— — — — — —
"Ahhh!" The Herrscher of Wind screamed in agony as Garp's lightning tore through her body, ripping her apart piece by piece.
"What a nuisance." Sirin frowned, reached out through layers of space, and yanked her out of the lightning storm.
"Careful! That guy's strong," the Herrscher of Wind stammered. That lightning wasn't ordinary lightning—how else could it tear her apart? She glanced at her severed arm, fury burning in her eyes as she glared at Garp in the distance.
"Saved, huh? Was that the Herrscher of the Void?" Garp clicked his tongue, a little disappointed. He'd hoped to finish her off—losing the crystal bet with Whitebeard would sting, but losing face would be far worse.
"Sirin's mine." Before anyone could stop her, Kiana shot forward, charging straight at Sirin.
"So, you've mastered the Herrscher of the Void's power too?" Sirin caught the incoming spears of subspace without a flicker of surprise.
"Like I need you to point that out!" Kiana blinked out of sight, reappeared beside Sirin, and dragged her away from the battlefield.
"That girl… never listens to orders." Theresa grit her teeth. "When she gets back, I'm teaching her a lesson."
"Relax. Have a little faith in her," Rimuru said with a smile. "Besides, that's her fight."
"...yeah, you're right," Theresa admitted reluctantly.
"Then let's handle our own battles. Can't let that fool Garp take all the glory." Whitebeard laughed heartily and leapt toward the opposing Herrschers, weapon in hand.
The others followed right behind him.
The warfront erupted in chaos.
"I hear you're a Herrscher of Reason too," the Herrscher of Reason sneered at Bronya, her tone cruel. "I wonder… if I carve out your Herrscher Core, will I become even stronger? I'm looking forward to it."
Bronya felt the crushing pressure radiating from her opponent—but only for a moment. She straightened, calm settling over her. All those grueling days of training hadn't been for nothing.
"Lazer Cannons."
Her opponent moved first, conjuring dozens of floating turrets. A storm of energy blasts rained down on Bronya.
At once, Project Bunny materialized behind her, deploying a shield that absorbed the barrage.
But when the smoke cleared, the Herrscher was gone. In her place stood a massive mech, towering dozens of meters high.
"How about this? The ultimate weapon, forged from every era I've devoured. Feel despair!" Laughter boomed from within the machine as it unleashed apocalyptic firepower.
"I'm not that weak." Determination blazed in Bronya's eyes. Weapons of every shape and size manifested around her, and she charged. Their clash shook the battlefield.
On another front, the Herrscher of Death—wielder of death and life manipulation—moved to harvest Valkyrie lives. But Kallen blocked her path, flanked by Sakura and Otto.
"That's far enough, Herrscher of Death." Kallen raised her twin pistols, eyes fixed on her foe, ready to strike at any second.
"Kallen Kaslana? Back from the dead, are you? Looks like someone really does have power to spare." The Herrscher sneered, realizing she wouldn't be getting past them. "Fine. If I can't harvest them, I'll harvest you instead."
"Then try it!" Kallen fired first, a silver bullet streaking toward the enemy.
"Claws of Death." The Herrscher's arms turned into blades, slicing the bullet clean in half before the force of her strike barreled onward at the three of them.
"Leave it to me." Sakura unsheathed the Oath of Judah, stepping forward.
"Sakura Blossom!"
Blades of light carved through the oncoming force, shredding it to pieces.
"Don't forget me. I am still the Overseer of Schicksal," Otto said lightly, a golden cube appearing in his hand—the First Divine Key, Void Archives. With it, he could replicate any weapon whose structure he understood. Not only was it a formidable weapon itself, but its inner space contained near-endless knowledge.
In less than a second, the cube shifted into the shape of Judgment of Shamash. Otto opened fire, a hail of bullets striking the Herrscher of Death.
But the trio didn't relax. This enemy wasn't the strongest Herrscher, but she was the hardest to kill. Wounds closed in seconds—Life itself was her ally.
As expected, the Herrscher barely flinched, her injuries vanishing in moments.
"Two Divine Keys? Quite the luxury," she growled.
"Well, you're hard to kill. Can't blame us for coming prepared," Otto answered smoothly, smiling as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The Herrscher's face darkened. With the Oath of Judah cutting down her strength piece by piece, Void Archives creating endless weapons, and Kallen pressing the attack, she realized the fight wasn't in her favor.
"Damn humans!" she roared, forcing herself forward anyway. All she could do now was pray her allies finished their fights quickly enough to save her.
Had Kallen known her thoughts, she would've smiled pityingly and said, 'Your friends can't even save themselves—what makes you think they'll save you?'
Not far away, a battered figure slammed through thousands of meters of Imaginary Space and crashed into the ground, gouging a massive crater.
"Damn it…" The Herrscher of Stars groaned, his body riddled with cracks as Honkai energy bled out of him. Anyone could see he was seriously injured.
"So that's all the mighty Herrscher of Stars has to offer? How disappointing." Whitebeard strode forward with his naginata, unimpressed. He'd expected a challenge, but the man hadn't even lasted ten minutes.
"What the hell are you?!" The Herrscher of Stars' voice shook. For the first time, fear crept into his chest.
This monster… what was his body even made of? His gravity fields, thousands of times stronger than normal, barely fazed him. The pseudo–black hole he'd painstakingly crafted? Shattered by a single punch. What kind of cheat code was this guy running? If it's for sale, I'll pay double!
Frustration boiled inside him. His powers were enough to wipe out civilizations—yet against this man, he was nothing more than a punching bag.
"Brat, if that's all you've got… this fight's over." Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, his voice cold.
"Don't underestimate me! If I go down, I'm dragging you with me!" The Herrscher of Stars went mad with desperation, hurling himself at Whitebeard in a suicidal charge.
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