Fu Hua stood clad in her Shadow Knight battlesuit — dark armor trimmed with crimson lines that pulsed like restrained lightning beneath the surface. The air around her vibrated with controlled Honkai energy, disciplined and precise.
Across from her, the Herrscher hovered — subspace fractures spiraling behind her like broken mirrors reflecting a distorted sky.
They vanished at the same instant.
A thunderclap split the battlefield.
Shockwaves rippled outward, tearing apart floating debris and shredding the clouds.
They locked mid-air — Fu Hua's gauntlet grinding against a condensed spear of space itself.
The Herrscher's eyes narrowed.
"How surprising....I... remember you. That funny outfit, that despicable face... you have caused me a great deal of grief."
Energy flared between them as they pushed.
The ground below cratered from the pressure.
They broke apart in a violent burst of force, skidding across opposite ends of the battlefield.
"Did you come to protect this girl as well?"
Her tone dripped with mockery, glancing briefly at the body she inhabited.
Fu Hua steadied her breathing and said : "Are you done talking yet?"
The Herrscher's expression twisted.
"Hmph. Insect..."
Void energy surged violently.
"You shall pay for your insolence!"
She disappeared.
Subspace tore open around Fu Hua from every direction.
Lances rained down like a storm of judgment.
Fu Hua moved with Taixuan precision — weaving, deflecting, countering. Her gauntlets struck with thunderous force, each punch bending the air itself. She closed distance instantly and drove her fist into the Herrscher's abdomen.
A shockwave detonated.
The Herrscher was sent crashing through several floating stone masses.
But before Fu Hua could press further—
The wounds on the Herrscher's body sealed.
Flesh reformed.
Energy stabilized.
The Gem of Serenity glowed faintly within her chest.
An impregnable shield formed, invisible yet absolute.
The Herrscher reappeared behind Fu Hua.
A spatial distortion exploded outward—
Fu Hua was struck from behind by a condensed void blast and sent flying like a meteor. She crashed into the fractured terrain, armor cracking under the impact.
She forced herself upright—
Another lance pierced through the ground beside her.
Then another.
Then another.
The battlefield became a cage of void spears.
Fu Hua leapt upward—
Only to be intercepted mid-air.
The Herrscher's heel slammed into her ribs.
A sickening crack echoed.
Fu Hua was launched across the sky and struck the ground hard enough to shatter it.
Her armor flickered.
Her breathing grew ragged.
She attempted to rise—
Her legs failed.
The Herrscher descended slowly, untouched.
She seized Fu Hua by the top of her head and lifted her effortlessly.
Fu Hua gasped for air, fingers gripping weakly at the Herrscher's wrist.
"I must admit, you are slightly different. Unfortunately, you're just a human."
Blood trailed from the corner of Fu Hua's mouth.
The Herrscher's earlier wounds had already vanished.
Completely healed.
The Gem of Serenity pulsed calmly.
The herrscher tilted her head slightly : "Odd. You didn't go all out on me. -Why? You wield two Divine Keys, yet you refused to unleash the second one."
Fu Hua remained silent.
Her eyes steady despite the pain.
Ther herscher continue : "Why don't you use it? Perhaps you don't know how. Maybe it's... unusable? No matter. You can't change anything."
A subspace rift spiraled open behind the Herrscher.
A massive lance formed — denser than the others, layered with annihilating energy.
She aimed it directly at Fu Hua's chest.
"...go meet your maker."
The lance trembled, ready to launch—
Clap.
A slow, deliberate clap echoed across the ruined battlefield.
The Herrscher paused.
Clap.
Clap.
The sound carried mocking amusement.
The lance flickered as her attention shifted.
She turned.
Standing calmly atop a fragment of floating stone was an uninvited guest, a lone figure stepped forward — composed, immaculate despite the devastation around him.
It was none other than Otto Apocalypse.
Otto: "...a most exciting battle. You are indeed the Queen of Honkai. Your beauty and form are simply sublime."
The Herrscher's eyes narrowed sharply.
Herrscher: "You... I know you... You are the pathetic human who woke me... who aspire to the powers of God."
Otto placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly, as though accepting praise.
Otto: "Haha... It's an honor to be remembered by you, my Queen. I am hoping that you may spare this one to return the favor of reviving you."
He gestured lightly toward Fu Hua, who was still held by the Herrscher.
Then—
Crimson fluid began seeping from Otto's sleeves.
It did not drip.
It flowed upward.
The blood-like substance spiraled along his arms, gathering, thickening, twisting into numerous sharp spines.
They hovered in the air around him.
Poised.
Aimed directly at the Herrscher.
Otto: "She is a friend. And I hope that you won't hurt my friend."
His tone was as casual and mischievous as ever.
But the Herrscher's gaze shifted.
It was not Otto that unsettled her.
It was the blood spines.
They felt familiar.
Yet alien.
A power adjacent to hers.
Ancient.
Focused.
After a long pause—
She released Fu Hua.
Fu Hua collapsed onto the fractured ground.
Herrscher: "Hmph. Killing her will soil my hands. I'll leave her to your care."
The Queen of Honkai chose not to fight.
There was something in this man — a cold dedication, an obsession — that mirrored something within herself.
Otto's smile widened slightly.
The crimson spines dissolved back into nothingness.
Otto: "There is no doubt that you're behind the 2nd Honkai War and pose the greatest threat to humanity. You wield great powers and have the vision to see your plans through."
The Herrscher looked utterly unimpressed.
Herrscher: "Boring flattery. I'm not interested in you. I only care about the girls. I did not expect someone like you to lead humanity. You are indeed pathetic."
She cast Fu Hua's battered body aside without care.
Space fractured.
And she vanished into the Void.
Silence returned.
Otto stared at the space where she had stood.
Then he stepped down from the floating stone and strolled calmly toward Fu Hua.
He looked down at her broken form.
Otto: "What a gruesome fight. The last time I saw you hurt this badly was at Heaven's Pinnacle 500 years ago."
Fu Hua said nothing.
Blood stained the cracked earth beneath her.
Otto: "I'll get you treated. In any case, we need to celebrate the successful conclusion of Phase 1."
Fu Hua's eyes sharpened despite her injuries.
Fu Hua: "...What?"
Otto blinked, mildly surprised.
Otto: "You can still talk?"
Her voice trembled — not from weakness, but anger.
Fu Hua: "Why did you allow her to leave? You should know she plans to..."
Otto adjusted his gloves casually.
Otto: "I know. She's after Theresa. She will catch up to the girls soon. No one will be getting in our way this time. They will fight to the last."
Fu Hua's breathing grew heavier.
Fu Hua: "What are you talking about?"
Otto smiled faintly.
Otto: "Of course, I've never told you about this. Don't worry. It will be music to your ears....K423 is still alive. In fact, I need her alive."
Confusion flickered across Fu Hua's face.
Otto began walking slowly as he explained.
Otto: "You see, that body now houses two minds. There's K423, whom you address as Kiana, and then there's Sirin. the Herrscher of the Void. After absorbing the Gem of Serenity and highly concentrated Honkai energy... Sirin's consciousness within that body began to stir. She then successfully took over the vessel to revive the Herrscher of the Void. ...but this is not the ending I intended. We would call this Phase 1. True testing will commence after this. Despite Sirin's takeover, K423 is very much alive. She's only sleeping. What would happen if K423 overpowers Sirin? ...the answer is simple: we'll end up with a human with Herrscher powers. This has been proven with the 3rd and 4th Herrschers. Suppressing the Herrscher's mind will not deprive her of her powers. It's far easier to control a human instead of a Herrscher. It's not easy to make K423 win. But it's not impossible either."
Fu Hua's eyes widened in horror.
Fu Hua: "Are you planning...!?"
Otto turned slightly toward her.
Otto: "Yes I am. We have to use emotional ties. Emotions can bring about miracles."
Fu Hua struggled to rise, but pain forced her back down.
Fu Hua: "...you...!"
Otto continued smoothly.
Otto: "believe that relationships between people can bring about the greatest feats of power. K423 spent quite a while in St. Freya... She built unbreakable ties and friendships with her classmates. Such warm and happy memories will empower K423 and allow her to defeat the loveless Herrscher."
Fu Hua's voice cracked with urgency.
Fu Hua: "...they... they'll be killed!!"
Otto did not look troubled.
Otto: "Yes, I know. There is a great disparity between their powers. But I cannot offer them any assistance. I will not allow anyone to interfere in this holy struggle. Humanity burns brightest in desperate moments like this. According to my calculations... ...K423 will retake her body once a Valkyrie is brave enough to sacrifice herself. I believe in Theresa and her students. They will kill the Herrscher with love...---Only they can achieve thes great endeavor."
Fu Hua stared at him.
Madness.
That was the only word.
No—
Not madness.
Conviction beyond morality.
She began to laugh.
At him.
At the situation.
At herself.
The sound echoed hollowly across the broken battlefield.
Otto turned back toward her, expression unreadable.
Otto: "I am asking you a serious question, my friend. I chose to tell you everything because your actions are beyond my control. Do you plan to oppose me? Are you still trying to stop me?"
The laughter stopped.
Fu Hua's teeth clenched.
Her eyes burned with hatred.
Fu Hua: "...friend? I sense no sympathy or decency from your words... only utter selfishness and lies... You trample on emotions and toy with the destiny of others... ...you didn't even realize how vile your actions are... Otto Apocalypse... You made me realize how hateful and despicable you are..."
Lightning split the sky.
Dark clouds swallowed the last traces of light.
For the first time—
Otto's smile faded.
Golden radiance condensed slowly in his hand.
Light gathered.
Compressed.
Forged.
A divine firearm materialized.
The Judgment of Shamash.
He raised it.
Steady.
Unwavering.
Five hundred years of shared history meant nothing.
A fleeting dream.
A passing moment.
His eyes grew cold.
Otto: "I did not lie, Master Jingwei."
And with that—
Otto pulled the trigger.