The Oath of Judah possessed the strongest restraining power but lacked lethal offensive capabilities, a gap that Black Abyss filled perfectly. Black Abyss possessed the strongest withering power; unopposed, it could corrode even a Herrscher to death, let alone these ordinary Honkai Beasts. This meant Ming Yu didn't even need to aim for vital points—these low-level Honkai Beasts died on contact!
Kallen watched as Black Abyss wreaked havoc in Ming Yu's hands, secretly astonished. She had fought Eleanor when she wielded Black Abyss and knew it could enhance a person's combat prowess, but it had never been as powerful as it was in Ming Yu's hands. In his grasp, Black Abyss seemed to come alive, not only emitting a denser black mist but also possessing an erosive power that was on a completely different level.
"Black Abyss... it seems different in your hands?" Kallen remarked thoughtfully.
"Huh?" After dispatching another Honkai Beast with a wave of his hand, Ming Yu finally reacted, giving a vague answer, "Weapons of this caliber all have a certain degree of sentience. A person chooses a weapon, but the weapon also chooses its wielder. Perhaps, we are just fated to be together."
This was a characteristic of Soulium weapons, especially Divine Keys, which were even more selective about their masters. Take the Void Archives, for example; it had gathered dust in the Apocalypse household for thousands of years, and only Otto had ever truly won its heart. In this current era, Judah had only ever acknowledged Kallen; Theresa's ability to use it was largely due to her Kaslana genes.
The Judgment of Shamash was also exclusive to the Kaslana family, which was why the Kaslanas were irreplaceable to Schicksal. Besides their family's Stigmata, the Judgment of Shamash was another crucial factor. In an era lacking high-end combat power, especially in Europe, whoever controlled the Judgment of Shamash and could unleash the might of the Sunfire Greatsword held the highest military power and the ultimate say. Although using its final, self-sacrificial move was fatal, it was a deterrent no less powerful than a nuclear bomb.
One thing Ming Yu admired about Otto was his mastery over Abyss Flower. Under his research, the modern-day Abyss Flower had almost never been without a wielder, and he had even developed a series of skills for it.
Comparing it to the other Divine Keys revealed just how deep Schicksal's control over Abyss Flower was. Judah and the Judgment of Shamash barely had a Zeroth Power, but Abyss Flower was on another level, capable of even reaching its Second Power with a total of three active skills.
Watching Ming Yu and Kallen eliminate the Honkai Beasts one by one, Kiana's heart stirred with excitement. Wielding her Elf's Bow, she joined the fray.
Using her family's Gun Kata, Kiana smashed aside a Honkai Beast's swiping claw with the grip of her left pistol, then pressed the muzzle of her right pistol against its forehead and pulled the trigger. With a gunshot, the Honkai Beast let out a wail and collapsed.
Kiana snorted coldly. She looked at the Honkai Beast that had fallen to her gun, then at the horde of beasts that had fallen to Ming Yu, and a wave of grievance suddenly washed over her.
Her weapon was inferior; could she be blamed for that? Although the Elf's Bow wasn't weak, it was only a three-star weapon. While its Honkai Energy-powered bullets could inflict sufficient damage on Honkai Beasts, its energy recovery rate was mediocre. She had to aim for vital spots to achieve a one-hit kill. Compared to the Black Abyss in Ming Yu's hands, its performance was leagues behind.
*Feeling sad, wanna cry!* At that moment, Kiana truly understood the meaning of this popular Shenzhou phrase.
But Kiana was Kiana; she would never be defeated by difficulties. Giving herself a pep talk, Kiana charged towards the next Honkai Beast.
Meanwhile, things were taking a bad turn for Kallen. Her prolonged harsh captivity had left her in poor physical condition, unable to sustain a long battle. The Oath of Judah was a heavy weapon, and its three-hundred-jin weight was no joke. After just a few minutes, Kallen's body was starting to fail her, forcing her to lean on Judah to catch her breath.
"Miss Kallen, are you alright? You should rest for a while," Ming Yu's movements also slowed down. Without Judah's support, his ability to clear mobs had dropped significantly. Besides, fighting with Black Abyss consumed more than just stamina, and Ming Yu was unwilling to expend too much energy in such a meaningless place.
"Hah... hah..." Kallen wiped the incessant sweat from her forehead, forcing her eyes open. "I'm... fine. Protecting the civilians is my duty as a Kaslana! Besides, this all started because of me. I can't let innocent civilians get hurt because of my actions."
"But you can't fight anymore!" Seeing Kallen's stubbornness, Ming Yu felt a mix of heartache and anger, his voice unconsciously rising. "Your body won't be able to take it!"
"You aren't from this space; you wouldn't understand," A hint of resolve appeared on Kallen's face. "No matter what, this story will always end this way. It's unchangeable! And only my death can end all of this!"
*So that's how it is? Is that why you're fighting so desperately? Is this your way of saving everyone?* Ming Yu fell silent, not knowing how to persuade Kallen.
The Kallen here might be just data, but she had long since developed self-awareness, possessing memories of every single playback.
Every time, the story would reach this scene: rampaging Honkai Beasts breaking out of their cages, innocent civilians being slaughtered, and she herself would die under the claws of some Honkai Beast. It was the same result every time. She tried to escape, but this was ultimately a data space, only the size of this city.
And she could never escape this cage, forced to watch the story reach its predetermined conclusion time and time again, only to start all over.
*If this happened to me, I probably would have broken down by now,* Ming Yu thought.
*That Otto, what in the world has he done?!* Looking up at the sky, as if he could see Otto's detestable smile, Ming Yu couldn't help but clench his fists.
Kiana noticed something was wrong over here and rushed over, just in time to hear Kallen's words. Her heart ached, and without a moment to be surprised that Kallen knew about the data space, she quickly said, "Big Sis Kallen, I won't let you die! This time, we will definitely change this ending! We'll take care of those Honkai Beasts; you don't need to sacrifice yourself!"
Then, Kiana turned to look at Ming Yu, her misty eyes staring at him, hoping he could come up with a solution.
And did Ming Yu have a solution?
Of course, he did, and more than one. He could create a perilous situation to force Otto's hand, because he knew Otto was watching this space. There was no way Otto would let K423 die here. Once White Knight: Moonlight appeared, everything would be over.
However, Ming Yu disliked Otto and, more importantly, didn't want to rely on him to end this.
That left only one option: Black Abyss. If he fully unleashed Black Abyss, he was confident he could eliminate those Honkai Beasts in a short amount of time, but the price...
Closing his eyes, Ming Yu silently pondered the gains and losses of such an action.
Seeing the two of them, Kallen assumed they were out of options. She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and once again lifted Judah.
"Ming Yu!" Kiana became anxious. She had never hated her own weakness as much as she did now. Not only did she have to watch Kallen walk to her death, but she could only plead with someone else to find a way.
"I have a plan," Ming Yu said, holding Black Abyss aloft. *To hell with it. I was a hardcore grinder back in the day. A little bit of life force? I can afford it. More importantly, I hate seeing Kiana look so sad. I hate my own hesitation!*
Under Kiana and Kallen's watchful eyes, Ming Yu raised Black Abyss towards the gathering Honkai Beasts. The nearly one thousand rampaging beasts within the city all froze. In their perception, an extremely dangerous aura was rising from the plaza.
Ming Yu shouted, "Black Abyss First Power—Dragon Abyss Death Prison!"