The Void and The Blade (Part 2)

Back to reality...

Unknown Area

City Outskirts, Several Hours Ago (Kiana POV)

Memo notes, connected by colored strings, were pinned to a sprawling city map displayed on the wall.

Kiana and Fu Hua had spent hours piecing together the truth behind Arc City's Honkai outbreaks. With everything laid out in front of them, the answer became clear.

"By the way, Kiana," Fu Hua began, eyes scanning the web of clues, "when did you first realize someone was orchestrating the Honkai incidents here in Arc City?"

Kiana's gaze hardened. "I saw a familiar face during a fight with the zombies. It was a woman I saved last month. Seeing her as a zombie... it shocked me." Her voice faltered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Class President, I once asked you if the outbreaks were because 'she' woke up inside me again."

Fu Hua stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"...And you told me it wasn't my fault," Kiana pressed on. "You said if 'she'1 were the cause, the Honkai beasts would have spawned around me. That was what led me to realize something else was behind it all."

Fu Hua nodded, "I've been watching you closely, Kiana. I know you're not to blame."

Kiana took a deep breath, placing pins on the map to mark every outbreak. "Look, the locations of each Honkai incident all revolve around this point." She tapped the center.

"The industrial facilities of Heliopolis," Fu Hua mused, a rare chuckle escaping her. "A simple yet effective observation. I'm impressed, Kiana."

"Being a drifter doesn't leave room for laziness anymore," Kiana replied with a smirk. "And it's not my first time being homeless."

Fu Hua smiled faintly. "If you're right, Heliopolis holds the answers we need. But we'll need more concrete evidence."

"...Is that why you dragged Schicksal into this? To solve the puzzle for us?"

"Schicksal has a vested interest. They're helping Arc City. That man2 won't let anything tarnish his reputation."

"I still don't trust them," Kiana muttered. "Especially Rita. Is she following the leads we gave her? Or is she still hunting me?"

She paused, her voice growing firm. "Honestly, I don't care. I'll figure this out myself if I have to. It's a trial for her—but it's a trial for me too."

Fu Hua nodded, her eyes narrowing with determination. "Then it's time for us to move, Kiana."

Together, they made their way toward the industrial facility at Heliopolis. From the rooftop of a nearby building, they watched the scene below.

Battleships hovered in the distance, and Valkyries stood poised at the facility's gates.

"My guess was right," Fu Hua said, her sharp eyes surveying the area. "The Valkyries are on the move."

"Very well. Now it's our turn." With a blur, Kiana vanished from the rooftop alongside Fu Hua, reappearing just inside the facility.

"Hm? Slash marks... and claw marks on the walls, plus mecha guards—beheaded," Kiana murmured as she cautiously advanced.

The eerie silence only magnified the signs of battle.

As they approached the center of the facility, Fu Hua's sharp eyes caught movement.

"Guards—still patrolling. Be careful. Avoid them."

Kiana nodded, her body moving like a shadow.

She sneaked behind the first guard, smacking it with her gun. As the guard collapsed, she climbed on top, slamming its head into the ground with her foot before swiftly finishing it off with a single shot.

"Impressive," Fu Hua whispered as they pressed forward.

The night cast a cloak of darkness over the facility, perfect for their stealthy approach.

But as they neared the main door, the sight before them grew more grim. The walls were slashed, claw marks scarred the ground, and remnants of battle littered the area.

Valkyries of the Immortal Blades struggled against the lurching zombies and mechanical abominations.

The weight of enemy numbers slowly overwhelmed the elite Schicksal unit.

"Something isn't right," Fu Hua observed, her eyes narrowing. "These Valkyries appear weaker than they should. Almost like ordinary humans. Be careful, Kiana."

Kiana frowned. "They've been wounded. We can't leave them like this."

"Kiana, we're running out of time."

"I know that... but..."

Making her decision, Kiana drew her pistols.

She would not abandon them.

With a swift leap, Kiana landed perfectly in the midst of the chaos. Her pistols flashed as bullets rained down on the zombies and mechs surrounding the Valkyries.

The wounded Valkyries barely managed to rise to their feet, but instead of gratitude, terror-filled their eyes. They recoiled, retreating from Kiana.

"Y-You're the Herrscher... the Herrscher of the Void! Stay away!"

Kiana raised her hands defensively. "I won't hurt you."

But trust was not easily earned. The Valkyries remained wary, though one finally muttered, "Really...? Th-Thank you..."

Kiana frowned as she looked around. "What happened? You don't look badly injured. The Valkyries shouldn't be falling this easily."

"They... played dirty..." one of the Valkyries gasped. "They used some kind of gas... My body... lost its strength before I knew it..."

The Valkyrie suddenly gripped Kiana's arm with surprising urgency. "Adjutant Rossweisse... She's still down there! In danger... and... Shin!"

Kiana's heart skipped a beat. "Shin? What are you talking about?"

"Shin... the Herrscher of Blade... Please! You have to help them!" The Valkyrie's voice wavered before she collapsed into Kiana's arms.

"Shin...?" Kiana whispered, her mind racing as she gently laid the unconscious Valkyrie down. Shaking off her shock, she turned to the remaining Valkyries. "You, take care of her and get out of here. Now."

The Valkyrie hesitated, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and gratitude, before nodding.

She hoisted the unconscious one onto her shoulder and slowly made her way toward the exit, glancing back only once before disappearing into the shadows.

There is no way... that Shin is alive...

Memories of the past flooded her mind—Shin, the Herrscher of Blade, lying still with a spear through his chest. She still remembered the cold fear gripping her heart when she saw him fall, and the serum injected into her neck, robbing her of control.

Fu Hua placed a hand on Kiana's shoulder, "Come on, Kiana."

Kiana hesitated, looking down. "Class President... she said Shin is down there."

Fu Hua's voice softened, "There's no way he's alive, Kiana..."

"I know... but what if..." Kiana's voice trailed off, her hope tinged with pain. "What if he's still alive, somehow?"

Fu Hua's eyes were hard, If you try to go back to that past, you'll lose control of your body again."

Kiana gritted her teeth, fists clenched in frustration.

She knew Fu Hua was right.

"Yeah..."

"Good. Let's proceed."

They moved onward, Kiana's mind swirling with unanswered questions.

After firing her last shots at the mechas patrolling the area, she stood before the elevator that led deep into the underground facility.

She hadn't noticed it during her previous visit—things had been too chaotic.

Kiana narrowed her eyes. "That Valkyrie said Rita is still down there, in danger. This must be the way."

She felt a surge of Honkai energy emanating from deep below. It was powerful. Unnervingly so. "I think I'm close enough. I can even sense Honkai reactions... and a massive one at that..."

Fu Hua's voice cut through her thoughts. "Kiana, time is running out. You can help Rita or find out the truth. The choice is yours."

Kiana clenched her fists. "I need the truth. Knowing Rita, she can hold her own."

Fu Hua nodded as they continued deeper into the facility. They soon found themselves in a lab filled with flickering monitors, displaying logs and data streams.

"The STIGMA experiment?" Kiana muttered, scanning the files. "Is this why all the zombies have Stigmata on them?"

"They're trying to create a new breed of Honkai-resistant humans... through a city-wide experiment," Fu Hua said, her voice grim.

Kiana's fists clenched at the sheer insanity of the plan. "This is worse than anything Otto ever dreamed of."

She paced the room, searching for more answers, her eyes catching on a particular file. She opened another log, her eyes widening. "MANTIS Observation Logs...? What's a MANTIS?"

Fu Hua's expression darkened. "MANTIS... from the Previous Era. These files are from a long time ago. The almighty Serpent...? They mentioned him before... The man, he's still alive. How is that possible?"

Kiana skimmed through the logs, reading quickly. "Year 1475. Phoenix Shatters the Enemy Formation."

She paused and glanced at Fu Hua. "Class President, this 'Phoenix' in the file—it's you, isn't it?"

Fu Hua's eyes softened. "Yes... this log records the battles I've fought across the centuries."

"Class President..."

"I didn't intend to hide my past from you, Kiana. But it's... complicated. I'm not even sure how Heliopolis knows all this." Fu Hua's voice was heavy. "Whoever's behind this place... they're from the same era as me."

Kiana met her gaze, "You stay here, Class President. Learn more about this Heliopolis. I'll go save Rita."

Fu Hua nodded. "Be careful, Kiana."

With that, Kiana turned and sprinted toward the elevator. She readied her pistols in her hands.

As the elevator slid open, Kiana immediately raised her pistols, firing rapidly at the Valkyrie Slayer—an enormous spider-like mecha.

Her shots connected, sparking off its metallic limbs as it screeched in mechanical agony.

Before she could continue forward, something made her freeze.

Her eyes widened as she spotted a familiar figure standing before Rita.

A man with black hair, a face she could never forget, and a flaming katana clutched tightly in his hand.

Slowly, he turned around, his expression unreadable as he met her gaze.

"Kiana?" His voice, deep yet laced with surprise, cut through the chaos.

For a moment, time itself seemed to stand still. The deafening noise of battle, and the looming danger around them—all faded into the background.

Kiana's voice trembled, her eyes locked on him in disbelief. "Shin...?"

It was impossible. He had fallen. She had seen it happen.

Yet here he was, standing before her.

Alive.

The voice from the monitor interrupted their brief reunion.

"I'm hardly surprised," Raven's mocking tone echoed across the room. "I sensed someone was feeding hints to Rita when that Valkyrie started doubting us. You could have stayed out of this, Herrscher. But now..." Her voice sharpened. "Kill them!"

The enormous spider-like mecha screeched in response, its red eyes glowing with murderous intent.

Rita, still weakened but determined, slowly stood up and gripped her scythe tightly. "I'm not ready to fall yet," she said, her voice strained but defiant.

Kiana, snapping back to the present, quickly rushed to her side, firing at the mecha while making her way toward Rita and Shin.

"What's the situation, Miss Maid?" Kiana asked as she joined the battle.

"Bad," Rita admitted, her breath labored. "The gas... it's affecting me worse than I thought."

Shin, focused and silent, slashed through the spider-like mecha's metallic legs with precision, cutting down everything in his path.

Meanwhile, Kiana assisted him, shooting from a distance.

Shin... it's really you... But I can't ask now. Not while we're still in danger.

Together, the trio fought in perfect synchronization. With one final swing of Shin's flaming blade and a volley of Kiana's gunfire, the mecha collapsed, sparking and screeching before going still.

"Let's escape while we can," Shin said, wiping the blade clean with a swift motion in the air.

Kiana and Rita nodded in agreement, their expressions grim but focused.

The elevator doors slid open, and they made their way back up. As they stepped out, their victory felt brief. A group of Jun-Ninjas awaited them, standing by in formation.

From the speakers, Raven's cold voice filled the air once more. "All units! Prepare for combat! They must not leave!" Her command crackled through the comms, signaling another wave of enemies.

There was no time to breathe.

Shin tightened his grip on his blade, Kiana reloaded her pistols, and Rita steadied her scythe, ready for the next round.

"Looks like we're not done yet," Kiana muttered as she aimed her pistol at the Jun-Ninjas

"Let's finish this and get Rita to safety."

Slowly but surely, the trio fought their way up through the facility, slashing through mecha and zombies that blocked their path. But when they reached the helipad, they were greeted by a squad of Jun-Ninjas waiting in formation.

The relentless march of zombies in the dark made the situation even grimmer.

Rita's movements were growing slower, more erratic.

Her body felt heavier with every swing of her scythe. The gas had taken its toll.

The once-light weapon now felt like a burden, and she could no longer apply enough force to break through armor or carapace.

She knew that if they didn't escape soon, she would become more of a liability than an ally.

"EOS, request ground support! Come in! EOS!" Rita desperately called through her earpiece.

But only silence answered her plea. Moments later, a series of distant explosions echoed in the sky.

The names of the crew members on her visor display began to fade, one by one. EOS had been taken.

Their last hope of escaping the facility was gone.

"Quick! While I can still hold them!" Kiana shouted, shooting at the advancing ninjas as she struggled to maintain control over the growing chaos.

"Kiana! Rita!" Shin called out, trying to fight off the Jun-Ninjas surrounding him, but his position was tricky.

He couldn't risk using his full abilities without potentially hitting Kiana or Rita in the fray.

"Jump in, Rita!" Kiana yelled, her voice strained as she activated a void portal, opening a pathway for them to escape.

Rita, her breathing labored and vision blurred, shook her head. "My apologies, Miss Kaslana... Master Shin... bear with me till I fulfill my last duty."

She looked at her EOS control display one last time. "After all... the duty of a maid is to clean."

She whispered into her comm, "EOS, activate auto-navigation system. Initiate command 'Sweep.' Target: current coordinates."

A sudden rumble shook the ground beneath them. The EOS, following Rita's final command, began a swift descent from the sky, its massive frame hurtling toward the facility, preparing to ram the entire structure.

Shin and Kiana were momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events.

The EOS was coming down fast, ready to obliterate everything in its path.

But Shin's quick reflexes kicked in. Without hesitation, he reached out, grabbing both Rita and Kiana and leaped through the void portal just as the EOS smashed into the facility with a deafening crash.

...

(Shin POV)

Moments later, I found myself on a nearby bridge in Arc City, the wormhole dissipating around us as I held Kiana and Rita tightly in my arms.

"Rita... You've always been so cold and straight-faced... never took you for a hot-head," I panted, trying to catch my breath.

"Were you trying to kill yourself just because you felt guilty about your losses?" Kiana confronted Rita. "Look, I've saved as many of your girls as I could, so stop this crazed nonsense."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Miss Kaslana," Rita replied, her voice steady despite the chaos. "I do not believe in pointless sacrifices. But since this vastly superior enemy will try to hunt us down, I created a show where we fought to the last."

Erm... We almost died?

"Are you sure they would believe in your show?" Kiana asked, skepticism lacing her tone.

"Even if they didn't, they'll be busy trying to cover up for that explosion. That means fewer forces on our tails."

But then, her expression faltered, and she started trembling. "Khh..."

The battle had clearly drained her completely. Just as she began to collapse, I caught her, gently laying her down on the ground.

"She fell into a coma due to the current battle," I said, glancing at Kiana.

Before I could process anything further, Kiana suddenly hugged me from behind, her grip tight and trembling.

"Kiana... what's wrong?" I asked, feeling her fear radiate through her.

Her hands shook as she held onto me as if she feared letting go would mean losing everything.

"Kiana?"

She didn't respond, and as I turned around, I realized she had collapsed onto my back as well.

"Ahh... It exhausts you too, huh..." I smiled gently, holding her cheeks in my hands.

"I knew it... This feeling of mine isn't a lie; it's real. You're the one who ignited these feelings, Kiana."

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching from my side. My eyes widened as I caught sight of a familiar figure.

"I can't believe it... You're actually alive...?"

It was Fu Hua, her white and red hair catching the light, her outfit resembling a phoenix as if she were wreathed in flames.

"Class President Fu Hua."