Twilight color deepened in the sky as the setting sun stained the sky a blazing, blood-red hue.
C.C strolled along the small path beside Saint Freya's garden, her steps light and carefree.
A gentle breeze stirred her long, waterfall-like green hair, making the black pleats of her skirt ripple like waves.
Her slender legs moved gracefully—only her right thigh wrapped in a pristine white thigh-high stocking—creating the perfect "absolute territory."
With delicate fingers, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her golden eyes shimmering as if catching the fading light.
Her whole aura radiated elegance and ease.
Resting quietly in the pocket of her skirt was the Herrscher of Reason's Core, glimmering like a sapphire.
The deal was complete.
The intel had been delivered, while the power sourced from beyond the Imaginary Tree would come later. C.C's excuse was simple—such "outside world" power wasn't easily obtained, and for now, she had none suitable to hand over.
After all, the only reliable supply of multi-world compatible power in this realm came from the chat group's gacha pool.
Every item there was designed to transcend all worlds.
Another possible method was for C.C to purchase a "Fated One" for Welt and then retrieve some force from another world—perhaps a Spirit Crystal from Itsuka Kotori's universe.
While such an item couldn't match a genuine Herrscher Core in value, it was more than enough to settle the difference in their trade.
But doing that meant taking a loss—unacceptable for proper business.
In the end, Welt would simply have to wait until she drew something suitable from the gacha.
It was fortunate that the value of the intelligence C.C provided far exceeded expectations.
And since she'd chosen to make a deal rather than use force to claim the Core, Welt could at least trust she wasn't acting recklessly.
His caution was understandable.
What finally sealed the deal, though, was the additional knowledge C.C shared—vital information about Welt, Tesla, and their future child from the original.
With all that laid out, even the great Leader couldn't refuse to delay the remaining payment.
Meanwhile, Nagami hurried along the path, his swift steps stirring fallen leaves underfoot.
He cut across the island garden, his other self walking in tandem, their destination the quiet woods on Saint Freya's outskirts.
Evening was the best time for lovers to sneak away.
At the edge of the small forest, Nagami spotted blooming lilies—and… discarded items… strange rectangular stick-like things that resembled mushrooms.
Not that pure-minded Nagami would know their true purpose.
He simply burned them with a small fireball before continuing deeper, seeking a place where no one would disturb him.
Don't misunderstand.
It wasn't that the dormitory bed was uncomfortable or that he was looking for "outdoor excitement."
Rather, he needed a quiet space for the Fusion Core's awakening—the process was bound to cause quite a stir.
No doubt Theresa and Himeko would come hounding him if they sensed this, but they couldn't be allowed to know.
Herrscher Cores were unlike the chat group's multi-world powers; for his dual bodies, the difference was significant.
The self that wielded the Core would unlock the true Authority of Reason, while the other—despite sharing the exact same soul—would suffer limitations without it.
Small ones, but limits nonetheless.
Still, the impact shouldn't be great.
Even Welt, after losing his Core, could use a fraction of Reason's Authority through sheer mastery.
For C.C, whose Honkai resistance far exceeded his—near complete compatibility with Honkai energy—it was a non-issue.
Not even official Herrschers boasted such perfect adaptation.
The tragic rejection Bronya suffered—the forced expulsion of her Core after her body could no longer withstand its corruption—would never happen to her.
Once Nagami accepted the Core's power, even the lingering fragment of Welt's consciousness sealed within would be completely purged.
And that wasn't all.
The First Eruption had happened on January 1, 1952, in Berlin.
Welt Joyce—the Herrscher of Reason before Welt Young—had been the sole survivor of that catastrophe. His survival was thanks to becoming a Herrscher himself.
Yet Welt Joyce hadn't fallen to the Honkai Will because of the souls of the 300,000 people who perished in that disaster.
Their spirits had fused, strengthening his mind and helping him resist the Will's domination.
Thus was born the first traitor to Honkai.
As Nagami gazed at the Core in C.C palm, his spinning purple hexagram pupils reflected its brilliance—a glow like countless souls shining across the heavens.
This… was humanity's song of defiance.
Even now, those fragmented souls continued to resist Honkai's corruption of the Core.
Their enduring presence had protected Bronya as well when she inherited the Core—keeping the Honkai Will's whispers at bay.
"You can rest now," Nagami murmured softly, like a gentle prayer.
Then his eyes snapped wide open.
A violent storm erupted.
From Nagami and C.C's bodies, torrents of Honkai energy surged forth like an unstoppable flood, howling like gales that could tear apart the heavens.
A glorious violet tide, laced with an otherworldly crimson glow—the color of passion and longing—poured into the sapphire-blue Core before them.
The core, gleaming like blue crystal, suddenly burst into radiant brilliance.
Like waves of the sea, the light surged forth, instantly illuminating the forest that had long been swallowed by darkness.
On C.C.'s fair forehead, the crimson mark of a soaring bird began to glow with a deep red light.
In the next instant, along with the collapsing consciousness within the core and three hundred thousand near-shattered souls, everything was drawn into the World of C.
But this time... the world of consciousness was slightly different.
Countless stars sparkled above, casting their dazzling starlight upon this monochrome realm.
Only a faint trace of the Honkai consciousness remained within the core—that was the very reason these trapped souls had managed to endure until now.
Having absorbed the original essence left behind by the last Honkai's self-destruction, and thanks to the autonomous evolution of Nagami's soul, he now possessed the power to completely erase these remnants in a single strike.
With a surge of brilliant, bewitching red light, the crimson bird with mighty wings reappeared once more.
Slowly flapping its wings, the bird soared gently into the sky, warm red radiance flowing from its feathers.
Every star touched by this glow responded, flickering in resonance with the souls of those who had perished to the Honkai.
As the crimson bird swept across the heavens, the countless stars in the space of consciousness erupted in a light more pure and dazzling than ever before—clear, pristine, untainted.
For that fleeting moment, the once black-and-white realm was dyed in a myriad of brilliant colors, shining resplendently.
Nagami stood in silence, quietly watching this breathtaking sight, the earlier excitement from claiming the core now fading into calmness.
The stars, once shimmering with life, slowly dimmed... finally dissolving into countless glittering motes of pure light, scattering like dust in the wind.
As Nagami gazed upon the drifting lights—each glowing fragment seemingly telling the bittersweet tales of countless families—his expression grew ever more solemn.
In this silent world, as peaceful as a snow-covered field, the crimson bird circled high above, letting out a deep, mournful cry.
Lifting his eyes toward the familiar shadow slowly taking shape above, Nagami gave a command to the hovering crimson bird with a single thought.
Following a path paved by streams of pure white light, the crimson bird unfurled its wings and soared upward against the current, devouring the awakening Honkai consciousness as its eyes slowly opened.
A familiar scene played out once again.
———————————————————————
—Outside the consciousness realm—
Unlike any ordinary Herrscher core, the icy blue crystal-like core no longer maintained its solid form when faced with Nagami—who had twice absorbed the essence of the Honkai itself.
Instead, it melted into a mass of deep, swirling blue energy, merging directly into Nagami's body—an ultimate sign of perfect resonance with Honkai energy.
A small portion of that same energy, through their shared bond, also flowed into C.C. body.
The space surrounding their bodies began to distort, glowing with an eerie azure hue.
From the imaginary space connected to the core, a raging torrent of energy came pouring forth like a flood, swirling wildly around them.
Now a Herrscher, Nagami could directly link his core to the imaginary space, freely drawing upon its boundless supply of Honkai energy.
But every trace of energy that passed through Nagami's body was now tinged with a deep crimson hue of obsession and love.
The torrent of tangible energy wrapped itself around both Nagami and C.C., manifesting as countless glowing particles that danced like ethereal serpents along their forms.
The exclusive attire of a Herrscher was beginning to take shape.
For Nagami, this was a long, deep-blue coat, embroidered with intricate black-and-white patterns on the back.
As energy storms howled around him, the hem of the coat flared and whipped dramatically in the chaos.
The blue glow surrounding C.C. gently faded away, revealing her delicate, snow-white face—like a masterpiece of flawless craftsmanship.
On her dust-free green hair, black feather ornaments shimmered, from which two black and two blue ribbons extended gracefully.
A black-and-white with a little blue off-shoulder dress traced the slender, elegant curves of her tall frame.
Below, a form-fitting black waist guard exposed her smooth abdomen, and beneath that, her skirt blossomed like a flower—pure white with double ruffled layers, the inner fabric faintly touched with blue accents.
Her flawless thighs, smooth as polished jade, peeked from the high slits of the dress, wrapped in sleek black stockings, which seamlessly matched the black heels edged with blue.
The Herrscher of Reason—was born.