"Never thought I'd see you on a battlefield, Mobius." Himeko swung her broken sword, shattering an incoming icicle, teasing Mobius.
"Tch." Mobius ignored her, glancing back. A massive wall of ice, a thousand meters high, collapsed towards them.
"Such a bother." Mobius reluctantly took Himeko's hand. Himeko gasped, but the sound died in her throat—
Black mud enveloped them, forming a protective sphere. The "black ball" bounced down the avalanche towards the beach.
After several bounces, the ball collided with something equally resilient. Mobius snapped her fingers, and the mud exploded.
Black splattered across a white form, then erupted in green arcs, followed by a shriek.
Himeko's head spun, but hearing the Honkai beast-like howl, she instinctively swung her blade.
Fiery energy reforged the broken sword. Though only four or five meters long, it sliced through the hundred-meter tall Honkai beast like tofu.
"Wait... when did I get so strong?" Himeko unconsciously touched her cheek. Even at her peak, with Surtr intact, she'd need time to take down a beast this size.
"Did I get stronger? Impossible..."
"Tch—" Mobius scoffed. "Don't overthink it. It's just this Honkai beast's characteristic." She'd wanted to explain further, showcasing her "wisdom"—though Elysia had whispered the information to her.
But the Fifth Herrscher didn't give them a chance. Like a snowflake in the north wind, she appeared before them instantly.
"Hmph!" Crimson flames and emerald lightning clashed, triggering a massive explosion. They'd hoped to use the explosion and smoke as cover to retreat... but they'd underestimated the Herrscher.
She hadn't even bothered to defend, tanking the hit with her body!
While Herrschers were physically stronger than humans, they weren't invincible. And Mobius's overloaded reaction, though seemingly simple, was more powerful than Himeko's full-power strike—it had even broken Surtr!
The Herrscher's face was mangled, half her cheek gone, revealing bone and teeth. A gruesome sight.
But she didn't waste any Honkai energy on healing.
The wind cleared the smoke. The Herrscher's claws reached for the fleeing duo.
Himeko reacted first, twisting mid-stride, swinging her broken blade behind her.
The attack was rushed. She hadn't even summoned flames, relying only on the weight and strength of Surtr's core to sever the Herrscher's arm.
"Ugh!" In that brief moment, Himeko heard the Herrscher's scoff. Nothing unusual—Herrschers could speak.
What shocked her was the Herrscher's eyes—filled with amusement, like a predator sizing up its prey. That shouldn't be possible.
Those eyes belonged in Mobius's sockets!
Clang! The broken blade struck the Herrscher's ice-covered arm, snapping again. The fragment grazed the Herrscher's neck, tearing flesh.
The remaining piece lodged in the ice armor. Himeko tried to pull it free, but the cold had frozen her hand to the hilt.
"Ugh... Ah!" She yanked her hand free, the blood freezing mid-air.
She'd dodged the Herrscher's attack with a slide, but was now far behind.
"That's all you've got?" Describing it took time, but the exchange had lasted mere seconds. Himeko healed her hand, tossing the frozen Surtr to Mobius, who had finally reacted.
Surtr's broken edge stopped a centimeter from Mobius's forehead. Moments later, her eyes snapped open, her pupils involuntarily slitting.
No, even if it hits, the Sesa factor will revive me...
Why does he always fight with Elysia...?
Why does that annoying woman... why does she get to...
I'm more useful! He even comes to me when he's upset...
So I'm just a disposable trash can!
Mobius didn't understand... why these illogical thoughts filled her mind.
She usually didn't care!
But now, it felt like these emotions had been buried deep within, finally erupting.
Is this what Mobius wants now?
What nonsense—Mobius, why don't you just die!
Snap! Something within her broke.
Her green eyes saw her reflection in Surtr's broken edge—
... a form no longer human.
Crack! Even broken, Surtr was heavy, easily crushing Mobius's head.
"Mobius!" Himeko stared in disbelief as the headless body collapsed.
The Fifth Herrscher nodded, satisfied. She waited for half a minute, her injuries mostly healed.
Himeko still knelt, frozen.
Her eyes widened in horror—what flowed from Mobius's body wasn't blood, but black mud.
The Fifth Herrscher walked towards Himeko. "Giving up?" Her smile was still mocking.
Himeko stared past her.
Crack... The Herrscher turned.
Mobius's headless body stood, half its original size, the clothes hanging loosely.
Black mud erupted from the neck stump, forming a girl's face and light green hair.
"What... what is that..." Even the Herrscher was shocked, momentarily stunned.
The reborn Mobius still had slit pupils, but her eyes were unfocused.
The oversized clothes were cumbersome. She ripped them off... revealing a body covered in black markings and shimmering scales.
"That feeling... it's Sesa!" Himeko finally understood.
Mobius convulsed, more black mud coalescing behind her, forming a thick, serpentine tail.
"Tch, whatever you are, you're still an ant!" The Herrscher raised her hand, summoning a hail of ice.
"I'll just kill you again." She was about to unleash the attack—
A flash of silver pierced her hand. The ice hail shattered, the snow intensifying.
The Herrscher didn't look at her attacker. A more threatening figure stood before her.
Though... he glanced at the miniature Mobius, pausing for a second, then, before her transformation could complete, struck her unconscious.