‘Thinking’
“Talking”
[Attack]
Act 5 (part 10) Found Family, Unseen Gazes, and the Honkai Boot Camp
[ Location: Pocket Dimension ]
[ POV: Kiana Kaslana ]
The rift snapped shut behind us, isolating our group inside a pristine pocket dimension far removed from the corrosive reach of the Void.
It was a blank, silent canvas devoid of light, matter, or sound.
Channeling the authority of [Truth ], I wove complex mathematical laws into reality, birthing a sprawling, living galaxy inside the void.
Stars ignited in vibrant nebulae, and beneath our feet, a lush world sculpted from emerald lotus petals crystallized into existence.
To ensure we could push ourselves without restraint, I encoded a absolute rule into the dimension’s fabric: No entity here can perish.
Any fatal, crippling, or total bodily destruction will instantly rewind physical entropy to the exact state prior to the strike.
As cosmic light spilled across the lotus plain, the others stared outward in sheer, breathless awe.
Beside me, Herta stood with a distinctly dejected expression.
She had spent immeasurable effort perfecting the Simulated Universe, yet here I was, weaving a real, functioning galaxy without breaking a single sweat.
I gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
No words passed between us, but the silent gesture was enough to soothe her ruffled pride.
Extending my grip over reality once more, I cast [ Suspended World ], completely freezing the flow of cosmic time outside our domain.
Suddenly, a cold prickle of pressure washed over my spine.
I tensed, snapping my head toward the upper atmosphere.
‘Aeons shouldn’t be able to pierce an isolated pocket dimension…
which means whatever is looking at us operates on an entirely different scale.’
Noticing my sudden hyper vigilance, Mei, Herta, Stephen, and Screwllum immediately abandoned their relaxed postures, slipping into tense combat stances.
Calling upon [ Truth ] once more, I draped a heavy Curtain of Concealment over the entire dimension.
The atmospheric tension shifted as dozens of cosmic gazes were forcibly severed yet two distinct presences remained.
They were looking straight through my barrier.
I locked eyes with their coordinates in space.
Sitting atop a grand, floating throne surrounded by drifting, iridescent bubbles was a young albino girl.
She met my gaze and offered a soft, knowing smile.
I gave her a respectful nod before turning my attention to the second watcher.
Relaxing on a lavish sofa was a woman with long white hair and striking rainbow eyes, lazily eating popcorn as if settling in for a blockbuster premiere.
She looked down at me with the warm, proud expression of a mother watching her child take center stage.
‘I don’t know who she is…
so why does my heart ache with this overwhelming, agonizing familiarity?’
Neither watcher radiated a trace of malice.
Accepting their presence, I stepped forward and executed a sharp, theatrical stage bow toward the void.
“I hope you enjoy the show, Yog-chan…
and Mysterious Lady.”
CLING—!
They winced instinctively, realizing instantly that I had just uttered titles their minds weren’t meant to comprehend.
I turned back to them, my voice dropping into a deadly serious register.
“We had spectators.
I’ve sealed out the rest, but those two remain.
There will be no further questions or discussions about them.
Understood?”
Absorbing the gravity in my tone, they all gave firm, solemn nods, dropping the topic without hesitation.
Manifesting four glowing silver bracelets via [ Truth ], I let them drift into the hands of my companions.
“Since none of you brought personal armaments to a standard meeting, these bracelets will instantly construct any weapon or combat gear directly from your memory matrices.”
A sadistic smirk slowly spread across my face as I took a slow step backward.
“It’s a 4-on-1.
All of you against me, all at once.”
I chuckled at their stunned silence.
“Don’t worry none of you can die, even if you take a supernova straight to the face.
So…
welcome to Honkai Boot Camp!”
Seeing the sinister grin on my face, all four of them took a synchronized, instinctual step back.
“Soul Gems…
battle mode, deploy!” I commanded.
We activated our transformation protocols simultaneously.
A blinding pillar of light enveloped me as my outfit reshaped into a sleek, white-and-blue battle suit resembling a refined iteration of the Herrscher of END, stripped of its floating authority halo.
Beside me, Stephen’s clothes shifted into sleek silver-and-black sci-fi armor accented with deep blue patterns along his flowing cape.
At his chest, a massive navy gem glowed with intense power, orbited by eight smaller, multi-colored jewels.
‘He looks like a high-tech, sci-fi version of Odin’s armor from Final Fantasy XVI,’ I noted.
Herta was enveloped in a radiant glow that materialized an ornate purple dress lined with silver and gold filigree, topped with a dramatic witch’s hat.
In her hand, she held a tall staff tipped with a pulsating purple crystal.
‘Classic witch aesthetic…
she really didn’t hesitate to become a magical girl.’
Then my eyes drifted to Mei.
Her transformation wrapped her in a breathtaking white, pale-blue, and gold gown that exuded the serene majesty of a divine princess.
Floating, fairy-like constructs orbited her form, tracing the elegant crest of the Herrscher of Origin.
THUMP.
THUMP.
My heart thundered against my ribs.
I swallowed hard, completely mesmerized by her radiant presence.
Mei’s eyes locked onto mine, her breath catching as she took in my transformed state.
“Ahem!”
A loud, deliberate cough broke the trance.
Herta smirked, leaning heavily on her staff.
“Hey, lovebirds can we save the date for after we survive this?”
Stephen grinned mischievously.
“Yeah, Sis, Sister Mei!
Save the flirting for later, we have a fight to start!”
Mei’s face flushed crimson, and I cleared my throat rapidly to hide my burning cheeks.
“Right!
Summon whatever weaponry you need.
We start now and don’t hold back.
Come at me with intent to kill!”
The moment the command dropped, Stephen struck first.
Luminous green and white energy wings sprouted from his back as he rocketed into the sky.
Channeling a terrifying concentration of energy into his palms, he screamed:
[Giga Flare]—!
A massive column of searing energy ripped through the atmosphere, hurtling directly toward me.
Extending my right hand, I invoked the authority of [ Stars ], twisting gravitational vectors to catch the beam mid flight and reflect it straight back at him.
Stephen reacted instantaneously, executing a sharp vector shift right before his own attack tore through the space he had just occupied.
Herta, Screwllum, and Mei stood stunned by his immediate, ruthless opening move.
“What are you waiting for?!” Stephen yelled down at them from the sky.
“She’s the strongest entity here!
Stop treating this like a duel this is a war, and we’re starting on the losing side!”
That snapped them out of their stupor.
Herta slammed her staff downward, firing a relentless volley of piercing [Zoltraak] beams toward my chest.
Screwllum deployed heavy floating artillery, firing a barrage of anti matter missiles and high frequency plasma shells.
Stephen swooped back around, charging up a second, concentrated [Mega Flare].
Mei raised her hand, unleashing a flock of towering [Ice Dragons] that froze the surrounding atmosphere to near absolute zero as they charged forward.
The sheer volume of firepower was catastrophic, enough to vaporize continents and shatter planetary crusts.
The blinding light completely obscured the battlefield.
Standing at the center of the apocalypse, I offered them a calm, confident smile before snapping my fingers.
[ Void ] erupted.
A dense grid of golden spatial portals opened around me, cleanly swallowing every missile, beam, and ice dragon into imaginary space.
For two solid minutes, the relentless bombardment hit my dimensional shields, leaving my suit entirely spotless.
As the smoke cleared, the four of them stared at me in disbelief.
Mei’s eyes widened as she caught the mischievous glint in my eyes.
“Watch out—!”
I snapped my fingers a second time.
Dozens of golden portals tore open directly above and around the four of them, instantly releasing the entire stored payload of missiles, plasma beams, and freezing ice dragons straight back at their faces!