After the flash of lightning, the worker bees gave their final burst of light and heat—linked nuclear explosion.
Amid the intense shockwave, Bronya held the exhausted Sin Mal in her arms, while Raiden Mei protected the unconscious Kiana. As the impact gradually subsided, the two sides successfully regrouped.
"Sin Mal, you've worked hard."
Bronya embraced the girl's waist, her gaze falling on Sin Mal's twisted and shattered arm, where exposed bones could be seen. She gently stroked Sin Mal's head.
It must hurt, right?
Bronya looked at Sin Mal tenderly, injecting an anesthetic into her wounded arm before letting out a silent sigh.
Sin Mal's face was pale, but she still took the initiative to nuzzle against Bronya's hand, revealing a soft smile.
"Bronya, I'm fine, don't worry about me."
"Mm, you'll be healed soon. Bronya promises."
Bronya smiled, gently wiping away the bloodstained tears on Sin Mal's face, gazing at her with affectionate concern.
At that moment, Mei approached with Kiana in her arms. When she saw Sin Mal's arm—exposed down to the bone—her pupils contracted.
"You—"
"I'm fine. How's that idiot Herrscher?"
"She... seems to be just unconscious for now. But her Herrscher powers were forcibly stripped away. It's different from what happened to Ana... It's hard to say if there will be any aftereffects."
Raiden Mei tightened her grip, feeling Kiana's unusually soft body, a deep sense of unease filling her heart.
Bronya sighed and said, "Let's recover the Herrscher of the Void first. As for Wendy and Seele—what?!"
Bronya looked up and saw golden ripples spreading across the sky.
"Get behind me!"
Raiden Mei stepped forward, pulling Kiana into her embrace. With her other hand, she drew her long blade, splitting the ground beneath her feet with a bolt of lightning.
At that moment, countless Void Spears emerged from the golden ripples in the sky. A terrifying concentration of Honkai energy descended upon them.
Then, the silver-white spears rained down like a storm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
<+>
At the same time, in a distant and shadowy place…
The Host, the Pope, and the Dean stared at each other.
"…Where's the General?"
"I think... I saw a black hole appear behind her, and then... a hand dragged her inside."
"Let's pretend nothing happened. Hopefully, she's alright."
"Agreed."
<+>
On the battlefield…
After the storm of bombardments, the land for dozens of miles around was left in ruins.
A girl clad in a magnificent ghostly armor held her unconscious friend in her arms. She slowly sheathed her blade, her eyes flashing with electricity as she gazed skyward with a solemn expression.
Up in the sky, the heavily wounded Sirin hovered. Her body was riddled with gaping holes, and a long slash ran across her form. Yet, with a single hand, she gripped the throat of a Herrscher of Thousands unit—none other than the General who had been forcibly dragged away earlier.
"R-R-Respected Queen— I—"
Crack!
Without a change in expression, Sirin snapped the General's neck.
Immediately, an immense surge of Honkai energy burst from her shattered body, flowing into the now-lifeless General.
Moments later, Sirin's tattered body disintegrated into countless particles of light and vanished without a trace.
At the same time, the General's body floated in midair, growing taller, her curves becoming more pronounced. Her once golden hair transformed into flawless silver, cascading down smoothly.
Sirin had taken over the General's body—reborn, completely unscathed.
"You coordinated well. The power you managed to unleash was also impressive. But…"
Sirin slowly descended to where Raiden Mei and the others stood, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"Would you care to share the feeling of complete futility, my other half?"
Raiden Mei still held Kiana in her arms, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword as she coldly declared:
"I am not your other half."
"Oh? But if I recall correctly, the Gem that granted you this power… was originally mine, wasn't it?"
Sirin ignored Bronya and Sin Mal, reaching straight for Raiden Mei.
Raiden Mei's eyes sharpened.
Zzzzt—
Boom!!!
Lightning crackled. The Honkai energy of the two Herrschers clashed, shaking the earth and scattering the clouds. The sheer force forced Bronya to carry Sin Mal and retreat several miles.
"Hah! You think you can resist me using the power you stole from me?"
Sirin sneered, her patience wearing thin. She advanced without holding back, forcing her hand forward against Raiden Mei's counterattack, nearly touching her.
Then, from the corner of her eye, Sirin caught a flash of golden light.
"Who is it?!"
Without hesitation, she unleashed a rainstorm of Void Spears in that direction.
However, the wild onslaught failed to land. Instead, the golden light surged forward at near light-speed, heading straight for Sirin's outstretched hand.
"Hm?"
Sensing danger, Sirin quickly withdrew her hand. At that moment, a brilliant golden ancient sword struck the ground between her and Raiden Mei, forming a barrier that separated them.
"One after another— You pests are as annoying as flies!"
Sirin growled, thrusting her palm forward with boundless Honkai energy, intending to crush the golden sword and take back the Gem from Raiden Mei.
Boom!
A thunderous impact followed. Sirin barely caught sight of a flowing ink-colored sleeve, and then—a tremendous force blasted her backward. It took all her strength just to stop herself from skidding further.
Looking ahead, she saw someone standing atop the golden ancient sword.
The figure wore a long-sleeved ancient dress, its flowing sleeves adorned with elegant ink-like patterns. Though her slender frame appeared fragile, her posture was straight as a sword—as deep and immovable as a mountain.
And above all, her face looked like it had stepped out of an ancient painting.
Her brows were as delicate as distant mountains, her eyes tranquil and vast—like an endless, silent galaxy.
"You!!"
Sirin's expression darkened. She gritted her teeth in rage.
She would never forget this face.
Twice.
Twice, this woman had brought her to the brink of death.
She was the one who had even severed her connection to "God"—an unforgivable humiliation.
If Sirin had to choose the one person she most wanted to kill, Fu Hua would unquestionably be at the top of that list.
Fu Hua stood with her hands behind her back, her sleeves fluttering lightly in the wind. While facing Sirin, she glanced sideways at Raiden Mei and Kiana.
"Are you alright?"
"We're fine. You arrived just in time, Teacher Fu Hua."
Raiden Mei let out a breath of relief.
Their clash of energy had put her at an absolute disadvantage. The power of the Herrscher of Thunder had once belonged to Sirin, giving her domain-level superiority in the battle. If Fu Hua hadn't arrived when she did, Mei wasn't sure how much longer she could have held out.
"You two should fall back."
"Teacher Fu Hua, this thing that came out of Kiana isn't ordinary. We should deal with her together. We can't let her escape."
"No need," Fu Hua replied calmly. "I have strong reinforcements."
Just then, a golden light streaked through the sky, descending in an instant to land beside the Xuanyuan Sword.
The figure held a knight's lance, her form clad in resplendent golden armor.
"Valkyrie Durandal, arriving by order of the Overseer!"
The imposing knight declared. Her lance leveled at Sirin, radiating a staggering Honkai energy—one so immense that it stood on equal footing with Sirin herself.
The key to resurrection was Sigurd, and Sigurd's greatest weakness was Kiana. From Otto's perspective, protecting Kiana took precedence over unifying civilization.
Thus, he had assigned a reinforcement unit to the Herrscher squad.
This unit consisted of only one person.
But she alone was worth an entire army.
Because this person was—
Durandal.
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon[1], just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 314: Still Just a Child[2]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-131283359
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-131283359
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed