The weapons Welt was about to complete shattered instantly. His so-called defense collapsed like dry branches in a storm. Golden feathers drifted before his eyes, causing his mind to falter—
Though he quickly broke free from the interference of the simulated Fenghuang Down, his escape rhythm had clearly slowed. Fu Hua seized the moment, stepping like a dragon and leaping skyward, her fist crashing into the body surrounded by divine constructs!
That seemingly ordinary physique erupted with mountain-shaking force. Welt couldn't help but let out a pained grunt.
Durandal grasped the opening as well. Twisting Hler's Serenity, she thrust viciously toward Welt's heart!
Welt raised a hastily constructed shield, barely blocking the lance. Enduring the shock, he retreated a step to the right—
Blood spilled from his back.
Rita had reversed her grip on Skadi of Thrymheim, silver and black intertwining as her scythe carved a heart-rending arc through the battlefield.
"Your declaration of war is truly terrifying, Welt the Second," Otto chuckled softly, undisguised mockery in his tone.
"Hmph, Otto Apocalypse," Welt stepped back, hand pressed to his chest, voice hoarse yet resolute. "A mere body double and three Valkyries… do you truly think so little of me?!"
As he spoke, the air itself began to tremble. The temperature rose. Lightning crackled and hissed through the atmosphere.
A black-red cannon-like construct materialized in Welt's right hand.
The Star of Eden erupted with power beyond its limits.
A gravitational domain expanded from the dark-haired man, and everyone's movements halted as though crushed beneath towering mountains!
"This… is the true Divine Key. The true Herrscher…"
Crimson flared deep within Welt's pupils. In one hand he grasped Gravity, in the other Thunder.
Yes — this was the true terror of the Herrscher of Reason.
Though he did not command electromagnetism like the Herrscher of Thunder, nor manipulate gravity inherently like the Herrscher of Earth, the Herrscher of Reason excelled at learning and imitation.
If he wished it, he could become the sovereign of lightning — a god who suppressed the world.
"Tyant of the heavens—"
Welt Yang fixed his gaze upon Otto Apocalypse and spoke the words once uttered fifty years ago by Welt Joyce.
"Witness the sight of stars shattering!"
With that roar, the Star of Eden released its full might.
Even without incantation, a Herrscher could wield a Divine Key freely, crushing ordinary combatants with ease.
The soul-steel sphere transformed into a fathomless black orb. Lightning raged around it.
With a mere lift of his hand, Welt pulled all four into his gravity field.
An immense downward force pressed upon them — head, arms, legs, back, chest — every part of their bodies driven toward the ground.
Tenfold. Hundredfold. Thousandfold.
If they could not break free, even the strongest bodies would shatter, bones crushed, blood bursting from every orifice.
The air grew scorching, as though the very atmosphere bowed before divine wrath.
Rita and Durandal braced themselves on their weapons to avoid collapse. Without fourth-generation armor or access to world-bubble power, they were nearly helpless in this moment.
Even Otto found breathing difficult. The air burned his lungs. Lightning elements destabilized wildly.
"Me? A tyrant?"
Yet he remained composed, chin raised.
"Ignorant Herrscher—"
The ancient sovereign sneered, golden arrogance blazing in his eyes.
"Behold the death ordained by destiny."
A gale roared through the forest, his white coat snapping like a battle banner.
The crushing weight receded like a tide.
Fu Hua, Durandal, and Rita regained mobility, instantly dispersing and attacking from three angles.
A crimson sun erupted, dominating the forest. Vast heavenly flames surged outward, encircling the battlefield in a blazing domain.
Thunder and gravity clashed against the inferno, yet neither could suppress it.
Welt fell from the sky, landing heavily. As he raised a shield—
The crimson sun vanished.
Then lance, scythe, and fist descended like torrential rain.
Though the four had never trained together, their combat instincts forged perfect coordination:
Otto bombarded from afar with Honkai fire, disrupting Welt's counterattacks.
Fu Hua and Durandal shattered his hastily built defenses head-on.
In the shadows, Rita's icy scythe flickered in and out, each strike carving wounds too deep to heal swiftly.
Purple and crimson energies entwined violently. Illusory spirits clashed with machine constructs. The battlefield became a mythic wasteland.
Hundreds of exchanges passed in moments.
Explosions thundered. Red-black crystals burst apart. Trees splintered. Bones cracked.
Otto could barely see through the dust and lightning, relying on his perception of the Valkyries to intercept hidden threats.
The sounds alone told him how brutal the struggle was.
Yet his own attacks were no longer as fierce as before. His flames dimmed, as if that earlier outburst had been but a fleeting bloom.
—Was it truly fleeting?
"Bianka!"
His sharp voice cut through the chaos.
Golden light swirled in his eyes. Void Archives activated again, constructing a portal aligned directly with Welt's chest.
Durandal understood instantly.
She reversed her grip and hurled Hler's Serenity with unstoppable momentum, like a rising and crashing ocean.
Welt's hastily constructed armor shattered. He staggered back, coughing.
Not fatal.
After all, Durandal had only just become an S-rank.
But—
As he adjusted to counter—
A familiar lance reappeared before him.
Otto raised the Divine Key Black Abyss White Flower and drove it into Welt's chest.
Battle was not a turn-based exchange.
It was wave upon wave of lethal intent.
Otto surged forward after Durandal's strike, activating the Divine Key with his soul-steel body and delivering a devastating thrust.
"Ghh—!"
Welt was blasted backward into a tree. Barely avoiding Rita's ambush and Fu Hua's follow-up, he forced himself into the sky.
Blood drenched him. Bones cracked and realigned under Honkai regeneration.
Lightning coiled around his battered form.
Otto planted Black Abyss White Flower into the earth and met his gaze.
Expectation gleamed in his eyes.
They both paused.
Waiting.
For the decisive moment.
Distant shouts rose from St. Freya.
Students were approaching.
Welt's focus faltered.
He did not wish his students caught in this clash.
More people meant greater disadvantage.
"Planning to flee again, Welt the Second?"
Otto exposed his thoughts instantly.
"If I wish to escape," Welt replied evenly, "your current force can only wound me again."
Otto laughed.
"Again?"
"A soul-steel body and three Valkyries," Welt answered, scanning for exit routes, "is insufficient to kill a Herrscher."
"Yes," Otto nodded calmly. "I agree."
"You are the Herrscher of Reason — the one most adept at resurrection."
"This team could defeat or heavily injure you, but capture or kill? Unlikely."
"But… have you noticed something?"
"I should be pressing the advantage."
"Instead, I allow you to recover."
Welt's unease deepened.
"I never intended to rely solely on them."
Otto raised his hand, teleporting the three Valkyries away.
"You don't truly think that when I announce your death…"
His hand rested upon Judgment of Shamash's counterpart — no.
Upon Oath of Judah.
"That I would leave you any path to live?"
"Eleventh Divine Key — Activate."
A vast field of restraint spread outward, severing Welt's access to external Honkai energy.
Before he could react—
A staff glowing with light pressed against his back.
For a moment—
He could not access the Core of Reason.
"Key of the Abyss — activate."
Otto whispered in his ear.
Then he drew a firearm.
"Ready?"
He seized Welt by the throat, angling the barrel toward his left shoulder.
"God-Slaying Spear — Sever."
The gun roared.
Black-gold muzzle flashes burst repeatedly.
Each bullet struck the exact same point on Welt's shoulder.
Again.
Again.
Again.
"AAAAAHHH—!"
Composure shattered into screams.
The shoulder blade disintegrated. Bullets layered through flesh toward the spine.
Honkai regeneration was suppressed.
His mind fell into chaos.
Then—
The staff withdrew.
Pain lessened slightly.
And Otto's voice whispered once more.
"Not finished, Yang."
"Li Sushang — strike."
"On it!"
A vast presence descended from above.
Welt froze.
He looked up—
The sky split.
Mountains and rivers gleamed like a rising sun.
A colossal ancient blade descended, cleaving heaven and earth.
A sword-light that chilled nineteen provinces.
"Tai Xu Sword Art — Divine Manifestation!"
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