Chapter 133: Awakening
Perhaps because she couldn't accept the truth, she sealed off the memory she didn't want to recall a long time ago.
She only remembered that her father resolutely left her one day, disappeared from her world, and no longer appeared in front of her.
But, she couldn't remember why he left her.
Is it because…?
"…"
Kiana covered her head tightly with her hands. The more she thought about it, the more painful her head became as if she was instinctively refusing to continue.
She didn't want to recall it, but the images still surfaced in her mind, forcing her to recall the past.
The burning earth, the broken walls, and everything that was destroyed were not done by her dad.
All of that was... destroyed by herself, and she was the one who took away one of her father's arms.
——Because she was the second Herrscher, and because of her rampage, her father left her.
"I... am a Herrscher?"
Kiana muttered to herself.
'Just like Mei...?'
The white-haired girl only felt her heart beating faster and faster as if something was about to awaken from within her body.
Her body began to tremble more and more.
'No, I'm not a Herrscher...'
"You are afraid. You dare not face your true self."
Kirataka's voice did not stop; he continued to persuade patiently.
"No, don't say anymore..."
The girl's voice was already filled with tears as she begged bitterly.
"You don't want to face it, because... you think you can't do what Mei Raiden can do?"
"I…"
"Your family, your friends, and countless ordinary people... will all be killed by your own hands the day you can no longer control yourself—you know, the evil intention buried deep in your heart that wants to destroy everything in this world."
"No…I…"
Kiana wanted to say something but found that she had no capital to argue.
At the same time, the scene created by Kirataka appeared before her eyes again.
It was a world engulfed by the flames of disaster. Everywhere you looked was devastation, and all you could hear was the sound of people crying out loud.
All the relatives she knew... also fell in front of her one by one.
"What's this?"
The white-haired girl murmured.
It seemed like she was asking Kirataka in front of her, but also like she was talking to herself.
"This is your future."
(TL: 'behold the unthinkable present' Re-zero so PEAK)
Kirataka replied calmly.
——This is an illusion he created based on what he knew about the "Queen's Coming" that would happen in the original timeline.
After Otto resurrected the Herrscher of the Void, although she was defeated again in a short time, the Great Disaster caused by the Herrscher's revival caused the deaths and displacement of tens of millions of people around the world, and countless cities were destroyed by Honkai beasts.
In a sense, it is indeed showing Kiana the possibility of the future she will experience.
It was precisely in order to prevent the situation from developing in this direction that he chose to reveal Kiana's past now and force her to get to know herself again.
"Kiana, if you really think you can't do it and choose to escape..."
As Kirataka finished his words, a spirit spear summoned by him flew quickly to Kiana's side, aiming at her forehead with a chilling aura.
"Then the greatest good you can do for the people of this world is to die here."
He whispered.
A Herrscher who cannot control themselves will only bring more destruction and sorrow to the world.
Having said that, he still knew that Kiana would be able to master this power well in the future.
…She gained this painful realization at the cost of the sacrifice of her relatives and friends.
What he wanted to do was to change this outcome and achieve that future with as little sacrifice as possible.
Fenghuang Down's illusion continued, and Kiana knelt on the ground motionless.
Kirataka did not continue to say anything to provoke her but took advantage of this gap to turn around and look at the processed Gem of Serenity.
The index on the Honkai energy concentration detector nearby has returned to normal levels, and the Honkai energy that was additionally injected into the gem has been completely neutralized.
He let the chains loosen, and the projections of the two crosses dissipated.
Afterward, he took out the Serenity Gem and placed it in the insulated container that Siegfried gave him.
If you want Kiana to realize the reality, Fenghuang Down's illusion and his few words are not enough.
Next, it's time for her closest relatives to come out and put pressure on her again.
According to the time he expected... just right.
Sure enough, just as he put the Serenity Gem into the insulated container, a man's voice came from outside the passage—
"What are you doing to my daughter!"
Along with it, a blazing fire bomb also appeared and arrived in front of Kirataka at lightning speed.
[Infinity], expand.
The firebomb exploded very close to him, and the scorching fire wave swept over, filling every corner of the safe room.
Everything except Kirataka and Kiana has to ashes in an instant.
Siegfried walked out of the flames, holding the Judgment of Shamash, and aimed it at Kirataka.
The sound of the explosion and the familiar voice naturally awakened Kiana, who was in extreme sadness and confusion. She barely raised her head and saw the appearance of that familiar loved one.
The blue eyes that had lost their luster finally regained a bit of their luster.
So the girl said with difficulty:
"Dad?"
The father whom she hadn't seen for a long time was standing in front of her at this moment.
If it were any other time, she would have rushed forward, crying and laughing, punched him on the chest, and loudly asked where this stinky old dad had been all these years.
But now, facing this sudden reunion, she only felt relaxed.
'If my dad is around, I don't have to work so hard, right?'
'Great, I don't have to face it anymore...'
'Just like before, hiding behind him and watching his back as he fought... I didn't have to do anything...'
But she couldn't move her feet to stand up and move towards Siegfried.
'I... am scared?'
"Are you afraid that you will hurt your father again like you did that time?"
At the same time, Kirataka said again:
"Kiana, you may feel that you can rely on your father...
"But reality is often more cruel."
As he spoke, he took a step and began to walk towards Siegfried.
"...He is your father and the protector of the Herrscher. In other words, he is guilty of the same crime as you. Therefore, I will kill him in front of your eyes."
A dagger projected from his hand, and he began to walk towards Siegfried.
Beside him, the Oath of Judah reappeared, and golden chains shot towards Siegfried from all directions, trying to restrain his body.
The opponent kept using the Judgment of Shamash to attack him, but all of them were blocked by the [Infinity] at a safe distance without exception and did not cause any harm to him.
'Why...?'
Why was he still unharmed even though her father was attacking him with the Judgment of Shamash?
The white-haired girl was full of doubts.
The flames shot out from the pair of guns could easily burn any Honkai beast.
'If this continues, my father will be attacked by him.'
The golden chains had entangled Siegfried's body, and the restraining force made the flaming gun in his hand misfire.
Kirataka had already raised the dagger in his hand and was about to stab Siegfried in the chest as he was unable to move.
"…"
No... she wants to protect her father, her stinky old dad.
"The Kaslana family must protect this world, others, and the people they love, no matter what the cost."
——These are the words her father once said to her.
The white-haired girl stood up with difficulty.
Being in an environment with such a high concentration of Honkai energy, her body, which had been weakened by the injection of serum, has also absorbed some Honkai energy and restored a certain degree of physical strength.
She started running.
How to stop him from hurting his dad?
If it was an enemy that even her father couldn't hurt... what method would she use to touch him?
She didn't have time to think about these questions, she just ran towards Kirataka with all her might.
As she ran, the space around the girl seemed to begin to distort strangely.
——The fighting instinct and the desire to protect her loved ones made her unconsciously mobilize that power for the first time.
She wrapped this power in her fist, raised it, and smashed it toward Kirataka without hesitation, trying to drive him away from Siegfried.
Her attack was successful, and although it seemed to be hindered to some extent, her fist did connect with Kirataka, knocking him away from his father.
'It hurts, it hurts… But then again, the Herrscher of the Void's ability can penetrate the defense of the Infinity.'
Kirataka, who had been hit hard by Kaslana's powerful punch, stood up from the broken wall and thought silently.
According to his personal experience, up to now, only the power of the Herrscher of Binding and the power of the Herrscher of Void can effectively penetrate the defense of this unbreakable shield.
Even the gravity that was slightly related to space could not cause any harm to him.
Having said that, a defense that only has... well, to be precise, only two weaknesses so far is indeed quite powerful.
Even if Siegfried continued to attack with the Judgment of Shamash, he was unable to cause any effective damage.
Then he looked at the white-haired girl who had fallen into her father's arms.
——Under the influence of the serum and mental torture, she forced herself to drive her own strength and threw a punch that broke his defense, and her consciousness dissipated afterwards.
(TL: Hey there! If you're enjoying this fanfic and want to get early access to more chapters or explore some of my other works, feel free to swing by my Patreon. You'll find plenty of advanced updates and maybe even some exclusive content waiting for you~
link: patreon.com/Elysia_Husband)