"Humans, are you ready to face judgment?"
Elias' golden eyes shone brilliantly. What was once a light gold hue had now transformed into pure, radiant gold, carrying the divine authority of a god's apostle.
His bloodstained laboratory uniform had vanished.
In its place was the majestic garb of a Herrscher—an elegant white and gold battle attire, adorned with intricate engravings and lightweight Honkai-infused armor, making him appear like a knight serving the divine.
Behind him, three Void Spears hovered at the ready, while on his left, three luminous golden wings, formed from pure Honkai energy, spread wide.
"Quick! Activate the destruction protocol!"
"X1 has become the Second Herrscher!"
"Report this immediately, or else…"
The destruction devices meant to eliminate mindless Honkai creatures and test subjects were no match for a Herrscher. Even though Elias had just awakened, these weapons were powerless against him.
Three Void Spears shot out, instantly dismantling the devices. Space itself twisted and collapsed under their force, turning the surroundings into a ruinous wasteland.
Some researchers desperately pressed the detonation switch—yet nothing happened.
It was true that Elias' body had been implanted with numerous fail-safes, including a palm-sized electromagnetic bomb near his heart to prevent rebellion.
However, these people knew nothing about Herrschers or Honkai. Herrscher transformation was a form of rebirth—an evolution. The moment he awakened, every impurity, injury, and foreign object in his body was purged completely.
"…It finally worked."
Feeling the overwhelming Herrscher power coursing through him, Elias let out a breath of relief. Thanks to a certain pink-haired elf from the Previous Era, he had managed to retain his humanity.
Becoming a Herrscher was not as difficult as it seemed.
He had the necessary Honkai adaptability.
He had an immense reserve of Honkai energy.
And he carried more than enough negative emotions.
The first two were self-explanatory. The researchers themselves had provided him with an abundance of Honkai energy—every injection and experiment had long since pushed him past the threshold.
As for the last requirement…
That was the easiest.
No matter how optimistic Elias had tried to be, enduring countless human experiments without harboring a shred of resentment would have made him more angelic than even Elysia herself.
This was karma.
It was precisely because of these monsters and their experiments that Elias had now become a Herrscher.
However, just as these people braced themselves for imminent death, Elias suddenly vanished.
"W-Where did he go?!"
"Babylon's internal sensors are detecting multiple spatial anomalies. Could his authority be…?!"
"Wait, what is he doing?! X1 is rescuing the test subjects!"
Though Elias longed to slaughter these wretches immediately, killing them now would be far too merciful. More importantly, there was something else he had to do first.
Imaginary Portals opened within every prison cell in Babylon, and before the imprisoned children even realized what was happening, they found themselves outside.
The girls looked around in bewilderment.
The snow-covered sky, the pure white landscape—so different from the darkness of Babylon—and above them… Elias, floating in midair like an ethereal being.
They stared at him in awe until one little girl timidly asked,
"Big brother… are you an angel?"
Snow-white hair, golden eyes, a handsome face, and radiant Herrscher wings—aside from the absence of a halo, Elias looked exactly like the angels from the children's fairy tales.
"Angel big brother, did you come to save us?"
"Please, angel big brother, I miss my mom and dad. Take me home."
"Save us, angel big brother! We don't want to go back to that place—it hurts, it's so scary."
Herrschers were supposed to bring calamity and destruction, but to these children, the one who had saved them from hell was nothing less than a divine guardian.
They pleaded with Elias, begging him to take them away from this nightmare.
Meanwhile, Sirin, Avrora, Agata, and Galina stared at him in stunned silence.
Just moments ago, they had been praying for Elias' safety inside their cell. Before they even realized it, everything had changed.
"Elias, are you okay?"
"Big brother Elias looks… amazing."
"Eh? How did we get out?"
"It must have been Elias who saved us!"
Elias approached the four girls and, as always, gently patted their heads.
The Will of the Void had already awakened within him, but he held it firmly in check.
With the Unyielding Will trait and Elysia's blessing, Elias had successfully maintained his own consciousness while wielding the power of the Herrscher of the Void.
He had become humanity's Herrscher.
But at that moment—
The gates of the Babylon Laboratory burst open.
Dozens of Valkyries and nearly a hundred Titan mechs emerged, their hostility toward Elias undeniable.
"The Second Herrscher has been confirmed!"
"Secure the battlefield and stall him!"
"Wait for reinforcements from the Archbishop's division, then eliminate the target!"
"Titan units, fire!"
Babylon was one of Schicksal's most crucial research facilities, conducting high-risk experiments related to the Honkai.
As such, it was heavily fortified with elite combat forces.
Elias cast a cold gaze at them. There were so many children behind him—yet these people hesitated not even for a moment.
"So this is your choice, huh."
He knew not all Valkyries were like this. Most fought with the noble belief of protecting all that was beautiful in the world.
But these ones…
These Valkyries were not among them.
As the guardians of Babylon, they knew about the inhumane experiments carried out here, yet they did nothing to stop them—instead, they aided the perpetrators.
In that case…
Elias would kill them without hesitation.
"Humans truly are foolish most of the time."
Nearly a hundred missiles locked onto Elias, heedless of the innocent children behind him. Simultaneously, the Valkyries charged forward, using the chaos as cover to strike him down.
But—
Just as the missiles were about to hit, Elias smirked and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Countless portals opened in midair—
Swallowing every single missile whole.
"Here, have them back."
Elias clutched a sphere of light in his hand. The next moment, the portals reappeared—but this time, they surrounded the Titan mechs and the attacking Valkyries.
Everything they had sent to destroy him—
Was now being returned to them in full force.
"What?!"
"Nooooooo!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The very missiles fired at Elias had now become the harbingers of their own destruction. A storm of fire and shrapnel engulfed the Titan mechs and the Valkyries alike.
Even the permafrost of Siberia was blasted away, revealing the earth beneath. The Titan units were all but annihilated, and the Valkyries suffered heavy casualties. Those who survived lay sprawled across the ground, staring up at the boy in the sky.
"Guh… so this is the power of a Herrscher…"
"A monster…"
He had only revealed a fraction of his authority—
And it had already brought them to utter ruin.
Yet, in stark contrast to the fear in the Valkyries' eyes, the children behind Elias gazed at him with awe and wonder.
To them, Elias was not a harbinger of destruction but a hero—a mighty warrior who had vanquished the demons that sought to capture them.
With but a mere gesture, he had descended like a being from myth, an avenging seraph sent by the heavens to cleanse the world of its sins.