"Become a Herrscher?"
Mei was taken aback for a moment. "But right now… am I not already a Herrscher?"
"Of course you are, but… not fully, right?"
The voice that had been coming from the terminal instantly sounded right by Mei's ear.
Only then did Mei look up to see Lynelle, who had just been chatting with her over the terminal, now standing beside them.
"Sorry, the data transmission efficiency over here is a bit low… and, it's been a while, you two."
"It's been a while." Mei opened her arms and gave Lynelle a fierce hug, then blinked.
"I don't know how you escaped from World Serpent, but everything I told you back at the Sea of Quanta still stands, you know?"
"Ahaha…" Lynelle guiltily averted her gaze. "Actually, I didn't exactly escape… but that's a story for later."
"For now, what's the situation with Ana? What major blow did she suffer?"
"Well… being defeated by Li Sushang shouldn't count as a major blow, I'd think."
"Personally, I believe she was just unlucky enough to be chosen as a suitable candidate. According to Sushang, Ana was knocked out by her and then the core suddenly took over her body."
"Unlucky?" Lynelle paused, then suddenly remembered something.
Even in the original story, Ana seemed to have been chosen as a Herrscher just as abruptly.
After all, although she and Chen Tianwu went through a series of extraordinary events in the original, one thing was undeniable: before Ana became a Herrscher, she likely hadn't suffered any major trauma or mental collapse like Sirin had.
She was probably just living an ordinary life.
As for the later guilt over the Manila eruption, that seemed more like a tool used by the Herrscher core to break down her mental defenses after it had chosen her, rather than the direct cause of her becoming a Herrscher.
"Mhm, that's all we can assume for now. Perhaps her compatibility with the Herrscher of Ice core was inherently high, combined with the unique environment of Nagazora…"
Tesla sighed.
"After Ana became a Herrscher, aside from the initial loss of control, she seemed to retain some degree of self-awareness. So, she held back significantly when attacking us."
"At first, Mei and Sushang held off Ana's attacks together for a while. After Ana regained some self-awareness, perhaps afraid she couldn't suppress the Herrscher core, or fearing she might cause greater casualties… Anyway, she just 'ran' away."
"To prevent anything from happening to Ana, even though she wasn't in great shape, Sushang went after her alone. The rest of us have been trying to find a way to contact a secure zone to transmit the situation here."
"I see…"
Lynelle nodded thoughtfully.
"I understand. But let's return to the earlier topic… Given Nagazora's current state, even if we quickly subdue Ana, we still can't resolve the crisis of the Honkai beast tide."
"Because the beast tide is caused by excessively high Honkai energy density, and even before Ana became a Herrscher, Nagazora's Honkai energy levels were already dangerously high."
"As for why this happened… to a large extent, it's related to you, Mei."
"Me?" Mei, who had been quietly listening on the sidelines, widened her eyes.
"Yes. Because most of this Honkai energy permeating Nagazora actually leaked out from the Imaginary Singularity created when you became a Herrscher back then."
"Otto's experiment merely widened the opening a bit. If you, Mei, cannot fully master the Herrscher core, then even without Otto's experiment, Nagazora would face this situation someday in the future."
Lynelle sighed and continued explaining.
"Your current state allows you to wield a portion of the Herrscher core's power, but you cannot fully mobilize it. …That is a sign of not having complete mastery over the core."
"R-really?… I thought it was because my core compatibility couldn't match the other personality, which is why I'm so weak…"
"No, no, no…" Lynelle shook her head repeatedly.
"Trust me, when it comes to lightning, your face is probably the most authoritative existence in this world. If your compatibility isn't high, I can't imagine who else could become the Herrscher of Thunder."
"Then how do I master this power?" Mei murmured, looking at the electric sparks flickering in her hand.
"Generally, we call the phenomenon of fully mastering one's Herrscher core and wielding its authority with human will 'Ego Manifestation.'"
A faint pink pattern shimmered on Lynelle's hand. "Of course, this state actually has another name… but I can't tell you that right now."
"The forms of Ego Manifestation can vary. It doesn't necessarily require mastering the core alone. Like with Sirin and Kiana, when the synergy between the two reaches a certain level, it can also be called Ego Manifestation. But… your situation, Mei, is a bit different."
"Conventional cases, like Kiana and Seele—though they have multiple personalities like you, their experiences can't be directly applied to you."
"So, whether you can achieve Ego Manifestation, I'm not certain. I can only give you a chance to face your true self."
"Multiple personalities… and they're categorized differently?" Tesla, who had been listening all this while, asked curiously.
"No, the 'different' I mentioned probably isn't the medical classification you're thinking of, Dr. Tesla." Lynelle showed a helpless smile.
"Because from the perspective of my mental assessment… Mei, you might actually be the personality that was born later."
"!" Shock appeared on Mei's face. "M-my other self is actually the primary personality?"
"It's not quite right to call it a primary personality either… I told you, your situation with that 'Lightning Queen' personality is special."
"The two of you can no longer be clearly distinguished as primary or secondary. So, how to handle your relationship, I'm not sure either. I can only give you a chance to communicate with her…"
As she spoke, Lynelle looked at Mei.
"So, Mei… do you want to give it a try?"
"…" Mei was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
"Whatever the truth is, I can accept it. But the one thing I cannot accept is my own weakness… I don't want to be like before, where every time danger comes, I can only cry after failing and say 'I can't do anything.'"
"So… please help me, Lynelle!"
"Hearing you say that password, I suddenly feel your Ego Manifestation is practically guaranteed…"
Lynelle showed a confident smile, while the [Ego] stigma glowed on her hand.
Then, she gently cupped Mei's face and gave her forehead a soft kiss.
"Now, with the help of this power, face your true self~"
"Remember this power well. You might… encounter another person who uses it someday."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.