While everyone was still stunned by the Herrscher of Thunder's "second transformation," she did not hesitate. She raised her sword, transformed into red lightning, and charged towards Sirin.
Sirin, aware of the other's significantly increased power after the transformation, dared not be careless. She could sense that the Herrscher of Thunder now posed a substantial threat.
The purple-haired girl patted Griseo, who was in her arms, and a golden portal opened, swallowing Gresh. "Sister Griseo, go to Mo... Cecilia will protect you."
Luo Lin watched as a portal above her head opened, and Griseo fell from it, caught steadily by the Valkyrie.
"Griseo! Are you alright? Did the Herrscher harm you in any way?"
Mobius quickly approached, took Griseo from Luo Lin's arms, and examined the girl.
"No, Sister Sirin has been very kind to me. She protected me from the monster."
The blue-haired girl looked up, watching the purple and gold clashing in the sky. She said worriedly, "This isn't good... Sister Sirin's color is being corrupted..."
Luo Lin knew that Griseo was no ordinary child. Her observations were valuable, so she asked, "What's happening to Sirin?"
"She's... starting to turn into another kind of gold..."
Another kind? Could it be that little angel Sirin is about to become the Herrscher of the Void?
Luo Lin grabbed the treasure next to her and asked if it could observe Sirin's changes.
The situation was unexpected, and the Herrscher of Sentience didn't have time to overthink it. She squinted, doing her best to sense the situation in the sky. After a few seconds, she said, "Griseo is right. Sirin's consciousness is fluctuating wildly..."
Fu Hua, floating nearby, looked puzzled. She hadn't sensed [Fenghuang Down] being used at all. How was this person able to sense Sirin's emotional fluctuations?
After sending Griseo away, Sirin unleashed her power. The Sub-space lance and golden ribbons flew through the sky, clashing with the red sword of the Herrscher of Thunder, creating a metallic clanging sound.
The Herrscher of Thunder taunted, "How does it feel now?!"
She used the sword she had just formed to sever the Sub-space ribbons controlled by Sirin and pressed forward. The Herrscher of Thunder moved too quickly; even after several short-distance teleportations, Sirin couldn't shake her off.
"So annoying!"
The purple-haired girl bit her lip as the gold in her eyes grew brighter.
She was not only battling the Herrscher of Thunder but was also being haunted by fragments of memories surfacing from deep within her consciousness—memories that "Sirin" had long wanted to forget.
A massive building stood in the snowy field, casting a shadow that loomed over the purple-haired girl.
The howling cold wind cut across Sirin's face like a knife, but the pain couldn't distract her from her sadness. She stared at the small grave before her, where Sirin's friend lay at rest.
"Why..."
*Clang!*
The Sub-space lance blocked the katana's strike, but the Herrscher of Thunder increased her force, causing the already cracked weapon to groan under the pressure.
The next moment, the lance shattered. Sirin barely had time to raise a half-formed barrier before being struck down by the ensuing sword light.
The golden meteor fell to the ground, smashing through several buildings. Smoke and dust rose, shrouding the damaged area.
"Hmph, weak."
The Herrscher of Thunder turned her attention to Luo Lin and the group preparing for battle. She raised the lightning-imbued katana, pointing it directly at Raiden Mei, who was being protected by the others.
"Weakling, I'm here to take your life."
Raiden Mei, paralyzed by the intense murderous aura, trembled uncontrollably.
Kiana, supporting Mei, was also affected. The overwhelming pressure strained her nerves, but instead of breaking her, it ignited her fighting spirit.
"Mei, don't be afraid. I'm here to protect you!"
Kiana's voice rang in Raiden Mei's ears, jolting her from her fear like a clap of thunder. Her eyes flickered as she looked at the white-haired girl standing protectively before her and raised her pistol.
*Rat-tat-tat!*
Kiana was the first to attack, firing a barrage of bullets at the blue-and-purple-haired Herrscher.
The Herrscher of Thunder raised her armored arm, clenched her fist, and formed a spherical lightning field that repelled and melted all the incoming bullets.
Then, red lightning rained down on the group—
"[Black Abyss White Flower]!"
Luo Lin stepped forward, fully activating the golden mimicry divine key. Thick plant branches broke through the ground, weaving a barrier above everyone's heads.
The barrier held for less than two seconds before being torn apart. The falling red lightning made Luo Lin's vision go black as she fell into a daze.
Siegfried charged forward with the Shamash Cleaver after the plant barrier was broken. He clashed with the Herrscher of Thunder, causing flames and lightning to erupt in a violent explosion. The shockwave blew the white-haired man back, but his strong physique left him mostly unharmed.
Mobius and Elysia worked together. Green lightning surged from the ground, and pink arrows split into more than a dozen streams of light, curving through the sky to strike the Herrscher of Thunder from behind.
The Herrscher first withstood Mobius's lightning and then, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, leaped backward. Materialized Honkai energy stopped the arrows in their tracks.
Her figure flashed, and her blade gleamed as it struck down on Mobius and Elysia. Fortunately, Luo Lin had recovered and used Mimicry: Black Abyss White Flower to shield the two, but they were still sent flying into a nearby building like Sirin.
At the same time, the red-armored Herrscher sheathed her massive sword. With a crisp sound, countless phantom slashes filled the surrounding space, cutting through everyone present, even Raiden Mei.
"Oh no--!"
At that moment, a cherry-pink figure suddenly appeared, drawing her sword with a momentum matching that of the Herrscher of Thunder, countering every one of her slashes.
Traces of ice-blue and red energy crisscrossed, and finally dissipated together in a violent hum.
But after that, Sakura fell to the ground in a rather embarrassing manner, her mask shattering and disappearing. She was too exhausted to continue fighting anytime soon.
The Herrscher of Thunder raised her eyebrows and looked at the last three standing in her way.
Griseo, Kiana, and the Herrscher of Sentience.
Griseo pulled a paintbrush from somewhere and splashed paint. The colorful paint floated in the air, entangling the Herrscher of Sentience and Kiana.
'Fu Hua' vaguely felt her strength increase, and the paint on her gloves seemed to enhance her attacks. She assumed a stance and launched a powerful strike—
[Inch Force · Heaven's Gate]!
The punch was swift and fierce, landing squarely on the Herrscher of Thunder's chest. The Herrscher staggered back three steps, visibly shaken.
'Fu Hua' pressed the advantage, but the Herrscher of Thunder quickly realized that the opponent before her was not as easy to deal with as the others. She carefully observed 'Fu Hua's movements and responded fiercely with lightning-fast slashes.
After several rounds, the two were evenly matched.
But the Herrscher, with her long blue-purple hair, raised an eyebrow, as if she had discovered a way to win. She laughed, "You know, there's no need for us to fight! Why don't you hand over the one behind you, and I'll give you a little help?"
"Why is it unnecessary? Herrscher, I won't give up on anyone!"
"Oh? How polite of you..."
The Herrscher of Thunder grinned strangely. "But aren't you also a Herrscher?"
"?!"