Darkness.
An endless abyss swallowed Kiana Kaslana, dragging her deeper into its suffocating depths.
Kiana: "What's… happening… to me? Why do I… feel… so heavy?"
She could not see, hear, or smell anything. She reached out blindly, but her hands found nothing.
It felt as though the darkness had swallowed her whole, and her body continued sinking without end.
Kiana struggled desperately to escape. Yet the harder she fought, the deeper she sank.
She wanted to scream for help, but no voice emerged from her lungs.
Then, at last, she saw it.
A beam of light erupted from the depths of the abyss.
Kiana instinctively reached toward it, struggling to move closer. As she approached, the light grew brighter, and she slowly began to regain her senses.
Then she heard a voice.
A soft, familiar voice calling her name.
Mei: "Kiana… Kiana…"
It was gentle and comforting.
Kiana recognized it immediately.
Mei.
With the last of her strength, she dragged herself toward the portal from which the light poured. She was almost completely exhausted when she finally reached its edge.
Without hesitation, Kiana plunged through.
She left the darkness behind and emerged into the world on the other side.
But before she could celebrate her escape, the scene before her froze her in horror.
Kiana: "What? What happened here?"
Kiana: "Mei? Where are you?"
Arc City, once a prosperous metropolis filled with life, had been reduced to a burning wasteland.
Flames consumed the buildings. Thick clouds of smoke choked the sky, while distant screams of pain and suffering echoed through the ruined streets.
Kiana desperately searched for Mei amid the devastation, but everywhere she looked, she found only destruction and despair.
No.
She refused to believe what she was seeing.
She had thrown that cursed bomb into outer space. She had pushed it far away from Earth to save the city and its people.
Then how could this have happened?
What had destroyed Arc City?
Kiana frantically searched the ruins, desperately looking for an explanation.
Then she noticed something.
Her hands were trembling.
She stared down at them, and a terrible realization slowly dawned upon her.
Those were her hands.
Her own hands…
The hands of the Herrscher of the Void.
Kiana: "No… this can't be true!"
Kiana: "Mei… you must believe me! I threw it away…"
Kiana: "No…"
Her voice trembled as the horrifying possibility overwhelmed her.
Kiana: "NOOOOOO!!!"
Kiana: "Mei!"
Kiana jolted awake.
Above her was a cold, metallic ceiling.
Kiana: "Huff… huff… it was… a nightmare? Thank goodness…"
She breathed heavily, trying to calm her racing heart.
Kiana: "Wait… where am I…"
???: "You're awake."
Kiana's body tensed instantly.
She knew that voice.
Slowly, she turned her head.
A blonde woman stood nearby, her composed blue eyes fixed upon her.
Kiana recognized her immediately. This was the woman who frequently sparred with Kouga whenever he had free time—or, more accurately, the woman who kept challenging him despite his repeated victories over her.
Kiana: "You're… Durandal?"
Durandal: "I am."
Kiana: "…"
Kiana's eyes gradually adjusted to the light.
She was lying inside a heavily guarded cell, surrounded by reinforced walls and monitoring equipment. The cold, sterile environment left little doubt about where she was.
She understood what had happened.
Schicksal had captured her.
Kiana: "What happened to Arc City? Where's Mei?"
Durandal: "The city is safe, no one's hurt, and the Valkyries are wrapping things up."
Durandal: "Mei Raiden joined her friends and left the city."
Kiana silently let out a breath of relief.
Kiana: 'Mei's safe… at least I can feel happy about that…'
At least Mei was safe.
After everything that had happened, that was one piece of good news Kiana could hold on to.
Durandal: "You're now in a Schicksal research facility located in North Africa."
Durandal: "Any other questions?"
Kiana remained silent for a moment, studying the blonde Valkyrie.
Kiana: "…"
Kiana: "Durandal… I knew we'd eventually meet face-to-face."
Durandal: "I'm glad that you've mentally prepared yourself for this moment. It will make things easier for me."
Durandal: "If you have no more questions, I suggest you lie down and get some rest."
Kiana sensed no hostility from Durandal.
Strangely, that only made her more vigilant.
She tried to maintain a calm expression, carefully considering her situation. Being captured by Schicksal was already bad enough, but the fact that she was being held in a research facility made matters considerably worse.
There was no telling what they intended to do with her.
Kiana: 'Fu Hua… where are you, Fu Hua?'
Kiana called out to Fu Hua in her mind.
There was no reply.
She closed her eyes and tried to reach out again, searching for the familiar presence within her consciousness.
Nothing.
Fu Hua remained silent.
Kiana remembered her final words, and the despair she had experienced in Arc City returned to haunt her.
For a moment, she felt as though she were sinking into that same darkness again.
But she was no longer the helpless Kiana she had once been.
She had survived alone in Arc City for months. She had fought countless battles, faced dangers that would have broken an ordinary person, and endured more pain than she cared to remember.
She would not give up now.
Kiana: 'Well, guess I'm on my own again.'
Her eyes shifted toward Durandal.
Kiana: 'I can probably use the Herrscher of the Void's powers to…'
Durandal: "I thought I told you to get some rest."
Kiana: "What?!"
Kiana: "When did you…"
Kiana froze.
In Durandal's blue eyes, she saw her own startled expression reflected back at her.
The blonde Valkyrie's steady gaze was enough to stifle Kiana's escape attempt before she could even begin.
Durandal: "This lab is 1000 meters underground. There's nowhere to run."
Kiana: 'How?! How did she know what I was thinking?'
Durandal: "There's no need to be so confused. I can easily read your thoughts."
Kiana stared at her in disbelief.
Durandal continued speaking in the same calm, matter-of-fact tone.
Durandal: "You're injured and suffering from Herrscher Core infections. You even gave off Honkai energy while unconscious."
Durandal: "Maybe you did it before, but you are in no shape to control that power within you."
Durandal: "You'll become nothing but a ticking time bomb if you leave this place."
Durandal: "I'm glad we have an understanding. I hope you know what you should do."
Kiana said nothing.
She could not tell whether Durandal was warning her for her own protection or simply reminding her that escape was impossible.
Either way, she knew she could not afford to lower her guard.
After leaving Kiana's cell, Durandal contacted Schicksal Headquarters.
Durandal: "She's awake, Overseer."
Durandal: "But something isn't right. She had been using her Herrscher powers, yet her Honkai energy levels just keep rising."
Otto listened to her report.
Otto: "Satellite images from Arc City showed no Honkai dissipation when the engine exploded, but the energy must go somewhere."
Otto: "It is obvious that the Herrscher absorbed all that energy, and that was exactly what you observed."
Durandal's expression grew more serious.
The implications of Kiana's condition were troubling enough, but Otto seemed far more interested in what the unusual energy readings meant for his research.
Otto: "Now that she's awake, we can proceed with the experiment right away."
Durandal: "Now? Are we going to rush things? She still views Schicksal with great hostility."
Otto: "I don't think we have any chance of regaining her trust after everything she's been through."
Otto: "In fact, I believe her current condition is perfect for unleashing the amount of power I want."
A brief silence followed.
Otto: "Proceed with the test. I'm sure you can handle it. Just treat this as another routine run."
Durandal lowered her gaze.
She understood her duty, but she was not entirely comfortable with the timing. Kiana was injured, emotionally unstable, and still struggling to control the power within her.
Nevertheless, the Overseer had given his order.
Durandal: "…Yes, Overseer."
Kiana sat alone in her private quarters, staring at the plate of salad in front of her.
For perhaps the first time in her life, she had absolutely no appetite.
Normally, a meal would have been enough to lift her spirits, even after a terrible day. But now, she could barely bring herself to pick up her fork.
Her nightmare in Arc City continued to haunt her.
So did Durandal's words.
And above all, she could not stop thinking about Mei.
That faint, ghostly voice still echoed somewhere in her memory.
Kiana remembered how Mei's gentle voice had once been a familiar part of her everyday life. She had heard it when getting out of bed, sharing meals, attending classes, and spending time with their friends.
Back at St. Freya Academy, those ordinary moments had seemed endless.
She had never imagined that one day she would long for them so desperately.
Kiana lowered her eyes to the untouched salad.
If only she could return to those days.
If only she could see Mei and Kouga again, hear their voices, and pretend for a little while that the world had not fallen apart around them.
Lost in her thoughts, Kiana began reminiscing about the seemingly ordinary life she had once enjoyed at St. Freya.
Then the door suddenly opened, interrupting her memories.
PSSSHHZ!
Durandal entered the room and glanced at the plate.
Durandal: "Hmm. It appears you don't like catfish."
Kiana looked up at her.
Kiana: "I don't like fish because they've got bones in them."
Kiana: "…Someone would always help me pick out the bones."
Durandal fell silent.
Durandal: "…"
For a brief moment, her expression softened, though she quickly returned to her usual composure.
Durandal: "I see that you're now well enough to make jokes. I won't have to worry about your wellbeing anymore."
Before Kiana could respond, Durandal approached and quickly fastened a pair of cuffs around her wrists.
Kiana stared at the restraints.
Durandal: "Follow me."
Kiana: "What is this place?"
Durandal led Kiana outside.
The scenery that greeted them was bleak.
Ruined buildings stretched across the barren landscape, their shattered walls and collapsed roofs standing as grim reminders of the city's destruction. Sand swept through deserted streets, and not a single sign of ordinary human life could be seen.
Kiana studied the devastation with a troubled expression.
Durandal: "As you can see, it's just another city in ruins."
Kiana: "Who did this?"
Durandal glanced at her.
Durandal: "…Is there anything else besides the Honkai that can destroy a city overnight?"
Kiana said nothing.
As Durandal's prisoner, she had little choice but to follow. Still, she kept her eyes moving, carefully examining the surroundings and searching for any opportunity to escape.
Kiana: 'She's not telling me anything useful…'
Durandal's intentions remained a mystery, but this unexpected excursion presented an opportunity.
Kiana could see the dimensional fissures around her—fractures in space that were invisible to ordinary people but unmistakable to the Herrscher of the Void.
After countless dreams spent training under Fu Hua's guidance, she had learned how to distinguish unstable fractures from passages that could be traversed safely.
If she concentrated hard enough, she might be able to find a stable route through the dimensions and teleport away.
There was just one problem.
Such a feat would require an enormous amount of energy.
And given her current condition, she would only have one chance.
Kiana glanced at the distant horizon.
Kiana: 'Fu Hua…'
Once again, she thought of her mentor, hoping to hear the familiar voice that had guided her through so many battles.
But there was nothing.
Fu Hua remained silent within her mind.
Now that Schicksal had recaptured her, Kiana could not help wondering what had happened to her mentor's presence. Was Fu Hua still there? Had something changed when Kiana had awakened in this facility?
She had no answers.
And she could not afford to waste time searching for them.
Kiana needed to escape.
WHOOOOOO…!
A sudden gust of wind swept across the ruined street, throwing up a thick cloud of dust.
For a moment, the swirling sand obscured the view between Kiana and the nearby guards.
Kiana seized the opportunity.
Kiana: 'Now!'
She concentrated her energy, reaching toward the invisible fissures in space.
The air before her began to distort.
With a sharp motion, she tore open a dimensional passage, splitting space apart like a sheet of paper.
Kiana: 'I must escape!'
Durandal: "Don't even think about it."
Kiana: "What?!"
A lance struck the ground beside Kiana's feet.
THUD!
The sudden impact shattered her concentration.
The dimensional passage collapsed instantly, leaving not even a trace of its existence.
Kiana stared at the spot where the portal had been.
Durandal stood nearby, her expression composed.
Durandal: "If you want to escape, I'd rather you do it honorably."
She withdrew her lance and regarded Kiana with a challenging look.
Durandal: "Defeat me in a fair fight and I'll let you leave with pride."
Having said that, Durandal unlocked Kiana's cuffs.
The restraints fell into the sand.
Kiana looked down at her freed wrists before raising her gaze toward the blonde Valkyrie.
Kiana: "…I guess there's no way around this."
She flexed her fingers and took a fighting stance.
Kiana: "Since you want a fight so badly…"
Kiana opened a small portal and summoned her dual pistols.
Without hesitation, she launched herself at Durandal, firing as she advanced.
The gunshots echoed across the ruined city.
Durandal moved with astonishing precision, evading the incoming bullets while closing the distance between them. She deflected Kiana's follow-up attack and countered with a swift strike that forced Kiana to retreat.
Kiana tried to maintain her distance, using her pistols to keep Durandal at bay.
But the blonde Valkyrie steadily dismantled her offense.
Every attempt to surprise Durandal was anticipated. Every opening Kiana thought she had created was closed before she could exploit it.
Within moments, Kiana found herself struggling to keep up.
Kiana: "Ugh!"
Durandal knocked aside another attack and stepped out of range.
Durandal: "You're talented. You quickly found ways to attack me, but you lacked training."
Kiana gritted her teeth.
Kiana: 'Curses! This damn Valkyrie is trying to educate me!'
Kiana: 'But she's just so… strong!'
Durandal advanced, her movements economical and controlled.
Durandal: "Pin your opponents with attacks, then deal the fatal blow when she exposes her weakness."
Kiana: "I don't need your stupid lecutres!"
The air imploded as Kiana launched herself forward like a cannonball, coiling her body for a powerful kick.
THUD!
Sharp pain shot through her waist.
Her attack had been stopped in its tracks.
Durandal had effortlessly evaded the kick and countered with one of her own, striking Kiana before she could recover.
The impact sent Kiana flying backward.
Kiana: "Ugh…"
She hit the ground and struggled to regain her footing.
Kiana: "How… that's impossible!"
Kiana stared at Durandal in disbelief.
Kiana: "…How on earth do you know about the Kaslana Gun Kata?"
Durandal: "Because it's a most effective martial art and I've studied it at length in the Schicksal library."
Durandal: "Your moves are a chaotic mix of different stances. They only resemble the Kaslana Gun Kata."
Kiana's eyes widened.
Kiana: 'But that's what my stupid old man taught me!'
Durandal continued her assessment without the slightest hesitation.
Durandal: "Your attacks are mixed with the fighting styles of many other Valkyries."
Durandal: "Warriors must learn to combine different techniques, but you did so without any thought."
Durandal: "Due to your lack of training and understanding, you ended up looking more like a circus acrobat."
Kiana: "Hey, what are you trying to say?!"
Durandal: "You failed to master the basics of close quarter combat. You're far from ready."
Durandal: "You're not in control of your power, Herrscher of the Void."
Kiana: "…"
Kiana lowered her head.
For months, she had fought countless battles alone while drifting through Arc City. She had survived against Honkai beasts and enemy forces through sheer determination, instinct, and the immense power she possessed.
But this fight was different.
Her instincts screamed at her that the gap between herself and Durandal was enormous.
Brute force would not be enough to defeat this opponent.
She needed another approach.
Then, amid her frustration, a memory surfaced.
Fu Hua's teachings.
The countless dreams in which she had trained under her mentor, learning to discipline her body and mind, suddenly seemed more important than ever.
Fu Hua: "The Mantra is how you prepare your physical body for combat…"
Fu Hua: "Before each fight begins, clear your mind and relax your body…"
Fu Hua: "Feel every subtle change within your body…"
Fu Hua: "You will eventually feel nothing…"
Fu Hua: "…Except for the strength flowing within yourself."
Kiana slowly closed her eyes.
She let go of her frustration.
She let go of her fear.
She stopped thinking about the difference between herself and Durandal, the circumstances that had brought her here, and the possibility of failure.
Instead, she focused inward.
She felt the subtle movements of her muscles, the rhythm of her breathing, and the energy flowing through her body.
Months of oneiric training, combined with the countless life-or-death situations she had survived, culminated in this moment.
Kiana was no longer simply relying on instinct.
She was finally beginning to understand the power within herself.
Kiana utilized what she had learned from training in the Edge of Taixuan.
Kiana: "Discard all your delusions, and calm your breath."
Kiana: "Focus on the strength… Flowing within."
A change swept over her.
The turbulent energy surrounding her began to settle, no longer surging wildly beyond her control. Her breathing steadied, and her movements became more deliberate.
Three Subspace Lances materialized around her, floating in the air with their sharp points directed toward Durandal.
Kiana raised her dual pistols.
The three lances aligned beside her, forming an array of weapons aimed at the blonde Valkyrie.
Durandal's expression shifted as she sensed the change.
Durandal: "The Sword Ki… the Edge of Taixuan?"
She studied Kiana for a moment, reassessing the girl standing before her.
Durandal: "It seems I've made a mistake. You have more than just brute strength."
Kiana grinned.
Kiana: "Yeah, 'cuz I thought you needed a warm-up! Time to show you my true powers!"
Durandal remained composed.
Durandal: "I can see that you've drawn upon enough power. You should be ready."
Kiana's smile faltered slightly.
Durandal: "Keep it up. You're going to need it in a real battle."
Kiana: "A real battle? What are you talking about…"
BOOOOOOM!!!
A violent explosion shook the sky.
A massive purple portal suddenly opened above the ruined city, its swirling surface distorting the air around it.
From within the portal, countless monstrous silhouettes began to fall.
Quantum Shadows.
They descended from the breach in a relentless torrent, their distorted forms crashing into the ruined streets.
Kiana stared upward in shock.
Kiana: "Wha… what are those things?!"
Durandal raised Abyss Flower.
Durandal: "They will be your opponents."
Kiana whipped her head toward her.
Kiana: "What the hell?! I'm not done fighting you!"
Durandal: "Apologies, but my mission is to perform a test, not fight you."
Durandal stepped back, leaving the battlefield to Kiana.
Durandal: "Fight them with everything you've got and survive."
Kiana stared at her in disbelief.
Before she could argue further, the first wave of Quantum Shadows rushed toward her.
With no other choice, Kiana charged into battle.
Her dual pistols blazed as she fired into the approaching enemies, while the three Subspace Lances darted through the air, piercing and smashing through the Quantum Shadows with devastating force.
One enemy fell.
Then another.
Kiana moved between the ruins, firing her pistols and directing the lances with increasing precision. Whenever an enemy approached too closely, she evaded its attack and countered with a swift strike.
She was no longer fighting as recklessly as before.
The techniques she had learned from Fu Hua allowed her to coordinate her movements and powers more effectively, conserving energy wherever possible.
But the Quantum Shadows showed no signs of stopping.
Every time she destroyed a group, more emerged from the portal.
They poured into the city without end, turning the battlefield into a seemingly endless gauntlet.
Kiana: "Dammit! They just keep coming! They're even worse than the roaches of Arc City!"
Kiana fired another volley, and her Subspace Lances tore through several enemies at once.
She glanced up at the enormous purple breach.
Kiana: "This fight is just a stupid waste of time…"
Another group descended toward her.
Kiana destroyed them, then looked toward the portal again.
Kiana: "I guess that big hole in the sky is where they're coming from."
Her eyes narrowed.
Kiana: "Sorry, big hole. I guess I'm gonna have to destroy you!"
Kiana raised her hand.
Three Subspace Lances appeared in formation, their sharp points aimed directly at the portal.
She gathered her strength, channeling her power through the weapons.
Kiana: "Go!"
The three lances shot into the sky.
FWOOOSH!
They streaked toward the purple breach, leaving trails of light behind them.
A moment later—
CRAAAAACK!
The portal shattered.
The dimensional connection ruptured under the combined force of the three lances. Its surface fractured like glass, and the enormous breach collapsed inward, severing the connection to the Sea of Quanta.
The remaining Quantum Shadows vanished with the closing passage, leaving the ruined city in sudden silence.
Kiana lowered her arm, panting.
Kiana: "The hole is gone… it's finally over!"
She turned toward Durandal, who had been watching the entire battle.
Kiana managed a tired, defiant smile.
Kiana: "You're… next…"
But the words had barely left her mouth when her strength finally gave out.
Her knees buckled.
Kiana crumpled to the ground, unable to support herself any longer. Destroying the portal had consumed nearly all her remaining energy, leaving her in no condition to continue fighting.
She tried to lift her head, determined not to surrender so easily.
But her vision began to blur.
Her consciousness slipped away despite her desperate efforts to remain awake.
The last thing she saw was the blonde Valkyrie slowly approaching her.
Durandal's expression was difficult to read.
And even as darkness swallowed Kiana's vision, she had yet to realize the true purpose of the test…