Chapter 130: Final Trial! The Arrogance of the Herrscher of Winter's End!

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"Cough, cough—"

Ana coughed several times, spitting out blood that splattered on the ground but left no trace. Her entire body throbbed with pain.

It became clear that she remained in a conscious state, and arguably, she had not yet fully separated from her original physical form. Perhaps this so-called journey through space-time merely led her into another illusion?

However, for some inexplicable reason, Ana felt as if she truly had succeeded in her transmigration. After all, Chen Tianwen's touch couldn't be faked, and the reactions from other staff members were also consistent with what she expected.

Nevertheless, Ana didn't have time to ponder these thoughts further, as the Virtual God Remain's attack was imminent. It seemed Rationalism truly seized every opportunity to deliver a fatal blow—a characteristic perhaps inherent to its rationalistic nature, following logic distinct from other Virtual God Remains.

Moreover, games are different from reality. Although Ana has only encountered one type of Virtual God Remain so far, she is certain that the others will not be as straightforwardly manageable as depicted in the game. Most likely, their combat styles would greatly vary, deviating from simple pattern-based attacks.

To defeat the current Rationalism, it appeared that Ana might need to step beyond conventional rational thinking.

Throughout her life, Ana had always been methodical and cautious, believing in miracles yet grounding herself in strategic planning and operational efficiency. This approach, however, made her particularly vulnerable to Rationalism's tactics.

As Ana suspected, no matter how she evaded, she couldn't escape Rationalism's relentless attacks. Under its onslaught, Ana felt like a punching bag, tossed and battered relentlessly.

On the surface, Ana showed no visible injuries, but the essence of these attacks was draining her mental strength. Once her spirit was completely exhausted, there would be no place for her in this world.

In other words, if Ana could not defeat this Virtual God Remain, she truly would die! Even the System might not be able to reverse such a fate, so breaking free from this predicament relied solely on Ana herself.

Fortunately, Ana's mental reserves were still abundant. Previously, she had prepared extensively for Herrscher of Ice's Ascension, but most of those preparations went unused. Little did she expect they would find their purpose here instead.

"Rationality... If not rational, then it must be emotional, but if it's emotional... I can only overcome it by..."

Even amidst this crisis, Ana's ambition remained unwavering.

Just as she overcame the wind authority without yielding to compromise, driven by Rationalism, Ana not only aimed to conquer but also sought to harness it for her own use!

In fact, she had a growing sense.

This entity before her might be the final test. By conquering the wind authority, she, in a way, transcended Nihilism. The Primogenitor represented Mysticism, while Existentialism was inherently validated by her very existence in this world.

Thus, Rationalism became the last shackle, the ultimate constraint.

Once she surpasses this final barrier, what awaits her is self-evident! Her desired outcome may just be within reach.

She didn't need Project Stigma or the accumulation of Authorities because her path differed from theirs, naturally leading to a distinct result.

"Come forth, Rationalism! Let me conquer you!"

As Ana uttered these words, the Frigid Winter Herrscher's attire manifested around her, transforming her into the Frigid Winter Herrscher.

Unlike her counterpart in reality, Ana's Frigid Winter Herrscher outfit was not as bulky. Instead, it resembled the style of the Herrscher of the Void, adorned with icy decorations on her skirt and crystallized pauldrons made of ice on her shoulders. This signified that this Empress did not solely rely on gentle means; the chill of iron and blood also held sway under her authority.

With the Herrscher's garb empowering her, Ana's serene demeanor receded, replaced by an endless aura of icy ferocity.

Suppressing Rationalism, for the Frigid Winter Herrscher, proved relatively straightforward. All she needed to do was subdue personal rationality and let instinct guide her combat. As one of the most destructive Herrschers, the Herrscher of Ice's power ranks among the top, making it no challenge against a single Rationalist.

A cold gleam flickered in Ana's eyes as Ideal Fluid, carrying the Authority of Ice, rapidly spread across the area, freezing everything in its path, including Rationalism itself.

Ana vanished from her spot, reappearing instantly before the Imaginary Godhead.

An icy blue katana materialized in Ana's hand, bearing some resemblance to the Magisterial Sword. However, the blade's edge carried the sharpness of wind, marking it as the Divine Key designed by Vill-V specifically for Ana.

For now, Ana hadn't given it a specific name; let's just call it the "Key of Frigid Winter," somewhat fitting within the Herrscher lineage nomenclature. The key point is that Ana's Divine Key possesses two Authorities, making conventional naming conventions impractical.

If describing this Divine Key's characteristics, they encompass destruction and freezing among various attributes. Essentially, it is a complete Key of Destruction, even more terrifying than Judgment of Shamash, with all skill points focused on raw output.

Facing the Imaginary Godhead, Ana didn't employ any elaborate maneuvers; she simply delivered a straightforward slash. On one hand, she had confidence in her Divine Key's power, and on the other, she aimed to prevent the Imaginary Godhead from deducing her intentions through rational analysis.

Of course, this was only the first step. Killing the Imaginary Godhead would be relatively easy, but to achieve Ana's objective, or rather, complete the exam before her eyes, she must conquer Rationalism itself.

With the current strength of the Imaginary Godhead, attempting direct confrontation would surely fail. Therefore, her immediate task was to weaken its power.

Indeed, this process itself could also be seen as a form of conquest.

The Imaginary Godhead fully understands that I intend to deplete its strength, yet it has no means to stop me. Regardless of the reasons behind it, this too constitutes a degree of conquest, doesn't it?

In essence, the moment Ana resolved herself, this battle had already reached its conclusion.

Meanwhile, in reality, events unfolded as originally scripted. Raiden Mei utilized her electromagnetic field to mimic the Staff of the Underworld, successfully piercing the body of the Herrscher of Ice with her sword blade. As anticipated, Chen Tianwu transformed into the Herrscher of Stars.

However, before Chen Tianwu could fully awaken as the Herrscher of Stars, a pale hand suddenly materialized out of thin air, effortlessly penetrating his body and extracting the still-forming core of the Herrscher of Stars.

Both the awakening of the Herrscher of Stars and this unexpected turn of events were completely beyond Raiden Mei's expectations.

Just as Raiden Mei was about to react, darkness enveloped the surroundings, rendering even her Authority insufficient to perceive what was happening.

This state didn't last long, though, as soon everything abruptly cleared up.

Yet, the environment had drastically changed around them. Initially, they should have been in the core region of Coral Island, but upon observing their new surroundings, it now appeared that they were at its outskirts.

Suddenly, Raiden Mei realized something and hastily looked down, only to find that the Herrscher of Ice she had severely wounded moments ago had vanished without a trace.

Chen Tianwu stood dumbfounded, his gaze vacant. His current state was difficult to describe; originally transformed into the Herrscher of Stars by overwhelming negative emotions, the Herrscherization process was abruptly interrupted. He stared blankly ahead at the girl holding the Herrscher Core in her hand and softly whispered her name:

"A...na..."

On the other side, guided by her Honkai Energy sensing, Raiden Mei also turned towards this unexpected sight.

During the battle, Chen Tianwu had indeed mentioned the Herrscher's name as Ana. However, since the Herrscher of Ice neither spoke nor revealed her appearance, coupled with Mei's unwavering trust in Teacher Ana, she never suspected the Herrscher could be her teacher.

But now, everything unfolding before her eyes unequivocally confirmed it.

Before them stood a slightly different Herrscher from the previous one they encountered. Based on her aura and attire, it was evident that this was indeed the true Herrscher of Ice—no, she should now be called the Frigid Winter Herrscher.

"Ana... Teacher?"

Raiden Mei's gaze involuntarily froze as she stared at the Herrscher before her. Despite finding it difficult to associate the person with Teacher Ana due to their vastly contrasting demeanors, the identical appearance spoke volumes.

Upon becoming a Herrscher, the individual's consciousness is gradually consumed by the Herrscher Aspect, inevitably leading to a drastic change in personality. Clearly, the Herrscher standing before them exemplified this transformation.

Teacher Ana exuded warmth and approachability, whereas the current Herrscher conveyed arrogance, aloofness, and an air of invincibility to Raiden Mei.

However, the Herrscher had every right to such confidence; she was currently the only dual-core Herrscher, and soon, she would become a triple-core being.

"I'll take your Herrscher Core!"

The Frigid Winter Herrscher chuckled softly, then under everyone's watchful gaze, swallowed the forming core of the Herrscher of Stars. As the Herrscher Core merged with her body, it rapidly completed its transformation. Within mere breaths, the Herrscher of Stars fully awakened.

And thus, the Frigid Winter Herrscher gained the Authority of the Herrscher of Stars.

As for Chen Tianwu, he was surprisingly resilient at this moment. However, the emotional impact weighed heavily on him - from the shock of uncovering the truth to realizing that all his previous efforts were merely illusions. The cumulative effect left Chen Tianwu disheartened and utterly lost, unsure of what to do next.

In essence, Chen Tianwu had become nothing more than a tragic clown in this situation.

He had hoped, much like Raiden Mei, to save Ana who transformed into the Herrscher of Ice. Yet, he never anticipated that everything was part of Ana's orchestrated plan, albeit spiraling out of control as the Herrscher Aspect fully awakened.

Regardless, the person he sought to rescue was just an illusion from the start; the true being he wished to save had been irredeemable long ago.

Furthermore, although he harbored some resentment towards Ana, it was only for that brief moment. Deep down, his feelings towards her were more admiration and gratitude; Ana represented his idealized "white moonlight."

However, the arrogant Herrscher before him bore no resemblance to the familiar Ana; she had become an entirely different entity.

Now, due to his actions, Chen Tianwu inadvertently bestowed the ultimate power-up upon this enemy - possibly even the mastermind behind Ana's demise. In doing so, he also betrayed World Serpent, truly losing both allies and resources.

Chen Tianwu found himself genuinely at a loss for what to do next.

"Snap out of it! Right now, she is our enemy!" Raiden Mei's voice echoed in Chen Tianwu's ears, injecting a renewed strength into his nearly overwhelmed mind.

Indeed, everything unfolding before him resulted from his own transgressions. Thus, it was his duty to help resolve this disastrous situation. Moreover, with Ana's consciousness consumed by the Herrscher standing before them, this very being became the murderer of Ana. Consequently, regardless of the cost, he must seek justice for her.

"Apologies, I..."

"Now is not the time to assign blame; let's focus on defeating this opponent before us!" Raiden Mei interrupted Chen Tianwu swiftly.

The Frigid Winter Herrscher observed their discussion calmly without intervening. Her current state resembled Sirin during the Second Honkai Eruption—though she possessed only three cores, the Frigid Winter Herrscher was undoubtedly stronger than the previous Sirin.

Facing one Herrscher and a weakling, she remained utterly unconcerned. Moreover, she couldn't leave Coral Island immediately, so killing these two now would lead to prolonged boredom for her.

However, this situation sparked another idea in the mind of the Frigid Winter Herrscher.

"Watching you two whispering back and forth is truly amusing," she remarked indifferently. With a casual gesture, she emitted two beams of light that transformed into distinct figures—one enveloped in a teal glow, the other radiating a pale purple aura, revealing them as Pseudo-Herrschers.

Similar to Sirin's maneuver during the Second Honkai Eruption, these two Pseudo-Herrschers possessed strength equivalent to genuine Herrschers. Moreover, with Frigid Winter Herrscher's core controlling them, they were immune to electromagnetic interference from the Staff of the Underworld.

"Let me give you all a chance for now. Defeat one Herrscher, or else get out of here!"

With that, the Frigid Winter Herrscher vanished on the spot, while the two Pseudo-Herrschers exchanged glances. The one shimmering with teal light took flight and swiftly moved away.

Raiden Mei's eyes flickered; she understood where the Pseudo-Herrscher was heading. Clearly, if it involved Teacher Ana becoming a Herrscher, Schicksal would not stand idly by.

Even facing just one Herrscher before her, the battle wouldn't be easy. However, compared to simultaneously confronting two Herrschers, this scenario seemed considerably less daunting.