[This dialogue is so badass!]
[I am the Swarm, I am the Queen of Blades!]
[No kidding, it really feels like that!]
[This pressure—no words, I'm giving it full marks. No wonder she one-shotted Mei!]
[So how do we win now?]
— —
At this moment, all the mecha had deployed their missiles in position.
Targeting complete, countless missiles launched from their silos, filling the sky with a dense barrage.
The fiery glow of the missiles illuminated the Queen's face, but her deep eyes remained calm as still water.
The next moment, she slightly curled the corner of her mouth.
Snap!
She snapped her fingers.
Countless dimensional portals appeared in front of her, and at the same time, the video's sound was completely overtaken by the background music.
The Queen turned on her sound system.
She slowly opened her palm, and a dazzling orb appeared in her hand.
[Elegant, just too elegant.]
[The Queen is top-tier.]
[Thanos' snap doesn't hold a candle to her—one finger, remember, just one!]
— —
The camera shifted.
Dimensional portals opened again, this time aimed at all the mecha.
The missiles from before were precise and deadly.
In an instant, a sea of fire erupted.
A massive dragon-shaped Honkai Beast soared through the sky, bowing to the Queen's command.
Only Mei remained, slowly raising her head to look at the unfamiliar Kiana.
The camera zoomed in on the Queen, who looked down on everyone, her gaze treating all as mere ants.
Suddenly, the Queen turned her head, staring directly at the audience beyond the camera.
[Holy crap! That shot was insane.]
[That look scared the heck out of me!]
[Cinematographer, run! Don't look back!]
[Scared me to death.]
[Am I the only one feeling bad for all those mecha?]
[These mecha were pretty strong. How much manpower and resources went into them? Anti-Entropy's not going bankrupt, is it?]
[I think it's likely. The Queen's power is this insane? How do we even fight her?]
[She's built up so well. Now I'm really hyped for what's next.]
— —
As the plot progressed, Theresa, along with Bronya, who had been absent for several episodes, appeared.
Even with Theresa's magical girl transformation and Bronya's new equipment, they couldn't even faze the Queen.
The Queen was like the protagonist of a novel—crushing, crushing, and more crushing!
Fortunately, like in superhero movies, the hero always shows up at the last moment.
Fu Hua stopped the Queen.
…
The scene shifted to Schicksal Headquarters.
Himeko and Tesla had been properly settled, and Fu Hua used some kind of "feather" to heal Himeko.
What happened next nearly shattered the audience's worldview.
Everything was part of Otto's plan, all under his control.
However, upon learning that Theresa was facing the Second Herrscher, Fu Hua resolutely decided to intervene.
Rita stood in her way. "Lady Fu Hua, you still don't understand. We're all caught in a massive vortex. Every action we take has unpredictable effects on others.
Lord Bishop instructed me not to let you ruin the plan and put everyone in danger."
Words failed, and no agreement was reached.
Fu Hua immediately engaged Rita in combat.
Neither used their full strength.
Lives were at stake!
Fu Hua decided to hold nothing back, preparing to unleash the power of the Divine Key.
Whoosh~
A sonic boom ripped through the space, and the Black Abyss White Flower stood between Rita and Fu Hua.
"Durandal?!"
Fu Hua looked up to see a blonde girl in white armor standing there.
She was the inheritor of the Black Abyss White Flower, the one closest to the title of "strongest"—S-rank Valkyrie, Bianka Ataegina, Durandal.
Fu Hua clenched her fists tightly. Was she going to stop her too?
However, Durandal didn't interfere and let Fu Hua leave.
This led to Fu Hua's timely intervention.
…
Fu Hua stood alone in front of the Queen, covering the retreat of Mei, Theresa, and Bronya.
The Queen scrutinized Fu Hua. "The same ridiculous attire, the same detestable face. It brings back many unpleasant memories."
[What does that mean?]
[No idea.]
[Foreshadowing, definitely freaking foreshadowing.]
— —
Fu Hua indeed possessed immense strength, but the Queen, wielding the power of the Void Herrscher, was recovering at an alarming rate.
"Why aren't you using the second Divine Key? Are you afraid to use it, or can you not?" the Queen asked in a mocking tone.
Clap, clap, clap…
Applause sounded from behind them.
Otto gracefully walked up to the two.
After stating his intentions, Otto's goal was simple: hand over Fu Hua to him, and that would suffice.
Even the Queen, with her overwhelming presence, broke into a cold sweat at the sight of Otto. She couldn't read the man before her and lacked absolute confidence.
In the end, Otto gave her an out, and the Queen took it, releasing Fu Hua and chasing after the Hyperion.
Otto walked to Fu Hua's side, looking down at her. "Tch, how pathetic. The last time I saw you this badly injured was 500 years ago at Skyfall Peak, wasn't it?"
[How many? 500 years? Was Fu Hua trapped under a Five-Finger Mountain?]
[I knew Otto wasn't simple. This guy screams scheming mastermind.]
[The Queen's got such a high presence, calling everyone bugs, yet she just left when she saw Otto?]
[This guy feels like such a dog.]
— —
"In any case, let me treat you first. Consider it a celebration of the successful completion of the first phase of the experiment."
Fu Hua, barely clinging to consciousness, asked, "Why?"
"Hm? You can still talk?"
"Why did you let her go? Don't you know her target is…"
"Theresa, I know. It won't be long before they're caught up to. This time, no one else will interfere. Their battle will continue to the end."
"What are you saying?" Fu Hua furrowed her brow, completely unable to understand Otto's words.
"Oh, right, I haven't told you yet. Don't worry, it's good news for you. K-423 is still alive, and I need her to stay that way."
Seeing no response from Fu Hua, Otto continued, "Right now, that body houses two consciousnesses: the one you call 'Kiana,' K-423's consciousness, and the Void Herrscher Sirin's consciousness.
After absorbing the Gem of Serenity and high concentrations of Honkai energy, the Sirin consciousness within that body began to activate, successfully taking over the vessel and triggering the reawakening of the Void Herrscher.
But this isn't the outcome I want. What we've seen so far is merely the first phase. The real experiment comes next.
K-423's consciousness has fallen into dormancy due to the Herrscher's awakening, but it hasn't vanished.
So, what happens if K-423's consciousness overcomes Sirin's?"
A smile crept onto Otto's lips.
"The answer is the birth of a human… with the power of a Herrscher."