"Ahem…!"
Blood sprayed from Herta's mouth.
At this moment, Herta was in tatters, her entire body having been blasted into a ruin somewhere in Pier Point.
She tried to move her right hand, hoping to support herself and stand up again, then return to the battlefield not far away.
But clearly, Herta was already at the end of her rope. Even opening her eyes was difficult for her now, let alone continuing to fight that Witch of Nihility.
That was right. Herta had been utterly defeated.
The salvation squad she had assembled was on the verge of being completely cleaned up by Kallen.
Even the Imaginary armaments Herta had brought to Pier Point had now become piles of scrap metal.
For a moment, unwillingness surged into Herta's heart once again.
As a genius, Herta was naturally not suited for close-quarters ambush battles like this.
Therefore, even if Herta had failed now, she could still find excuses for herself. She could say that she simply had not had time to properly bring the power of Erudition into play.
But that was the thinking of fools.
Proud as Herta was, even when faced point-blank by the Witch of Nihility, she had never once feared battle.
Besides, they had originally had a chance to win!
If Kiana had not been taken away by Aha, how could they have fallen into this situation?
Right now, Herta practically hated Aha to death.
That god of amusement usually loved seeking entertainment, and fine, that was his right. No one could stop him.
But what time was it now?
The galaxy itself had reached a moment of life and death, and that god of amusement had actually chosen to side with Kallen!
If Herta had the chance to leave here alive this time, even if she had to face an Aeon, she would absolutely make him pay for this!
Bang!
While Herta was letting her thoughts run wild, the battle on the main front finally came to an end.
Everyone had completely lost their ability to fight.
And just now, Diamond, the last combatant in the salvation squad still able to move, had his defense completely pierced through by Kallen.
His body was brutally impaled by Judah. Then, the light spear exploded.
For once, Diamond cosplayed Mobius and turned into a skewer himself.
After that, just like Herta, he collapsed into the ruins, unable to take care of himself.
At this point, on Pier Point, aside from Kallen, there was no combat power left.
This battle was the Witch of Nihility's victory.
But unexpectedly, Kallen did not kill anyone.
She treated everyone equally, merely beating them until they lost the ability to fight, then leaving them alone.
Even so, not a single person present dared to relax.
After all, when facing such an evil villain, how could anyone know whether she refrained from killing them because she had some even greater scheme in mind?
At that moment, Kallen suddenly arrived beside Herta.
Looking at this fallen genius before her, Kallen seemed rather inclined to kick her while she was down.
"Looks like I won."
Those mocking words fell into Herta's ears like a sharp blade, splitting her pride as a genius cleanly in two.
Won.
Kallen had won?
Herta gave a cold laugh.
Then, slightly overdrawing her already empty HP bar, Herta actually forced herself to stand.
Her right arm had long since lost all feeling. Her left arm had also been cut by something during the previous battle, and blood was dripping from her sleeve one drop at a time.
But Herta could not care less.
She merely looked at that face before her, a face that made her extremely unhappy.
Then, in the very next second, she threw a punch straight out.
There was no technique in that punch whatsoever.
As an Emanator whose foundation lay in Erudition, Herta had never been good at this kind of close-quarters brawling.
Moreover, given her current heavily injured state, the force behind this punch might not even compare to Asta's.
But Herta still threw it.
Because that was the final shred of stubbornness she had as a genius.
Even if she had lost, she would absolutely never admit defeat in front of Kallen.
Wretched woman, eat my slap!
Smack.
Before that fist could touch Kallen's cheek, Kallen caught it with ease.
There was not the slightest hesitation in Kallen's movements. She merely held Herta's fist lightly, then abruptly dragged it downward.
Bang!
Herta's entire body was slammed hard into the ruins beneath them by that force.
Immediately afterward, Kallen flipped over and lightly straddled Herta.
She looked down from above, one hand pressing against Herta's cheek while the other casually picked up a lock of Herta's hair.
For a moment, the contact between the two of them actually looked somewhat intimate.
But clearly, this kind of intimacy did not improve the atmosphere at all. It only made Herta even more furious.
Without question, Kallen intended to humiliate her.
However, Kallen seemed completely unconcerned and continued asking,
"As the loser of this battle, Madam Herta, do you have any thoughts?"
Herta struggled to gasp several times.
"Heh… You're asking what I think?"
"If you want to kill me or cut me up, then get it over with. Don't waste my time here."
After saying this, Herta closed her eyes again.
To be honest, she no longer had the spirit to keep entangling herself with Kallen.
A loss was a loss. Herta was proud, but she was not incapable of accepting failure.
It was just that the taste of this defeat was far too bitter.
She, Herta, had lived for so many years, and this was the first time she had been pinned down beneath someone, unable to move. This humiliation was even harder for her to accept than defeat itself.
Since things had already reached this point, it would be better to simply end it.
After hearing Herta's words, Kallen only laughed softly.
"Kill you?"
In an instant, Kallen acted again. She directly reached out and pried Herta's little mouth open.
"Mmph—!"
"What are you doing?!"
Herta was clearly frightened by Kallen's actions.
She wanted to bite down on the other party's hand.
Unfortunately, in her current state, she could not even leave a tooth mark on Kallen's hand.
Then, the power of Nihility poured into Herta's mouth.
In the next instant, a blue chip fell into Kallen's hand.
Seeing this, a trace of understanding flashed through Kallen's eyes.
As expected of Herta. She had not expected that before coming to Pier Point, Herta had secretly hidden such a thing inside her own body without telling anyone.
It seemed Herta had planned, in the worst-case scenario, to use her own life to take Kallen down with her.
For a moment, Kallen felt a little embarrassed to continue bullying Herta like this.
After all, while Herta's temper was a little foul, her actions were something Kallen greatly admired.
On this point, Kiana was the one who felt it most deeply.
Even so, Kallen still decided to let the script continue.
She shook her head slightly.
"Madam Herta, it seems you intended to perish together with me."
Seeing that she had been exposed, Herta's first reaction was anger.
This woman. This damned woman. She actually dared to put her filthy hand inside Herta's mouth!
"…Witch, you won't succeed. You have already wasted so much time here. More people will absolutely come to subjugate you."
"No matter how strong you are, you are still ultimately just a mortal."
Herta threw out another harsh line.
That was right. After this battle, Herta had gained a very clear understanding of Kallen's combat power.
Indeed, the other party was strong.
So strong that even Herta's salvation squad could not defeat her.
But the other party's strength still had a limit.
She was still not a god. She remained at the level of a mortal.
Therefore, even if Herta had fallen here now, once the forces of the entire galaxy started converging on this place, there would eventually come a point when Kallen could no longer hold out.
Kallen did not seem to care much.
"Rest assured, Madam Herta. At least for now, I will not kill you."
Hearing this, Herta's brows moved slightly. She did not understand what this woman was dragging things out for.
"You are still useful to me," Kallen continued calmly.
"After all, I went to great lengths to gather all of you here. How could I simply waste you for nothing?"
The instant Kallen said this, Herta's eyes, which had been tightly shut, suddenly opened.
An unprecedented chill surged up from within her heart.
Herta remembered.
Before the battle had begun, the Witch of Nihility had said something.
Do I not have plenty of ready-made materials standing right in front of me?
Materials…
Did she mean materials for Bloodsin Spirits?
Herta became increasingly certain.
So that was it.
From the very beginning, Kallen had never intended to kill them.
She intended to turn all of them into Bloodsin Spirits.
And unlike the previous four Bloodsin Spirits, the people before her were all still alive.
That meant Kallen wanted to obtain a far greater power from them than from the previous four.
This was even more terrifying than being killed outright.
Damn it. Did this also count as a kind of defeat CG?
Herta took a deep breath and worked hard to suppress that chill.
Then she suddenly spoke.
"Kallen Kaslana."
"Before you truly act, may I ask you a question?"
Kallen looked down at her from above, seemingly a little interested.
"Oh?"
"Madam Herta, what would you like to ask? If it is not too difficult to answer, perhaps I can explain a thing or two while I am in a good mood."
Herta slowly spoke.
"All of this… is it truly worth it?"
"For one person, you intend to drag the entire galaxy into Finality."
"Is that price truly worth it?"
Kallen paused slightly.
"Madam Herta, are you… trying to stall for time?"
"Discussing such a profound philosophical question with me at a time like this really does not suit your identity as a genius."
Herta did not deny it.
Since Kallen had already seen through her, she simply admitted it openly.
"Yes. I am indeed trying to stall for time."
"But I also genuinely want to know your answer."
"Do you truly think all of this is worth it?"
Herta looked straight into Kallen's eyes.
"For the sake of one person, you intend to bury the futures of countless living beings across the galaxy."
"Do you really think this account balances?"
After hearing this, Kallen was silent for a moment.
What was Herta babbling about?
Trying to settle accounts with a villain?
Then Kallen spoke again.
"It seems you already know my purpose."
Herta did not hide it.
"Yes. We met Nous."
"About your origin, about Bianka, and about the path of resurrection under that causal law—Nous has already told us everything."
After hearing this, Kallen nodded slightly.
"Since you know, that makes things easier. Then I will tell you the answer."
"It is worth it."
Only two words.
"In my eyes, Bianka's weight alone is enough to surpass the entire galaxy."
There was no hesitation in Kallen's voice, nor any wavering.
"No matter how many strangers' lives are compared to hers…"
"If the two are placed on opposite sides of the scale, I will choose the latter without hesitation."
"That is my answer."
After hearing this, Herta did not particularly want to speak anymore.
She hated extreme lunatics like this.
Then Herta continued,
"Then let me ask you one more question."
"If Bianka is truly revived by you, and when she opens her eyes, she discovers that she is in a world already swallowed by Finality…"
"What will she think?"
There was a trace of mockery in Herta's tone.
"Aren't you afraid she will be disappointed in you?"
"Aren't you afraid that after seeing what you have become, she will turn around and hate you?"
After this question was raised, Kallen's previously indifferent expression showed a slight ripple.
But that ripple lasted only an instant before quickly returning to calm.
"Hate?"
Kallen laughed softly.
"She would have to be alive first to even have the possibility of hating me."
"If she does not even have the chance to live, then where would this so-called hatred come from?"
Those words were extremely cold.
But they were also rather true.
Herta looked at Kallen's matter-of-fact expression and, for a moment, could not find anything to say.
In Herta's value system, everything could be measured by gain and loss.
But for Kallen, this account clearly could not be calculated at all.
Just as Herta fell silent, Kallen suddenly spoke again.
"By the way, Madam Herta."
"I actually have a proposal I would like to ask you about."
Herta raised her head and met Kallen's cold eyes.
"What proposal?"
The corners of Kallen's lips curved faintly.
"Would you be willing to join me?"
"…What?"
Herta froze, as if she had not heard Kallen clearly.
She never would have imagined that the Witch of Nihility would extend an invitation to her at a time like this.
But Kallen patiently repeated herself.
"I said, would you be willing to join me?"
"Stand on my side and help me complete my plan."
Herta's brows instantly twisted into a knot.
"What kind of joke are you making?"
"Why would I help you?"
Kallen did not get angry.
She merely tilted her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of thoughtfulness.
"Actually, regarding the question you just raised, I did think about it seriously for a moment."
"You are right. If Bianka is truly revived, I cannot allow her to live in a world swallowed by Nihility."
"So, I will preserve some sparks in this world."
"After Bianka is revived, those sparks will help this world completely cleanse away Nihility."
Kallen calmly described her plan.
"And during that process, I will need capable people to assist me."
"As for you…"
Kallen's gaze returned to Herta.
"As an Emanator of Erudition, whether in terms of ability or identity, you are an extremely suitable candidate."
"So, I want to give you a chance."
"Are you willing to stand by my side and help me complete all of this?"
After Kallen finished speaking, she quietly waited for Herta's answer.
From her tone, one could tell that she was sincerely inviting Herta to join her.
She was not mocking her, nor was she acting.
Faced with Kallen's invitation, Herta's expression became extremely ugly in an instant.
"Heh. Hypocritical woman."
Herta sneered directly, the disgust in her tone undisguised.
"Kallen Kaslana, do you think this kind of rhetoric can persuade me?"
"Who knows whether your so-called sparks and your so-called cleansing of Nihility are true or false?"
"Even if what you said is true, so what?"
"In that process, how many innocent beings will die by your hand?"
"You will water your so-called Bianka with their blood, then hypocritically talk about cleansing Nihility afterward."
"How can you even say such utterly hypocritical logic out loud?"
By this point, Herta had completely stopped caring about her own injuries.
She stared directly at Kallen, who was straddling her.
"I will absolutely never help you."
"Dream on!"
After hearing this, Kallen was silent for several seconds.
Then, she slowly nodded.
"All right. That truly is regrettable."
"I originally thought that with your intelligence, you would make a wiser choice."
"But since you have chosen to refuse…"
As Kallen said this, her right hand, which had been pressing against Herta's cheek, slowly rose.
In the next instant, gray-black Nihility began gathering madly in her palm.
That aura was the very same power Kallen used when creating Bloodsin Spirits.
"Then I can only…"
Kallen's palm drew closer and closer to Herta's face.
At this moment, Herta had completely lost the ability to dodge.
She could only glare fiercely at the hand slowly descending toward her, then reveal the final shred of backbone she possessed as a genius.
She would not close her eyes.
Even if she was going to die, she would die with her eyes open.
Whoosh!
Just as Kallen's palm was about to touch Herta's forehead—
An extremely sharp sound of air being torn apart abruptly rang out from the distant void.
The sound was so fast that even the air did not have time to tremble.
But Kallen's reaction was even faster than that sound by a fraction.
Her figure abruptly flew backward at the final instant.
And in the next second—
Bang!
An arrow of the Hunt scraped straight through the position where Kallen had just been standing.
"..."
Kallen slowly turned her head.
Her gaze passed over the collapsed wreckage and looked toward the direction from which the arrow had come.
In that stretch of deep space, four auras were racing toward Pier Point at an astonishing speed.
The largest among them belonged precisely to the owner of that arrow.
The three auras following closely behind were also Emanator-level existences.
"…They're here."
Kallen murmured softly.
When Herta heard Kallen say those words, her dimmed eyes abruptly lit up again.
Supporting her body, which was already on the verge of falling apart, she struggled to look toward the direction from which those four auras were approaching.
Four figures slowly appeared on the battlefield as though breaking open the void.
Marshal Hua of the Xianzhou Alliance.
Jing Yuan, General of the Xianzhou Luofu.
Yaoguang, General of the Xianzhou Yuque.
And Mobius, the final Dragon Sovereign of the Xianzhou Yuanqiao.
Clearly, after Red Kite's self-execution, Mobius and the other two had rushed to Pier Point as quickly as possible.
The same was true for Hua.
Because the situation was urgent, she had not even been able to follow the main force. Instead, she had swiftly acted ahead on her own.
At this point, the Xianzhou Alliance's reinforcements had finally arrived.
"Good… good…"
Herta laughed dryly.
Although she was covered in wounds and looked utterly miserable, the instant she saw those four figures, she could not help laughing.
They had not lost.
They had not lost yet.
At this moment, the four figures in the air finally came to a steady stop.
At the very front, Hua held an ancient longbow completely disproportionate to her figure.
"Kallen Kaslana. Today, this place shall be your grave."
There were no excessive words.
Because the grudge between the Xianzhou Alliance and the Witch of Nihility could no longer be reconciled.
The longbow in Hua's hand was drawn once more.
Beside her, Jing Yuan, Yaoguang, and Mobius also simultaneously assumed postures ready to attack at any moment.
The salvation squad's second round officially began with the arrival of the Xianzhou Alliance's reinforcements.
After hearing this, Kallen did not show any particular reaction.
"Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance, is it? I remember you. Before that Enigmata-shrouded past, aside from Red Kite, you were the hardest to deal with."
The moment these words came out, Hua's brows furrowed slightly.
Without question, Kallen was provoking her.
But even Hua had to admit that what the other party said was indeed the truth.
In that Enigmata-shrouded past, since the Xianzhou Alliance had been destroyed, then the Hua of that time must indeed have lost to Kallen.
However, the current Hua was not alone.
Hua spoke calmly.
"Kallen Kaslana, for that alone, I shall take your life."
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 210)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" (This matter is completely finished.)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 280
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 240
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 160
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 125
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 180
My Harem Is Indescribable 110
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 115
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 120
Still playing traditional Honk 105
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120
What Should I Do After Switchi 70
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 140
Checking In in Demon Slayer 100
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 115
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 95
MYGO Beauties 80
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 100
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 135
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 70
The Uma Musume Who Became 75
I'm Definitely Not the King of 130
After Maxing Out Every Class 135
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 120
I, the Elden Sword Saint 70
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 65
No One Knows Pokémon Better 65
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 65
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 105
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 120
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 80
Honkai: The Fire Devil 115
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/70
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 85
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 80
At age 8, she co-starred with 80
Honkai: Schicksal Media 81
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 70
Chainsaw Man, but I'm Aatrox 60
Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 45
Morgan Shirou's Journey in Dan 43
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin