Honkai. Herrscher.
Ren's head throbbed, and the hazy memories became increasingly clear.
He finally remembered that the illusion he had created was based on the First Eruption, and the core of this illusion was the First Herrscher.
The trial wasn't complicated.
The 300,000 wills were all victims of the First Eruption, and Ren was playing the role of one of them.
If he could successfully prevent the birth of the First Herrscher before the eruption, he could harness the power of these consciousnesses, achieving his goal—sealing away his memories of Kiana within the Herrscher core, freeing himself from the lingering effects of the Lovesickness Plan.
The core of the First Eruption was Welt Joyce. If Ren could find and kill Joyce before the eruption, he could prevent it.
However, an unexpected element had been introduced into this predetermined journey—a girl who wasn't part of the original script.
She was a phantom born from his mind, a manifestation of his mental vulnerability, a figment of his imagination destined to disappear.
With this mindset, Ren had chosen to approach her, to fulfill his final, unspoken wish before parting ways.
But now, the situation seemed different.
If she was merely a phantom, how could she wield Honkai energy?
What if her existence was a trap set by the Herrscher core, a deliberate interference?
The moment the thought arose, Ren instinctively rejected it. However, logic told him it was a strong possibility.
This was a world without Honkai. If someone possessed Honkai energy, it would undoubtedly trigger the illusion's self-correcting mechanisms, attempting to eliminate the anomaly.
The pursuers weren't targeting Ren but the identity of Welt Joyce.
But if Kiana was the one playing the role of Joyce, many puzzling pieces suddenly fell into place.
Her constant presence by his side, her superhuman strength, the warmth that drew him to her…
If that was the anomaly, then wasn't this Honkai eruption a sign of the First Herrscher's imminent arrival?
Was this the answer?
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Ren's face.
No matter how perfect the illusion, it was still just a fleeting bubble destined to burst.
He wasn't laughing at being so thoroughly deceived by the illusion but at his own foolish hope, deep down, that he and Kiana could somehow resolve their differences and live together peacefully.
The snow globe slipped from his grasp, rolling down the debris.
He didn't notice that as it landed, a protective mechanism briefly shimmered, shielding the fragile glass sphere.
Inside the small globe, the two figures, once nestled together, were now separated. The tiny music box continued to play its cheerful Christmas melody, unnoticed.
The snow continued to fall.
Soon, a thin layer of white covered the snow globe, burying it, along with his memories, in this cold, desolate Christmas.
After a long while, a pair of feet stopped before the snow globe. A figure reached down, brushed away the snow, and picked it up, holding it tightly.
"At least I'll make you tell me the answer yourself."
…
The sudden Honkai eruption plunged the city into chaos. Zombies swarmed through the streets, spreading the infection. Fortunately, Berlin's security forces were well-prepared, and armed officers quickly moved to contain the outbreak.
Although Christmas had turned into a tragedy, the situation was far from over.
Without the assistance of the police, the Men in Black were forced to split into smaller squads to search for Ren.
However, this significantly reduced their threat.
"Captain, why are we going through so much trouble to capture an ordinary person?" a newcomer to the search team asked, putting down the portrait of Ren.
He was young, barely eighteen, around the same age as the boy in the picture. He couldn't understand what Ren had done to warrant such a relentless pursuit by multiple families.
"Welt Joyce. He's the last surviving member of the Joyce family. If we don't find him, he'll bring ruin upon our families."
"But he's just a kid. He looks younger than me." The newcomer grumbled, clearly not taking Ren seriously.
"That's not your concern." The captain glared at him, silencing him. Suddenly, a cold sensation pressed against his neck, and before he could react, he was knocked unconscious.
The newcomer, seeing his captain fall, froze, then instinctively reached for his gun, only to have it kicked away by a white-haired girl.
"Who… who are you?" He was still green, believing a gun made him formidable.
Kiana ignored him, picking up the discarded weapon. She tucked the two pistols into her pockets before turning to the young man.
"Where is your family located?"
"I won't… I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" The newcomer, seeing the gun pointed at his forehead, quickly revealed his family's location.
However, to Kiana's surprise, it wasn't just one family hunting Ren but all the prominent families in Berlin, now united in a single council, their leaders gathered in one place.
"Do you know why they're hunting the boy in this picture?" Kiana asked, holding up Ren's portrait.
"I'm not sure, but I heard it's because of some prophecy, that someone named Welt will bring destruction…"
Welt Joyce, the First Herrscher.
"As I suspected." Kiana sighed, putting away her gun.
"Can I go now?" The newcomer trembled, backing away slowly. If Kiana's gaze hadn't been fixed on him, he would have bolted.
Kiana nodded, letting him go. She then glanced at the address he had given her and headed towards the enemy's gathering place.
The so-called prophecy was likely the illusion's way of targeting Ren. After learning about Ren and the nature of the illusion from Joyce, Kiana had pieced together most of the puzzle.
This Honkai eruption wasn't caused by her but by Ren's assimilation into the illusion. If she didn't intervene, Ren would become more deeply immersed, eventually awakening as the First Herrscher.
Therefore, Kiana had deliberately left false clues, using the last of her Honkai energy to make it seem like she was the cause of the eruption. Only then could Ren regain his awareness.
Joyce's goal was for her to prematurely expose Ren's identity, causing the trial to fail.
But Kiana, knowing the truth, had chosen her own path.
"Don't worry, Ren, I'll help you. Just… please don't hate me when you learn the truth."