Chapter 180: Battle For Supremacy
Anti-Entropy has received Erwin's Intel and they were instantly suspicious of the overseer's announcement. "Schicksal is too precious for her. There is something fishy going on and I don't like it." Edison squinted her eyes and everybody nodded.
"This is obviously something huge... What is she planning?" Joachim immediately concluded that Tilie is planning something notoriously bad behind her sudden retirement.
"We don't know, but we should monitor their every move. Aesir is moving as well, Ein is finally getting involved in the world actively. They're basically a titan that nobody can hope to defeat. The honkai outbreaks that are happening in South East Asia would be a cakewalk for them." Emma suggested and reasoned that Aesir would take care of civilians.
"That they are. This is a golden opportunity, Ein-nii's movements will give us tons of space to move. Schicksal is not their priority, we can watch them closely." Lieserl already planned to observe Schicksal heavily and make their move when Tilie tries something.
"You're right, let us focus on Schicksal for now. Aesir does not care about Anti-Entropy nor Schicksal. You already know what that means, right?" Joachim reiterated and they all nodded with a confident smile.
"Of course we do, Joachim. It means he doesn't give a single shit about what we do. And he will never help us on how we deal with that crazy blonde's shenanigans." Tesla huffed and thought that they could at least give them a bit of a hand.
"Ein-nii has saved our asses long enough, Tesla. Don't be too greedy. Joachim, we have 2 herrschers on the prowl. But they're in St. Freya..." Lieserl made a suggestion and he agreed with a frown.
"They're still unstable. But they would be a big help, Adelheid is not infallible. She will struggle of the overseer can keep her around in one area and let the meat of her operation be in multiple ones." Joachim was concerned that their trump card, Adelheid would get baited.
"I will make contact with them. But watch how the eruptions in Asia would go, Aesir is unpredictable. They might just do the bare minimum and bail out when they deem the threat be a job for us." Joachim warned and he prepared to go to the far east.
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"Captain! We have a group of crushers and catapults coming in from the side!" A Valkyrie that was stationed in Manila shouted out.
"We got to hold this position! We are at a choke point! We'll get overrun immediately if we let go of this place!" Their captain ordered as the other Valkyries hold the front while she took care of the group at the side.
"As the captain of the snow lotus squad! You will not pass here!" She started hacking and slashing the group of building sized crushers with desperation.
They were many, and the catapults being able to shoot their payloads right at the center of their squad would be a disaster.
"Captain Ana! We can't hold this much longer! We'll start having casualties!" She heard a communication and the stress was piling up.
And the increased levels of honkai energy didn't help either. As the beasts got more savage, stronger, fiercer.
And do everything as she might, Ana Schariac was only an A-rank Valkyrie that cannot hold her own against endless hordes of enemies. Slowly pushed back, holding her ground with all her might. (pic)
Until one of the catapults got close enough to throw their honkai bombs. "No! Squad! Evasive maneuvers! Immediately!" Her eyes widened as she saw the bombs sail through the air.
Thankfully, her immediate and quick thinking warned the others appropriately. They dodged the bombs, but their position were compromised.
"C-captain... T-there's a group of storm templars up ahead..." One of their members uttered with a trembling voice as the huge templars loomed over the horizon. Their shells glowing pink with honkai energy and the lances on their hands coated thickly with the stuff.
"S-squad Snow Lotus... It was an honor to work with you, everyone. Today is the day we die. And I'm proud of all of you." Ana smiled at them.
"C-captain..." The squad furrowed their brows and held their weapons tightly. Surrounded by all sides, a group of storm templars quickly flying their way. Death was certain, but they were Valkyries. They only knew combat, and every single one would die through combat or honkai corruption.
"Then let's give em hell!" One of their squadmates hyped them up and raised morale. "Yeah! Squad Snow Lotus will not fall without fighting!" They all shouted out and Ana teared up.
"Forgive me. Rita-san. It seems my birthday present would only be for be for Bianka-san." She whispered and thought that she could not chase after her back now.
"Yes! Let us fight till the end!" Ana brandished her weapon and they would give a last stand. "Templars coming inbound! In 3, 2, 1." They were already prepared, but the templars stopped.
"What?" One of the Valkyries asked, but in a split second, explosions littered the battlefield as the bullets of the rail guns unloaded their kinetic energy on the ground.
The squad went flying and they heard the shockwaves of the weapons from overhead. "Schicksal Valkyries, have no fear. Kallen Kaslana is here!" V.H. Kallen and a group of ELFs were raining hell on the honkai beasts.
"K-Kallen Kaslana? But that's impossible, the legendary hero of Schicksal has died 500 years ago." Ana was dumbfounded and Kallen winked at her.
"Sit tight girls, things will get messy! Hasta la Vista!" V.H. Kallen's battlesuit started transforming and numerous guns appeared on her person. Rhythmic gunfire and muzzle flashes then dominated the battlefield.
"Ooooh! Kallen-san gets it! Everybody loves the smell of honkai propelled shells in the morning!" The ELFs cheered and they also started raining bullets on the enemies.
Rockets came flying and the particle cannons got fully charged, mowing down anything in their path as Kallen flew around like a mobile fortress.
She then went back down on the ground and gave a wide smile to the Snow Lotus squad. "Hehe~ that was cool! I wanna do that again!" Kallen high fived with the ELFs and the Valkyrie squad just stared at her.
"Uhhh. Are you really Kallen Kaslana?" Ana stepped up and asked. "Hmm? Why yes, yes I am. Ohhh! I just received my next assignment, work hard girls. You've held this position well." Kallen gave a thumbs up and she started to fly with the ELFs so they can hunt down more honkai beasts.
Ana then lost strength in her legs and sat on the ground. "W-what just happened?" She looked at her squadmates that were injured and they also had confused looks on their faces.
But it wasn't quite over yet as a blue tattoo appeared on her person. The will of the honkai deeming her a suitable host for being a herrscher.
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Sakura meanwhile got into her war clothes and wielded an ominous red blade. It spewed flames as she brandished it. (pic)
"Ohhh, thank you greatly Ein-dono. This blade is like it was made for me. I wonder how Kallen fares?" She roamed the streets of Manila and hunted down groups of honkai beasts.
She then saw templars and crushers that were also doing the same thing. "Hmph, such big targets. I wonder how SAKURA-san's blade of Setsuna fares against them?" She gave a confident smirk and focused.
The crushers noticed her first and leaped in the air. She then got into position and waited for them to arrive at her strike zone, closing her eyes patiently.
When they got close, she immediately disappeared from her place with a burst of speed and slashed them all to pieces.
"Umu, my body is also much stronger. And I'm much faster, that's how I can pull this off." She looked back and saw the smoldering cuts on the crushers' bodies.
"Then I guess it's time to do that as well." She put her hand on the blade and cut her palm. Feeding the blade as it glowed.
Blazing orange lines appeared on the air as she moved at breakneck speeds. Slashing back and forth on the templars as their shields got burned by the blade.
She reappeared in front of them, holding her blade in front of her. Sakura then sheathed it and smaller cuts tore them to pieces.
"Whew, it is quite intensive. But it is amazing and awe inspiring." She looked at her still burning blade, admiring its beauty and sharpness. "I can't let Kallen outdo me, she will ask me how many I've defeated later after all." She chuckled and roamed around once again.
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Meanwhile, one Kiana Kaslana suddenly clutched her head as the will of the honkai influenced her. Giving Sirin's herrscher persona more power. "Ugh! Get off my head!"
"Kiana-chan?" Mei got concerned and Kiana started stumbling as she groaned. "What's happening to you Kiana-chan?" Mei reached out to her but Kiana hit her hand off.
"Seele, that girl is losing to her herrscher persona. You need to prepare for battle." Veliona immediately knew what was happening and informed her.
"Everyone! This isn't good, Kiana-san is battling her herrscher core!" Seele announced and the Russians immediately went to their combat positions.
Inside Kiana's memory space. She was at the tundras of Siberia back at the year 2000. Of that faithful day, the 2nd honkai war.
"W-where is this place? What am I doing here? Mei-chan? Bronya!? Everyone?" She tried calling out to her friends, but they didn't respond and she was lost.
"Fufufu~ Kiana Kaslana... What a pretty name, too bad. It isn't yours." The herrscher persona suddenly appeared as she floated right behind Kiana.
"You! Who are you!? What do you want from me?" Kiana squinted her brows and equipped her handguns.
"Me? Have you oh so forgotten already? I am you, and you are me. Your whole existence is a lie, Kiana." The herrscher snickered and Kiana glared at her.
"What do you mean?" She thought it was all nonsense at first. But Kiana remembered the times in her childhood in which Siegfried and Cecilia couldn't function and looked at her differently.
"Hmmm, it seems that blonde has taken away some of your memories. Observe, let me show you. Who you really are." The herrscher waved its hands and they were suddenly transported into a village in Siberia.
"Mama! Come and catch me!" A young Sirin was playing with her mother and Kiana was confused, but she felt a tingling pain on her chest.
"Why are you showing me this?" Kiana was confused and Sirin chuckled. "You really have no idea, huh? What do you feel when you see their interactions, Kiana?" She emphasized her name and Kiana felt her chest hurt.
'A mother and child...' Kiana frowned and Sirin smirked. "It was a happy time, but it was all taken away so suddenly."
The scene changed and it showed the girl grieving on her mother's body. "She lost her mother at a tender age. Life was hard after that, but she persevered. And everything changed when they came." Sirin slowly turned into the spitting image of Kiana in her HOV form.
"They promised us fortune, honor, and a good life." HOV hissed and they were transported to the Babylon labs.
"It hurts! My insides are burning!" Bella screamed as she held onto Sirin, slowly being corroded by the honkai energy that seeped inside her body.
"Sirin! I'm dying! I'm gonna die!" Bella cried and gave a blood curdling scream to her friend. She then went limp and the light vanished from her eyes.
"W-what's happening? Why is this happening?" Kiana felt disgusted to her core and her anger rose by the second.
"That's not all. Dear, Kiana." Kiana was suddenly chained down to a table and she saw scientists with syringes on them.
She then felt fear, like never before. Her strength, non-existent. Her tenacity and courage, all gone. "No! Please! No! I don't want to hurt! I don't wanna die!" She screamed, but all the words she heard back were her serial number.
She then felt the searing pain on her body as she violently struggled against the steel cuffs on her wrists and ankles.
The scene changed and she was once again back on her feet. Gasping immediately for air, patting all over her body. She then saw the girl bury her friends on nameless graves at the icy tundra.
"W-what was that? Why is this happening to her?" Kiana huffed and puffed watching everything go on.
"We're going to the best part, Kiana Kaslana." Kiana was now inside a capsule of fluid and the only thing she saw in front of her was a blonde.
"Yes! Yes! She is finally complete!" Tilie had a mad smile on her face as the clone had risen. "W-where am I? What am I?"
She then got face to face with HOV and she gave a smirk. "I told you, right? I am you, you are me. A clone of Kiana Kaslana. Nothing but a cheap imitation, that's why they didn't love you." HOV caressed her face and Kiana's memories came crashing down on her.
"No... T-they loved me." Kiana's voice trembled and HOV snickered at her. "Heh, such an innocent girl. Do you remember the distasteful look that man would give you? The depressed look that woman had on her face as you bothered her for attention?" HOV grinned and Kiana was losing her sense of self.
"No! This isn't real! This is all fake!" Kiana clutched her head and she was being swallowed up by HOV's machinations.
"It is, have a look one more time." HOV raised her face and Kiana was now once again in her child body. Seeing Siegfried drink himself until he blacked out.
"Dad! Can we play this game?" Kiana held up a game and Siegfried looked at her with cold eyes. "N-no! No..." Kiana's struggling and denial weakened and HOV cackled.
"Kyahahaha! Can you see it now? It was all a lie! Your life is a lie!" HOV laughed like a maniac and Kiana despaired. Losing her consciousness as she went deep at the recesses of her memory space.
"Kukuku~ We meet once again. Raiden Mei." HOV smiled at Mei and they all got tense. Mei then got into her arms as HOV's clothes transformed. "Ahhh~ We'll finally be reunited once again, conquest gem."
"K-Kiana-chan?" Mei anxiously reached out to her, but Seele immediately went in with her scythe. Preventing HOV from fishing out her herrscher core.
"Bronya nee-chan!" Seele shouted out and Bronya took out project bunny 19-c. An autonomous mech that was a failed project from back in the previous era as Ein and Vill-v's power armor greatly outclassed it.
"Target locked! Fire!" Bronya shooted out rockets at HOV and Sin immediately positioned herself at her Blindspot. Sin tried stabbing HOV after the impact of the rockets, but her void shields stayed true as expected.
"Hoh? A worm?" HOV used her telekinesis and launched Sin back to the ground. The vodka twins then unleashed a flurry of attacks with their great swords. But HOV's increased physical traits from Kiana's body was too much as she just dodged them easily.
"Insects trying to get in my way? Begone, fools." She smacked them with a cube of void and they fell down like a bullet. Smashing the ground as the twins spitted out blood.
"My other self! Please lend me your power! They were all we had when we were weak! Please! Now, it's time to pay them back!" Seele shouted out and Veliona smirked. "Mou, you're useless without me."
Her stigmata glowed a bright red as chains appeared from thin air. Time stopped at the area they were in. Mei and HOV were the only ones that could move and Veliona transformed into an evil looking scythe with an eye on the base of the blade.
Seele's eyes turned red and the honkai wings of the herrscher of death appeared on her back. She then swung the scythe as a surge of energy ravaged everything it hit.
"Weak! I am the ruler of the void, traitor!" HOV used her void shields for buffering the attack and she opened a wormhole in front of her, transporting the attack elsewhere.
"Heh, such an attack will not defeat me, traitor." HOV smirked in confidence and Veliona clicked her tongue. "Seele, let me be in control. I want to see this bitch be in pain."
Seele nodded and her clothes started turning black with red highlights. Huge black claws then appeared on top of her hands.
"S-Seele-chan?" Mei couldn't do anything and she could only watch. *What's the matter, girl? Can't do anything? Your weakness is quite apparent no?*
Mei started to surge with honkai energy and a purple outline shimmered on her. *Ugh, fine. As I'm the queen of conquest, I cannot have a host this weak. I'll help you this once.*
Veliona clashed with HOV's subspace lances and they were in a power struggle. "Hmph, give up traitor. You're in borrowed time aren't you?" HOV noticed that the honkai energy of Seele was draining quickly.
"Seele! Avoid!" Bronya shot a laser and it was redirected by HOV with a smirk. She snapped her fingers and the laser targeted Velione instead.
"Tch, you are quite annoying!" Veliona put her claws in front to block, but Mei suddenly appeared and cancelled it with lightning.
"Don't count me out, Seele-chan, Bronya-chan. I must save Kiana from her herrscher persona as well." Mei glared at HOV and she got angry.
"Another traitor! You just keep on appearing! Why can't you understand that this world needs to be purged!? This world is only a burden to him! With all of us together, we could purge these abominable humans and create a utopia with him!" HOV raged and Veliona chuckled.
"A utopia you say? Don't make me laugh, deep inside. You are still Kiana huh? Such an idiotka." Veliona prepared once again to fight.
"You're wrong! This world may not be perfect, but it is fine the way it is! Nothing in the world can be perfect! That's why... That's why we fight for everything that is beautiful in the world!" Mei shot out beams of lightning at HOV.
But her weaker beams could not pierce through her void shields. "Hah, fight for everything that's beautiful you say? This world is ugly! It needs to burn so it would be livable!" HOV spawned more of her lances and targeted Mei.
"Shut up idiotka! You know nothing about this world!" Veliona appeared right behind her and raised her claws for a hammer fist.
She then wailed on her and HOV got buried on the ground. Tentacles of honkai energy then appeared on her crash site and they beat down on her position violently.
"Shit, Seele. I can't keep this up much longer." Veliona cursed as she felt her reserves run dangerously low. As they do not have a herrscher core to supply their powers.
A cube of void appeared at Veliona's position and HOV trapped them inside. "Annoying pest, stay quiet right there for now." HOV then configured the space and trapped her even further in an infinite corridor.
"Heh, you are too disillusioned. Maybe, this will wake you up." HOV raised her hand and Bronya flew right into her hand. Grasping on her neck tightly as subspace lances attacked Mei on all sides.
"Kiana... Idiotka. Ein-nii does not want this." Bronya sputtered out with difficulty as HOV choked her. Mei then got distracted, seeing Kiana choke the life out of Bronya.
"Agh!" She cried out as a lance pierced her leg. And her herrscher regeneration could not heal it with the lance on the way.
"B-Bronya-chan. Kiana-chan." Mei looked around and saw her incapacitated friends. Feeling more hopeless by the second.
She called out with all her heart. To not feel defeat anymore, to not lose anything anymore. So she could do something, anything.
Mei then saw nothing. As far as the eye can see, the only thing she could saw was black. "Hmmm, you've never called out to me on your own before. Are you no longer afraid? Raiden Mei." (pic)
Her herrscher core called out to her and tendrils stuck to her as she went to the light source. "Afraid? Strange, I do not feel fear, sadness. Only Serenity and desire."
"And you'll fall deeper and deeper to the depths of the abyss." The herrscher chuckled and Mei looked at the black abyss below her. Completely ashamed that she has not achieved anything of use. Her eyes glowing a brilliant pinkish violet. (pic)
"You will lose your family." The herrscher mused and Mei looked up at a silhouette of herself. "Then so be it. If I need to be inhuman to save them and be useful. Even if my mother and father thinks I am a monster."
"Are you sure about this?" The herrscher asked and Mei nodded without hesitation. She then smiled widely and shouted. "Then go! Claim my powers and show them that the queen of lightning has returned!" The herrscher raised its hands and Mei surged with honkai energy.
"Be a true herrscher! The ruler of conquest that takes everything she wants! And he is the perfect conquest! Indomitable! Unreachable! Unsurpassable!"
"Go on, Raiden Mei. Fulfill your conquest, conquer anything in your way for your goals. Take up my fury! And build a story the way it's supposed to be. Ending in your victory."
Lightning rained down on their vicinity and plasma glassed the ground. HOV had to teleport away or she would be struck mercilessly by the lightning of the queen of conquest.
A storm cloud appeared all over the far east as Mei absorbed the honkai energy like a drain. She then appeared before them, clad in armor and a ring of honkai energy behind her. Glowing brightly as lightning arced all over.
"Kyahahaha! My sister has been born at last! Now, come. Sister, this world shall fall by our hands and we will create a fitting place." HOV went up to her and offered her hand.
Mei slapped it away and she glared at her. "Shut up, herrscher. I am the herrscher of thunder, my conquest can only be fulfilled by myself!"
"W-what!? Drats! You betrayed us!? Answer me!" HOV was enraged and Mei's voice turned inhuman as her herrscher spoke.
"I betrayed no one. I am the herrscher of conquest. And what is the greatest thing to conquer? Then that would be Einheri Aesir, I do not need help from the likes of you." She huffed and HOV turned her lances into numerous strings that could sever space.
"Ahhh! Fine! I will do it myself!" HOV created a time fracture as time slowed down. Mei then arced electricity all over her as she started to unsheath her sword. Her glowing eyes glared at HOV and she prepared to attack. (gif)
"You are going down! And Kiana-chan will be returned to us!" She released a slash and HOV's strings clashed with her energy blade.
Lightning then rained all over the city as the two herrschers clashed once more.
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Thanks for reading everyone, anyways. Ciao.