LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 320: Starburst
High-temperature flames flowed around Kiana like liquid fire. Though the air crackled and burned, she felt only a gentle warmth.
The searing pain of forcibly using Flamescion in ARC City was a distant memory. Now, this power felt like a docile cat perched on her shoulder.
"So this is the power of Flamescion… truly remarkable." Kiana marveled, but quickly refocused, gripping her greatsword, her gaze fixed on the swirling nebula in the sky.
The Herrscher of Stars's black hole had warped Coral Island's gravity. The Honkai Will, to prevent Ren's interference, had poured massive amounts of Honkai energy into the Herrscher, extending the black hole's influence across the main island.
Cars levitated, trees were uprooted, streetlights and billboards twisted and snapped, even the ocean churned under the reversed gravity.
Everything was drawn towards the black hole, becoming part of the growing comet.
Though still unsure of the specifics, Kiana couldn't stand idly by while a Herrscher wreaked havoc.
Leaping onto a floating car, she propelled herself skyward, using the debris as stepping stones, ascending like a fiery meteor towards the nebula.
The space around the Herrscher of Stars was warped by the black hole, creating a natural barrier that neutralized incoming attacks.
But this posed no problem for Kiana, the true Queen of the Void. The distorted gravity field was a minor inconvenience.
"Is this Herrscher… the World Serpent operative?"
Taking advantage of the Herrscher's focus on the nebula, Kiana closed the distance, a fiery trail in her wake, bisecting the nebula like a burning blade.
This close, she recognized him as Raven's missing partner, the one she hadn't been able to save.
World Serpent seemed intent on making her life difficult. Not only did she have to deal with their messes, but also fight their operatives, perhaps even their Sovereign eventually.
Kiana's resolve hardened. There was no hesitation in her eyes.
For the sake of humanity's future, she would face not only World Serpent but also the Final Herrscher.
The comet continued to expand, but Kiana had reached the nebula's core. Raising her flaming greatsword, she struck with all her might.
Flamescion and her Void powers negated the Herrscher's gravity manipulation. The fragile debris offered no resistance, exploding in a fiery roar.
Molten slag sprayed outwards. A chunk of the comet vanished, and the black hole destabilized.
Before the Honkai Will could react, Kiana unleashed a second blow.
Her remaining Honkai energy was dwindling, but Flamescion's responsiveness made her movements fluid and effortless.
Intense heat surged into the comet's core. Melting ice flashed into steam, detonating the comet from within.
The clash between Kiana's Void powers and the black hole ripped through the already unstable space.
The comet, pushed past its limits, exploded like a bomb.
A mushroom cloud bloomed over Coral Island.
Civilians, huddled in fear, braced for the impact.
Thankfully, the evacuation point was on a separate island, far from the blast zone. Though they'd feel the shockwave, their lives weren't in immediate danger.
On the approaching Schicksal fleet, Rita watched the explosion, her face grim. She gripped the railing of her Hyperion, her knuckles white. Alvitr, frantically analyzing the data, transmitted the readings to Schicksal HQ.
Organizations worldwide detected the massive Honkai energy spike, but both Anti-Entropy and other groups remained observers. Everyone knew Schicksal held the reins.
"Lord Overseer, the Honkai energy levels on Coral Island exceed 5000 HW. This level of reaction…"
"A battle between Herrschers," Otto interrupted, raising his empty wine glass to his lips before realizing it was drained.
Void Archives, attached to Kiana, was relaying real-time information. He knew exactly what was happening.
Even Otto hadn't anticipated Kiana's rapid growth. Her performance in the Pacific had been impressive, but now, barely a month later, she was holding her own against two Herrschers.
"Inform Rita to prioritize civilian rescue. Consider Coral Island a battlefield for the Herrschers."
"Yes, Lord Overseer."
After Amber left, Otto set down his glass, his eyes narrowing.
Void Archives's report, besides detailing Kiana's battle, contained another crucial piece of information.
Coral Island's limited Honkai energy shouldn't have been enough to quickly birth a second Herrscher. Yet, this new Herrscher had awakened rapidly, even creating a nebula.
As if guided by an unseen hand.
Otto recognized this phenomenon.
An image of a pure white figure flashed through his mind, the god who existed only in concept.
"Kallen…" He whispered his beloved's name, crushing his wine glass in his hand.
…
On Coral Island, the shockwave dissipated. Debris rained down, embedding itself in the ground.
A crater hundreds of meters wide scarred the reinforced metal surface, quickly filling with seawater.
The blast had torn through the blizzard, allowing sunlight to pierce through the clouds.
But the battle wasn't over. Above the flattened city, warped gravity clashed with burning flames, rippling through space.
The comet's explosion had been a mere appetizer. Though visually impressive, the actual damage was limited. Only fragile humans were vulnerable to such a blast.
The Herrscher of Stars floated in the air, using his gravity manipulation to hurl a skyscraper towards Kiana.
But Kiana was accustomed to such crude attacks. It was less effective than the Herrscher of Ice's freezing aura.
A spatial portal opened. Kiana vanished, reappearing dozens of meters away. The skyscraper crashed harmlessly into the ground.
Only the Herrscher of Stars' direct manipulation of gravity posed a real threat.
However, against Kiana, empowered by her Void powers, the Gem of Serenity, and Flamescion power, even that was proving insufficient.
The Herrscher chosen by the Honkai Will was losing ground.