"It seems," Lu Xing slowly came to a halt before Ange.

The intimidating, pitch-black armor did not instill fear in the girl, not until Lu Xing raised his right arm. This vaguely familiar gesture instantly transported Ange back to the terrifying night that had irrevocably altered her life.

"You're more familiar with this appearance."

The voice resounding in Ange's mind, and the humanoid figure revealed as the armor receded to expose its "true form," both compelled Ange to instinctively retreat, step by step.

"You fiend!"

"What do you intend to do to Lady Ange—"

Lu Xing strode forward.

The fanatical believers, oblivious to the truth, who barred his path—Ange's followers were convinced that Honkai Beasts "dared not" lay a hand on their Saintess, but this entity before them, with a form so akin to a human's, was clearly different. This "instinctively" drove them to rush before Ange, to protect their spiritual pillar—were instantly frozen into lifelike ice sculptures.

Pfft.

One, then two…

Ange finally had no more room to retreat.

The humans, influenced by her consciousness and obstructing Lu Xing's path, all lost their lives in the blink of an eye.

The fear of death temporarily shattered a certain influence Ange had been exerting.

There was nothing left that could "save" her life—the sharp fingers at the tip of his right arm, just as they had in the past, gently tore through Ange's clothing, along with the flesh of her chest.

At the location of a human heart, in the center of the fist-sized organ that should have been steadily beating, an embedded aquamarine-green crystal pulsed with an alluring luminescence.

It was a gemstone, its surface engraved with glyphs resembling a peacock's tail feathers.

The crimson blood flowing around it made the gem appear dazzlingly brilliant.

"A Herrscher Core."

Lu Xing once again confirmed the nature of the object before him.

This was a Herrscher Core in the process of formation. If another compatible human possessed it, and their negative emotions reached a certain threshold, they could potentially transform into a true Herrscher. If one worried about the uncontrollability of a Herrscher, it could also be manufactured into a new Key of God, utilized as a tool with special abilities… Perhaps not as powerful as a Key of God made from a normal Herrscher Core, but undoubtedly far superior to any weapon made from other materials.

The greatest constraint limiting it was:

Honkai energy.

The Herrscher Core had already taken shape.

The reason Ange had not yet awakened as a Herrscher was precisely due to the lack of a massive influx of Honkai energy—a quantity that only something on the scale of the Great Rift or greater could provide.

Splch!

The sound of tearing flesh grew more distinct.

Even so, the sensation of fear still overwhelmed the immense pain. The pale, slender fingers had already plunged entirely into her body. Her assailant needed only to gently clench the hand gripping her heart…

Blood dripped onto the ground before her.

The disgusting, slick sensation gradually faded.

The hand, stained with red liquid, slowly withdrew from Ange's body.

"Ange."

Lu Xing spoke the girl's name for the first time.

Of course, he had only just learned her name.

"Choose."

Lu Xing did not act immediately.

He gave her a chance to choose her own curtain call.

"Humanity, or Honkai."

Kill Ange, extract the core.

Lu Xing did not choose this relatively reliable option.

Firstly, to obtain a weapon comparable to a Key of God… Lu Xing lacked such technology. The resources consumed in the creation of any Key of God were astronomical, and the technical requirements were beyond what could be simply described as "black technology."

Lu Xing was just a Honkai Beast.

He was utterly incapable of mastering the relevant technology… To be precise, the very term "Honkai Beast" was entirely antithetical to scientific research.

In other words, Lu Xing was incapable of manufacturing a Key of God.

Secondly, Lu Xing was unsure what side effects absorbing a Herrscher Core would bring. Theoretically, by integrating the Herrscher Core into his body and finding an opportunity to replenish his Honkai energy, he could become the Eighth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Sentience.

But it wouldn't work.

Lu Xing had never heard of a precedent for a Honkai Beast becoming a Herrscher.

All Herrschers that had appeared or had yet to appear in this world were "awakened" from humans who were compatible with Honkai energy.

As for a Honkai Beast… Lu Xing didn't want to gamble with his own life.

There was another problem that could not be ignored.

Naturally born Herrschers, at the moment they became Herrschers, an "avatar of the Honkai Will, born using their ego as a template" would awaken within the Herrscher's body.

Simply put, an alter ego, potentially capable of devouring his will, would emerge within the Herrscher.

Lu Xing was indeed aligned with the Honkai, but what if, during the awakening process, a "New Lu Xing" emerged, powerful enough to consume him… Lu Xing lacked mental offensive and defensive capabilities, and his willpower was far from strong enough to be fearless against such phantoms and fiends.

Even if he had the chance to become a Herrscher, Lu Xing would wait for a "test subject" to try it first before making a decision.

Now, he returned the choice to Ange's hands.

"Humanity, or Honkai?"

Ange listened to the question reverberating in her mind.

She…

She had no choice at all.

From the day she contracted Honkai Sickness, she had been prepared to abandon her humanity. Everything she knew, everything she had experienced, constantly reminded Ange of the fate that awaited her if she fell into human hands.

A gloomy malice overshadowed the beautiful aspects of being human.

In the choice between life and death, the feather Lu Xing had placed on the scales caused her to discard everything at this moment—

She wanted to live, nothing more.

"Honkai."

WHOOSH!!

A scorching gale howled across the land!

Terrifying psychic energy materialized, violently disheveling Lu Xing's hairstyle. The legion's Honkai Beasts surrounding them, with the exception of the Tide-class, were all swept away by the ensuing storm.

As for the humans following Ange…

The storm caressed their bodies, and deep purple spiderweb-like patterns manifested on each of their torsos.

The next moment, amidst a flurry of scattered debris, the Honkai energy surging from over a thousand individuals twisted into a single torrent, pouring entirely into Ange's body!

Vmm.

Her body showed no change.

Yet, those somewhat gloomy pupils, at this instant, transformed into a resplendent and bizarre iridescent hue.

"Very good."

Her power was still very weak.

Her internal Honkai energy reserves had barely reached the level of an Emperor-class… but Ange had indeed begun to gradually master her authority. The upper limit for a Herrscher was very high; how to properly wield this power required the aid of both knowledge and experience.

This knowledge, Lu Xing, relying on his own "understanding," could point her in a general direction.

Ange was not yet a true Herrscher. The "consumables" had replenished a wave of Honkai energy for her, but for a Herrscher of her level, let alone a thousand humans, even ten thousand true Deadmen would be but a drop in the ocean… Moreover, no Herrscher consciousness had yet been born.

Therefore, before that—

"Ange."

The pitch-black armor re-equipped itself.

Lu Xing reverted to his Temple-class form.

"Let me teach you…"

The arm Lu Xing extended towards his fellow traveler now carried an entirely different meaning—

"How to become a true Herrscher."