Chapter 274: Infighting? A Hundredfold Payback!
"Roar!"
The lava had already cooled into scorched earth, while in contrast, the frozen land continued to spread. Snow and wind ravaged the surrounding hundred miles—their source, the massive dragon soaring and roaring through the air.
Benares, originally a Judgment-level Honkai beast, already possessed Honkai energy at a Herrscher-level. Now, with Sirin sharing her powers of Ice and Wind, the dragon had become even more formidable.
In short—she's tough, powerful, has seemingly limitless energy, incredible regenerative abilities, and even a revival mechanism as a last resort.
Wendy didn't know if it was the eighth or ninth time she'd been smashed into the ground by Benares. A strange flush appeared on her face beneath her black armor.
"Puh!"
Wendy removed her helmet, spitting out the blood that had risen to her throat. After catching her breath, she casually wiped the crimson from her lips and muttered:
"She's just like her master. A real pain."
[How's your condition?]
Bronya's voice came through in her ear.
Wendy shook her head, then opened the team's public communication channel.
"I'm fine. Listen up—this thing's raw power is beyond what we imagined, but its weakness is also clear. It has no experience—no proper combat training or battlefield awareness. It fights purely on instinct and doesn't seem to understand any of our tactical decisions… In short, killing it is not feasible—it's too resilient and might just revive. But using its dullness against it? That might work. Ana, Seele, I've got an idea that'll need your coordination."
[Understood, Wendy!]
[If it's Senior Wendy's plan, I believe in you!]
The trio temporarily paused their offensive and quickly hashed out some strategic details.
Meanwhile, Bronya stepped up the attack with her drone swarm, while ordering intense firepower from within the fortress walls. Continuous long-range barrages kept Benares occupied in mid-air, filling the gap left by the main trio.
Just as Wendy had observed, Benares indeed lacked combat awareness. Oblivious to the shifting battlefield, she simply relied on her overwhelming physique and energy to tank and retaliate.
While the others executed their tactics, Benares, in a rare moment of pause, glanced toward the direction where Kiana and the others had disappeared.
[My Queen…]
There was confusion in Benares's heart.
She didn't know exactly what had happened, but Kiana gave her the same sense of resonance as her Queen.
The aura on Kiana—originating from the same source as Sirin—and the familiar psychic link stirred in Benares an absurd, yet strangely logical conclusion: had her Queen somehow split into two without her knowing?
Though Kiana's appearance and personality were completely different—and she didn't even seem to remember Benares—the feeling from the dragon's soul told her: this was also her master.
Sirin and Kiana were fighting…
To be honest, Benares was dazed.
She didn't know whether to assist Sirin or not.
Luckily, the development of the situation spared Benares from making that call.
Unsure which "queen" to support, she decided to first eliminate the rest of the enemies—she'd think about the rest later.
"ROAARRR!!!"
After tanking another hit from Dawn, Benares locked her gaze on the bee swarm and the still-intact, fortified base in the distance. With a flap of her wings, the howling storm intensified, now focusing all its fury on the heavily defended stronghold.
Benares charged.
. . . . . .
In the Theater of Domination, atop a high, sky-reaching circular platform, two figures were smashed into the stone bricks, making a loud crash.
Bang! Bang!!
"Damn it!"
"Kiana…"
"Hey, I'm in pain here! Just venting a little, okay?"
"…Alright."
Raiden Mei stood up, sword in hand. A flash of lightning cleaned the dust off her body. Her gaze toward Kiana was filled with deep concern.
Kiana, who had already lost her Herrscher powers—how was she supposed to take on Sirin?
All she had left… was sheer willpower.
Kiana stood up almost at the same time, bathed in the flames of molten rock. She tilted her neck with a crack, grimaced in pain for a moment, and then looked up seriously toward the sky, at the Queen of the Void slowly descending with a pressure that seemed to weigh down the entire world.
"Yo, you redecorated this place? Looks awful!"
Dragging her blade, Kōmei, along the ground—melting the very foundation beneath her—Kiana tilted her head up high, smiling as she made her sarcastic remark.
In truth, she was enduring excruciating pain. Forcing herself to wield the disobedient God Key while also channeling part of the Key of Sanction's power, her body felt like it was on the verge of collapse. If Sigurd were to show up now, she'd throw herself into his arms and cry her heart out on the spot.
But Sigurd wasn't here—and Kiana didn't want him to be. His presence would mean she'd failed.
High above, Sirin looked down at the two. Her cold gaze slowly fixed on Kiana, whose bright smile seemed to glow with defiance.
"Such slick talk—trying to hide your fear?"
"Do I look scared to you?"
"I don't concern myself with the emotions of the soon-to-be-dead."
"Don't speak too soon!"
"You're already in my world. What, do you still have some hidden card to play? Oh wait—"
Sirin sneered, "—I nearly forgot. You could always cry out for that man to save you, right? Go ahead, summon him. Today, no one can save you."
She was done talking. This was her domain. Here, no one could challenge her. Best to take the power and end this quickly—no point in letting things drag on.
With that resolve, Sirin raised her hand. Fluid shadows, icy tides, and deathly aura began to gather in the sky, space itself trembling with instability. Her killing blow was forming—completely surrounding the two enemies.
Literally surrounding them—in her world, there was no escape.
As the crisis descended, Raiden Mei suddenly dispersed her spectral armor. Sheathed her sword. Let go of all aggression and aura.
Then, she stepped forward and stood in front of Kiana.
"…Mei?"
Kiana murmured as Mei gently pulled her into an embrace, the two pressing their foreheads together.
Kiana's searing heat radiated from her body, causing Mei's face to pale slightly—but she endured it. Because compared to what Kiana was going through, her pain was nothing.
"Kiana, you can do this."
Mei's voice was soft, her autumn eyes full of encouragement and warmth.
"Mei…"
Kiana repeated her name, looked into those familiar eyes so close to her own, and took a deep breath before flashing a brilliant smile.
"Mei… thank you—for always putting up with my stubbornness."
"Silly girl… That's what friends are for. Come back soon—I'll be waiting for you at home."
"Mm!"
Their closeness and sincerity radiated pure emotion. But in the middle of a battlefield, this sudden, touching moment made Sirin frown.
"What the hell… what are you two doing—huh???"
Pfft!
In the middle of Sirin's utter confusion, Kiana's hand suddenly pierced through Mei's abdomen, a spray of blood bursting out—
What the hell?! Did they just start infighting for no reason?!
Sirin's mind exploded with question marks.
Blood spilled from Mei's lips, yet her eyes grew even gentler as she gazed at Kiana.
"Do your best… I believe in you, Kiana…"
With her final blessing, Raiden Mei planted her sword—still sheathed—into the ground.
At the same moment, a familiar black mist engulfed her body. In the next instant, she disappeared from the space entirely.
Only Kiana remained, arm extended, blood still dripping from her hand.
"Sniff…"
She sniffled, burning away the tears threatening to fall. Then she looked up at Sirin again, sparks of electricity crackling across her body.
"Hey, Sirin—just to face you, I let my best friend get hurt! The pain she endured? You're going to pay for it a hundred times over. Get ready!"
Kiana raised Kōmei, its blade pointed at Sirin as she declared each word with unwavering determination.
"…What is this?"
While Sirin still reeled in shock, Kiana slowly drew the sword that Mei had left behind.
Now wielding twin blades—one blazing with holy fire, the other sparking with thunder—Kiana's Honkai energy surged to a brand-new peak.
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon[1], just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 331: Interlude – Secret Weapon[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/135034996?collection=95348[3]
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/135034996?collection=95348
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/135034996?collection=95348
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed