novelden Chapter 203 Confrontation
Chapter 203 Confrontation
Seeing the strange phenomenon in the sky, Cecilia realized that the world might be about to be destroyed.
At this moment, she was kneeling on the ground, clutching her wound. The blood flowing from the wound was no longer bright red, but rather faint starlight. She herself was even transforming from a solid state into a semi-transparent one.
"Hmph! In the end, it's just a poor imitation of her, nothing more."
In mid-air, the Herrscher of the Void let out a cold snort like a queen. Several tens of minutes had passed since her battle with Cecilia began. During this time, no matter what attacks Cecilia launched, they did not harm the Herrscher of the Void in the slightest. The latter even used her abilities to toy with her opponent.
Of course, Cecilia's fatal abdominal wound played a significant role in this, as did the fact that Cecilia was reconstructed based on data recorded in the Herrscher core within Kiana's body.
Therefore, no matter how powerful Cecilia is in this world's setting, she ultimately cannot defeat the Herrscher of the Void, who knows her inside and out, not to mention that she is currently suffering from a fatal injury.
If Cecilia hadn't been using the Black Abyss White Flower to keep herself alive, the Herrscher of the Void would have defeated her long ago.
"That's it!"
As she spoke, the Herrscher of the Void summoned the Void Spear once more, intending to deliver the final blow to Cecilia, but at that moment she hesitated for some reason.
It was this hesitation that caused her to lose the chance to kill Cecilia once again, while the captain arrived at the scene with Kiana.
Seeing Cecilia Kiana severely injured, she rushed forward to support her swaying body, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.
"Mom... Lady Cecilia, are you alright?"
"Now that things have come to this, are you still planning to change how you address me?"
Cecilia forced a bitter smile, her eyes filled with a mother's concern for her child as she looked tenderly at Kiana beside her.
"mom, Mom, Mom."
“Mmm!” Cecilia replied with a smile, “I’m still more used to this way of addressing you.”
"Kiana, listen to me. From now on, you'll probably have to walk this path alone. But please don't give up, because you have many wonderful friends by your side to walk with you. Try to trust them one more time... No matter what, I hope you can live happily. This is the last blessing I can give you as your mother."
After saying that, Cecilia disappeared before Kiana's eyes, and Kiana instinctively reached out and grabbed tiny specks of starlight.
"Hehehe! That woman is finally dead!"
The Herrscher of the Void burst into laughter, while Kiana's face darkened and her teeth clenched as various memories flashed through her mind.
Those were all false memories that she was given in this world, and the beautiful memories that Cecilia once had.
Finally, she raised her head and glared fiercely at the Herrscher of the Void, who was also frightened back half a step by that fierce look.
Then realizing his lapse in composure, he quickly said, "Why are you so sad and angry about this woman's death?"
"Ha! Judging from your expression, I can tell that even if this is just a false thing given to you by this illusion, you still want to cherish it?"
“She’s not a fake! She was a real person who actually existed!” Kiana said through gritted teeth. “Haven’t you noticed yet? She had already sensed the incongruity of this world, but she never had the heart to expose it.”
"So what? In the end, she is something that exists by attaching herself to this illusion. If this illusion is broken, she will naturally die. As long as you are human, you will inevitably be afraid of death. Isn't it obvious that you won't expose this lie?"
"She's not the kind of coward you're making her out to be. What she wants to do is the same thing she's done in real life—she wants to save you!"
"..."
The Herrscher of the Void was unusually silent for a moment before she spoke again.
"So what? Don't forget that I was sealed away in the illusion at that time, so how could you expect me to be saved?"
“The class monitor once said that even if I seal you away, you can still perceive everything around me through my senses,” Kiana said. “Someone also once told me that you and I are derivatives of the same consciousness, so the relationship between us is completely different from the relationship between the consciousnesses of other Herrschers.”
"So what? What else do you want to say now?" The Herrscher of the Void tapped her chin with her index finger. "You can't possibly be saying something like, 'We're one, so let's get along well,' can't you?"
"I did have that thought."
"Then I still advise you to give up such thoughts as soon as possible. Besides, I am the one who truly inherits Sirin's will. You are just a piece of trash that she casually discarded."
"It was Cecilia's intervention that made Sirin, who had lost all hope in humanity, start trying to reconnect with humans. Without her, I wouldn't be who I am today."
"So you're saying you're the real Sirin?" The Herrscher of the Void's eyes narrowed. "That's laughable. If you really were Sirin, why were you rejected by the Herrscher Core and corrupted?"
"And don't forget what happened to Sirin in that laboratory. Think about how those despicable adults deceived one ignorant girl after another!"
“You’re right, the adults there are all scum. But Celine also experienced warmth there; it was Bella and the others who gave Celine hope.”
"But they all died, at the hands of those researchers. Even the bodies were disposed of by Sirin. She personally sent her companions into the incinerator, watching them turn to ashes, leaving only those pitiful tombstones in the end."
"..."
Kiana was speechless now, because the Herrscher of the Void was telling the truth. Sirin had been tricked into the lab by researchers and forced to undergo all sorts of inhumane experiments; it was the other children, also experimental subjects, who gave her warmth and hope.
But how many people can survive those experiments?
As the daily dosage of the drug increased, the girls eventually died one by one in front of Sirin. Sirin even personally placed their bodies into the incinerator and buried them in the Siberian snowstorm.
It was from that time that Sirin was chosen by the Honkai to become a Herrscher, ultimately triggering the Second Honkai Impact, which had a global impact.
"But deep down she still longed for human emotions, otherwise she wouldn't have been an ordinary little girl in Yu Duchen's illusion."
"And then? That woman wasn't actually affected by the illusion at all. She pretended to be affected but secretly plotted how to get rid of Sirin."
“You’re wrong. She just wanted to use this method to let Sirin rediscover the warmth of family and regain human emotions.”
"That sounds nice, but in the end, didn't the exposed person still have to confront Sirin?"
"But at that time, neither Cecilia nor Cecilia's mother intended to hurt each other. Even at the end, Cecilia's mother only wanted to give Cecilia's family warmth."
"So she died, ultimately dying because of her naiveté. She had so many opportunities to easily kill Sirin, but she didn't take the plunge. It was her arrogance that led to her final fate."
"But it is that naiveté you speak of that allowed me to be born into this world. Herrscher of the Void, you have always claimed to be the inheritor of Sirin's will, yet you have always viewed this world with malice. This world may not be beautiful, but it is not entirely evil either."
"So what? That's just how Sirin's will is. Ever since she became disillusioned with the human race, this world has never been a good place for her."
"No! That was just a thought she had, influenced by the Honkai. Deep down, she still retains a sliver of kindness, and I am the proof of that."
"So what are you trying to say? That you are the kind Sirin, and I am the evil Sirin?"
"You're wrong again. It's not that I'm the kind-hearted Sirin, but that I chose good and you chose evil, that's all."
"Alright, I don't want to waste any more words," said the Herrscher of the Void. "Right now, I only have one thought in my mind."
"What a coincidence, I have one too."
"That means we can never coexist peacefully, and only one of us will survive!" x2
"Ha! It seems that this is the only point on which we have reached a consensus."
"Enough with the nonsense, let's begin! I will let go of the confusion of the past and accept everything that Sirin has been through!"
"That sounds nice! Inheriting everything from Sirin means you'll also have to bear the sins Sirin committed. Isn't that the last thing you want to see? Otherwise, why would you refuse the Herrscher Core?"
The Herrscher of the Void calmly blocked Kiana's attack. At this moment, the two of them were already locked in battle. After thinking for a moment, the Captain decided to respect Kiana's choice and let her make the decision alone.
"I will try to accept it!"
Feeling the power emanating from the Void Spear, the Herrscher of the Void mocked Kiana.
"But your attacks still haven't made me feel your determination. Are you just all talk?!"
At the same time, Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Knowledge arrived here after bidding farewell to their former civilization companions.
Fu Hua asked, "How is the captain doing now?"
"Kiana is currently engaged in a final battle with the Herrscher of the Void."
"Seriously, why don't we just go up and gang up on them? Wouldn't that be more efficient?"
"This isn't about ganging up on her," the captain replied. "Right now, Kiana is trying to accept the Herrscher core within her. If she can't even do that, then even if we help her defeat the consciousness of the Herrscher of the Void, it won't make any difference."
"Oh~ you mean Kiana's body is in a state of corruption, right?" The Herrscher of Knowledge suddenly realized, "Indeed, her body is in a state of corruption because she subconsciously rejects the Herrscher core, which is the same reason why I regarded myself as an old relic back then."
"This is still different, isn't it?" the captain complained. "Back then, you only thought of yourself as Fu Hua, but you were so adept at performing the duties of a Herrscher that you even unintentionally triggered a Honkai attack when you went to Mount Taixu."
"Hey! Can't we just not talk about this? I'm so embarrassed!"
"So what exactly happened back then? And why is it connected to Mount Taixu?"
Fu Hua was somewhat curious, but the Herrscher of Knowledge would certainly not satisfy Fu Hua's curiosity.
However, the captain was beyond the control of the Herrscher of Knowledge, so he slowly began to recount the deeds of the Herrscher of Knowledge.
Just like in the original story, the Herrscher of Knowledge first awakened in Fu Hua's body, but her cognition became confused due to the impact of Fu Hua's millions of years of memories.
The Honkai consciousness decided to play along, making the Herrscher of Consciousness believe that she was Fu Hua. She then caused a huge disturbance at the Schicksal headquarters. Otto paid the price of a Soul Steel body to successfully guide the Herrscher of Consciousness to World Serpent and hand her over to Kevin.
Unfortunately, Kevin had no intention of clashing with the Herrscher of Consciousness at that time, so he gave the Feather of Dust, which contained the true consciousness of Fu Hua, to the Herrscher of Consciousness.
Ultimately, the Herrscher of Knowledge and the awakened Fu Hua engaged in a series of arguments regarding her identity, which escalated all the way to Mount Taixu. In the end, Kiana and Bronya arrived and outwitted the Herrscher of Knowledge through a scheme.
Although the Lawbringer was unwilling, he was still a man of his word and returned the body to Fu Hua before leaving alone.
Of course, the above is all what the captain heard from Kiana. After all, due to the captain and Kiana's interference, there are some subtle differences between the original work and the actual content.
For example, Mei actually joined World Serpent at the captain's urging, so that Mei could successfully obtain the Origin's inheritance.
After all, Kiana and Mei had reached an agreement after reuniting in Changkong City. However, no one expected that Benares would ultimately help Mei by taking a knife for her and die under the sword of the Imaginary God.
This is why Kiana's intervention in the final rooftop battle was driven by personal grudges, ultimately turning the charade into a real event and creating a famous tourist attraction in later generations.
“I see,” Fu Hua said.
"Ah!!! If Kiana hadn't placed a restriction on you, Captain, I would have used my power to stop you from continuing!"
The Herrscher of Knowledge said somewhat awkwardly, but there was nothing she could do. After all, hearing about her dark past from the captain would make even the Herrscher of Knowledge feel incredibly embarrassed.
After venting his frustrations, the knowledgeable law-teller raised the most important question at hand.
"Forget about Kiana and the others for now. The important thing is, what are you going to do with the Herrscher of Consciousness in this world?"
"What else can we do but seal it away!"
The captain spread his hands and said.
"That sounds nice, but we don't have anything ready-made to make a container for the seal."
"Uh, Yu Duchen?"
"Are you an idiot?! What if you use the ancient artifact on Feather Dust? You can't possibly seal the ancient artifact away with it!"
"That seems to be true."
The captain belatedly scratched his head, only then remembering that in both the original story and the events he experienced in his world, the Herrscher of Knowledge was ultimately not sealed away but chose to wander alone.
This made the container needed for the seal a real problem for everyone.