As the protagonist, naturally, she wouldn't meet such a swift end... cough, cough - mainly because backup had been meticulously planned. Kiana's seemingly reckless assault actually bought time for herself and Raiden Mei to await assistance.
As the protagonist, of course she wouldn't meet her end so easily... Ahem, mainly because backup was perfectly timed. Kiana's seemingly reckless assault actually bought time for herself and Raiden Mei to await assistance.
"Clang! Clang!"
With dull metallic clangs, several black spears whirling through the air struck Sirin's Subspace Lances mid-flight, deflecting them away from Kiana and causing them to embed themselves into the ground nearby, leaving large, cracked craters behind.
For a moment, dust filled the air.
"Hm?" Sirin squinted slightly.
Sin Mal—recognizing the familiar weapon instantly, Sirin knew it belonged to that stubborn girl who had grown up alongside Kiana amidst their constant bickering.
Sure enough, concealed by the dust cloud, a petite silhouette swiftly emerged from one side.
"How foolish." Expressionless, Sirin lifted her hand, sending golden ripples cascading through the void as countless Subspace Lances flew forth from all directions, directly targeting Sin.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Trails of blue flame propelled by the black armor surged forward, enabling Sin to dart at high speed while wielding her dual spears with unnerving agility. With precision, she deflected each incoming Subspace Lance obstructing her path.
Sin charged at Sirin's side and thrust her spear without hesitation.
Sirin slightly furrowed her brow.
The power of time, alas, still nothing more than an insect.
Nonchalantly, she raised her hand as the Subspace Lance transformed into a shield to block Sin's attack.
However, just as the Subspace Shield was about to fully deploy—
"Whoosh!"
A shadow, too swift for the naked eye, pierced through like lightning, exploiting the tiny gap before the shield completed its formation, directly aiming for Sirin's heart.
Sirin hastily sidestepped but couldn't evade entirely; the projectile penetrated her right shoulder.
"This is...that thing's so-called Godslayer bullet?"
She reached up, pressing against the wound that, despite attempting to heal itself, continued to enlarge due to some peculiar force. The chaotic Honkai Energy momentarily numbed half of her body.
Frowning slightly, Sirin looked beyond space, scanning the earth over ten kilometers away, yet failed to locate any trace of the sniper. She surmised it must be Bronya, with her mastery of military skills, lurking unseen, waiting for the next opportune moment to strike decisively.
Meanwhile, Sin, who had closed the distance, found herself entangled by the Etherial Sash. Despite maintaining a stance ready to thrust her spear with full force, the black armor's propulsive power continuously increased yet could not free her from the sash's grip.
"Zzzt! Zzzzt—"
The long spear and black armor strained against the increasing pressure of the Etherial Satchel, emitting piercing metallic sounds.
Under her helmet, Sin gazed at the familiar yet distinctly different face before her, her heterochromatic eyes flickering slightly.
"Shwip!"
Sin relinquished her tightly restrained spear, finally managing to free one hand. The palm stretched out like a sharp blade, its armor automatically thickening and tapering at the fingertips. Thousands upon thousands of microscopic-scale propellers emerged from her arm—a thrust unstoppable by any means.
Sirin pressed her hand over the wound on her shoulder, filling it with ice crystals, while extending the other to block Sin's hand strike.
"Bam!"
To a large extent, Honkai Energy equates to raw power. Sin's strike halted under Sirin's thunderous palm, their forces colliding with a continuous barrage of deafening booms. However, Sin's attack was ultimately stopped, unable to advance further.
After three tense seconds, a smirk curled the corners of Sirin's lips.
"Weaklings remain weaklings."
Behind Sin, an Subspace Lance slowly emerged from a golden ripple.
"Shwip!"
Just as Sirin anticipated, another troublesome Godslayer bullet arrived, attempting to thwart her assault on Sin.
This time, Sirin promptly opened a pitch-black wormhole to swallow the Godslayer bullet whole. Simultaneously, her golden eyes gleamed, spotting a figure over ten kilometers away.
"I found you!" Sirin declared coldly and with a wave of her hand, unleashed a burst of Honkai Energy that slammed Sin hard onto the ground.
Golden ripples then spread from where Sin fell and another location near Bronya, several kilometers distant, as multiple Subspace Lances readied themselves for attack.
"So, will you choose to save others, yourself, or continue sniping me?"
With her gaze fixed on the distant silhouette, Sirin launched simultaneous salvos of Subspace Lances at both locations.
However, before the outcome could be determined, she heard voices behind her—monotone yet unmistakably quirky:
"Hey! Bitch!"
"Bronya's right here."
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
Three consecutive Godslayer bullets were fired in a triangular pattern.
Just dozens of meters below Sirin, Bronya, clad in black armor, knelt in sniper position. Her long-barreled rifle shattered in her hands while beneath the helmet, her expressionless face stared unwaveringly at Sirin soaring above.
"What?!" exclaimed Sirin.
Trash talk isn't just for show; it serves two purposes here. First, it brings immense satisfaction to Bronya, and second, it infuriates the Queen of the Void, preventing her from reacting promptly.
Caught off guard, Sirin had no time to respond—and as the saying goes, "Beyond seven steps, speed favors the gun; within seven, precision and speed both lie with the blade."
"Ahhhh!"
All three Godslayer bullets struck Sirin's body, leaving shimmering holes in their wake. Even with her Herrscher physique, enduring this onslaught was a monumental challenge.
But that wasn't the end. At the spot where Sin had fallen, once the dust settled, blood tears streamed down her face due to excessive Honkai Energy usage. The Subspace Lances around her, slowed by manipulated time, approached at an agonizingly gradual pace.
Sin appeared on the brink of collapse, about to perish under the assault of the Subspace Lances.
In the next instant, lightning flashed from afar, shattering the deadly threat facing Sin within the blink of an eye.
Without pausing, the electric glow sharply turned mid-air, hurtling straight toward the Queen of the Void above.
"Dammit!" Sirin snarled, barely maintaining her bodily integrity. With a wave of her hand, she created a black hole directly in the path of the lightning.
However, the lightning abruptly changed course again, not striking Sirin directly but weaving intricate patterns around her, seemingly attempting to trap the Queen.
Sirin hesitated for just a moment.
Then, the lightning streaked straight up toward the sky.
"Power should not be born solely for destruction's sake. I don't like harming anyone, but if it means protecting my friends..."
Surrounded by bolts of lightning, Raiden Mei, clad in her black-purple Phantom Armor, drew her sword. Behind her, a massive armored hand gripped an equally colossal blade.
"Try taking this—Unthinkable Slash!" Raiden Mei declared emotionlessly as she and the giant sword behind her swung simultaneously.
At that instant, worker bees materialized in every space Raiden Mei had traversed around Sirin. The flickering lightning connected them, forming a potent electromagnetic field that firmly locked Sirin in place.
In the next moment, swords descended amidst dazzling thunderbolts illuminating the heavens.
"BOOM!!"