World Serpent Headquarters
Beep—
Beep—
"What is this…? At that level, Honkai energy should already be capable of birthing a Herrscher…"
Jackal stared at the alarm blinking across the monitoring screen, disbelief twisting her expression.
Just moments ago, the system detected a sudden Honkai surge in an old district of Sky City—
a surge powerful enough to trigger Herrscher emergence.
Sky City?
Why would Honkai appear there?
Unless someone had accidentally triggered a leak—
No.
Impossible.
Sky City's Honkai reserves were tightly confined within Shencheng Pharmaceutics' industrial sector.
There was no record of Honkai materials being stored anywhere near that district.
Then…
Her eyes narrowed.
"Don't tell me… Destiny?"
Destiny had scheduled a visit today.
Could it be a coincidence?
Or did they discover World Serpent's plan and decide to meddle?
Jackal's lips curled into a cold smile.
If so…
"Raven—"
She opened a line.
Raven's voice answered, impatient.
"What now? I'm preparing to receive Destiny's representative."
"Tell your guest to wait.
I have a far more urgent task for you."
Raven's brows furrowed.
"What happened?"
"I've already sent you the coordinates.
Go immediately.
I'm dispatching armored units to support you."
Raven paused mid-stride.
"…What's going on?"
"At that location—"
Jackal inhaled.
"There may be… a Herrscher birth."
"…What did you just say?"
Sky City — Shencheng Pharmaceutics Welcome Bay
"My apologies, Miss Rita.
Our consultant, Miss Xiola, had unexpected business to handle.
Your accommodations have been prepared.
If you prefer, you may remain aboard your ship until her return."
"I see. Then I'll wait on the ship."
Rita didn't mind.
Unexpected delays were normal in diplomacy.
She only hoped Xiola would return soon—
her mission could not afford wasted hours.
Her communicator chimed.
"Rita."
"Bishop."
Otto's voice was clipped and serious.
"Our satellites detected a Honkai eruption in Sky City.
Proceed to the coordinates—immediately.
Report everything.
I'll provide full support."
Otto tapped the side of his chair restlessly.
K423's Honkai signature had been detected.
Meaning—
She wasn't dead.
She had somehow recovered the Void core.
Sirin.
K423.
The Fourth Herrscher.
Cecilia.
None of it lined up.
The Fourth Herrscher appeared in New Zealand, immune to Godslayer weapons.
Then the dead Second Herrscher, Sirin, reappeared—somehow reaching 20,000 HW.
Cecilia resurfaced and stole Heavenly Fire.
And now K423 was undergoing Herrscher transformation in Sky City.
None of this should be possible.
None of this followed causal logic.
Yet all of it was happening.
Otto pressed a hand to his temple.
"The Honkai signature is still low.
Durandal and the Valkyrie troops should be more than enough—
as long as nothing else… Strange things happen."
"Yes, Bishop! I'm heading there now."
The call ended.
Otto immediately opened another channel.
"Durandal.
Prepare the Valkyrie forces for deployment. Stand by."
"Understood."
Durandal did not question him.
She simply acted.
Otto leaned back in his chair.
"…I never foresaw this."
The situation had spiraled into chaos.
K423 undergoing Herrscherization outside Destiny's control was the worst-case scenario—
a scenario Otto had worked tirelessly to prevent.
Yet fate had chosen otherwise.
Rooftop — Confronting Kiana
"Kiana—!"
Mei cried her name again, voice trembling, but Kiana didn't respond.
Jiuxiao shook her head solemnly.
"It's useless.
Kiana has been overtaken by the evil within her.
But do not fear—
for Lady Jiuxiao, Savior of All, will deliver her from despair!"
Her confidence was unshakable.
Even if her earlier prophecies had been somewhat "off,"
her belief in this one remained absolute.
After all—
The prophecy book had led her here.
And Kiana was indeed present.
So the next steps would surely unfold exactly as foretold.
Theresa watched Jiuxiao quietly.
The girl wasn't lying—
She truly believed every word.
But that raised even more questions:
Who was Jiuxiao?
How did she know Kiana was here?
What "evil side" was she talking about?
And what exactly was she trying to save?
For now, none of that mattered.
"Kiana—" Theresa took a step forward.
But before she could speak—
Kiana's shoulders began to tremble.
Then—
"Ahahahahaha…
I'm back~
Humans—
your deaths have arrived!"
Her laughter tore through the night.
Her outfit distorted and warped into a different form—
a Herrscher's form.
Jiuxiao's eyes narrowed.
"That ominous power…
I feel it clearly now.
Everyone, be ready."
A massive sword materialized in her hand as she slid into a battle stance.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614