"What? The core's starting to activate?!"
Lynelle, who had just been teasing Seele, was startled. With her sudden movement, her full, rounded chest lifted slightly, bouncing with a soft boing that sent the previously snuggling Dark Seele tumbling off.
Dark Seele, having been bumped by Lynelle's... assets, shot a somewhat resentful glance at the softness that was a size larger than hers and Seele's, but was immediately distracted by the girl's exclamation.
"W-What do you mean? That core..."
"Don't you fret, let me do the fretting first." Lynelle quickly pressed down on Dark Seele's little head.
"Kevin, how's the core activation progressing? Could it trigger a large-scale..."
"Not to that extent yet, but it might be close."
Kevin's tone grew serious. "I can still barely suppress the core for now, but soon, it might just break down on its own and then re-coalesce within the new host."
"Did anything unusual happen on your end just now?"
"Nothing unusual, really... Unless you count teasing the other Seele?" Lynelle glanced at the sulking Dark Seele.
"Gonna bite you, you know?" The girl immediately flashed her cute little fangs. "But, could it be that something happened on Seele's side?"
"Then have her switch out, and we can ask her directly." Lynelle urged.
Hearing this, Dark Seele immediately closed her eyes. A moment later, Seele's eyes regained their innocent azure hue.
"Lynelle, what's going on?"
"Wait..." Just then, Kevin's voice shifted slightly. "The core's activation... it seems to have weakened."
"Huh?"
Lynelle blinked in confusion, then looked strangely at Seele, who had just switched out and still looked bewildered.
"Seele, switch back to your other me."
"Huh? O-Okay..." The girl hurriedly closed her eyes, bringing back the Dark Seele who had just retreated into their mental world.
"The core's activating again..." Almost simultaneously, Kevin's voice sounded in Lynelle's mind.
"Alright, case closed."
Lynelle smacked her own forehead, looking at Dark Seele, who still hadn't grasped the situation. "Switch Seele back out for now... I think I understand your situation now."
"Kevin, could you hold off Bronya a while longer? Seele's situation here might be a bit tricky..."
"Mmm." Kevin silently ended the communication.
"So, you're saying..." Dark Seele's voice was full of disbelief. "The current suitable candidate for the Herrscher of Death core... is me?"
"To be precise, your resonance with the core is far higher than Seele's. It might not necessarily be a matter of talent, but more likely related to your respective levels of acceptance of the core..."
Lynelle sighed. She had seen a case similar to Dark Seele's before—yes, it was Mei.
If they fused the Herrscher of Death core into Seele's body now, it would basically be a repeat of Mei's situation—the primary personality, due to subconscious rejection or insufficient control, could only use part of the power, while switching to the other personality allowed full use of the core's power.
"Anyway, I'm guessing it's probably because you used the power of the Stigma within the sensing range of the Gem of Serenity, which caused the core to be drawn to you two instead. But as for this Herrscher core... you're definitely not getting away from it."
"Tch, speak of the devil..." Dark Seele grumbled discontentedly.
"Don't be so pessimistic. A Herrscher core is a good thing." Lynelle smiled.
"Over at St. Freya—oh, that's the Valkyrie academy your Bronya onee-chan attends—they already have a full five Herrschers. One more or one less hardly makes a difference."
"How many?"
Dark Seele's eyes widened in disbelief. "Five Herrschers? Is that a Valkyrie training academy or some kind of Herrscher den of evil?!"
"Heh... Don't let Theresa hear you say that, or she'll jump up and smack your knees."
At this point, Lynelle looked around. "But that Herrscher core... keeping it sealed inside Kevin's body isn't a long-term solution. Maybe we should extract it now and fuse it with you first. Since he's here, he can provide backup..."
"U-um, Lynelle..." Seele's voice piped up from the side.
"I actually wanted to ask earlier... what exactly is your relationship with that Mr. Kevin?"
"You said you're a friend of Sister Bronya, and Mr. Kevin is your friend, but he's currently stopping Sister Bronya from coming over... Seele is a bit confused..."
"Uh..." An awkward expression flashed across Lynelle's face. "It's... complicated. Actually, due to certain reasons, Kevin is destined to be our enemy, and he's already opposed to the Anti-Entropy that Bronya belongs to. But right now, at this point in time, he'll still help me without reservation..."
"Is it because... you look almost identical to Sister Elysia?" The perceptive Seele immediately guessed part of the reason.
"The relationship might be a bit deeper than that..." Lynelle silently averted her gaze. "Forget it, let me call him back first to help you fuse with the core."
So saying, Lynelle contacted Kevin again.
"Mmm..." After listening to Lynelle, Kevin fell silent for a moment. "Actually, fusing the core here isn't the wisest move."
"Huh?"
"It's simple for you because you carry the power of Origin, plus your Corruption core was heavily sealed, so the fusion process was as easy as eating or drinking for you."
"But a normal Herrscher core fusion requires a massive amount of energy and Honkai energy. It's a severe test of the candidate's willpower and ability."
"Let's set the first issue aside for now; a dual personality is inherently unstable. And as for the Honkai energy aspect... don't forget where we are."
"The Reason core fused successfully because the Anti-Entropy Sovereign's core is fundamentally different from a normal core. The Herrscher of Death's core hasn't undergone such changes. You can't rely entirely on the imaginary singularity inside the core to supply Honkai energy, can you?"
"Then..." Lynelle tilted her head. "What should we do in this situation?"
"My suggestion is to return to the main world first." Kevin's voice paused. "World Serpent has several locations rich in Honkai energy. Furthermore, both physical and mental assistance can be provided by Hare and myself respectively."
"Most importantly, regarding the issue of the dual personality's insufficient compatibility with the core, I know someone who can fix it for her."
"Wait, you don't mean..." Lynelle's eyebrow twitched. "It's not her, is it? Sister Vill-V?"
"Yes, her."
Kevin nodded. "Having a Herrscher enter the Elysian Realm... isn't that perfectly normal?"
"Of course, if you're worried, you can come along too."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 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.