Entrusting everything she had to him, Murata Himeko fell into a deep slumber.
Stepping on the Green Lotuses condensed from the void via Shundo, Fuli transported her and Asakura Miyuki back to the surface.
From the horizon came the roaring clash of atmosphere and blade. The sky was starkly divided between white and purple, glimmering with a flawed light—a sign that Theresa was in an extremely disadvantageous position.
Retracting his gaze, Fuli asked, "Bringing your master back to the Hyperion—you can do that, right?"
"I can!"
As an awakened user of a Natural Stigmata, her ability was the Deva Path, a body-enhancement type.
Don't let Asakura Miyuki's soft and weak personality fool you. In reality, even though she had only recently joined St. Freya as a first-year student, her physical constitution was already approaching the threshold of a B-rank Valkyrie.
Even while supporting Himeko, her departure speed was swift; within a few seconds, her figure had vanished from sight.
This massive contrast made Fuli, who hadn't finished speaking, slap his forehead. He quickly used Shundo to chase after her.
"Wait a minute!"
The girl, whose legs were moving so fast they were practically blurring, slammed on the brakes. She turned her head timidly, stole a glance at the boy's face, and immediately looked away.
"Um, is there something else?"
"My fault. I didn't finish what I was saying."
Fuli, who had to exert some effort to catch up, thought to himself that one couldn't judge a book by its cover; this girl was quite the woman of action. "You tried to heal Kiana earlier, right?"
The girl tilted her head to recall. She realized that after healing Fuli during their reunion, she had tried to heal the white-haired girl following him. However, discovering that the Deva Path only worked on Fuli, she had panicked and run away.
"Mhm."
Miyuki-chan, super obedient.
"Don't be nervous."
Fuli fought the urge to tug on her limp ahoge (cowlick). "I noticed that you intended to activate your ability without placing your hands on Kiana. Does this mean your healing ability can be cast remotely? If so, what's the maximum range?"
His deduction was correct.
The reason Asakura Miyuki placed her hands on him when activating the Deva Path was mainly a subconscious action born of urgency. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been crouching in that dug-out pit earlier, trying to heal Himeko while the latter was fighting.
As for the remote healing range, it was currently a radius of five hundred meters centered on herself.
The more people she healed simultaneously, the more the effect and range would decrease.
Learning this, Fuli sighed internally but praised her aloud: "I thought it would be at least seven or eight kilometers. To think you dared to intrude on an S-rank battlefield with such a short range—your courage is commendable."
This short distance meant he couldn't keep Asakura Miyuki by his side as a portable charging station. That would be practically shouting to the enemy, "Hey! Old Snake! Old Mei! Hit here! The healer is right here!"
Fortunately, he hadn't held out too much hope. Having adjusted his mindset, Fuli turned to leave.
"Ehehe~"
On the other side, the girl receiving his praise had turned completely soft and fluffy, like a marshmallow that could be blown away by a gust of wind.
No! That's not right!
She suddenly snapped out of it, the fantasy bubbles floating above her head popping.
His words clearly meant that I can't be of any help to him!
What do I do? What do I do?
Completely unaware of how harsh a requirement "healing from over ten kilometers away" was, the girl marched anxiously in place, frantically searching through the application parts of her stigmata's genes.
On her back, the Yae Stigmata glowed faintly. The three pink tomoe spun at high speed, resembling an activated Sharingan.
Inside the Jizo Mitama gem on Fuli's chest, the slumbering Shrine Maiden Rin frowned unnaturally.
Having usurped Yae Sakura's body, she floated naked in the void. The stigmata on her smooth, jade-like back also began to glow.
She opened her eyes groggily, her soft, cherry-colored lips parting slightly: "Sister... Sister?"
"No, it's not her."
Realizing it was just a resonance between stigmata, Rin, whose injuries had not yet recovered, closed her eyes, seemingly about to fall back into a deep sleep.
However, in the instant before falling into darkness, feeling the desperate emotion conveying through the stigmata like a rising tide—that sense of déjà vu, the powerlessness of being unable to do anything...
The girl finally reached out her hand just before closing her eyes, lightly touching the reflection of Asakura Miyuki, who looked so much like her older sister.
Meanwhile, outside, Fuli, having received his answer, was preparing to leave.
"Sorry to delay you and Himeko. When you get back to the Hyperion, remember to tell your companions that, at least during the Third Eruption, the Anti-Entropy group aren't enemies."
"THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE!!!"
"Huh?"
Hearing the strange value shouted out, the boy turned back.
After a flurry of hand gestures and body language that even the girl herself might not have understood, Fuli grasped another ability of the Deva Path that had just awakened:
Simply put, Asakura Miyuki could leave an energy crystal called the [Asana of Discontent] inside another person's body.
The Asana of Discontent caused no harm, and the recipient could actively expel it at any time.
If not expelled, the Asana of Discontent would exist within the body for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. During this period, as long as Asakura Miyuki was in the same hemisphere, she could ignore distance and rapidly restore the target's injuries and consumed Honkai energy.
"Ah, this..."
Hearing this, Fuli felt envious of the St. Freya group again.
[What are you jealous for? The way that girl looks at you is practically dripping with affection.]
Floating beside him, Dr. MEI teased maliciously: [Why doesn't Little Host try to recruit her? Maybe she really would leave St. Freya and join your har... ahem, your command.]
[Forget it.]
Fuli twitched his mouth: [St. Freya has paid so much to fight the Third Eruption. If I tried to poach their people now, my moral baseline would punch through the eighteen levels of hell and approach that of the Tang Monk Buddha.]
[Does Host truly not know her?]
Prometheus made a sound like someone catching a cheater!
[I really don't. At least, I have no impression of her.]
After soothing his little AI, he extended his hand: "Implant it in me then, your crystal."
Asakura Miyuki, whose thoughts had wandered into strange territory, instantly turned beet red. Fortunately, her face was so dirty she looked like a calico cat, so it didn't show.
She carefully extended her hand and lightly touched the boy's fingertip.
"It's done."
The girl whispered as she retracted her small hand.
Fuli exhaled, feeling refreshed: "With this, rounding up, I have two Critical-class buffs."
The Ever-Burning Flame entrusted by Himeko was enough for one battle, and the Deva Path's recovery and healing were crucial pieces for his endurance.
Fuli wasn't the S-rank Theresa; he couldn't output massive amounts of Honkai energy to neutralize the Herrscher of Thunder's electromagnetic authority.
Counting the amplification and damage reduction from the Thunder Stigmata, I should be able to clash with that Herrscher of Thunder.
Caressing the God King Mask in his arms, he smiled at Asakura Miyuki: "I'll be counting on your long-range support for the upcoming battle."
"Wait! Battle?"
The little ditz, whose head was in a jumble, finally realized something was wrong.
Wasn't the direction Fuli intended to go towards Principal Theresa? What was he going to do?
And Master's action just now... did she entrust the Vermilion Knight Sword to him?
What is he doing? Is he going to fight that terrifying slimy python and the even more terrifying Herrscher of Thunder?
That's a monster alliance that neither Master nor Principal Theresa combined could defeat! How could he possibly win alone?!
No! No way! I have to stop him!
"No! Please don't go! If Fuli isn't here, I...!"
The girl spread her arms and anxiously blocked the benefactor's path. The words she wanted to say piled up in her throat, but she was so frantic she couldn't get them out.
Asakura Miyuki could summon the courage to traverse the battlefield alone; she could hide in a corner and activate the Deva Path over and over, trying to overcome her psychological barriers to heal her fighting master.
She was afraid of death, but also not that afraid.
That glimmer of light she encountered when she fell into despair had lent her unparalleled courage.
If he were to die, then I—
The girl's legs went weak for a moment, and that nightmarish scene seemed to surface before her eyes once again:
It was a dark, sunless alley. A disheveled Asakura Miyuki sat slumped beside a trash can.
The sounds of shouting and violence ringing in her ears made the bullied girl tremble. Her night-sky hair was covered in dust and dull. The occasional roars and wails made her soft, beautiful legs, exposed to the air, shiver uncontrollably.
The Shenzhou boy who had rushed in shouting was incredibly good at fighting. In less than half a minute, two-thirds of the vermin bullying Asakura Miyuki were beaten to the ground.
The remaining group keenly realized his goal was to save her, so they unethically switched their attack target to the victim they originally intended to assault.
Reflecting the approaching knife in her lifeless eyes, Asakura Miyuki subconsciously covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.
Clang!
The expected pain did not come.
"How despicable. Can't beat me, so you play dirty tricks?"
Having caught up and knocked the knife-wielding thug flying, the boy standing in front of her rested a steel pipe he'd picked up on his shoulder. Without looking back, he asked, "Can this beautiful Senpai still move? If you can, how about we make a run for it? It's true that I, Ah-Li, have beaten all the kids in the southern village since childhood, but having a hostage makes things inconvenient."
His neck was bleeding; it seemed the blade had just grazed his collarbone.
Staring fixedly at the cheerful, sunny boy, strength suddenly surged into the body of the girl who had been bullied for so long at and outside of school, who had been dragged into the alley numb to the point of giving up resistance.
She bit her lip and used the trash can to stand up: "If I run, what... what about you?!"
Pat!
A hand gently pressed on her head.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."
The boy, carrying Mikazuki Munechika on his shoulder, winked his left eye at her and mischievously ruffled her long hair.
In this moment, the Fuli before her overlapped once again with the boy who had saved her one hundred and fifteen days ago.
And then?
What did I do back then?
"Mhm!"
Asakura Miyuki nodded heavily. Supporting the unconscious Himeko, she turned and ran towards the location where the Hyperion was docked in her memory.
I cannot be a burden to him.
...
At the same time, in another battlefield closer to Nagazora City—
A sudden earthquake caused the already unsteady Susannah to stumble.
Splack!
With a sound like smashing a watermelon, a Galactic Baseball Bat descending from the sky crushed the head of the Honkai Beast clawing in front of her.
The trainee Valkyrie, having narrowly escaped death, wanted to cry but had no tears: "Why can this thing still move with only a head left?! And White-Haired Miss, your gun looks a bit like the one I lost?"
Kiana, holding the Dragon Slayer MK2000 and charging a shot to pierce a Ballista-class Honkai Beast, put on a stern face: "Who told you animal-type Honkai Beasts are finished just because they lose their heads?"
"I'm sorry!"
After being forced to separate from her companions, Kiana had fought while retreating, unknowingly arriving at the edge of the battlefield. She formed a defensive line with a Valkyrie squad she happened to meet to snipe the massive number of Honkai Beasts swarming towards Nagazora City.
It wasn't that she didn't want to regroup with Fuli, but the magnetic storms mixed with Herrscher energy had jammed all reconnaissance methods like psionic scanning, sound waves, electromagnetic waves, and psychic energy. To find someone, she had to rely on visual confirmation, and in such a large area, she didn't know where to start.
Plus, with this unlucky kid Susannah temporarily acting as battlefield logistics, seeing the immense pressure on the Valkyrie line, Kiana had to stay and assist for the time being.
"The girl is right!"
The Valkyrie squad leader, retreating into the formation to catch her breath, emphasized. She wasn't just speaking to Susannah but reminding the surrounding squad members: "Remember what the instructor said in training class! The weakness of animal-type Honkai Beasts is their energy core, just like silicon-based Honkai Beasts. Never let your guard down just because of their appearance—"
Squelch!
A massive earthquake triggered by the aftershocks of Shesha's attack caused the ground beneath everyone to shift. The variant Honkai Beast [Time Fracture Ripper] used this to penetrate the exposed battle formation.
Relying on its innate ability to break free from time fractures, it decapitated the squad leader with a single strike. The headless body took two futile steps forward before collapsing, spraying blood into the air.
"Captain!!!"
The vice-captain responsible for heavy fire suppression looked as if her eyes would split with rage. The Berserker Heavy Cannon, assisted by armor AI, locked onto the enemy and fired repeatedly. Kiana also pulled the trigger, finally killing the Time Fracture Ripper before it could cause more damage.
At a moment like this, no one would complain like in class that 'The Time Fracture Ripper has a domineering name but defense as thin as paper.' The Valkyries couldn't even mourn their captain's sacrifice for a moment; they had to plug the gap the enemy had torn open with their lives.
And such battles were happening everywhere along the line.
The vice-captain, taking over command, suppressed the enemy with heavy fire while suppressing the grief in her heart to remind Kiana: "The Captain's armor is still relatively intact!"
"Understood!"
Kiana said no more and quickly changed into the now-ownerless 3rd Generation Valkyrie Armor, [White Comet].
The tight-fitting armor perfectly accentuated the girl's fae-like slender waist and long legs, as if it were designed for her from birth.
The vice-captain didn't look back: "Is it at 'A'?"
"It is!"
Actually, no. The physical defense was still a bit lacking.
To avoid dampening morale, and since Kiana prided herself on being a B-rank rule-breaker no worse than an A-rank, she didn't say it explicitly.
"Good!"
The vice-captain said, "Take the trainee to the Twilight Squad at eight o'clock! They need you more!"
"If I leave, what will you do here?!"
Kiana couldn't help asking. The place they were in was a huge gorge with high peaks on both sides—easy to defend, hard to attack.
Normally, Honkai Beasts wouldn't attack here with disregard for death; their mobility wasn't comparable to ancient armies, and climbing a mountain or taking a detour wouldn't take much effort.
It was the Valkyries who had lit synthetic incense that continuously attracted Honkai Beasts, drawing the monsters that should have detoured to slaughter Nagazora City to attack here suicidally.
But because of this, the tide of enemies was endless no matter how many they killed.
Once Kiana, this B-rank rule-breaker, withdrew, the annihilation of this position would be a matter of minutes.
"What will we do?"
Another squad member smiled ferociously, gesturing with her remaining arm to the Individual Heavy Radium Thermonuclear Grenade strapped to her back.
"I'm disfigured anyway, didn't want to live long."
The girl, who looked about Kiana's age, whispered.
By having squads alternately light the incense, attracting massive numbers of Honkai Beasts, and then detonating themselves—this was the only effective method available to the Valkyries, who were at an absolute disadvantage in quantity and quality.
Three squads had already tested it. Effective kill radius: 500 meters. Kick: strong. Effect: super effective.
Now, it was their turn.
"When we say effective radius 500 meters, that refers to direct killing of Honkai Beasts."
Another member said, "The normal shockwave range is fully 2.5 kilometers. Remember to run fast!"
Kiana nodded silently. Under the cover fire of the group, she tucked the tear-streaked Susannah under her arm and ran towards the gap.
Ten-odd seconds later, a majestic wave of heat struck from behind. The girl, though mentally prepared, still couldn't help but look back.
First, a dazzling fireball rose from the surface. After extinguishing, it formed a rising cloud of smoke.
The reflection of the shockwave near the epicenter and the negative suction effect caused a massive pillar of dust to rise from the ground. The rising dust pillar connected with the smoke cloud, finally forming a towering mushroom cloud.
Kiana clenched her fist, suddenly feeling a wave of powerlessness.
"I'm still... not strong enough..."
If Ah-Li were here, he would definitely—
A molten golden light flashed through her unreconciled rose-blue eyes.
Compared to the local great earthquake caused by Shesha's bombardment of the surface earlier, the vibration caused by the Individual Heavy Radium Thermonuclear Grenade was insignificant.
The tremors underfoot soon ceased. With mixed feelings, Kiana withdrew her gaze, tightened her grip on Susannah, and ran towards where the Twilight Squad was fighting.
"Truly magnificent... don't you think?"
A whisper sounded in her ear.
"You!"
Mistaking it for Susannah speaking, Kiana's eyebrows shot up like two steel knives. Regardless of the other party being a scapegoat, she wanted to teach her a harsh lesson.
She looked down, only to meet a face that was equally stunned, covered in snot and tears.
"WHO!!!"
The girl swung her bat toward the newcomer, only to be stunned by the person's appearance.
A nun with her eyes covered by pale white silk, revealing only the exquisitely beautiful face beneath the bridge of her nose.
She stood to Kiana's right with a pitying smile, dressed in a provocative white nun's habit. Her pristine legs, wrapped in purple-patterned stockings, were crossed in front of her—gorgeous and holy like a Goddess of Sunlight.
"My name is Increcin."
The lilac-haired nun performed a confession gesture with an elegance distinct from the savage battlefield. "I am the current incarnation of [Famine] of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and also the Senior Inspector sent by the Schicksal Supervisory Division to supervise Ms. Theresa."
While speaking softly, she stepped forward slowly. The massive entities under her nun's habit trembled violently with her steps.
Kiana couldn't help but suspect that the reason she represented 'Famine' was that at critical moments, she could use those to feed starving people.
—Wait, why am I thinking like this?!!
Realizing her mind was being interfered with, the girl shook her head and took a big step back, her gaze fixed on Increasing filling with wariness again.
"What an excellent child."
The nun stopped and smiled gently, "If it's you, you can certainly fulfill my request."
"Don't speak in riddles to this young lady!"
Kiana shouted angrily, assuming a fighting stance.
Increasing didn't mind her resistance. Instead, she used the hand not holding Susannah to offer a ball of red, cotton-like gas. "[Please] hand this to Ms. Theresa for me."
Kiana instinctively wanted to refuse; not taking candy from strangers was a principle even children knew.
But her body defied her brain's command and reached out to take it.
The girl was shocked: "A Word Spirit ability?!"
She was a Kaslana! A holder of absolute Honkai resistance!
For an ability acting directly on the body to work on her, the opponent had to be at least Critical-class!
"Miss K423, if possible, please pass on another message for me."
Increasing instructed gently, "Due to various reasons, the application for the use of Fourth Divine Key was ultimately not approved by the higher-ups... However, I believe that when it comes to Herrschers, this ball of 'Red Cotton' can play a far greater role than the Divine Key."
"As for this side."
She turned around, and together with Susannah who was controlled by the Word Spirit, stepped towards the ruins where the Valkyrie squad had just detonated the bomb. "Please rest assured, I will handle it."
As her voice fell, a strange power surged within Kiana.
She shot into the sky uncontrollably, flying rapidly like a sharp sword in the direction of Theresa.
...
From Theresa's perspective, traces of artificial structures were long gone.
This was intentional on her part.
Since the battle began, the barrier encasing the battlefield had been shifting under her control, gradually moving towards the sparsely populated mountainous regions.
Doing so naturally destroyed quite a few scenic spots and famous mountains, but compared to those inanimate objects, Theresa valued the safety of the living more.
However, as time passed, even deep in the uninhabited mountains, the destruction began to spread outward.
—Mount Gokugaku, a composite volcano located in the central part of the Far East, with its highest point, Sword Peak, at 3067 meters.
This peak was covered with snow all year round, its height and reverence second only to Mount Fuji, with a large number of pilgrims climbing it every year.
The Herrscher of Thunder detonated this volcano.
It might have been an unintentional error by Theresa; in the urgency of the situation, she had no leeway to consider the surroundings.
The roar turned into sound waves spreading in all directions. The violently erupting volcano spewed hundreds of millions of tons of volcanic ash. Carrying the wrath of the earth, they rushed into the sky but were blocked by the dense cumulus clouds, turning into a rain of meteors and fire falling from the sky alongside magma and other ejecta.
With the erupting active volcano as the boundary, the Herrscher of Thunder and Theresa stood on opposite sides of this doomsday scene.
One resided in the azure sky, the other rolled in the dirt.
"If... if Himeko were here, she would definitely roast me, saying 'Look at what you've protected!'"
Theresa gasped for breath, supporting herself with Judah. Her eyes reflected the pitch-black giant snake slithering towards her, her tone filled with sadness and resolve.
Shesha's return meant only one thing: her old friend, who had fought alongside her for four years, had burned her life for the final lesson.
Theresa revealed a ferocious smile: "But it looks like you got messed up pretty bad by her too, stinking reptile!"
Hiss—!
Suffering from damaged vocal organs, Shesha couldn't express the anger in Its heart through roaring.
Those scars left by the Vermilion Knight Sword on Its body were simply a humiliation!
On the way here, It had tried to shed the scars through a lower-level molting to appear clean and fresh before Its master.
But that Ever-Burning Flame was like maggots attached to bone. Unless It truly underwent [Molting Reincarnation] to live a new life, they were destined to follow Shesha until the end of time.
Now was a critical moment in the battle between Its master and that little pipsqueak. Shesha didn't want to, nor dared to, consume a massive amount of Honkai energy for Molting Reincarnation in vain, so It could only drag Its battered body to provide support.
The Herrscher of Thunder seemed indifferent. Reclining lazily on the Throne of Heaven, she glanced casually at the pitch-black giant python prostrating at her feet, crossing those long, slender legs beneath her starry dress.
A lightning bolt struck down from the sky.
Theresa immediately set up Judah to block, only to discover that the target of this lightning was her enemy, Shesha!
HISS!!!!!
The violently descending heavenly wrath turned into a trident, piercing through Shesha's body. The loyal Companion Honkai Beast endured the severe pain from Its body, quietly awaiting the impending death.
"You!"
Theresa frowned incessantly. Even for an enemy, the Herrscher of Thunder's brutality far exceeded her imagination.
But soon, the girl noticed that the abdomen of the charred corpse suddenly expanded and contracted.
After repeating several times, the subtle sound of breaking an eggshell from the inside echoed amidst the smoke. A massive creature, identical to the previous Shesha, soon crawled out from the abdomen of the remains.
Likely considering the inconvenience of a huge body, compared to Its previous size, the molted Shesha not only changed color to a crimson closer to volcanic lava and Ever-Burning Flame, but Its volume was also obviously several sizes smaller.
Currently, It was only about a hundred meters long.
Furthermore, the originally smooth top of Its head now had ferocious antlers revealing themselves, and a pair of exquisite, small five-clawed forelimbs had grown out of nowhere on Its chest.
"Silkworm sheds, Dragon changes! Ascending to Immortality!"
Theresa spoke these words recorded in ancient Shenzhou texts one by one.
Snake or dragon, disregarding rarity and innate strength, essentially weren't that different.
Among dragons, there were those who served as mounts or ended up on the menu of gods and buddhas as dragon liver and phoenix marrow. Among snakes, there were great terrors like the Tengshe, Jiuying, and Hydra that even immortals and saints had to avoid.
It was the 21st century; only pet owners cared about bloodline purity.
But in occultism, once a snake begins to molt towards the direction of a dragon, it proves the opponent is about to undergo a leap in life hierarchy.
"I'm truly being looked down upon!!!"
Theresa, already burning with rage over Himeko's death, laughed out of sheer anger. She was an S-rank; she could understand Shesha's reincarnation mechanism at a glance.
This act undoubtedly required consuming an extremely massive amount of Honkai energy. Moreover, It went a step further in this molting, reborn from fire to evolve resistance against the Ever-Burning Flame.
That was a vast amount of Honkai energy equivalent to the total reserves of an S-rank, and this energy was undoubtedly provided by the Herrscher of Thunder.
Right in front of her, Theresa Apocalypse's face!
Regrettably, after the extreme anger, the girl had to dejectedly face reality:
The Complete Herrscher of Thunder, possessing the perverse ability to [link to Imaginary Space and extract massive Honkai energy from it at all times], truly had the qualifications to trample her dignity into the dirt.
After the Second Eruption ended at the millennium, Schicksal's Fourth Division, which obtained the Herrscher of the Void's core, conducted experiments.
The base recovery rate of a single Herrscher is obtaining Honkai energy equivalent to the total reserves of a Critical-class entity every second.
In other words, unless attacks that cannot be recovered from—like the Vermilion Knight Sword or the Selene—constantly reduce their maximum scale, or massive Honkai Fission Bombs/Super Silver Bullets/Might of An-Utu are concentrated for a precise bombardment in one breath... as long as the opponent is left with a sliver of opportunity, at least in terms of energy reserves, they can recover to their peak in a few breaths.
During the Second Eruption, Cecilia fought back and forth single-handedly against such a monster?
Theresa thought with some despair: What was I doing at that time?
I was... I was...
Elysion... Pedion...?
A crimson divine shadow flashed past the corner of the girl's eye.
Her surging thoughts were interrupted, and she instinctively raised Judah to block.
BOOM!!!
Though it was a clash between cold weapons, the sparks created were far more intense than the roar of a thousand artillery shells.
Theresa, barely blocking the blow but still knocked flying, gritted her teeth and walked out of the scalding lava lake. On the face of the crimson dragon-snake that had returned to the Herrscher of Thunder's feet, she saw a human-like mockery.
"After the servant returns, do you not intend to attack anymore?! Herrscher of Thunder!"
The girl ignored the mockery. She raised her soot-covered small face to stare intently at the Herrscher of Thunder, receiving from the other party—
No, receiving nothing.
Throughout the battle, this supreme existence had never uttered a single sound.
She was like a statue of a god, standing there quietly—not looking, not listening, not smelling.
Whether it was ordering Shesha to lure away the threatening Murata Himeko or spreading celestial phenomena to cut off Honkai Island from the outside world, everything showed that the Herrscher of Thunder was by no means as rigid and stiff as she appeared.
Possessing extremely high intelligence, yet disdaining communication with humans.
Even if the opponent was a fellow S-rank Divine Key wielder.
Such a being, after her Companion Honkai Beast returned, would naturally not take action against a human child she despised from the bottom of her heart.
Leave what servants can do to servants; this is the demeanor a king should have.
Shesha knew this very well and felt deeply honored by it.
The remains It had shed earlier swelled and transformed, eventually turning into red dragon-snakes one after another.
The husk of a Judgment-class was excellent breeding material. An overwhelming tide surged forward, reproducing the scene of the assault on New York City from the movie Dragon Wars right before Theresa's eyes.
She gritted her teeth to prop herself up to intercept, but her legs lost strength at that moment.
It was poison.
Snake venom.
Running on empty, Theresa could no longer block the neurotoxin filling the air. Her overdrawn body ignored the resistance commands sent repeatedly by her brain, forcing her to kneel on one knee.
Is this the end?
Her pupils gradually dilated, and her consciousness began to blur.
Using her last bit of strength, Theresa, lying on the ground, murmured: "I'm sorry, Judah..."
The black-gold cross that had accompanied her growth trembled violently, but still followed its master's final will and ejected a spear.
This time, the target was Theresa herself.
An S-rank corpse and Vishnu's genes were excellent transformation materials and nutrients for Honkai Beasts.
No matter what, she couldn't let the enemy have them.
Sensing Theresa's intent, the surge of the red dragon-snake tide abruptly accelerated.
Smelling the scent of Vishnu, a Dharma-Ending class Honkai Beast, they obviously didn't want to give up this piece of delicious meat possessing infinite evolutionary possibilities.
Faster than them was Judah. Knowing that continuing like this would only lead to its master's defilement, the Divine Key's AI moved the chains, suppressing its grief, and stabbed forcefully down at the girl close at hand!
But this time, there was someone faster than the adjacent Judah.
Clang!
"Repeating the rescue trope will make the esteemed audience feel fatigued, not to mention saving a forty-year-old legal loli who is mentally mature and won't pledge her life to marry me just because of one hero-saving-beauty act—hey, don't crush me, you're heavy!"
The voice grabbing the chain was mixed with the mumbling of the person involved. Realizing its master was saved, Judah was ecstatic and pressed over for a hug, only to be pushed away.
Fuli turned and scooped the incapacitated Theresa into his arms, placing the Spirit Gathering Ring, which stored a massive amount of Honkai energy, onto the only intact slender middle finger of her left hand.
Her right hand was clenched into a fist too tight for him to pry open.
Before he arrived, lights flickered and contracted on the horizon. Sub-light heavy laser cannons fired by Cocolia's fleet rained down, giving the dragon-snakes that were just a hair's breadth away a heartwarming plasma bath with 'mere' firepower capable of piercing hundred-meter-class Honkai Beasts.
The instantly created fault line left the two standing on a raised platform. Even the splashed mud was burned away by the high temperature and heat, saving Fuli the trouble of mimicking the Shadow-Trailing Sword for defense.
Checking Theresa's condition, he nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad. Being alive is a victory."
"Y-Y-You! Was your head kicked by Kiana?!"
The Principal, staggering to her feet, said something laughable the moment she opened her mouth.
After the Honkai energy in the Spirit Gathering Ring replenished her body, the time was enough for the Vishnu cells in her body to generate resistance to the neurotoxin and regenerate her body a bit.
However, Fuli still held her in his arms and checked her thoroughly. This behavior made it hard not to wonder if this person had improper intentions towards the (seemingly) younger girl.
Well, what Shenzhou person doesn't delight in white hair and a youthful face?
"I know you think it's stupid for me to come back and fight the Herrscher of Thunder."
Fuli said solemnly: "When you think I'm stupid, please don't forget that in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4, Yoshikage Kira used Killer Queen to punch Star Platinum."
"Ah, put that way, your behavior is understandable—like hell it is!!! Why don't you say Mebius tried to tank a Leo Kick!"
The white-haired girl, adjusting her tattered nun's habit, shouted her retort. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a white meteor streaking across the sky.
Thinking it was a secret weapon of Anti-Entropy falling in their direction along with the continuous artillery output of the aerial battleships, Theresa didn't pay attention at first.
Then she saw the object rushing violently towards the top of their heads.
She hurriedly warned: "Behind! Behind!"
"What?"
Fuli, holding the three-meter-long Shadow-Trailing Sword, turned to perform an Eight-Blade Flash, only to see a face he had parted with not long ago.
"Kiana! When did you arrive!"
He hurriedly dissipated the weapon in his hand, but he couldn't immediately retract the forward swinging motion.
"AAAAAHHHH Ah-Li catch me!!!"
Kiana, blubbering and spraying tears, fell from the sky. Her head collided with Fuli's with a BANG, and they rolled on the ground.
Theresa covered her eyes with an Eep!
The scene was too cruel; she was just a baby and couldn't bear to watch.
But after waiting a while, realizing that apart from the explosion sounds of solar rays/orbital beam cannons/dispersal energy cannons from the Anti-Entropy shipborne firepower landing in fancy ways and the wails of Honkai Beasts in droves, there was unexpectedly no noise from the boy and girl.
She opened her eyes curiously, only to see Fuli and Kiana standing on the left and right sides of the platform respectively.
The boy, who had unexpectedly lost his first kiss, covered his accidentally assaulted mouth and coughed hard: "What happened?"
Damn it, luckily I activated Demon Sword Shiranui, otherwise, my mouthful of white teeth would have been shattered by this clumsy ghost!
But the taste... Cough! Pretend nothing happened!
The girl, still savoring the wonderful sensation of lips and teeth touching just now, ignored the loss of her first kiss and hurriedly took out the ball of red, cotton-like gas from her bosom and handed it over: "This! A Four Horseman of the Apocalypse calling herself Increasing asked me to give this to Auntie!"
Fuli lowered the hand rubbing his mouth: "If it's for her, why give it to me?"
"Oh."
The white-haired Tuna, realizing her mistake, retracted the hand in front of him and handed it to the little white-haired one watching nearby.
"Increasing? Didn't I tell her to apply for the Divine Key?"
Theresa frowned as she took the red cotton-like gas. Following the Unknown Artifact Deployment Manual published by the Schicksal Subordinate Equipment R&D Department, she poked and tapped on it, immediately bringing up a semi-transparent screen for function introduction:
[Bobo's Cotton]: A-rank consumable. Shaped like a ball of red cotton. Degrades into the air after use.
It can cause the civilization in the surrounding area to regress to the Middle Ages for several hours. Mechanical items that did not exist at that time (such as firearms, machines, warships, and other mechanical creations, excluding cold weapons like swords) will not function at all.
If a large amount of Honkai energy is additionally injected into this ball of red cotton during use, the range of influence and duration will be dramatically increased. In terms of the threat it poses to modern society, this item truly contains amazing potential.
[Note 1: Usage rights must be unlocked by Theresa Apocalypse herself; specific users are designated by her.]
[Note 2: Final interpretation rights belong to Schicksal.]
[Note 3: Doo doo doo, doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo~]
[Note 4: You seem a bit too urbanized.]
"Good treasure!"
Theresa slapped her thigh and shouted.
"Hiss—!"
Kiana, who was slapped on the back by her, sucked in a breath of cold air, grimacing as she shuffled closer to Fuli.
Thinking to herself: Isn't Auntie's surname Apocalypse? How is this monstrous strength even more excessive than mine, a genuine Kaslana?
Just as Cocolia chose to trigger the Third Eruption in a technologically advanced international metropolis like Nagazora City, civilization and Honkai accompany each other—this is common knowledge told to everyone entering the Honkai side.
Herrschers are envoys of the Honkai, so naturally, they inherit this characteristic.
As long as this strange consumable—named by god-knows-what genius—takes effect, the massive regression of surrounding civilization will definitely cause a significant impact on the Herrscher of Thunder!
Even if it doesn't drop her grade, her intensity will definitely fall by a level!
"That fellow Increasing... for the sake of this thing, this Principal forgives her for reporting me for embezzling public funds to buy Homu body pillows a while ago."
Theresa nodded with satisfaction. Looking up and finding Fuli still watching her, she involuntarily stuffed the cotton into his hand: "I know you guys worked hard to get here. Now take it and activate it outside!"
Bobo's Cotton couldn't be used nearby; otherwise, who knew if it would affect the Anti-Entropy ships returning to join the battle.
Hyperion and the Valkyries didn't matter. Since Increasing had already joined the peripheral battle, she who brought the cotton would certainly take precautionary measures.
Having said that, Theresa supported herself with Judah, preparing to engage in battle with the Herrscher of Thunder again.
Fuli didn't move.
The girl frowned, standing on tiptoes to urge him: "Hurry up! Every second counts right now!"
"That's exactly why you should be the one to leave."
Fuli said, "Go destroy the twelve Honkai nodes that previously supplied energy to the Herrscher of Thunder and are now still washing against the outer wall of the birdcage."
"Huh?"
The boy's rebellious behavior of ordering her around felt absurd to the always strong-willed Theresa.
She wanted to say something more, but Fuli extended his hands lightning-fast and lifted her high up.
"You! Let me go!"
The Principal tried to struggle.
Couldn't break free.
Cute.
"Look, you can't even react to a surprise attack from me, a B-rank rule-breaker. How long can a 'you' like this stop the Herrscher of Thunder?"
Having confirmed through the full-body check earlier that she was already on her last legs, Fuli said: "Rather than staying here, it's better to go outside and destroy those nodes impacting the barrier. That way, at least your burden of constraining the Third Eruption will be lighter."
Even facing her final moments, Theresa stubbornly refused to release the barrier constraining the expansion of the Great Eruption.
Perhaps some people would think she was very, very stupid, but Fuli really, truly admired such a fool.
"You guys have already done very well. Leave the rest to me."
Fuli put the girl down, the light of the Ever-Burning Flame rising around him.
"Deal with the nodes first after you get out. Wait for my signal to activate the cotton."
He whispered mysteriously into the girl's ear, then roared: "Hurry up! Every second counts right now!"
"Damn it! Using this Principal's words to shut me up, huh!"
Theresa naturally couldn't believe this young-but-acting-old boy could handle the Herrscher problem based on just that little bit, but she believed in Himeko.
Wiping her eyes fiercely, which reflected the blurry firelight, the little one—who learned the good news of her old friend's survival through the Ever-Burning Flame—forced down the corners of her mouth that were curling up. Without another word, she turned around, stepped on the jubilant Judah which transformed into a hoverboard, and flew away.
The first round of intensive artillery fire from the aerial battleships also ceased at this time. In the gaps of sporadic lasers, the trio of the Invincible Squad finally had a chance to reunite on the devastated earth.
"ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR!!!"
Shesha, having developed vocal organs, hissed constantly at the two. Its dragon-snake body, more lean and ferocious after molting, stayed in place without advancing an inch.
To It, both the persona and the divinity within the Herrscher of Thunder were masters.
The persona side was screaming not to let It harm her companions. As long as the Fu-Kiana duo didn't actively attack the Herrscher of Thunder, It dared not make the first move no matter what.
"As expected, Mei is still resisting."
Noticing this, the boy smiled. "Since she's still resisting, she should be able to hear what's said outside."
"Speaking of which, Princess, before the battle starts, I have one thing to confess to you."
Fuli paused deliberately here. He raised his hand and placed it on his fair face.
"Those stories I told before, including the ones you secretly listened to back at Chiba Academy... basically, they were all made up by me, a struggling little author."
The Herrscher of Thunder rarely stopped breathing. Sitting on the throne, she stood up abruptly, her eyes wide open.
Those crystalline eyes, clear as gems, stared intently at the handsome boy on whose face the God King Mask was gradually forming.
"But only the last story, the one that came to an abrupt end—"
[What about the protagonist? What happened after she was trapped in her body?]
Rows of unstoppable missiles rose from the Anti-Entropy fleet launching for the second time. The cloudy sky was instantly lit up by rockets, and even the swimming pale lightning seemed dyed the color of flames.
[Then, then a hero clad in silver-white armor and riding a tall horse made a dashing entrance. He waved the spear and sword in his hand, smashing all the villains in one breath, and walked towards a bright future full of happiness while holding the protagonist, whose face was filled with emotion and attachment.]
"Only that story which came to an abrupt end—I didn't make that up."
—Along with the oath of a mere mortal declaring war on a god.
...