On the grand stage within the alternate space, the lights blazed brilliantly, yet an undercurrent of eeriness lingered in the air.
Angelia Schariac walked toward Minato Yukina with measured steps, each one carrying an unmistakable pressure. "Are you planning to hand it over, or are you going to go back on your word?"
Minato Yukina gripped the Honkai Spirit Crystal tightly. From the moment she touched it, she had understood its purpose and value.
She met Angelia's gaze without fear and said, "Your singing here lacks that bewitching magic—the kind that draws people in and makes them lose themselves."
Minato Yukina and the members of Roselia had once gone to the Budokan together to hear Angelia perform live. Back then, her voice had been like a heavenly melody, effortlessly pulling listeners into a dreamlike trance. That was no voice an ordinary human could possess.
At first, Minato Yukina had assumed it was simply extraordinary talent. But now it seemed there was something else behind it—this person clearly possessed a special power they did not.
Now that Angelia no longer had that power to beguile hearts, her singing technique remained superb. Yet to Minato Yukina's ears, it felt hollow—nothing but cold technique, devoid of emotional warmth, just like when she herself had first set foot on the path of music.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Angelia tilted her head slightly, a trace of confusion in her expression.
"You don't like singing, do you?" Minato Yukina asked bluntly.
"I wouldn't say I like it, but I don't dislike it either," Angelia answered honestly.
"You entered this competition just for this?" Minato Yukina raised the Honkai Spirit Crystal high. Under the lights, it shimmered with a mysterious glow.
"That's right." Angelia nodded.
"And if I changed my mind? What would you do?" Minato Yukina had little interest in anything outside of music. But she was unwilling to hand over such a powerful treasure to someone whose singing held no soul.
"Relax. I won't lay a hand on you. If you go back on your word, I'll just consider all the money I invested earlier as wasted," Angelia said with a nonchalant shrug. Her tone was easygoing, yet faintly unsettling.
Minato Yukina stared into Angelia's eyes, searching for any trace of deceit. After a long moment, convinced she was telling the truth, she slowly extended her hand and opened her palm, offering the gray crystal that emitted a dim glow.
Angelia took the Honkai Spirit Crystal and refined it instantly.
In the blink of an eye, a new power surged within her. Though it could only be used in this world, it was more than enough for her purposes.
She turned toward the three judges and curved her lips into a polite smile. "May I borrow the stage for a moment to handle some personal matters?"
Before Miku Izayoi could speak, Kiki, seated in the center, smiled and replied, "Please begin your performance."
"?" Miku Izayoi looked utterly baffled, her gaze darting between Kiki and Angelia, completely at a loss as to what kind of act this was supposed to be.
"Thank you."
The moment Angelia finished speaking, her stage outfit transformed into a black, off-shoulder Herrscher evening gown. The hem of the dress swayed gently with her movements, exuding an air of mystery.
In the next instant, her figure vanished like a phantom.
At the same time, on the stage, the Herrscher of Fire Kiana, Raiden Mei, Seele, the Herrscher of Sentience, and Shigure Kira instantly sensed an intense wave of danger rushing toward them.
"Phantasmal Library."
At Angelia's low murmur, a massive black book materialized out of thin air. Pages fluttered like snowflakes, and in the blink of an eye, the entire stage was tightly enveloped.
Seele, the Herrscher of Sentience, Bronya, and the others were caught completely off guard as Angelia used the power of the Angelic Erosion Tome to drag them into a fairy-tale world.
"What are you doing?!" The Herrscher of Fire Kiana roared, flames blazing around her as fury burned in her eyes.
"What am I doing? What do you think I want to do?" Angelia looked down at the three who had evaded her attack—the Herrscher of Fire Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Shigure Kira—with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Her primary target was the Herrscher of Sentience. The others were a bonus if she could take them.
"This little band-playing game ends here."
With that, Angelia stepped directly into a time fracture and launched a fierce assault on the three.
The other band members on stage stood frozen in shock, utterly unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events.
Chihaya Anon was stunned. How did a music competition suddenly turn into a full-blown brawl?
In the next second, the members of the various bands felt their vision blur as they were transferred to the audience seats.
Chihaya Anon and Togawa Sakiko, however, were teleported to Kiki's side.
"You want our authorities that badly?" Raiden Mei's brows knit slightly. With a light shift of her graceful figure, she deftly evaded Angelia Schariac's sharp attack.
Her delicate hand tightened around her katana. In an instant, lightning crackled along the blade, erupting with astonishing power. With a sweeping slash, a bolt of thunder roared forth, carrying immense force as it sent Angelia flying.
Angelia flipped several times midair before landing steadily on the ground. Her hair whipped wildly in the wind. Her expression was cold, devoid of fear. "I want to become the Herrscher of Finality. As long as you're willing to let me connect to your authorities, we don't have to fight."
The Herrscher of Fire Kiana looked helpless. "Couldn't you just talk this out? Did you really have to start fighting right away?"
"With you in particular, there's nothing to discuss."
The instant her words fell, Angelia's figure flashed like a phantom, appearing before the Herrscher of Fire Kiana in the blink of an eye.
She had long discovered that the upper echelons of the three major organizations all hoped Kiana would become the Herrscher of Finality.
Why?
The moment Angelia appeared, strange energy fluctuations surged around her, twisting the very air.
The Herrscher of Fire Kiana swung her greatsword. The blade passed straight through the girl's body.
A fake!
Her reaction was instantaneous. Flames erupted around her, forming a blazing wall of fire that blocked Angelia's sneak attack from another direction.
She spun and slashed horizontally—yet eerily, the blade passed through again.
The Angelia whom the Herrscher of Fire Kiana had assumed to be an illusion earlier struck her fiercely in the back instead.
A violently overwhelming force burst forth, sending the Herrscher of Fire Kiana flying.
Just as Angelia moved to press the attack, Shigure Kira rushed in like an arrow. The twin guns in her hands shimmered with strange light as she fired, intercepting Angelia's assault.
At the same time, Raiden Mei transformed into a streak of lightning, instantly catching the Herrscher of Fire Kiana.