NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 161: I Will Reshape Reality!
A sudden explosion ripped through the plaza, shattering the concrete. Older Kiana, unleashed, was practically unstoppable.
A patrolling mech turned its cameras towards her, but the moment it captured her image, a grinning face filled the screen.
Then, darkness. The mech, crushed, became a pile of scrap metal.
Inside the control room, Tesla yanked at her hair, her fiery red locks practically turning into frazzled wires.
"Argh! My newly upgraded mag-storm mech! Reduced to scrap!"
The main screen displayed the mech's final transmission: a girl wreaking havoc. Undoubtedly, the former Herrscher of the Void, Kiana Kaslana.
But according to the reports, Kiana should have been severely weakened by Honkai corruption, incapable of such destruction.
"Did the Herrscher of Sentience take control of the Herrscher of the Void? Can one Herrscher control another?" Their knowledge of Herrschers was limited to the data Welt had provided.
"No, the Herrscher of Sentience's involvement is questionable," Einstein said, frowning.
She'd analyzed the Herrscher signals multiple times. The girl rampaging through the base didn't have a Herrscher's aura. The actual Herrscher of the Void signal, the one they'd been tracking, was on the other side of the base.
"Wait, you said the Herrscher of Sentience had appeared! Now you're doubting it? Are you messing with me?"
Einstein sighed, rubbing her temples, looking at the agitated Tesla. "The Herrscher of Sentience was a hypothesis, the only plausible explanation at the time."
"And according to Bronya, the woman who brought Mei and Raiden here was the same one who attacked the Hyperion. She's just… concealing herself somehow."
"There's surveillance footage? Why didn't you say so? Let me see! What could those clueless kids have possibly noticed?" Tesla hadn't met Older Kiana. She focused on the clothing in the footage, not the face.
"This is the same person! Same clothes! How did you miss this?" She placed two images side-by-side. The "Herrscher of the Void" rampaging through the base was the woman from the beach.
"But why has her appearance changed? And… we're detecting traces of the Herrscher of Reason's signal."
Tesla didn't have time for this. Her mechs were being destroyed. "Isn't it obvious? You said she came from the Sea of Quanta. She's from Welt's bubble universe. Picking up some residual energy isn't unusual!"
"But—"
"No buts! Inform Theresa! And how long until Welt arrives? This place is being torn apart!"
BOOM!
A figure crashed through the wall, landing in the control room.
"Ugh…" Theresa, spitting out blood, pushed herself up, realizing where she was.
"Doctor, how much longer until Welt arrives? Bronya and the others can't hold out much longer!"
"Ten minutes. Just hold out for ten minutes." Einstein wasn't entirely sure, but she had faith in Welt. He would arrive, just like he always had. "But the one attacking you wasn't—"
"La la la~ Wasn't who?" Humming a tune, the silver-haired girl entered through the hole in the wall. "Theresa-sensei, why are you hiding here? I brought you your favorite bitter melon juice."
Older Kiana smiled, amused by Theresa's furious expression. The memories of her younger self in the bubble universe were fading, but the sight of her old friend's anger brought her a strange sense of satisfaction.
"Kiana, why… what happened to you?" Theresa still didn't realize this wasn't the Kiana she knew. She'd rushed to Bronya's aid, only to be sent flying by Older Kiana.
Tesla was about to speak, but a sudden chill ran down her spine.
"Ladies, I suggest you keep quiet. I don't want to kill you, but that doesn't mean I can't." Older Kiana's smile didn't reach her eyes.
There were limits to this charade. Ren had allowed her to vent, but she knew there were lines she couldn't cross.
These two were crucial to Anti-Entropy. Their deaths could push Welt over the edge, just like in that other world.
Remembering that bleak future, Older Kiana shuddered. That hopeless world should never exist.
She had Ren put them to sleep. They'd seen too much, but she was enjoying herself, and didn't want the game to end just yet.
She turned to Theresa. "Principal Theresa, have you forgotten? It was your beloved Grandpa Otto who did this to me."
"But… but you…"
"What about me? Schicksal used me as a lab rat, forced the Herrscher of the Void to awaken. And you knew, didn't you? From the start. I wasn't Kiana. Just a copy, a vessel for the Herrscher. You hid the truth… to monitor me?"
With every word, Theresa's hope dwindled. She tried to speak, but found herself unable to argue.
Older Kiana's amusement grew. She was starting to understand Ren's methods. Deceiving people, watching their pain and confusion… it was exhilarating feeling.
"No… no… Kiana, she's a dummy, but she'd never… Give her back! You're not her!" Theresa, injured from the earlier fight, stumbled towards Older Kiana, trying to reach her.
"You don't get to decide who I am. I've seen the truth. I've found my purpose."
Crack!
The clear sky darkened, storm clouds gathering over the base. Lightning flashed.
Wind howled through the hole in the wall, whipping Older Kiana's hair around her.
Theresa looked at her, a stranger in a familiar form.
A flash of lightning illuminated the room. The wind and thunder seemed to emanate from Older Kiana, making her appear godlike, apocalyptic.
"This is the Real me! The Real Kiana! The Real ME!"
"I will reshape reality!"