Chapter 386: A Round of Persuasion
A sun hung in the sky—vast, blinding, and scorching—its fiery crimson light melting the ice and snow. Yet what it brought was not the warmth of spring, but a deadly heat that softened the very earth.
"What is this…?"
Kevin raised a hand to shade his eyes, staring up at the terrifying source of heat, his gaze narrowing.
He didn't know exactly what Kiana had done. But the changes in her—the violent, frantic surge of Honkai energy—made Kevin feel as if he had returned to that ancient battlefield. Himeko, the Herrscher of Flame of the previous era… a memory that brought Kevin nothing but sorrow and helplessness.
BOOM!!!
A deafening roar erupted. The blazing sun overhead split apart, scattering into countless flames that ignited the skies. From within the inferno, a girl in a fiery-red cloak and burning armor revealed her true form.
Kiana floated there, silver hair streaming behind her, the ends glowing like drifting sparks. Her eyes—pure crimson, like fire or blood—looked down upon Kevin with an overwhelming, violent dominance.
"Hm?"
Kevin frowned. Frozen tundra spread beneath his feet.
The next moment, two extremes—scorching heat and biting cold—raced toward each other, about to collide in midair.
BANG!!!
The clash of their immense powers sent shockwaves rippling outward, mingling freezing winds with molten heat.
Yet Kevin froze.
Because he never actually made contact with Kiana. The one who caught her punch was a different hand entirely.
Sigurd.
Sigurd gripped Kiana's wrist effortlessly, letting her struggle wildly without budging an inch. At the same time, he cast a sidelong glance at Kevin.
"It's you?"
Kevin's brows knitted.
Before he could react, an enormous force slammed into his chest. The world flipped upside down as he crashed deep into the ground.
BOOM!!!
The impact left Kevin momentarily dazed. Then he burst up through the earth, brushing dirt from his clothes. He glanced down at the fist mark on his chest and frowned.
At that moment, something tugged at his pants.
Kevin looked down and met the upturned face of a girl as delicate as a doll, though her expression was perfectly blank.
"Bronya advises Mister Kevin not to interfere. Otherwise, you'll only suffer for nothing."
Kevin did not recognize Bronya, but he understood well enough that she was aligned with Sigurd.
He looked up again at Sigurd, who was holding the still-struggling Kiana. After a moment of silence, something miraculous happened—his emotional intelligence, usually as cold as his body temperature, actually activated.
Kevin touched his chin and muttered expressionlessly:
"He's taking out his anger?"
"Indeed. Sigurd is venting. For your own good, Mister Kevin, please simply observe from here."
"…Very well. This is a matter of you youngsters. It has nothing to do with me."
"Thank you for understanding."
Bronya's expression softened slightly. She offered him a set of new clothes with both hands.
Kevin changed, turned around, and walked off. His figure grew smaller and smaller, until he finally vanished at the edge of the barren wilderness.
"…He was surprisingly easy to reason with."
Bronya sighed softly, shaking her head before returning her focus to the scene unfolding in the sky.
…
"Ahhhh!!!"
In the air, Sigurd held Kiana by one wrist as she thrashed wildly, her whole body straining to escape his grasp—yet it was utterly futile.
Herrschers could not escape it: the Will of Honkai would always amplify their rage and destructive instincts. This was Kiana's first time experiencing a full Herrscher transformation, and worse—her mind had been wounded after cutting herself down in her own consciousness. It left her with almost no rationality left to cling to.
Which meant, naturally, she did not realize the cold fury gathering in Sigurd's eyes as flames continuously crashed against him.
Then, in a single moment, Sigurd's expression turned blank.
He released her hand.
"Ahhh!!!"
Kiana screamed instinctively, then immediately gathered scorching flames between her palms and slammed them toward Sigurd's face.
BOOM!
The attack landed cleanly—yet Sigurd didn't move an inch. His face, struck full-on, showed not the slightest sign of damage.
"—Huh?"
Kiana let out a sound that might have been surprise. Then, in the instant she blinked, a shadow she couldn't even track struck her neck from the side.
THUD!!
In a heartbeat, Kiana crashed into the ground, her body driven deep below the surface. For a moment, she couldn't fully repair the damage or stand back up.
Sigurd appeared before her.
Kiana's fingers twitched, flames rising across her body.
Sigurd looked down at her. At his waist, the golden-thread sphere housing the Core of the Herrscher of Rock began to tremble.
Jingle, jingle…
A clear, bell-like sound rang out. A crushing pressure descended onto Kiana, forcing down every small movement, smothering every flame on her body.
BOOM!!!
The ground around them collapsed into a wide crater as the terrifying gravity continued to increase. Kiana opened her mouth, but no sound came out—because while the Will of Honkai amplified a Herrscher's rage and destructive instincts, the rest of their human instincts remained.
Including the strongest one of all: fear.
Kiana struggled under the overwhelming pressure, and it was obvious—this time she wasn't lashing out, but desperately trying to crawl away from Sigurd. Yet it was still completely futile.
Sigurd's gaze remained ice-cold, anger coiled tight inside him, refusing to dissipate.
"Sigurd."
Bronya's gentle voice drifted over. She appeared at his side, tugging lightly at his sleeve.
Sigurd paused, lowered his head, and glanced at her.
Bronya looked at Kiana, who now seemed pitiful and helpless under the weight. She sighed softly.
"Don't be too rough. Calm down a little, Sigurd."
"..."
"Bronya understands, Kiana's recklessness made you very angry. But there's no point in lecturing her when she's in no condition to understand. Heal her first. Save the scolding for after she recovers, alright?"
"…Fine."
Sigurd closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
Jingle… jingle…
This time, the golden-thread sphere holding the Herrscher of Corruption Core trembled as well.
A dark green mist formed around Sigurd's hand. He slowly extended it toward the top of Kiana's head.
…
When Sigurd returned to the resting chamber with Kiana in his arms, Fu Hua was already there waiting.
Sigurd could tell she had switched back to her original body—meaning she now held her full Authority of Reason, ready for use.
He gently placed Kiana on the sofa.
Fu Hua immediately sat beside her. Forming a sword with her fingers, she touched them to Kiana's forehead, a wisp of golden light flowing from her hand as she closed her eyes.
The air fell completely silent.
Sigurd's expression was even colder than usual. Beside him, Bronya and Book of Fuxi said nothing unnecessary, simply waiting with him in quiet focus.
Ten minutes later, Fu Hua opened her eyes—clear as the surface of a lake—and exhaled softly.
"Phew… it's done. Looks like you used the power of Erosion to interfere with her Herrscher abilities. The Honkai energy inside her has stabilized, and there's no major damage to her body. As for her consciousness—she only used the Edge of Taixuan to sever a few memory links. It's nothing like what happened to me when I was being consumed by Fenghuang Down, so fixing it wasn't difficult."
"All in all, she's fine. She just needs some time to rest."
"Thank you."
Sigurd placed a hand on Fu Hua's shoulder and spoke softly.
At last, his coldness loosened, returning to his usual calm rather than that suffocating, suppressed fury from earlier.
Fu Hua smiled and shook her head.
"No need. Kiana is my student, of course I should take care of her… You should also rein yourself in a little. That girl acted out of kindness, and she wanted to ease your burden. Don't wound that sincerity of hers."
She placed her hand on Sigurd's and gave it a gentle pat. Tilting her head up, she looked at him with a warm smile, her tone soft and soothing.
That natural, overly close gesture made both Bronya and Book of Fuxi narrow their eyes for an instant. Still, neither said anything—this wasn't the time. They simply tucked the scene away in their memory.
Sigurd fell quiet. He looked at Bronya, whose expression was calm as ever, then at Fu Hua, and said with a hint of helplessness:
"Am I really that rough and impulsive?"
Bronya rolled her eyes.
Fu Hua let out a small laugh, gently stroking Kiana's forehead as she said:
"You're usually calm and rational, yes. Unfortunately, when it comes to the disobedient girls around you, you are far too rough."
"Especially with Kiana. The number of times you've lost your sense of proportion because of her—you lost count a long time ago."
"Noted. I'll consider your suggestion."
"Whether you change or not is another matter, right?" Fu Hua teased.
"Reality has to be considered too. If roughness works, then being rough is fine."
Sigurd said it earnestly—solid and unmoving like a slab of titanium alloy.
Fu Hua chuckled softly and didn't try to persuade him further. She stood and went to the kitchen, intending to prepare something nourishing for Kiana. Whether it helped a Herrscher or not was another issue—at least it showed her concern.
Seeing the mood finally calm down, Bronya came over, took Sigurd's hand, and guided him to sit. She stayed close, quietly offering comfort and helping ease the last of his tension while they waited for Kiana to wake up.
With that, the incident of the Herrscher of Flame was more or less resolved.
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon[1], just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 439: Do You Know?[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-152519601[3]
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-152519601
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-152519601
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=condensed