Hearing such an answer, Elysia didn't know whether to feel moved or call him hypocritical.
"I don't want you to get hurt because of your hesitation."
Chang Yuan shook his head, then looked at Elysia with a gentle expression.
"You really are something."
Elysia gave Chang Yuan a helpless glance, then turned her attention back to the Herrscher's corpse.
"This mission is complete. Let's head back."
"Mm, let's go."
On the way back in the aircraft, Chang Yuan pondered a question.
Could they extract the Herrscher core and turn the Herrscher back into a human?
After all, Himeko was their comrade, and the future Twelfth Herrscher would be Sakura's sister, Rin.
They couldn't just kill all the Herrschers.
So, he had been thinking about the feasibility of this idea.
If it were possible, then they could consider whether Elysia had a Herrscher core.
Although she called herself the Herrscher of Origin, she was an extremely special existence as a Herrscher.
No one knew, and no one had ever dissected her, because no one would allow it.
So, whether she had a Herrscher core remained a mystery.
If she did, that would be ideal. They could then research how to make others become Herrschers.
Or, they could create an artificial Herrscher by integrating Elysia's Herrscher core.
Then, they could have the artificial Herrscher sacrifice itself in Elysia's place.
This way, even if humanity couldn't overcome the Honkai, Elysia could survive with him until the next civilization began.
So, Chang Yuan planned to ask the three most authoritative scientists as soon as he returned.
But he didn't reveal any of this to Elysia.
After returning to the MOTH headquarters, Elysia went to write her mission report, while Chang Yuan used his authority to summon the three most authoritative doctors to a meeting room.
"So, what important matter have you called us here for? If it's something, just say it quickly. Don't waste our time.
We're already swamped with the things you mentioned earlier—the Herrscher of the End, the Cocoon of Finality, and all that. We don't have much time to chat."
The first to speak was Mobius, the most impatient of the three most authoritative scientists.
Chang Yuan could only sigh helplessly.
Mobius was the type to say one thing but mean another. If she were truly impatient, she would have left already instead of sitting here criticizing him.
"Alright, then I'll get straight to the point."
Without wasting any more time, Chang Yuan explained everything he had been thinking about on the aircraft.
"Herrschers are humans who have transformed due to special circumstances. So, can we safely extract their Herrscher cores and turn them back into normal humans?"
Slap!
"Huh? Why do you have such a pointless idea? Just kill the Herrschers. Why bother with all this?"
Mobius slammed the table and stood up, looking at Chang Yuan with surprise.
From the First to the Sixth Herrscher, Chang Yuan had never brought up such an idea.
But now, he suddenly mentioned it, and Mobius had a bad feeling about it.
"The First to the Sixth Herrschers had no connection to us. They were just strangers. But now, Chang Yuan, you're bringing this up.
Does that mean future Herrschers will be people we know? Is that why you want to eliminate this possibility?"
Mei, the most rational of the group, deduced the most likely reason.
This was the most plausible conclusion when emotions were set aside, leaving only rationality.
Otherwise, why bother with such thoughts? It was simply because future Herrschers might be people they cared about, and they wanted to save them.
Humans were like that. Most things didn't concern them, but when it came to their own matters, they became especially concerned, even seeking help from others.
"...As expected of Mei, you're right. The Seventh Herrscher, the Herrscher of Flame, will likely be Himeko.
The Tenth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Domination, will include one of Klein's clones. The Twelfth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Corruption, will be Sakura's sister, Rin. And the most special one, Elysia."
In an instant, both Mobius and the 'Expert' Vill-V stood up abruptly, except for Mei.
They weren't particularly close to Himeko, so they didn't care much about her.
But the others—one was Mobius's confidant, and the other was someone Vill-V considered a close friend.
This made it impossible for them to remain calm.
"So, do you still think it's fine to just kill the Herrschers?"
Chang Yuan asked again, but this time, no one objected.
Mei remained silent because, among these people, only Elysia had a somewhat close relationship with her.
Thus, she was the least qualified to speak, as she couldn't fully empathize.
"I don't care about the earlier ones. What about Elysia? Why didn't you mention what kind of Herrscher she is?"
The 'Expert' Vill-V noticed the loophole in Chang Yuan's explanation and asked.
"At this point, I won't hide it anymore. But please keep what I say today among the four of us."
The others responded with silence.
Chang Yuan took this as their agreement.
Then, he began to explain: "She is the most special Herrscher. She was born even earlier than the First Herrscher. But unlike other Herrschers, she has her own consciousness.
When I traveled the world with her, I could see that she completely saw herself as part of humanity. She had no idea about her Herrscher identity.
Her Herrscher authority is called Origin. I don't fully understand its fundamental purpose, but I know this: if our civilization fails against the Honkai,
she will sacrifice herself to unleash her authority. When the next era begins, all Herrschers will break free from the Honkai's control and develop their own consciousness.
At that point, all Herrschers might side with humanity against the Honkai. This is the special nature of her authority. She is like a treasure gifted to humanity by the gods.
She gives human civilization another possibility, a chance to overcome the Honkai.
Therefore, she is not just the Herrscher of Origin. She can also be called the Herrscher of Humanity. But because of this, the price for unleashing her authority is her own dissolution.
You all know my relationship with her. So, I don't want, and I don't hope, for that day to come. Therefore, I hope you can research a way to extract the Herrscher core while keeping the Herrscher alive.
This is my only request, and I hope you can achieve it. Please."
After saying this, Chang Yuan stood up and bowed to them, showing his respect and earnest plea.