Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

"This is my mission."

Even after the call ended, [Wendy]'s words echoed in MEI's mind.

Unlike the future Herrscher of Reason, MEI had known from the moment she accepted Jiang Qiao's invitation that her path would be filled with sacrifice. But hearing those words filled her with a strange resentment.

It wasn't a new feeling. Even a genius like MEI faced hardships.

But it had never been this intense.

She took a deep breath, her eyes regaining their usual calm. Dwelling on these feelings wouldn't help.

She contacted Vill-V. "How are things on your end?"

MEI was in charge of the New Zealand operation. Mobius was handling the evacuations. And Vill-V, after reinforcing the shelters, was communicating with the other nations. Mobius had no interest in politics, and MEI was too young. So, Vill-V, with her ability to create different personalities, had created a "Politician" persona.

"Mu Continent has sent ships to evacuate New Zealand. I've coordinated with Mobius." Politician Vill-V was calm and collected, unlike her usual flamboyant self.

"And you?"

"Elysia is back."

"That's… good news." While rude, Politician Vill-V preferred [Elysia] to Elysia. Elysia was just a fighter… and while strong, Vill-V felt that Sakura was a better choice. [Elysia], however, was a different story. She was a powerful warrior and intelligent. Elysia's only advantage was her… simplicity.

Mobius, however, disagreed.

"She agreed." MEI said, cutting to the chase.

Vill-V paused, then nodded. "I understand."

They all knew MEI's plan, a plan they'd all agreed to.

Originally, they'd intended to use the Fourth Herrscher to demonstrate the Honkai threat and increase Fire Moth's influence.

But the Fourth Herrscher wasn't controllable. They couldn't predict the scale of the destruction.

And now, Wendy was a global threat.

MEI could control the situation, but revealing her Herrscher identity would cause chaos within Fire Moth and damage their credibility with the other nations.

[Elysia] was also out of the question. As a hero of the Second Eruption, she couldn't be a Herrscher.

So, MEI had chosen the only viable option, the 'Elysia' who could make the tough decisions.

A mischievous grin appeared on Vill-V's face. "I'll prepare a grand stage for 'Elysia'."

…

Tonga, a small island nation in the western South Pacific, was in ruins.

The hurricane caused by the Herrscher of Wind had destroyed everything. Even concrete buildings crumbled under the force of the storm.

From space, a massive cyclone was visible, affecting global weather patterns.

As MEI had said, if Wendy wasn't stopped, the entire world would suffer. Millions would die, and the Pacific island nations would be wiped out.

"Such a nuisance." [Wendy] landed on the island, looking at the towering cyclone.

Causing a disaster was easy for the Herrscher of Wind. Just a nudge in the right direction, and the storm would grow exponentially.

Stopping it, however, required immense effort, a direct confrontation with the forces of nature.

"Wendy, stop this." A gentle voice echoed through the wind, reaching Wendy.

His arrival caught Wendy's attention.

"?!" She stared at the Jiang Qiao version of [Wendy], confused.

"Who are you?!" The girl looked exactly like her, wielding the same power.

Herrschers could communicate. The Sixth Herrscher had tricked Kevin, and the Seventh had greeted Fu Hua normally. The Second Herrscher's uncommunicative nature was an anomaly.

"...Perhaps this will be more familiar. While our time together was brief, a cute girl like me is quite memorable, right?"

"Don't tell me you don't recognize me. I'll be heartbroken~♪"

Imitating Elysia in another body was difficult, but for recognition, he had to.

Wendy's eyes widened. "You're… that fatty!"

"..." [Wendy] paused.

…I'm not that fat, am I?

And why does Wendy think Elysia is fat?

He was glad he hadn't brought Elysia along. She'd be furious.

"It's rude to call such a beautiful girl 'fatty'." He sighed, but he was also observing Wendy.

His safeguards seemed to be working. Wendy still retained some of her own consciousness.

But his Origin powers weren't enough to fully suppress the Herrscher personality. Should he have brought a backup body?

He decided to try something. "Totori is alive."

"She's… alive…? That's… good…"

"So, calm this storm down. Totori wouldn't be happy to see this. You don't want Totori to hate you, do you, Wendy?" He tried using her attachment to Totori.

But it didn't work.

While Wendy hesitated, she shook her head. "I can't. A voice… it tells me not to."

…The Herrscher personality…

While Wendy's self was still present, it wasn't strong enough to resist the Herrscher consciousness. She was being controlled.

As he considered his options, a sudden surge of danger made him react.

Whoosh!

A massive wind blade grazed his cheek, slicing off a lock of hair. A stinging sensation, a shallow cut. It quickly healed.

[Wendy] glared at the girl, annoyed. "Attacking without warning is rude."

"Elysia!!!" Wendy roared, her voice filled with rage.

Well, it was a mix of Wendy and Elysia. To Wendy, 'Elysia' was a rival for Totori's affection. As a human, she'd suppressed this jealousy, but as a Herrscher, it had become amplified into outright hostility.

—Once she's gone, Totori will be mine!

"This is troublesome." [Wendy] sighed, taking to the sky as Wendy pursued him.

He'd wanted to avoid a fight.

—Her Honkai energy level was 15,000 HW!

Thanks to the Will of Honkai's manipulations, while the future Wendy was weak, this one was incredibly powerful, rivaling a peak six-core Sirin.

And unlike Sirin, who mainly used her less destructive Void powers, Wendy was a Herrscher of Wind, whose power scaled with energy levels.

And he only had 2500 HW.

"Good thing I rely on skill."

He couldn't overpower her, so he'd outsmart her.

—Void authority activated.

—Truth authority activated.

—Origin authority activated.

As a fellow Herrscher of Wind, he had high resistance to her attacks. While he couldn't overpower her, he could deflect and redirect her attacks.

And his Void and Truth powers gave him an edge.

They clashed in the sky.

[Wendy] watched as Wendy charged towards him with wind blades, her expression twitching.

"You and this body's owner think alike, don't you?"

Always resorting to close combat. Well, given their limited intellect, it was the most effective way to deal with him. Wind couldn't hurt him, and dodging wind blades and projectiles was easy. So, close combat was their best bet.

"Everyone wants to brawl, huh?" He sighed and began manipulating the surrounding water vapor, creating a barrier of liquid.

"Come on!" Wendy grinned, kicking off the air, her bandaged legs propelling her forward. She wasn't worried about the water barrier.

While her wind blades might seem crude, they were infused with 10,000 HW of power. A thin layer of water wouldn't stop them.

She could also control liquids, but she disliked them. They were slow and clumsy, unlike the swift and agile wind.

One hit. One hit is all it takes!

She slammed into the water barrier.

And instantly regretted it.

—Non-Newtonian fluid!

Like an egg hitting a rock, the force of the impact was reflected back at her. While a Non-Newtonian fluid wouldn't normally stop a wind blade, this wasn't an ordinary one. It was reinforced with Ideal Fluid, absorbing and dissipating the Honkai energy.

"Seal!" [Wendy] clapped his hands, trapping Wendy in a sphere of Ideal Fluid.

But it wouldn't last. Trapping a Herrscher of Wind, even a clumsy one, with Ideal Fluid was foolish. It only lasted a second.

But then, a chain materialized, binding Wendy.

It was a fragment of the Binding Chains, manifested using the Truth authority. While incomplete, it was enough to suppress Honkai energy.

"Finally, the Herrscher of Origin's power!" He channeled his Origin powers. While incomplete, it was enough to suppress Wendy's Herrscher personality.

Wendy, now docile, fell asleep, and [Wendy] carried her down to the island.

"Finally. Now, I just need to fix her with Elysia's power, and then deal with the mess Wendy created."

As for MEI's request… he'd handle that once he'd fully recovered.

But—

—Beep, beep…

"What is it, MEI?" He answered Vill-V's encrypted call, noticing MEI's worried expression.

What could possibly make her so anxious?

"Leave Tonga immediately! A nuclear submarine is approaching! Its intentions are unknown."

"According to Vill-V, it's carrying multiple nuclear warheads!"

MEI's voice was urgent.

They were planning to use Wendy to demonstrate the Honkai threat and gain leverage. Vill-V had convinced North America and the Western powers to launch a joint military operation. The nations were eager to prove their military might against a Herrscher. And MEI's plan was for Jiang Qiao to destroy the fleet.

But before they could act, Vill-V had discovered that a nuclear submarine had gone rogue, its destination unknown, but heading towards Tonga.

And—

According to the Ninth Research Department, the volcano in Tonga was about to erupt.

—The last eruption had devastated the Pacific, releasing energy equivalent to tens of thousands of hydrogen bombs.

Totori's attack, Wendy's transformation and arrival in Tonga, and now, this… it seemed someone was deliberately targeting 'Elysia', pushing him into a corner.

"Your warning came a little too late." [Wendy] looked towards the incoming missiles, his enhanced senses detecting them.

Hundreds of them.

"Seriously…" He sighed, and the island was engulfed in nuclear explosions. The volcano erupted.

Everything went according to the mastermind's plan.

But amidst the chaos—

—Something shattered.