Even though she had started to reach out to Kiana, it was only because of necessity. Deep down, she still regarded humans as fragile and unreliable.
-------------------------------
The two little white-haired fluffballs sharing a single brain racked their minds, turning over every possibility.
The Herrscher of the Void's authority was undoubtedly the best explanation.
"But even if you say all that, we still can't get out of here." With a bitter face, Kiana let out a sigh.
This directly made the Herrscher of the Void freeze in midair.
Her pride as an apostle of God made her want to argue with Kiana, but… recalling that terrifying power of that white-haired man, she had no choice but to swallow her words.
That monster, even at her full strength, she could never defeat him.
Grinding her molars, the muscles on the Herrscher of the Void's cheeks trembled uncontrollably.
Why, why did it turn out like this? She had only slept a little longer, and suddenly the world had spawned so many incomprehensible things!
Kiana, who had been watching the Herrscher of the Void's expression all along, remained silent.
Normally airheaded, as slow as she was, could now tell that this topic was taboo to the Herrscher of the Void.
Normally, teasing her on purpose wasn't an issue, after all, there was always someone nearby who could restrain her. But here, in this consciousness space, she was alone. If she pushed too far, wouldn't she become the first person in history to get beaten up inside her own consciousness?
Just the thought of that scene made Kiana shiver involuntarily.
For now, she chose to ignore the matter. Gazing at the specially built walls around her, Kiana curiously asked: "Where is this place? Is it somewhere you've been before?"
Kiana was certain she had never been here.
At her question, the Herrscher of the Void's face darkened instantly, her expression turning gloomy.
Kiana cursed silently in her heart.
Uh-oh, did she touch another taboo?
After a long silence, the Herrscher of the Void let out a cold laugh and spoke in a deep voice: "This is one of those so-called 'good places' your humans built!"
Kiana wisely chose not to pry further into the Herrscher's forbidden subject.
She didn't even entertain the thought of investigating herself.
Everyone had corners of their hearts they didn't want others to see. If the other party refused to speak, then even if the answer was right in front of her, Kiana wouldn't touch it.
That was the most basic form of understanding between people.
"By the way, do you know how everyone else is? After being captured, I can't remember anything."
She clumsily changed the subject, but that alone was enough.
Especially since among that group, there were people she cared about.
"Bella." Thinking of that fool who had broken free of the ice at the last moment to come help her, worry flickered in the Herrscher of the Void's eyes.
Before that man's power, even a Judgement-class Honkai beast was nothing but a punching bag.
Unlike those insignificant human ants, the white-haired man might not strike to kill, but towards Bella, he would definitely be merciless.
Yet she had no way to contact Bella now.
At this thought, the Herrscher's expression grew even more unpleasant.
"Wait… this feeling?!"
Suddenly, the Herrscher of the Void's face changed. Kiana, just about to ask what was going on, hadn't figured it out yet, but soon an unfamiliar sensation surged up in her heart.
In no time, she was wearing the exact same expression as the Herrscher.
Kiana didn't know what it was, but the Herrscher of the Void knew very well.
"Imaginary Space!"
…
Outside.
Otto adjusted the device, countless hidden runes flashing faint traces of energy.
Otto smiled knowingly.
"Connection successful."
"Such a tiny space, barely enough to maintain itself. It could collapse at any moment."
Kevin spoke indifferently.
"Don't worry, my friend. This is only the beginning. Trust me, as long as we take this crucial first step, the bountiful tree of harvest will soon be ours."
Confidently, Otto chuckled.
"Now, what we need is to expand this tiny passage a little wider."
…
Coral Island. Inside the Hyperion, frozen still in the skies.
The group, having endured the devastating clash with the warrior of the previous civilization, gathered together to discuss.
"The enemy's goal was to take Kiana. There's only one explanation, there's something on her body he needs."
Conductor Himeko analyzed calmly.
"The Herrscher core. But with the power he displayed, he has no use for a Herrscher core," Mei followed.
Just the power he had shown on Coral Island was enough to sweep aside most of the armed forces in this world. The only possible exceptions might be some hidden technologies of Schicksal.
Of course, it might not be that either. Either way, his overwhelming strength was undeniable.
Perhaps it was impolite to say, but in this battle, the Herrscher, so-called natural enemies of civilization, had not shown even a fraction of what that title implied.
Yuna's face was blank. She was now deeply grateful for how frightened she had been upon her birth in Nagazora.
Back then, freshly transformed into a pseudo-Herrscher, she had truly believed herself invincible.
Thankfully, reality had soon taught her otherwise.
Otherwise…
"We need to know where he took Kiana. The headquarters of World Serpent is the most likely place."
"Bronya is tracking global signals. Only Snake Pharmaceuticals has suspicious activity, but nothing on the World Serpent's Sovereign."
Fingers flying, eyes flashing, Bronya was practically using her brain as a high-powered chip.
During her time at St. Freya, though she always mocked Kiana as a brainless paramecium, in truth, she cared deeply about that white-haired girl.
Even if it burned her brain out, she had to find Kiana!
And just when the atmosphere was boiling with passion,
"Uh, that floating island should be Schicksal's territory, right? I saw Kevin leading a white haired girl inside."
It was Silver Wolf, chewing bubble gum, right hand lazily raised, phone still showing a cleared game screen.
Bronya was a genius. In network technology, she was among the best in the world.
But as everyone knew: No matter how strong you are, there's always someone with hacks.
For Silver Wolf, who had made her name even among the top hackers in the entire universe at Punklorde, cracking this tiny planet's tech was child's play.
The room fell silent for a moment, and then burst into noise again.
"Schicksal? Grandpa!!"
Theresa's mood right now was like a child on New Year's who thought they could avoid visiting relatives, only for the relatives to show up at their house the next day, smiling kindly while asking about exam results.
Couldn't they at least talk about something auspicious for the new year?!
"Lord Otto." Rita lightly covered her lips, her eyes showing both shock and realization.
Although she had long known her bishop wasn't a good person, she hadn't expected this… though, on second thought, perhaps it wasn't surprising.
After all, that was the Second Herrscher, who had once dealt Schicksal a devastating blow.
For the bishop to now cooperate with others to face a common enemy, reasonable… right?
'What a joke!' Glancing at Durandal, who remained silent, Rita felt uneasy.
With her personality, wouldn't she confront the bishop directly?
The meeting room fell quiet again, the sound of quickened breathing loud in the stillness.
"Bang!" A small but powerful hand slammed onto the reinforced table, leaving a mark.
Gritting her molars, Theresa growled: "No matter who it is, if they dare to touch my student, not even the Holy Maiden herself could protect them! Everyone, prepare, we're going to save her!"
Fu Hua was just about to nod when she suddenly remembered something and asked: "What about the Herrscher on Coral Island?"
Looking down, the entire island was covered in thick ice. Searching for the Herrscher's traces there was nearly impossible, even walking was a challenge.
"I'll stay and guard. It's unlikely we'll find them anytime soon, better to save Kiana first!" Yuna stood, resolute.
In that battle, she realized her attacks barely affected the man. Even if she managed to get close, his cold aura would freeze her poison solid.
Compared to that monster, an ice-based Herrscher seemed much more manageable.
'I can't handle him, but surely I can handle another Herrscher.'
"I'll stay too, with Miss Yuna," Rita added, standing as well.
Knowing her own limits, she understood that if a battle broke out at Schicksal HQ, she would be of little use, worse, she might even become a liability. Better to accompany Yuna instead.
Yae Sakura said nothing. Though she hadn't joined the last fight directly, this one she could not miss.
Besides… after seeing the photo of the Schicksal bishop, she felt she had to go.
…
The Hyperion sped forward, Benare spreading her massive wings alongside.
Inside, rushing toward Schicksal's floating islands,
Two Himekos shared the same room.
"…"
Something was off. Very off.
Though she had accepted the idea of meeting another version of herself, seeing her own face act with such gentleness and elegance was unsettling.
She could act gentle too, but only when she truly felt it. Don't expect a woman who often drank herself to sleep to have much practice in it.
Still, she did have a knack for it, strangely enough.
After a moment of silence, the gentle Himeko broke it first, asking curiously: "You're preparing for battle?"
She was clad in high-tech armor, her unique aura giving her the look of a bold Valkyrie, heroic and full of spirit.
"Yes. Last time I couldn't even participate. This time at Schicksal, I need to contribute at least something."
Flicking her hair, looking at her reflection, Major Himeko smiled.
Self-awareness was a virtue. She had witnessed firsthand the clash of top powers on Coral Island. Armor or no armor, against that kind of force, she was no more than a child.
Jumping in recklessly would only hinder others.
But this time was different. Even if Otto deployed Valkyries or mecha troops, those were enemies she could handle.
At the very least, as a teacher, she would protect her student's body with her own.
"By the way, weren't you looking for your companions? Isn't it risky to help us first?"
"The path of Ttrailblazers is always filled with the unexpected. These surprises are treasures for nameless travelers like us. I believe they would make the same choice."
Himeko chuckled softly. Nodding, Major Himeko asked: "You're from the stars, you must have seen beautiful starry skies. Could you tell me about them?"
Meeting her other self's sparkling gaze, Himeko nodded slightly, smiling.
"Of course."
…
In the meeting room, Theresa and the others quietly listened as Fu Hua recounted Kevin's feats.
Regardless of Fu Hua's age, Theresa thought, once you're my student, you'll always be my student.
Fifty thousand years old? Who cares. I even admitted Herrschers into my school.
"Leading teams to annihilate the Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Herrschers. Slaying the Twelfth Herrscher alone with Judgment of Shamash. With his full power, forcing the Herrscher of the End to stop for twelve hours, winning humanity precious survival time. This record…"
A collective gasp, enough to cool the Hyperion itself.
Theresa suddenly realized, even if all of them fought together, they'd still lose to Kevin.
And maybe that was acceptable. His terrifying achievements spoke for themselves.
And that was fifty thousand years ago. Today, with the weight of determination and the flames to defeat Honkai, it was no wonder his power was so overwhelming.
They were fifty thousand years too late in growth. And according to Fu Hua, while earlier Herrschers had lower Honkai energy density than modern ones, their control of authority was far superior.
An entire continent sunk by the Herrscher of Rock.
A lush green land burned nearly to ash by the Herrscher of Flame.
Humanity's final cities destroyed by weapons under Herrscher of Corruption's control.
Comparing such records to modern Herrschers, Theresa's gaze softened.
Even Wendy, still rebellious as a new Herrscher, looked adorable by comparison.
At least Wendy couldn't summon storms to devastate continents. Nor throw boulders like toys.
"…Kevin's purpose I cannot determine. The only certainty is that he does not intend to harm Kiana." Fu Hua spoke firmly.
"And his actions do not align with any of Dr. Mei's continuation plans."
Though much about Dr. Mei's plans was unclear, Fu Hua was certain, Kevin was following his own path.
"Whatever their goal, only strength will let us speak with them." Durandal finally broke her silence.
…
Schicksal.
Stelle and March 7th arrived as invited.
The gates of Schicksal opened, and they stepped inside.
"It's so quiet today. Did everyone go on break?" Seeing Otto standing with an unfamiliar cold man, March 7th tilted her head curiously.
Along the way, they hadn't seen a single soul. Even the structures looked different than before.
"After all, this is a major event. Security must be tight."
"That makes sense. I've been to places before where during festivals they hardly had any security, accidents waiting to happen!"
March 7th muttered.
"And he is?" Stelle glanced curiously at Kevin, blinking.
"This is my partner. He is not good with words, but he is a most trustworthy warrior."
At Otto's introduction, Stelle nodded, though her eyes lingered curiously on Kevin.
There was something about him, a familiarity.
As though meeting one of her own kind.
Before she could chase the feeling further, Otto interrupted: "We're about to begin. Are you ready?"
"Huh? Already?" Blinking, Stelle nodded, deciding to keep that strange feeling in mind to ask Kevin later.
"What do I need to do?" Hands on hips, Stelle asked directly.
Efficiency, that was her motto.
Seeing her eager stance, Otto chuckled.
"In this plan, your role is crucial. Provide the energy to keep the channel open. It may sound simple, but it is the most important task. We entrust it to you."
His eyes radiated trust. Meeting that gaze, Stelle nodded seriously.
"Leave it to me!" Today, this Galactic Baseballer was going to find out what scheme Otto was truly plotting.
Otto's attitude was impeccable, perhaps the best reception Stelle had ever received.
But as the saying went: when someone offers kindness without reason, they're either a bastard or a thief.
Having seen so much already, she understood that lesson deeply.
Back at the Herta Space Station, that shorty had been exactly the same!
Because of that, Stelle now handled these things like a pro.
As for whether Otto planned to use the Stellaron for some secret scheme, hmph. This Trailblazer was more than ready.