"They were from Shencheng Pharmaceuticals. The vice-captain also said they were World Serpent." Only then did Alvit seem to remember her earlier objective. "Right, Lady Rita is still beneath Shencheng Pharmaceuticals. Please, save her..."
"I understand. Stop talking and get some proper rest. Your teammates will be saved." With that, Kiana set Alvit down and headed toward where the Immortal Blade Squad was fighting.
As soon as she drew near, she sensed the distinct gas still lingering in the air. Though it had faded considerably, it could still interfere with Honkai Energy.
"Good thing I didn't rush in carelessly." Relieved, Kiana raised a hand and created several Spears of the Void, pinning the zombies to the ground from afar. Then Honkai Energy burst forth, blowing away all the remaining gas and ultimately saving the Valkyrkie squad.
After confirming the area was safe, Kiana did not linger and continued toward Shencheng Pharmaceuticals.
With the Herrscher of Void gone, the area fell silent once more. Alvit barely managed to support herself as she tried to stand, but halfway through, a shadow suddenly fell over her.
Looking up, Alvit saw a familiar face. "Herrscher of Void, didn't you go save Miss Rita?"
"Hmm? I suddenly remembered something. Saving people is fine, of course, but it would be unreasonable not to charge a little compensation." The [Herrscher of Void] before her seemed somewhat different from before, a strange smile hanging on her face. "So, Miss Alvit, you wouldn't want your teammates and vice-captain to die here, would you? What can you offer me?"
"Compensation..." Alvit failed to notice the difference between the Herrscher of Void before her and the Kiana from earlier. Looking at the girl radiating overwhelming pressure, then thinking of Rita's unknown fate underground, she was filled with anxiety. "As long as you can save them, I'll do anything."
Seeing the adorably gullible Alvit fall for it so easily, Su Jue was quite satisfied. His voice was full of temptation. "Is that so? Then be obedient. Let down your guard and let me enter your body."
"Y-you... What are you going to do?" Alvit felt there was something wrong with those words, but she had little time left to think. She could only comply with Su Jue's request and temporarily lower her guard.
"Of course, I'm going to make you mine."
Darkness instantly engulfed the surroundings. Alvit's relaxed consciousness grew increasingly fragile within that hazy darkness. She failed to notice the growing number of transparent threads winding around her body, only vaguely sensing that the Herrscher of Void before her had stuffed a massive sphere into her body.
The evening breeze suddenly swept past her. The icy chill jolted Alvit awake, and she snapped out of her daze. Nothing had changed about her body. She was still where she had been, and her teammates remained unconscious.
"Was that a dream?" the girl murmured. But with her lively personality, she soon forgot about it and forced herself back to her feet, treating the injured Valkyries.
No one knew what had happened here. Elsewhere, Kiana had arrived at Shencheng Pharmaceuticals. Yet it had already entered full combat readiness, with large numbers of armed robots patrolling back and forth. All staff had been evacuated, leaving behind a battlefield specially prepared for Rita.
"Rita was trapped in a place like this so easily? That's hard to imagine." Before the Herrscher of Void awakened, Kiana's dream and goal for many years had been to become Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, so she knew quite a bit about S-Ranks. A building like this could be reduced to rubble in ten minutes or so. But recalling the tear gas Alvit had mentioned, it was understandable that Rita had been trapped.
There were not only mechanical patrols here, but also quite a few zombies. Hidden in the darkness, Kiana noticed the faintly glowing patterns behind the zombies, and fury abruptly rose within her.
"It was this filthy experiment that ruined everything for him!"
With that thought, Kiana stopped hiding. Golden light shone brightly in her right eye. After gradually accepting the Herrscher of Void's authority, she could now use Herrscher powers with relative ease. Although the Herrscher's consciousness continued to erode her, Kiana's mental barrier had grown tougher after being repaired multiple times.
Bzzzz—
A faint hum rang out. A black sphere suddenly appeared in the center of the guards, its intense fluctuations directly disrupting space and continuously dragging every enemy toward the black hole. Then countless Spears of the Void rained down from above, blanketing the gathered guards and zombies.
Amid a chain of explosions, the entire area was cleared out, while a huge section of Shencheng Pharmaceuticals' building was blown apart.
"Enemy attack detected!"
After Kiana began her destruction, all the guards quickly converged and attacked her exposed position. A barrage of machine-gun fire and grenades roared toward her. Kiana leaped high into the air, evading the first wave of attacks. But with AI-assisted calculations, the mech guards immediately locked onto the spot where she would land.
Yet Kiana did not fall. A pale purple disc appeared beneath her feet, allowing her to double-jump through the air and evade the attack. Then, another brand-new black sphere appeared among the mechs, pulling them together.
"It's Kiana time!"
With the girl's sharp cry, Spears of the Void descended from her hand like blades, cleaving straight through the gathered mechs.
Eos Cleanup Mission
The explosions shook the entire building, and Rita underground felt the distinct tremors. At the same time, Kiana's unrestrained destruction damaged countless instruments and severed Shencheng Pharmaceuticals' connection to the industrial district, cutting off Jackal's signal link.
Though the situation remained dire, Rita finally saw hope for survival. She discarded some of her spare equipment to ease the burden on her body, then desperately fled toward the underground passage. She fought zombies continuously along the way, and the wounds on her body grew more numerous.
Just before her strength ran out, she finally returned to the second underground level, only a few dozen meters from the exit. Yet the horde of zombies blocking her path clearly had no intention of letting her escape, swiftly surrounding her.
Just as Rita gritted her teeth and prepared to fight to the death, several Spears of the Void pierced through the zombies. And the white-haired girl she had been pursuing for so long finally appeared before her.
"Herrscher of Void!" Rita raised her arm, intending to swing her scythe again, but all the strength had already drained from her body. She staggered and fell to the ground.
After the fierce fighting and continuous bursts of power, Kiana was not in good shape either. But seeing Rita Rossweisse, who had once relentlessly hunted St. Freya, now exhausted and sprawled on the ground, she inexplicably felt the pleasure of a long-awaited vengeance fulfilled.
She did not know where that feeling came from. In the past, she would only have blamed herself for her weakness. Now that she had gradually accepted spiritual salvation, she realized she seemed to value herself more than other people's opinions.
Only after sweeping away the surrounding enemies did Kiana slowly walk up to Rita and point her spear at her.
"Heh. I never expected the Herrscher of Void who fled back then to grow to this extent. I thought you'd keep hiding like a stray dog..."
Smack—
A Spear of the Void lashed directly across Rita's beautiful face, leaving a red mark. Only after making that move did Kiana seem to realize what she had just done.
Yet Rita was even more shocked. She seemed never to have imagined that someone would slap her across the face one day, and her eyes were full of disbelief. She tried to force herself upright, but could only barely lift her head to look at Kiana.
Having recovered her senses, Kiana simply maintained her current attitude. She aimed the spearhead at Rita, her voice cold. "Miss Rita doesn't seem to understand the situation. Even if you are an S-Rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, shouldn't you learn to show humility before a Herrscher?"
The girl before her was no longer the ignorant girl from St. Freya. She was no longer a tool Otto had used to revive the Herrscher of Void.
Rita suddenly realized this, and a wave of lingering fear rose within her. She was not afraid of her own death, but of the girl's frighteningly rapid growth. Kiana was no longer a tool Otto could scheme against at will; she had the potential to become a truly powerful Herrscher. And should such a Herrscher stand against humanity, the disaster humanity would face in the future would be unimaginable.
"Heh." The contempt had vanished from Rita's eyes. She gradually lowered her stance, no longer an all-powerful S-Rank Valkyrie, but a true maid. "I have been discourteous, Herrscher of Void. How do you intend to deal with me?"
The abrupt shift in attitude left Kiana unable to understand Rita's thoughts for a moment. She could only maintain her firm posture and ask, "You should know about the plan Shencheng Pharmaceuticals is carrying out. What do you intend to do next? Continue following Otto's orders to hunt me down, or choose to prevent this disaster?"
"Don't worry. I won't kill you whichever one you choose."
Looking into the white-haired girl's heterochromatic eyes, Rita suddenly felt that perhaps Otto had truly made the wrong choice. She closed her eyes. The woman named Raven and that dog-head mask kept appearing in her mind. When she opened her eyes again, they were filled with anger.
"Of course, I'll first send those vile creatures into Schicksal's laboratories, so they can properly experience Schicksal's hospitality."
Reinforcements dispatched by Shencheng Technology were already drawing closer in the distance. Though she had not heard the answer she wanted, Kiana still helped Rita up from the ground.
"You'd better remember what you said." Kiana had little Honkai Energy left to use. Continuing at full capacity would likely trigger erosion again. She gathered her remaining Honkai Energy in her hand, gradually forming a circular spatial passage. "Let's go. Shencheng Pharmaceuticals' reinforcements will be here soon."
But just as Kiana prepared to send Rita through the passage first, Rita broke free for the moment.
"My apologies. Please allow me to finish the last task of the day." After returning to the second level, the communications signal had been restored. Rita gently pressed her communicator and said tiredly, "After all, a maid's job is to clean up."
"Eos automatic navigation activated. Executing command: 'Cleanup.' Target: current location."
Kiana was still confused by Rita's words, but she immediately noticed the massive shadow drawing closer in the distant sky.
"Fuck!" Even the cute girl could not stop herself from swearing. Seeing the airship getting closer and closer, she hurriedly grabbed Rita's arm and plunged into the spatial passage.
Within seconds of their departure, a large number of mechs burst in. Jackal, controlling the mechs, stared at the empty industrial district, her teeth grinding audibly.
"Search everywhere! I want them alive or dead! Even if they've been chopped into pieces, find them for me!"
After Rita and Kiana's rampage, the entire underground laboratory had basically been destroyed. And if Rita escaped, they would soon face Schicksal's crushing retaliation. The Stigmata Project was not yet complete, and World Serpent's painstakingly established base was about to be wiped out. Jackal had no choice but to consider how she would answer to the Venerable Lord.
"No, there's still a chance. Since we've already been exposed, we might as well force the experiment forward and turn the entire city into a testing ground."
"Wait, something is approaching!"
Jackal abruptly adjusted the mech's camera angle and captured the transport ship in the sky, already almost upon them. The next second, her vision was filled with nothing but blank white.
Meanwhile, beneath the main Shencheng Technology building several kilometers away, the Jackal controlling the mechs scrambled into the stairwell in panic, not even having time to bring her cane. Her foot missed a step, and she tumbled down the stairs.
Then blazing fire lit up the entirety of Sky City. For the first time, its residents experienced what an earthquake felt like. A powerful shockwave followed, shattering countless glass windows in high-rises. If not for the previous Honkai outbreak that had already evacuated all residents around Shencheng Technology, Eos's "cleanup" alone would have taken tens of thousands of lives.
Naturally, Shencheng Technology at the target location bore the brunt of this cleanup. Countless awakening drugs stored there by World Serpent, vast numbers of cultivated stigmata zombies, and a mech force worth billions were all buried in the area.
Though Rita's Eos had also cost over a billion to build, compared with Shencheng Technology's losses, this cleanup was immensely profitable. More importantly, the self-destruction directly destroyed the drugs Shencheng Technology had prepared for a citywide experiment. Rita's impromptu decision had truly been decisive.
Taixu Sword Qi
Mist curled through the air, rosy clouds filled the sky, and lush forests and shrubs clung to endless rolling hills, forming a true earthly paradise. Yet aside from the vibrant vegetation, there was not a single bird in sight, nor had any beastly roar ever been heard, making the mountain wilderness especially strange.
No dust, no flaw, no disorder, no desire.
In this mountain wilderness isolated from the mortal world, only a rundown thatched cottage stood upon the mountaintop.
Within the simple courtyard, black and white yin and yang intertwined, while the Eight Trigrams stood at the four directions, etched into the ground.
A gray-haired girl sat cross-legged within the Taiji formation. Her mind held nothing else as she seemed to meditate upon herself to glimpse the truths of the world, recalling the past to seek the laws behind all change.
But in truth, her brows were tightly furrowed, and confusion occasionally flashed across her face.
After a while, Fu Hua finally opened her eyes from her quiet meditation and gazed into the distance.
This was a mindscape created by the Eighth Divine Key, Feather Dust. Feather Dust was the Key of Consciousness, capable of preserving souls and dividing consciousness. It was precisely because she possessed this Divine Key that Fu Hua had been able to split her consciousness into several parts upon her death, thereby protecting her friends.
The fragment retaining her core consciousness was the one attached to Kiana.
Since the Herrscher of Void's defeat, Kiana had been on the run. Although Fu Hua had difficulty seeing the outside world through Kiana's mindscape because she was constantly rejected, she understood Kiana's physical condition very well.
The Herrscher of Void's unceasing erosion, coupled with the strain of forcibly using Honkai Energy, had pushed Kiana to an extremely dangerous edge. One misstep, and the Herrscher would seize her consciousness, turning her completely into the Herrscher of Void. That would be a disaster for this city and the entire world, which was why Fu Hua had constantly urged Kiana not to overextend herself.
Yet though their relationship had eased somewhat during that earlier period, Fu Hua's caution had once again caused Kiana to question and even reject her decisions. It was then that Fu Hua began to wonder whether her own choices had been right or wrong.
But before she could find an answer, a sudden change took place in Kiana's heart. Not only did the Herrscher of Void's consciousness awaken, but Kiana herself was completely swallowed by the darkness deep within. It was at that point that Fu Hua fully unleashed Feather Dust's power in an attempt to awaken Kiana's consciousness once more.
However...
Fu Hua sighed. Her body seated in the Eight Trigrams formation did not move, but her gaze fell upon an unfamiliar figure.
"Who exactly are you?" Her tone was not harsh, yet it carried a faint sense of helplessness.
That was right. During that eruption of the Key of Consciousness's power, this mindscape had been invaded. Not only had more than half of Feather Dust's power drained away, but Fu Hua herself had been trapped in this space.
"Hm?" White hair spilled down around her, and the girl's voice was bright and playful. "What are you talking about, Class Monitor? I'm Kiana."
Though her eyes were pale blue, Fu Hua saw an unerasable gray within them. Though she looked exactly like Kiana, there was no doubt that this person who had trapped her in the mindscape was not the girl she knew.
"Your appearance is identical to hers. Even the mindscape of the Key of Consciousness cannot reflect your true form. But your temperament is entirely different from hers." Calmly exposing the girl's disguise, Fu Hua slowly rose from the ground. Standing in the center of the courtyard, she met the girl leaning against the door head-on.
"Temperament? You mean like this?" A soft snicker sounded. Before Fu Hua's eyes, the false Kiana gradually sank into gloom, and an intense weariness filled her body. With subtle changes in her gaze and posture, the lively girl transformed into a weathered fugitive.
"Class Monitor, why did you betray me back then... You clearly knew Otto's plan, yet you still pushed me off that cliff. Those tens of thousands of victims, rather than dying because of the Herrscher of Void, were actually all killed by you!" Madness filled the girl's eyes as she vented her emotions. Lowering her voice, she said in a grotesque tone, "Immortal Vermilion Bird, do you remember how it felt to be betrayed by your disciples?"
[Kiana]'s words were like a leaf falling into Fu Hua's calm, still heart, finally sending ripples across its surface. Just as she wanted to refute her, the girl who had been in agony a moment ago reverted to a carefree appearance the next.
"Well? Are you satisfied with my performance?" A wanton smile formed on the girl's face. The stark contrast made Fu Hua frown, because she had already sensed that the mindscape was weakening.
With experience spanning fifty thousand years, Fu Hua quickly understood the situation. When the other person's performance had stirred her emotions earlier, another trace of Feather Dust's power had been stolen. This performance had clearly been planned from the start.
"Say no more. State your purpose. I doubt an existence capable of stealing a Divine Key's power merely wants to trap me here." As she spoke, her hair gradually changed from gray to snow-white. The hints of red at its ends made her seem as though she were bathed in flames. Scorching heat gradually radiated from Fu Hua's body, eventually forming a red-and-white cheongsam. This was Fu Hua's Phoenix form, the immortal's former appearance.
She slightly raised her wrist, her fist and palm already aimed at the girl. Lowering into a bow stance, she could unleash boundless power in an instant.
Seeing Fu Hua enter a combat stance, Su Jue did not continue provoking her. He was not one of those idiots from the original story who only trash-talked. Giving his opponent an anger buff was just asking to die faster.
"Don't be so tense. I deeply respect the Immortal Vermilion Bird who has guarded Shenzhou for ten thousand years. This offense is merely because I have a request."
"Heh. I am now merely a remnant of consciousness. I do not believe there is anything about me worth your attention. As for Feather Dust, you will likely take it away sooner or later."
"It is only a feather. How could it compare to an immortal such as yourself? I wonder, after five hundred years, have you considered taking in disciples again?" Su Jue lowered his posture, looking every bit like a student seeking instruction.
"You came for the Taixu Sword Qi?" Fu Hua instantly understood his intentions. Since he knew even what had happened five hundred years ago, it was only natural that he would have his sights on her Taixu Sword Qi.
"Yes and no." This time, Su Jue spoke in riddles. "I did come for the Taixu Sword Qi, but I am not the student."
At this, Fu Hua was somewhat puzzled. "Then who is?"
"..."
"Kiana."
A Change in Mindset
The transaction within Feather Dust went unnoticed by anyone. At this moment, in an unknown corner of Sky City—
With a hum, a dark-gold spatial passage suddenly opened. The two people who stepped out of it nearly stumbled to the ground.
Kiana's white hair was covered in black soot, with even some singeing at the tips. One hand gripped the railing beside her while the other supported Rita, who was nearly collapsing.
"Hey, don't tell me you're so upset about being saved by a Herrscher that you want to take me down with you."
"Hah... I'm not so petty that I would make a meaningless sacrifice over that little humiliation." Rita exhaled deeply and tried to support herself, but the extensive fighting had exhausted all her strength. She could only helplessly rely on Kiana's support.
"Judging from the enemy's numbers and deployment, if we cannot effectively disrupt them, we could be hunted down at any time in this city. That is why I chose to use that collision to create chaos. Not only could it destroy much of their armed strength, but it could also effectively eliminate the drugs they had prepared to use in experiments throughout the city."
"That was way too risky. What if something went wrong?"
"Even if something had gone wrong, I could have dragged a powerful Herrscher down with me. That would have been a good thing for the entire world."
Hearing Rita's undisguised hostility, Kiana's expression darkened. "You're going too far. I even went out of my way to save your squad members, and you really wanted to take me down with you."
"Miss Kiana, I hope you can clearly understand your identity. Besides, that was only the choice under the worst circumstances. I would not..." Before she could finish the final word, Rita's body began to tremble. Her will could no longer overcome her physical exhaustion. She slid down Kiana's shoulder and collapsed to the ground, peacefully losing consciousness.
Looking at the fallen Rita, Kiana had no choice but to sigh and drag her up from the ground. But Kiana herself was at the end of her rope as well. Chaotic Honkai Energy consciousnesses continuously invaded her mind. Even though the Herrscher's consciousness had temporarily fallen asleep due to Su Jue, she could not resist Honkai's erosion itself.
Huff, huff.
Panting heavily, she carried Rita toward a temporarily safe place, her thoughts gradually growing hazy. Just as she was about to pass out, a cool sensation suddenly flowed into her mind, clearing her consciousness once more.
Before you continue