Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Kevin's perspective wasn't subjective; most of the Herrschers he had seen had fought to the death.

Whether these Herrschers were afraid of death was not a question he could consider. In any case, none of the Herrschers he had seen were afraid of dying.

"Are Herrschers... really afraid of death?"

Kevin asked a strange question, but to Noldrei, the question itself seemed abnormal.

Noldrei said as if it were obvious, "Oh? What do you mean? Besides being a bit stronger than humans and their minds being a bit more susceptible to exploitation than ordinary warriors, why wouldn't Herrschers be afraid of death? Even many warriors are afraid of death. It's just that the things they fear are worse than death, which is why they don't fear it."

Kevin was silent for a long time before explaining, "In my era, the Herrschers of that time lacked human reason. Even our comrades-in-arms, once they became Herrschers, would undergo a complete change in personality and only think of destroying the world. Although I don't want to admit that my comrades' willpower was weak, but..."

"Before and after becoming a Herrscher, they were completely different people. Your understanding of Herrschers fearing death might be problematic."

Durandal had never imagined such a situation. If the Herrschers of the Current Era appeared because of human persecution, or because of human suffering caused by various problems, leading them to develop anti-social thoughts and actions and thus wanting to destroy human civilization...

Then according to Kevin's account, the Herrschers of the Previous Era seemed to have had "problems" from the very beginning. They were more like tools faithfully carrying out a mission.

"Interesting. I never thought such a situation would occur. So, were there no Herrschers with rational thought in the Previous Era?"

Noldrei curiously inquired about these past events.

Kevin answered frankly and truthfully, "There were, but only one or two. Even so, the reason of some Herrschers was only restored after we defeated them. From this perspective, it wasn't the Herrschers themselves who possessed reason, but a change in external forces. The stronger humanity's combat power, the more rational the Herrschers would become."

'Why do these Herrschers sound so pathetic... Wait, am I a Herrscher too?!'

Bronya found Kevin's description of these Herrschers very strange.

Seele couldn't help but ask, "Then aren't the people who become Herrschers very miserable? They have reason, yet they have to watch themselves kill their former family and friends with their own hands."

"Miserable... I suppose so..."

Kevin's expression remained cold. Perhaps he had seen too much, and his heart had been numbed by such cruel realities.

"But at that time, we couldn't find a way to bring them back. Some people tried to awaken them with their own sacrifice, but it was useless. Pure emotion cannot change a Herrscher's behavior. Only coercive measures, or changing the very essence of a Herrscher's existence, can do that."

And so, under Seele's horrified gaze, Noldrei reached into Little Bronya's stomach and pulled out the Core of the Herrscher of Death.

He handed the core to Kevin and asked, "Were the Herrschers of that era like this core? But according to Tesla—I mean, our researchers here—the cores in the Divine Keys are different from the current Herrscher Cores. Not only are the cores different, but even the Herrschers themselves seem to have some problems."

Noldrei also took out the quantum-state Cleaver of Shamash, seemingly unconcerned that Kevin might snatch these two items.

Given the current situation with the Honkai, it seemed to be hiding, trying to create a stronger Herrscher.

"According to our observations, the cores of the new era's Herrschers are like a living exchange device, capable of absorbing and converting Honkai Energy. But the cores of the previous generation's Herrschers are more akin to this singularity-like compressed core, like a piece of metal that has been forged a thousand times."

The moment Kevin held the core, he knew who was most likely to have made it.

The Herrscher of Death's core indeed did not harm Kevin. He silently examined the gem in his hand, lost in thought.

"The Finality is in the Cocoon..."

"What?" Kiana looked at Kevin in shock, not expecting him to drop such a huge bombshell.

Had she misheard something just now?

"You just need to push the early Herrschers one by one, then sneak into the [Cocoon], and you can steal the power of the Herrscher of Finality. Warrior of the new civilization, you were not wrong. The Herrscher of Finality can be 'enthroned' through external means."

Kevin used Noldrei's description of the Finality—the emperor among the Honkai Herrschers.

"But everything has a price. In that case, you would have to constantly keep an eye on the power of the Honkai, then become a vessel for it, and finally, sit on the Cocoon forever. And according to our research, this Honkai thing can't be used outside the solar system..."

"It's as if there's a membrane preventing the Honkai from expanding outwards."

Kevin dropped more than one bombshell. This time, it was the ancestor's turn to give the descendants a little shock.

Noldrei suddenly had an epiphany. He finally understood why the original Earth and solar system had disappeared. So the Honkai had indeed played a decisive role in it.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew why the entire solar system was wiped out. So that's how it is. I was even thinking of keeping the solar system as a sort of museum exhibit to play with."

"I never would have thought... this Honkai is so evil! This is clearly a way of farming civilizations!"

Ancestor Kevin didn't expect Noldrei's train of thought to jump to the Honkai farming civilizations.

What was going on? How could he not understand what was happening?

The other young girls also looked at him in shock, not knowing what Noldrei was talking about.

"I know you don't understand what's going on. In fact, it's very simple. This is using energy to stifle the development of a civilization, thereby farming and playing with it. I've seen a lot of this kind of thing. Usually, only those with very malicious intentions would do this!"

"It's like raising fish in a fish tank. The people who do this don't necessarily need any material gain; they just find it fun."

"How can there be such a good thing in this world that gives you power without asking for anything in return? The most frightening thing for people isn't paying a price, but being made to believe that you have already paid a price. That's the most dangerous thing."

"In that case, it's only natural that the Honkai Herrschers of the parallel worlds didn't take the bait."

Noldrei quickly understood the problem.

If the Honkai was truly stuck in the solar system and couldn't get out, that meant the Honkai within the solar system would definitely have a very dangerous upper limit. If this limit was pushed to a certain point, it would completely destroy the solar system.

'How can this be! I still need future generations to admire the ancient ruins of my ascension to the throne!'

His Majesty the Emperor was enraged. He had to fight the Honkai to the bitter end, even if it meant blowing up the entire solar system!!