In the basement of the nursing home, a strange scene unfolded.
"Ahhhhh!"
A patient, almost transformed into a zombie, was being held down by a red-black energy on the bed. With twisted limbs and a pained expression, Aponia was preparing a blood transfusion bag with needles connected to almost all patients.
On the other side was only Orion.
"Orion, you..."
Even Aponia couldn't predict what would happen next.
Usually, doctors wouldn't conduct such risky treatment. Orion wanted to replace the blood containing Honkai energy in all patients with his own blood. All the Honkai energy in their blood would flow into Orion's body.
While restraining the patient, he also had to deal with the pain of the infected blood.
What Orion was doing was extremely difficult, like trying to reach the sky.
Aponia gently opened Orion's sleeves and placed his strong arms on a prepared platform. Orion sat calmly on a chair, like a monk, showing no signs of nervousness.
"Let's get started."
A sharp needle was inserted into Orion, starting the experiment. Dangerous purple liquid flowed into his arm, while healthy red blood flowed out. The mix of the two caused the basement to glow with a purple light, making it look almost magical.
A lot of Honkai energy was entering Orion's body, putting him under immense pressure. His veins bulged, and his face turned pale with white spots.
Orion's eyes were closed tightly, but Aponia could still see purple light escaping sometimes.
"Can he hold on?" Aponia wondered. Even ordinary patients exposed to less Honkai energy would show signs of becoming "zombies," and Orion was dealing with much more.
Outside, the frightened children sat together. They remembered what Aponia had taught them and could only pray for their big brother with white hair who was doing something important.
Aponia joined the children, kneeling and praying with them. Everyone's eyes were on Orion.
Outside the sanatorium, amidst the flames, one person stood alone.
But he wasn't happy. There was no joy in defeating the enemy or tearing apart Honkai. He watched the scene in the basement through his mask, clenching his fists.
"If I could just... be faster."
Only Kalpas could have stopped this. His beast instincts didn't sense the danger, so he didn't intervene. The current situation was partly his fault.
The ground beneath Kalpas's feet cracked slightly. He wouldn't blame others; he only sought to improve himself.
Anger and shame fueled his determination for the future.
"You won't simply die here!"
Kalpas's eyes were on Orion, the man who had promised to return. He believed Orion would never give up easily.
What does it feel like when hot lava is injected into your body? Orion felt it at this moment. The intense pain was overwhelming, and his muscles twisted and deformed. This was not new to Orion; he had endured such pain before. It only made him stronger.
But why was Cocolia appearing in front of him?
She was his comrade and lover. Her tender eyes felt like a sharp knife to his heart.
"Orion," she seemed to whisper. "Why won't you come back?"
Orion was speechless. He had left to pioneer a new life and find someone to fight against the "black hand" behind the scenes. If he wanted strength, he had to leave her.
Though he felt regret, he had promised Aponia and his companions on the Express.
On March 7th, Stelle, Dan Heng, Welt Yang, and Himeko surrounded Orion. They didn't speak, just watched.
Their presence alone carried power. They could either crush or save him.
Behind Orion, the patients connected to his blood appeared in human form. They were no longer weak and dying. They had the right to live.
Two groups stood on either side of Orion: one representing his past and the other his future.
Orion could give up and save himself, but he had promised to save these people. He was determined to keep his promise.
"Do we have to stop at this moment?"
What is more important, the mission or oneself?
In the spiritual space, another Orion faced two Herrscher versions of himself with Herrscher cores. The dangerous purple eyes slowly opened in the void.
In the MOTH base, there's a team responsible for monitoring potential threats. Their job is to keep an eye on dangers that might come from Herrscher Orion and the future.
One day, a monitor, bored with the routine job, complained to his senior. He said, "This job is so dull, even though it's easy for me."
The senior, wearing a serious face, snapped back, "Quiet! I don't want to hear you talking like that!"
The young monitor, who had taken off his headphones, said, "You know, I think Orion is actually a good guy. I remember he helped me when I jumped out of a plane in Siberia by opening my parachute."
The senior monitor was stunned. "You're saying he didn't help? How did he even become a monitor if he can't handle a parachute?"
The young monitor insisted, "I thought his actions were pretty normal."
The senior sighed, "Before you joined, we had a big mission to capture Orion. I can never forget how he fought back. His wings and weapons were like a hundred guns, and his power was incredible."
The young monitor was surprised. "Really? Is Orion that powerful?"
The senior nodded. "Just because he seems calm now doesn't mean he always will be. You'll understand when you see more."
---
In Orion's mind, a voice suddenly spoke.
"Who's there?"
Orion looked around but saw no one. The voice seemed to come from nowhere.
The voice laughed and said, "Who am I? Didn't expect myself to ask that question..."
A figure with black hair and purple eyes appeared behind Orion, looking very similar to him. This figure had a huge sword that glowed like the sun.
"Who are you?" Orion demanded.
The black-haired figure, who looked like a dark version of Orion, smirked. He didn't seem afraid of the sword held by Orion.
The dark figure raised his sword, which was less than an inch away from Orion's throat, but he remained calm.
"Only you know who 'I' am," the dark figure said.
The dark version of Orion walked over to the Honkai patient and ignored him, treating him like insignificant dust. The people who had been standing now knelt before the dark figure as if worshipping a god.
Orion realized this dark figure was likely the Herrscher's personality within him.
The dark figure taunted, "I'm the real Herrscher in your body. You're just someone who can't even save a group of patients because of a lack of energy."
Orion was shocked. He didn't expect such a situation inside himself.
"So, a Herrscher personality was born in me?" he wondered.
The dark figure criticized Orion for trying to save everyone, calling him naive and pretending to be a hero.
Orion, frustrated by the words, decided to fight instead of talking. He aimed his sword at the dark figure.
"A sword, huh? You really think you can defeat me?"
In his hands gleamed a massive axe—its blade blazing like a small sun, edges burning with molten light.
Orion's eyes narrowed. He realized then that the figure had reshaped the weapon to mirror his own power—a perfect reflection of his strength, and perhaps his pride.
Sword and axe collided, the impact shaking the ground beneath them. Sparks flew like stars torn from the heavens.
The dark figure's laughter rose above the chaos—wild, relentless.
It was the sound of madness.
Thus began the battle—not between two warriors, but for control of Orion's own body.
In the sanatorium, Aponia and the kids were anxiously watching Orion.
Almost half of Orion's body was covered with a white shell. Only the pained expression and pulsing veins on his face showed that he was still struggling.
Meanwhile, the patients who had worsened from too much exposure to Honkai Energy were looking better now. Their pale faces had color again, and they were no longer shaking uncontrollably. They lay calmly in their beds as if sleeping.
Outside the sanatorium, Kalpas couldn't get close because it was still contaminated with Honkai Energy. So instead he blocked off the entrance.
People from Sundown Alley were curious and greedy. The commotion had drawn their attention, and they were eager to see what was happening.
They wanted to find out if they could benefit from the situation. The balance maintained by the now dead gang boss and his group was now disrupted, and everyone was on alert.
Kalpas was determined not to let anyone interrupt Orion. The eyes hidden behind his mask were filled with fierce anger. He was sure that no one would get into the sanatorium at this time.
As things stirred up in Sundown Alley, the world outside started to show signs of trouble.
In Skydrift City, a passerby noticed something odd. "It's fall, but why is it thundering during the day?" They looked up at the clear sky, now darkened by a black cloud with purple lightning.
At Celestia Academy, Mei was busy with calculations when her heart raced and she felt a bad premonition. Her glasses suddenly cracked, but Mei stayed calm. She approached the metal doorknob, feeling unusual static electricity.
Her hair stood on end as she sensed something strange. Looking towards the center of Skydrift City, she saw a dark cloud hanging ominously in the sky. Mei knew this weather was abnormal.
She needed to find her boyfriend, Kevin, and get as far away from the dark clouds as possible. She tried to call the school and higher-ups to prepare for evacuation, but her phone showed "signal loss." Despite not knowing where Kevin was, Mei believed she would find him.
In a sunny seaside city in New Zealand, tourists were enjoying the warmth when suddenly, a cool breeze swept by. They felt the sunlight block out, and shadows covered the beach.
"What's happening?" they wondered, taking off their sunglasses.
Suddenly, a huge tsunami surged towards the land, driven by a powerful force from the sea.
Meanwhile, inside of Orion's mindscape, a dramatic clash between Original Orion and Orion the Herrscher was unraveling. A giant axe collided with a sword. Despite his struggles, Original Orion fought to stay on his feet, using all his strength.
"Orion the Herrscher" was incredibly strong, using endless Honkai Energy to his advantage. Having similar creation powers but with a near-infinite fuel source allowed him to surround himself with a massive army of planes, tanks, and other weapons from his imagination.
This overwhelming power made it seem like no force could stand against him. However, in Original Orion's current state, he could only create illusions without real power. The fight seemed nearly impossible.
As "Orion the Herrscher" flew into the sky and unleashed a barrage of attacks, Orion prepared for the worst, hoping to survive the onslaught.