Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

"An incomplete Herrscher… what does that even mean…?" Mikael muttered to himself.

Elysia paused, then recalled that those were the 3rd Herrscher's words to Mikael.

"Maybe she just said it casually?"

Mikael shook his head.

If the 3rd Herrscher's actions were driven by instinct, then she wouldn't lie or speak without purpose.

Moreover, Mikael vaguely remembered a similar description in the current era's storyline—the Herrschers of Ice, Wind, and Death's powers could be easily seized by the Herrscher of Dominance, but not Mei's. The explanation given by the World Serpent was:

"Because you are a fully awakened Herrscher."

Could it be that the Herrschers of Ice, Wind, and Death were, like him, "incomplete Herrschers"?

But what was the difference? Kiana and Hua had another personality sharing the Herrscher's power. Bronya's case was due to incompatibility with the Herrscher of Reason core.

Neither situation applied to him.

"I've been vigilant all these years. I'm certain I don't have a second consciousness or personality. Neither the original Mikael nor the 1st Herrscher's consciousness created by the Honkai exists anymore. And the Herrscher core was born within me from the beginning, so there shouldn't be any incompatibility issues."

Elysia saw Mikael lost in thought, his brows furrowed. She gently smoothed them with her thumbs.

"Don't think too much about it! Captain Himeko said headquarters is sending reinforcements today. With the 3rd Herrscher's current state, we might not even need to fight!" Elysia reassured him softly.

She glanced around, making sure they were alone. Thanks to Squad 5's thorough sweeps, even zombies and Honkai beasts were scarce. Still, she leaned closer and whispered, "What about… your identity? What are you going to do?"

Mikael pursed his lips, letting out a frustrated sigh. He kicked a loose brick and sat down.

Elysia bit her lip, remaining silent.

For some, it was an absurd question.

Could a Herrscher, possessing such immense power, be controlled by humans? Humans certainly had ways to kill Herrschers, but didn't Herrschers possess any deterrent power?

"Actually… you don't need to worry. You don't have to do this because of me…"

Elysia murmured.

Mikael looked at her, surprised. But Elysia didn't see relief or gratitude in his eyes, but… confusion, doubt, even a hint of anger?

Elysia looked away.

She understood. She had always understood.

The unspoken message in Mikael's eyes was—How can you not understand me?

He understood himself too.

He often claimed to fight for humanity because of Elysia.

But he couldn't deny his subconscious. He was a fundamentally good and kind person. Even without Elysia, he would have made the same choice.

No, perhaps he no longer deserved to be called kind, but at least he had a moral compass.

Otherwise, he wouldn't constantly feel guilty about proposing the MANTIS project, nor would he hesitate to access the casualty records from the Vostok incident, even with the necessary authorization…

Of course, this didn't mean he had the potential to be a saint. He wasn't incapable of ruthlessness, but—it wouldn't solve the problem.

"I could 'purge' those sent by the United Government, even the government itself. And the World Serpent are just small fry. But I can't do that."

Mikael stated firmly, "The reason… setting aside morality, from a purely pragmatic perspective, it's simple—it's useless. It wouldn't solve the problem."

"If I killed all those fools, would humanity accept me? No, it would only deepen the misunderstanding. The new leadership would fear and reject me even more. Would I then have to kill them too, wave after wave, until no one dared to defy me? No, that's the path of a tyrant. And such slaughter wouldn't be confined to one place. It would quickly spread across the globe, consuming all of humanity—humanity couldn't withstand such internal conflict."

"Besides, I don't think I'm qualified to lead humanity. Because I… I'm not even sure if I'm still human."

"If I did that, I could never stand beside you, beside Himeko, Mobius, Ato, Aunt Blanka, even Phamas… beside all of you…"

He rested his hands on his knees, staring at his palms.

The moonlight, already dim, was further obscured by clouds. All he could see was darkness.

"But don't worry!" His tone brightened. "I'm not a fool, and I'm not a saint. I won't put myself in danger, and I won't let those fools control my fate. Don't underestimate me!"

"Besides, my relationship with humanity isn't just one of opposition. Look: Captain Himeko, Dr. Mobius, Sakura… even Phamas, they trust me, they accept me—as a human."

Elysia didn't say anything. She gently placed her hand on the back of Mikael's head, and he leaned his face against her soft, warm stomach, inhaling her scent.

The evening breeze gently ruffled their hair. The crescent moon peeked through the clouds, bathing them in its pale light.

"If I had magic, I would freeze time at this moment forever," Elysia whispered.

Mikael hummed in agreement, his voice muffled. "Too small. You're thinking too small!"

"Oh? What would you do?"

"Discussing such things is pointless, Elysia. We can't have that kind of power."

"Come on! Don't be such a downer! Just imagine, just for fun! If humans never imagined the impossible, how would we have come this far? Right, Mikael?"

Mikael nuzzled against her, and Elysia gently patted his head.

"If it were me, I would turn back time to before it all began, back to the orphanage in Vostok-51. A world without the Honkai. We would grow up like normal children, become adults, find jobs, and then… get married?"

Mikael's voice trailed off, the last word barely audible.

"Hmm? What did you say?"

"Nothing… I said… the moon is beautiful tonight!" [classic]

Mikael's hand, as if on its own accord, reached for Elysia's waist.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Elysia, I'm sorry! That hurts!"

Mikael felt like his ears were bearing a weight they weren't meant to carry.

Beep, beep, beep!

"The electromagnetic field in Shanghai has mostly returned to normal. Communications are back online."

Elysia explained to Mikael, then checked her phone.

"Captain Himeko said the reinforcements from headquarters are almost here. They'll go straight to the shelter. She's bringing the team back soon. We should head back too."

"Okay."

Mikael rubbed his abused ear.