"Herrscher of the Void, detected!"
"Target level classified as Judgment."
"Target approaching rapidly, optical sensors unable to lock!"
"Target distance one kilometer... seven hundred... three hundred..."
"Boom!"
"Beep—Beep—!"
Inside the elevator, Himeko stood in silence, gazing at the 'God-Slayer Spear' in her hand. It was only when the elevator began to flash with a dangerous red light that she tightened her grip on the syringe, raised her head, and said with solemnity,
"It's here."
Outside the Hyperion, Benares glided past, its incredibly sharp wings tearing through the energy shield.
Simultaneously, the battleship's railguns immediately locked onto Benares and unleashed their full firepower.
However, these cannon attacks were insufficient to even scratch the defenses of Benares, a Judgment-class Honkai Beast.
Benares executed a sharp turn and then plummeted downwards. Its equally sharp dragon claws crushed a railgun, ripping it from the hull and tossing it aside carelessly.
The wreckage of the railgun smashed through the main hall's glass. Just then, Himeko arrived on deck via the elevator.
Seeing the falling debris heading her way, she stored the 'God-Slayer Spear' in the storage compartment of her armored leg and let out a cold laugh, hoisting the Sword of the Fallen.
(You dare touch my ship! You're finished!)
Bang!
A massive cloud of dust instantly engulfed the main hall. Suddenly, as if launched from a cannon, the railgun wreckage, trailing a long plume of smoke, slammed forcefully into Benares' head.
Immediately after, a figure descended from the sky, delivering a powerful downward kick that slammed Benares heavily onto the bridge, raising a thick cloud of dust.
The impact sent Benares crashing to the ground, a testament to the immense force of the blow.
Himeko landed lightly on the bridge from mid-air. She looked at Benares, which had dared to damage her battleship, and raised the Sword of the Fallen.
As Honkai energy surged into it, scorching flames enveloped the sword's edge. She then slashed downwards fiercely.
But at this moment, a rift suddenly appeared before Himeko. With her sword strike, the rift erupted with an blindingly intense light.
When Himeko opened her eyes again, she found herself in a very strange space.
Massive chunks of earth and stone floated nearby. The sky was a pale red, and even the Hyperion beneath her feet was composed of rocks.
Here, Himeko saw no one. Even Benares, which had been in front of her moments ago, had vanished.
"Hehehehe... did you think... you could escape?"
Accompanied by disdainful laughter, Himeko turned her head and saw Sirin (Herrscher of the Void), fully restored, walking down as if descending stairs, her feet treading on empty space.
"Heh, I've been waiting for you!"
A smile also curved Himeko's lips. She raised the Sword of the Fallen, her gaze fixed on Sirin, her nerves taut as she entered a combat stance.
"Are you ready to meet your death?"
Despite Himeko's serious demeanor, Sirin spoke with contempt, as if Himeko were merely an ant before her.
Sirin extended her arm towards Himeko. Suddenly, an invisible force dragged Himeko closer, only to be abruptly halted mid-air by a repulsive force as she neared Sirin.
The pain caused by this opposing force made Himeko let out a soft groan, but her gaze remained fixed on Sirin.
"Struggle... with all your might."
With that, Sirin's palm gently moved downwards, and an invisible force pushed Himeko flying outwards.
Sirin slightly raised her hand, and behind Himeko, a purple cube rose from the ground. Himeko slammed hard into it, creating a spiderweb-like crack and a large pit.
The next moment, Sirin snapped her fingers. Two more cubes suddenly appeared on either side of the first cube, and then they violently slammed towards the center.
But at this critical moment, two beams of light, one red and one blue, descended from the sky, squeezing towards the two cubes trapping Himeko. With a "boom," they were sent flying.
"What!?"
The Herrscher of the Void was momentarily stunned.
"Glad we made it in time. We're not too late, are we?"
"You damn rascal, you have the nerve to say that..."
Seeing the two individuals before her, Himeko smiled warmly. The ones who had rescued her were Ling Feng, whose cultivation had reached the middle stage of Nascent Soul, and Tu Shan Hong Hong, who was at the middle stage of Nascent Soul.
"But we still made it, didn't we?" Ling Feng chuckled, then said with sudden gravity,
"Third Squad Deputy Captain Ling Feng, requesting to rejoin the team!"
"Rejoining approved!"
"Are you... treating me like I'm not even here!!" Seeing the three of them chatting casually, Sirin was utterly enraged by this display.
She slightly raised her hand, and numerous portals instantly appeared around the three. A barrage of Void Spears then surrounded Ling Feng and the other two.
"Die!!!"
A multitude of Void Spears descended in unison, hurtling towards the trio.
"Quite a lot of them..."
Ling Feng let out a dismissive laugh. Terrifying flames erupted from his body, like a miniature sun. The scorching heat engulfed all approaching Void Spears.
"Don't get too carried away!"
Seeing that her attack had no effect, Sirin reached out and grabbed, pulling like a slingshot. Several overlapping cubic frames appeared before her.
She let go, and a massive rectangular crystal, accelerated multiple times through space, shot towards the three at ultra-high speed, the sound barrier shattering along its path.
"Boom!"
Seeing this, Tu Shan Hong Hong proactively met it head-on, channeling true essence from her dantian into her right fist as she charged.
"Inch Punch: Heaven Split!!!"
With a "bang," the rectangular crystal was shattered into pieces by a single punch.
"Insolence!!!"
Sirin roared in fury. With a wave of her hand, numerous intersecting rectangular crystals stabbed towards the three, engulfing Himeko within them.
She then raised her hand again, and countless spatial portals appeared around her. The Void Spears transformed into several ribbons of light, cutting towards them like dense rain.
But at this moment, a small golden pagoda appeared above the cubes trapping Ling Feng and the other two. A golden protective shield instantly expanded.
Boom!
Countless ribbons of light struck the golden shield, causing ripples. The shield only held for a moment before shattering.
After all, the ribbons of light were formed from Void Spears capable of cutting through space, making them extremely effective at breaking shields and armor.
But that moment was enough!
A crimson sword exploded from the cubes and thrust towards Sirin at a speed far exceeding sound.
Seeing the sword rushing towards her, evasion was no longer possible (she was too arrogant to teleport, of course). Sirin transformed the ribbons of light into a shield to block behind her.
However, a shield of this caliber was clearly incapable of blocking the entire attack, and cracks began to appear.
Sirin quickly used her spatial authority to convert the space and teleport the incoming crimson sword away.
The crimson sword plunged heavily into a crystal, with only the hilt remaining outside. The entire crystal was almost shattered by this strike, demonstrating its immense power.
"Your attack... is over... now... it's our turn. No objections, right!"
Ling Feng, wielding the Blade of the God of War, stood to Himeko's left, while Tu Shan Hong Hong adopted a boxing stance to her right.
All three bore various minor wounds; Sirin's last attack had not been without effect.
"Take this!"
Ling Feng, from who knows where, produced a black and gold sword box and slammed it onto the ground. Immediately, one hundred and eight spiritual swords flew out of the box, forming a sword array above Sirin.
"Immeasurable Sword Array!"
Countless spiritual swords rained down with a "whoosh," stabbing towards Sirin.
"Overestimating yourselves!"
Sirin waved her hand, and a large shield composed of numerous ribbons of light appeared above her head. The sound of "clang clang clang" was incessant.
"If you think that's all the Immeasurable Sword Array is capable of, you're sorely mistaken!"
Ling Feng formed hand seals, and the original torrent of sword energy split into several streams, attacking Sirin from other directions.
Sirin reacted swiftly, snapping her fingers, her body heavily protected by ribbons of light.
Tu Shan Hong Hong did not stand idly by either. She strode forward, creating a large pit in the ground before launching herself forward like a cannonball, a streak of red light hurtling towards Sirin.
Himeko followed closely, scorching flames enveloping her sword's edge. The sword burned with fierce inferno, the terrifying heat distorting the surrounding air to an unrecognizable degree.
"Hah!"
Inch Punch: Mountain Collapse!
Flame Incineration!
Tu Shan Hong Hong and Himeko unleashed a punch and a sword strike with terrifying might towards Sirin.
Boo
Himeko watched as the exploding boulders turned into debris, falling into the abyss.
"If she could be dealt with so easily, the Herrscher would not be called a Herrscher."
"Careful!"
Suddenly, dozens of spatial portals appeared around Tu Shan Hong Hong and Himeko, and thick black mist poured out from them.
"Watch out! That's the power of the Herrscher of Death!" Ling Feng shouted loudly, transforming into a beam of light and flying towards Tu Shan Hong Hong and the other two.
Abruptly, a spatial portal opened directly in front of him, and a violent lightning shockwave was fired at him.
"Lightning, you say? Apologies! It's still lacking compared to heavenly tribulation! I fear not such minor electrical discharges!"
Ling Feng's speed did not decrease. He endured the lightning and charged through. Spatial energy converged on the Blade of the God of War, and with a single slash, the spatial portal was instantly severed.
Meanwhile, on the other side, surrounded by black mist, Himeko and the other two faced the onslaught. Himeko raised the Sword of the Fallen, and a scorching storm of flames erupted, incinerating the approaching black mist.
"Hmph, what other tricks do you have!"
Himeko looked up, seeing Sirin once again treading on empty space, walking down as if descending stairs.
"Hehehe, you don't seriously think that was my full power, do you?"
Sirin looked down at the three with a mocking gaze.
"Let me show you what a 'God' is!"
Sirin waved her hand, and several massive tornadoes materialized out of thin air. Thick black mist swirled within them, attacking the three from all directions.
Simultaneously, countless spatial portals opened, and an innumerable amount of Void Spears targeted the three. These Void Spears were also laced with violent lightning.
"How is this possible! This is wind! The power of the 'Gem of Desire'!"
"When did the 'Gem of Desire' get onto Sirin!"
Ling Feng's expression suddenly turned grim.
If this was the case, they would no longer be facing a triple-core Herrscher, but a quadruple-core Herrscher!