After the two geniuses left, Cyrene's small figure peeked out from behind Wei Qing. She nervously looked at the constantly pulsing black cocoon.
"Brother, what should we do next?"
Cyrene carefully tugged on the corner of Wei Qing's clothes.
Although their encounter had been extremely brief, perhaps because the young Cyrene was far too innocent, she had still been fooled by Wei Qing.
Wei Qing did not answer immediately. Instead, he slowly walked toward the giant cocoon.
Perhaps because the two of them were originally of the same source, as Wei Qing approached, the surface of the cocoon actually released a faintly friendly aura.
"In theory, the transformation into a Lord Ravager is also a form of Aeonic blessing. That process should be irreversible."
"However, Herta's situation is rather special. She never accepted a blessing from Destruction. She merely seized the blessing that originally belonged to Iron Tomb."
Hearing this, Cyrene's eyes instantly lit up.
Because the flow of time in Amphoreus differed from that of the outside world, from an outsider's perspective, Herta should only have been out of contact for a short while.
But for Amphoreus's native inhabitants, Herta had already been their comrade-in-arms and benefactor for countless years.
"So there's still hope, right?" Cyrene asked, full of expectation.
Unfortunately, Wei Qing shook his head.
"No."
That answer instantly froze the hope on Cyrene's face.
Well, technically, there was still a method.
Stopping the birth of the Witch of Destruction was very simple. Wei Qing could just kill her in advance.
But even if Cyrene could accept that method, Wei Qing would not choose it.
"Then what should we do now?" Cyrene asked nervously again.
At this point, she could only rely on this "older brother" who had suddenly appeared before her.
"We do nothing. We just wait here until Herta comes out," Wei Qing answered.
"Do nothing?"
"But Brother, if Lady Herta fully transforms into a Lord Ravager, what will she become?"
Facing Cyrene's question, Wei Qing explained calmly.
"The result of the transformation may not have only one possibility."
After all, no one had ever decreed that after becoming a Lord Ravager, one would definitely lose all humanity and become completely loyal to Destruction.
The Lord Ravagers were not some brainwashing organization.
The reason the other Lord Ravagers were so loyal to Nanook was not because they became loyal after becoming Lord Ravagers.
Rather, before they became Lord Ravagers, they already possessed inclinations toward Destruction, and that was why Nanook acknowledged them.
Although Wei Qing did not know what Legwork had been thinking, or why he believed Herta would be like Iron Tomb and become loyal to the cause of destroying Nous, take Wei Qing himself as an example.
He was also a Lord Ravager. In fact, he was even a candidate of Destruction.
Yet was he not still doing whatever he wanted?
So Wei Qing planned to wait for Herta to emerge and see what her condition was.
After all, in Wei Qing's perception, Herta's consciousness was still extremely clear.
Cyrene nodded, half-understanding and half-confused, but she still chose to believe this "older brother" who gave her such an inexplicable sense of closeness.
Time seemed to lose all meaning in this shattered land of the Vortex of Genesis.
No one knew how long passed before the giant cocoon's pulsing finally reached its peak. An aura of Destruction so dense it could not possibly grow denser spread completely outward.
Suddenly, a crack appeared on the surface of the giant cocoon.
"She's coming out!" Cyrene said nervously.
Wei Qing nodded slightly. He stepped forward, and an invisible barrier unfolded, protecting him and Cyrene within it.
Crack—
A crisp shattering sound rang out.
The pitch-black giant cocoon finally broke apart, and a dark figure condensed in midair.
That was indeed Herta herself.
But she seemed somewhat different from the proud, lively genius of the past, who always carried a trace of impatience in her expression.
Her figure seemed to have grown taller. Her previously fitting dress had transformed into close-fitting battle armor woven from black and dark purple.
At this moment, Herta's eyes remained closed. Her exquisite face was so pale that it seemed devoid of any blood.
Across her face, black markings spread upward from her neck, adding a strange, bewitching coldness to her appearance.
Looking at Herta after her transformation had ended, Wei Qing's heart tightened slightly.
Hiss.
She really did seem rather strong.
That was Wei Qing's highest evaluation of her combat strength.
One had to know that, not long ago, Phantylia and Polka, who were both top-tier in the current version, had only just been driven away by him.
But judging from the aura Herta was now radiating, this was definitely more than just the pressure of an ordinary Lord Ravager.
"So this is Herta after fusing with Iron Tomb's authority?" Wei Qing said calmly.
But after quite a while, Herta still seemed to have no intention of opening her eyes.
There was no helping it. Wei Qing could not simply keep watching.
With one leap, he immediately caught Herta and carried her down.
Cyrene watched from the side, dumbfounded.
"B-Brother… how is Lady Herta?"
"Judging from the current situation, there seems to be some discrepancy from my original expectations."
Wei Qing gently set Herta down and began inspecting her condition.
And it was precisely this close-range investigation that made Wei Qing discover something extremely fascinating.
Herta had actually stepped onto the Path of Destruction long ago.
That might sound somewhat strange, but in truth, Herta had already set foot on the Path of Destruction before coming to Amphoreus.
What was going on?
As Wei Qing continued investigating, he also caught traces of Finality and Remembrance.
So that was it.
A trace of understanding flashed through Wei Qing's eyes. He roughly understood what was going on.
Eight hundred years ago, Wei Qing had once made a transaction with Ruan Mei using one of his own hearts.
Herta and Ruan Mei had a close relationship. Moreover, because of the choice Ruan Mei had made back then, she inevitably felt some guilt toward Herta.
So it was not strange that Ruan Mei would share that heart with Herta for joint research.
What Wei Qing had never expected, however, was that these two geniuses really had something to them.
Using his heart as a medium to touch and step onto Destruction was one thing, but Herta had actually used it to step onto the Path of Finality as well.
Wei Qing frowned slightly.
"Brother?" Cyrene asked worriedly.
"The situation is more complicated than expected," Wei Qing said, staring at the unconscious Herta with a solemn expression.
"She is not only passively bearing Iron Tomb's essence of Destruction. Even earlier than that… she had already actively stepped onto the Path of Destruction."
Not only that, she had also come into contact with the power of Finality.
Wei Qing did not say the second half aloud. If he said too much more, Cyrene probably would not understand anyway.
He recalled the heart he had given Ruan Mei eight hundred years ago.
That had originally been part of his own power, and Ruan Mei and Herta had clearly obtained far more from it than expected.
Not only Herta—even Legwork had been rather impressive.
During his match against Herta, Legwork had accurately discovered this fact.
Not only that, relying on the trace of Remembrance he had absorbed within Amphoreus and the Finality present in Herta, he had prepared in advance.
That was right.
Now Wei Qing finally understood why Legwork had been so confident.
No wonder he had not been worried at all that Herta would reject Destruction. He had prepared for that long ago.
Using the power of Finality and Remembrance, this Genius Society Seat #1 had actually intended to alter Herta's causal connection from Erudition into Destruction.
"What an impressive method."
A cold light flashed through Wei Qing's eyes.
Legwork's plan was indeed exquisite. If Wei Qing had not arrived in time, and if his perception of Remembrance and Finality had not been far beyond the ordinary, Legwork might truly have succeeded.
"Brother?"
Seeing that Wei Qing still had not said anything further, Cyrene spoke again from the side.
"Don't worry. I have a way."
Wei Qing gently patted Cyrene's head, soothing her unease.
Then, an aura that felt incomparably familiar to Cyrene surfaced once more.
It was the power of Remembrance.
Join here to read ahead.
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From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 255
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
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Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
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I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
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My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
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Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
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What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
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DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
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Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
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I'm Definitely Not the King of 105
After Maxing Out Every Class 110
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I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
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I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 57
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 60
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 74
At age 8, she co-starred with 42
Honkai: Schicksal Media 30
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