The focus returned to the video screen. There, Cocolia, simply for getting close to Kiana, the "Herrscher of the End," was instantly engulfed by the terrifyingly powerful Honkai energy and vanished without a trace. This sight caused everyone present to involuntarily gasp, their hearts filled with a tide of despair.
However, within this despair, a deeper understanding was born.
Everyone began to realize that the Kiana before them had transcended the girl they knew and understood.
She was no longer the gentle, kind, world-saving companion… but had transformed into the "Herrscher of the End," a being with the power to destroy worlds.
Theresa: "Quickly protect Yae, there's still a way to prevent the Honkai Catastrophe."
Raiden Mei: "This isn't real, Kiana, wake up!!!"
Theresa: "She's no longer Kiana, she's a puppet controlled by the Second Herrscher. We must bring Kiana back!
Prepare to engage!!!"
Realizing that the "Herrscher of the End" was not the gentle Kiana she remembered, Theresa quickly adjusted her mindset, forcing herself to remain calm. Simultaneously, she frantically analyzed the situation, trying to find a glimmer of hope to fight against this ultimate Herrscher.
However, reality was far more brutal than she imagined. The gap in their power was unfathomable, far exceeding Theresa's expectations.
Just as her words fell, intending to boost morale, the battle silently concluded. It was as if, in the blink of an eye, everything was over.
The power displayed by the "Herrscher of the End" was like the collapse of heaven and earth, leaving everyone speechless. All resistance crumbled in that moment.
Suddenly, a blinding golden light tore through the sky. Then, Bronya, Theresa, Seele, and Raiden Mei vanished without a trace before everyone's eyes, as if they were completely erased from the world by some mysterious force.
This happened so abruptly that even the trajectory of the "Herrscher of the End's" attack could not be captured before everything settled.
All hope and effort turned to dust in that moment.
Humanity's despair in the face of the "Herrscher of the End" swallowed everyone's hearts like an abyss. The future seemed shrouded in darkness, humanity truly seemed to have reached its end…
…
Beyond the screen, the audience's emotions grew heavier with the unfolding scene. Grief flowed like a tide in the barrage of comments.
【Fu Hua】: This scene… is more crushing than any battle I remember… even the most basic resistance seems so hopeless.
【Mei】: I understand, future Hua, your worry and helplessness.
【Elysia】: Could it be that the outcome we most fear… is truly unavoidable…?
【Kevin】: What absolute power, even authority seems superfluous. A pure, powerful existence.
【Qian Jie】: (laughs) What a worthy opponent, hahahahaha!
【Aponia】: Qian Jie, this is no time for jokes, please respect this gravity.
【Kiana】: She… how could she… erase everyone?!
【Bronya】: Those eyes, the coldness they project isn't a facade, it's a complete and utter detachment.
【崩3 Raiden Mei】: It seems the real Kiana has built a wall within her heart. The current Herrscher of the End is a different, independent soul in control.
【Otto】: Erasing all bonds and affection… yes, that world has fallen into the abyss of despair.
【Theresa】 (firmly): No, you're wrong! The Herrscher of the End in that world, at least spared Raiden Mei! This might be the only ray of hope.
…
As the barrage of comments subsided, all eyes converged back onto the screen, where a heart-wrenching scene was unfolding.
Just as the audience was shocked and confused, the battle, though fleeting, was enough to rewrite everything.
Theresa, Bronya, and the others were unfortunately completely erased by the power of the "Herrscher of the End," while Raiden Mei, miraculously, remained.
This unusual mercy might stem from the lingering Kiana persona within the "Herrscher of the End," making her show leniency towards her "beloved";
Or perhaps it was her unique perception of Raiden Mei, another Herrscher, deeming her not an enemy.
Whatever the reason, the "Herrscher of the End's" mercy towards Raiden Mei was a fact.
…
"Kiana…!"
Raiden Mei's emotions finally broke. She roared at the "Herrscher of the End" before her, a deafening cry of anger filled with bitterness and despair. But this intense emotion seemed not to stir the "Herrscher of the End" in the slightest.
The "Herrscher of the End" maintained her haughty, indifferent demeanor. Her eyes reflected a disdainful disregard for everything in the world. To Raiden Mei's questioning, she spoke slowly, her voice calm yet filled with an imperious authority, as if everything she uttered was an undeniable truth.
"Those who stand in my way… perish!!!"
Kiana's soul and thoughts had been twisted and warped by the Honkai's influence.
She, the former girl, now a "Herrscher of the End," had only one remaining thought - to destroy human civilization.
On this road of no return, any who dared to obstruct her would face her relentless annihilation. Her actions were no longer bound by any emotion.
In the eyes of Kiana, the Herrscher of the End, emotion was an intangible illusion, lacking its former colors and warmth.
Humanity, those who had fought alongside her, shared laughter and tears, now seemed like insignificant dust in the vast universe. Their life and death were of no consequence to her.
She treated the passing of these lives as casually as people forget daily trifles, for in her twisted worldview, these lives were too insignificant to be remembered…