"What is going on here?"
The moment they realized their defenses had been completely ineffective, both Herta and Ruan Mei immediately retreated, pulling themselves out of Xingxiao's attack range.
But why?
Sure, the Destruction path did seem more combat-oriented, but it shouldn't have been absurdly powerful to this extent.
With the defensive measures Herta and Ruan Mei had just deployed, even if one of the IPC's planet-destroying warships bombarded them nonstop for an entire day, it probably wouldn't have cracked them in the slightest.
And yet now, a weakened Xingxiao had broken through their defenses in a single blow?
Herta and Ruan Mei exchanged a glance, and both saw the same shock in the other's eyes.
But Xingxiao gave them no time at all to react.
The instant that Curio horn was crushed, her figure had already turned into a streak of light, shooting straight toward the position where Herta and Ruan Mei stood.
The powers of Harmony and Destruction intertwined around her, forming a strange resonance.
"Hmph, then let's go again!" Herta snapped, clearly unwilling to accept this, though her body very honestly retreated at top speed.
At the same time, she flicked her hand and hurled out several more Curios.
The treasures she normally kept locked away now flew at Xingxiao as if they cost nothing, all in an attempt to halt her advance.
But Xingxiao simply raised a hand.
Boom—!
Those Curios exploded in midair all at once, their fragments disintegrating into nothingness.
Ruan Mei's expression finally changed.
As a member of the Genius Society, she knew better than anyone how valuable Herta's Curios were.
Among them were treasures capable of contending with an Emanator, if only briefly—yet now, they couldn't even delay Xingxiao for a single breath.
"There's something wrong with her," Ruan Mei said grimly, a jade flute appearing in her hand from nowhere.
A clear, elegant melody rose from it, carrying a peculiar rhythm capable of interfering with the operation of a Path itself.
This was one of the creations Ruan Mei had once developed while studying Harmony.
Yet Xingxiao merely turned her eyes slightly.
The next second, the flute's song came to an abrupt stop.
The jade flute in Ruan Mei's hand shattered inch by inch, and Ruan Mei herself gave a muffled groan as her body was blasted backward.
"Ruan Mei!" Herta cried out.
She wanted to catch her, but Xingxiao gave her no chance.
The Lord Ravager's figure appeared before Herta like a phantom.
The power of Destruction instantly formed an invisible cage, locking the genius firmly in place.
Herta's pupils constricted, but she did not panic.
"Who do you think I am? My trump cards aren't limited to those toys!"
The moment the words left her mouth, a precise and incredibly complex imaginary array unfolded beneath her feet.
Xingxiao's movements stalled for an instant.
But only for an instant.
In the next moment, the melody of Harmony rang out again, and that eerie tune began to erode Herta's domain, dismantling those intricate formations one by one.
"How is this possible?" Herta's eyes widened.
At this range, she really couldn't stop Xingxiao anymore.
And then, at that very moment, a streak of golden fire came howling in from the direction of the station.
Its temperature was terrifyingly high. Even Xingxiao, as an Emanator, had to pay attention to it.
She immediately turned her head.
Forced to abandon her pursuit of Herta for the moment, Xingxiao pivoted to deal with the sudden attack.
Boom—!
Golden fire exploded across the stars, whipping up a violent storm of imaginary energy.
When the flames dispersed, Kiana was already standing in front of Herta.
Without hesitation, she scooped Herta up in her arms.
Then, using the Herrscher of the Void's authority once more, she relocated all three of them—including the not-so-distant Ruan Mei—back into the space station in an instant.
"Put me down!" Herta immediately started struggling the moment they reappeared inside the station.
At the moment, her appearance was anything but dignified.
Her hair was in disarray, there were scorch marks on her clothes, and Kiana was carrying her in a full princess carry.
Not long ago, Herta had boldly declared that she was adopting Kiana.
But judging from how things had gone these past few days, she really didn't look much like a mature guardian.
Kiana nearly laughed as she gently set her down.
"You are not allowed to laugh!" Herta glared at Kiana the instant her feet touched the ground.
Kiana kept suppressing her grin. "Mm-hm, not laughing."
Herta clearly wanted to say more, but the Xingxiao crisis hadn't been resolved yet, and now was obviously not the time.
Kiana understood that immediately.
She patted her chest and promised, "Leave the rest to me!"
Herta still looked worried. Given the level of power Xingxiao had displayed, the situation truly was abnormal.
But then Herta thought of what Kiana had done in the Simulated Universe, and suddenly she wasn't quite so worried anymore.
After all, Herta wasn't the sort to waste time with melodrama. She was never going to say something like don't worry about me or leave me behind.
"Can you win?" she asked.
Faced with Herta's question, Kiana flashed a confident smile.
"Easy."
With that, and under the eyes of Herta and Ruan Mei, Kiana's figure flickered and she appeared in outer space once more.
During all that time, Xingxiao had not taken the chance to attack. She remained standing quietly in place, as though waiting for something.
When she saw Kiana reappear, her eyes flickered faintly.
"You finally came out."
Kiana raised a brow slightly. "You know me?"
Xingxiao shook her head. "No. But I can feel the Ravager God's aura on you."
"You should be one of us as well, shouldn't you?"
The implication was obvious. In Xingxiao's eyes, the girl who had appeared so suddenly was, like her, a Lord Ravager.
But then why was she mixed up with Herta? And why had Xingxiao never heard of her before?
Kiana gave no clear answer. "So?"
"Are you here to kill me, or to kill Herta?"
That question actually silenced Xingxiao for a moment.
In her original assumption, Nanook's order shouldn't have been that complicated.
Although Xingxiao didn't know why Nanook had suddenly set his sights on Herta, she had assumed it probably meant he wanted Herta destroyed.
But after seeing Kiana in person, another possibility came to her mind.
Could it be that the Ravager God's command had been because of her?
At length, she said, "I came under the Ravager God's orders."
"The command pointed to this place, but it did not specify a target."
Kiana looked a little surprised. She hadn't expected Xingxiao really had come under Nanook's direction.
"No wonder you've got so many blessings on you," Kiana said.
From her perspective, Xingxiao's current strength was absolutely different from the rumors.
And as a fellow Lord Ravager, Kiana could feel that more clearly than anyone else.
Because from Kiana's perspective, the amount of Destruction's blessing on Xingxiao now was no less than what Kiana herself carried.
Kiana knew Xingxiao's background from her time in the IPC. She was certain that the Lord Ravager in front of her could not possibly have possessed such absurd power under normal circumstances.
Xingxiao simply admitted it.
But as she looked at Kiana, the confusion in her gaze deepened.
Because in her eyes, Kiana was even stronger.
And there was something even stranger—
The instant Xingxiao saw the person before her, she felt her Path start to boil.
It was the feeling of her heart stirring.
Could it be that the God of Retribution had sent her to the station because of this very person?
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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