Hyperion — Bridge
"You're finally here…"
Hearing Himeko's voice, Theresa's exhausted eyes lit up.
The Hyperion had arrived.
The Moonlight Throne was in position.
Himeko had not failed her.
With both the Sankt Sakura Barrier and the Moonlight Throne, they now held two of humanity's strongest anti-Herrscher weapons.
Their chances—finally—looked better.
"You're not late, are you?" Theresa asked.
"No. Just in time."
Himeko paused. "Did you manage to notify Anti-Entropy?"
"I tried, but I couldn't reach them. So I asked you to relay the message."
"I didn't need to," Himeko replied calmly. "They were already en route before I even called. They should arrive shortly."
Theresa felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
"Good. Then listen carefully, Himeko. When I activate the Sankt Sakura Barrier, I won't be able to communicate.
So the moment you see the barrier… fire the Moonlight Throne at the Second Herrscher.
Don't worry about me."
"Theresa, but—"
"I said don't worry about me!" Theresa cut her off sharply.
"The Second Herrscher's Honkai concentration is already monstrous. If we don't use every chance to strike, we don't know how many lives will be lost.
Do you understand, Himeko?"
Silence.
Then—
"…I understand."
Hyperion — Himeko's View
Honkai output: 20,000 HW
And rising.
Himeko's expression darkened.
She had seen Herrscher births before.
Two thousand HW.
Three thousand HW.
Never.
Never had she seen anything like this.
The difference was suffocating.
Battlefield — Durandal and Theresa
"Durandal," Theresa continued, "once the Sankt Sakura Barrier fades, strike immediately.
Her Honkai energy is too high. Even the Moonlight Throne and Judah combined may not be enough."
"I understand."
Durandal didn't hesitate for a second.
She had already crossed fists with Sirin—and she knew firsthand how overwhelming Sirin's power had become.
Defeating her quickly wasn't a strategy anymore.
It was survival.
Sirin
From far away, Sirin watched the humans whisper among themselves.
"What are you insects muttering about?"
Whatever.
She only needed to follow the will of the "God" overseeing her—the System—and punish them thoroughly.
Still… remembering this world's Cecilia brought a twinge of melancholy.
If not for the System's instruction, she might have already unleashed indiscriminate massacre.
Then—
Her eyes widened.
Golden gears began to rotate in the sky.
Theresa — Sankt Sakura Barrier
Sankt Sakura Barrier: Zero-Rated Output—
Activation!
The dark sky dissolved into a massive golden mandala of gears and chains.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of luminous chains snapped toward Sirin, binding her midair.
Theresa gritted her teeth.
"Himeko… Durandal… please!"
Anti-Entropy — En Route
"What the hell? Did the satellite break?!"
Tesla nearly fell out of her seat.
Einstein displayed the readings to her:
Honkai concentration: Several tens of thousands HW
"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Tesla yelled.
"No way any entity has Honkai output that high! Unless—what, the Final Herrscher woke up?!"
Walter entered the cockpit.
"What's happening?"
Tesla pointed at the display.
Einstein sighed.
"Also… look."
The screen showed the sky above Destiny Headquarters—
a massive golden gear construct, with a single purple silhouette suspended at its center.
Walter's eyes widened.
"That's… the Sankt Sakura Barrier. Theresa must have—"
"Wait." Einstein interrupted.
"I'm detecting another energy signature.
—It's the Moonlight Throne. They activated it!"
BOOM—!!
A colossal column of light lanced toward Sirin.
The world seemed to vanish inside blinding radiance.
White swallowed the screens.
Within that light, a second flash—golden—shot toward the same target.
No one knew what it was.
Einstein gasped.
"Honkai concentration—dropping!
From thirty thousand… to twenty thousand…!"
Walter's fists clenched.
"Is she defeated?"
"…No." Einstein's voice dropped.
"It's rising again. The recovery rate is—beyond anything recorded."
Walter nodded grimly.
"Einstein… deploy the mecha forces."
"But—"
"We must try.
Right now, the Second Herrscher is at her weakest—even if her 'weak' is still catastrophic to us."
Einstein hesitated—then shook her head.
"It seems we don't need to.
Yang… she vanished."
"What?!"
Theresa — Defeat
Theresa dangled helplessly in the air—Sirin's hand around her throat.
She couldn't even resist.
They had used:
the Sankt Sakura Barrier
the Moonlight Throne
Durandal's full power
And it was still not enough.
Despair wrapped around her heart.
It's over. We failed.
Sirin smirked coldly.
"You humans… you wanted to steal Sirin's power, right?
Hmph.
Whatever. Sirin is done playing."
She tossed Theresa aside like discarded trash—
And vanished.
Skyline of Sky City
On a distant skyscraper, a small figure lounged lazily.
Wendy stretched her arms, bored.
"Ugh… all that running around is exhausting."
She eyed the sky with childlike annoyance.
"This world is supposed to have some kind of 'Thousand-Person Core,' right?
Hey, System—
or God—
Can I get one?"
[Can.]
Wind whipped around her as the world shifted.
Wendy grinned.
"Nice."
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