What should she do?
Kiana could only watch as Everbreath gathered energy—twelve massive cyclones descending toward them—and yet she could do nothing.
The effects of her equipment were being suppressed, or perhaps Everbreath simply had resistance to Honkai-based weapons. Her mind went blank, unable to think of a way to win through her usual means.
This wasn't a game.
Everbreath didn't have a visible health bar hovering above its head, and she didn't even know what kind of powers it had gained from merging with the Honkai.
The wind, sharper than any blade, tore across her skin. Before the hurricanes could fully descend, she tried to stand, but her foot slipped—she fell hard to the ground.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back outside.
The sky was still filled with flowing clouds wrapped in turquoise winds, and the surroundings were the same devastated ruins as before.
"Its power is too strong!"
Sirin coughed lightly, bracing herself on her sword as she stood. Like Kiana, her body was covered in cuts left by the raging wind, her clothes soaked in crimson.
"It wants to wipe us out in one go, that's why…"
Before she could finish, a massive claw tore open the space above them. A violent gale surged once more as Everbreath's enormous body emerged again.
"We should retreat!"
Having returned from the Imaginary Space, Everbreath was back in the real world. Sirin hesitated, realizing their assessment had been wrong—they needed to reconsider their strategy.
"Don't underestimate its speed."
Welt, his wounds mostly healed, stood nearby. Though also injured, he kept his gaze locked on the colossal bird looming overhead.
"As long as we're on this land, the wind itself will tell it where we are."
Only by leaving this storm-ravaged continent might they gain even a brief moment to breathe.
But doing so…
Everbreath's true target was clearly the Sentinels capable of threatening it. It must have remembered what happened a thousand years ago—every detail etched deeply into its memory.
Their mission wasn't to run. It was to stop Everbreath. Fleeing would only bring danger elsewhere.
"…Let me handle it."
Leaning against a wall, Kiana stood up, her expression calm and steady as she looked up at the monstrous bird.
She couldn't do anything.
She had caused this crisis to escalate, yet she lacked the power to end it—and now others were paying the price.
"What are you planning to do?"
Their power gap with Everbreath was simply too vast. Only Raiden Mei still had the strength to fight, but she had been gravely wounded by Everbreath's earlier outburst.
Sirin planted the Edict Edge into the ground, creating a semicircular barrier that held back the incoming winds.
In this situation, there was no room for attack—only defense.
But pure defense would lead only to defeat.
Everyone knew that truth.
"Kiana, what are you going to do?"
"End this."
Kiana took a deep breath. Even forcing a smile was impossible now.
Her repressed emotions finally burst forth, erupting like a volcano within her heart, burning away her reason.
"Only the Honkai can defeat the Honkai. If we don't kill Everbreath, this disaster will never end."
Welt's expression hardened. Hearing the determination in her voice, he straightened and said, "What do you need us to do?"
Kiana hesitated for a moment before answering softly, "…Keep yourselves safe. Don't worry about me."
She was speaking to Mei more than anyone.
Understanding her intent to fight alone, Mei's face showed immediate disapproval.
"That's impossible—this isn't just your responsibility, Kiana."
"There's no other choice, Mei. I have to do this."
Kiana's final words were resolute: "If you see me losing control… leave immediately. As far as you can."
Losing control?!
"Wait, Kiana! Maybe there's still another way!"
Mei reached out, trying to stop her. Maybe there was still hope—she, Sirin, and Welt each had an Edict Edge, and Kiana possessed many strange abilities. Surely there had to be another solution.
"…The gap in strength can't be closed, and we're out of time, aren't we?"
The continent itself was shifting.
Everbreath wouldn't give them time.
Kiana turned and passed through the Imaginary barrier. Mei reached out instinctively, trying to follow—but the barrier blocked her.
"Kiana!"
Gritting her teeth, Mei turned toward Sirin, only to see her wearing a bewildered expression. "I didn't let her through!"
"I know you two are close," Welt said firmly, his voice like steel, "but this isn't the time to act on emotion. She has confidence—and we must believe she can do it. Stay alert and be ready to support her at any time!"
"…Understood."
Inside the storm, Kiana lifted her head toward the massive bird above. Compared to the raging winds, she was nothing—an insect before a god.
"…I finally know what I have to do."
She moved through the storm, her body battered by gales. Whenever the wind became unbearable, she activated her Phase Shuttle to evade, inching closer and closer to the enemy.
"Only the Honkai… Let's see which of us is stronger, Everbreath!"
[Authority of Finality progression surpasses 50% for the first time. Permanent progression increase: +10%]
[You have activated—Power of the Saint.]
From Mei's perspective, Kiana suddenly accelerated—her speed so great that only a streak of golden light could be seen shooting into the sky, colliding head-on with Everbreath.
"Kiana!"
Mei's heart pounded. She turned sharply. "Let me out there! I have to help her!"
Sirin hesitated for a moment, then lifted the Edict Edge and dispelled the barrier. "After this, I won't be able to keep an eye on you. Be careful."
The moment the barrier vanished, an even denser wave of Honkai energy struck them—so thick it made them dizzy.
A shrill screech tore through the storm.
Everbreath's cry sounded different this time—sharper, almost pained. The blue and gold lights clashed several times in midair.
No one could tell who held the advantage, but after just a few exchanges, Everbreath flapped its massive wings and turned into a streak of light, fleeing into the distance.
Kiana gasped for air, chest heaving. She had forcefully elevated her Herrscher progression through pure emotion and willpower—and she didn't know if it could ever be reversed.
Clutching her right eye, she winced. The sudden surge in Herrscher energy left her reeling.
I can't let it escape. I have to end this—quickly!
She gritted her teeth and took off in pursuit.
The Power of the Saint possessed the ability to suppress Honkai energy—to even restrain and strip away Herrscher cores.
Reaching halfway through her transformation didn't mean she wielded half the Authority of Finality, but even now, she could suppress Everbreath. As the sole Herrscher of Finality, she was a god to this world's Honkai creatures.
And now, with the Power of the Saint, she held absolute dominion over every Honkai Beast.
When the blue light descended from the sky, the terrifying storm surrounding the ruins finally began to fade.
The troublesome Everbreath, though it had tried to flee into the atmosphere, was caught and forced back down by Kiana with one hand.
A Herrscher held absolute authority over all Honkai creatures. Kiana wasn't yet a complete Herrscher—but she was born as the Herrscher of Finality.
Indeed, only the Honkai could fight the Honkai.
"Where's the blade?"
The Power of the Saint suppressed Everbreath's movements and sealed all of its Honkai energy.
In this state, Kiana had absolute control over all Honkai energy and could suppress any being that used it.
Her bright blue eyes had unknowingly turned into a sacred, dazzling gold. Standing atop Everbreath's body, she maintained her Saint's power with one hand while turning her gaze toward the others.
"Here!"
A blue sword was thrown toward her. Without hesitation, Kiana caught it firmly and instantly infused it with the Power of the Saint, ignoring Everbreath's agonized cries as she struck it down.
Even in its final moments, Everbreath couldn't understand why its new "leader" of the Honkai would side with humans.
Its six pairs of wings had already been shattered earlier in the battle.
When Mist pierced through Everbreath's skull, a burst of terrifying energy erupted from its body, surging wildly into the sword.
The raging winds forced everyone else to retreat, shielding their faces from the gale. Only Kiana, standing at the center of the storm, remained calm, watching the Edict Edge absorb the dissipating power.
Even after transforming into a Honkai creature, it still retained its ability to be absorbed by the blade?
The forging process lasted three full minutes. The enemy they had once thought invincible—the one that had brought down an entire continent—was slain by Kiana in under ten.
Kiana didn't bother to check Mist's new properties. Once the storm subsided, she suppressed the blade back to its original form and tossed it to Welt, who had just thrown it to her moments ago.
With Everbreath gone, the storm that had engulfed the continent began to lose its strength and slowly dissipate.
But it would take a long time for the land to fully recover.
And the Honkai energy here wouldn't fade anytime soon. More Honkai Beasts would inevitably be born in the coming days.
After finishing her task, Kiana pressed her hand to her forehead again. She had already tested the changes in her Herrscher progression when she discovered it wasn't fixed.
The conclusion was clear.
Her permanent Herrscher progression served as a baseline—no matter what, it would never decrease.
However, that progression wasn't static. Whenever her emotions fluctuated violently—especially when her desire to achieve something reached an extreme—her Herrscher progression would begin to rise.
It would then slowly recede as her emotions calmed, eventually returning to baseline.
A purely psychological mechanism.
But such rapid surges came with irreversible side effects.
"Are you okay?"
Mei sheathed her Edict Edge and stepped forward to support her, eyes filled with worry. She clearly hadn't taken Kiana's warning about losing control seriously—her only concern was helping her friend.
"I'm fine."
Kiana's golden eyes hadn't returned to blue. Leaning against Mei for support, she said solemnly, "But the outside world won't be fine. The Honkai eruption will trigger a global chain reaction. We must alert everyone and prepare for the disasters to come."
"…Leave that to me and Sirin. Raiden Mei, will you join us—or stay and watch over her?"
Holding Mist, Welt adjusted his glasses and asked pointedly.
Raiden Mei looked up at him, silent for a moment, then said, "I'll stay and take care of Kiana."
"Understood."
Welt nodded, turning away without another word. "Stay in contact at all times. Sirin, we're heading back to command."
Sirin glanced worriedly at the weakened Kiana, her expression heavy. "I understand."
Though Everbreath had been slain, the situation remained dire. As Kiana had said, worse things were still unfolding—and they were running out of time. They needed to take the information from here to the outside world as soon as possible.
Kiana watched as Sirin and Welt opened a spatial gate and stepped through. Once they were gone, her body gave out completely, collapsing into Raiden Mei's arms.
"What's wrong?"
"Just… drained. I'm not used to this kind of power yet."
Kiana spoke half-truthfully as Mei helped her find a place to sit.
Once she had her seated, Mei immediately reached into her equipment and pulled out one of the recovery devices Kiana had given her earlier, intending to heal her.
But Kiana stopped her, placing a weak hand over hers.
"It's no use. I'm not injured."
Seeing Kiana's hand press against her own, Mei fell silent again and quietly put the device away.
"Your eyes…"
"My eyes?"
Kiana blinked, touching her face. "They turned gold, didn't they?"
"Yes—they're golden. Why?"
"…The power of the Honkai. Maybe it's because I still can't fully control it."
Kiana gave a bitter smile.
She was only halfway through her Herrscher transformation, and even now, it was taking all her strength to stay composed. She couldn't imagine what would happen once she completed it—whether she'd still be herself.
This power…
Just moments ago, with only a few minutes of battle, she had slain Everbreath—a being that had nearly annihilated them all. The sheer scale of that power was terrifying.
Mei took a deep breath, her thoughts tangled. Lowering her head, she said softly, "He's starting to doubt you."
Kiana said nothing.
She knew Mei meant Welt. The trust he'd shown during battle had, after witnessing her power, shifted into suspicion once the fight was over.
And not just Welt.
Even Sirin—who had seemed distracted earlier—might now harbor doubts about her.
"Kiana… what's really going on?" Mei asked, her tone serious.
"…Do you trust me?"
Kiana realized she had been too idealistic—believing too much in people. She never should have revealed so much about her knowledge of the Honkai, or the truths tied to it.
She had killed Everbreath, but in doing so, she had also planted the seed of suspicion in others' hearts.
Her connection to the Honkai was undeniable. As an otherworldly visitor shrouded in mystery, was she truly as harmless as she appeared?
The Honkai she had brought had already caused more destruction to Izumo than the Kami ever had.