mastermind,' but Bianca's situation is a bit more special; she may not be the first to be targeted."

At this point, Freya looked at Bianca.

She deliberately kept the two of them behind, partly to be frank with them about some things.

As a result, she had Tesla, Welt, and the others leave first, leaving only Theresa, Rita, Kevin, SU, and Aurora— a few people who were suitable to know the inside story—in the conference room.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Tesla and Welt, but what she wanted to say wasn't suitable for public disclosure. Even though Tesla and Welt were Aurora's adoptive parents, Freya was still unwilling to reveal too much inside information to them.

If it were any other type of Herrscher, Welt, as the First Herrscher, certainly wouldn't have said something like Herrscher are Enemy of Humanity. After all, Welt himself is a Herrscher, and the possibility of him being able to control this power after awakening as Herrscher cannot be denied.

But the Herrscher of Finality is different.

Even Welt only knew that Freya, Kiana, and Aurora could transform into the Herrscher of the Finality, and that Freya claimed to have researched the power of the Herrscher of Finality. In addition, Aurora's Herrscher power was more inclined towards the Herrscher of the Void, so he never had any doubts.

However, even if Welt and Tesla could accept the fact that Kiana is the true Herrscher of Finality.

Freya didn't dare gamble with a one in ten thousand chance, choosing the minuscule possibility of killing or imprisoning Kiana in order to defeat the Herrscher of Finality.

In fact, if Kiana's identity were exposed, Freya would find a way to take her place, making people believe that she is the real Herrscher of Finality, and that Kiana and Aurora were only affected because they had a mental link with her. Whether they were killed or imprisoned, Freya would bear the consequences.

"Regarding this, Bianca, do you know why your Honkai Energy resistance is so strong? Do you know why you can manipulate Honkai Energy so easily? Do you know why your adaptability is even stronger than Aurora's?"

Faced with Freya's continuous questioning, Bianca's mind suddenly went blank.

Bianca couldn't understand why Freya would ask her that.

"Your Saintess Lord?"

"Based on my investigation... well, let me just state the conclusion: there's a high probability that you and Kiana Kaslana are the same person."

If there weren't only a few people in the conference room, Freya's revelation would likely have caused a huge sensation.

In fact, Theresa was completely stunned, and apart from opening her mouth wide, she had no idea what to say.

Bianca swayed slightly. She had thought she would be a Herrscher candidate, but she never expected to receive this answer.

Although the Alliance has a relatively compliant attitude towards Herrscher, it doesn't mean that becoming Herrscher is a pleasant experience.

This is why, even though Freya publicly announced that she possessed the technology to create Artificial Herrscher, none of the Valkyrie wanted to become Artificial Herrscher.

Bianca never expected that the answer she received from Freya would be even more astonishing than the fact that she was Herrscher candidate.

Kiana and Aurora also looked slightly surprised. Kevin and SU were surprised, but they also noticed other information contained in Freya's words.

"Not a clone?"

SU asked Freya as if to confirm the answer in his heart.

Freya nodded to him and explained to Bianca.

"You are not a clone, and you are indeed Kiana, but you have no connection with my sister. Based on my deduction, you should be Kiana from a parallel world."

"This... this is impossible, Your Saintess Lord, I am Kiana..."

Bianca thought Freya was joking. If she was Kiana, then who was the girl standing next to her?

"I have this inference because there is some kind of connection between Kiki from the parallel world and Bianca from the parallel world. Considering that Kiki, like Aurora, has the DNA of the Second Herrscher mixed into her body, she may be slightly different from Kiana in that parallel world."

"However, there is no connection between Kiki and Bianca in the parallel world and me, Aurora, and Kiana in this world. Since Bianca in the parallel world could be Kiana, then Bianca in this world could also be Kiana."

Freya stated her reasoning.

However, Bianca clearly couldn't accept this reality.

"This... this is unbelievable. If what the Saintess Lord means is true, then I should be the real Miss Kiana. So, who is this Miss Kiana here?"

"As I just said, you have no connection with us either. Therefore, you might just be Kiana from a parallel universe, or you might simply be Bianca Atagina ..."

Freya looked at her older sister Kiana as she finished speaking.

"If nothing unexpected had happened in this world, Kiana would likely have been taken away by Otto, and after some modifications, she would have been transformed into a nameless girl."

Based on her investigation in the parallel world and the experiences she learned from Bianca in the parallel world, Freya could only come up with this answer— the Bianca in the parallel world was Kiana had gone missing.

This also explains why Otto became Bianca's attending physician.

This further explains why Bianca possesses strong Honkai Energy resistance and Honkai Energy manipulation capabilities.

Of course, this was just Freya's conclusion based on the connection between Kiki and Bianca in that parallel world, and the results of her investigation in that parallel world.

"... Naturally, in this world, you are likely simply affected by the convergence of world lines. Because of the fact that Bianca is very likely Kiana, you have gained strong Honkai Energy resistance and control."

Freya wouldn't deny that tiny possibility either.

After all, the Kiana in this world is still Kiana, and Freya even has the name 'Kiana Apocalypse'.

According to this theory, Bianca should not exist in this world.

But in reality, Otto discovered her, and she almost followed her own life trajectory in a parallel world, becoming a Valkyrie.

"Of course, you could indeed just be a girl named Bianca who happens to have such strong Honkai Energy resistance and powerful Honkai Energy control."

The talent that allows one to continuously increase Honkai Energy resistance by increasing the amount of Honkai Energy they come into contact with is indeed reminiscent of the talents of the Kaslana Family and Schariac Family.

"So, right now, the most important question is... the target of the 'mastermind'. If Kiana in this world is also missing, then the target of the 'mastermind' is likely Bianca. However, Kiana is still here... as the vessel for the Herrscher of Finality to descend, she is more valuable to be targeted than Bianca, who has uncertainties herself."

462. Freya wasn't lying; what she said was indeed the truth.

"... The vessel of the Herrscher of Finality?"

Theresa looked around with some confusion and noticed that only Rita and Bianca seemed surprised by Freya's words.

"Container?"

Bianca looked at Kiana and suddenly understood why Freya thought Kiana was more valuable to be targeted by the mastermind than herself.

However, the meaning represented by the Herrscher of Finality is very different from that of other Sequence Herrscher.

Freya had no intention of hiding this matter at this point. The people she left behind were either connected to her, or they knew the truth but would never reveal it, or they were like Kevin and SU who knew part of the truth.

Freya wasn't surprised that Kevin knew part of the truth. He was one of the people involved three years ago, so it was highly likely that he noticed the truth from the changes that happened to her back then.

As for SU, Freya didn't want to say much about this voyeur who observes countless parallel worlds; he was definitely the person in the world who knew the most inside information.

Of course, knowing too much inside information can also lead to being misled by a large amount of information.

Freya learned some things about the parallel worlds through her several meetings with SU. In the parallel worlds that SU showed her that were facing destruction, many of them were caused by her, or Aurora, or Kiana awakening as the Herrscher of Finality, thus destroying the current human civilization.

"Based on some information I have gathered, I speculate that the Herrscher of Finality, who destroyed the Previous Civilization, should have transferred their consciousness into the genetic material of the survivors after the destruction of the Previous Civilization, passing it down through genetic material like Stigmata. Therefore, the consciousness of the Herrscher of Finality may be dormant in the bodies of all humans in the current civilization."

"To be more precise, the consciousness of the Herrscher of Finality lies dormant within the body of the Stigmata holder. She uses the Stigmata created by Mei as a disguise, and ultimately turns everyone in the current civilization into her vessel. If my conjecture is correct, then the Stigmata Activation Plan, while succeeding, also prepared a vessel for the Herrscher of Finality to descend upon."

"Wait, Your Saintess Lord, didn't you just say that Kiana was the vessel?"

Bianca voiced her doubts, feeling that Freya's explanation was somewhat exaggerated.

"Yes, it should be said that Kiana is the most suitable vessel for the Herrscher of Finality to descend. According to the records of the Previous Civilization 'War of Finality, it can be found that the Herrscher of Finality and Kiana have some similar appearances. The AI Alaya-Vijnana used by the Stigmata Terminal created by Mei also uses an appearance that is very similar to Kiana."

Although the Stigmata Terminal that Mei had hidden has not yet been found, Freya knows that the Stigmata Terminal created by Mei was being used by the Herrscher of Finality.

Freya's main reason for wanting the Stigmata Terminal was indeed the idea of creating custom Stigmata, but she also had the idea of tracking the consciousness of the Herrscher of Finality through the Stigmata Terminal.

However, she also knew very well that even if she found the Stigmata Terminal, she would not be able to lock onto the consciousness of the Herrscher of Finality.

In theory, her consciousness does indeed lie dormant within the bodies of all humans in this modern civilization.

Kiana, who resembles the Herrscher of Finality in appearance, and Aurora are indeed the most suitable vessels for her descent.

Perhaps they were influenced by the Herrscher of Finality during their growth, which is why they look more and more like her.

"Simply put, it's not that we resemble the Herrscher of Finality, but rather that we, as vessels for the Herrscher of Finality, are influenced by her and our appearance gradually resembles hers as we grow. In fact, after Kiana, Aurora, and I used the Finality Mode, both our temperament and appearance also began to resemble those of the true Herrscher of Finality."

Even Freya, who loves telling dirty jokes and talking nonsense, becomes quite taciturn after activating Herrscher of Finality mode, and her gaze turns cold.

If we had to describe the situation at the time in one word, perhaps 'deification' would be the most appropriate.

Yes, after becoming the Herrscher of Finality, Freya felt as if she had abandoned her humanity, ultimately leaving 'divinity' within her, and viewing all things in the world with a cold and indifferent attitude of equality.

Of course, even after Freya becomes the Herrscher of Finality, she still has plenty of inner monologues. Contrary to the cold and aloof image of the Herrscher of Finality, Freya is constantly ranting and raving in her mind, her thoughts racing so fast that the wheels could run people over.

"Even without us sisters, the Herrscher of Finality would forcibly distort the appearance of a passerby and make that person her vessel. Therefore, the only way to restrain the Herrscher of Finality from descending is to control the intensity of Honkai Energy in various places, so that the current intensity of Honkai Energy is insufficient for the Herrscher of Finality to descend completely."

Freya gave a wry smile and explained.

"If the consciousness of the Herrscher of Finality lies dormant within the bodies of modern humans, then the power of the Herrscher of Finality exists in the Imaginary Space, or rather, in the Sea of Quanta of the Imaginary Space..."

Kiana and the others, being the closest to the image of the Herrscher of Finality, are naturally the most suitable vessels for the Herrscher of Finality to descend upon this world.

According to the countless parallel worlds observed by SU, almost all of them involve Kiana or Kiana's clones awakening as Herrscher of Finality. This shows that someone like Kiana best fits the conditions for the arrival of the Herrscher of Finality.

Besides inherent qualities, negative emotions are even more important for becoming Herrscher. Extreme anger or despair are negative emotions that can easily turn someone into Herrscher.

"However, the Stigmata Activation Plan cannot succeed, because the moment it succeeds, it will be equivalent to creating a vessel for the Herrscher of Finality to descend. Even if the Honkai Energy intensity of the current world is not enough, the Stigmata Awakeners who distribute Honkai Energy are strong enough to become the environment for the Herrscher of Finality to descend, both in terms of physical strength and negative emotions."

Freya wasn't lying; what she said was indeed the truth. It's just that there are some things she still prefers to keep to herself.

However, the conditions for the Herrscher of Finality to awaken are actually more special. She, Kiana, and Aurora successfully suppressed the consciousness of the Herrscher of Finality who had not yet awakened. As a result, the three of them successfully stole the Imaginary Tree Authority belonging to the Herrscher of Finality.

Unfortunately, neither Kiana Aurora noticed the Imaginary Tree Authority.

Freya revealed a lot of information, which Rita and Bianca couldn't process immediately, while Theresa was completely lost in thought, looking as if she hadn't understood anything at all.

SU thought about it carefully for a while, then nodded seriously. He felt that Freya's speculation was very likely.

Moreover, this explanation also explains why the Herrscher of Finality from the Previous Civilization had appearances very similar to Kiana and the others.

The answer is exactly the opposite. It's not that Kiana and the others look like the Herrscher of Finality, but rather that they are becoming more and more like the Herrscher of Finality because of the Herrscher of Finality's influence.

At the Previous Civilization, Mei secretly received a young girl who looked remarkably like Kiana. Few researchers knew about this, and SU happened to be one of them.

No, it should be said that FU, who sent the experimental girl who looked very similar to Kiana, was also in the know.

It now seems highly likely that the Herrscher of Finality from the Previous Era was transformed from this experimental girl—

Kevin shut his mouth. After hearing Freya's speculation, he instinctively thought that Freya was absolutely right.

Even if Freya's prediction is wrong this time, the Stigmata Activation Plan may fail in other ways.

Kevin now believes that SU's previous advice was absolutely correct. If he hadn't followed SU's advice and led the remnants of World Serpent to join the Alliance, he might have been left behind by the world's rapid version updates before long.

Everyone fell silent.

Some were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, some were completely out of touch, and some knew the truth but couldn't find a solution...

Bianca looked at Kiana and understood once again why Freya said Kiana was more valuable to be targeted than her.

Kiana, Freya, and even Aurora all harbor some shadows and negative emotions within them, making them all potential vessels for the Herrscher of Finality.

On the contrary, Bianca had no memory of this at all. Even though Freya told her that she and Kiana were very likely the same person, Bianca was not shaken by this situation. In fact, she was secretly pleased.

If she and Kiana are truly the same person, even if she is just the real Kiana from a parallel world who was stranded in this world for unknown reasons, she still has a relatively close connection with Freya.

Even without any genetic connection, this relationship can still bring her closer to the person she admires.

In fact, unlike Kiana, Bianca has a very low probability of becoming Herrscher of Finality.

Her appearance was not only unaffected by the Herrscher of Finality, but she also resembled Cecilia's mother more. She did not have any negative emotions inside.

After all, she had no memory of what happened before she was admitted to the hospital; since she could remember, Bishop Otto had been her attending physician.

The same situation occurred in a parallel world, where Bianca had been in the hospital since she could remember, and Bishop Otto was her attending physician.

Bianca has no negative emotions, so she does not meet one of the conditions for the arrival of the Herrscher of Finality.

Rather, Bianca, with her talent for increasing Honkai Energy resistance with exposure to different doses of Honkai Energy, is simply the most suitable candidate to fight against the Herrscher of Finality.

In a parallel universe, Bianca might be Kiana modified by Otto, or she might be a nemesis created by Otto using Kiana's DNA.

But she might very well be a trump card that Otto had prepared for the Herrscher of Finality in that world.

In this world, Bianca possesses the same talent, and Otto also becomes her attending physician.

Although Otto in this world only met Bianca by chance in a hospital near the underground research institute, Bianca joining of the League and becoming Valkyrie seemed to bring the world lines together.

Even if the Bianca of this world is not Kiana, or is Kiana from some parallel world who came to this world for unknown reasons, she did appear in this world.