"Is everything in position?"
"You are such a slave-driver, Raven."
"Just answer the question."
"Yes. Sceptres of UWAS ready for the target. Just tire her a little and then bring her this way. I'll see them off once it's safe. Zap. Snoozy time."
"Jackal didn't seem to trust you with these artefacts."
"She's just paranoid. Only she can make them, and they take for-e-ver to.
"Both of you stop joking around. It's nearby."
The sniper lay atop a building over a kilometre away. Braced against one shoulder, her eye up against the scope, was the 3rd Divine Key. Raven ran a hand over the holographic toggle on the side of the rifle. The Key sent out a pulse of electromagnetism and from the response created an up-to-date image of this section of Coral City. Strong Honkai signatures were highlighted as points of light. What caught her interest the most were the two other signatures. The 3rd Divine Key had been created with reconnaissance and long-range assault in mind. A silent sniper rifle that launched kinetic railgun rounds or disintegrated its target at the molecular level. The Divine Key took advantage of the properties of the Core of Domination to read all nearby electromagnetic fields and create an accurate representation of the terrain. With all that in mind the true strength of the Divine Key was that it could also trace Honkai energy.
And Herrscher energy.
The two blobs had warning markers attached to them. The larger of the two by an order of magnitude was the Herrscher of Ice. Approaching it was a smaller signature. With each step it grew ever so slightly more powerful.
'The closer she is the more powerful she is. A hard counter against Herrschers. I think outside of this city she'd be maybe as powerful as an A-grade Valkyrie. But right now.'
Raven activated the holographic scope. A compass marker appeared around her right eye. Now it was as though her vision was hovering over the Magpie's shadow.
'Right now, I think she is the most powerful person in the city. Not even Durandal could take her.'
Magpie was one of the newest recruits. Perhaps two months since she had joined World Serpent. Nobody in the organisation asked questions about other Agents. They all hated the Honkai. They all would do anything to stop it. They all followed the Serpent without question. In the time since the new recruits arrival, Raven had heard about Magpie being deployed to multiple locations. Always areas with high density Honkai eruptions. Always deployed alone. Always returning with minimal injuries and ready for the next battle.
'She is professional if nothing else.'
Raven shifted her perspective. They were currently on the third level of Coral City close to the base of the Galaxy Ladder. Hanging between two skyscrapers and several stories up was a crystalline egg, shards of ice reaching out and holding the structure in place as though an arctic spider had spun the strange object. The 3rd Divine Key's scanner brought up multiple warnings.
"The cocoon is confirmed to be the resting place of the 5th Herrscher."
"Understood."
Magpie was a taciturn as usual. All she did was swing her spear several times in warm-up as she approached the space beneath the icy cocoon. To Raven's augmented vision the Herrscher Energy output from the woman was beginning to approach that of the sleeping creature above.
'Just where did this woman come from? If Jackal were behind this then she would have no doubt bragged to one and all. Instead, whenever the topic is brought up her mood turns foul.'
"In position."
Thumb touching the trigger, Raven allowed the 3rd Divine Key to warm up. The Serpent had granted her specific access to some of the advanced capabilities of the Divine Key. Reconnaissance. Holographic mapping. Kinetic and Disintegration output. The Zeroth ability of the weapon was still locked away.
"Awaken, God Key," Raven intoned.
The sniper rifle switched to disintegration mode and targeted the cocoon. Three seconds later the weapon was fully charged. Index finger caressing the trigger, Raven launched the first strike from over a kilometre away. The arc of lightning struck near instantaneously. Electricity coiled like angry serpents about the icy strands, biting deep, constricting and shredding them. The cocoon fell toward the ground, purple lightning eating away at the shell even as it came crashing down. Just before the core struck concrete it shattered under the force of the disintegrating strike. Something landed on soft feet amidst the fragments of vaporising ice. A figure in a snowy cloak that faded from deepest ocean blue at the shoulders to pale white at its hem.
'This Divine Key felled one of Otto's soulium combat clones. Yet this creature is untouched. It really is a Herrscher.'
The Herrscher rose into the air, cloak billowing out behind it, air misting as it's authority upon thermal energy extended outward. Beneath it's cloak it appeared to wear a one-piece outfit of form-fitting silk, midnight blue at the collar before fading to pristine white mid-thigh and continuing down to snowy white boots. Its arms were the same dark blue transitioning to icy white at the gloves. A veil of deep-sea blue covered her head and obscured the woman's face, though the tips of white hair peaked out from the base. Icy silver flowers formed patterns over the Herrscher's body and veil.
Herrscher energy suddenly spiked, warning icons lighting up Raven's augmented vision as the 3rd Divine Key analysed the situation.
'4200 HW and escalating. This creature is worse than the Herrscher of the Void according to our moles in Schicksal. I trust the Serpent's choices. But this still leaves me worried that we put our faith in a newly joined Agent.'
The Herrscher turned its veiled head toward the World Serpent Agent as she approached. The featureless white mask of Magpie concealed whatever expression she made. The Herrscher tipped its head back and howled. Like fingers of ice raking a blackboard, the noise reverberated and shook the buildings. Windows rippled under the pressure before shattering. At a distance, Raven had enough time to jam hands against ears before the shockwave struck. Even then the sound penetrated her to the core. Bones shook, the cold seeping into muscles and seizing them up, eyes aching and vision blurring. Holographic vision via the 3rd Divine Key maintained operation. Waves of ice pulse outward. In the rain of shattered windows and spinning glass Magpie charged forward.
One second, she was twenty metres from the Herrscher. The next she was thrusting her spear from less than two metres away. The Herrscher covered herself in a layer of impenetrable rime. Magpie followed up with several quick stabs and strikes with the side of the polearm. In between blows the Herrscher thawed, gesturing with one hand and sending a carpet of frozen stalagmites rushing toward Magpie. The Agent used her polearm to vault over the attack and press her assault. The Herrscher lifted into the air and dodged between the attacks. Raven couldn't keep up with the two. Their dance was unlike anything she had ever seen. Magpie's skill was undeniable. The polearm never stopped spinning, never stopped its hungry attempts to seek an opening. The Herrscher in turn dodged and danced about the air, conjuring rods of ice to deflect any attacks that might have otherwise struck. The two wove between the glittering rain of glass, never taking so much as a graze.
'Damnit. The creature is too fast. I would say that the host had some level of combat training. Enough to make it a serious threat.'
Raven switched the Divine Key over to kinetic ammunition.
"I'm providing long-range support."
"I can handle the Herrscher."
"That wasn't a request. This is my operation."
"Understood."
"Awaken, God Key."
Combat precognition algorithms were activated. The holographic augmented reality extended past Raven's eye. Tunnels of possible attack vectors lit up. Raven marked viable predicted attack patterns and pulled the trigger. Just as the precognition algorithms calculated, Magpie feinted even as the Herrscher sent a carpet of lethal icy shards pulsing to the right. Where Magpie had stood a second ago the hypersonic railgun round passed through. The kinetic round hit the Herrscher and knocked her back a few centimetres. Raven tsked.
'Didn't even scratch the surface.'
Raven didn't slow her pace. Every few seconds she pulled the trigger. Every time her shot passed through the anticipated gap between the two combatants. One mistake and she would hit Magpie. Raven trusted in the weapon from the Previous Era to correct for any errors. The temperature even she lay atop the building so far away was plummeting. But that wasn't what chilled her.
'The one with Mei did just the same as I without any augmentation. Just who the hell was she?'
"So. Like are you going to keep playing? Or are the two of you going to stick to the plan? I'm quite cosy where I am so you do you."
"Be ready to trigger the Sceptres at any time."
"Yeah, yeah."
The Herrscher launched herself into the air, spearheads of ice congealing around her. She howled again, the inhuman sound carrying through the misty air. A feral gesture threw the spearheads downward. Magpie dodged the aerial bombardment. The impacts cratered concrete with frightening force. With another howl the Herrscher conjured more frozen missiles. Raven took the opportunity to snap off three kinetic rounds. A shield of diamond-like ice appeared at the last moment. The railgun rounds barely cracked the surface.
'The thing can anticipate attacks. But it hasn't said anything. Offensively or defensively, its actions appear more instinctual than rational. It is as though the Herrscher is little more than a beast. I thought Herrschers had human consciousness and Honkai power. This complicates matters.'
The next bombardment commenced. Magpie went on the offence. As the missile fell, she leapt into the air and onto the side of one frozen lance. She kicked off the falling spearhead and toward another one, bouncing between the glacial lances and quickly ascending. The Herrscher readied itself for a frontal assault, invulnerable rime covering its body. Magpie zoomed past, flipping mid-air and pressing herself in a crouch against a frozen lance behind the Herrscher. Arm coiled tightly against shoulder, she hurled her spear in an overhead motion, intentionally missing the Herrscher's face by centimetres. The creature unfroze, looking for an opportunity. That opening was what Magpie had been looking for. Legs tensed, inhuman strength poured into limb, Herrscher and Honkai energy augmenting the woman. Magpie sprung forward, moving at speeds that not even the Herrscher could respond to. The Agent caught the Herrscher off guard in a lariat, arm tight about her neck, the kinetic energy of the attack sending the two streaking toward the ground so fast that Raven lost sight for a moment. Concrete dust was thrown into the air from the impact crater several metres across. The 3rd Divine Key dispelled the obstructed view, overlaying Raven's vision with Honkai and Herrscher energy silhouettes. The two combatants had landed next to Magpie's soulium spear. Just as intended. The Agent rolled over and snatched up her weapon. The stunned Herrscher had not time to react. Its body was struck multiple times, Magpie showing no mercy as she pressed her advantage. These blows made their mark, each hit biting into or bruising flesh. Pale blood wept briefly from the wounds before freezing over.
Raven was at a loss for words. In this moment she grasped why the Serpent had chosen Magpie. This Agent could defeat the Herrscher if needed.
"Be ready, Owl, Magpie has the creature nearly depleted."
"Got it."
The Herrscher lay on her back and took blow after blow. Suddenly she shrieked, the noise dazing Magpie for a heartbeat. In that opening the Herrscher raised a hand and created a dome of glacial spears. She clenched her hand. The lethal rain came in at all sides. Magpie spun her spear above head. Some still got through, clipping her body in multiple places. Injuries on her torso and head bled. Arms and legs showed no sign of harm.
The Herrscher was faster than before. It blinked away from where it had been lying. Now it hovered at the lip of the crater. A shorter howl announced it's intentions. Magpie read the mood and withdrew toward the location Owl had designated earlier. The angered Herrscher gave chase, conjuring frozen spearheads over its shoulders and launching them forward. Magpie dodged and feinted without looking back.
'Good. All according to—'
A dart pierced Raven's neck through the cowl of her cloak. Her vision swam. All strength bled from limbs. The woman collapsed to the ground. It took everything she had to maintain her breathing. Through blurred eyes she made out two drones hovering above. One with a dart launcher. The other picking up the 3rd Divine Key and zipping off.
'Wait. What just. I can't. How did.'
Raven's mind was a fugue. Slack lips drooled as she tried to understand what had happened. It took nearly a minute to put together a single coherent thought.
'Owl.'
Owl waited atop the rooftop, abseiling equipment in place and ready. The whole scene played out via camera on multiple observation drones. The dart attack on Raven had gone according to plan.
"Hey. It's Magpie, right? Problem. Honkai energy is messing with communications. I just lost contact with Raven. We stick to the plan?"
"Of course."
"If you say so. I've marked the location of the Sceptres on the map. They don't have a wide area of effect. So, you'll need to get the Herrscher down the tight side-road. Thing is that she's superfast and I have to manually activate these things. Do you think you could, like, make her move a bit slow before she keeps chasing you? Cautious or something. Then just keep backing up and I'll do the rest."
"Understood."
Owl rolled his eyes.
'Taciturn isn't she.'
The drone with the 3rd Divine Key arrived, depositing the weapon in the Agent's hands. Owl tried to activate the weapon.
-Authority not recognised-
'Guess the Serpent isn't too trusting. It'll only work for those deemed worthy. Then again Schicksal thought about this problem. Nice little tool they developed for Valkyrja that need to use a Divine Key temporarily.'
As an Information Warfare expert, Owl had contacts in all the major factions. That included a few from Schicksal willing to sell out for the right price. He withdrew the Harmony Strand injector from a pocket and pressed it against his neck. The quick stab of pain followed the burning that flowed through his bloodstream. Owl gripped the sniper rifle and touched the holographic toggle.
"Awaken, God Key."
The weapon thrummed into life. For the next several hours Owl would be able to do everything short of deploying the Zeroth Power. The electromagnetic pulse from the reconnaissance module gave Owl a clearer image than what the observation drones could. Magpie did as instructed, attacking like a wolf, small bites before quickly retreating. The Herrscher grew cautious, its feral mind confused and irritated by the scything attacks. Magpie finally withdrew down the side-road and to the marked location.
"Guess Mei isn't going to show up. I wanted to bleed both sides dry. Some things don't always go according to plan."
A small rod was pulled from jacket pocket. Owl pressed the toggle. From the Divine Key's perspective, a pulse of roiling energy expanded outward. Any connection between Herrscher Core and the Imaginary Tree was twisted and warped. The Sceptres stripped Honkai and Herrscher energy from the air and turned it into thermal radiation. Ice and snow vapourised. The warm rain fell about Magpie's shoulders. The Agent collapsed to hand and knee, body quaking from the sudden loss of power. It was like taking a marathon runner halfway through the track and dumping them in sub-zero water. Her whole body seized up. With no Honkai or Herrscher energy the woman was just another human. Observation drones kept careful watch.
Owl hopped on the lip of the building and stepped off the side, running down the glass walls as the abseiling equipment looked after his descent. Just before he reached the bottom the man leapt forward, righted his body mid-jump, and landed on practiced feet. Ropes automatically detached. Up to this point it had been easy. What came next was the real challenge.
Owl set down the Divine Key and waited. His augmented vision showed the Herrscher cautiously approaching. Owl very slowly put a hand down the collar of his jacket and pulled out a small silver necklace. The focus was the glittering half of a silvery heart. If it were paired with another necklace the two would mirror one another. The Herrscher hovered just above the ground. It pained Owl to be unable to see Ana's face, but the deep blue veil obscured her features.
"Ana," Owl called out gently. "Ana, do you have the necklace?"
Her response was a slow moan. She lifted up arms, small needles of ice forming around either wrist and orbiting slowly, tips pointed toward Owl. In response the man raised his hands and got to one knee.
"If you think you need to kill me, then do so. All I ask is that you escape. Raven cannot harm you. Magpie has lost all her power. Just run. Run and live. There are Herrscher out there that retain their freedom and their will. I know you can do the same. Don't be a pawn of the Honkai. Just be you. Be the sweet and confident Ana Schariac that I know."
The Herrscher hesitated. Owl smiled and lowered his head. He could feel pain in his chest. But this was the moment he had lived for. All this planning came down to this. He would not be thwarted.
"I know about Manilla. I know about my sister. You may not remember by face. But my name might help. I'm Tianwu Chen. You saved me. I asked if you have saved my sister. But you couldn't respond at the time. I know what happened. You left her behind and saved me instead. I know everything, Ana, I know your past and what you did. I hated you. For the longest time I hated your choice. But I understand now. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions."
Owl looked up and met the Herrscher's gaze.
"I made a choice, Ana. I chose you. I'll pay the price for that. World Serpent do not forgive traitors. But I forgive you, Ana. Kill me now if you want. But make a choice and live."
The Herrscher of Ice moaned again. This time its voice seemed to convey a feeling of deep pain and sorrow. A wound and regret that would forever linger. The Herrscher slowly approached, boots hovering just above the ground, veiled head fixed on Owl. Ice and snow swirled around the woman. Owl's breath misted. This was it. All or nothing.
Warning sigils appeared in Owl's holographic vision. The 3rd Divine Key detected an unprecedented diminishment in Honkai energy centred around the Sceptres of UWAS.
'No.'
Owl snatched up the rifle and turned to face the danger. Observation drones showed the replay of Magpie stabbing something into her neck just before she directly absorbed the all latent Honkai energy in the area.
'Combat drugs. Unknown therapeutic potential. This wasn't in her official or unofficial files. Not even Jackal knew about this.'
A soulium spear punched through Owl's shoulder joint, cybernetic limb falling slowly to the ground alongside the rifle. Time turned to glass. It took a heartbeat for Owl to realise he'd be injured. His eyes picked Magpie out from where she stood at the end of the side-road. Arm stretched from the throw. Featureless white mask fixed on him. How had she moved so fast? How had she gotten her strength back? The Sceptres of UWAS were relics of the Previous Era. This wasn't possible. Owl had no plan for this.
'No. No. No. I didn't anticipate this.'
One stride. Magpie covered one fourth the distance between her and Ana.
'Ana isn't ready. She's confused. I've distracted her.'
Two strides.
'Think. Think. Think.'
Three strides.
'Magpie doesn't need her weapon. I saw her nearly break Ana when simply holding back. I read her file. With bare hands and time to absorb Herrscher energy she'll kill Ana.
Four strides. Magpie wound up a heel-palm strike. The blow sent the Herrscher flying into a nearby building. On impact metal bowed inward. The Herrscher fell to hand and knee. Magpie completely ignored the traitor beside her. The Herrscher was her target. She sprinted toward her prey.
'I have to do something. Do something. I cannot fail. I won't lose anyone. Not again. Not like this.'
Rime covered the Herrscher. Magpie balled up a hammer fist and slammed downward. The blow cracked the armour. The next shattered it. The Herrscher howled in pain. Magpie slid a foot under the Herrscher and lifted her into the air before bringing the hammer fist down a third time. Owl's blood boiled. He had to act. But he was powerless. Utterly. All he could do was lift his working arm up and uselessly gesture toward the woman he cared about. The woman who he had an unrequited love for.
'I'll save you. Even if I cannot save myself.'
Owl had been under pressure all day. Since the start of the Eruption, he had worked tirelessly towards the goal of saving Ana. Of saving the woman who probably never remembered him. It didn't matter. He didn't matter. Only the woman he cared about that never knew him back. They only had a simple, useless trinket to forge a bond between them. But that was enough for Tianwu. The thinnest of bridges was all he needed. And now he was powerless. No plans. No alternatives. No choices. Just watch it all fall apart.
"I don't care who is listening or if you even care. Let me save her. Let me do something."
Owl wasn't like Raven or Magpie. He had no innate resistance to Honkai energy. Over time more than 70% of his body had been replaced with cybernetics due to Honkai radiation erosion. All this time spent in the city during the Eruption only irradiated him further. Now in such close proximity Herrscher energy permeated his flesh too.
Some nameless inhuman entity heard Owl's plea and responded out of amusement.
Snow, ice and dust exploded away from Owl. Agony, euphoria, anger and power. Owl still had an organic beating heart and it thrummed. Magpie hesitated and looked over her shoulder.
The Herrscher of Gravity clenched his fist. Pressure bared down on the woman. 100x Earth gravity pinned her in place. Under such extreme pressure the woman still managed to slowly stand up. Owl gritted his teeth and shifted gravitational orientation. Magpie was sent flying, the propelling force enough to send her crashing through buildings.
Owl slowly got to his feet. He looked down at the severed cybernetic limb and hissed. Behind his eyes he could feel a thrumming power. It matched the one beating in his heart. His mind both comprehended and shuddered at the knowledge that burned its way through synapse and soul.
Destroy humanity.
Scourge them.
Wipe out the insects.
You are the instrument of their destruction.
The Herrscher of Gravity wanted to roar. His eyes settled upon Ana where she lay against the building. It all happened unconsciously. Gravity drew dirty ice and snow around him, compacting it into a stable form. The frosty limb attached itself to the shattered shoulder stump. The 3rd Divine Key floated over to hand, Owl gripping it firmly and feeling a newfound kinship with the Core within. Owl understood how spiteful humanity could be. The bodies of his comrades butchered to make crude weapons. The Herrscher of Gravity walked over to where Ana lay and extended an icy hand. Hanging about his neck was the half-heart necklace. About Ana's was the other half. The two Herrschers clasped hands, Ana pulled to her feet, her hidden face meeting Owl's eyes.
"We should leave."
A low, keening howl was the response. The two Herrscher disappeared into the blizzard.