The Imaginary Space was torn apart by a sudden flash of orange light. The once perfect stone replica of the Hyperion broke apart. Two streaks of light—one violet and one blue—zipped from the dust cloud. The lights tore through the Imaginary Space, plowing through each geometrically alien structure.
The Herrscher of the Void shot higher into the space. A homicidal glee glinted in her golden eyes. She spread her arms apart, hands shrouded in a dark violet glow. The massive geometric structures around her began to vibrate.
"Big Sis, I hope you're prepared to meet your maker~!" The Herrscher of the Void threw her arms forward.
The massive geometric structures hurtled at rapid speeds toward Kiana.
Kiana's eyes widened at the sight. She landed on a small floating island, freezing her feet straight to the platform. Violet honkai energy surged around her and seeped into the Divine Key. The Divine Key glowed and a jet of flames extended from the blade, seemingly enlarging it.
Kiana let out a roar as she swung the blade.
A swathe of flames sliced through the structures, breaking them apart.
The Herrscher of the Void wrapped herself in a dense spherical barrier of energy. The flaming wave slammed into the barrier. A massive explosion shook the entirety of Imaginary Space, obliterating all nearby structures and reducing them to ash.
Kiana narrowed her eyes, seeing a soft violet glow as the smoke cleared.
The Herrscher of the Void floated in the middle of Imaginary Space, wrapped within her barrier. The barrier was heavily damaged, cracked and shattered in multiple places. There was a look of annoyance on her face as she dispersed her shield. The wounds that she sustained from blocking such a devastating attack were slowly healing.
"Didn't I teach you how rude it was to throw rocks at your big sister?" Kiana said.
The Herrscher of the Void scoffed at her words. She raised her arm toward Kiana. "Hmph, what kind of manners can I possibly learn from an insect?"
The spears that hovered behind her began to twist and warp.
Kiana narrowed her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the spears all shot forward, transforming into razor thin whips.
Kiana jumped back. Spikes of ice erupted from the ground before her and launched en masse at the whips.
The whips sliced through the spikes, determined to slice Kiana to bits of meat.
However, a loud thunk echoed through the Imaginary Space. Kiana winced as the whips dug slightly into the black carapace that covered her arm. A thick shell rapidly formed, extending into dreaded talons.
In her other hand, Shamash burned brightly while Kiana twisted her arm around the threads, holding onto them.
The Herrscher of the Void's eyes widened as she felt a powerful tug that pulled her toward Kiana.
Reacting quickly, she released her hold on the spears and pulled herself into a portal. She reappeared a distance away from Kiana, eyeing her warily.
The spears that Kiana held dissipated into pink energy. Kiana turned to face the Herrscher.
"It looks like you're not just randomly throwing your power at me anymore. Did that fight we had earlier beat some sense into you, Ceci?" Kiana asked, taking a slight step toward her.
The action caused the Herrscher to go on high alert, keeping her distance from Kiana as wide as possible. Her eyes narrowed. "Don't flatter yourself, human. Just because you're slightly better than the rest doesn't mean that you deserve my full effort."
"Sounds like fighting words? Are you sure you can back that up?" Kiana asked, tightening her grip around Shamash.
The Herrscher remained silent. Lightning crackled around her fingers as she began to gather more Honkai energy into her core. Her golden eyes glowed and portals appeared around them, all containing the electrified tips of her subspace spears.
Kiana looked around, making note of the location and angle of each portal. Afterward, she refocused her gaze on the Herrscher. "I see," she said. Flames and ice swirled around her. "Then—"
Kiana's eyes widened as her body froze. It felt difficult to move. Her entire body refused to obey any of her commands to move.
The Herrscher kept her arm raised and suddenly, Kiana found herself flying toward the Herrscher.
She grunted as she managed to regain control of her hand slightly. A spear of ice formed in her hand but before she could thrust it, her body stopped and felt like it had been hit by a stone. She coughed, sending spittle outward.
"Like I said, struggle all you want, worm. In the end, all of it is futile and meaningless before me." The Herrscher pushed her hand, throwing Kiana across the Imaginary Space.
She then raised her hand as if she were lifting something. A pillar raised itself from the ground, causing Kiana to slam into it with immense force.
Two more cubic pillars split off from the main cube, encasing Kiana in a crystalline prison.
The Herrscher snapped her fingers, causing the cube to split apart into four quadrants before rotating atop each other, intent on grinding and twisting the one trapped at the very center into pieces.
She then proceeded to make a few gestures with her hands, causing razor thin whips to spring out from the portals, slicing into the cube multiple times. She raised her arm into the air but froze. A pressure in her head began to build and she gripped the side of her skull.
"You—! Stay put! How dare you try to fight against your Queen!?" the Herrscher rasped.
Her right eye flickered and turned into a deep blue color.
"S- Sis… Sis!" Cecilia's voice broke through, contesting with the Herrscher's for dominance.
"NO!" The Herrscher snarled.
"Stop! Hurting! Her!"
Her body spasmed and gripped both sides of her head as Cecilia and the Herrscher fought for supremacy over the body.
The cube began to crack. Flames and frost slowly seeped from the cracks.
"I said… stay put!" A burst of Honkai energy exploded outward from the Herrscher, causing the entire dimension to tremble. She returned her furious gaze to the cracking cube. With a wave of her hand, the whips snaked forward and pierced through the center of the tube, taking a sharp turn into the sky.
She swiped her finger downward, causing the whips to snake around each other and twist into a helical spear that tore through the cube.
The Herrscher let out slightly winded breaths. The effort spent in suppressing Cecilia while maintaining enough control to deal a decisive blow against the monster that called itself her older sister was immense. She gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes to spot any signs of Kiana.
After a few moments of silence, she let out a snort. "Pathetic," she muttered.
The moment she turned around, a javelin made of ice and bone sprung from the cloud of dust that she had created.
She quickly turned, instinctively creating a barrier with her spears. The spears twisted and grinded, forming a rift that swallowed the javelin and spat it out in front of her. The spear traveled with immense speed before slamming into a large dark structure. The structure trembled before cracking apart.
The Herrscher's eyes were wide with surprise and slight fear.
Kiana huffed as she walked out of the crater, battlesuit torn in some places. Smoke poured from her wounds as they knit themselves shut. The amount of Honkai energy coming from her was increasing by the second.
"Was that it?" Kiana asked.
The Herrscher of the Void's eye twitched. After a few moments, a malicious giggle escaped her lips.. "You and Dad were always the same," the Herrscher said.
Dad? Kiana narrowed her eyes.
"Now do me a favor, Big Sis. Die."
The Herrscher of the Void's eyes gleamed. The portals around her began to glow and fired off several blasts of lightning.
Kiana zipped across the space between them, narrowly avoiding the bolts by a hair's thread. She jumped into the air, readying Shamah for another devastating attack. Shamash's flames swirled and a flurry of slices cut through the oncoming hail of thunder.
"Haaaah!" Kiana swung Shamash again as she got closer and the entirety of Imaginary Space was engulfed in an orange light.
Himeko felt a headache throbbing in her skull as she came to. It took her a second to recognize the white sterility of the ceiling and walls around her. The familiar hum and beeps of medical equipment that she had heard too many times in her career.
As her mind fought off the fog of unconsciousness that had abruptly taken hold, the memories came back to her with frightening clarity. She shot up, gasping.
"Kiana!" Himeko frantically looked around for any sign of the elder Kaslana sister. However, there wasn't a clue or strand of Kiana's white hair to be seen. "Kiana, where are—"
"Kiana's not here."
Himeko turned to see Theresa sitting in a chair next to her hospital bed. She calmly gazed at the words written on the pages but Himeko knew that Theresa was in no way paying attention to what was in the book. The very fact that it was upside down was a clear indicator that she had merely grabbed the book to distract herself, even if it wasn't very helpful.
"She—"
"We know. Tesla and Einstein managed to regain access to the Bridge and are tracking her signal now. Only… we can't seem to find it. She disappeared right around the time the Judgement Class returned and detected a sharp space-time anomaly shortly after," Theresa said as she closed the book. She placed it down on Himeko's bed.
"Then where…?" Himeko asked.
"Our best guess is that she got sucked into Imaginary Space by the Herrscher. However, there's also a chance that the Judgement Class woke up and took her. Kriemhilde went out on the Fafnir to comb the surrounding area," she said.
"Damn it…! Kiana! After everything I said, you still went and fought her alone!" Himeko slammed her fist on the bedside table next to her. The force of her fist dented the metal table considerably.
"I'm docking that from your pay," Theresa said calmly.
"How can you be so calm!? Cecilia and Kiana are your nieces—"
"Do not think for a second that I am calm! I… I'm barely keeping myself level. My youngest niece gets turned into a science experiment by my Grandfather and my oldest niece just up and vanished to go and fight god. How do you think I feel right now, Major?" Theresa said in a biting tone.
Himeko said nothing and clenched her blankets tightly. "Damn it, Kiana…" she whispered.
Theresa's gaze softened and she let out a sigh. "Look, there was nothing you could have done. The girl may act like her mother but she's as foolhardy as her father. Once she decided on something, it was over. Kiana's the same in that regard."
Himeko didn't respond and decided to get out of bed. She walked toward the door, still clad in the Vermillion Knight Suit. There was a visible and ragged limp in her step, a sign that her injuries were still visible.
"Where are you going?" Theresa raised an eyebrow. She got up and followed after her.
"To find her before she gets herself killed."
"Like that? Your injuries are as bad as Kiana's before she left but at least she can heal herself," The headmaster replied.
"I don't care," Himeko said.
"And if you die—"
"Well, what am I supposed to do!? Wait for Kriemhilde to get back with news of her death? Or maybe wait until the doctors confirm that Kiana was ripped apart by some freaky Imaginary Space Herrscher bullshit!" Himeko spat.
"Yes."
"What?"
Theresa pinched the bridge of her nose. "Himeko, while I would love for nothing more than to be out there helping Kiana, we cannot find her. So let's let Kriemhilde and the good doctors due their jobs and we can do ours."
"But—"
"Got it? I don't want you to end up like my niece," Theresa said, removing her arm from the door's entryway. "Let's make this clear. We will find Kiana. However, until we find her, you and I will stay put and help out until either Kriemhilde or the doctors confirm the data that Kiana was or is there."
Himeko balled her hands into fists and pushed her way past Theresa.
Theresa narrowed her eyes and followed after her.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Theresa asked.
"To the bridge. I can't just sit here and do nothing. I'll go to the bridge and help them monitor Kiana's whereabouts. If anyone can tell Kiana's MO the best, it's me," Himeko said.
Waves of flame and ice tore through Imaginary Space, cutting through the massive structures in the space.
A streak of orange light zipped through the air, followed by blasts of lightning and spears that left a trail of tremendous explosions in her wake. The sky was alight with several fiery blasts.
Rubble drifted and littered the void of the Imaginary Space. Kiana made a sharp turn in the sky and dove toward the Herrscher, her two blades brandished and ready to slice into her foe.
The Herrscher of the Void teleported into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack. Below her, an explosion of ice and fire decimated the area where she once stood. With a roar of fury, she threw her hand forward. The spears morphed and zipped towards her as razor-sharp threads. The threads traveled at intense speeds, plowing through the waves of flames and ice.
Kiana dashed forward and sliced through the threads, cutting them like butter. She held Shamash in a reverse grip and let loose a powerful explosion of flames that propelled her forward at even greater speeds.
The Herrscer's eyes widened. Her arm trembled violently as she tried to hold Kiana's full might back. However, in the end, Kiana managed to easily cross the distance between her and the Void Queen.
Kiana fired a blast of icy wind in her face, causing the Herrscher to howl in pain. She jumped into the air, gripping Shamash tightly.
"Insolent human insect!" The Herrscher roared. Lightning exploded from her body, firing powerful arcs of electricity at her.
Kiana threw Shamash into the air and grabbed it with her tail. She formed two swords in her hands. Her tail tightened its coils around Shamash. Using Shamash, she produced bursts of flame that propelled her forward at great speeds.
She sliced and cut her way through the veritable lightning storm.
The Herrscher's jaw tightened. A portal opened next to her. The portal expanded, swirling and beginning to suck her in.
However, before she could fully escape into the portal, Kiana tackled her, sending them both into the vortex.
The two hurtled through subspace, gripping each other. Kiana cocked her fist back and punched Cecilia in the face.
"Sorry, Ceci! But you have to—" Kiana slammed her other fist into the Herrscher's face, breaking her nose. "WAKE UP!"
The Herrscher of the Void glared and her eyes glowed. A blast of Honkai energy slammed into Kiana but she refused to let go. Around them, the subspace began to crack like glass until eventually, the deafening sound of exploding glass filled their ears.
The two crashed through the subspace, tumbling out into the open skies. The two hurtled through the clouds, still landing blows on each other relentlessly.
"Unhand me, filthy human!" The Herrscher snarled. A burst of repulsive force emanated from the Herrscher's body, throwing Kiana off.
The Herrscher flew toward Kiana and thrust a spear into her midsection.
Kiana parried the attack and kicked the Herrscher away.
"I'll make sure that the last thing your sister sees is your corpse!" the Herrscher spread her arms, causing a storm to roil around her. Lightning crackled around her body and shot forth in dangerous and destructive arcs of energy.
Kiana swung her ice swords, parrying each bolt. However, the relentless onslaught shattered her blades and struck her square on the chest.
Kiana let out a gasp and was sent plummeting to the awaiting Earth below. She clenched her jaw and looked up at her sister. Her eyes glowed as she began firing jets of flame and frost to slow her descent. However, in the end, it was barely enough.
She slammed into a forest, tearing up the ground and sending a shockwave that uprooted the trees around her.
"C-Cecilia…" Kiana groaned. Her bones knitted themselves slowly back together as she shakily pushed herself off the ground. However, before she could stand, a massive pink pillar plummeted from the skies and slammed into her with the force of a meteor.
The Herrscher appeared in a flash of violet light above the destroyed clearing. Her golden eyes stared with a molten fury down at her. She raised her hand into the air, producing a massive rift in the skies above. Lightning crackled within the rift before gathering into a single spot.
"Disappear… along with the rest of them," the Herrscher said. Several more portals opened. A large concentration of Honkai energy pooled within them. A massive lightning bolt, accompanied by a bullet hell of Honkai energy relentlessly barraged the pink pillar that pinned Kiana.
A tremendous explosion shook the area. The immediate surroundings were instantly vaporized and stones and earth boiled over, leaving nothing but a smoldering crater underneath.
Kiana lay at the dead center, letting out weak breaths. Burns and wounds were littered all over her body. Her battlesuit was in near-complete tatters. Blood pooled at her sides. The regeneration powers of her innate Honkai abilities were working over time to heal her, however, blood loss might claim her before it could.
"Now…" The Herrscher raised her hand. Violet energy gathered within the palm of her hand. A large orb of Honkai energy appeared in her hands. "Good bye, Big Sis—" Her eyes widened and she gripped the side of her head.
"No…! Stop! Don't hurt, Kiana!"
"Shut up!"
The Herrscher's left eye flickered from yellow to blue and back to yellow. The eye returned to its toxic yellow color. "Now watch, Cecilia. Our sister is going to die because of you…," the Herrscher muttered.
Kiana laid on the ground, staring up at the massive black orb of energy in the sky.
"I… won't leave you… Cecilia…," Kiana said, raising her hand to the skies.
Time seemed to slow around her. Kiana's eyes flickered to the side to see a pair of boots slowing to a stop next to her.
"You and my brother are cut of the same cloth," KIANA said, looking down at her beaten descendant.
"Haha… of course, people like us… are fools when it comes to our little sisters," Kiana whispered.
KIANA frowned. "You won't survive."
"It… no longer matters," Kiana said, closing her eyes.
"Kevin said the same thing a long time ago," KIANA said.
"Then… you know my choice…"
KIANA nodded silently.
Blue and violet flames flickered around Kiana's body. It began to swirl and engulf Kiana's entire body. "I don't care if this power devours me whole… as long as Cecilia gets to live," Kiana whispered. It wasn't long before her entire body was no longer visible, completely buried within the surging violet flames. Ice began to creep up and form around her.
"Mm?" The Herrscher narrowed her eyes. The rapid spike in Honkai energy within Kiana hadn't escaped her senses. "It's over. Accept your fate."
She fired the orb at Kiana.
The orb rumbled as it tore a path toward its target. The air and space tore apart, leaving a visible seam in reality as it traveled toward her.
A flash of orange light darkened the skies. A line traced itself down the entire world, splitting the sky in half. A rift was instantly carved into the ground and the orb was cut in half.
The Herrscher phased out of reality and reappeared a little off to the side. Her eyes were wide in shock, seeing the mass devastation of the instantaneous attack. A molten rift was carved into the ground, running off into the horizon.
"You—" A chill ran down her spine. It wasn't that of cold. It was an unnatural chill that sent shivers down her spine and crept into her soul. She hesitantly turned her body to face the crater Kiana lay in.
And she was soon met with a flash of blue light, followed by an overwhelming blizzard. The sudden, instantaneous change in weather froze everything. The few flames that flickered on the ground were instantly encased in ice, still burning in the center.
The wave of cold and frost traveled far and wide, blanketing the entire forest in a sheet of deep white snow. In the air, a blast of cold wind blasted her back and caused dark clouds to form in the skies. Thunder rumbled but for once, its source wasn't her. A heavy snowfall began to fall upon the area despite it not being winter.
"—!?"
Himeko stumbled. The entirety of the Hyperion rumbled violently as a sudden blast of turbulence slammed into them.
"Status report!" Tesla barked.
"Ma'am! We were just hit with a sudden blast of cold wind! Our scanners are indicating a blizzard rapidly forming about fifty klicks to the east! There's two massive honkai energy signatures over there and one of them is the Herrscher!" one of the pilots said.
"Kriemhilde! Do you read that?" Theresa asked.
"I do! The Fafnir got thrown off course but I managed to regain control! I'll head over there now! Just rendezvous with me when you can!" Kriemhilde said.
"Don't let Kiana die, Kriemhilde," Himeko said.
Kriemhilde smiled through the video field. A roar shot past the Hyperion and the Fafnir flew off at rapid speeds, leaving several sonic booms in its wake.
"Lord Otto, our satellites have located the Herrscher," Amber said. "And… something else."
"Pull up the feed," Otto said.
Otto's eyes widened in glee when he saw the live footage. The Herrscher of the Void hovered in the air, wounds healing from the intense buffeting winds. There was frost on her and her surroundings were buried in ice. However, at the center, Otto was fixated on the lone figure that stood in the middle of the frozen crater.
"Hahaha… so this is the full extent of the legendary Kaslana power!" Otto said, amazed by the form he was looking at. "Amber, make sure you record all data. Do not miss a single instance," he ordered.
Amber nodded and began to record while Otto watched the battle rage on with intense fascination.
The intense winds of the blizzard began to die down enough for the Herrscher to lower her arms. She squinted her eyes to look through the winds to see the center of the crater. An aura of Honkai energy wrapped around her body, dispersing the crystals of ice that formed on her body.
Several lances manifested around her, crackling with lightning. Her wariness was at an all-time high.
The flames died down, revealing Kiana. Her white hair grew longer, cascading down her back to her mid-thigh. Her battlesuit was repaired yet different. A black carapace encased her legs, forearms, and right shoulder and a thin yet durable fabric-like substance hugged her body. Two black spines jutted from her right shoulder blade and three draconic wings grew from the left side of her back. Two asymmetrical horns grew from her head. Her ears had elongated, becoming more elf-like in appearance and her thick, stocky tail narrowed into a bony, segmented tail.
She opened her blue eyes, revealing a brief orange flash.
Kiana took a single step forward, leaving flaming footprints in her wake. Her grip around Shamash tightened and the blade hummed in response to her will. It transformed, morphing into its Zeroth Power.
"Let's finish this, Cecilia." Kiana looked up to her younger sister.
Almost there.