Facing the 8th Herrscher, whose deception had been exposed, Chang Yuan spoke in a cold tone.
"I lost here because I underestimated you. But this is an illusion, and you can't do anything to me."
Seeing that her disguise had been uncovered, the 8th Herrscher dropped her act and immediately reverted to her true form.
The illusion around them shattered instantly, transforming into a pitch-black void where neither time nor space existed.
"So what? I believe they'll figure it out soon enough."
Chang Yuan knew he stood no chance against the 8th Herrscher in the realm of consciousness, so he simply sat down cross-legged.
He stared at the 8th Herrscher without a hint of hesitation.
"Well, you're going to be disappointed. Your entire rushed life only amounts to an hour in the real world. I can trap you in countless cycles, and eventually, one of them will make you fall forever."
As she spoke, the 8th Herrscher activated her authority once more, and Chang Yuan found himself in a new illusion.
Everything was familiar, including his little girlfriend. But this time, Chang Yuan didn't hesitate. He reached out and crushed her neck.
However, the illusion didn't disappear. Instead, a group of police officers appeared, pointing their guns at him.
"Calling for backup! We've got a murderer here! We've got him under control. Requesting immediate arrest!"
"So this is the illusion this time? You want me to believe this is real? You're underestimating me."
Facing the officers, Chang Yuan's expression remained unshaken. He walked forward, even as bullets riddled his body, leaving him full of holes. Yet, his consciousness remained intact.
The 8th Herrscher couldn't directly kill his physical body; she could only trap him in illusions, hoping he would choose to sink into them and suffer brain death.
As long as his mind remained unshaken, the 8th Herrscher could never kill him.
Seeing that this illusion had failed to deceive Chang Yuan, the 8th Herrscher shattered it and replaced it with a new one.
The third illusion: countless Elysia clones complained about why he had killed them. He felt no regret.
The fourth illusion: Elysia betrayed him, and his former friends scorned him. He didn't care.
The fifth illusion: he returned to a world where his family was happy, everything was harmonious, and he had a childhood sweetheart. He didn't sink into it.
The...
After who knows how many illusions, even the 8th Herrscher was starting to lose her composure.
"What the hell is wrong with you? So many beautiful illusions, and you refuse to sink into any of them? Even if you're a masochist, the terrifying illusions should've been enough to trap you!"
Back in the dark void, the 8th Herrscher couldn't help but curse.
Chang Yuan simply glanced at her before lowering his head and continuing to sit cross-legged.
Thanks to the enhancement from the Cocoon of Finality, these Herrschers were more intelligent and powerful than their original versions.
"Hahaha, fine, fine! Then I'll beat you until you wish for death!"
Using her authority, the 8th Herrscher made herself invincible.
She then pinned Chang Yuan down and began beating him, amplifying his pain tenfold, even a hundredfold.
This made Chang Yuan grit his teeth in agony.
But in the illusion, he had no way to fight back against the 8th Herrscher. All he could do was resist sinking into the illusion and dying.
Dr. MEI, you guys better hurry. This thing hits hard.
Time passed, and even the 8th Herrscher grew tired from beating him. Yet, Chang Yuan didn't utter a single word or make a sound.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Fine, I'll go kill someone else. You—"
Before the 8th Herrscher could finish, she felt several powerful mental attacks targeting her.
The pain made her writhe on the ground, gritting her teeth.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I'll be back!"
"You won't get the chance. Please accept your death calmly. Please do not escape."
"Causality Reversal."
"Ah—! I refuse to accept this! The Honkai will destroy humanity!"
With her final words, the 8th Herrscher's consciousness died.
This attack was launched by all the mental-type MANTIS warriors of Fire Moth. The 8th Herrscher couldn't withstand it.
The moment the 8th Herrscher died, the dark void collapsed.
When Chang Yuan opened his eyes again, he was back in reality.
At the same time, a body was discovered at Fire Moth's headquarters the corpse of the 8th Herrscher.
"Yuan, are you okay?"
As soon as Chang Yuan regained consciousness, a pink-haired figure appeared.
Without waiting for his response, she hugged him tightly.
Chang Yuan almost instinctively reached out to hug her back but stopped himself.
That was close. I almost brought what happened in the illusion into reality.
"Yuan, promise me you won't do something so dangerous again, okay?"
"...Alright, I won't."
"Honestly, when you first came up with this plan, it scared us to death. Thank goodness we arrived in time."
Vill-V popped up, patting her chest in relief.
If they had been any later, she didn't dare imagine what might have happened.
"So I'm lucky, aren't I? Now, we just need to focus on the future."
"Hehe, with Yuan here, the future will definitely be smooth sailing."
Elysia hugged Chang Yuan tightly, whispering her trust into his ear.
As days passed, the 9th Herrscher was thwarted by the Divine Key created by the 4th Herrscher, preventing the destruction of the Mu Continent. It was eventually defeated.
The 10th Herrscher was hunted down and eliminated thanks to Aponia's commandments.
The 11th Herrscher was defeated using a special method.
The 12th Herrscher, Rin, had her core safely extracted, allowing her to survive.
And when facing the Herrscher of the End, a special artificial Herrscher was created to bear the 12 Herrscher cores. Using all Moonlight Thrones, which were destroyed in the process, they reduced the Herrscher of the End's Honkai energy by 90%.
Finally, at the cost of the artificial Herrscher's 12 cores being destroyed, they succeeded in killing the Herrscher of the End. With Elysia's unique authority, Chang Yuan entered the Cocoon of Finality and seized the power of the End, becoming the Herrscher of the End himself.
From that moment on, the Honkai was completely defeated.
After the victory, Chang Yuan fulfilled his promise.
He prepared a wedding that shook the world.
In the bridal chamber...
"Everything feels so surreal. But as long as we've won, that's all that matters."
Looking at Elysia in her pure white wedding dress, radiant and beautiful, Chang Yuan couldn't help but think this.