“Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void!”
A massive black sphere, fifty meters in diameter, erupted into existence and collapsed within a blistering 0.2 seconds.
A torrential flood of absolute, paralyzing information slammed directly into the Herrscher of the Void’s mind.
Sky, sunlight, rainbows, trees…
it was as if the universe itself was screaming its entire history into her ears.
An endless galaxy of raw data tore through her consciousness.
Her subjective perception of time stretched into an agonizing eternity.
She could see the starlight above smearing into elongated bands, and she could see Frez stepping forward, but every single micro-movement he made dragged on like a slow-motion replay spanning a thousand years.
The sheer weight of infinity crushed her.
The Herrscher’s golden eyes rolled back, and she slumped into instant unconsciousness.
Kiana’s body went limp, collapsing toward the shattered concrete.
Frez moved in a blur, catching her by the shoulders before she could hit the ground.
Fortunately, the girl’s innate constitution was absurdly resilient, and she hadn’t been the primary target of the Domain.
The malicious Herrscher persona had absorbed the brunt of the infinite void.
Kiana was certainly affected, but the collateral damage wasn’t fatal.
“Mimicry: Black Abyss White!”
The golden cube of the Void Archives liquefied in Frez’s grip, shifting and elongating into the elegant, spiraling form of the legendary lance.
A gentle, restorative luminescence washed over Kiana.
The holy light stitched together the brutal lacerations she had accumulated over the past few harrowing days, carefully soothing the lingering trauma in her overwhelmed brain.
The girl slumped against Frez’s chest.
Her azure eyes were half-closed, her limbs entirely devoid of strength.
Suddenly, a familiar, urgent voice echoed in her mind.
‘Kiana, run!
That man is using Otto’s Divine Key!’
Kiana jolted slightly.
It was Fu Hua.
Ever since she had arrived in Arc City, she had deliberately shut out the former Class Monitor’s voice.
According to Fu Hua, she had been betrayed by Otto Apocalypse, lost her physical body, and was now using the Fenghuang Down to tether her consciousness to Kiana to escape Schicksal HQ.
But Kiana couldn’t forget.
This was the same Fu Hua who had personally captured her, dragging her back to Schicksal’s labs.
That betrayal had awakened the demon sleeping inside her, triggered the Great Eruption, slaughtered countless Valkyries, injured Theresa, and forced Himeko-sensei to…
Kiana didn’t know whose side Fu Hua was truly on anymore.
So, she chose silence.
But this stranger who had just saved her was wielding Otto’s weapon…
The girl bit down on her pale, cracked lips.
She planted her hands on the rubble, struggling to push herself up, but her exhausted muscles betrayed her.
She swayed, nearly pitching forward.
“Don’t move,” Frez said, his tone remarkably gentle.
“I’m not your enemy.
Just stay still.
You’re covered in injuries, and you just took a glancing hit from my Unlimited Void.
Even as collateral damage, your brain took a beating.
If you keep pushing it, you’ll actually become stupid.
And let’s be honest, you weren’t exactly a genius to begin with.”
“Mmh…”
Kiana offered a weak, noncommittal hum.
She didn’t even try to argue.
Freya Academy, she would have instantly fired back with a loud retort or thrown a punch.
But now…
the fire was gone.
Frez looked down at her, a flicker of pity in his eyes.
The self-destructive tendencies and sheer brokenness of her ‘Void Drifter’ phase were painfully obvious up close.
Kiana possessed an incredibly strong heart; her current shattered state was simply the result of an avalanche of tragedies hitting her all at once.
Discovering she was a clone, realizing she was the vessel for the Second Herrscher, becoming humanity’s greatest enemy, severing her own father’s arm while out of control, and watching her beloved teacher die to save her…
Any one of those would break a normal person.
Stacked together, it was a miracle she was even breathing.
“My name is Frez,” he said smoothly, adjusting his grip to keep her steady.
“I’m a traveler from another world.
You look like you’re in a terrible mood, so let me tell you a secret that might actually make you smile.”
Kiana didn’t lift her head.
Her gaze remained dead, fixed on the dust.
“Murata Himeko isn’t dead.”
A violent tremor went through Kiana’s shoulders.
A desperate light flared in her dull eyes, only to extinguish a second later.
“That’s not funny,” she whispered, her voice hoarse and hollow.
“And it doesn’t make me happy.”
“I’m completely serious,” Frez insisted.
“When my friend Kiana was dumping some trash into the Sea of Quanta, she accidentally fished Murata Himeko out.
She was on death’s door, sure, but thanks to some absolutely ridiculous otherworldly medical treatments, she survived.
She lost her Artificial Stigma, and her Honkai corruption was cured.
The only price she paid is being stuck on bed rest for two months.”
Kiana remained frozen.
God, how she wished his words were true.
But the dead didn’t come back.
Himeko-sensei was gone.
Hot, silent tears spilled over her eyelashes, cutting tracks through the grime on her cheeks.
There is no grief more absolute than a heart that has already died.
The girl sitting in the rubble was like a piece of decaying wood, ready to crumble to ash at the slightest breeze.
[Kiana: Frez, are you finished over there?]
[Furina: Yeah, are you guys done?
Afternoon tea time is almost over.]
[Dump Truck Hater: I’m finished here, but I ran into something a bit more troublesome.
The local Kiana has returned to normal now.
The one chasing you before was the Herrscher of the Void; she probably just didn’t like the look of you.]
[Kiana: Why wouldn’t she like the look of me?!
We’re both the Herrscher of the Void!
And I’m the original version!]
[Dump Truck Hater: Probably a like-repels-like situation.
Furina, I won’t be coming over for now.
Kiana, come over here for a second.]
I am the Great Kiana!
You should address me as Her Majesty the Queen!]
[Dump Truck Hater: Okay Kiana, got it Kiana, no problem Kiana!]
[Kiana: Ah!
You bastard!
I’m going to execute you right now, you rebellious traitor!]
A swirling spatial gate tore open in the air nearby.
The Chat Group’s Kiana marched out with Seele trailing behind her.
The ‘Queen’ looked absolutely furious, her golden eyes practically shooting daggers.
“Frez!
Today I’ll teach you exactly what it means to face a Queen!” She raised her fist dramatically.
But the local Kiana was faster.
Ignoring the agonizing ache in her muscles, the Void Drifter lunged forward and drove her fist squarely into the face that looked exactly like her own.
Smack!
Caught completely off guard, the Queen stumbled backward.
She clutched her bleeding nose, dropping into a pathetic squat on the ground as actual tears of pain welled up in her eyes.
“Why is there another Herrscher of the Void?” the local Kiana rasped, her chest heaving.
She didn’t remember much of the rampage, but she was painfully aware that there shouldn’t be two of them standing in the same alley.
Especially since this newcomer was parading around in the exact same regal Herrscher attire.
Well, almost exact—aside from the bizarre fact that her Spear of the Void was shaped like an umbrella, everything else, right down to the spatial portals, was standard Herrscher issue.
“Alright, Kiana, let me heal you,” Frez sighed, suppressing a laugh.
The Pseudo-Black Abyss White in his hand bloomed with holy light, washing over the squatting Queen and instantly soothing her bruised nose.
Feeling better, the Queen stood up, dusting off her dress.
She pointed a haughty finger at her depressed counterpart.
“Human, you had better show some respect!
Himeko’s life is in my—”
The local Kiana snapped.
Like a feral white lion, she lunged.
Her eyes burned with a terrifying, predatory intensity as she bared her fangs at the perceived enemy.
“—hands!” the Queen squeaked, finishing her sentence just as the Void Drifter closed the distance.
Scared entirely out of her wits, the Queen instantly triggered a spatial shift, teleporting directly behind Frez’s back.
She grabbed his jacket, using him as a human shield.
“Go!
You’re Her Majesty the Queen’s loyal lackey!
Go get justice for me!”
“Kiana, you are genuinely embarrassing,” Frez deadpanned, standing firmly between the feral Void Drifter and the cowardly Queen.
He raised a hand to placate the local girl.
“Alright, calm down.
There’s a bit of a problem with how she expresses herself, but she’s telling the truth.
She is the one who saved Himeko.
If she hadn’t fished her out of the Sea of Quanta, Himeko would actually be dead.”
The local Kiana’s aggressive advance faltered.
Her fists remained clenched, her azure eyes burning with deep suspicion—not directed at Frez, but entirely focused on the cowering Queen behind him.
“Prove to me,” she demanded, her voice trembling with a dangerous edge, “that she is trustworthy.”
[Akarin’s Note:
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