NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 166: Star Core Forging
Rain lashed against the coastline, instantly vaporizing as it neared the two figures.
Welt glared at the woman, her confidence infuriating. When had Anti-Entropy, one of the world's two dominant powers, been forced to negotiate with a single individual?
"As a human, you should be fighting the Honkai alongside the rest of the world. This conflict is pointless."
Ren scoffed. His true nature as a Herrscher aside, Older Kiana wouldn't be swayed by such arguments.
"Spare me the moralizing. I was born in a bubble universe, a world already doomed, a world you created. You condemned my world to repeated destruction. You know what that world was like. I'm simply seeking revenge."
"Surrender the Herrscher of Reason core, and Anti-Entropy will be spared. You can continue leading the fight against the Honkai, and I'll disappear."
Ren was a master manipulator, wielding morality as a weapon.
He was always the one twisting the rules. Welt, whose negotiating skills couldn't even sway Sirin, had no chance against the Herrscher of a Thousand.
Seeing the negotiations fail, Welt abandoned the attempt. Someone born from a bubble universe wouldn't care about the real world. A fight was inevitable.
A dark red tinge appeared in his brown eyes, the Herrscher of Reason's power surging.
"If you consider me your creator, then I will return you to the Sea of Quanta." He clenched his fist, the air swirling around him, drawing in the rain.
A black sphere materialized in his hand: the Star of Eden, created by the Herrscher of Reason's power.
Debris flew towards Ren, pulled by the Star's gravity.
The concrete ground buckled as gravitational waves slammed into Ren, twisting and distorting everything around him.
The already damaged buildings crumbled, burying him in the rubble.
Welt, pressing his advantage, intensified the gravitational field, determined to crush him.
"Twenty times gravity!"
A black field enveloped Ren, the surrounding debris compressing, forming a dense, airtight prison.
But then, the debris began to push outwards, as if another force was resisting the pressure.
With a resounding crack, the gravitational field shattered. Ren, covered in mud and grime, emerged.
He brushed his white hair back, annoyed. He'd carefully crafted this image, and now he was a mess.
Before Welt could attack again, Ren's azure eyes darkened, like a tranquil lake transforming into a deep ocean.
He held the Ether Singularity, blue light surging, enveloping him.
Gurgle…
The sound of bubbling filled the air, reminiscent of the countless bubble universes in the Sea of Quanta. The blue light contracted, converging on Ren.
「Star Core Forging!」
The light faded, revealing Ren in a new form.
Unlike Durandal's armor, Ren's, forged from the Ether Singularity, was blue and white, more like a stylish outfit than armor.
While less clothing often meant better defense, Ren wasn't about to exploit Kiana's image for fanservice. (we know)
Created directly from the Ether Singularity, it amplified Honkai energy significantly.
Its only drawbacks were its limited energy capacity and duration, far less than Durandal's, and its inability to create multiple weapons.
"Well, Herrscher of Reason, does this armor look familiar?"
The power of the Sea of Quanta, combined with the Herrscher of Reason's abilities. Normally incompatible forces, merged in a strange harmony, forming a new type of armor.
Welt, after a year in the Sea of Quanta, hadn't considered this possibility. He felt a surge of curiosity. Understanding this principle could lead to weapons capable of rivaling Schicksal's Valkyries.
But first, he had to capture Ren.
Wielding the Star of Eden, he expanded the gravitational field, trying to restrict Ren's movement.
Bang!
A sonic boom echoed. Before the sound reached him, Ren's smirking face was inches away.
That speed!
Before Welt could react, a fist slammed into his chest, the supersonic impact sending him flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
He quickly erected a shield, blocking Ren's next attack, buying himself time.
"Fifty times gravity!"
Black lightning crackled around the sphere. The Star of Eden's power surged.
The ground sank, but Ren seemed unaffected.
He stepped into the gravitational field, his foot sinking into the concrete, but even gravity couldn't hold him.
As he moved, the ground beneath him shattered. The rain couldn't keep up, only the wind matching his pace.
He struck, the Star of Eden's shield shattering. Welt, arms crossed defensively, was sent flying, landing in the ocean.
Ren, panting, felt the strain on his body. The burst of speed, though effective, was incredibly taxing. Even this enhanced Puppet body could barely handle the stress. A normal human would have been torn apart at that speed.
The armor wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, far less than a true Herrscher, but its mobility and amplification were exceptional. The Sea of Quanta's power allowed it to bypass Honkai limitations, while the core's connection to the Herrscher of Reason made it highly resistant to the Star of Eden, effectively countering Welt's power.
He looked back at the base, a landscape of rubble. The fight had lasted almost half an hour. Most of Anti-Entropy's personnel had evacuated, though a few brave souls remained, hidden, observing the battle.
Continuing here would result in unnecessary casualties. Ren didn't care about their lives, but like in ARC City, killing civilians was pointless, a needless complication.
"No point," he muttered, then rushed towards Welt's landing point. At this speed, the ocean's surface was no different from solid ground.
But when he reached the ocean, Welt was gone, only the churning waves remained.