"Give up? The Kaslana family doesn't know the meaning of surrender. AGAIN!"
Exhausted, Kiana charged back into the fray.
This time, the Thousand Herrschers swarmed her—but her will refused to break.
She tore through, her sword striking down puppets one after another—
—until a golden claw seized her ankle, yanking her down.
Still, she clung to her greatsword.
"Why struggle? Wouldn't it be easier to fall? No more pain. No more exhaustion."
"..."
No words. Only the swing of her blade in reply.
Battle after battle wore her down—body and spirit.
Yet the puppets kept coming.
Just as they closed in—
—azure auroras obliterated them all.
"Kiana never gives up. Because idiots... don't know the meaning of surrender."
"Bronya!"
Power surged through Kiana.
Her blue gem-like eyes burned orange.
"Fire!" x2
Mimicking Bronya, she summoned floating cannons with her newfound power—carving a path forward.
Then, a blue gem on her greatsword ignited.
"Why?! Why won't you stay down?!"
Furious, the Thousand Herrschers glared at Bronya.
Why couldn't she just die properly? Why keep ruining their plans?!
Though Kiana had broken through, golden claws emerged from all sides—
—encasing her in a floating prison.
As they prepared to fire, a crimson feather drifted down.
"Because we share the same dream. She's a hot-blooded fool who pulled me from the abyss. So of course... we'll answer her call."
The claw-cage held only air.
Behind them—flames erupted.
A blazing feather-storm burst open—and Kiana emerged.
Now, yellow and red gems glowed on her sword.
A single slash—
—a firestorm that warped space itself—
—raced toward the puppets.
Panicked, they summoned countless claws to block.
One, two—dozens shattered against the inferno.
As a last resort, they unleashed stolen Herrscher power—
—engulfing Kiana completely.
The three gems on her sword dimmed.
Once again, they'd stolen her authority.
But in the next instant—the gems relit.
"This time, I'm not fighting alone—but with everyone!"
BOOM!
The golden claws burned away.
The Thousand Herrschers recoiled in disbelief, retreating as missiles rained down to halt Kiana's advance.
"With everyone's will—let this final strike be your end! FLAMESCION, Draw your SWORD! "
On the greatsword, the last gem ignited—
—the Gem of Haste, once Himeko's.
Knowing this strike meant death, the puppets pooled all their Honkai energy—
—firing a beam like a dying star.
Kiana's blade split it clean in half.
In the firelight, she saw Himeko again.
"Teacher Himeko... I'll pass on this flame for you."
The blaze turned her white hair radiant—glowing like the sun itself.
A light brighter than the world flashed—
—and the Herrscher of Dominance fell.
In the aftermath, Kiana stood over the last surviving puppet, her sword at its throat.
"You lost."
"...Yeah. We lost. But how? We're the same as you."
"Because I was never alone. My comrades—everyone—they're my reason to keep fighting."
"But we had comrades too. A thousand of us. Why... why did we lose?"
"What bound you wasn't trust or responsibility—just hatred. You were never truly united. Just thieves huddling together."
"...Heh. So that's it. But tell me—were we wrong? They pushed us to this. You played hero while making things worse.
We didn't lose in conviction. Our shared will was vengeance. We only lost... because you were stronger. Do it."
"..."
A crimson slash—
—and the last puppet was no more.
Kiana wasn't shaken by its words.
She knew the world was unfair. Unjust.
That was why she fought—
—for all that was beautiful in this imperfect world.
"Bronya, Class Monitor... let's go home."
Hoisting both girls over her shoulders, Kiana carried them back to Anti-Entropy's Salt Lake Base.
Einstein and Tesla ran checkups.
(Bronya was injured. Fu Hua? Not a scratch.)