"...They're here."
After completing the preparations to summon Bella, Lynelle suddenly murmured softly, watching as Bella continuously gathered Honkai energy to form her body.
"What's here?" Sirin immediately perked up. "Schicksal or Anti-Entropy?"
"I don't know. I just sense an aura... somewhat similar to mine." Sirin struggled to describe the feeling. "It's like... a kindred spirit?"
"That would be Anti-Entropy, then."
With that clue, Lynelle instantly guessed the visitor. "The Herrscher who betrayed the Honkai, the first of their kind, and also the leader of Anti-Entropy: Welt."
"Hmm... So this is what a Herrscher feels like? But why do I feel like..." Sirin's expression turned odd. If the sensation she was picking up represented a Herrscher...
Then why could she detect a faint, similar feeling emanating from Lynelle herself?
Was it just from being around her for so long?
"What's wrong?"
Noticing Sirin's conflicted face, Lynelle asked curiously.
"...No, it's nothing."
Dismissing the thought for now, Sirin decisively pushed it aside. "Lynelle, I'm going out to check the situation. Bella's body isn't fully formed yet, so I need you to hold the fort here."
"Let's go together."
Lynelle stood up. "If it's the Anti-Entropy leader, he's supposed to be a reasonable man. But if it's just you two talking, misunderstandings could easily happen. To avoid unnecessary trouble—"
"No."
Sirin's lips pursed into a pout as she firmly pressed Lynelle back down. "You're staying right here, Lynelle. You're not going anywhere."
"Your body is so fragile, Lynelle. If a real fight breaks out, even the shockwaves from the battle could kill you... I won't watch you die in front of me. I absolutely refuse!"
"Mm..."
Seeing the unwavering determination on Sirin's face, Lynelle knew she probably couldn't win this argument.
"Alright then... But you have to promise me that even if a fight does start, you won't get drawn into a prolonged battle."
Lynelle said seriously. "Our current strength isn't enough to confront either faction head-on. Not even the relatively weaker Anti-Entropy. If some misunderstanding arises between you, we stand no chance at all."
"So, just buy us some time. Once Bella's body is fully constructed, we leave immediately. With Bella here, I can figure out a way to take you for a... super evolution."
"Super evolution?"
Sirin blinked. "What's that mean?"
"I'll tell you later~"
Lynelle's gaze swept towards the full moon hanging in the night sky. "Don't worry, I won't disappoint you."
--+--
"Einstein, I've reached the designated coordinates."
On the outskirts of the valley, a man wearing a brown scarf, who looked like he had seen his share of stories, stood on high ground peering inward.
"You were right. This is indeed the Second Herrscher's hiding place, and there's a large-scale Honkai energy tide concentrated here."
"Joachim, don't let your guard down."
Einstein's voice came through the communicator. "According to my monitoring, the Honkai energy density in your area has reached frighteningly high levels. It's even likely that a Judgment-class Honkai Beast is gestating within that very valley ahead of you. I probably don't need to remind you of the destruction caused the last time a Judgment-class Honkai Beast appeared, do I?"
"Chiyou... You're right, we should be cautious."
As a scholar well-versed in history, Welt Yang knew exactly what Einstein was referring to. "However, the strength of a companion Honkai Beast is generally linked to its master's power. To gauge the threat level, we just need to test the Second Herrscher's capabilities."
"If conflict arises, exercise restraint. Patricia mentioned that theoretically, the Second Herrscher might be persuadable."
Einstein advised. "That said, if you want to assess the Second Herrscher's strength, now is indeed a good opportunity."
"Theresa and Siegfried are en route to your location. Tesla's Bullet is also on standby. Theoretically speaking, there's no safer time than now."
"Don't worry, I'll attempt dialogue first. Fighting is always the last resort. Besides, I'm actually more curious about that girl named Lynelle. If my guess is correct, her natural Stigmata may have spontaneously awakened to a very high degree."
Adjusting his glasses, Welt watched the purple figure approaching from the distance.
"And due to the experiments, she likely holds a great deal of resentment towards Schicksal. While Otto appreciates talent, we've both experienced firsthand what he does to those he can't control. If that girl were to fall into Otto's hands again, I'm afraid..."
"The decision is yours, Sovereign."
Einstein unusually used the formal title. "But, be careful. You must stay vigilant about that 'possibility' I mentioned before."
"Mm."
Welt nodded, then turned his attention to Sirin, who was now floating not far from him.
"Greetings, Second Herrscher... or should I say, Sirin."
Welt took a step forward. "I am the former First Herrscher, the current leader of Anti-Entropy, and—"
"Leave this place."
Sirin cut off Welt's introduction. "I'm not interested in who you are. You should know that aside from seeking revenge, I haven't harmed anyone else. There's no conflict between us."
"But the very existence of a Herrscher signifies calamity."
Welt sighed. "I know you haven't caused any intentional destruction, which is why I've chosen to speak with you first. As a newly born Herrscher, you cannot control yourself, nor can you stop the gathering of Honkai energy."
"In fact, all of Siberia has already begun emergency evacuations because of your presence. Several nearby Schicksal branches have also been mobilized here to purge the Honkai beasts. And that massive Honkai energy emission source behind you right now—while I can't identify it precisely—I can say with absolute certainty that Schicksal has detected it. They've already dispatched forces here to eliminate this threat."
"If you're willing, I can take you back to Anti-Entropy. As the First Herrscher, I can help you mitigate the side effects I mentioned, until you fully master your Core."
"Tempting offer. But I refuse."
Sirin shook her head without hesitation. "I have no interest in joining any organization. I just want to stay with Lynelle, and now Bella too. They are my family."
"Even if I were to consider joining Anti-Entropy, it's not a decision I could make alone."
--+--
A/N: I checked the chapter comments again today and felt that, perhaps because it's been so long, many readers have indeed forgotten some details about the Second Eruption. So, I went through the manga again and will address everyone's questions here to avoid misunderstandings.
First, did Schicksal and Anti-Entropy know about the Cores on the moon?
They should have known. In the Honkai world, the Apollo moon landing program was specifically launched to investigate the ruins on the far side of the moon. Schicksal and Anti-Entropy sent five people in total. The results of the investigation weren't explicitly stated, only that both sides subsequently agreed to suppress the information.
The original text describes it as: [This was not a step for mankind into space, but a step towards its destruction.]
Considering Sirin's later statement that part of the god's power was sealed within that ruin, it can be reasonably assumed that Schicksal and Anti-Entropy probably discovered the Cores inside the ruin but couldn't deal with them effectively, hence the information blackout.
Second, did Otto actually have a plan to send Sirin to the moon?
He definitely did, and from the very beginning.
In Chapter 11, Welt was about to kill Sirin, but Otto suddenly appeared, severely injured Welt, and let Sirin escape. You probably still remember that part.
In that scene, Otto's explanation was: [My apologies, but please do not interfere with this young lady. Her complete awakening is a necessary part of my plan.]
Perhaps Otto didn't have a contingency plan for Sirin's birth itself, but after Sirin was born, Otto was definitely deliberately driving her towards the moon. His goal was likely for her to retrieve the Herrscher Cores from the moon for him, especially the Core of Death.
For Sirin, who had a dragon and teleportation, this wasn't a difficult task.
Even Welt suspected this. When Sirin's Honkai energy signature appeared in space, they immediately thought of the lunar ruins.
Third, was the five-core Sirin part of Otto's plan?
This was not part of Otto's plan. As a fellow reader mentioned in the comments before Sirin, no one knew a single Herrscher could host five or even six Cores simultaneously; it was fundamentally against common understanding.
According to Otto's original plan, Sirin would most likely go to the moon, absorb Honkai energy to recover, and then bring the four Cores back to Earth to find new Herrscher hosts.
But no one expected Sirin to absorb all four Cores herself. Even Otto only discovered this after he eliminated the Pseudo-Herrscher of Death.
Fourth, why was Otto so reckless?
The reason is simple: Schicksal had far too many aces up its sleeve.
During the Second Eruption, Otto had three super S-rank combatants (Cecilia Schariac, Fu Hua, and himself), two S-rank combatants (Siegfried Kaslana, Theresa Apocalypse), a full team of A-rank Valkyries, the Herrscher-killer—the God Killer serum, and help from Anti-Entropy next door, who would undoubtedly intervene for the sake of world peace.
With such a formidable lineup, even if five Herrschers had appeared simultaneously, Otto was fully confident he could handle them all. Moreover, he didn't care about civilian casualties. At this point in time, Otto only wanted the Core of Death, firmly believing it could bring back the dead.
As for conversing with the God of Honkai and seeking the true method of resurrection, that was a risky move Otto conceived on the spot after he discovered the Core of Death couldn't achieve resurrection, unwilling to accept the failure of his plan.
The above clarifies some background context from the Second Eruption storyline. Since it's well over 500 words, I didn't put it in the author's notes but added it directly to the main text instead. It's a free chapter anyway.
That's all for now.
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T/N: And thats what the author said guys, idk much about honkai, just know a little more than the average person, I just love Elysia.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.