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Xia Chen noticed for the first time how urgent Durandal seemed; his impression of this powerful Valkyrie had always been one of remarkable composure.
He wasn't sure what had happened, but he could guess that it must involve Kiana's actions on the moon, which Durandal had discovered.
Logically, keeping Durandal on Earth would be advisable at this moment. However, he sensed the intense determination in the young woman standing before him.
"Ow, ow, ow! Hey, even if you need me for something, no need to grip so tightly."
Durandal released Xia Chen's wrist, revealing red marks where her fingers had tightened around it.
Fortunately, his resilience spared him from serious harm; otherwise, this hand might have been unusable for most people.
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize, just remember to treat me to dinner when we return." Rubbing his wrist, Xia Chen paused and then said, "Hold on tight now."
"Okay," Durandal nodded.
Xia Chen firmly grasped her hand, while using Sirin's power with his other, initiating a long-distance teleportation.
As they traversed through space together, it was honestly a rare experience for Durandal. Before she could react, she felt Xia Chen wrap his arm around her waist.
"Apologies in advance."
A gust of wind propelled them both swiftly into the sky.
With decreasing temperature and thinning oxygen levels, their Valkyrie Armors automatically activated environmental adaptation systems.
Strictly speaking, Xia Chen and Durandal had reached a point where they no longer needed conventional respiration for combat. The energy produced by oxidative processes simply couldn't meet their immense demands.
Thus, even under the low-oxygen conditions of the moon, they could remain active for extended periods.
Harnessing the power of wind, they effortlessly ascended from Earth. However, during the vast vacuum between Earth and the moon, there was no fluid medium to propel them further.
At this point, the armor's propulsion systems came into play.
Undoubtedly, overcoming Earth's gravity is the most challenging part of reaching the moon, requiring immense thrust. Without any fluid assistance, the armor serves as their primary boosters.
This demands exceptionally high physical endurance from both individuals.
Fortunately, Xia Chen and Durandal could withstand the forces involved.
Durandal instinctively tried to breathe but realized that conditions for respiration were absent. The interior of her armor lacked oxygen, leaving her with only the option to hold her breath.
For an average person, holding one's breath for five minutes would be remarkable. However, thanks to Honkai Energy, most Valkyries possess the ability to sustain breathlessness for up to one or two hours.
Durandal's capability was even more astounding, having ventured beyond our world where breathing wasn't necessary at all.
"We're getting closer to the moon."
As she gazed upon the massive gray sphere, excitement surged within her heart: "I hope we make it in time."
"The Keys to the world have been gathered; the divine ruins are about to open."
After recording this message, the stigma terminal's AI, Ella, alerted Einstein that Finality was upon them.
The Moonlight Throne lacked cameras, as high concentrations of Honkai energy rendered sophisticated filming equipment ineffective. Instead, it relied on detecting fluctuations in Honkai energy wavelengths to generate real-time maps and observe the approach of Finality.
However, what unfolded next caught everyone off guard.
On the moon, countless surges of Honkai energy coursed wildly through Kiana's body.
The accumulated Honkai energy left by the previous civilization era on the moon was sufficient to summon the Herrscher of Finality—a manifestation of Finality itself, seeking collaboration with humanity.
This unprecedented partnership spanning fifty millennia was finally reaching its conclusion.
Kiana's eyes shimmered with golden hues as myriad desires began swirling within her mind. Memories unfolded like a whirlwind, etching themselves deep within her consciousness—from her creation, her nomadic life with Siegfried, killing Ragna, arriving at Nagazora City...
These desires seemed intent on tempting her.
"You can change everything."
"You possess all the power in this world; use it to reshape it as you desire."
"Or tear down everything once more and start anew."
These voices urged her incessantly: "You have the strength to reboot the age—try again."
"I won't do that," Kiana managed to resist, feeling like her mind was about to explode.
With the power of Finality came the inevitable mental corruption she had to endure. Or perhaps, precisely due to this corruption, Finality bore the fate of an unending cycle, unable to escape its destiny.
"But... I can't find it."
Struggling against the torment of mental pollution, she sought the ultimate solution to Honkai. However, it remained elusive.
This suggested a possibility: Einstein's hypothesis might be incorrect, and Finality may not hold the key to resolving Honkai after all.
A surge of intense defiance welled up within Kiana.
"We've come so far..." She gritted her teeth. "How could we possibly go through this again!"
She channeled the immense power within her, aiming to devour every trace of Honkai energy here, akin to a whale gulping water.
Just then, a faint figure appeared before her.
"Let me assist you."
Kiana's eyes widened with shock.
"Mei?!"
"We're almost there."
At this moment, Xia Chen and Durandal were on the moon.
Unable to communicate verbally, Xia Chen used sign language to signal Durandal to follow him.
The moon is vast, making the search for Kiana akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Fortunately, during his previous simulation run, Xia Chen had learned the location of the Lunar Ruins' center.
He continued holding Durandal's hand, utilizing Sirin's Authority to teleport repeatedly.
With each use of the Authority, Xia Chen's face grew increasingly pale.
Nonetheless, they arrived just in time.
In the heart of the Lunar Ruins, countless streams of Honkai Energy surged into Kiana's body, emanating an indescribable 'aura'.
Instinctively, Xia Chen approached Kiana, feeling his Herrscher Core pulsate wildly within him.
It seemed as if the Herrscher Core possessed its own consciousness, stirring a sudden urge in him to attack Kiana.
Finality was born to eliminate Honkai, and once Honkai is eradicated, all Herrschers cease to exist.
Xia Chen knew that after Einstein decoupled human civilization from Honkai through conceptualization, the so-called Herrschers lost their grasp on Authorities.
Now, with Finality's arrival and Honkai vanishing, Herrschers would cease to exist entirely.
Xia Chen suppressed his urge to attack Kiana and immediately signed to Durandal, "Contact Headquarters."
"The plan has been accelerated."