The remaining Valkyries retreated back into the Hyperion as ordered.
Smoke rolled across the fractured landing zone.
Now—
Only two figures remained on the battlefield.
Kouga hovered briefly before descending, ShiShi red Orion's white armor gleaming against the burning sky.
Beside him stood Himeko Murata in her Vermilion Knight: Eclipse battlesuit — crimson armor radiating intense heat, the greatsword Surtr Muspellsverd blazing like a fragment of the sun itself.
The swarm descended again.
Himeko stepped forward first.
Flames erupted from her blade as she swung Surtr in a wide arc. The fiery slash cleaved through multiple Honkai beasts at once, their bodies disintegrating into ash mid-air.
Kouga moved simultaneously.
He summoned a rotation of Kyuranger weapons in rapid succession — blasters, axes, bows — but most frequently the Kyu Sword remained in his grip.
He dashed through the battlefield in streaks of white light.
Each slash precise.
Each cut decisive.
Honkai beasts fell one after another.
Tesla's voice suddenly burst through their communicators.
Tesla: "Space curvature anomaly detected. I've never seen Honkai energy levels that high! More hostiles incoming! We must stop the Herrscher from summoning more minions! "
Himeko didn't hesitate.
Himeko: "We'll distract the enemies. Focus on saving the wounded!"
She cut down another charging beast before speaking again.
Himeko: "Can we restart the Hyperion's engines?"
Static crackled briefly before Tesla responded rapidly.
Tesla: "Port-side armor plating compromised. Drive chamber impacted. Shock absorbing systems damaged. We'll need time to make her air-worthy again. Drive conversion rates..."
Himeko narrowed her eyes, but her voice remained steady.
Himeko: "Calm down. Just tell me how much time you need!"
A brief pause.
Tesla: "3 minutes. Just give me 3 minutes and we'll be out of this place!"
Kouga stepped forward, raising his arm.
Kouga: "Then you will get 3 minutes !"
A Kyu Spear materialized in his hand.
With a powerful throw, the spear pierced straight through a massive Honkai beast mid-charge—
The impact detonated in a violent explosion.
The shockwave obliterated not only the target but the surrounding cluster of monsters.
Without pause, Kouga summoned the Houou Blade and Houou Shield.
Flames of phoenix energy ignited along the blade's edge.
He and Himeko charged together.
Surtr carved a blazing path through the horde.
Houou Blade flashed in coordinated strikes, Kouga shielding Himeko's blind spots while slashing down incoming threats.
The battlefield became a storm of fire and steel.
Tesla's voice returned — sharper this time.
Tesla: "A violent Honkai reaction is quickly closing in on our location. It's the Herrscher! This is bad! We are in no position to engage here!"
Kouga didn't even turn.
Kouga: "Less shouting and more working."
His sword cleaved through another Honkai beast in a single clean strike.
Himeko lifted Surtr high, flames surging intensely.
Himeko: "Make the Hyperion sky-worthy again for repositioning!"
The minutes dragged like hours.
The swarm thinned—but never fully ceased.
Heat radiated from Himeko's armor as strain began to show.
Her breathing grew heavier.
Finally, after cutting down another wave, she lowered her blade briefly to catch her breath.
Steam rose from her armor.
Behind her—
A shadow leapt.
A zombie-type Honkai — Jun-Ninja — appeared silently, twin katanas raised for a fatal downward strike.
Himeko did not see it.
The blades began their descent—
A flash of white.
A Kyu Spear pierced cleanly through the Jun-Ninja's torso mid-air.
The force carried it backward, impaled and flailing, before it exploded upon impact with distant debris.
Himeko inhaled sharply.
Relief flickered across her face.
Kouga stepped beside her, Kyu Sword resting at his side as he cut down another approaching beast without even looking.
Kouga: "Don't let your guard down Himeko, we are not done yet."
The sky rumbled ominously.
Far above—
Space began to distort.
Drip.
Drip.
Drops of Himeko's blood struck the superheated steel beneath her boots. They sizzled on contact, hissed into steam, then blackened into charred stains.
Rain began to fall.
Cold water met burning metal, filling the air with rising vapor.
Then—
A cruel, malicious voice echoed from the heavens.
The Herrscher: "Oh dear, can't believe I'm getting stopped by this. You should stick to the script, girls✩"
The roiling sky split apart.
Lightning fractured the clouds, illuminating a lone figure suspended above the battlefield.
Himeko lifted her head slowly, rain running down her face.
Himeko: "Kiana..."
Kouga's voice cut in immediately.
Kouga: "No, Not Kiana ... the Herrscher Of the void --- Sirin."
The figure descended slightly, violet eyes gleaming with contempt.
Sirin: "Found you! It doesn't matter who goes first now. You're all insects to me."
Her gaze shifted to Kouga, still clad in Shishi Red Orion.
A thin smile curved her lips.
Sirin: "And you, We finally meet again, Now i can make you suffer for the humiliation you did to me."
Himeko laughed — low and fearless — lifting Surtr Muspellsverd onto her shoulder.
Himeko: "I've been waiting for a while, sugar!"
Kouga summoned twin Kyu Swords into his hands.
Without another word—
They charged.
Sirin vanished.
She reappeared directly in front of Kouga, Subspace Lance already descending.
Steel met void.
Kyu Swords clashed against the lance in a violent shockwave that shattered the rain around them.
Simultaneously, portals tore open around Himeko.
Honkai beasts poured out in waves, surrounding her from every direction.
Above the battlefield—
Kouga and Sirin launched skyward.
He summoned Kyu The Weapons in rapid succession, blades, guns , spears orbiting him like a radiant arsenal.
Sirin answered with dozens of Subspace Lances, forming a storm of violet constructs.
They collided mid-air.
Weapon against weapon.
Blow for blow.
Shockwave after shockwave split the clouds.
On the ground, Himeko cleaved through Honkai beasts with blazing arcs of flame. Surtr burned brighter with each swing.
Her communicator crackled.
Tesla: "Hey ! Himeko...! "
Himeko cut through another beast and interrupted sharply—
Himeko: "Gather the wounded and get the boat back in the air! Hurry!"
High above, Kouga and Sirin descended back toward the fractured deck.
They clashed again, blades grinding against void energy.
They were evenly matched.
But Sirin was smiling.
Sirin: "I see , so you are still holding back."
They separated, landing several meters apart.
Rain fell between them.
Sirin: "You're actually doing you're best to knock me out while at the same time doing as little damage as possible to not harm my host."
Kouga said nothing.
He simply raised his Kyu Swords again.
That silence only widened her grin.
Sirin: "Let's me show you what i've learn from the host's memory."
Purple lightning erupted around her.
The air crackled violently.
Suddenly—
Every metal fragment in the area began to tremble.
Shards of wreckage. Broken plating. Discarded weapon fragments.
They rose into the air.
Then shot toward Kouga all at once.
He slashed through the incoming storm, shattering metal mid-flight—
But the barrage did not slow.
Forced back, Kouga warped space-time, opening a portal and vanishing through it.
He reemerged—
Only to immediately dodge a barrage of purple lightning controlled by Sirin from above.
Subspace Lances followed, tearing through the air in relentless pursuit.
Then—
Sirin smirked and opened a portal behind her.
From within it, the massive head of Benares emerged.
The Honkai dragon unleashed a devastating blue beam of death toward Kouga, who was still evading lightning strikes.
In that split second—
Kouga twisted space again.
A blue portal opened before him, redirecting the beam upward into the clouds.
The heavens exploded with blue light.
He closed the portal—
But the instant his vision cleared—
A Subspace Lance was already in front of him.
No time to dodge.
He raised a Kyu Sword to block.
The lance passed straight through the blade—
And through him.
For a split second nothing happened.
Then—
His body reacted instinctively, shifting into the form of Kamen Rider Chalice.
Too late.
The lance materialized fully.
It had already impaled his chest.
Green blood spilled from the wound, mixing with the rain.
Kouga: "What ???"
He barely had time to process it.
More portals opened around him.
Subspace Lances erupted outward—
Impaling his arms.
His legs.
His stomach.
His shoulders.
He was nailed in place mid-air before being slammed to the ground, pinned like a specimen.
Green blood pooled across the steel floor.
Sirin descended slowly, watching with satisfaction.
Himeko, still surrounded by Honkai beasts, saw the sight—
Her eyes widened in horror.
Himeko: "KOUGA !"
Kouga forced his head upward, breathing strained, blood flowing steadily.
Sirin stepped closer.
Her smile was calm.
Measured.
Sirin: "Oh, don't look so surprised. Out of all the people I see through my host's memories, you by far are the most dangerous one here. So of course, I have to take you out first."
She grabbed him by the throat and lifted him effortlessly.
An orange portal opened behind her.
With one final smile—
She hurled Kouga through it.
The portal snapped shut.