"How did things end up like this..."
Inside Mobius' laboratory.
Klein of the Herrscher of Dominance was completely dumbfounded.
She had only been working overtime until she couldn't endure it anymore, so while Mobius was away, she decided to take a short nap.
But when she woke up, her mind felt eerily quiet. The consciousness network of the Herrscher of Dominance was emptier than ever before.
When she checked online...
Klein of the Herrscher of Dominance: "What the heck?! Why is everyone almost dead?!"
There had originally been over seven hundred members in the Herrscher of Dominance, yet now, only a few remained. After asking around, she learned that they had all fallen into a trap—most had either been wiped out or captured.
Now, she was the only surviving member whose identity hadn't been exposed to the outside world.
(Klein of the Herrscher of Dominance: "Who could understand this pain? I just woke up and suddenly became the hope of an entire village! I wasn't mentally prepared for this at all!")
And then…
"Klein, you dared to sneak a nap while I was gone instead of working? Excellent~ As punishment, I hereby double your workload. Also... dissect them."
Mobius said as she tossed several of the Herrscher of Dominances onto the operating table. She restrained them with binders and handed Klein a soulium scalpel.
"Go on, start cutting."
"D-Doctor, isn't dissection usually your favorite—uh, I mean, isn't it your habit to handle it personally?"
Klein went pale with fear.
She looked at her "companions" lying on the operating table. They stared back at her with tearful eyes, screaming frantically in the consciousness network, begging her to save them.
But there was no way she could.
Mobius was standing right behind her. If she dared to release even one of the captives, she'd likely be the next one lying on that table.
(Herrscher of Dominance: "Please save me! Hurry! I think I still have a chance to live! If you release me, we can fight back together and take her down!")
(Klein: "Sorry, there's really no saving you. Don't forget—we're in the Fire Moth's main base. The moment we step outside, there are fusion warriors and mecha legions everywhere. If I save you, we'll both die.")
(Herrscher of Dominance: "Then what should I do? I don't want to die—!")
(Klein: "Neither do I. Don't worry, I'll make it quick so you won't feel too much pain… and I'll live on for the both of us!")
(Herrscher of Dominance: "...")
Just as Klein was preparing to inject extra anesthetic to give her companion a painless death, the serpent snatched the needle from her hand.
"Why waste anesthesia on a Herrscher? That's just squandering resources. The lab's funding is limited—we must save where we can. Don't worry, I tied her up securely. No matter how loud she screams, she won't be able to move."
"..."
Klein trembled all over.
The Herrscher on the operating table had already broken down in tears. She thought Mobius was nothing but a cold-blooded demon—a venomous snake.
"Doctor… isn't this a bit too inhumane?"
"Hmm? Klein, have you forgotten where you are? And you're talking to me about humanity?"
"..."
When those piercing snake eyes fixed on her, Klein immediately backed down. This wasn't the time to worry about her comrades—her own safety was hanging by a thread.
As the last unexposed survivor of the Herrscher of Dominance, she had to live on no matter what.
She wasn't just living for herself anymore, but for the will of the other 999.
As long as she remained alive and hidden, the Herrscher of Dominance hadn't been completely annihilated. Therefore…
Klein: "It's just a dissection, right? No problem, Doctor. You can rest; I'll handle it."
Mobius: "Good~ Remember to dissect thoroughly. I'll be checking later."
In the end, Klein of the Herrscher of Dominance could only, with trembling heart and shaking hands, disassemble her companion piece by piece. Without a doubt, that moment would become an indelible scar on her psyche.
That day, amid the blood-soaked dissection room, Klein of the Herrscher of Dominance made a solemn vow to all the fallen consciousnesses: no matter the cost, the Honkai would one day triumph over humanity.
(Klein: "So I must endure! I have to hide, endure, and wait until the next Herrscher descends—then cling to their thigh for dear life! I must survive, even if it means living in the shadows until Finality comes! Someday, my time will come!")
However, after she finished her dissection work—
Mobius appeared, bringing Aponia with her. The latter immediately imposed a series of [Disciplines] upon Klein, and in that instant, she finally realized—she had been nothing more than a clown in their game.
Even if she wanted to resist now, it was already impossible.
Aponia cast upon her a list of binding commandments: [No suicide], [No escape], [No rest], [Must complete all of Mobius' assigned tasks], [Must remain Mobius' slave forever], and many more.
Mobius: "So that's how it is. You dared to occupy my dear Klein's body, Herrscher of Dominance. You've got quite the nerve."
The serpent lifted Klein's chin as she spoke.
She no longer pretended to be gentle. In those beautiful yet deadly snake eyes, only coldness and hatred glimmered.
"As punishment, you'll serve as my slave for eternity, doing whatever I please. Rest assured—from now on, you won't have a single second of rest."
"Ahh… I'm doomed…"
Klein collapsed to her knees, her future drowned in despair. Her Herrscher life was over.
From that day on, Mobius' laboratory gained a new slave—
No holidays. No pay. Forced to work twenty-five hours a day.
...
Meanwhile, in Mei's laboratory—
"Even at the world's end, the AI remains sleepless. So, tell me, shouldn't I at least get some overtime pay?"
Having just finished handling the post-disaster resettlement of hundreds of millions after the Ninth Eruption, Prometheus stared blankly at Dr. Mei—who limped out of the rest chamber—and at Elias, who followed looking refreshed and utterly satisfied.
The AI girl couldn't help but think: So Dr. Mei finally succeeded, huh? How unfortunate.
"Alright, alright~ Prometheus, whatever you want, I'll buy it for you. Wait—why are you so warm? Are you sick?"
"Elias, artificial intelligence cannot catch a cold. My processors are simply overheated after operating at maximum capacity for five consecutive days. A short cooldown will fix it."
"Oh, is that so? By the way, Prometheus, where exactly is your heat sink located?"
"Classified information."
Even for an AI girl, a girl is still a girl—Prometheus refused to answer such a private question.
Elias smiled and patted her head, activating the Herrscher of Ice's authority to cool her overheated processors.
"Ahhh, that feels… wonderful…"
Prometheus' eyes half-closed, her voice as calm and monotone as always—but deep down, she was sighing in exhaustion.
Among the few things Mei and Mobius shared in common was their mutual talent for overworking subordinates like ruthless bosses.
It was fortunate Prometheus was a super-AI. Had she been a normal human—or even a standard-level AI—she'd have long been hospitalized or crashed from overwork.
"Hmm? Doctor, your body…"
Prometheus suddenly looked surprised.
Her sensors detected a fundamental change within Mei's body. Though she was still technically within the limits of human physiology, her biology had undergone "evolution."
In the past, Mei possessed resistance to Honkai energy—but no adaptability.
That meant she could withstand limited exposure and survive in Honkai zones, but she couldn't manipulate Honkai energy herself, nor undergo the Meta-Morph procedure to become a fusion warrior.
However, during her recent encounter with Elias, he had used the Herrscher of Death's authority to reconstruct her body—granting Mei the ability to adapt to Honkai energy.
"Granting someone Honkai adaptability—you really never stop doing outrageous things, do you," Prometheus said, pressing a hand to her forehead in helplessness.
Elias folded his arms proudly.
The Herrscher of Death's authority was a literal biological modifier—a cheat-level ability when applied to living beings. Giving Mei Honkai adaptability was far easier than when he had created a new body for Herrscher Mei in the past.
Now, Mei could undergo the Meta-Morph procedure, becoming a MANTIS with both self-defense and longevity.
"I'll help you find a suitable Honkai Beast host later. At minimum, it should be Judgment-level."
"Thank you, Elias."
"Come on, no need for thanks."
With this, Mei's overall strength was completely elevated. As a fusion warrior paired with the Key of Blankness, she would become the first person after Elias to truly master both intellect and combat.
However, after testing, Mei discovered that no matter what she tried, she couldn't embed two Herrscher Cores into the Key of Blankness simultaneously. Even as a MANTIS, three Cores at once seemed to be her absolute limit.
Moreover, unlike Elias, she couldn't maintain the embedded state permanently. Mei was certain—even after becoming a fusion warrior—she wouldn't be able to handle the strain.
Only those who had worn the Key of Blankness understood how terrifying its "recoil" truly was.
"It's fine. You're already strong enough," Elias said, gently patting her head.
After all, not everyone was like Elias—personally modified by the Will of Honkai itself into the "Final Vessel," capable of infinitely accommodating Herrscher Cores.
The Key of Blankness existed on Elias' body merely to allow him to wield the Previous Era's Cores the same way the Current Era's could—so that he could command Herrscher authorities at will.
Elias himself didn't need it to connect to Imaginary Space, nor was he affected by Honkai corrosion or Core overload.
"By the way," Elias asked, his tone expectant, "is the preparation for Project Chimera complete? When can we begin?"
He needed to undergo the transformation before the next Herrscher—the Herrscher of Binding—appeared. Only by becoming a Chimera and reaching the state of [Palatinus] could he guarantee absolute victory.
(Though, it's a pity… this time, Binding won't get a perfect run.)
Elias sighed inwardly.
There was no helping it—the Herrscher of Binding's appearance point was uncertain, and the Great Eruption was merely a minor concern compared to her invincible Elysion Pedion.
Simply put, she could be defeated—but not instantly killed.
The first wave of casualties caused by that barrier was nearly unavoidable. Thus, Elias reluctantly lowered his usual standard.
In the original timeline, it took thousands of fusion warriors to bring the Herrscher of Binding down. Although Fire Moth now had over ten thousand active units, and such losses were technically sustainable—
Elias would not allow a single one of them to die.
The moment the Herrscher of Binding appeared, he would challenge and defeat her alone—head-on.
Then, in the next cycle, he would pursue the true "perfect clear"—a victory with zero casualties.
"Oh, right," Elias added, "about the Stigmata—we need to finish preparing those too. At the very least, complete my [Engraving]. If possible, finish Ely's and the others' as well. The upcoming enemies will only get stronger, and we'll need every bit of power we can gather."
"...Elias, are you really going through with Project Chimera? Won't you reconsider?"
Mei frowned, hoping to dissuade him.
Theoretically, merging all varieties of Honkai Beast meta-factors could grant an unimaginable boost in strength—but no matter how she and Mobius refined the formula, the success rate remained exactly 0%.
On this matter, Mei and Mobius—rarely—stood in complete agreement. Both opposed Elias undergoing such a procedure, one that was practically guaranteed to kill him.
"Elias, you're already powerful enough. The odds of surviving Chimera are too low. Let's not—"
"I know the risk is high," Elias interrupted softly, "but risk and reward go hand in hand. And Mei, this power isn't optional—it's necessary. No matter what, I must become the Chimera."
Elias spoke solemnly and earnestly.
"But what if something happens to you…"
Mei clenched her hands tightly, unable to hide her worry.
She dared not imagine the consequences of failure. The white-haired boy before her was not just the world's Savior in the eyes of others—he was someone deeply beloved by her and by many others.
If something happened to Elias now, the entire world would collapse into chaos and despair. Mei and Elysia, perhaps even the others, would likely lose all will to live.
"Relax~ I trust both your and Mobius' skills. Besides, I'll have Kevin undergo the Chimera procedure alongside me. If I end up dead, at least he'll keep me company."
"..."
Mei's eye twitched slightly. Then she turned to Prometheus, hoping the AI girl would help her persuade him.
However, Prometheus was currently occupied optimizing the surgical process—apparently fully supportive of Elias' plan.
"Doctor, based on my computational analysis, the probability of successfully convincing Elias to abandon Project Chimera is 1%. You should already know—once he's made up his mind about something, it's nearly impossible for anyone to change it."
Prometheus let out what looked like a sigh, her expression one of resignation toward Elias' stubbornness.
Elias, meanwhile, looked mildly surprised.
"Hm? A whole 1%? You must've miscalculated, Prometheus. I'm absolutely determined to go through with the Chimera procedure. Not even God himself could stop me."
"Indeed, not even God could," Prometheus replied calmly. "Originally, the probability was 0%. However… if Elysia were to be the one persuading you, there might be a 1% chance of success."
"Ah… that…"
Elias froze, unable to refute her.
He pictured Miss Pink Elf crying, begging him not to proceed with the operation—and immediately, his heart softened. His once-unshakable resolve wavered just a little.
There was only one person in the world capable of stopping Elias—and that was Elysia. If she ever started crying, pleading, or threatening to harm herself, he would have absolutely no defense against her.
"Prometheus, hurry! Contact Elysia right now!" Mei ordered urgently.
But the AI girl, as rebellious as ever, merely shook her head.
"Don't worry, Elias. I won't contact Elysia. Also, I've finished optimizing the surgical sequence—Doctor, you can begin preparing for the Chimera procedure."
"Prometheus! You little—!"
"Doctor," Prometheus interrupted calmly, "I understand your concern for Elias. However, according to my 112,132nd simulation and the results of the 215th optimization, the success rate remains below 0.001%."
"If you know that, why are you still letting him do this? Have you forgotten my core directive—to ensure Elias' safety at all costs?!"
Mei's gaze grew dangerous as she picked up a wrench and screwdriver.
Prometheus immediately darted behind Elias for cover.
"I haven't forgotten," she said, peeking out her cute, expressionless face. "But I also know—when it comes to Elias, probability ceases to matter."
She looked Mei straight in the eyes and continued softly.
"Even if the success rate is only 0.001%, I believe he'll succeed—just like all the other miracles he's created before, the ones everyone else thought were impossible."