vncnus Page 186
Page 186
"Are you sending us to contact Sister Carmen, who might become a Herrscher in the next Great Collapse... to eliminate the threat beforehand?"
After reading the mission, Desdobia asked Roland this question, and Roland shook his head slightly.
"The reason I placed you in this position is indeed to have you deal with the impact of the Great Collapse if it breaks out. But I think you can talk to Sister Carmen."
"After all, when I saw Desdovia during the Eighth Great Collapse, I understood that if the difference between the Seventh Great Collapse and the previous six was the qualitative change in the scale of power, then starting from the Eighth Great Collapse, the Herrschers that were born were no longer just instinctive, unconscious, or crazy to the point of being unable to control themselves."
"Even after becoming a Herrscher, Desdobia was still focused on eliminating the higher-ups of the Firemoth. While the subsequent thousand Herrschers were special, the Herrscher of Earth clearly had her own ideas."
"However, after becoming a Herrscher, one's thoughts tend to develop in the most extreme direction."
"So after the Herrscher of Geo was completely wiped out last time, I actually thought about this matter. Even if the Herrscher of Geo hadn't been killed, could we really have easily brought him back to life?"
"We don't know anything about him, do we?"
"And this time I need you to learn about Sister Carmen. Since she is the most likely person in that region to become a Herrscher, there must be some reason for that."
"I need you to understand the reasons behind this, and then determine whether we can revive her after defeating her."
"In other words, I need you to determine whether she is qualified to join your team in the future."
Hearing Roland say that, Alicia and the others became serious.
It's really the most suitable thing to leave this to them.
So they had no further questions and agreed immediately. They then set off to find Sister Carmen.
Roland watched them leave, then let out a long sigh.
"Sister Carmen... if nothing unexpected happens, she should be one of the creators of the tragic restraint in the original development."
"At that time, she should release a divine grace barrier that covers the surroundings—and if her main targets are Alicia and the others, then she should use the divine grace barrier to suppress the Herrschers after she becomes a Herrscher."
"With Alicia here, even if the Divine Grace Barrier is like this, there won't be any major problems."
"And since the Divine Grace Barrier will bind the Herrschers, Rin's problem can also be solved after the Great Honkai arrives."
Roland made detailed plans for this final cataclysm, and then he stood up.
"After this Great Collapse ends, the Herrscher of the End should also appear."
"In that case, I should start preparing the final plan."
....
138. Divine Grace Barrier
Not long after Alicia and the others went to see Sister Carmen, information about Carmen appeared before Roland.
Unlike the generally tragic feeling of Herrschers, Carmen's sunshine can be shown in the intelligence alone, and Roland can even imagine the image of a knowledgeable and kind nun who will show you a gentle smile.
Even in Desdobia and Seele's reports, they both felt that they might have found the wrong person this time.
They simply couldn't believe that Carmen, in this state, could become a Herrscher.
Even Himiko was unsure whether Carmen would become a Herrscher.
In Himiko's report, she clearly recorded that Carmen was the kind of person who had her own ideas and her own principles. She wanted to make the world a better place and was working hard for it. Moreover, because of her personal abilities, she had no record of experiencing any major setbacks. Her life could be described as smooth sailing.
Alicia's report was even more concise.
She knew very well that everyone else would say the same thing in their reports, so she just said a few words and added that Carmen wasn't lying. That basically settled the matter that Carmen was unlikely to become a Herrscher, which was what Seele and Desdobia had said.
But upon seeing this report, Roland shook his head slightly.
“Alice is still a bit immature... but that’s due to a lack of experience. Although her emotional intelligence is not low, human nature is sometimes something that no one can understand.”
Upon seeing the report, Roland immediately grasped the crux of the problem after learning that Carmen was the most likely candidate to become the Herrscher of Binding.
"If everything Carmen has shown is a lie, or if she is incompetent or lacks perseverance... if any one of these three points is true, then we may have really found the wrong person this time."
"But it's precisely because she has none that she's more likely to become a Herrscher."
after all
"An idealist must be in paradise, otherwise once she leaves the paradise of her ideals, everything else will be hell to her in different degrees."
"Those who are unaware of this are simply living in a beautiful dream."
"You must not wake her at this time."
"Because once she wakes up, she will already be in a hell called reality."
"Sister, Mebius... Sister has been examining me a lot lately, am I sick?"
Rin lay on Sakura's lap and asked a question in a low voice, while Sakura gently stroked Rin's hair and comforted her tenderly.
"No, even the leader said that this might not be a bad thing for Rin. Rin really likes the heroes in the stories, and after this, Rin might become a hero herself."
"I see!"
Ling believed Sakura's words wholeheartedly, so the disappointment on her face quickly disappeared, replaced by a happy smile.
Previously, when Rin was downcast, Sakura could easily comfort her, but after seeing this smile, Sakura's hand, which was smoothing Rin's hair, froze a little.
She will protect Ling's smile, no matter what the cost.
But Roland made her choose to believe, so Sakura hasn't done anything drastic so far.
This is also thanks to the fact that this place is inverse entropy.
Thanks to Roland.
Otherwise, if this were a Moth of Fire, Sakura would probably have already led Rin out to fight her way out if she had a choice!
From the moment it was discovered that Rin was the most likely person at Anti-Entropy headquarters to become a Herrscher, Rin did not suffer any severe mental shock. Although she may have realized something, her overall state was very positive.
It was Sakura who was truly impacted and constantly struggling with her feelings!
Sometimes Sakura even thought that if things continued like this, she might eventually become a Herrscher herself.
She wasn't afraid of that future; on the contrary, she wanted the future to be like that...
If only I could be the one to become a Herrscher, then Rin would be safe.
Sakura was thinking just that.
But before she could let her mind wander any further, Roland suddenly appeared beside her and Ling.
"Sakura, Rin, let's go take a look at Sister Carmen next."
Upon hearing Roland's words, Ling nodded directly, while Ying frowned noticeably.
"Yes, we should take Rin with us..."
Hearing her say that, Roland smiled and nodded at her.
"Yes, take Rin with you—because if the Great Collapse breaks out, I need that Herrscher's power to solve Rin's problem in the simplest way. Don't worry, there won't be any danger."
Sakura had been wavering, but after seeing Roland and hearing his voice, she found herself more at ease than she had imagined.
So she remained silent for a while, and finally nodded.
"Ah."
...
Roland and Sakura were talking about what would happen if the Great Collapse broke out, but in reality, the Great Collapse broke out immediately after he brought Sakura and Rin to the location—just as if the timing had been calculated.
The bell's vital signs changed directly.
They transformed from humans into the Herrscher of Corruption, a state resembling a virus.
However, along with her transformation, the Herrscher of Binding's divine grace barrier also erupted!
The moment this vast Divine Grace Barrier appeared, it covered Roland, Rin, and Sakura, and the Fusion Warriors and Herrschers within the barrier's range were clearly targeted.
Sakura felt her body go limp, and a sense of powerlessness spread throughout her body.
After Rin changed her life characteristics, she was targeted even more severely—all her virus-like characteristics disappeared, making it seem as if Rin had never changed at all.
At that moment, Roland opened his hands.
The power of the Herrscher of Corruption, Rinna, was suppressed by the Divine Grace Barrier, so Roland seized the opportunity and attacked the core of the Herrscher of Corruption!
Dark red particles flew out from Bell's body as Roland opened his hand, gradually gathering in Roland's hand and eventually forming the core of the Herrscher of Corruption.
After obtaining the core, Roland casually clenched his fist, and the core disappeared from his hand—as if he had absorbed it.
After doing all this, Roland opened a spatial passage leading to the Sea of Life.
“Sakura, I have removed the Herrscher core from Rin’s body. You and she are both a little weak right now. You should go back to the Sea of Life. Tiamat will take care of Rin’s problem, so you can rest assured.”
Hearing Roland say that, Sakura visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
But then she asked a second question.
"Roland, the Great Collapse has already occurred, so what are you going to do on your end?"
Roland smiled when he heard Sakura ask that question.
"Although you might still not understand, this is actually the last Honkai before the end, so all my preparations are complete. I don't need to hide anything anymore to prevent any accidents from happening. Alright, ask Tiamat when you get back. She will tell you. Rin's Herrscher core has been extracted. She needs healing and a new core. Take her away first."
"...Okay, be careful."
After saying this, Sakura helped Rin into the Sea of Life, while Roland closed the spatial passage and looked into the distance.