NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 108: Meteor of ARC City
High above the sky, there was only silence.
Thousands of meters high, the clouds were already beneath her feet. Here, there was only emptiness.
Without the obstruction of the clouds, the countless stars began to twinkle, looking down at Kiana, as if curious about what she was doing.
Blood continued to flow from her wounds, but the intense pain that covered her entire body was gradually disappearing. Kiana clearly understood that this was a sign that her body was about to lose all sensation.
"A little higher, a little higher…" Even though her consciousness was blurring, Kiana kept repeating those words.
The Honkai energy in her body had been completely depleted. Even the Herrscher of the Void's power had reached its limit. The light wings had turned into pale purple particles before disappearing.
Finally, the meteor that had been flying towards the sky had finally reached its end.
But, this still wasn't high enough…
In this emptiness, it was as if she had returned to her time wandering alone, like a stray dog, roaming the corners of the city, hiding in the dirty sewers to pass the long nights.
Was I always alone?
Her consciousness began to blur. She could no longer even clearly see the Honkai bomb that was right in front of her. A strong wave of sadness washed over her, like the tides swallowing her whole.
Negative emotions were the best nourishment for a Herrscher. During her fight against the Herrscher of the Void, even a little bit of sadness was enough to tear open the cracks in her heart.
Sirin's consciousness quickly discovered the vulnerability in Kiana's consciousness space. In just an instant, it broke through the once impenetrable mental barriers.
「You frail human, you are still bound by emotions after all.」
Sirin, who had regained her sense of self, had finally entered the consciousness space. Now, she only needed to erode it a little bit, and then Kiana would become a complete vessel for the Herrscher of the Void.
However, the moment that she had entered the consciousness space, she sensed that something was wrong. There was nothing here. Only a strange theater was swaying from the hanging threads.
A boy, holding a flaming greatsword, stood in the center of the theater. He seemed surprised by Sirin's arrival.
「I'm sorry, Herrscher of the Void, but there's no more room here.」
「?」 Before Sirin could even react, her consciousness was once again plunged into darkness.
While Ren and Sirin were successively invading Kiana's consciousness space, Kiana had already fallen into the self-blame and regret of her past.
"Teacher Himeko…" There was no doubt that what had hurt Kiana the most, was killing Himeko. Even meeting Ren hadn't been able to undo that knot in her heart. "I'm sorry…"
"There's no need to apologize, Kiana. You've grown." Just as Kiana's consciousness was about to fade, a hallucination appeared in front of her. It was as if Teacher Himeko was right beside her.
But, this hallucination seemed too real. Not only could she feel it, but even Teacher Himeko's scent, her breath, and her body temperature all felt real.
"You've done it, Kiana. You've changed this imperfect world into the world we desire."
The Himeko in her hallucination smiled at her. Kiana suddenly wanted to cry. Even though she knew it was just a hallucination, why… did she still want to hug her again?
Just as she thought this, warm arms embraced her. Himeko was hugging Kiana, who was desperately holding onto the bomb.
Aside from what Ren had intentionally hidden, Himeko already knew everything about what Kiana had done in ARC City, and she had also witnessed Kiana's growth.
The Herrscher was right. You've grown into a fine young woman now.
Himeko released her hands, and her body gradually drifted back.
After all, she was just Kiana's [hallucination]. If her true form stayed with her for too long, then even if Kiana's consciousness was blurred, she would still definitely be discovered.
Himeko's appearance had finally undone the knot in Kiana's heart. Although she was still in pain, Kiana smiled.
"Yes, Teacher Himeko, this is my promise."
Having reached the highest point she could, Kiana used the last of her strength, and forcefully pushed the Honkai bomb upwards.
Then, a blinding white light. Thousands of Honkai power erupted completely. Even the starry sky was covered by this massive explosion. The intense shockwave instantly swept all of the clouds away, even cities hundreds of kilometers away could see the clear sky that had been created.
But at this altitude, ARC City wouldn't be affected by the Honkai energy. And so, Kiana had made a crazy decision. She would endure all of the Honkai energy that was heading downwards. That was the true salvation.
Was the Stigmata Project, which sacrificed most of humanity to preserve the flames of civilization, truly salvation?
Kiana gave her answer. True salvation didn't require sacrificing anyone.
"I'm sorry, Ren. It seems like I've broken our promise."
The excessive Honkai energy had completely destroyed the functions of Kiana's body. She could no longer feel anything. No touch, no smell, no taste. Gradually, even her hearing began to fade.
Her body fell from thousands of meters high, like a meteor streaking across the night sky.
The night she had spent on the grassland gradually appeared in her mind. The swing kept swaying. The two of them had sat on the swing, flying higher and higher. The countless stars had felt so close.
And now, the stars were right in front of her. The girl reached out her hand, but what she wanted to grasp wasn't the stars, but the boy's hand.
Goodbye.
Her vision had also begun to fade, and darkness invaded, swallowing everything whole.
In that final moment before her sight had completely disappeared, it seemed, as if she had seen the gray-haired boy falling with her.
Their hands tightly gripped each other.
"Mommy, is that a shooting star?"
"No, that's a hero."
…
Just as Ren and Kiana had turned into shooting stars and were falling from the sky, Durandal, Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, had finally arrived in ARC City.
Gripping Black Abyss White Flower in her hand, she stood quietly on top of a high-rise building, looking at the stars that were streaking across the sky. It was unknown what she was thinking.
Rita, who had taken the Immortal Blades squad and was preparing to go meet Durandal, also saw the meteors in the sky. The corners of her lips curved into a smile.
"Not just a Herrscher, but also a hero? Ms. Kiana…"
And Mei, who was also looking up at the sky, wasn't as relaxed. Her face was filled with worry. Although The Obsidian Concord had promised that they would ensure Kiana's safety, how could she not worry?
When she had arrived at the hospital, the Honkai outbreak had already ended. She hadn't seen the person that Kiana had wanted her to save. Now that Kiana had personally detonated the Honkai bomb, Mei didn't care about anything else, and quickly headed towards where the meteor had fallen.
At the same time, a mission message from The Obsidian Concord had arrived.
「Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, Durandal, intends to capture Kiana, and will immediately subject her to inhumane experiments once she is captured. Be sure to save her.」