Honkai's Thousand Laws, Abducting Kiana at the Start

"Sirin... Sister..."

"..."

"..."

All strength drained from Kiana's movements. Her breathing, her words, even her ability to think, had been abruptly ripped from her body. Her mind was a complete blank, with only the image of the blood-soaked girl in her vision.

The Honkai-corrupted red eyes gradually returned to purple, still as pure as gemstones, but now completely dim, devoid of any light.

"Cough..." Her pierced chest could no longer supply oxygen. Griseo, standing on the ground, coughed up a large mouthful of blood. Her pale purple eyes could no longer see anything; only pure darkness enveloped her.

"Griseo! Griseo!" Kiana called out with all her might, but her collapsing body could only produce a faint sound, just like when Griseo had tried to call out to the MANTIS before.

She finally understood. Griseo hadn't wanted to kill the MANTIS that her Mother had become; she had simply recognized the woman. She had wanted to call out, to embrace. And herself...

What have I done?

Her body felt so heavy, her consciousness so heavy.

Falling to the ground, Kiana scrambled forward with all her strength. The Spears of the Void, having lost their power source, completely vanished. Griseo, who had been supported by the spear, lost all her strength. The spurting blood gradually formed a pool, and as the cold evening wind blew, she collapsed onto the ground.

Finally, Kiana embraced her.

The Honkai Energy that had been supporting Griseo had completely turned into a poison that killed her, rapidly eroding her life.

"Don't die... Don't die!"

The body in her arms gradually lost its warmth. Kiana prayed in despair, but no god answered her.

Dense stitches and cuts covered her body. However, because she was being held by someone she knew, Griseo still managed a smile.

"Sirin, Sister, it hurts so much..."

"Sirin, Sister, are you here to pick me up?"

In an instant, all memories surged. This was no longer Sky City, but the Tower of Babylon, filled with blood and sin.

A girl named Bella had died in her arms in the same way.

Kiana... Sirin...

This is a fate you cannot escape...

"What color are the stars?" Griseo looked at the sky, her purple eyes devoid of any brilliance.

Kiana, kneeling on the ground, looked up. The night sky today was overcast, with no starlight.

"They're colorful. The stars are colorful, like a painting, like brilliant pigments all over the sky."

"So beautiful..." The girl's voice gradually faded.

The child in her arms completely stopped breathing, falling into a deep sleep.

"Goodnight, Griseo. Goodnight."

Chapter 77: Herrscher of Void Reborn

At Schicksal Headquarters, Otto, who was handling official business, paused his actions and suddenly looked up. A glimmer of surprise shone in his emerald green eyes. The next second, the alarm from the monitoring department sounded simultaneously.

[Excessive Honkai Energy reaction detected within the Land of the Divine, initial Honkai response has exceeded 1000 Houkai! ]
[Global positioning is in progress, Honkai outbreak area locked. This Honkai outbreak location is - Sky City.]

"Sky City? Finally, has the Herrscher of Void reappeared?"

He immediately pushed aside all other duties, transferring all work to the monitoring agency. However, before he could rejoice for long, the news from the monitoring team made him frown again.

[Energy outbreak is weakening, energy amplitude is decreasing. Current intensity is below 500 Houkai.]

"Impossible. A Herrscher-level outbreak would absolutely not be only this intense, let alone the Herrscher of Void. Unless... someone suppressed her."

Feeling somewhat agitated, Otto had spared no expense, spending over ten years to revive the Herrscher of Void for her power. Yet, when he finally succeeded a few months ago, he was thwarted by those from St. Freya, and the Herrscher of Void went missing. Just half a month ago, he finally received news of Kiana in Sky City and specially dispatched Rita to search. The result was that the dignified Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie was defeated by a mysterious person and fled back in disgrace.

Not only was the Herrscher of Void not found, but the traitors from St. Freya were not brought back either. Even the electronic eye he had painstakingly obtained from World Serpent was stolen.

The repeated setbacks in Sky City forced Otto to temporarily shift his focus to the Desire Gem. However, not long after this operation began, a Herrscher-level Honkai outbreak occurred again in Sky City.

It was as if someone was deliberately trying to divert his attention.

Of course, he still had Durandal, his strongest trump card. As Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, there were basically no missions she couldn't handle. But at this moment, she was also engaged in a mission and couldn't spare time to deal with the situation in Sky City.

With a helpless sigh, Otto dialed Rita's communication again.

"It has been confirmed that the Herrscher of Void is in Sky City. You... take your Blade of the End squad and go investigate. Bring her back to me, no matter the cost."

"..." After a moment of silence, the maid nodded. "As you command, Bishop."

The communication ended. Rita looked at the scar left on her hand from the previous battle, her eyes flickering, lost in thought.

A few minutes ago, Sky City.

The Honkai outbreak, which began at Shencheng Technology, had started to spread outwards. A large number of MANTIS surged out like a tide, heading towards the nearby residential areas.

The dense tide of corpses moved, but they all consciously avoided the girl kneeling on the ground, forming a blank area.

The MANTIS that was once Su Jue's Mother soon followed the horde away. Only Kiana remained slumped in place, still holding Griseo, who had lost all vital signs. Without any movement, without any sound, she was like a corpse that had lost consciousness, like a statue devoid of any perception.

"Foolish experiment, you're still running away even now. The hope you've been searching for is right in front of you, yet you destroyed it with your own hands. You don't even dare to admit that you killed her yourself."

"Your hatred, your sorrow, your pain—it all stems from your own choices."

It was rare, but Sirin didn't speak with any arrogance. Instead, she spoke calmly, like a friend, gently revealing the reality Kiana refused to accept.

"..." There was no response, but Sirin could clearly feel Kiana's consciousness space gradually collapsing. The walls that had sealed the Herrscher of Void's consciousness were easily torn apart, like old, yellowed newspaper.

Sirin felt no joy, for she had experienced the same sorrow once before. Kiana now was just like she herself had been in Babylon Tower. Both had suffered through inhumane experiments, both had been powerless, only able to watch their most important friend die in their arms.

The words Griseo spoke before her death pierced not only Kiana but were also aimed at Sirin, the second Herrscher.

"Don't you understand yet? Human evil is far more terrifying than that of the Herrschers. All tragedies are born from humanity's inherent flaws."

"Have you forgotten what Otto did to you? Do you not know why those MANTIS were born? Do you not know why that girl died?"

"Stop lying to yourself, Kiana."

"Humans are the biggest mistake in this world."

"Give me your body. Together, let us take revenge on this filthy world. No one will ever be able to take our friends away from us again, and we will never have to watch tragedies unfold before our eyes."

The girl sitting in silence offered no words, but her inner defenses had completely crumbled.

She had watched her Mother become a MANTIS with her own eyes, and she had killed the girl who loved the stars with her own hands. She no longer had the courage to face it all...

"Okay." Enveloped by darkness, drowned in despair, Kiana gradually released her control over her body, feeling the Herrscher of Void's power replace her.

Like someone facing death, she opened her eyes with all her might, wanting to take one last look at the world.

"Goodbye."

Her vision gradually blurred... However, in the moment before darkness descended, she saw a gray-haired youth clambering over the ruins, struggling to walk towards her.

"Su Jue!" Kiana's eyes widened. Her self-will's surrender meant the Herrscher of Void would soon awaken and begin her massacre. But she had already given up her body. Even if her soul screamed, her body could make no sound. She could only watch helplessly as the young man approached, "Run!"

Her vision plunged into darkness, her consciousness began to drift. She could change nothing.

What could be more despairing than giving up at the very last second before grasping hope?

As Kiana's consciousness was completely replaced, Sirin's Herrscher persona took over her body. Thus, the Herrscher of Void descended upon this world once more.

The Honkai Energy from the Herrscher surged to thousands of Honkai units in an instant. Surrounding Honkai Beasts, MANTIS, and buildings turned to dust in a flash. Even the air couldn't escape, being completely pierced by this violent energy, forming an unstoppable storm.

Su Jue stood atop the ruins, his short gray hair fluttering in the hurricane, shouting in the midst of destruction like a madman chasing the storm.

"Kiana, I told you I wouldn't be swayed by emotions this time."

Chapter 78 HSN-B46

"I said that one day I would make this world feel pain, and my return now will be a judgment for everyone."

Golden eyes flashed with a cross star, silver-white hair cascaded to her waist, the surrounding tail feathers reappeared, and the light wings symbolizing Herrscher authority gradually converged.

The heavy dark clouds that obscured the starry sky were completely dispersed by the roaring Honkai Energy, forming a massive void. A golden beam of light shot straight into the heavens, announcing the Queen's arrival to the whole world.

In an instant, major organizations worldwide responsible for monitoring Honkai Energy received this signal. Schicksal naturally dispatched Rita once more, while Anti-Entropy's focus was on Sea of Quanta City, unable to disengage due to its influence.

As for the local World Serpent, they were still heavily injured. Jackal's eyes glowed. Despite being within the range of the Herrscher of Void's influence, she continuously said to Raven beside her, "I didn't expect the Herrscher of Void to really be here. Raven, go catch her for me."

Xiola naturally ignored the crazy woman. Her scarlet eyes stared at the epicenter of the energy outbreak. As someone who hated the Herrscher of Void the most, she couldn't take a step forward despite being less than 2 kilometers away from the Herrscher. It wasn't out of fear. Images of children flashed through Raven's mind, their voices affectionately calling her "teacher" echoing in her ears.

"If I die here, what will happen to them?"

Fortunately, the two from World Serpent were underground, shielded from most of the Honkai Energy, but others within the range struggled to withstand the Herrscher of Void's power. As the Honkai Energy continued to climb, Honkai Beasts belonging to the Queen emerged from the void, beginning to attack human cities.

And in the far north, a strong Honkai Energy response also appeared. The Judgment-class Honkai Beast slumbering there—Benares—finally awoke.

The first thing it did upon waking was look in the direction of the Land of the Divine. After more than three months, the heavily injured beast finally felt the Queen's power again. As Sirin's most loyal subordinate, Benares's sole purpose was to protect. It was this belief that sustained it, waiting for the Queen's arrival, dedicating its remaining life to serving her.

Struggling to flap its wings, Benares flew towards Sky City.

However, at the very epicenter of this Herrscher of Void outbreak, the situation was completely different from everyone's expectations. Sirin, having reawakened, did not immediately begin a massacre. Instead, she looked with slight confusion at the gray-haired youth standing before her, who was unaffected by the Honkai Energy's erosion.

"Damn human, it's you again!"

"Good evening, Herrscher of Void. It's been half a month since we last met." For some reason, Su Jue's outwardly calm expression was particularly irritating to Sirin. "Oh, I almost forgot, you were always confined in Kiana's consciousness space. You probably can't even tell time, can you?"

This struck a nerve with Sirin. As the Herrscher of Void, she had been trapped by a little girl, and the culprit behind it all was the person right in front of her.

"You deserve to die!"

The Herrscher of Void, who should have been filled with dignity, was now struggling to control her emotions. She raised her hand, and a large number of Spears of the Void flew towards Su Jue. In an instant, they pierced and covered his location, unleashing a barrage of concentrated fire, leaving him no hope of survival.

Silence. Su Jue's voice no longer rang out.

"No matter how arrogant you are, you're still just an insect. You didn't try to escape but instead tried to provoke me. Are you trying to wake that girl up?"

Seeing Su Jue killed so easily, Sirin felt a sense of boredom. The annoyance in her heart did not diminish at all; instead, it felt like punching cotton, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Regardless, under the Queen's judgment, no one can escape."

"Her Majesty the Queen speaks the truth."

However, the next second, the girl's voice suddenly rang out, and that voice was less than half a meter away from her. Such close proximity was too much even for the Herrscher to react to. Sirin's eyes widened, and her face showed horror.

Right where Kiana had given her body to the Herrscher, the girl who should have been long dead tightly hugged herself. Then, a sharp pain shot through her body as a syringe filled with serum was injected into her.

The Herrscher of Void was all too familiar with this serum, so much so that she loathed it. The woman wielding the giant flaming sword had used this very serum to strip her of her power, reducing her to her current state.

"No!"

The Spears of the Void immediately appeared in her hand, piercing Griseo's body. She then lunged for the syringe. However, her movement was only half-completed before transparent threads, appearing from nowhere, wrapped around her arm. In that brief moment of distraction, Griseo, who had already been pierced, pushed the remaining serum into her own body.

HSN-B46

This serum was exchanged by Su Jue from Griseo when he gave her to Jackal. It was a special inhibitor developed by Schicksal, which, when combined with Saniate's holy blood, could create the God-Slaying Spear. In the great battle between Himeko and the Herrscher of Void three months ago, this serum was used to weaken Sirin's power and awaken Kiana's consciousness.

Even a tiny amount was enough to incapacitate a Valkyrie. The genius Jackal had even modified it into a gas that could be used without injection. Of course, Su Jue's vial contained the undiluted serum.

Now, the Herrscher of Void had just awakened, her energy intensity only at 1000 Honkai units. Under the effect of this serum, her power began to rapidly decline. Griseo, who had killed her in a desperate counterattack, was also severely damaged and likely wouldn't be able to move for a long time.

Su Jue, who had prepared long in advance, didn't give her any more room to struggle. The Herrscher of Domination's authority had been secretly siphoning the Herrscher of Void's energy since Kiana lost consciousness. Provoking Sirin into killing herself was a deliberate move to exploit the momentary emotional vulnerability, allowing Griseo's sneak attack to succeed.

Regardless, the awakening of the Herrscher of Void was orchestrated by Su Jue, and he was equally prepared to put her back to sleep.

"..."

Under the dual effect of the serum and Domination, Sirin's energy response became weak, and her consciousness was inevitably pulled back into the mental space.

"Goodnight." The Spears of the Void shattered, and Su Jue, unharmed, slowly emerged from them.

Seeing the boy who should have been dead appear before her again, Sirin choked and completely fainted.

Su Jue quickly took a couple of steps forward and caught Kiana's falling body. He held her in his arms and sighed as he looked at the exhausted, sleeping girl.

Then, he placed his hand on her chest.

Chapter 79: Magical Girl Kiana

"Kiana, you're too tired. Get some good rest for now."