The legendary Herrscher had now materialized right within their village.
This...
Serenade, however, paid no heed to their astonishment and instead focused on the fox-like creature before her.
After merely a few glances, she shifted her gaze behind the fox, where... a perfectly unharmed little girl stood half-crouched.
It was the very girl who had been offered as a sacrifice...
"Oh, you lot... you actually know about the existence of the Herrscher? I thought that... after so many years, humankind would have long forgotten about us entirely."
"Since you know about the Herrscher, then... surrender yourselves! Give me your bodies, and I shall grant you the power and eternal life of God."
Naturally, the Twelfth Herrscher had heard Serenade's speech, though somewhat surprised, he paid it no mind and spoke with an arrogant tone:
"Ha, I've already possessed the power of God and eternal life. As for you... there's no need to hide behind the fox god anymore."
"What? A mighty Herrscher who took over a human body now hiding behind a transformed Honkai Beast?"
The Twelfth Herrscher's words made Serenade laugh...
Power and life? Ha ha ha... "What? Possessing a human body..."
"Behind the fox god... there's actually a little girl standing there..."
Unlike Serenade, Kallen and Sakura hear Serenade's words and only now notice... that behind the fox god, there stands a little girl wearing a fox mask.
All the other villagers present have died, yet this little girl is standing safely behind the fox god. It's immediately obvious that something is very strange.
Moreover, if Serenade hadn't warned them, Kallen and her companions wouldn't have noticed that there was someone else standing behind the fox god.
"Serenade-nee, so that little girl over there... is the Herrscher?" Sakura asked immediately.
"Yes, the Herrscher we're facing here is called... the Herrscher of Corruption. She is the twelfth Herrscher who was left behind 50,000 years ago. Her power... is the manipulation of corruption."
"She can easily control anything and everything. It's extremely dangerous. What the fox god said earlier was actually coming from the possessed little girl."
Serenade had been observing continuously and discovered... that the fox god was merely an Emperor Rank Honkai Beast that the Herrscher had altered.
All previous communications had actually been spoken by the Herrscher controlling the little girl.
If Serenade guessed correctly...
Due to the fact that she had saved Yae Sakura, the Herrscher of Corruption could not control her.
And how could the bodies of others compare to Yae Sakura's?
Therefore...
Even though the Herrscher of Corruption possessed the little girl, despite transforming her with Honkai power, her strength was still lacking.
That's why she used the fox god as the main force to divert attention.
As for why the fox god, already modified into a Sovereign-level Honkai Beast, wasn't possessed by her? If she were to possess the fox god, even if she couldn't unleash all her Herrscher powers, wouldn't she still possess pseudo-Herrscher strength? Such a pseudo-Herrscher, possessing the strength of a Herrscher, would be above the Arbiter rank.
However... it was likely because the Herrscher of Corruption was once human. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn't want to use an animal's body.
So, a human body was preferable.
"Human... how did you uncover me?"
Unwilling to hide any longer after being exposed by Serenade, the Herrscher of Corruption leaped onto the fox god's head, gazing sternly down at her human adversary.
She hadn't expected this human to so quickly discern her true form. But it mattered little; the Herrscher trusted her own power. Even with her abilities not fully manifest, she was confident no human could resist her.
In the previous epoch, if that individual hadn't deceived her, she wouldn't have been sealed within that pitch-black box.
"Doesn't matter. Your fate is sealed either way. Fox god, let's move!"
Without waiting for a response, the Herrscher of Corruption commanded the fox god to charge straight toward Serenade.
The massive fox god roared as it lunged towards Serenade and her companions.
"This time, leave the opponent to me! You girls don't need to get involved..."
"This thing isn't something you can handle. Don't worry! As your knight, I'll protect you."
This was a battle against an Emperor rank Honkai Beast and a Herrscher. Even with the A-rank strength of the Yae sisters and Kallen's S-rank Valkyrie abilities, it was far from enough.
It wasn't like having an S-rank Valkyrie automatically meant one could fight a Herrscher.
To stand a chance against such a being, two conditions had to be met. Fail to meet even one, and you might as well be walking to your death.
First, you needed the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie.
Second, you needed to master a Divine Key.
Missing either of these prerequisites meant you had no business engaging a Herrscher.
Without S-rank strength, it was nigh impossible to harness the power of a Divine Key.
And an S-rank Valkyrie without a Divine Key against a Herrscher was little more than a speed bump...
As for Divine Keys...
It seemed Serenade had several in her inventory...
After having the Yae sisters and Kallen take cover at a safe distance, Serenade immediately transformed into two dark shadows, materializing right in front of the fox spirit.
With a single blast from her gun, she struck the fox spirit's head, forcing the Emperor-rank beast to stumble to a halt.
One could only imagine the immense power Serenade possessed at that moment.
After all, a mere gunshot couldn't possibly match the force of such a blow...
But that wasn't all—once the Fox God halted, Serenade unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks at breakneck speed. In an instant, countless afterimages swarmed around the creature, as if scores of Serenades were assailing it simultaneously.
After this flurry of attacks, the Fox God crumpled to the ground, half-dead.
To an SSS-rank Serenade, an Emperor-level foe was... utterly insignificant.
Dropping her hands, Serenade retreated to Kallen and the others. As she gazed at the defeated Fox God, she noticed that the little Herrscher girl who had been riding atop the creature now stood on the collapsed altar, watching with intrigued eyes.
Remarkable power! I never expected... that even at the dawn of your civilization, you'd have such a powerful human warrior. But... do you truly believe that's enough?
The girl possessed by the Herrscher, her face now revealed beneath the cast-off mask, applauded Serenade admiringly. Her features, no longer a mere child's, matched those of Sakura or her peers in striking similarity.
The power of Honkai... possesses an inherent beautifying effect. This girl may not have been this beautiful before, but after being possessed by the Herrscher, its power transformed her body, enhanced her appearance.