Compared to the Herrscher of Domination in this world who clawed their way forward, the Herrscher of Binding was undoubtedly far more reckless.
She didn't care whether her power had fully matured or not — she directly activated her Binding Domain right at the heart of the battlefield, right where all the key figures and Herrschers stood.
Her trump card was simple: either kill all at once, or die on the spot.
Or perhaps… whether the Domain was deployed or not had never truly been under her control.
The moment it appeared, it was inevitable.
Even she couldn't suppress the force now surging through her.
She had tried earlier — to compress the domain, to concentrate more power into it — but quickly realized how difficult it was.
This wasn't something that could be done just because she wanted to.
But she would still try.
She stared directly at Kallen, a cold smirk appearing on her lips — matching Kallen's own desperate determination.
Her grip tightened.
The pressure ramped up again, pushing her to her absolute limit.
And in doing so, she let go of suppressing all other parts of the battlefield.
At the very least — she wanted to make sure Kallen ended up on the brink of death.
Kallen, meanwhile, took a deep breath.
She bore the pressure with all her strength, maintaining the Divine Binding Barrier with every ounce of will she had.
The final result would be determined in these next few seconds.
'Theresa… Grandma won't let anything happen to you!'
Her will, never fully forged before, had now condensed into a singular belief:
Endure.
Though she had long since left the battlefield, if the time came where she was needed again — she would never back down.
After all, a Valkyrie exists to protect.
Even the Oaths of Judas in her hands trembled faintly.
Compared to a dormant Herrscher core, or the active will of a living civilization, she was still slightly lacking in strength.
Not to mention — she was standing on the enemy's own ground.
In the next second, as Durandal rose, preparing to reengage, her eyes suddenly widened.
Behind the Overseer… there was a glimmer of light.
Or perhaps… a phantom.
An overwhelming shock struck her heart.
She saw someone who — by all rights — should not exist here.
Someone she had only ever glimpsed in story content… during the time anomalies in the game.
"Otto…?!"
Her voice trembled with fear and disbelief.
Even Luo Mo was stunned.
Back when he gave Kallen the Stigmata, he never imagined it could produce this kind of miracle.
Unseen by Kallen, a translucent figure had appeared at her back—
A young man with blonde hair, dressed in pure white formal robes —
Otto, in the attire of the Overseer — had silently manifested.
He looked not at the transformed Herrscher Theresa…
But at Kallen.
His gaze wavered — though Kallen clearly had no time to turn around.
Otto said nothing.
Just… let out the faintest sigh — barely visible.
A miracle… this is the miracle drawn forth by that Stigmata.
He had once created this world, and now… he had blessed it once more through Kallen.
He would let her fulfill her own wish, even after all those long years.
But how she used this power, that was entirely up to her.
He didn't need to meet her eyes.
He didn't care about that anymore.
He wouldn't just sit and watch her suffer either.
Though, truly… this was nothing more than the final lingering piece of his obsession, a fragment incapable of doing much more.
His entire form flowed into the Oaths of Judas.
And the light it now gave off… was even brighter than the domain of Binding.
He became… the final weight tipping the scale toward victory.
Or rather, not just a blade of grass.
He had always been the decisive force behind every victory or loss.
Without Otto, without the power he had left behind, Kallen might have suffered grievous wounds, or even death in this battle.
Maybe the system could've patched her up afterward.
Maybe it could've found another path.
But in this moment, from the skies above , a mysterious light shone down.
In a flash, the Divine Grace Barrier surpassed the Binding Domain.
It absorbed the power of Chi, a force wrapped in violet light.
And merged with the support of the resisting Herrschers below.
Everyone felt a strange weight pressing down on them.
Then, as quickly as it came, it vanished.
The domain of Binding cracked all at once, splitting into countless fractures.
Then, it shattered, breaking apart into golden shards that fell from the air like rain.
Above and below, the massive gear-teeth structure of the domain disintegrated into nothing.
The Herrscher of Binding's eyes lost their light.
She stared at Kallen across from her in disbelief.
That same stunned expression mirrored on her face.
She clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground.
Kallen too, coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The dark red drops soaked into the wooden floor beneath her.
Her condition was far from good.
But now… she couldn't even care about her own body.
She turned her head with great effort to look behind her.
But there was… Nothing.
She had just heard Durandal's voice…
And she knew exactly who had helped her.
Yet still... they had no chance to meet.
A lingering warmth still radiated from her back, soothing her wounds.
And with the Binding Domain broken, Honkai Energy surged back in, rapidly replenishing her body.
Those who had gone pale began to recover.
Except for Kallen , whose face had turned deathly white.
Yet she still smiled faintly…
And finally drifted off to sleep on the battlefield.
Durandal didn't dare waste a second.
She immediately used Black Abyss, White Flower's healing function to help the fallen Overseer.
Her gaze swept over Theresa with quiet helplessness.
"Sigh… we'll have to wait until the Dean regains her senses before doing anything else."
Durandal calmed herself, focusing entirely on healing Kallen.
At the very least, this crisis could be considered overcome for now.
The sky cleared up, and even the air seemed to ease, no longer carrying oppressive pressure.
The golden wall of Binding had vanished.
Within St. Freya, various colored rays of light began converging toward Theresa's mansion.
The Herrscher of Sentience, Fu Hua, and Elysia all rushed over at top speed, visibly worried.
They understood how serious this situation was, especially Fu Hua, who had lived through all of it personally.
The others were also doing everything they could to rush in the same direction, drawn by the same concern.
Naturally, Elysia arrived first.
She scanned the chaotic scene with surprise, quickly moving to help support some of the others.
But her eyes still drifted toward Theresa.
Anyone with normal sight could now tell, Theresa had become a Herrscher.
Just thinking about how this always-grumbling Dean master used to complain about how many Herrschers there were in the academy… and now she herself had become one, even causing such a massive commotion…
Elysia had wanted to laugh at first, but instead, she sighed.
"Really didn't expect something like this to happen so quickly ♪"
"Hmm… well, seems like nothing too serious happened. Let's see… was it because they weren't using normal Honkai Energy?"
She looked slightly puzzled, cradling the now-unconscious Kongming and Luna, laying them on a nearby sofa.
"You… just focus on checking on the Overseer."
Kallen had just been about to stand up but was suddenly scooped into a childish hug.
She raised an icy brow at Elysia, slightly exasperated.
After watching all those videos and records, she better understood now just how difficult this person could be.
"Hehe ♪" Elysia chuckled softly.
Her gaze then shifted toward Luo Mo, frowning slightly.
"Elysia, you got here just in time — let Aponia…"
Luo Mo didn't even finish before another calm voice interrupted him:
"We're here. Is everyone alright?"
Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Sentience had arrived nearly at the same time as Elysia.
Luo Mo stepped forward and quickly explained what had happened — the cause, and the truth.
Fu Hua didn't waste a second. She nodded and gave instructions:
"Herrscher of Sentience , I'll disturb the enemy's mind. You go find the Dean's true self."
First, they needed to attack Theresa mentally to stop her from launching another attack.
If things escalated again… who knew what would happen?
Fu Hua clearly agreed with Luo Mo's judgment — the Herrscher likely had trapped Theresa's consciousness within.
If this had been a case of full corruption or possession, it shouldn't have happened this quickly.
Not a single prior sign had shown up —
And Theresa, as an S-rank, shouldn't have had her will swallowed that easily in just one day.
Then, a red light flashed in Fu Hua's eyes.
She summoned a red-glowing feather, gripped Theresa's hand, and closed her eyes.
She poured all her focus into suppressing the Herrscher's will inside.
– Eighth Divine Key – Fenghuang Down.
"Yeah, yeah, got it, old timer. Couldn't you just have taken her out directly?"
The Herrscher of sentience grumbled, rubbing her ear in annoyance.
Still, she folded her legs, sat down, and after scanning her surroundings with some interest — closed her eyes and entered Theresa's consciousness to search for her presence.
---
"Nngh…"
Not long after Fu Hua's Fenghuang Down trapped the Herrscher of Binding in an illusion—
Theresa slowly began to wake up.
As the Herrscher's grip weakened, the barrier within her dream faded away.
She also spotted the Herrscher of Sentience — which puzzled her for a moment.
But more important now… was checking the real world's condition.
She opened her eyes — her blue irises as clear as ever.
She saw the worried faces looking at her… and her gravely injured grandmother, Kallen.
"Grandma!!"
She couldn't help but cry out, instantly trying to rush over and check her injuries.
But Luo Mo stopped her, signaling that Durandal was already assisting her — and also… reminding her of her own state.
He tried to sound calm,
"You're also… seriously injured. You should check yourself first."
"I… okay."
Theresa's voice was unsteady, clearly still shaken from what had just happened.
She could feel the sensations returning to her body…
along with a strange, overflowing Honkai Energy within her.
But oddly enough… there wasn't the usual whispering madness in her mind.
No second consciousness trying to influence her.
However… she could clearly feel the power of Binding in her hands.
"So… does that mean another version of me appeared?"
She bit her lower lip, asking tentatively.
"Yes." Fu Hua nodded.
In her palm, a bundle of consciousness was wrapped in glowing feathers, now in a deep slumber.
Normally, this would be impossible — but since the Herrscher had been broken apart…
and had almost no fusion with the real Theresa's consciousness,
it was effectively an external will.
So, removing it wasn't entirely impossible.
(T/C: 4 Terris~)
A flash of determination — and lingering fear — appeared in Theresa's eyes.
"What should we do with it?" Fu Hua asked in a low voice.
"Can the Herrscher of Sentience eat it? I mean, it's a Herrscher will, right?"
Luo Mo tested the waters with a question — though clearly, not seriously.
"Hey! You're making it sound like I eat people!"
The Herrscher of Sentience rolled her eyes.
She didn't even bother hiding her irritation and glared at Luo Mo with complete honesty.
"Do I look like a garbage dumpster can to you?!"
"...Then just destroy it. Erase it completely," Luo Mo said flatly.
Theresa didn't speak.
She simply focused, trying to summon control over the power that was still spilling out of her —
but her gaze remained on Kallen, full of worry.
At this moment, Kallen was already asleep.
She had completely trusted herself to this battle —
and after shattering the Binding Domain, her body had followed the order to rest and entered sleep.
Fu Hua said nothing.
She silently crushed the feather in her hand, obliterating the remaining consciousness within it to prevent future threats.
Then she took a deep breath.
After facing the Herrscher of Binding, launching her mental assault, and destroying that inner will, her energy was also heavily drained.
The Herrscher of Sentience crossed her arms and stood nearby, looking completely fine.
She exchanged a glance with Fu Hua… then turned her head away with a proud expression, clearly smug.
(A/C: Nooo! Why kill her!)