LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 180: Fog and Phantoms
The puppets, armed with whatever they could find, shambled towards Kiana through the fog.
She couldn't see how many there were. A chill ran down her spine. This was like a horror movie.
The unsettling atmosphere was amplified by the eerie silence, broken only by a girl's voice humming an unknown melody, a mournful, chilling tune.
Thankfully, the Fenghuang Down protected her. They were just ordinary people. As long as her mind remained clear, she could handle them.
But to free them from the Honkai's control, she had to absorb their energy, severing the controlling threads. And that was the real danger.
After dealing with the first wave, the fog thickened.
A small figure appeared in the fog, staring at her.
That girl, the one promoting the magical girl… The fog obscured her vision.
Kiana, her nerves on edge, approached the figure.
But it wasn't a girl, just a crudely carved wooden puppet, its only distinguishing feature its intricately carved eyes.
The eyes seemed to follow her, their gaze unwavering.
Even Kiana felt a prickle of unease. She aimed her Abyss Flower, gently pushing. The puppet shattered.
Wooden limbs and ball joints scattered across the ground. The head landed at her feet, its eyes staring up at her.
Suppressing her unease, Kiana took a deep breath, aiming her spear at the puppet's head.
She pinned it to the ground.
"Just a Honkai illusion, no matter how creepy."
As she pierced the puppet, white threads, connected to its joints, became visible. The scattered limbs, pulled by the threads, reassembled, forming a new puppet.
If Ren were here, he'd recognize it as an Imaginary Husk. But to those in this world, even Otto, who hadn't fully grasped the Imaginary Tree's nature, wouldn't know what it was.
With a series of clicks, the Husk reformed, attacking Kiana.
Unfamiliar with this enemy, Kiana struggled, quickly sustaining injuries.
If only I could use my Herrscher powers…
But she couldn't. She had only her pistols and Abyss Flower.
"At least I can't feel the pain." She chuckled dryly, a look of determination in her eyes.
The longer this dragged on, the more dangerous it became for the city. To end this quickly, she had to risk it all. As the Husk's blades sliced towards her, she dodged, then lunged, driving Abyss Flower into its core.
Bang!
The Husk staggered, its core damaged. Kiana pressed her attack, unleashing everything she had.
The core shattered, the Husk's body falling apart again, finally still.
Blood streamed down Kiana's arm. She bit her lip, bandaging the wound with a strip of cloth from Himeko's bandages, then stumbled towards the heart of the fog.
She didn't notice the Husk's detached eye, still watching her.
"So these things are the real threat."
Now wary, she moved cautiously. But the area was eerily silent. No more monsters, not even ordinary people.
The silence unnerved her. The unknown was always dangerous, especially now, alone, without her friends.
She reached the location of the magical girl memorial the little girl had mentioned.
The strange humming returned, like dozens of children chanting in unison.
The words were indistinct, unintelligible.
As she approached, the chanting grew louder, the building's form becoming clear: the Babylon Tower, the place where Sirin had awakened.
The chanting intensified, a chorus of voices calling out the Herrscher of the Void's name.
"It's not after me!" Kiana's face paled. She turned to flee, but a wave of dizziness washed over her.
「Give me your body!」
Sirin's voice roared in her mind. The Babylon Tower triggered something within her, the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness breaking free.
Her blue eyes turned gold. Sirin, in control, unleashed a barrage of Abyss Flowers, bombarding the tower.
But the tower remained unharmed, an illusion, unfazed by her attacks.
Sirin's outburst ravaged Kiana's already weakened body. Purple veins spread across her limbs, snaking up her neck.
The Fenghuang Down protected Kiana's mind, but the enemy's target wasn't Kiana, but the Herrscher within.
Sirin's reckless use of Honkai energy was destroying Kiana's body.
Fortunately, Kiana's consciousness wasn't completely suppressed. She still had partial control. If she could contain the excess Honkai energy, she might recover.
But she had only the Fenghuang Down and her pistols.
No, wait. There was one more thing.
Wrestling for control, she pulled out the gem from her pocket, a bittersweet feeling washing over her. It was a gift from her other self.
The teardrop-shaped gem glowed deep blue. As Kiana channeled the Honkai energy into it, she realized it had an incredible capacity for absorption.
Though its amplification effect was minimal after its previous use, it was a lifeline for Kiana, overflowing with Honkai energy.
The gem pulsed, absorbing the excess energy, weakening Sirin's hold. As the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness raged, Kiana regained control.
She activated the Fenghuang Down. The world sharpened. The Babylon Tower vanished. The chanting ceased. It had all been an illusion, the sounds created by the Imaginary Husk.
The Honkai, a force of pure destruction, had learned to use deception.
Who had taught it that?