Compared to the Moth of Finality duo on the moon, Fuli's knowledge of the Judgment of Shamash was relatively limited. He hadn't immediately recognized the searing beams that killed the two lake monsters, assuming it was a hidden enemy trying to escalate the conflict.
He couldn't recognize it, but Kiana could.
Just as a seemingly slacking Bronya was secretly conducting various quantum experiments with Mei to find Seele, Kiana, despite never showing it, had never forgotten why she had shouldered her bag and crossed half of Eurasia.
"You damn old man, that's you, isn't it?"
"It's you! It has to be!"
Her calls, starting low and growing louder, finally merged into a tearful shout.
Her aerial detection circuit had already enveloped the area. The lake monsters roared in displeasure, their overwhelming psychic power spreading out and shattering the invisible, all-seeing ripples in an instant.
"Pfft!"
The violent backlash caused Kiana to spit out a mouthful of blood, but the light in her eyes shone even brighter.
She had 'seen' it!
In the birch forest, eight hundred and sixty meters away in the seven o'clock direction, that tall, imposing figure!
"You damn old man! This time, I won't let you just disappear without a word again!"
Imaginary Space Traversal, one of the basic applications of the Herrscher of the Void's power, created and connected Imaginary Space and Real Space, opening a portal-like rift.
Creating a spatial rift in front of her, Kiana was about to charge through when her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly from behind.
"I understand how you feel, but don't be rash!" Fuli hissed, his other hand slashing repeatedly with Sparrow's Song.
The Traceless Sword extended a hundred meters from the blade's edge, and combined with the ideal fluid swirling around it, it cut a lake monster in half at the waist.
A Setsuna Blade, Wind Style: Bitter Yaksha!
"Don't be rash? How can I not be rash?!"
Faced with the boy's obstruction, Kiana, contrary to her usual self, laughed an absurd laugh.
"You say you understand me? Do you know how many dark nights I've endured, crossing mountains and ridges to find that bastard of a father? Do you know how much it hurt that morning when he left without a word, like a kite with its string cut?"
"Siberia! The Ural Mountains! Lake Baikal! The Caspian Sea! The Black Sea! The Rub' al Khali desert! Bangalore! Phnom Penh! Taian!"
One after another, familiar and unfamiliar place names poured from the girl's mouth like machine-gun fire.
Kiana couldn't forget the sight at Hukou Waterfall.
The scorching midday sun shone on the completely opaque Yellow River, reflecting a sheen she had only ever seen on animal organs. The entire river was like a writhing esophagus, displaying both the supreme power that had nurtured Chinese civilization and the brutal ferocity that had swallowed countless lives since ancient times.
For a moment, she felt as if she were walking beside, or even inside, a giant beast. The feeling was terrifying, and she broke out in a cold sweat in the middle of a hot day in April or May.
Kiana also couldn't forget being stranded at an Indian airport for a day and a night due to a delayed flight. The entire airport reeked of sweat and feet.
Though she was super strong, she had hidden in a forgotten corner all night, too scared to close her eyes. At dawn, through the airport's floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw a group of women go to the grass to relieve themselves.
After they were done, a horde of animals—cows, donkeys, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, monkeys, you name it—suddenly appeared and began fighting over the fresh excrement. The sight was so disgusting it nearly made her vomit.
And beyond that, the scam compounds in northern Myanmar, the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, jumping into the sea in Vladivostok to illegally swim to North Korea, venturing deep into terrorist strongholds in the Middle East...
"Do you have any idea how many damp patches of mold I've counted under bridges? Do you know how much I've suffered and how many pairs of shoes I've worn out in these four years? And now, when I'm so close to finding my old man, you're telling me to calm down in that light, airy tone of a community mediator pacifying a drunk?"
"Let me tell you! I can't do it!"
Tears in her eyes, Kiana violently shook off Fuli's hand and charged into the spatial rift without looking back.
The exit was already open on the other side. The girl charged out recklessly.
"You damn old—"
「Human! Be careful!」
"ROAR!!!"
Her misty blue pupils dilated mechanically. What entered Kiana's retinas was not the memory of a black trench coat, but a crimson maw tearing through the fog.
Jagged fangs hissed like grinding metal, like a rift to another dimension suddenly tearing reality apart, welcoming her to the abyss.
Even in a fight with a Herrscher of a Sequence, consuming a large amount of Honkai energy could interfere with and neutralize their powers.
The exit of the spatial rift created by Imaginary Space Traversal had been moved into the mouth of the strongest of the lake monsters!
"Shit!"
Siegfried, witnessing this, paled. He fired several beams from his hand cannon at the monster about to chew up his daughter.
However, the Judgment of Shamash fired pillars of flame, not lasers. No matter how fast they were, how could they possibly outpace the instinctive chewing of an Emperor-class monster?
Fortunately, while he couldn't, someone else could.
Behind Kiana, from the closing spatial rift, a dream-like, crystal-blue Traceless short sword suddenly shot out, colliding with the nearest fang before dissipating.
It was such an insignificant blow, yet it caused the lake monster leader's bite to pause for a fraction of a second, buying crucial time for Siegfried's rescue.
A Setsuna Blade, Sense Style: Ino–Shika–Chō, a technique involving the essence of the soul, designed to slay an enemy's will and make them lose the will to fight.
But in that critical moment, the "bullet" from the hand cannon failed to arrive.
Fu Hua saw it clearly from a distance. Several lake monsters had already positioned themselves to block the path of the shots.
They were willing to be pierced to protect their leader, and they succeeded.
CLANG!
The lake monster, having shaken off the effects of Ino–Shika–Chō, made no superfluous movements. Its ferocious, bloody maw snapped shut.
It was a step too late. Fuli, arriving in an instant, grabbed Kiana from the monster's mouth and threw her out.
The duck that had flown into its mouth was now gone, but the monster wasn't displeased.
The moment Fuli's body stiffened from the throwing motion, six pairs of crimson, ferocious eyes suddenly flashed in the shadows—the hunting signal of the other Emperor-class lake monsters.
Colossal bodies, wrapped in the shockwave of a volcanic eruption, slammed down violently. Bronze scales shot off, tearing through the air to form a net. High-pressure water blades burned scorch marks into the concrete ground, each wave of attack carrying an ear-splitting, low-frequency roar.
Fuli's position instantly became the core of the attack. Unsettling spiderweb cracks appeared on his Raiden Mei Type-II Soulium battlesuit. He, along with the ground beneath him, was hammered deep into the earth's crust, and a lead-gray mushroom cloud carrying granite fragments shot into the sky.
"Ah Li!!!"
Kiana, thrown clear, finally realized what had happened. The gold in her left pupil suddenly flared.
The Lance of the Void, the symbol of the Herrscher of the Void, was successfully summoned by the girl for the first time. Transforming into a ribbon-like Herrscher armament, it cut through the mist and pierced into the ground, gently wrapping around the battered figure who had been relentlessly attacked.
"Not dead yet!"
The repeated bombardment of multiple Emperor-class monsters would have forced even an S-rank powerhouse to retreat. Fortunately, the Armor of the Sun could reduce hostile attacks at or below the critical level by ninety percent. Combined with the Power of Immutability from the Lance of the Finality fragment, he could fight again after spitting up some blood.
Noticing Fu Hua was in danger, Fuli, having swallowed an Alpha Gel to stabilize his internal organs, unhesitatingly drew his sword again. He slashed out a dark sun that rushed into the lake's center, a battlefield ravaged by flames and Inch Force.
A Setsuna Blade, Devour Style: Styx Guardian!
At the same time, Bronya walked up to Kiana and raised her small hand.
SLAP!
She slapped her across the face.
"Have you reflected?" the girl asked, her expression icy.
"I have!"
Kiana, her cheek visibly red and swollen, wasted no time. She turned, drew her guns, and was about to charge into the fray.
"No, you haven't."
Bronya's voice was flat, as cold as a Siberian wind. "You only think your momentary recklessness got Onii-chan hurt, and you're anxious to make up for it. But you shouldn't only be apologizing for that, but also for what you said earlier!"
"Don't waste time—"
"Don't think you're the only one who's suffered, Kiana Kaslana!!!"
The sudden shout stopped the impatient white-haired girl in her tracks. She stared blankly at her companion.
Bronya couldn't be bothered to explain further.
"How nice. Your father is actually still alive."
With that, the girl summoned six Psy-Drones and charged into battle.
Kiana, left behind, mulled over Bronya's words and finally realized just how cruel her earlier words to Fuli had been.
That's right. No matter how much I've suffered, my damn old man is still alive somewhere in this world. As long as I keep trying, we'll see each other again someday.
And Fuli?
What about his father and mother?
He wasn't like Bronya, who had never known her parents. He had grown up under their care until he was eight, only to lose everything in an accident.
How painful is it to have something and then lose it? Just look at Bronya.
Having never experienced a mother's love, she had quickly fallen for Cocolia's care. Even after Cocolia had experimented on Seele, even after she had secretly implanted a chip in her, Bronya to this day was only sulking, never once thinking of completely severing ties with her "Mama Cocolia."
Because she couldn't bear to.
And what did I say earlier? Questioning what Ah Li could possibly understand about me? Throwing a tantrum at him when he was just trying to help, ripping open a wound that had been closed for eight years!
"Dammit! Dammit!!!"
Realizing her mistake, Kiana angrily charged into the enemy horde. The Lance of the Void danced, and the Gunblades of Blazing Radiance burned with golden flames, vaporizing large amounts of sludge and blood.
Some time later, the lake had run dry from the battle.
"—"
Perhaps realizing how tough the enemy was, or wary of Siegfried, who was still holding back in the shadows, the lead lake monster let out a low growl of infrasound, inaudible to human ears.
Receiving the order, the rest of the colony abandoned their opponents and quickly retreated, taking the bodies of their comrades with them.
The dense fog over the lake gradually dispersed. The afternoon sun shone on the miserable battlefield, devoid of any natural beauty.
"Hah, hah..."
The four remaining figures were also panting heavily, the intense battle having drained most of their stamina.
After confirming the enemy had completely left, Fu Hua forced herself to her feet and placed a hand on the lake's surface, muttering something.
As if someone had pressed the rewind button, the once-ravaged land quickly returned to its pre-battle state. The willows on the shore dipped their green tendrils into the water's heart, each branch writing a story of ease on the surface.
"Cousin, this."
"The Four Duty Gods' Reversion Curse, a technique that can only be used within Shenzhou's borders—ugh, thanks."
Taking the Spirit-Gathering Ring from Fuli and absorbing the Honkai energy within, Fu Hua, touched by his thoughtfulness, let out a breath. "It mobilizes the authority of the Four Duty Gods to turn back time in a certain area. It doesn't work on living beings, but it's perfect for restoring the environment."
The Four Duty Gods were the Daoist gods of time, in charge of the year, month, day, and hour, respectively.
Bronya, recalling the relevant information, nodded slightly. She understood why Fu Hua had acted so quickly.
If the remains of the lake monsters and their blood were to flow into other bodies of water, who knew what the Honkai energy clinging to them would spawn.
But more importantly—
"Aren't you going to look for him? Mr. Siegfried."
"Ah? Uh, well..."
Faced with Bronya's question, Kiana stood there, her face a mask of conflict, her eyes carefully glancing at Fuli, who was busy spraying his wounds with healing mist.
"Well, go on then," the boy said with a pout. "I was against your reckless behavior that endangered yourself, not you going to find your father. Hiss! Sis, gently, gently!"
Bronya said nothing, but the small hands bandaging him became much gentler.
"Oh."
Even though she had permission to go, Kiana still stared at Fuli's injuries.
In her memory, not even during the final battle with the Herrscher of Thunder had the boy been so seriously injured (in reality, Asakura Miyuki's Deva Path had healed him too quickly).
The thought that he was in this state because of her... Her damn old man, whom she had searched for for four long years, was nearby, yet the girl's legs felt rooted to the spot.
「It wouldn't matter even if you moved.」 A cold voice sounded in her mind. 「The moment the battle ended, that man's presence disappeared.」
「Uh, other me,」 Kiana asked timidly, 「are you also very unhappy with how I just acted?」
「Instead of wallowing in self-pity, why don't you think of a way to mend your relationship with the human—with Ah Li!」
Sirin harrumphed.
She wasn't incapable of understanding Kiana's actions. As the girl had said, after so much suffering and grievance just to see her father who had left without a word, it was completely understandable to lose composure when they finally met.
Not everyone could remain calm at all times like a certain android from the Dragon's Den; that was steel, not a person.
But the thought that not only had all the hard-earned affection points gone down the drain, but Fuli had also gotten hurt, made Sirin furious.
If it weren't for the fact that the Herrscher core and Kiana still needed some time to perfectly sync, she would have seized control of the body right now and charged into the enemy's stronghold for a massacre!
So what if the mastermind was powerful? Could they be stronger than an S-rank Herrscher of a Sequence?
How dare they hurt my man!
...