— — — — — — —
"Kiana, are you ready?" Theresa asked. "How long can you keep the Imaginary Space gate open?"
"Who do you think I am? I can hold it open as long as I want!" Kiana boasted, brimming with confidence. Ever since she fully mastered the Herrscher of the Void's power, her ego had inflated to dangerous levels.
"I hope you're not exaggerating," Theresa sighed. She knew Kiana probably wasn't lying, but it was still hard to feel at ease.
Just then, Durandal and Rita approached and saluted. "The Valkyrie troops are fully assembled. All preparations are complete. We can march out whenever you give the word."
"Not bad," Welt's calm voice came from behind as he walked over. "Anti-Entropy's forces are also in position."
The moment he finished speaking, countless mechs converged from every direction, flanked by swarms of aircraft and massive flying carriers blotting out the sky.
"You really pulled out all the stops." Otto's lips curled in faint admiration as he looked at the flood of mechs. "Your machine technology is impressive… though I wonder if the firepower is enough?"
"You'll see for yourself once the battle begins," Welt replied evenly, unmoved.
"Looks like we're the last to arrive." Kevin appeared next, leading the World Serpent. Unlike the other two factions, they only brought a few hundred members.
"Just this handful?" Otto raised a brow. He didn't believe for a second that a group like World Serpent, hidden in the shadows for thousands of years, only had this many people.
"This is more than enough," Kevin said flatly. "Our numbers may be small, but our strength more than makes up for it."
"Heh, I'll be the judge of that." Otto chuckled softly, brushing it aside.
A ripple in the void appeared, and Rimuru stepped out, followed by a sizeable crowd of guild members.
"So this is the Honkai world?" Diablo looked around with fascination, his gaze fixed on the towering mechs. "Interesting."
"My friend, I'll finally get to fight to my heart's content, right?" Veldora's fighting spirit surged—he'd been so bored these last few days, he was practically rotting from idleness.
"Don't rush. You'll have plenty to swing at soon," Rimuru laughed, trying to calm him down.
"So you're the guild members I've heard about?" Otto asked, studying the newcomers.
"I remember you," Hermione said the moment her eyes fell on Otto. "You're that guy who got cheated on—the ultimate cuck, Otto Apocalypse."
"I really wish you didn't remember me," Otto muttered through gritted teeth, his face turning pitch-black. If not for that shameful detail, maybe they could've even been friends.
"Hermione, that was rude." Dumbledore wagged a finger at her. "At least wait until he's gone before you say it. Honestly, what kind of manners is that?" Clearly, Dumbledore wasn't much of a role model either.
Otto's face, which had just started to recover, darkened again.
Snape looked at Otto, then lowered his gaze. It was weird to look at Otto for some reason. So he looked at Hermione. "That was rude."
"Fine, fine, I get it." Hermione stuck her tongue out playfully, then offered Otto an apology.
"Forget it. Just… don't bring it up again." Otto sighed helplessly. Picking a fight with a kid would only humiliate him further.
"Oi, Edward! How about a contest?" Garp suddenly called out, glancing at Whitebeard with a smirk. "Let's see who can take down a Herrscher first. Unless you're too scared?"
"Scared? Hah! And if you lose, old man, what then?" Whitebeard shot back without hesitation.
"Loser hands over half their crystals," Garp said bluntly.
"Fine by me. Just don't cry when you lose."
The two slammed their fists together, sealing their wager.
"Any other issues to settle?" Otto asked. Seeing no objections, he gave Theresa a nod.
"It's in your hands, Kiana." Theresa's tone was firm.
"Leave it to me!"
Kiana shot into the sky, her armor shimmering into existence. Hovering in the air, she inhaled deeply, clasped her hands, and gathered Honkai energy into a pitch-black sphere that pulsed in her palms.
She thrust it forward, sending it flying into the distance. The sphere detonated mid-flight, shattering the air like a mirror. Beyond the cracks was the yawning maw of Imaginary Space.
"Advance!" Otto ordered.
The combined armies surged forward like a swarm of bees, flooding into the fractured dimension.
---
Inside Imaginary Space
"They've come." The Herrscher of the End slowly opened her eyes. Far ahead, a black line emerged on the horizon—it was the marching legion of titanic mechs.
She raised her hands slightly. At once, the dormant Honkai army stirred to life. Guided by Emperor-class and Judgment-class beasts, the tide of monsters surged forward to meet the invaders.
The clash was instant and brutal.
Some Honkai beasts tore mechs apart with brute strength. Valkyries cut down monsters with their weapons in return.
Some massive mechs rampaged like steel behemoths, mowing through Honkai ranks. Even Emperor-class beasts fell before them, while their alloy bodies shrugged off most attacks with ease.
"Tch, useless trash," the Fourth Herrscher—Herrscher of Wind—spat coldly. "Looks like it's up to us."
"Shred them, Storm!" She soared into the fray, conjuring violent gales that ripped hundreds of Titans apart in an instant.
"Not holding back, are you?" a thunderous voice mocked. Before she could unleash another strike, a colossal arm—dozens of meters long—smashed her across the battlefield.
It was Garp, transformed into a Titan towering hundreds of meters tall. Even the most massive mechs barely reached his waist. He glared down at the battered Wind Herrscher with disdain.
"Don't you dare lay hands on the kids, you worthless trash."
"Mere humans!" the Wind Herrscher shrieked, eyes burning with fury. "You're not worthy of this world!" She unleashed a furious gale and lunged at him.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that." Garp smirked, letting Armament Haki spread across his body. His fists clenched, ready to meet her head-on.
"You think you'll hit me twice?!" At the last moment, her body flickered unnaturally, sliding dozens of meters aside to dodge his strike.
But Garp only grinned wider. "Titans don't just smash. We command thunder too."
"Thunderstorm!"
"What?!" The Wind Herrscher's expression twisted in horror as she sensed overwhelming danger. Before she could flee, Garp's entire body erupted in blinding lightning, engulfing her in a raging storm.
.
.
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