'BOOM!'
A harsh crack of lightning split the sky.
Within the thick, oppressive storm clouds, thunder rumbled deep like a beast waking.
From the heart of a blazing flash, a crimson figure burst forth.
"Nagami, what the hell is going on? Why are there suddenly multiple Herrschers appearing?!"
Long black hair crackled with electricity as arcs danced along it.
Behind her, crystalline wings shimmered.
Her eyes, now vertical crimson slits, made it clear who was currently in control of the body.
The Third Herrscher (The Herrscher of Thunder) completely ignored Durandal standing at the front.
With a grim face, she focused her attention on the two figures floating beside Nagami.
As a fellow Herrscher, she instantly recognized her own kind.
Fu Hua, Himeko, Durandal, and Nagami had combined their strength to block the residual force from that railgun shot capable of shattering continents.
"So this is Mei's Herrscher form?" Himeko remarked, examining the Third Herrscher with a curious, slightly amused expression. "First time seeing it up close."
Thanks to Nagami's influence, Mei's Herrscher persona hadn't caused any havoc at St. Freya Academy—but that didn't mean she was friendly toward humanity either.
So technically, this was Himeko's first direct encounter with Mei's Herrscher self.
Unlike the past, where any Herrscher sighting demanded utmost caution and fear, Himeko now felt surprisingly at ease.
After all... she was a Herrscher herself now.
Thinking back to how seriously she used to treat the Herrschers and comparing it to now, Himeko couldn't help but feel a strange, ironic amusement.
"Perfect timing," Nagami said with a stern expression, pointing toward the distant, fading pillar of black light on the horizon.
"The Herrscher of Domination turned the heavily injured Chiyou into her personal mount. Her sword Xuanyuan Sword is imbued with the power of the Herrscher of Death.
It stopped Chiyou's body from disintegrating. But more importantly—she's a seven-core Herrscher, something completely unheard of!"
He turned to Fu Hua. "Don't compare her to the six-core Herrscher of the Void from before. This one was artificially created by Honkai under special circumstances.
Even with just one core, she likely had power on par with the Herrschers of Flame or Rock from the Previous Era."
Fu Hua nodded stiffly, her face solemn.
Even if Nagami hadn't said it, she could feel it clearly.
Now that she could barely be considered a Herrscher herself, she could perceive that horrifying energy radiating from Ji Lin.
But a seven-core Herrscher at Previous Era levels...?
"Previous Era... Herrschers?" both Durandal and Himeko muttered with furrowed brows.
"We're all Herrschers. What's the difference?" Himeko asked.
Nagami didn't answer directly.
Instead, he posed a question of his own:
"Himeko—if I gave you free rein, could you reduce all of Australia to a sea of fire?"
"All of... Australia?!" Himeko's pale, delicate face froze in disbelief.
She exchanged a glance with Durandal, and both saw the same heaviness in each other's eyes.
Nagami flew ahead, leading the trio of Herrschers and an S-rank Valkyrie toward C.C.'s location.
"That's right. The later Herrschers in the Previous Era were essentially continental-class threats. And now, this seven-core Ji Lin might very well surpass that level.
We have to lead her toward the Pacific. We can't fight her over the East China Sea, or the coastal regions of Shenzhou could be obliterated by the aftermath alone."
He turned toward Fu Hua, locking eyes with her.
"I've already spoken with Otto. He's in contact with Anti-Entropy. Both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy will be deploying more resources along the coast."
"Thank you, Nagami."
Fu Hua nodded slightly.
Fighting continental-class Herrschers from the Previous Era was beyond brutal for ordinary people.
Countless deaths were caused by unidentified AOE attacks—too many to count.
They were getting close enough now to see the green-haired girl and beside her, Yae Sakura, wearing a transformed shrine maiden outfit glowing with power.
Suddenly receiving some kind of message, Nagami smirked faintly.
"Sisterly bond restored. Time to beat the crap out of the deadbeat dad. Now that's what I call poetic justice."
———————————————————————
[Nagami]: Kiana, is the Divine Key—Judgement of Shamash is with Siegfried right now?
———————————————————————
No reply came through.
Instead, Kiana simply used the group chat's red packet feature to send the Divine Key straight to Nagami.
Since they were all in the same world, it didn't even cost any points.
"Himeko, this is for you. Compared to the Godsbane Sword, this should be a much better fit—or rather, I don't think anyone in this world is more suited to be its wielder than you."
A pair of twin pistols black and white with golden trim appeared in Nagami's hands.
Without hesitation, she tossed them to Himeko.
"You'll be one of our main attackers this time."
Herrscher of Flame—wielder of the strongest destructive power.
"These are... Judgement of Shamash?!" Himeko's eyes widened. "Weren't they with Siegfried? How did you get them?"
Catching the twin pistols effortlessly despite the wind they carried, Himeko immediately felt the resonance between the Herrscher core and the weapons.
A smirk curled at his lips.
The pistols shimmered with radiant flame, and under the intense resonance, they began to merge of their own accord.
The barrels stretched, the structure transformed—becoming a hilt.
Lava-gold fire erupted as the Judgement of Shamash Greatsword manifested in Himeko's hands, its flame coiling around it like a living creature.
"They snatched it…."
He wasn't joking.
All three Kianas had jumped Siegfried together.
And the man hadn't dared to say a single word in protest.
"...Guess I'll make do with this sword for now."
Nagami reversed his grip on the crimson greatsword slung behind Himeko's back.
Activating his Alpha Stigma Eyes, he scanned the weapon's internal structure, then casually tossed it to C.C.
In the real world, there's no such thing as friendly fire immunity.
That meant Nagami's signature artistic combat is to overkill— so it was off the table.
If he used it here, he might not only fail to kill Ji Lin but also take out her allies in the process.
The Herrscher of Corruption's abilities were devastatingly effective against technological constructs—but in terms of direct combat, the buffs were minimal.
If someone really did drop a massive mushroom cloud in the middle of this, the first one to get obliterated would be the Corruption Herrscher herself.
Which is exactly why hand-to-hand combat training still matters.
Suddenly, a sharp jolt of danger surged up his spine like an electric current.
Both Nagami and C.C bodies turned simultaneously toward the Herrscher of Domination, who was riding atop Chiyou.
A moment later, everyone else's faces shifted.
They all looked up at the same time, brows twitching with alarm.
Ji Lin, calm as ever, simply raised the Xuanyuan Sword.
The gem embedded in its blade shimmered with a deep, dark glow—an ominous blend of death, lightning, flame, and wind.
Those four elements erupted in a dazzling torrent of energy, converging into a terrifying sword strike that stretched over a hundred meters long—like a meteor crashing down straight toward Nagami.
"Hah. Perfect chance to test out a new toy!"
Himeko grinned fearlessly as the massive wave of sword energy came bearing down.
The power of the Flame Herrscher surged around her.
[WARNING: Honkai Energy Overload Detected — 100%]
[WARNING: Honkai Energy Overload Detected — 120%]
The Judgement of Shamash issued its cold, mechanical warnings—but Himeko paid them no mind, increasing the energy output even further.
Might of An-Utu.
True to its name, it brought equal destruction to all things.
Even when used at its lowest output, Siegfried could wipe out Emperor-class Honkai Beasts with ease.
But such immense power came at a steep price.
When fully unleashed, Heavenly Fire would burn its wielder to ashes along with its enemies.
That's why only members of the Kaslana family, who carried Kevin's genes, could wield it—only those who could command the power of ice could withstand its hellish heat.
Those who only inherited Honkai resistance from the Kaslana bloodline had to pay with their lives every time they unleashed the weapon's full power.
Just like how the Death Herrscher's body is inherently corrosive even when not actively using her powers—or how the Lightning Herrscher could ionize anything she touched even passively—
The Flame Herrscher's body radiated extreme heat the moment her core was active.
Scorching hot?
What a joke.
The sword's true power hadn't even begun to show itself!
[WARNING: Honkai Energy Overload Detected — 150%]
[Heavenly Fire — Limit Release: Cataclysm Mode!]
The sword hilt in her hand split apart, and a magnificent wide blade formed from searing flames surged forth blazing with such intensity it threatened to reduce the surrounding area into a red-lotus inferno.
It was a radiance rivaling the death of a star.
That was the meaning behind the name "Cataclysm."
The blade of Cataclysm grew several times larger, the crimson glow erupting into a brilliance that could rival the sun itself.
A brutal blaze detached itself from the Cataclysm, forming an inferno even larger than the massive sword aura created by the four-element strike.
"Let's get this battle over with!!"