The colossal sword, blotting out the sun, rivaled the Taixu Sword God in its prime, wielded by Li Sushang in her full glory. However, unlike the Taixu Sword God's ability to solidify the void, Chen Tianwu's creation was purely constructed of concrete and stone, its descent shaking the very foundations of the island.
Facing such a devastating attack head-on was suicidal. Kiana immediately mobilized her dwindling Honkai energy to dodge, but the moment she activated her Herrscher of the Void powers, her vision went black, a wave of dizziness overwhelming her.
Within a single hour, she'd faced three powerful foes: the Herrscher of Ice, Raven, and now the Herrscher of Stars. After so many battles, her stamina was severely depleted. Even her Herrscher physiology couldn't completely compensate for the sheer exhaustion.
Previously, she'd relied on Flamescion's power to sustain her, but with that connection severed, her overexertion finally took its toll.
Battles between Herrschers were incredibly dangerous, especially with the Honkai Will forcefully accelerating Chen Tianwu's transformation, instilling the single-minded objective of eliminating Kiana, the traitorous Herrscher of the Void.
A moment's hesitation could change the tide of battle, much less this sudden wave of dizziness.
The Herrscher of Stars, suspended in mid-air, looked down at Kiana beneath his massive sword, his eyes empty voids. But just as the blade was about to strike, a flicker of surprise crossed his empty gaze.
Countless golden threads erupted, weaving a spiderweb-like net around Kiana with incredible speed, ensnaring the falling stone sword.
Simultaneously, Flamescion, nestled within the sword's core, ignited, seemingly responding to a silent call, its flames eagerly escaping the stone's confines.
Witnessing this familiar sight, the Herrscher of Stars—or rather, the Honkai Will controlling him—immediately searched its vast database, identifying the Herrscher who had once left a lasting impression even on gods—the Herrscher of Dominance.
But the Herrscher of Dominance was supposed to be dead.
No one answered the Honkai Will's unspoken question. The infinite threads and flames intertwined, acting like a fuse, tightly binding the massive stone sword, halting the Herrscher of Stars' attack mid-descent.
Then, accompanied by a series of cracking sounds, the tightly bound stone sword began to disintegrate.
Unfortunately, Kiana, still disoriented, didn't see the spectacle of swirling threads. By the time she regained her senses, only countless burning fragments of rock rained down like falling stars.
"Flamescion? Did you protect me?"
The small flame, as always, hovered quietly before her. Though somewhat dim, it still radiated warmth, comforting Kiana.
Flamescion was created when Ren crushed the Gem of Haste, extracting the Herrscher of Flamescion's destructive power while amplifying the core concept of eternal burning. As long as either Ren or Kiana lived, the flame would never extinguish.
However, as a Herrscher core fragment, Flamescion's Honkai energy was finite. Sustaining Kiana through so many battles had depleted it significantly, limiting its effectiveness.
Thus, Ren's intervention hadn't changed the tide of battle, only preventing Kiana's immediate demise. Against the Honkai Will, she was still outmatched.
But this was all within Ren's calculations. Just as the Herrscher of Stars, his attack thwarted, prepared to strike again, a frigid storm swept in from the distance.
The blizzard, previously dispersed by the Herrscher of Stars, returned, blanketing the sky. Frost spread rapidly from the sea, painting the earth a stark white. Jagged ice spikes pierced through the ruined buildings, menacingly pointing at the Herrscher in the sky.
Amidst the blizzard, ice crystals and chains swirled around a girl emerging from the darkness.
Seeing Anna step out of the blizzard, Chen Tianwu's pupils contracted sharply. Even under the Honkai Will's complete control, he struggled desperately.
Anna Schariac. This was Ren's countermeasure against the Honkai Will.
After sealing Anna within his golden cage, Ren hadn't extracted her core. Instead, he'd healed her and used his authority to temporarily suppress the Herrscher consciousness.
Having orchestrated the Herrscher of Stars' birth, Ren knew Chen Tianwu couldn't escape the Honkai Will's grasp, regardless of intervention. He held no special affection for Chen Tianwu, seeing him only as a pawn in his game against the Honkai. However, Chen Tianwu's feelings for Anna were a crucial element in Ren's strategy.
To understand oneself, to control one's emotions. That was the essence of the Herrscher of Dominance.
And these emotions weren't just his own; they included the bonds between others, all targets for his threads of Dominance.
The Honkai Will had created the Herrscher of Stars as its weapon. Ren would respond in kind, wielding Anna as his.
Half an hour earlier, Chen Tianwu, a mere human, had stood on the ground, facing the Herrscher of Ice hovering in the air. Now, the situation was reversed.
Chen Tianwu, controlled by the Honkai Will, stood in the sky as the Herrscher of Stars. Anna, who should have been consumed by the Honkai, now stood on the ground, fully conscious.
Ren had severed the Herrscher of Ice's control, revealing the truth to Anna. He hadn't forced her to fight Chen Tianwu, but after regaining her freedom, she'd chosen to confront him.
"This is my responsibility as a Valkyrie," she'd told Ren.
And she owed Chen Tianwu an answer, an answer she hadn't been able to give two years ago. This was her answer to herself.
…
Despite Chen Tianwu's resistance, the Honkai Will had completely invaded his body. Even if he chose death, he couldn't avoid confronting Anna.
Forged from ice, melted in stone.
This was their unavoidable fate.
Empowered by the Honkai Will and Ren, the Herrscher of Stars and the Herrscher of Ice clashed with power far exceeding typical Herrschers. Within minutes, Coral Island had become their battleground.
Unlike Kiana's restrained fighting style, Anna and Chen Tianwu fought with unrestrained ferocity, not just to win, but to die by each other's hand.
Anna's escapism had robbed Chen Tianwu of the chance to save his sister. This was her sin. And Chen Tianwu, having "killed" Anna, carried his own despair.
They hated each other, yet felt indebted to each other.
Perhaps, battle was the only answer they could offer.
…
With the battlefield left to the two Herrschers, Kiana finally had a chance to rest. Though eager to join the fight, Ren wouldn't allow her to further exhaust herself. He subtly weakened Flamescion's power, forcing Kiana to withdraw.
Without Flamescion's support, Kiana knew she would only hinder the fight. She landed on the ice-covered ground, gazing at the gray sky, a hazy memory surfacing in her mind.