The instant he finalized his plan, Shu vanished from his spot, leaving only the delayed crack of a sonic boom in his wake.
BOOM!
It was hard to imagine such a thunderous sound came from a physical collision!
Accompanying the sound was a bizarre sense of temporal distortion, like a video skipping frames. One moment, Shu was still standing there, his expression hardening into ice for all to see.
The next, he had already collided with Kiana. The iridescent brilliance and the blood-red Honkai energy clashed between them, two distinct forces erupting into a fierce battle, like opposing armies.
"Hmph! Shu, I'm not afraid of you now!" The divine patterns in Kiana's eyes blazed with confident radiance. Her 150% state had given her unprecedented power, and with it, an equally unprecedented urge to show it off.
She was dying to demonstrate her newfound strength, but Mei and Bronya were on Noah's Ark, and her dad and mom weren't around either.
Shu was the first one to charge in, and seizing the opportunity, Kiana even forgot about his plan to strip off her armor...
The moment the words left her mouth, Kiana's face froze. She glanced down at the Key of Genesis, now a long dress, and gulped.
Uh... it's my actual clothes now. Shu wouldn't... right?
Shu didn't answer Kiana. He silently gauged the force of her blow.
This was the first time Shu had felt outmatched in raw strength after going all out. His previous enemies had all been stationary, glass-cannon mages, while he was the one who rushed in for close-quarters combat.
Now, however, the Key of Genesis's authority wasn't dispersed among creations but was focused entirely on Kiana. So, her power wasn't surprising.
After all, fundamentally, he was also a "mage."
It was just that his own limited combat experience and IQ made him better suited for brute-force tactics.
And now, finding himself unable to suppress his opponent with a flurry of close-range attacks as before, Shu abandoned the fighting style he had adhered to all this time!
The iridescent brilliance around him suddenly flared, instantly dispersing the blood-red light on Kiana's body. Her expression changed, and she decisively retreated, trying to shake off the glow.
Kiana did manage to pull away from Shu, but the brilliance clung to her like a second skin, in hot pursuit.
"Shu! You—" On Shu's end, Evolution let out an enraged roar in their special channel before going silent.
The authority of Domination, layered with the authority of Erosion, plus the power of Fenghuang Down—the [Hope] clinging to Kiana followed the Key of Genesis's evolutionary authority and drilled directly into the Herrscher core.
That's why Evolution had roared. Shu was aiming directly for it!
But it had to be admitted, this was the optimal solution against Kiana in her current state! Kiana wasn't a true Herrscher of Evolution, after all. She couldn't wield her authority and Honkai energy with the same effortless freedom as a real Herrscher.
And with the Herrscher core as the central hub for her abilities, any unforeseen fluctuation would immediately diminish the effectiveness of her powers.
Sure enough, the blood-red light around Kiana began to flicker, and the red version of the Herrscher of the Void's armor she wore grew faint and somewhat illusory.
But the next moment, a star seemed to flash on Kiana's chest, and the armor solidified once more.
The authority's output returned to normal, and the trace of [Hope] Shu had left on her vanished as if it had been specifically cleansed.
Could Evolution be that efficient? Shu was momentarily doubtful, but he dismissed the thought a second later.
Evolution didn't have that ability, nor the right.
Though he was surprised that Evolution still had a complete consciousness, Shu was certain that its control over the Divine Key—or rather, its own authority—was definitely not high. It would be at its limit to mobilize even 1% of the authority.
If this were the Book of Time, Shu would find it plausible, since it retained at least 50% of its authority usage rights.
But this was Evolution. It absolutely couldn't have nullified his attack so quickly.
It must be the Thousand Stars of Reason.
His gaze lingered on the medal on Kiana's chest for half a second. In that instant, he had completely deconstructed the full capabilities of the Thousand Stars of Reason.
In addition to pushing the wearer to their theoretical maximum power, could it also maintain them in their theoretical best condition?
Shu glanced at Kiana's hand; the faint marks from their clash had already vanished.
So it purifies and heals... what an incredible item... just not suited for me.
Shu had also activated the Thousand Stars of Reason, but he felt no enhancement, only a slight clearing of his mind, and...
His physical condition seemed to have improved?
Of course, it was temporary.
Shu's train of thought came to an abrupt halt. After recovering, Kiana didn't hesitate and launched a counterattack.
And it wasn't just Kiana. Everyone moved at that exact moment.
Kiana, a blood-red meteor, shot straight for Shu, unleashing a fierce whip kick.
Shu raised his arms to block, but his body was still forced back. The immense force made his arms go numb, forcing him to retreat and create distance.
Kiana's strength was no longer something he could match head-on. Pulling away was the best option.
What truly alarmed him was that his previous attack, the one that had sent Evolution into a panic, was now completely ineffective!
Unlike the turbulent, surging blood-red aura from before, the crimson light was now a thin, impenetrable layer clinging tightly to Kiana's body.
Was this the Kaslana combat IQ? She seemed like a blockhead in daily life, yet now she could so precisely refine a power she'd just encountered into such a controlled state.
At least he couldn't penetrate her authority anymore... but what about the tangible effects of his power?
Faced with Kiana pressing her attack, Shu swept his hand, and thousands of points of light flared into existence around him.
The next instant, each point of light transformed into a blade, firing in a precise volley toward the relentless Kiana like a point-defense system.
The distance was too close; Kiana had no room to dodge. She could only shield her face with her arms and bear the brunt of Shu's first wave of attacks.
The blood-red light around her was mercilessly shattered by the blades, leaving several shallow cuts on her body.
But... Kiana still had no intention of backing down!
Trading damage?! A jolt of alarm went through Shu, and he instinctively wanted to halt his attack.
But before he could, a cold figure—a blur of black, gold, and white—flashed into existence right behind Kiana.