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In the distance lay ruins; closer still, more rubble. The desolate city, devoid of human presence, was swept by winds carrying lethal doses of Honkai Energy.
"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"
In the sky, thousands of winged Honkai Beasts, roughly bird-sized, formed cohesive groups, emitting piercing cries as they engaged in fierce combat with swarms resembling black clouds. Numerous fragments of Honkai Beasts and worker bees continuously fell from the air.
Overall, both in numbers and operational capabilities, the swarm held an absolute advantage.
However, these winged Honkai Beasts were demonstrating a trend specifically targeting the bee swarm.
"Is this... evolution?"
Zeke stood atop the remnants of a crumbling building, watching silently as the group of Honkai Beasts gradually got swallowed by the black tide. He sighed imperceptibly.
The bee swarm had already achieved autonomous evolution, updating their operational programs almost daily. The frequency of structural upgrades evolved from once every half year to quarterly, and now, nearly every two weeks, they undergo complete renewal inside out.
Currently, the collective strength of the swarm is unparalleled.
Yet, estimating the pace of Honkai Beasts' evolution is impossible... It's highly likely that during the next Major Honkai Eruption, even more specialized Honkai Beasts against the swarm will emerge.
If both sides continue to evolve, ultimately, the decisive factor for victory might rely on the speed of adaptation.
"Boom!"
As Zeke pondered, on the other side not too far away, a comely maiden clad in black armor was effortlessly annihilating hordes of zombies.
The fierce gusts generated by her punches and kicks tore through countless shrieking undead soldiers.
However, what made this spectacle truly remarkable wasn't just her immense strength—it was the occasional appearance of black holes around Kiana during her movements. These voids either engulfed enemies whole or sliced them in half. The unpredictable nature of these eerie attacks, swift and unavoidable, sent chills down one's spine.
She was wielding the powers of the Herrscher of the Void.
Although her control was unrefined, limited in scale, and significantly less efficient than direct combat, it undeniably showcased spatial abilities.
Zeke observed from his vantage point as Kiana displayed her prowess, until the swarm completely devoured the aerial onslaught above and descended like a torrential black tide, drowning the vast Honkai Disaster below.
Expecting Kiana to cease her actions at this point, Zeke was surprised when she took advantage of the brief respite instead. Drawing a deep breath, she spread her arms wide, her eyes shimmering with brilliant gold.
"Cleave!" Kiana commanded.
A massive halo enveloped the area, spanning over ten kilometers in radius, hovering about a meter above ground.
Then, the glowing circle instantly contracted back into Kiana's body, cleanly slicing through everything within its path.
"Rumble!"
Apart from countless bisected Zombies and some affected worker bees, various ruined structures slowly toppled as well. Every cut displayed smooth edges, reminiscent of slashes made by legendary swords wielded by master swordsmen.
This was the power of space cutting—an ultimate blade that rendered all physical defenses irrelevant. Not even Ideal Fluid could withstand it; objects were annihilated due to the fracture of spacetime itself.
Zeke sighed and vanished from atop the crumbling building.
"...Too reckless..." His murmur lingered on the wind.
In the next instant, Zeke traversed several kilometers, appearing beside Kiana just in time to catch her limp, collapsing figure.
"Zeke..."
"You're trying to fly before you've learned to walk?"
With one arm around Kiana's shoulders, Zeke spoke sternly, then effortlessly lifted her feeble body in a princess carry.
Kiana wrapped her arms around Zeke's shoulders, her face pale and weak yet managing a faint smile.
"I had to take this step eventually; just need more practice... I didn't disappoint you, did I, Zeke?"
"Idiot, don't compare yourself to Welt and Wendy," Zeke shook his head.
Welt's core was tamed by the original Welt, refined over decades of adaptation, and his current body structure model was meticulously calculated by Zeke himself. These favorable factors combined contributed to his immense power.
As for Wendy, she completed the full Herrscher transformation process. Aside from retaining her human heart, every aspect of her, from her physical form to consciousness, is entirely that of a Herrscher, making it effortless for her to wield her abilities.
What does Kiana have?
Her laboratory-grown body inherently carries artificial defects and limitations, only somewhat mitigated by the Kaslana and Schariac bloodlines, but the underlying issues persist.
Moreover, Sirin, who truly possesses the Herrscher's power, inevitably resists fiercely whenever Kiana attempts to use these abilities, adding further strain.
At first glance, compared to her original self, Kiana appeared significantly stronger now. However, this level of strength held no significance before the power of a Herrscher. Thus, just like in the original timeline, Kiana was burning through her vitality and lifespan to harness these abilities.
Zeke looked down at the girl's pale face, yet he found her bright eyes filled with a radiant smile.
He frowned deeply.
"Don't push yourself recklessly; your health is more important than power... I'm already working on gathering materials for your MANTIS transformation. Wait until your body's deficiencies are addressed before attempting to control this force."
"Liar..."
Kiana leaned against Zeke's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and sighed helplessly.
Despite appearing foolish, she possessed high intelligence and extensive knowledge across various domains, including Honkai Energy and human experimentation research fields. While not claiming expertise, she certainly understood them well.
Kiana comprehended the complexity of creating a MANTIS fighter.
More importantly, she knew Zeke intimately.
For Zeke, there were only two types of technologies in this world: those he could instantly comprehend, replicate, and improve upon with a single glance; and those that were fundamentally impossible to achieve.
Perfectly safe MANTIS transformation for others fell squarely into the second category. Especially when dealing with someone like Kiana, whose body harbored the presence of a Herrscher, introducing excessive instability factors made assessing the risks virtually impossible.
Otherwise, Zeke would have already presented a Fusion plan long ago, without any delay.
Zeke couldn't risk using such high-risk technology on Kiana, so indeed, he had been deceiving her.
Holding Kiana, Zeke walked across the battle-scarred landscape and nonchalantly remarked, "I initially planned to take a break, but now I feel even more exhausted."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Regardless, you understand what I mean—don't push yourself too hard. Anything that puts you in danger is absolutely prohibited."
"Okay, I got it." Nodding within Zeke's embrace, Kiana then lifted her head and gently kissed him on the cheek.
Zeke didn't react much; he simply glanced down at her and sighed.
"You may understand that, but whether you follow it depends on the situation, right? If only you'd listen more often, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
"Heh-heh! Don't fret too much. Even for your sake, I won't let anything happen to myself... And if by some remote chance something does occur, well, you can always just revive me!" Kiana blinked, maintaining an optimistic demeanor as if everything was perfectly fine.
Indeed, Zeke had successfully developed resurrection technology. As long as not too much time passed after death and the soul hadn't been fully assimilated by the world's vast information network, revival was possible.
Yet, Zeke still frowned.
"...Don't even consider the possibility of resurrection. Death is death—it's painful, and you shouldn't have to experience it."
"Oh."
Kiana nodded again, her face conveying innocence and obedience, but even Zeke couldn't clearly discern what she truly felt beneath that facade. Perhaps, she genuinely wasn't afraid of dying.
Thus, Zeke felt compelled to add: "If you die, I'll ignore you for three years... No, make it three years without seeing each other, as punishment."
"Eh? That's way too harsh!"
"Does this scare you? So, you've actually contemplated sacrificing yourself when necessary?"
"...I have a premonition, albeit with little basis, but my intuition tells me the threat we face is immense and growing closer every day. Zeke, sometimes, for the sake of this world, we must make tough choices."
"I refuse to choose."
"Zeke! We're grown now; we can't be so stubborn and self-centered."
"It seems only you have grown up. I haven't changed; I've always been this headstrong."
Zeke's matter-of-fact attitude left Kiana astonished yet feeling delightfully warm.
Does this mean that to Zeke, she is more important than the entire world?
Oh gosh, how embarrassing!
"I-I want...want some milk tea."
Kiana buried her head against Zeke's chest, her face as red as ripe, sweet cherries, and stammered softly.
The abrupt change of topic was because Kiana didn't know how to handle this overwhelming surge of happiness. If she continued indulging in it, she feared—though even she wasn't sure what exactly—but regardless, she felt quite flustered!
Zeke glanced at her with amusement.
During their confession, she had been fearlessly bold, often shamelessly trying every trick to flirt with him. Yet now, when Zeke responded earnestly, she seemed utterly unable to handle it.
If not for the battlefield setting and the faint scent of blood in her breath, hinting at her unusual condition, she could easily pass off as a typical lovestruck teenager.
Zeke hoped this resemblance could become reality. To achieve that, he first needed to save this broken world.
"Let's warm up some milk; it'll be better for you."
"That sounds good..."
"Does your body hurt anywhere?"
"...It hurts so much, QAQ!"
"We should go back and tend to your injuries."
"No way! Let's walk around a bit more—it's rare for just the two of us to have time together like this. It'd be a waste to head back now!"
"Denied. Your health comes first."
"Aww..."