Chapter 55

【Kiana: How could it end like this? We were clearly about to win this battle.】

【Bronya (Honkai): I had assumed the Flame-Chasers were the most outstanding of all the MANTISes.】

【Fu Hua: This past... it seems to cause me some pain...】

【Black Swan: It is indeed a painful memory.】

【Huang Quan: Indeed...】

…Righteousness…. ===== CHAPTER 147 =====

The Honkai Star Rail universe...

Somewhere burning with flames...

Huang Quan sat upon a throne, a fallen ram’s skull at her feet...

Beneath the ram’s skull lay a very elegant black robe.

It looked as if it were the attire of the one who owned the skull...

Huang Quan ignored everything around her, instead watching the livestream and listening to Bai Feng’s narration.

“The extinguishing of the flame of hope is the most painful thing of all...”

Huang Quan’s words seemed to show empathy for the tragedy of the constraints in the Previous Era.

It was as if Huang Quan herself had once experienced something similar...

However, in this palace surrounded by flames, Huang Quan was the only one present.

Thus, Huang Quan said nothing more, continuing to watch Bai Feng and Bronya in the livestream.

Inside the Herta Space Station...

Herta’s gaze sank slightly: “I had always assumed the Honkai Consciousness mentioned by the viewers of the Honkai world was more like a natural consciousness...”

Asta asked curiously: “Ms. Herta, what does ‘natural consciousness’ mean?”

“It’s a consciousness like a dead command, only driving Herrschers and Honkai Beasts to destroy human civilization.”

“But now it seems, this Honkai Consciousness is not like that...”

“It possesses its own ability to think, and can even create corresponding Herrschers to cause destruction based on the changes in human civilization...”

“It really is terrifying!”

“If this is truly the case, it means the appearance of the Honkai is not some disaster that develops alongside civilization...”

“It is more like some intentional act...”

Herta looked at the livestream.

Her expression became pensive...

“Ms. Herta, do you mean these disasters in the Honkai world are actually brought about by someone?”

Herta nodded: “That’s not the most terrifying part; the most terrifying part is the ability to create these disasters.”

“The powers of the Herrschers, and Honkai energy...”

“The Star Rail universe and the Honkai world are both worlds built upon the Imaginary Tree system, so the essence of Honkai energy and these powers come from the Imaginary.”

“In other words, the one who created the Honkai possesses a powerful ability to convert Imaginary energy without going through a Path...”

“I cannot even imagine how powerful such an ability is!”

Herta considered herself incapable of such a feat...

After all, there is an iron rule in the Star Rail universe!

That is, to use Imaginary energy and convert it into power one can wield,

one must go through the conversion of a Path...

This is the way Pathstriders obtain power after stepping onto their Path...

Asta also seemed to gradually understand what an outrageous thing this was.

“If it were just the world itself, one could understand it as the world’s unique nature...”

“But if it is man-made, does that not mean there exists a far more powerful entity that has mastered this ability to convert Imaginary energy?”

Herta nodded and continued to look at the livestream: “Perhaps we have been thinking too simply about everything happening in the Honkai world.”

“Let’s keep watching...”

“I want to know what will happen next.”

Asta nodded solemnly...

The appearance of the Herrscher of Binding changed the views of the Star Rail universe’s audience regarding the Honkai world.

The Honkai is man-made, whether it be the powers of the Herrschers or that destructive Honkai energy.

Someone is intentionally causing Imaginary energy to convert into such forms!

“So the ‘Thirteen Flame-Chasers’ refers to the thirteen warriors of the Moth who remained at the end...”

“It doesn’t have any other special meaning.”

Kiana’s mouth hung open in shock...

Bronya spoke slowly: “Perhaps there are other meanings, but it is mostly a memorial to the final thirteen.”

“Looking at it this way, the Honkai faced by the Previous Era was far more terrifying than what we face now...”

Fu Hua shook her head faintly: “Not so. At our current point in time, the Honkai has only produced the third Herrscher!”

“We haven’t reached that final stage yet...”

“Moreover, we Valkyries also use Honkai energy to fight. If the Herrscher of Binding descends again in the future...”

“And we humans have no effective way to respond...”

“Perhaps the tragedy of Binding will happen once more in this civilization!”

The expressions of Kiana and the others immediately turned grim.

“Even in the Previous Era, they only had the option of forcing a breakthrough.”

“Can we think of other combat methods?”

Mei was uncertain.

After all, Bai Feng had just said in the livestream that Fu Hua’s current strength is not even one-tenth of her peak, perhaps even less!

It shows just how powerful the MANTISes were back then!

Each one was at least close to the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie...

Yet even such a powerful lineup failed before the Herrscher of Binding...

By comparison, although the number of Schicksal Valkyries is greater,

in terms of overall strength, they are far inferior to the MANTISes of the Previous Era...

Furthermore, the technological level of the current era has not reached that of the Previous Era.

It is no exaggeration to say that the current era is inferior to the Previous Era in every dimension...

It is evident that when facing the same Herrscher of Binding,

the Herrscher of Binding might force the current era to pay an even greater price!

Of course, not everyone was so pessimistic!

Seeing the three fall silent, Kiana immediately said: “Mei, Monitor, and Bronya!”

“Did you forget something very important?”

“The Herrschers of our era are different!”

“So the future Herrscher of Binding might not necessarily stand on the side of the Honkai.”

“Maybe they will become our good friend!”

Bronya’s eyes lit up: “Hmm~ Kiana’s words are not impossible...”

“And the future Bronya didn’t show much change in expression when discussing this topic with the Captain in the livestream.”

“Perhaps the Herrscher of Binding of our era is indeed a bit different...”

Fu Hua nodded: “Let us hope so...”

Schicksal Headquarters...

Durandal and Rita were also shocked upon hearing of the tragedy of Binding!

As the two strongest Valkyries of Schicksal,

both had high clearance within Schicksal and were aware of the intelligence regarding the Herrschers passed down from the Previous Era. ===== CHAPTER 148 =====

They were all well aware of it...