True Herrscher —

Evolution and Adaptation?

Shu frowned slightly, looking down at the still-pulsing fragment of the [Champion] in his hand.

It certainly fit both titles. It adapted to his attacks, then evolved… Was this document related to the [Champion], and the other mutants?

He checked the document's timestamp, and his expression turned serious.

[Last Modified: December 7th]

That date was significant! He'd seen it in the isolation room in the Nest!

It was the day Little Tian disappeared!

And the seventh day of the changes in ARC City!!

He swiped the screen, the realistic page-turning effect revealing the first chapter.

[Entry: November 29th]

I feel like my body has changed… drastically. My nearsightedness, the lingering aches and pains, and the fatigue from two sleepless nights have all been… corrected.

I feel unexpectedly healthy. But everyone around me seems to be experiencing the opposite.

Dull expressions, dilated pupils, stiff bodies, heightened sensitivity to touch, decreased tolerance for noise, extreme reactions to sudden light…

Could it be a new viral outbreak? One that amplifies sensory input, slows reflexes… a neurotropic virus?

Almost everyone is exhibiting these symptoms… except for a few children, who seem immune. It's strange, since children are usually the most vulnerable to viral infections. But this time, the antibodies are present in the young…

That was the end of the first entry. Surprisingly, it wasn't a scientific record, lacking technical jargon. It read more like a diary entry.

But the date… November 29th? Two days before the changes in ARC City began?

The symptoms described were almost identical to those described by Lyle and Adam – children were spared, while everyone else suffered strange symptoms.

But the writer also experienced the "spared" phenomenon?

No, there were plenty of children with glasses in the Nest. There was no "fatigue clearing, ailment curing" effect.

Shu's frown deepened. He tried to call for his assistant.

"Ethics."

No response. He looked at Pet, connected to the central computer, and remembered Ethics had said Pet was single-threaded, unable to multitask.

Like how Ethics couldn't move Pet while speaking through it.

He calmed himself, flipping to the next entry.

[Entry: November 30th]

This is an earth-shattering discovery! Overnight, everyone on the ninth floor has transformed into grotesque, mutated organisms!!

Devoid of intelligence, lacking defined form, they simply… roar, like newborns, craving sustenance!! And I can provide it, out of thin air! Have I become one of them?

Wonderful… But why are their appearances so… repulsive? It does not align with my aesthetic sensibilities…

No, no, that's not the issue!

These creatures are evolving! I saw one with a disproportionately large head get attacked from behind. Its eyeball popped out of its socket, still connected by the optic nerve!

Fascinating! All the organisms are evolving! They're competing for dominance…

I've chosen a lucky one, the one with the protruding eyeball. I've given it a massive amount of energy, nearly depleting my current reserves… I can sense… features similar to my own developing within it…

I seem to be able to control it. It acts like a three-year-old child, pleading, begging me not to destroy it…

Of course I won't destroy it! Of course not!

I've named it "Champion." I've commanded it to defeat all the other organisms here. I want to see how far it can develop!

With my assistance, in just one day, the "Champion" has consumed all the other transformed creatures. It's becoming more… magnificent. But there are no more organisms for it to consume…

I have a… radical plan. I will provide it with thirty million… stepping stones!!

I want to witness… the culmination of life!! This operation will be…

Hon—kai—!!!

The second entry ended, and Shu's pupils were experiencing a seismic shift.

There was no "Umbrella Corp." The culprit was a Herrscher! A real Herrscher!!

The [Champion] was its hand-picked experiment, and everyone in this city was a victim of this Herrscher!

Without hesitation, he flipped to the next entry, scanning it rapidly.

[Entry: December 2nd]

My plan is extraordinarily successful. I don't even need water, or a high vantage point. I just need to expose myself to the air and unleash my power, and the entire city begins to transform.

Thirty million new lives have emerged in this city. The spectacle of their competition is… exquisite…

Life sings here. The path of evolution unfolds… Thirty million individuals allow me to witness every possibility! I am not yet perfect… I need to evolve, even more than the "Champion"!

[Entry: December 2nd, Evening]

Just before I released the "Champion."

I saw her…

No, why did I find such a horrific scene beautiful? I must be going mad!!

Haha, Honkai, Herrscher… This is a complete and utter disaster!!

I'm a Herrscher? What a joke!!

I have to find her. This place is too dangerous. These lives are too dangerous!!

These… repulsive creatures… I can destroy them. So I did, including the humans who were still resisting. Their appearances were too hideous. I didn't want her to see…

But she saw some… It doesn't matter. These are just… deviations. Inconsequential.

As for the "Champion"… it was my creation. I can't bring myself to destroy it.

[Entry: December 3rd]

She went out and brought back that little girl. The girl lost her memories. I don't remember harming her…

Memory, thought… these are areas I haven't explored. I'm researching, but I'm at a loss.

But she seems… fixated on finding these survivors. Good. There are still some children in Heliopolis. I need an assistant to bring them out, to present them to her.

Hopefully, that will make her happier… As for these experimental subjects, you're lucky. You possess antibodies, and you met her.

As for who to choose… Heh, it seems some children aren't so bright…

[Entry: December 7th]

She is… pleased with my arrangements. Gathering enough human test subjects satisfied her. But today, a disobedient subject… injured her.

I haven't been injured in a long time. I seem to have reached… my limit.

But she hasn't… I foresee… an eternal separation…

No.

I refuse to accept this outcome!!

I refuse to accept that, after enduring our weakest moments, we will face this tragedy now that I possess such power!

I will bring her with me…

I will… make her the apex being—!

Since she is grateful to be human, I will make her the strongest human!!

Wait—I will succeed, even if I have to collaborate with those… metal husks in Future City…

[In tribute to my sister—]

[Natasha Cioara.]