Just as Chinatsu decided to withdraw, preparing to silently open a Teleportation Gate and leave this troublesome place, an unexpected change suddenly occurred!
She felt her body suddenly sink, as if all her power was instantly drained away, her soul becoming light and airy, losing all anchor points.
Her perception of the outside world was like a waterlogged oil painting—colors mixed, boundaries blurred, finally dissolving completely into a void of darkness.
She didn't know how much time passed; perhaps it was an instant, perhaps eternity.
A hard sensation came from beneath her feet.
Her vision refocused, and what greeted her eyes was a door that was all too familiar.
Ordinary composite wood, its edges showing slight scuff marks from being moved multiple times. Hanging crookedly on the door was a handmade wooden plaque, upon which four characters were carefully written with a marker pen—
Koushi's Home.
An indescribable emotion seized her. Was it relief? Nostalgia? Or... a deep, profound fear?
She reached out, her fingertips touching the cool wooden door panel.
She didn't even need to push; the door hinge emitted a familiar, subtle "creak" as the door slowly swung inward.
The sight behind the door caused her breath to catch.
A standard, perhaps overly standard, room permeated with a "geek" atmosphere. It wasn't large, yet it seemed to form its own small world.
The desk by the window was somewhat messy, piled with open light novels and manga, the beautiful girl characters on the covers radiating bright smiles.
The computer screen on the corner of the desk was still lit, displaying the standby interface of an anime forum, the faint blue light illuminating the dust particles floating in the air.
Her gaze shifted. The walls were treated as giant display boards, covered in various anime posters, ranging from passionate battles to cozy slice-of-life scenes.
A glass display cabinet stood against the wall, carefully housing many figures, from classic mecha to delicate girls in evening gowns; every piece was meticulously dusted, clearly highly cherished collectibles.
The bookshelves were packed tight; titles like *Date A Live* and *A Certain Magical Index* were clearly visible on the spines, and several thick setting guides were even slightly tilted because the shelves were so full.
A complex scent permeated the air. It was the distinct smell of paper and ink, the slightly pungent odor of plastic models, mixed with a faint hint of... the unique smell belonging to him (Koushi), specific to a closed space, carrying an air of slight laziness and isolation from the world.
Everything here was too familiar, so familiar that every inch of air carried the weight of memory. This was his fortress for escaping reality, the resting place for all his fantasies and hobbies, an absolutely safe domain belonging only to "Koushi Hōoin."
Yet, standing in this space that should have brought her immense peace, she felt only a chill quietly creeping up her spine.
This tranquility was too perfect, so perfect it resembled a meticulously arranged... cage.
(Is this my home? How could this be...)
Just as she was filled with shock and uncertainty, the luxurious ergonomic gaming chair in the center of the room slowly... turned around, accompanied by the faint sound of its wheels rotating.
The person sitting in the chair caused her pupils to contract sharply.
It was a girl.
A figure identical to the Heavenly Judgment Herrscher form—long white hair flowing as if alive despite the lack of wind indoors, golden eyes, a flawless, exquisite face, and the iconic Herrscher attire in black and white tones, embodying rebellion and grandeur, with long, black-stockinged legs wrapped around an impressive figure casually crossed.
But what differed was her demeanor. It was an arrogance that was more primal, purer, and more... self-centered. Her golden eyes sparkled with unconcealed curiosity and excitement, almost childlike in its cruelty.
Currently, she was leaning comfortably against the chair back, her black-stockinged feet tucked together, hands interlocked, the backs of her hands supporting her chin, and her elbows resting on the armrests—a standard, imposing posture.
She looked at the stunned Chinatsu, a seductive and dangerous curve playing on her lips, and spoke in a tone laced with mockery and unquestionable authority, her voice seeming to echo and resonate deep within the soul:
"Such dense despair~☆, it has awakened this King from slumber~☆" She sniffed lightly, as if savoring a delicacy.
She tilted her head, her golden eyes examining Chinatsu with interest: "See, this world has rejected us again!~☆ In the most despicable way, it snatched away your little toy (referring to Shido), and even the new comrade you found (referring to Tohka) isn't on our side~☆"
Her tone grew increasingly agitated, carrying a blind, almost fanatical confidence: "Truly... how boring! This disgusting world!~☆"
"Therefore—"
She suddenly leaned forward. Although her posture remained the same, the sense of oppression abruptly intensified, her face radiating a bright yet spine-chilling smile:
"Now, hand your body over to me. Let me wipe out this world, and then we'll move on to the next one~☆! This King will clear all obstacles for you! Everything that wronged you, everything that rejected you, we shall crush it all~☆!"
"And as the price for using this King's power~☆, I shall take one-quarter of your lifespan~☆"
(Holy sh*t!!!)
Chinatsu's heart was instantly overrun by ten thousand stampeding grass mud horses.
(What the hell is going on?! How does a Herrscher Core have a Herrscher consciousness?! Aha!!! Did you bastard do this?! You didn't actually go to the Honkai setting, slaughter a Herrscher, and rip out its core for me, did you?!)
[Ding—! Detecting strong host skepticism, the System (Aha) solemnly declares: I refuse to take the blame for this! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻]
A gigantic, virtual image of a middle finger flashed through Chinatsu's consciousness.
[A Herrscher Core inherently possesses the potential to develop a self-consciousness. The herrscher core of reason consciousness was overridden by the host, naturally entering dormancy, and no longer possesses the possibility of developing self-consciousness. However, the heavenly judgment core, having absorbed overloaded negative emotions (Tohka's despair), met the conditions and naturally awakened.]
[Originally, if the host's integration reached 100%, she would have complete control, and it would not have developed a self-consciousness, similar to the The core of reason.]
[Furthermore: This System (Aha) detected the birth of this consciousness and intentionally performed a "cultural baptism" using some of the host's memories—such as otaku knowledge, anime references, and habit of complaining—with the aim of guiding it to recognize the host as its master and establish a stable subordinate relationship.]
[However, influenced by unknown factors (suspected to be the rational computing logic provided by the The core of reason), this consciousness did not form the recognition of "I am you" (meaning it did not become an existence similar to "Little Ego").]
[In desperation, this System (Aha) could only make slight adjustments. Its current cognition is: Host (You) = Weak Goodness original body (needs protection), She = powerful and evil avatar (responsible for solving problems). The current form can be simply understood as: Herrscher of the Void (Queen)'s arrogance + Dark Seele's protective possessiveness + Herrscher of Thunder's twisted love + strange knowledge provided by the host = this overly confident "Internal Traitor" currently before you.]
[Summary: She loves you (in her own mind), so she believes it is only right and proper to help you destroy the world that displeases you. Good luck, Host~☆ (I'm outta here.jpg)]
Chinatsu felt her vision darken. (Weak Goodness? Powerful evil? What kind of late-stage chuunibyou setting is this?! Am I Kiana now? And who did she learn that Commander Ikari pose and verbal tic from?! Was it really my memories that polluted her?!)
(This is no time to complain! This psycho is serious! I have to stop her!)
However, before she could react, the "World Ender Consciousness" sitting in the gaming chair revealed an even more "brilliant" smile, and the light in her golden eyes intensified:
"Then, let us begin~☆ This King's—debut performance~☆!"
Her words were filled with a twisted yet pure "love" for Chinatsu.
She was not acting out of pure destructive desire, but rather employing an extreme and self-righteous method, believing this was "protecting" and "helping" the wronged original body.
Her love, mixed with powerful strength and absolute blind confidence, determined that destroying everything that made the original body unhappy was the best solution.
Outside, the Heavenly Judgment Herrscher, Chinatsu, who was just preparing to open the Teleportation Gate, suddenly froze. The pair of golden eyes, which had been fluctuating due to Tohka and were about to return to calmness, were abruptly overlaid by another, purer, and far more frantic reddish-gold color!
A destructive Spiritual Power, far more violent and unconcealed than before, erupted from her body like a tsunami!
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