The Herrscher Core of the Void, extracted from Cosmic Juggernaut mere moments ago; Otto's Void Archives; and the Key of Corruption—along with Xuanyuan Sword, which had already integrated most known Keys of Domination. These were four gifts bestowed by the previous civilization.
The Herrscher Cores of Rock and Corruption, along with the authority of the Herrscher of Time—these represented the accumulated power of the current era.
In total, seven abilities seamlessly merged into Zeke's body.
Chaos-filled space and surging Honkai Energy flashed past him as Zeke stood atop a scale as vast as a city, his energy rapidly increasing while maintaining an unwavering cold expression.
Unlike Kiana, who struggled immensely to assimilate multiple abilities, for Zeke, integrating these seven powers merely enhanced him effortlessly—a testament to their vastly different foundations, making any comparison futile.
"In this chaotic world beyond measure, patterns still emerge... Kiana, you better brace yourself!" Zeke declared grimly, a fleeting aura of menace crossing his face.
He spread his arms wide, golden eyes capturing traces of information from a higher perspective. Following a determined course, the colossal weapon Ying Long transcended time and space.
"Shh!"
"What's wrong? Can't handle it?"
"The clash between these powers is indeed hard to control... Wait, no—I suddenly felt an eerie chill that seems quite familiar!" Kiana wiped away golden blood from the corner of her mouth, still gripping her knight's sword.
In the Mental World, Sirin grimaced.
"Huh? What nonsense is this— Hey! She's coming at you, quickly defend yourself!"
"I know!" Kiana responded decisively. Despite sensing impending doom subtly creeping in, with such formidable enemies before her, she swiftly dismissed those thoughts and raised her sword to meet the incoming golden comet.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Each successive collision shone like a star's flare, powerful energy radiating across the boundless Virtual Space, further intensifying its chaos and peril.
Kiana's energy began to destabilize.
Maintaining the peak Taixuan Sword Qi continuously was too great a burden for Kiana, who already struggled to suppress twelve conflicting abilities. Meanwhile, Finality's relentless assault showed no signs of weakening.
Finally, at one critical moment, Kiana lost grip on her sword as a golden beam engulfed her arm, all the way up to her shoulder.
"Ahhh!"
Kiana let out a piercing scream, tears welling at the corners of her eyes.
"Quickly, retreat!"
Sirin shouted within the Mental World, exerting all her might to distort the space around Kiana.
In an instant, Kiana appeared somewhere outside Finality's line of sight.
"Pant... pant... pant..."
Within Virtual Space, the existence of air was ambiguous—neither definitively present nor absent. However, Kiana couldn't concern herself with that; she pressed her left hand against her right shoulder, now reduced to half its original size, gasping heavily.
Meanwhile, golden particles emerged from the wound, gradually repairing her arm.
"Leave! Take this chance and rip open a path back to the real world—we need to withdraw first!"
"No... I can't! We have to settle this here!"
"Have you lost your mind? Look at your condition and capabilities—are you seriously under the illusion that you can defeat such a monstrous being? Just like before, why not leave it to Zeke? He must be fully prepared; there's no room for you to stubbornly insist on handling this yourself!"
"..."
Kiana caught her breath, watching as her arm slowly regenerated, momentarily speechless.
Yes, just like always, wouldn't it be best to entrust everything to Zeke?
From the day they first met—whether it was the Yordle City incident, her identity as an artificial test subject, or the truth behind the Herrscher of the Void—all their hardships and troubles were resolved by Zeke.
In most instances, even before Kiana could identify and articulate the problems, Zeke had already taken care of them on his own.
Perhaps another girl might have resented Zeke's assertive dominance without consultation, but not Kiana. Growing up relying on him since childhood, having things handled for her provided her with immense security.
"But this time is different."
"How so?! What makes it different?"
"This enemy... It's me! I can't let Zeke face such an adversary; absolutely not!"
This time, Sirin fell silent.
Fun fact: Sirin and Kiana share a single heart within one body.
Despite Sirin's reluctance to admit it, she genuinely empathized with Kiana's emotions and thoughts.
Kiana feared that Zeke might encounter unforeseen consequences due to his compassion. Even if nothing went wrong, she understood how cruel it would be for Zeke to battle against "Kiana." No matter what, Kiana couldn't stand idly by and allow such a situation to unfold.
As she initially stated, it's best to resolve the problems one creates themselves!
"The issue is, you simply can't do it!"
"No, there's still a chance. I've amassed nearly all the Herrscher powers that could emerge within an era. The Final Herrscher, at its core, merely targets civilizations and has inherent limitations... With the Sword Goddess' aid, I have a shot at ending her here!"
"Are you planning for mutual destruction?!"
"It doesn't matter; Zeke will revive me."
Kiana regained both hands, tightened her grip on the greatsword, adjusted her spatial coordinates, and with her silvery ponytail swaying in the void, transformed into a beam of golden light, charging back towards the battle.
In the Mental World, Sirin knelt weakly, feeling as if Kiana's unspoken thoughts resonated in her ears—Even if I can't be revived, it's okay, as long as Zeke lives on.
In the war between civilizations, no one is irreplaceable.
Whether unknown strangers, familiar friends, cherished partners, or beloved family—all were subject to sacrifice.
So, Kiana Kaslana, having enjoyed Zeke's affection for ten years—a supremely fortunate individual—could undoubtedly be sacrificed too!
'As long as Zeke lives, as long as Zeke wins, as long as...Zeke, Zeke, Zeke!'
Sirin covered her ears, but it couldn't stop this name from echoing incessantly within her mind.
She knew these were Kiana's yearnings and affections invading her mental domain.
At this critical moment, Kiana's thoughts weren't about the world or justice; nor was she consumed by fear of life and death. What propelled her forward was merely a name as familiar to her as it could possibly be.
"Is this... love?"
Sirin covered her ears with both hands, murmuring blankly. Her long, delicate eyelashes quivered slightly as tears silently streamed down her face.
"One after another, you're all such fools!" Sirin suddenly burst out, roaring furiously.
Kiana acted like this, Durandal did too. And Cecilia, even more so!
Why were they all so similar?
Clearly, none of them were truly related by blood!
"So then, who am I?" Sirin whispered, dazed.
She stared at her fair-skinned hands, memories of the horrors from Babylon Labs and the bloodshed during the Second Major Honkai Eruption surfacing before her eyes.
Everything—the entirety of what constituted "Sirin"—suddenly felt unbearably foreign to her.
The battle outside raged on, but Sirin remained frozen, feeling helpless and lost like a child.
"Hey! What're you slacking off for? Give me another hand! With your help, the burden from conflicting abilities would be halved, increasing my chances of victory!"
"...Are you...begging me?" Sirin asked, her expression blank.
She needed an excuse to join in, though she herself didn't fully realize it. She was waiting for that opportunity.
Then, with difficulty, Kiana responded:
"Yes! Consider this me begging you—please lend a hand and fight alongside me!"
"Hmph! Without me, you truly are nothing but worthless trash! Watch closely now—the power of the Queen of the Void, my true strength surpasses mortal imagination by far!" Sirin covered her face with one hand, laughing arrogantly towards the heavens.
"Hehahahaha!!"
"Boom!!"
Kiana, who had been straining against Finality's might, suddenly froze.
In an instant, the heavy pressure vanished entirely, replaced by an overwhelming surge of newfound energy.
Simultaneously, within Kiana's pair of scarlet eyes, her right eye transformed into pure gold.
"You finally decided to do some work?!?"
"Hmph! Don't get ahead of yourself; I just remembered there's still some instant noodles left uneaten. The destruction of humanity can wait a bit longer. Besides... Since when did you, with your absurd notions, become qualified to pass judgment? This world's fate belongs solely in the hands of the mighty Queen of the Void! Kneel before me, insect!"
From the same face and voice, after Kiana's joyful exclamation came Sirin's defiant proclamation.
A smug sneer spread across her face as countless golden spears materialized behind Kiana.
"Boom!!"
For the first time, the Final Herrscher was forced back by human strength alone.