"I'm not childish at all. I can even go to the battlefield. How can you call me childish?"
Kevin was very dissatisfied with Su's comment.
Childishness didn't seem to apply to him at all. What kind of warrior who fights on the battlefield can be called childish?
"Sure, sure, you're not childish at all. That time you beat a Honkai beast with a baseball bat, then stood on its head and raised the bat high—that was super cool, not childish at all."
"Right? I thought that move was pretty awesome too. Hehe."
"Lol."
...
"Be ready at all times. Skadi, you too. If there's even the slightest fluctuation, immediately use the authority of the Herrscher of Ice to freeze it completely.
After that, we can start our research. Chang Yuan, you also need to be ready. If Skadi can't contain it, you'll have to step in and eliminate it."
A few days later, deep within MOTH's underground laboratory, 500 meters below the surface.
Several death row inmates had been brought here. They would serve as experimental materials.
Using their sinful life to contribute to humanity's fight against the Honkai was their final destiny.
After all, they were going to die anyway. Why not make their deaths meaningful?
"Always ready, Dr. Vill-V!"
Skadi raised her right hand with a somewhat silly expression.
Seeing that everything was prepared, Mei was in charge of monitoring the data, while Mobius and the 'Expert' Vill-V performed the surgery.
Nearly an hour later, the Herrscher core was successfully implanted into a human body.
Then, Mei activated the Honkai reactor.
As Honkai energy surged, the death row inmate who had been implanted with the Third Herrscher's core began to show slight changes.
Purple-red lightning crackled around him, but the 500 HW Honkai reactor had already stopped operating.
Yet, the Honkai energy reaction continued to rise sharply, indicating that their experiment was halfway to success.
The next moment, the death row inmate moved.
As soon as he sat up, he unleashed the authority of the Third Herrscher toward everyone.
However, Skadi, who had been prepared, immediately activated the full power of the Fifth Herrscher's authority.
In an instant, the Third Herrscher was turned into an ice sculpture.
After that, Chang Yuan used the Sixth Divine Key to temporarily suppress the Third Herrscher's Honkai energy.
Once suppressed, Skadi gradually released the authority of the Fifth Herrscher.
"The artificial Herrscher is a success. Next, we need to remove the Herrscher core and find a way to preserve the life of the Herrscher after the core is removed."
Without Honkai energy, even a Herrscher would become an ordinary person, powerless against Mobius and the 'Expert' Vill-V as they performed the surgery.
Another hour passed.
Beep beep—!
"Experimental subject deceased. First experiment failed."
Dr. Mei calmly reported the results.
The others showed little emotional reaction.
They hadn't expected to succeed on the first try.
"Let's begin the second experiment."
Three months later...
"Experimental subject 3077, deceased. This was the closest we've come to success. After removing the Herrscher core and supplementing with the healing power of the Sixth Divine Key and Honkai serum,
he regained human consciousness. However, it seems he couldn't withstand the Honkai resistance he had as a Herrscher, leading to Honkai erosion and death. Survival time: three hours."
This was the 3077th experiment, and the closest they had come to success.
"Sigh, at least there are enough death row inmates worldwide. Otherwise, this would have cost many innocent lives."
"Let's proceed with the next experiment. Hopefully, we'll succeed this time."
After a short break, everyone regained their energy and began the next experiment.
Following the previous procedure—implanting the core, activating the Honkai reactor, awakening, freezing, eliminating Honkai energy, healing, injecting Honkai serum, and removing the core.
After several experiments, everyone held their breath as they watched the death row inmate gradually wake up.
Upon waking, the inmate saw the figures he perceived as demons and was so frightened that he ignored the stitches on his body, falling off the operating table and scrambling backward.
Fortunately, the 'Expert' Vill-V and Mobius's suturing skills were excellent, or he might have bled out.
However, no one paid attention to his reaction. They were waiting for Mei's report.
In a state of panic, the inmate survived for a full five hours.
"Heart rate normal, blood circulation normal, mental state stable, bones..."
As a series of normal reports came in, everyone knew they had succeeded this time.
"Hahaha, as expected of us. We're amazing."
The first to laugh was naturally the 'Expert' Vill-V, given her personality.
The other two didn't laugh, but the excitement in their eyes was hard to hide.
As for the death row inmate, no one cared about his fate.
After all, these inmates were all heinous criminals, guilty of rape, murder, and every other crime imaginable.
"Sigh, I'll go find Elysia and see if she has a Herrscher core."
The first thing Chang Yuan thought of after the surgery's success was Elysia.
Although in the original timeline, Elysia had asked Vill-V if her Herrscher core could be used to make a Divine Key,
that was when she was still alive. She only knew she was a Herrscher, not whether she had a Herrscher core.
But Chang Yuan hoped she did.
This would mean that Elysia wouldn't have to sacrifice herself. They could give her core to any willing warrior.
Although this would be unfair to those willing to sacrifice themselves, Chang Yuan was willing to bear the infamy alone.
Human hearts are selfish, and so was his. Even Elysia might have her own selfish or willful side.
"No, let's wait until tomorrow. We've expended a lot of energy today. We need to be in peak condition to ensure accuracy."
Mobius was the first to shake her head in refusal.
Even though they were all MANTISes, there was no guarantee something unexpected wouldn't happen. She wanted to perform the surgery in the best possible state.
It wasn't for Elysia's sake. She just didn't want to have a failure experience.
Yeah, that was it.
"You're right. I was too hasty. Then tomorrow, I'll leave it to all of you."
After some thought, Chang Yuan agreed with Mobius's reasoning.
He nodded and then turned to leave.
He needed to talk to Elysia first, of course. Naturally, he couldn't tell her the whole truth.
After leaving the underground laboratory, Chang Yuan went straight to Elysia's dorm to find her.