Starting from the Collapse World, I became the behind-the-scenes boss

At this point, the priestess paused, then softly advised, "So, while there's still a chance to salvage the situation, you should stop now."

I don't want to see people who have nothing to do with this get hurt.

"Unrelated to this matter? Miss Sakura, what kind of joke are you talking about?"

With a light laugh, Shihen's voice was strained due to the terrifying pressure from the mecha, but the firmness in his tone remained undiminished, "You want to hurt my friend, yet you say we have nothing to do with it!?"

"Don't stand there...you're getting too cocky!"

With a loud shout, Shihen unleashed another powerful punch.

Despite being equipped with numerous auxiliary weapons, at this moment, only the simplest and most direct fists and kicks could unleash the terrifying energy surging rapidly within the mech, threatening to explode.

With her left hand, she caught the boy's fist and forcefully deflected it. Although her whole body trembled from the immense force, Yae Sakura's body sank slightly. She held her sword in one hand and slashed at the mecha in front of her, sighing at the same time: "Since that's the case, then I have no choice but to kill you."

The Fourth Herald must belong to the serpent.

As soon as she finished speaking, the demon sword in the priestess's hand suddenly shone brightly, as if adding a layer of blood-red special effects to the blade. However, the astonishing sharpness revealed from it showed that the light was not just for show.

That is highly condensed Honkai energy, capable of easily tearing apart even steel.

Without even attempting to test whether the Apollo's armor could withstand the Herrscher's attack, Shihen hastily dodged to the side, but was still caught in the bloody light, leaving a conspicuous scratch on the mecha's waist.

Without a second thought for the mecha, Shihen immediately turned around and launched a rapid attack on the witch, each punch and kick carrying a terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

Unfortunately, despite possessing strength and speed comparable to the Herrschers, the boy, who always played the role of the rear guard in the team, was clearly not good at close combat. Most of his attacks were easily blocked by the shrine maiden, and he was repeatedly wounded by her on his mecha.

Watching the boy launch repeated attacks, yet all in vain and without any results, as if he were merely using his own life to delay the witch's advance, Wendy felt as if her heart was about to shatter completely, just like the red mech that was protecting the boy.

Wendy had clearly made up her mind to hate and destroy this world as a Herrscher, but looking at the boy in front of her who was covered in wounds but still did not give up the fight, she could not bring herself to harden her heart.

Even though she knew that what she should do most at this moment was to take the opportunity to escape, so as not to waste the time that the boy had bought for her with his life.

But... she couldn't do it!

Miss Wendy is not a monster!

They are human beings, just like us and everyone else in the world!

The boy's words echoed in her mind, and Wendy's already not-so-hardened heart softened even more.

Yes, she wasn't some monster that would destroy the world, but a human being just like the boy in front of her.

So let her make her final decision as a human being!

The wings of light behind her, symbolizing her identity as a Herrscher, slowly dissipated, and a faint yet dazzling blue light shone in the girl's eyes. A thin, sky-blue blade once again materialized in her hand.

Bang!

With a kick, the mecha, whose red light had dimmed to almost nothing, was sent flying. The light of the demon sword in Yae Sakura's hand was completely contained, and an aura of unstoppable sharpness immediately spread out.

The real killing move doesn't need much pre-cast animation; its unstoppable, terrifying momentum speaks for itself.

Her gaze fell upon the red mech that was plummeting from the sky, its thrusters still burning brightly as if unwilling to give up. Yae Sakura's expression remained calm yet tinged with pity, as if she were not a swordsman about to kill the boy, but a priestess presiding over his funeral.

Before the blade and the mecha could collide again, a thin, azure-colored blade suddenly spun and stabbed towards the priestess, cutting through the air without making a sound. Its speed increased rapidly, as if the wind in the entire space was fueling the blade.

Sensing the approaching danger, Yae Sakura had no choice but to abandon her plan to destroy the mecha in front of her, and instead turned her demon sword to meet the thin blue blade.

boom--

Two blades of different natures clashed head-on, creating a violent and unparalleled gust of wind that suddenly softened upon hitting the mecha, lifting it away with all its might.

"Oh? You didn't choose to run away, Miss Wendy?"

With a flick of her demon sword, she dispersed the dust that had been stirred up. Yae Sakura looked at the green-haired girl who was still standing in the same spot, her face showing an expression that was hard to tell whether it was surprise or sorrow.

"Because that guy said I'm human!" Wendy said, head held high, her body still bearing the marks of the previous battle and looking incredibly disheveled, but her small face was full of pride. "Humans are creatures that can fight desperately for others!"

“But in the end, you can’t change anything.” Upon hearing this, the priestess simply shook her head slightly. “In this world, only power is absolute.”

Just like you and Lord Shihen, no matter how hard you try, you can never escape the fate set by the snake.

No, you're wrong!

I can change it!

Wendy retorted forcefully, raising her slender hand slightly, and a sky-blue gem slowly emerged from the girl's palm. "Without this core, you wouldn't be able to explain yourself to the people behind you, would you?"

Since the other party doesn't care about her life or death as the Fourth Herrscher, there's only one reason why they want her.

Undoubtedly, the desire for the gem—the core that embodies the authority of the Herrscher of Wind—is this priestess's true goal.

"..."

Seeing the girl's face turn pale from the brief removal of the gemstone, yet a smile still lingered on her beautiful face, Yae Sakura fell silent for a moment.

This girl was just clamoring to destroy the world and humanity not long ago, but less than half an hour later, she's already willing to risk her own life to try and change someone's fate.

Glancing at the red mecha lying motionless on the ground beside her, with only its chest area still faintly glowing, Yae Sakura felt that this world was becoming increasingly incomprehensible to her.

"Is it worth it?"

She pursed her lips and couldn't help but ask.

"There's no question of whether it's worth it or not."

"I can go with you, but I have one condition..." To the witch's question, Wendy simply smiled and shook her head, "Let him live!"

Pointing to the boy beside her, Wendy's tone was gentle yet firm, carrying an undeniable resolve.

"Otherwise, you'll never see this core again!"

As she spoke, the girl's voice suddenly turned fierce, and she gripped the gem with even greater force. The massive Honkai energy began to condense and compress, transforming into a high-energy bomb that was constantly approaching the critical point.

The core of a Herrscher is the heart that belongs exclusively to a Herrscher.

For human beings, it is impossible to negotiate with an enemy while holding one's own heart.

But for a Herrscher, it's something that only requires courage.

However, normally speaking, a law enforcer who is generally self-centered and holds the belief that "the problem is not me, but the world" would not be able to possess such a spirit.

Without a doubt, the moment Wendy pulled out her core, she had already qualified to become the "Herrscher of Man".

Because she is a Herrscher, the girl is able to temporarily detach her "heart".

And it is precisely because she is human that she has the courage to gamble with her own life.

Sensing the girl's determination from the constant buzzing sound emanating from the gem, Yae Sakura sighed deeply and could only nod, saying, "I agree..."

As soon as she spoke, the priestess's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly drew her sword to slash at the several golden beams of light, each as thick as a bucket, that were shooting toward her.

This is a shipborne particle cannon.

Of course, for a Herrscher, this is at most a mosquito bite-level attack.

However, the emergence of this level of particle cannon undoubtedly indicates another fact.

"Hyperion..."

With a swing of her sword, Yae Sakura easily dispersed the particle beams and looked up at a silver-white warship that appeared from the clouds, as well as... several Valkyries rapidly descending from the sky.

With Shihen making an early appearance to buy time, Hyperion, Himeko, and the others finally arrived at the battlefield.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Wendy."

With a hearty laugh, Himeko raised her sword and looked warily at the shrine maiden in front of her, her expression gradually becoming serious. "My student is truly grateful for your care, Shrine Maiden."

So from now on, it'll be my turn to take care of you, okay?

Himeko glanced at the red mech lying silently on the ground beside her, her tone becoming colder.

Bang!

With a roll to dissipate the immense impact of the fall, Bronya dashed toward the priestess like a rabbit released from its cage, the blue short sword in her hand radiating a chilling aura even more biting than the girl's expressionless face.

As a former Ural Silver Wolf, the girl has always adhered to the principle of "if you can take action, don't talk too much."

So even though she's the smallest in the team, Bronya is definitely the most ruthless fighter among them.

Moreover, the boy was already so badly injured, should she have said some harsh words to him first?

In the blink of an eye, Bronya was in front of Yae Sakura. She raised her hand and slashed at the priestess's waist with her sword.

when--

As expected, the priestess blocked the attack with her demon sword, and the frost covering the short sword could not touch it in the slightest.

"Miss Bronya, isn't it a bit too cold-hearted to meet an old friend and then turn against each other with swords?"

Easily fending off the gray-haired loli's attacks, Yae Sakura revealed a slightly alluring smile.

Putting aside the confrontational setting, she was genuinely happy to see these girls again.

Especially when you see them all grow and improve.

She was genuinely happy about it.

Unfortunately, others clearly did not think so.

"Bronya and you are enemies!"

Speaking in a cold, almost hostile tone, Bronya's usually emotionless eyes flashed with a hint of anger.

"..."

Looking at the girl's cold, almost blinding gaze, Yae Sakura couldn't help but sigh softly in her heart.

Even when they were in Changkong City, they were still able to enjoy the snow scenery and eat hot pot together.

With a slight shift in her eyes, Bronya, though not understanding why the force on the witch's sword had lessened, decisively parried and deflected the force, her body springing back like a spring.

Knowing that Yae Sakura was a Herrscher, she never thought of defeating her on her own.

"Himeko-sensei, be careful, the opponent's swordsmanship is also very strong."

Bronya stepped back to Himeko's side and reminded her in a serious tone.

Although it was only a brief exchange, she had already keenly sensed the priestess's profound skill in swordsmanship.

"That's assassination-style swordsmanship."

Mei added.

As a fellow swordsman, she could see more from it.

"It's really troublesome..."

Himeko couldn't help but click her tongue.

The power of a Herrscher is already synonymous with strength, but the priestess's combat skills are also quite high, so it's no wonder that she was able to easily defeat Wendy.

Looking at the disheveled girl behind her and then at the shrine maiden in front of her with only slightly messy hair, Himeko deeply felt how troublesome the other party was.

On the other side, together with Kiana, Seele carried the blood-covered boy out of the mecha. She immediately used her scythe to heal Shihen's injuries, and looked at Yae Sakura with eyes full of grief: "Sakura-neechan, why did you do such a thing!?"

She simply couldn't understand why the beautiful priestess who had treated them so kindly as a priestess and protected them from Walter White had become so cold and ruthless.

"I simply have a mission I must complete." Faced with the girl's question, Yae Sakura simply shook her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over Himeko and the others still carrying little hostility. "Although I know it's unlikely, I still hope you can step aside voluntarily."

With your current strength, you cannot stop me.

"But what if I were included?"

As the supersonic fighter jet roared to life, a sharp cry suddenly rang out from the sky, and a white-haired figure carrying a huge golden cross crashed heavily to the ground.

Knowing that she might have ruined Shihen and the others' plans, and that Wendy was in great danger, the headmistress who stayed behind at St. Freya finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Wendy's Banner of Rebellion

"If I were included, would that be enough?"

Letting out a long breath to ease the impact of the fall, Theresa looked at the priestess ahead and said in a deep voice, her questioning tone revealing absolute confidence.

"Auntie!"

Upon seeing the small white figure, Kiana's face immediately lit up with joy.

“Teacher Theresa…”

Looking at that once so familiar back, Wendy murmured to herself, a glint of blue light flickering in her eyes.

"Theresa, you're really slow."

Her tense body relaxed a bit, and Himeko complained with a smile.