Far East. Battleship Hyperion.
Onboard the Hyperion, Captain Himeko Murata had already entered a special chamber within the ship and completed the equipping process for her Valkyrie battlesuit.
Before the Third Eruption broke out, Schicksal had already detected anomalies in Nagazora City.
For this reason, Himeko Murata was forced to cut her vacation short and return to duty to work overtime.
Of course, this wasn't ordinary overtime.
After all, the profession of a Valkyrie was, in the end, about putting one's life on the line.
As an A-Rank Valkyrie, Himeko, in conjunction with the Hyperion's special combat system, the [Nexus], could link herself to the battleship, unleashing terrifying combat power.
The limit output of the Honkai energy reactor installed on the Hyperion was 1380 HW. A normal Herrscher appearing after a large-scale Honkai eruption typically had a Honkai energy intensity between 1000 and 1500 HW.
According to HQ's calculations, with the Hyperion's support, Himeko Murata using the Nexus system possessed—at the very minimum—the power to fight a Herrscher.
But this time, Himeko felt an inexplicable sensation in her heart.
Unease.
Although she couldn't get specific intelligence because Schicksal's satellites were being interfered with by a strange Honkai energy signature, her instincts were screaming warnings at her despite the lack of data.
*This enemy won't be easy to deal with.*
*Hmph, I haven't even seen the enemy yet, and I'm already thinking like this.*
*Has it been so long since I fought a strong opponent that my heart has grown weak?*
*Forget it. Don't overthink it.*
To capture the Herrscher alive this time, Theresa had voluntarily given up attending the regional branch heads' meeting to accompany me to Nagazora City.
She was a retired S-Rank Valkyrie, and I possessed the power to briefly fight a Herrscher while connected to Nexus.
If the two of us joined forces, taking down a single Herrscher shouldn't be too difficult.
[Major Murata, we just received a signal from the detection system...]
"Hm? Why are you stammering? Just tell me the intel directly."
[Actually... regarding the Herrscher readings in Nagazora City...]
[It seems... there is more than one...]
???
*Wait, what's going on?*
"There are two Herrschers? A large-scale Eruption should only birth one Herrscher. Why is the situation so off this time?"
[No, please listen to me. It's not two Herrschers.]
"Oh, so you guys made a mistake. If there's only one Herrscher, Theresa and I should be able to handle it."
[Please let me finish.]
[The Herrscher readings... there aren't two, but three.]
"...?"
[Although one of the readings is a bit unstable, corresponding Honkai energy reactions have indeed appeared at the locations of the other two Herrschers.]
[Furthermore, the Honkai energy intensity of one of the Herrschers has already breached 1500 HW and is continuing to rise.]
"Check if the detection system is broken."
[We've confirmed it three times. Branch Head Theresa is already preparing for combat.]
"Fine. Tell everyone to get ready. We'll head to the one with the highest Honkai energy intensity first."
[Understood.]
*To think my premonition actually came true.*
The one with the high Honkai energy intensity should be the actual Third Herrscher. If we can capture that Herrscher, this mission can be considered complete for now.
We'll challenge that Herrscher with full force, and then... get the hell out of dodge! What else can we do?
Himeko Murata wasn't an idiot. It was already difficult enough for her, linked to the system, plus Theresa, to take down a genuine Herrscher and capture them alive.
If she thought she could go challenge several other Herrschers after capturing one...
That would only prove she was both an idiot and scum.
Overestimating oneself makes one an idiot; dragging comrades to an irresponsible death makes one scum.
Himeko didn't want to be that kind of person, nor would she do something so brainless.
Find a way to neutralize the Third Herrscher, then retreat.
As for what happens after—that's for HQ to handle. Why should I worry about it?
With three Herrschers popping up at once, HQ will definitely send heavy hitters to kill their way through.
Complete the mission and retreat immediately. As for everything else...
Overseer Otto will handle it anyway, so why should I overthink it?
.......................
At the same time. Hyperion Bridge.
On the bridge, Theresa looked at the man she didn't really want to see but couldn't bring herself to hate, unsure of what expression to show.
"Grandpa, I recall that the matter of the Third Herrscher was given to the Far East Branch to handle with full authority, correct?"
"Theresa, the matter of the Third Herrscher is indeed your responsibility. However, regarding the subsequent matters of the other Herrschers—do you have the capacity to continue handling them?"
*Of course I do*—Theresa wanted to retort with full confidence.
But after considering the number of Herrschers, she felt that saying that right now would be a bit arrogant.
In the battle fourteen years ago, the Second Herrscher, Sirin, who held multiple Herrscher Cores, caused immense damage to the world.
And in that battle, Theresa lost the person most important to her.
Cecilia Schariac, her dearest friend, died in the battle against the Second Herrscher, Sirin.
As for the specific details of that event... *Tch, does Grandpa really think I don't know anything?*
Leaving the past aside, she boarded the Hyperion this time to increase the success rate of capturing the Herrscher.
Sirin was so strong back then mainly because she ended up with six cores: Reason, Void, Thunder, Death, Fire, and Wind.
But the Herrscher of Thunder appearing in Nagazora City now theoretically only had the single Core of Thunder.
Theresa didn't know if the Will of the Honkai would pull another stunt where several cores flew out to combine, but recalling that past battle...
Even she felt she had to be guarded against such a possibility!
Capturing the Third Herrscher was currently the most important mission for all members of the Far East Branch. Under these circumstances, Theresa, who wanted to talk tough, ultimately chose to temporarily yield to her grandfather, who doted on her but had done many wrong things.
"You see, you know very well that with the Far East Branch's strength, taking down the Third Herrscher is likely your limit."
Seeing the look of concession in Theresa's eyes, Otto smiled at his beloved granddaughter.
"So, to avoid accidents, upon learning that other Herrschers had appeared in Nagazora City, I dispatched the Immortal Blades to Nagazora."
"If you seek stability, you can wait for the Immortal Blades to arrive and rendezvous with them. With a sufficient advantage in combat power, the probability of you capturing these Herrschers should increase significantly, right?"
*Increase significantly... really?*
*Grandpa's words really don't fit his character.*
*I know Durandal and Rita's strength. With them bringing the Immortal Blades for support, capturing the Third Herrscher should be a sure thing.*
*And after capturing the Third Herrscher, the remaining Herrscher of unknown status certainly wouldn't be able to escape the full-force encirclement of three S-Rank Valkyries plus the entire Hyperion crew.*
*However, Grandpa's arrangement is clearly correct, so why do I feel like he's plotting some scheme?*
"Grandpa, I've decided. The Far East Branch will still complete the mission of capturing the Third Herrscher alone. With our power, Himeko will handle the offense, and I'll use Judah for close-quarters suppression. Capturing the Third Herrscher won't be difficult."
"Theresa—"
"Furthermore, the Third Herrscher's Honkai energy intensity is constantly rising. If we continue to wait, no one can guarantee whether the Third Herrscher will receive a 'gift' from the Honkai God like the Second Herrscher did."
"Ah, why is the signal suddenly so bad?"
As she said this, Theresa directly activated Judah's Oath. Under everyone's gaze, chains extended from Judah into the air and smashed directly onto the operation console.
Accompanying Theresa's crude action, Otto was forcibly disconnected before he could say anything to stop her.
Watching Theresa's actions, the staff on the bridge were dumbfounded.
Although Theresa was Otto's granddaughter and Otto doted on her immensely in daily life, still...
—*Branch Head Theresa, is doing this really okay?!!!*
*The Overseer isn't an idiot, nor does he have cataracts! He saw exactly how you cut the comms just now!!!*
"Why are you all looking at me? Did you not hear my orders?"
"Full speed ahead to the Third Herrscher's location! We must capture her and bring her back to Schicksal HQ before she reaches her peak state!"
"Yes!"
......................
Upon breaking into the interior of Nagazora City, Aaron immediately deactivated the [Demon Armor: Incursio].
In fact, he had sensed it as he approached Nagazora City: the energy concentration inside the city far exceeded that of the area Aaron was currently in.
And he hadn't forgotten that after the Herrscher of Thunder awakened, the energy shockwave brought about by the Herrscher had already covered the entire city.
Schicksal's satellites were unable to see anything inside Nagazora City for this very reason.
Of course, for safety's sake, the cloak and mask combo was essential. Wearing these items, even if he encountered others here, his face and clothing wouldn't be seen.
After entering this zone, Aaron immediately tried to call the System.
And as expected—after entering this zone, the System was indeed temporarily silent.
*Sigh, this place is truly full of danger.*
*For example...*
At this moment, Aaron directly pulled out the Empire-issue firearm he had purchased earlier and fired a burst at an Assault-class Honkai Beast that suddenly lunged out.
With the physical enhancements from the [Kaslana Bloodline], Aaron easily relied on his evolved dynamic vision to pierce the Honkai Beast's body with bullets.
"Honkai Beasts could pop out anywhere, anytime. And..."
Sensing the Honkai energy fluctuations coming from three areas within Nagazora City, Aaron only felt an immense headache.
The three areas were the upscale residential district in the city center, a regular residential area a bit further away, and an unknown zone some distance from both.
At this moment, Aaron could determine that the Herrscher energy fluctuation in the city center was the strongest; that should be the awakened Herrscher of Thunder.
He didn't know where Kiana was right now, but...
Although Aaron wasn't a believer in fate, he felt that even if Kiana wasn't in the same location as Raiden Mei, she would definitely go looking for Mei after the Great Eruption broke out.
She had [Almighty Five Sights: Spectator], so finding people would be much more convenient for her than for Aaron, who only had a telescope. In other words...
—*The probability of Kiana encountering Raiden Mei and being attacked by her Herrscher personality right now is simply too high.*
As for the whole "Baseball Bat beats HoT" thing, Aaron didn't believe a word of it.
MiHoYo themselves couldn't explain the details of that battle clearly. If he went in thinking "Kiana wins in the original work, so she definitely won't lose now that she's stronger"... Heh, forget it.
The Herrscher of Thunder wasn't an embarrassing Herrscher like the Herrscher of the Wind, who got stalled by three B-Rank Valkyries and then smashed by a Titan.
During the Nagazora period, the Herrscher of Thunder once seized Raiden Mei's body after Mei wavered upon seeing Kiana heavily injured.
And after that, when she dueled Himeko Murata inside the Hyperion, the Honkai energy intensity she mobilized was—3200 HW.
This intensity was more than double the 1500 HW of a newly awakened Herrscher, plus an extra 200 HW.
And if compared to Wendy, who had 2000 HW when she first awakened, the Herrscher of Thunder's playful strike was already stronger than a blow from a vengeance-driven Wendy.
Calculating the multiplier, their output ratio was 8:5.
Moreover, Aaron didn't know if the Herrscher of Thunder had brought her brain along for this awakening.
If she had even a little bit of sense, the Herrscher of Thunder, who manipulated electromagnetic forces, could completely disable the metal Devil Sword Rebellion and Ebony & Ivory in Kiana's hands.
Even for himself, he could only consider using Ittou Shura + Meta-Morph Factor, then driving the Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist with [Valor] to see if he could break her electromagnetic Imaginary barrier in one hit and knock her out in the process.
Furthermore, what Aaron had to face now wasn't just those three Herrschers.
While he was knocking down countless Honkai Beasts along the way, he had already seen that massive silhouette in the distant sky.
"Hyperion, huh... Heh, although them going to St. Freya Academy doesn't seem like a bad thing, right now..."
Theresa Apocalypse and Himeko Murata held no malice toward Kiana, but Otto did!
K423 was the most important experimental subject to Otto. At this moment, Otto was still plotting his Artificial Herrscher project, planning to play his little survival game.
Otto had always sent spies to follow Kiana. The awakening of the Herrscher of Thunder had covered the sky above Nagazora City with Honkai energy, temporarily disabling Schicksal's satellite observation capabilities.
And because of the appearance of the large-scale Honkai Eruption, those Schicksal spies had no chance to approach Kiana under these conditions.
In other words, if Aaron wanted to let Kiana temporarily leave from under Otto's nose, this opportunity could not be missed.
On the way to Nagazora City, Aaron had already used the coordinate recording ability of the [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala] to record the coordinates of Soukai City and a nearby city.
As long as he could find Kiana, he was confident he could take her away from Nagazora City.
After jumping lightly across a few rooftops, Aaron looked at the Assault-class Honkai Beasts constantly attacking him from the air and felt these guys were incredibly troublesome.
He could wipe out a bunch of Honkai Beasts with a single clip, but as their numbers increased, they were gradually slowing down his progress.
"The density of Honkai Beasts is increasing, which means the Honkai energy concentration here is also getting higher."
"Speed up. Just endure it a little longer..."
*Forget it, I'm too lazy to think that much.*
*Once I get there, I'll figure out how to act based on the situation.*
...................
Nagazora City. High-end Residential District.
Amidst the wreckage of the high-end residential area, Kiana watched her best friend, Raiden Mei, with a guarded gaze.
*No, that's wrong. This guy... is just another entity occupying Mei's body!*
"Oh? Your look seems a bit off. What's wrong, human? Have you still not realized—that cowardly companion of yours can no longer wake up?"
Slowly floating up from the ground into mid-air, the Herrscher of Thunder looked down at Kiana's face and sneered.
"Ah, right. You're the 'Kiana' she kept calling out for before she completely 'broke', right?"
"You... surely aren't Mei!"
"Correct. I am completely different from you humans."
Looking at the white-haired girl below, the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly had an idea.
"Heh, in this place, only those two fellows who haven't moved for some reason are qualified to make me get serious."
"So, before I seize their cores, I might as well play with you a little, Ki~a~na~."
"You bastard...!"
*Don't use Mei's face to say such annoying things!*
Kiana, who wanted to shout that, suppressed the rage in her heart.
*Calm down.*
*If Aaron were here, even if he was angry, he would think about how to defeat the enemy before getting angry.*
*Judging by what this guy said, she's sharing a body with Mei.*
*That means if I make this guy's consciousness go dormant, Mei might wake up.*
*Then—as long as I defeat her, Mei will come back!*
*Attack... No, don't rush to attack.*
*Dad said Herrschers are strong, far stronger than ordinary Honkai Beasts.*
*Observe her attack methods first, then deduce attack and evasion strategies based on them.*
*So...*
[Mode Switch—Trickster]
As gilded magical energy suddenly erupted from Kiana's body, the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly felt something was amiss.
*Strange. Why isn't the power this guy is using Honkai energy?*
*Is it some special energy?*
*Whatever, it doesn't matter.*
*I'll just use her as an appetizer to warm up. Once I get bored...*
*—I'll just kill her, right?*
As a Herrscher manipulating lightning and electromagnetic forces, the Herrscher of Thunder needed no preparation to easily summon countless bolts of lightning to attack.
Only this time, to make her entertainment last a little longer, the Herrscher of Thunder didn't start with terrifyingly powerful moves like "Lightning Strike" or "Railgun." She merely conjured some lightning spears around herself and threw them all at Kiana in one breath.
This attack was just a probing strike with the Herrscher of Thunder holding back, but even so, Kiana felt the enemy's attack speed was simply too fast.
If she hadn't prepared in advance, she might have been injured by this move even with the terrifying power granted by her bloodline.
Leaping lightly, Kiana watched the Herrscher of Thunder's figure and raised [Ebony & Ivory], pulling the triggers repeatedly at the Herrscher before her.
However, just as she expected, these bullets, into which she hadn't poured any power, didn't harm the opponent in the slightest.
Upon touching the Herrscher of Thunder's electromagnetic barrier, these bullets were electrolyzed by the attached energy, turning into atoms and scattering across the area.
*...!*
*Although this was just a probing attack, she can erase matter with an energy barrier without needing to defend actively???*
*That's cheating too much, isn't it?*
"Hehe, it seems you were frightened by my Herrscher barrier. But it can't be helped. The gap in strength between us is too large; it's not strange that you can't inflict any wounds on me."
Looking at Kiana, who couldn't dodge in the air, the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly clenched her right hand.
Accompanying this action, the Honkai energy and lightning power contained in the surrounding air simultaneously condensed into uncountable lightning spears from all directions around Kiana.
If she couldn't perform an evasive maneuver in mid-air, she would inevitably be pierced by these lightning spears and die right here in Nagazora City.
*I can't die here!*
*If Aaron finds out I got beaten by this guy even after accepting the enhancement—he'll definitely laugh at me!*
"Hm?"
The Herrscher of Thunder, who thought this strike was a sure thing, frowned slightly upon seeing Kiana's subsequent actions.
Normal humans couldn't move again in the air without leverage, so in the Herrscher of Thunder's view, Kiana was bound to take significant damage this time.
But now, watching Kiana constantly teleporting and double-jumping before her eyes, she felt like doubting her life as a Herrscher.
*No, why is this girl so fast?*
*And she actually mastered mid-air leverage techniques???*
*Didn't the coward's memories tell me this guy was a good-for-nothing who only knew how to eat and failed her studies???*
*Could it be that all of that was a disguise???*
"You bastard, you seem to be looking down on me."
Rushing directly in front of the Herrscher of Thunder's electromagnetic barrier, Kiana immediately switched her mode.
[Mode Switch—Weapon Master]
After switching to Weapon Master, she could feel that she seemed able to condense energy at the muzzle of her guns, charging them to increase their destructive power.
*And this isn't even my full power.*
*Now...*
*—Let's just be direct and liberate the Meta-Morph Factor in my hands!*
After liberating the Meta-Morph Factor in her hands, Kiana looked at the ugly beast claws appearing on her hands. Without thinking about anything else, she chose to pour magical energy directly into her muzzles.
In just an instant, Kiana, having completed the partial activation of the Meta-Morph Factor, pulled the trigger once again at the enemy before her.
Only this time, the result caused by Kiana was even more "wrong" than before.
The bullets Kiana fired just now were ordinary modified bullets from Ebony & Ivory.
For that reason, those bullets didn't even catch the Herrscher of Thunder's attention before being directly decomposed by her barrier.
But now, when Kiana pressed the dual guns almost point-blank against the Herrscher of Thunder's barrier, the Herrscher suddenly felt a sense of...
—*A sense of crisis she hadn't felt since the beginning!*
*Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!*
*Boom!*
Under the enhancement of magic and the Meta-Morph Factor, Ebony and Ivory simultaneously fired bullets with power far exceeding before.
Ivory focused on fire rate, so this barrage of power-amplified bullets successfully created some visible ripples on the barrier after hitting it.
Ebony focused on power. Under Kiana's deliberate manipulation, Ebony fired just a split second later than Ivory.
Therefore, after Ivory weakened the barrier's defense, Kiana used Ebony's explosive power to punch a hole straight through the Herrscher of Thunder's defensive barrier with a single shot.
"You bastard!"
The Herrscher of Thunder, instantly accelerating via electromagnetic force, watched the bullet that had just nearly hit her, her eyes instantly igniting with rage.
The bullet Kiana fired from Ebony, aside from being full of destructive power, also contained a special attribute endowed by Kiana via the Meta-Morph Factor.
Contained within this bullet was the [Ice Power] used by the Kaslana clan to suppress the Judgment of Shamash.
In mid-air, the bullet that missed the enemy suddenly erupted with small ice spikes, attempting to pierce and freeze the surroundings.
Watching this scene, the Herrscher of Thunder realized that if she hadn't dodged that blow just now, she might have actually been injured by this incomprehensible little girl.
"I intended to play with you a bit, but I didn't expect... Hmph. That coward treats you as her most important friend, yet to save your own life, you actually planned to deal such a heavy hand to her body."
"Human emotions are truly untrustworthy."
"Save it! You think I'd listen to your nonsense? Mei is so kind; if she knew someone was using her body to cause destruction, she'd definitely wish for me to stop her body from running wild!"
"Hmph, to survive, humans won't let any excuse slip by... I'm too lazy to say more. The warm-up ends here."
"Human, I must admit you indeed have the qualifications to threaten me. So, now—I'll get a little serious."
Lightly snapping her fingers, the Herrscher of Thunder immediately used her Herrscher wings to put some distance between herself and Kiana.
She already understood that with those dual guns, the opponent had a chance to breach her defensive barrier at close range with a combined attack.
So now, if the Herrscher of Thunder, who also possessed long-range attack capabilities, didn't want to fall into that awkward situation again, she had to maintain a certain distance from this brat.
And after all, that mistake just now only happened because the Herrscher of Thunder wanted to play around.
Now, as she put away her playfulness due to Kiana's terrifying strike...
—*The already dark sky suddenly began to resonate with thunder that made Kiana uneasy.*
"Eh? This is...!"
[Mode Switch—Quicksilver]
Giving Kiana no extra time to react, a bolt of lightning struck directly from the sky, blasting the spot where Kiana had just been standing.
Kiana, switching to Quicksilver mode at the critical moment, only managed to escape danger via Quicksilver's properties after consuming a large amount of magic.
"Oh? You actually dodged? Then, if one bolt isn't enough..."
"How about ten?"
*Damn, damn, damn!*
*This guy is too reckless... Oh wait, she's a Herrscher. She's supposed to cause destruction.*
*Never mind then.*
Dodging the lightning before her, Kiana suddenly felt a new energy fluctuation erupting from the Herrscher of Thunder's body.
The Herrscher of Thunder, not far away, certainly didn't expect to finish off this troublesome opponent with just these lightning strikes.
In fact, the lightning strikes were just support attacks. The Herrscher of Thunder's true killing move—was the railgun she fired from her hand, propelled by her Herrscher Authority.
By the time Kiana noticed this attack, the Herrscher of Thunder had already completed the energy condensation.
This time, the Herrscher of Thunder gave Kiana absolutely no momentary chance; the railgun blast was already roaring from her hand toward the enemy before her.
[Spirit Command: Wall, Activate.]
However, just as the Herrscher of Thunder's attack was about to hit Kiana, a figure blocked her path, taking the blow directly with his body.
"Hah... stings a bit... but, no big deal."
"You... you... you!"
Seeing the figure she had been dreaming of actually blocking in front of her, Kiana suddenly felt her eyes moisten.
"What are you doing... coming here..."
"Why did I come here?"
[Spirit Command: Guts, Activate.]
"Of course, I came to laugh at you, Kiana."