Honkai's Thousand Laws, Abducting Kiana at the Start

"You damn..."

Chapter 71: True Name

After dealing with Himeko's unstable presence, Su Jue's tea was ready. He returned to the living room and found Kiana engrossed in a manga.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." He placed the plate down, piled high with snacks. Su Jue wasn't particularly interested in snacks, so these were actually Himeko's, and he wasn't sure if Kiana would like them.

Kiana, who had been reading, suddenly snapped back to reality. She quickly put down the manga, but the strange expression in her eyes was impossible to hide. Her gaze flickered between the manga and Su Jue, and finally, unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "Su Jue, what's this 'Magical Girl ☆ Sirin' about?"

A flood of questions popped into his mind. Su Jue took the manga from her. It was a very traditional shojo manga. According to the synopsis, it told the story of the magical girl Sirin striving to become the strongest magical girl to save the world. But he distinctly remembered that they shouldn't have this kind of thing at home...

Casually flipping through the manuscript, he found that the manga was only about half complete. Su Jue looked at the code printed at the end and confirmed it was indeed from their company, likely a new manga that Kiana Company was preparing to release. It was probably a sample sent from the company at some point, but its current placement and timing were rather inconvenient. Facing Kiana's questioning gaze, Su Jue could only force out a lie, "I just bought it because the name sounded a bit like yours. I rarely read manga, actually."

"Is that so?" Kiana's suspicion didn't lessen; instead, Su Jue's perfunctory excuse made her more curious. "But why is your name among the creators?"

"..." He flipped open the first page of the manga and indeed saw his name. Su Jue's heart sank. He remembered that this manga was supposed to be based on 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' which he had provided the concept for. He hadn't expected them to directly put his name on it.

"Ah, this." Fortunately, this manga was just a sample and hadn't been released yet, so there was still time to make changes.

Since he couldn't hide it anymore, Su Jue decided to drop the pretense.

"Actually, due to some financial difficulties, I sometimes take on part-time jobs to earn extra money. I thought it was just their personal project, I didn't expect this work to actually be released, so I bought a copy." The honest and simple Su Jue scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "When you told me your name was Sirin, I thought it sounded nice, so I used it for the manga. It didn't mean anything else."

"The name sounds nice..." Kiana looked at him deeply, took back the manga, and muttered in an almost inaudible voice, "Actually, the name Kiana sounds pretty nice too."

So why didn't you tell me your real name back then?

Looking at the name Sirin on the manga, perhaps out of anger at him or dissatisfaction with the Herrscher of Void, Kiana picked up a pen from the table and carefully wrote her name: Kiana Kaslana.

"Allow me to introduce myself formally, Kiana Kaslana. This is my real name, so please forget the name Sirin." Although she had mentioned her name in a previous message, a face-to-face introduction was different from a message.

Seeing Kiana so serious, Su Jue chuckled and took the paper with her name on it, writing his own name on it as well.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Su Jue. Please take care of me." With a perfectly serious expression, Su Jue carefully folded the paper with his name on it and placed it into Kiana's hand, as if they were exchanging not names, but some kind of top-secret national intelligence.

Su Jue's handwriting on the paper was neat and clean, while Kiana's writing inherited her usual style from St. Freya. Comparing the two, the girl's face flushed with embarrassment.

"No, I have to rewrite it. Give it back to me."

Folding the paper and putting it in his pocket, denying her the chance to change it, Su Jue solemnly explained, "No, according to Western tradition, only the first name written represents oneself. Modifying it would mean you don't care about the other person."

Clearly, with Kiana's literary knowledge, she hadn't encountered such a thing. Under Su Jue's smooth talk, she could only half-heartedly agree.

Mimicking Su Jue's actions, Kiana solemnly placed the paper with his name into her pocket. However, as she put the paper away, her movements froze as she felt her broken star hair accessory.

"What's wrong?"

Looking at the boy in front of her, his eyes sparkled under the light, pure and clear.

"No, it's nothing." At this moment, she suddenly felt that the doubts and worries of the past few days seemed so insignificant.

Whether it was him or not, it didn't matter anymore.

Although they wished time could linger, both Su Jue and Kiana carried their own missions and, on a future day, would stand on opposing sides, ending each other's lives.

Once they embarked on different paths, the past moments became exceptionally precious.

The next day, at the first hint of dawn, Kiana had already left. Just like their initial encounter, this farewell also ended with her quiet departure.

Standing alone on the rooftop of the residential area, the morning sun shone upon her. Only when she saw the boy inside wake up did she smile faintly, jump down from the building, and head towards Sky City.

"Herrscher of Void, Sirin, I will absolutely not let you take over my body."

Kiana's figure disappeared. Su Jue, as if sensing something, turned his gaze towards the spot where she had just been.

"Kiana... but this time, I won't be swayed by emotions anymore."

Threads filled the entire room, shimmering in the sunlight. Su Jue gently tugged, and his entire being instantly entered the Theater of Domination.

After Kiana left, Himeko, with two large dark circles under her eyes, finally made her way back from the outskirts. The moment she pushed open the door, her eyes widened.

"Wait, how did my hidden snacks end up here?" She looked at the trash on the floor in exasperation, her heart bleeding.

This damn Herrscher not only kicked her out and made her squat in the wilderness all night but also secretly devoured all her snacks.

She hurried to the kitchen and opened the hidden panel behind the cabinet. Seeing that all the alcohol inside was still intact, she breathed a sigh of relief. She was completely penniless now and even her personal freedom was restricted. If her hidden alcohol was gone, Himeko was ready to defect on the spot.

However, thinking about Su Jue's appearance in his Herrscher form, she swallowed and pushed the unreliable thought back into her mind.

"Just a few snacks, it's not the end of the world. Besides, the alcohol is still here, so things aren't too bad," she could only comfort herself.

But what happened last night? Why was the room, which was neat and tidy before, now in such disarray? Looking at the pile of books stacked by the wall, Himeko was bewildered.

Could it be that Su Jue really couldn't suppress his impulses and brought a girl home?

After careful consideration, Himeko felt that given his personality, he wouldn't do something like that, unless... it was Kiana.

"Wait, what did you do to my student?!"

Chapter 72: Experimentation Gone Awry

"After the Second Honkai War, Shencheng Pharmaceuticals provided free medical aid to citizens affected by Honkai worldwide. This humanitarian support continues to this day. Following the Third Honkai War, Shencheng Pharmaceuticals increased its support to the Far East and the Land of the Divine, aiming to provide safe and reliable treatment for all those in need."

"Trust Shencheng Pharmaceuticals, and we will bring you a better tomorrow."

The electronic advertisements for Shencheng Pharmaceuticals continued to play back and forth on the billboard. No one noticed as a hooded girl beneath the billboard quietly looked up, a strand of white hair falling loose. Kiana watched the exaggerated advertising slogans, her eyes growing colder.

During her investigation over this period, Kiana's inquiry finally made progress. After successfully infiltrating a nearby hospital and finding patient transfer records, she uncovered a startling fact. Eighty percent of the citizens infected during the Honkai outbreaks had been transferred to Shencheng Pharmaceuticals for treatment. Even more were patients who had sought treatment after hearing Shencheng Pharmaceuticals' advertisements. However, there were very few records of patients recovering and being discharged among those transferred.

More importantly, she discovered that before receiving treatment, these patients were required to sign a voluntary participation agreement. Kiana wasn't excellent in her cultural classes, but that didn't stop her from sensing that something was wrong. It was clearly a treatment, so why was it being signed as a participation agreement?

Therefore, her focus gradually shifted from a broad, directionless search to Shencheng Pharmaceuticals. The more she investigated, the more her heart sank. This company was not only a pharmaceutical enterprise but also possessed its own industrial zone. Furthermore, according to some vague clues, Shencheng Pharmaceuticals and the Schicksal organization had an inseparable cooperative relationship. Every year, they received a large number of Honkai Energy suppressants provided by Schicksal. Yet, the Honkai disasters and MANTIS infections in Sky City had not decreased; instead, they were increasing and becoming more frequent.

Although Kiana harbored hatred towards Schicksal, she also understood that Schicksal was the main force fighting Honkai for humanity. Otto's research on Honkai Energy wouldn't lead to this situation—unless he was deliberately inducing Honkai Energy outbreaks, just as he had done to her.

However, the Land of the Divine was not Schicksal's territory. Otto wouldn't go to such great lengths to cause trouble here.

Honkai Beasts were always attracted to higher concentrations of Honkai Energy. Now that the Honkai Energy within Kiana could be effectively suppressed, it was unknown what was attracting them.

But undoubtedly, Shencheng Pharmaceuticals was definitely involved.

Raising her head, the towering Shencheng Pharmaceuticals headquarters building in the distance came into view. This time, Kiana was prepared to take a risk and infiltrate the Shencheng Pharmaceuticals headquarters for her investigation.

Gulp~

Bubbles continuously rose in the pale yellow liquid. The girl in the petri dish kept her eyes tightly shut, like a silent corpse. Her light blue short hair drifted with the rising bubbles in the culture medium, appearing almost dreamlike under the light. No one noticed a hint of gold appear and vanish in an instant.

In the laboratory, Jackal frowned as he looked at the experimental data on the electronic screen.

When the experiment first began, she had discovered that the daughter of [Ink Moth] had a very strong adaptability to Honkai Energy, so strong that it shocked Jackal. Such powerful adaptability could undoubtedly withstand more Stigmata mutagenic agents, greatly advancing the progress of the Stigmata experiments.

But now, the initial surprise had vanished. In these continuous days of research, she had invested nearly a million experimental materials, and the configured Honkai Energy agents could almost trigger a large-scale Honkai disaster. Yet, when applied to this little girl, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, not even causing a ripple.

"This level of Honkai Energy resistance, is it really something a human can achieve?" Even the usually arrogant Jackal doubted himself at this moment, but there was no other way. The materials had already been invested, and even the sunk cost made her feel a pang of pain. She could only continue to strengthen her research.

"Dr. Jackal, all of the Honkai Energy inhibitors provided by Schicksal have been used up. Do you really intend to continue?" Jackal's assistant wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He had personally participated in the experiments on Griseo and had witnessed firsthand how the accumulated resources were wasted. If most of these resources had been used on those patients, perhaps a large amount of data would have been obtained by now, instead of being completely clueless like this.

"Do you think you understand research better than I do?" a cold voice came. The assistant looked up and met a pair of golden eyes. The Alubis mask, engraved with the Anka of life, covered half of Jackal's face, making her look very dangerous.

The assistant swallowed and dared not say another word. He knew very well that Jackal was a true demon scientist who never showed mercy to anyone. If he questioned her again, he would surely be the next experimental subject.

"If Schicksal's inhibitors are gone, apply for more. We are at a critical juncture in Stigmata research. It doesn't matter even if Schicksal detects our traces. The Venerable Lord is about to return, and Schicksal is not to be feared." Jackal issued the command in a flat tone and no longer paid attention to the assistant, shifting her gaze to Griseo in the culture tank.

At this moment, the girl's body was covered in needle marks, and several areas of her skin had been cut open. Although it had only been a few days, Jackal had already conducted dozens of studies on her. Originally, the girl would cry out in pain, but gradually her cries became weaker, and she eventually lost consciousness.

"Knowing that your daughter would suffer inhuman treatment, yet you resolutely decided to hand her over to me, Ink Moth. Should I call you foolish, or naive?"

With a slightly mocking sigh, Jackal injected the last mutagenic syringe into Griseo's body using a mechanical arm. As the agent was injected, Griseo's already numb body began to twitch, and cracks of Honkai erosion appeared on the surface of her body.

This greatly surprised Jackal. The girl's adaptability to Honkai Energy was too strong. Finally, there was a change. Regardless of whether this change was good or bad, it meant the experiment had progressed.

"Is it finally starting? Whether you awaken as a Stigmata or turn into a MANTIS, it depends on whether you can endure it."

As the Honkai patterns continued to spread, strange markings gradually appeared on her skin. They were chaotic but possessed a certain peculiar order. After these markings appeared, the Honkai Energy intensity in the entire laboratory rapidly increased, instantly exceeding the set threshold.

Jackal's expression changed, and she quickly pressed the stop button, injecting a large amount of stabilizing agent. However, the markings on Griseo's body showed no signs of stopping, and chaotic, dense Honkai Energy continuously emerged.

Within mere seconds, some researchers in the laboratory began to show signs of MANTIS transformation and turned into zombie-like monsters under the intense Honkai Energy erosion, after which they were directly shot and killed by the defense system.

Crack—

The glass of the culture tank completely shattered. Griseo opened her eyes, meeting Jackal's golden gaze.

Chapter 73: The Special Ability of Stigmata

The moment Griseo's body underwent an anomaly, Su Jue sensed the change. A brand-new power was quietly emerging and feeding back to him through the Herrscher of Domination's abilities.

This was an extremely complex energy system that stored and converted Honkai Energy in a special way, ultimately synthesizing it into something called a Stigmata Space. The Stigmata Space was not entirely independent; it would exchange power with a larger Stigmata Space through the Imaginary Space, acquiring higher-dimensional abilities.

It was less of a power system and more of a legacy.

Unfortunately, although Griseo had developed Stigmata, as a puppet, her awakening was ultimately incomplete. Moreover, Su Jue, as a Herrscher, could not deceive the administrators of the higher-dimensional Stigmata Space and could only rely on the Stigmata's own power.

And this Stigmata felt very familiar, as if it belonged to him by nature.

Could it be that Griseo truly carried Su Jue's genes, and Jackal's Stigmata experiment just happened to activate the Stigmata that Su Jue himself should have possessed?

This conjecture was too bold, and Su Jue dared not dwell on it.

Meanwhile, seeing the Stigmata successfully appear on Griseo's body, Jackal was filled with joy. The heavily invested gacha finally yielded a result. She was even more excited than Su Jue himself. However, before she could get close, a powerful force erupted instantly, sending her flying.

The laboratory facilities and equipment were scattered everywhere, and Jackal herself was almost knocked unconscious by the impact. But as a master of disaster, Jackal naturally wouldn't be unprepared. She immediately pressed a button on her body.

The surrounding assistants had already completely transformed into MANTIS under the erosion of Honkai Energy, yet they were unable to even approach Griseo. Before they could get close, they were annihilated by an unseen force.

"Truly a perfect weapon." Looking at Griseo effortlessly slaughtering the MANTIS, Jackal nodded with satisfaction. "But let's calm down first."

As she spoke, a thick mist began to diffuse around the laboratory. This was a specially made HSN gas, which would not harm ordinary humans. However, the moment it came into contact with a Valkyrie, it would disrupt their internal Honkai Energy, rendering them completely powerless.

Jackal had originally planned to use it when the Schicksal personnel arrived, but now that her experimental subject was out of control, her priority was to retrieve the experimental subject.

Seeing Griseo standing still, Jackal breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, her special weapon arrived on the scene.

As the metal gate opened, the modified ultimate weapon, Death Weaver, which had been encased in culture medium, finally appeared in the laboratory. It was Jackal's most satisfying killing weapon to date, a spider-like monster formed from the bodies of Schicksal Valkyries combined with mechanical prosthetics.

"Death Weaver, capture her." Jackal gave the order, and at the same time, she stood up from the ground and walked towards the door. The gas here was getting thicker and thicker; soon even she would be affected.

However, the moment she opened the laboratory hatch, a black shadow shot out at extreme speed. Jackal was startled. Did the experimental subject still have mobility?

Unfortunately, before anyone could answer her question, she saw Death Weaver, whose spider limbs were twisted and broken in a strange posture in the corridor.

If only Griseo had awakened, Jackal could easily suppress her. However, the one controlling her now was a Herrscher.

"Big sister, good evening. The experiments you did on me made me suffer for a long time," a voice filled with innocence and liveliness echoed through the laboratory. Through the thick gas, Jackal couldn't see the girl's figure, but the constantly deforming buildings around her made her realize that the monster she had created was approaching her.

Her light blue short hair fluttered as if in a breeze, with only a streak of crimson dye standing out jarringly. Wearing a white lab coat taken from an experimenter, Griseo walked barefoot towards Jackal, step by step.

Fear finally appeared in her eyes. Jackal gritted her teeth and deployed all her weapons. Machine guns mounted on the walls spewed fire, covering the area where Griseo stood. However, all the bullets stopped about a meter away from her, as if blocked by an invisible wall.

"Is this the power of the Stigmata?"

No, it was actually the power of a Herrscher.

Griseo's Stigmata was a telekinetic-like ability, not very powerful on its own, but amplified by the Herrscher of a Thousand, it had reached the peak of an A-rank Valkyrie. While Jackal's research abilities were strong, she wasn't a combat-type and stood no chance against the current Griseo.

Crack—

Jackal's left leg suddenly snapped, and as Griseo crushed it, her lower leg was gradually pulverized.

"Damn it!" She cursed incessantly, but her speed in escaping was remarkable. She didn't know what she had ingested, but her entire body rapidly transformed into a Honkai Beast, and she bolted towards the exit.

Gently raising her right hand, a broken steel beam shot out, pinning the Honkai Beast-transformed Jackal to the wall.

At the same time, Su Jue also discovered the flaw in Griseo's ability. When he controlled it himself, he needed to first apply the power of Domination to Griseo. However, through Griseo, the Stigmata's power was invoked, and the Stigmata then used the feedback from the Imaginary Space to manifest its power in reality.

In other words, there was a significant delay. Therefore, to use the power precisely, she had to control her speed. Any drastic movement could potentially lead to a loss of control.

"Huh? Where's my big sister? Why did she turn into a monster?" Pinned to the wall and unable to move, Jackal was frantic, only able to pray for Raven to quickly come to her rescue.

Fortunately, Raven didn't disappoint her expectations. Red arrows shot towards Griseo, obstructing her movements. Su Jue attempted to control nearby debris to attack her, but the disadvantage of the high delay was fully exposed against the agile Raven. Although Raven couldn't do anything to Su Jue either, she could still manage to take Jackal away.

Forget it, I can't kill Jackal anyway. Tormenting her a bit is enough. It's revenge for using me in her experiments.

Looking back at the blood-soaked laboratory, Su Jue sighed, wondering how many test subjects had endured cruel torture here.

Boom—