---o---
"Human, are you the one who awakened me?"
"?"
When Chen Li typed out a question mark, it wasn't because he had a problem—it was because the other party did.
Dude, new account, don't mess with me!
To be honest, before typing out that "[You there?]", Chen Li had imagined countless possibilities.
For instance, he might encounter the Sirin who was still in Babylon Tower, not yet a Herrscher but filled with resentment from human experiments, yet still kind at heart. In that situation, it went without saying: he would rush over, give Sirin's little purple hair a good ruffle, and then blow up Babylon Tower for good measure.
Or, he might encounter the Sirin who had just become the Second Herrscher and escaped from Babylon Tower. He would take her on a trip to Schicksal HQ and hang that old bastard Otto—who had lived for 500 years and was still a rotten scoundrel with a mind full of nothing but Kallen—up to be whipped for three days and three nights.
Or, he might encounter the six-core, pufferfish-like Sirin who had thrown a meteor from the moon to Earth, causing immense destruction across the planet. After catching this Sirin, he would first hang her up to be whipped for three days and three nights, and then he would hang Otto up to be whipped for three days and three nights.
Chen Li had even imagined meeting a magical girl version of Sirin, floating in the air with a giant pair of scissors on her back...
But the one possibility he had never considered was encountering this Sirin.
If he wasn't mistaken, this Sirin was supposed to be Kiana's other side, her Herrscher personality.
Ah, yes, that's right. This was indeed Sirin.
Or rather, Kiana herself was a continuation of Sirin.
During the Second Eruption, Sirin, who had been subjected to long-term human experimentation and infused with Honkai energy at Schicksal's Babylon Tower, became the Second Herrscher and triggered the Great Eruption.
Sirin's life could be described as a tragedy. Whether it was the painful experiences of her youth or the spectacular beatdowns she received from various powerhouses after becoming an arrogant Herrscher, she had suffered heavy blows in every sense of the word.
After the Second Herrscher, Sirin, was successfully defeated, Otto obtained her once-damaged Herrscher Core. In order to study the world-saving power of the Kaslana family, he chose to use the Herrscher's power for his research and initiated the "Sirin Project," which involved creating clones using Kaslana genes.
After years without results, Otto took a gamble and implanted the damaged core of the Second Herrscher into the test subject K-423.
...
In the endless darkness, I dreamed a false dream.
In my dream, I longed for that woman who was not my mother.
I missed the warmth she once gave me, a warmth that made me feel at ease.
More than once, I wondered... if I became an ordinary person... could I live happily with her?
If I were given another chance... I want to hear her voice one more time (Ich liebe dich).
...
Holding onto the memory of the lady named Cecilia, test subject K-423 awakened.
Although the Herrschers of this generation had been given the possibility of possessing humanity with Elysia's help, the allure of the Honkai still remained. This led to another situation—a Herrscher personality.
And clearly, the one facing Chen Li now was that very Herrscher personality.
For now, it was best to call her the Herrscher of the Void.
The relationship between Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void wasn't a simple confrontation; they were two parts of a whole. Both were born from Sirin's wishes, like two branches growing from the same tree, reaching in different directions.
The difference was that the pain of the experiments, the temptation of the Honkai, and the hatred branded into the core created the human-hating Herrscher of the Void.
The longing to start over, the desire for an ordinary identity, to have friends, a simple and happy family, the yearning for hope and happiness... all this warmth created the eternally optimistic Kiana.
So... how Chen Li should handle the current predicament was already quite obvious, wasn't it?
Dad: My Queen, I am your retainer, Your Majesty!
Sirin: Huh?
When the Herrscher of the Void typed out that question mark, it didn't mean she had a problem; it meant Chen Li had a problem.
Among all the possibilities, Chen Li chose to urgently retract a message.
The Queen's personality had awakened so quickly because the information carried by the Miracle Commission had roused her. This also meant that the just-awakened Herrscher of the Void hadn't had time to receive any information about the Curio Forger.
So Chen Li quickly retracted that information.
Perhaps some residual information about the Curio Forger would remain in her mind, but Chen Li was confident he could move the Herrscher of the Void with his sincere words. He would make her forget all that nonsense.
Sirin: Are you Benares?
Dad: Ah, Benares? No. Your Majesty, have you really forgotten me? It's me, Dad.
Sirin: What kind of stupid name is that? Don't try to deceive me, human. Is this some other strange trick? Even if my consciousness has just awakened and I can't properly control this body, and I can only use a sliver of my power when the host's mind is vulnerable or emotionally agitated... Hmph, that's not a weakness you can use to deceive me or extract information!
"..." by Chen Li.
Didn't you just spill everything?!
Still, Chen Li had to consider himself lucky. It was a good thing the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness couldn't control Kiana's body, which was off doing who-knows-what right now. Otherwise, he would have had to do Kiana wrong.
Dad: Your Majesty, I'm not lying to you. When you see this scale, can you still not remember our wonderful life together?
As he typed, Chen Li took out a scale he had plucked from the Second Herrscher's companion Honkai Beast back in the Previous Era. He slapped the entire material card of the Herrscher of the Void's companion beast onto it, heated it with the Miracle Forge to fuse it into the scale, and then sent it over as a gift.
Chen Li suddenly realized that this material card might actually come in handy.
It was all the choice of Steins;Gate!
"What is this?"
In the boundless darkness, a beam of light shot down like a stage spotlight, illuminating a single circle of light. Within it, a young girl sat alone, hugging her knees, as if she and the light were all that was left in the world.
Then, a stream of information materialized out of thin air, forming a palm-sized scale.
The Herrscher of the Void gently stroked the scale, which felt both familiar and strange. She sensed that it did indeed seem to have some miraculous connection to her as the Herrscher of the Void. It felt like they were born to be together, yet it was definitely not Benares.
Sirin: I'm sorry, you might have the wrong person.
It was rare for the Herrscher of the Void to be so polite, but her companion Honkai Beast was an exception, even if this might not be it.
Dad: Impossible to be mistaken. The special authority that connects you and me is precisely the deep bond between a Herrscher and her companion beast!
Sirin: ...
Dad: After waiting bitterly for over 50,000 years, Your Majesty, I finally see you again. I've missed you so, so much.
Dad: Your Majesty, you have no idea what kind of life I've been living outside the bubble universe of our home world! I have to work a full eight hours every day, they only provide three meals and snacks a day, the milk is only served in the morning, the lunch break is just one hour, I only get a raise every four months, overtime only pays triple, I'm forced to exercise for an hour after work, and there's only one psychological counseling session a week!
Sirin: ...
She didn't understand any of that.
"Crap, I've run into someone who's truly clueless," Chen Li cursed inwardly.
Telling these things to an unemployed person was like Sunday trying to talk to the Trailblazer and their crew of freelancers about a seven-day work week. They didn't work in the first place and even went around looking for trouble—they were practically cosmic street loiterers. If you told them they get seven days off a week, they wouldn't comprehend it.
Dad: Anyway, after waiting for a full cycle, that is, 50,000 years, I've finally found you, Your Majesty. Now, I'm just waiting for your command, and I will return from the bubble universe and we will destroy the world!
Sirin: A cycle?
Dad: Oh, you don't know, Your Majesty? This world goes through a cycle every 50,000 years, and with each cycle, 13 Herrschers are born to cleanse the world. Herrschers are apostles of God born alongside the Honkai, emerging during each Great Eruption...
Sirin: I know that part.
Dad: As long as you know, Your Majesty. So, can you bring me back now, and we can destroy the world together?
Sirin: You're too late.
Dad: What do you mean?
Sirin: I have already been defeated once. I am now trapped within this body's vessel, but the strength of my consciousness is not enough to seize control.
Dad: What? I'm too late? The Second Great Eruption already happened?
Sirin: It's been a few decades, I think.
Dad: What? I'm several decades late?
Sirin: I suppose so. And I already have my own companion Honkai Beast. Its name is Benares.
Dad: What? Your Majesty, you have another companion beast? Then what were my 50,000 years of waiting for?
Dad: Don't, Your Majesty! Don't abandon me.
Dad: Your Majesty, I want to be your dragon!
Dad: 50,000 years ago, when you were defeated, you told me to leave and find a safe place to live, and you said you would come back in 50,000 years. Were you lying to me?
Dad: Now 50,000 years have passed, the world has truly cycled again, yet you've forgotten everything?
Dad: We promised to be Herrscher partners for life! Don't let the Flame-Chaser bonds outshine our Honkai Disaster bonds!
"Tsk, what a pain."
Within her space of consciousness, the Herrscher of the Void pursed her lips. But as she stroked the scale that had a faint connection to her, she felt a little touched by this creature's dedication, having waited for the Herrscher of the Void for a whole 50,000 years.
Hmm, am I really a heartbreaker?
Dad: Your Majesty, why don't you have a piece of chocolate to calm down first.
Before the Herrscher of the Void could refuse, a piece of chocolate appeared in front of her.
Sirin: Not interested.
Dad: Your Majesty, you've been hungry for so many years. At least have a bite.
Sirin: ...
Sirin hesitated for a moment, then took a small bite of the chocolate.
The taste... seemed pretty good. Just one more bite!
Especially when the Herrscher of the Void looked up through the "skylight" floating above her and saw that Kiana was so hungry she was about to start picking up trash to eat, the chocolate in her hand suddenly seemed even more delicious.
---o---