NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 109: The Obsidian Concord
In the dim theater, the creaking sounds of the puppets echoed. A faint light shone from above, gently caressing the girl lying in the center of the room.
Her peaceful, beautiful form resembled the world's most precious treasure. She lay there, sleeping, unaware of the strange world surrounding her.
Below the stage, a large crowd of puppets filled the audience seats. They moved in unsettling ways—some pretending to remain calm, others like crazed worshippers, eyes fixed on the girl as though she were a deity. There were also those who stood still, silent as knights, guarding the girl's peace.
This wasn't the Imaginary Space. This entire theater had been built by Ren, using Kiana's mindscape and the power of Fenghuang Down.
The Honkai bomb had been detonated on purpose by him. He knew how dangerous it was. The combined erosion from both the Honkai and the Herrscher could instantly destroy Kiana's consciousness.
Before setting off the bomb, he used his Dominance threads to carefully control the timing and intensity of the explosion. He had also extended his Dominance powers to her mindscape, preparing in advance.
When he had saved Kiana before, he discovered that her heart was defenseless against him. That was why he was able to modify her consciousness space. It was to stop the Honkai energy from invading and eroding her heart.
Sirin's Herrscher consciousness could pollute Kiana, but against the rational Herrscher of Dominance, she stood no chance.
Now, with Kiana having lost all five senses and fallen into a deep sleep, the Dominance Theater was the best way to protect her. It would not only help her endure the Honkai erosion, but it would also stop the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness from invading her.
Unless it was someone like the Herrscher of Sentience, whose specialty was consciousness attacks, no one could bypass Ren's protection to harm Kiana's mind.
But this theater wasn't just protection—it was also a prison.
Before Kiana woke up, the theater would continuously extract her Herrscher powers. This included the power of the gems within her body, which would also be stolen by Dominance.
On the stage, in a place untouched by light, Ren confirmed that Kiana was safe. With that, he turned to leave. But as he did, the Divine Key Judgment of Shamash, now only a hilt, began to glow faintly with red light. Moments later, intense flames erupted from it.
Countless threads intertwined and spread across the room. They surrounded the Gem of Serenity, representing both death and creation; the Gem of Conquest, embodying thunder and lightning; and the Gem of Haste, symbolizing fire and destruction. These powers were drawn out, enveloped by the threads.
Ren didn't take the Herrscher of the Void's core. Instead, he chose to create a pseudo-core, just like he had done before. This time, however, he fused it directly with the core of the Herrscher of Thousands. The result was far more powerful than before.
Combined with Ren's own Herrscher of Dominance powers, he had finally created the eternally burning Great sword of Kindling.
Even if the darkness stretched on forever, he would light up the distant sky for her, lighting the path home.
"Kiana, when you wake up, you'll find that this world has changed. But don't worry—I'll always be with you."
His soft murmur echoed through the theater. The puppets lowered their heads, like warriors about to leave for an expedition, bidding farewell to their general.
"Even if it's in a way that you wouldn't like." (that... kinda Yandere)
…
Within ARC City, after the detonation of the Honkai bomb, the crisis was temporarily resolved. The Shenzhou authorities quickly organized rescue efforts.
The survivors, who had been desperately scrambling to escape, were finally forced to evacuate in an orderly manner, preventing any stampedes from happening.
The adults were filled with worry, their faces tense with uncertainty. The children, on the other hand, were filled with yearning, their gazes fixed on the distant sky.
But in the end, no one dared to chase after the falling meteor.
She is a hero who saved the world, but we are just ordinary people.
While everyone retreated towards the shelters, Rita and Mei walked against the flow of the crowd, heading toward the place where the Herrscher of the Void had fallen.
Durandal's arrival undoubtedly marked Schicksal's official entry into the conflict. With their strongest Valkyrie now present, both World Serpent and Anti-Entropy had no choice but to temporarily retreat under her deterrence.
The remaining members of the Immortal Blades quickly gathered in the direction of their captain. But Rita's heart remained heavy with unease. While the World Serpent forces had retreated, the woman named Scarlet Serpent was still nowhere to be seen.
If Rita's suspicions were correct—and if Scarlet Serpent truly was the Herrscher of the Void's backup plan—then she would surely make a move to rescue Kiana once she had been severely injured.
"I won't let you interfere with Ms. Durandal," Rita murmured softly. The ice-cold frost scythe gleamed in the air before coming to a stop.
In front of her, a young woman leaned casually against a streetlight. Her long, bright red hair fluttered gently in the evening wind.
A decorative corsage was pinned to her elegant dress, and a black shawl with white trimming was casually draped over her shoulders. Her pale fingers held a glass of red wine, with a few wine stains lingering on her soft, moist lips.
She looked like an elegant lady who had just stepped out of a ball—if it weren't for the massive greatsword lying by her feet.
"Good evening, Rita Rossweisse." A strange smile curved the corners of her lips beneath her pure white mask. Himeko slightly raised her head, meeting Rita's gaze.
For some reason, seeing this woman in person brought a sense of relief to Rita. This person's background was a complete mystery. She had originally assumed she was a World Serpent cadre, but after repeatedly inciting both them and Schicksal to fight, she herself had managed to reap the benefits.
Rita wasn't afraid of fighting. She wouldn't lose her composure just because she had been tricked. Now that Durandal had arrived, she knew that as long as she could stall this woman, victory would belong to Schicksal.
"Scarlet Serpent? That shouldn't be your real codename. Care to tell me your true name? Perhaps it would save some time during your interrogation by Schicksal." A cold aura began to spread around her. The Honkai energy within her, amplified by the Argent Knight: Artemis armor, was growing dangerously strong.
Himeko couldn't help but laugh at Rita's words. Although it wasn't their first encounter, Himeko still found Rita's pre-battle trash talk and post-battle failures amusing.
"Then I'm really a little worried." Himeko's voice dripped with mock fear. "After all, my opponent is Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie. How could a nobody like me possibly win against Ms. Rita?" She spoke with a tone of false anxiety, then casually pulled out the prosthetic eye she had snatched from Rita the last time they met.
It was just some trash talk. Himeko had never been afraid of anyone, except a certain Herrscher.
Anyway, the two of them both clearly understood that the main focus wasn't this battle.
Himeko's taunts made Rita's blood pressure rise, but even though Himeko was only an A-rank, she had a wealth of combat experience. It wouldn't be easy for Rita to take her down. It was better to talk for a bit longer, see if she could get any information out of her.
Just as Himeko had stopped Rita, the Immortal Blades members throughout the city were attacked by unidentified personnel. They were all wearing different clothing, but they all had the same mark.
The Obsidian Concord insignia.