"No."
"The Herrschers are the test questions."
The Monarch's answer still did not exceed Mei's expectations, until he added the next sentence—
"And also the answers."
"If a civilization fails to get a passing grade on the preceding questions..."
Here, Lu Xing mentioned "civilization," not "humanity," and as he spoke, his tone was not as casual as before.
"The answers obtained from the Herrschers are the only clue you will have when facing the final question."
"..."
"The final... question?"
A deathly silence echoed among the group.
This answer, which went beyond Dr. Mei's own hypotheses, made even a genius like her swallow hard.
"Correct."
"The final question."
"That is your original examiner, and also the Herrscher who wields all authorities."
Lu Xing's gaze unconsciously shifted to the pink-haired elf.
There were many things Elysia did not know, but there was one thing she did: as the Herrscher of Origin, she could vaguely sense the existence that would bring an end to all things—
"The Herrscher of Finality."
"..."
Lu Xing took the initiative to break the oppressive atmosphere brought on by this information.
"No need to be so tense."
"There is still time for two more Herrschers before the Finality appears."
"After the Tenth Herrscher, you will still need to face the Eleventh Herrscher, the Herrscher of Binding, and the Twelfth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Erosion. Whether you can survive them is still an unknown."
Two more Herrschers to defeat...
Although humanity had long speculated about the number thirteen in countless theories, to truly face it still brought a great sense of powerlessness. Humanity's organizational structure had been completely disrupted by the Herrscher of Domination. And while Elysia's efforts had managed to reverse some of the decline, according to the analysis of the pattern of Herrscher appearances... the two additional Herrschers before this Herrscher of Finality would likely also possess the power to destroy human society.
Wait!
"You said... original?"
"Correct."
"The original examiner should have been the Finality, yes, but now..."
Lu Xing paused for a moment—
"Your examiner... is me."
"Don't get happy too soon."
"This exam was just a bonus question. The reward for the bonus question—the answers to these questions—should be of some help..."
"However,"
"I don't think I ever said... there was only one examiner, did I?"
That's right.
Lu Xing's own designation indeed contained the titles "Finality" and "Civilization Arbiter."
If the civilization being tested was only humanity, then he could be almost certain that the Herrscher of Finality would not appear, because its job would be undertaken by him.
But!
With the Honkai Beasts led by Lu Xing also becoming a part of civilization, this assumption became problematic.
The Monarch had no proof, but even as speculation... he felt that the Herrscher of Finality would still appear, and it would be even more powerful than the one he knew of!
After all, the power of the Finality grew in sync with the strength of the civilization.
When an examiner who knew the answers to the questions became a test-taker himself... Lu Xing had no confidence in what level of combat power the Herrscher of Finality would display. If he failed the test, he would likely have no choice but to wander between the leaves of the Tree with his Retainers.
It was precisely to avoid this situation that the Monarch was answering these questions for the Flame-Chasers in a manner that was almost cheating.
After all, although the humans of today were no match for the Monarch, if given some time and hints, they could very well become a help to him.
The premise was that they had to be pragmatic enough to recognize the circumstances.
"..."
The group had fallen silent far too many times today.
No one knew just how strong a Herrscher that could be crowned with the name "Finality" was, but since it was also an examiner...
Upon hearing the Black Emperor's words, everyone's gaze subconsciously gathered on him. Its strength would certainly be no weaker than the Black Emperor before them, whom even all the Fusion Warriors combined might not be able to defeat.
"Why are you telling us this?"
"You..."
Dr. Mei did not finish her sentence, but Lu Xing knew exactly what she meant.
"I am not your friend."
"To be precise, the relationship between us has long since reached a life-or-death stage."
The Monarch stated this fact without any evasion.
"Ignoring those killed indirectly, the number of humans and Fusion Warriors I have personally killed can only be described by a number."
"And you..."
"Setting aside the 'children' who have not yet awakened,"
"The number of 'variants' and 'high-tiers' who have died at human hands, or been captured by you for research, is also not a small figure."
Lu Xing used a placid tone to narrate the deep-seated blood feud between both sides.
"But,"
"There is no meaning in killing you."
Lu Xing glanced around at the Retainers beside him, incidentally sparing a look for the Rock Tortoise that was cautiously swimming back from the open sea.
"That would only make them have to face the Finality themselves."
Lu Xing had hidden a part of the truth, but this sentence was not a lie.
"Elysia."
"'Just like' you, who loves humanity as a human, I too am taking care of my retainers and clansmen as a Honkai Beast."
While Elysia was still trying to understand this sentence, Dr. Mei, beside her, looked as if she had understood something. Her gaze towards the giant "man" commanding a host of Honkai Beasts was filled with even more astonishment than when she had heard all the previous news.
"Dr. Mei."
Before her curiosity could turn into a question, Lu Xing cut her off.
"You may still have many questions, but we are running out of time."
The Monarch slowly raised his head.
In the empty sky above, golden motes of light, barely visible to the naked eye, were gradually gathering into an ocean. The spatial fluctuations, undetectable by any sensor, were clearly captured by his [Imaginary Link] and fed back into Lu Xing's spiritual world.
A dark-gold arm slowly rose.
Under Kevin's wary gaze, the Monarch slowly held up three fingers.
"A final piece of advice—"
"First."
"This place is too close to the trunk of the Tree and the surface of the Sea."
The Monarch didn't care if the current Dr. Mei could understand; he directly told her the "truth."
"Do not use the power of the Sea on the Tree."
"Otherwise, the fate of Mu will be humanity's tomorrow."
The first finger slowly retracted.
"Second."
"I am willing to give you a chance because of a 'shared' identity with the Fusion Warriors, and a 'past' that I am not yet willing to completely erase from my mind."
"At the same time, precisely because of this past,"
"I will never trust in the 'beauty' of humanity—even a hero who is called a dictator is a thousand times better than what you have now."
The second finger was already down.
"Third."
"Facts have proven."
Unconsciously, the midday sky had been painted the brilliant gold of twilight.
"The examiner, indeed, is not just me."