Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

The night sky over North Africa was no different from fifty thousand years ago. Snakey could even tell how many times Polaris had shifted, how the stars had moved over time.

Mobius looked down at her own body.

This body was different from what she had imagined. It was a form mimicked by Noldrei using his own body, with the usage rights simply grafted onto her, a memory data construct.

The wind blew across her fingertips, and she could clearly feel the reality of the outside world.

It was completely different from the Elysian Realm. The sensation instantly brought back an experience she'd never had before, one that existed only in the memories left behind by the real Mobius—the experience of the real world.

From the moment of her birth, the current Mobius had been sealed away in the Elysian Realm, meekly existing as a memory.

"So, this is why you've been lingering outside for so long, Elysia..."

Her words made Ely's eyes widen in protest. "You can't slander me, Grandma Mobius! He's the one who didn't come back sooner. He dragged me all over the place. You can't blame me for being late."

But Mobius had no interest in Elysia's explanation. She looked at her great benefactor, Noldrei, who had brought her out.

Great benefactor? More like a great sucker!

From the moment Noldrei had told her everything about the Honkai in the Current Era, Mobius had been preparing for this day.

Her preparation was simple: do nothing, and let Noldrei bring her out.

And then...

Elysia's brow furrowed. She retreated behind Noldrei, only peeking her pink head over his shoulder to watch Mobius, who was clearly about to stir up trouble.

"Bringing me out was your biggest mistake! And to think you'd try to control me with a body like this—what a foolish dream! The moment I learned about the Herrschers of the Current Era, I was already prepared for this!"

Mobius, without a moment's hesitation, allied herself with the Honkai. As the Honkai Energy density around her surged, she quickly grasped the will hidden within the Honkai.

"I can use the external Honkai power to forge a new Herrscher Core and complete my own new form!"

Mobius really had to thank Noldrei for this. If he hadn't completely eliminated all the Honkai-adaptable individuals in the world, the Honkai might not have chosen her even if she had managed to gather a high concentration of Honkai Energy.

But now, the Honkai had no choice. She met all the conditions for the birth of a Current Era Herrscher.

At this thought, expressions of pity couldn't help but appear on Noldrei's and Elysia's faces.

What did it mean that Mobius could become a Herrscher?

It meant the Honkai had certified the misery of her life, deeming her suffering so twisted that she was qualified to become a Herrscher.

Elysia whispered, "Noldrei, is Mobius throwing a tantrum and complaining to you? I feel like... she's acting like a child who couldn't get her favorite toy and is now on a revenge-spending spree after getting her first allowance."

Noldrei looked at Elysia in shock. "Ely, Ely... no wonder people often mistake you for a bad girl at first glance. How can such a taunt-filled description come out of your 37-degree-plus mouth?"

Elysia said suggestively, "What temperature is in my mouth... wouldn't you know best?"

Of course he knew. He was the one who had created Ely's current body.

But that wasn't the point. Were they really going to be okay, taunting Mobius like this?

Noldrei wanted to bait a Herrscher, and Mobius wanted to bait a Honkai Energy core. The two of them had tacitly reached a win-win situation.

Mobius got what she wanted.

The Core of the Herrscher of Sentience!

And this core was different from all the others. The moment it coalesced, Noldrei noticed something was wrong. The Core of the Herrscher of Sentience wasn't in the real number space as theory suggested, but in the Imaginary Space, a place Noldrei couldn't directly touch.

With this, Mobius intended to use the Herrscher Core to plunge Noldrei's consciousness into a complete illusion, allowing her to take control of this body from the future.

She was even confident she could drive Elysia out of Noldrei's body.

However...

Mobius had miscalculated one thing.

The man from the future lacked the ability to dream. From the very beginning, his mental structure had no room for any form of illusion.

The body of a man from the future had broken through the traditional limitations of mind and matter. Otherwise, Noldrei wouldn't have been able to pass through the cracks of time; the final result would have been nothing but dust.

The Herrscher of Sentience tried to use common human concepts of mind control to affect Noldrei with illusions, but it was something she was incapable of doing from the start.

Mobius's plan was well-thought-out. If she had chosen an earlier Herrscher, it might have been the Herrscher of Stars. If she had chosen a later one, it might have been the Herrscher of Dominance.

But Mobius's bad luck was in being granted the power of the Herrscher of Sentience by the Honkai. The ability was indeed powerful, but it was completely ineffective against Noldrei, whose mind and matter were perfectly unified in the real number space.

And now...

After her defiant outburst, Snakey fell into an awkward silence.

A question arose in her mind.

Why? Why can't the power of the Herrscher of Sentience affect Noldrei?

Could it be... that the power of the Honkai is a lie?

Mobius was at a loss.

What was going on?

"What's wrong with her?"

As a being who could influence the Stigma Space from the genetic level, what kind of illusion could possibly affect Noldrei?

The sudden "Immune" that popped up made Noldrei wonder if Mobius was really throwing a tantrum in a strange way, just as Elysia had said.

"Why isn't she doing anything? Hasn't she already obtained the power of a Herrscher?"

The humid North African wind made it difficult for Elysia to answer his question.

"It seems... Grandma Mobius has already made her move."

Noldrei looked at Mobius in shock. "How did you attack me?!" he asked.

His shock instantly made Snakey's temperature rise. She turned and attacked Elysia directly.

Immune

It was as if a curious word had floated up from Elysia's head!

Mobius fell silent once more.

Why was this happening?

Mobius suspected the Honkai had given her a fake Herrscher Core. A massive amount of Honkai Energy poured out from her body.

But other than summoning a few useless Honkai Beasts, nothing happened.

'Did I not get a Herrscher Core at all?'

Mobius finally understood the helplessness the Honkai felt when facing Noldrei.