Did the Herrscher of Wind choosing to hang herself count as atonement? Vill-V did not know. In the end, she had protected Vill-V—yet whether Vill-V had the right to judge her right or wrong, she did not know that either.
Because at this moment, Vill-V had no time to evaluate what exactly had happened with the Herrscher of Wind.
She could barely take care of herself.
"So tell me—why did you switch me out during free fall?! Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!"
Even the usually chatty Lecturer had completely lost her composure.
It had to be said—every Vill-V possessed a certain comedic streak, even Lecturer.
"Magician, help me out here!"
Magician found Lecturer's panic rather amusing, but on the surface she feigned helplessness. "Oh dear, while gliding through the wind at high altitude with the entire world beneath your feet does feel amazing... I must respectfully decline. I'm afraid of heights too, you know. Magician, Conductor, and Expert have already taken turns performing for quite a while. It's your turn now, Lecturer~"
The genius Vill-V suffered from acrophobia across the board, and Magician was no exception. Her earlier aerial performance had already pushed her to the limit.
"Friendly reminder—I modified the wing surface and the jet vents of the glider. Hope you enjoy it."
With that, Magician sank back into the depths of consciousness, leaving Lecturer alone to handle the free fall.
...
The Fourth Herrscher had been eliminated. But the bone-connecting hormone Kevin had injected was no mere placebo. He had received instructions from Dr. Mei to recover a strange organism that had appeared on the battlefield.
The Honkai Beasts had been mostly cleared, yet the scorched stench of gunpowder still lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate.
Under the cover of night and ruins, Kevin dragged the corpse of the black Homu doll and quietly hauled it aboard his aircraft.
"Captain Kevin, what exactly is this creature?"
Minori widened her eyes and curiously poked at the black HoMu's body. It was not as hard as she had imagined. Instead, it was limp and soft, much like a real plush toy—though its elasticity was extraordinary. Even a dagger could not cut through it.
"I heard it escaped from Dr. Mobius' laboratory. As for what it is exactly, I'm not sure."
As he spoke, Kevin suddenly leaned close to Minori's face, his gaze filled with gravity.
"Eh?! C-Captain Kevin, what are you doing? This isn't appropriate... I'm not ready yet..."
A faint blush spread across Minori's cheeks as she stammered incoherently.
Kevin had no such improper intentions. He simply spoke solemnly:
"This matter must remain confidential. You cannot tell anyone, and it cannot be written into the report. Understood?"
This secret mission was related to Mei. Kevin had to execute it flawlessly.
"Ah—ah, understood..."
Thud—
Suddenly, Kevin collapsed into Minori's arms.
Startled, she hurriedly supported him. His face was pale, his breathing rapid. He was utterly exhausted.
"Captain Kevin, are you alright?" she called anxiously, patting his cheek in an attempt to rouse him.
This battle had long since drained every last ounce of Kevin's strength. After securing Minori's promise, he could no longer hold on. Pain and weakness dragged him into unconsciousness.
...
Expert had been persuaded by Lecturer. It had to be said—Lecturer truly had a knack for convincing others.
For example, Expert could now take medical leave on the grounds of shock-induced illness.
And so, Expert fainted in Lecturer's place.
Yes. The other Vill-Vs landed safely with steady mindsets. A perfect ending for everyone.
Only Expert suffered in this world...
However, Expert's sick leave brought trouble to Conductor.
In Conductor Vill-V's palm floated a glowing emerald feather, emitting a faint fluorescence in the night.
Rather than being a feather from the Herrscher's body, it was more accurate to say it was the feather that had once been inserted into Wendy's head by Gurgun. It had merely been dyed green, seemingly eroded by Wendy's authority.
The gentle glow unsettled Conductor, yet according to the Honkai energy detection instruments, the feather's radiation level was not high. That was why Conductor dared to examine it in her hand.
"Project Bunny, run an analysis. What is this material composed of?"
Vill-V's quantum computer had now been officially designated Project Bunny 008, already prepared to be handed over to the future Bronya.
Over the past two years, Project Bunny 008 had been engaged in autonomous learning and thus had rarely appeared.
In the past, she had been nothing more than an ordinary quantum computer. Every answer she gave was generated according to artificial intelligence protocols.
For instance, regarding a tree—within her original memory banks, there was no true concept of a tree. She only possessed data such as tree, leaf, green, trunk. Even if she could recognize the image of a tree, she did not understand what a tree was.
Now, she was no longer what she once had been. She could rely on her own logical chains to comprehend many things.
"Composition cannot be analyzed. This feather is not entirely a real-number space substance. Estimated to be a product of Imaginary Space," Project Bunny replied in a mechanical voice resembling Bronya's.
"A product of Imaginary Space? Then why can I observe it with the naked eye?"
"Insufficient data. Unable to parse. Dr. Tesla's Helpful Tip: Could you try using that wooden fish head of yours for once? Do you even remember inputting any data about Imaginary Space into Project Bunny? If you don't, why ask such a question? Are you looking for trouble?..."
"Stop. Stop right there. First uninstall the 'Dr. Tesla's Helpful Tip' mini-program that Magician installed."
"Understood. 'Dr. Tesla's Helpful Tip' mini-program successfully uninstalled."
Given Expert's current poor condition, analysis of the feather would have to be postponed. Hopefully, it was not some curse Wendy had left behind before her death.
As for why Occultist was not asked to study the feather—given Occultist's personality, she would undoubtedly activate it directly. What might happen, Occultist would not care in the slightest... Vill-V might very well be weathered into dust on the spot.
Though Occultist was usually gentle and refined in her dealings with others, when it came to research she resembled a religious fanatic. To her, rationality was unnecessary. Only without reason could one know more...
Only Expert's rigorous and meticulous attitude reassured Conductor and the other Vill-Vs. Pure Evil, on the other hand, greatly admired Occultist.
Conductor had attempted to discard the emerald feather. But once it left a three-meter radius, it would dissipate and then regenerate over her chest. It appeared to be bound to her through a degree of quantum entanglement. There was no escaping it.
But why over her chest? Could it be because she had pierced Wendy's chest, and so the feather intended to pierce hers someday when she was not paying attention...?
Project Bunny displayed the collected data in digital imagery before Vill-V.
"Based on the dispersion of Herrscher-level extreme Honkai energy and data from the Third Honkai Eruption, the Fourth Honkai Eruption cycle has reached its terminal phase."
"Wendy's biological structure has undergone molecular disintegration due to heavy particle bombardment. Confirmation: The Fourth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Wind—is deceased."
Vill-V sighed.
"It seems that, for now, research into Herrscher ascension can only go this far."
After all, even the Herrscher of Wind—who had come closest to ascension—had explicitly stated that ascension could not free one from the threads of fate, and had chosen self-destruction.
Ascension would not bring transformation. It would only make matters worse.
Had the Herrscher of Wind not subconsciously sought death since birth, the outcome of the Fourth Honkai Eruption might have been very different indeed.