NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 257: 300,000 Wills
Honkai Beasts instinctively converged towards areas with higher Honkai energy concentrations. This was the principle behind the lure devices Otto had deployed through Susannah.
The rebuilt ARC City was Ren's city, its purpose to provide Kiana with a sanctuary in a world that hunted her. Naturally, he wouldn't allow Schicksal to interfere, so neither Schicksal nor the Shenzhou government knew the city's true ownership.
This had clearly aroused Otto's suspicion, prompting him to instigate the Honkai Beast tide to uncover the city's true master.
His plan was successful. Ren was currently weakened, and stopping a Honkai eruption of this scale would inevitably expose him.
However…
Looking at the white-haired girl in the sky, Ren sighed softly. Kiana stepping forward meant he no longer had to risk exposure, but it also meant she was once again in Otto's sights, inviting further suspicion and scrutiny.
More importantly, Ren didn't know if she could withstand the pressure and awaken the power of Flamescion safely.
The Honkai energy concentration emitted by a Herrscher undoubtedly surpassed that of the lure devices, temporarily averting the immediate crisis. But this wasn't the outcome Ren desired. Moreover, his body…
Weakness, fatigue—every cell seemed to be rebelling against him.
Pain, dizziness—their wills challenged his domination.
Forcing himself to stand, Ren's eyes turned icy cold.
His body was constructed by the Herrscher of Reason's power, and the core was still resisting him. The primary reason was the 300,000 wills within the core, which had never accepted him.
This sudden weakness was likely their doing, forcibly seizing control of his body.
In truth, Ren had never intended to erase their wills. He had merely planned to gradually integrate them into his own, hoping they would eventually accept him.
But now it seemed that when a Herrscher showed too much kindness, even the wills of the dead didn't take him seriously.
This body wasn't like his own puppets. It was created to be compatible with the Herrscher of Reason and was inevitably influenced by the core.
The drain on his Honkai energy continued, but as a golden light ignited in Ren's eyes, an immense surge of Honkai energy flooded his body from imaginary space.
In an instant, the Herrscher core's resistance was crushed by his Domination. He reached out, piercing his chest, and extracted the spinning core from his body.
He could clearly sense the 300,000 wills still echoing within.
Stained with blood, the core took on a sickly crimson hue, reflected in Ren's golden eyes.
His grip tightened, and the core spun faster. Sensing Ren's killing intent, the Herrscher core finally ceased its rebellion, dimming and falling silent.
"I didn't want to erase these 300,000 wills because the lives of a million people in ARC City depend on me. Don't force my hand…" he muttered under his breath. Control of his body returned to him. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he looked up at the girl in the sky, the killing intent in his eyes gradually subsiding.
Just as he thought the situation would resolve itself with Kiana luring the Honkai Beasts away, the girl at the center of the fiery vortex suddenly faltered.
Although she quickly recovered, Ren, who had been closely observing her, didn't miss it, his expression darkening.
…
"Kiana, can you still hold on?" Fu Hua watched the stubborn girl with concern, frustrated that she was only a consciousness, unable to offer any physical assistance.
"Class Monitor, don't worry, I'm fine." The flame in her hand burned brighter, transforming into a swirling vortex that drew in the Honkai Beasts. Kiana responded with feigned ease, unaware of how pale her face had become.
Ren was right. This wasn't how Flamescion's power should be used.
Kiana wasn't yet capable of fully containing Flamescion's eternal flame. She was forcibly absorbing its power, which, while effective in attracting the Honkai Beasts, was also burning her from within.
Less than half a month had passed since Mei had taken the Gem of Conquest. Kiana, still weakened from its severe erosion, hadn't fully recovered. Although the Gem of Serenity was regulating her bodily functions, forcibly using Flamescion now would undo all her previous recovery efforts.
Knowing she couldn't dissuade Kiana, Fu Hua remained silent.
She understood Kiana's current state. The trauma of Ren's death remained unresolved, and she had been further injured during last night's clash with the unknown girl.
The wound on her forehead, sustained during the Honkai Beast's ambush earlier that morning, was still bleeding.
A Herrscher being injured in a sneak attack by a Honkai Beast sounded like a joke, but it only served to highlight Kiana's current weakness.
"You're too tired, Kiana."
Before Fu Hua's words could reach Kiana's mind, the girl's body plummeted another several dozen meters.
Kiana could barely hear Fu Hua's voice now; her condition was far worse than Fu Hua had imagined.
The Herrscher of the Void's influence, Himeko's final farewell, the memories of Ren—each fragment chipped away at her consciousness. In this state, the mental impact of Taixu Sword God was amplified a thousandfold.
Although Ren had shielded her from nearly 90% of it, the initial shock had still disturbed her mind.
This was something even Fu Hua, with her shattered Sword Heart, couldn't sense. And Kiana herself was completely unaware, continuing to push her body to its limits.
If this continued, she risked permanent mental damage.
"It's okay, as long as I lure them out of the city…" The city's edge was only a few hundred meters away, but her consciousness was at its breaking point.
Just a few more minutes, just…
Her vision blurred.
"Kiana!" Fu Hua's cry startled Kiana back to awareness. She looked down and realized she was only a dozen meters above the ground, having fallen from a height of over a thousand meters.
If she had been a moment slower, the consequences would have been dire.
Roar.
The roars of Honkai Beasts echoed. During the few seconds she had lost focus, the horde she had been luring lost their target and went berserk. And this horde consisted of all the beasts in the city; the destruction they could cause would be catastrophic.
"No!" Kiana, her face even paler, poured all her remaining strength into the flame, amplifying it with her own power and the Herrscher of the Void's authority to regain the beasts' attention.
But the moment Flamescion's power surged through her, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness, plunging into darkness.
"Kiana!" Fu Hua's calls became distant. Kiana wanted to respond, but she couldn't even open her eyes.
In the final moment before she succumbed to unconsciousness, she felt her falling body caught in a familiar embrace.