The Eleventh Herrscher

Unlike the gloomy weather in Linburg City, the skies above the Atlantic remained tranquil. Sunlight filtered through soft, cotton-like white clouds, casting a faint golden glow evenly across the sea surface.

Such bright weather couldn't help but calm the hearts of those gazing out at the ocean. However, unknown to them, thousands of meters above, beyond their sight, intense impact sounds echoed incessantly like thunder.

BOOM!

Golden and red streaks of light flashed, then collided again like comets. Li Sushang leveled her sword, precisely blocking the heavy slash of the flaming greatsword.

They had clashed like this for hundreds of rounds. However, this time, the force transmitted through her wrist felt exceptionally heavy. Her expression flickered with surprise as she instinctively looked at the girl just inches away.

"Don't stand in my way!"

The girl's eyes shone with brilliant gold – the symbol of a Herrscher's power fully unleashed. And as the battle continued, this power was still growing.

Li Sushang suddenly understood. It wasn't that she was getting weaker; her opponent was steadily getting stronger.

"Truly a [monster] like him." With a rather helpless, wry smile, Li Sushang deliberately relaxed her strength, allowing herself and her fragrant sword to be blasted into the boundless clouds by the greatsword.

Having temporarily forced Li Sushang back, Kiana stopped in place. Confirming her opponent wasn't nearby, she began gasping for air, regulating her breathing. Although she was a Herrscher, possessing far greater raw power, Li Sushang's swordsmanship talent was simply too high. No matter what moves Kiana used, her opponent managed to forcefully neutralize them.

"Is this the limit of Taixuan Sword Qi that Class Rep mentioned?"

The brief respite allowed her boiling blood to gradually calm, simultaneously suppressing the Herrscher of the Void consciousness stirring within her mind once more.

Glancing at the coastline just a few miles away, Kiana shook her head slightly. "Whatever happens, I need to discuss the next steps with Aunt Teri and the others first."

Just as she retracted her power, preparing to return to the ship, a strange palpitation suddenly surged through her heart. Before she could identify the source of this unease, a familiar Honkai aura instantly flooded her mind.

"This is..." She whipped her head around, her trembling eyes fixed intently on the direction the aura originated from. The next second, overwhelming Honkai Energy crashed towards her like a tsunami, engulfing her in its waves.

"It's him! He's become a Herrscher! A brand new Herrscher!" Seizing Kiana's moment of distraction, the long-suppressed Herrscher of the Void once again occupied a corner of her consciousness. No longer restrained by Kiana's threats, her voice laced with glee and madness, she spoke the name Kiana dared not utter.

"Ren! Welcome our Eleventh Herrscher!"

But Kiana paid her no mind. Her thoughts were completely blank, her voice dry as she murmured, "No... you promised me."

Although Kiana had long suspected Ren's identity, in her understanding, a partial Herrscher and a complete Herrscher were fundamentally different.

Take herself, for example: though her body and powers were those of the complete Herrscher of the Void, as long as her own will remained dominant, she would never be controlled by the Honkai. While her power might be somewhat diminished in this state, as long as she maintained her sense of self, she would always be Kiana, not the Herrscher of the Void.

However, judging by the aura she just sensed, the power leaking from Ren was far beyond what a partial Herrscher could exhibit. If her understanding wasn't flawed, there was only one possibility: Ren had completely surrendered to the Honkai, choosing to become a complete Herrscher.

"No, I don't believe it."

Kiana shook her head desperately, trying to banish the thought. "You promised me you would never abandon yourself for power!"

Ren had never shown any particular desire for power. And during their heart-to-heart under the moonlight after the Coral Island incident, he had directly promised Kiana he would never lose himself to power.

Because of this, even after recently confirming Ren's connection to the Herrscher of Dominance, she firmly believed that finding him could salvage everything.

"Hehehehe, still clinging to pathetic fantasies?" The mocking voice echoed in her mind, the Herrscher of the Void's caustic tone returning just like months ago. "Do you think that because the Herrscher of Dominance is plural, even if Ren changes, he's just one among thousands? That if you defeat the collective consciousness controlling them, you can save him?"

"..." Kiana bit her lip tightly. Clearly, that was exactly what she had thought.

"Still as naive as ever," the Herrscher sneered. "Can you feel it? This power isn't that of the weak Herrscher of Dominance, not some pitiful one-in-a-thousand fragment. It's the complete, absolute Eleventh Herrscher! He's not the Honkai's puppet – he is the Honkai itself!"

The Herrscher of the Void's words pierced Kiana's heart like a sharp blade. Her consciousness wavered, her body swayed, seeming ready to fall from the sky at any moment.

"Oh, right. Calling him the Eleventh Herrscher might not be accurate," the Void Herrscher continued its assault, seeing Kiana's mental defenses crumbling. "Because from the first time you met him, I sensed the monster hidden beneath his skin. Meaning, he's been lying to you all along. He was always a Herrscher."

"A monster wearing human skin. If before there was a chance he might keep pretending to be human for your sake, now... the skin is torn off, the disguise discarded. When the monster is fully exposed to the sunlight, do you think he can ever return to a peaceful, ordinary life?"

"He won't! It's impossible!" The Herrscher of the Void lowered its voice, its grin practically splitting its face. "Remember how pathetic you looked, hiding and running?"

Memories of the past surged back, making it almost impossible for Kiana to breathe.

She had once fallen into boundless darkness, nearly wanting to end herself. If she hadn't chanced upon the faint, flickering light held by Ren, she might have been lost to the Honkai long ago. Now, she had emerged from the darkness, only to look back and find the boy who held the light had vanished, completely swallowed by that same darkness.

She forced herself not to imagine it, but the Herrscher of the Void within relentlessly hammered at her crumbling mental barriers.

Simultaneously, the soft ring of a sword blade sounded from deep within the clouds. In an instant, the longsword was before her. Kiana's eyes widened, her vision filled only with blankness.

Vwom~!

Just as the sword tip was about to touch Kiana's body, the Flamescion ember Ren had left behind automatically activated, shielding her from the attack.

Almost concurrently, chains and lasers arrived, forcing the sword back while firmly protecting the girl.

"Kiana! Are you okay?" Theresa, frantic, finally reached her, supporting the dazed Kiana. Ever since learning Li Sushang's purpose was to stall, she had sensed trouble. She hadn't expected Ren's sudden awakening to instantly push things to the worst-case scenario.

Fortunately, she arrived just in time to stop Li Sushang's next attack.

"I... I'm fine."

Kiana lowered her head, tightly clutching the tiny flame in her hand. She felt it – Ren's power had protected her once again.

She took a deep breath, temporarily detaching her rational mind from the pain. "I knew it. You've always been by my side."

Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, the weakness vanished from Kiana's golden gaze. "I told you, no matter what you become, I will bring you back."

"—At least, let me see you one more time, know your true feelings."

BOOM!

Dense barrages of drone lasers continuously shattered the projections of the fragrant sword. The clattering sound of Judah's chains echoed nearby. Kiana looked at her friends fighting alongside her, the gloom in her heart lightening slightly.

"Hey, idiot Kiana," Bronya called out while controlling the swarm of drones, "you should have realized by now, these Schicksal forces are just here stalling for time."

"Their real target is actually Ren. Now that a new Herrscher has appeared, they've likely already partially succeeded."

"But I've met that guy. Based on his performance that night, he's not someone Schicksal can easily capture. If you head over there now, you might still make it."

"Bronya, you and Ren..."

Kiana paused, stunned. Before she could react, Bronya continued, "So, we'll stay here with the Hyperion to buy you time. Go do what you need to do!"

As she finished speaking, Bronya grit her teeth. The power of the Herrscher of Reason surged beyond its limits once more. With the roar of an engine, she mounted her motorcycle, leading the drones straight into the torrential rain of swords.

"Bronya's right! Kiana, you're not a child anymore. Do what you want to do. Aunt Teri will help you!"

Without regard for the immense weight of the fully deployed Judah's Oath, Theresa, despite her childlike frame, hoisted the cross with both hands and charged directly at Li Sushang.

Everyone present knew that if the three unleashed their full power, Li Sushang absolutely couldn't stop them. But her goal was merely to delay, so she certainly wouldn't engage them head-on.

More importantly, hundreds of ordinary, non-combatant crew members remained aboard the Hyperion. With so many potential hostages, if the Schicksal fleet opened fire, survival would be nearly impossible.

Therefore, someone had to stay behind to cover the retreat.

"Judah's Oath, Zeroth Power Configuration: Release!"

The moment the golden domain expanded, the sky full of flying swords shattered. All Honkai Energy within the domain dissipated, and the sky, which should have been clear, finally returned to tranquility.

However, the binding domain couldn't cover the entire sky, and Li Sushang wasn't foolish enough to charge into it. Its main purpose was actually to buy Kiana enough time for an ultra-long-range teleportation.

"Quick!"

Amidst the shouts, Theresa herself was affected, falling from the sky. Kiana bit her lip. Watched by the other two, she successfully initiated the ultra-long-range teleportation spanning thousands of kilometers. Her destination, naturally, was the true beginning of the Herrscher of Dominance's drama – Linburg City.