Hearing this, the Herrscher of the Void's eyes flashed with shock and anger. Then she covered her eyes, seemingly finding Himeko's words laughable.
In the next second, she said softly:
"Die—"
The Void Realm descended, and the sky was shrouded in golden Honkai Energy.
The Spear of the Void locked onto Himeko nearby, and an endless wave of spear shafts swept toward her like a tide.
No blind spots, no gaps to escape!
Even a Herrscher cannot withstand such a fierce attack!
This was the Herrscher of the Void's furious onslaught, without holding anything back!
Unless protected by a god, no one would survive!
Himeko held her greatsword, her gaze like fire; knowing she couldn't dodge, she pushed the Crimson Knight to its limit, no longer holding back.
Even if she were to die the next second, she had to complete her goal and save Kiana!
Since she couldn't dodge, she would move forward!
The moment the Spear of the Void was about to pierce Himeko, she drew Might of An-Utu!
"—Haaah!!!"
Sword light and fire blended together; the scorching flames exploded violently the moment they touched the Spear of the Void.
A white light shone between the two, turning everything in the world into a colorless white.
Collapsing space, splashing dust, the scorching greatsword, and the endless burning flames and hope.
Everything lost its original color, and the Herrscher's space was filled with fine cracks.
In the silence, Himeko's voice slipped into the Herrscher of the Void's ear.
"Kiana, when you wake up, you will see that everything has changed."
"You will find that this world is no longer beautiful, and those ordinary days will never return."
"But... don't give up, never give up."
That voice was so firm; she was always willing to give Kiana a new life.
Telling this lost child that although the world is no longer beautiful, she must not give up.
As long as one holds firm to their beliefs and is willing to fight for all that is beautiful in the world, nothing is impossible.
When the Herrscher of the Void saw Himeko dodge her attack and heard those warm words of encouragement, she was instantly infuriated, swinging the Spears of the Void behind her to strike at Himeko!
"Stop... getting ahead of yourself!!!"
In an instant, the imaginary domain collapsed, and the Herrscher of the Void manipulated the core of space to fire a beam of light!
The beam of light was as massive as a building, as if the entire sky were about to collapse with it.
Darkness shrouded the area, and Honkai Energy gathered and then collapsed!
Under what she perceived as Himeko's provocation, she no longer held back, wanting only to kill Himeko as quickly as possible.
The moment the beam of light bore down on Himeko, before the Herrscher of the Void could even move, fire filled the sky, and infinite flames spread upward from the bottom of the beam, growing wildly like vines.
"Boom!!!"
As the dust cleared, Murata Himeko, holding her greatsword and hidden by the smoke, swung it with all her might, charging toward the Herrscher of the Void!
Her cheeks had already lost their human color, eroded by Honkai Energy; distorted red lines were fragmented, and her entire skin revealed a frenzied crimson!
Debris burned Himeko's skin, and blood seeped from the cracks in her body inch by inch.
The blood was evaporated by the high temperature, and the smell of blood was everywhere.
The Herrscher of the Void felt an irresistible power, almost comparable to a god's, making even her feel suffocated.
This strike must absolutely not be taken!
Otherwise, death would likely follow.
But as a Herrscher, her pride told her that she could not run away!
How could a mere mortal possibly slay a god?!!
"—Haaah!!!!!!!"
With Himeko's roar, the flames exploded, leaving no empty space; every bit was filled with red light!
Space shattered, her body shattered, and even her greatsword fragmented under the intense assault!
All just to deliver this one strike!
For her students, for Kiana, and to end all of this. Fearing not death, she persisted until the final moment of the battle!
"How is this possible, you...!"
The Herrscher of the Void roared in anger, using her authority over space-time tremors to try and stop the blow!
Red light blotted out the sun, and pure white flickered.
In the moment she swung her sword—
Himeko thought of St. Freya Academy and her old friends.
"Himeko."
They were calling, their voices calling out.
Theresa, Fu Hua, Bronya, Mei... and finally, the girl with the twin braids turned her head and looked up innocently, saying: "Aunt Himeko, I'm going to become the strongest Valkyrie!"
These beliefs were the driving force that supported Himeko.
So, move forward!
In an instant, Might of An-Utu exceeded its limits, the Crimson Knight armor exceeded its limits, and the Gem of Haste flashed with a terrifying red light!
Himeko swung that sword!
Her eyes were burning, like a meteor releasing all its light in its final moment of extinction, as she brandished the giant sword that burned everything!
As the armor was pushed beyond its limits, Himeko was comparable to a Herrscher in this moment—one could even say she surpassed a Herrscher.
Behind her, wings of fire blazed continuously, incinerating the sky!
Now, black clouds blotted out the sun; she burned this sky just so Kiana could find her way home.
"Kiana, lift your head and keep moving forward!"
"Go and turn this imperfect story into what you want it to be!"
Then, a violent explosion occurred, and light obscured the sky.
The sound of the sword's hum mingled with the sound of space shattering.
Everything fell into silence... due to the intensity of the explosion, dust flew everywhere.
The people outside the space could no longer see.
The screen was completely dark; no one knew if Himeko was alive or dead, nor did they know the state of the Herrscher of the Void.
They only saw Himeko's fearless figure and heard her deep-seated hope.
To let Kiana live, she willingly gave up the serum, and to inject it, she burned her last drop of blood.
Boom!
Kiana's eyes widened in shock as she watched; her heart cramped, and she could barely breathe. Himeko's final strike left her not only stunned but also filled with heartache and regret.
She had never imagined that Himeko could actually defeat the Herrscher of the Void.
But the price for all this was her death!
"So strong... is this the Crimson Knight?" Rita was so shocked she couldn't speak for a long time; as far as she was concerned, she wouldn't be able to withstand such a high-intensity attack herself.
Rather, no one could guarantee they would come out unscathed after taking this final, life-burning strike!
Not Otto, not Schicksal, and not Anti-Entropy.
"No, that's not the right way to put it... This is Himeko. If anyone else were using the Crimson Knight, they probably wouldn't be able to exert such power."
Theresa added softly.
As soon as she finished speaking, the dust in the image cleared.
The Herrscher of the Void sat on the ground in a panic, and Himeko's strike had not hit her.
That sword strike, the one that could have killed the Herrscher of the Void, was swung into the void.
Himeko had no strength left; her life had come to an abrupt end, and she leaned against the hilt of her sword.
The armor lost its vibrant red, the Honkai Energy vanished, and Might of An-Utu, the sword symbolizing hope, snapped with a crack!
She leaned beside Kiana's cheek and used her last bit of strength to speak to her.
"Live on, Kiana."
"This is the Final Lesson."
Himeko's body slumped down, as if she wanted to give the Herrscher of the Void a hug.
However, she was shoved away by a frustrated headbutt!
Himeko fell powerlessly, descending along with the meteors in the sky.
The light faded, and the flames were extinguished.
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!