"So what should we do now?"
After discussing that so-called "divine being" for a while, Sirin slipped right back into her usual role as Lynelle's little follower. Of course, this version of Sirin was floating slightly taller than Lynelle.
"Well, we could... hmm—"
Before Lynelle could finish, a wave of strange nausea surged through her body, forcing the girl to brace herself against the wall to keep her dizzy head from sending her toppling over.
"Lynelle?!"
Sirin, hovering behind her, was instantly alarmed. She rushed to support Lynelle, but the moment her hands made contact, she flinched back as if shocked, a sudden realization dawning on her.
"S-sorry, Lynelle, I forgot…"
"It's fine, it's fine. Compared to the usual stuff back in the lab, this is nothing…"
Lynelle shook her spinning head, struggling to steady herself.
After all… the creeping purple patterns spreading across her arm told the whole story. While Sirin had become a Herrscher, it didn't change the fact that Lynelle's Honkai adaptability was far inferior.
Just being near Sirin exposed her to Honkai radiation levels her body could barely withstand.
"M-maybe… maybe I should just leave on my own…"
Sirin forced a smile uglier than a crying face.
As much as she wanted to stay with Lynelle forever, if the price was watching Lynelle die over and over because of her, she'd rather hide herself away somewhere far off.
Her own feelings didn't matter—she just wanted Lynelle to be comfortable.
Even if she could be resurrected, death was undeniably agonizing.
She'd witnessed plenty of people's final struggles firsthand, including several of her own friends.
She didn't want Lynelle to treat that kind of pain as normal. A future like that… would be far too cruel.
"Wait a second! If I'm not bothered, why are you—"
Quick as a flash, Lynelle grabbed Sirin's arm. She knew the Second Herrscher's mobility all too well. If she let Sirin leave like this, especially if the girl didn't want to be found, she'd never track her down again.
"Even if my Honkai resistance is low, there are always other ways… See this?"
With that, a small bottle of some truly foul-looking medicine appeared in Lynelle's hand.
This was the "Restoration Liquid" she'd pulled from the gacha system during her first draw—the very same stuff Herta had once used to soak her in. The amount she'd pulled from the system wasn't enough for a full bath, but taking it orally still worked.
Sure, anything originating from Herta probably wasn't specifically meant to counter Honkai Erosion, but thanks to the system's "localization adjustments," as long as it carried the concept of healing, it would have a corresponding effect on Lynelle.
And this little bottle… should keep her safe around Sirin for at least a week.
By then, she'd probably pull some other tool from the gacha to help resist the Honkai erosion.
"R-really, does it actually work?"
After the last incident where Lynelle almost failed to resurrect properly, Sirin wasn't about to take her word for it so easily. Who knew if this girl was just pushing herself again?
"Look."
Lynelle took a swift gulp, then offered her hand to Sirin. The deep purple patterns caused by Honkai erosion were already visibly fading. Though, if you looked closely, you could still see traces of the erosion lurking beneath her skin.
"It really is working… But even if you have a way to resist the erosion, for safety's sake, you still shouldn't get too close…"
"Alright, alright, it's fine~"
Seeing Sirin still fretting, Lynelle puffed her cheeks cutely, then stepped forward and planted a soft kiss right on the girl's forehead.
"Wha—?!"
The sudden attack completely short-circuited Sirin's brain. The purple-haired girl froze mid-air, utterly dazed.
Even the wing-like Void Lances behind her shot straight up in exaggerated surprise. Her whole face flushed a brilliant scarlet, as if steam might puff out any second.
"I told you it's fine. You silly Sirin, just be a good girl and listen to me~"
Watching Sirin transform into a blushing, steam-coming-off-her-head mess, Lynelle flashed a smug, mischievous grin.
Thanks to all their time together, she had Sirin's number down pat. Let's just say, handling this version of Sirin was a piece of cake for the current Lynelle.
"Now then, let's get back to what we were talking about. But before that, I need to confirm one more thing."
Lynelle tugged Sirin along, deftly navigating toward the first floor of Babylon Labs. "Sirin, are you absolutely sure you eliminated every single researcher in Babylon Labs?"
"Mm-hmm, y-yes…"
Perhaps the "impact" from earlier was still too intense. Even a minute later, Sirin's eyes were still glazed over and dazed.
"Hey, hey… it was just one little kiss. Was it really that powerful?"
Lynelle pinched Sirin's cheek, tugging gently as if playing with super-soft modeling clay, trying to snap the girl out of her stupor.
"Stupid Lynelle…"
Finally recovering from the kiss, Sirin shook her head in protest at Lynelle's hit-and-run tactic.
"That one I'm sure of. Every single researcher. Not a single one was missed."
"And… do you have any thoughts about destroying the world or anything like that right now?"
"…"
This time, Sirin didn't answer immediately. She fell silent for a short while.
"If I'm with you, then no. But… if we were separated…"
Sirin tilted her head away slightly. "Maybe after a while, I might start having thoughts like that?"
"I see… Is it because I'm your emotional anchor? Or is it because of that strange sense of comfort you feel when you're near me…"
Lynelle pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "Never mind. It's fine. Since you're not an immediate problem right now, we currently have three main tasks."
"First, there's a Honkai reactor in this Babylon Tower… You need to absorb all the Honkai energy there, fully activate your Herrscher core, and truly understand your power."
"Second, Sirin, you need to evacuate all the other test subjects from the tower. Move them to a nearby town, or anywhere else that's safe. You can pick the locations yourself."
"And finally… this is the most important one."
Lynelle's gaze swept over the place she had called home for nearly half a month.
"Raze Babylon Tower to the ground. Erase our traces as much as possible, and buy time before Schicksal's investigation begins."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.