"Of course you can't, but—am I not here? Just like in 2010, Kiana, hand control of your body to me. I'll help you… defeat the Herrscher of Thunder." The Verna tilted Kiana's chin up, knee braced on the desk, one palm flat against its surface as she leaned down to look her in the eye.
Seeing Kiana hesitate, the Verna added a stronger dose: "Only a Herrscher can fight a Herrscher, and no one knows the Herrscher of Thunder better than I do. Trust me, Kiana—yes?"
Kiana thought of Mei, clenched her teeth. The Herrscher of Thunder had claimed Mei was dead; she refused to believe it. Mei had to be trapped in that consciousness space. She lifted her head and met the Verna's gaze.
"Sis, if possible, I still want to save Mei by myself." Kiana's words left the Verna disappointed—looked like fresh air would have to wait.
"But!" Kiana's voice turned bitter: "This isn't the time for stubborn pride. Knowing you can do nothing yet still refusing help like some mule, insisting you can handle it—that's just stupid."
Hearing this, the Verna's smile returned; she knew Kiana had agreed.
"Sister, can I trust you—trust you not to become like that Herrscher of Thunder?" Kiana asked, though perhaps she already knew the answer in her heart.
"I promise: when the fight ends, I'll return your body." Verna gazed at Kiana with the fondness of an elder for a child.
'Give me a break—I'm a die-hard Kiana & Mei fan. How could I let my Kitty Kiana cry?' the Verna thought righteously.
"Then I'll leave it to you, sister. What should I do?" Kiana relaxed, smiling as she waited for instructions.
"Empty your mind, don't resist, relax—yes, just like that…" Guided by the Verna, control of the body quietly switched hands.
...
Outside, the Herrscher of Thunder watched the scorched ground and walls after her lightning orb burst and sneered, "That's all you've got?"
"Oh? Really~?" A familiar voice rang out, now laced with mockery.
A chill shot down the Herrscher of Thunder's spine; she spun and hurled lightning, only to see it strike a blue barrier.
"Impossible! How could your Honkai energy surge so high!" Gazing at Kiana(?) mid-air, the Herrscher of Thunder's scorn turned to wariness.
"This Honkai energy… not much, but enough." Sensing what little remained in Kiana's body, the Verna judged it sufficient—no topping-up needed, let's fight.
"What's wrong, don't remember me, my other half? You wound my heart." She stepped down through the air, ripples of pale violet spreading beneath her feet like descending a staircase.
"other half…" The Herrscher of Thunder's pupils shrank; not understanding, she backed away until she deemed herself safe.
"Forgot the Second Honkai Eruption?" Kiana(?)—or rather the Verna—smiled, and the name alone triggered the Herrscher of Thunder.
"Yes, I remember now—you're that Puffer Herrscher who puffed up and then capsized, the Second Herrscher!" Though she spoke boldly, she realized she hadn't claimed a single life—unlike Sirin back then.
It dawned on the Herrscher of Thunder: when she'd awakened, Honkai energy had already swept Nagazora. If that hadn't been her doing… her kill count was zero!
"Hmph, I won't waste words—you're not worthy." That single sentence ruined the mood; Verna's good humor vanished as she opened the Imaginary Space and launched Spears of the Void.
The Herrscher of Thunder recalled those spears supposedly ignored all defense.
"Then I'll outspeed them." She prepared to move—only to hear a snap of fingers.
"Phase Shuttle, Stagnant Space—dance with me, Thunder." An orange, translucent field unfurled; the Herrscher of Thunder slowed, watching a spear draw ever closer.
'Move—MOVE!' Activating her Authority for speed, she barely darted aside; the spear grazed her back and slammed into the ground.
She gasped—one inch more and she'd be gone.
"You bastard!" Teeth clenched, she raised her hand; lightning condensed into a blade. With a thunderclap she appeared behind the Verna, slashing at her neck.
"Hmph." Without turning, the Verna sidestepped; the crackling blade sliced only air.
"Ha!" Adapting instantly, the Herrscher of Thunder swept sideways—this range was impossible to dodge. Or… need she dodge at all?
The blade passed through the Verna as though through mist, dealing no harm.
"How—?" Startled, she was caught by a ruthless knee to the gut.
"Ugh!" Doubling over like a boiled shrimp, she was then kicked by a whip-like right leg into the wall.
"Why… why did my attack do nothing?" Clutching her abdomen, the Herrscher of Thunder couldn't understand—she'd definitely hit.
"Did you forget? I'm the Void. Hiding my body in the Imaginary Space to avoid attacks is rather normal, don't you think?" The Verna hovered, arms relaxed at her sides.
"Come, let's keep dancing, Thunder!"
"Don't look down on me!" Thunder boomed as the She attacked again—upward cuts, diagonal slashes, downward chops, thrusts—all evaded with casual grace.
"Your moves lack crispness." Grasping the blade aimed at her throat, the Verna pressed it aside: "This isn't the dance I want to see."
A high kick caught the Herrscher of Thunder in the face; stumbling back, she released the blade. The blow was light—more humiliation than harm.
"Damn you!" In a flash of lightning she re-formed her blade and appeared behind the Verna.
"Old Timer, crawl back into your grave where you belong!"
Verna vanished, reappearing behind her foe and punching her in the spine.
The Herrscher of Thunder's expression twisted; with a thunderclap she sped away.
"High-speed brawl, is it?" Verna danced aside from every lightning-fast strike; meeting a sweeping slash, she simply raised a hand and an Imaginary barrier bloomed.
Blade met barrier, their shockwaves shattering the rooftop railing. The Herrscher of Thunder stared in disbelief—were they both Herrschers? Why was the Void so strong!
"Is this all, Thunder?" A knee slammed into the Herrscher of Thunder's gut; a hand pressed her head down as the Verna flipped in place and drove a long leg onto her back.
"Gah!"
Despite pinned to the ground, she still try to push back.
"How unsightly, Thunder!' The Verna pressed harder; with the ground cracking, the Herrscher of Thunder's consciousness was forced into retreat.