Honkai's Thousand Laws, Abducting Kiana at the Start

Chapter 108: Spectators

With the World Serpent's withdrawal, the city's information blockade by Schicksal finally ended.

Upon connecting to Schicksal headquarters, Rita immediately reported all the data to Otto. However, Otto wasn't in the mood to look at the World Serpent's information. He stared intently at the screen, which was broadcasting a live stream shamelessly.

For a long time, to prevent public panic, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had kept news of the Honkai under tight wraps. Any online mention of the Honkai would be immediately suppressed.

Yet, after only a day of communication disruption in Sky City, discussions about the Honkai had sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. Within a mere few hours, at least one-third of the city's millions of inhabitants had learned of the Honkai's existence.

And now, it wasn't just limited to the Land of the Divine. Someone was even attempting to use the global network to broadcast the Honkai event currently happening in Sky City live.

One or two seconds later, the live stream signal was cut off, and the account that posted it was banned and investigated. But even though less than a minute had passed, quite a few people worldwide had seen the information.

Among them were people in cities already suffering from the Honkai. They didn't know what those monsters were specifically, so they had given them various names.

But now, with a concrete reference, those who had been attacked finally understood that those monsters appeared alongside Honkai events, further deepening the spread of information.

"The World Serpent people are lunatics!" Undoubtedly, only the World Serpent could pull something like this off. He quickly skimmed through Rita's report and immediately discovered the insane plan known as the Stigmata Project.

When it mentioned that Shencheng Pharmaceuticals had been destroyed, the World Serpent's motive for spreading Honkai propaganda became even clearer – it was revenge!

As for the small portion of Rita's speculation about Kiana, he completely ignored it. As the most crucial part of Otto's plan, he understood Kiana better than she understood herself. Cunning, meticulous, far-sighted... these words simply couldn't be associated with K423.

Fortunately, the situation hadn't spiraled out of control yet, and Durandal was about to arrive in Sky City. As long as the Herrscher of Void was captured, the disseminated information could eventually be suppressed again.

Within the signal tower's vicinity, the World Serpent mechs, hidden and lurking, finally began their final counterattack. A dense storm of bullets wove an impenetrable net of death, determined to annihilate Kiana here.

As the gunshots rang out, the observing citizens finally realized the gravity of the situation and no longer dared to linger.

As for the magical girl? She was so strong, she could definitely handle these robots. If she died now, she must have been an imposter. Anyway, they were just ordinary people; they would surely die if hit by bullets. What did it matter if the magical girl was real or not?

Under such intense firepower, even Kiana found herself in a difficult position. Unable to use the Herrscher of Void's abilities meant she couldn't even create Spears of the Void.

However, the Honkai Bomb's energy leakage was growing stronger, reaching a level where it could infect humans with the Honkai. If it continued to escalate, even if the bomb were successfully disarmed, many citizens would still perish.

"I can't stop here." The Herrscher of Void's corrosion and the massive loss of stamina made Kiana's every breath feel like fire burning her lungs, but she gritted her teeth and smashed through a thick cement pillar. Using this small obstacle, she charged towards the group of mechs.

Boom—

A burst of flames erupted, and thick black smoke billowed, completely obscuring Kiana's figure.

Optical and thermal sensors were temporarily disabled, forcing the mechs to estimate Kiana's possible location based on probability.

However, Kiana was more decisive than the mechs. She didn't even dodge, charging directly into the mech blockade.

Boom—

Boom—

Explosions continued to sound until there were no more bullets. Shattered debris flew everywhere, and scorching heat landed on the ground. Then, with a hiss, it evaporated the blood dripping onto it.

Blood dripped continuously as Kiana emerged from the smoke and dust, injured.

Anyone else would have been reduced to ashes after breaking through in such a reckless manner. Kiana's survival, at the cost of eliminating an entire mech unit, came with the price of being covered in wounds. Her waist, shoulders, and calves were all bleeding, making her look as if she had emerged from a sea of blood.

"Kiana!" From a hidden corner, Murata Himeko watched the blood-soaked Kiana with a heartbroken expression. She wanted to rush out and help her immediately but was firmly restrained by Su Jue, forced to be a spectator, unable to even shout.

She suddenly turned and glared at Su Jue standing beside her. Himeko even wanted to grab him by the collar and beat him, but she had no choice.

"Aren't you afraid she'll find out later?" Although she knew Su Jue meant no harm to Kiana, she couldn't quite understand why he would let Kiana get so badly injured when he could have easily resolved the situation.

Su Jue glanced at her, saying nothing, but the threads in his hand began to spread.

Seeing the familiar puppet strings, Himeko's body trembled slightly. After being swept by his golden eyes, the thought of defying Su Jue's will was quickly suppressed.

"She's stronger than you think," Su Jue said, just as Himeko thought he would remain silent. "Murata, don't look at her through the lens of past memories. She's no longer the reckless child who needed your careful attention. She is a warrior, a hero."

"Are you saying you understand her better than me, her teacher of many years?"

"Of course... everything about her..." Su Jue didn't finish. He suddenly realized he might have said too much. Himeko didn't know what he had done to Kiana yet, nor did she understand how twisted their relationship was. In her eyes, Su Jue was just an unpredictable and aloof Herrscher. As long as he didn't lay a hand on her student, she wouldn't interfere much.

"Huh?" Just as Himeko was pondering what Su Jue meant by his unfinished sentence, her body suddenly lost control, and her consciousness plunged into darkness. When she came to her senses again, she had returned to the Theater of Domination.

"I worked so hard as an actor for so long, and I can't even watch when the play is performed?!"

Chapter 109: Activation

"Closer." Blood flowed from her forehead, dyeing her vision red. With her unwavering courage, Kiana successfully broke through the final blockade. High above, hundreds of meters in the air, she leaped continuously. The wounds on her body still burned fiercely, and the Honkai's corrosion was intensifying, making every breath feel like being scorched. Even so, Kiana dared not stop, for she knew that if she did, she would have no strength left to move forward.

"Wait for me, Su Jue, I'll be back to find you soon." Her teeth gritted, and her muscles tensed. From the edge of the 100-meter-high building, Kiana leaped into the sky like a sprite chasing the moon.

She leaped from a spot over ten meters away from the signal tower. The evening wind at high altitude was fierce; even the slightest mistake would send Kiana plummeting to her death, leaving no burial ground.

Hovering in the sky, Kiana instinctively looked down. The entire city was in chaos, the blare of car alarms and horns reaching even the heavens.

As the Honkai Bomb's fluctuations grew stronger, people finally understood what had been placed above them. They no longer cared about watching; like rats thrown into a boiling pot, they desperately fled from the signal tower.

With their lives on the line, the will to survive instantly consumed everyone's consciousness, and order naturally vanished.

Everyone ran like headless chickens in the direction they remembered, colliding and shoving each other. Anything blocking their path was an enemy.

The weak elderly and children were no longer considered. They were directly knocked down in the crowd, their piteous cries gradually fading into silence.

No one looked at what they were stepping on. Even if they saw it, they could only pretend not to notice amidst the surging crowd.

Unknowingly, blood stained the feet of many. Human civilization and order seemed incredibly fragile in the face of mortal danger.

Kiana, high in the sky, looked down upon the earth. Countless tragedies had intruded into her vision without warning.

"Everyone will be saved, don't be afraid, evacuate in an orderly fashion." She tried to reawaken order in people, but she was hundreds of meters in the air, and no one could hear her. Moreover, even if they could, no one would stop.

In this tide of escape, everyone was swept along; no one could stop.

The distance of over ten meters vanished in an instant, and her landing position didn't deviate much. Spotting a window, Kiana hugged herself tightly and, amidst the sound of shattering glass, landed inside the broadcast tower's control room.

Broken glass, along with her existing wounds, pierced her body. Kiana frowned, casually pulling out a few large shards before ignoring the rest. The Honkai Bomb was about to detonate; only by disarming it would the panicked crowd stop, and the tragedies cease.

She quickly climbed up the signal tower's emergency stairs. The higher she got, the more intense the Honkai's erosion on her body became.

Before leaving, World Serpent had designed a locking mechanism for the Honkai Bomb. It was intended to prevent the bomb from spreading prematurely and being detected by Schicksal, and also to buy time if someone tried to stop it.

However, with the Honkai Bomb's countdown nearing its end, even with the locking mechanism, the dense Honkai Energy had already penetrated it, erupting outwards like a storm.

"Such powerful Honkai Energy." The energy contained within the Honkai Bomb far exceeded Kiana's expectations. Merely arriving at the rooftop, her body was already largely eroded, countless Honkai cracks spreading across her skin.

This was despite her inherent adaptability to the Herrscher of Void; an ordinary person would have likely turned into a MANTIS by now.

And within the high-concentration Honkai Energy storm, her previously stable mental space began to waver.

The destructive will carried by the Honkai Energy continuously interfered with her mind, and the consciousness of the Herrscher of Void had awakened, attempting to break through her mental barriers.

"How can I fall here!" Her consciousness began to blur, blood trickling from her lips. Kiana's low voice carried a resolute will. "I promised him I would change all of this."

Supported by this will, the final few meters were finally crossed. After breaking through the last storm, Kiana immediately grabbed the activation mechanism of the locking device.

She was only separated from the Honkai Bomb by a thick layer of tempered glass. The bomb's alternating purple and blue lights were clearly visible. Her hands were bloody and mangled from the Honkai's erosion, so Kiana could only press her left hand against her wrist, desperately turning the mechanism.

As she desperately turned the mechanism, a figure appeared not far away at some point. The Honkai Bomb's storm still raged, yet he stood unmoving within the surging tempest. Kiana couldn't see his face clearly, but she vaguely felt that the eyes looking at her were gray.

"Su Jue...?"

Even though she knew in her heart that Su Jue couldn't possibly be here, Kiana instinctively asked, "Su Jue, is that you?"

There was no reply. The figure just stood there, like a lonely ghost.

"It's dangerous here, leave quickly."

She reminded him instinctively, yet without hesitation poured all her strength into the mechanism. Finally, the heavy mechanical lock began to turn, and the sturdy locking device gradually opened, completely exposing the Honkai Bomb.

"As long as I deal with it... I can go back..."

"I'm sorry." The wind by her ear carried a boy's low murmur. She looked up blankly; the blurry figure standing not far away had vanished, leaving Kiana alone in the world.

The Honkai Bomb—activated at the last second before being disarmed.

"Why?"

No voice answered her, only the faint sound of the Honkai Bomb activating bid her farewell. "Why!"

She desperately pressed the bomb's safety device, but the activated bomb could no longer be shut down. It would only take a few seconds to unleash the full power of Herrscher-level Honkai Energy.

This level of Honkai Energy was enough to instantly destroy the entire city, and even the residual radiation would turn a significant portion of the Land of the Divine into a wasteland where humans could no longer farm.

"No!"

Ignoring the Honkai's erosion, the power of the Herrscher of Void was immediately mobilized. Kiana took the Honkai Bomb from the locking device, embraced it with her body, and forcibly absorbed the spreading Honkai Energy to prevent infection of nearby citizens after the locking device disappeared.

"Kiana, stop! You'll die like this." Fu Hua's voice repeatedly called out from within Feather Dust, but Kiana could no longer hear anything.

A dense golden light spread in her right eye. Her pupils, adorned with crosshairs, were tinged with madness. As she continuously absorbed the Honkai Energy, she directly grabbed the massive Honkai Bomb and pushed it towards the sky, flying upwards like an inverted shooting star.

She absolutely could not let it explode in the city.

Chapter 110: The Herrscher Who Fights for Humanity

Sending the Honkai Bomb into the sky was the only option, but this meant Kiana would inevitably suffer the most direct impact. Her body, already severely eroded, might die on the spot if she absorbed the Honkai Energy from this bomb.

Even if she didn't die immediately, her lifespan would be drastically reduced due to her body's insufficient capacity to bear Honkai Energy, and she wouldn't live for more than a year. After all, she was still just a human girl who had mastered some Herrscher abilities.

After Kiana flew towards the sky with the Honkai Bomb, Su Jue's figure quietly reappeared on the completely destroyed signal tower.

Gazing up at the sky, the girl flew higher and higher. She was the meteor of the heavens, the burning spark.

Her golden Herrscher eyes lit up, and numerous invisible threads of Domination began to spread.

This was a grand performance; he had to make everyone witness Kiana's greatness. At this moment, he was like a fervent fan, desperately promoting her virtues to the world.

The Honkai Bomb had already been activated, but Su Jue had suppressed it beforehand with puppet threads. Otherwise, Kiana would not have had any time to react, let alone send the Honkai Bomb towards the sky.

The time he specifically set aside was for Kiana to grow amidst desperation, allowing her to confront her inner self.

Su Jue knew very well that even after his repeated deceptions, Kiana's self-awareness had matured considerably. Yet, a knot in her heart remained, one she could never untangle – Murata Himeko.

Although Kiana said nothing, she simply bore this pain alone in her heart. Su Jue didn't want her to suffer like this forever, so the Sky City Meteor was inevitable.

If Kiana could overcome this emotional burden during this event, she would undoubtedly become stronger, becoming Su Jue's sharpest blade against the world.

And if she couldn't break free from her emotional entanglement, Su Jue would replace Himeko himself, becoming a nightmare Kiana could never forget.

The choice to heal despair wasn't solely hope; there was also a deeper despair. As long as she was in enough pain, she would forget all her sorrow.

Of course, this was only a method to be used when there was no other choice.

She was a faint light illuminating the world; her courage, persistence, and self were things the Herrscher of a Thousand lacked and yearned for.

As the Herrscher of Domination, Su Jue was also a Herrscher of a Thousand. Don't forget that the puppet named [Su Jue] was still trapped in the Theater of Domination. It was precisely because of this that he went to such lengths to abduct Kiana.

As long as there was light, Su Jue could maintain his consciousness. Otherwise, after falling into depravity, he would truly become a puppet controlled by the Honkai Will. At that point, even death would be impossible, unless he could, like Otto, find a parallel world from the Imaginary Tree the moment he was killed. But Su Jue wasn't from this world to begin with; even if there were parallel worlds, where would he find a place to belong?

When the light ceased to exist, darkness would lose its meaning.

Therefore, the flame must not be extinguished.

If it was destined to be extinguished, then he would be the one to drag the world into eternal night.

"Light up the night sky, Kiana."

In mere seconds, Kiana had sent the Honkai Bomb thousands of meters into the sky, but it still wasn't enough. Under the control of Jackal and Raven, this Honkai Bomb could cover almost the entire Sky City.

This was a world-class metropolis, home to millions of people. Excluding the suburbs, it covered an area of over a hundred square kilometers. Even calculating it as a circle, an altitude of at least 5000 meters would be required to ensure safety.

However, the power within her body was constantly draining. If she relied solely on her own strength, she could never reach a safe detonation altitude.