I Am Honkai

"I'll take care of everything."

With Selene's connection to the Will of Honkai established, she bypassed the birth of the Eleventh Herrscher (Herrscher of Binding), the Twelfth Herrscher (Herrscher of Corruption), and the natural progression of the Thirteenth Herrscher to directly take up the authority of the Fourteenth Herrscher—Herrscher of Finality, the embodiment of the End.

Boom!

Like the resonating beat of a titan's war drum, a deafening roar rolled across the infinite void, shaking the very fabric of existence.

In ordinary circumstances, the birth of Herrschers followed a strict sequence, a step-by-step progression through trials.

From the Herrscher of Reason (First Herrscher) to the Herrscher of Finality (Fourteenth Herrscher), each stage represented a cumulative challenge. Humanity could only unlock the next Herrscher by overcoming the previous one, often accompanied by catastrophic Honkai events.

These prerequisites ensured the balance of the trial process. Simply possessing a Herrscher core was insufficient to qualify as a Herrscher.

However, Selene was anything but ordinary. Technically speaking, she wasn't this civilization's Herrscher of Finality at all. She belonged to the Sacred Selene Empire, a Herrscher created through her own "entrepreneurial" efforts.

Although Selene's undeniable position as a Herrscher of Finality caused some momentary "lag" in the Will of Honkai's operational logic, this was ultimately inconsequential. The residual traces of the Herrscher of the Void's core (originating from Sirin) lingering within Selene confirmed her identity as the Will's "Daughter."

Granted, this "Daughter" had developed far beyond expectations, skipping the subordinate "tool" phase of the previous thirteen Herrschers and ascending directly to near-peer status with the Will itself.

Yet the abrupt leap from the Eleventh to the Fourteenth Herrscher presented a significant challenge. Was skipping three critical trials fair to the civilization? Wasn't the preparation time too short?

For the Will of Honkai, such considerations were irrelevant.

"Up the Difficulty!"

In the Will's logic, the current civilization exhibited too many irregularities.

The residual legacies of the Previous Era Civilization—represented by "Heroes" like Kevin Kaslana and the extensive research of Dr. Mei—had significantly disrupted the trial's standard mechanisms.

The "Cheats" exploited by the present civilization, including Herrschers who defected to humanity and rebels among the Will's chosen tools, were blatant abuses of loopholes in the system.

While these issues could be tolerated to a degree, the blatant deviation had gone too far.

With Selene's arrival, the Will of Honkai now had an alternative. She represented the ultimate "authorized escalation".

Why waste time on minor trials when the embodiment of Finality was already present?

The Will's resolve was simple: "Face the ultimate trial directly."

It was not interested in the proposals of opportunists like Otto Apocalypse, who sought to manipulate it through loopholes. Instead, the Will focused on ensuring the integrity of its purpose.

Selene's presence meant skipping the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Herrscher trials entirely. Humanity would now face the full force of the Fourteenth Herrscher's authority.

Hum!

Even before Selene's physical arrival, her alignment with the Will of Honkai triggered immense ripples across the world.

Unlike the natural process where Herrscher births followed Honkai catastrophes, Selene's fully realized state as a Herrscher of Finality flipped the script.

The mere existence of Selene caused an immediate, worldwide escalation of Honkai energy, triggering surges across every significant Honkai zone.

From the site of the First Honkai Eruption in Berlin (Herrscher of Reason: Walter Joyce) to the Third Honkai in Nagazora City (Herrscher of Thunder: Raiden Mei), and even the Fourth Honkai in New Zealand (Herrscher of Wind: Wendy), Honkai energy spiked uncontrollably.

The Siberian Wastelands, the main battleground of the Second Honkai Eruption, experienced an especially intense surge. The howls of awakening Honkai Beasts reverberated across the frozen tundra.

Honkai energy radiation skyrocketed from 100 HW to over 500 HW, surpassing critical thresholds in many regions and showing no signs of slowing.

To put this into perspective, a threshold of 1000 HW was necessary to create conditions for the birth of a new Herrscher. At 500 HW, the surging energy already hinted at catastrophic instability.

From the depths of Siberia's permafrost, glowing crimson eyes flickered open, one after another. Mutated forms emerged, their towering bodies radiating raw, malevolent energy.

Howls echoed across the wasteland, like a choir of destruction, heralding the return of their king.

A colossal Honkai Beast stirred, its movements accompanied by a cacophony of crunching snow and ice. As it stepped forward, the storm around it thickened, and more shadows gathered beneath the violet-tinged blizzard.

Alarms blared across the world.

The organizations monitoring Honkai events, including Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, immediately detected the surge. Warning sirens wailed across outposts bordering Honkai zones, signaling the incoming disaster.

The fortified perimeter bristled with activity. Automated turrets, rocket launchers, and mechs roared to life as soldiers manned their positions.

Gunfire echoed as troops fired relentlessly into the advancing waves of Honkai Beasts.

For every Beast felled, two more emerged from the snowstorm.

"Detecting energy output above 500 HW!"

"The containment zone is failing! Defensive minefields are nearly overrun! Fall back in staggered formation! Maintain covering fire!"

The harsh winter landscape, marked by barbed wire and landmines, quickly became a slaughterhouse. Honkai Beasts surged in from every direction, ripping apart defenses with sheer ferocity.

Amid the chaos, a grizzled veteran spun on his heels, narrowly dodging a massive claw strike. His rifle barked defiantly as he rolled to safety.

Selene's awakening as the Herrscher of Finality marked the dawn of a new era.

The Honkai energy surges were not the herald of her power—they were the result.

As the skies darkened with her encroaching presence, the Will of Honkai prepared to deliver its ultimate judgment.

Humanity stood at the precipice of annihilation.

Would they overcome this final trial? Or would Selene bring about the end of their age?

The End Has Come.

The claws of Honkai Beasts could easily tear through metal, and for these soldiers—neither Valkyries nor equipped with high-grade armor—the beasts rendered their thin defenses as fragile as paper.

"Fire!"

After focusing their fire to turn a Lesser Honkai Beast into a sieve, the soldiers barely had time to reload when a Raider-class Honkai Beast charged toward them.

It leapt high, aiming to crush them with its massive frame.

Schlick!

A particle energy blade emerged, slicing upward and cleaving the beast's head in half. Its bisected corpse, glowing white and purple, fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

The soldiers, narrowly escaping death, looked toward the advancing Machine Troops and exhaled deeply, rallying their men to retreat behind the fortifications for defensive cover.

Even with the Machines acting as a temporary front line, they were woefully insufficient. Against the overwhelming tide of tens of thousands of Honkai Beasts, the hastily assembled defensive line was soon swallowed by the surging white wave.

Though ultimately overwhelmed, the Machines bought precious time.

Inside the defensive works, soldiers who had survived by the skin of their teeth gasped for air. Some among the newer recruits, unable to cope with the overwhelming sense of impending doom, broke down sobbing as they tried to maintain their weapons.

Not everyone is a hero.

Not everyone can stare death in the face with unwavering resolve.

The last Honkai event had barely subsided. Many of these soldiers had suffered heavy casualties suppressing the beast uprising within the disaster zone. They hadn't even rotated out, and now another calamity had struck so soon.

With each passing event, the interval between Honkai Eruption catastrophes grew shorter, and the scale of destruction more severe. Despair crept deeper into humanity's collective psyche.

Which city would fall next?

Would humanity's fragile defenses hold?

Could anyone survive against the unrelenting onslaught of the Honkai Beasts?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

On the fortress walls, mechanized turrets hummed with sharp, grinding sounds as their trapezoidal barrels rotated and fired.

The automated cannons and energy weapons lit up the pale wasteland, reducing swathes of the approaching Honkai Beast tide to scorched ash. Yet, the scale of the horde remained staggering, stretching into the horizon.

Bang!

"Prepare for engagement! Open fire!" the officer's voice bellowed from the frontlines.

Schicksal Headquarters

Perched above the Mediterranean Sea, the floating archipelago of Schicksal's headquarters comprised the organization's administrative core and its most advanced research facilities.

Externally, Schicksal was a beacon of humanity's resistance against Honkai, operating tirelessly to combat the threat.

Internally, however, what its leader truly used this organization for was known only to himself.

The massive complex consisted of nine main islands, each named after one of the Nine Realms from Norse mythology:

• Midgard: Administrative center.

• Asgard: Strategic command.

• Helheim: Honkai energy system laboratories.

• Jotunheim: Industrial R&D hub.

• Niflheim, Muspelheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim: Specialized functions.

Among these, Helheim and Jotunheim bore witness to the chaos erupting as reports of Honkai activity poured in like torrential rain.

Not long ago, Otto Apocalypse, Schicksal's leader for five centuries, had shocked the world by live-streaming a revelation of Honkai's true nature.

In an unprecedented twist, Otto announced his resignation, appointing Theresa Apocalypse as his successor.

The seismic nature of this revelation left Schicksal's rank and file in a state of collective whiplash.

Even days later, the shock lingered.

Theresa Apocalypse... Was she qualified to lead Schicksal?

Her past accomplishments were respectable, but under the looming shadow of Otto's legacy, her leadership seemed uncertain.

And just as this leadership vacuum threatened to destabilize the organization further—

"BEEP! WOOOP!"

The unmistakable blare of a Honkai Eruption Alert jolted Schicksal HQ into pandemonium.

Monitoring personnel stared wide-eyed as disaster reports flooded the central hub, each worse than the last:

• "Alert! Honkai energy levels in Nagazora City are spiking rapidly!"

• "Alert! Honkai energy in New Zealand is surging exponentially!"

• "Alert! Siberian disaster zone now registering 700 HW Honkai energy! Approaching critical threshold!"

• "Siberian defensive forces are requesting reinforcements immediately!"

Pandemonium erupted among the staff.

"All disaster zones across the globe are experiencing simultaneous eruptions?!"

"How is the scope so massive?!"

In the history of Honkai events, most were confined to a single city or region. Even with a Herrscher's birth, activity typically remained localized.

But this? A simultaneous, global-scale escalation of Honkai energy was unprecedented.

Although no single location had yet breached the catastrophic 1000 HW threshold, the synchronized surges were far more alarming than a localized spike.

The on-duty coordinator's heart raced, his mind blank with panic.

"A new Honkai Eruption is approaching—this is only the precursor!"

He cursed under his breath.

How long had it been since the last Honkai Eruption?

The world barely had time to recover, and now this?!

The sheer scale of these disturbances evoked haunting memories of the Second Honkai Eruption, where the Herrscher of the Void had sparked a worldwide crisis.

"Notify the acting Overseer immediately!" A middle-aged man with a monocle stumbled out of the communications room, his trembling hands clutching a clipboard.

"Disaster zones are reporting unprecedented Honkai Beast uprisings. The Siberian forces urgently need reinforcements!"

"Early indicators suggest this may herald the birth of a new Herrscher! Estimated threat level: Extinction."

A Valkyrie prepared to deploy but froze as realization struck.

Not only was Schicksal leaderless—Theresa Apocalypse hadn't yet officially assumed her role, and Otto had severed all ties upon his departure.

Even Durandal, Schicksal's strongest S-Rank Valkyrie, was absent. Her deputy, Rita Rossweisse, was also unreachable.

Schicksal's centralized hierarchy, normally its greatest strength, had become its Achilles' heel.

Without a capable decision-maker at the helm, the organization was paralyzed.

"Contact Theresa immediately!" someone shouted.

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