"I also got word from the Headmistress, Kiana is safe." The two exchanged a glance, reading the same joy in each other's eyes.
-------------------
The two of them were filled with joy.
Not to mention Durandal and the others heading to Schicksal to rescue Kiana, just the anomaly appearing at Coral Island before their eyes was enough to make their expressions change drastically.
One was a battle-hardened S-rank Valkyrie, the other a fully-formed Herrscher who had defected from the side of Honkai.
Both of them knew very well what it would mean if the Honkai energy rose further and Coral Island were to completely turn into a glacier.
The Herrscher inside Coral Island, had become stronger!
"Roar!" In the sky, the giant dragon spread its wings and let out a low growl of unease.
The relationship between Herrschers and Honkai beasts was a pure superior–subordinate one.
But Benares was different from other Judgment-class Honkai beasts.
Her relationship with the Herrscher of the Void was far more intimate.
After being defeated by Kevin, she was still able to get up as soon as felt that the Herrscher of the Void had been taken.
But Benares' abilities and physique destined her to be of no true use to Schicksal, and she might even become a burden.
As for clearing out the mech army outside… they had come to save people, not to demolish houses.
And since the Herrscher inside Coral Island had not yet been dealt with, to be safe, it was best to have the strength of three Herrscher-level beings guarding this place.
Thus, Benares, who had communication abilities, was targeted.
After Mei had some "friendly physical" exchanges with her… And sensing the strong aura of Kiana on Mei, Benares finally agreed.
On the condition that they rescue Kiana within the scheduled time. Otherwise, Benares would airstrike Schicksal.
"This is already the fifth time Benares has issued a dangerous warning. Even Benares is this wary of the danger within Coral Island. It seems this Herrscher battle is going to be a tough one."
Rita murmured softly.
She looked toward Coral Island, not able to understand one thing.
They were waiting for Kiana, Durandal and the others to return, but what was the Herrscher waiting for?
…
Meanwhile, inside Coral Island.
World Serpent officer Owl was slowly advancing along the ice-frozen streets.
Every step was a tremendous test on his body's mechanical parts.
"This wind… really couldn't have come at a worse time."
Right hand shielding his face, Chen Tianwu panted heavily.
White mist drifted with each breath; at this moment, Chen Tianwu's stamina had reached its limit.
The biting cold wind swept past, and as it howled through, it carried a suffocating pressure that pierced straight to the bone.
The specially reinforced ice shards, driven by the wind, had enough power to leave marks even on ancient giant stone.
Feeling along his body through his clothes, Chen Tianwu secretly thanked Jackal.
"Luckily I asked Jackal for an upgrade before coming. Otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to hold on."
This trip was certain death. Chen Tianwu knew this well.
Even if his upgraded parts could resist the freezing airflow, with his resistance to Honkai energy, there was no way he could have lasted until now.
What kept him going was the reagent he had wrung out of Jackal.
Even so, his body had reached its limit.
"Anna, I'm already tired of this."
Looking at the massive thorny ice clusters in the distance, Chen Tianwu moved the corners of his lips that could no longer form a smile, and once again stepped forward.
At this moment, on the outskirts of Coral Island, Raven, who was responsible for escorting Chen Tianwu to his destination, was watching the island's interior.
The huge thorny ice clusters were clearly visible even from far away. That chill, even from this distance, Raven could clearly feel it.
With her physique, even at such a range, she felt her blood had frozen stiff, her circulation nearly halted.
It was hard to imagine the torture Chen Tianwu was going through inside.
"Tsk, his brain must've frozen over, running into a place this cold." Rubbing her hands together, Raven couldn't help but complain.
This ghostly cold place reminded her of missions once carried out in the extreme north. But back then, the temperatures hadn't been this harsh, and with special equipment and gear, most of the time she hadn't really felt what cold was.
Now she knew, back then, those missions hadn't given her a taste of what cold truly meant.
Shaking her head lightly, Raven didn't bother thinking about what Chen Tianwu was doing inside.
Everyone had their own deeply buried secrets. Chen Tianwu's secret was clearly among them.
No matter how it ended for him, it had nothing to do with her.
At most, they were just colleagues, not to mention, this was the first time they were on the same mission.
"Hehe, boss really is the best, my salary just keeps going up."
Thinking of the island, Raven thought of Kevin.
And when she thought of Kevin, her whole face lit up with a smile.
Ever since Kevin returned to World Serpent, he had given employees like her, who worked hard, plenty of rewards.
Especially salary. As long as one worked hard, Kevin never cared about money.
As expected, Kevin really was the greatest!
…
Meanwhile, at Schicksal.
With a roaring boom as the airship engines ignited, the Hyperion lifted off into the sky.
Inside the command room, Theresa was sitting together with the others, speaking in a low voice.
"According to the intel passed back from Yuna and Rita, our preliminary judgment is that while we were away from Coral Island, the Honkai energy levels inside have been continuously rising. Not naturally, but from deliberate interference."
"Mei and Yuna as well," Kiana spoke.
As for the Herrscher of the Void within her body, she had no clue.
She hadn't even known what the Herrscher of the Void was in the first place, how could anyone expect her to contribute insights on that?
"No doubt, this is the doing of the Will of Honkai itself. We must hurry there and snuff out the danger in the cradle."
Theresa's expression grew solemn.
"But, " Kiana raised her hand, "hasn't that Herrscher already grown? Can it even be snuffed out in the cradle?"
"… Get out of my sight." A tic-tac popped up on Theresa's forehead, and she irritably told Kiana not to interfere with the discussion.
"And you too, Himeko." After finishing with Kiana, Theresa turned her aim toward Himeko, who was listening attentively.
"Eh, me?"
"Yes, you! Listen up, this battle, you are not allowed to set foot on the field. You're staying put on the Hyperion!"
Faced with such an unreasonable order, how could Major Himeko agree?
She immediately wanted to reject.
"All right, all right. Little Theresa only means well. Your current physical condition truly isn't suitable for fighting. At that time, you might end up becoming the focus of concentrated fire."
A soft, weak hand gently pressed down Himeko's restless body rendering her unable to move.
Kallen gently "persuaded" Himeko. This mission was one Kallen had personally requested.
She was supposed to be catching up at Schicksal on all the changes since her death. But when it came to this kind of matter, Kallen had her own unique opinion.
"The most important thing in this world is resisting Honkai. And the best way to learn to resist Honkai, is to fight it head-on!"
Yes, a very Kaslana-like theory.
…
In another lounge aboard the Hyperion.
The Express crew, minus the conductor and Dan Heng, had gathered once again.
Seeing the two behaving so unusually well-behaved, Himeko could only shake her head helplessly.
"You two… can't even be left alone for a moment without stirring up such a huge mess."
Rubbing her temples, Himeko let out a sigh.
She truly hadn't expected that just a moment's carelessness could let these two little troublemakers cause such chaos.
"Heh, youngsters having energy is a good thing. And they did give a reasonable explanation. A little fussing is normal, as long as no real damage was done, that's fine." Welt chuckled.
Taking the blame off their shoulders.
As the former leader of Anti-Entropy, whose heart was still youthful despite his years, Welt understood young people's minds better than anyone.
To be honest, if he had known of such an event and confirmed it was safe, even he would have wanted to join in.
Shaking her head, Himeko gave a helpless smile.
"Fine then. We'll go with Welt's take, since there wasn't any big trouble, then it's fine. But you two must be more careful in the future. Don't let yourselves be used as someone else's pawns without even realizing it."
"Yes, Sister Himeko!"
"Mission will be accomplished!"
Seeing they had successfully evaded judgment, March 7th and Stelle exchanged a glance and let out a sly giggle.
Watching the two laugh foolishly, Himeko smiled slightly, then turned her head toward Welt and spoke: "Welt, you understand your own world best. Why don't you explain to us the enemies we'll be facing next?"
The situation with the Herrscher on Coral Island was clearly abnormal. Most likely, such a powerful being was born under immense pressure. Against someone like that, vigilance was the greatest defense.
Nodding slightly, Welt organized his thoughts before speaking: "According to records, the Herrscher of Coral Island was first the Herrscher of Ice. Later, another Herrscher appeared, the Herrscher of Stars, whose power was to manipulate gravity. Eventually, the two fused into one, becoming the Herrscher of Rimestar."
Two Herrschers, one fusion. That record alone was enough to make anyone pale in shock.
"Sounds like the kind of opponent that's extremely difficult to deal with." Himeko nodded gently, her voice quiet.
Welt also nodded, his tone deep.
"According to the original timeline, they shouldn't even have appeared yet. Back then, the ones who faced them were Raiden Mei and Durandal, who had already grown strong. But now…"
"Now it looks like we're stronger." Stelle raised her hand and answered casually.
Her sudden interruption successfully broke Welt's train of thought.
After a brief mental storm, Welt was startled to realize,
Oh, that's true!
Their lineup now was indeed much stronger!
And if nothing else, they still had Stelle's hidden power.
Even if the Herrscher of Rimestar really appeared, it wouldn't be able to survive against such overwhelming strength.
"So it seems I really was just being overly cautious." Pushing up his glasses, Welt couldn't help but laugh.
He never expected he'd experience the day when his own reliance on experience would backfire.
But after laughing, he still felt a heaviness press down on him.
The children of today really lived far better.
Unlike back in his day, when fighting a Herrscher meant going in with the resolve to give up one's life.
…
Operations Room.
After intense discussion, the battle plan was more or less finalized.
Now, everyone's eyes turned to Kiana, who was sitting obediently.
"What?!" Secretly munching on the cookies Mei had prepared, she looked up to see a row of eyes fixed on her, and nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Kiana, has the Herrscher of the Void spoken with you? Has she influenced you at all?" Himeko asked with concern.
This was what they were most worried about. The image of Kiana's state when Kevin had taken her away was still fresh in their minds.
A Herrscher's power corrodes the body.
Unless, like Mei or Yuna, one wins against the Herrscher's consciousness in direct confrontation, it's nearly impossible for the human side to survive.
Wendy, still restrained even now, was stuck in that very state.
Strictly speaking, Wendy's case was different, she had been guided by Honkai to amplify her inner darkness endlessly. If she hadn't been disciplined immediately, Wendy might have already become nothing more than a pawn of Honkai.
"I'm fine, really." Kiana shook her head repeatedly, even standing up and gesturing a few times to prove she was perfectly fine.
"And the Herrscher of the Void? Has she tried to seize control of your body?" Fu Hua asked.
The Herrscher of the Void.
Recalling the earlier conversation she had with her inside her consciousness, Kiana shook her head.
"She hasn't tried to take over. But when I was asleep before, she did chat with me."
Hearing this, everyone let out a small breath of relief.
It was best when Herrschers communicated with their hosts.
Like Mei and the Herrscher of Thunder. Because of that communication, their relationship had become harmonious.
One could even say the Herrscher of Thunder was just another Mei, an extension of her subconscious, created to protect herself.
Now that Kiana was also able to converse with her Herrscher, didn't that mean the Herrscher of the Void might also be… approachable?
At the very least, she wouldn't harm Kiana.
"…But it's still risky. To prevent any accidents, Mei, I'll trouble you to stay with Kiana." Theresa nodded, then turned to Mei with the request.
Of everyone present, Mei had the most experience communicating with Herrscher personalities.
Leaving it to her was the best choice.
"Don't worry, Principal. I'll protect Kiana!" Mei answered solemnly, accepting the task.
Kiana's safety was non-negotiable. She had to protect her!
…
Meanwhile, on Coral Island.
Amid thorny ice thickets. Anna Shariac was dreaming. She dreamt of herself wandering aimlessly through a scorched wasteland.
Countless people wore numb expressions, blood dripping endlessly.
She saw the world in ruins. She saw countless instances of cold indifference to death.
"!!"
Her eyes snapped open in confusion. Anna looked around warily.
The grand hall made of ice radiated a chilling aura.
"This is…" Anna stepped forward cautiously.
In the mirror behind her, an identical "Anna" slowly emerged, lips curving slightly.
Click.
The sound of short heels striking ice rang out crisply, immediately alerting Anna.
She turned, tense, adopting a battle stance.
And then…
"Eh?!" Seeing an exact replica of herself, Anna's eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face.
But soon she composed herself, voice low and steady.
"You're the Herrscher?" The Herrscher smirked as if recalling something amusing, lips curling upward until a soft laugh escaped.
"You and I, we're both Herrschers." Hearing that, Anna froze.
That's right, she herself was now a Herrscher. This body was hers, and she… had already become one.
"Even if I've become a Herrscher, I'll never hand this body over to you!"
Taking a deep breath, Anna's expression hardened with determination, her whole being radiating a desperate, unyielding aura.
The other "Anna" arched a brow, chuckled three times softly,
As if mocking her.
"How righteous you sound. But tell me, are you really so righteous?"
The false "Anna" whispered. In that very instant, before Anna could react, the palace of ice bloomed with colors that were not ice.
Soon, dazzling hues filled her vision.
Anna's pupils contracted, her lips trembled. She stood frozen, speechless for a long time.
"My, my… look at that. This is your so-called righteousness ~~~"
At some point, the fake "Anna" had drifted close, exhaling softly into her ear, awakening memories buried deep inside her heart.
"How pitiful." She leapt lightly away, gazing at the illusory scene with a mocking shake of her head.
"She was supposed to survive. But because of someone's so-called 'heroism'… she died. Yes, she really died."
"Stop it!!" Silent until now, Anna suddenly erupted in anger, her voice thundering as she launched her fists at the Herrscher's manifestation.
Bang! Crack!
Bang! Crack!
Her fists tore through the Herrscher's body, shattering her into shards of ice.
But in the blink of an eye, the figure reformed.
And again. And again.
No matter how she attacked, the Herrscher remained untouched, always letting Anna smash her apart, only to reform.
"Does this make you feel better? Fine, hit harder. Maybe then you'll forget about her? Hahaha."
"I said, stop it!!!" Anna threw another punch, but collapsed powerlessly to the ground, her eyes filled with pain.
Gripping her own hair tightly, her face twisted in torment.
"So fragile. Just a small setback and you already can't bear it."
The Herrscher sighed, as if in pity.
"If you're truly this weak… then maybe I should take back the body myself?"