Chapter 119: Volume 2, Chapter 51: "Sirin, let me ponder - what force brought you before me?"
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Xia Chen knew he couldn't participate in the battle on the moon, and based on the memories provided by Stigmata Sirin, five days later, she would descend upon Earth with a massive horde of Honkai Beasts. Her first target would be the destruction of Babylon Tower.
Of course, there was always the possibility that her arrival could occur sooner.
If Sirin descended earlier from the moon, there could only be one reason—Xia Chen.
The God of Honkai bestowed Authorities upon Sirin, but due to Xia Chen's presence, her Herrscher Authority of Wind no longer remained unique.
In other words, Xia Chen's existence transformed Six-Core Sirin into Five-Core. Wait, considering Sirin has not yet extracted the Rationality Core, it effectively makes her Four-Core now.
However, from Stigmata Sirin's words, Xia Chen gleaned a crucial piece of information:
"The God-given Authorities cannot be revoked."
This explained why, despite calling Welt a traitor, the God of Honkai could not reclaim his Herrscher Core. Of course, the most critical factor was the barrier formed by thirty thousand people's will, severing the connection between the Will of Honkai and the Rationality Law Core.
Although Xia Chen is currently unrecognized as a Herrscher by the Will of Honkai,
He still holds the title of Herrscher.
What he lacks is the connection to Virtual Space, not control over his Authority.
Nevertheless, his existence would be sensed by Sirin.
Xia Chen silently assessed his combat capabilities against Sirin with five Cores...
Well, while it may seem that Sirin often faces setbacks, one must consider how she encounters them. In truth, he had no guaranteed advantage.
However, since simulation scenarios represent just one possibility among many, he wouldn't let this deter him.
With time remaining, there were preparations to be made.
Xia Chen couldn't help but examine the Babylon Tower laboratory closely.
Initially, the Second Herrscher killed over two hundred laboratory personnel at Babylon Tower but did not completely destroy it.
In other words, this facility still preserved numerous experimental records related to Sirin.
Xia Chen had to admit, he was genuinely curious about them.
Located in the vast Siberian region, Schicksal established Babylon Tower for researching the fusion of Honkai Energy with human bodies.
This was essentially the earliest version of Project Stigma. However, Schicksal's objective was to develop technological reserves for artificial Stigmata.
Indeed, even Himeko's artificial stigma data, used later on, originated from Babylon Labs. Unfortunately, due to the Second Honkai Eruption, everything within the laboratory was buried beneath the snow and wind.
His curiosity stemmed from humanity's innate desire to uncover secrets.
Even if Xia Chen couldn't fully comprehend the experimental data, he still wanted to observe it closely.
As he cleared out the zombies and undead inside, Xia Chen fortunately stumbled upon some information related to Babylon Labs.
[Stigma Data.]
[Honkai Energy Compatibility Enhancement Experiment.]
[Equation of Honkai and Gene Expression]
The researchers at Babylon Labs conducted their experiments with reckless abandon yet meticulously documented every piece of data.
Xia Chen was confident that this information pertained to the development of later artificial Stigmata.
Without Otto's involvement, creating artificial Stigmata showcased the exceptional intellect of these individuals. However, their indifference towards life ultimately led to their downfall.
They suffered from Fire Moth's fate without possessing its resilience.
Well, even Fire Moth's fate wasn't ideal either.
No matter, Xia Chen thought.
He couldn't help but wonder, if Sirin hadn't existed, would Wendy, as another test subject, have faced similar treatment? Would she have been subjected to the same tragic circumstances as Sirin?
Shaking off such peculiar thoughts, Xia Chen began examining the experimental logs—the only comprehensible material within Babylon Labs for him.
During his A-rank Valkyrie assessment, Ana had mentioned his lack of proficiency in physics. Xia Chen felt it wasn't entirely his fault; most likely, all Herrschers shared this shortcoming.
As he read through the experiment logs, he noticed a series of names. It became evident that before Sirin, there were hundreds of subjects enduring equally tragic fates.
Unfortunately, none possessed Sirin's resolve or 'luck'—the ability to personally exact revenge can indeed be seen as fortunate.
However, based on the logs, even without Sirin, another figure like her would inevitably emerge.
The treatment of experimental subjects at Babylon Tower was akin to Nazi Germany's attitude towards Jewish people during World War II.
He scrolled through name after name. However, upon reaching Sirin, the records abruptly ended.
Sirin's information was not documented within them.
Bella, Aurora, and several other close friends of Sirin were mentioned in the journal, but her entry was conspicuously missing. Based on the timeline, it couldn't be due to insufficient time for recording.
It was clearly erased intentionally.
This likely wasn't done by Sirin herself; bluntly put, she lacked the foresight. If she wanted to erase her record, she would have destroyed everything rather than just removing hers.
Therefore, someone else must have been responsible.
To Babylon Labs, Sirin undoubtedly held a special significance.
So who would want to wipe her data?
At this moment, Rin's importance became evident.
"Rin, please copy all this information directly into my brain. Also, replicate any available data about Babylon Labs."
"Understood."
For Rin, these tasks posed no significant challenge.
Just as he finished gathering all the records, he suddenly sensed movement outside.
A powerful Honkai Source was approaching him rapidly.
Xia Chen swiftly rushed beyond Babylon Tower and observed that the sky was now obscured by numerous instances of Virtual Space.
Countless Honkai Beasts emerged from these rifts, descending upon Earth.
The Honkai Source he sensed was none other than Sirin herself.
This purple-haired Herrscher gazed at him with disdainful eyes. "Let me ponder... Just what power allowed you to stand before me?"
"A petty thief stealing authority."
Xia Chen felt a sudden alarm and immediately manipulated his fluid form for protection.
Within Virtual Space, a Virtual Hand reached towards him relentlessly. This 'nonexistent hand' effortlessly ignored Xia Chen's created fluid, nearing his body swiftly.
"Damn it, anyone who claims Sirin is overconfident again had better watch out!" He couldn't help but curse internally.
How could this Sirin be considered overly confident?
In a crucial moment, he tapped into the Stigmata's power to narrowly escape.
However, as a result, Sirin detected another force. By perceiving beyond the intrinsic world's space, she glimpsed a different version of herself.
A hint of surprise flashed across Sirin's eyes before they settled back on Xia Chen.
"I understand now. You must be a companion sent by the gods, fearing I would become too bored after destroying the world."
"I permit you to address me by my name, Sirin."
"Speak, tell me your name."
At that moment, she resembled a proud queen bestowing grace upon her subject.
Xia Chen stared intently at Sirin.
"I think I need to correct you; we are enemies."
With one hand wielding Red Sakura and the other controlling wind and snow,
"I will do everything in my power to stop your atrocities, Herrscher."
Sirin's eyes flashed with indignation.
"Then, perish!"