Chapter Text
Kiana glared at the woman sat before her. Camellia’s face was set in a steely determination that was just neutral enough to not come off as a sneer. Both Valkyries’ arms flexed and strained, well trained muscles pushing against their clasped hands as the others cheered them on.
“This is nothing,” Camellia grunted, “Just give up, thief. You’re no match for a Kaslana’s natural strength.”
“And I keep telling you I’m a Kaslana through and through, whether you like it or not!” Kiana fired back. Their arms shuddered ever so slightly from the effort both girls were putting into attempting to move their opponents arm. Neither had given any ground, “See?” Kiana smiled, “You can’t even make me move.”
Camellia’s fingers flexed where her free hand gripped her thigh as she strained harder and harder. This was not just arm wrestling, letting this upstart win would be a slight against her family name!
“If I win-” Kiana grunted as their arms both began to shake from the strain, “You have to stop calling me a thief and admit I’m a Kaslana!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Camellia hissed through clenched teeth.
“Why?” Kiana smiled as the woman’s arm began to ever so slightly swing downwards, “That afraid you’re gonna lose?”
“Fine!” Camellia growled. Another grunt rumbled in her throat as she pushed their arms back into an upright position, “But no using your gem!”
“Hey, I’m not a cheat,” Kiana grinned, “My pride as a Kaslana-” Her lips pressed together as her expression tightened in effort as she pressed with all her might and steadily pushed Camellia’s arm all the way down. A victorious yell burst from Kiana’s chest when the Valkyrie’s knuckles hit the table, “-will never falter!” The room erupted into cheers and whistles. Kiana jumped out of her chair, arms raised, and a satisfied smile plastered all over her face.
“Good try, Camellia!” Isabella said, clapping the woman on the back even as she slammed her fist (and forehead) into the table.
“There’s no way you’re that much stronger than me! The blood of Durandal herself flows through me!” Camellia practically whined, “I have the power of the only mortal to become a God!”
Mei watched closely as an unreadable emotion flashed in Kiana’s eyes. A moment later and Kiana simply stuck her tongue out and flashed the girl a peace sign, “That’s what happens when you have the blood of THE Kiana Kaslana, baby! You should have seen my dad’s face when I threw a Chariot clean over his head when I was only twelve.”
“Girls, girls, girls,” Caihong shook her head, “We get it, you’re both descended from powerful Kaslanas. But now that you’re done with the latest test of physical prowess, I think it’s time we put this little squirt in her place with some Homu Smash Ultimate,” She jabbed her thumb at Bronya, who was already playing solo using the lounge’s T.V.
“How did she even connect to it?” Cecilia mused, “It’s built into the wall.”
“I have my ways,” Bronya answered mysteriously.
“Alright, fine! I beat Camellia at arm wrestling, I can beat Bronya at her Homu games!” Kiana declared.
“History begs to differ. You have yet to get above a win ratio against me of zero-to-one hundred thirty three.”
“And tonight's the night I claim victory! I can feel it!”
Sophia snorted as she claimed a seat next to Cecilia, “Something tells me this isn’t the first time Kiana has made such a declaration.”
There was a small yelp as Kiana plopped down on the couch and grabbed one of Bronya’s controllers, “Hey! I didn’t come on this mission to have my skills attacked like this!”
Bronya looked the woman next to her up and down with a knowing gleam in her eyes, “No, you came along to sit in Mei’s lap.”
Kiana looked down at where she was perched comfortably on said priestess’s muscular thighs before shooting her friend a glare, “I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“I have several strong words I could use for what this has to do with.”
Kiana huffed indignantly, “Bratnya if you start hurling slurs again we have five priestesses here who can drag you to confessional.”
“The Temple of Finality doesn’t have confessionals, stupid Kaslana.”
“Alright are we gonna start or are you gonna bicker for the rest of the flight?” Grumbled Camellia, “I fail to see what Principal Seele sees in either of you.”
“Aww are you that eager to play games with us?” Kiana teased.
“N-no!” Camellia quickly denied, “I must simply show you the strength of a Kaslana through any avenue available.”
“You know,” Isabella began, shooting Mei a teasing smile, “When I first saw you two together, I thought Kiana was the clingy type. Turns out it’s Mei.”
Both girls in question looked down to where Mei had wrapped her arms comfortably around Kiana’s waist. Red quickly overtook their faces and a flustered Mei hastily slid to the side until Kiana fell to the couch with a small “oof!”.
“Isabella!” Kiana whined, “Look what you’ve done! There goes the comfiest seat in the house!”
“W-we’re not-” Mei stammered, “She’s not- I mean, it’s-”
“Awwww…” Caihong clapped her hands together and smiled gleefully, “You’re adorable when you’re flustered!”
Even Camellia snorted in amusement, “You’re not being very convincing, Miss Raiden.”
Mei fell silent and stared at her clenched fists in her lap as her embarrassment burned bright on her face.
“Y’all better leave the poor girl alone,” Sophia laughed, “Or else she’s gonna melt right into the floor.”
The sounds of the game kicked off as Bronya, Camellia, and Caihong started regardless of if Kiana was paying attention or not. Soon enough the room began to fill with their playful banter. Sophia and Isabella seemed content to simply grab a drink and observe while chatting with Cecilia, who had already obtained a cup of tea from… somewhere. Mei did not recall seeing her leave to get it. The environment of a friendly- if competitive- game seemed to melt some of the ice between Kiana and Camellia, the two even teaming up in an attempt to defeat Bronya as time went on. Until Kiana’s inevitable betrayal drew Camellia’s ire once more, at least. Mei had attempted to join the Moonbeams, and did indeed have a nice time meandering through topics with the three of them, but after a while she found herself missing Kiana’s comforting presence at her side. Eventually she could bear it no longer and returned to the other couch under fire from even more of Caihong and Isabella’s teasing.
After a few hours of chatting, taking turns playing games, and scrolling the ships catalogue of movies, Mei had excused herself from the room fully. While the Honkai energy pulsing through her body kept her from hunger, the lack of stimulation from sitting in that room for hours on end was beginning to get to her and eating a little something seemed like the next best thing she could do. This back section took advantage of the ship's width and stretched from wall to wall with a small seating area placed between the entrance and the kitchen proper. Mei claimed a stool at the bar table that sat against the wall. Flush against the wall as they were, windows had been installed to allow any occupants to catch the view as they travelled through the Herrscher of Wind’s domain. Mei had grabbed only a few snack foods. An apple and a couple granola bars. Nothing fancy, not even a real meal, but just enough to satisfy her craving.
She cast her gaze over the land below, the silver light of the full moon just beginning to brighten the land in place of the sun. The darkened room allowed the brightening silver of the outside world to shine beautifully, and Mei was loath to end this serene energy that permeated the air just for a little more light. Pieces of earlier conversations flitted through her mind, the backdrop of silver-lined clouds drifting past far below and the distant twinkling of stars the perfect invitation for her thoughts to wander.
“There’s… things about me I can’t tell you about yet. Important things. That’s why… I was afraid.”
Kiana’s confession echoed through her mind. A flame of satisfaction warmed her heart, that Kiana had trusted and respected her enough to speak her fears about their relationship out loud. Even now, after having hours to run their moment together through her mind, she did not regret anything. And that knowledge in and of itself filled her with a small sense of pride. While what she’d told Kiana was true, it was not always easy for her to be as confident and true to herself as she wished.
“It truly must be important to her if she is not willing to tell even her precious Mei.”
That voice again. The distinct thought appeared in her mind like it was her own. Yet she could not find a reason to reject it, and so merely hummed softly in agreement, “She’s done so much for me without a thought for herself,” Mei murmured to herself, “Even if she feels the need to keep secrets I am willing to put my trust in her.”
“You love sick fool.” Her own thoughts seemed to respond, “At least last time you fell for her it took a few months and my awakening. Yet here you are doing it again in a week.”
Mei frowned at the strange wording flitting through her thoughts. And yet she could not feel anything to suggest they were anything but her own thoughts. Despite feeling a bit silly responding to herself she asked, “What do you mean ‘again’?”
“Now that would be telling, my dear Mei.”
A mental sigh was her only response as she bit into her apple with no small amount of annoyance, “Why must you be so difficult?” She thought at herself a few moments later.
“I can’t do much except observe right now. So I might as well take pleasure in watching you flail about pathetically. You- wait.”
That ever present storm of emotion in the back of her mind pulsed in alarm. Her Honkai energy writhed under her skin in time with the shiver of fear that ran down her spine, as if recoiling from something. A reaction that nevertheless drew her inexorably forwards. It was like sensing movement in her peripheral vision. Try as she might to turn and bring it fully into view it would always slip away and forever sit as a shadow on the edge of her sight. She could tell something was there, but she couldn’t quite grasp its true shape or even what it truly was. Only that her instincts urged her to run.
A flash of something white out the window quickened her heart, even as she spotted nothing when she snapped her head towards the movement. A shiver passed down her entire body as the darkness of the kitchen seemed to stretch out and wrap around her in a blanket of increasing unease.
“Get down!” The thought blasted through her mind and Mei threw herself off the stool just as something flashed by the window once again and an unnatural shuddering vibrated through the entire ship.
“Mei!” Kiana appeared in the entrance to the room almost instantly.
“Kiana! Something’s wrong, I feel-”
Kiana leapt towards her right as a thunderous all consuming noise deafened her ears and a bright flash overtook her world. The last thing her overwhelmed senses could register was a flash of purple and desperate arms wrapping around her before everything blended together in an all consuming white noise.
Consciousness shot back to her with the jolt of tensing muscles. Eyes fluttered open, the world taking a moment to fully come into focus. The startling sensation of cold and rough soil beneath her cheek was only matched by the acrid smell of fuel and smoke. Her body ached, a dull pain in her chest as she slowly pushed herself up from this prone position she had found herself in. Dirt fell from her limbs with each movement, breath puffing from her lips as she strained to pull her arms beneath her body to prop herself up. Her thoughts were racing, but still she could not place how exactly she had ended up back on solid ground. Her mind was foggy, a disorientation from her awakening that was fought off with the grit of teeth and the sheer willpower to focus her mind. Violet eyes darted to and fro, head lifting to place her sight on the sources of the many sensations assaulting her senses.
Broken and shattered metal scattered the landscape around her. Pieces of flaming wreckage belched dark smoke into the silver-lit night. The telltale still figures clad in white and one in the dark colors of a Valkyrie- propped up against part of the wreckage- made clear she was not the only one that had fallen here. Spatterings of red upon parts of these white canvassed bodies sent another jolt through her body, this time of fear. The pained movements of her companions as they too awakened at least let her know they were alive. If she turned her eyes to the horizon, she could spot the rising of stone and earth obscuring the skyline she had expected. Mountains. Much closer than they should be with the short time they had been in the air.
“Miss Raiden,” Camellia’s weakened voice called out when she spotted her gaze upon her, “Are you alright?”
“I feel sore, but nothing feels broken,” Mei grunted as she shifted her limbs to make sure she still had their use. Camellia was just far enough away Mei could not easily tell her health, “Camellia, are you…?”
The Valkyrie groaned, “Kiana…”
Mei turned her head in the direction of Camellia’s gaze. Kiana and Bronya seemed no worse for wear, standing in the midst of their incapacitated comrades. Mei slowly lifted her gaze to her friends. Kiana and Bronya’s eyes remained upwards, eyes trained on the sky.
“Kiana,” Mei’s voice was weak, her mind still piecing itself back together after her sudden waking, “What happened?”
“Don’t push yourself, Mei,” Came the answer. Still Kiana’s eyes did not move, even as the others groaned and voiced their own disoriented questions, “We have a slight problem to take care of.”
“Now, insect, that is no way to address the arrival of your Queen, is it?”
Six pained pairs of eyes snapped to the sky as the otherworldly voice smugly descended towards them. Hovering in the sky and descending step by step was a girl clad in a dress of white and purple, feathered wings forming her skirt and four clawed tails extending down the back. Long purple hair floated and fanned out unnaturally behind her, the harsh gold of her eyes and all too pleased smile sending a shiver of fear through all present. She was older than in Mei's dreams. More wrinkles around her eyes, a more defined jaw, and lacking the baby fat cushioning the cheeks of her younger self. A young woman instead of the child she was so used to seeing. But that only made the murderous air around her even more terrifying.
Kiana stepped forward, slowly, each step holding an unseen unknowable weight, and glared up at the woman descending towards them. Her blue eyes lacked her usual sparkling cheerfulness, now hard and dulled with a bitter determination.
“Kiana, don’t!” Mei groaned. She knew all too well who it was before them. Even if she didn’t have those visions in her slumber, the hauntings of the Second Eruption still played within her memories.
Kiana paused only long enough to give the priestess a sad smile, “It’s okay, Mei. All of you just stay down and let yourselves recover. Leave this to me and Bronya.”
“Kiana, please…” Mei breathed, but either the girl didn’t hear her quiet pleas or chose to ignore them.
Kiana’s attention was locked onto the being before them, “Sirin. Long time no see,” Her voice echoed through the debris field.
Sirin gently alighted upon the ground a dozen meters or so away from them. She grinned at the white-haired girl and threw her arms wide as the draconic Honkai beast landed behind her and shook the ground with its bulk. Its body almost immediately began to dissolve into sparkling blue particles, its shape slowly disappearing. A girl with similarly draconic features and not much older than Sirin drifted to the ground from within the cloud of Honkai particles. She positioned herself just behind Sirin’s right shoulder. A being familiar to none of them but the two women now standing before her.
“Yes, my dear sister, it has been too long!” Sirin’s voice carried an undercurrent of malice that could not be hidden by the light and playful tone she was using, “It would be wrong of me not to come say hello after discovering your return!”
“Sister?” Camellia pressed a hand to her side and groaned in pain, but that did not lessen the confusion in her furrowed brow as her eyes darted between the standing women and her equally confused companions.
Sirin laughed, “Awww, did she not tell you?” Her face twisted into a furious sneer, “That’s okay, it wouldn’t be the first time she’s let down those who believed in her!” Her gaze slowly swung towards Mei, the priestess gritting her teeth against the terrifying psychic pressure that settled upon her like a massive foot pressing her into the ground, “And you…” She huffed out a short laugh, “I'd been wondering where you’d disappeared to the last few decades. Imagine my surprise when I learned you'd been in Arc City all this time.”
Invisible tendrils of Honkai energy stabbed into Mei’s mind. The priestess’s head dropped back against the soil as a blinding pain shot through her. Like the white-hot point of a fire poker, Sirin’s mind probed at her own. Malicious energy coiled around the gems in her chest, a terrible, constricting feeling that left her short of breath.
“Sirin!” Kiana shouted, “Leave her alone!”
“And miss whatever it is you three have been planning all this time?” She grinned, “I don’t think so. I thought I was a part of your precious family?” She continued mockingly, “You wouldn’t leave your dear older sister out of the loop, would you?”
The pain grew stronger and Mei instinctively attempted to flare her own Honkai energy, a resistance and desperate push to hold back the Herrscher enough to shield herself. It took only a moment to realize what a fruitless endeavor this was. Ultimately she would have failed, if not for the outside touch that gently wrapped around her. Like guiding hands helping her accomplish the impossible task of holding back the ocean's waves with her bare hands. Sirin’s invasion into her body and mind was pushed back, the Herrscher growling in annoyance when she realised what happened.
“That’s enough, Sirin.” The commanding, cold tone that echoed through the crash site was quite strange coming from the usually laid back and boisterous Kiana.
“Oh? Are you tired of hiding then, traitor?”
“Kiana…” Sophia had propped herself up against some wreckage and chanced a glance away from the Herrscher to shoot the girl a wary look, “What is she talking about?”
Kiana met her glance with a hesitant furrowing of her brows before tearing her gaze away without an answer. She glared up at the Herrscher, “If you want me, then you can have me, Sirin. But leave them out of this.”
“There’s only one reason you would come to this forgotten corner of the world,” Sirin sneered, “And you bring a Schicksal Valkyrie?!” A flash of purple and she was instantly in Kiana’s face. Sirin’s voice grew in volume until she was shouting with barely restrained fury, “You know what they did to me in that place! To us!” Sirin did not show even the slightest care as the mortals around her stirred more and more as they recovered.
Mei had gathered her wits and strength and fully pushed herself to her feet by this point. Perhaps she was simply lucky, or perhaps it was her gems, but she seemed to be the only other who had escaped completely unscathed. For now at least.
“That was a long time ago, Sirin,” Kiana said softly.
“And yet here you are chasing ghosts,” She growled. Sirin turned her back on the woman and took two steps away from her. Her next words came out softer. A hurt leaking through that gave even Mei pause, “You abandoned me. Just like everyone else.”
“Sirin, I-”
Sirin spun and cut Kiana off with a diagonal slash of her arm, anger once again overwhelming all, “Two centuries, Kiana!!”
“I didn’t have a choice!”
“Didn’t have a choice but to break the one promise we still had to each other?”
Kiana clenched her eyes shut, Sirin’s words striking their mark, “I tried to tell you, Sirin! But I… We weren’t prepared for what it truly meant to face it. Those two centuries were-” Kiana wavered, “So much was out of my control, I swear I-” Sirin stepped forwards and the sound of tearing flesh cut off whatever else Kiana wanted to say.
The stunned silence that befell the foot of the mountain lasted only for a moment before it shattered with a desperate cry.
“KIANA!!!!”
Mei didn’t think. Couldn’t think. There was a surge of Honkai energy and a crimson fury that roared through her veins. Her legs moved without her conscious input, her world became a blur and her ears echoed with the clap of thunder, and the next thing she knew her katana was pressing against Sirin's void lance. Vaguely she heard Isabella’s pleas for her to stop. That Sirin was too dangerous.
She didn’t care. The sight of Kiana stumbling back and collapsing to her knees with a lance protruding from her stomach overrode all.
The Herrscher grinned as she broke the bind and easily brought the back of her lance up to block Mei’s next swing, “This is pathetic. What happened to your strength? Did those gaps in your memory take your skill, too?”
“Shut up!” Mei roared. Lightning coursed through her body and across her blade as she swung again and again. Her katana bit deeper into the lance with each connection, her swings grew faster, more precise. Yet it was still not enough. Space warped strangely around her. Thrusts that should have connected distorted and bent around the Herrscher. Cuts she knew she had aimed true seemed to alter trajectory mid-swing. Attacks that weren’t turned aside were caught on lance after lance, Sirin merely summoning another whenever one became too damaged. Something deep within her roared in frustration and fury with each failed attack. Her expression was a picture of absolute vengeance, a protective all consuming rage like none she had ever felt before. This storm within her writhed and roared and the uncontrollable urge to lash out, to destroy, to conquer overtook her more and more. Sirin merely grinned wider with each futile attack. Vaguely, Mei registered Bronya locked in combat with the strange Honkai beast girl, but it was a brief lapse in her single minded assault before it fled from her thoughts once more. Another series of slashes, traded blows, parries, and near misses. When Sirin locked their weapons together in a clash once more she took a moment to observe the woman.
What she saw brought a laugh spilling from her lips, a sound that only further inflamed her opponent’s fury, “Those eyes…” Sirin grinned at the pink glaring back at her with a murderous hatred, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen those eyes. It feels good, doesn't it?” She taunted, “To give in to that anger. That hatred. It makes us powerful. There is a reason the other Herrschers fear me. Why I have lived this long despite the forces arrayed against me.” Her lips twisted into a snarl, “It’s because of all the Herrschers that wish for destruction, I hate humanity the most. I am the one with the will, the drive-” Mei’s feet slid against the dirt as the Herrscher’s sheer strength began to overcome her, “-the sheer unrelenting fury to take my revenge on every. Last. Soul. For what they did to me! For what they did to my sisters! To Bella! To you ! For everything Schicksal has done while the world stood by and watched!”
Sirin used the widened base of her lance to hook Mei’s katana and drag it down. The Priestess’s eyes widened as fingers closed around her throat faster than she could react and she was lifted from the ground with all the ease of picking up a feather, “Where is your Goddess?” An impossibly strong grip closed around her sword arm just in time to halt an attempted swing and bent her arm until the katana clattered to the ground, “Is she content to sit there and watch as I butcher her priestesses? Her precious Mei? What about you, Bronya?” She grinned and bodily shook Mei as she directed her attention to the girl. The Honkai beast girl almost immediately pulled back, “This must strike at your nostalgia, seeing us like this, hm? Not going to stop me? Are your beings so focused on attempting to tame the untamable that you can’t even spare enough power to stop little old me? Such a small piece of yourselves could barely hold back my spatial distortions,” She pointed to Cecilia, rapier held in a shaky hand and pointed at the Herrscher even as blood soaked the arm of her off-hand, “With how little of you is present here, would you even be able to stop me from pulling open a rift inside that pathetic human’s body?”
Isabella grimaced as she drew her sword from its sheath and its blade ignited in pink fire as she swung it into a readied position, “We won’t make it that easy for you, Void Queen.”
Sirin regarded the display with a cold disdain, “Priestesses,” She spat, “Not even Schicksal’s Valkyries can truly pose a threat to me, and you are even lesser than them.”
“L-Let-” Sirin’s attention immediately snapped to the voice. The head of white hair that had fallen still only a moment before now glared up at the Herrscher once more. Shaky hands wrapped around the lance embedded in her gut, “Let. Mei. Go.” Her breathing was heavy, but her eyes were sharp, focused. A swift jerk of her arms and the lance was freed from her body with the sickening squelch of flesh. Sirin watched with a satisfied smile as Kiana easily pushed herself to her feet. Pink stars glowed with a terrifying coldness within her blue irises.
“Come now, Kiana. Can’t a girl just have a little fun?”
The Kaslana did not bother replying with words. A beam of pure Honkai energy burst from the ground around the woman and stabbed into the sky. From the light emerged a white-clad figure. One that brought Mei both relief and despair. The light dissipated into a splash of sparkling Honkai particles. The Moonbeams who had struggled to their feet quickly dropped back to their knees. The eyes of the Herrscher of Finality were alight with power, her tattered dress flowing in a non-existent wind. The wound in her flesh was nowhere to be found.
“I won’t ask again, Sirin.” Her face was like stone. Cold, intense, and singularly focused.
Sirin shrugged and dropped Mei in a heap, “Finally revealing yourself? I’m touched. It would have been rather boring if I only got to kill that pathetically small piece of you.”
The Moon Goddess scowled. Reason having returned while within the Herrscher’s grip, Mei’s legs scraped against the ground as she hurried to push herself away. Kiana waited just long enough for Caihong to scramble forwards and drag Mei to safety before continuing, “Why are you doing this, Sirin? I understand you are angry but my realm is always open to you. You could have come to me whenever and I would have welcomed you.”
“It’s not about expressing my displeasure. As you said, I can do that at any time.” Rage burned in her eyes as she sneered, “Now it’s about punishing you! Bella, keep Bronya busy.”
Sirin threw her hand forward and clenched her fingers like a claw. Kiana disappeared in a swirl of purple just as the space around her distorted and collapsed violently. Another flash and she appeared within arms reach of the Void Queen. Her fist was already moving before she had even exited the portal. Honkai wreathed knuckles slammed into Sirin’s abdomen. The experience of watching such a terrifying entity’s eyes widen and her breath rush from her lungs as she was launched violently into a piece of wreckage behind her was… Well Mei wasn’t sure how to describe the myriad of emotions that flashed through her in that moment. Awe? Shock? Joy? She did not have time to ponder these things. She and Caihong seemed to be in the best shape, and so they began to quickly formulate a plan to make their way around the battles raging before them. Camellia was still separated from the others and in pain. If they could not fight, they could at least bring the woman to relative safety.
Kiana’s brows furrowed as she batted away more spatial distortions. More rifts bloomed to life above Sirin and a vicious rain of lances flew forth. The Herrscher of Finality darted through the gaps faster than the human eye could track, a sword appearing in her hand in a flash of golden light and carving through the lances as she passed. They were not truly a danger to her, but she could at least minimise the danger to the women behind her. It only took a few seconds to dash through the rain of spears. Her sword flashed again, this time carving a path towards Sirin herself. Sirin pulled up her arms as if to block a blow with the back of her forearms. Instead, a shield of Honkai energy bloomed to life before her. Kiana’s sword met this shield with a thunderous crash, Sirin allowing herself to float off the ground as the force of the blow pushed her back yet again. Yet despite this, the pleased grin never left her face.
“Yes!” Sirin laughed, “It has been too long since I’ve felt such strength! Wendy was no fun last time I wiped out one of the cities she showed patronage!”
Kiana merely exhaled sharply and launched herself towards her sister once more.
This turn of events was concerning to say the least. Bronya ducked under another blast of lightning and let Project Bunny lay down covering fire as she constructed another double-bladed spear in her hand and launched herself at Bella. The firefight quickly became a deadly dance, the Honkai beast’s arms wreathing themselves in lightning to form blades of her own. Bronya’s spear spun and sliced through the air with a deadly precision, batting away Bella’s attacks and always coming around with the other end to pressure her defense. Bronya was skilled, and this was not the first time she had clashed with Benares’s human form, but Sirin was right. This body was such a tiny fraction of her true power. Without drawing upon more it was possible she might actually lose to the dragon girl. A fact made evident when Bella briefly overpowered her and left a bloody slash down one of her arms. However, that was exactly the thing she and Kiana had been trying to avoid. Though no doubt Sirin and Bella knew this. There was no other reason to attack such a small piece of themselves like this.
Bella stabbed with both bladed arms, barely missing as Bronya lept to the side, “My Queen will have her revenge, and then it will be simple to crush you.”
“You know Kiana won’t go down that easily,” Bronya huffed, “Your only advantage is that we have more important things to take care of.”
“I do not remember the Herrscher of Reason being so arrogant.” Another clash and both women slid back from the force of their met blows.
“It’s not arrogance, it is fact. Or do you think your Queen’s quest for revenge outweighs the Will of Honkai?” Bronya readied her spear once more.
A light puff of smoke crackling with electricity billowed from Bella’s throat as she let out a heavy breath, “If you merely continue like this, you will fall. And then I will kill your friends in the time it takes your true form to travel here without that body present. My Queen can hold Kiana’s attention for long enough.”
Bronya clicked her tongue. Bella was so annoying when she was right. Perhaps a more pragmatic goddess would simply allow such small mortals to suffer in order to protect the larger goal. She knew it would be the logical choice, considering the forces arrayed against them from the void beyond even the Imaginary Tree. But the sight of Raiden Mei’s face twisted in pain was not a sight she ever wanted to see again. Let alone what allowing her friends to die would do to the woman. Innocents caught in the crossfire of godly ambition. Perhaps Kiana had rubbed off on her too much over their long friendship. Sirin knew all too well that Kiana would do anything to protect Mei. Bronya shrugged to herself mentally. Oh well. She would roll with the punches as always. Maybe it played right into Sirin's plan, but they would not let Mei die here. The consequences… well… She and Kiana would manage.
Bella paced in anticipation as Bronya’s form was overtaken by a bright light. Her silhouette became nothing but pure white for but a moment before it shattered and her clothing had transformed. A tsunami of new Honkai energy washed over the battlefield as the diminutive woman held her spear level with the Servant of the Void. She was now clad in a dress of sky blue and black, white leggings and accenting decorating her body. Armor of black and silver protected her limbs, the smooth curvature evoking a mechanical sleekness. A new machine had manifested itself around her. Two large sections of black and blue metal flanked Bronya as it hovered above her, a white connecting piece arcing behind her head and connecting the two larger pieces. The metal itself had the appearance of many connected parts coming together to form the whole, its smooth curves broken up by the additions breaking up the original silhouette with a more bulbous shape. Angular protrusions like aerial flaps extended from the back of the large sections and two from the white connecting piece. The blue light of thrusters beneath and behind lit up winged protrusions that extended from the sides of the pieces that flanked Bronya’s body. Long angular pieces jutted out like mechanical feathers, thrusters bright blue as the pieces swiveled and adjusted themselves to keep Bronya steady and hovering above the ground. A masterpiece of engineering.
Bronya glared down at Bella with a deadly calm, “If you insist on pushing me this far, then know this, Beast of the Void.” As she kept her spear level she held out her other arm perpendicular to her body and a blue angular pattering surrounded the limb. In only a moment her arm had been encased within one of the deadly plasma cannons that were a staple of the Herrscher of Reason’s arsenal, “Know that you face not the Herrscher of Reason. But the Herrscher of Truth. I am the full might of human ingenuity. Past, Present, and Future.”
Bella snarled, “Stop being so dramatic! This isn’t one of your goddamn anime, Bronya!”
Bronya fought back the urge to huff as Bella leapt to attack once more.
Mei wasn’t sure if it was right to be thankful for the destruction of their ship, but the wreckage gave her and Caihong excellent cover as they skirted around Kiana and Bronya’s duels. They darted from piece to piece, quickly gaining ground and closing in on Camellia as the two Goddesses pushed their foes back. Truthfully, she wasn’t that far away, but you couldn’t be too careful when Herrschers were involved.
Two Goddesses…
They had been close enough to hear Bronya’s declaration before she and the machine hovering around her rocketed forward at inhuman speeds. While she hadn’t wanted to admit her suspicions, she had found herself… unsurprised, when that pillar of Honkai energy had engulfed Kiana and the Herrscher of Finality had emerged. Shocked seeing her suspicions confirmed, certainly. Astonished that Bronya also harbored such a secret, most definitely. Though maybe she shouldn’t be, considering how close the two women are. Bronya’s closeness with Seele suddenly made even more sense. But the adrenaline coursing through her veins would not let her stop. She could not let this realization sink in. She could not hesitate. Not while her allies were in danger. A void lance pierced the slab of metal they had put in between them and the battle, the sharpened point coming dangerously close as they jumped away. The sound of Bronya’s gunfire and the crackle of Bella’s electricity snapping through the air lent speed to their steps, and only a few seconds later they slid to a stop on either side of the injured Valkyrie. A quick glance at their surroundings confirmed that the battle remained a relatively safe distance away and the other Moonbeams had regrouped within the wreckage. Isabella nodded to them, sword drawn and at the ready just in case.
Camellia was still pressing a hand against her side. The black and teal of her uniform made it hard to tell just how much she might be bleeding, but it was obvious she was in pain.
“Hey,” Caihong gently pulled at her hand, “Let me see.”
The Valkyrie hissed through her teeth as Caihong pulled up her uniform jacket, “I think I landed pretty bad.” She watched as Caihong almost immediately leaned down to look behind her body, “Just my luck, huh?”
“Mei,” Caihong called, “She fell onto some metal protruding from the wreckage.”
Mei tuned out Camellia’s miserable laugh, her heart dropping into her stomach, “Do we have anything to stop the bleeding if we pull her off?”
“Not unless you want to try making your fire burn hot enough to cauterize it. It’d take a while to search for what remains of our supplies even without three Herrschers going at it.”
Camellia gasped, her head lolling and words coming out in a slightly delirious tone, “Holy fuck Kiana’s the Moon Goddess.”
“Yep.” Was Caihong’s only reply.
Mei leaned down and studied the protruding metal, “If I can channel Finality’s flames down my blade I might be able to melt through this. She’s already lost so much blood.”
“So we’ll keep it in her until we can guarantee her safety on removal. Gotcha.” Caihong wrapped her arms protectively around Camellia, ready to support her bodyweight, “Alright, do it.”
It was simple to pull on the river of energy flowing through her. She had used her sword as a conduit for her power in training before. The question was, could she make it hot enough. Most of the transport was made of a reinforced alloy that usually put up impressive resistance against Honkai beasts. Though evidently it did not stand up well against Herrschers. Mei carefully slid her blade into the small gap between Camellia’s body and the wreckage she was leaned against. A flare of her energy and pink fire burst to life across her blade. Brows furrowed, focus channeled single-mindedly towards absolute control of these flames. She had managed to control a low heat back in the illusion of the Second Eruption. But how hot could she go? The flames flared brighter. The tongues of Honkai flames licked at the metal. Caihong gently pulled Camellia’s torso forwards to keep her away from as much of the heat as possible. Slowly, but surely, the metal heated.
Only a different problem then confronted them. The metal inside Camellia’s wound was heating up too. The woman hissed out that it burned, bringing a stop to Mei’s attempt. She locked eyes with Ciahong. The Priestess nodded and Mei stood to ready herself. It was dangerous, but possibly the only way to free Camellia while endangering her as little as possible. She needed to be quicker. Stronger. Flame and lightning both coursed down her blade. She raised her katana. The power of the Honkai roared through her body. Her senses honed, her muscles tensing with power, she could almost feel the sharp of her blade gleaming with anticipation.
She swung.
Kiana shrugged off another blast of Honkai crystal from Sirin. A spear flew close behind. One that Kiana caught with one hand and shattered with a quick clenching of her fist, “Enough, Sirin! I don’t want to fight you!”
“This isn’t about what you want, fool.” Sirin shot back, “This is about the gaze I can feel upon you now. About the punishment I have forced you to accept to protect your precious Mei,” Sirin’s voice grew quiet, but no less saturated with anger and pain, “I’ve gotten what I want.”
A blast of energy and Bella fell in a heap nearby. She pushed herself to her feet, failing to completely hide a pained grimace, and growled. The object of her hostility came to a stop next to Kiana, Bronya’s arm cannon remaining trained on the girl.
“That’s enough, Bella,” Sirin commanded, “It’s time to leave.”
Kiana and Bronya did not stop them as Sirin tore open a rift. One last glare, one last look of disdain, disappointment, hurt, hatred. Their figures disappeared into the void and the portal collapsed and vanished. The two remaining Herrschers shared a glance. Tired and resigned.
“That… could have gone better,” Kiana admitted.
Bronya rolled her eyes, “You’ve always had such a way with words.”
The two women cast their gaze back to their injured companions. Mei and Caihong were aiding Camellia in limping back over to the rest of them to regroup. Isabella had allowed herself to collapse against some wreckage now that the threat had passed. Cecilia was cradling an injured arm. Sophia seemed to be suffering the worst, with multiple splotches of red soaking into her uniform and her hands pressed against her abdomen and thigh. Kiana sighed, gauntleted hand brushing across her hair, “Alright, let's get back and help them before the chance is taken from us.”
Bronya nodded, “We don’t have much time. I can already feel the Will clawing at my defenses.”
Kiana paused just long enough to portal them back to their companions, “Don’t worry, Bronya,” She attempted a confident smile, “I’ll be taking the brunt of it. I really made it hate me.” She laughed, though it was an exhausted sound rather than the humor one might expect from the girl. Bronya quickly darted away, off to collect what remained of their supplies and rebuild what had been destroyed.
Isabella scrambled to get back to her feet as soon as they exited the portal, “My Lady, I-”
Kiana gently gestured for her to stay down, “It’s okay. I’ll… answer your questions later. I have little time left to help you, let me not waste it.” She knelt next to Sophia, locking eyes with Mei for just a moment as she and Caihong gently set Camellia down before tearing her eyes away. Sophia's condition seemed to have rapidly degraded over the course of the fight. A Herrscher's touch was needed.
“Sorry, My Lady,” Sophia mumbled weakly, “You tried to protect us but it looks like I couldn't stick the landing.”
“It's not your fault,” Kiana reassured her, “I should have expected Sirin to try something but she caught me unprepared and now all of you are suffering for it. I should be the one apologizing.”
Kiana placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder. From her palm a green light gently flickered to life. From this light, tendrils like a light fog or mist extended outwards along Sophia's body. The woman breathed deep as this refreshing vapor of life stitched closed the wounds of her flesh and reinvigorated her spirit. Kiana remained there, allowing these vapors to expand outwards. Regrouped as they were, it was a simple matter for it to reach the others. As the healing tendrils inched up Camellia's body, Caihong counted to three before pulling the shard of metal from her body. The Valkyrie's shout of pain was short lived, the healing vapors soothing her nerves and rebuilding flesh and blood. Cecilia, too, found her wounded arm quickly regaining usefulness. They stretched through all, even the less injured like Caihong and Mei.
The glow slowly faded from Kiana's palm. She stood, a small bashfulness flashing across her face at the thanks she received from her priestesses, “I'm just doing what I should,” She said in an attempt to brush off the praise.
The whine of Bronya's engines wound down as she reapproached the group dragging what salvage she could find behind her, “Here. I found some of our supplies undamaged,” she gestured at the pile and angular glitch-like patterns appeared in the air and within seconds several more boxes were formed from the light, “This should suffice for the rest. Now lets- Hng!” Bronya froze in place and pressed a hand to her head as if attempting to assuage a headache.
Mei was on her feet in a flash, “Bronya! What's wrong?!” The sound of something hitting the dirt behind her made her whirl, only to find Kiana had dropped to one knee. Horrifyingly, the angular pink veins of Honkai corruption marred the skin around her eye and seemed to be slowly spreading further down the right side of her body, “Kiana?!”
Bronya's mechanical wings began to fail, dissipating into blue particles as her feet found soil once more. The girl managed to force her legs to move just enough to collapse to her knees next to Kiana. They both looked up at their companions with resigned smiles, Kiana taking Bronya's hand and squeezing it tight. Project bunny hovered over Bronya protectively, the robot's expressionless face somehow still communicating a helpless despair.
“It's okay, Mei.” Kiana wheezed as if the very act of breathing pained her, “It's just time for Sirin to get what she wanted. I'm- Afraid-” She began to breathe heavily between each word, a terrible laborious sound that drove a horrified concern deep into the hearts of all present, “-We'll- Have to- Burden you- A bit- Longer.”
The Priestesses of Finality and Valkyrie of Schicksal watched on in horror as the Herrscher of Finality doubled over and grit her teeth to muffle a groan of pain. Bronya, too, hissed and clenched her eyes. Her arms hugged tight to her body like applying pressure to a wound, though it did not seem to lessen this new pain in the slightest.
A line from Kiana’s brow, to between her eye and nose, and down her cheek cracked open like porcelain. In the wound stars shone within a shimmering amethyst void, just like her dress and Honkai stained hands. Another crack appeared down her arm. Then another. Then her other arm. Then a line right down her chest where her sternum would be.
The Herrscher of Finality pressed a hand to her chest as if she could physically hold herself together before falling to the floor with such a frighteningly intense scream of pain it would haunt the observers’ dreams for years to come.