In one section of the Labyrinth of Domination—
Pink crystal flowers bloomed brilliantly as Miss Pink Elf struck down Herrschers one after another with her crystalline arrows, showing not a shred of mercy despite her targets being fellow Herrschers.
"You can hide all you want~ I'm actually really good at hide-and-seek. I used to play it with Eli all the time when we were kids."
"D-don't come any closer!!"
"Mm~ That's fine too. Not that you can escape anyway."
Elysia spoke cheerfully as she drew the shimmering bowstring of the Whisper of the Past. In the next instant, several pink crystal arrows shot forth.
The Herrschers dodged frantically.
The arrows whizzed past their heads, grazing them so closely that their hair stood on end. They exhaled in relief—only for the arrows to suddenly curve midair, circling back and piercing straight through their bodies.
The crystal arrows detonated upon impact.
"W-what… what the hell is that?!"
"It's not 'hell,' silly—it's the magic of a beautiful girl! After all, a truly beautiful girl is capable of anything~"
Elysia placed her hands on her hips, flashing a dazzling smile.
Of course, she didn't actually need a bow. As a being of pure magic, she was, in essence, a mage. She simply thought archery looked elegant—so she used a bow for style.
During her past travels with Elias, the two had studied martial arts in Shenzhou. Elias mastered nearly every weapon imaginable—blades, spears, halberds—while Ely chose the bow.
"Sigh~ I really don't want to fight you, you know. After all, I'm a Herrscher too."
"Y-you… what did you say?"
The Herrscher of Dominance froze in disbelief.
They felt as though they had just learned something they shouldn't have—but then realized: if this pink-haired elf was confessing so casually, it probably meant they weren't leaving this place alive.
And indeed—they were right.
With a mere thought, Elysia caused the surrounding corridors to bloom with pink crystal, sealing off every possible escape route. The Herrscher of Dominance trembled in terror, cornered like prey.
"If I could, I'd love to get along with you all. But unfortunately, you harm humans—that's unforgivable. And even worse, you tried to harm Elias."
That was a line no one could cross.
That white-haired boy was, to Miss Pink Elf, the most flawless and sacred existence in her heart—someone she would protect more dearly than her own life.
Even as kind and merciful as Elysia was, upon learning that the Herrscher of Dominance were created to assassinate Elias, she felt no hesitation about eradicating them.
"Eli once said something beautiful: 'Fight for all that is good in this world.' But the truth is—he himself is the most beautiful thing in this world. So, Miss Pink Elf will fight to protect the one I love most!"
"Herrscher of Dominance, before you can even dream of harming Elias, you'll have to defeat me first! Otherwise, no way through!"
Elysia gracefully raised her bow again, aiming at the trembling Herrschers who now knew far too much.
"But since we're all Herrschers here, I'll give you a beautiful, sparkling finale~ Just like this… Ready? Here it comes~!"
"W-we really appreciate it, thanks!!"
The Herrscher of Dominance looked up in despair as pink crystal arrows rained from above. A deep sense of defeat washed over them.
Their pitiful powers were nothing compared to the dazzling magic of Miss Pink Elf.
As the radiant light engulfed them, they couldn't help but feel—oddly—enchanted. In their final moments, jealousy and admiration mixed within their hearts.
They wished they could wield such magnificent power.
If they were ever given another chance, they would want their authority to be the power to steal another's brilliance.
...
Twenty minutes after the start of the Herrscher of Dominance Hunt—
The number of surviving Herrschers within the Labyrinth of Domination had dropped below two hundred.
As for the current ranking: Elysia was in first place, Hua in second, Kalpas in third, and Kevin in fourth…
Just when the Herrscher of Dominance had nearly lost all hope—reduced to hiding and desperately clinging to life…
Elias: "Hmm, time to add a little extra excitement. Let's welcome our next two hunters to the field."
Two radiant figures appeared within the maze.
One was a woman with fiery red hair flowing like burning flames, her flawless shoulders supporting a massive crimson greatsword. Her eyes blazed with battle lust—like a rose blooming fiercely amid fire and steel.
The other, though not quite as statuesque, was an equally striking girl with long black hair cascading down her back and eyes as red as blood, holding a scythe taller than herself. She looked every bit the beautiful yet deadly young witch.
"Eh? Himeko and Sheele?! What are they doing here?" Mei exclaimed, surprised by the new additions on the main screen. She hadn't expected Elias to still have such a surprise hidden up his sleeve.
However, her expression also carried a trace of unease.
Elias immediately noticed and gently patted her head to reassure her.
"Himeko and Sheele came here by their own request."
"What?"
"Just watch. They wanted to prove their resolve—to completely sever their ties with the Honkai. All we need to do is witness their conviction."
Inside the Labyrinth of Domination—
Himeko tightened her grip on her greatsword and charged headlong at a nearby Herrscher. At that moment, the Herrscher of Fire persona inside her tried to stir once more.
But…
Himeko: "Sorry, Sheele, but these ones are mine! My blade's been itching for a good swing!"
Herrscher of Dominance: "You… traitors!!"
Himeko: "Ha! I never considered myself a damn Herrscher in the first place! I'm human, got that?!"
Flames roared to life along the crimson blade.
With a mighty swing, she cleaved several Herrschers clean in half. Their bodies ignited instantly, consumed by the remnants of her Herrscher of Fire authority, reduced to blackened ash.
As she looked upon the fallen, a fierce smile curved on Himeko's lips. For the first time in a long while, she felt truly alive—she wanted nothing more than to crack open a good bottle of wine and drink to this moment.
In that instant, she had proven—beyond all doubt—that she was human.
Meanwhile, Sheele had already begun her own massacre.
But for her, identity meant little. Whether she was Herrscher or human, it didn't matter.
"You—you've betrayed the Honkai too? How dare you! As a fellow senior Herrscher, to side with humanity—Herrscher of Death, have you forgotten your mission?!"
"Oh? 'Senior'? I like how that sounds—but hearing it from you makes me sick."
Sheele spun her black-and-white scythe with a single motion—cleanly slicing off the Herrscher's head.
"Who said I'm fighting for humanity? I find them just as disgusting as the Honkai. Whenever I see people, I can't help but want to kill them—and that hasn't changed, even without being a Herrscher."
"Then why oppose us?!" the Herrscher of Dominance screamed in confusion.
"Hmph! Because both humans and the Honkai disgust me—and especially you lot. Everything about you makes my skin crawl."
Sheele gave them a cold, disdainful once-over, her expression filled with open contempt, as though she were staring at filthy, crawling garbage.
"Your names are gross. Your powers are gross. Your faces are gross. Even your color schemes are gross. I can't stand the thought of breathing the same air as you. Just looking at you offends me. So now—line up nicely and let me send you all to hell."
The murderous light in her eyes flared so brightly it was impossible to tell who the true villain was anymore.
"Don't worry~ I'm in a good mood today. I promise—it'll hurt. A lot."
"Eeeek—!!" ×N
The remaining Herrschers huddled together, trembling and crying out in despair.
The Honkai's only restriction for Herrschers was that they must kill humans—but there was nothing preventing them from harming each other. And right now, the Herrscher of Dominance could clearly feel Sheele's murderous hostility.
No matter how hard they thought, they couldn't understand what they had done to offend the Herrscher of Death herself.
The answer was simple.
(Sheele: "Trying to assassinate Elias? How could such irredeemable trash even exist? Damn Honkai—just you wait. I'll slaughter every one of these fools and rip out all their Cores.")
The moment the Herrscher of Dominance descended with the mission to assassinate Elias, they had already become Sheele's mortal enemies. Of all the targets in existence, they had chosen the one person she cared about most.
Though Sheele sometimes participated in missions to eliminate Honkai Beasts, it was never out of any desire to protect humanity. To a girl whose life before becoming a Herrscher had been filled with misery, humanity was every bit as detestable as the Honkai.
The only reason she fought Honkai Beasts—was because Elias liked it.
Every time she returned from a mission, Elias would pat her head with pride, praise her achievements, even boast about her to others.
Sheele claimed she didn't care what other humans thought—but whenever she saw Elias showing off her accomplishments, her heart would quietly fill with joy.
Thus, she was not a Herrscher of humanity—nor a Herrscher of Honkai.
Sheele was Elias' Herrscher—his girl alone.
"If I kill all of you and present your Cores to Elias, he'll definitely be happy~ He loves Herrscher Cores, after all. I wonder what kind of praise he'll give me then… hehe~ I can't wait~"
Sheele cupped her cheek with one hand, lost in daydreams of the white-haired boy's gentle praise. Her breathing quickened, her body trembling with anticipation.
The sight of this lovestruck, yandere-like girl made the Herrscher of Dominance instinctively clutch their chests—specifically, their Cores—trembling all over, desperate to flee but unable to move.
They could only scream internally: We're all Herrschers—why does it have to be like this?!
By the time Sheele snapped out of her delusion, cheeks flushed and eyes gleaming with feverish delight, her expression abruptly shifted—cold and emotionless once more.
"If you're smart, dig your own Cores out and die. Spare me the trouble, and your deaths will hurt a little less."
She spoke with chilling calm.
Even now, fragments of the Herrscher of Death's authority still lingered within her. And when it came to inflicting pain, no ability in existence surpassed hers.
She could make every cell in her victim's body scream in agony—literally bringing them to the brink of death and back again.
Naturally, the Herrscher of Dominance refused to kill themselves.
And so…
Within one section of the Labyrinth of Domination, Sheele's sweet, deranged laughter mixed with the Herrschers' blood-curdling screams, echoing endlessly.
...
Inside the villa at the labyrinth's center—
"Honestly, I have to hand it to you, Elias," Vill-V said with a complex look. "You actually managed to win over the Herrscher of Death herself. But seriously… shouldn't you teach her to be a little more normal? That yandere streak of hers makes even Dr. Mobius look tame."
Vill-V rubbed her temples, thinking Sheele might as well be the living embodiment of her own inner yandere persona.
"Is that so? Personally, I think Sheele's fine the way she is," Elias said sincerely, blinking in mild confusion.
"Uh… you're serious?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"...No reason. No problem at all."
Vill-V's lips twitched uncontrollably as she covered her forehead. Inside her mind, the [Yandere] personality was going absolutely berserk with joy.
If not for the combined suppression from her other personas, that one would've seized control on the spot.
Vill-V hadn't expected this at all—Elias actually liked yandere types?! His tastes, she thought, were truly… expansive. Too expansive.
His entire XP system might just be broken.
But just then—
Beep—beep—beep!
Suddenly, a faint alarm sounded.
...
The next second, the display screen automatically switched to a new feed.
Several of the Herrscher of Dominance had successfully reached the center of the Labyrinth—the front gate of the villa.
"Oh-ho? Now that's a surprise. Didn't think anyone would actually make it this far. Not bad, not bad. In that case, I'll open the door myself to welcome them in. After all, these Herrschers came all this way just to die for me."
Elias cracked his knuckles eagerly. After spending so many days lying idle in a hospital bed, he was itching for some action.
The Savior's return—naturally, would be heralded by the slaughter of Herrschers.
They might be weak, but they would serve as a clear message to the Honkai: He has returned.
...
Outside the central villa of the Labyrinth of Domination—
Several of the Herrscher of Dominance stood before the grand structure, tears streaming down their faces as their bodies trembled with excitement. In all of recorded history, no Herrschers had suffered as miserably as they had.
Even the Herrscher of Ice had died quickly compared to them. At least that predecessor had the mercy of a swift death—instead of being trapped in this labyrinth, hunted like animals for sport.
But now—after enduring endless torment—they had finally reached what seemed like heaven after hell.
"Finally… we finally made it…"
"We're saved. We're actually saved!"
"Gather everyone! While the path hasn't shifted yet, bring all the survivors here—we'll combine our strength!"
"It's not over! We can still fight! If we can just eliminate the final target, then we haven't lost!"
"Idiot! More than that—if we pull it off, we can live!"
Hope ignited once more in their hearts. All they needed to do now was storm the villa and capture the white-haired boy within before he regained consciousness.
With him as a hostage, surely the Flame-Chasers would be forced to let them go. Once they escaped to safety, they could simply dispose of him quietly.
Then they'd vanish from the world—forever.
Perfect plan.
Through their shared consciousness network, the remaining Herrschers quickly converged on the villa. By pooling together their sensory data, they managed to piece together an approximate map of the labyrinth—though it changed constantly.
"All units, listen up! There will be traps and defenses inside, but no matter what they are or what it costs—capture Elias, and victory is ours!"
"OOOOOOHHHH!!" ×N
Their eyes blazed with determination.
No matter what awaited inside that villa—no matter the horrors or monsters—they would not stop. Both their mission and their hope for survival lay within.
As long as they captured that white-haired boy, they could turn defeat into victory!
However…
"Hmm, that's some good spirit. I'll give you a like for that."
Before their eyes, the villa suddenly transformed—its structure splitting open from the center. Several figures emerged from the gleaming fissure.
Atop the massive, custom-built heavy assault vehicle Special Armament Model IX stood Vill-V.
Beside her, Misteln had manifested in full mental-entity form—wearing her blue-violet combat armor and holding her spear-like lance.
And in the middle stood Elias—one hand gripping the Abyss Flower, the other wielding the Seven Thunders of Retribution. White dragon horns curved from his head, wings and tail spread wide, radiating the overwhelming power of an Eight-Core Herrscher.
Elias smiled faintly.
"Surprised? Delighted? Well then… are you ready to face death?"
Herrscher of Dominance: "Pffft—!!"
—
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