"Himeko, do you still remember me? I…"
Elysia looked at the Herrscher of Flame, wanting to say more, but Acheron, standing beside her, stopped Elysia and shook her head regretfully.
"Elysia, Captain Himeko… she's already gone. What stands before us now is just a monster wearing her skin."
As she spoke, Acheron slowly walked toward Himeko.
"And what we must do is let Captain Himeko rest in peace. And… get justice for these fallen comrades."
Elysia wasn't the type to lose her mind over a friend's death. She had just wanted to try one more time. But after Acheron's words, she quickly steadied herself.
She took a deep breath, her full chest rising and falling with the motion. Soon, a trace of a smile returned to Elysia's face.
"Captain Himeko died in the battle against the Seventh Herrscher. What stands before us now is a monster that stole her body. So… Mei, let's take her down together, and give Himeko the peace she deserves, alright?"
"Mm. Let's go, Elysia."
Raising her sheathed longsword before her, Acheron looked at the figure ahead, her eyes filled with regret.
Meanwhile, Elysia stood further back, bow in hand, ready to support Acheron.
Though, Acheron probably didn't need the support.
"Just you? Pitiful humans. You know nothing of the vastness of the heavens, nothing of the Honkai, nothing of the enemy you face!"
With a scornful laugh, the Herrscher of Flame waved a hand, and several massive fireballs materialized in the air. In that instant alone, the temperature skyrocketed by nearly twenty degrees.
"Be careful, Mei! This Herrscher is different from the previous ones!"
Feeling the scorching heat in the air, Elysia called out urgently.
In the next moment, she drew her bow and shot three arrows, aiming to intercept the fireballs.
The arrows, imbued with Honkai energy, gleamed with an icy sheen. Yet, faced with the blazing heavenly fire, they lost their usual sharpness.
Just from proximity, the arrows began to warp and deform.
Under such intense heat, no metal could hold its form.
If one were to be precise, the Herrscher of Flame's ability wasn't merely manipulating fire, but controlling molecular motion to unleash tremendous energy.
Heat was simply its manifestation.
In fact, aside from the Herrscher of Flame, there was another whose abilities were quite similar.
That would be Kamen Rider Kuuga. Both Kuuga and the Gurongi possessed the ability of Micro-Particle Manipulation.
Upon reaching the Ultimate form, their pyrokinetic abilities, their 'Supernatural Ignition,' bore a resemblance to the Herrscher of Flame's power.
Though Elysia's arrows were powerful, under the Herrscher of Flame's influence, they were quickly distorted from within, greatly diminishing their force.
However, Acheron was far from helpless against such an assault.
In a flash—so fast the Herrscher of Flame couldn't even track her movement—Acheron sliced apart the raining fireballs, scattering them into nothingness.
"Oh? Now this is… interesting."
The Herrscher of Flame raised an eyebrow, eyeing Acheron with surprise, but the next moment, a wild grin spread across her face. "Good! If you were too weak, this would've been boring… Entertain me!"
With that, she let out a wanton laugh, raising a greatsword forged from flames high, and charged at Acheron.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out. Flames swept across the earth, and the mere shockwaves of their exchange shattered nearby skyscrapers, exposing their steel skeletons.
Countless shards of burning glass fell like a shower of sparks.
Under the overwhelming force of the two combatants, Elysia found it hard to intervene, and could only retreat slowly, shielding the injured Hua.
"You should fall back. I can handle this alone. Go see if there are any other survivors."
Acheron glanced briefly toward Elysia and Hua, her voice calm.
"Understood."
Seeing that Acheron was safe for now, Elysia withdrew, supporting Hua as they moved away.
"Are you sure it's alright? That's a Herrscher…"
Hua asked anxiously, looking at Elysia.
As a first-hand witness, Hua knew exactly how powerful the Herrscher of Flame was. With just a casual, almost playful strike, she had instantly wiped out the rest of Squad Five. If not for Hua's quick reflexes, she would have died in that very attack.
"It's fine. Trust Mei. She's strong, incredibly strong!" Elysia smiled at the weary-looking Hua, her tone full of confidence.
"...I see."
Hua nodded, composed herself, and stopped focusing on the distant battle.
"You let them leave, to face me alone? Where does your confidence come from?"
Watching Elysia and Hua depart, the Herrscher of Flame didn't bother to stop them, instead snorting coldly.
"No one 'gave' me this confidence."
Acheron shook her head gently. In the next instant, her arm snapped forward, her longsword sweeping out and forcing her opponent back.
"Fine. I'll deal with you first, then. None of you are getting away."
The Herrscher of Flame's face twisted into a manic grin. In the next moment, a flaming blade tore through the air, shooting toward Acheron with blinding speed.
This strike was clearly the real deal—no longer the playful testing from before.
The pressure it exerted was on a completely different level.
Even the clouds in the sky were parted by the tremendous force of the shockwave.
How will you block this?
The Herrscher of Flame watched Acheron, already picturing her crumbling under the blow, her body charred to ashes.
Yet, in the very next moment, her eyes widened in disbelief.
Acheron simply raised her sheathed sword—not even drawing the blade—as if deflecting a child's strike, effortlessly blocking the attack that had split the clouds.
For a moment, immense force bore down on Acheron's slender arms. Yet, she stood unshaken, as steady as a mountain.
Though Acheron herself was unharmed, the ground beneath her feet couldn't withstand the power. Spiderweb cracks spread out, and the earth behind her split open violently.
As if a giant blade had carved through the land.
The entire city was cleaved in two by that single strike.
Fortunately, evacuation of the city had begun the moment the Herrscher of Flame appeared, so there were no casualties from this attack.
It was precisely for this reason that Acheron could fight here without hesitation.
In fact, sending Elysia away to assist with the evacuation was partly for this purpose.
Only with no civilians around could she fight without holding back.
Truth be told, compared to the previous Herrscher, the Herrscher of Death, the Herrscher of Flame was in a completely different league.
Next to her, the Herrscher of Death seemed like a premature, half-baked creation.
Its Honkai energy was low, its strength unremarkable; only its life-draining ability was somewhat troublesome.
But before Acheron, it might as well have been powerless.
The Herrscher of Flame, however, was different. The Honkai energy concentration in Australia was far higher than last time, and the destructive power inherent to the Herrscher of Flame itself was beyond comparison.
As the most destructive being short of the Herrscher of Finality, even Acheron would need considerable time to defeat her without using her full power.
But against such an enemy, if she didn't end it quickly, casualties would only continue to rise.
If the Herrscher were allowed to run wild, unleashing Honkai energy until all of Australia was set ablaze, the loss for humanity would be catastrophic.
Australia's population might be small, but it was still one of humanity's major habitats.
For the Honkai, total annihilation of humanity wasn't necessary for victory. If it destroyed all the land humans relied on, even survivors would be unable to endure and reproduce.
"That's enough."
Acheron murmured, glancing at the ruined city.
"Hm? Yes, it is about enough."
Hearing Acheron's mutter, the Herrscher of Flame nodded in agreement.
"I've wasted enough time toying with you. It's time to finish this. Can't afford to dawdle here any longer."
Until now, the two had been locked in a fierce duel. Though the Herrscher of Flame fought seriously, she couldn't gain the upper hand against Acheron.
Acheron, meanwhile, had chosen to stall. If the Herrscher of Flame were allowed to go all out, the devastation would be severe, and Acheron couldn't guarantee everyone's safety.
But now… it was time!
In the distance, Elysia's figure gradually drew closer.
--+--
After helping Hua complete the evacuation, she had rushed back to the battlefield without a moment's delay.
Though she had faith in Mei's strength, this was a Herrscher. And just moments ago, she had received a communication from Dr. Mei detailing the intensity of this Honkai eruption.
The Honkai energy levels erupting in Australia far exceeded any previous incident, meaning this newly born Herrscher might be stronger than any before!
"Burn to ash!"
High in the sky, the greatsword in the Herrscher of Flame's hands gradually transformed into a mass of raging fire.
She cradled this inferno, lifting it high above her head.
It hung there, like a second sun.
Under the Herrscher of Flame's power, this artificial sun grew increasingly hotter, while the Honkai energy intensity skyrocketed.
"Elysia! The Honkai energy concentration in Australia is spiking rapidly! It's increasing exponentially! If this power erupts over Australia, nearly half the continent could be set ablaze! What's the situation there?"
Dr. Mei's urgent voice came through the comms.
"I've just finished evacuating the city. Acheron is fighting the Herrscher of Flame alone. What about reinforcements? When will they arrive?"
Elysia quickly summarized the situation.
"Sorry, Elysia. Reinforcements will be… difficult."
After a moment of silence, Dr. Mei replied helplessly, "After the major eruption, Honkai incidents have been popping up worldwide. Just now, a Honkai Beast Emperor appeared in a city near the Fire Moth headquarters. Kevin has taken a team to suppress it."
Dr. Mei's voice was grave, laced with helplessness.
"Elysia, if it comes to it… retreat. Prioritize your safety, preserve our fighting strength. We can assemble a force to subjugate the Herrscher once Kevin and the others are free."
"Understood, Mei."
Elysia nodded, then turned to look at Acheron, about to call out.
But in the next instant, her eyes widened.
In the sky, the sun-like sphere of fire, under the Herrscher of Flame's control, began to descend.
"Die, insects!"
As the Herrscher of Flame manipulated it, the fireball's speed increased, faster and faster.
If it were to land, everything within a hundred miles would become a fiery hell.
The Herrscher of Flame seemed to already see it—Acheron and Elysia reduced to ashes under her full-power strike.
Yet, facing this cataclysmic assault, Acheron simply took a light step forward, her hand tightening on her sword.
In the next moment, her gorgeous long hair began to lose its color, fading until it was monochrome black and white. Her gauntlets turned a bloody crimson, and several mandala blossoms bloomed along her arms.
Confronted with this world-ending strike, Acheron, for the first time in this world, unleashed her power.
She had always restrained herself, after all. This world was too fragile; even a wisp of Nihility could mean catastrophic destruction.
But now, at this critical juncture, Acheron could hold back no longer. If she didn't stop the Herrscher, the damage to Australia would only worsen.
Besides, Acheron was confident that using just a fraction of her power wouldn't affect this world.
"I weep for the departed…"
Slowly, she raised her longsword high overhead. For the first time since arriving in this world, the blade left its sheath, baring its edge.
The flow of time around her seemed to slow, space growing thick and viscous. The Herrscher of Flame remained frozen in her downward pressing motion, a trace of glee still visible in her eyes.
"Dusk's rain... it too shall fall.…"
On her pale, beautiful cheek, a single tear of blood trailed from her crimson eye. Memories began surging up from the boundless depths.
The recollections eroded and forgotten within the void now rushed back to her heart.
"Rising like the tide, to guide you home!"
In the next instant, crimson lightning wreathed Acheron's body. In that moment, her blade was fully drawn, and then—a colossal arc of light shot upward, slashing toward the sky.
In that moment, the sun was cloven in two.
Under Acheron's single slash, everything within sight was consumed by a blinding white light.
"How can this—?!"
The Herrscher of Flame's astonishment hadn't even fully registered in her eyes before the radiance enveloped her body.
And then… all was nothingness.
On the ground, a fissure stretched for hundreds of kilometers. Under the clear sky, all clouds, including the black smoke from the fires, vanished without a trace in that instant.
When it was all over, only Elysia remained as the sole witness to this monumental feat.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.