Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"I never knew what I already possessed, and because I possessed it, I exercised my right to rule."

"I do not love this world; I am merely exercising my own dominion."

"Freedom and equality are part of a process. There has never been a king with clean hands. From the moment I sought to protect the kingdom I loved with a child's heart, my hands were destined to be stained."

"..."

Noldrei listened to Welt's rambling account of his massacre in the Mediterranean, at a loss for how to comfort the Anti-Entropy Sovereign.

Unlike the moral vacuum that was Overseer Otto, Sovereign Yang was clearly a good man with principles and a conscience. That was precisely why, once broken, he was so susceptible to being swept away by a tide of nihilism.

"Why has Welt gotten so... spacey?" Tesla whispered to Einstein. She and her friend had just returned, only to learn of Welt's legendary feat of single-handedly pacifying a nation.

Upon his return, Welt had even refused Noldrei's rewards. And ever since, he'd been in this strange, rambling state, as if he'd suffered some kind of shock.

"Tesla, quiet down. Welt... he basically wiped out the entire upper echelon of both countries around the Mediterranean. The only ones left were those who, by chance, weren't involved, or those with relatively clean records."

Einstein's explanation made it all clear to Tesla. Having practically raised Welt since he was a boy, no one understood him better than the two of them. His lifelong beliefs had likely been shattered.

But it wasn't a huge deal. You get used to having your beliefs shattered after a while.

"Oh, is that all? That place is basically the cesspool of human civilization. It's not surprising something like this happened. I'm just worried about Welt acting so weird. I watched him grow up; I never wanted him to turn out like this."

Tesla was at her wit's end. She had just managed to explain to Einstein her actions of disseminating the Honkai fission bombs, and now Welt was having a breakdown. It made her feel like some kind of wicked stepmother.

"Is it possible... that North America was the one who made that cesspool in the first place?" Kiana asked in a small voice, silencing the Anti-Entropy members present.

A very peculiar expression crossed Einstein's face. She felt as though she was being morally ridiculed, but she had no proof.

Einstein spoke cautiously. "Now is not the time to worry about why it became a cesspool. Academy City has already taken over. As for what the other countries think, that's something we'll need to handle carefully."

"What is there to think? If they're not happy, they can come and fight us. You think the UN can beat us? Not a chance! The combined might of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy is concentrated here. Mechs and floating warships are stationed all over the Far East. What are they going to fight us with? Their heads? Right now, only Academy City has the power to develop Honkai Energy."

Tesla wasn't concerned in the slightest. She was a Herrscher now; why should she care about the interests of human nations? By controlling the cutting edge of Honkai Energy development, they had effectively taken all of humanity hostage, strapping them to Academy City's war chariot.

But to Noldrei, the whole situation was rather amusing. He didn't understand why Welt should feel any moral burden for exercising his power as a member of the ruling class.

From his in-depth study of the human mindset of this era, he'd discovered that people could accept mistakes from their rulers. Many could even accept the ruling class sacrificing the interests of a small minority to protect the nation's interests.

Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had established a ruling social structure to combat the Honkai. So, wasn't it perfectly natural for the ruling class that controlled the Honkai to sacrifice one or two national governments for its own benefit?

Fighting the Honkai was for the collective benefit of humanity. So, if they were shown that cooperating with this new order would lead to even greater future benefits, wouldn't these people implicitly accept the rule of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy?

Welt's incessant muttering seemed completely unnecessary to Noldrei. Since he had dealt with his targets according to the local laws and customs, there was no problem with who he killed. It was simply a change of leadership.

"Take Welt away for now. Let him rest and recover. Killing so many of his own kind for the first time is bound to cause some psychological issues."

Noldrei paid close attention to the mental well-being of his subordinates. He didn't want Welt to be inexplicably corrupted by the Honkai in a moment of weakness.

Einstein led Welt out of the conference room. She also needed to check on her Sovereign's mental state.

After the two had left, Otto entered the meeting room from another door.

Overseer Otto was as elegant, kind, and approachable as ever. Upon seeing him, Noldrei praised him cheerfully, "Just as I'd expect from you, Overseer Otto! You did an excellent job. I never would have thought you could make a Herrscher re-crystallize a Herrscher Core. Such a brilliant idea is truly rare. I originally thought a Honkai Core could only be condensed by a new host."

"You've shattered our conventional thinking. Truly worthy of the Schicksal Overseer who led humanity against the Honkai for five hundred years!"

As Noldrei spoke, he began to applaud Otto.

A sparse, scattered applause followed in the conference room. Barely anyone joined in.

Otto quickly deflected the strange praise, waving his hands. "No, no, I never imagined Sovereign Yang would obtain another Herrscher Core. And using Honkai fission bombs to recreate Honkai crystal deposits on Earth was not my idea."

After a brief explanation, Otto got straight to the point. "What do you plan to do with the people over there? Their beliefs are in chaos, and there are so many power vacuums. It will take a lot of effort to rule that place effectively."

At this, Noldrei's expression turned serious. He waved his hand, and Elysia materialized. A lovely, pink-haired elf-like girl separated from his body.

Although everyone was used to Noldrei's antics by now, the Crown Princess was still quite envious of his ability to carry a beautiful girl around with him.

Kiana decided then and there that she, too, would bring a beautiful girl with her on official business in the future!

"This is the memory data of a Previous Era warrior. I've temporarily installed her in myself. She is currently using my body to meet with you all. You can call her Ely, or Elysia."

After the introduction, Noldrei began to lead the meeting.

"I intend to unify the entire spiritual world of these religious nations. The people inside Academy City have now essentially been concentrated within the Stigma Space. We have accumulated enough genetic information to build a personalized 'Garden of Eden' for everyone."

"I plan to temporarily hand this task over to a third party—this warrior from the Previous Era."

"By reshaping their spiritual world through the Stigma Space, something akin to a 'Garden of Eden,' we can unite all religious individuals in reality."

"From now on... we are God!"