Several pseudo-Herrscher-level clones materialized around Ji Lin and charged forward—targeting the girl in the ceremonial shrine maiden dress.
Having used the trial card gifted by Nagami, she had evolved from Priestess to Herrscher of Corruption.
Her crimson eyes now shimmered with a dangerous, otherworldly glow.
With a flick of her thumb against the hilt, the girl unleashed a blinding blade of light.
The cut was so sharp, no sound followed—not even the echo of a body being cleaved apart.
Yae Sakura frowned slightly as the Ji Lin clone dissolved into swirling black-violet particles, drifting off to reform again in the distance.
[Onee-chan! Onee-chan!]
A childlike, excited voice rang out in her mind—clearly trying to alert her to something.
"…Mm. I know."
Sakura's lips curled into a slight smile as she raised her demonic blade.
Its blood-red edge pulsed with an ominous, inky black light that rippled like a bad omen.
Unnatural black smoke began to seep from the blade, coiling around it and then spreading out—enveloping the clone that was trying to reform.
When the Ji Lin clone emerged again, its obsidian eyes now glowed faintly red—but instead of attacking Sakura, it turned against the nearby clones.
Using standard techniques in front of the Herrscher of Corruption? That's just insulting.
Caught off guard by the sudden betrayal of one of its own, the Herrscher of Domination froze for a brief instant—then immediately withdrew all its clones.
A dark gauntlet-wrapped fist smashed through the corrupted clone, dispersing it entirely, before the true Ji Lin clone launched forward again—now wrapped in the iron power of Domination.
One-on-one? That's way less trouble.
"Sakura… Scatter!"
Sakura's crisp voice echoed across the battlefield.
She stepped lightly into the void, her figure pausing midair before scattering like cherry blossoms caught in the wind.
A flash of ghostly pink light sliced through the sky like a blade, leaving near-vacuum trails in its wake.
Crimson cherry petals drifted gently through the air—while scarlet sword strikes tore through the Ji Lin clone with unrelenting force.
A display of blade technique as destructive as it was beautiful. When the final flash vanished, Yae Sakura's silhouette reformed within the void.
Back turned to the Herrscher of Domination, she slowly sheathed her blood-red blade, Florid Sakura.
And in that same moment—countless blades of light exploded outward, accompanied by chaotic shockwaves that ravaged the clone's body.
But the ultimate didn't have the effect she'd hoped for.
The Ji Lin clone flared with an even more massive surge of Honkai energy. The wounds that laced its body were rapidly healing.
Staring intently ahead, Sakura's gaze grew grim.
High above the battlefield—nearly a kilometer in the sky a streak of blazing blue light tore through the clouds like lightning.
"Awaken… defenders of glory!"
A noble, commanding cry rang out as two massive spectral avatars appeared behind Durandal.
The giant blades in their hands mirrored the motion of her divine key, slashing out in opposite directions.
The resulting shockwaves swallowed several pseudo-Herrscher-level Ji Lins nearby, reducing them to nothing but black-violet particles.
But Durandal didn't look the least bit relieved.
Those scattered particles—already reassembling not far away regathered into solid form once again, still pseudo-Herrscher class.
Figures flickered back into view, now surrounded by the power of Domination.
That control over energy was so overwhelming, it was even starting to interfere with the operation of her Godslayer Armor.
"Tch. So persistent…"
She hadn't expected this much trouble—especially from a Herrscher of Domination without the Xuanyuan Sword or Chiyou's help.
Was this the terrifying might of a Pre-Civilization era Herrscher?
Her eyes briefly flicked toward the distance—toward Nagami and C.C., who were locked in battle with a clone wielding the Xuanyuan Sword.
Because the Herrscher of a Thousand People had no true body after being split, the one fighting Nagami and C.C. was essentially a clone too—just the most powerful among them.
What mattered most was that sword—the real Xuanyuan Sword.
And of course, Chiyou's presence couldn't be ignored. It was a considerable asset.
Even so, it was clear that Nagami and C.C. were only barely holding on—relying on their undying nature to stall the enemy.
Why were both of them Herrschers of Reason? That was something Durandal didn't understand.
But now wasn't the time to ask.
Gripping her massive knight's lance tightly, Durandal slammed it downward.
The Decay of Abyssal Blackquill surged forth, annihilating another Ji Lin clone into black-violet dust—only for it to reform again moments later.
"Damn it—so close!"
She had almost struck the core of the clone.
After battling the Ji Lin clones for some time, Durandal had noticed something strange.
Each clone had a Herrscher Core hidden inside—but only one at a time.
That core would randomly appear inside any clone, and unless she hit it directly, there was no way to inflict real damage.
Worse, the clones shared visual input—like the Six Paths of Pain—and the core could transfer between them at will.
Landing a surprise hit on it was nearly impossible.
The Herrscher of Domination's main target was clearly Nagami and C.C.
The other fights were just distractions to keep help from reaching them.
Even the mechanical will of Honkai wasn't stupid.
Its goal was simple: kill Nagami.
Each Ji Lin clone adjusted its strength based on its opponent—so as long as it kept the others occupied and prevented them from helping, its mission would be complete.
And if they ignored her… that power, capable of controlling everything, would slowly begin absorbing all Herrscher Authorities—until only the one fused in the Xuanyuan Sword remained.
Durandal wasn't a Herrscher, and yet the enemy could manipulate the Honkai energy within her body.
What an infuriating tactic.
To break free, she would need to unleash a power that caught the enemy completely off guard.
There was only one way.
As the strongest S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, Durandal undoubtedly possessed such strength.
And its name was—
"Dea Anchora: Equip!"
A blinding burst of radiance erupted like the birth of a star.
Glorious golden armor slowly manifested around Durandal's body.
In the Quantum Sea, countless membranes form from its natural fluctuations.
The purpose of the Aether Anchors is to stabilize these erratic layers in this vast ocean of chaos.
They are the seeds of new worlds, anchoring themselves in the Quantum Sea and eventually growing into stable bubble universes.
The true essence of the Dea Anchora armor is that it generates a semi-artificial bubble universe using those Aether Anchors.
If the Quantum Sea is a chaotic sea of endless stars, then this armor is the anchor that holds firm amid the storm. That's the meaning behind Dea Anchora.
Though this bubble universe wasn't very large, it still wielded the power of an entire world.
But its power came at a price—Durandal could only remain active in this armor for three minutes.
Any longer, and even she would be forcibly restrained.
Surging with Honkai energy, her body radiated the might of the stars, wrapping her slender frame in celestial power.
The moment her strength flared, the number of Jilin clones surrounding her rapidly decreased, though the remaining ones grew far more powerful.
The Herrscher of Domination reacted swiftly—some of the remaining clones had already approached the level of newborn Herrschers.
Durandal's golden boots stomped hard on the star-forged longbow crafted from constellation energy.
She readied Black Abyss White Flower as an arrow, aiming directly at the Herrscher of Domination.
"I am the darkness that devours all…
I am the light that births creation…
Before the beginning, I was. After the end, I remain.
In my name—Black Abyss, White Flower: First Rated Power—
'Holy Spear Unleashed!'"
An explosion of dazzling light followed.
The mighty force of Dea Anchora focused and narrowed the beam to a deadly strike.
"And now, this final shot…"
Her once-blue eyes gleamed gold, her unyielding gaze locked onto the now-frozen Herrscher of Domination, who stood stiffly like a puppet.
"…will pierce the stars!"
Golden starlight tore a savage rift through the clouded sky, revealing a deep crater like a black hole, as if the heavens themselves had been ripped open.
Sunlight came flooding down like a tide.
"Now's our chance!"
Shouts echoed in perfect unison.
Durandal wasn't the only one who had caught on to the pattern of the Jilin clones' movements.
Aside from Mei, every Herrscher present was a seasoned warrior, honed on countless battlefields.
Though the battlefield had been split and communications equipment disabled from the start, all of them had been waiting for a single signal—
And they all recognized that golden flash of light.
[Warning: Honkai energy overload detected — 175%]
[Warning: Honkai energy overload detected — 200%]
Only a select few in the game's storyline had ever wielded the power to transform Judgment of Shamash into Oblivion, and use it freely.
That boundless, destructive force wasn't just dangerous to enemies—it threatened the user as well.
Only those like Kevin or his descendants, able to control ice and snow, could barely withstand it.
But to the Herrscher of Flames…
"Destructive firepower? You've got to be kidding me."
Her fiery red hair blazed like a living inferno.
Himeko raised her massive greatsword high overhead.
"Now BURN! Burn until nothing remains!"
———————————————————————
[Old timer! Hey, old timer! Feel that? Someone's pulling out their ultimate! Your turn—go hit her! Smash her!]
———————————————————————
The voice rang out in Fu Hua's mind—a newborn child, less than a day old, chirping nonstop like a little bird.
The pink gemstone at her forehead glowed with a mysterious, eerie light.
Her elegant eyes quivered slightly.
Fu Hua sighed again, though it carried a note of relief, like she could finally let go.
Gazing back at the pursuing Jilin clones, her pink-blue irises slowly closed.
The aura surrounding her lithe form grew ever more ethereal—detached from the mortal world.
One hand clasped behind her back, the other raised into a sword-form stance.
She whispered softly:
"The divine is infinite in its transformations.
Even without a blade, the spirit creates the sword.
Sword aura arises from mind alone—this is divine intent."
"Herrscher of Sentience…"
She seemed both real and illusory, radiating an unearthly beauty.
If anyone met Fu Hua's eyes in that moment, their consciousness would be instantly seized and dominated.
Just like when she fought the pufferfish before—drawing on Fenghuang Down's first rated power.
Fu Hua's Herrscher authority was far more potent and flexible than any Divine Key, and came with no side effects.
The Herrscher of Domination caught on quickly, reinforcing the strength of the clone confronting her.
But the girl who seemed like an immortal fairy simply raised her pale hand and gave a gentle wave—
"Taixuan Sword God."
Formless and limitless, this sword existed beyond the need for a physical shape.
It filled the space around it—it was space.
Thus, it could strike from anywhere, unstoppable and absolute.
"Herrscher… this sword cannot be blocked."
———————————————————————
Daily Uploads!
Unlock bonus chapters by reaching specific milestones with [Power Stone] votes!
Go to p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to access more than 50 advanced chapters.