Fu Hua's arrival had brought the battle to a standstill. The Herrscher had paused her attack to stare at the newcomer with a measure of annoyance and hatred in her eyes. She could feel it. Her vessel's anger bubbling forward at the sight of her. For once, she and her vessel were aligned in emotion but their intent still diverged. Her weak minded vessel did not wish to kill this woman.
Theresa helped Mei to her feet as they used each other for support.
Fu Hua straightened herself and glanced over to Mei and Theresa. The two had been badly injured in this fight. She almost flinched when she saw the distrustful gaze in Theresa's gaze and the disappointed one in Mei's eyes.
"Fu Hua?" Bronya asked.
"Bronya. Mei… Theresa…," Fu Hua turned to Bronya. "Get them out of here. Run and don't look back," she said.
She turned and glared at the Herrscher. An orange glow began to form around her fists. "This is not an enemy you can face alone, let alone defeat."
Bronya stared at Fu Hua's back for a considerable amount of time before nodding. She directed Project Bunny to help her with Mei and Theresa. Before she did, Bronya turned around one more time. "Class Rep…"
"Mmm?" Fu Hua said, keeping her gaze trained on the Herrscher at every moment.
"The Bronya thanks you. The Bronya thanks Fu Hua for helping her escape the dreamland," she said.
"..." Fu Hua remained silent. It was the only detour she had taken on her way to Theresa's cabin. However, in spite of her more recent actions, she did not deserve Bronya's thanks. It was her fault that Cecilia had ended up the way she is right now. She clenched her fists tightly. "Go."
Bronya nodded and floated off to evacuate her principal and her friend.
Fu Hua breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the whirring of Project Bunny. She concentrated on the task at hand.
The Herrscher of the Void hovered in the air, staring at her callously. She could see flecks of Cecilia's own anger simmering beneath the Herrscher's baleful golden eyes. The damage she had done to the girl was most likely irreparable. However, in this final act as an honor to a friendship that they once had, she would save her. Fu Hua's arms glowed and a pair of black and golden gauntlets, decorated by glowing red gems and orange-red feathers manifested on her arms.
"Annoying. You humans are like maggots. Kill one and a dozen more take their place. Well, whatever. Come at me all you want, scum," the Herrscher said, summoning several portals.
[Initiating Eclipse Mode]
[Target acquired: Cecilia Kaslana]
"Change target designation name," Fu Hua said. "Target designation name: Herrscher of the Void."
[Acknowledged. Designation name changed. Target Acquired: Herrscher of the Void]
The Herrscher raised an eyebrow. "Do you think your toys will change anything? You will change nothing. I'll show you how it feels when someone intrudes upon your party."
Fu Hua narrowed her eyes. "Enough talk. I'll end you here and now, Void Herrscher." Fu Hua's eyes turned red.
"You…" The Herrscher narrowed her eyes before summoning several more portals. Something deep and subconscious, something akin to a primeval fear stirred within her. It wasn't the same one she felt six years ago, however, it was similar. Faint even.
Taking advantage of the Herrscher's sudden brief hesitation, Fu Hua shifted her heel and shot forth with surprising speed.
Compared to the diminutive older woman with the large cross or the supposed Herrscher of Thunder, this woman's skill and prowess had surpassed all of them.
Even her own vessel could not fully perceive the woman's movement speed. And so, just like with Theresa, the Herrscher was sent flying. She slammed violently into a pillar, seemingly confused about what had just happened. Then, it set in. Pain. Unbearable pain.
She stumbled forward, gripping her side as she fell to one knee. Her eyes were wide with agony and surprise. An injury. Impossible. She was a Herrscher. She would not fall to this-
Her train of thought was interrupted. Her body instinctively conjured a portal beneath her, allowing her to slip through and reappear in a different location.
An explosion almost blew her back as pieces of concrete rubble flew in every direction.
Fu Hua stood in the middle of a shallow crater, fist aflame. "It ends here, Herrscher." Fu Hua said.
"Impudent worm," the Herrscher of the Void said.
Fu Hua saw the wound she had been dealt healing. A black mist wafted from the laceration.
The Gem of Serenity… so that's how she awakened…
Dark strings of Honkai Energy gather into the palms of her hand. Violet lightning crackled within them.
She's stolen the Gem of Conquest? Fu Hua thought as she readied herself.
"Perish along with the rest of them," the Herrscher said.
She raised her hand into the air, causing powerful arcs of lightning to shoot toward her.
Fu Hua dashed forward, weaving in and out, dodging the blasts of lightning. One bolt came particularly close. She closed her fist and punched it, causing it to shatter to harmless sparks of electricity.
She continued her charge, quickly crossing the gap between her and the Herrscher. However, before her fist could make contact, the Herrscher blinked out of the way. Her fist had hit nothing but air.
Her eyes widened when she saw the Herrscher holding her hand up. A malevolent smirk appeared on her face as she snapped her fingers.
Fu Hua tried to jump back but the small lance embedded on the ground detonated, creating a distorted orange spatio-temporal field. Fu Hua struggled to move. It wasn't as if she was paralyzed. All her movements had become extremely sluggish to the point where a civilian would be able to overpower her.
"Good bye, Human," the Herrscher of the Void said as she conjured a spear. She threw the spear at Fu Hua.
Fu Hua narrowed her eyes. Her arm glowed brightly. With a roar of determination, the sudden burst of Honkai energy shattered the small dimensional barrier.
"W- Wha-!?" the feat caught the Herrscher's eyes as she remembered something from long ago. Flames. That white-haired man. She grit her teeth.
Dark energy gathered within her hand and she was about to unleash it had it not been for Fu Hua's fist colliding with her face.
The Herrscher was thrown through the wall of the pillar behind her. She flew until she slammed into the ground and skidded to a halt. She looked down at the ground with wide eyes. "Impossible… I was hit…?" she wondered.
The Herrscher slowly got up. A shroud of Honkai energy surrounded her. "You dare lay your hands on the Queen?" she asked.
Fu Hua remained silent. Her silent gaze was hidden behind her black and orange visor. Her lack of response only served to infuriate the Herrscher even more. Despite the Void Queen's calm and slightly annoyed visage, she felt anger and fury bubbling beneath the surface. She didn't know if it belonged to her or her vessel.
"You're no Queen," Fu Hua said after a few minutes of silence. "You're just a monster who relishes in the fear and pain of everyone around you. Someone like you is not deserving of life."
"And what about you?" The Herrscher's left eye turned blue. "You enforce the rules of a flawed species… enforce the laws of a civilization whose sole purpose is to benefit off the suffering of others… I am the product of humanity's cruelty. The true nature of someone whose had everything stripped away from them."
"Your view of the world is skewed and flawed. If cruelty is the true nature of mankind, then how has civilization persisted?" Fu Hua asked.
"Oh? Did you exchange my platitude with one of your own? Well here's one for you… if mankind truly has love within their hearts, why isn't the world a more beautiful and peaceful place? Why does your humanity beget an existence like mine…?" she smirked as the world around her began to distort.
Fu Hua remained silent. Her response to that question was to ready herself for whatever the Herrscher of the Void had planned. Her gauntlets burned with fury, preparing to unleash their full power, along with the power of her Godsbane battlesuit at the enemy.
"Enough words." With that, she shot towards the Herrscher of the Void once more.
An explosion rang in the distance. Mei looked over her shoulder as she supported Theresa.
"Class Rep...," Mei said in a soft voice.
A plume of smoke rose into the air. Thunder and lightning rumbled above them and winds blew outward from the location of the battle. Flames burst into existence briefly as she watched the ensuing battle of epic proportions.
"She'll be fine. She has a Godsbane suit on...," Theresa said. She coughed violently, spitting blood out of her mouth.
"Headmaster!" Mei said in a panicked voice.
"It's okay. Just help me get to the Hyperion."
Mei nodded and turned to Bronya. Bronya directed Project Bunny to carry their injured headmaster.
"Cecilia... Class Rep, please be okay," Mei prayed.
The Herrscher of the Void reacted quickly. A blue barrier formed around her, blocking Fu Hua's attack.
Fu Hua's speed was nothing to be laughed at. She had moved as fast, if not faster than that white-haired woman.
The Herrscher of the Void narrowed her eyes as Fu Hua let loose a barrage of punches at her barrier. The Imaginary Barrier began to crack underneath the pressure. Space warped around her as she phased out of existence just as the barrier shattered.
The courtyard exploded violently as rubble rained down in various spots across the surrounding area.
Fu Hua stood at the center of the crater before turning around. Her millennia of sharpened senses allowed her to react almost instantaneously.
The Herrscher's void lance was knocked out of the air by a well-timed deflect, much to the Herrscher's surprise.
Fu Hua kicked off, flying toward her at supersonic speeds.
The Herrscher growled before taking to the air, using her ability to warp space to gain distance between them.
[Directing all power to thrusters]
A loud crack shattered the night sky as Fu Hua quickly closed the distance between her and the Herrscher of the Void.
The Herrscher reacted quickly, using her lances and barriers to block Fu Hua's relentless attacks.
The two streaked across the sky; two trails of orange clashing and shattering the blue skies above them.
The Herrscher opened several portals behind her, firing a salvo of potent, destructive Honkai energy intent on annihilating her quarry.
Fu Hua flexed her fingers before cocking her fist back. Several ethereal, golden swords manifested in the air around her.
[Grips of Tai Xuan - First Power: Yin Yang.]
The sky lit up with several flashes of light as the Herrscher of the Void's lances clashed with Fu Hua's ethereal blades.
The ethereal blades collided with the lances, causing both to detonate violently due to the clash of energies between them. Soon, the skies above where they were located resembled that of a war between two armies. To the onlooker, it might have looked like a display of aerial warfare, however, to the two they were throwing their salvo, hoping to extinguish the other.
Fu Hua threw one more sword before flying forward.
She twisted and avoided the Herrscher of the Void's seemingly endless barrage of lances and energy. Cuts formed on her exposed skin and dents managed to make their way onto her battlesuit's armored sections. However, she breached the Herrscher of the Void's defenses. With one powerful punch, she shattered the imaginary barrier that the Herrscher had erected at the last minute.
Fu Hua's fist collided with the Herrscher of the Void's midsection, knocking the air out of her. She flew at breakneck speeds and slammed violently into the ground.
Fu Hua landed on the ground shortly after, directing and focusing her gaze on the dust cloud where the Herrscher of the Void had landed.
"I remember now…," the Herrscher of the Void said as her wing spread, unleashing a gust of wind that blew the dust away. Her golden eyes were filled with malice and her voice dripped with hatred.
"That impassive face, that funny little outfit, you've caused me a great deal of grief," the Herrscher said.
Fu Hua almost flinched when she heard a twinge of Cecilia's inflection heard within the Herrscher's deeper, more malevolent tone.
"Have you come to protect her as well?" the Herrscher asked.
"Are you done?" Fu Hua replied, brushing aside the Herrscher's attempts at throwing her off her game.
A look of unrestrained annoyance finally showed itself on the Herrscher's usually composed countenance.
"You insect… You'll pay for your insolence," the Herrscher of the Void said. A dark violet aura exploded from her body, causing the fabric of space and time to twist and warp into impossible geometric shapes and angles.
"Her control over dimensions has improved," Fu Hua commented.
"This time, I won't play around anymore, filthy human," the Void Herrscher said.
Fu Hua sensed a shift in her demeanor. She prepared herself. If the Herrscher was coming at her with the intent to kill, she would need to fight back with everything. The Grips of Taixuan. And even… if she had to, Fenghuang Down.
Even if I have to burn all my memories…
Flames flickered around Fu Hua's fist. Her eyes glowed with a red tinge. She would not fail here.
Her body flickered as she zipped around the battlefield, appearing seemingly in multiple places.
The Herrscher remained still. It appeared that she wasn't tracking Fu Hua, however, Fu Hua knew better.
The Herrscher of the Void now had access to the genetic enhancements of Kevin's descendants. There was a chance that, even if Cecilia could not fully perceive her, the Herrscher of the Void could use Cecilia's senses to gain a general awareness of her surroundings.
She zipped to one location before shooting toward the Herrscher of the Void like a rocket. Honkai energy gathered into her fist, cloaking it in a flame-like light. The Grips of Taixuan directing all the Honkai energy within them for one decisive blow.
The Herrscher of the Void's eyes snapped in her direction as she raised her hand. Several violet barriers formed in the distance between them.
Fu Hua let out a battle cry before slamming her fist into the barrier.
Like an anti-tank round, Fu Hua's fist tore through the Herrscher's barriers as if they were paper.
The sound of glass shattering filled the air as the barriers came undone one by one.
The Herrscher of the Void stumbled back as Fu Hua burst through her final barrier. The woman's eyes, while hidden behind the black visor, had a fierce gaze behind them. The amount of power Fu Hua was radiating was causing her hair to turn white.
The Herrscher's shocked face lasted for all but a moment.
"Gotcha~ !"
Fu Hua's eyes widened as a sharp, agonizing pain tore through her midsection. The warm liquid trailed down her torso as her fist came mere millimeters from making contact with the Herrscher's face.
The air around them shattered, creating a powerful gale that blew everything back.
"Urkk… gahk!" Fu Hua coughed, staining the object that pierced her with blood. She looked down and saw one of the Herrscher's Void Lances protruding from a well-timed spatial rift on the ground.
"You humans are all the same… charging in with reckless abandon. As if I didn't see such a thing coming," the Herrscher said, gloating over Fu Hua's reckless mishap.
[Battlesuit integrity compromised. Reverting to base form and initiating solium repairs.]
Fu Hua's heart almost stopped when she heard her battlesuit's AI announce the words in her ears. She gripped the lance to pull it out, however, the lance dispelled and she soon found the Herrscher's hand around her throat.
The Herrscher of the Void grinned as she hovered in the air, lifting the older girl off the ground with one hand.
Fu Hua struggled to breathe properly. Blood trickled down the wound on her stomach.
"Ngggh…" Fu Hua glared defiantly at her.
The Herrscher of the Void smiled amusedly. A sadistic glee danced within her baleful golden eyes. "I must admit," she said. "You're slightly different from the others. Unfortunately, in the end, you're only human."
Fu Hua's blue-grey eyes flicked over and caught sight of the wounds on the Herrscher's body. The wounds were now healing. A black mist came off the wounds as they closed. The Gem of Serenity had been implanted in her and now granted her an immense defensive ability in the form of regeneration via a phantom of the Herrscher of Death's powers.
Had the Herrscher not had the two Gems in her possession, Fu Hua knew without a shadow of a doubt that this fight would have turned out differently. However, the possession of more than one Authority tilted the balance of power in the Herrscher's favor.
"Mmm? Lamenting over your defeat before your death?" the Herrscher mockingly asked. "However… I find it odd."
"Wha…?" Fu Hua managed to choke out.
"You held back. You didn't go all out on me. My senses tell me that you have two Divine Keys on your being yet you refuse to use the second one. Is it that you held back for the sake of this girl or… you don't know how? Or maybe…" A twisted smile appeared across her lips. "Is it unusable?"
A flicker of anxiety on Fu Hua's eyes told the Herrscher everything she needed to know.
"It doesn't matter. It would have changed nothing. Now…" the Herrscher raised her other hand. Pressure collapsed the space within the palm of the Herrscher's hand, causing a black sphere that seemingly devoured all the light within its range. "Perish… I'll send your pathetic friends to you very soon."
As the Herrscher of the Void was about to deal the finishing blow, a rondo of claps caused her to stop.
Her head turned to see an unwelcome guest slowly walk his way onto the battlefield. The light reflected off his bright blonde hair and his green eyes were filled with utter confidence. He smiled at her as if he were greeting an old friend.
The smile on the man's face made all her instincts scream at her that this man was dangerous, despite her knowing in her mind that she had nothing to fear. Yet something innately animal part within her told her that she was facing something she had no way of understanding.
"Otto…?" Fu Hua rasped.
"Truly… a most exciting battle," Otto said.
The Herrscher of the Void raised an eyebrow.
"You truly are the Queen of the Honkai. Your beauty and form were simply sublime," he continued.
His voice was familiar. Her eyes narrowed. "You… I recognize you…" Her anger began to bubble over. "You're the pathetic human who awoke me… the one who aspires to claim the powers of God."
"Oh? I didn't expect you to remember. It's quite an honor, my Queen. Was this perhaps you drawing on memories from back then… or simply… is it the memories of who you currently are?" Otto asked.
"What are you-" The Herrscher felt an agonizing throb threaten to split her head open. She masked the pain. Her vessel.
Otto's green eyes gleamed. Oh…? How interesting… he mused. He coughed into his hand. "I have something to implore of you, My Queen."
His words cut through her. She removed her hand from her head and glared. The Herrscher remained silent. "Speak," she said warily after a few seconds.
"I was hoping that you spare the one in your hand. As repayment. To return the favor for your resurrection," he said. Otto pointed his finger at Fu Hua and the two noticed something off for the first time. Otto's sleeve was slightly torn. Blood flowed from his wrists, trickling down his arm before congregating into several sharp spines.
All of which were aimed at the Herrscher and poised to strike at a moment's notice.
W- What…? A Holy Spear? Fu Hua's eyes widened.
"That girl is a friend. I was hoping that you wouldn't hurt her," Otto said. Despite his jovial tone, there was an underlying edge to it. This was not a request. It was an order.
The Herrscher eyed him. The animal part of her brain was now screaming at her in full. It was not the man she was now wary of. It was the sanguine fluid currently forming into weapons around his arm. It was familiar to her, yet its nature made her subconsciously afraid.
"..." she weighed the pros and cons of engaging him in battle. Ultimately, the Herrscher threw Fu Hua at his feet. "Killing her would only soil my hands. I leave her in your care, worm."
The Herrscher kept her gaze trained on him, prepared to retaliate in case he tried anything. His smile. It was somehow as malevolent, if not more so than hers. Yet, she saw something in his eyes that she didn't have. Focus and dedication. Fighting him would only serve to waste her time and incur more losses than gains.
"There is now no doubt that you were the very same being that was responsible for the Second Honkai War. Your power and persistence have the capacity to see your goals through," Otto said, in an almost mocking yet reverent tone.
The Herrscher narrowed her eyes. "You bore me with your flattery, worm."
She continued. "I'm not interested in you. I'm more interested in those girls. To think someone like you would be a leader of humanity…"
Otto kept the smile on his face. The blood that levitated around Otto swirled, causing the Herrscher to subconsciously float backward.
Scoffing at the sight of him, the Herrscher of the Void tore open the space behind her and vanished into the yawning abyss.
As soon as her presence disappeared, the smile left Otto's face. "Hmm, what a gruesome fight." He looked down at Fu Hua's battered form. "It's been a while since I've seen you like this. The last time I saw you this hurt was at Heaven's Pinnacle 500 years ago. Sushang would be horrified to see you like this… Old Friend."
Fu Hua weakly raised her head at his words.
"I'll get you treated. In any case, we have to celebrate the success of Phase 1."
"...What?" Fu Hua asked, her eyes full of confusion.
"Oh? You can still talk. That grip she had on your throat just now. I was sure she crushed your voicebox," Otto commented.
"You… Why did you let her leave? You have… a Holy Spear on you…," Fu Hua asked. "You should know… she wants to-"
"I know. As of right now, she is in pursuit of Little Theresa," Otto said, shaking his head in exasperation. "Honestly, Theresa should have turned the ship around like I asked. But whatever, she will catch up to them soon. And then no one will be able to stand in our way this time. Those girls will fight to the last."
"Wha…? What are you talking about?" Fu Hua asked, confused.
"Ah, of course, I never told you. You merely assumed the Herrscher had devoured her but alas, it's not true. K-423 is still alive. In fact, for this to succeed, I need her to be alive," Otto said.
"...?"
Otto sighed. "You see that body now houses two minds. Of course, they are, in the end, two sides of the same coin. There is K-423, who you call Cecilia, and then there is the entity that calls herself, Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void. Of course, you and I both know… resurrection is impossible. Junk data within the core left from the Void Herrscher has caused K-423's mind to split into two distinct personalities.
"Absorbing the Gem of Serenity and being subjected to high quantities of Honkai energy caused the other aspect of K-423 to reawaken. The one inadvertently tied to the Core of the Void. For simplicity's sake, we shall refer to her as Sirin. With that, the consciousness called Sirin successfully usurped control of the vessel and successfully resurrected the Herrscher of the Void. However, this is not the ending I had foreseen. Confounding variables can lead to ruin in any experiment," Otto lamented.
"What…?" Horror crept into Fu Hua's voice with each passing second.
"So for posterity's sake, we will call this Phase 1. True testing shall commence afterward," Otto said.
"Despite Sirin's takeover, K-423 is still very much alive. She is slumbering- let me correct myself. She is very much aware of what is happening but to her, it is merely one long nightmare," Otto continued. "I've come to that conclusion after observing her interactions with Theresa and the others."
Fu Hua struggled to get up, however, the extent of her injuries caused her to fall back down.
"But hypothetically speaking… no, not even hypothetical, what would happen if K-423 were to… regain control and overpower her other consciousness," Otto said.
Fu Hua looked at him with equal parts horror and equal parts fury.
"Why the answer would be simple really: a human with the powers of Herrscher," he said. "It may sound preposterous, however, this theory has been proven with the Third and Fourth Herrschers.
"Suppressing the Herrscher… aspect of her consciousness will not deprive her of the Herrscher's powers, but rather, grant her sole control over it. Besides, it is far easier to control a human than a Herrscher," Otto said with a smile.
"You…"
"Ah, I can see your doubts. It won't be easy for K-423 to win. That I can acknowledge, but it's not impossible," Otto said, smiling at the horrified look on her face.
"You… You can't be serious!?" Fu Hua whispered as the full scope of the situation hit her in the face.
"Indeed, I am serious. Emotional ties. Emotions are capable of bringing out great miracles."
"...No… you!... You can't…!"
Otto ignored her protests. "I believe that genuine relationships between people are capable of bringing about great feats of power. Such a statement is backed by countless pieces of evidence, not just in this situation but in numerous others. A lot of which don't have anything to do with our situation. A mother lifting a car to save her child. A soldier braving miles of terrain to save his comrade from enemy forces. Such a feat is much more common than you think. Even Siegfried and Cecilia's extensive powers were due to their love for reach other.
"K-423 spent quite a while in St. Freya. She's built deep, treasured bonds with her friends. Such warm and loving memories will allow her to overpower the loveless Herrscher within her."
"You! They'll be killed!" Fu Hua screamed.
"Yes, yes. I am aware that there is a great disparity in their powers. But they're not the ones I'm depending on."
"You… No… you can't!" Fu Hua protested.
"Unfortunately, I cannot offer them any assistance at this time. I will not allow anyone to interfere in this holy struggle, not even you. Humanity burns brightest in moments of desperation. According to my calculations, K-423 will be roused once a Valkyrie will be brave enough to sacrifice herself. I would count on Theresa and her students… but…"
Fu Hua managed to get on all fours as he talked.
"In the end, I will rely on a bond between sisters to be able to snap her out of it. Poetic, isn't it? The White Death who drowned herself in darkness to make sure that the sister she loves more than anything in this world can thrive within the light. Now, the crossroads of fate pits them against each other. A sister, held in bondage, by the malice of her mind and a monster who once ravaged the planet… and a sister who will sacrifice anything, even her own life, to get her back," Otto said with a smile on his face.
His smile lacked any semblance of malice. In fact, the emotions and intentions behind it were completely indecipherable.
"You… this is madness…!" Fu Hua weakly tried to stand.
"The Herrscher shall be slain by the love of an older sister for her younger one."
Despair over came her. "Haha… hahahaa…" Fu Hua laughed at this cruel twist of fate. A cruelty that she had inadvertently played a part in. He had manipulated her intentions. And now, she had to face the consequences. Kiana and Cecilia. How ironic. To think she would see this happen again.
Kevin… Kiana… I…
"Is this funny? I'm pretty sure I was telling you something extremely serious, my friend," Otto said, raising an eyebrow at her sudden bout of laughter. "I only chose to tell you because your actions are the only factor I cannot control. Tell me, do you plan to oppose me?"
Her laughter stopped. Fu Hua gritted her teeth and glared hatefully at him. Betrayal and anger boiled like magma beneath her eyes. "...Friend?" she hissed. "I sense no sympathy or decency from your words… only utter selfishness and deceit…"
Otto remained unfazed at her smoldering gaze as he listened to her.
"You trample and use the emotions of others at your leisure. You toy with the destiny of others…
"And now you plan to use a sister's love for your own selfish gain… and you don't even realize how vile your actions are? Otto Apocalypse… you made me realize how hateful and despicable you are," Fu Hua spat.
"..."
Lightning streaked across the Heavens as dark clouds began to cover the sky. An ensuing storm for the crescendo of this maelstrom of chaos that threatened to upheave the entire world. The smile on Otto's face slowly disappeared.
Golden particles of light slowly condensed in his hand, coalescing into the form of a gun. Its barrel and design were instantly recognizable.
The Judgement of Shamash.
Slowly and deliberately, Otto pointed the weapon at Fu Hua's almost prone figure. To him, whose life had been long, 500 years of memories were nothing more than a fleeting moment within a long and unending dream.
Fu Hua saw that he had made up his mind. An orange ember flickered beneath her hand. She needed to act quickly before-
"Phoenix… I did not lie.
A shot rang through the air, momentarily disrupting their surroundings. Afterward, a deafening silence fell over the entirety of Schicksal.