Time rewinds a bit.
Siberia region, within a valley near Cocolia Orphanage.
Last year's accumulated snow had already begun melting. Vegetation sprouted new buds—a scene full of vitality.
But Lucius's attention didn't linger on this scenery. He stood side by side with Kallen, looking toward the colossal creature standing in the valley's distance.
This was a dragon.
Its body was covered with angular white armor. Its size reached over a hundred meters. Just standing there, it gave off an extremely strong sense of oppression.
But this creature seemingly walking out from mythology currently had all four limbs quietly gripping the ground, spine arched, like a puffed-up husky.
Before it stood an equally puffed-up Siberian golden shaded cat.
One large and one small, the two creatures stood in standoff until the golden shaded cat hissed first.
"Roar~"
Although the sound was quite loud, facing such a large creature, Lucius still detected fear in its roar.
After the golden shaded cat hissed, the giant dragon similarly extended its head, hissing at the challenger before it.
"Rua!"
Its roar rolled like thunder, making the surrounding earth tremble slightly.
"Meow—!"
The golden shaded cat trembled, then like a helpless husky, wailed while running away into the distance.
Lucius turned his head, saying to Kallen beside him: "This is our Judgment-class Honkai Beast Benares. I usually call it Baby Dragon or Bella. Do you dare stare at it for three seconds?"
Kallen rolled her eyes. She always felt this seemingly majestic giant dragon had a silly air about it.
"Is it really reliable?"
"Of course."
Lucius waved at Benares.
Benares obediently lowered its head, nuzzling against Lucius.
Lucius gently touched its nose tip. Benares swayed its body like a cat, showing a rather humanized affectionate gesture.
"See, it's very obedient, right?"
Seeing it so obedient, Kallen lowered her guard. She extended her hand, also wanting to touch Benares.
But as soon as her hand approached, Benares stared at it intently.
"Rua~" It roared warily.
Kallen's extended hand froze.
At this moment Lucius said: "Oh right, forgot to mark you as a friend."
"What friend mark?" Kallen asked curiously.
"It's friendly to me because I'm its creator. But to it, you're a stranger. For it to trust you requires slowly cultivating affection."
"However, that's still too slow. I need to give you something stronger—for instance, making it treat you as kin."
Speaking, Lucius took out an injection gun from his backpack. Light blue solution emanated a profound glow.
Seeing this, Kallen hurriedly retreated, both hands tightly hugging her chest, watching him warily.
"Lucius, what are you trying to do now?"
Seeing her so wary, Lucius felt she truly misunderstood him, so explained: "This isn't a Revival Needle, but Benares's inactivated super-variable factor. Once injected, it'll treat you as kin until fully metabolized."
"During this time, you can get close to it."
"Mm... you can understand it as a reputation-farming item Gala gives to Muri."
Hearing Lucius's explanation, Kallen breathed relief, extending her neck toward Lucius.
"Alright then, if that's the case, go ahead..."
She knew advancing the script still required cooperating with Benares. Just enduring one needle—she didn't know how many times she'd died. How could she fear this one needle?
"Straightforward. Worthy of the tool... I mean partner I chose to save the world together." Lucius gave her a thumbs up, then without hesitation gave her neck an injection.
"Hiss... ow ow ow!"
After one injection, Kallen jumped around on the ground in pain.
However, this pain came quickly and left quickly. Soon the pain spreading from her neck disappeared.
Kallen looked at her arm, discovering no changes, couldn't help feeling suspicious.
"Does this really work? Feels like no change..."
Before Kallen finished speaking, she saw a huge head approach—precisely Benares.
At this moment, its gaze toward Kallen held less wariness, more curiosity.
Kallen tried touching its nose tip. This time it didn't resist.
"It really works!"
"Of course. This is a product invented by Blue Dream Science Team—a subproject of the Honkémon Plan, used to temporarily increase corresponding Honkai Beast favorability, increasing capture success rate."
"Feel like you said something incredible." Kallen complained.
Lucius didn't deny it, smiling: "Alright, next you just bond with Benares a bit. Consider it giving you a vacation. When timing's right, we'll start creating your holy manifestation plan, ensuring you become Schicksal's Saint."
Speaking to this point, Lucius raised his thumb, giving her a brilliant smile.
"Don't worry. With me backing you up, absolutely nothing will go wrong."
"It's precisely because you're here that I'm worried!" Kallen complained.
Then she had a flash of inspiration, suddenly saying: "Anyway, this plan isn't complicated—just fighting fake matches. Let me arrange it myself!"
"You're sure?"
"Of course!" Kallen put hands on hips. Confidence practically overflowed from her face. "Don't underestimate an Archbishop who's controlled Schicksal for five hundred years!"
Seeing her so confident, Lucius didn't object. After all, a teammate with initiative could save him considerable energy.
Thinking of this, he handed her several Revival Needles, saying: "In that case, I'll wait and see."
"If problems arise, you can always ask me for help. After all, we're a community of shared destiny through life and death!"
To this, Kallen responded with a proud small face.
"Ask you for help?"
"Who do you think I am? I'm Schicksal's Archbishop! In five hundred years, what trouble haven't I solved?"
"Just watch—watch my superior strategy."
...
"—Nooo!!!"
On a high tower in the Munich area, Nicholas knelt on the ground, roaring toward the sky.
His gaze fixedly watched Benares sweeping across the sky, currently chewing the two Emperor-class Honkai Beasts like snacks. His eyes overflowed with roiling fury, currently cursing in exasperation.
"You beast! Bastard! Spit out my Honkai Beasts!"
"That's my hope, my rivers of blood!"
As if hearing his impotent roar, Baby Dragon munching snacks in the sky glanced at him, swallowing the snacks in its mouth.
"Ah!—"
"You beast, I'll kill you, I'll kill... ugh!"
Nicholas, currently cursing in rage, suddenly choked. Because he discovered the sun above his head had actually darkened.
An ominous speculation surfaced in his heart.
He tremblingly raised his head, seeing that blue-white giant dragon was actually directly above him, slowly descending.
Its massive form like a mountain peak falling, carrying incomparable oppressive force.
Nicholas's forehead streamed with cold sweat. His throat couldn't help moving. He felt the death star flashing above his head.
"Heh! I was just joking earlier. You eat happily. If it's not enough, you can tell me." He looked up at the descending mountain with a placating expression, face showing an about-to-cry look. "Can... can we still reconcile?"
"Boom!!!"
"Ah!—"
Violent impact sent Nicholas flying together with earth and stone, falling toward the distance.
Benares didn't bother with that flying ant. Using the high tower as a platform, it crouched there overlooking the city below.
Then it felt puzzled.
Speaking of which, according to husky Lucius's plan, what should it be doing now?
At this moment, Lucius's voice transmitted to its ears.
"Bella, roar at the crowds below. Remember to control volume."
After receiving instructions, Benares looked downward.
When it descended, most people had already scattered and fled.
As for why "most"—because even facing its terrifying oppressive force, a portion of people still remained in place taking photos with phones.
Therefore, bloodthirsty spectators were probably also part of husky humans' underlying design?
Benares thought thus, but its movements didn't stop.
It extended its body toward the crowds on the ground, working hard to display a fierce appearance.
Then the evil dragon's roar sounded.
"Rua—!"
Hmph, humans, scared now?
After roaring, Benares looked downward with satisfaction, discovering results exceeded expectations.
After hearing its voice, those people seemed even less afraid. Even many fleeing people stopped, turning back to look at it.
Benares felt puzzled. Thus, using superhuman hearing, it heard people's conversations.
"Speaking of which, do dragons really sound like this?"
"Probably?"
"However, why do I feel it has no threat?"
"Bit like the husky I raise at home."
...
Hearing these people's conversations, Benares got angry. It felt its dignity as a Judgment-class Honkai Beast had been violated.
Thus, it extended its head again, increasing volume to roar at the ground.
"Ha—!!!"
The crowd immediately panicked, fleeing toward the distance one after another.
Benares finally raised its head with satisfaction. Its tail behind continuously swept.
With its roar, Nicholas who'd been sent flying then crashed to the ground unconscious also gradually awakened.
Feeling pain throughout his body as if shattered, his mind was chaotic.
"Mm... what was I doing?"
Before he could recover, he saw a shoe sole appear in his vision, rapidly enlarging before him.
Nicholas's eyes suddenly widened. He hurriedly said: "Wait... ow!"
Pain transmitted from his face, making him couldn't help screaming.
Nicholas just wanted to get angry when he heard chaotic footsteps. His expression drastically changed. He hurriedly tried to get up.
But before he could rise, even more panicked fleeing crowds stepped over his body.
"Ow! You unruly people, I... ow ow ow!"
"Don't step on the face, don't step on the face!!!"
Nicholas ultimately still relied on superhuman physical quality to crawl to the roadside amidst trampling. After resentfully glancing at the distant fleeing crowd, he used a face printed with shoe marks to look at the giant dragon crouching on the high tower.
"Wait, I seem to have fallen into a thinking trap." Nicholas suddenly realized. "Rivers of blood don't necessarily have to be done by me myself. This Honkai Beast is so terrifying—should quickly cause huge casualties to the crowds!"
Thinking of this, original anger about the plan being destroyed began receding. Nicholas looked at Benares with burning eyes. His mouth corners began madly rising.
"Hehe... just like this. Let me see your madness. Let this land flow with rivers of blood!"
But at this moment, a sound like church bells rang out.
"Dong!!!"
Where the sound passed, those who heard felt fear in their hearts beginning to calm.
People fleeing in the city looked toward where the sound came from, discovering at some unknown time, a massive disc seemingly cast from gold had appeared in the sky, covering the entire city.
This disc embedded with gears and chains rotated in the sky. Golden chains hung down from within, falling toward the giant dragon occupying the high tower.
Seeing these chains, Benares didn't panic. It knew this was another husky human's power.
However, it still spread wings and flew high according to the pre-planned script. Under countless gazes in the city, carrying Judgment-class Honkai Beast's fierce might, it charged toward the disc in the sky.
After touching those chains, it didn't resist, allowing these chains to bind it.
Thus, citizens on the ground saw:
Golden chains locked the fiercely mighty giant dragon. No matter how that dragon struggled, it couldn't break free, being drawn unobstructed into that continuously rotating disc, disappearing from view.
After the giant dragon's figure disappeared, the aerial phenomenon also dispersed into light points.
But almost everyone saw—in that golden light reflecting the sky, a white figure slowly descended.
Naturally those witnessing this scene included Nicholas. After seeing Kallen descend from the sky, he knew his rivers of blood plan had completely failed.
At this moment, a voice transmitted through the combat channel.
"Mr. Nicholas, the Second Herrscher has arrived. Please provide next instructions."
"Heh... hehe..." Nicholas lay on the ground, eyes vacant as he watched Kallen descending like the Holy Son, saying with utter despair: "Too late. Already too late..."
Whether Kallen's fame could be contained, whether the Second Herrscher could be shaped as a new god image—he didn't care about these. Or rather, these were all just excuses to accomplish his true purpose.
What he wanted to do from beginning to end was make the world flow with rivers of blood, thereby making his Second Brother rise again!
If Herrscher of the Void could clash with Kallen, the battle's aftermath falling into the city below could also create rivers of blood.
But Nicholas knew others couldn't allow Herrscher of the Void to act against Kallen at this moment. This didn't conform to their interests.
In other words, he'd already lost utterly.
Thinking of this, tears rolled from Nicholas's eyes.
"Gua! Second Brother, I've failed you!"
"I'm useless, can't give you the rivers of blood you wanted to see!"
Sorrow and self-reproach seemed to fill his chest. Nicholas had never hated fate as much as now.
"Why, why must fate toy with me like this!"
"Gua! Wa! Ya!"
As if truly some existence in the unseen heard his prayer, the combat channel suddenly transmitted an alarmed cry.
"Not good, the Second Herrscher is losing control!"
Hearing this, Nicholas's body trembled, involuntarily saying: "Fate truly favors me?"
"Mr. Nicholas?"
"No, I mean this is too terrible. We must re-suppress Herrscher of the Void."
Nicholas seemed truly worried—if ignoring the increasingly exaggerated smile on his face.
Soon, he saw golden ribbons sweep across the sky.
Where these ribbons passed, surrounding space was like paper cut by a knife, slashed open with pitch-black spatial rifts.
An armored young girl flew through the sky. Those ribbons possessing spatial power were precisely surging from her body.
This appearance seemingly going berserk—obviously control over the Second Herrscher truly had some problems.
But he hoped this problem was as big as possible.
Golden ribbons swept past overhead, cutting an unlucky bird in half. Once falling to the ground, absolutely would be a hellish bloodthirsty surprise.
"Hehe... this is what I want to see, this is what I want to see!"
"Second Brother, fate hasn't abandoned us!"
He anticipated these ribbons falling to the ground, anticipated, anticipated...
Then saw these ribbons charge toward the high tower where he'd just stood, completely ignoring people on the ground.
Nicholas's bloodthirsty smile froze.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"You're a Herrscher! Losing control should mean destroying humanity!"
"Quickly go destroy humanity!"
"Herrschers aren't like this!"
"Come back!"
...
At the other end of vision.
After deploying Binding Domain, Kallen felt her life like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
But she didn't mind. After all, having been injected with Revival Needles, death for her equaled reloading a save.
Simultaneously, Lucius's voice rang beside her ear.
"Very good. Holy manifestation complete. Next your fame will spread throughout Europa and toward the entire world. Looking forward to it?"
Kallen rolled her eyes, saying weakly: "Not at all. Fame is too exhausting. Otherwise, why do you think I want to step down from Archbishop position?"
"Benares has successfully withdrawn. You can go reload now. However, for subsequent plans, after you reload, need to add one more scene."
Kallen felt her consciousness growing heavier and heavier. But after hearing Lucius's words, still asked: "What scene?"
"Herrscher of the Void will 'lose control' next. Trouble you to suppress her. This way, those old bastards will only have one path to walk..."
Hearing this, Kallen agreed without hesitation.
"Just bring it! I'll definitely make her never return! After reloading completes, I'll... swish!"
Before finishing, Kallen discovered herself bound by ribbons.
Then an emotionless tone rang beside her.
"Bella...?"
As this voice fell, everything around began becoming dim. She even saw birds sweeping past beside her seemingly frozen at this moment, motionless.
Moreover, she could feel her continuously draining life had nearly halted.
The world seemed to have the pause button pressed. But Kallen knew this wasn't time stop...
"Time Fracture?!"
Yes. This scene before her was completely the high-spec version of Valkyrie armor's Time Fracture system.
And capable of achieving this degree, only...
"Bella...?"
At some unknown time, a figure appeared before Kallen, quietly watching her, mouth continuously repeating the word 'Bella.'
This person was precisely Herrscher of the Void with body wrapped in armor.
"Wrong. Wasn't she controlled? What's happening?"
Although puzzled in heart, being bound like this wasn't good. Kallen wanted to break free.
But she quickly discovered these ribbons were condensed from spatial power. Plus her own weakness from overloading Binding authority—fundamentally unable to break free.
Seeing temporary escape futile, she began thinking.
"Bella? She mistook me for Benares?" At this moment Kallen's brain operated rapidly, quickly deducing the reason. "Is it the Benares inactivated super-variable factor I injected?!"
"Fortunately, temporarily not sensing hostility from her. Should still be under control..."
Kallen just wanted to breathe relief when she saw Herrscher of the Void extend a hand, pointing at her lower abdomen.
As fingers slid, a spatial rift flashing with ghostly light appeared at her lower abdomen, like a gaping monstrous mouth.
"Bella... not separate... not separate..."
Watching Herrscher of the Void spread both arms, wanting to embrace her into her bosom, Kallen's expression drastically changed.
A chill rose in her heart—an alarm from Kaslana's superhuman intuition.
Being swallowed like this would cause extremely ominous events, perhaps even more terrifying than death!
"Not separate... not separate..." Herrscher of the Void drew closer and closer.
"Wait, wait! Look clearly, I'm not your Bella!" Kallen squirmed, exhausting all strength trying to break free from restraints.
But at this moment she was in a state of complete depletion. Like a candle in the wind, she fundamentally couldn't break free. Could only watch that gaping spatial rift at Herrscher of the Void's abdomen continuously approach herself.
An extremely ominous premonition madly elbowed her brain. "Move, my brain! Think of an escape method!"
The only method Kallen could think of was reloading through death, thereby breaking free from restraints.
But what made her break into cold sweat—under Time Fracture circumstances, she seemingly couldn't even seek death...
Therefore, after all self-rescue methods lost effect, only one choice remained.
"Gulp!!!"
"Lucius, quickly save me!"
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