9 Chapter 9: The Herrscher’s Awakening
[You realize that persuasion is futile and decide to take action first.]
[Without a word, you launch an attack and have Sirin use spatial transfer to move the other person away. You marvel at Sirin's amazing power but lament that she's not yet proficient in using it. Otherwise, you and Sirin could have escaped the moment you encountered the enemy, sparing the need for a direct confrontation.]
[You and Sirin divide the battlefield, engaging in a righteous beatdown on the remaining nun-like figure, making her aware of the current power gap.]
[You think: With the Weapons of the Thrones and the semi-awakened Herrscher, facing a little girl, it's not a 60,000 vs. 40,000 situation. How could the Dragonrider lose?]
[But reality teaches you a harsh lesson.]
Chase watches the valiant charge of the little nun ahead, feeling like his worldview is collapsing.
The bullets he fires, upon nearing this seemingly delicate white-haired nun, are directly shattered by a cross, not just one, but all of them!
All his attacks against this nun are effortlessly neutralized. She calmly deals with Chase's attacks while swiftly approaching him. Agile and light as a feather, a few steps cover a considerable distance, and the gap between Chase and her is rapidly closing.
This is even with Sirin's assistance. However, Sirin currently only masters the technique of spatial transfer, and her supportive abilities are quite limited.
Chase has proposed many ideas regarding Sirin's spatial abilities, such as hiding weapons in a treasure of another dimension, creating a spatial barrier that isolates space for defense, or using an alternate dimension to absorb and release attacks. However, Sirin's current strength doesn't allow her to execute these ideas.
The effectiveness of an ambush lies in its unexpectedness; once the opponent is prepared, it becomes challenging to succeed. Setting aside whether Sirin's current strength can use spatial transfer in a short time, even if she does, the opposing Valkyrie would easily evade it.
Who is this subordinate? So valiant! Chase involuntarily recalls this phrase, even with an imitation of Cao's voice.
But it's not the time to consider that now; the opponent is already closing in!
Don't come near!
Chase only sees a white light flash, and he's sent flying...
"Brother!" Chase seems to hear Sirin's voice, but it's blurry, not clear.
He feels like he has been struck by a massive Honkai beast, and not just any Honkai beast. This Valkyrie is like a humanoid Honkai beast!
The bullets shot by the child, although deadly, are still within the child's level of strength. It's akin to a monkey having a red butt, a proof of the monkey's status, not an elevation of status.
The Weapons of the Thrones can indeed enhance Chase's combat power, useful for dealing with weaker opponents, but against Valkyries like Theresa, this level of enhancement is clearly insufficient. Combat experience is something that equipment can't compensate for.
Chase, who fell on the ground, rolls a few times before barely coming to a stop. That blow seems to have drained all his strength. With an ordinary body, he withstood an attack from a fused warrior, and not dying on the spot is probably due to the opponent holding back. His consciousness is somewhat blurred, as if it's about to detach from his body the next moment.
He struggles to lift his head, watching the white-haired nun slowly approaching Sirin while carrying a cross, and a mysterious power is faintly brewing within her.
Silently, he stands up, without alerting anyone. The power of the Weapon of the Thrones, Sol's Hammer, is operating at its limit...
"Bang!" He fires a shot, and the energy emanating from the gun barrel burns his hand instantly, with the surface skin showing signs of carbonization.
But Chase doesn't feel it. His gaze is solely focused on the girl he promised to protect and the enemy he must overcome but can't. Besides this, his injuries and remaining life don't matter. He just needs to fire this shot, and Sirin might escape. That's what he thinks.
Suddenly feeling a sense of crisis, Theresa instinctively uses Judah to block.
Clang!
This surging bullet isn't shattered this time. Carrying a majestic light, it is blocked by Judah, then rebounds and continues heading towards its target.
Theresa's eyes are full of horror, watching the bullet hit her abdomen...
But she's a valk warrior. Even Chase's enraged strongest blow only inflicts a not-too-light-not-too-heavy injury on her.
Theresa looks at Chase, who stands on the blood-stained snow, showing a disdainful smile.
He says to Sirin, "Go."
He collapses.
Sirin stares blankly at her fallen brother, a nameless anger burning in her heart. She doesn't want to slink away, leaving her brother behind...
For the first time, Sirin doesn't listen to Chase's words.
She wants to deal with the detestable person in front of her properly!
Sirin recalls her mother lying on a sickbed, her friends who died in the laboratory, and her brother, her only reliance, who was hurt and knocked down several times for her, even to the brink of death...
Sirin wants to kill the enemy in front of her...
No, she must kill her! She's the one who harmed her brother!
Kill her!
[That's right.]
[Tear open the human heart.]
[Then you can become a true Herrscher!]
The second Herrscher of the current civilization, the Herrscher of the Void, is born in hatred!
[Schicksal] craves power and establishes the Babylon Laboratory to study artificial stigmata. Countless exceptionally talented children are forced to leave their parents, subjected to inhumane experiments daily.
The profound pain and hatred for the human world become excellent nourishment for the Honkai.
The experimental subjects from the [Tower] inherently possess the potential to become Herrschers...
The organization formed to counteract the Honkai, paradoxically fosters its growth. Isn't it ironic? But that's the reality.
The Herrscher of the Void has awakened.
An awakened Herrscher, or rather, Sirin, looks at Theresa with a face full of killing intent, her eyes showing disdain.
Although she has just awakened, and the Herrscher's core is not yet complete, these are unimportant details.
Freshly awakened, she still confidently believes she can kill the detestable Valkyrie in front of her! Moreover, the [God] is currently gathering the surrounding Honkai energy, accelerating her core's consolidation process.
Sirin is even more confident now!
At this moment, Theresa, watching the Herrscher soaring in the sky, unconsciously has a drop of cold sweat running down her cheek...
.......
On the other side, Welt has received information from Patricia on his way to the conflict zone.
Communication continues: "Master, those two kids might not be able to hold on in front of Theresa for long..."
"I'm well aware," Welt says, "I'm almost there."
Walter looks at the map, ensuring he's on the right path, accelerating towards the destination.
Suddenly, his expression becomes solemn.
He senses [her] presence, very strongly.
Walter connects to communication:
"Einstein, inform Tesla; the Herrscher of the Void has awakened. Bring the Titan forces over."
"Understood."
Welt ends the communication, his expression serious.
He has already made up his mind to kill [her].
