LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 307: A Pyrrhic Victory
Chen Tianwu was sent flying by the Herrscher of Ice's blow, crashing into the thick ice face. Shattered ice sprayed everywhere as the fractured layer shrieked, a fissure snaking out for hundreds of meters.
His body crumpled to the ground like a broken doll, support gone. The impact twisted his prosthetic left arm at a grotesque angle, revealing mangled artificial fibers within. The ice spike that pierced his abdomen shattered his spine. If not for his extensive cybernetic augmentations, the blow would have been fatal.
The tables had turned in an instant. The Herrscher of Ice wasn't a mindless Honkai beast. Even with her core suppressed, she was far beyond Chen Tianwu's ability to handle.
Crisp footsteps approached. Blood trickling from his lips, Chen Tianwu strained to look up at the pale figure drawing near. His face contorted in agony as he stretched out his only functioning hand, gripping the short sword that had fallen beside him.
His chances of victory had been slim to begin with, but now, even getting close to the Herrscher seemed impossible. The disparity in their power filled him with despair.
Two years ago, the Honkai eruption in Manila had taken everything from him. A mere human, he could only cower in the ruins, whimpering like a stray dog as the Honkai rampaged. Even after the disaster, he could only pray that Schicksal's rescue teams would find his sister, hoping against hope for a miracle.
If Anna hadn't saved him, pulled him from that hell, he would have been buried in the rubble two years ago.
"Anna."
The image of the girl flashed through his mind, galvanizing him. Gritting his teeth, he jammed the short sword into the ice spike protruding from his abdomen, wrenching it out with a savage pull.
A gaping hole opened in his stomach, sparking with stray arcs of electricity. Thankfully, World Serpent's cybernetics were robust. Even with such a grievous wound, his body still functioned.
Free of the impaling ice, Chen Tianwu pushed himself up with the short sword. Pain shot through the nerve connections of his prosthetics. He slammed his hand against the energy core in his chest, severing the connection.
But the Herrscher of Ice wasn't about to wait for him to recover. A massive chunk of ice hurtled towards him.
Unable to dodge, Chen Tianwu twisted his body to minimize the impact, but he was still sent flying, smashing through a solid ice wall and landing in the ruins. The short sword flew from his grasp. He coughed up blood, his body battered.
The Herrscher wasn't unscathed. Dealing with Chen Tianwu's attacks had depleted some of her Honkai energy, but it meant little to him now. Out of bullets, disarmed, and broken, he was out of options.
He staggered to his feet, despair etched on his face. His vision blurred. For a moment, the Herrscher of Ice in the distance shimmered, taking on Anna's form.
He blinked, the illusion gone. Only the terrifying Herrscher remained.
Just as despair threatened to consume him, his gaze fell upon the ice wall beside him. The smooth, mirror-like surface created by the Herrscher reflected his own image.
His eyes widened. A black and white mark had appeared on his neck.
He recognized it. Just minutes ago, he'd been browsing a website bearing that same symbol.
The Obsidian Concord.
"So, Chris's curse has finally transferred to me, huh?" A self-deprecating smile twisted his lips. He leaned against the ice wall, his broken left arm dangling, his right hand gently touching the mark on his neck.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke, his voice firm despite his condition. "I don't know who you are, and I don't care. But if you're on me, it means I have something you want. If you're really there, let's make a deal. Let me live, let me see Anna one last time, and you can have my soul."
Silence.
The Herrscher of Ice drew closer. Chen Tianwu's words, spoken to the empty air, sounded like the desperate pleas of a dying man praying for a miracle.
"Right, there are no gods in this world, only damned Honkai."
Seemingly realizing the futility of his prayer, Chen Tianwu let go of the mark and grabbed an icicle from the ground.
The Herrscher of Ice, seemingly unwilling to prolong his suffering, conjured a black ice crystal in the air, aiming it at him.
He raised the icicle like a defiant sword, images of Anna flashing through his mind. Even in his final moments, he wouldn't see her again.
But just as the black ice crystal was about to engulf him, a faint power surged through his body. Broken prosthetic limbs, linked by unseen threads, came back under his control.
Stunned, Chen Tianwu reacted instantly. He dodged the black ice crystal, using the icicle in his hand to deflect the blow at the last moment.
The fragile icicle shattered against the black ice, but it bought him a crucial moment. He grabbed the ice crystal with his already broken left arm. In less than a second, his prosthetic hand froze solid. Without hesitation, he ripped it off.
Strangely, even with his arm severed, he retained control.
Chen Tianwu had heard of puppet shows. He felt like he was controlling his own body with strings, no longer hindered by pain or injury.
"Is this the power of the Obsidian Concord?"
He realized this strange control likely came from the mark. Unburdened by his physical limitations, he had somehow survived the Herrscher's attack.
He knew he had limited time. The black ice crystal had drained the Herrscher of Ice, already weakened by the Staff of the Underworld. If he didn't seize this chance, death was certain.
Dodging the Herrscher's ice spikes, Chen Tianwu retrieved his fallen short sword. For Anna, for himself, he had to kill the Herrscher.
「I wouldn't recommend that.」
A youthful voice echoed in his mind. Chen Tianwu immediately guessed it was the creator of the Obsidian Concord mark. This was his only chance to kill the Herrscher, the only thing he could do for Anna. He couldn't waver.
"Sorry, I have someone I need to protect."
「I hope you won't regret this.」
The Herrscher of Ice's power had waned significantly. Trading blow for blow, regardless of the cost, Chen Tianwu slowly gained the upper hand.
At the same time, as the Herrscher weakened, Anna's control over her body returned.
Having witnessed the entire fight, she didn't understand the source of Chen Tianwu's sudden power surge, but she knew he was trying to kill the Herrscher. To die as a human was her wish as well.
Resigned to her fate, Anna no longer resisted, subtly aiding Chen Tianwu in his assault. The Herrscher of Ice's consciousness, battered by Chen Tianwu, hampered by Anna, weakened by Kiana, and its core disrupted by the Staff of the Underworld, couldn't hold on, even with the Honkai Will's intervention.
Finally, Chen Tianwu seized his chance. His short sword pierced Anna's body.
The Herrscher of Ice roared in pain, her aura fading rapidly.
But Herrschers weren't easily killed. Only by silencing the Herrscher core could they be truly destroyed.
Driven by his obsession with Anna, Chen Tianwu raised his blade, aiming for the Herrscher core in her chest.
"Chen… Tian… wu…"
A faint whisper, seemingly Anna's voice, reached his ears. He had killed the Herrscher of Ice, but his own mind and body were at their limit. Unable to distinguish the phantom voice, he collapsed, unconscious.