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

In the deep sea, lay the countless remains of the lost.

Thousands of meters below the surface, everything was supposed to be pitch-black. But now, the deep-sea creatures, long accustomed to the darkness, were gripped by an instinctive terror at the growing light.

On the surface, Kevin warily watched the calm sea. He had blasted Ren into the ocean just minutes ago, expecting another explosion. But for a while, the ocean had gone eerily silent, as if Ren had died.

Yet, his unease hadn't faded. Something terrifying was lurking below the surface.

"Hm?" Suddenly, a light began to spread from below, like a sun illuminating the entire sea.

Kevin's expression shifted. The next instant, the sea erupted into flames, the light radiating endless brilliance. With a powerful, sky-shattering force, it enveloped him.

Kevin's MANTIS horns vibrated. He concentrated all his power to clash with Ren.

The sea churned with a tremendous force from their impact, a curtain of water thousands of meters high obscuring everything, slowly burning in the intense heat.

Drip.

Crimson blood fell into the sea, extinguishing small patches of flame as it froze into ice.

Wiping blood from his mouth, Kevin suppressed the surging Honkai energy within, his eyes showing surprise.

He was injured, even in his Judgment of Shamash form.

As humanity's strongest warrior, his last injury had been in the battle against the Finality. He was increasingly aware of the threat Ren posed.

But when Kevin decided to unleash his next form to eliminate Ren, he realized that Ren was gone from the blast zone.

After injuring Kevin, Ren didn't linger. Driven by his Honkai instincts, he realized that Kevin was too difficult an opponent. As a cunning Herrscher, direct confrontation was unnecessary. Inflicting casualties on humans was the priority. So, he simply abandoned Kevin, choosing to decimate the Far East instead.

Using the massive Honkai energy left by the Will of Honkai, Ren opened a temporary passage between Imaginary Space and reality, trapping Kevin in Imaginary Space.

Though this wouldn't last long, it was enough for the Herrscher of Flames to escape.

Outside of the battle's epicenter, the sea was still covered in ice. Ren raced towards land, his red eyes flickering with chaotic light. Just as he was about to leave, a golden light attacked.

Before the light could pierce him, Ren caught the golden spear with one hand, crushing it.

Looking to his side, he saw the white-haired girl blocking his way.

"Ugh." The corrupted Ren growled strangely, and flames materialized into a greatsword, swinging it towards the girl.

But before the intense heat could reduce her to ashes, a spatial portal opened, swallowing the flames.

The violent explosion rocked even Imaginary Space, but that was all.

Ren hadn't finished his next move when he was met with a barrage of subspace spears.

It was time for judgment.

Under the pressure of the Herrscher of the Void, Kiana had seized control of the surrounding space, preventing Ren from using his spatial portals. Caught off-guard, he took the full force of the attack.

Even if the fight with Kevin had drained him of 70% of his power, he wasn't without resistance. But the corrupted Ren intended to kill while someone was deliberately holding back.

The power of the Herrscher of Dominance was withdrawn. Without the amplification of his puppets, he was no more than an ordinary Herrscher of Flames. Under Kiana's premeditated onslaught, he was slammed back into the sea.

But Kiana, being an incomplete Herrscher of the Void, wouldn't be able to kill him so easily. All Ren could do was try to create a more balanced battle.

"Kiana, move!" Before Kiana could confirm his death, Fu Hua's warning sounded in her mind. She dodged instinctively as the flaming phoenix broke the surface, hurtling towards her.

With barely a meter between them, Kiana finally saw the black-haired corrupted Ren clearly. His face was devoid of his usual gentleness, now filled with a Herrscher's madness.

The phoenix-form Ren raised his arm, slamming it down onto Kiana's crossed hands.

Boom!

An explosion erupted. The girl was slammed into the shattered ice, sharp crystals piercing her skin. Her arms were almost numb.

"Class monitor, can you confirm?"

"It is indeed Taixuan Sword Qi." After seeing two consecutive uses of Flying Ash Phoenix, Fu Hua recognized the style Ren was using.

"But it's just the technique. Only Taixuan Sword God is an attack on the mental plane. If you want to call back his consciousness, you must use Taixuan Sword God."

Though she wasn't sure where Ren had learned the Taixuan Sword Qi, now that Fu Hua had provided a solution, a perfect ending had become possible.

A world at peace, and an ending where Ren didn't have to die.

But as it was, Taixuan Sword God was not easily mastered. Kiana hadn't even mastered Taixuan Sword Qi. What hope was there for her to master the ultimate attack?

"Found you." As Kiana paused to catch her breath, a dark shadow descended, smashing through the ice. Red vertical pupils filled with madness were closing in on her.

Twisting her body, Kiana kicked the corrupted Ren in the face, swinging her simulated Taixuan Sword to clash against his flaming sword.

The ice melted as the two of them transformed into streaks of light, clashing continuously.

Strangely, the corrupted Ren used Taixuan Sword Qi as well, as if he was deliberately teaching Kiana. With Fu Hua's guidance, Kiana's combat level rapidly improved. She was gradually gaining the ability to fight back after being initially suppressed by Ren.

"It's not enough. This isn't enough to awaken his consciousness." The longer the fight went on, the more Ren would be corrupted. Though the scales were tipping in her favor, Kiana was growing anxious.

At that moment, Ren's movement faltered for a moment, as if he was tripped by something. It was in this moment that Kiana's Taixuan Sword was at his neck.

But when Kiana saw his familiar face, a pang of reluctance filled her. At the last moment, she wavered.

The Taixuan Sword slid past Ren's neck. But this meant she had lost her only chance, leaving an opening.

A cruel smile spread across Ren's face. He seized the moment, slamming into Kiana, an elbow smashing into her left arm.

Snap.

The sound of bone breaking rang out. Kiana's expression changed, and then her abdomen suffered a powerful blow. Ren kicked her into the air.

Agonizing pain pulsed through her. She coughed up blood, her face contorted in pain.

"What are you hesitating for?"

Before she could recover, Ren's voice sounded. Kiana barely managed to raise her simulated Taixuan Sword in defense. The heavy flames crashed against the Taixuan Sword, shaking her to her core.

"If you cannot grow, how can you create the world you want?"

Ren, aware of the situation through a part of his consciousness, sighed silently. He had deliberately provided her the chance, but Kiana had failed to take it.

Honestly, her performance disappointed him. He had thought she had made a decision, and he could accept his death, along with the Will of Honkai. But it seemed she was still wavering. If things continued like this, the plan would be meaningless.

Such a Kiana was no longer of use. She could be destroyed.

"Kill her."

In a surge of violent power, Ren hurled a devastating attack toward Kiana. When their greatswords collided, an impact akin to a nuclear explosion erupted.

In the blazing light, the world fell silent. Blood dripped down the simulated Taixuan Sword.

Kiana stared, wide-eyed, at the blade just inches from her face and the figure standing before her.

"Class monitor…"

Before she could react, Ren twisted his greatsword, cutting through Fu Hua's consciousness.

"Kiana, the Fenghuang Down can only hold one consciousness. It's up to you now." With her last breath, Fu Hua poured all her power into the flames, using her consciousness to disrupt Ren, saving Kiana.

This was the price of her hesitation: seeing her companions fall, one by one.

Kiana, was this what you wanted?