Twists of Fate

The Third Herrscher fell, and Yae regained control of her body.

Dragging her exhausted body, Yae approached Feng Chen and Yae Sakura.

"Thank you, you are...?"

"My name is Feng Chen, and this is Yae Sakura." Since it was just an introduction, Feng Chen saw no need to hide his name. Yae Sakura, on the other hand, had interacted with an S-rank Valkyrie from Schicksal five hundred years ago, and only because she wasn't afraid of trouble did she speak up.

"Thank you, Lord Chen and Miss Sakura, for your help. Raiden Mei has no way to repay you." Yae Mei struggled to stand, wanting to bow in thanks, but due to her condition, she nearly collapsed.

Sakura and Feng Chen caught her, only to have her grab their arms. Her dark eyes turned purple, and an eerie smile spread across her face.

"The Third Herrscher!" Both thought of the same answer simultaneously. By the time they tried to break free, it was too late.

Purple lightning surged through the Third Herrscher's hands into their bodies, causing numbness and immobility. Both fell to the ground.

Feng Chen's consciousness was already blurring. This was, after all, the struggle of a Herrscher nearing Two-Core strength. They say even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a Herrscher.

Sakura retained the last shred of clarity and shouted, "Are you crazy? Your body will collapse if you do this!"

"My body? No, no, no, this is the body of a human girl named 'Raiden Mei.' Speaking of bodies, yours is quite good, probably even stronger than those S-rank Valkyries." It turned out her initial goal was Sakura's body. If she could obtain Sakura's body, her abilities could be better utilized.

Of course, this was only if she could defeat the consciousness of the Herrscher of Erosion. Sakura and the Herrscher of Erosion were in a symbiotic relationship. Unless the Herrscher of Erosion gave up, no one could obtain this body.

"Sakura, summon Jizou Mitama!"

Yae Sakura didn't know how Feng Chen knew she had Jizou Mitama. To escape the current predicament, she had no choice but to use it.

Honkai Energy gathered around Yae Sakura, but it ultimately failed to break through the "Simulated Herrscher" level.

A mysterious creature resembling a samurai enveloped Yae Sakura, its purple eyes fixed on the Third Herrscher. Although the Third Herrscher was nearing Two-Core Herrscher strength, it was nothing before Jizou Mitama.

The Herrscher of Erosion's abilities were absolutely bug-level. The Third Herrscher's only chance of defeating Jizou Mitama was absolute power suppression. But that was impossible. The Third Herrscher wasn't even a complete Herrscher to begin with. Even with strength nearing Two-Core Herrscher level, Jizou Mitama would still have the upper hand.

"Higanbana, restore our mobility, quickly!" Yae Sakura urged Jizou Mitama. "Higanbana" was her name for the Herrscher of Erosion.

Jizou Mitama hesitated for a few seconds, and then Feng Chen and Yae Sakura's bodies returned to normal.

"Divine Key..." the Third Herrscher recognized what it was. Divine Keys were made from Herrscher Cores, so mutual attraction between them was normal. Possessing a Divine Key was almost like having an extra Herrscher Core, which was a significant temptation for the Third Herrscher, who was still only One-Core.

It saw a black box within Jizou Mitama's chest and shifted its entire focus to it, failing to notice that Feng Chen and Sakura could already move.

By the time it realized, it was too late.

It was surrounded by three targets: one was someone who could attract the attention of the Honkai and couldn't be touched. Another was the residual Herrscher consciousness within the Divine Key, also untouchable. The last one had just crushed it once and was also untouchable.

A figure as swift as purple lightning burst from the encirclement and grabbed Kiana, who was lying on the ground, by the neck.

A robot named "Heavy-duty Rabbit" retreated with Bronya, joining Feng Chen, Yae Sakura, and Jizou Mitama in surrounding it.

"I'm telling you, if you get any closer, I can't guarantee this little girl's life," the Third Herrscher tightened its grip, as if it could snap Kiana's neck at any second.

"Despicable," Bronya offered only those two words as her assessment.

"System, is there a way?"

"Yes. I will now divert all the Honkai Beasts responsible for interfering with Schicksal, allowing Schicksal's battleship 'Hyperion' to enter Changkong City. Host, please prepare to hide."

"Sakura, let's get ready to hide. Someone's coming."

Yae Sakura didn't understand why they needed to hide, but she chose to retreat out of trust in Feng Chen.

Jizou Mitama transformed back into a black box, held by Yae Sakura.

Feng Chen took a few steps back and said, "Let her go, and we'll let you leave."

"You mean it?" She didn't know what scheme Feng Chen was concocting, but she could only take it one step at a time.

"Of course." Feng Chen glanced at Bronya, signaling her to hide with them as well.

Bronya nodded, letting Heavy-duty Rabbit carry her as they hid.

The Third Herrscher's guard hadn't fully relaxed when a battleship entered Changkong City, gradually coming into view.

"So that's how it is. You had it all planned from the start..." The Third Herrscher lifted Kiana, its grip gradually tightening. "In that case, you're no longer useful."

"Cough! Cough!" Kiana opened her eyes, her azure irises as clear as the sky. "Mei..."

The wings behind the Third Herrscher grew back. Upon hearing this, it lessened its grip and chuckled, "Take another look. Am I your Mei?"

"You! You're not Mei!" It didn't loosen its grip on Kiana's neck, as if deliberately lifting her.

"Give my Mei... back!"

Kiana's hands reached for the Third Herrscher's wings, tearing at them with all her might.

"A joke. How can mere humans harm divine power? It's simply..."

Before it could finish speaking, the Third Herrscher clearly saw the fragments of its wings in the hands of the tiny "human" before it.

"Aaaaahhhhhh!"

The lightning power within the Third Herrscher went berserk, destroying numerous surrounding buildings and also affecting Feng Chen and Sakura.

Bronya, protected by Heavy-duty Rabbit, suffered far less than Feng Chen and Sakura.

"Kiana! Sister Mei!" Bronya cried out in alarm. Numerous surrounding buildings were clearly crashing down towards them, and nothing could be seen through the dust.

She wanted to find Kiana and Mei but couldn't bring herself to abandon Feng Chen and Sakura. Without external aid, Feng Chen's strength was comparable to a B-rank Valkyrie, and he was already severely injured. Sakura, after the recent battles, was overwhelmed with fatigue and was only barely holding on.

Feng Chen chuckled, "Go. After all, they are your companions. And strictly speaking, we are enemies."

"Bronya doesn't know the difference between enemies and companions. Bronya only knows who is good to Bronya and who is bad to Bronya. Brother Feng Chen is good to Bronya."

"System, what's going on?"

"Affection points have reached the threshold. That's all."