LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 106: Activation
"Almost there."
Blood flowed continuously from her forehead, staining her vision crimson. Despite the pain, Kiana's determination pushed her forward. She had successfully broken through the final blockade.
Hundreds of meters above ground, she kept leaping forward, each jump carrying her closer to her goal.
The wounds on her body burned with intense pain, and the Honkai erosion only grew worse. Each breath felt like her lungs were being scorched. Still, Kiana dared not stop. She knew that once she did, she wouldn't have the strength to move forward.
"Wait for me, Ren. I'll be back soon."
Her teeth clenched, her muscles tense, every fiber of her being urging her on. From the edge of the 100-meter-tall building, Kiana pushed off the rooftop. She soared into the sky, a sprite chasing after the moon.
The location where she had jumped was over ten meters away from the signal tower. The evening wind howled at such a height. If she made even the slightest mistake, Kiana would fall directly from the sky, her death certain.
Suspended in mid-air, Kiana subconsciously looked down. The entire city had fallen into chaos. The sounds of car alarms and horns could even be heard up high.
As the Honkai bomb's energy fluctuations became stronger, people finally understood what exactly had been placed above their heads. They no longer dared to stay, desperately trying to get away from the signal tower, like mice that had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil.
In the face of life-threatening danger, the desire to survive had instantly taken over everyone's consciousness. Order had completely disappeared.
Everyone was like headless chickens, fleeing in the direction of their memories. Colliding with each other, they pushed and shoved, treating everyone who blocked their path as enemies.
The frail elderly and children were left behind, trampled upon by the crowd. Their cries gradually faded before disappearing completely.
No one bothered to look at what they had stepped on, even if they did see it, dragged along by the crowd, they could only pretend that they hadn't noticed anything.
Unknowingly, blood stained the feet of many. Human civilization and order seemed extremely fragile in the face of life or death.
Kiana, above the sky, looked down at the ground. Countless tragedies had appeared in her vision.
"Everyone will be saved. Don't be afraid. Evacuate in an orderly manner." She tried to restore some order, but she was currently hundreds of meters above ground. There was no one who could hear her words. Moreover, even if they had heard it, it wasn't possible for anyone to stop.
In this wave of fleeing people, everyone had been dragged along. No one was able to stop.
The ten-meter distance was covered in an instant. Her jump hadn't been off by much. After seeing the location of the windows, Kiana hugged her body tightly before crashing through the glass, landing in the control room of the signal tower.
Broken glass pierced through her already existing wounds. Kiana frowned, casually pulled out a few larger pieces, and ignored the rest. The Honkai bomb was about to explode. Only by dismantling it would the chaos stop, would the tragedies cease.
Quickly climbing up the emergency passage of the signal tower, the closer she got to the roof, the stronger the Honkai erosion became.
Before leaving, World Serpent had set up a locking mechanism for the Honkai bomb, preventing the Honkai energy from spreading and being noticed by Schicksal. It was also there to delay anyone who tried to stop them.
However, the Honkai bomb's countdown timer was already at its final stages. Even with the locking mechanism, the dense Honkai energy had already pierced through it, surging outwards like a storm.
"Such strong Honkai energy…" The power contained within the Honkai bomb was far beyond Kiana's expectations. Having just barely arrived at the rooftop, most of her body had already been eroded. Numerous Honkai cracks had begun spreading on her skin.
This was all because she had a certain adaptability to the Herrscher of the Void. If it had been any other ordinary person, then they would have already turned into a zombie.
And in the storm of high-concentration Honkai energy, her normally stable mindscape had become unsteady.
The destructive will of the Honkai energy was constantly interfering with her mind. And the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness had already awakened. It was trying to break through the barriers of her mind.
"I can't fall here!" Her consciousness was blurring, and blood trickled down from the corners of her mouth. Kiana's deep voice carried an unwavering resolve. "I promised him that I would change everything."
With the support of this will, she finally covered the final few meters. After breaking through the final barrier of the storm, Kiana immediately grabbed the control for the locking mechanism.
Separated by only a thick layer of tempered glass from the Honkai bomb, the alternating purple and blue lights of the bomb were clearly visible. Her hands were a bloody mess because of the Honkai erosion.
Kiana could only press her left hand on her right wrist as she desperately tried to turn the mechanism.
Just as she was desperately trying to turn the mechanism, a figure had, at some point, appeared not far from her. The storm of Honkai energy was still raging, but he stood unmoving within the storm. Kiana couldn't clearly see what he looked like, but she vaguely sensed that the eyes that were watching her were gray.
"Ren…?"
Even though she knew that it wasn't possible for Ren to be here, Kiana still asked subconsciously, "Ren, is that you?"
There wasn't any response. The figure just stood there, like a wandering spirit.
"This place is very dangerous. You should leave."
She subconsciously warned him, while unhesitatingly putting all of her strength into turning the mechanism. Finally, the heavy mechanical lock began to turn. The sturdy locking mechanism gradually opened up, and the Honkai bomb was completely exposed.
As long as I resolve this… then I can go back…
…
"I'm sorry." The wind whispered the boy's murmur by her ear.
Kiana looked up, blankly. The hazy figure that had been standing in the distance was gone, leaving her alone.
The Honkai bomb—the one she had been so close to dismantling—had been activated.
"Why?"
No voices answered her. Only the faint hum of the bomb's activation filled the air, bidding its farewell.
"Why?!"
She pressed desperately on the safety mechanism, but it was too late. The bomb was beyond stopping now.
In mere seconds, it would unleash Herrscher-level Honkai energy.
This kind of power was enough to obliterate the entire city. The residual radiation would transform the land into a wasteland, where not even crops could grow.
"No!"
Kiana ignored the spreading Honkai erosion. Without hesitation, she activated the Herrscher of the Void's powers.
With urgency, she removed the Honkai bomb from its locking mechanism, cradling it tightly against her body. She began absorbing the spreading Honkai energy, determined to prevent nearby civilians from being infected once the lock was gone.
"Kiana, stop! You'll die!" Fu Hua's voice crackled from inside the Fenghuang Down, but Kiana no longer heard her.
A golden light had already consumed her right eye. Madness flickered in her pupils, a cross-shaped star gleaming within them.
As she absorbed more and more of the Honkai energy, she grabbed the bomb and hurled it high into the sky.
Like a falling star, she shot upwards, her determination clear.
She would not let it explode within the city.