Will of the Honkai Theresa did not actually care much about the argument between Sirin and Kiana.
In Theresa’s eyes, Kiana’s choice had already been decided from the very beginning.
She had complete faith in her niece, in Siegfried’s upbringing of Kiana, and even more so that, as a member of the Kaslana Family, Kiana would never allow an innocent person to be sacrificed before her eyes.
Just as Siegfried had said, members of the Kaslana Family could never turn a blind eye to people caught in disaster.
Theresa thought about Sirin’s words but did not voice her opinion.
It would be good to let Kiana use her head and think about it herself.
That might not necessarily be a bad thing for her.
However, as Theresa recalled the performance she had just witnessed in the Stigmata Theater, another doubt arose in her heart… “Raiden Mei’s will seems a little too weak.” With some doubt, Durandal asked Schicksal’s Overseer Otto, “I’ve read Raiden Mei’s file.
According to the information recorded in it, “after undergoing her transformation in Nagazora, Raiden Mei should possess enough willpower to suppress the consciousness of the Honkai.
“She shouldn’t have had her body taken over by the Herrscher’s will so easily.
Or rather, she shouldn’t have succumbed so easily.” Hearing this, Rita said, “Might Lady Durandal be overestimating Raiden Mei’s will?
“After all, compared to the Honkai as a whole, the human will is so insignificant.
“Raiden Mei may have coincidentally awakened from the Herrscher Persona once or twice, but that does not mean the Herrscher Persona within her will not awaken again in an environment with a high concentration of Honkai Energy.
“What do you think, Lord Overseer?” As Rita said this, she looked toward Otto.
Otto merely smiled calmly and said, “Rita, I agree more with Durandal’s view.” Rita adopted an attentive expression, and Otto continued, “Your reasoning cannot exactly be called baseless.
“There is only one thing you got wrong.
You underestimated the human will, as well as the effect love has in stimulating it.” At this point, Otto stretched his body and continued in a more formal tone, “I believe love is a miracle cure capable of helping humanity relieve the suffering caused by the Honkai.
“The fact that Raiden Mei was able to recover from her Herrscher state twice completely supports my view.
“As for why Raiden Mei almost failed to endure within the Stigmata Theater, it was because the miracle cure of love had faded.” “It seems Rita’s understanding was too shallow, Lord Overseer,” Rita said of her own accord.
Otto suddenly lowered his head, seemingly contemplating something.
After a while, he slowly raised his head and said, “However, under normal circumstances, Raiden Mei’s will should be entirely capable of resisting the Herrscher Persona awakening to this degree.
“Or rather, under her suppression, it should be very difficult for the Herrscher Persona to fully awaken.
“But that leaves us unable to explain what happened just now.
Raiden Mei knows that this is the Stigmata Theater.
“Everything in the theater is illusory, a simulation rather than the real world.
“She shouldn’t have given up and fallen into despair so quickly that she could no longer even suppress the Herrscher Persona.
“There must be another reason we do not yet know.” Otto speculated inwardly that there were only two possibilities.
One was that the Herrscher Persona had changed, while the other was that something was wrong with Raiden Mei’s consciousness.
He was more inclined to believe that both possibilities existed.
Through his analysis of the various circumstances, Otto had already determined that the story being performed in the Stigmata Theater was not the past of the Proper World.
Could it be that something had gone wrong with that world?
Otto’s expression grew somewhat serious as he silently raised the importance and research priority of the Stigmata Theater in his mind.
Before fulfilling his long-cherished wish, he could neither allow humanity to completely defeat the Honkai nor allow the Honkai to eradicate humanity in turn.
In his view, the story being performed within the Stigmata Theater might be a warning—a preview of what was to come.
The performance continued… 『Raiden Mei and Kiana broke through the encirclement together.』 『During her courses at St.
Freya Academy, Raiden Mei had already learned how to deal with Zombies, the monsters created by the Honkai.』 『Although the two kinds of Zombies were somewhat different, Raiden Mei could still face them calmly and steadily.』 『Kiana was even more adept at dealing with these Zombies.』 『The two of them soon reached the rooftop of the Teaching Building.』 『Kiana wedged her Baseball Bat into the door, then moved several heavy objects over to brace it, temporarily blocking the path the Zombies would have to take to reach them.』 『There were no monsters on the rooftop, so the two of them could finally rest properly for a while.』 『Only then did Kiana have the chance to ask, “By the way, what’s your name, Upperclassman?”』 『”Raiden Mei.” Without any hesitation, Mei told Kiana her name.』 『Kiana felt that the name sounded somewhat familiar.
“Raiden Mei… I think I’ve heard that name before.』 『”They say you’re a famous student at Chiba Academy, the daughter of that ME Corp.
or whatever.
Is that you?”』 『Raiden Mei was about to nod when Kiana suddenly glanced sideways at her and suppressed a laugh.
“Hoho~ The young lady who supposedly rejected twelve boys in a single day and earned the nickname the Queen of Thunder.』 『”And now you’re covered in dirt and looking such a mess!
That’s certainly a rare sight!”』 『Hearing this, Raiden Mei lowered her head slightly.』 『This incident could perhaps be considered part of her embarrassing past.』 『Having someone she knew bring it up directly made her feel somewhat shy.』 『At that moment, Kiana suddenly brought her face very close.
“But looking at you now, those rumors must have been completely distorted.』 『”Upperclassman, you really seem to have a nice personality!
You’re so gentle that you don’t even get angry when I say something like that.』 『”Speaking of which, when did you learn my name, Upperclassman?
Don’t tell me you secretly have a crush on me?”』 『Kiana said it jokingly.』 『However, Raiden Mei’s face suddenly turned red.』 『’Surely… that’s not actually it, right?!’ Kiana thought.
Suddenly, she noticed her Cell Phone vibrating.』 『It was a Honkai Energy warning.
Distance: zero?!』 『Kiana was startled.
How could it be so close?』 『Apart from herself, the only person here was the kind upperclassman she had just met, Raiden Mei.』 『She was just about to grab Raiden Mei and flee with her.』 『Suddenly, Raiden Mei slowly raised her previously lowered head.』 『”Honkai… will… kill…”』 『At that moment, Raiden Mei’s consciousness once again seemed to fall under the control of the will of the Honkai.』 『Honkai Energy transformed into lightning and instantly forced Kiana backward.』 『Seeing this, Kiana was utterly shocked.
“Damn it!
Don’t tell me Upperclassman Mei has become a Herrscher!』 『”Could it be that my teasing just now embarrassed her so much that she turned directly into a Herrscher?!
She’s way too shy!”』 『The roars of Zombies rang out.
The doorframe they had just barricaded was instantly smashed open by an enormous force, and countless Zombies came swarming in.』 “How is that possible?!” Seeing this, the audience below the stage was also astonished and found it unbelievable.
★ ★ ★ T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
★ ★ ★ Shilling time!