The relentless flight of the past few months had already left Kiana exhausted in body and mind. Even in her unconscious sleep, she could not hide her haggard appearance.
The hand resting on Kiana's chest gradually began to emit a faint glow. Countless threads of domination spread outward, eventually passing through her body and touching the Herrscher Core within her. The Authority of Domination began stealing the power of the Herrscher of Void. Under such intense emotional turmoil, her mental space had already been extremely unstable. Now that both personalities within Kiana's body had fallen asleep, it was undoubtedly the best opportunity for the Herrscher of Domination to act.
By now, the sudden eruption and rapid disappearance of Herrscher power had stirred endless speculation around the world. Although many organizations had researched the Honkai, most lacked the capabilities of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. Faced with this sudden rise and fall, they could only blame faulty detection equipment.
Only Schicksal would never let any possible clue slip away. The Immortal Blade Squad had already begun planning a trip to Sky City. Rita's personal super transport vessel, Eos, had been activated from the spaceport, and their next step was to head for Shenzhou.
Su Jue had already stolen more than half of the Herrscher of Void's Authority. He did not truly intend to use this chance to take her Core. He merely wanted the girl to sleep peacefully for a while.
The stolen Authority gradually condensed into a false gem. Su Jue snapped his fingers, opening a spatial passage from the Theater of Domination to the real world. A girl-shaped puppet stepped out. It was Jian Yun.
Yet Jian Yun no longer looked as she once had. Under Su Jue's control, white hair cascaded down from her shoulders like a waterfall, while light blue eyes lay clear as lakes. Even her outfit had been custom-made by Su Jue, based around black and white with purple patterns. The stark contrast represented chaos and nobility.
"K424, good evening."
"..." K424 did not answer her troublesome master. The puppet merely took the forged Herrscher of Void Core from Su Jue's hand and placed it against her own chest.
Light purple patterns swiftly crept across her body. At the same time, the immense Honkai Energy that had been dispersing through the air began to converge, causing the storm that had ceased with Sirin's slumber to rise once more.
Gradually, the parts Su Jue had failed to shape properly transformed completely into Kiana's likeness. The Honkai patterns that had spread for so long began expanding, solidifying into physical form and ultimately becoming a peculiar skirt.
As Honkai Energy continued filling her body, wings of light woven from white and orange slowly took shape as well.
The pale blue gem gradually lit up gold. The instant her pupils moved, she seemed like an envoy of the gods surveying the world.
Everything was ready. Only the final step remained.
Within Imaginary Space, the vast Theater of Domination slowly revolved. The amplification Core from the Herrscher of a Thousand continued gathering Honkai Energy onto K424. The Herrscher of Void Core, originally no more than a false simulated Core, gradually became saturated until, at a certain instant, it reached its final critical point.
Thus, the Queen descended.
2.0.
The storm clouds that had only just begun to gather were once again pierced by beams of light. Starlight poured down across the sky, and violent Honkai Energy rapidly climbed—yet under Su Jue's precise domination, it did not disperse without limit and would not inflict Honkai corruption upon ordinary people.
The renewed outbreak of Honkai Energy swiftly drew attention from all over the world. Many scientists who had spent most of their lives studying the Honkai desperately tugged at what little hair they had left. Did this Herrscher think her first descent had not been impressive enough, so she had decided to descend again?
Looking at the fully formed Herrscher of Void, Su Jue withdrew his gaze with satisfaction. Carrying Kiana in his arms, he entered the spatial passage. Meanwhile, K424, also under his control, descended upon the world in an entirely new form.
He could not master the Herrscher of Void's Authority so quickly, so he could only use the power of Griseo's Stigmata to float into the air and fly toward the city. Over there, Honkai Beasts and zombies had already begun their attack.
"Monsters! White monsters!" Watching the Honkai Beasts moving past the window, the young mother could only turn off the lights and quietly hide inside with her child in her arms, praying the monsters would not discover them.
Yet her six-year-old son had no idea how terrifying those creatures were. Instead, he lay by the window and secretly watched the outside world.
"Mom, you're wrong. They're called Honkai Beasts. They have white shells, and some of them even carry spears."
Hearing her son's nonsense, the mother hurriedly covered his mouth and dragged him away from the window. "What are you talking about? How could you possibly know the names of those monsters?"
"But I just know." The innocent child did not understand what his mother feared. He continued, "They're monsters that appear from the void. Their purpose is to kill humans and destroy the world. But don't worry, Mom. Magical girls will come and defeat them."
Her son's words grew increasingly absurd. The mother had begun wondering whether the danger had frightened him into babbling nonsense. If we survive this, I'll take him to see a psychologist.
While she was lost in thought, her son had somehow returned to the window. "Wow, Mom, look! The magical girl really appeared! And she's Magical Girl Kiana's Queen form!"
"What magical gi—there really is a magical girl?!" Looking out at the white-haired girl floating in the sky, the mother fell into shock and decided that she, rather than her son, should see the psychologist.
Su Jue was flying through the air. Several days earlier, he had quietly begun selling Magical Girl Kiana, hiding information about Honkai Beasts within the comic to gradually raise civilian awareness of the Honkai.
The entire world had clearly fallen under the great Honkai eruption brought by the Herrscher of Void, yet Otto still tightly suppressed all information related to the Honkai. Without a doubt, that made it easier for him to manage and rule.
It was like raising humanity in captivity. As long as people were not allowed to see the truth of the world, no matter what suffering they endured, they would only think they had bad luck.
What Su Jue needed to do was chisel open a crack in that airtight high wall and let the wind of truth blow toward every ordinary person. Only then could Schicksal's unshakable position in this world be undermined. After all, the power of the people was the true power of this world.
Su Jue, having descended in a new guise, did not slaughter the civilians. Instead, she helped the city's guards deal with the massive Honkai Beasts. She had no intention of hiding herself, appearing before the public in the most high-profile manner possible. Anyone who had read Magical Girl Kiana could recognize her as Magical Girl Kiana, the strongest magical girl who saved the world in the comic.
With Su Jue's help, the Honkai within the city gradually subsided. Countless surviving civilians witnessed a selfless magical girl. Although they could not clearly see the girl's appearance in the sky, the name Kiana, savior of the world, quietly began spreading among ordinary people.
A Plan Nearing Its End
The preparations were complete. Without anyone realizing it, he had planted a preconceived image of a [kind Herrscher of Void] in the minds of civilians, finishing the propaganda battle before Otto could. With further guidance afterward, it could develop into a war of public opinion.
Since Otto did not value civilians, he could not blame the Herrscher for seizing the ground first. Only a single-minded Herrscher would think of destroying the world alone. Su Jue, whose mind had a thousand twists, had far more options.
Normally, a comic containing Honkai-related content would immediately be blocked on Schicksal's territory. However, Shenzhou was not under Schicksal's control.
Fu Hua was known as Shenzhou's guardian, but she had no talent for administration. Though she possessed an ancient inheritance, she allowed the major sects to develop independently. Without a clear ruler, it was also fertile ground for a war of public opinion. Besides, Su Jue had chosen Magical Girl Kiana as a comic aimed primarily at young children, meaning adults were unlikely to notice it. Corrupting human hatchlings directly was far easier than painstakingly dealing with those strong-willed Valkyries.
He did not expect to overthrow Schicksal's ruling position. Moreover, the civilians of Shenzhou alone could never raise much of a storm. What Su Jue wanted was merely to plant a seed of chaos in the weakest place. Whether it could grow depended on itself.
Of course, it would be best if it grew. Once information about the Honkai leaked, the world would inevitably descend into chaos. Humans would distrust one another, while every major force, upon learning of Schicksal's current position, would want a share of the pie and inevitably fight each other. Civilians, too, would lose trust in their rulers and begin condemning the incompetence of those in charge.
Even taking ten thousand steps back, suppressing the news would require a vast amount of money and resources. According to Dr. Einstein's theory of relativity, Schicksal losing was equivalent to Su Jue winning.
As a Herrscher, Su Jue was naturally pleased to see such a situation.
However, building civilian reputation was only one step of Su Jue's plan. After quelling the chaos, Su Jue stood in the air, overlooking the entire city. Only after confirming that both Schicksal and World Serpent had noticed her did she fly beyond the city.
For now, the two greatest enemies were still those two factions. Su Jue had caused such a huge disturbance to focus their attention on herself. First, to divert both sides' attention and make his operations in Sea Abyss City safer.
Second, to give Kiana time to rest. Su Jue had said she was his most precious weapon, and he would never let anyone else lay hands on her. Yet World Serpent and Schicksal's pursuit had been too urgent, while the Herrscher of Void's consciousness continued eroding her. Even a weapon would only become brittle if it was forged and hammered without pause. It needed sufficient time to grow before it could possess both strength and resilience.
Third, Su Jue intended to provoke conflict between Schicksal and World Serpent. World Serpent's Stigmata Plan and Kevin's impending return would have a massive impact on the world no matter what. The bipolar division between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy would become a tripartite balance. Otto would never permit that, so conflict was inevitable.
What Su Jue was doing now was taking Kiana's place as bait, escalating the conflict between the two great factions and shifting the fighting beyond Sky City. Only then could his own forces gain room to develop. If things went smoothly, he might even seize the Herrschers' first territory in this world—Sky City.
All the plans had been laid. Next, he had to make them come true one by one. Su Jue was not entirely confident, and could only do his best.
Because Su Jue had seized the Herrscher of Void's power, Benares, who had been deliriously happy and ready to immediately welcome her Queen, lost the signal once again. She could only fly helplessly toward the direction she remembered. She intended to cross half the globe in search of her Queen, but just then, she sensed a faint signal again. The feeling was incredibly vague, yet Benares did not hesitate for even a moment. With absolute loyalty, she flew straight toward its source.
"The Herrscher of Void went beyond the city. After making such a huge disturbance, she must know Schicksal has noticed her. If she doesn't leave, she'll face Schicksal's relentless pursuit." Inside the Shencheng Technology building, Raven stood alone by a window, looking down at the chaotic city and the civilians who had survived the disaster.
Yet after learning the current situation, only one word remained in Raven's mind: absurd.
The Herrscher of Void, who had destroyed everything she had and toyed with her fate, had somehow transformed into a hero who saved the city?
"I thought civilians were already ignorant enough. I never imagined they could be this stupid!"
The stark contrast made Raven feel sick. If the Herrscher of Void could be whitewashed, did that not mean her anger and hatred were a joke? What, then, had her life been? What had she herself been? A ridiculous clown on a stage?
The intense rage born from humiliation burned in her scarlet eyes. The metal railing by the window was crushed flat beneath her Soulium claws. World Serpent had ordered her to guard Shencheng Technology, but looking at the facility gradually returning to normal after the disaster, Raven took a deep breath, picked up her weapons, and quietly followed the direction in which the Herrscher of Void had departed.
At that moment, blinded by rage, she naturally failed to see Su Jue's smile in the shadow of the building across from her.
Elsewhere, Shenzhou's foreign entry administration had stopped the Eos transport vessel from Schicksal.
"Please present your entry permit."
"This time, Schicksal is providing medical supplies to Shencheng Technology in Sky City. Here is the detailed list, as well as the complete entry documentation." Maintaining her usual elegant bearing, Rita handed the administrator a paper document and an electronic authentication chip. Though she could have secretly infiltrated like the Hyperion, this was a diplomatic matter. Schicksal and Shenzhou had long had an agreement, so the necessary procedures still had to be followed.
"Sky City's disaster has been contained. The Herrscher of Void has begun to flee."
At that moment, Otto's message arrived in her hand. Looking at the lengthy approval process ahead, Rita frowned slightly, deeply dissatisfied with Shenzhou's administrative system. After a brief consideration, she decided to go alone to Sky City first to investigate. Once Eos passed inspection, the remaining members of the Immortal Blade Squad would come provide support.
No one noticed a small flying vehicle quietly leave beneath the cover of night, heading for Sky City.
Defeat
Soon, the full view of Sky City appeared before Rita's eyes. Yet unlike the catastrophic Honkai disaster she had imagined, the city had suffered severe damage but relatively few casualties. For a city where a Herrscher had just awakened, that was simply unimaginable.
"Could the Herrscher of Void be nothing but a smokescreen?" Still unclear on the situation, Rita decided to first find Shencheng Technology, the target of her trip, and confirm what had happened. But when she arrived at Shencheng Technology, she found it equally deserted. There were quite a few staff members, but none of the actual managers had appeared. Judging by the situation, the damage here also seemed much worse than elsewhere.
Since the management was absent, Rita did not reveal herself. Instead, she first inspected the scene. Before long, she found numerous traces of battle. Many buildings had collapsed and shattered in ways that defied common sense.
"This level of force could never have been caused by ordinary Honkai Beasts and zombies." Looking at the warped central support pillar, Rita raised her brows slightly. She stood in place and closed her eyes. Soon, the battle that had occurred here began to take shape in her mind.
Concrete had been pierced through, and vast amounts of rubble that should have remained had inexplicably vanished, as though sent into another dimension. The only being capable of doing that was one able to manipulate space.
"So the Herrscher of Void awakened here?" That only made her more curious. Shencheng Pharmaceuticals was merely a pharmaceutical company. What had happened to cause K423 to lose control?
Just as she was preparing to investigate further, the Honkai Energy detector equipped on her body suddenly began sounding an alarm. Rita did not look at it. Instead, she raised her head toward the horizon, where a brilliant golden flash had already revealed everything.
The Herrscher of Void.
Whoosh—
A swift arrow grazed Su Jue's cheek, and a lock of silver-white hair drifted slowly down. The next second, more arrows shot up from the ground like raindrops.
Golden eyes glimmered faintly. Su Jue gently raised her hand, and a pale purple spatial passage opened, swallowing every incoming arrow. Then an opposing spatial passage opened, aimed directly at the woman on the ground cloaked in a black-and-red cape.
"Damn it!"
Having failed her ambush, Raven cursed under her breath. She quickly rolled off the rooftop where she had been hiding and leaped onto another platform. At her former position, the arrows punched straight through the roof. If everyone in the outskirts had not already evacuated, quite a few people would likely have died.
"Human, why seek your own death?" The girl's voice descended from the sky. Raven looked up to find a dense mass of Spears of the Void aimed at her.
Snap.
With the sound of a snap, the dense spears began bombarding the area like air-to-ground missiles. Raven, trapped within, could not fight back at all. She could only flap her wings like an actual raven and flee in a sorry state.
Under the indiscriminate bombardment, the surrounding buildings fared little better than soft cakes.
Su Jue looked down at Raven from above, silently calculating her path. Once she judged the approximate trajectory, she pressed both hands downward. The remaining Spears of the Void held nothing back, directly blanketing the area.
They were both fire-type, but you weren't Murata Himeko. Wasn't it a little too optimistic to challenge the Herrscher of Void alone?
After the concentrated bombardment, there was no movement from the ground. Dust covered the entire area. Having watched so many films and television shows, Su Jue knew that if there was smoke but no injury, this one was probably preparing to ambush her.
So, without any sense of fair play, she created another large number of Spears of the Void and decided to plow through the ground once more.
"Damn Herrscher of Void!"
Raven, hidden amid the dust, was about to lose it. Seeing that her plan had failed, she directly drew her bow and exchanged shots with Su Jue while searching for somewhere to push off from, preparing for an ace aerial battle with her.
As the two fought fiercely, a single-soldier aircraft rapidly approached. Schicksal's Valkyrie Rita was about to reach the battlefield.
Su Jue was not actually very strong at the moment. A simulated Core was ultimately just a counterfeit, with limited energy stored within it. Although she could replenish it using the Authority of Domination, there was no need. K424 existed solely as bait, to draw World Serpent and Schicksal here.
Noticing Rita's approach, Su Jue, who was fighting Raven, revealed an inscrutable smile. Then, failing to evade in time, she was struck by an incoming arrow and reeled backward through the air.
Raven, who had been struggling bitterly, was filled with regret over her recklessness. She was merely a mercenary with relatively strong combat ability. Only after truly facing a Herrscher did she feel the vast gap between them. The arrows she carried were nearly exhausted, her stamina was gradually failing to keep up with her movements, and the Herrscher of Void held the advantage of the high ground. Her defeat was inevitable.
Just as she began worrying about the fate of the orphans in Nagazora after her death, she suddenly discovered that the Herrscher of Void opposite her had been hit by an arrow—and the arrow seemed to have struck a vital point.
"Human, you dared to injure me." K424 wore an enraged expression, clutching the spot on her shoulder pierced by the arrow as she fired all her remaining Spears of the Void.
Unfortunately, after being injured, the Herrscher of Void was far weaker than before. Raven dodged with all her strength, and not a single spear struck her.
"Her aura is weakening..." Raven keenly sensed the change in Honkai Energy, and hope ignited once more in her formerly despairing heart. She did not attack immediately. Instead, she followed her original plan and launched ambushes from every angle.
Standing on the ground, Raven did not notice Rita in the distance.
At that moment, all her attention was fixed on the Herrscher of Void. This sudden turn of events had given her a chance to kill the Herrscher of Void alone. She had to remain careful and ensure she made no mistakes.
"Today, I take my revenge." Placing her final arrow on the string, she saw the Herrscher's figure reflected in eyes red as rubies.
Memories of the past flashed through her mind. The arrow flew, then struck. As naturally as water flowing into a channel, all her convictions gathered in that instant and, before the Herrscher's stunned eyes, pierced her chest.
"Feel the anger of a mortal."
At Raven's proclamation, the Herrscher of Void could no longer maintain flight and fell from the sky.
Yet at that moment, a burst of scarlet flame suddenly rose from the ground. A red-haired woman in a mask leaped into the air and caught the Herrscher of Void directly.
"Raven, it's time to retreat. Schicksal's people are here." The woman shouted to the bewildered Raven. Without stopping, she grabbed the powerless Herrscher of Void and fled into the distance.
Behind her, Rita arrived close behind, her expression icy. Her aircraft had been damaged by Himeko's ambush, leaving her unable to catch up to the Herrscher of Void.
"You dared snatch someone right under Schicksal's nose. It seems World Serpent has grown quite bold."
Faith
Facing the aggressive Rita, Raven quickly realized she might have fallen into a trap.
Why had the Herrscher of Void suddenly awakened? Why had Schicksal's Valkyrie suddenly appeared just as she was about to defeat her? Without question, this had all been part of Schicksal's plan.
Schicksal had likely prepared long ago, secretly discovered World Serpent's arrangements, and used the Herrscher of Void as bait to lure her in. Rita had probably been hiding nearby from the start, waiting for her to weaken after fighting the Herrscher so she could capture her in one stroke.
As for whether this could have been the Herrscher of Void's scheme, Raven swiftly cast that possibility from her mind. As someone who had suffered deeply under the Herrscher of Void, Raven simply could not imagine a Herrscher capable of destroying the world using such methods merely to frame her. Besides, with a Herrscher's power, she could have killed Raven outright. Why would she possibly hold back?
"Truly sinister."
After sorting through every possibility, Raven suddenly saw the light.
No wonder the Herrscher of Void had not gone to slaughter civilians after awakening. She must have been under Schicksal's control. And her appearance in the outskirts after the battle was likely because they had guessed Raven would be suspicious and follow her here.
Before you continue