"To fight against Finality."
"You all will likely be of little help."
Judging by Finality's current estimated power, the twenty-seven individuals present could probably only be considered a burden.
"However."
"This time, our opponent is not just Finality alone."
"This is—!?"
The Monarch waved his arm lightly.
The sky, previously veiled by the aurora, suddenly cleared. Silvery starlight illuminated the night, and amidst it all—
"The twelve houses of the Zodiac."
Within the interconnected patterns of starlight, the light of the twelve constellations shone with particular brilliance.
"Do not doubt what you see."
"The Herrscher of Finality has given birth to a full twelve Companion Honkai Beasts."
Civilization did not consist of the Monarch alone, so the test 'It' had to face was naturally one for all its members.
"The sixty-six Honkai energy fissures are the 'starlight' you see now."
"Sixty-six… could it be?"
Hearing this number, Mei and Vill-V were the first to frown.
"Yes."
The Monarch affirmed their suspicions.
"The 'Laws' of the universe do not permit coincidence."
"Among the sixty-six Honkai energy fissures, forty-six are large, and the other twenty are giant. Just as you suspected, the Honkai energy fissures correspond to the twenty first-magnitude stars and the forty-six second-magnitude stars that form the Zodiac."
"To put it in simpler terms."
"A large Honkai energy fissure is already sufficient for a Herrscher to be born, and these giant Honkai energy fissures…"
At this point, the Monarch's gaze swept past Elysia.
"Their power is equivalent to Elysia in her human form, or me in my previous state."
"These are the opponents you will face."
---o---
"…"
After a brief silence.
"With all due respect, Monarch."
The serpent, Mobius, who had corrected her posture to one of perfect uprightness, offered her counsel to Lu Xing.
"With our strength, facing opponents of this level… even if several of us were to join forces, I'm afraid it would be difficult to gain any advantage."
"To be precise," Leviathan added, pushing the frame of his glasses up his nose. The white glare completely obscured his slightly opened eyes.
"It would already be a remarkable feat to simply not be crushed in a short amount of time."
"Rather than waste power by distributing it among us, it would be better to return all Authorities to the fold of your radiance."
"As long as you can defeat Finality, the outcome of our own battlefields is utterly insignificant."
"Moreover…"
"Even without the empowerment of the Authorities, the insights and experience we Retainers have gained from wielding them will not simply vanish. If we go all out, stalling these Companion Honkai Beasts for a short while should not be a problem."
The Monarch did not negate Leviathan's proposal.
"You are correct."
"Whether those words are entirely sincere or not—" The Monarch did not finish that thought. Although the human-form Mobius had the appearance of a cunning, behind-the-scenes villain, how could Lu Xing not know of the little 'schemes' brewing in her mind?
"However."
"What I intend to do is the exact opposite."
"Not only will the Authorities you possess not be reclaimed, but they will be further empowered. While you battle the Companion Honkai Beasts of Finality, I demand that you wield the power of your Authorities even more frequently, to 'squander' them… You must defeat your opponents."
"…"
"Monarch, do you require us to offer this 'experience'?" the White Whale, in the form of an old man, asked cautiously after a period of contemplation.
"That is correct."
"A Herrscher's Companion Honkai Beasts will all possess a Lesser Authority belonging to that Herrscher."
The Monarch brought up a point that everyone had overlooked. Of course, this was also because the last four Herrschers to appear had not produced any Companion Honkai Beasts.
"The Herrscher of Finality possesses 'all' twelve Authorities."
"In the process of fighting them, you and the Authorities you wield can help me quickly understand the fundamental nature of Finality's power, as well as the potential ways 'It' might utilize these Herrscher Authorities."
"All of this."
"Will be instrumental in my battle against the Herrscher of Finality. Even if each piece of data only increases my chances of winning by one percent, it is an opportunity worth taking."
The Monarch's voice did not sound as if victory was already in his grasp.
But his well-organized arrangements also betrayed no hint of panic.
"Compared to weakening your combat strength and demanding that the [Retainers] hold back Finality's Companion Beasts, which are far stronger than yourselves…"
"It is far more effective for me to hold off Finality."
"You will all achieve swift victory, and then converge your 'power' here with me."
The Monarch's figure, standing tall upon the peak of the frozen mountain, seemed unshakably firm and reliable.
"Surely no one here thinks…"
"That I can't even withstand a few blows from Finality, right?"
---o---
"…"
"Very good. It seems there are no further questions."
Before the throne, all silence signified agreement with the Monarch's decision.
"In that case…"
"Dr. Mei."
From across the long, icy table, the Monarch looked toward Dr. Mei, who sat directly opposite him.
"Are you prepared?"
"…"
Other than Kevin, no one knew what the Monarch meant by "prepared."
But to bring it up in such a solemn setting, it was clearly a crucial part of the Monarch's plan.
"Huu."
After a long moment of silence, Mei broke the desolate tone set by the howling wind.
"Yes."
"All preparations are complete. The… item… can be handed over to you at any time."
"No."
"I am not referring to the item."
"But rather…"
Lu Xing slowly turned his body. Even with Kevin's current strength, he felt a shiver of dread being directly stared at by the Monarch.
"Are you… mentally prepared?"
"Yes."
The one who answered was not Dr. Mei. The response was almost a reflex, an immediate reply Lu Xing received from Kevin.
"From the moment you proposed this plan."
"We had no… we had no reason to refuse."
"…"
"Very good."
"Civilization will not forget your sacrifice."
"If this plan succeeds, combining all the trump cards we currently possess, we will have at least a thirty percent chance of victory."
Thirty percent sounded low.
But one had to remember, they were about to face the Herrscher of Finality, a being that was "eternally" several times stronger than their civilization.
"Then—"
"I will not assign the teams."
All eyes were focused on the Monarch.
"You should have long had a clear idea of your 'comrades-in-arms'… many of which began from that day you first met through battle."
Ziz and Kevin.
Behemoth and Elysia.
Leviathan and Mobius.
The War Temple and Hua.
The Famine Temple and Vill-V.
The Plague Temple and the White Whale with Kosma and Griseo.
The Death Temple and Kalpas.
The Rock Tortoise and Eden.
The Great Crab and Pardofelis.
Chenling and Su.
Higokumaru and Sakura.
Haxxor Bunny and Aponia.
Everyone present revealed their true forms, their Honkai Beast visages!
"The next stop, and also the final battle—"
A brilliant golden radiance flared at the summit of the frozen peak. In the next instant, the magnificent Divine Ring and the aurora formed by the Authorities vanished together.
Only a faint, ethereal voice was left to echo between the glaciers…
"The Starry Sky and Finality."