LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 319: Herrscher of Stars
The Honkai Will wasn't some aloof deity. It possessed its own consciousness and judgment. Though Ren couldn't fathom if it experienced emotions like anger, he knew his actions would test its boundaries.
Preemptively triggering the Herrscher of Rock's birth was a calculated provocation. If the Honkai Will remained indifferent, Ren would gain a significant advantage, able to manipulate the remaining Herrschers, turning the gods' apostles into pawns on his board.
But the Honkai Will wasn't oblivious. Sensing Ren's influence on Chen Tianwu, it severed the connection of the Thousand Obsidian mark.
A torrent of Honkai energy surged from the Imaginary Space, filling the void, condensing into a dark brown Herrscher core within minutes.
Of course, this was only from Ren's perspective. This energy storm was invisible to the naked eye. The people on Coral Island remained unaware of the second Herrscher's birth.
…
The frozen ruins lay buried under collapsed buildings, fresh snow falling on the debris.
Taxue, the black and white cat, darted through the wreckage, searching for Kiana.
Suddenly, both Taxue and the evacuating civilians hundreds of kilometers away felt a tremor.
People stopped, turning to look at the frost-covered trees.
Branches trembled, shedding their icy burdens, shattering into crystalline flowers.
"Is… is Coral Island shaking?" People murmured, staring at the unsettling sight.
The tremors intensified. Snow cascaded from trees like miniature avalanches.
"An earthquake!" The Snow Lotus squad lieutenant's face paled. She quickly adjusted their evacuation route.
The shaking grew violent, even the towering Star River Stairway groaned in protest.
At the epicenter, the ruins shook violently. Concrete and steel rained down.
Relying on its feline agility, Taxue leaped from a collapsing wall. But before it landed, a massive fissure ripped through the ground, swallowing its landing spot.
Deep beneath the rubble, the Herrscher-ized Chen Tianwu opened his eyes, confusion flickering within them.
"An…" Before he could utter the name, the Honkai Will engulfed him in a torrent of chaotic energy.
The newborn Herrscher instinctively struggled. The concrete imprisoning him crumbled into dust under the weight of his newfound authority over gravity.
Chen Tianwu stood. Debris floated around him, drawn by an invisible force.
From pebbles to multi-ton concrete slabs, everything disintegrated into fine particles, swirling around him like a nebula.
Compared to the Herrscher of Rock from the Previous Era, Herrscher of Stars was a more fitting title for Chen Tianwu.
He raised his hand, and the swirling debris coalesced into a dense mass, propelled downwards by his reversed gravity.
The entire island shuddered. Cracks spread across the surface like a spiderweb.
People, thrown to the ground by the earthquake, stared in horror as the cityscape crumbled before their eyes.
"Kiana!"
Taxue landed, panic flashing in its golden eyes. Threads of Dominance woven into a protective barrier shielded a small area.
Like a volcanic eruption, debris rained down, only to be deflected by Ren's shimmering shield.
When the tremors subsided, Taxue breathed a sigh of relief, frantically digging through the rubble, searching for Kiana.
But as its anxiety grew, a flicker of fire caught its eye. It turned to see Kiana, wielding her greatsword, effortlessly slaying a Honkai beast.
Taxue froze, whiskers twitching.
It had been worried for nothing. Kiana had escaped, perhaps she hadn't even been buried.
Ren, observing from afar, twitched his lips, recalling Taxue to his Dominance space.
Thankfully, no one witnessed this little interlude. With Kiana safe, he refocused on the Herrscher of Stars.
The rubble imprisoning Chen Tianwu crumbled, offering no resistance. He rose into the air.
Looking down at the island, his eyes held only destructive intent. Empowered by the Honkai Will, he was rapidly adapting to his newfound power. Even Chen Tianwu's weak human will could execute the Honkai's commands.
But like Anna, his consciousness hadn't vanished. The despair of killing Anna had extinguished his will to live. He simply watched, numbly, as the Honkai Will controlled his body.
Staring at the island, he raised his hand. A black sphere condensed in his palm. Not a sphere, but a miniature black hole, its light warped into darkness.
Debris, drawn by reversed gravity, joined the swirling nebula. Even the Herrscher of Ice's blizzard was absorbed.
The black hole didn't consume matter but compressed it into a dense mass.
"The Herrscher is creating a star." (blank hole)
Metal and ice fused into the nebula's core. He was creating a comet.
A comet hundreds of meters in diameter could obliterate a city. But the Honkai Will wasn't satisfied. The nebula continued to expand. At this rate, Coral Island would be annihilated within half an hour, taking millions with it.
Herrschers destroying cities was tradition. Ren wasn't surprised. If the Honkai Will didn't escalate, that would be cause for concern.
Mentally calculating the time, Ren watched as a brilliant streak of light flashed through the swirling nebula.
Light, followed by a burst of flames.
No matter how powerful the new Herrscher, they'd have to contend with the Queen of the Void first.
As Kiana joined the fray, Anna, trapped within Ren's golden cage, slowly opened her eyes.