Herrscher of Dominance in Honkai, starting with the abduction of Kiana

The moment the crimson eyes opened, the surrounding air seemed to boil. In less than half a second, the ice sheet within a 2km radius instantly vaporized.

The ice prison, which could even solidify space to restrain Tonatiuh (Star Eater), rapidly melted under the intense heat. Though Kevin quickly reinforced the melting areas, Ren merely raised a fist, shattering all the ice.

This didn't mean Ren was stronger than Kevin, but that after breaking free from the restraints of the Herrscher of Dominance, his body, enhanced by dozens of puppets, far exceeded his expectations.

With Ren's monstrous physique and the Will of Honkai's massive Honkai energy, the entity created was worthy of the name "monster."

The corrupted Ren was only driven by his Herrscher instincts, loyal to the Honkai's goal of destroying civilization. Therefore, upon breaking free, his first act was to use his Herrscher of Flames' abilities to turn the closest area, the Far East, to ash.

Sensing the threat, Kevin was ruthless. He struck with the devastating Might of An-Utu, tearing through the hazy, superheated vapor, forcefully interrupting Ren's attack.

His attack successfully drew Ren's attention, but the corrupted Ren was fundamentally different. The Might of An-Utu inflicted only minor wounds. The flames on the greatsword were absorbed by the flames swirling around Ren, like fledglings returning to the nest.

Although the Gem of Haste was only a core given to Sirin by the Honkai God and differed from the Herrscher of Flames from the highly developed Previous Era civilization, the gap was completely closed by the fully-Herrscherized Ren. Furthermore, the enhancements made this Herrscher of Flames stronger than its Previous Era counterpart.

In this situation, using a Divine Key made from a Herrscher Core was unrealistic to contend with Ren.

However, true warriors considered themselves their greatest weapon. Like Durandal, Fu Hua, and Kevin, they overcame power with power. Therefore, Kevin discarded the Might of An-Utu, choosing to face Ren head-on.

A fist infused with terrifying power crashed towards Ren, only to be blocked by his crossed arms. The surrounding flames counterattacked, but Kevin, having anticipated this, easily dodged.

In those few seconds of combat, Kevin estimated that the Herrscher of Flames' physical strength was on par with his own. To overpower him was unrealistic. But since Ren was just a puppet controlled by the Honkai, his combat experience was no match for Kevin's.

Having survived so many battles during the Previous Era, an enemy of this level was not enough to make Kevin flinch. But just as this thought surfaced, Ren appeared beside him in an instant. A nuclear-level force exploded from his leg, sending Kevin hurtling into the ocean.

The sea level unnaturally rose, like a collapsing mountain. A massive iceberg, lifted by Kevin, hurtled towards Ren. But before it could reach him, the iceberg was cleanly sliced in two.

"Quantum teleportation, spatial cutting. Just how many powers does he possess?" Even Kevin was confused. Even under the Honkai's control, he had to possess these powers to begin with.

But before this, the World Serpent had no information about Ren. Even his identity as a Herrscher of Flames was only recently discovered.

For an ordinary person to gain special abilities, only those born with a Stigmata could. But they usually only had one specific ability. For someone like Ren to possess so many, they would have to have multiple Honkai Beast genes, like Kevin.

Had he not known it was impossible, Kevin would even have suspected Ren was one of his descendants.

Of course, concerning versatility, the Herrschers of the Thousand, from the Previous Era, were the most representative. Each one had a unique ability. Perhaps Ren had the potential to be a Herrscher of the Thousand, and it was after being [devolved] by the Honkai that he displayed multiple abilities.

He discarded the thought as quickly as it had surfaced. He didn't sense the aura of other Herrschers in Ren, blaming it on his unique abilities.

His fleeting thoughts vanished, and the two figures clashed once more, generating a cataclysmic sea surge. Superheated steam filled the air, creating a deluge over the struggling Far East.

In the space of consciousness, Ren's chess piece trembled momentarily. For that moment, he had sensed a threat. Though the feeling disappeared quickly, he felt uneasy.

"Could my identity have been discovered by Kevin?"

He wasn't afraid of Kevin, but he was a major inconvenience.

"Looks like I have to lay low for a while."

The spaces for Ren to place pieces were running out, and the one he was waiting for had yet to arrive. Looking at the apathetic Honkai God across from him, Ren sighed, somehow producing a few cards.

"Four 2's, bomb."

The Honkai God: "...?"

The instant Ren threw the cards, golden patterns appeared within the pure white space. At the same time, the eyes imprinted with the World Tree slowly opened.

The Will of Honkai, as if in thought, looked into the eyes of Ren's main body, still in Imaginary Space. After seeing those eyes, everything finally made sense.

From the moment the Herrscher of Dominance was born, what it had been observing was merely a backup Ren left in the database.

With Ren's main body descending, the game could begin again. This time, the clash would be on a purely consciousness level.

…

Cracks appeared on the ice, upheaved by the ocean, the fractures spreading across the ice field until they reached Kiana, miles away.

Sensing that something was wrong, Kiana looked towards the battlefield and saw a phoenix wreathed in flames rising from the ocean, the superheated air causing an explosion, completely shattering the sea surface.

"That's... Fenyu, the Phoenix?" [Fenyu is the name of Fu Hua's battlesuit in Chinese]

As Kiana gaped in shock, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

"Class monitor?" At her delighted cry, Fu Hua's illusion appeared.

Fu Hua, missing for so long, finally awoke at the last minute. She nodded at Kiana, her gaze immediately focusing on the distant sky.

All she saw was a scene resembling the end of the world. Shattered ice everywhere, the sky obscured by a misty haze, only the occasional flames illuminating the landscape.

Honestly, seeing this scene upon awakening made even Fu Hua's heart sink. She was reminded of the battlefields of the Previous Era when Earth was so ravaged.

Had she slept through the apocalypse?

Luckily, things weren't too bad. She quickly recognized that one of the combatants was Kevin, her former comrade. Ai had once said that as long as Kevin lived, there was still hope for humanity. It seemed things hadn't reached the point of no return.

Fu Hua's awakening ignited a spark of hope within Kiana. She remembered Fu Hua mentioning that the Fenghuang Down could preserve a human's consciousness within a Divine Key. This meant there was still a chance. If she could preserve Ren's consciousness, he would live.

"It's possible, but his soul must be complete. He will also lose many memories, and..."

Hearing the affirmation, Kiana's heart finally eased. She subconsciously ignored the conditions Fu Hua had just stated. As long as he could survive, other problems could be dealt with later.

Looking at the rejuvenated Kiana, Fu Hua sighed silently, swallowing the last sentence.

The Fenghuang Down could only hold one consciousness. If she was to save others, it meant Fu Hua would have to disappear. That was the final condition.