Sorry about being late as usual i guess? Well kind of my fault that i have to deal with multiple jobs to stave of debt, lel. Now onto the next chapter.
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The Grace Field.
It was the Herrscher of Binding's deadliest technique, born from her bizarre Anti-Energy Authority.
During the Eleventh Honkai Eruption, this one ability had nearly annihilated the entire MANTIS force.
The Herrscher of Binding born in that era could sustain the Grace Field indefinitely while continuously expanding its reach.
As a result, everything within a 100-kilometer radius of her became an absolute death zone.
Electrical energy, thermal energy, kinetic energy… even Honkai Energy.
All of it was nullified.
Any ordinary human who entered the Grace Field would die instantly as the bioelectric signals governing their nervous system ceased.
Even MANTISes on the level of the Flame-Chasers would immediately lose all mobility, collapsing where they stood and unable to rise again.
Faced with such an unreasonable enemy, The Moths Who Chase the Flames had no choice but to sacrifice life after life in order to overwhelm the Grace Field's limits.
In the end, Hua burned away her own memories to unleash the full power of the Eighth Divine Key, Fenghuang Down, briefly forcing the Herrscher of Binding into a state of shutdown.
Kevin seized that fleeting opportunity.
Using the Judgement of Shamash as a propulsion device, he launched himself forward and crossed an impossible distance in a single flash, appearing directly before the Herrscher. Then, wielding the power of ice granted by his Parvati genes, he dealt the decisive blow.
That day would later become known as the "Tragedy of Binding."
Because long before Kevin succeeded, the land surrounding the Herrscher of Binding had already become a river of blood.
When the battle finally ended, Kevin could only support himself with his sword and stare out across a world of "red ice" that stretched as far as his eyes could see.
There was, however, one important detail worth noting.
Without question, the Herrscher of Binding could choose which forms of energy her Authority nullified.
Otherwise, the moment she erased all thermal energy, the molecules around her would cease moving.
The Herrscher herself would have frozen solid, unable to move so much as an inch.
The Herrscher of Binding from that era would never have trapped herself in such an absurd manner.
After all, she was not the Herrscher of Ice.
The one wielding the Authority of Binding today, however…
"!!!"
High above The Moths Who Chase the Flames Headquarters on the Mu Continent, the Herrscher of Stars stared in utter disbelief.
Because her host body, Dr. Einstein, had once been a member of the Neo-World Serpent, she naturally knew about the Herrscher of Binding.
However, since she had never cooperated with either the Herrscher of Blood or the Herrscher of Thunder, she remained completely unaware of several recent developments.
Most importantly, she did not know that Otto and the other Remnants of the Old Days had already suffered a crushing defeat, nor had she obtained any of the intelligence surrounding that battle.
Naturally, she also had no idea that MEI had dismantled the Eleventh Divine Key, Oath of Judah, extracted its Core of Binding, and entrusted it to Elysia's original body.
And now…
Crack… crack…
As both the Herrscher of Human and the Herrscher of Origin, Elysia was using the Key of Blankness to channel the Anti-Energy Authority of Binding.
She followed MEI's pre-battle instructions to the letter.
"Since you're projecting the Grace Field only toward the target, include thermal energy among the forms of energy it nullifies."
MEI had explained the purpose behind this tactic.
"Once thermal energy vanishes, all matter within the field will freeze almost instantaneously."
"This is nothing like simply releasing a blast of cold air."
"The freezing speed will be beyond anything she expects."
"As long as the Herrscher of Stars fails to react at the very first instant…"
On the battlefield, Elysia completed MEI's conclusion.
Then this one move might be enough to defeat the Herrscher of Stars.
Yes.
The Authority of Binding was almost unreasonably powerful.
Provided its wielder did not care about collateral damage to innocent people…
Provided she could be ruthless enough…
"…"
Behind Elysia, Kevin had spent a long time gathering power, preparing to use the Judgement of Shamash as a massive propulsion device once again.
Now, he slowly lowered the blazing sword in his hand.
The Herrscher of Stars was dead.
Just… like that.
Black holes, gravity, temporal manipulation…
All of them had become meaningless before the Anti-Energy Field.
Given the Herrscher of Stars' immense energy level, she might have been able to resist the Grace Field for a short time if she had unleashed her Pseudo-Black Hole at full power. She may even have found an opportunity to escape its range.
Unfortunately for her, she had never expected Elysia's original body to unleash her strongest move the instant the battle began.
Still less had she imagined that Elysia possessed the outrageously broken Authority of Binding.
It was the most infuriating kind of "first-encounter kill" imaginable.
The Herrscher of Stars had not even been given the chance to display many of her most powerful abilities.
"As expected. Unless it belongs to Finality itself, even an Authority that reaches the domain of time through a clever workaround will still have its limits."
Kevin muttered those words to himself.
By then, Elysia had already deactivated the Grace Field.
However, the immense sphere of ice it left behind, more than 100 kilometers across and encompassing the whole of The Moths Who Chase the Flames Headquarters along with the surrounding region, would not melt so easily.
"Huff…"
Elysia's original body released a heavy breath.
The amount of energy she had expended was anything but trivial.
After all, she had not gradually expanded the Grace Field until it reached its maximum 100-kilometer radius.
She had brought the entire field into existence in a single instant.
"Kevin…"
Elysia slowly descended.
"I… need to rest for a while."
"Understood."
Kevin nodded.
"Leave the rest to me."
The task of recovering the Herrscher's remains and extracting the Herrscher of Stars' Core now fell to the white-haired young man(?) wielding the Flame Sword.
Today's subjugation operation had proceeded even more smoothly than Kevin had expected.
However…
The Authority of Binding has been exposed.
As Kevin used the Judgement of Shamash to melt his way through the ice, he silently considered what would follow.
The Herrscher of Blood will undoubtedly obtain accurate intelligence about this battle.
Next time…
Next time will be far more difficult.
Every member of the Newborn World Serpent understood that much.
But never mind "next time."
The present alone was already…
"…"
Within Kevin's field of view, The Moths Who Chase the Flames Headquarters, which had been swallowed by the targeted Grace Field, now resembled a toy sealed inside a snow globe.
Every trace of life within it had vanished.
Kevin knew Elysia well.
Even if she had acted under MEI's orders, taking so many lives with her own hands must have left her heart in agony.
In the original timeline, the Elysia whose memories had formed the basis of Sim Elysia had fallen into a deep depression for a long time after the Sixth Honkai Eruption claimed millions of lives.
And she had not even been responsible for those deaths.
But now…
Crack… crack…
Kevin finally reached the lifeless body of the Herrscher of Stars.
He gently lifted her from the ice.
Then, turning back, he looked toward the place where Elysia had landed.
"!!!"
Kevin's eyes widened.
A group of children had gathered around the resting Elysia.
They glared at her with undisguised fury.
As though the pink-haired girl before them were a "monster."
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably with fear. Their legs shook beneath them.
Even so, none of them backed away.
They continued cursing her, over and over again.
Calling her an inhuman "demon"…
The demon who had stolen their families' lives.