As Ming Yu shouted, both Kiana and Kallen felt the Black Abyss in his hand come to life, like a prehistoric beast awakening from a long slumber and slowly opening its eyes.
Every Divine Key has its Zeroth Power, which unleashes the full power of the Herrscher Core within it in an instant. The might is comparable to, or even surpasses, a Herrscher's full-power strike. Through the technological prowess of the Fire Moth, the power within the Herrscher Core is amplified and enhanced by Soulium, then released in a focused manner to achieve functions beyond the conventional.
For example, the Judgment of Shamash's 'Cleaver of Shamash' can maximize the destructive capabilities of the Herrscher of Flame's core, capable of destroying a city in a single blow—such is the power of the Key of Destruction. Another example is Judah's Divine Grace Field, which can form a restraining field that completely nullifies Honkai Energy. Even a Herrscher would be stripped of their power—such is the power of the Key of Binding.
The Zeroth Power of a Divine Key is the true power of the gods!
But beyond the Zeroth Power, Divine Keys have other applications. These are special abilities that arise from the user's resonance with the Divine Key. Although far from being as powerful or game-breaking as the Zeroth Power, they are still considered extremely potent.
Over the long history of a Divine Key's use, the experience accumulated by generations of wielders can serve as an instruction manual, helping future users quickly master its power. When Welt and the others discovered the Star of Eden, it came with such a manual, allowing them to quickly get the hang of the Ninth Divine Key and giving them the power to stand against Otto.
Ming Yu, of course, received no manual with Black Abyss. The fact that he could develop a skill in such a short time spoke volumes about his high compatibility with the weapon. Even Ming Yu himself hadn't expected it; the core of his plan had been the Oath of Judah. He had originally intended to play a supporting role.
But circumstances had forced his hand, and Ming Yu had no choice but to use this power he was not yet familiar with, even if it meant paying a heavy price!
Endless black mist surged forth from Black Abyss, gathering above Ming Yu's head to form a massive vortex. The black vortex churned and roared, faint dragon cries echoing from within as an immense pressure gradually built up.
"What... what in the world is that?!" Kiana stared at the black vortex above, her jaw dropping. She had only ever seen such power during Mei's Herrscher transformation in Nagazora. While it was nowhere near as powerful as that, it was undoubtedly something beyond her current level.
*Damn it, when did Ming Yu get so strong? The gap between us feels even wider now,* Kiana cried out internally in frustration. She had originally thought Ming Yu wasn't that much stronger than her, that it was a limited difference. If she worked hard, she might even be his equal. But now, she truly felt the immense disparity in their strength, even if it was because of that strange weapon.
Kallen looked at the growing black mist overhead, also amazed. It wasn't that she had never seen Black Abyss before, but she never imagined it could unleash such power. Perhaps only *that* move of Judah's could compare? No, in terms of pure attack power, even that move couldn't match this, Kallen thought.
As the black mist continued to gather, Ming Yu felt something draining from within his body, which was growing heavier and heavier, as if the immense weight of the mist was pressing down on him.
Finally, just as Ming Yu was about to reach his limit, he swung Black Abyss forward and shouted, "Go!"
The moment his voice fell, a hundred-meter-long black dragon burst forth from the black vortex. Its massive head was six meters in diameter, its black whiskers flowing as it surged forward, and its large, cold dragon eyes were devoid of any emotion.
As the dragon charged and flew, one Honkai Beast after another perished in its maw, not even letting out a scream before turning to ash. At the same time, the dragon's four black claws were not idle, continuously striking at Honkai Beasts along its path. Under the assault of the black dragon, the once-ferocious Honkai Beasts were like paper, completely falling apart.
The black dragon's enormous body crushed countless Honkai Beasts, yet it precisely avoided the civilians. The dragon roared, letting out loud cries as its claws danced, turning Honkai Beast after Honkai Beast into dust.
Every second he maintained the dragon was a huge burden for Ming Yu, but he was unwilling to stop. He knew that if he stopped now, Otto would summon the Godslayer Armor, and the problem would be solved just the same.
But he was just unwilling. He didn't want to accept this kind of favor from Otto. Ming Yu could accept cooperating with the Otto of this era, but he could not tolerate the Otto from five hundred years later—that butcher with blood on his hands, who committed heinous acts under a noble banner, all to fulfill his own wish.
Finally, the last Honkai Beast vanished under the dragon's claws, and both the vortex and the dragon dissipated into thin air.
Ming Yu knelt on one knee, leaning on Black Abyss, gasping for breath. For him, this kind of attack was still too much of a burden. If it were performed by an S-rank Valkyrie, annihilating a thousand Honkai Beasts would probably be a matter of flicking a finger.
Fortunately, these Honkai Beasts were mostly grunts. If they had been the modern silicon-based lifeforms, achieving such a result would have been much harder for him.
Seeing Ming Yu stop, Kiana finally snapped out of her shock. She rushed to Ming Yu's side and helped him up.
"Ming Yu, are you okay now?" Looking at Ming Yu's condition, Kiana felt a pang of self-reproach and guilt. That powerful attack was completely beyond their level; it definitely came with a price. And this was all because of her willfulness.
"Hah... hah... I'm fine, just a little exhausted," Ming Yu said through gritted teeth. The reality was certainly worse, but there was no need to say it. At this moment, Ming Yu felt like his whole body was being torn apart. He couldn't muster an ounce of strength and could only barely keep himself from collapsing by leaning heavily on Black Abyss.
Kiana watched Ming Yu grit his teeth and push through the pain, a sour feeling rising in her heart. She knew his condition couldn't be good. And any damage sustained in this strange space might be reflected in reality. If anything happened to Ming Yu, she would never be able to forgive herself.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me, Mr. Ming Yu wouldn't have..." Kallen said apologetically.
"It's not Big Sis Kallen's fault. I said I would save you no matter what!" Kiana said stubbornly, her face full of earnestness.
"Why? I'm... just a virtual character. I'm not worth all this," Kallen said, somewhat taken aback.
"Because you're my savior!" Kiana said with a smile, her eyes curving into two crescent moons. *And, Big Sis Kallen is so beautiful,* Kiana silently added in her heart.
Kallen's heart instantly melted. A warm current spread from the bottom of her heart, and her eyes immediately became moist.
The still-kneeling Ming Yu watched Kallen's touched expression and couldn't help but complain internally. *What time is it for flirting? Kiana, could you please look at me? I'm the one on the ground here, not you!*
*Besides, even though Otto is already the Green Herrscher, Kallen is your ancestor!*
*Wait, thinking about it that way is kind of exciting, hehehe... (censored).*