Could Honkai energy increase out of nothing?
Kiana had thought about this question. After witnessing Almighty Thunder's corruption, and how the weaker Kami had been branded by the Honkai, transformed into creatures of pure Honkai energy, she had already formed a faint answer in her heart.
The answer was no.
Honkai energy was most likely a corrupted form of Nihility's power—possessing a terrifying ability to twist all other forms of energy and convert them into Honkai energy.
If that was true, then the system panel's progress made perfect sense.
She was willing to gamble on it.
Cutting off the connection with Nihility was far too abstract. She didn't truly know how to sever such a link.
To let Izumo escape Nihility's shadow.
But after thinking and thinking, exhausting every possible idea, she had come up with a plan so reckless that even a dog would shake its head at it.
She would bet that Honkai energy concentration worked as she theorized—that it grew exactly as she imagined.
By becoming Finality, she would force Izumo's Honkai energy concentration to one hundred percent. If she could do that, perhaps all of Nihility's power would be assimilated—or repelled entirely.
By becoming Finality, she might gain unimaginable power—perhaps even a means to block Nihility itself.
In short, she clung to this absurd, baseless belief, and pushed her Herrscher transformation toward completion.
[Warning—World "Izumo" Honkai Energy Concentration has reached 100%. Forced activation: "Descent of Finality."]
[World "Izumo" has been fully assimilated. Congratulations, you have obtained...]
The system prompt in her ear grew faint, then vanished entirely. Before her consciousness could even complete the one-hundred-percent Herrscher transformation, the world itself had already reached saturation—triggering the Descent of Finality ahead of her.
A torrent of overwhelming Honkai energy erupted from her body. Feeling such an immense power for the first time, Kiana's mind went numb. The strength flooding her body was so vast she could no longer control it freely.
The Honkai energy exploded outward from her core, transforming her body in ways beyond imagination. The most immediate change was her attire—resplendent and divine, as if a god had descended.
It was suffocating.
But whether it was her sheer willpower or the system's previous reward—the "Permanent Herrscher State"—something allowed her to retain a fragile grasp on sanity.
Though her body was nearly out of her control, she still had reason left.
Nihility...
She had to stop Nihility from consuming this world. She had to free Izumo from Its influence!
Struggling to control her body, she accelerated upward, shooting into the heavens like a golden comet.
The Herrscher of Finality had descended.
It was as if Izumo itself had come alive. The Honkai energy, once growing slowly, now went berserk—aggressively devouring all energy, whether claimed or unclaimed, rewriting the world's very laws.
It carved the Honkai's brand deep into the world, seeking to assimilate all traces of Nihility rooted within the planet.
She was no longer human.
She realized that once Izumo was fully branded by the Honkai, her senses extended across the entire planet.
Everything—absolutely everything.
She could see it, she could know it.
In this state of Finality, all limits were gone. She could command every particle of Honkai energy at will.
She could do anything!
But it was an illusion.
Kiana hung motionless in the sky, dazed. She couldn't wield all of that power freely. She couldn't even move her body as easily as before.
If the world's Honkai concentration represented the extent of its corruption, then her Permanent Herrscher State represented how much of that power she could actually control.
Was this... the weight of an entire world?
The entire planet had been remade by the Honkai—its laws rewritten.
Had it... succeeded?
That thought crossed her mind—just as Izumo seemed to sink into the depths of Nihility. Even though the world now belonged to the Honkai, the power of Nihility still poured in endlessly, eroding all that remained.
Its power extended into this world, quickly twisted and assimilated by the Honkai energy. Yet It still made no move—as if the power of Nihility had no master at all.
No matter how much of It was consumed, Nihility's shadow immediately filled the void again.
In this endless cycle of devouring and entanglement, Izumo was drawn ever deeper into Nihility, sinking farther and farther into the abyss.
Kiana's awareness grew ever more intertwined with the Honkai energy permeating the world. She could barely think anymore—only feel the Honkai devouring everything, its strength swelling without limit.
The closer they came to Nihility, the faster the Honkai energy grew. Within moments, the Honkai concentration on Izumo had doubled, redoubled, and doubled again.
It had reached a terrifying degree.
Until Kiana felt death.
"No... no, this isn't right!"
She suddenly snapped to her senses, struggling to control her body and stop the escalating catastrophe. "No, it can't go on like this—stop! Stop it now!"
She tried to halt it.
But as Izumo drew closer to the heart of Nihility, Its power's advance suddenly outpaced the rate at which the Honkai could assimilate it. The dense, nearly visible black-violet energy flooded back, shrouding the world once more.
And then—all fell silent.
Nihility... Honkai...
Her body was stripped of control by instinct alone. A torrent of catastrophic Honkai energy poured out of her being. In that instant, the blight of death descended upon Izumo.
Dazzling golden radiance tore through the darkness—but it did not last. The power of Nihility struck back, swallowing the light again.
The Honkai energy continued to assimilate Nihility's power, but Nihility poured in endlessly, as if saying: devour all you want—I will never end.
Until the two forces reached a deadlock.
Only then did Izumo's fall stop. The Honkai and Nihility established a horrifying equilibrium within the world.
The Honkai's devouring slowed. The power of Nihility, backed by an Aeon, pressed down, suppressing the assimilating Honkai.
But Nihility, unfazed by assimilation, still had energy to spare—to influence the last surviving beings on the planet. The now-unconscious Kiana mirrored Izumo's condition itself.
The Honkai consumed Nihility's power, while Nihility, endless and inexhaustible, could never be truly consumed.
When Raiden Mei returned to Izumo, the first thing she felt was a searing pain that tore through her entire body—an unbearable force pressing down on her.
Even with her Stigmata, within just a few breaths, signs of corrosion had already appeared across her skin.
The world was unrecognizable. Ignoring her collapsing body, she lifted her gaze—and saw Kiana floating motionless in the sky.
Alive or dead, she couldn't tell.
"...Kiana..."
Her body was nearly at its limit, yet she still trembled, trying to move closer. But before she could take another step, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her backward with force.
Raiden Mei had no strength to resist. She was dragged back through a portal—back onto the Ark.
Sirin gasped for air, her left hand clutching her right, which was covered in marks of Honkai corrosion.
"You saw it, didn't you?! Give it up already!"
Her voice was low, trembling with suppressed grief and anger.
Their last sliver of hope had been shattered.
"Cough... cough—"
Mei collapsed to the ground, bracing herself against the wall as she forced her weakened body to stand again.
Her mind was filled only with Kiana—alive or dead, she didn't know. She had found her, only to witness such a sight.
The crushing weight in her chest drowned out all pain in her body. Her voice trembled, but her eyes were unwavering. "I'm going back to Izumo. I have to go back!"
Her tone was weak but absolute.
Even if it cost her life, she would return. She had to confirm whether Kiana was alive.
If she couldn't live together with her—then she would die by her side.
"You almost died just now!"
Sirin's voice broke with fury. "Kiana made me promise to keep this from you—because she wanted you to live, do you understand?!"
If not for Kiana's plea to keep Mei safe aboard the Ark, she might have chosen to stay behind and die with Izumo too.
"Live? What meaning does living have if she's gone? If we can't live together—then I'd rather die with her!"
Sirin glared furiously at Raiden Mei. Himeko and the others had entrusted everything to her. Most aboard the Ark were children in need of care—they were the last embers of Izumo's civilization.
Izumo was gone. The Ark could not be allowed to fail.
"Do you have a death wish?!"
Sirin forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"I'm going to find Kiana."
Mei knew why Sirin was angry. But after a moment of silence, she still said, "No matter if she's alive or dead, I have to go."
"I won't indulge your madness!"
Sirin turned sharply, her voice cold. "Go if you want. Even without you, I can lead the Ark to a new home!"
"I have to live."
It sounded like she was speaking to Mei—but in truth, Sirin was saying it to herself.
"What you choose to do is your own decision. I won't interfere, I won't help you—and I will never go back!"
"...I'm sorry."
Conflicted and exhausted, Mei slumped against the wall and sank to the floor again.
She looked down at her hands, already showing signs of Honkai corrosion, and her heart filled with bitterness. But when she thought of Kiana—whose fate was still unknown—her resolve hardened once more.
She knew the Ark needed her now. But Sirin was there too—and Mei believed in her strength.
She had to return to Izumo.
That was where she belonged.
But before she could go back...
Her eyes dimmed slightly.
She needed to first make sure the seeds of Izumo's survival—the people on the Ark—were safely settled. She had to find a new home for the survivors.
Only after doing so could she return to Izumo without hesitation—to find Kiana.
Kiana... please, wait for me.
...
In the depths of Nihility, time could no longer be felt.
No one knew how long had passed.
Then, after what felt like countless ages of silence, the system's long-dormant voice echoed once again.
[World "Izumo" Honkai Energy Concentration has reached the catalytic threshold for planetary-class Honkai Beast formation—]
[A Planetary-Level Honkai Beast is being born.]