“A Herrscher?”
When Sienna first introduced Schicksal, Cocolia assumed she was being recruited into this anti-Honkai organization.
After witnessing those Valkyries effortlessly tear through Honkai Beasts the other day, Cocolia couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration.
They were younger than her, yet possessed such overwhelming power.
As a soldier, the desire to grow stronger was etched into her very bones.
But just as she was weighing whether to dig deeper into how Schicksal operated, Sienna pulled a translucent crystal out of thin air and dropped a bombshell about her own double life.
“Like I mentioned, ordinary humans turn into Zombies when infected by the Honkai. They lose their minds and mindlessly attack anything that breathes,” Sienna explained.
“But then there are those who, due to a specific genetic makeup or environmental flukes, become Herrschers—beings capable of commanding the laws of physics. In fact, the source of this current Honkai Eruption was a newly born Herrscher.”
“But no matter how powerful they are, Schicksal still beat them, didn’t they?”
Cocolia narrowed her eyes.
To her, Sienna sounded like the typical defector—someone who gained a bit of power within an organization and immediately decided to strike out on their own.
All that talk about ‘controlling physics’ sounded like the usual hollow promises a boss uses to bait their employees.
“I see I haven’t made myself clear enough.”
Realizing Cocolia was still viewing her through a mundane lens, Sienna decided to let her see the truth firsthand.
“You—”
Cocolia gasped as Sienna raised a hand.
With a deft flick of her fingers, translucent threads lunged forward, sinking into the back of Cocolia’s neck.
“I’m just showing you what the battlefield actually looked like.”
Since Sienna could extract souls, feeding someone a memory was trivial.
If she used her head, she could find all sorts of creative ways to exploit her Herrscher authority.
“Could you be a little more gentle next time?” Cocolia hissed.
Sienna had unceremoniously shoved a massive compilation of pivotal scenes—moments Sienna recognized from the official manga—straight into her brain.
Clutching her head as a dull ache throbbed behind her eyes, Cocolia watched the epic, tragic scale of the war unfold.
“First time doing that. I’ll aim for a softer touch next time.”
“Any thoughts now that you’ve seen it?” Sienna asked once the mental reel finished.
“I… I had no idea I was living in a world like this.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Cocolia’s experience with danger had been limited to small-scale skirmishes.
Seeing combat that made sci-fi movies look like child’s play made her feel incredibly lucky to have survived at all.
The sheer might of the Herrschers and S-Rank Valkyries—beings that could hardly be called human anymore—nearly shattered the worldview she’d built over twenty years.
“It just goes to show how well Schicksal has kept the lid on things for the past few centuries.”
Since its inception, Schicksal had gone to extremes to keep the public from panicking.
To prevent the Honkai from feasting on human fear, the organization and world leaders worked tirelessly to ensure the average person remained blissfully unaware.
“And you? As a Herrscher yourself, what do you plan to do with this power?”
Having seen the arrogant Second Herrscher clash with the First Herrscher who fought for humanity, Cocolia realized that ‘Herrscher’ didn’t strictly mean ‘evil.’
At the very least, Sienna’s rational behavior suggested she wasn’t interested in total global annihilation.
“To grow our numbers, of course.”
Sienna held the core out to Cocolia, making her intentions clear.
“Is becoming a Herrscher really that simple?”
Cocolia knew what that crystal was, but she also knew nothing in this world came for free.
“Not all Herrschers are created equal. Usually, the Honkai tests civilization with thirteen standard Herrschers followed by the Finality. But unlike the others who have one core per person, we—the Herrschers of Dominance—can split into a thousand individuals with a thousand cores.”
Well, usually thirteen, Sienna thought.
GGZ, where seventy Herrschers popped up, was just the Will of Honkai being a sore loser.
“‘We’? You’re quite certain I’ll join you, aren’t you?”
Despite her skeptical tone, Cocolia reached out and took the core.
The prospect of wielding power that could upend conventional warfare was, frankly, irresistible.
Besides, Sienna wouldn’t reveal top-secret intel like this unless she was sure she could reel her in.
If she refused, she’d likely have her memory wiped—or worse, be silenced permanently.
“Grip the core tight. Focus on your deepest obsession and use it to link your mind to it.”
Since Cocolia had agreed, Sienna didn’t have to resort to the ‘plan B’ of jamming the core into her chest by force.
“And how should I address you, Mrs. Zaychik?” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
While Cocolia began the fusion process, Sienna turned to the woman sitting beside her who had remained silent the entire time: Bronya’s mother.
In the original story, she only had a few frames of screen time and wasn’t even given an official name.
“You can call me Alexandra.”
“Then, Alexandra, please step behind me. Just in case the Honkai Energy Cocolia radiates during the activation manages to infect you.”
Just because Alexandra would eventually give birth to Bronya—who had a high enough compatibility to inherit the Core of Reason—didn’t mean Alexandra herself was immune.
After all, Sirin’s mother had died from Honkai infection.
By keeping Alexandra behind her, Sienna could absorb any stray energy that leaked out.
“Alright.”
Alexandra, having overheard enough to understand the lethality of the Honkai, didn’t hesitate.
She stood up and tucked herself safely behind Sienna.
“Looks like you’re a perfect match for that core.”
The translucent crystal in Cocolia’s hand flared with light before slowly sinking into her palm.
Sienna could feel it—Cocolia’s current strength was already on par with Vanilla’s.
“This power… it’s incredible,” Cocolia murmured, looking thoroughly satisfied with her new self.
“Power is a good thing, just don’t let it go to your head like Sirin did.”
Thinking of the Second Herrscher, Sienna decided she would turn Sirin’s ‘career highlights’ into a video presentation.
Every time she recruited a new partner, she’d play it as a ‘What Not To Do’ guide for Herrschers.
She wanted them to know that no matter how hot you think you are, if you get cocky, you’re going to get wrecked—unless you have the raw stats of the Herrscher of Finality.
“So, what’s your specialty?”
“Metal.”
With a thought, Cocolia activated her authority.
The metal crate serving as their table began to groan and warp.
After a flurry of shifting, splitting, and reassembling, a standard military-issue handgun rested in Cocolia’s grip.