Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

“Using Honkai energy to heal enemies? Foolish, laughable.” Durandal gritted her teeth. “Shaniat is such a foolish family tradition! Aren’t you afraid I’ll recover and continue fighting you? What a waste of time!”

“I’m not afraid.” Cecilia gazed intently at her face and said softly, “No matter how many times you come back, I will heal you.”

"Do you still think I'll remember your kindness now?" Durandal clenched her fists, her face full of sarcasm.

“No, it’s just that no matter how many times, I will defeat you,” Cecilia said softly. “Defeating you won’t take me much effort.”

Durandal was so angry she couldn't speak!

"A World Serpent executive?" Cecilia turned to look at the raven in the library. The dodo, dressed in a leather outfit and looking quite intimidating, jumped up in fright and hugged the sniper rifle she had just assembled tightly.

“That’s a Divine Key, isn’t it?” Cecilia glanced at the gun in her arms. “It looks quite threatening. Hmm, it should be the assassination-type Divine Key, the Seven Thunders of Purification, which is controlled by the World Serpent?”

Raven hesitated for a moment, realizing that it was unlikely she could hit the saintess with her sniper rifle. It would be too difficult to hit Cecilia when she was on guard. No matter how powerful the Divine Key was, it still needed a sniper rifle as its carrier. If it missed, it would be worthless.

“Yes, the Key of Judgment: Seven Thunders of Purification.” Raven stepped out of the bunker. “One shot is equivalent to a single strike from the Herrscher of Thunder in the previous civilization, capable of disintegrating the target into atoms. However, it destroys the carrier along with the target after use, so this key can only be used once before it needs to be repaired. We plan to use it to eliminate the Herrscher in an extreme situation.”

The Seven Thunders of Purification, the most destructive Divine Key, is so powerful that even Soul Steel cannot withstand its force. It is a weapon originating from the core of the Herrscher of Thunder. The Herrscher of Thunder from the previous civilization was said to manipulate electromagnetic forces, capable of breaking matter down into atoms, and this weapon inherits this ability perfectly. However, the price of its immense destructive power is that it can only be used once per use; in other words, it can only deal with a single enemy at most.

“I will not allow you to kill Anna.” Cecilia closed her eyes, then opened them again with unwavering determination. “Our Shaniat family's affairs are for the Shaniat to resolve themselves. This matter is highly suspicious, and I cannot allow the so-called World Serpent to take Anna away. I will uncover the conspiracy!”

"Does Your Excellency intend to disregard international conventions?" Raven tried to bolster her courage, stammering, "International conventions stipulate that no matter what the inside story, any force that conducts such inhumane experiments must not retain a Herrscher!"

“What if someone uses the power of international conventions to openly smear Schariac?” Cecilia’s eyes were like knives. “Scharariac doesn’t even know that Anna is a Herrscher’s prototype, but World Serpent and Schicksal know before Schariac. Your intelligence is so swift, and you are unusually concerned about Anna. Can you be trusted? In my eyes, you are even more suspicious!”

Raven was so intimidated by this aura that she couldn't speak. She was already feeling guilty and in the wrong, and facing a saintess who was so holy, pure, and invincible, she couldn't even utter a word of rebuttal.

However, Durandal immediately retorted, "Absurd! To accuse someone when you can't prove your innocence is ridiculous. Whether Shaniat is innocent or not, we'll find out in the future. According to international conventions, Anna should be taken over by the World Serpent right now. I don't care who's right or wrong; I only care that international conventions must be upheld. This is a consensus of all mankind, and no one can escape the supervision of this consensus."

"Is this what you learned in Destiny? Consensus?" Cecilia asked in a low voice.

“That’s right. Unlike the hypocritical warmth of the Schariac family, warriors are born to defend the rules. Without consensus and rules, humanity would have perished long ago under the corruption of the Honkai.” Durandal stared at her. “Although many Valkyries admire you and pursue the so-called ‘girlish heart’ and ‘beauty,’ they have begun to disregard the rules. But I am different from them. You Schariacs probably can’t understand this.”

“No, I understand.” Cecilia nodded unexpectedly. “Everyone has to stick to something, and it’s normal for what they stick to to be different. You’re defending the rules under the control of destiny. You think that Shaniat is breaking the rules and therefore unforgivable. You think we are evil. These are innate prejudices that are inherent and cannot be reversed.”

“I repeat, hand over the Herrscher. If Schariac was framed, I will take responsibility for finding out the truth.” Durandal struggled to her feet and said coldly, “I will not be prejudiced against Anna because of personal likes or dislikes, and I will not pass on my prejudice against Schariac to anyone else.”

"I believe."

"Then..."

“But Durandal, I believe in you, but I don’t believe in the rules you uphold, the destiny you protect,” Cecilia said softly. “I don’t believe Anna will be treated properly after leaving Schariac. I know how you view the Herrschers, and I know how much you covet the blood of Schariac. You’re willing to negotiate and communicate only because I’m here, because you fear me. But if Anna is taken away, the situation will be beyond my control. So, I won’t allow that to happen. Let the rules be broken if they’re broken.”

“You still put family ties above the rules.” Durandal listened quietly to Cecilia’s words, then smiled. “What a warm and loving family, what a loving patriarch. But just as you don’t trust us, I don’t trust you either… I don’t believe you love your family so much. After all, you are a great saint who can even let go of me.”

The pure white saint closed her eyes wearily; she no longer wanted to argue and could only sigh sadly.

“I’m taking Anna away. You can stop me if you want.” Cecilia turned and walked towards the ice cocoon. Durandal was about to get up to stop her when Cecilia waved her hand without turning back, and countless vines rose from the ground to bind her. The raven beside her quickly began to clear the weeds for Durandal. She hesitated whether to shoot Cecilia, but since it would be useless, she might as well clear the weeds.

Just then, all three of them heard a shout of wild joy.

"Finally! Finally out! I can finally see you, Anna! Anna!" Night Owl cheered on the chain control panel, pressing the button again, and four more Soulsteel chains pierced through the ice cocoon. "You're awake, Anna! You slept so long! Can you see me? Can you see me? It's Night Owl, I've come to get you, let's go home!"

Cecilia turned around abruptly and saw the EEG monitor next to Night Owl, where the previously stable fluctuations began to show peaks!

Her face paled slightly, the meaning of which was self-evident. Durandal was also stunned, while only the raven weeding her had a complicated expression. The World Serpent Project was actually waiting for Cecilia to restore Anna and research the possibility of a controllable Herrscher. In fact, it was meant to force Cecilia out, and it was still within the plan.

But the next second, the chains controlled by the Night Owl reached out, only to be smashed down by the suddenly formed ice wall, which deflected their position!

Even the raven's expression turned ugly.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Cecilia! Unparalleled in the World!

The ice cocoon is vibrating!

"Welcome back to the world! Anna Schariac, the Herrscher of Ice, Anna! My Anna, my angel!" Night Owl almost wanted to pounce on the ice cocoon and kiss it, but even in his ecstasy, he remained rational. He clearly sensed the Herrscher of Ice's awakening and decisively waved his hand, "Capture procedure activated!"

World Serpent's staff used a remote control to apply high-voltage electricity to the Soul Steel Chains, causing the Ice Cocoon to tremble even more violently. Night Owl didn't even glance at it, merely licking his lips as he stared at the Ice Cocoon. The high explosives placed on the outside of the Ice Cocoon were filled with tons of anesthetic drugs, which would release tens of thousands of tiny steel balls upon detonation, like having hundreds of shotguns pressed against your face.

The steel pillars would penetrate the ice cocoon, riddling Anna with holes, and the anesthetic would be used to numb the Herrscher through the wounds. Night Owl wasn't worried about Anna's body being severely damaged. First, she was a Herrscher, and Herrschers were said to be the darlings of Honkai, able to repair their bodies with Honkai energy. Second, even if she couldn't be repaired, it didn't matter, since Night Owl's body was 70% mechanical.

Night Owl is Asian. He read Jin Yong's novels when he was a child. The male protagonist in those novels was a genius, handsome and dashing, but he lost his hand. The female protagonist was cold, beautiful, and elegant, dressed in white, but she lost her virginity. But because of this, they were considered a good match.

He was already incomplete enough, so it wouldn't hurt for Anna to be incomplete as well.

But he was too late. Although he had already devised a plan, no one knew what a Herrscher was. Even the executives of World Serpent had never seen a Herrscher in battle. Legend had it that the Herrscher of the Void could fight the Saintess, but only the Saintess herself had ever seen her. In Night Owl's view, the freezing agent that could calm down the monsters in tokusatsu dramas was already the limit of their imagination.

But it's likely that these are the limits, and there's probably not only that.

"What did you use to deal with the Herrscher? Anesthesia?" Cecilia listened to the roar of the explosion. Unusually, she did not fly into a rage because of World Serpent's bombardment of Anna. Instead, her expression turned slightly ugly.

"Is that not allowed?" Raven's expression changed slightly. Cecilia was the only one here who had ever faced a Herrscher, and Cecilia's question might mean that something bad was about to happen.

Cecilia didn't bother to answer and quickly jumped onto the capture platform. By this time, the high-explosive detonation had ended, and a massive amount of anesthetic, appearing as red smoke, enveloped the ice cocoon layer by layer. The ice cocoon finally stopped vibrating, and the ice walls that had been suspended to block the capture soul steel chains also fell down. Anna finally calmed down; it seemed the secondary sedation had worked remarkably well.

The Valkyrie in charge of the capture team pressed the switch again!

The four soul steel chains that had just been intercepted shot towards the ice cocoon again!

In fact, only these Soul Steel chains can capture a Herrscher, because Soul Steel is a substance that is extremely difficult to destroy even by Honkai energy. Anna was already pierced through her shoulders, neck, and thighs by four chains at the beginning. If this round of chains continues to pierce her, she will be bound by eight chains to her limbs and torso. The Soul Steel will cut off all Honkai energy supply channels in her body, and even a Herrscher should not be able to break free.

This has actually proven effective because Schicksal possesses a Divine Key called "Judah's Oath," which works by using a Soul Steel Javelin to seal the enemy's Honkai energy. In an era before history could be altered, the Valkyrie Judah used it to crucify the ancient Herrscher Jesus.

Cecilia didn't even try to stop the cruel secondary chains! She had been focused on protecting Anna, but when the images on the EEG monitor started to change, she actually stopped.

Four soul steel chains, crackling with high voltage, lashed into the red smoke like wild snakes! They met no resistance whatsoever! Night Owl jumped up excitedly, and the other Valkyries exchanged high-fives in delight!

Cecilia's brow furrowed, and because of her unpleasant expression, Durandal and Raven, who had been observing her, also looked increasingly grim.

"Snap..."

The sound of something breaking.

Everyone stared intently at the space where the ice cocoon was located, and then the red mist produced by the anesthetic dissipated.

"Oh my god..." The staff of World Serpent collapsed in fear when they saw the truth behind it.

The chain didn't pierce the ice cocoon at all, nor did it penetrate Anna's body as expected! But if it had missed, it would have been fine; they could have tried again. However, the ice cocoon had already shattered, and the end of the chain was held by a slender, fair hand. The high-voltage electricity, powerful enough to kill a blue whale, had no effect on her!

The owner of the hand seemed to have evolved in the past few hours. Her incredibly long white hair, almost obscuring the entire space behind her, cascaded down like a curtain. She wore a grand, deep blue gown, her face veiled, and surrounded by ever-burning ice candles. Her expressionless, aloof face held golden eyes that flickered like the flickering candlelight. She was undeniably beautiful, like a princess, yet in the hearts of all the Valkyries, an overwhelming fear arose, as if she were a demon ready to crush them into dust at any moment!

Anna, the Herrscher of Ice!

"Then...then..." Raven was speechless.

“That’s a Herrscher, a complete Herrscher! How could a Herrscher be calmed by anesthesia and sub-zero temperatures? She’s the Herrscher of Ice! Her power is to create ultra-low temperature domains, even approaching absolute zero! Her body may look human, but she’s long since stopped following human rules!” Cecilia took a deep breath, lowering her angry voice. “What have you done! What have you done to Anna!”

"The Herrscher of Ice..." Raven repeated the name, her face ashen. Of course, she knew Anna was now the Herrscher of Ice, but she had never imagined that the Herrscher's oppressive power was so terrifying. She thought that with the Divine Key, she could even put up a fight against an S-rank, but in front of the Herrscher, she didn't even know what she could do even if she hit her target.

Is she really a threat to an enemy of this level?

The ice cocoon shattered, and the ice layer high above the entire city center began to break apart. Thousands of tons of ice fell like rain, indistinguishable from falling knives. The Valkyries fled in all directions amidst the sharp hail. They wouldn't normally be afraid of these things, but the Herrscher's ice could even penetrate all their Honkai energy defenses, cutting open their fair and delicate skin, leaving them bleeding like ordinary people.

Night Owl stared blankly at the girl in the sky. The gentle and lovely girl was nowhere to be seen. Now Anna had white hair and golden eyes, and her waist was adorned with a magnificent red scales mark. She was as cold as ice and so noble that she seemed unfamiliar to everyone.

"Anna was actually a very shy girl before, oh dear, what have you been up to!" Cecilia looked at the stunning beauty, still one in a million even as a Herrscher, with a hint of jealousy. "My daughter is clearly your girlfriend. Do people in China really think that wild flowers smell sweeter than home flowers?"

That stigmata was clearly not natural, after all, Cecilia held Anna when she was born.

"So beautiful, so beautiful! Anna! You're even more beautiful than before!" Night Owl swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. "Raven, what should we do?"

He spoke the last sentence very softly, and Raven almost rolled his eyes. "You ask me what to do? How should I know what to do!"

The first four chains pierced Anna's shoulder blades and thighs, but she managed to grip the next four chains. The capture team couldn't control the chains at all, because even the water turbines couldn't move them; it didn't feel like they were being held by a young girl, but rather like they were being dragged by a giant ship!

It truly is a giant ship!

Anna's slender, well-defined fingers grasped the Soul Steel chain, flipped it over, and tied it to the back of her hand for easier application of force. Then she pulled it back!

The four water turbines rooted in the ground were lifted into the air! They even stripped away the soil, the copper water pipes snapped instantly, and all the machines that launched the chains were destroyed!

These four machines and ground equipment together weigh over fifty tons, and Anna did it with just one hand, without even showing any sign of exertion! She is clearly a Valkyrie with a superpower, and her physical body shouldn't be too different from that of an ordinary person, but the power of a Herrscher has reached the point of ignoring the rules. Even the largest creature on Earth, the whale, cannot exert such terrifying force. If she can easily lift fifty tons with one hand, then World Serpent has no doubt that she could topple a twenty-story building with a little effort!

"The Soul Steel from the initial release is still embedded in her body!" someone shouted. "Commander Night Owl personally inserted it when Anna first entered Herrscher of Nature, and it can't be pulled out yet!"

"Right! We pierced her before the ice cocoon formed!" Night Owl realized and quickly said, "Anna isn't stable yet, the Soul Steel is still in her joints! She can't move quickly! We still have a chance to capture her completely. Once she pulls out the Soul Steel and regains all her power, we won't be able to control her anymore! Not to mention the possibility of researching her as a controllable Herrscher! Take advantage of this moment and subdue her quickly!"

However, Durandal, who was able to subdue Anna, was being suppressed by Cecilia using the Divine Key. The pure white saintess stared blankly at the Herrscher who was pulling out the Soul Steel Chains from her body.

"Holy Maiden!" Night Owl roared.

"Shut up." Cecilia's beautiful eyes turned slightly cold, but she ignored him and turned to Durandal, saying in a low voice, "Organize everyone to evacuate, whether it's Schicksal, World Serpent, or ordinary people who might be watching. This is the center of Munich, but everyone in the city should be evacuated. The destructive power of the Herrschers is far greater than you imagine."

Durandal stared at her. "You're trying to get rid of me?"

“I don’t need to send you away,” Cecilia said softly, having reached the highest point of the capture platform and gazing sadly at Anna. “Because I can handle what happens next myself. None of you need to interfere, and you are not allowed to interfere.”

Durandal opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but at this moment she knew she couldn't continue the fight. If two S-rank Valkyries were to fight each other while facing a Herrscher, it would truly be the end.

As for cooperation... she couldn't possibly cooperate with Cecilia. She was a lone wolf, and Cecilia was clearly her enemy! If Cecilia could handle Anna, she would need to conserve her strength to snatch Anna away from Cecilia!

If Cecilia can't handle Anna, then she can fill in. With World Serpent as a support unit, she herself is a powerful weapon against the Herrschers!

The Ice Princess, clad in a white ice coffin, sensed her sole, unfathomable enemy. She paused slightly as she drew her second soul-steel chain, raising her indifferent, lifeless golden eyes to coldly gaze at Cecilia. Below, the World Serpent's self-propelled weapons were firing at her, but the transparent defenses blocked them. She paid no heed, simply watching her.

The Herrscher of Ice's defense is impenetrable; it's not just a shield of ice, but an ultra-low temperature domain. Any matter in this near-absolute zero temperature domain will slow down its movement. This is a defense at the microscopic level, something even a god couldn't achieve.

“It must hurt a lot, so even if your heart is filled with the will of Honkai to slaughter all the humans in front of you, you should still put removing the Soul Steel from your body first.” Cecilia said softly, “You are the gentlest of the children, and also the most afraid of pain. Even if you become a Herrscher, you cannot bear this kind of pain. Herrschers cannot escape pain.”

Pain often serves as a warning mechanism, telling you that you are injured, need to heal, or need to escape. Without pain, it's easier to make incorrect judgments. Yes, pain is actually a higher form of sensation. Herrschers are more advanced than humans, so they aren't as powerful and invincible as many people imagine, impervious to pain and cold.

Anna looked at the pure white saintess and remained silent.

"Can't speak?" Cecilia suddenly realized. "Is that so? Human consciousness and Herrscher consciousness are still struggling with each other, neither can take the lead, so they can't speak. No wonder you cocooned yourself and froze yourself... Good child, really good child, worthy of being our Shaniat's daughter."

She chuckled softly.