Benares

* Honkai Beast Form
* Human Form

**Benares** is a Pseudo-Herrscher/Judgment-Class Honkai Beast made from a Herrscher Core. Its now reanimated body (soulless after its death) is named Kurikara, and is the steed of the Herrscher of Thunder.

## Personality

Benares is a very cold, callous, and dispassionate figure, and is rather aloof, brooding, and indifferent, willing to harm her comrades to get what she wants in addition to her enemies should they get in her way. She likes to refer to anyone who is not of the Honkai as "fish" for being just one in the middle of billions more, and the mere sight of a human disgusts her. Despite this, she is not particularly violent, and will only fight when provoked or ordered to by Sirin herself, she maintains a calm and charming posture, similar to Sirin but less arrogant and sadistic.

Her cold and emotionless demeanor allows her to stay completely calm and in control in most of dangerous situations, and because of her amazing senses she is not easily surprised or caught off-guard by her enemies and can easily foresee the next movements of her enemies. However, she does not seem to comprehend the trait of fighting against all odds; during her battles with the Valkyries, she completely overwhelms the army after entering her Dragon form, yet Shicksal's Valkyries continues to fight on regardless of this, prompting a visibly frustrated Benares to say how pointless it is that they contue to fight, a trait similar to Sirin.

Despite her cold nature, she genuinely cares for Sirin's well-being, including her safety. Every time she sees Sirin is committing a mistake that might compromise her plans, she immediately tries to change her mind for her own sake but Sirin always ignores Benares' opnions, deeming her as a tool to serve her and nothing more.

## Manga Story

#### Second Eruption

During the 2nd Honkai War of the Current Era, Sirin (the Herrscher of the Void) called upon the Judgment-class beast Benares to aid her in the revenge against Schicksal. Although injured in the fight against Welt Yang, the Herrscher of Reason, it flew Sirin up to the moon to escape him when a masked Otto Apocalypse interrupted the battle.

After Sirin met with the Will of the Honkai, she gave Benares its human form. This form was given the name "Bella" (based on Sirin's best friend who died in the Tower of Babylon experiments run by Schicksal).

In this form she was able to communicate and express emotions past that of a Honkai beast. She stopped the 3 Silver Bullets that Anti-Entropy launched at the moon, and while questioning Sirin's command, obeyed it. Bella stayed by her queen's side during her second battle with Welt.

After Welt "died", Bella was sent down to rid the Tower of Babylon of all humans surrounding the area. There, she fought and killed Salome Jokanaan.

While Sirin was off somewhere else, she fought half of the Valkyrie battalion (said group including warriors such as Shub-Niggurath and Siegfried Kaslana). Siegfried managed to slash her wing with the Judgment of Shamash before being sucked into the illusionary world along with Cecilia Shariac and Sirin herself.

Shub-Niggurath and Shigure Kira were the only two left standing against her. Both heavily wounded, they fought her as hard as they could before cracking her Core. Bella's life flashed before her eyes. At first a Judgment-class beast born to destroy humanity, she was injured and on the brink of death. However, Sirin healed her and gave her a Pseudo-Herrscher Core to grant her a human form. It also gave her a soul. She recalls that what mattered the most to her was her new name-- "Bella".

Bella didn't want to be the mindless "Benares" again. She struggled against the war-torn Earth to return to Sirin's side, saying she would be all alone without her. As her Core completely shattered, she could only think of her queen. Sirin noticed her fading fast, and called out to her, but it was no use. Bella told her she failed her mission and lost the gift of her new life given to her, and told Sirin not to mourn her "useless servant". With that, she fell unconscious in the snow. "Bella" was no more.

## Game Story

Benares awoke from its deep slumber and rushed to the side of its newly re-awakened queen. It fought Fu Hua and Murata Himeko before disappearing after its queen fell back into a slumber.

Months later in chapter 16, it returned and guarded the area Kiana Kaslana was hiding in an attempt to protect its master. Raiden Mei fought against it multiple times, cornering it with the help of Raven. Surprisingly, it shed tears of desperation before it was tossed into Nagazora's flooded streets.

It returned soon after in the next chapter, lying injured along the path back to Helios. Kiana healed it, feeling warmth for the creature she didn't know. Benares followed her like a lost puppy back to Helios. Despite her initial shock, Tesla let her keep it around.

It stayed with Kiana for as long as it could, listening to her commands even when they were insane. They flew up to the hole in the sky (caused by the 2nd Divine Key) before the two were attacked by Husk - Nihilius. It fell to the ground, its wing stabbed through. Before Husk - Nihilius landed the killing blow on Mei, Benares took it for her. Then the beast known as Benares, and any remnant of Bella left in its body, were gone for good.

Upon her full awakening as the Herrscher of Thunder and her subsequent defeating of Husk - Nihilius, Mei took the corpse of Benares to create Kurikara.

Later, in the Theater of Domination, a memory recreation of Benares manifested itself during the battle between Sirin's two split personas within Kiana. Initially siding with the malevolent Herrscher, it quickly switched to supporting the innocent child in a show of its affection for both before being struck down by the Herrscher for its supposed betrayal. It later reappeared one last time as the Herrscher congratulated Kiana on her victory, and faded away alongside them after, bidding a final farewell to its beloved master and queen.

## Trivia

* Benares is not to be confused with Bella, who was Sirin's inspiration for Benares's other name.