"Mr. Ghost? What a strange nickname..."
Elias looked at the sleeping Wendy, his mind replaying everything he knew about her.
Ever since he first encountered the original plot's Herrscher of Wind half a month ago, he had dug up Wendy's background from the student archive room at St. Freya Academy.
A once-in-a-decade genius since the founding of St. Freya, a future S-rank Valkyrie, a girl as free as the wind... Wendy had been known by many such titles.
Her combat style, like Kiana's, was based on dual-wielding gun techniques—but unlike the latter, who often relied more on brute-force punches and kicks and fired a shot just for flair in true Kaslana fashion—
Wendy's gunplay was like a dance, a storm.
Her forte was dancing on the blades of Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, firing point-blank shots right to their faces.
(Such a fascinating fighting style... It's a shame I won't get to see it in person. To think such beautiful legs are now paralyzed due to that Herrscher Core... What a waste. Truly a waste.)
Elias sighed, genuinely feeling pity for the girl's fallen brilliance.
His instincts urged him to extract the core from the girl immediately. Once the Herrscher Core of Wind was removed, the powers of the Herrscher of Rebirth could heal Wendy in an instant.
But both logic—and Wendy's own will—held him back.
(Now isn't the perfect time to save her. Instead of me stepping in now, it would be better to let Wendy lose control, destroy this branch base herself, and then I step in to take both her and the gem. If it goes smoothly, I might even pin it all on World Serpent.)
According to the original timeline, once Wendy became a Herrscher, she obliterated the entire Oceania branch.
Elias planned to appear disguised as Grey Serpent at that moment, take the girl away, and deliberately leave traces pointing to World Serpent.
That way, he could mislead Schicksal while also causing trouble for World Serpent—a win-win scenario to weaken both sides and give St. Freya Academy more breathing room to grow.
And Wendy herself also refused to give up the core.
Even if she had been tricked into it, she genuinely held the resolve to sacrifice her life to protect humanity.
That, too, was the ideal scenario.
But sometimes... the ideal wasn't everything.
At least, from Elias' emotional perspective, nothing was more important than ending the girl's suffering as soon as possible.
"...Looks like I need a backup plan."
Elias muttered to himself.
Though his reason and impulse clashed, and reason currently held sway, Elias had more faith in the latter—because, after all, he was a deeply emotional person.
And besides...
"Once, twice, but not thrice. Even Liu Bei succeeded on the third visit—this time, I'm definitely bringing you back."
Unlike the last two visits, where he'd only met Wendy briefly at night and left before morning, this time Elias planned to stick with her all day in the form of an unseen spirit.
He believed that if he kept watching over her—
He absolutely wouldn't be able to hold himself back!
...
The next day, Oceania Branch.
"It's been a long time since I slept this well."
Wendy stretched her limbs as she woke from her dream.
Though her arms were already slender and beautiful, her most perfect feature—those graceful legs—remained paralyzed and motionless, a heartbreaking sight.
"All thanks to Mr. Ghost."
Wendy spoke softly to herself.
Unlike the usual nights where pain would wake her up, this time she had slept soundly until morning. She had even dreamed—a rare, sweet dream in which she had lost the Gem of Desire and returned to her days at St. Freya Academy.
Elias had blocked out her pain, allowing her to relive the happiest days of her student life in her dreams.
Wendy wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes.
She looked around her bedroom, empty except for herself.
A small pang of disappointment welled up in her chest.
(Mr. Ghost already left?)
When Elias first appeared half a month ago, Wendy had thought she was hallucinating—a side effect of the Gem of Desire experiment causing her to hear a ghostly voice.
Thankfully, she wasn't the type of girl afraid of ghosts. And once she understood Elias' intentions, though she was moved, she had firmly refused his offer to abandon the gem.
Even knowing that the Gem of Desire had stolen her future as an S-rank Valkyrie and left her crippled as a living vessel for the core...
Wendy still believed her sacrifice was meaningful. If it was for the Valkyrie mission of protecting humanity, she was willing to gamble her life on the artificial Herrscher experiment.
"...Time to grab breakfast from the cafeteria."
Wendy struggled into her wheelchair and began moving toward the mess hall. Even with her body paralyzed, the Oceania Branch hadn't bothered assigning anyone to assist with her daily needs.
When she finally reached the cafeteria...
She hesitated for a moment at the door, but in the end, gritted her teeth and entered. The next second, all the sharp, cutting gazes made her lower her head instinctively.
"One standard breakfast, please."
She placed the tray on her lap and rolled out of the cafeteria like she was fleeing.
Around her, staff and Valkyries from the Oceania Branch avoided her like the plague. Their eyes were filled with disgust, as if they were staring at some dangerous Honkai Beast.
The whispered conversations, not even bothering to lower their voices, reached Wendy's ears and ruined the pleasant mood she'd woken up with.
"Look, that one's back again."
"So many resources wasted for nothing."
"She used to be an A-rank Valkyrie, right?"
"Her? I bet she turns into a deadweight Honkai puppet before long."
Wendy's eyes dimmed. The atmosphere at the Oceania Branch was worlds apart from St. Freya.
A former A-rank prodigy, now a crippled burden—in this branch, wherever she went, she was met with cold rejection.
She began to regret her earlier decision.
She had thought joining Schicksal would help her better fulfill her mission as a Valkyrie and fight Honkai Beasts. She never imagined she'd end up treated as nothing more than a lab rat.
Wendy couldn't help but long for her days at St. Freya—a warm, caring academy full of camaraderie. Those memories now felt like the most precious time of her life.
"Hey, you're heading to the lab next."
A figure suddenly appeared and barked the order at her.
"Eh? I thought the experiment was scheduled for the afternoon?"
"You're too slow. HQ is pushing hard. From now on, your daily tests start at this time."
"...Understood."
Wendy figured she wouldn't get a chance to eat today.
She sighed and headed toward the lab. Along the way, she passed Valkyries who had just returned from a mission. Her eyes involuntarily showed a hint of envy.
Once, she too had wielded weapons and charged into battlefields filled with Honkai Beasts. She had run faster and jumped higher than anyone, sweeping away enemies in a storm of bullets.
Now, she was just an experimental subject.
"Yo, test subject, still paralyzed today?"
"You used to be pretty decent. What happened?"
"Wasn't she supposed to become an S-rank Valkyrie? Look at her now—just a lab rat about to die."
Wendy quickly rolled away from them.
These people—her former teammates, those who once admired or envied her—now only offered mockery in the face of her downfall.
The girl's eyes were dull and lifeless. In her mind, only that invisible voice—the voice of Elias—brought her a trace of warmth in this frigid facility.
"...Right now, the only one who still cares about me like this might just be Mr. Ghost."
Wendy muttered with a bitter smile.
Though she had never seen his form, and he always came only to persuade her to give up, she could truly feel the sympathy and pity in his voice.
Wendy wasn't so prideful as to claim she didn't need pity. Even if it was only through a voice, Elias' quiet concern genuinely warmed her heart.
At the very least, someone in this world—a ghost, even—still cared about her.
(Though I've never seen what Mr. Ghost looks like, he can't just be a voice, right? I really want to know what kind of ghost he is... hopefully not like the ones from horror movies.)
Just then—
"Wahh!"
"Ouch!"
"Guh—!"
A series of pained cries came from behind her. Wendy turned in surprise to see the same Valkyries who had mocked her earlier now collapsed on the ground, eyes rolled back, twitching violently. Some even had disturbing fluids leaking out.
"!!!"
Startled, Wendy quickly wheeled herself away, but she could've sworn she heard a familiar, cold snort in the distance.
When she arrived at the lab—
This Oceania branch base, more than a Valkyrie military facility, felt like a research lab under Schicksal. Yet despite all its efforts, it had rarely produced any meaningful results.
So when HQ found that Wendy had a high compatibility with the Gem of Desire, they doubled down and subjected her to endless experiments, all in hopes of obtaining results that would please the upper ranks.
"Former A-rank Valkyrie Wendy, your performance lately has been utterly abysmal. Your fusion rate with the core is still under thirty percent. How are we supposed to report this to HQ?!" the lab director snapped angrily.
"S-sorry, I'll try harder."
"Forget it. We'll make the effort for you. Starting today, the experiment load is doubled. We need significant results soon, understand?"
"Experiment load... doubled..."
Wendy's face turned pale instantly. Her whole body trembled in the wheelchair, unable to hide her fear.
"Relax. We've got plenty of painkillers."
"...Yes."
"Since you get it, hurry up and get on the testing table. Useless thing... And to think she used to be an A-rank Valkyrie. Can't even climb onto a lab bed. Someone get her up there already!"
Two researchers lifted Wendy onto the test bed. To prevent resistance, they locked down all her limbs. Then came the needle—filled with a violet, liquified Honkai energy reagent.
Wendy squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
The body that Elias had healed just last night was once again subjected to brutal torment.
"Hmm? Oh? This body suddenly looks a lot healthier... Whatever. Just means we can increase the dosage. Today's goal is to exceed 32% fusion rate. Administer 0HW grade Honkai energy."
"Understood, Director!"
"Keh keh keh, don't disappoint me now. If this experiment succeeds, Lord Otto himself will recognize me. Then who cares about Dr. Magi or Nagamitsu? I'll be Schicksal's top scientist!"
A group of devils wearing human skin watched Wendy's reaction through glass as the Honkai reagent was injected into her.
Violet patterns bloomed across Wendy's skin. That familiar pain spread through her entire body once more.
(It's okay... It's okay... I'm not afraid, it doesn't hurt... This is for humanity. This is a Valkyrie's mission... Don't be afraid, don't feel pain. I'll be fine. I can do this.)
Wendy repeated the words to herself over and over. At the same time, she felt a burning sensation in her right leg—right where the Gem of Desire had been implanted.
The Honkai energy injected into her body was being absorbed by the Gem of Desire, which in turn accelerated its corrosion of her body—and all Wendy could do was grit her teeth and endure.
Before long, her consciousness began to fade. Her surroundings sank into darkness, and a voice echoed in her mind.
(Destroy everything. Let it all burn.)
(Make everyone who hurt you pay—with their lives.)
(This world was never beautiful. The Valkyrie mission is meaningless.)
(Humans are hypocrites. Annihilate them. Annihilate everything.)
Such violent, radical thoughts gnawed at Wendy's sanity. She could feel something new being born—
A consciousness emerging from the Gem of Desire, ready to replace her.
Wendy instinctively panicked.
That sensation—of having her mind gradually overwritten—was even more terrifying than physical pain.
"No... don't..."
(Destroy them. Destroy everyone!)
"I don't want to disappear. Don't replace me..."
(Give me your body!)
"Someone... save me..."
(It's too late. No one's coming.)
Yes... no one was coming to save her.
Realizing how utterly alone she was—
Wendy began to despair. A single tear slipped from her vacant eyes, but some fragment of instinct remained. She whispered a name, so softly even she couldn't hear it.
"...Mr. Ghost..."
"Silly girl. I'm right here."
"!!!"
That familiar voice appeared beside her. Wendy's dim eyes suddenly lit up with a flicker of hope. Her head snapped up, and the pitch-black void around her instantly grew bright.
Blinding light filled the entire lab, obscuring the scene from the onlookers outside.
And in front of Wendy, Elias finally revealed his true form. He wore the St. Freya Academy uniform, holding a single white feather in his right hand.
It was a pseudo Fenghuang Down, crafted from the power of the Herrscher of Reason—used to sever the voice of the Honkai.
"You... you're really Mr. Ghost?"
"That's me. And just so you know, I'm done holding back. Forget the perfect plan—I'm doing this my way. Today, I'm getting you out of this hellhole... and taking down every bastard in it!"
After witnessing everything Wendy had suffered, Elias did exactly as he predicted—he lost control.
At the same time, Wendy's eyes welled with tears. So he really had been with her this whole time...
This was the first time her plea for help had been answered.
And...
(So this is what Mr. Ghost looks like...)
Wendy gazed blankly at the white-haired boy before her. She had imagined his appearance many times—but this reality surpassed all her dreams.
To her, he looked like an angel.
A ray of sunlight piercing through the dark.
"You make me so angry and so heartbroken. Every time I see a girl like you suffering, I just want to start killing. Tch. Anyway—let's take back the source of your misery."
Elias casually broke the restraints on Wendy's limbs, then gently took hold of her right leg.
"The Gem of Desire... it's resonating?!"
Wendy's eyes widened.
She could feel the core inside her stirring, trying to leave her body—drawn to Elias' hand.
Elias turned his hand into quantum form, bypassing her skin and reaching directly into her leg. He touched the Gem of Desire—
And extracted it from within.
Outside, chaos erupted.
"Fusion coefficient rising! 30%! 50%! 70%! ...100%!!!"
"Impossible! Wasn't it under thirty just a second ago? How is it suddenly a full match?!"
"Damn it, what's with this blinding light?! How long is it going to last? We can't see anything!"
"Sunglasses! Anyone have sunglasses?! Hurry!"
The researchers trembled with excitement. They didn't understand why the fusion rate had skyrocketed—but it meant the Gem of Desire had been fully mastered. Humanity had seized control of a Herrscher Core.
Just then, the light within the lab began to fade.
Everyone's eyes widened, eager to witness the moment humanity conquered Herrscher power—
But instead...
"So you want Herrscher powers that badly? Fine. Let me show you exactly what the power of the Herrscher of Wind feels like!"
All they saw was a white-haired boy holding Wendy in one arm, gripping the Gem of Desire in the other—
And sneering at them like a demon out of hell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven