A hundredfold repayment?
Kiana's presence was certainly imposing, but the issue remained: Sirin hadn't orchestrated any of this herself.
Her thoughts momentarily wavered before quickly refocusing.
"That peculiar sensation... Could it be from the entity that rescued the Herrschers of Wind and Death last time? By interfering with my Dominion Authority once again, leveraging our connection, and harnessing the Theater of Domination's mechanisms... Did you steal Raiden Mei's abilities? Is this your plan?" Sirin analyzed the situation as she waved her hand, unleashing all the accumulated destructive power around Kiana—each element distinct yet equally lethal—in a sudden eruption.
"BOOM!!"
Sirin wasted no time, leaving Kiana no chance to respond. Whether Kiana answered or not didn't matter; the truth itself held no significance for her. All Sirin desired was Kiana's death, followed by seizing her abilities—that was all.
With wind blades, icy blasts, the red fog of death, and warped space, Sirin's relentless onslaught should have been instantly fatal. However, amidst the explosive energy, she spotted glimmers of blade flashes.
"Shatter it!"
Thunder roared, flames erupted, and Kiana's eyes glowed with the purple light representing a higher-dimensional perspective. With unimaginable power, she shattered what seemed like an inevitable deathtrap.
Sirin was momentarily taken aback.
"The Key of Judgment, wielding destructive force from a higher dimension? But you shouldn't be able to use it to this extent... Oh right, I almost forgot—you now possess the Authority of Lightning. If even that can't harness the Key of Judgment, then no one could."
"Quite a sudden barrage of questions—are you trying to gather intel on your enemy? Even you're starting to feel apprehensive?" Kiana smiled, her left hand gripping the sword left behind by her dear friend. On her ring finger, the Key of Judgment transformed into a flash of lightning, enveloping the blade and extending its length dramatically, akin to Yellowlight, the edge shimmering with violet electricity.
Sirin paused before speaking icily: "With the addition of the Key of Judgment, you now wield three full Herrscher energies. You've indeed become stronger. Suddenly, I'm curious—how will he react if, after investing so much, I end up claiming everything for myself? Will he feign sorrow for you first or lament his own loss? Or perhaps regret not confronting me sooner?"
"Yes, three energy fragments... I never imagined I could become this powerful. Indeed, strength emerges under pressure; without pushing oneself, who knows where our limits lie? As for Zeke's thoughts..."
Kiana appeared deeply contemplative, but midway through her sentence, she swiftly materialized before Sirin with a grin, swinging her dual blades.
"Sneaky!" Sirin remarked mildly. Instead of defending against Kiana's high-dimensional destructive power by warping space, she chose to teleport herself to the other side of the platform.
"Rumble!"
Kiana's strike missed, cleaving nearly half the platform apart. Debris cascaded down, disappearing into the unfathomable depths of the Abyss.
Undeterred, Kiana turned around to see Sirin about a hundred meters away, chin resting thoughtfully as if pondering something.
Simultaneously, invisible fluid blades enveloped Kiana's position.
"Boom!"
Harnessing her higher-dimensional destructive capabilities beyond mere physical force, Kiana forcefully broke free and charged towards Sirin, swinging her blades downward.
Sirin vanished once more, appearing suddenly on the left, then right, sometimes front or back, continuously flickering around Kiana.
"I don't fully grasp the capabilities from a higher-dimensional POV, but you've indeed obtained the power to bypass Ideal Fluid and Space Authorities."
"Theoretically, Ideal Fluid should counter all conventional physical attacks and defenses, including Lightning Authority."
"Meanwhile, Spatial powers perfectly suppress Ideal Fluid."
"And within Lightning Authority lies the potential to overcome Wind and Space Authorities."
"The Dominion Authority can threaten any Herrscher's ability, yet that mysterious power interfering with Theater of Domination twice seems specifically capable of countering it."
"What appear as unrelated abilities actually exhibit mutual suppression characteristics. It seems no authority is entirely invincible. This seemingly straightforward form of power holds untapped potential... Ah, I see now; I've gained much insight thanks to you two."
Flickering figures seemed omnipresent, while Sirin's calm voice echoed from every direction—her demeanor radiating unparalleled confidence.
As if even Kiana, enhanced to this extent, posed no threat to her.
Kiana's relentless attacks proved futile; aside from repeatedly damaging the platform's structures, they yielded no results. Though she could discern Sirin's movements through space, Kiana couldn't keep up with her opponent's speed.
Simultaneously, Sirin unleashed wave after wave of diverse assaults on Kiana, but each was deflected without causing significant harm.
It seemed their battle had reached a stalemate.
"Huff...huff...huff..."
After another fruitless attempt, Kiana let her dual blades drag along the ground, her breaths labored and uneven.
"Starting to tire already? The Gem of Haste alone is enough to wear down your body. Now, adding the power of lightning while wielding the Key of Judgment... I don't even need to directly attack you. Just dragging this out will lead to your demise."
"You talk too much. Are we gonna fight or what?"
"As stubborn as ever, aren't you? Too bad your performance can't match that mouth anymore."
Sirin abruptly appeared before Kiana, raising one hand effortlessly. Concentrating terrifying destructive energy, it coalesced into a chaotic-colored sphere within her palm.
The corners of Sirin's lips curled upward, revealing a contemptuous sneer to Kiana.
"BOOM!"
Kiana crossed her blades to block and was thrust hundreds of meters back, her feet digging deep grooves into the ground as she struggled to halt near the edge of the crumbling platform, barely managing to dissipate the attack's force.
"That's all you've got? I could drag this out until you die from exhaustion, but my patience is wearing thin. Let me show you what true despair feels like!"
Sirin ascended into the air, harnessing the destructive power of four elemental abilities—wind, ice, death, and shattered space—to form colossal orbs around her, saturating the world with unparalleled Honkai Energy.
Confronted by such overwhelming energy, far beyond her own capabilities, Kiana paradoxically sighed in relief.
"Now that's more like it! You're always impatient and love going head-to-head; if you kept hiding, things would get tricky for me!"
With both blades held aloft, flames and lightning crackled along their edges. Kiana bent her knees and charged forth like an arrow released from its bowstring.
Sirin smirked disdainfully, waving her hand to unleash countless attacks raining down, obscuring the sky as if signaling the arrival of Armageddon.
"BOOM!"
"Boom!"
"BOOM!!"
In mere moments, under Sirin's relentless bombardment, what remained of the platform crumbled and plummeted into the unfathomable depths below.
Kiana leaped across shattered debris, skillfully weaving through countless attacks as she rapidly closed the distance to Sirin.
Finally, with no more footholds left, Kiana abandoned her footing altogether, streaking towards Sirin like a swift bird, trailing sparks of fire and lightning.
"Sirin!"
"Foolish insect!"
Sirin raised her hand to meet the charging Kiana. On that madwoman's face, Sirin saw an exhilarated, fearless smile—and from her golden irises, a murderous intent surged forth.
As expected, their two immense powers collided head-on, causing the world itself to tremble.
"Bang!"