After dealing with the Silly Dragon, who had stubbornly sat on their backs, Kevin and the others returned to the projection screen. The unfolding scene immediately captured their attention.
"Is that Hua?" The white-haired youth stared intently at the figures on the screen. Theresa, Raiden Mei, and the others were clearly losing ground in their battle against the Herrscher of the Void, while a Valkyrie clad in black armor stood blocking the path of the Far East Branch trio.
"With her current weakened state, she's no match for a Herrscher..." Kevin and Su frowned deeply.
"Hmm, she'll fall soon enough... But her old friend—my father, Otto Apocalypse—will save her..."
"And after that, our Kiana... she'll glimpse a fragment of my dear Father's true plan. Ah, it's starting... the classic villain monologue where they explain their scheme."
The golden-haired girl nodded, her gaze fixed on the screen.
In the scene, the golden-haired man spoke with a mocking, flippant tone as he repelled the Herrscher of the Void with bizarre blood-red cones erupting from his hands. He then turned his attention to the fallen Fu Hua, preparing to heal her while explaining his plan:
"Ah... what a sorry state you're in, old friend..."
"K-423 didn't die. Within that body reside two consciousnesses—the consciousness of K-423, whom you call Kiana, and the consciousness of Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void."
"After absorbing enough Honkai energy, the Sirin Consciousness residing within that body began to activate and successfully claimed the vessel. This ultimately led to the Herrscher of the Void's reawakening."
"But this wasn't the outcome I desired. Up to this point, we'll call it the First Phase. What follows... is the true experiment. K-423's consciousness, overwhelmed by the Herrscher's resolve, fell into dormancy, but it didn't vanish."
"So, what would happen if, conversely, K-423's consciousness were to triumph over Sirin's?"
"—The answer is that a human possessing Herrscher powers would be born."
The blond man's voice had lost all its previous jest and flippancy, replaced by fervent zeal and anticipation.
"The Third and Fourth Herrschers have already confirmed this for us. Even when the Herrscher Consciousness is suppressed, the Herrscher's powers do not vanish... Manipulating a human is far simpler than controlling a Herrscher."
-
"What a madman..." Su shook his head and turned to Snow beside him. "This wasn't meant for that child's eyes, was it? She wasn't even present in the Illusionary Realm. I think this was meant for us."
"Of course... because my Dad is about to pull off some mind-boggling stunts that will make your fists clench."
The blonde girl shrugged and continued watching the scene unfold. The golden-haired man confessed his plan to his friend and posed a final question to Fu Hua:
"My friend, your actions have surpassed my control, so I've chosen to tell you everything. Even now, will you still oppose me?"
"Without a doubt, given Fu Hua's current temperament, she refused... And my Father made a decision..."
A golden pistol materialized in the man's hand, pointed at the fallen immortal. He had made his choice.
"I did not lie, Master Jingwei. "
Bang—
The sharp gunshot echoed across the desolate Floating Island. Watching this unfold, Su and Kevin's fists clenched...
"I've changed my mind. I'm going out there right now to beat him to a pulp..." Kevin rolled up his sleeves, stood up abruptly, and made for the door.
"Ahem... Fu Hua isn't dead yet," Su coughed.
"And, Old Ancestor Kevin, have you forgotten? She carries the divine key—the Key of Consciousness: Fenghuang Down."
"She can transfer her consciousness into it, hide within Kiana's body, and the body Otto wounded was just an empty shell..."
"Moreover... my father is a deeply complex man. He killed... or rather, temporarily killed Fu Hua, yet he brought her body back, placed her in a medical pod, intending to heal her and awaken her soon."
Kevin stopped in his tracks and turned to face his descendant.
"So, Hua will be safe in the end?"
"Yes. Just... she'll have to be both mother and father?" Snow's playful smile curled as she realized something.
"Ha... both mother and father?" Snow's words snapped Su and Kevin's attention back to the conversation.
"Hmm, Otto healed that empty shell... and the remnants of Fenghuang Down fused with the body's memories, giving birth to a new consciousness."
"Or perhaps a new Herrscher—the Herrscher of Sentience."
"Herrscher of Sentience..." Su frowned, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
"Don't worry, this era's Herrscher of Sentience isn't as troublesome as the one from the previous era..."
Sensing Su's concern, Snow continued to explain—
"As I mentioned earlier, she fused with Fu Hua's memories... and you understand Fu Hua's unique nature better than I do, right?"
"She can't forget her memories; she can only store or erase them using Fenghuang Down... Wait, are you saying that Herrscher...!"
Su wore an expression that was both amused and exasperated.
"Exactly. The Herrscher's consciousness was overwhelmed by Fu Hua's vast memories... She now believes herself to be the Azure Empyrea, the immortal who has guarded this civilization for nearly ten thousand years..."
The golden-haired girl shrugged, a wry smile playing on her lips. Beside her, Kevin wore an expression that seemed to say, Is that even possible?
"In a sense, this could be considered a method of controlling Herrscher Power with a human heart... The First Herrscher was a similar case."
"However, his Core housed the souls of 300,000 Berliners, using their collective consciousness to block the Honkai Will. Fu Hua, on the other hand, can distort a newborn Herrscher's perception with just her own memories... That's the advantage of hyperthymesia, I suppose..."
"Still... being a newborn consciousness, it's bound to be erratic... Hmm, would that mean hyperactivity? Always wanting to pick a fight with anyone familiar?"
Kevin and Su suddenly sensed a looming sense of dread...
"Speaking of familiar faces... I can't think of anyone more familiar than you two... After all, you've known each other for over 50,000 years..."
Snow cast a malicious glance at the two Old Ancestors.
"Hiss... How could someone as calm and composed as Hua produce such a troublesome child?" Kevin rubbed his temples, his head throbbing.
"Perhaps it's a case of extremes meeting their opposites..."
Meanwhile, the maiden's trials within the Illusionary Realm continued relentlessly.