The Herrscher of the Void stood amid the rubble with an expression as cold as eternal ice.
Her gaze was hollow, as if the shattered world around her were merely an ordinary sight.
The destruction spreading like a plague—collapsing buildings, a sky stained with fire, and cries of despair echoing in the distance—all of it was like a beautiful melody to her ears.
Her white robe fluttered in the wind, untouched by the blood and dust that soiled everything else.
In the midst of this chaos, she looked like an elegant goddess of death—terrifying yet enchanting.
"W-why... are you doing this?..."
The hoarse voice came from a dying Hunter.
His body lay on the ground with gaping wounds.
Blood flowed from the fatal injuries on his body, forming a thick red pool. His hand trembled, trying to reach for something he could not grasp.
He… was the man who served as the liaison to the Kingdom of Rebirn, now lying on the brink of death.
The Herrscher of the Void turned, looking at the dying human with a gaze colder than the poles.
Her thin lips formed a mocking smile full of arrogance.
"𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬," her voice echoed as if from another dimension—beautiful yet piercing to the marrow. "𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐞."
She raised her hand in an elegant motion.
Purple light gathered in the air, forming floating Subspace Lances—ready to tear the Hunter's body apart.
The air around felt heavy, as if gravity had become many times stronger.
"Wow, for someone who used to be human, you're pretty ruthless, huh~"
That cheerful voice shattered the suffocating atmosphere of death. The Herrscher of the Void was not surprised.
Her pale lips merely curved into a cold smile, without turning toward the voice.
"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞."
The ground trembled as if the world itself were afraid.
From behind the pitch-black clouds, a giant silhouette appeared.
Benares, the dragon-shaped Honkai Beast, dove down from the sky at a speed hard for the eye to follow.
Its scales gleamed like obsidian and its eyes blazed!
𝙍𝙊𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙍...!!!
The dragon's roar shook the air, shattering the remaining glass in the surrounding buildings.
Benares exhaled a breath mixed with Honkai energy, making the air glow purplish-blue!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙈...!!!
A tremendous explosion shook the entire area as Benares's attack collided with a mysterious blue beam.
The shockwave swept in every direction, creating a giant crater and destroying the small Honkai Beasts roaming around as if they were mere dust.
The Herrscher of the Void furrowed her brow slightly—a rare sign of displeasure. The dying Hunter she was about to kill had vanished.
"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞," she said with a gaze that could freeze blood.
Her voice remained calm, but a deadly aura wafted from her body like poisonous mist.
"Hahaha!! Strong! That dragon's attack is enough to make my stiff body feel fresh again!"
That voice full of delight came from an adult woman of inhuman beauty.
Her purple hair shimmered under the dim sunlight, moving as though it had a life of its own.
Most striking was the pair of horns protruding from her head, curving beautifully, and a scaled tail swishing behind her.
The Herrscher of the Void looked at the woman, appraising her from head to toe.
"𝐒𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞? 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜."
"You wound me," the woman replied with a smile that did not reach her eyes.
Then in an instant… The atmosphere around her changed.
The air vibrated with maddening pressure. Her pupils turned vertical like a dragon's, glowing with a terrifying light. "...but even so..."
Her voice changed, echoing with a power far older than human civilization. "...𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗦𝗦𝗦 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿."
The Herrscher of the Void felt a sudden change in gravitational pressure. As if an entire mountain had abruptly pressed down on her body.
But calmly she activated the Authority of the Void, negating the effect of gravity with ease.
However, her sharp intuition gave a warning.
She looked up at the sky and saw a sight she had never witnessed before.
The sky had changed.
Intricate and mysterious ancient patterns were etched across the horizon—symbols in a language too old to remember.
They were not mere engravings, but appeared to be layers of dimension overlapping the normal dimension.
Silvery-blue light radiated from every line, making the entire sky look like a giant magical dome.
At the same time, over a dozen large magic circles appeared on the ground, surrounding the Herrscher of the Void.
From each circle, she could sense the presence of energy nearly as powerful as that of the horned woman—the energy of other Rank SSS Hunters!
They had prepared a trap and she had just walked into it.
Realizing the situation, the Herrscher of the Void remained calm.
There was no panic on her face, only boredom mixed with a little interest. She issued a command in a calm voice:
"𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚."
However, for the first time since they were born together, Benares did not move to obey her command.
The dragon stayed where it was as if nailed down by an invisible force.
No. Not as if. Benares truly could not move!
𝙍𝙊𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙍...!!
The dragon's roar of frustration split the air.
Its red eyes showed confusion and rage. The Herrscher of the Void realized that something extremely powerful had bound Benares.
But the realization came too late—
"Did you think we would let you?"
From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow moving at almost impossible speed.
A young man in a black cloak dashed toward her, a giant jet-black scythe raised high above his head.
The young man's gaze was as cold as ice, yet filled with burning resolve.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
The black scythe swung, creating a wave of blackish energy that cut through everything in its path.
The ground split, the air was torn apart, and space itself seemed ripped like worn cloth.
In the path of the slash, all life was drained away, leaving a trace of absolute darkness that devoured light.
Of course, no attack, however powerful, could easily injure the Herrscher of the Void.
Her passive shield, a manifestation of her absolute control over space, absorbed the attack.
But her expression turned sullen, slightly annoyed by this interruption.
"𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮—"
Her sentence was cut short as dozens of Subspace Lances emerged from small portals around her, all aimed at the scythe-wielding young man.
The energy spears moved at a speed ordinary eyes could not follow, ready to shred the Hunter.
But—
From a completely unexpected direction, a flash of light came.
The Herrscher of the Void's eyes widened slightly, sensing a real threat of death for the first time.
A sword slash so fast it looked like a spark of light shot toward her.
No sound, no warning—only her instinct telling her that this attack was different from the previous ones.
Without hesitation, she activated her strongest ability.
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐝 – 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
A wave of invisible energy exploded from her body, pushing and destroying everything within a radius of thousands of meters!
The ground that had once been a city was now flattened to the earth's surface. The remaining buildings were reduced to dust and giant cracks appeared across the entire ground!
However, the owner of that slash was not affected in the slightest!
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃...!!
The sound of a single slash was heard, but what happened was as if hundreds—no, thousands—of slashes had been unleashed at the same time.
Each slash created a shockwave that struck the land, forming cracks and craters everywhere.
The already ruined ground now split apart like a cake being cut into pieces!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
"Extraordinary reflexes. It seems that's also a result of that experiment, isn't it?"
Another young man appeared, calmly wiping his sword of invisible dust.
He had neat brown hair and a gaze that was sharp yet calm.
In his hands he gripped two swords emitting a bluish aura—swords seemingly made of material far superior to ordinary metal.
Even more astonishing, ten other swords of differing shapes and sizes floated around him. Each sword radiated a unique aura—the result of being forged from the bodies of Rank SS Magical Beasts!
Each sword had a different power and element, like ten familiars ready to obey his commands.
Kuroki Ken—a Rank SSS Hunter known as "The King-Sword."
The Herrscher of the Void's expression grew even colder. She did not bother to speak any further.
With a single motion of her hand, hundreds of dimensional portals appeared in the air—each ready to release an army of Honkai Beasts to destroy her enemies.
But—
𝙋𝙔𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍!!
Like soap bubbles bursting, the portals vanished before they could fully open. They were merely flashes of light that then disappeared without a trace.
For the first time, a look of shock appeared on the Herrscher of the Void's perfect face. "𝐍𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭—"
She tried to analyze the situation, to find out why her absolute ability could fail, but her opponent gave her no chance to think.
Elkiah, the Rank SSS Hunter with dragon blood, had transformed.
Half of his body was now covered in shimmering purple scales, his hands had turned into sharp claws, and small dragon wings appeared on his back.
Purple dragon fire blazed across his entire body, burning the air and creating heat distortion that made the scenery behind him ripple!
In his hand, a giant drill-shaped spear spun at high speed, gathering energy that grew denser and denser.
His eyes, now completely transformed into a dragon's, stared at the Herrscher of the Void.
"This time, you won't get away," Elkiah hissed between his now-lengthened fangs.
With a stomp of his foot, the ground beneath him cracked and he shot forward like a comet—the drill spear aimed straight at the Herrscher's heart!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙈...!!!
***
The sky appeared cracked—as if the real world and another dimension were colliding.
Amid the chaos, a giant dragon roared, its body bound in golden lightning chains that blazed brightly under suffocating gravitational pressure.
Benares—the guardian dragon—was bound helplessly.
Its blood-red eyes stared sharply at its attackers, but its body, covered in blue-black scales, could not move even an inch.
"Though it's only slightly weaker than Rank SS, it has absurd tenacity and durability," muttered a young man holding a wizard's staff.
His fingers traced the ancient symbols carved into the staff while his eyes never left the growling dragon.
"That's natural," replied the silver-haired girl beside him without turning her head.
Her eyes were ice blue, cold and calculating.
"Its energy is limitless as long as it keeps being replenished by that thing." Her voice was flat, but there was a tremor in every word… A veiled wariness.
"I see."
The young man named Kenneth chuckled, before his gaze shifted to the glowing girl floating in the air, who looked like an angel descended from heaven.
Her bluish light shimmered, creating an aura invisible to ordinary eyes. "But I'm also quite surprised, because this is the first time I've seen a Spirit whose energy is not far behind the Transcendent Tier."
The girl called a "Spirit" did not respond—Takamiya Mayuri, with long golden hair and a glowing gown enveloping her body.
Her beautiful face looked pale, enduring the pain as her Reiryoku was drawn out, flowing like a river of light into Kenneth's body.
Laura Silver—a Rank SS Hunter dubbed the Queen of Gravity—frowned deeply. Her silver sword glinted, reflecting the light.
"I'm warning you," she hissed, "don't try anything funny."
Kenneth tilted his head, a faint smile on his handsome yet dangerous face.
"Don't worry," he said in a light tone that contrasted with the tense situation around them.
"Though I'm interested in Miss Mayuri's power, I'm more interested in developing a relationship with her."
The corner of Laura's lip twitched.
This man was always playing around in the middle of life-and-death situations...
This time, the assault on the Herrscher of the Void had been specially planned by him.
Thanks to the authority of the World Organization, he had managed to gather elite Hunters for this high-risk mission—a mission many considered impossible.
Three Rank SSS Hunters were present in their formation: The Demi-Dragon Elkiah, The King-Sword Kuroki Ken, and The Shadow Scythe Fergux.
Four Rank SS Hunters completed the team: Laura Silver, the Queen of Gravity with absolute gravity manipulation; the Healer Rina, whose healing power led many Hunters to regard her as a walking miracle; The Space-King Felix, who could tear and manipulate space; and Kenneth—the strongest Rank SS Hunter, with a mysterious Talent called "Reality Energy."
Kenneth's Talent was an anomaly. Rank ???, an ability that allowed him to manipulate reality as long as he was supplied with external energy.
Its weakness was as fatal as its power: he could not produce energy himself and had to obtain it from a single individual.
And this was where Takamiya Mayuri came in… A pure Spirit with nearly limitless Reiryoku.
Unlike the [mana] of other Hunters, Mayuri's Reiryoku was of a quality far beyond the standard, born of abstract factors that even the World Organization's elite scientists could not explain.
To face the Herrscher of the Void, who could control space, the combination of Kenneth's and Mayuri's powers was the key.
The barrier layer in the sky—the result of Kenneth and Felix's collaboration—had successfully disrupted the Herrscher's Authority, limiting her destructive power. They had even managed to capture Benares.
But Kenneth's power had limits. No matter how strong Mayuri's Reiryoku was, he could not use his Talent any further without energy of higher quality.
"There's no need to push yourself, Miss Mayuri."
Healer Rina whispered softly, her greenish glowing hand touching Mayuri's trembling shoulder.
Healing energy flowed, but it could not restore the Reiryoku being drained.
"I'm... fine," Mayuri said calmly, though her Spirit Dress fluctuated, sometimes clearly visible, sometimes almost transparent like morning mist.
"Fufu, just hang in there. Besides, it probably won't be long before we win~"
That teasing yet venomous voice came from Queenie—the former leader of the Shadow Order who had now joined Laura's team.
The woman with jet-black hair and a mysterious smile played with her wine glass as if they were relaxing at a luxurious party rather than facing a world-class threat.
They—Laura, Queenie, and the other Hunters—were tasked with protecting Kenneth, Rina, and Mayuri.
Laura could have called in more high-ranking Hunters, but it wasn't that easy considering most Rank SSS and SS Hunters were guarding the borders, holding back the Honkai Energy radiation and waves of Honkai Beasts that could threaten living things...
For a moment, Laura felt their plan was going smoothly, until—
"𝐒𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦."
That voice—cold, deep, echoing in everyone's mind like a whisper of death.
Not a human voice, but not a monster's either.
That voice… was the Herrscher of the Void.
The air trembled. Particles of Honkai Energy appeared like deadly fireflies.
The Hunters' expressions changed instantly. Laura drew her sword in a flash—
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙈𝙈....!!!
A tremendous telekinetic blast struck them, creating a giant crater.
Rocks flew, the ground cracked like shattered glass. But the attack was not enough to bring down the elite Hunters!
The only thing was, the fatal problem was the severing of the energy link between Takamiya Mayuri and Kenneth.
𝙅𝙇𝙀𝘽𝘽!!
A Subspace Lance—a spear of void space with a tip sharper than any mortal weapon—pierced Kenneth's chest without mercy.
The young man's eyes widened in disbelief, blood spurting from his mouth.
His death was instantaneous.
Without the energy link, his Talent was paralyzed and his physique was only equal to a Rank A Hunter—far below the level of the Herrscher he faced.
"<<𝐊𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐥>>!" Mayuri cried out, golden lightning exploding from her body.
"<<𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲>>" Laura activated her Talent, the gravity around her increasing thousands of times over.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!!
The two attacks shot out like twin comets, but the Herrscher of the Void merely raised her hand gracefully.
A dimensional portal opened, swallowing their attacks before spitting them back with multiplied force!
"Not so easy~" Queenie grinned.
Her shadow swelled, turning into a giant figure that swallowed the attack that should have annihilated them.
The Herrscher of the Void's eyes narrowed—two cold golden orbs without mercy.
With a movement of her slender finger, thousands of Subspace Lances formed in the air, glittering with the threat of death before launching at a speed ordinary eyes could not follow!
But the shape of those spears suddenly became irregular in mid-air, as if another force were trying to control them.
The corner of the Herrscher's lip twitched, her cold aura growing even more oppressive.
"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤. 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?"
Her hand moved quickly, seizing something invisible.
In an instant, Felix's figure appeared in her grasp, choking tightly. His neck was under pressure capable of crushing steel.
"Ughkhuk!!" Felix struggled, his blue eyes wide with horror.
His body glowed purple as he tried to use his spatial power to escape.
But before the true master of space… His effort was like a child trying to beat a professional boxer.
The Herrscher of the Void's grip tightened, the bones in Felix's neck creaking horribly.
In a moment his head would be severed from his body—
Queenie's giant shadow shot forward, about to devour the Herrscher of the Void in absolute darkness.
But instead of hitting its target, the shadow passed through the Herrscher's body like smoke, as if her form were a mere illusion.
"Oh no..." Queenie gasped.
The corner of the Herrscher's lip rose in a terrifying cold smile. "𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚."
𝙍𝙍𝙊𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙍.....!!!
Benares—the dragon they thought had been subdued—roared tremendously.
All the lightning energy accumulated during its captivity was released in a single massive attack!
𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙍𝙍.....!!!
An explosion like an atomic bomb swept the place. Blinding light, scorching heat, a shockwave crushing everything in its path!
***
"Cough... cough... ugh..."
Laura coughed up blood as her consciousness slowly returned.
Her body felt shattered, her internal organs as though they had been torn apart.
A piercing cold seeped into her bones—strange ice enveloped part of her body, ice formed from Mayuri's pure reiryoku...
With blurry vision, she surveyed the ruins around her.
The place that had been their temporary base was now nothing more than a crater full of rubble.
There were no signs of life from her comrades.
Mayuri, Rina, Queenie—whether still alive or already part of the ruins, she couldn't tell.
Then she saw it—the graceful figure floating amid the destruction.
The Herrscher of the Void in her unstained white gown, her white hair fluttering in the wind of her own death, and her golden eyes staring at Laura coldly, without emotion, like a scientist observing an insect under a microscope.
"How did you find us?..." Laura asked in a hoarse voice, holding back the blood about to spurt from her mouth.
"𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?" the Herrscher's voice echoed, cold and piercing.
"𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐍𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬."
Laura bit her lip until it bled.
It was true… The three Rank SSS Hunters, instead of working together, had fought with their own egos.
Elkiah with his wild dragon power, Kuroki Ken with his perfect but solitary swordsmanship, and Fergux with his dark and secretive strategies—they had all failed to unite.
The Herrscher of the Void had exploited that gap perfectly, escaping only to return with full strength.
Even more terrifying, Laura only now realized how careless she had been not to account for the fact that Takamiya Mayuri had been infected by Honkai.
Through that infection, the Herrscher could track them even in a remote hiding place.
"𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨?" The Herrscher tilted her head gracefully, her eyes glinting dangerously. "𝐍𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐒𝐒𝐒, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲."
Laura fell silent, a bitter realization hitting her harder than any physical attack.
For safety, she had chosen an extremely remote location for their operation—far from the reach of the Illegal Guilds that so often disrupted missions.
Ironically, that decision had trapped them in a deadly snare with no way out.
With trembling hands, Laura forced her shattered body to stand.
Blood dripped from her wounds, forming a small puddle at her feet.
With one last motion full of resolve, she pointed her sword at the Herrscher.
The Herrscher looked at her and a cold laugh slipped from her pale lips—a laugh full of contempt, a laugh that echoed despair and death.
"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞?"
Laura did not answer.
Her eyes radiated a strange calm—the calm of someone who had accepted her fate yet still held one hidden ace. "Go," she whispered softly.
The Herrscher's golden eyes narrowed suspiciously.
She noticed something strange—the shadow beneath Laura's feet was moving unnaturally, as if alive with a will of its own.
"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐧? 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥—"
Her words were cut off by Laura's sudden attack.
Her silver sword moved in a dance of death—graceful yet full of vengeance.
Even more astonishingly, the spatial shield that had always been the Herrscher's impenetrable fortress cracked under Laura's sword strikes!
Her "Queen of Gravity" Talent was not merely about controlling gravity—it could manipulate gravity to a level capable of tearing space itself.
Every swing of her sword created a gravitational wave that could destroy the structure of reality.
But that reckless attack was not enough to defeat the ruler of the void.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
The Herrscher raised her hand, creating a spatial thrust so tremendous that it crushed Laura's internal organs!
Blood gushed from her mouth like a red fountain, her body was flung back and then crushed under a falling pillar of rubble with a horrifying thud!
"Cough... hah..."
Laura coughed weakly, her vision blurred by pain and blood. With the remnants of life still burning within her, she tried to rise—
Thousands of Subspace Lances appeared in the air, glittering with the threat of death.
But Laura's reflexes—the result of decades of training and battle—never betrayed her.
Even with a body nearly destroyed, she was still able to make a counter-movement.
But one Subspace Lance managed to pierce her shoulder, followed by another lodging in her abdomen, then her thigh, and the next, and the next... until her body was riddled with spatial spears pinning her to the ground like a butterfly in a collector's box.
"𝐀 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞," the Herrscher mocked, stepping closer gracefully, each step leaving a trail of spatial distortion on the ground. "𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞?"
A mysterious smile appeared on Laura's blood-covered face. "Wrong... I'm not stalling... for time," she said haltingly, blood flowing from the corner of her lips. "Just waiting... for an opportunity..."
"𝐀𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲?" The Herrscher frowned in confusion. "𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Laura moved at a speed that should have been impossible for a body pierced by more than a dozen spears.
It was not the movement of an ordinary human, but a movement driven by iron will and careful calculation.
A sense of danger tickled the Herrscher's instincts.
She raised her hand, preparing to use her destructive Authority to obliterate Laura without a trace—
But her Authority was disrupted, as if an invisible hand were pulling at it.
Amid the ruins, the barely recognizable figure of Felix—his body shattered yet still breathing—used the last of his strength to interfere with the Herrscher's control of space.
"𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮!!"
The Herrscher of the Void's furious roar shook the air. Her golden eyes turned blood red, her skin radiating a dazzling purplish-blue light.
With a brutal motion, she tore Felix's body into pieces of flesh with her Subspace Lances.
Blood spurted in every direction, staining the ground and ruins a thick red.
But rage had blinded the Herrscher.
In that precious instant, Laura thrust her body forward and jabbed a syringe into the Herrscher of the Void's neck!
𝘛𝘢𝘬!
A tiny sound that preceded a great catastrophe.
The Herrscher's golden eyes widened in shock, her lips parting in a very human surprise—
"𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐑𝐆𝐇𝐇𝐇!!"
Her scream was no longer the voice of an arrogant ruler of the void, but a raw, pure cry of pain. Her body shook violently, purplish-blue light exploding from every pore of her skin.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙈𝙈....!!!
A massive explosion of Honkai Energy struck everything.
The evil energy swirled into a storm that devoured anything within reach.
Trees were uprooted, the ground was lifted and shattered, the sky changed color to a dark purple filled with flashes of lightning.
Laura was flung like a rag doll, her already broken body further shattered by the wave of energy.
Before her consciousness was fully lost, she glimpsed a sight she would never forget.
The Herrscher of the Void, enveloped in bright light...