"Give up the struggle. I told you, you're no match for me."
While Kiana was searching for Ren, a battle unknown to the world was silently unfolding in a corner of Imaginary Space.
Ren hovered in the void, his expression cold as he watched the figure constantly shifting its form in the distance. His opponent, Durandal, however, was in dire straits.
"Monstrously strong," she muttered. With another high-speed maneuver, nearly a 90-degree turn, Durandal successfully evaded the pursuing golden threads. But before she could even take a breath, more threads swarmed in from all directions, sealing off all her escape routes.
At this moment, she was like prey caught in a spider's web, able to do nothing but watch as Ren slowly closed in.
Perhaps even Otto hadn't anticipated that Ren, after awakening as a Herrscher, would be this powerful.
In Otto's original plan, he intended to use news about Kiana to lure Ren out. Then, he would weaken Ren's combat strength with HSN agent and numerous Valkyries, and finally drag him into Imaginary Space using the Gnus System, forcing him to negotiate.
But unexpectedly, he didn't lure out the Herrscher of Dominance. Instead, he drew out a Herrscher of Dominion. Not only did he lose the Void Archives, but even Durandal's fate seemed grim.
Just as Durandal felt cornered, a large cluster of ruined buildings suddenly appeared ahead. The architectural style was ancient and unfamiliar, the structures themselves massive.
"Perhaps I can create some distance here." She quickly made a decision. The thrusters of her Argent Knight: Artemis battlesuit ejected a massive stream of high-energy particles, propelling her into the ruins.
Fortunately, her guess was correct. Faced with such dense obstacles, the golden threads following her visibly diminished. Though many still clung persistently, the pressure was significantly reduced.
Gaining a moment's respite, she finally had time to regulate her breathing and glance at the pocket watch in her hand. The watch was dull, its casing bearing marks of damage; clearly, it hadn't recovered yet.
This pocket watch was Otto's secret weapon against Ren: the Gnus System.
It was a device capable of traversing Imaginary Space and the Sea of Quanta, forcefully sending the user to deeper dimensions, much like a diving bell.
It had to be said, Otto was indeed a genius. Relying solely on experimental data obtained from Ren's previous cooperation in the Second Divine Key experiment, he had managed to create a device capable of crossing world dimensions. If Ren were just an ordinary Herrscher, he might have truly fallen for Otto's scheme.
Although Herrschers were favored by the Imaginary, apart from the Herrscher of the Void, other Herrschers didn't possess significant spatial traversal abilities. Once debuffed by the HSN agent and locked onto by the Gnus System, then sent directly into the Sea of Quanta, it was unlikely any Herrscher could return intact. After all, the Sea of Quanta possessed a natural annihilating effect on Imaginary energy, making it perfectly suited for weakening Herrschers.
But unfortunately, Otto misjudged Ren's identity and underestimated his strength. The moment Ren appeared, he directly crushed the supposedly indestructible Void Archives. This forced Durandal to activate the Gnus System prematurely, dragging both Ren and herself into this void.
Looking at the current state of the Gnus System, however, forgetting about sending Ren to the Sea of Quanta, whether it could even be activated again was uncertain.
Durandal now had only two choices: either continue to stall for time, hoping Otto's rescue would arrive, or fight to the death, trying to find a flaw in Ren's defenses while she still had some stamina.
As she ventured deeper into the ruins, the pursuing threads thinned further. This led her to a hypothesis: did her opponent rely on threads as his primary attack because his close-combat capabilities weren't strong?
"Should I try it?"
The moment she asked herself, the answer was already clear. Durandal was not one to hesitate. She immediately reduced the output of her Argent Knight armor, switching to silent mode to evade Ren's perception. Using the cover of the building remnants, perhaps she could launch an unexpected surprise attack.
"Now!" Through a gap in a pillar, she instantly caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure.
In an instant, the overloaded Argent Knight armor emitted a sharp roar. Durandal, wielding the Abyss Flower, shot upwards like a reverse meteor, charging straight at the figure.
"Success!" The distinct sensation of her lance tip striking flesh transmitted through her hand, bringing a flicker of joy. But when she looked at the body before her, she realized it wasn't Ren at all, but merely a puppet.
The moment she recognized the puppet, a chill shot straight from her tailbone to her brain. Before she could react, a golden light bloomed behind her.
"KING!! QUEEN!!"
In the nick of time, the Argent Knight armor's phantoms materialized, blocking the fatal blow for her.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion roared. Durandal, who had just shot up like a reverse meteor, once again plummeted towards the earth like a falling star. Ancient bluestone, existing for an unknown number of years, shattered violently, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
"Cough, cough."
A moment later, the girl's pained coughs sounded again. If it were an ordinary person, such an impact would have reduced them to a bloody pulp. But Durandal was different; prolonged training had made her physique far superior to that of ordinary humans.
However, despite her exceptional willpower, this blow had nearly stripped her of all combat capability. Even with the Abyss Flower continuously healing her, mounting another resistance would be incredibly difficult.
"Is this all you've got? I thought you'd be more confident."
Footsteps slowly approached from the distance. Durandal's pupils contracted as she saw a pair of golden eyes, like burning flames, light up amidst the swirling dust.
As the dust settled, the figure of the eye's owner gradually became clear.
"Ren," Durandal uttered his name heavily, her expression pained and grave. Months ago, they had shared many common topics; now, only confrontation remained.
"What? Preparing to surrender?"
"You didn't have to go this far."
The gentle boy from her memories had transformed completely – cold, brutal, his entire being exuding the aura of a Herrscher. Durandal stared at him, her voice filled with complex emotions.
"Heh." Ren's response was a light chuckle. "But isn't this what you all hoped for? You know why Otto sent you here, don't you?"
"..."
"Speaking of which, Durandal, I once asked you your reason for fighting. You said it was to protect those who cannot fight. But now, it seems you've lost the justice you once held."
"I have never abandoned my beliefs. But you are a Herrscher. Schicksal must confirm your safety."
"Is that so? Using the lives of innocent civilians as threats is also your so-called justice? You should be able to see that Jian Yun wasn't the Herrscher you were looking for, yet she almost died at Schicksal's hands."
Durandal fell silent. This was indeed a point she couldn't refute. She had hesitated when Otto ordered her to capture Ren. But Ren was a Herrscher; traps and tricks could all be justified under the banner of fighting the Honkai. Jian Yun was different; she shouldn't have been a sacrifice in the pursuit of Ren.
Otto, to force Ren out, had instructed the Void Archives to inject Jian Yun with Honkai agent. This had thoroughly violated Durandal's principles.
In a way, she had been betrayed by Otto.
She could, of course, use this to argue, shifting all blame to Otto. But she didn't. For Durandal, as the executor of the order, she bore responsibility for all consequences.
"This was my mistake. If I make it back alive, I will take full responsibility." Taking a deep breath, Durandal slowly raised her heavy lance.
This actually raised Ren's estimation of her somewhat. After all, his previous questioning was a form of the Herrscher of Dominance's conceptual manipulation; those with weak wills would easily fall into self-doubt and give up resistance.
"You seem to have a good grasp of your situation. But I'm curious, since you've clearly defined your own justice, why do you choose to serve Otto?"
"I am not loyal to the Overseer; I am loyal to my conscience. I am just a warrior; I cannot protect everyone. Only by relying on Schicksal can I hope to safeguard the common people."
"Even if you know his orders are wrong?"
"..." The girl fell silent again. Perhaps when dealing with Ren previously, she could still console herself with justifiable reasons. But the moment Otto targeted Jian Yun, she knew Otto was ultimately just a person with his own agenda, willing to use any means necessary.
Protecting the world was a Valkyrie's mission, not Otto's.
"The Overseer indeed has his own selfish motives, and many of his decisions are indeed beyond my control. However, most of his decisions do benefit the fight against the Honkai. If I must say, part of my reason for helping him is to repay his kindness for raising me."
"'Kindness for raising you'?" Ren's expression turned playful. "Growing up, haven't you ever wondered about your true identity?"
Durandal shook her head. "I lost my memory in an accident. The Overseer saved me and gave me a new identity. Although I occasionally wondered about my past, my days as a Valkyrie have been fulfilling."
"Otto told you all this? Aren't you afraid he's lying to you?"
"Not entirely. I've privately investigated my identity, but found nothing. Whether he's lying to me or not doesn't affect what I'm doing now."
When Durandal spoke of herself, her expression didn't change in the slightest, as if discussing a stranger. Ren knew she was still maintaining a combat stance, ready for his attack at any moment.
Looking at her azure eyes, almost identical to Kiana's, his expression became somewhat dazed. They shared the same name, yet possessed entirely different personalities.
"Bianka Ataegina. This is the name you chose for yourself. If you want to know, I can tell you your other name, your real name."
A strange light flickered in the girl's eyes. Though it quickly vanished, Ren knew her heart was far from calm.
"Kiana Kaslana. Daughter of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, Cecilia Schariac, and Siegfried Kaslana."
"Hm?" A hint of confusion appeared on Durandal's face. She didn't understand why Ren suddenly brought up Kiana's name.
"Seventeen years ago, the Herrscher of the Void awakened. Schicksal's then-chief Valkyrie, Cecilia, led the Snow Wolf squad to respond. After many sacrifices, they successfully stopped Sirin's rampage. But Otto, fearing the power of the Herrscher and Siegfried, chose to launch an indiscriminate Honkai energy fission bomb attack, directly causing her death."
"After Cecilia's death, Otto, to study the Herrscher of the Void's power, targeted her daughter, attempting to use Kiana's genes to create Herrscher clones. Seven years later, he cultivated an individual named K423."
"Siegfried, discovering the truth, chose to completely defect from Schicksal. With Theresa's help, he fled with his nine-year-old daughter and K423. However, during the evacuation, Kiana Kaslana was hit in the head by Schicksal's pursuing aircraft and fell from a height of over a thousand meters."
"When everyone thought she was dead, the incredibly lucky Kiana was found by Ragna and brought back to Schicksal for Otto's treatment. The treatment saved Kiana's life, but she lost all her memories, and her naturally white hair turned golden due to the treatment."
As Ren recounted the story, Durandal's expression changed continuously. When he mentioned the memory loss, a strong suspicion rapidly sprouted in her mind.
Ren paid no attention to her reaction, merely glancing at her golden hair before continuing, "The awakened Kiana lost her name and, under Otto's guidance, chose a new identity for herself – Bianka Ataegina."
"..." Durandal said nothing, but her ragged breathing betrayed her. She maintained a calm expression, but her heart was already in turmoil.
She looked up at Ren, trying to find a hint of triumphant mockery in his eyes, but Ren's expression remained as calm as ever, showing no sign of deceit.
Forcefully suppressing her shock, she continued in a calm tone, "You say this is my true identity. How can you prove it? I can't believe it just based on your words."
"Do I need to prove it to you?" Ren couldn't help but laugh, then his eyes instantly turned icy. "I don't care who the real Kiana is. I only care about the one I know. Whether you believe it or not is none of my concern. I just want to tell you, one Kiana is enough."
He slowly raised his hand, the golden veins of the Imaginary Tree continuously unfurling in his eyes.
"So, please disappear here."
The moment his words fell, boundless Honkai energy surged from Ren's hand. Durandal tried to resist, but against Ren, it was like throwing a pebble at a tidal wave.
"Ugh." With a muffled groan, the girl slowly fell. As her consciousness faded, she could feel herself being lifted, followed by an eternal fall.