Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Historical struggles often begin brewing long before they erupt.

Today, returning to Shin Nakamura's old place, Hachiman Hikigaya recalled the words Shin had spoken to him.

To be honest, Hachiman wasn't particularly fond of Shin Nakamura. The man's gender was ambiguous, and his true form roamed among various factions, completely unconcerned about being used.

He was a thoroughly chaotic individual, both in action and thought. Yet, the one thing Shin Nakamura consistently adhered to was hard to dismiss.

That was the "power" he so often spoke of.

After tearing the seal off the door, Hachiman strode with clanging iron steps into the place he had once fled in panic.

[What is it that truly binds me?]

Under Shin Nakamura's relentless questioning, he had become lost in that thought.

Now, after that brush with death, Hachiman finally understood a little.

What bound him were the emotions he generated himself. But without those emotions, he couldn't transcend the first stage of self-awareness. The trials of the Stigma battlesuit were a layered progression, and Hachiman was trapped deep within, unable to escape.

"People always live for themselves, yet they only think about 'living for themselves' when they feel constrained. In reality, it's impossible. When a person lives for themselves, they are merely acting to satisfy the material basis of their own needs. Whether it's need, desire, or pleasure, it's all just action driven by personal demand."

"Since we act for our own needs from the very beginning, what's this talk about 'living for ourselves'? The 'self' is just an excuse for our own needs."

"Shin Nakamura was always talking about power in front of me..."

Hachiman fell silent for a long time.

Only now did he truly feel that what Shin had said were words of wisdom.

At the very least, Shin had seen the hidden changes within Academy City, while Hachiman had only noticed the surging tide when it was about to crash down on him.

The rift between the old and the new in this city had been completely finalized in a short period. The members of the board would cleanse everything from the inside out, but the method of cleansing...

Hachiman couldn't figure it out. If he could, he wouldn't be just a security student here.

The board members would probably come down and invite him to be the head of the security team.

"Since it's Academy City's trouble, it can only be one of a few things..."

"A biohazard, a viral mutation, a Honkai Eruption... or the descent of a Herrscher."

"I can't be that unlucky, can I? My family just got here, and we're already facing such a terrifying crisis?"

Think about it, Hachiman Hikigaya!

People like Dr. Tesla didn't care about a Honkai Eruption, let alone the descent of a Herrscher, because she herself was a super-powered human who had usurped a Herrscher's abilities.

My god, the textbook said she wiped out a Herrscher across all of Siberia.

That must be a form of life beyond ordinary comprehension, right? They must have a superior intellect like Dr. Tesla's, a cold and calculating mind like a ruler's, a computer-like ability to learn and replicate, not to mention control over superpowers beyond human grasp, and the ability to trigger a Great Eruption to summon more Honkai Beasts.

It's terrifying just to think about. Herrschers are so powerful!

Hachiman tried to make his iron body tremble, but the motion failed. Instead, he just ended up breaking the wooden chair beneath him.

So, what was the Herrscher doing?

---||---

"Look, is this dress pretty?"

Sirin had changed into another outfit. She held the hem of her skirt and admired herself in the full-length mirror.

Anyone could see that the Herrscher was busy picking out new clothes. Destroying humanity, God's will—all that had been tossed to the back of her mind.

After all, she couldn't win, and he wouldn't let her die, so why couldn't she pursue the pleasures of real life?

Noldrei waved his hand magnanimously. "Put it on Schicksal's tab! They owe you this."

His Majesty the Emperor wasn't wrong. Schicksal did owe her. For instance, Kiana's expenses were also charged to Schicksal's account. Only the funds for building the new organization came from Cocolia and Raiden Ryoma.

Logically, after getting her body back, Sirin should have either been working hard to find the next Herrscher or biding her time and building her strength. But she quickly chose to slack off. She didn't know why; maybe she was just looking for an excuse.

"What? Hello? What did you say... Ah, she got shot? What kind of gun? Did you catch them? You didn't even try! You were afraid you'd get shot too!"

Noldrei took a sharp breath, completely blindsided by Bronya's reasoning.

Clearly, little Bronya was genuinely afraid a second shot would be aimed at her.

After all, Bronya didn't have a body like Kiana's. For Kiana, getting shot was probably like getting a single drop of blood drawn with a needle.

"So she ran away, and the enemy didn't bother with a small fry like you?"

Noldrei hadn't expected such a comical situation. So, it turned out Bronya was the one being protected all along?

"The on-site investigation concluded that they vanished into thin air? Interesting..."

Bronya's investigation results were even more surprising to Noldrei.

This meant the ambusher had likely escaped using some unknown means.

"What did Tesla's side say?"

"Vanished into thin air, too?!"

The results from both investigations matched, proving that the hidden enemy possessed a certain level of technological prowess.

In the past, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had to face these hidden enemies directly. Now that Noldrei had taken up the banner, it was his turn to confront these shadowy figures.

It's a problem having these guys constantly causing trouble for my subordinates...

Noldrei looked at Sirin, who was still trying on clothes, and suddenly pulled out two gems.

The hidden enemy's objective was clearly similar to his own; they just had no intention of revealing themselves yet.

Sirin, carrying several bags of clothes, saw the gems in Noldrei's hands.

It was her original Herrscher Core of the Void and the recently acquired Herrscher Core of Death.

"Why are you suddenly showing these off to me?"

"Do you want them?"

Noldrei held the gems, hesitating slightly.

After all, Sirin didn't seem particularly bright. He felt that giving her the gems wouldn't have much of an effect.

She's not going to take these two stones out and get beaten up, is she?

Noldrei was genuinely worried. She was, after all, the other half of his heir apparent. It wouldn't be right to just ignore her.

Sirin thought he was insane, asking her if she wanted them or not.

"No, you can keep them. If you give them to me, you'll just dig them out of my body later anyway. What's the point of me having them?"

"To help me fish. I bought you so many clothes, you should at least give me something in return, right?"

"Doesn't Schicksal owe me this? You just said to put it on their tab." Sirin realized this man from the future was a real bastard, but the benefits he offered were just too good.

Sirin obediently took the two stones. She had decided to bide her time and build her strength!

Sooner or later, she would make Noldrei eat shit.

Unfortunately, the young girl had long forgotten that this was a man who could absorb the entire contents of a sewer with his own body.