Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

 A thin, spinning disc of water, like a transparent mirror, deflected Parvati's devastating beam.

The barefoot girl, with sky-blue wings and a divine aura, maintained this absolute defense.

While Wendy was called the Herrscher of Wind, her powers weren't limited to just wind. Wind was merely a manifestation of airflow. And for the Herrscher of Wind, manipulating fluids offered the best defense.

Frictionless, non-viscous—a theoretical concept made real, an absolute defense.

"Ato, he's yours." She flicked her wrist, and the unconscious Kosma, enveloped in a gentle breeze, floated towards a nearby figure.

Ato, a blue-haired man in a protective suit, caught the boy, looking startled. "She knows me?"

"Of course. She's… never mind." Elysia, who'd arrived with [Wendy], stopped herself. I'm Elysia!

"Elysia, you're finally here!" Ato exclaimed, relieved.

"You have no idea how terrifying that thing is!" Parvati's storm had made it impossible to approach. Even Kosma's reckless charge had been a suicide mission.

Elysia raised her bow. "Focus on the smaller ones."

Their enemy wasn't just Parvati.

—During the Second Eruption, nearly half a million Honkai Beasts had roamed the Siberian plains. This Fourth Eruption in New Zealand was similar. Thousands of Honkai Beasts infested Wellington.

While they'd eliminated many on their way here, the high Honkai energy environment allowed them to regenerate endlessly.

"What about that giant thing? And… is that your friend?" Ato nodded, gripping his gun, looking at the figure facing Parvati.

Because Wendy had left immediately after transforming, the chaotic weather had prevented proper surveillance. Only MEI and a few others knew the Fourth Herrscher's identity. This saved Jiang Qiao some trouble.

"Sort of. Let's move." Elysia, remembering Jiang Qiao's instructions, knew things were about to get messy. She wanted to fight alongside him, but it was more important to keep the Ninth Squad away from the Herrscher of Wind.

…

Sensing their departure, [Wendy] lowered her hand, staring at Parvati.

—Parvati was confused.

As the Fourth Herrscher's companion, it recognized the girl as its master. It just couldn't understand the subtle differences. They were supposed to be on the same side.

But—

"We're not on the same side!"

A powerful wind blade sliced across Parvati's body, leaving a deep gash.

The ape-like beast roared in pain and anger.

While Honkai Beasts obeyed their Herrscher, not all were as subservient as Benares. If a Herrscher tried to kill them, they would fight back.

"Is that all you got?" [Wendy] looked at the wound, unimpressed.

"2000 HW… not bad, I guess."

By absorbing Honkai energy along the way, he'd increased his level from a measly 1000 to 2000. But it wasn't enough.

"This will take a while." He sighed, spreading his wings.

At this level, taking down a Judgment-class beast would be difficult.

He could subdue it as the Herrscher of Wind, but that was pointless. A Judgment-class beast roaming free would attract too much attention.

And unlike the Herrscher of Origin's familiar, Parvati, like Assaka, was disobedient.

He didn't need unruly minions.

He would use the beast as a stepping stone to his ascension.

—Like Kevin absorbing Chiyou, he could do the same!

Consuming Parvati would significantly boost his power.

Honkai energy surged through his body, transforming the surrounding air into Ideal Fluid.

Herrschers shaped the battlefield to their advantage, and the Herrscher of Wind was no exception. Once his domain was complete, he would be even more powerful than the Second or even the Origin Herrscher—at least in terms of combat.

"Let's begin~" [Wendy] grinned, her hands closing.

The calmed storm raged anew, far more violent than before. Wind was the simplest application of his power, and Ideal Fluid elevated it to another level, eliminating friction and increasing speed and efficiency.

Normal wind wouldn't hurt Parvati. Herrscher companions often possessed similar abilities, granting them resistance. But resistance had its limits.

[Wendy] smiled as the domain was complete. This was now a true forbidden zone. Anything caught in the wind would disintegrate.

Only the area around [Wendy] was safe.

"ROAR!"

Parvati's resistance and durability prevented instant death, but the constant cellular disintegration was unbearable. Unlike lesser beasts, Judgment-class beasts felt pain.

It closed its hundreds of eyes, unable to withstand the onslaught. This also meant its most powerful attack was disabled. Those eyes weren't just for show. They could fire devastating beams, which could be combined for even greater power. If not for the domain suppressing this ability, even his Ideal Fluid shield might not have held.

BAM!

Parvati shielded its face with its massive hand, forcing open a few eyes. The beams they fired dissipated almost instantly—even concentrated Honkai energy couldn't withstand the Ideal Fluid.

Parvati was being slowly disintegrated, its regeneration barely keeping pace with the destruction.

It charged towards [Wendy], its massive body pushing through the wind—its most powerful attack.

While considered a ranged attacker, Parvati was actually a close-range fighter. Its speed and strength were unmatched.

And those eye beams? A point-blank barrage was nearly impossible to dodge or block.

Getting close to [Wendy] seemed like the right decision. Even the domain's creator had to maintain a safe zone to avoid being caught in the chaotic airflow.

But it was also a mistake—that safe zone was a trap.

"Wind Domain Compression!"

[Wendy] grinned, his hands pushing downwards. The surrounding airflow stilled, and the kilometer-wide domain contracted rapidly.

Whirr~

The compressed domain shrunk, trapping Parvati in a tiny space. The beast's regeneration failed, and its body began to disintegrate, its flesh turning into purple light, trapped within the shrinking sphere.

The sphere, now the size of a fist, landed in [Wendy]'s hand, filled with purple light and brimming with Honkai energy.

"Around 3000 HW, I guess." He examined it, then swallowed it whole.

It tasted like… nothing. Maybe a bit like dust.

He hadn't completely purified the Honkai energy, but given Wendy's current level, this was the best he could do. But a Herrscher's body could handle a bit of dust.

The absorbed energy flowed through his body, converging at the core.

"Around 5000 HW…" He felt the absorption rate slowing down. He could probably reach 7000.

"Not bad, for a regular Herrscher." He compared it to his previous bodies.

The Herrscher of Reason had been around 4500, and as Truth, it had increased to 5500. But Reason cores generally held less energy.

The Herrscher of the Void… thanks to either Sirin or Otto, only had 1500 now.

As for Elysia's Origin core… it was negligible.

"Over 7000 HW should be enough."

While he didn't know the previous era Wendy's level, this should suffice. In battles between Herrschers, energy levels weren't the deciding factor—unless the difference was massive.

Like [Bronya] with the Finality's power, her energy levels had surpassed all thirteen Herrschers combined.

And that was just a tiny fraction of the Finality's power.

"Time to calm things down." He looked at the storm raging across New Zealand and clenched his hand.

He couldn't stop the Eruption, but he could calm the weather, making things easier for Fire Moth.

Creation was more difficult than destruction. Calming the storm would be taxing.

He felt his 5000 HW depleting, the core drawing energy from the Imaginary and the surrounding Eruption.

A few minutes later, the comms activated—

"The storms are weakening. Are you using your powers, Elysia?"

"Elysia will be angry if you call me that. It's me." [Wendy] chuckled.

He didn't care about names.

"Do you have enough energy for later?" MEI asked, concerned. As a Herrscher, she knew how much energy such a large-scale manipulation required. While calming the weather was helpful, he still had to deal with Wendy. If he depleted his energy now, even with the Eruption, it would take time to recover. Facing another Herrscher with low energy would be dangerous.

"It's fine. I have other methods."

For him, the Eruption's primary purpose was to complete his transformation. Honkai energy wasn't a concern.

"Good. By the way, about Totori's attack… Sakura investigated the scene. There were traces of Honkai energy."

"Have there been any other Eruptions recently?"

"Some minor ones in Eastern Europe, but nothing unusual. Eruptions have become more frequent since the Second, though smaller in scale."

While Fire Moth had a global presence, they weren't omnipotent. As a multinational organization, some nations often concealed Honkai activity. The successful prediction of the Third Eruption had elevated their status, but also increased scrutiny.

While Vill-V had been careful in Nagazora, some had suspected Fire Moth's involvement.

Providing warnings was good.

Interfering with their affairs was not.

Most nations saw Fire Moth as a warning system, not a governing body.

"Vill-V and Mobius used… unconventional methods to evacuate New Zealand. The nations will tighten their control over Fire Moth."

"So, I need you to… do something."

The Third Eruption hadn't been enough to grab their attention. But the Fourth, with an entire nation devastated, was different.

They would invest more in Fire Moth, but also tighten their control. Vill-V and Mobius had crossed a line. Saving New Zealand wouldn't earn them praise, but stricter regulations.

To unite humanity, they needed a bigger threat.

The Honkai was a threat, but not big enough in their eyes.

So, MEI wanted to make the threat bigger, big enough to force the nations to acknowledge Fire Moth's importance, and make them cooperate.

This request was… excessive. It meant making Jiang Qiao the villain, ostracizing him from humanity.

"I understand."

"If you don't want to, I can—"

MEI was surprised by his immediate agreement. She hadn't expected him to comply. She was prepared to take on this burden herself.

"It's fine. I'm more suited for this than you."

"I'm sorry." MEI apologized, knowing how cruel this request was.

But for the greater good, she had to ask.

[Wendy]'s expression remained unchanged as he said, "This is my mission."