NOVEL NEXT Chapter 435: The Six-Core Taixu Sword God
Golden light, like a sprouting seed, bloomed from the fissures in the Will of the Honkai's collapsing form, spreading through the intricate patterns of the Imaginary Tree.
Was it over?
No. Not yet.
While the Will of the Honkai's physical form had dissipated, the sea of clouds beneath them remained turbulent. And within that oppressive darkness, something far more terrifying was brewing. Ren knew that the Herrscher of Sentience was merely a vessel for the cluster.
The true Honkai wasn't so easily defeated.
A deathly silence hung over the churning sea of clouds. Though nothing was happening, a palpable sense of dread filled the air.
"Ren…"
Kiana's grip on his arm tightened. Ren glanced at her, seeing a flicker of anxiety in the usually fearless girl's eyes. He softened his expression, lowering his head and nuzzling his forehead against hers.
Kiana's eyes closed like a contented kitten. But she quickly snapped back to reality. This wasn't the time for that.
"No, I'm not scared. My power… it's back. I can help you." She opened her hand, a small flame flickering to life, its warm glow pushing back the darkness.
The Imaginary Tree's power came at a price. Every second consumed was a second less he had in this world. But now, with Kiana, he could afford to be more deliberate.
"Your Herrscher powers are unaffected?"
"Yeah."
Were they truly unaffected? Of course not. The cluster's control over the mindscape had weakened with the destruction of its Sentience form. Kiana was forcing her powers, drawing on the Gem of Serenity within her and the Flamescion's energy.
She didn't want Ren to fight alone. That was all.
But Kiana didn't know Ren was also a Herrscher. Her lie was transparent the moment she uttered it.
Looking at Kiana, determined to fight despite her weakened state, Ren didn't refuse. He knew she had her pride; she would never hide behind someone else. Even if he refused her help, she would likely find a way to contribute.
"Alright then, let's fight together." He released his hold on her waist, intertwining his fingers with hers. The Flamescion's flames flickered between their joined hands, nuzzling its two masters.
As his words faded, the inverted world snapped back to normal, and the vast sea of Honkai energy began to rapidly collapse.
Like a drain being opened, the sea of clouds tilted and contracted, vanishing within seconds, revealing a clear blue sky.
Beneath the blue, a pitch-black figure materialized before Ren, its eyes empty voids.
Ren's heart sank. He could tell the figure wasn't actually black; it was simply so dense with energy that light couldn't escape.
He had once played chess with a god of white. This one, clearly, was more than just a chess player.
"…"
The God of the Honkai didn't speak. It raised a hand, and a black hole appeared, warping the space around them.
"The Herrscher of the Void's power."
Then, a blizzard descended from the clear sky, black stars flickering amidst the swirling snow.
"Ice… Rock…"
BOOM!
Thunder crashed, lightning piercing the clouds and striking towards Ren. Extremes of heat and cold assaulted them simultaneously.
"Thunder… Flame… Sentience…"
The Will of the Honkai, as the administrator of all Herrschers, could replicate their powers. Any one of these abilities was devastating on its own. Combined, they were apocalyptic.
Crack.
The boundaries of the mindscape couldn't withstand the cluster's power. Fissures spread, revealing glimpses of the verdant Mount Taixu outside.
"No, if the mindscape shatters, this much Honkai energy will flatten Shenzhou." A quick calculation told Ren that he couldn't let this thing out.
But with only the Imaginary Tree's power…
As he pondered his options, Kiana grabbed his hand and pulled him upwards, soaring through the blizzard and into the clear sky above.
The warmth of their joined hands echoed their shared moment in the empty sky above ARC City. Suddenly, Ren broke free from his mental block. He couldn't do this alone. But…
"If it's the two of us…"
He was the Herrscher of Dominance, wielding the Herrscher of Ice's core, and had previously replicated the Herrscher of Reason's authority. Other Herrschers couldn't combine powers, but he could. The only problem was his output was weaker than a true Herrscher's.
But with Kiana, that was no longer an issue.
"Remember that time you 'killed' me in the Pacific?"
Kiana paused, confused.
"That attack saved me. The Herrscher of the Void controls the re-weaving of the Imaginary. That power can sever the Imaginary itself, fundamentally altering the Honkai. It's the only way to defeat this thing."
"But I don't know how."
"I'll help you." Ren closed his eyes, focusing on his Dominance and Imaginary powers.
In the darkness, the Herrscher of Ice core glowed, followed by the Herrscher of a Legion core.
As Ren was about to ask Kiana to activate her core, the Herrscher of the Void core within her ignited, followed by the Gem of Serenity and the Flamescion.
Within the mindscape, a silent understanding passed between them. As the six cores blazed, branches of the Imaginary Tree, like ribbons, connected them.
"[Extinguish!]"
As their minds connected, the God of the Honkai locked onto their location. It clasped its hands, and the various Herrscher authorities converged, forming a devastating beam of energy.
At that moment, Ren and Kiana, still with their eyes closed, raised their hands. A burning greatsword materialized, the six cores blazing on its hilt, the branches of the Imaginary Tree forming its blade.
"Don't look. Don't think. Feel the flow of energy within you. Let your conviction be your blade."
"God is the ultimate variable."
"Taixu Sword God!!"
As the Honkai's beam reached them, they opened their eyes simultaneously, bringing the six-core Taixu Sword God down.
Ha!
Blinding light filled the mindscape. A formless shockwave rippled outwards, shattering the very walls of the domain.
"Aurora Borealis?" In the real world, someone looked up at the sky, puzzled by the multi-colored lights.
"But this is Shenzhou…"
The Honkai energy spilling from the mindscape surged skyward, reaching the edge of the atmosphere. Even this residual energy was enough to paint the skies of Shenzhou with auroras for a month.
Within the shattered domain, two figures huddled together.
Time was meaningless here, and for Senti, that was more terrifying than imprisonment. At first, she had maintained her bravado, but as time stretched on, even her pride crumbled in the face of fear.
In the endless darkness, her only companion was Fu Hua, but Fu Hua was quiet, rarely responding.
Undeterred, Senti continued talking, recounting everything that had happened since she awoke – the satisfaction of beating up Otto, the thrill of causing chaos within World Serpent. She told the same stories over and over again.
But she had only existed for a few days. How many happy stories could she possibly have?
Finally, on the verge of a breakdown, she swallowed her pride and, like a child seeking comfort, spoke of her encounter with Ren, the injustice of being wrongly accused.
It was then that Fu Hua realized Senti was truly just a child.
"Old Antique, she'll come save you, right?" Senti's voice was hoarse, her knees pulled up to her chest in the darkness.
"Honestly, I'm really envious of you…"
Receiving no response, Senti sniffled, wiping away a tear. "I really didn't want to fight you… It's just… If I didn't, I didn't know where else I could go."
"After all, no one likes a Herrscher…"
"Except for… him. But it's too late now. I can't go back. I'm going to die."
Senti's sobs echoed in the empty Honkai domain, tears finally breaking through her last defenses.
Fu Hua remained silent, pulling Senti into a hug, gently patting her back.
"I… I don't need your comfort… sob…"
Despite her words, tears streamed down her face.
"Don't be stubborn. I don't blame you." Fu Hua sighed. She had been angry about what Senti had done, but she was more angry at herself.
As Senti had said, it was her own rash decision that had caused trouble for Kiana. It was her flawed thinking that had led to this failure. Her self-sacrifice had been nothing more than escapism.
Trapped with Senti, she hadn't just listened to her stories; she had also reflected on her own actions.
When had Kiana stopped being the fragile girl who needed her protection?
Fu Hua thought back. It must have been around the time they met that boy, Ren, in ARC City…
She should have let go sooner, but she had clung to her habits from the past fifty millennia, and this was the result.
Perhaps, after she died…
As the two of them wrestled with their regrets, a crack appeared in the darkness. Light spilled through, growing brighter and brighter.
"Did you come to save me…?" Senti murmured, sensing a familiar consciousness within the light.