Honkai Impact: Become Their Hero Chapter 165: A Paradise Caught in Flames, The Herrscher Quee

"Now, do it!"

As Otto spoke those words, Elias raised his alertness and perception to the highest level. He was ready to react the instant anything unusual occurred. But in the end, nothing happened.

"I don't believe Otto Apocalypse is the type to bluff. Better finish you off quickly, then. Shamash..."

Elias raised the Judgnt of Shamash with one hand, ready to reduce Otto to ashes in a blaze of searing fire.

Yet just as the flaming greatsword was about to descend, Elias' movents suddenly froze.

Shlkk!

"!!!"

The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed.

Elias looked down in disbelief at his chest, where the end of a ghostly blue blade jutted out.

Red blood trickled from his lips. His pierced heart still beat, but each pulse ca with unbearable pain, and he could feel the cold from the weapon.

Elias turned his head with difficulty to look behind him.

"Ri...ta... you..."

The maid he trusted—the weapon that pierced him was the scythe in her hands.

Elias had never imagined such a thing could happen. He couldn't comprehend it, couldn't think, couldn't believe it. His first instinct was that he had fallen into an illusion.

"Cough, cough!"

But every sensation was too real. The blood spilling from his body was his own.

And yet, he didn't care about any of that. What he desperately wanted was to see Rita's expression.

"It can't be! No, my body moved on its own! Lord Elias, this isn't my will! I..."

The usually graceful and composed Rita had fallen into utter panic.

She stared in disbelief at the weapon in her hands. In that split second, it was as if so external force had seized control of her body and compelled her to strike Elias.

It had happened too suddenly—

No one present had ti to stop it.

i's eyes widened at the sight of the boy skewered through the heart by the scythe. In terror and despair, she let out a scream:

"No—!!!"

But before she could move—

Rita struck again.

Her scythe twisted, widening the already fatal wound. Then she wrenched it free from Elias' body, nearly cleaving him in two.

Blood fell like a red rain, staining everything around.

The girls stood frozen in despair, fear, panic, and disbelief.

The white-haired boy collapsed in a pool of his own blood.

Only one figure laughed aloud at the scene.

"Just as expected, exactly as I predicted! The only weapon in this world that can hurt you, Elias... is the dagger nad Betrayal!"

Otto trembled with excitent, his soulium body shaking.

"Elias, this is your one and only, greatest weakness—and one that cannot be overco."

"You love your companions far too deeply. You never suspect them, never hold the slightest guard against them. You would never believe that soone you love could betray you. Which ans—once soone gains your trust, they hold the power to kill you."

"You probably can't hear anymore, but I'll say this for Miss Rita's sake—she isn't a traitor. This was my doing."

Just then, the maid who had slain her own master let out a broken wail.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh—!!!"

Rita's eyes burned as she glared at Otto Apocalypse.

Anger mixed with despair. Guilt so intense it bordered on madness.

"Otto! What have you made do?!"

She charged at Otto, wielding her bloodstained scythe with all her strength, aiming to cleave him in two.

Yet, as if frozen in ti, the scythe halted just centiters above Otto's head.

Anyone who saw Rita's expression would understand—this stillness wasn't her own will.

"Hahaha~ So, Rita, you really do love Elias. I never expected you to show such a face... but alas, you were the only choice."

"Wait... my Godsbane Suit..."

"Correct! Every fourth-generation Godsbane Suit has a backdoor I installed. It allows to override the wearer's will and seize control."

"You bastard!!"

Rita couldn't contain her fury. Her eyes welled with tears of anger and anguish. Why had it been her? Why had she been the one to commit such an act?

Elias had trusted her so deeply—

And she had betrayed that trust.

At that mont, Rita felt her heart crack in two.

"You were simply too weak, Rita. Every Godsbane Suit has a backdoor, yes—but only you could be controlled. Because only you are an ordinary human."

Otto's words were filled with mockery and false pity.

Currently, the Godsbane Suit users were Kiana, Durandal, Theresa, Li Sushang, Rita, and Elias himself.

The first three and Elias were powerful even without armor. Their bodies alone resisted any control via the suits.

Only Rita and Li Sushang could be considered 'normal'. And the latter had only just t Elias today. Otto judged that she hadn't yet earned a place on Elias' whitelist of trust.

So only Rita could beco the dagger of betrayal—though she had never intended to betray.

"Why... Otto, you bastard! Give him back! I'll kill you!"

"How unlike your usual grace, Rita. Your expression now is truly a sight. Still... I suppose I owe you. I'll let you strike ."

Otto released control of her armor—and in the next second, Rita's scythe shredded him to pieces.

But in the very next mont, his soulium body exploded.

Boom—!

A crimson mist spread instantly, engulfing the entire area. Everyone—i, Durandal, Rita—felt a heavy weight settle on their bodies, their strength rapidly draining.

"God-Killing Spear—a serum that rapidly deactivates Honkai energy within biological systems. I've tweaked it for special use: skin contact alone activates it. Even Herrschers will be severely weakened."

Otto's voice ca from a soulium speaker.

"My objective is achieved. K423 will now fall into despair and undergo Herrscherization. Elias—farewell. And rember: the cruelty of humanity runs deeper than you imagined."

The speaker sparked, then self-destructed.

...

Everything had happened too fast. No one could react.

Or rather—

The mont Rita's scythe pierced Elias' heart, Otto's goal had already been fulfilled.

Because the projection in the sky had never stopped broadcasting.

The entire tragic scene was transmitted live.

The white-haired boy, bathed in his own blood—

It was all seen by Kiana.

"Ah... ugh... ahh—!!"

It was as if she had forgotten how to speak. Only a voiceless cry of grief escaped her lips. Her once-bright blue eyes were now dim and hollow.

"Elias... Elias..."

She called his na.

Staggering forward a few steps,

She reached toward the projection in the sky—as if trying to cradle the boy lying in a pool of blood.

But as if to rob her of even that chance—

The projection vanished.

Elias' image disappeared from her sight.

"No... give him back... give him back..."

--

Kiana collapsed to her knees, her world suddenly plunged into a hideous gray.

He was dead. He was dead. Elias was dead!

The one she cherished most was gone!

"Ah... ahhh... ahhh—!"

Kiana slumped to the ground like a broken doll, feeling sothing in her mind snap.

Not long ago—

She had accepted that she wasn't truly Kiana Kaslana.

As long as Elias was with her, it didn't matter if she was an artificial human or a Herrscher vessel—because he never cared.

No matter what kind of monster she was—

Elias would still love her.

As long as he continued to love her, she could keep living without a care, the monster inside her would never awaken, and she could remain the foolish, carefree Kiana forever.

But now...

She could no longer do that.

That hope had been killed.

The world had rejected her—

In the cruelest, most despicable way imaginable. It had destroyed the most beautiful part of her heart.

"...Unforgivable."

Unacceptable.

Intolerable.

Unforgivable.

Kiana felt like a hole had been ripped open inside her.

Sadness, rage, despair, malice—all these emotions surged out of that void.

In an instant, they consud her completely.

A voice echoed in her mind.

(Avenge him, Kiana. Take revenge on them all. Use your despair to ignite this world that no longer has him in it!)

No... she couldn't. She mustn't.

Kiana clutched her head. A sliver of rationality still told her not to give in.

But... her instincts already agreed with the voice.

Her paradise had caught fire. Her beloved was dead.

In that mont, an angel fell from heaven into hell.

In the pitch-black despair, the fallen angel opened her eyes—

And resolved to take revenge on the world that killed him.

(At last... this mont has finally co!)

When Kiana opened her eyes again, her once-blue pupils had turned a blinding gold.

The Gem of the Void within her had fully activated. The authority of the Herrscher of the Void had descended upon Kiana.

And the Herrscher Queen had arrived.

Kiana?: "This world is beyond redemption!"

...

"Honkai energy level: 3300 HW! Confird awakening of the Herrscher of the Void! Fourth Eruption detected—location: St. Freya Academy! How... how could this happen?"

Theresa sat on the ground in shock.

Despair after despair.

She hadn't even had ti to accept Elias' death, and now Kiana had awakened as the Herrscher of the Void. For a mont, she didn't know what to do.

And it wasn't just her. The others were shrouded in a cloud of hopelessness.

Rita knelt, her eyes vacant. i clutched Elias' body, heartbroken. Ji Xuanyuan had fainted. Blood dripped from Fu Hua's clenched fists...

In every heart at St. Freya, Elias was soone irreplaceable.

He had been kind to everyone.

He was their pillar of strength.

And now that pillar had fallen. It felt like the sky itself was collapsing.

"...Principal Theresa, Miss i, I know you're grieving. I know this is harsh and unfair—but please, we must stand now! We have to stop the Fourth Eruption. We must stop Miss Kiana!"

Durandal gripped her lance tightly, teeth clenched.

She had been closest to the incident—yet even she had failed to stop Rita's scythe.

Her heart, too, was filled with guilt and self-bla.

But perhaps—perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.

Among them, only she and Li Sushang were less emotionally attached to Elias, and so they were the only ones still able to barely stand.

"...You're right, Durandal. I can't lose anything else."

Theresa wiped away her tears and clenched her small fists.

"We must stop her—no, we must save Kiana."

Fu Hua steadied herself and spoke. Even she, who had endured countless tragedies, found it difficult to bear this one.

Ji Xuanyuan stirred as Fu Hua roused her. The girl bit her lip hard and nodded silently. Though her hands trembled as she gripped the Xuanyuan Sword.

As for i—

No one could bring themselves to ask her to stay strong. None of them truly knew just how deep her feelings for Elias ran.

"Elias... Elias, this can't be real..."

"...i, take care of him."

Watching the girl clutching Elias' body, the others turned away. None could say more.

Then there were Rita and Raven—

The mont Rita had been forced to strike Elias, her soul had died as well. And though Theresa and the others didn't know Raven's exact relationship with Elias, one look at her broken expression was enough.

As Durandal, Li Sushang, Theresa, Fu Hua, and Ji Xuanyuan rushed toward the academy to stop the rampaging Herrscherized Kiana—

A voice returned.

That hateful, despicable voice that stirred only fury.

"I never imagined she'd fully awaken as a Herrscher so quickly. When I revealed the truth of her tragic origin, I expected a long struggle. So... Elias truly was her greatest hope."

"Otto—you dare show yourself again!!"

i snatched her blade and glared at Otto with murderous intent.

Rita and Raven both flinched, then lifted their eyes, filled with searing hatred.

"...Those eyes—like you wish to tear limb from limb. I understand. After all, I did take away soone precious to you."

If stares could kill, Otto would've died a thousand tis. Even he, facing their glares, felt a chill down his spine.

But he didn't back down.

Several Aesir units erged beside him, along with a Kevin-type Ard Puppet, crackling with electricity, yet still exuding a powerful presence.

"Otto, I'll kill you!"

"I'll kill you!"

"I'll kill you!"

i, Rita, and Raven declared in unison.

"I understand your rage, ladies—but I'm afraid none of you are in any condition to take revenge."

Otto didn't see them as a threat.

The God-Killing Spear gas he had released earlier had suppressed the Honkai energy in all three. Even Herrscher i was down to a fraction of her power, her energy in disarray.

Otto himself was unhard. He had Heimdall and Baldr Aesir units—machines that even A-rank Valkyries struggled against.

The Kevin puppet, though weakened and with limited power left, was still a formidable force.

"Now's the ti. Clean up everything. Retrieve what we can."

"Otto, what are you trying to do?!"

"Isn't it obvious? A Herrscher corpse is priceless. Especially one with five cores."

Otto's gaze fell on Elias' body in i's arms—five Herrscher Cores, the Key of Blankness, the Judgnt of Shamash... even the body itself was a treasure beyond asure.

"You bastard! Don't you dare!"

The three won's eyes blazed. They would never let him lay a finger on Elias.

"Heh, you three won't stop . But—why not collect the Gem of Haste and the Third Divine Key while I'm at it? And clean up a certain traitor, too."

Otto gave the order.

The Kevin puppet and Aesir chs advanced, weapons raised.

i and the others, despite their weakened states, readied themselves for a desperate fight.

But just then—

"Finally... I've finished regenerating."

A white-haired boy's voice rang out once more.

The flaless sword reignited.

Before anyone could react—

Elias: "Shamash... Assault!!!"

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