K-423 rode atop her Seraph-class Honkai Beast, a swarm of the same class following close behind as she flew toward Nagazora City. She didn't bother to hide her presence—there was no need to.
Until her objective was achieved—
The world could burn.
By sacrificing the stability of the interdimensional passage between the two universes, she could draw upon a massive amount of Honkai energy from her own Houkai Universe, overloading this world in a single, catastrophic surge.
She could unleash a Honkai energy strike powerful enough to destroy a star.
That was the upper limit of energy the two-universe passage could withstand.
If the channel were larger and more stable, her attack could have been even stronger.
This was her trump card—the power to flip the table entirely.
Boom!
As soon as she reached the skies above the Far East coastline, the swarm of Seraph-class Honkai Beasts came under missile fire.
Moments later, a barrage of artillery shells rained down on them, explosions erupting in rapid succession.
K-423 looked toward the coastline, where a defensive line of Titan mechs from Anti-Entropy stood waiting. The Seraph-class Honkai Beasts around her, now under heavy attack, immediately dispersed.
The scattered Beasts split into multiple groups, launching attacks from different directions. They charged through the hail of cannon fire, pushing forward at full speed.
Boom! Boom!
During their charge, countless Seraph-class Honkai Beasts were blown apart into fragments of violet light. Yet, a few broke through—rushing straight at the Titan mechs.
Their speed didn't falter. One slammed headlong into a Titan, detonating with a thunderous explosion that reduced the mech to scraps.
Then came the second, and the third...
Each Seraph-class Honkai Beast self-destructed on impact, turning itself into a living bomb and trading its life for a Titan.
Although the Titans could crouch and deploy energy barriers, those shields only covered one direction.
"The results are even better than I expected."
K-423 watched calmly as the Seraph-class Honkai Beasts sacrificed themselves, destroying one expensive Titan after another.
She was exchanging the weakest, cheapest cannon fodder units for Anti-Entropy's top-tier combat technology.
A profitable trade.
Making the lower-tier Beasts spin their bladed wings to slice enemies was too inefficient.
Not only inefficient—it might not even pierce their armor.
Self-destruction was far more effective.
In less than twenty minutes—
The Titan formation of Anti-Entropy was completely annihilated.
...
At Anti-Entropy's base—
In the command room, Cocolia frowned deeply as she stared at the screen displaying the white-haired girl riding atop a Honkai Beast.
She wasn't sure if the girl was a Herrscher.
By all logic, anyone capable of commanding Honkai Beasts should at least be a pseudo-Herrscher.
"Was no protection provided for that child?"
Cocolia found it strange.
Most of the Honkai Beast swarm had already been wiped out. Her mission here was complete.
The rest would be up to the higher-ups.
Lately, the frequency and irregularity of Honkai Eruptions had grown too severe.
They had to uncover the cause.
...
K-423 leapt down from the back of her Seraph-class Honkai Beast, landing lightly on the ground. Nearly all of the Beasts accompanying her had been spent.
Of course, that wasn't why she had descended.
"Come out," she said calmly.
At her words—
Siegfried, Welt Yang, and Theresa emerged from different directions, encircling her.
Facing three of humanity's top combatants, K-423 remained utterly composed.
Her face showed no trace of fear—only a pleasant smile. "Hello there. Have you eaten yet?"
"No."
Theresa replied instinctively, almost without thinking.
She'd been far too busy lately—constantly cleaning up Honkai outbreaks, always fighting, never resting.
She barely had time to eat, surviving on bits of bread and compressed rations between missions.
"..."
Siegfried and Welt exchanged incredulous glances at her response.
Siegfried studied K-423 carefully, drawing his dual pistols and pointing them at the seemingly harmless little girl before him.
"You're the bastard possessing my daughter's body, aren't you?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone carried grim certainty.
A monster capable of possessing a human body.
He didn't know whether his Judgment of Shamash could even harm her.
"Yes, that's me," K-423 replied with a nod.
Bang!
An energy bullet whizzed past her cheek, missing by only a few centimeters.
K-423's expression remained calm. She tapped a slender finger against her temple and said teasingly, "You should aim here instead. Don't tell me your aim's that bad—you won't hit me even if I don't move."
Her fearlessness—her utter disregard for danger—
Made Welt Yang and the others realize something was wrong.
This wasn't someone they could simply kill.
"..."
Siegfried tightened his grip on his dual pistols, eyes locked sharply on K-423.
Her features were young—almost childish—and disturbingly similar to his daughter's.
"Who are you?"
Welt asked in a low voice. Looking at K-423's composed arrogance, he could sense that she wasn't a major threat.
One thing was certain:
She wasn't the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin.
Nor did she possess the overwhelming power that Sirin once wielded during the Second Honkai Eruption.
"Did you forget already?" K-423 said with a faint smile. "You were the one who declared war on me—the one who said you'd challenge the Honkai. How could you forget? That really hurts my feelings."
"...!!!"
Welt's pupils contracted.
K-423's lips curved into a smirk. She spread her arms dramatically and mimicked someone's voice:
"I, Welt, declare war on behalf of humanity!"
"...You're the Will of Honkai!" Welt shouted in disbelief.
He hadn't expected the god of Honkai itself to personally descend.
"...!!!"
Siegfried and Theresa were equally stunned.
This wasn't just a Herrscher—
This was the Will of Honkai itself.
A Herrscher was a human empowered by Honkai—a messenger of the god.
But the Will of Honkai was the god.
They weren't even on the same level.
"You're not coming out?" K-423 asked suddenly.
Then—
A man in a white suit wearing a golden clown mask stepped forward, accompanied by a black android holding an umbrella.
"It's him."
Siegfried's expression darkened as he recognized the masked man—Otto, the mysterious figure who had attacked him and Welt during the Second Honkai Eruption, then let the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, escape.
"..."
Welt frowned deeply.
"Anti-Entropy's Welt. Schicksal's Otto. World Serpent's Gray Serpent. Everyone's here," K-423 said with an amused glance.
"Well done, God indeed—you see through everything."
Otto gave a polite bow, removing his clown mask.
"Otto."
Siegfried's voice trembled with restrained fury. If not for Otto letting Sirin escape, Cecilia might still be alive.
"Siegfried," Otto said calmly, meeting his glare. "We'll settle our business later."
"Otto, if you don't give me a satisfying answer, I'll tear you apart," Siegfried growled, barely suppressing his rage.
That debt would be repaid—sooner or later.
But now wasn't the time.
"Would you like me to explain what Otto's been doing?" K-423 clapped her hands, smiling. "He's been trying to resurrect his beloved Saint—Kallen."
"Oh, and during the Second Honkai Eruption? When he fired the Honkai Fission Missile at you, Cecilia, and Sirin—he did it because he feared your power. The one he truly wanted dead was you."
"Grandpa… is that true?" Theresa asked, stunned.
Otto's expression remained placid, but inwardly, he flinched.
She knew what he was thinking?
Her demeanor might not fit his image of a god—but her knowledge and power certainly did.
"..."
Siegfried's eyes turned cold as he glared at Otto in silence.
Otto didn't respond.
And his silence was as good as an admission.