"Hissss—"
Within the enigmatic and futuristic laboratory, Mobius leaned over Sin's bare body, covered with tubes and wires. Her breaths sounded like sniffing or hissing from a venomous snake.
Then, she raised her head, gently caressing Sin's delicate nose with a charming smile.
"The cells are regenerating; it is during this process that genetic transformation occurs. Embrace death, comprehend its essence—it's a rare and exquisite experience few can ever witness."
"Ahh! Honkai, what a fascinating concept! It leads life towards death, yet from death emerges boundless new life!"
"As you approach Honkai, you approach the Infinite!"
"To resist Honkai? Foolish! There's no need whatsoever. Clearly, it's the grand path leading to eternity. By adapting to and embracing it, we can ascend above countless beings—to the Throne of Gods!"
"Hahaha!!!" Mobius spread her arms wide, laughing uproariously at the imminent completion of her latest masterpiece.
"Crack!"
"#¥#¥%*&##!"
Suddenly, a muffled sound echoed as cracks appeared on the sturdy lab table. Simultaneously, incomprehensible gibberish spilled from Sin's mouth.
Suddenly, Sin's body began to tremble, and strange ripples appeared beneath her skin, as if countless insects were rapidly crawling underneath.
Mobius leaned closer, squinting.
"Hm?"
Just as she uttered a note of surprise, Sin opened her eyes—her heterochromatic irises flashing gold and red—and reached out lightning-fast toward Mobius.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Black tentacles extended from the underside of Mobius's flying device, immobilizing Sin completely on the platform by binding her limbs.
Mobius bent down, lifting Sin's chin with one hand to gaze upon her ferocious, beast-like expression.
"Oh no, my little lab rat, you're not being good~"
"Mister Klein, administer doses of Sequence 1, 5 through 12, 16, and 23." As Mobius spoke, drawing closer to Sin's face, she took a deep breath.
From Sin's pheromones, Mobius detected signs of both Undeadification and Honkai Beast transformation—but this wasn't an issue; it was precisely what the experiment aimed for.
"Yes, Doctor."
Klein promptly administered the prescribed medications.
Soon, Sin fell back into slumber.
Her chest ceased rising, her face drained of color, and her body temperature dropped to match the room—perhaps "sleep" isn't quite accurate; should we say death instead?
"Sip—"
At that moment, Zeke was enjoying tea.
The location had transformed into a tea room, with Fu Hua as the hostess and Bronya, who had just returned from the Garden of Eden, accompanying them.
As for Ellie, Senti, and others, being unable to sit still, they had ventured out to explore and seek entertainment.
On the projected screen above the table, footage of Sin's experiment played.
Bronya furrowed her brow.
"Zeke..."
"Trust her. To secure entry into higher realms, this challenge must inevitably be faced."
Zeke lowered his gaze, fiddling with his teacup, seemingly indifferent to the images on the projection.
Bronya remained concerned and slowly said, "Based on all the intelligence Bronya has gathered so far, Dr. Mobius poses a significant danger."
"I know," Zeke replied succinctly.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Bronya removed the video projection from the table, took one of Zeke's hands, and sighed, "Kiana is troublesome, and now Sin too. Not a single easy case among them."
"They wouldn't be themselves if they were trouble-free."
"You're right. Don't worry; we've got this covered—even if it means resorting to the Life Formula!"
"No need for that. She'll succeed." Zeke gently squeezed Bronya's small hand and smiled reassuringly at her.
From the start, Zeke never believed Dr. Mobius would refrain from causing chaos. If he hadn't been monitoring the situation closely, ready to intervene at any sudden change, he wouldn't have allowed Sin to enter that laboratory.
Bronya nodded softly, returning Zeke's smile with warmth, her lips curving upwards, lending a gentle contour to her face.
"Ahem! I'm still here, you know—could you two please consider the setting?" Fu Hua, holding a teapot, glanced at the pair holding hands, her gaze filled with helpless exasperation.
Bronya gave a confident thumbs-up, unfazed, and said calmly: "Fu Hua-sensei, don't mind us!"
"...Just remember, I might spank you."
"For that, I'd recommend Kiana instead. Her thick skin can take more punishment."
"Pfft! Is this an attempt to shift blame onto someone else? A tactic straight out of harem dramas?" Fu Hua chuckled and shook her head, casting teasing glances at both Bronya and then Zeke's calm demeanor.
To everyone's surprise, Bronya crossed her arms, responding earnestly as if it were obvious: "Of course not. Dealing with Kiana doesn't require such intricate schemes. With her thinking capacity akin to that of a paramecium, I have a thousand ways to handle her effortlessly."
"Alright, alright, fine—I believe you now. Let's continue enjoying our tea while it's still warm." Still smiling, Fu Hua refilled Zeke and Bronya's cups one after another.
The room was bright, warmed by the cozy glow of the fireplace nearby. The gentle aura emanating from Fu Hua infused the space with an exceptional sense of tranquility.
Everything felt remarkably peaceful.
At the same moment, within a world dominated by towering icebergs, a figure smashed through numerous colossal masses before slamming deep into the ground.
BOOM!
In the heart of a massive crater, flames roared, melting and evaporating the surrounding ice while turning the surface earth into parched sand.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
With her fiery blade trailing behind, Kiana emerged from the pit she had created, each step heavy. The blaze burned away the grime and blood on her body, but her back remained straight despite her labored breathing.
"You're bleeding, aren't you?" Kiana lifted her head, gazing across the vast distance at Kevin's charred hand rapidly regenerating. A triumphant smile spread across her face.
"Not bad progress, but still far from enough," Kevin remarked coldly, almost speaking to himself. With such immense separation between them, even his exceptional hearing couldn't pick up Kiana's words.
On Kiana's side, she exhaled deeply and raised Brightglory slowly.
This certainly wasn't the first time she'd made Kevin bleed. He was immensely powerful, but neither the Herrscher of the Void nor the current Flame Key were second-rate entities; Kiana herself possessed great strength as well.
However, this instance marked the first time Kiana had inflicted wounds upon Kevin right from the start of their encounter. From being completely overwhelmed throughout previous battles to now injuring him with just the initial exchange—this represented significant progress for her.
"Whew..." Kiana took a deep breath, raised her sword, and abruptly vanished from sight.
Kevin's expression grew serious as he scanned the surrounding space singularities for any sign of Kiana. A moment later, his head whipped around to gaze upward behind him.
"Hah!"
Kiana swung her blade downward, its fiery glow evaporating the icy layer atop the mountain peak beneath Kevin.
Unfazed, Kevin calmly reached out to intercept it.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Kevin's feet sank into the ground, dislodging rocks and debris, but he remained steadfast without taking a single step back.
In the next second, cold ice enveloped the blade held by Kevin's hand, countered by searing flames surging forth from within. Although they stood evenly matched, the heat could not entirely dispel the ice encasing the weapon.
During this brief stalemate, the corners of Kiana's lips curled up. She pointed her free hand at Kevin, fingers clenched tight.
"Break!" she commanded sharply, opening a black hole near Kevin's waist, with his body right at its center.
The black hole rapidly contracted, poised to slice through where Kevin stood.
Kevin's eyes narrowed. Grasping the sword firmly, he pulled Kiana down, ensnaring her within the range of the spatial rupture attack as well.
Evasion was not his style; his approach was either brute force or dragging his enemies in to see who had more endurance.
However, as Kiana was being pulled down, her eyes flashed with cunning. She released Brightglory from Kevin's grip, and unexpectedly, her body fell into another small black hole.
"Whoosh!"
The slicing black hole completed its contraction, but at lightning speed, Kevin crouched, narrowly avoiding dismemberment. Only a few strands of his silver hair drifted gently to the ground.
It may seem like many actions occurred, but in reality, mere half a second had passed since Kiana first appeared.
Kiana materialized some distance away, hands on her hips, wearing a smug smile.
Kevin straightened up, holding the blazing longsword with both hands. Ice spread across the blade, then he effortlessly snapped it in two.
"Crack!"
Brightglory shattered, losing all its heat instantly. With a dismissive flick, Kevin tossed the broken pieces aside.
"I wield Judgment of Shamash because I can freeze the Might of An-Utu at any moment. You, however, don't seem capable of that. Without your Divine Key, how much of your combat power remains?"
"You're absolutely right! Weapons are merely branches; humans are the trunk and roots. One cannot truly grow stronger without understanding this principle! But aren't you curious? How could the flames of a Divine Key disappear so easily?"
"Hm?" Kevin lowered his head, unable to sense the intense, boundless Honkai Energy within the fractured blade fragments. He furrowed his brow.
In Kiana's hand appeared a pink gemstone.
"I should've realized this sooner. Zeke had the power to create Divine Keys, yet he always opted to directly wield the gemstones, disregarding the strain on his body... If one can withstand the indirect power of a Divine Key, how could it compare to fully harnessing the gemstone itself!"
As Kiana gripped the Gem of Grief, crimson veins resembling molten lava instantly spread across her face.
Kevin's pupils contracted sharply.
"Are you insane? Directly controlling a Herrscher Core is a sure path to death."
"But Zeke has done it multiple times! Sirin once harnessed five, even six Herrscher abilities simultaneously. Theoretically, I possess similar capabilities. Let me experience the pain and power that Zeke once endured! This is my resolve!"
Kiana felt searing agony from every cell in her body, but she smiled defiantly, her eyes blazing with an extraordinary light.
"Fall before me, Kevin! I must continue moving forward!" With a raspy voice, Kiana addressed her ancient patriarch and charged ahead, melting everything in her path.
Watching this scene unfold, Kevin took a step forward, ice blossoming around him as he extended his reach.
"Your resolve is worthy," Kevin murmured, clashing his fist with Kiana's.
BOOM!
The clouds scattered as the shockwave shattered the mountain beneath their feet entirely. Red and blue, melting and freezing—two colors and phenomena extended outward in opposite directions until they disappeared from view.