The electromagnetic field—the collective term for the intrinsically linked, interdependent unity of electric and magnetic fields. As the medium for electromagnetic interaction, the electromagnetic field possesses energy and momentum; it is a form of matter.
Frankly, this is an incredibly overpowered ability.
The primary superpower of the supervillain Magneto from Marvel is the control of magnetic fields, extended down to the atomic level. That incredibly cool old man could effortlessly levitate a nuclear submarine weighing tens of thousands of tons and, in a state of extreme rage, forcibly shift the orbits of planets. Because his precision reached the atomic realm, he could manipulate chemical bonds, rewrite chemical structures, and transmute matter. He could generate powerful electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) and even quantum-level electromagnetic energy. He could also achieve invisibility by bending visible light around himself. He could reinforce his own body with magnetic force, enhancing his strength and endurance beyond human limits, and could even shorten his reaction time to one-fifteenth of a normal human's.
Without a doubt, the authority to control the electromagnetic field, once properly developed, is an unbelievably terrifying power.
"Is this... the power of a god?"
The girl, who had effortlessly obtained the authority of the Herrscher of Thunder with her lover's help, gently placed her hand on a table.
Without any warning, the table she touched vanished in an instant.
It had been disintegrated. Disintegrated at the atomic level.
Witnessing this terrifying power, the girl's heart was filled with shock.
"By eliminating the electromagnetic interactions between microscopic particles, you can disintegrate objects at the atomic level. This is the simplest and most brutish application of the Herrscher of Thunder's authority."
The boy, his body enveloped in black and red feathers and the purplish-black erosion markings reappearing on his neck, explained the standard operating procedure for the Herrscher of Thunder. "To you, who wields the authority of thunder, any physical object is no different from something made of paper."
"This power... is truly dangerous."
The girl, finally understanding what the power of a Herrscher meant, looked at her own hands and murmured in a low voice.
"It is the ultimate expression of physical law, after all."
The boy, who had acquired knowledge of all the Divine Keys except Jizo Mitama from the memories of the long-dead Prometheus (Void Archives), and thus naturally understood the power of the Third Divine Key, sighed with some emotion.
An authority that no physical object could resist was indeed too much of a cheat. Without a thick barrier of Honkai energy (Honkai is omnipotent) to protect you, whoever was touched by it would die.
Honestly, Li Zihan felt that the Will of Honkai had it pretty rough.
Its boss, the Imaginary Tree, had assigned its employee, the Will of Honkai, the task of "screening civilizations." The method was to convert Imaginary internal energy into Honkai energy, then create Herrschers who were the ultimate expressions of physics, and have civilizations try to defeat them...
Frankly, Li Zihan suspected the Will of Honkai wanted to die the moment it received that mission from the Imaginary Tree.
The authority of a Herrscher was the absolute pinnacle of physics. Even if the Herrschers who wielded them lacked output and operational precision, making it difficult to display their true power... it was still the ultimate expression of physical law!
What kind of monstrous civilization could possibly beat down the ultimate expression of physics?! The Returners?! The Thinker Civilization and the Li Bai Civilization?!
Doesn't the Imaginary Tree have any damn clue how low the probability of such a civilization emerging in the universe is?
But the Imaginary Tree didn't care about that. It only wanted results. It wanted a large number of civilizations capable of defeating highly intelligent Herrschers.
Thinking about it this way, the so-called Will of Honkai seemed no different from a miserable wage slave. The poor, overworked examiner could only bestow authority upon clever "illiterates," helping the civilizations along in their fight against the Honkai and secretly slipping the test-takers cheat sheets, hoping that some civilization would finally pass the trial.
However, that had nothing to do with Li Zihan. He was just an outsider taking advantage of the situation.
"How do you feel?"
The boy, who had viewed the Artificial Herrscher Project as a way to strengthen his lovers from the very beginning, looked at the girl who had just achieved material erasure by eliminating electromagnetic force, his expression one of great relief.
Finally, she's starting to look a bit like a Herrscher of Thunder.
"Zihan... can I really control this power?"
The girl, realizing just how terrifying the gift her lover had prepared for her was, looked at her hands, her expression tinged with fear. The power of the Herrscher of Thunder was simply too terrifying. If she couldn't control this power properly, everything she touched would be destroyed.
At that point... what could she possibly hold onto?
Frightened by her own power, the girl's beautiful brows furrowed with worry.
"Relax. Even if you can't control the Thunder Herrscher's authority and make a mess of everything, I'll be by your side to teach you how to use your power."
The boy, who wielded the authority of the Herrscher of Reason and could simulate the authority of thunder to counteract Raiden Mei's power, walked cheerfully to the girl's side.
And then—he took the hand that had just annihilated a table at the atomic level.
Feeling the warmth transmitted from his fingers, a blush once again crept onto the girl's pretty cheeks. Ever since her lover had sworn an oath to her that he would never take risks for her sake, she had often been like this.
Blushing, heart racing, and the moment she saw Li Zihan, she felt an urge to take his hand, to kiss him, to...
Honestly, Miss Mei was a little embarrassed at why she was thinking about things that should only happen after marriage.
Is this... love?
The girl thought silently, recalling the boy who was now holding her hand.
If only my authority was over time. Then, she could extend this single moment into infinity.
The girl who dearly wished to become the Herrscher of Time looked up at the boy beside her.
And then—her expression changed in an instant. All her romantic fantasies vanished.
The purplish-black markings, symbolizing erosion, had once again crept up the boy's neck.
"Zihan, your—"
"Just a small price for abandoning the Divine Keys and using the Herrscher authority with my own body as the vessel."
The boy, who had many ways to recover, reached out and poked the purple markings on his neck. "I just need someone to help me share the burden through a fluid exchange, and it'll be fine."
The boy cheerfully said something that made the girl blush.
The term "bodily fluid" can be interpreted in two ways: one medical, one literal.
The one that could be exchanged most easily... was naturally the literal kind.
"Mei, can I ask you for a favor?" the boy, who was indeed severely eroded, asked the girl beside him with great seriousness.