Chapter 87: The Serpent's movement
Kiana wandered through the city all day, traversing various areas of Arc City, appearing at the center of the Honkai incidents, and using her meager strength to save those who had fallen into hardship.
As night fell again, the girl showed no intention of stopping to rest. Despite her previous injuries and current exhaustion, she pressed on.
The figure of the white-haired girl moved through the streets and alleys, rescuing people in distress one after another. She then silently left, leaving behind a white-glowing urban legend circulating among the people.
Lately, the outbreaks of Honkai incidents in Arc City had been increasing, signaling an impending storm. Kiana had an uneasy premonition but didn't know what to do. All she could do was hurry, doing what she could—saving lives.
Even though her personal strength seemed powerless in the face of Honkai, even though she could only save a small fraction of people, even though her resistance seemed like a drop in the ocean, Kiana still persisted.
She bought a bottle of water with the money she got from a group of thugs in the alley, found a secluded corner, and began sipping.
"Help!!!" A distant cry caught Kiana's attention. She hesitated for a moment, tossed aside the half-drunk bottle of mineral water, grabbed her dual pistols, and rushed towards the source of the sound.
[Hey, test subject, do you plan to get yourself killed?]
"I don't need you to care," Kiana, with a kind heart, wasn't swayed by the words of the Herrscher of the Void. She focused on searching for the person in distress as she replied, "I'm just doing what I can to help those in need."
[Why? They are strangers to you, they don't even know your name. You save so many people, and all they do is panic and flee. You don't even get a word of thanks.]
[Maybe in their eyes, you're just a tool that comes and goes as needed, a tool for their survival, just like I am a vessel for my resurrection.]
[Your best friend Mei holds a knife to you, your trusted class monitor has been watching you, even making you join St. Freya Academy, all for the sake of my resurrection ritual.]
[You're just an experiment, and even your birth is a well-planned farce.]
[Why persist like this? Becoming the vessel for my resurrection is your destiny. Why resist destiny?]
The voice in her mind became clearer, and the Herrscher of the Void seemed ready to replace Kiana's personality at any moment. She repeatedly questioned Kiana's inner thoughts, trying to shake her.
"Shut up! Always babbling, so annoying."
[Hehehe, your best friend turns a knife on you, the trusted class monitor is just Otto's spy, and even your life, your name, is a ridiculous farce. Ask yourself, in this world, is there anyone who cares about you?]
Refuted by Kiana, the Herrscher of the Void didn't show any anger. Instead, she continued to tempt Kiana incessantly, her voice filled with a strange charm, like the snake tempting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
"No, there is." Kiana couldn't help but think of a black-haired boy. Her gaze was firm as she said, "Chase, he cares about me."
[Huh?]
"Hey, Herrscher of the Void, is he really your brother?"
[.....] The great Queen of the Void fell silent.
Kiana regained her composure, couldn't help but smile, and flipped over a low wall. The huge body of a Honkai beast appeared in her field of vision, along with various forms of minions. Not far away, there was a small girl crouched in fear.
Without hesitation, Kiana took out a baseball bat she had picked up from the roadside and directly swung it at the Honkai beast's claw reaching towards the girl. Then, she fired her dual pistols.
The girl floated like a shadow in the darkness cast by the Honkai beast and its minions. Intense gunfire and flashes of light erupted everywhere. Under the night sky, her white hair turned into a beam of moonlight, making the wreckage piled around her appear even darker.
With the final flash of gunfire, the girl landed.
Breathing heavily, Kiana felt a bit drained after a day of continuous battle. Sensing the little remaining Honkai energy in her body, she looked at the still somewhat dazed little girl and said, "Get out of here quickly, go find your family!"
Upon hearing Kiana's words, the little girl hesitated for a moment, as if still frightened, then nodded, "Thank you, sister."
Kiana also breathed a sigh of relief, smiling gently, "Yeah, go quickly, it's dangerous here."
The little girl nodded and turned to run, but suddenly stopped. Her footsteps halted abruptly. Her pupils widened, and the calm expression she had just regained turned into one of fear.
In the direction she was heading, there was unexpectedly a gigantic Honkai beast. Its purple-pink compound eyes flickered with eerie light. The towering body exuded a powerful and menacing aura. It had already detected and locked onto both Kiana and the little girl.
Kiana naturally noticed the situation. She frowned slightly, gritted her teeth, picked up the baseball bat next to her, and charged again. With Kaslana's excellent physique, Kiana leaped high with great speed toward the Honkai beast. Soon, its head entered her attack range.
The white-haired girl raised the baseball bat high, as if wielding the eternal Flameblade that would never go out.
Bang!
The metal-tipped baseball bat struck the back of the Honkai beast's head, causing it to stagger. The wooden end of the baseball bat shattered upon impact.
However, this level of attack was not fatal to the Honkai beast. In pain, it roared and swung its claw angrily toward Kiana.
"I don't have time to waste with you!"
Kiana roared lowly. Her gaze hardened, and a golden light flashed in her right eye. The power from the Herrscher of the Void was mobilized by her. She squeezed out the little remaining Honkai energy within her, forming a spear of void energy. Under her control, the spear pierced through the Honkai beast's body.
The power from the Void quickly invaded the Honkai beast's body, continuously disrupting its bodily functions. For the Honkai beast, the Void's power could be a blessing or a poison.
The massive body of the Honkai beast collapsed, and Kiana rolled on the ground. Then, she stood up, took a deep breath, and sighed. She really had nothing left.
Afterward, Kiana turned to the little girl and said, "It's safe now."
The little girl looked at Kiana gratefully, then turned and ran away.
Kiana smiled and watched the little girl leave.
"Herrscher of the Void, your power is quite useful."
[...] The Queen of the Void took a deep breath, maintaining her noble demeanor as the Honkai Queen, resisting the urge to curse out loud.
Now was not the time to be in a hurry; getting angry would only play into this person's hands.
So, the Herrscher of the Void chose silence.
Not hearing the Herrscher of the Void's frustrated voice, Kiana felt a bit disappointed. She looked up at the sky; it was already night. The crescent moon hung high, casting a soft and cold light, creating a serene beauty.
Kiana shivered involuntarily, sensing something. She turned to look back and suddenly widened her pupils, as if struck by lightning.
The Honkai beast she had just defeated was not dead. It had somehow staggered to its feet, and its compound eyes glowed with a mysterious light. The enormous Honkai beast roared, angrily stomping the ground, and swung its claws toward Kiana...
The Honkai beast, filled with anger, was just within arm's reach of the girl.
Death, like a long-observing venomous snake, seized the opportunity to entwine itself around Kiana's body with its cold shell, tightly gripping her neck and bestowing upon her a strong sense of suffocation.
The injuries Kiana suffered yesterday hadn't fully healed, and with a day of running and battling, the breakdown energy within Kiana's body had long been depleted. Faced with the claws about to reach her, she truly had no strength left to evade.
At this moment, Kiana felt like the Grim Reaper was sitting in the corridor around the corner, in the dimly lit place invisible to mortals, patiently waiting for her. Perhaps it would stand up soon and say to her, "Hey, let's go."
Kiana thought, perhaps this was a bit rushed, but she wouldn't hesitate or delay.
Let it end like this.
A sense of relief welled up in Kiana's heart. She recalled the image of Miss Himeko in her mind. Was Miss Himeko carrying a belief in certain death back then?
Kiana didn't know, but perhaps she already had an answer in her heart.
She closed her eyes, waiting for the arrival of death. However, what she waited for was not the low whisper of the Grim Reaper but a warm embrace.
"Huh?" Kiana was stunned, opened her eyes, and found that familiar face.
Chase smiled and spoke to Kiana, "You're really reckless, Miss Theresa. Look carefully; this is how the power of the Herrscher of the Void is used."
As he spoke, he casually gestured, and a massive spatial void appeared under the feet of the Honkai beast. The unsuspecting Honkai beast directly fell into the spatial void. Without even a scream, it disappeared without a trace.
Banishment.
Kiana felt like she had been struck by lightning, quickly pushed Chase away, and escaped from his embrace. Her azure eyes were filled with shock.
"Chase, how could you..."
If a stranger had inexplicably used the power of the Herrscher of the Void in front of Kiana, regardless of whether the person was her lifesaver or not, Kiana's only choice would be to create distance and then interrogate the reason for the power.
However, perhaps due to the inexplicable goodwill in her heart or the experiences of the previous night, Kiana did not react too violently. She just took a step back, with a slightly incredulous look in her eyes.
The ability that Chase had just displayed, Kiana was sure, was the power of the Herrscher of the Void.
But... the core of the Herrscher was still with her, and the consciousness of the Herrscher of the Void was also with her. How did this man in front of her grasp such power?
Kiana was full of doubts and incomprehension, but when she looked into Chase's clear black eyes, the words she wanted to say got stuck on her tongue, and for a moment, she didn't know how to speak.
Kiana's lips moved, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
"I know you have a lot of questions, but for now, please come with me. This is not a suitable place for a conversation." Chase looked around and smiled at the girl.
Without saying a word, Kiana hesitated for a moment, nodded, and just as she was about to say something, her head suddenly felt dizzy. It was like a taut string suddenly snapping. Kiana's figure staggered, and she directly fell into unconsciousness.
...
In a hotel in the western district.
Kiana was awakened by a heavy knocking on the door. She crawled out of bed, looking puzzled at the door.
At this moment, two unknown individuals in black clothes stood outside the door. They held a folder in their hands, questioning Chase at the door while jotting down notes on the papers inside the folder.
"Name?"
"Otto."
"You don't look like a Westerner." The person on the other side asked.
"Surname is 'O,' given name is 'to.'" Chase replied without a change in expression.
"Gender?"
"Can't you tell?" Chase was speechless.
"Gender?" The person repeated, the tone becoming more serious, as if giving a warning.
"I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter." Chase answered.
The person in black stopped writing, his hand frozen in mid-air. He looked at Chase in disbelief, then his expression turned stern, warning, "Be serious."
"Why, are you gender-discriminating?" Chase raised an eyebrow and asked in return.
"Chinese people don't recognize foreign genders," the person in black was obviously speechless, and he said to his companion, "Write male for gender."
"Do you have an ID?"
"No, lost it while escaping from the Honkai beast." Chase answered with a hint of regret.
The person in black nodded, asking the final question, "What are you doing in the western district?"
"Seeing a doctor. She has some depressive symptoms, so I brought her for a check-up. This is the medical record she opened yesterday." Saying that, Chase handed over a neatly folded piece of paper. In the process, a few banknotes were already sandwiched inside.
The person in black took it, felt a few banknotes inside, sneered, and shook the banknotes in front of Chase.
"Alright, bribery of official personnel. Let's arrest them and take them back for a good..."
"I don't have time to mess around with you guys!" Before the person on the other side finished his sentence, a fist struck him in the face, instantly making him faint and collapse to the ground. The other companion, seeing this, was about to draw his gun, but he directly received a ruthless kick to the abdomen, collapsing as well.
Chase clapped his hands, sneered disdainfully.
He thought that Herrscher's combat experience would be completely useless here, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be quite useful.
Looking at the still stunned Kiana, he reminded her, "What are you looking at? Run!"
"Oh, oh." Kiana quickly got up from the bed and followed Chase's footsteps, running out.
Meanwhile, in the hotel's monitoring room, Grey Snake stared at the running boy and girl in the corridor, emitting a cold laugh.
"Inform Raven, confirm the targets' identities. It's time to act."
The snake's hunt had begun.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone