LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 306: Two Sides of the Mirror
On the edge of Coral Island, an entire urban district, spanning over 50 kilometers, was encased in ice by the Herrscher of Ice's power. If Kiana hadn't bought time for the residents to evacuate, at least a million ordinary people would have become exquisite ice sculptures, frozen alongside the buildings.
If not for fate's cruel joke, Anna and Chen Tianwu's reunion should have been filled with the warmth and anticipation of seeing each other again. Sadly, now, only a bone-chilling coldness enveloped them both.
Even more tragically, Anna's consciousness recognized Chen Tianwu immediately, but she was powerless to change anything, forced to watch her Herrscher-ized self approach him.
Furthermore, due to the false intel deliberately planted by Ren, Chen Tianwu believed the Snow Lotus squad was still hundreds of kilometers away. He never imagined that the terrifying Herrscher before him was Anna.
The awakened Herrscher of Ice's face was veiled in black, her features indistinguishable. With her completely altered hair and attire, even Chen Tianwu, who had dreamt of Anna countless times, couldn't connect her to the girl he knew.
In the original storyline, Chen Tianwu only learned that the Herrscher of Ice was Anna from Durandal after Schicksal joined the battle. But now, Schicksal's Valkyries were still en route, and the members of the Snow Lotus squad, rescued by Kiana, were still alive, leaving behind no crucial clues.
Like a cruel twist of fate, Chen Tianwu, obsessed with Anna, failed to recognize her, while Anna, who had chosen to run away, now faced him as an enemy.
This was their most terrifying nightmare, yet they were trapped within it, unaware.
Of course, as the mastermind behind this fateful confrontation, Ren knew very well that this wasn't some "fateful choice," but a play carefully orchestrated by the Herrscher of Dominance.
As a Herrscher familiar with the plot, Ren naturally knew their ultimate fate. Couples in the Honkai world rarely had happy endings, and Anna and Chen Tianwu's story was a tragedy from beginning to end.
Their character flaws were glaring. Anna's escapism prevented her from overcoming her shadows, while Chen Tianwu's possessiveness was a key factor intensifying Anna's guilt.
During the disaster two years ago, Chen Tianwu's date invitation, made to lighten the mood, wasn't refused by Anna. Perhaps both wanted to comfort each other, but Chen Tianwu mistakenly took it as the start of a romantic relationship.
Having lost everything, Anna was Chen Tianwu's sole support. Instinctively, he wanted to possess her. He placed all his hopes on Anna, the Valkyrie, unaware that she was just a normal sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.
Moreover, they had only known each other for a few hours. Even if the "suspension bridge effect" sparked a quick connection, it wasn't enough to sustain a relationship.
After Anna chose to run away, he relentlessly pursued her, really just wanting a clear answer to his date invitation.
This mirrored the relationship between Kiana and Ren.
Ren, as the Herrscher of a Thousand, was mired in despair, and his only glimmer of hope was Kiana. Memories from two lifetimes intertwined into a twisted affection, driving him instinctively to draw close to her.
Chen Tianwu, like a drowning man, desperately clung to Anna as his lifeline, until both, unable to bear the weight, sank together. Ren, also drowning, chose to become Kiana's stepping stone, silently nurturing her growth, supporting her ascent to the throne of Flamescion.
Like two sides of a mirror, ice and rock continued to sink, while Ren and Kiana continued to rise.
Understanding this, Ren chose to intervene, attempting to alter Anna and Chen Tianwu's fate. His goal remained obtaining the Herrscher cores of Ice and Rock that would soon be born within them. But if possible, he didn't want them to die with regrets like in the original story.
Standing atop the frozen zone, Ren looked down at the ice-covered city, his gaze falling upon Anna and Chen Tianwu, who had already begun to fight.
He had to ensure the Herrscher of Ice didn't lose control and that the Herrscher of Rock was born smoothly.
As for the "betrayed" Raven, she should be encountering Kiana, who was pursuing the Herrscher of Ice, right about now. World Serpent would never imagine that there weren't just one, but three Herrschers present on Coral Island.
It was the Honkai energy interference from these three Herrschers that caused the electromagnetic disruption in the area, cutting off communication between Raven and Chen Tianwu. And this was all within Ren's calculations.
While Ren observed the battle, Chen Tianwu, targeted by the Herrscher, wasn't having a good time. Even his mechanized body, capable of withstanding extreme cold, struggled against the Herrscher's frost.
"I have to stay calm. The Staff of the Underworld worked, which means the Herrscher is definitely weakened. I just need to find her weakness," he thought. His obsession with Anna fueled his resolve. He couldn't die before getting his answers.
Left hand gripping his short sword, right hand holding his pistol, Chen Tianwu bit down on the cartridge, chambering a round.
The surrounding ice was incredibly smooth, like a mirror. Through the distant reflections, Chen Tianwu noticed a slight pause when the Herrscher created ice spikes.
It's the Staff of the Underworld's interference. Realizing this, Chen Tianwu decisively rolled out from cover, unleashing the bullets in his pistol.
The Honkai-modified pistol packed a punch. Bullets shattered ice several centimeters thick, piercing into the Herrscher's domain. Unfortunately, they lost momentum and fell before reaching her.
However, Chen Tianwu's aim was exceptional. The consecutively fired bullets followed nearly identical trajectories, lined up almost perfectly like an unstoppable arrow. The leading bullets cleared the ice, creating a path for those following.
Crack, crack.
The sound of shattering ice rang out as bullets grazed Anna's cheek, sending ice chips flying.
"It worked!" Seeing the result, Chen Tianwu felt a surge of hope. But before he could fire another round, a deluge of ice spikes rained down.
Normally, relying on a pistol to break through a Herrscher's defenses would be a fool's errand. However, the ice shield surrounding the Herrscher of Ice had been shattered by Kiana, and the devastating ice pillars were also broken, leaving the Herrscher with less than a third of her combat power, further weakened by the Staff of the Underworld.
The multiply-weakened Herrscher of Ice couldn't completely overwhelm Chen Tianwu, but she still held a clear advantage. Floating in the air, she locked her gaze onto Chen Tianwu, her eyes gleaming.
In an instant, the area before Chen Tianwu was completely frozen.
The chilling sound of ice solidifying sent a shiver down his spine. He immediately adjusted his movements, approaching Anna in an erratic pattern.
"7, 6…" Counting his remaining bullets under his breath, a frantic glint appeared in Chen Tianwu's eyes. He continued firing, disrupting Anna's attacks, his feet never stopping.
Ammunition was limited. To seize his slim chance of survival, he had to get close and strike the Herrscher's weak point. Only by relying on the Staff of the Underworld could he force the Herrscher back.
As long as he could escape, the "betrayed" Raven and World Serpent would no longer have anything to do with him. Chen Tianwu was determined to find Anna before the Snow Lotus squad arrived and prevent her from being dragged into this conflict.
His gaze was fixed on Anna's chest. Herrscher cores were mostly located in the thoracic cavity. If he could hit the core, even if he couldn't destroy the Herrscher, he could buy himself time to escape.
"1!"
The last bullet fired, Chen Tianwu's only remaining weapon was the short sword, but he was now only a few dozen meters from Anna.
His mechanical body, long past its operational limits, screeched alarmingly, but Chen Tianwu's eyes shone even brighter. Raising his left arm to block the incoming ice spikes, his mechanical arm nearly shattered under the barrage, but it allowed him to close the distance rapidly.
Gazing at the veiled Herrscher, Chen Tianwu leaped high, short sword in hand.
"Die…"
Thud.
The short sword stopped before Anna, while a sharp ice spike pierced straight through Chen Tianwu's abdomen. His expression froze, then he was slammed into the ice by the Herrscher.