NOVEL NEXT Chapter 74: Friend or Foe, Choose.
Despite the desolate and post-apocalyptic opening scene, everyone was filled with curiosity about the world after the Honkai.
The first character to appear was Mei. At this time, it seemed she had become the captain of the Third Honkai Squad under the command of Schicksal.
The reason for her presence here, however, was due to Welt's disappearance. St. Fontaine had also lost communication with the outside world, and Schicksal knew little about the specific situation there.
From indirect information, it was learned that Welt, the former leader of Anti-Entropy, had successfully retired after the Great Honkai. Now, he was working as a producer and character designer for the animation company E.T. Studio.
He had once been a warrior at the forefront of the battle against Honkai.
But now, he had mysteriously disappeared in St. Fontaine. The entire city's electronic signals were cut off, surrounded by an invisible barrier that allowed entry but not exit.
The city was concealed, isolated from the outside world.
"But... who could possess such power? This has essentially deceived the entire world."
Mature Mei gazed at the floating city in the distance, lost in thought. Her profile hinted at significant growth compared to her past self. Her deep blue, flowing long hair cascaded down her back. In battle, the metallic earrings on her earlobes reflected a faint glimmer of light.
Her eyes radiated composure and steadiness, carrying an unspoken depth of emotion. Once sharp and aggressive, she now seemed far more reserved.
Time had smoothed over her old wounds, allowing her to reflect deeply in peace.
The medal at her waist likely symbolized her victory against Honkai. Her simple yet elegant white dress suggested she remained ready for battle, while her black translucent stockings emphasized the allure of a mature woman, showcasing her dignified beauty perfectly.
Those present could easily compare this version of Mei to the one in the game, clearly observing the changes time had brought.
Indeed, time changes many things.
---------
At the studio, in the recording room,
"The person who fooled the entire world..."
Kiana's face became unreadable as emotions of confusion, surprise, and fear flickered across her expression.
"Yes, it could only be that guy," she said, her tone a mix of disbelief and certainty. "The one who made the world pay the price for his selfish whims."
The Herrscher of Sentience sneered, her mind also conjuring up the image of the blond man. Her only fond memory of him was seeing his soulfsteel face groaning under her punches.
At most, she could grudgingly acknowledge the scene of two worlds colliding as somewhat tolerable.
"Mei, look, that's the future you! You're not seriously going to turn out like that, are you?"
Kiana playfully patted Mei's shoulder, a teasing smile on her face.
"…Perhaps so," Mei replied, her expression thoughtful as she glanced at the screen. "But what I'm more curious about is why there's no voice actor for you."
Her cold, pondering tone remained steady as her eyes skimmed the image of her future self.
"So... Kiana, what about you?"
"I don't know! How would I know?" Kiana said, her voice tinged with frustration. "If I hadn't asked you and Bronya, I wouldn't have known there was a 'Post-Honkai Odyssey' chapter at all..."
Kiana froze momentarily before collapsing onto the desk in exasperation.
Right?
She'd been meaning to ask, why wasn't she in the Honkai storyline anymore?
Could it be... eight years later… No way, they're really going to cut me out like this?
Kiana mentally grumbled. It was no surprise the main character wasn't present in the plot, it had happened before in Honkai Impact 3.
So, Kiana stopped resisting. Let the world end already.
"...Kiana, you really should take care of your health. Don't over—"
Mei suddenly paused mid-sentence, frowning as her gaze shifted toward Su Lu. She seemed to sense something.
At that moment, Su Lu was tiptoeing toward the recording room door, her hand already on the handle.
It wasn't just Mei; even Kiana, who had just slumped onto the desk, sharply turned her eyes toward Su Lu.
Under the table, Kiana's hands had already gripped her weapons. The dual pistols gleamed as she detected an unfamiliar Herrscher-like energy fluctuation, similar to the ones she encountered during missions involving humanoid puppets.
"Oh? Didn't expect... to find you here. What a difficult hunt," the Herrscher of Sentience said mockingly as she eyed Su Lu. The sudden exposure of the Herrscher of Dominance Personas was unexpected, but she quickly realized the truth, the safest place often was the most dangerous.
"What's that saying? 'What you seek lies where you least expect it.'"
Bronya had also silently blocked another exit, her gaze vigilant yet tinged with excitement, an opportunity to prove she wasn't the Herrscher of Stumbles had arrived!
But it turned out to be Su Lu, which explained their hesitation to act immediately.
The group's intense gazes weighed heavily on Su Lu, who felt increasingly pressured.
"Uh, hello? Um... I'll just leave now. You guys talk, okay?"
Su Lu stiffly turned to greet them, her awkwardness adding to the tense atmosphere.
"The person who deceived the entire world... Could there now be another one?" the Herrscher of Sentience remarked playfully, her eyes fixed on Su Lu.
"Su Lu... So, it really is you," Fu Hua said, her tone complex. She stared at Su Lu, still puzzled as to why her previous probes had failed. But even if it was just for an instant earlier, she had clearly sensed Su Lu's presence.
---
3 minutes ago
Su Luo felt a bit dazed—or rather, the Herrscher of Dominance within her did.
What it was pondering was, Why did Honkai fail?
Just like in the earlier part of the story, when she told Kiana her final words: that there were still many trials ahead of them, ones that would eventually defeat them.
But now, had she become the fool instead?
A sense of foreboding welled up inside her.
She had doubted the game's authenticity before, but the deeper she delved into its truths, the more seamlessly its logic aligned with reality.
And now, that same ominous feeling arose once again, like she was about to be, or already had been, discovered. This fear prompted her to constrain the other puppets under her control.
Yet, the situation seemed to keep deteriorating.
She thought she saw... someone, a person exuding a chilling aura, holding a sword burning with searing heat, slowly approaching her. Each steady step intensified her fear.
(TL: Oh nono no~)
She wasn't sure if this was a manifestation of reality through her dreams or the greatest fear transmitted to her by the puppets she had encountered.
But in that moment, the sense of impending death overwhelmed everything else.
Her core erupted briefly with Honkai energy as the terror consumed her.
[I... I don't want to die! No! No...]
[But Honkai... it's already been defeated by them. Kiana, is there really nothing that can stop you?]
[Humans... Yes, I must take revenge on humanity! I am the malice born of humanity—]
As this thought surged within her, an intense pain struck her heart. Her reason was forcibly restored, her fragment of humanity...
It felt as if an invisible thread had pulled her back.
Like a final barrier, preventing her from going any further.
"...What's happening to me?"
---
Su Lu appeared in a grand theater, surrounded by countless... beings like her.
Yes, her kind, over 500 of them.
The stigma on her back grew darker and more obscure. The three-star stigma, tainted by black-gray corruption, seemed to engulf its glow and strip it of its function.
Standing in the center of this magnificent theater, Su Lu blinked, feeling her movements unusually light. When she swung her arms, they could rotate in a full circle.
Her body felt weightless and graceful, as if she had shed her mortal form. Malice blossomed in her heart, as if something was enticing her toward evil.
She had fully transformed into one of the puppets.
Yet, the puppet theater wasn't in its usual joyous celebration. There wasn't even the mood to direct their collective gaze toward Su Lu to celebrate her joining their "family."
At this moment, they were even more distressed by her arrival.
Without Su Lu's living presence masking them, their exposure had nearly become inevitable.
But the earlier pain... Why had it happened?
The puppets couldn't figure it out, and the Thousand Puppets Theater was abuzz with meaningless chatter.
---
In the real world, Su Luo opened her eyes again. Unlike before, her gaze no longer shone with liveliness. She stared blankly at Kiana, Mei, Senti, Fu Hua, and Bronya.
Her lips pressed together as she awkwardly locked eyes with them.
Naturally, Kiana and the others had keenly sensed the change in her. At such close range, it was nearly impossible for Herrschers to hide their presence from one another.
Moreover, the message had already unsettled Kiana, making her particularly sensitive.
Not to mention that Su Lu's body now seemed less like a mere puppet and more like a chaotic amalgamation of all their combined powers. Her energy levels were comparable to that of any Herrscher.
The Herrscher of Dominance had hidden the theater within Su Luo's body, using her original form and the stigma within her to conceal themselves, successfully evading detection by the entire world. Most of the puppets resided inside Su Lu, collaborating to disguise her as a normal human. It was nearly flawless.
Nearly.
But now that she was exposed, her presence was impossible to ignore.
At this moment, she stiffly greeted the Herrschers in front of her.
"Hi, uh... I'll just go now? You all can continue chatting?"
When she tried to turn the doorknob, she felt an even greater danger looming.
The searing heat caused her to withdraw her hand, freezing in place.
She turned back, her gaze regaining its liveliness but now tinged with bitterness... and a hint of hopeful relief.
---
On the same day, while heading to the company, Luo Mo ran into a long-lost acquaintance.
His exchanges with this person had always been minimal, largely due to the other's reticence, which made conversation challenging.
At least, that was Luo Mo's perspective.
And who had he spotted? Kevin! And, astonishingly, Kevin wasn't accompanied by Su this time.
Now that was a surprising sight.
Many of the Flame-Chasers had visited the company before, whether for tours or to fulfill work-related voice-acting duties.
Of course, thanks to the first "slacker" among them—Vill-V, who had built a complete voice-acting setup at home—the Flame-Chasers' habit of skipping in-person sessions became an accepted norm.
Luo Mo didn't blame them, though. The only downside was not being able to see their live performances, which might have helped resolve some voice-acting issues.
Thankfully, after repeated warnings, the group, especially Vill-V and Mobius, agreed to stick to real voice acting instead of handing everything over to AI.
Still, compared to the absentees, it was the punctual Flame-Chasers who gave Luo Mo the most headaches. Take Elysia, for example, her social skills were overwhelming. Combined with the in-game storyline and her charm, she probably knew more company employees than he did.
Thanks to her, she often managed to get her hands on Flame-Chaser merchandise ahead of schedule.
And now, Kevin, who rarely showed up, had come to the company, and without Su by his side.
How could Luo Mo not be amazed?
But... why was Kevin holding a dashboard device?
Kevin glanced at him, quietly gauging something. After a moment, he seemed relieved, at least Luo Mo didn't show signs of Herrscher puppet energy.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Kevin. Aren't you usually off sunbathing with Su? Oh, maybe with Kalpas too," Luo Mo ventured, trying to start a conversation as he moved closer with a shrug.
The slight chill emanating from him didn't bother Luo Mo at all. After all, during the summer, it was one of life's greatest joys. Surely he wouldn't love it when useful and discard it when inconvenient, right?
"…It's dangerous here. You should step aside."
After two seconds of silence, Kevin lifted his eyes to glance at the company building and casually spoke.
"Hmm…?"
Luo Mo followed his gaze to look up at the building, confirming it was indeed his company. Dangerous? How so?
He was only late to work, surely that wasn't cause for a gas explosion? Wait, no, gas explosions were usually a cover story by Schicksal to mislead the public. When has there ever been a global wave of gas explosions?
Kevin didn't elaborate further. Instead, he stepped forward, entering the company building.
Luo Mo was left scratching his head. He couldn't sense any Honkai energy, or rather, his Stigmata were only good for enhancing his physique and resistance. That was the reason he could use three Stigmata. He couldn't manipulate Honkai energy, let alone detect it.
Meanwhile, Elysia was nearly sprinting toward the company, her hair bouncing with her hurried steps, clearly anxious.
Next to her… were Kevin and Su.
Now Luo Mo was sure, this was the real Kevin. That other guy, without even Su by his side, dared claim he was Kevin? What a joke.
(TL: he is the real Kevin idiot~ Although I can't blame you, since I too thought he was a memory Kevin LoL)
Elysia's hurried expression softened slightly when she saw Luo Mo, visibly relieved. She brushed her bangs into place and teasingly scolded, "Luo Mo, thank goodness nothing happened to you... But, honestly, Aponia only told me about this just now."
"Hmm?"
"She said some things I didn't quite understand… but she hopes someone will overcome humanity's malice. So she granted the final Discipline."
"Discipline… Malice… You're saying the Thousand Personas Herrscher is in my company?"
Luo Mo wasn't stupid; he quickly pieced things together.
Looking at Elysia and then at the bustling crowd inside the company, he didn't hesitate to step forward and enter.
Elysia and Kevin followed closely behind.
"Who is it?"
"It's Su Lu."
Rushing forward, Luo Mo squinted in disbelief.
Su Lu…?
Wasn't she working harder than usual lately? So, she turned into a Herrscher…
A Herrscher?!
How capable could she be? Wait… could it be that the Thousand Personas Herrscher was the ideal worker?
(TL: *slap my face* of course... why have I been worried. I should be worried for the puppet😅)
Thoughts swirled in his mind as he and Elysia headed to the top floor. The moment they stepped onto that floor, they overheard a tense exchange,
"Friend or foe—choose."
The door, now charred and disintegrating from the heat of the blazing greatsword, revealed an ever-growing hole surrounded by blackened, ash-like wood. The sword's searing flames hovered near Su Lu's slender neck, singeing her skin.
Kevin (the real one) stood stoically at one end of the sword, cutting off any hope of escape.
Su Lu slowly raised her hands, too afraid to move.
---