[The Herrscher of the Void has awakened within Kiana. Remember...]
The characters seemed to be branded into the very air, written with a majestic, sweeping grace. Even someone like Luo Li, who knew nothing of calligraphy, could sense the writer's profound skill.
But Luo Li had no time to admire the penmanship. He voiced his confusion directly.
"Who are you?"
"..."
Aside from the lingering characters, no one answered Luo Li's question.
Soon, as Luo Li watched, the words before him scattered and reformed, as if being erased and rewritten by an invisible hand.
Finally, as if reaching some kind of limit, they dissipated like weathered sandstone.
And then there was nothing, as if it had never happened.
If not for his now exceptional memory, Luo Li might have dismissed the whole thing as a hallucination.
Although he knew this world possessed the supernatural power of Honkai energy, and that he himself was now a superhuman, this recent event gave Luo Li a direct taste of just how bizarre this world truly was.
It was also a stark reminder that this was no longer his original world.
After confirming that nothing else was going to happen, Luo Li began to focus on the information he had just received.
The two words that immediately caught his attention were undoubtedly "Herrscher."
This world was fundamentally different from his own, the greatest distinction being the existence of a special energy called Honkai.
It was born alongside civilization, following it like a shadow. All human activity led to the generation of Honkai energy, and once its concentration surpassed a certain threshold, it would trigger a massive cataclysm known as a Honkai Eruption.
There was no definitive academic definition for this strange energy, but the prevailing view in the scientific community was that Honkai energy was essentially an imaginary internal energy, its proliferation driven by the entropy increase resulting from civilization's development.
This meant that as civilization advanced, Honkai energy would only grow stronger.
If an ordinary person came into contact with Honkai energy and lacked sufficient resistance, they would be turned to ash in an instant.
If their Honkai resistance was high enough, they could achieve a symbiotic state with it, gaining power far beyond that of a normal human.
Those who fell in between—with a middling amount of Honkai resistance—would retain their bodies but have their consciousnesses annihilated, becoming monsters known as Deadwalkers.
Beyond that, anything in this world—tangible or intangible, living or mechanical—was at risk of being corrupted by Honkai energy.
The main category of these were the various creatures corrupted by Honkai energy, known as Honkai Beasts.
Lesser Honkai Beasts could be handled by Valkyrie squads, but slaying a greater Honkai Beast almost always required a heavy price.
At the very apex of these Honkai-aligned beings were special existences known as Herrschers.
They, or rather, They, were the heralds of the Honkai. Each one possessed the incredible power to manipulate the laws of reality, an ability referred to as an Authority.
Within the domain of their Authority, they were no different from gods.
According to what Luo Li had learned in his Schicksal classes, humanity had thus far only successfully defeated one Herrscher: the one who possessed the Authority of Space, known as the Herrscher of the Void.
On the battlefield of what came to be known as the Second Honkai Eruption, Schicksal paid a devastating price to finally defeat her.
Schicksal's strongest S-Rank Valkyrie, Cecilia, was killed in action. A-Rank Valkyries fell by the entire platoon. The old generation of Valkyries was almost completely wiped out.
Despite all that, humanity still suffered tens of millions of casualties.
Therefore, in Luo Li's memories, Schicksal designated Herrschers as their most dangerous enemy, bar none.
Schicksal's goal was to fight the Honkai, and their ultimate wish was to end the Honkai disaster for good. In a sense, their goal of "fighting the Honkai" was synonymous with "fighting Herrschers."
And now, this message was telling him that the Kiana he was supposed to be monitoring was the Herrscher of the Void, and she had reawakened?
Luo Li didn't dismiss the information as a joke. The mysterious messenger's methods were unfathomable; they were likely far beyond his ability to contend with.
He was in a perilous situation. It wasn't a matter of whether he could afford to be deceived; even if it was a lie, he had no choice but to believe it.
After all, this messenger was at least willing to talk to him. The people who killed his teammates just wanted to rip him to shreds.
Besides, considering the surveillance mission he and his team were on, Luo Li was inclined to believe she really was a Herrscher.
An entire Valkyrie squad assigned to watch a single person was proof enough of her importance. If she was a Herrscher, then everything made sense.
But with that realization came even greater pressure.
For an enemy on the level of a Herrscher, Schicksal wouldn't just be monitoring her. There had to be a failsafe in place, like an S-Rank Valkyrie, perhaps?
That was good news. If he could rendezvous with them, his safety would be guaranteed.
The prerequisite, however, was surviving an encounter with a Herrscher.
To meet the backup, he had to approach the Herrscher. But if he approached the Herrscher, he'd most likely be dead before reinforcements arrived.
He could barely protect himself right now. Surely they didn't expect him to take on the Herrscher of the Void single-handedly?
What a joke!
If he had the power to defeat a Herrscher, would he need to be this cautious?
Luo Li felt a sense of numbness creep in. His current situation was like getting spawn-camped by the final boss before he'd even left the tutorial area.
It was already on Nightmare difficulty; now it was just impossible.
Of course, there was another option: run. Although his communicator was useless, if he could get out of ARK City, he could use a base in another region to call for reinforcements.
The problem with that was he'd probably be taken out by the mastermind before he even made it out of the city.
The enemy had already come to his doorstep and wiped out his team. It would be self-deception to think they didn't know his identity.
But if he didn't run, he would just be waiting to die here. The moment that Herrscher named Kiana went critical, the entire city, including him, would become a dead zone.
Run? Can't run.
Stay? Can't stay.
A sense of powerlessness washed over him again. He suddenly had the urge to just give up.
This crappy new world can go screw itself!
If he died now, maybe he could start over again.
But the moment that thought appeared, Luo Li extinguished it.
A strange light flickered in his eyes, a hint of madness brewing in their depths.
He had to admit, the similarities between him and this world's Luo Li weren't just in their life experiences, but also in their personalities.
If it were this world's Luo Li, knowing a Herrscher was hidden in this city, he probably wouldn't have left either.
Whether it was the oath to protect humanity he swore when he became a Valkyrie, the innate kindness in his bones, or the fact that his teammates had just been slaughtered, he would have most likely chosen to fight to the death.
And the current Luo Li wasn't about to wait for death either. Even if he had to die, he was taking the enemy with him!
He was an orphan. His social circle had always been limited to the kids and staff at the orphanage.
For as long as he could remember, he'd been there.
Sometimes he wondered what life would have been like if he wasn't an orphan, if he had a normal family with a mom and dad.
But honestly, Luo Li didn't envy the kids who found their families. He felt he was already very fortunate.
His friends were kind, the adults at the orphanage cared for him, and he had delicious meals and a warm place to sleep every day.
He never wanted to leave, even though his unusually good looks meant there was never a shortage of prospective adopters who wanted to take him home.
Later, the friends he grew up with left one by one, starting new families of their own. The once-lively orphanage grew quiet, until eventually, it was just him and the old director.
But in the end, he had to leave too.
Only this time, there were no "parents" to take him away. He was grown up now and had to learn to live in this world on his own.
He still remembered packing his bags and leaving the orphanage. The old director stood smiling at the gate to see him off, just as he had for the past dozen or so years.
"Grandpa, I'll come back to visit often."
"Oh, you don't have to, but I hope you can become someone meaningful to humanity."
"Meaningful to humanity? Why?"
Luo Li didn't understand what he meant, but the old director just smiled, the same as always.
And so, Luo Li stepped out into the world with that question in his heart, starting his independent life.
After entering society, he discovered the world wasn't as good as he had imagined.
But thankfully, it wasn't that bad either.
Most of the evil he saw was just on the news. The worst thing that had ever happened to him was getting scammed out of a few months' rent by a shady landlord when he was just starting out.
Gradually, he came to understand that the world wasn't as perfect as he'd first thought, but it was far from the cesspool portrayed on TV and the internet. Most people were still kind. He began to like this world.
Life went on. Luo Li would occasionally return to the orphanage to visit the old director, but the place had become completely deserted. It seemed they hadn't taken in any new orphans since he left.
By his senior year of high school, his studies grew more demanding, and his visits became less frequent.
Until one day after morning reading, his homeroom teacher called him in, gave him a few days off, and told him to go home for a funeral.
The old director had passed away.
The funeral was simple, but many people came. Most of the children who had grown up in the orphanage returned.
Those few days were the first time Luo Li had ever felt resentment toward the world—the powerlessness of having someone important stolen from him.
Finally, the funeral ended, and everyone left one by one.
Only he was stopped by a man.
"I'm the lawyer entrusted by Mr. Ji. He left you an inheritance. Please sign for it."
Unexpectedly, the old director hadn't left him any money. All he left was a single box of belongings.
Childhood toys and clothes, old, yellowed photographs, and one final piece of advice:
"I'm so sorry I couldn't leave you anything more. All I have left to give you now is a single blessing."
"Live a happy life."
That night, Luo Li cried for a long time. It was the last time he ever shed a tear.
The next day, just as Luo Li was about to leave, a construction crew drove into the orphanage and began to tear it down.
It was only then that Luo Li learned that the old director had once been a high-ranking official. But for some unknown reason, he had resigned from his post over a decade ago and came here to build an orphanage.
Over the years, he had sold all his assets to keep the orphanage running. In the end, all he could leave Luo Li was a box full of memories and a blessing for his future.
That day, Luo Li returned to school with a smile on his face.
His homeroom teacher was so concerned she thought the shock of losing a loved one had driven him mad, but a subsequent psychiatric evaluation proved that Luo Li was in perfect mental health.
In fact, his smile was genuine.
Because he had discovered that this was a beautiful world, filled with beautiful people.
He loved this world, and so he wanted to do something for it.
He wanted to be a person of meaning to the world, not because of the old director's hopes, but because of a heartfelt sense of gratitude.
So he was never afraid of death. He was afraid of a meaningless death.
Saving an entire city's worth of people... that should count as meaningful, right?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. He realized he had overlooked something.
The birth of a Herrscher was always accompanied by a Honkai Eruption, but right now...
Luo Li looked off into the distance. The city was still bustling. Where was any sign of a Honkai Eruption?
After dismissing the idea that the messenger was lying to him, an absurd conjecture formed in his mind.
A mad glint shone in Luo Li's eyes.
He suddenly had a very bold idea.
---||---
Between the skyscrapers, an agile figure leaped and bounded high above the ground.
Buildings dozens of meters tall were like flat ground to her; a single leap could cover a distance of tens of meters.
She was a white-haired girl in a delivery driver's uniform, her snow-white hair tied in two braided pigtails. With a delivery box on her back, she zipped between the high-rises at incredible speed.
She kept glancing at the time on her phone, a hint of urgency on her face.
After a few flips, the girl leaped from the edge of one building, using protruding platforms to nimbly maneuver herself.
Finally, she stopped dozens of meters above the ground and knocked on a window.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Your delivery's here. Please sign for it."
A few seconds later, the window slid open to reveal a girl with long black hair and black-framed glasses.
Seeing the white-haired girl with one hand on the windowsill and the other holding a delivery box, her expression went from confusion to shock, and finally, she couldn't help but scream.
"Ah!"
Startled by the scream, the white-haired girl's hand slipped from the windowsill, and she plummeted downwards.
"AHHH!!!"
Seeing her fall, the black-haired girl inside the room screamed even louder.
But a few seconds later...
"Stop screaming! Just sign for it, I'm about to be late!"
A pleasant voice came from outside the window. The black-haired girl poked her head out to see the white-haired girl who had just fallen now climbing up a pipe with her legs.
Once she climbed back to her previous position, she handed over the food.
"Jian Yun, right? Take your food."
The girl named Jian Yun nodded, numbly taking the still-warm takeout.
Then, she watched as the other girl simply leaped off.
"Wait, this is the seventeenth floor!"
She hurriedly looked down, only to see the girl use a few protruding platforms to jump her way to the ground.
The girl didn't look back at her words, simply giving a casual wave behind her.
"Remember to leave a five-star review, thanks!"
Jian Yun looked at the retreating figure, then down at the takeout box in her hands.
The delivery driver's name was clearly written: Kiana.
Looking at the name, a strange light flickered in Jian Yun's eyes.
Meanwhile, the girl known as "Kiana" was walking and checking the information on her phone.
"Nice, another good review!"
"Just a few more deliveries and this month's living expenses will be covered."
But as she walked, another voice in her head spoke with a hint of mockery:
[I never thought a nasty piece of work like you would ever say 'thank you'.]
"Kiana" didn't refute the voice in her head. She just kept scrolling through her phone, an innocent smile on her face, just like always.
Then she lifted her head and looked at the sun high in the sky. The intense sunlight stung her face slightly.
She frowned, looking a little annoyed.
"This Queen is so hot!"
She looked around, her gaze finally landing on a dark corner between the buildings. Her eyes lit up.
She scampered over.
As she stood in the shade, feeling the cool air dispel the heat, a look of relief spread across her face.
"Ah... so nice and cool."
[Disgusting. Can you please stop trying to imitate me?]
This time, "Kiana" finally reacted to the voice in her head.
The innocent smile on her face slowly faded, and her intelligent blue pupils gradually turned a brilliant gold.
In an instant, though her appearance hadn't changed, her entire aura underwent a dramatic transformation.
If she was an energetic, cheerful girl a moment ago, now she was like a majestic queen holding the power of life and death.
Her lips curled into a slight sneer, the innocent and simple expression gone, replaced by pure disdain.
"You idiot. Did you really think I enjoyed acting like such a fool?"
"If it wasn't to fool Schicksal's spies, would I ever suffer such humiliation?"
Hearing her words, the voice in her head grew angry.
[Who are you calling an idiot?]
"I'm calling you an idiot, you fool who's content to be used as Schicksal's pawn."
[You conceited pufferfish!]
"You... what did you call me?!" The disdain on the girl's face froze.
[You're always so full of yourself, and you always get beaten up. And you still dare to call yourself the Queen of the Void? I'd say you're nothing but a pufferfish that just keeps puffing up until someone pokes you and all the air leaks out!]
[Just you wait until I get my chance. I'll make you pay!]
"Puffer... pufferfish?"
Listening to the voice's mockery, her face slowly darkened, her voice as cold as a winter storm.
"Kiana, my other half. Have I been too gentle with you lately?"
But hearing her words, the voice in her head only grew angrier.
[Other half? This is MY body!]
[Sirin, you're the intruder here!]