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

The stinging smell of burning gasoline filled her nostrils. Her ears buzzed sharply, and her vision was blurred by thick smoke and dark clouds. Pain seared through her entire body.

Amid the ruins, Kiana slowly regained consciousness, her chest tightening with suffocation. She coughed repeatedly, trying to catch her breath.

In her daze, she shifted her body slightly. Her hand still clutched tightly to the boy's. But the owner of that hand now lay motionless beside her, his body almost lifeless.

Bright red blood had soaked him completely, pooling beneath his body in a long, dark trail.

Kiana's mind reeled as she pieced together what must have happened. Before she lost consciousness, he had probably been crawling toward her. Somehow, he'd managed to grab her hand—and that small, desperate gesture had pierced through the void of her despair, pulling her back.

But now, he wasn't moving.

"Ren!"

Her fingers trembled uncontrollably. She didn't dare let go of his hand, terrified that he would slip away the moment her grip faltered.

Gritting her teeth, she forced her injured body to move. The sharp rocks beneath her tore at her skin, but she ignored the pain and inched closer to him. With her free hand, she reached out to check his breathing.

The tense lines on her face melted into relief. Joy surged through her as she felt it—weak, but steady. He was still alive.

"That's great, you're still here."

But Ren's body was growing colder. The massive blood loss was taking its toll, and faint cracks had appeared on his skin—a clear sign of Honkai infection.

Despite her exhaustion, Kiana found a surge of strength within herself. She struggled to her feet, her legs shaking under her weight. Desperately, she used her teeth to tear strips from her clothes. With trembling hands, she carefully bandaged his wounds to stop the bleeding.

It was a temporary fix at best.

Ren wasn't strong to begin with—he was just an ordinary person, and his constitution was even weaker than most. What he needed now wasn't makeshift bandages; he needed professional medical care.

"Ren, don't die!" Kiana's voice broke as she clutched his cold hand. She stared at his pale face, her heart heavy with fear. He was her last hope in this desolate wasteland, the only thread keeping her from falling into despair.

She prayed silently, desperately.

But all around her, there was nothing but devastation. The ruins stretched endlessly, painted with the traces left by the Herrscher of the Void.

There was no one else. No rescuers, no survivors.

Only charred corpses and crumbled buildings remained, creating a horrifying doomsday landscape. Even the cries of the wounded had disappeared.

Kiana understood all too well what had happened. While she was unconscious, the Herrscher of the Void had unleashed destruction, wiping out everything in sight.

And Ren's injuries—his bloodied, broken body—were unmistakable. He had faced the Herrscher of the Void and somehow survived, but only barely.

But now wasn't the time for guilt. The world had already abandoned her, and when she had been drowning in despair, Ren had been the one to awaken her.

Now, it was her turn to save him.

Her legs trembled as she knelt on one knee, leaning forward. With great care, she placed the unconscious Ren on her back. Then, gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up, staggering as she began walking down the desolate street.

The street was eerily silent.

There were no living souls left—only smoke, flames, and the ruins of collapsed buildings lining both sides of the road. They loomed like silent witnesses, watching the girl's unsteady steps as she carried the severely injured boy toward an uncertain future.

Roar—

But the ruins were far from quiet. The Honkai still raged on, merciless and relentless.

A thunderous roar shattered the uneasy silence.

From the direction of Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical, the concrete walls suddenly exploded outward. A massive figure smashed through the building, sending rubble flying and tearing through the surrounding structures.

A Chariot-class Honkai Beast burst forth with terrifying force.

It roared as it leaped high into the air, crashing down with enough power to shatter the road beneath it. The ground trembled from the impact.

The beast's furious gaze locked onto Kiana. Its instincts screamed for destruction—to rip the frail human apart. But the Herrscher aura radiating faintly from her body made it hesitate.

Something deep within its corrupted mind held it back, preventing it from getting too close.

Still, the beast's rage found another outlet. Turning away, it began attacking the surrounding buildings, its destructive instincts consuming it completely.

The Honkai beast's massive body left deep dents in the ground with every impact. The collapsing buildings it knocked down blocked Kiana's path forward, turning the road into an impassable ruin.

The beast, still rampaging, prepared to destroy the viaduct ahead of it. But suddenly, it froze mid-motion.

In the next instant, its body shattered into countless small pieces, breaking apart as if an unseen force had sliced it cleanly.

Kiana stood still, her silver-white hair falling across her face. Her golden eyes, now glowing with a fierce, unyielding light, reflected a power not entirely her own. It was the power of the Herrscher of the Void—a messenger of the gods.

She clenched her fists tightly.

Being meek and timid wouldn't save anyone. Running endlessly wouldn't atone for her sins. Without power, she was helpless.

But this time, it was different.

For the first time, Kiana actively embraced the Herrscher of the Void's power—not for herself, but to save someone she cared about.

"Get out of my way!"

Her voice was soft, but it rang out like divine judgment.

An invisible spatial force cut through the rampaging Honkai beast, tearing it apart instantly. The rubble blocking her path was obliterated in the same breath, reduced to nothingness.

But Kiana didn't spare a single glance at the devastation she had wrought. Her focus remained on the unconscious boy on her back.

Ren's eyes were tightly shut, his face pale, but Kiana's determination only grew. She set her jaw and began moving forward once more.

…

The lights in the emergency room remained on, their cold glow piercing through the dim hallway.

Kiana sat outside, her hands tightly clenched. She didn't have the energy to question why the hospital was still functioning as if nothing had happened after the Herrscher of the Void's rampage.

All she could do was wait.

She prayed silently, over and over, begging the doctor to save Ren.

After what felt like an eternity, the emergency operation finally ended.

Kiana's head shot up as she heard the sound of footsteps. Her gaze locked onto the door of the patient room, anxiety etched across her face.

The doctor emerged, his expression neutral but tired. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Are you the patient's relative? No… you're injured as well. Why haven't you sought treatment?"

Kiana ignored the second half of his statement entirely. Her voice trembled as she interrupted him.

"Yes, I… How is he?"

The doctor looked down, a hint of regret flashing across his face.

"I'm very sorry…"

Kiana's mind exploded like thunder. For a moment, her thoughts spiraled into chaos.

Just as she was about to demand confirmation, the doctor continued, "Although we managed to save his life, there is an unknown energy in his body that's preventing him from fully recovering. His leg has been severely eroded, and it will likely be difficult for him to walk in the future."

Hearing that Ren's life had been saved, Kiana finally exhaled in relief.

As for the Honkai erosion, she understood it better than anyone else.

An ordinary person exposed to a Herrscher's proximity would be infected and zombified almost instantly. For Ren to have only suffered erosion in his leg was, in a way, a twisted stroke of luck.

Schicksal had countless methods to treat this kind of infection. Even if Ren couldn't regain his ability to walk, his life wouldn't be at risk.

Once her powers grew stronger, Kiana thought grimly, she would simply storm into Schicksal and take the treatment equipment by force if necessary. If that didn't work, Theresa would surely have a solution.

What mattered most was that Ren had survived.

"It doesn't matter," she murmured softly. "I'll take good care of him in the future."

The doctor smiled wearily. "That's good. These days, so many young couples abandon their partners after they become disabled. It's truly disheartening…"

His voice droned on, but Kiana had already tuned him out.

Her focus was entirely on Ren.

He was being pushed out of the operating room on a stretcher, his pale face relaxed, his eyes closed as though he were merely sleeping.

Peaceful. Innocent. Like a child.