"Then, I will deliver the final blow to them."
"I've already said... if you don't want to be my enemy, then you are not allowed to hurt them!"
Fu Hua stood in front of the defeated Himeko and the others, looking coldly at Rita. If Rita made any move to harm Himeko, she would strike decisively.
This was not only because... Himeko was her "teacher."
"I understand, Lord Fu Hua. I will take these people back to the Vatican and imprison them."
...
Destiny's Third Air Port.
Theresa stood in the command center of the Hyperion, looking at the normal data displayed on the screen. She issued an order.
"The Hyperion is ready. As soon as Himeko and the others send the signal, we will commence operations immediately."
Theresa turned to look at Mei, lowering her gaze and speaking gently.
"Mei, there's something I need to tell you before this."
"I have disarmed the bomb's detonation system. It will no longer activate on you."
"However, at the same time, the consciousness of the Third Herrscher will begin to awaken. Do not push yourself. You cannot fully control that power yet."
Theresa understood why Mei wanted to disable the bomb. In this rescue operation for Kiana, her own strength was too weak.
So Mei wanted to borrow the power of the Third Herrscher.
"Headmaster, thank you for your concern." Mei smiled sweetly.
Theresa shook her head, her voice full of apology.
"Just call me Theresa. I am a traitor to Destiny now, no longer the Headmaster of St. Freya."
"I'm sorry for dragging you all into this with my recklessness."
Keqing stepped forward and shook her head.
"Please don't say that. Even after leaving Destiny, you are still the Headmaster we respect."
"Besides, Kiana is also our comrade. How could we stand idly by?"
Mei also stepped forward, agreeing with a serious expression.
"That's right. Two years ago, you allowed me, a Herrscher, to enter St. Freya Academy and gave me a place to belong."
"Without that, I wouldn't be standing here today as a Valkyrie. And Kiana is one of the most important people in my heart."
"I used to be afraid that the Herrscher within me would harm those around me. But now I don't want to run away anymore. I want to use this power to protect the people I care about."
Theresa nodded, turned to look at the large screen, her eyes filled with memories and emotion.
"Has it been two years already? Time flies so fast..."
Suddenly, a communication chimed in, and Einstein's voice echoed through the command center.
"I apologize for interrupting your conversation. The barrier is showing a reaction, but Tesla and the others' communication has been cut off."
Theresa took a deep breath, her gaze darkening.
"Understood. Third Squad, prepare for deployment. Commence operations!"
"Let's go rescue Kiana!"
...
Hyperion Laboratory.
Kiana, who had been sleeping in the experimental pod, had vanished. The entire ceiling seemed to have been sliced open by something, the cut incredibly smooth, with severed circuits sparking.
"Heh... So Theresa and the others are coming? In that case, it's about time to move the experiment to the next stage."
Otto smiled slightly, everything proceeding as he had predicted. He turned to look at the man sitting on the sofa slurping instant noodles.
"By the way, my old friend, aren't you worried about your other self? It seems you have great confidence in him."
The man put down the finished bowl of noodles, pulled a tissue from the table nearby, and wiped the oil from his mouth. His eyes flickered.
"Worried? Why would I be worried? No one worries about him, because no one knows how many trump cards he has, or what they are. Even I don't."
"You don't really think he's weaker than me, do you? Even I at my peak, no, even the Herrscher of the End would have a chance of dying in front of him now."
...
In the sea of clouds near the Hyperion Laboratory, the Hyperion appeared.
"The defensive barrier has been completely lifted. Hyperion will reach above the laboratory soon." Sagiri said, sitting by the detector.
Theresa's expression was solemn as she gazed at the Hyperion Laboratory, a sense of unease lingering in her heart. She asked suspiciously,
"Something's not right. The defenses suddenly became weak, as if they were deliberately made so."
*Boom!*
Suddenly, the ship shuddered violently, and the attack alarm blared throughout the command center, casting a crimson glow.
[Detected intense spatial fluctuations!]
"Ah!"
"Mei!!"
Mei felt a dizzying sensation. When she opened her eyes again, she was facing that familiar face.
"Kiana! Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine... so fine... it's as if I've been reborn."
Kiana's voice gradually became ethereal, her sapphire eyes turning a divine gold. With a flash of light, her Valkyrie armor transformed.
"Kiana..."
"I'm so glad you're here with me when I woke up. Now, become one with me again, my other half."
*Clang!*
Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck, and a purple energy phantom rescued Mei from Kiana's grasp.
"We're too late, she's already under the control of Honkai! She's very dangerous now!"
"No, precisely because she is dangerous now, I absolutely cannot let go of her."
"Hmph, very well. Since the enemy is a Herrscher, then a Herrscher's power must be used to solve this. Don't disappoint me."
The Third Herrscher glanced back at Mei, then transformed into lightning and merged back into Mei's body. Instantly... the intensity of Honkai energy in Mei's body began to soar.
"Kiana, I will never abandon you, just as you never abandoned me! ...Ao Xue, lend me your strength!"
With a flash of blue light, Ao Xue, hidden within Mei's body, soared out, circling around her.
At the same time, a purple light shot out from the Hyperion, hovering in front of Mei.
"What is this?!" Mei exclaimed in surprise, looking at the glowing purple katana before her. She could sense an extremely powerful lightning energy from it.
As she grasped the hilt, a voice entered her mind.
"Mei, this katana is called 'Mistsplitter Reforged'. It is a gift to you."
Mistsplitter Reforged?
"Come on!" Mei charged towards Herrscher Kiana, wielding the blade.
Instantly, thunder roared and lightning flashed!
However, it was clear that even with upgraded weapons, a partially awakened Herrscher could not possibly be an opponent for a fully awakened Herrscher.
Especially one who was a dual-core Herrscher!
The Herrscher of the Void choked Mei's neck, intending to deal with her and then retrieve the 'Conquest Gem'.
Mei's vision blurred as she looked at the Herrscher of the Void choking her. There was still no hatred in her eyes, only concern.
"Kiana... wake up quickly..."
Mei weakly called out.
*Open!*
As if hearing Mei's voice, Kiana forcefully took over. The Herrscher of the Void's pupils turned sapphire blue, and she released her grip.
Mei immediately fell to the ground. Seeing Kiana clutching her head in pain, Mei was about to step forward.
Suddenly, orange Honkai energy particles on Kiana's back fused together, forming a small black sphere.
In an instant, the black sphere transformed into an eye-like object, and a black and red bolt of lightning shot out.
In mid-air, a portal opened, and a Temple-class Honkai beast emerged, thrusting a spear at Mei.
Mei's expression jolted, and she quickly dodged to the side, but was sent flying by the shockwave, rolling on the ground.
Mei struggled to stand up, but her danger sense immediately flared again.
A Temple-class Honkai beast had appeared behind her unnoticed, its sharp spear plunging down.
*Clang!*
Ao Xue, previously knocked away by the Herrscher of the Void, flew through the air, faster than a bullet, like a white lightning bolt, instantly piercing the Temple-class Honkai beast.
At the same time, dozens of Titan mechs materialized, and dozens of berserk Titans charged towards Kiana, attacking her.
The Herrscher of the Void spread her arms and slowly walked towards them. Instantly, the sky darkened, and countless portals opened, spewing out a steady stream of Temple-class Honkai beasts.
Suddenly, thousands of Honkai beasts and berserk Titans collided fiercely.
Facing the surging, endless stream of Temple-class Honkai beasts, the Titan mechs at the forefront quickly activated their defense mode, deploying energy shields to temporarily resist the assault.
The mech units in the rear simultaneously launched their artillery fire, and the sky was instantly filled with a barrage of shells, like stars falling from the heavens, bombarding the Herrscher of the Void.
The Herrscher of the Void's expression was indifferent, a disdainful smile playing on her lips. She snapped her right finger, and countless portals appeared around them, absorbing all the attacks.
Then, without any warning, numerous portals appeared around the mech units, and the previous artillery fire shot out from these spatial rifts.
In an instant, numerous mechs exploded, resembling a grand fireworks display.
When the rumbling explosions ceased, Mei could see nothing but shattered mech parts, flames soaring into the sky, as if the end of the world had arrived.
Concurrently, a roar echoed from the sky. Barnalias dived from above, and Kiana floated above Barnalias, looking down at Mei with narrowed eyes.
Just as the Herrscher of the Void opened more spatial portals to deal with Mei, countless golden chains intertwined to form a barrier.
"Mei, are you alright?"
At some point, Theresa, holding Judah's long spear, stood beside Mei. Before her, Judah had been deployed, and the chain barrier was one of its abilities.
Keqing reached out and helped Mei up from the ground, asking with concern.
"Are you alright?"
"Headmaster, Keqing, and Sagiri...!?"
"That's good, we made it..." Theresa breathed a sigh of relief, cast a worried glance at Mei, and then turned to face the Herrscher of the Void.
"Dr. Einstein, we have rendezvoused with Mei. But Kiana, she..."
"High concentrations of Honkai energy detected within Kiana. Detection value... 4458 hw. I truly hope the detector is malfunctioning."
"What about your mech units?!"
"Signal response from all 67 mechs in the vanguard has disappeared. And the enemy forces have not diminished in number; in fact, a large number of reinforcements are continuously joining the battlefield."
In other words, they had been wiped out. The enemy was inexhaustible.
"The current situation... is not optimistic."
"I understand... but we have no choice but to take a gamble... as long as we can awaken Kiana's consciousness, we still have a chance to win!" Theresa said gravely.
"Headmaster! Kiana has disappeared!" Keqing shouted.
"How could this happen!" Theresa snapped back to reality, finding that the Herrscher of the Void was nowhere to be seen, only some portals continuously transporting Honkai beasts.
"Let's deal with these Honkai beasts first," Theresa commanded.
"Understood."
Keqing and Sagiri immediately charged towards the tank-class Honkai beasts.