The highest realm of conversation is when you manage to kill the topic completely.
Without a doubt, Durandal's words had successfully extinguished the Herrscher of Ice's desire to mock.
"Tch, mere humans."
With a dissatisfied snort, the Herrscher of Ice sneered.
"I wish you all good luck surviving, oh right, you will survive."
"What?"
Theresa frowned slightly, not yet understanding the Herrscher of Ice's intention, when suddenly the ground began to tremble.
The next second,
"Whoosh!!"
A cold current!
A freezing current visible to the naked eye spread!
The blizzard surged with astonishing speed, and in the blink of an eye, the entire great hall was engulfed by a cold so intense it could instantly freeze anyone into an ice sculpture.
At that moment, everyone understood what the Herrscher of Ice had meant earlier.
They would indeed not die. But they would remain barely alive, frozen under this overwhelming chill!
This grand palace… was nothing but the tomb the Herrscher of Ice had prepared for them.
The place where the great turtle had first begun to move.
The massive depression in the ground, even when viewed from the air, was enough to strike terror into the heart.
That was humanity's instinctive fear of colossal beings.
Naturally, it included that enormous pit capable of swallowing people whole.
Floating midair, her skirt fluttering, the Herrscher of Ice exuded noble and icy arrogance from inside out.
Looking down at the frozen halt of the great ice turtle, one could not help but feel stifled.
"This palace was originally meant to be a place for receiving worship." Even now, thinking about the magnificent palace still brought a pang of regret.
But the thought of using it to trap humanity's strongest warriors made the Herrscher of Ice's lips curl upward.
It was only a palace, she had countless more.
Opportunities to eliminate such powerful enemies, however, were rare.
All in all, she had gained quite a lot.
"Mei! Auntie!" Such a commotion could never escape Kiana, who was acting as a listener from the sidelines.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the turtle being completely frozen.
"With your power, if you rush in recklessly, you'll only end up as an ice sculpture." The Herrscher of the Void poured cold water on her in an even tone.
"I don't care! I'm going to save everyone!" Kiana shook her head hard. The dizziness that usually sickened her now strangely gave her a sense of comfort.
"…Tch, what a hassle. Since you at least managed to be a passable listener just now, I'll lend you a hand."
Resting her right hand on Benares' forehead, the Herrscher of the Void spoke with feigned reluctance.
"Really?!" Kiana's eyes lit up instantly.
"Don't talk so much, just hand over your body to me."
This time, Kiana had no complaints about the Herrscher of the Void's commanding tone. In fact, she even thought the Herrscher of the Void was too slow.
If it were her acting alone, she would've been much faster!
The Herrscher of the Void's signature dress manifested, fluttering, noble, aloof, regal.
Her dazzling golden eyes radiated majesty, emanating pride.
This was the Herrscher born of the Second Eruption. A true apostle of the Honkai.
"Bella, do you see that one over there?"
Hands clasped behind her back, head slightly raised, the Herrscher of the Void directed Benares with calm confidence.
"Grr…" With a low growl, Benares locked all four eyes onto the Herrscher of Ice.
She needed only a command to pounce and tear her apart.
"Go, let this ignorant junior learn what it means to respect her seniors." She murmured softly.
So said the Herrscher of the Void.
As the queen of the Second Eruption, she would never allow a junior several generations apart to bare her fangs at her.
There might not be ranks among Herrschers. But she didn't mind giving this insolent junior a lesson.
"ROAR, !!"
In perfect sync, even without a command, Benares understood what to do.
With a thunderous roar, she spread her wings, charging straight ahead!
The moment she took off, a special passage rippling with Imaginary particles suddenly appeared.
Without hesitation, she dove in.
The next instant, behind the Herrscher of Ice, the Imaginary portal opened, Benares' massive figure plummeted down!
"What?!" No time to question why the dragon had suddenly become so aggressive, the Herrscher of Ice urgently mobilized her authority.
She used ice mirrors to refract herself away to another corner.
Boom!
Before she could even catch her breath, multiple portals opened at once.
Huge electromagnetic spheres crackled violently, mercilessly shattering all her prepared ice mirrors, including the one she had just used.
Now, the Herrscher of Ice understood what was going on.
"The Herrscher of the Void!!" Dragging the fury in her voice like a tail of fire, she glared at the elegantly poised Herrscher of the Void, who stood in the sky using Honkai energy.
This so-called senior had really gifted her a fine surprise.
"First you opened a path for those humans, and now you attack me? Do you really think I won't strike you down?!"
There was no attempt to hide the threat. The Herrscher of Ice's eyes burned with rage.
She, the Herrscher of Ice, was on the verge of being forced into becoming the Herrscher of Flames.
"Heh, a mere scavenger, a coward who doesn't even dare face her enemy head-on, yet you dare say such things?"
The Herrscher of the Void mocked, stepping lightly. Each step condensed Honkai energy beneath her feet with a crisp sound.
Standing elegantly on Benares' head, she rested her right hand on her forehead and suddenly smiled.
"Or is it… that you think you can actually defeat me?!"
Arrogance.
The Herrscher of the Void's trademark.
A newly born Herrscher, daring to be so brazen before her?
"Heh, you relic of a bygone era, aren't you afraid of shattering yourself if you dare step out again?"
The Herrscher of Ice gave no ground.
This so-called failure, this cast-off, dared to speak this way before her, a Herrscher who had just defeated a host of humanity's strongest warriors.
Did she really think Herrscher status was determined by seniority?
The Herrscher of the Void didn't bother to entertain such thoughts.
In her perception, within the turtle's frozen palace still surged several mighty human auras. If humanity's elites could be wiped out so easily, then back when she was born, humanity would have already perished.
Would there even have been a chance for this pathetic worm to be born? The Herrscher of the Void discriminated against no one, human or Herrscher alike.
"Relics of the past should just lie quietly!" the Herrscher of Ice roared, unleashing her power.
Countless snowflakes swirled, gathering together under a tremendous force to form a massive blizzard, completely encasing the Herrscher of the Void and Benares!
The Herrscher of Ice had long studied the Herrscher of the Void's abilities.
Imaginary traversal, Imaginary space, excellent ways to evade attacks.
Then she would simply use a massive, all-encompassing storm to cage her.
Even if she did evade, the sheer scale of the attack would still overwhelm her.
So what if she was the Second Herrscher? So what if she had been born earlier?
In the end, she would still learn a painful lesson at her hands.
Smirking coldly, the Herrscher of Ice channeled the storm with even greater force.
If this had been the Herrscher of the Void in her prime, though she still believed she could win, she would not have chosen this method.
But she could clearly sense the state of her opponent now.
Still within a human vessel, this was not the form of a complete Herrscher of the Void.
How strong could she be without her full power?
Just as the Herrscher of Ice had never intended to fight Durandal and the others head-on…
Upon realizing the Herrscher of the Void was far from her full strength, she made up her mind.
Since this weakened Herrscher dared act so arrogantly, then as her junior, she ought to teach her what it meant to beware the malice of others.
Yet as the Herrscher of Ice strained to maintain the storm, high above behind her,
The Herrscher of the Void remained exactly as before: brazen, arrogant, and unyielding.
"Truly putting in the effort, aren't you, worm?"
"Roar." The Herrscher of the Void's voice couldn't be heard by the Herrscher of Ice, but Benares's roar, no matter how low, still thundered in her ears like a storm.
"What!" She spun around in alarm, pupils contracting.
The Herrscher of Ice stared at the Herrscher of the Void before her in disbelief.
"You were clearly trapped by me just now?!" Meeting her gaze, the Herrscher of the Void sneered with contempt.
"From any angle, you're nothing but pitifully weak."
"Don't get so arrogant!" Being mocked like that, the Herrscher of Ice instantly burned with fury.
As the Herrscher of Ice, she usually had a steady mindset. At worst, she could always cool herself down with her power.
But when the one enraging her wasn't a mere human but another Herrscher, her fury could no longer be contained.
Herrschers are equals, who is nobler than who?
If there truly must be a difference, then it should be her, the one cherished by Honkai itself, not this relic from the Second Eruption!
Her fists clenched tight, arms spreading wide.
In the next instant, ice converged. Endless shards of frozen power formed into razor-sharp arrows, slowly aiming toward her two targets.
Battles between true powerhouses are usually decided only in close combat. Their powers are their most crucial weapons.
Large-scale attacks are one of the keys to a Herrscher's victory.
But when the enemy is also a Herrscher, unless you can completely conceal yourself within their perception and gather your power into a sudden, overwhelming strike…
Otherwise, wide-range destruction means nothing to a Herrscher.
From her earlier probing, the Herrscher of Ice had confirmed that area-of-effect damage did nothing to this old monster who had survived the Second Eruption.
If that's the case, then she'd try this instead!
"Oh?" The Herrscher of the Void raised a brow, a faintly amused smile playing on her lips.
Before the Herrscher of Ice could even speak,
Snap.
A crisp snap echoed through the air. The next moment, with the fall of that sound, a mysterious rift opened.
A dark-violet Imaginary passage slowly unfolded.
From within, countless subspace spears emerged, their tips gleaming with deadly intent.
"Roar!" At just the right moment, Benares let out a furious cry, wings spreading wide.
Carrying her queen into the sky, her mighty wings beat, scattering the chill currents in the air.
Looking up, the entire sky was filled with the Herrscher of the Void's Imaginary passages. Her overwhelming might outshone even the Herrscher of Ice!
This, this was her full power. An Apostle of the Will of Honkai, the Second Herrscher, the Herrscher of the Void! A terrifying majesty that made all tremble!
"Impossible…" the Herrscher of Ice muttered.
"Your power shouldn't even be fully awakened yet. How can you possibly be this strong?!"
She refused to believe it. She had far surpassed any Herrscher born before her.
At her birth, the Honkai energy was at its peak.
She had even come close to devouring every last trace of Honkai energy meant to create her Judgment-Class companion Honkai Beast, which would have made her energy reserves vast and powerful beyond measure.
By all rights, she should have surpassed every Herrscher before her.
She had already reached a realm none of them ever attained. So how could this relic unleash power greater than hers?
It made no sense!!!
...
If the Herrscher of the Void had awoken normally, fighting Kiana for control of the body and focusing only on seizing it fully, she would never have been this strong.
But this was different. Even if Kiana gave up full control, the body alone could not unleash all this strength.
What truly made the Herrscher of the Void so powerful was something outside the rules of the game.
The Imaginary Tree.
Huge golden pupils shifted slightly, watching as the passages left behind by the Herrscher of the Void absorbed Imaginary energy.
This was her true source of strength!
As a Herrscher capable of linking to the Imaginary space, the Herrscher of the Void's path to power wasn't limited to Honkai energy, Imaginary energy was just as vital.
And it just so happened she had wandered close to the tree more than once.
She had walked the branches of the Imaginary Tree itself.
When her mind briefly triumphed over Kiana's, the Herrscher of the Void noticed the boundless, pure, overwhelming power of Imaginary energy within.
As the rightful queen, she would never tolerate any Herrschers surpassing her.
With so much Imaginary energy flowing into her, even if every new Herrscher had Wendy's frail physique, their sheer power alone could crush countless foes.
So, the Herrscher of the Void decided, she would wield the strength of gods!
"Rejoice, for you are the first Herrscher to witness my true power." Her calm gaze fell on the Herrscher of Ice, who still refused to accept reality, and a victorious smile graced her lips.
"It's just a little demonstration of power. Don't get too full of yourself!" With an angry shout, the Herrscher of Ice swept her hands forward, unleashing countless icy projectiles toward her foe!
Unfazed, the Herrscher of the Void raised her index finger slowly, then pressed it down.
"Whoosh!!"
"Whoosh!!"
The subspace spears and ice clashed again and again, melting, reforming, shattering, striking back.
Back and forth. But the struggle didn't last long.
Soon, the ice could no longer withstand the assault of the subspace spears. It was forced back, retreating step by step, closer to the Herrscher of Ice herself.
"Damn it!!" The Herrscher of Ice couldn't believe it. That she, so overwhelmingly powerful, was being defeated by this relic from the Second Eruption.
Defeated by her! Her pride as a Herrscher couldn't accept such a loss, especially one that came so swiftly!
From afar, Welt, having just shaken off the freezing cold, watched silently.
"Herrschers these days… really are terrifyingly strong."
He sighed softly, the younger Welt was truly reflecting.
"Tell me, was the Herrscher of the Void this strong during the Second Eruption?" The future Welt frowned in doubt.
Not even the six-core Sirin of the Second Eruption, nor any later appearance of the Herrscher of the Void, had ever displayed such overwhelming might.
So what was going on now? Could reconciling with her human host have unleashed such strength?
Both Welt's were utterly bewildered.
...
'I can't win. I have to retreat.' The Herrscher of Ice faltered.
Under the Herrscher of the Void's relentless onslaught, she recognized the truth. No matter where this strength had come from, she was absolutely not her opponent now.
"Just you wait!" the Herrscher of Ice glared with hatred at the Void Queen's proud face.
"If you can grow stronger, then so can I!" She had no doubt. If she was already this strong now, then she could surely surpass even her!
Encouraging herself inwardly, she wasted no time activating her power, ready to escape through the ice she had left on the ground.
But just then,
"Hiya!!" A sharp shout echoed from above. Looking up, she saw a small black dot plummeting at a speed even a Herrscher would call absurd.
And in that rapid descent, the figure was striking a pose.
A metal bat gleamed in hand, radiating a strange aura.
"What the-" Before she could finish, the Herrscher of Ice felt the world spin upside down.
Bang!
Home run!
Bang!!
Her body was sent flying without suspense, falling with a strangely graceful arc, a bizarre beauty in its brutality.
Even the Herrscher of the Void hadn't expected this.
She froze atop Benares's head, staring blankly at the descending figure.
A moment later, still falling.
Another moment later,
"Help me out here!!"
"Ahhh!"
The figure flailed in the air, as if freestyle swimming through the ocean of Lusaka's seas, free and unrestrained.
Benares timed it perfectly, swooping up with a swift motion, catching the figure securely.