[The Second Honkai Eruption. The death of Cecilia Schariac was something I had not anticipated.]
[Because of this, Theresa fell into deep depression. She was no longer as adorable as before, and even began blaming me. She fled to the Far East Branch and established a childish academy to escape everything.]
[However, that matter ends there. Now, I have more important things to handle.]
[Cecilia Schariac and Siegfried Kaslana's daughter—Kiana Kaslana.]
[Combining the sacred blood of the Schariac family with the Kaslana family's extraordinary resistance to Honkai energy, her physique is undoubtedly a treasure.]
[The Second Herrscher—Herrscher of the Void Sirin—is dead. The Core of the Void, the Gem of Conquest, and the Gem of Serenity she left behind on the battlefield have all been recovered.]
[The power of a Herrscher. The power of the Herrscher of Death... Drawing upon the successful experience of Project A—310, I initiated... the K—Herrscher Vessel Project.]
[If the plan succeeds, I will possess countless super soldiers who obey me... and perhaps even Kallen...]
[Using Kiana's DNA and the DNA of Herrscher of the Void Sirin, numerous experimental subjects were cultivated. After hundreds of trials, every single one was declared a failure. All subjects presented as vegetative bodies with no autonomous activity whatsoever.]
[...]
[K—404. That number... interesting. The Siberian laboratory obtained nearly perfect fusion data from K—404. What an unexpected delight. Although it ultimately still failed, it was undeniably a step closer to success.]
[After eighteen more failed experiments, at last—K—423. The transplantation and fusion of the Core of the Void succeeded. K—423's brainwaves began producing stable patterns.]
[That moment was exquisite.]
[With the bloodlines of Kaslana and Schariac combined, and possessing a Herrscher Core... how very much I look forward to her growth...]
[But now, I must deal with my rebellious granddaughter... and Siegfried. Does that man truly believe I am unaware of his little schemes?]
Otto Apocalypse
X Month XX Day, 2006 (In 2006, Siegfried escaped Schicksal with K—423 with Theresa's assistance), Summary of the K—Herrscher Vessel Project.
(Archived)
...
"Benares... Sirin... Cecilia?!"
At the instant his body was blasted into the air, within the gradually dissipating black cavity of the spatial portal—inside that hazy void—Otto faintly saw a white-haired woman.
That was—"Impossible!"
In that instant, Otto's thoughts raced. His mind operated at extreme speed, searching through everything connected to Cecilia's death, to Sirin, to the K—Herrscher Vessel Project.
Boom!
His soulium body plowed heavily across the ground. As it crashed down, the earth could not withstand the impact and immediately split apart. Deep trenches formed, and black cracks spread outward like a spiderweb from either side.
Landing on his back, he spat out a mouthful of saliva. His pupils refocused. Emerging from the storm in his mind, Otto steadied himself, clutched his chest, and rose again.
"Wasn't she dead? Could she have been resurrected through the authority of the Herrscher of Death? No—!"
His brows furrowed tightly. Otto's expression grew extremely grim.
"Aside from the residual consciousness attached to Kiana, the entity known as Sirin unquestionably died. That appearance was—Cecilia?!"
"Shouldn't she have been reduced to ashes by the Honkai fission bomb?"
Otto had personally issued the launch command. He remembered clearly. In the final image, Cecilia had embraced Sirin as they went to their deaths together.
"Was it Sirin's contingency plan—reviving through Cecilia's body? Or... who exactly is she?!"
The question made Otto's very brain tremble—if his soulium body still possessed one. If it were true—if even Cecilia could be resurrected—then what about... Kallen?!
In the next moment—"Ugh! Cough..."
Otto's exquisitely crafted soulium face twisted in agony. His complexion turned pale as scorching sweat streamed down his forehead.
"What is happening? My body—there was something wrong with that Honkai energy just now!"
This soulium body had been designed with an automatic protection mechanism. When pain reached a certain threshold, it would be blocked. Yet after being swept by the violet-red torrent of particles released during Benares' appearance—sizzle—!
His pristine white uniform, adorned with intricate patterns, had been corroded by more than half. Dense violet-red spots spread across the soulium body, producing continuous sizzle sounds like flesh dissolving in acid.
Soulium was unlike ordinary metal. It was a metallic mass composed of nanomachines, designed to isolate Honkai energy. When eroded, the nanomachines would automatically repair the damage.
But in such a short time, the depth of Honkai corrosion had already penetrated to the core. Soulium's self-repair function had been suppressed.
Such violently corrosive Honkai energy was something Otto had never witnessed before.
Only after fully activating the partial authority of the Eleventh Herrscher—the Herrscher of Binding—did he feel somewhat better.
"The Twelfth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Corruption? No... it doesn't resemble it. That ability just now was undoubtedly the authority of the Herrscher of the Void."
It's fine. Everything is under control...
Under control my ass!
The situation had already exceeded his grasp. Otto could no longer maintain his relaxed composure.
There were too many problems—an utterly tangled mess. Even Otto could not untangle them in a short time. Perhaps he needed to lie low again for a while.
"Elysion Pedion!"
With that thought, Otto spread his arms. A layer of golden radiance surged upward from his body.
More accurately, it was an application of Binding authority similar to the Elysion Pedion.
Hum—hum—hum!
A luminous halo covering the sky appeared above the dark night.
The power of the Herrscher of Binding was the creation of binding barriers. Within the barrier, all Honkai energy would be nullified, and other forms of energy would be weakened to varying degrees.
Hummmmm—!
Using the golden halo as its center, countless distorted gears rapidly replicated and manifested, expanding outward.
The blue-white colossal wings slicing through the smoke seemed affected. The thick blue-violet lightning crackling across them weakened slightly, their size diminishing somewhat.
"Kiana, we don't know what Otto is doing—whether his negotiations with the Herrscher collapsed or something else—but he's using the authority of the Herrscher of Binding! It's expanding outward at high speed with the Imaginary Seed at its core!"
Seeing that Kiana—the only one still with stamina—was standing there blankly, Einstein's urgent voice rang out from the Hyperion.
"Kiana! At a time like this you're spacing out?! Do you want to get everyone killed? Catch up with Benares later! Right now, get everyone out of there! If those gears touch you, it's over!"
Tesla's sharp, irritable voice exploded through the communicator in Kiana's ear, finally snapping her back to her senses.
Outside the ruins of St. 537 Church, Bronya had overexerted herself hand-assembling the six-core Moonlight Throne and had fallen unconscious. Rozaliya Olenyeva and Liliya Olenyeva were weakened after transferring their energy to Bronya. Seele had temporarily lost combat capability.
Fu Hua and Li Sushang were nowhere to be seen—no idea what they were doing or where they had gone. Of those present, aside from lacking Herrscher energy, Kiana's physical condition remained largely intact.
As for Theresa—well, the short-legged principal had just run over from the landed assault ship.
Because Selene had not honored the agreement between the Will of the Honkai and Otto, his authority over the Herrscher of Binding was incomplete. The range of the Elysion Pedion he released was limited.
Moreover, Otto himself was in utter disarray.
Someone—no, not someone. A dragon—had locked onto him.
Aside from Kiana's special feelings, a temporary retreat suited the others as well. Let Otto and the Honkai Beast tear at each other like rabid dogs.
"This is the Queen's power... Usurper—just as I thought. You deserve to die!"
With a sharp cry, the surrounding atmosphere seemed to collapse and explode. A hurricane surged forth.
A blue-violet streak pierced through the dense smoke in an instant. With a sharp whoosh, it shot forward like an arrow, smashing through the gears along its path despite the suppressive effect of the binding barrier.
Bang!
It slammed viciously into Otto's face.
Pfft!
In a single blow, Otto's soulium-crafted face caved inward.
The grotesque distortion between head and body made it seem as though it might snap off at any second.
Then—crackle—boom!
Arisa's arm transformed in an instant into a brilliant blue-violet hue. Lightning cloud patterns shone from beneath her armor. Her skin turned translucent like a thin membrane.
Crackle—boom—!
Lightning exploded outward. Otto's soulium body skipped across the ground like a stone across water. Deafening detonations rang out repeatedly—more than a dozen explosions in succession—overturning the earth again and again.
In the blink of an eye, swirling smoke engulfed Otto's figure.
In midair, thumb-thick strands of blue-violet lightning spilled from Arisa's entire body. Each flicker split the air with explosive force.
Her gray hair surged wildly in the lightning. Her sky-blue vertical pupils locked onto Otto.
At this moment, only one thought filled Arisa's mind—
Beat him!
Under the influence of the Elysion Pedion, although Arisa had taken human form, she retained many draconic traits.
Her usual energy wings composed of lightning pulses had transformed into solid blue-white dragon wings. Her eyes were vertical slits. White armor covered her entire body, and her fingers tapered into purple-gradient claws.
Looking up at the gear-filled barrier pressing down from the sky, Arisa muttered unhappily, "A counterfeit is still a counterfeit. Compared to the Queen's binding, this is nothing."
"Heavenfall Thunder!"
BOOOOOOM—!!!
In an instant, raging lightning surged!
A violet-red pillar of lightning as thick as a water tank shot into the sky. Dense currents illuminated the heavens. Thunder roared endlessly.
As her voice fell, the sky detonated. Layers of thunderclouds stacked upon one another. Lightning serpents writhed within them.
Then—
Thousands upon thousands of bolts descended at once.
Endless lightning engulfed the entirety of Kolosten Town.
BOOM!
The lightning net infused with Selene's will of Finality struck the Imaginary Seed with precision. A chain reaction rippled outward. The gears filling the sky disintegrated, dissipated, and collapsed...
BOOOOM—!!!
The thunderous detonation echoed for over a hundred kilometers.
More than ten kilometers away, the retreating Hyperion shook violently. The terrifying tide of electric current spread outward, causing the assault craft carrying Kiana and the others to sway dangerously.
Aboard the Hyperion, staring at the sky devoured by lightning, Tesla clawed at her crimson hair in panic. Fear filled her eyes as she half-screamed, half-complained.
"Aaaaah—! Chicken-head! Otto making a mess is one thing, but why did he summon something this insane for us to deal with?!"
"This time it's truly serious. This Benares is far stronger than the one that appeared in Nagazora City. They're not even on the same level."
Even separated by more than ten kilometers, the incomprehensible natural disaster left people speechless.
Kolosten Town was already submerged in a sea of lightning. Every building, every inch of ground had been erased. The earth was riddled with dense cracks. Ancient structures and soil alike had shattered.
"Mm." Einstein rarely agreed so directly with Tesla. Her expression was grave. "What worries me most is that Benares is a semi-sentient Honkai Beast. The real issue is her master."
Inside the small assault craft, watching the two doctors converse through the communication feed, everyone fell silent.
At that moment, the thunderous roar gradually subsided.
Kiana's eyes snapped open.
"The Imaginary Seed has shattered. The gears in the sky are disappearing. The authority of the Herrscher of Binding is gone. I'm going to check."
"No, Kiana, you—"
"I have to go. That's Benares! She... Bella is my friend!"
Without waiting for Theresa to finish, Kiana cut her off resolutely.
She opened the assault craft hatch and jumped out without hesitation.
"Kiana!"
Theresa's short arms failed to grab her. She stomped anxiously before sighing in exasperation by the hatch.
"She never lets anyone worry less..."
"I'm not letting her go alone. You all haven't recovered yet—don't follow. I'll go after her."
With that, Theresa hoisted the golden cross-shaped Divine Key—Oath of Judah—onto her back and leapt out as well.
"Benares!"
"Who?!"
Releasing her control over the lightning sea and preparing to land to inspect Otto's condition, Arisa suddenly heard the intimate call. Irritation flared as she turned sharply toward the voice.
"Bella!"
"You think you're allowed to call my surname like that? Tired of living—wait... Queen? Or two of them—one big, one small?"
Arisa rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
In her field of vision stood two white-haired, blue-eyed girls—one tall, one small—waving at her amid the scorched ruins.
The short one holding a golden cross and staring at her warily could be ignored for now.
But the tall one was strange.
Though Arisa was a little simple-minded, she could clearly feel the sincerity in that girl's eyes—it was almost tangible.
Most importantly—she looked too similar.
That tall girl looked far too much like her Queen.
Aside from the difference in eye color and pupil shape, their appearances were practically carved from the same mold.
She was the spitting image of Selene in her younger years.
Did the Queen split into... no, no, better not think that far. I don't want to get beaten. Could she be the Queen's long-lost sister? And she knows my surname...
Arisa's little brain spun wildly with speculation.
Hmph. Even so, I, Arisa, only love the Queen!
"Hmph. What Bella? My name is Arisa. Arisa Benares. Listen carefully—I am the Queen's Benares! Not yours!"
"Eh?"