Ch-63 < Herrscher of Sentience >

As they left the MOTH facility, Kevin activated his enhanced perception abilities, utilizing his powers over Reason to their fullest potential.

He increased his processing speed, allowing him to scan through the surroundings rapidly. He expanded his range of perception, searching not just for physical threats but for disturbances in the spiritual plane.

"Can you sense anything?" Elysia asked as they moved through the facility.

"Not yet... but I'm focusing on everyone's soul signatures. If this Herrscher is targeting people, there'll be some trace of them left behind," Kevin responded, his eyes glowing faintly with power.

They both went in different direction to search for herrscher.

Kevin's Mauve Eyes led him see through somebody.

After several moments, Kevin's gaze snapped toward the outer edge of the facility, where he sensed something unusual. Two peculiar souls were flickering in and out of existence, barely holding on."I think I've found them," Kevin said through their soul bond.

"Two people—there's something wrong with their souls. The Herrscher must be close by."

"Then we've got no time to waste," Elysia replied, already moving in the direction he indicated.

Kevin sprinted through the MOTH facility, their presence a blur to the personnel working around them.

They burst through the outer doors and into the surrounding area, closing in on the source of the disturbance.

Kevin's heart raced—he could feel the presence growing stronger.

Suddenly, a dense fog rolled in, and the world around them began to warp.

Kevin immediately recognized the illusion for what it was. He immediately activated his Finality aura, forcibly stabilizing his perception.

Elysia was behind Kevin and she also encounter mist which was an illusion.

No dreams or illusions are going to stop me."

kevin further went into the fog, the environment shifted again, this time attempting to draw them into a false reality.

Kevin's powers flared, dispelling the illusions with a wave of his hand. But they couldn't drop their guard yet—the Herrscher of Sentience was toying with them, and the real threat hadn't yet revealed itself.

Eventually, they reached the center of the disturbance. There, standing in the heart of the fog, was the Herrscher of Sentience—a young woman with a cold, calculating gaze. But Kevin sense with his Mauve Eyes that the herrscher is inside her consciousness.

Her lips curled into a smirk as she watched them approach."So," the Herrscher said, her voice dripping with malice. "You've managed to break through my illusions... but do you think you can survive a true battle of the mind?

With a snap of her fingers, the world around them twisted into chaos. But Kevin was ready. He quickly activated Instantaneous Movement and reach in front of her and grabbed her face.

A wave of energy pulsed from Kevin, instantly weakening her and kevin utilized his Void and Origin Authority to pull the Herrscher into a pocket dimension which is connected to the Sea of Quanta.

Elysia arrived at the scene where the suspected Herrscher attack had occurred. Her bright pink hair fluttered as she approached cautiously, noticing a strange absence of Kevin. She scanned the area, using her connection with him to reach out.

Kevin? she called through their soul bond.

There was a slight pause before Kevin's voice echoed in her mind.

"I've created a subspace to trap the Herrscher. She can escape through consciousness, so I had to isolate her."

"Good thinking". Elysia responded with a smile, even though she knew Kevin couldn't see it.

"Be careful in there. She might be crafty". She added.

I'll be fine, Kevin replied confidently.

In the heart of the sub dimension, where reality was fluid and the Honkai energy surged like a storm, Kevin stood resolute. The vast expanse of shifting colors and energies surrounded him, an ever-changing battlefield where the laws of physics held little sway.

Before him materialized the Herrscher of Sentience, a being of immense malice.

Before him, the Herrscher of Sentience materialized, her form unstable and fluid like a shadowy mist, yet menacingly real.

Crimson and black tendrils twisted out from her body, making her resemble a monstrous, grotesque version of Goob from Ben 10. Her glowing eyes reflected contempt.

Her eyes, glowing with malevolent intelligence, fixed on Kevin with a mixture of curiosity and contempt.

"So, you dares to challenge me by trapping me in this domain," the Herrscher of Sentience said, her voice echoing through the dimension.

"You will find that memories and emotions are not so easily defeated." She said.

Kevin remained unmoved, his icy blue eyes narrowing at the Herrscher. "Your power blinds you," he replied coolly. "You're so absorbed in controlling emotions and memories that you miss the most crucial flaw in your design."

The Herrscher's smirk faded into a frown. "What flaw?" she hissed.

Kevin lunged forward, his Divine Key transforming into a spear bathed in the Authority of Finality and purple fire. He didn't bother to answer her question—his actions would be his response.

The spear hummed with power, strong enough to sever the very threads of consciousness the Herrscher sought to manipulate.

The Herrscher countered with a barrage of attacks, hurling shards of memories at Kevin.

Shards of betrayal, love, hatred, and fear hurtled toward Kevin, aiming to pierce his soul

In an instant, the Herrscher conjured illusions of Elysia leaving Kevin, breaking their bond, even dying at his feet.

Kevin's heart wavered for a fraction of a second as the scene of Elysia's lifeless body flickered before his eyes.

She tried to create his worst fear. But it was a mistake.

As the illusions surged around him, he clenched his fists, his eyes burning with fury and his iris changed from blue to purple.

He roared, releasing an intense surge of Honkai energy along with little Finality aura. The explosion of power reverberated through the dimension, driving the Herrscher back and momentarily shattering her illusions.

Elysia… Mei … They're all still here. Kevin's mind cleared as he reaffirmed his purpose.

Far beyond the subspace, two powerful beings stirred. They had sensed Kevin's surge of energy, feeling the tremors of his growing strength ripple through the dimension even reaching quantum sea.

One of them smirked with interest, while the other watched with narrowed eyes.

The Herrscher of Sentience was momentarily stunned by Kevin's display of power. She recoiled, but her expression shifted to anger.

Her body morphed into a more grotesque form, her black and crimson tendrils whipping out to strike Kevin. She summoned a torrent of emotions once more.

"You cannot harm me with mere memories," Kevin said, his voice steady.

The Herrscher's frustration grew as her attacks failed to land.

Kevin, grip firm. The key of destruction in sword form shimmered with a light that could cut through reality itself.

She screamed in rage, unleashing a torrent of emotions, but Kevin pressed his advantage.

She doesn't know how to properly utilize her powers and the way her aura looks i guess she just recently awakened. Kevin thought.

With just a swing of sword. The energy it released caused huge harm to herrecher.

The Herrscher's form wavered, her essence fracturing under the stirke.

"No! This can't be happening!" she shrieked, her voice distorting as her body began to fracture.

Kevin knew he had to finish the fight quickly; the Herrscher of Sentience was not to be underestimated. A herrscher which can effect messes should be dealt immediately.

With one final, decisive strike, Kevin unleashed power, channeling the Authority of Origin as well.

His sword tore through her connection with core and imaginary tree shattering her entirely. Her form dissolved into stardust, which was swept away by the collapsing subspace.

The sub dimension trembled and even starts to collapse because of Kevin attack. Kevin quickly put the core in system.

A notification from the system appeared in his mind:

*Congratulations, host, for defeating the Herrscher of Sentience.*

*Reward:

30,000 system points

5% Kevin Template

Authority of Sentience acquired*

Kevin's power had reached 85%, crossing a crucial threshold. This Kevin now was stronger than any version that had existed in the canon timeline.

He took a deep breath, his mind clearing as he prepared to return to the others.

The sub- dimension crumbled and an external force was involved and he got sucked into sea of quanta by an unknown individual.

A/N ~ the real twist is not herrscher of Sentience. I left you on cliffhanger. See you in next chapter.