Void Sword Divinity—the ultimate essence of Taixuan Sword Qi, representing the pinnacle of Fu Hua's thousand-year martial arts mastery.
At this pinnacle of martial prowess, she could unleash boundless Honkai Energy, resulting in unimaginable destructive power.
And due to its profound realm of consciousness, it directly assaults the soul—inescapable and unstoppable, the ultimate martial art capable of erasing one's very will.
"BOOM!!"
To Sirin, the colossal sword aura, impossible within reality, loomed ever larger.
First, her body disintegrated, leaving only her battered head floating in midair.
Then, without resistance, the crimson sword aura pierced through her eyes.
"So...it was this move all along?"
This familiar scene, evoking the same sense of helplessness, reminded Sirin of the most perilous and terrifying moment during the Siberian battle. She had anticipated facing this attack again and prepared accordingly, but never expected it would be wielded by Kiana—the girl she always held in contempt and hatred. How did such a naive and foolish waste gain mastery over this power?
With her last remaining strength, Sirin gazed at Kiana falling into darkness, her eyes unblinking even as her head hung lifelessly.
Suddenly, the scene before her changed—Sirin found herself standing on the ground of the mental world. Ahead, Kiana smiled and extended her delicate index finger, gently placing it against Sirin's forehead.
"...Are you here to mock me or flaunt your victory?" Sirin asked indifferently, devoid of fear or the earlier rage. She simply gazed at Kiana with calm detachment.
Kiana shook her head.
"Neither. I just wanted to take a closer look at you. See, we truly are identical!"
"Hmph! You won. Don't expect congratulations from me. Continue down this path of deceit; someday, you'll witness the true nature of the world. When that time comes, welcome to becoming the new me!"
"Ah, even your stubbornness mirrors mine perfectly—indeed, we truly share the same origin. I won't kill you outright; while it might not affect my other abilities, losing the Authority of Space by acknowledging you instead of me could prevent me from reclaiming it fully. I need that power, so rest well deep within my soul for now. Hopefully, there will come a day when you change your mind."
"You're dreaming! Do you think you're right just because?"
"I've never claimed that. I've never asserted who's correct or wrong. However, I know following your path leads only to emptiness and more suffering, nothing else."
Kiana extended her index finger and gently touched Sirin's forehead.
Crack!
Like shattering glass, countless fractures appeared in Sirin's consciousness entity. With a cold expression and distant gaze, she disintegrated into numerous specks of light, merging into Kiana's consciousness.
Cracks began to appear throughout the Theater of Domination.
Within the hidden secondary dimensions, individuals felt overwhelming fear.
"Oh no! She's losing!"
"Power... Our power is continuously draining..."
"It's over; if we failed here, what else can we do?"
Amidst this wave of despair, they received another communication from someone outside their realm.
"We're abandoning the Theater of Domination? Starting all over again?"
"The host was right. The coordinates of this place have likely been pinpointed by our enemies."
"Let's retreat for now! We can rebuild the Theater later; survival is paramount!"
"Leave! Get out of here!"
One by one, dolls vanished from the secondary dimensions as Sirin lost control over them.
Herrscher of a Thousand People, still alive.
In the real world, a massive white dragon was immobilized by colossal iron spikes as dark as night, each resembling skyscrapers, pinning down its body and wings. An enormous surge of Honkai Energy continuously erupted from it, only to be channeled away by countless wires connected to the black spikes.
"Amazing! The Selene Throne has been operational for less than half an hour, yet the energy it's already converted is enough to sustain our civilization for several months. This thing is practically a walking gold mine!"
At the edge of the high walls, Bronya sucked on a lollipop, her eyes gleaming as she monitored the readings on the screen.
Wendy scratched her face with a smile and said,
"We owe thanks to Bronya for setting up the guiding apparatus and connecting it to the base's Selene Throne system; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to trap this dragon."
"Intelligence is part of one's strength too. You utilized your wisdom effectively—it's not cheating. Bronya merely assisted you. Speaking of, if this dragon can produce such immense power, theoretically, Herrschers linked to Void Portals should possess similar Honkai Energy output capabilities..."
Bronya's eyes narrowed like a cat's as she scanned the Herrschers present. Except for Raiden Mei, who lay recovering, they all took a step back—even Seele, despite their close bond, felt a sense of unease.
Then Wendy covered her face and sighed.
"Ah! Let's not talk about this anymore. Knowing Zeke's nature, he must have already planned for energy collection from you. It's just a matter of time now. Eventually, we'll be utilized as clean energy sources... I can only hope he retains some humanity and doesn't exploit us excessively."
Wendy shuddered involuntarily, envisioning a bleak future ahead.
Bronya patted Wendy's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry; there are five of you. No, including the Alliance Leader, it's six Herrschers total. Plus, we possess several Herrscher Cores and Divine Keys. Given our current efficiency, sharing the workload won't take too much time."
"I hope so..." Wendy sighed, lacking confidence.
Suddenly, the colossal dragon that had been relentlessly struggling, emitting vast amounts of Honkai Energy, ceased its efforts.
"ROOOOAR!"
A massive roar filled with anger, sorrow, and defiance echoed across tens of kilometers, stirring up a fierce gale even atop the high walls.
"What's wrong with it?" Wendy asked anxiously as she looked over.
Bronya observed the energy readings on her screen and removed the lollipop from her mouth. "The Honkai Energy levels have plummeted drastically. Although still significant, it won't be able to break free from these nails now. I believe Kiana succeeded."
"Really? I knew she could do it—she's just amazing... Ah!" Raiden Mei, who had been reclining in a lounge chair, abruptly sat up in excitement but immediately regretted it when the pain from her abdominal wound flared, draining all color from her face. She collapsed back down heavily.
"Big Sister Mei!" Seele, acting as the nurse, rushed over, gently restraining Raiden Mei while examining her injury.
"It's okay, Seele, nothing happened. The wound is healing quickly; it didn't reopen."
"Big Sister Mei! You mustn't disregard your health like this! It's not just about reopening the wound!"
"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful."
They delved into a discussion about the wound and recovery process, with Seele unusually assertive as she lectured Raiden Mei, who could only smile wryly and agree, too afraid to contradict her.
Suddenly, all four Herrschers—Seele, Raiden Mei, Wendy, and Ana—were taken aback simultaneously.
"This is..."
"My power, my authority—it's back?!"
"I hear another me—the other Seele!"
Exclamations of astonishment echoed from each of them.
Bronya watched this unfold, once again placing the lollipop in her mouth. A hint of joy flickered in her eyes as she gazed at the sky, finally able to let go of her lingering anxiety.