Honkai World.
Schicksal Headquarters.
Little Kiana awoke from her dream. The surroundings were both familiar and strangely unfamiliar.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
After washing up, Little Kiana changed her clothes and went to attend training.
Inside Schicksal's main control room, Otto secretly observed and recorded Little Kiana's growth.
Although World Serpent had terminated Project STIGMA and everyone had returned to their 2012 state, the destruction previously caused, the re-descended Honkai, and the time discrepancy created by Project STIGMA could not be concealed.
There was no way to hide it. Kevin, Su, and Fu Hua could only blur the influence of the Will of Ruler together and attribute everything to spatial-temporal turbulence in the solar system caused by the Imaginary Tree.
Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent had cooperated in carrying out Project STIGMA, protecting humanity from the spatial-temporal turbulence of the Imaginary Tree.
They even mentioned that if abnormalities appeared in people's memories, it was a normal phenomenon. The turbulence in space-time would allow them to come into contact with other parallel versions of themselves, resulting in confused memory fragments.
Ordinary civilians, who had been immersed in the dreamlike state of Project STIGMA for too long and whose memories had grown hazy, largely believed it.
Schicksal, once an organization that fought against the Honkai and safeguarded humanity, had transformed into an organization that advocated Honkai evolution theory, proclaiming that the Honkai would save humanity from suffering.
After secretly observing Little Kiana for some time, Otto frowned. By Valkyrie standards, her growth rate was very fast.
But what they wanted to cultivate was not a Valkyrie who opposed the Honkai, but a Herrscher.
Was it a problem with the genes of the Schariac and Kaslana families?
Otto crossed his arms and looked at the screen where Little Kiana was training with Fu Hua. After considering the resources at his disposal, he decided to try once.
If things continued like this, all they would obtain was a powerful human Valkyrie, which meant nothing to him or to the world.
"Amber, bring Little Kiana here," Otto said to his secretary beside him.
"Yes."
Amber immediately went to carry out the order.
After a while, Little Kiana arrived before Otto, confusion in her eyes.
Otto looked her up and down before slowly speaking. "Little Kiana, do you want to obtain power strong enough to rule humanity?"
"I don't want to rule humanity."
Little Kiana shook her head.
Otto rephrased the question. "Power strong enough can accomplish many things. Not only ruling humanity, but also reviving the dead. For example, your mother, Cecilia."
He did not feel he was lying. Humanity was confined within the solar system, and with limited capability, they could not reach the outside world. That was why they believed the dead could not be revived.
He himself was no different, merely a frog at the bottom of a well.
To the Will of Ruler and the Finality Empire, reviving life was as simple as eating or drinking. According to their understanding and cognition, as long as one was strong enough, nothing was impossible.
"Really?"
Little Kiana's eyes widened.
"Really. I'm not lying."
Otto took out a proposal for the Fusion Children project and handed it to Kiana. "The genes of the Kaslana and Schariac families are excellent, but they have many flaws."
"If you can fuse with Sirin's divine genes, you may have the possibility of becoming a god in the future."
He had analyzed the uniqueness of K-423. She was a fusion of Sirin's genes and Kiana Kaslana's genes, along with the core of the Herrscher of the Void.
He no longer had the core of the Herrscher of the Void, but he still possessed Sirin's genes, as well as the Gem of Serenity.
There was a high probability he could create a similar existence.
"If I fuse with Sirin's genes, I can become a god and revive Mom?"
Little Kiana's eyes sparkled.
"There is only a possibility."
Otto smiled faintly.
"Um, Bishop... if I fuse with Sirin's genes, then Sirin's blood will flow inside me too, right?"
"Yes."
"Bishop, is Sirin a boy or a girl?"
"A girl. A very cute and beautiful girl."
Otto took out a photograph of Sirin. He did not dare casually speak ill of her now. Even Bronya had grown to such an extent under the Will of Ruler. As for how far Sirin had grown, he did not know.
The only thing certain was that if she wanted him dead countless times over, it would be effortless.
Continuing experiments with Sirin's genes carried great risk.
Little Kiana picked up Sirin's photograph. "Then would she become my new mom?"
Her understanding of parents was simple. She only knew about blood relations. The blood of her father, Siegfried, and her mother, Cecilia, flowed within her, so she was their daughter.
Hearing that, Otto was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "She would become your new mom."
He did not know whether trying to establish such a connection would help, but it was worth a try.
Little Kiana tilted her head and thought for a while, hesitation appearing on her face. She put down Sirin's photograph and said softly, "I only want my original mom."
Otto had not expected her to be so persistent about her mother. He cleared his throat and explained, "Little Kiana, there is no conflict between the two."
"If you don't want to call her Mom, you can call her big sister instead."
"Sirin's power can make you stronger. When that time comes, you'll have the chance to revive Cecilia, and you'll also gain someone who will cherish you."
Little Kiana bit her lip, tears glimmering in her eyes. "But it feels wrong somehow. It feels like I'm betraying Mom."
Otto felt a headache coming on. "It's not betrayal. Your mother Cecilia and Sirin had a very good relationship. She would definitely agree."
"Really?"
"Really."
Little Kiana fell silent for a long time before finally nodding. "Then I'll try."
Joy rose in Otto's heart as he immediately began making arrangements.
He chose a Schicksal laboratory in a remote, uninhabited area and took Little Kiana there.
"Are you ready?"
"Mm."
After Little Kiana, already inside the container, nodded, Otto began the procedure, fusing Sirin's genes into her body.
It resembled the MANTIS surgery, yet was not quite the same.
He called it the artificial Herrscher surgery.
Otto was gambling. He was also testing.
Very quickly, Sirin's genes were successfully fused into Little Kiana's body. This step was not particularly difficult.
The crucial part was the subsequent implantation of the Gem of Serenity, followed by the injection of massive amounts of Honkai energy to activate Sirin's genes and complete Little Kiana's Herrscherization.
The Gem of Serenity was implanted. The Honkai energy it emitted immediately caused a pained expression to appear on Little Kiana's small face, and purple patterns formed across her body where the Honkai energy corroded her.
Otto watched the data on the computer with a solemn expression. Little Kiana's own genes were producing a rejection response against the activated Sirin genes.
If it were an ordinary person—even a Valkyrie with a Stigmata—they would likely have already been reduced to ashes.
"Warning. The test subject is collapsing."
Hearing the alarm, Otto increased the Honkai energy output even further, helping Sirin's Herrscher genes suppress the Schariac and Kaslana genes within Little Kiana.
"Warning. Honkai energy concentration is rising rapidly."
Otto stared at the rapidly climbing numbers on the screen.
500 HW.
600 HW.
800 HW.
1000 HW.
2000 HW.
Boom!!
An explosion tore through the laboratory.
Little Kiana opened her eyes, revealing golden pupils. Waves of scorching heat erupted from her body, distorting the surrounding space.
She waved her small hand, unleashing crimson flames that destroyed everything around her.
Faced with the berserk Little Kiana, Otto swiftly withdrew from the laboratory.
Her loss of control had been part of his plan.
Otherwise, he would not have chosen this location.
Standing at a high vantage point, Otto gazed at the forest outside the laboratory, now engulfed in towering flames, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
In his eyes, this seemingly failed Herrscherization surgery was already a success.
A berserk state could be reversed.
However, Little Kiana could not be allowed to fully Herrscherize just yet. If she ended up like Theresa and stopped growing, that would be troublesome.
Otto stroked his chin. Siegfried would be arriving soon.
Siegfried rushed over aboard a Schicksal transport aircraft. When he saw that the one about to become a Herrscher was his own daughter, he ground his teeth. "Otto, I'm going to kill you."
Siegfried clashed with the berserk Little Kiana. Because she was his daughter, he held back at every turn during the fight.
In the end, at the cost of one of his arms being burned away, he knocked unconscious the not-yet-fully-Herrscherized Little Kiana.
Otto, observing from the shadows, allowed Siegfried to take her away.
"Still missing something," he murmured.
Little Kiana's ability to Herrscherize made him even more certain that the world's fate had long been decided in the unseen.
Right—companions and a partner.
Otto did not know who Little Kiana's companions or partner would be, but that did not prevent him from preparing in advance.
Beautiful girls?
Schicksal had plenty. He could arrange them all for her.
Based on the intelligence gathered so far, whether it was the Will of Ruler or the Divine Emperor of the Finality Empire, their tastes in that regard were remarkably consistent.
At a three-party meeting between Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent—
Tesla looked at Otto, whose face was bruised and swollen, and said in a mocking tone, "Our esteemed Overseer Otto, what happened to you? Who beat you up like that?"
Otto coughed lightly and replied as if nothing were wrong, "A private family matter."
Einstein said, "Kiana's matter is not a private issue. We need a reasonable explanation."
Otto remained calm. "Don't you think Kiana's growth path is incorrect? She is meant to become a Herrscher, not a Valkyrie".
"I merely corrected the deviation in our plan."
Su said, "But you conducted this experiment without informing us."
Otto shrugged. "If I had told you, would you have agreed? Someone had to play the villain."
Welt Yang said, "Otto, you're still a madman after all."
This madman still believed he could control everything.
Otto smiled faintly. "A madman? Perhaps. But in terms of results, I succeeded."
Prometheus said, "Kiana has not fully Herrscherized. That does not count as success."
Otto shook his head. "No, no, no. What I needed was merely to plant the seed of becoming a Herrscher within her, just like with Raiden Mei."
"The Schariac and Kaslana genes greatly reduce Little Kiana's probability of becoming a Herrscher. I simply increased that probability."
Einstein said, "You did all this just for that?"
Otto replied, "Is that not enough? Dr. Einstein, who do you think the Herrscher of Thunder is?"
Einstein: "..."
Otto continued, "See? You've noticed it too. The Herrscher of Thunder—Raiden Mei. The name matches the Herrscher so perfectly. Do you think that is an accident, or a coincidence?"
"Little Kiana is ultimately not K-423. When she encounters danger in the future, without Sirin's Herrscher genes and without the core of the Herrscher of the Void, she would most likely only awaken the power of the Kaslana bloodline within her, rather than become a Herrscher."
Otto looked at Su. "Su, the Kaslana bloodline was Dr. MEI's creation. Based on your understanding of her, would she have left something hidden within it?"
"..."
Su fell silent. The later Dr. MEI had been rational to a terrifying degree, and behind that rationality lay deep hatred for the Honkai.
There were undoubtedly contingencies left within the Kaslana bloodline.
And not just one. As far as he knew, Kevin could influence the minds of members of the Kaslana family through that bloodline.
"Perhaps that is why K-423 replaced Kiana Kaslana as the protagonist, while the real Kiana Kaslana could only be reduced to a supporting role."
"There is no denying that the Kaslana bloodline is powerful for humanity. But in terms of both upper and lower limits of power, Herrschers far surpass humans."
"In the Previous Era, Herrschers had no human emotions. In the Current Era, because of the sacrifice of Elysia, the Herrscher of Human, Herrschers now possess human emotions. The first Herrscher of Reason, the Second Herrscher, Sirin..."
When Otto mentioned the Herrscher of Reason, Welt Yang slammed his fists on the table. "Otto, don't think you can do whatever you want just by saying that."
Otto responded calmly, "I do not intend to do whatever I want. Kallen has already been revived. Now I only wish to make the world better."
"As for Little Kiana's surgery, I asked for her opinion. She agreed."
Einstein said, "Otto, that's shameless even for you."
Tesla cursed, "Why didn't you ask Siegfried whether he agreed?"
Little Kiana was still just a child.
Otto let out a sigh. "For now, I have done what needed to be done. The rest is up to you."
Throughout the meeting, Su spoke very little. Otto's methods were problematic, but in terms of outcome, he was most likely correct.
He had secretly observed the so-called foolish Kaslana genes for thousands of years. He knew exactly what they were like.
Without Sirin's Herrscher genes, what they would cultivate would only be a human Stigmata User.
The most crucial point was that fusing Herrscher genes and successfully activating them was theoretically impossible.
Otherwise, in the Previous Era, their MANTIS soldiers would not have chosen to fuse with the genes of Herrscher servants—Honkai Beasts—or even lower-tier Honkai Beasts during the fusion surgery.
Wouldn't it have been better to use Herrscher genes directly?
In the Previous Era, they had attempted it countless times.
Yet Otto, acting on a sudden impulse, had succeeded in one try.
He fused Sirin's Herrscher genes and activated them successfully, nearly turning Little Kiana into a new Herrscher.
Although she had not truly become one, she had already half-entered the Herrscher state.
She simply had not fully awakened.
Such one-time success could only be due to either destiny's favor—or Bronya manipulating things from behind the scenes.
Su decided to continue observing.
As for who the Herrscher of Thunder was, it was practically an open secret.
With this experiment, Little Kiana had essentially secured one Herrscher slot.
As for the identities of the remaining Herrschers—
That remained unknown for now.