Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers-Chapter 270: Dominance

"Yawn—" Michael yawned, stirring his bitter black coffee while listening to Sakura and Prometheus report on the previous day's events.

"Yesterday, a total of 123 riots occurred globally. 87 of these can be confirmed as instigated by the Tenth Herrscher. A total of eleven cores were recovered, meaning most Herrscher individuals managed to escape after causing disturbances."

Michael casually jotted down the two numbers on his writing pad, asking without looking up, "Powers?"

Sakura reacted faster than Prometheus again, answering before the AI could: "Powers of the Ninth and Fifth Herrschers also appeared. Yesterday, I eliminated a Herrscher individual with invisibility abilities. Vill-V and Mobius both concluded this ability stems from the Fourth Herrscher's control over fluids, specifically achieving invisibility through manipulation of light and shadow."

Michael switched to another writing pad. As the clear, spring-like voice reported, he circled the numbers '4', '5', and '9' already written there. He also drew two lines under the number '2'.

"Michael, do you believe the enemy possesses even the Second Herrscher's powers?" Sakura asked.

"Just speculation. Without the Second Herrscher's powers, how would so many Herrscher individuals coordinate tasks and distribute powers?"

"Ahem!" Prometheus finally seized an opportunity to interject. She cleared her throat to get the other two's attention, then reminded them, "Regarding how the Tenth Herrscher establishes communication, Dr. Mei and Vill-V, after calculations and analysis of the Tenth Herrscher cores, believe they likely use quantum entanglement for coordination. This method cannot be deciphered and allows for instantaneous information transfer, far more convenient than using Void powers."

"Hmm..." Michael rested his chin on his hand, recalling the two times he and Elysia communicated through the so-called confluence of Herrscher consciousness. But he didn't seem to remember ever encountering other Herrscher consciousnesses there. He had always assumed this communication method was unique to the "Herrscher of Human."

"No, wait... perhaps it is only possible for the Herrscher of Human. But the Tenth Herrscher is an exception. They are simultaneously independent yet unified individuals; their inherent quantum properties are already entangled. And their communication probably isn't face-to-face like mine and Ely's, maybe more like online chatting?" Michael couldn't figure out the exact principle, but...

"Perhaps I could use Sentience powers, attach a part of my consciousness to Aldemir's... Maybe infiltrate the communication network between Tenth Herrscher individuals that way? Seems risky, the Tenth Herrscher also possesses partial Sentience powers, I might not be able to cover all my tracks."

What a pity. If he had considered this before the Tenth Herrscher gained Sentience powers, they wouldn't have needed so many preparations. Michael could have even tried directly controlling a group of Tenth Herrscher individuals with Sentience, perhaps even completely altering their perception, making them believe they should fight for humanity.

But regretting it now was too late. However, after this incident concluded, if they could capture one or two Tenth Herrscher individuals alive, they could let Aponia have a try. He wondered how the coreless Eighth Herrscher was faring under her... 'tutelage' in the Deep End.

Snapping back to reality, Michael saw Sakura looking at him strangely. Her puzzled gaze made him instinctively rub his face, confirming he was still himself. "What is it?" Besides confusion, her eyes seemed to hold a trace of annoyance.

"I... I just remembered. Where's Mei? This isn't Mei's office..."

"Ah— You finally noticed," Prometheus's mechanical voice mocked silently from the side.

Sakura lowered her head slightly, her fox ears drooping. She didn't know what came over her; she hadn't noticed the abnormality at all. It was the first time in years she had made such a basic mistake.

"Oh? Mei and Kevin went to Rhine. The unrest there hasn't completely subsided yet."

"Hmm..."

"Actually, the United Government itself had already collected plenty of evidence on the illegal activities of various departments. I guess Kiel was probably planning to reveal the corresponding crimes to quell public anger if a major disturbance occurred. Unfortunately for him, now it all benefits us." Michael smoothly changed the subject, sparing Sakura further embarrassment.

"Hm? But do they really need to go personally? The situation now is somewhat dangerous."

Michael shrugged. "Like I said before, if we want to lure them into a trap, we need to appear overwhelmed and caught off guard. And Mei... well, in her own words, 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.' Although I don't agree, you see the result – now I'm handling her paperwork."

"...Then at the very least, I should be there in the shadows as a second layer of insurance. Hasn't it always been like this?"

"About that..." Michael lowered his head, sighing softly. "Sakura, in these past four years, has the time you've truly spent with Rin exceeded ten days?"

"..." Sakura had never counted. But briefly searching her memory, ever since Fire Moth merged with Anti-Entropy, she seemed to be perpetually on missions, her only companions the night and the unending stench of blood. So much so that when Michael mentioned Rin just now, she momentarily couldn't even form Rin's features in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she could only conjure a blurry image. If not for the familiar sakura-pink hair color and the single red streak at the front, she wouldn't have recognized it as Rin at all.

"This matter is ultimately my responsibility. I'm sorry, Sakura."

"No." Sakura quickly shook her head. "Someone has to do those things, and having undergone all of Poisonous Cocoon's training, I am the best candidate. Besides, I do this so that after we defeat the Honkai, I can better be with Rin and... well, that's it." As she spoke the last words, a faint smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

Looking at this smile filled with hope, Michael was momentarily speechless. He silently crossed his arms in front of him. "Anyway, now that Fire Moth has merged with the United Government, your work is no longer necessary. Take a proper vacation. As for Mei's security detail, besides Kevin, Kalpas is also there."

As he spoke, he somehow produced a pocket-watch-like object and handed it to Sakura. "I originally wanted to take you to the Bubble Universe to see Rin; they're responsible for searching for the Mu continent Bubble Universe. But considering the Tenth Eruption, this is the only way for you to communicate with Rin remotely for now."

"My body's reaction to the Sea of Quanta... Er, this? I can communicate with Rin using this?" Sakura had initially taken the 'Genius' device with one hand. Hearing she could communicate with Rin, she immediately released her grip on her sword hilt with her left hand, cradling the device carefully.

"Why are you being so careful... Earlier, when Kalpas was communicating with Immer, somehow he dropped it twice, didn't seem to cause any problems."

"Oh... Oh..." Sakura struggled to suppress the excitement bubbling up inside her. Normally, this wouldn't be difficult for her – a killer's most important trait is maintaining emotional stability, unswayed by external factors. But now...

However, she was Sakura, after all. The feeling of turmoil lasted only an instant. She took a deep breath, nodded slightly to Michael, then clutched the Genius tightly and departed.

"Alright, alright! Prometheus, let's deal with the other documents!" Michael stretched lazily. Perhaps thinking of something, he quietly clenched his right fist.

"Hmm... My apologies, Captain Michael. Next up is the segment you dislike the most—verifying various fund inflows and outflows, and approving departmental budget requests."

"I..." Can't escape. Michael resigned himself to his fate and was forced by Prometheus to work for the entire day. During this time, he handled over two hundred directives related to global riot incidents. It wasn't until the night grew deep that he dragged his feet out of the office.

"Yawn—" Just as he stepped out, he saw Elysia leaning against the wall nearby, drowsily nodding off, yawning. Hearing the door open, she looked up, rubbing her eyes. "Ah! Michael, you're finally out!"

As if infected by some mysterious force, Michael yawned too, then slowly replied, "Yeah. How about your end? How are those new recruits?"

If Elysia had nothing else to do, Michael certainly wouldn't have been stuck handling so much tedious paperwork. Unfortunately, the mass-produced MANTISes created under the general mobilization had all completed their surgeries under Spacy's supervision and were ready for deployment in the next couple of days.

Although the numbers were repeatedly cut due to budget issues, with most candidates reassigned to other posts, the final number of MANTISes still exceeded two thousand. This number was only a tenth of Michael's initial estimate, but for Anti-Entropy, which had long operated with single-digit members and only expanded to just over sixty even after the Eighth Eruption... No, more accurately, for Fire Moth, there was absolutely no experience in managing so many MANTISes.

Managing ordinary soldiers was already taxing, but at least there were regulations and monitoring systems. But MANTISes... Although these individuals were proven "loyal" and "resolute" before becoming MANTISes, the biggest fear was the disparity—many "frugal experts" accustomed to hardship quickly squandered vast fortunes after winning the lottery overnight. Many who were meticulous and dutiful when ordinary instantly became corrupt upon gaining power.

The same applied to MANTISes. Their so-called "reliability" and "steadfastness" were based on their identities as ordinary humans. After suddenly obtaining power far exceeding mortals, could they maintain their original intentions?

Elysia's main job for the foreseeable future was screening. With her extraordinary insight into the human heart, just two or three sentences were enough for her to thoroughly grasp a person's thoughts. But this was inevitably tiring work. So, after Mei returned, Michael would join her, though he would rely on Sentience powers.

However, this was actually just a small part of the problem. The biggest issue was—

"Hey, Michael, these two thousand-plus people, how do you plan to organize them?"

Michael rubbed his sore eyes, feeling overwhelmed. What he told Evangeline earlier was true: his Anti-Entropy didn't intend to take on so many people. He had even planned to transition Anti-Entropy towards an "Flame-Chasers" model, integrating the rest with regular troops to enhance Fire Moth's efficiency in handling Honkai incidents below the Herrscher level.

But the appearance of the Tenth Herrscher disrupted this plan. Who knew if there were Tenth Herrscher individuals among this batch of MANTISes, or how many? There was no way to quickly screen them—these MANTISes themselves radiated Honkai energy. Besides, a Herrscher simply needed to refrain from using their powers, like Michael initially did in Fire Moth, or Kiana in ARC City. Their Honkai energy signature would be even lower than a MANTIS's.

Under these circumstances, stubbornly sticking to the original plan and dispersing these MANTISes among various units was clearly unwise. As the defending side planning a counterattack or annihilation campaign, one would usually lament the enemy being too scattered, striving to gather them together for a clean sweep. Why actively disperse them?

But if they didn't do that, Anti-Entropy not only lacked experience managing over two thousand people, but also lacked the capacity—management relies on hierarchical structures. No single person has ever successfully managed more than fifty people directly. Even class presidents in school often divided classmates into groups. Direct management wasn't impossible, but the resulting organization level would definitely be insufficient for training and combat needs.

Assuming Anti-Entropy's current sixty members could all serve as managers distributed among the new MANTISes, each would still have to manage forty people. But most of Anti-Entropy's current "veteran MANTISes" were products of the post-Eighth Eruption expansion themselves. Not to mention, under the pressure of the Tenth Herrscher, besides the familiar Flame-Chasers, Michael couldn't even guarantee someone like Dystopia hadn't become a Tenth Herrscher individual.

Setting aside other issues, the best approach should be to postpone, reconsider after the Tenth Eruption ended. But that was obviously impossible. It wasn't like all two thousand were Herrschers; they couldn't just be left hanging. Doing so would not only cause discontent but also make it easier for any hidden Herrscher individuals to operate?

Michael tapped his finger on his arm twice, quickly devising a transitional measure: "Alright, let's do this first. Set up a training period starting at three months, under the pretext of basic training for new recruits and coaching MANTIS tactics... Okay, that's not really a pretext. Anyway, tell them they need a three-month basic training period. During this time, divide everyone into four battalions. You, Ato, and Blanka each lead one. You temporarily handle my battalion as well. Then... don't disperse the original MANTISes among them as officers. Directly divide these new recruits into hundred-person companies, and let them elect their own captains."

"Hmm..." Elysia frowned slightly, understanding Michael's meaning— "You're saying, any Tenth Herrscher individuals hiding among them definitely won't miss this opportunity. After all, only by becoming a captain can they secretly incite more people to cause trouble. Hmm... Very insidious, Michael. And besides, having one captain directly manage a hundred people is barely feasible for regular training requirements, but inciting them would be quite difficult!"

Michael poked her cheek, exasperated. "You could have praised my wisdom, but you chose to call me insidious..."

"Well... Well, I couldn't think of the right word at the time!"

Michael leaned against the cold wall with her, resting for a while, then suddenly said, "You head back first. I still have some work to do."

"Oh? Going to Mobius's lab again? Or... Hey? Where's Hua? Haven't seen her all day. Did your talk yesterday help? Should I go check on her again?"

"That's really not necessary..." Michael twitched his lips, rejecting her kind offer. "However, this next matter does involve Hua. But I'm going to Vill-V's workshop."

"Oh?" Seeing Michael being so upfront, Elysia couldn't really say anything. She sighed dramatically, "Sigh, come to think of it, I haven't visited Vill-V in her workshop for ages either!"

Michael raised an eyebrow, inviting without thinking, "Hm? Want to come along then?"

"Maybe... Maybe not, I'm quite tired today... Well, I'll head off then! Come back early!"

Michael tilted his head, not quite understanding why she changed her mind again. He shook his head, watching Elysia's figure disappear from view, then strolled towards Vill-V's workshop.

As usual, he didn't use his Void powers for quick travel. It was faster, more convenient, but... ultimately different from the living habits of a "person." Just like how, theoretically, both Herrschers and MANTISes could forgo sleep, but no one ever did. They still felt tired; that too was proof of being human. Besides, it was just a short walk away.

"Eh? You're late... The thing is behind the door, grab it yourself." Hearing footsteps behind her, knowing it was Michael, Vill-V didn't pay him much attention, busy fiddling with some incomprehensible machine.

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Michael ignored everything else, walked straight over, and picked up the golden longsword leaning behind the door. In the center of its crossguard was embedded a gem that constantly pulsed with dark red light.

"Didn't expect you to finish it so quickly."

"Hmph, only this one. I don't have time for others right now. Besides... how should I put it, our understanding of the so-called power of Dominance isn't complete. So I have no guarantee what functions this Divine Key will ultimately have—absolutely none. But speaking of which, can't you just replicate the power directly? Why the rush to use a Divine Key?"

Replication was certainly possible, but firstly, the Tenth Herrscher's core wasn't "complete," and secondly, the replicated power wasn't very useful at the moment. Relying on it to infiltrate the enemy was impossible—although replicated, Michael's "Dominance" wasn't one of the original Herrscher individuals.

But...

"I never said this was for me..." Michael gently stroked the patterned golden blade with his palm, an involuntary smile spreading across his face.