"Damn it, Herrscher of Reason, can't you just die obediently?" Sirin took out the Core of Reason that had originally fused into her body. It was because of this Core that her plans had been ruined again and again.
With that, Sirin brought her hands together. The gray Core of Reason was crushed into several pieces by her and fell onto the top of Babylon Tower.
"And you, Cecilia. Was it fun to deceive me? Pretending to care about me, but in reality you were never hypnotized at all!"
Sirin pointed at Cecilia, who was holding Abyss Flower. Although in the illusion she had not gone as far as the Sirin in the original plot — who had almost called her "Mom" — after more than half a year, Cecilia was one of the few people who had made her feel maternal love.
As for Siegfried, there was no need to mention him. He was just a filler character anyway. Siegfried looked at this "daughter" he had spent some time with in the illusion, and his heart was also somewhat complicated.
"Sirin, listen to me." Cecilia reached out her hand.
"There's nothing to explain. Our positions are different. You are a Valkyrie of Schicksal, and I am a Herrscher hostile to humanity. Subjugating me is your duty."
"..." Cecilia very much wanted to say something, but the words simply wouldn't come out.
"Swish…" A sharp and fierce sound of something tearing through the air suddenly rang out from behind Sirin. In an instant, a dazzling golden light streaked across the sky like lightning. A golden chain shot straight toward Sirin at blinding speed.
Facing this sudden attack, Sirin snorted coldly: "Tch." Her figure blurred like a ghost as she swiftly sidestepped, easily dodging Theresa's sneak attack.
Suddenly, a massive green tree burst out from the top of the towering Babylon Tower. The green tree was like a giant green dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced toward Sirin. Its thick branches rapidly extended like countless flexible tentacles, instantly wrapping tightly around Sirin's body. These branches tightened more and more, like an inescapable net, trapping Sirin within.
As the branches made contact with Sirin's body, they began frantically absorbing the stamina and Honkai energy inside her.
At the same time, Theresa's body landed on the top of the tower, forming a triangular encirclement with Siegfried and Cecilia, completely surrounding Sirin.
Sirin looked at the green tree binding her, then glanced at Abyss Flower in Cecilia's hand, which was continuously emitting the aura of life.
"So this was a lie from the very beginning…"
Several sharp spatial slashes tore apart the bindings on her body. Two voids resembling abyssal gates enveloped Siegfried and Cecilia. The next moment, only Theresa and Sirin remained on the top of Babylon Tower.
"Where did you send Siegfried and Cecilia?" Theresa held the golden chain, her posture suggesting she was ready to fight Sirin to the death at the slightest disagreement.
"I locked them in the Infinite Corridor. Later… I'll deal with them and let them feel a bit more despair before they die." Sirin spoke the harshest words in the most cowardly tone, but whether she truly wanted to kill the two of them, she herself knew clearly.
"I won't let you succeed. Judah, let's go!" As if responding to Theresa's words, Judah cooperatively emitted a golden glow.
"Just with you?" Several Subspace Lances appeared in Sirin's hand. With a wave, they pointed toward Theresa, as if they would pierce through her petite body across space in the next instant.
"What if I join in?" A golden door appeared out of thin air. Shun jumped out from the nearby Imaginary Space and landed only two meters away from Sirin.
"Little…" Sirin looked at the boy who had jumped out of Imaginary Space in shock, her face showing an expression as if she had seen a ghost. She even took out Fenghuang Down, wanting to confirm whether she was dreaming.
"We can catch up later… Theresa, now!" Shun turned his head and shouted loudly at Theresa.
"Judah's Oath · Zero Rated Power · Divine Grace Barrier · Full Release! I'm counting on you, Judah!" Following the command of its master Theresa, Judah seemed to come to life. The light lances that had been closed on its body instantly unfolded like a peacock spreading its tail. Every light lance shimmered with a heart-palpitating glow, like brilliant stars in the night sky.
At the same time, countless golden gears surged forth like a tide. They meshed and rotated with one another, producing crisp metallic clashing sounds. These gears and light lances complemented each other, turning the entire sky into a magnificent golden spectacle. Within the range of the Divine Grace Barrier, all Honkai energy was nullified.
More than a dozen chains descended from the air, firmly binding Sirin — who had lost the enhancement of her Authorities and returned to being an ordinary person.
"What did you do?" Sirin fell to the ground, feeling completely drained of strength. She simply couldn't understand why the situation had suddenly turned like this. In this world, besides that move from Fu Hua, was there anyone else who could instantly defeat her?
Inside the Divine Grace Barrier, Shun also felt his body beginning to weaken, but due to his special constitution, he could move far more freely within the Divine Grace Barrier than Theresa the MANTIS or Sirin the Herrscher.
Shun charged toward Sirin and knocked her to the ground. The Stigmata on his back released a crimson glow, and his hand became illusory. Sure enough, he could even use Imaginary energy inside the Divine Grace Barrier. The rank of this "Stigmata" was higher than he had imagined.
"Shun, what are you doing?" Sirin looked at Shun, who had pushed her down. Why had he, who had been dead for half a year, suddenly revived and appeared on the battlefield at Babylon Tower?
"Of course, to save you!"
"Stop catching up! I can't hold on much longer!" Theresa's urging voice came from behind.
After hearing Theresa's urgent urging, Shun knew that time was of the essence and did not dare to delay or hesitate any longer. His gaze sharpened, and his right hand shot straight toward Sirin's chest like lightning.
When his hand touched Sirin's delicate skin, it did not stop at all, as if it were merely passing through a layer of illusory shadow. In this way, his right hand penetrated into Sirin's body and accurately reached the crucial spot — the location of the Herrscher Core.
Feeling the Core inside her body being touched, Sirin's expression changed drastically. She hurriedly said, "Shun, don't touch those things. You'll die."
"Don't worry, I won't die so easily. Honkai energy is just a small supplement to me!" Shun's Infinite Imaginary energy adaptability constitution activated. With a tearing motion, a red gem was pulled out from Sirin's body.
Then, under the astonished gazes of the two, Shun… swallowed the Plague Gem, followed by the black Silent Gem, the green Desire Gem, and the purple Conquest Gem.
"Sirin, in the Second Honkai Impact, the death of the Second Herrscher is destined. Even the future me couldn't change this outcome, but Sirin can survive…" Shun's hand reached toward the final piece — Sirin's own Core of the Herrscher of the Void crystallization.
"Shun, what exactly are you doing? Without the Herrscher Cores, how am I supposed to help you and Mom get revenge?" In her panic, Sirin even stopped calling him "little Shun."
The long minute passed. The astonishing Divine Grace Barrier emitted a crisp sound, as if a string of some mysterious power had been plucked. Immediately after, accompanied by a burst of dazzling golden light, the entire barrier was instantly dispelled! The originally extremely sturdy golden gears began to show cracks that rapidly spread, eventually shattering completely into countless fragments that scattered everywhere.
At the same time, the golden steel dome also slowly and heavily dispersed in all directions as if it had lost its support, gradually disappearing into space. At this breathtaking moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Shun. In his hand, he tightly held the final Core that shone with brilliant golden light, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world. The glow emitted by that Core illuminated the surrounding darkness, making Shun's figure appear especially tall and mysterious.
Shun laughed lightly: "It's very simple. I'll just become a Herrscher myself!" With that, he no longer concealed his aura. Five-Core Herrscher!