Soft-Hearted?

When Lee, accompanied by the Fire Moth' forces, surrounded Rin's house and burst in, Rin was engrossed in cooking.

Although her sister Sakura didn't return often, Rin always hoped that every time Sakura came home, she could have a hot meal.

Moreover, Lee would visit her from time to time, bringing fresh fruits – a rare treat in the current city, where preserved canned goods, hardtack, and nutritional supplements were the norm.

The Fire Moth' base still had some frozen meat reserves. While not abundant, it was enough to provide a small supply to the families of MANTIS Soldiers like Sakura.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, however, were completely out of the question. The only way to obtain such ingredients was to venture outside the city, where Honkai beasts roamed...

Clearly, Lee had specifically sought them out for her during her missions outside the city.

Rin had always respected and liked Lee.

Although the sudden decapitation of the waiter on their first meeting was frightening, Rin knew that Lee was fighting against the Herrscher.

During the Herrscher of Legion incident, Rin had even defended Lee online, only to have her personal information exposed.

If it weren't for her sister being Sakura, she might have been confronted directly...

But seeing Lee was always a joyful occasion – or at least, it should have been.

"Lee, Big Sis Lee...?"

Terrified and falling to the ground, Rin stared at the countless black muzzles pointed at her.

She looked towards the only person she could rely on – even though she could tell that Lee was clearly the leader of these soldiers.

"Miss Lee, the test results are correct. She indeed has a Herrscher reaction."

Rin watched as a fully armed member reported to Lee, holding an instrument she couldn't understand.

Lee, who hadn't looked her in the eye since entering the room, finally turned her gaze slowly towards her.

Those were crimson eyes completely different from the ones Rin remembered.

Gone was the usual gentleness, and gone was the calm she had displayed when eliminating Herrschers in front of her – there was only a cold indifference that made Rin instinctively afraid.

"Big Sis Lee, what do you mean by Herrscher...?"

There was no answer, but Rin saw Lee's hand tighten around the purple longsword at her waist.

Rin knew that sword. Sakura had mentioned it before. Lee used this sword to kill one Herrscher after another.

And now, Lee was about to draw it here. Combined with what that person had just said, it meant—

Panic surged within her.

Rin's frightened eyes darted around, the silent soldiers and their guns terrifying her at this moment.

She wanted to cry for help, but there was no one around who could help her.

Her sister Sakura wasn't in the city, and her Big Sis Lee now regarded her as an enemy.

Rin didn't know what had happened or what she had done wrong to be considered a Herrscher – but she knew she wasn't one.

This had to be a misunderstanding!

Even though she had heard many stories from Sakura about how Lee showed no mercy to any enemy who became a Herrscher, Rin could only cast a pleading look at Lee, filled with hope.

"..."

Lee's grip on Seven Thunders of Retribution tightened and loosened.

After a long silence, as if making a momentous decision, she waved her hand at the surrounding soldiers: "Apply the restraints and take her away."

"Big Sis Lee...!"

Rin, pinned to the ground by the soldiers as they applied the restraints, fearfully called out Lee's name, but only silence answered.

Against those far stronger than herself, Rin's struggles were meaningless.

She was easily loaded onto a special transport vehicle and then imprisoned in a jail designed specifically for Herrschers.

Lee followed the convoy silently, only leaving after ensuring that Rin was completely secured within the cell, unable to escape even with a Herrscher's power.

Fortunately, this fortress was the location of Mei's laboratory.

Mei, who was researching the SELENE, had collaborated with Vill-V, who was studying the Eleventh Herrscher Core, to develop a device capable of restraining Herrscher energy.

Otherwise, even containment wouldn't have been possible.

As the core area of the Fire Moth' fortress, the place was already in chaos due to the alert for the Twelfth Herrscher.

Although the Twelfth Herrscher hadn't suddenly appeared above the city to crush everyone to dust, it was still enough to keep everyone busy.

"Lee, Rin doesn't seem like a Herrscher."

Hua, who had been silently following Lee since they went to apprehend Rin, couldn't help but ask.

"Is she like the Herrscher of Legion from before, a type that can disguise itself, which is why she acted like a human?"

"...Maybe," Lee said softly.

"Then why not eliminate her?" Hua asked, puzzled. "Eliminating her on the spot should be simpler and safer than imprisoning her, right?"

"..."

Lee's silence puzzled Hua.

For a moment, she even began to wonder if Lee had softened and couldn't bear to act because the Herrscher had taken over Rin's body.

But that was impossible. How could Lee possibly show mercy to a Herrscher?

Hua quickly realized – there must be something she didn't understand.

After all, Hua knew she was often out of the loop.

Perhaps this time, Mei and the others had asked Lee to capture the Herrscher for experimentation. After all, it was rare to capture a Herrscher without any losses.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to doubt you!" Hua, having figured it out, quickly and earnestly apologized. "Lee, you must have a reason for doing this. I trust you!"

Lee's figure stiffened for a moment, and she finally managed a strained smile. "Yeah... Hua, you need to be careful too. The Divine Voice might still be affecting you. Remember to stay calm."

"Kevin and Su should be arriving soon. I'll leave it to you to explain the situation to them."

"I... I have something I need to discuss with Dr. MEI."

Mobius's laboratory was now filled with many people.

Even though it was located in the deepest part of this fortress, and the leader was the infamous Mobius, for the now-fanatical people who wanted to resist the Honkai, as long as it was helpful in fighting the Honkai, these were no longer problems.

And when Lee stepped in, Mobius, busy examining the newly received data on Rin, didn't even have time to glance at her.

"...Doctor, could you spare me a moment?"

Even though she knew she was troubling the busy Mobius, Lee still chose to speak.