"Flamescion…"
The Herrscher of the Void's words had a very obvious loophole. She deliberately avoided mentioning Kiana's own growth, denying all her experiences, and attributed the power of Flamescion to Ren.
This should have been a fallacy easily seen through, but the faint sense of imperfection when using Flamescion made Kiana subconsciously ponder this question.
"Is it really my power?" the girl murmured to herself.
All along, Kiana had been chasing after Ren's footsteps, like a lost traveler yearning for fire, instinctively rushing towards where the light was.
Now, when she truly reunited with Ren, in addition to the emotions of relief and joy, there was also a faint sense of unreality.
Those who chase the light don't lose their way because they can see the flames. But when she personally became the center of the light, all she saw when she looked around was darkness, and it was inevitable to feel lost.
It was like a student with excellent grades who could answer the teacher's questions fluently, but when she stood on the podium, she stammered and couldn't say a word.
The Herrscher of the Void seized this sense of disorientation, twisted it, and tried to make Kiana doubt her own power, because the Herrscher of the Void knew very well that this was the last chance to shake Kiana.
Whether in power or will, Kiana's growth rate had exceeded everyone's expectations. Once she truly became the Herrscher of Flamescion, it would mean that the Herrscher of the Void would have no chance of resistance anymore.
«That's right, this power shouldn't belong to you in the first place. Do you remember what you were like in ARC City? Back then, you were just a pitiful stray. It was Ren who saved you, it was this firelight that illuminated you.»
«Now, he has placed this power in your hands, but can you, as you are now, truly bear this power?»
The power of Flamescion was strong, Kiana felt it more clearly than anyone. Even simply wielding the Flamescion greatsword was enough to contend against the powerful Herrscher of Rimestar.
But holding such powerful strength in her hands, she felt a trace of unease in her heart. She was like an ordinary girl standing alone in the darkness, clearly holding up a torch, but afraid to take the first step.
"Can I really do it?" Unknowingly, Kiana was influenced by the Herrscher of the Void, and a trace of self-doubt actually arose in her heart.
She didn't notice the mocking sneer on the Herrscher of the Void's face.
Just as Kiana wavered, the silent Herrscher of Rimestar also recovered from its injuries. The remaining chains stretched out from under its skirt, transforming into sharp grappling claws and attacking again.
More than a dozen cold grappling claws, like venomous snakes, intertwined and bit towards her. Kiana could only temporarily put aside her inner unease and focus on facing the Herrscher of Rimestar's attack.
Compared to the previous sneak attack of a single grappling claw, the Herrscher of Rimestar's full-force attack posed a multiplied threat to Kiana. A slight carelessness would result in being hit by a claw. Fortunately, her strength was sufficient. Even when besieged, she didn't fall into a disadvantage at all.
Boom!
Flames erupted from the sword, instantly blasting one of the grappling claws into a fireball. Kiana's heart lightened, but the Herrscher of the Void's words resurfaced in her mind, and she subconsciously thought— If it were Ren…
Swish.
It was in this moment of hesitation that the sound of chains suddenly rang in her ears. Kiana's expression changed, and she immediately raised her greatsword to block.
However, having blocked the first attack, the second wave of attacks was already charged and ready. Kiana didn't have time to adjust her posture and could only raise her arm in front of her body.
"Ugh."
Accompanied by a muffled collision sound, Kiana grunted, a burning pain spreading from her arm. She gritted her teeth, enduring the damage and grabbing the chain with her backhand, using the high temperature of the flames to directly melt it.
But when Kiana could only passively defend, it meant she had already fallen into a disadvantage.
As expected, the Herrscher of Rimestar's attacks became more and more fierce, while Flamescion, which should have scorched everything, was restricted in its output, unable to unleash that all-cutting sword strike for a long time.
«See? You don't even have the courage to use it now.»
Taking advantage of Kiana's predicament, the Herrscher of the Void continued to shake her with words. Watching Kiana become increasingly exhausted, the Herrscher of the Void's smile grew even more intense.
«Kiana, hand over your body to me.»
"Shut up!"
Flames suddenly erupted, severing all the surrounding chains. Kiana's hand holding the greatsword trembled slightly, and she panted heavily.
«Oh? It seems you still haven't recognized reality.»
«You are a Herrscher, what you should possess is the authority of the Herrscher of the Void. The power of Flamescion doesn't belong to you in the first place.»
"Is that all you can say?" Kiana ignored the Herrscher of the Void's endless nagging. She had heard similar words countless times back in ARC City. It wouldn't be so easy for the Herrscher of the Void to shake her.
«Hehe, perhaps. But have you ever thought about what would happen to Ren if you took away this power? If I remember correctly, his physical condition wasn't very good back then. If it weren't for the Herrscher of Flame's authority maintaining his life…»
The girl's pupils suddenly constricted, and her movements paused for a moment.
In the next second, at the ends of the grappling claws she had severed, a dazzling blue light bloomed. At the same time, intense energy fluctuations also entered her senses.
Self-detonation!
The grappling claws were just a disguise; this was the Herrscher of Rimestar's killing move. Using the authority of the Herrscher of Star, the Honkai energy hidden within the grappling claws was compressed by gravity. At the moment of release, its power was no less than a full-force strike from the Herrscher of Star.
Having reacted, Kiana decisively activated the Herrscher of the Void's teleportation to escape. However, the gravity black hole created by the Herrscher of Star interfered with the surrounding space, obviously deliberately targeting Kiana's teleportation ability.
And around Kiana, there were as many as dozens of grappling claws entering detonation state.
Boom!
The compressed Honkai energy erupted with a thunderous roar, blooming with dazzling blue light. The terrifying impact even shattered the nebula created by the Herrscher of Rimestar.
With nowhere to dodge, Kiana held the Flamescion greatsword in front of her, protecting her body as much as possible.
Violent explosions formed a mushroom cloud in the sky, and annular shockwaves spread in all directions. In the spreading smoke and clouds, Kiana's figure flew from the center of the explosion towards the ground like a rag doll.
…
«Kiana, your growth is nothing more than this.»
The girl's injuries weren't serious, but her consciousness fell into temporary unconsciousness due to the impact. The Herrscher of the Void sighed softly, taking the opportunity to try to seize Kiana's body.
However, the moment her consciousness touched Kiana, countless familiar golden threads reappeared, firmly binding her in the consciousness space.
«Damn it, you again.»
The Herrscher of the Void's golden eyes were full of killing intent as she looked at Ren, who was slowly picking up Kiana from the ground in the form of a consciousness body.
As early as the first time she came into contact with Ren, the Herrscher of the Void had noticed Ren's strangeness. However, Kiana at that time simply didn't listen to her, so she had been deceived by Ren until now.
And now, just when she was about to succeed, Ren came out to make trouble again.
Ren ignored the Herrscher of the Void. He silently looked at the injured Kiana, and a sense of guilt couldn't help but rise in his heart.
"I'm sorry."