How did I get home the other day? Kiana wondered. Maybe I passed out from choking, and Ryn carried me home? Ugh, just thinking about it makes me blush.
"What are you thinking about?" Ryn asked, leaning in to give her a big kiss.
"I'm not telling you! L-l-l-l-l-o-o-o!" Kiana teased, pulling a silly face before darting out of his arms. "I'm going to find Sparkle. She just got a new set of Berserker armor from Otto. It's super cool!"
"Go ahead... Stay safe on the way," Ryn replied with a smile.
Both Ryn and Kiana were envious of Sparkle's Berserker armor. Unfortunately, the stingy Otto had eaten the set originally intended for them. Ryn had once considered asking Otto for armor like Sparkle's, but Otto had told him, "Even if you paid ten times the price, it wouldn't be enough to cover the cost."
After seeing Sparkle's exceptional talent during the tests, Otto had poured most of his resources into crafting a custom outer armor for her. Sparkle had named it "Sabayon." There was even a rumor that Otto wanted to build her a floating fortress, but Amber had vetoed the idea, slashing Otto's budget for the rest of the year.
"Stigmata? Are you there?" Ryn called out, patting the Stigmata embedded in his hand. Since he couldn't get armor from Otto, and building his own was out of the question, he could only hope the Stigmata might grant him some sort of boost.
Heh, so now you remember me! You've been all cozy with Kiana these past few days!
"What... the Stigmata can feel jealousy?" Ryn asked, confused. Wasn't the Stigmata just part of him? How could it get jealous?
It's not me who's jealous; it's you who's disgusting! Kiana's still a kid! You creep! I'm so ashamed of you.
"Wait, what? I've only kissed and hugged her! Nothing inappropriate!" Ryn protested. He knew Kiana was young, and he hadn't crossed any boundaries. He was planning to wait a few more years... until Kiana was 16, and then they could live a happy life together.
Creepy old man. You're just a lolicon waiting to burn in hell.
Cough, cough! "You're steering this conversation off course. Let's get back to business. My dear Stigmata, do you have any powerful armor or something I can use?"
I miss the rebellious spirit you used to have. Get yourself together, will you?
"Alright, so do you have anything?"
Nope, but I do have blueprints. However, this world probably doesn't have the technology to build them. You'd have to wait until you become the Herrscher of Reason and craft it yourself. Some of the materials are purely conceptual and would require the Herrscher's power to create.
"Blueprints are a start! I heard from Otto that the First Herrscher, the Herrscher of Reason, is also the leader of Anti-Entropy and fights for humanity. Maybe I can ask him for help!"
He's too weak right now. Even if you drained him dry, you'd barely manage to get a few components. Honestly, you'd be better off asking Otto for a full set of armor.
The First Herrscher can't possibly be this pathetic! Ryn thought, then recalled, Oh, right. He's seriously injured and nearly dead. No wonder. He hasn't mastered the art of Yang's Sit-Ups yet, so he's stuck at St. Freya Academy, pretending to be a teacher while recovering.
"By the way, you said 'become the Herrscher of Reason'... What exactly does that mean?"
It's self-explanatory. By the way, I also have the authority of other Herrschers, like the Herrscher of Metal, Blood, and Rock. Heck, I even have the power of the Herrscher of End. Interested?
"Give me the End one."
Sure, but the moment I give it to you, we'll both be obliterated by the Honkai God, and the Imaginary Tree might even step in to slap you around.
"..."
(╯‵□′)╯(┻━┻)
Why even mention it if you can't give it to me?!
Heh, I can't grant you my End ability yet, but you can claim the native End authority from this world. That wouldn't count as cheating, so the Honkai God wouldn't interfere.
"Alright, that works. Let's go for it."
Not so fast. It hasn't appeared in this world yet, and in your current state, you wouldn't survive using it.
(╯‵□′)╯(┻━┻)
"Fine! Then how about the Herrscher of Metal?"
Nope. The rules of this world were tampered with by your predecessors, and the Honkai God accepted those changes. You can only fuse, refine, or evolve existing powers—you can't introduce new ones that haven't appeared here before.
(╯‵□′)╯(┻━┻)
Are you kidding me?! Nothing works! Then why bother telling me about them?
"What can you actually give me right now?" Ryn demanded, exasperated.
Reason, Void, Thunder, Wind, Ice—they're all viable. But I don't recommend them just yet. I've prepared something better for you. It's not exactly a Herrscher power, but it's stronger than some of them. Start with this, and future upgrades will be easier.
"What is it?"
The core of Jyahnar, an Honkai Beast, and the so-called 'Herrscher of the Sea.'
"A planetary-class Honkai Beast? That's not from this world, is it?! I thought you said powers couldn't exceed the limits of this world's rules?"
Jyahnar is a unique exception. She was crafted by God itself, though the Honkai God added a touch of creativity. Don't worry; this twist won't harm you. Jyahnar's core isn't a traditional Herrscher core; 'Herrscher of the Sea' is just a nickname people gave her. She was originally a planetary-class Honkai Beast from the Centaur system, capable of silencing entire star systems. Her core holds a colossal amount of Honkai Energy.
Her "domain" is a field created by her energy, similar to a Herrscher's domain. Herrschers primarily battle by leveraging their domains, where their powers reach their peak. Merging with Jyahnar's core would give you an unparalleled capacity for energy manipulation and immunity to most Honkai-based attacks.
So, how about it? Are you ready to cheat your way to victory?"
"Of course. Show me how to do it."