Chapter 273: Unexpected?
Boom!!!
It was as if the sky itself was roaring.
On one side stood a fighter wielding the energy of five Herrschers. On the other, someone who had mastered the highest level of the Art of Taixuan Sword, channeling its devastating power through the blazing Key of Destructions.
The clash of these two forces altered the very heavens and the land itself. On one side, the earth was frozen solid, snow and ice swirling in a blizzard; on the other, rocks melted, and scorching waves of heat surged skyward.
The inner city base was now surrounded by a sea of molten lava.
"What a reckless move. But that's Kiana for you."
Bronya leaned back in her ergonomically designed black office chair, which provided just the right amount of support, allowing her to squint her eyes in comfort.
The outer wall of the base was protected by a solid anti-energy force field that blocked all Honkai energy, shockwaves, and heat, ensuring the base remained intact.
Kiana clearly had no time to worry about the base's safety, but Bronya was different. She had the strong sense of responsibility of a housekeeper—This place is rebuilt so nicely. Do you know how much it cost to fix? Just thinking about it makes her heart ache!
"Bronya, can she handle this?"
Sin Mal came over, frowning as she asked.
Her sharp tongue was just how they usually talked, but the feelings behind it were another matter. To be honest, Sin Mal was a little worried about Kiana's safety.
Bronya casually reached out and pulled Sin Mal into her arms.
Hmm, with no Homu plush nor Sigurd nearby, Sin Mal's small, soft body made for a nice substitute—very comfy to hold, and the texture was great too.
Sin Mal was stunned, then flustered, and finally melted into Bronya's arms, her face lighting up with a blissful smile—Kiana? Who's that? Whatever, not important anymore.
Bronya, still calm as ever, replied:
"Statistically speaking, her chances of winning are very slim. But you know how stubborn that girl is. Just watch—this is her first time stepping out from Sigurd's protection. If she can't overcome this challenge, she'll never truly be able to stand on her own. We have to… believe in her."
As she said that last part, Bronya unconsciously tightened her embrace.
If even Sin Mal was worried, then Bronya—who understood all the data behind this battle—knew even more clearly just how tough the challenge was. The one most afraid Kiana wouldn't make it through… was Bronya herself.
But as she'd said, at this point, all they could do was one thing—believe in Kiana. Believe in that stubborn fool with an unbelievably strong life force, and an even stronger will!
…
Bang!!
The clash in the sky ended with Sirin holding her ground while Kiana was slammed heavily into the ground.
The Art of Taixuan Sword and the Key of Destruction were both power-boosting tools, but the innate energy gap between them was too large. Kiana, who was only using a fraction of Herrscher energy, had no chance of winning a head-on fight.
Standing on the molten rock, her white armor faintly licked by flames, Kiana held her two-meter-long Key of Destructions at an angle, looking up at Sirin.
"You really are a monster. And this is just you with five Herrscher powers. I can't even imagine—how did anyone defeat the Sirin who once held six?"
"That's all you've got for your last words?"
"Can't you be a little more sensitive? It's rare we get to talk face-to-face in the real world. Don't you have anything to say to me? Like… I've tasted your hatred—so in return, can you feel what I feel for Sig, Sirin?"
"…Be quiet!"
After a short pause, Sirin summoned countless void spears, raining them down like a storm.
Kiana rolled her eyes, slightly bent her knees, and gathered strength.
"Don't look so pissed! You felt my emotions—I'm pissed too, alright?!"
Boom!
A massive flaming slash tore through the rain of spears, surging with the power to split the sky, rushing straight toward Sirin.
Snap!
With a casual snap of her fingers, Sirin twisted the space in front of her, causing the slash to harmlessly pass through and shoot into the sky.
And in that moment, a faint violet light flickered in Kiana's eyes—then she vanished from sight.
Just as Sirin had dodged the blazing slash and before she could react, Kiana's silvery hair brushed past her vision. The long blade came swinging down.
Clang—!
Sirin caught the blade with one hand. The force behind the strike and the scorching heat radiating from the sword were nothing she couldn't handle—but even so, she frowned.
"This ring... That guy gave you the Key of Sanction? With a higher-dimensional perspective, and your previous experience with spatial powers, you can partially see through my manipulation of space?"
Her gaze fell to the black ring on Kiana's left ring finger, ripples flashing through Sirin's eyes—followed immediately by a surge of murderous intent. With that, the immense power of five Herrscher cores flooded around her.
Creak... Creak...
The faint groaning of metal reached their ears. Kiana's expression shifted slightly.
To her shock, the Key of Destruction held in Sirin's bare hand was beginning to crack.
Looking into Sirin's blank, expressionless face, Kiana took a deep breath. The flames around the blade flared up again, climbing to a new, terrifying heat.
"Crushing a God Key with your bare hands? That's one hell of a joke you're playing!"
Kiana laughed wildly, wrenching the blade free with a blast of fire from the weapon's core.
With a harsh screech of metal scraping metal, Kiana pulled her sword from Sirin's grip and used the momentum to leap back to the ground.
Sirin, floating in midair, flipped her palm and glanced at her hand—Kiana's retreat had left a small cut. But even as she looked, it healed almost instantly, her skin returning to flawless perfection in the blink of an eye.
"This game ends now. Die—and return that power to me."
Sirin raised both hands, sealing off the space around Kiana.
So what if you can see it? Without the Authority of Space, you can't escape frozen space.
Then, two devastating forces converged in the air: wind blades that ignored all physical barriers and a blizzard cold enough to freeze everything it touched. Sirin clenched her hands—and the destructive elements surged forward in harmony.
The attack hadn't even landed yet, and the lava at Kiana's feet had already frozen. The flames surrounding her dimmed, leaving her looking like a candle flickering in the wind.
Kiana stood still, her smile fading.
"Yeah… you're definitely not easy to handle. But did you think I was fighting you alone? Mei—help me!!"
Whoosh!
Before her plea had even finished, a streak of lightning crashed down in front of her, descending from the distant wall.
Raiden Mei landed in a sword-drawing stance, one knee bent, lightning dancing along the edge of her blade.
"Secret Art: Dreamless One-Slash!"
Zzzzt!!!
With a shriek of thunder, a razor-sharp strike cleaved through the wind blades and snowstorm rushing toward them.
But Sirin's eyes didn't even flicker. So what if you cut it once? Her attacks were continuous!
The endless storm of wind and snow surged onward, about to engulf the two who now stood shoulder to shoulder.
Then—gunfire rang out. A bullet flew toward Sirin from afar.
"Godslayer rounds? Do you think the same trick works twice?"
Sirin gave up on holding the space around Kiana, twisting the space in front of her instead. The incoming special bullet was instantly shredded.
At that moment, Kiana and Raiden Mei stood back to back, both gripping their swords low, angled toward the ground. Behind them, flame and lightning intertwined and fused together.
"Kiana!"
"I'm ready—let's go, Mei."
Their years of shared battles had forged a deep bond and unspoken synchronicity. No words were needed. Together, they swung their swords in perfect unison.
BOOM!!!
The swelling flames and crackling lightning converged beneath their blades into a colossal arc of destructive energy. It shattered the snowstorm, slicing through the sky, charging straight at Sirin.
At the same time, from the direction of the high wall, a barrage of artillery, Godslayer bullets, and time-infused spears followed in its wake—an all-out assault.
"A coordinated attack? So what?" Sirin sneered coldly, spreading her arms wide as space twisted violently around her. "Do you all really believe that physical-level attacks can hurt me, the Herrscher of the Void?"
Just as she claimed, no matter how powerful, attacks without spatial manipulation—like Welt's pseudo-black holes or Fu Hua's techniques that ignore spatial barriers—meant nothing to someone like her.
And then, the thunder-flame blade struck her.
The Godslayer bullet pierced through her.
Because—of course—Kiana had the Key of Sanction. Anti-Entropy's scientists weren't amateurs either. If the Void Herrscher's spatial advantage was that blatant, how could they not come prepared?
Sirin's face stiffened as her tattered, bloodied body slowly regenerated itself.
"You… have really pissed me off! Benares!"
She summoned her most loyal and powerful subordinate—but before Benares could reach her queen, several beams of light streaked from the inner walls, striking different parts of the dragon's body.
"ROAR!!!"
Benares powered through the impact, charging headlong toward her queen without hesitation.
But Wendy and the others, already clinging to the dragon, each unleashed devastating strikes. Their combined assault caused visible damage, scales shattering, energy leaking.
"ROAR!!"
The thunderous cry echoed across the sky. Benares twisted and flipped midair, violently trying to shake off the attackers clinging to her—but from the distant base, the Dawn Supercannon, fired by a million worker drones, interrupted her rampage.
BOOM!!!
"Bella! Damn it! You're all going to pay for this!"
Seeing Benares—both subordinate and cherished friend—brought down, even if she knew the dragon would survive, Sirin's fury ignited once again.
Before she could strike back, Kiana and Raiden Mei appeared at her sides, one left, one right. Twin blades—flame and lightning—slashed toward her in perfect synchronicity.
But the rage vanished from Sirin's face.
Both swords pierced her body… yet her expression didn't change. Calmly, she seized their wrists.
"I expected you'd bring out the God Key forged from the Gem of Haste to fight me. But what I didn't expect… was that you'd be stupid enough to deliver Raiden Mei to me on a silver platter."
She spoke coldly, a smug smile creeping onto her lips.
"Bella, have fun with them. I'm going to take back what's mine."
"ROOOAR!!!"
The fallen dragon responded with a furious roar, then spread her massive wings and soared back into the sky, completely unharmed. Like a blazing meteor, she hurtled toward the base's high walls.
Kiana and Mei's faces changed instantly. They both tried to wrench their wrists free from Sirin's grasp—but her strength was unshakable.
It was as if everything was unfolding exactly as she had planned.
The next second, the three of them vanished from the sky.
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