Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Just as Shirogane Miyuki had thought, Hachiman Hikigaya got promoted again.

He sat somewhat dazedly in his office chair, holding the lives of twenty million people in his hands. The most absurd part was that he had finally entered the uppermost echelons of Academy City and was even sitting with these people, discussing how to carve up and rule over those twenty million lives.

Kiyotaka Ayanokōji was equally speechless. He hadn't expected his leader to shed the "provisional" tag and be appointed directly to the position of "Cardinal" of Jerusalem.

Unlike the position of Overseer in Schicksal, this "Cardinal" was personally appointed by His Majesty the Emperor to work in this region, primarily responsible for handling important non-Stigma-related affairs.

These affairs were completely above the governmental matters of the two nations.

"Ayanokōji, my entire life, I have been walking on thin ice... Tell me, when will I ever reach the end?"

Hachiman Hikigaya's question truly stumped Kiyotaka Ayanokōji.

He thought that if anyone else heard Hachiman lamenting like this, they would probably be beaten to death. But this was an era where power and force were one and the same. The physical strength Hachiman wielded was a significant asset that allowed him to look down on both nations.

Tanks, drones, all sorts of sophisticated electronic equipment—none of it was any good.

Hachiman could fly over and knock you to the ground with a few punches and kicks. What could you do?

Of course, these people obediently listened.

Also listening obediently was the ordinary human, Kiyotaka Ayanokōji. He usually kept a good distance behind Hachiman, afraid that a bomb meant for Hachiman might accidentally kill him.

The problems Hachiman faced were far from over. After receiving instructions from his leader, he did everything he could to find the hidden populations in various regions, fearing that his own incompetence might cause him to miss something.

Now that the big bosses from Academy City's upper echelon were gone, the two of them finally had a moment to chat.

"Ayanokōji, do you think... the leaders of Academy City have all mastered the power of Honkai Energy? A mechanical body like mine, with the SELENE system, uses Honkai Energy to operate. Theoretically..."

Hachiman thought of the core that the white-haired man had casually placed inside his body back then.

He suddenly realized something.

"Is it only after you get a core that you enter the eyes of the higher-ups?"

Hachiman felt that the upper echelons of Academy City had mastered some way to create Honkai Cores. Possessing one of these cores was like possessing a divine spark.

Although Kiyotaka Ayanokōji had some suspicions, he had no way to verify them. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that verifying them would most likely mean breaking some taboos, and he hadn't reached the point of seeking his own death yet.

Perhaps Hachiman, with his core, was qualified to touch the taboos of this power boundary, but Kiyotaka Ayanokōji would rather die than suggest such a thing.

"I don't think they care much about the cores, and... have you forgotten? The white-haired men who look exactly the same—their personalities are actually completely different."

"There's the one who controls the meetings, the one who gave you the core, and the one responsible for the slaughter in this land. In terms of basic authority, the one who controls the meetings should be the real boss. It's like when you were with 'Kuro'. The one qualified to call meetings, 'Kuro', was the leader. Next was Horikita Manabu, who executed the meetings' decisions. And you... you were just the one who stepped in dog crap by the side of the road."

Hachiman looked at him in shock, his lips moving as he whispered, "Have you no respect for your leader?"

Ayanokōji sighed. "If you could drop that disgusting 'walking on thin ice' line, I would have some respect for you. Hearing you drone on like that every day, I think it's already the height of benevolence that I haven't reported you."

'Does that line really have such a deterrent effect?'

An awkward smile appeared on Hachiman's face, and he pretended not to have heard.

He brought the topic back. "Let's get back to the point. I mainly think that the upper echelons of Academy City might have the same aesthetic preference. They seem... obsessed with one person's appearance?"

Hachiman didn't know if he was mistaken, but he had a feeling that this was the case. Especially among the leaders he had seen, regardless of gender, most had white hair and similar features, as if they were all clones from the same family.

Look at that Theresa and the one called Kiana—they looked exactly like family.

And that Noldrei, Kevin, and the one who gave him the stone—they all looked identical too.

Hachiman believed that this couldn't possibly be a coincidence. Maybe they really were a family?

"Kaslana is a very important family recorded in the history of Schicksal. This family played a crucial role in the fight against the Honkai. Apocalypse, that nun named Theresa, is the same. The only one we haven't seen is a schariac, but I suspect that family also has someone."

Kiyotaka Ayanokōji said with a hint of indifference, "Shouldn't you be used to it by now? The blue bloods of America, the noble families of the Far East, the red nobility of China, the oligarchs of Russia, not to mention England, France, and Germany. Do you think these people just appeared out of thin air in history? Now it's just that the organizations fighting the Honkai have grasped secular power. They will have their own bloodline families rise to power as well."

Hachiman sighed with emotion. He had thought that this was a new era where the common people could defy fate and rise to power, but he hadn't expected that something like bloodlines would appear again.

"Sigh... but I think this time might be different from in history. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel the possibility of that reliance on bloodlines being broken."

Hachiman sighed, unsure if he was right, but he did sense the possibility of this primal influence of bloodline reliance being shattered.

Kiyotaka Ayanokōji wasn't sure what would make his leader think this way, but if a new society that truly broke the reliance on bloodlines were to emerge?

He thought of his own father's detestable old face.

"Is that so? Well, that's truly a good thing. Just like how you, leader, have no blood relation to your family now?"

Hachiman looked at Kiyotaka Ayanokōji in shock.

He whispered, "Ayanokōji, are you mocking me? If you keep this up, I'll have you removed from your post."

Ayanokōji looked at him with clear eyes and said sincerely, "No, I genuinely think this is a good thing."

Was it really a good thing?

Hachiman was now a little unsure. After all, he really did have a complete and wonderful traditional family.