Chapter Text
April 2017
According to the records left behind from the Previous Era, fourteen Herrschers would ascend before humanity could defeat the Honkai, the final of whom would be a threat so great even their strongest soldiers from the time couldn’t defeat it— The Herrscher of the End. A god-like being who had once covered the world in Honkai, driving the human race to near extinction.
In order for the Current Era to survive encountering such a powerful being, they needed as many Herrschers on their side as possible. The crimes of those individuals mattered little in the face of annihilation. That was why, Sirin knew, she would be dead in any other world. Hundreds of millions had been slain by her hand— from her initial rampage, to the meteors she’d dropped on the planet, to the carnage wrought by her Seraphim Princes. She was alive because a single woman found reason to love her, and because humanity needed her powers against the hurdles to come.
All of which meant it was up to Sirin herself to judge the weight of her crimes. And her decision had been to view them as a warning of the consequences should she lose her way again. There was no changing the past, so she wouldn’t waste her time dwelling on those lost. So long as she could protect the ones she loved in the present, she would carry no regrets.
Clearly, Mei could not share her sentiment. As the pair of Herrschers rode their dragons over the ruins that had once been Nagazora, Sirin could see the agony twisting the other girl’s features. The city had been submerged— only the roofs and top floors of buildings remaining above water. Plant life had taken hold between the cracks of buildings as nature reclaimed what humanity had abandoned. Even now, it was perpetually raining over the city, a promise that one day every last trace of it would succumb to the depths. All signs of life had been extinguished— a population of nearly 3 million wiped out in a single day.
Accepting her Herrscher side didn’t mean Mei had fully come to terms with that guilt. Even now, years later, being here was taking a toll on the young woman’s heart. Sirin suspected it was only the presence of the other girl on Kurikara’s back, wrapping her arms around Mei from behind, that kept her from breaking down at the scene before them.
My sister is an idiotka, but she’s probably the kindest person I know, Sirin thought. The four of them (five if she was counting Kurikara) were on their first mission together as an official squad. It had brought them back to Nagazora, where a massive spike of Honkai had been detected. Their goal was to find and eliminate the source before it leaked out of the city’s borders.
A periphery scan didn’t reveal anything, so it seemed they were going to have to search on foot. Sirin gave Bella a mental command to land on the nearest rooftop and glanced up to make sure Mei was following her lead. Fortunately, she’d come to the same conclusion as Sirin, having Kurikara land right next to them.
“I can use my powers to locate Honkai signatures,” Mei announced, “but we’ll have to follow them on foot so I don’t lose sight.”
“No problem.” Sirin hopped off Bella’s back, letting her switch into her human form. Unlike Kiana who had been given a sanctioned battlesuit, the rest of them had their signature Herrscher attires. In Sirin and Bella’s case, it was the same outfits they’d worn during the Second Honkai War, while Mei had a white, black, and red ensemble alongside two red horns sprouting from her head. With Kiana wearing the Knight Moonbeam battlesuit that could convert Honkai energy into power, they were well equipped to handle whatever menace had made itself known in Mei’s old home.
The rooftop they’d landed on was in worse shape than the others, the stone cracked and even beginning to crumble in some spaces. Still, there was a platform conveniently placed close enough to the next roof, letting them hop from building to building. For trained Valkyries, traversing this sort of environment was child’s play.
The Honkai beasts were another story. They crawled out of the shadows with the gait of a predator trying to assess the strength of its snack. As a mix of Ganesha and Parvati, they would pose a challenge for almost any group of A-rank Valkyries, even with an S-ranker leading them.
Of course, Voidheart wasn’t any normal squad. After a brief frown when the beasts ignored her mental commands, Sirin smirked at the warm-up delivered to them on a silver platter. Her lance, Void’s Promise, emerged from the portal she had placed it in and settled comfortably into her grip. There were five of them and half a dozen of the Emperor-Class beasts. Perfect.
“These things aren’t listening to me,” Sirin said. “Kiana, you team up with Kurikara to take one down. Mei, Bella, you’ll handle one each. Leave the rest to me.”
“Aw, why do you get all the fun, Sirin?” Kiana whined. “Leaving us with only one each. And I have to share?”
Sirin looked back at her with a grin. “You want more? Take your target out before I’m done.”
Her challenge given, Sirin sprung into action. The nearest Parvati was charging at her with reckless abandon. Once, she would have summoned a dozen lances to fire at its face, vanquishing the threat before it could even dare to approach her.
These days, she was smarter with her Honkai reserves. She waited until the creature was only meters away before opening a single portal by its foot. The Parvati squealed with surprise as it fell onto its stomach and slid uncontrollably across the rooftop. In its prone position, there was nothing it could do to avoid the flame-tipped lance plunged straight through its neck. Sirin smirked with satisfaction as the beast crumbled into dust. One down.
Sounds of blades crashing into silicone, thunder crackling across plated armor, and wind billowing across the rooftop confirmed the others had engaged their targets. Sirin didn’t even need to glance back at them, confident they could handle the pitiful creatures. She instead focused on the two flanking her— another Parvati and a Ganesha. The latter was the bigger threat, so for now, Sirin pinned it in place with bars made of void energy. She’d deal with it last.
The other Parvati ran at her, and this one wasn’t willing to go out as easily as its counterpart. It leaped over the portals Sirin tried placing, nearly landing on top of Sirin and crushing her. She phased out of existence only to reappear right in front of the creature, drawing on the gem of Haste to cover more of her lance in flames. The Parvati roared in rage as she swung the burning weapon right at its face, jerking its head up to try stabbing her with its tusks.
Like she’d let that happen. Sirin ducked out of the way with ease, making a void cube sprout from under the creature and launch it into the air. An array of lances was already waiting below to finish it off.
Unfortunately, these things were S-class for a reason. The Parvati spun on its back, the thick armor there taking most of the damage. Shaking itself to scatter Sirin’s lances, it rolled back onto its feet and faced her once more. What an annoyingly persistent creature.
Sirin snapped her fingers, trapping the Parvati in a circle of flames. A pair of lances flew at it from either side, phasing through the monster before turning solid once more and gutting its insides. Finally, it was down.
That left the Ganesha, which had been struggling in its prison the entire time. After dealing with the Parvatis normally, Sirin decided she had held back long enough. Void lances swarmed the creature from all angles, giving it a moment to realize its fate before they flew forward. The lances pierced through every opening, slaughtering one of the highest categories of Honkai beast like cattle.
Turning, Sirin saw Kiana pulling out a massive cannon, firing a beam of Honkai energy at the other Ganesha while Kurikara blasted it with lightning breath. The simultaneous attacks were too much for it to withstand, making it disintegrate on the spot. As for the other two beasts, one had been cut into ribbons and the other reduced to charred remains. Just like that, the battle was over.
“Weaklings,” Sirin scoffed. “Without a Herrscher to guide them, they can’t hope to accomplish anything.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Mei kept a hand on the hilt of her sword, scanning their surroundings with narrowed eyes. “Neither of us could gain control over those creatures, meaning someone’s authority must be superseding our own.”
Sirin frowned. “What, you think there could be another Herrscher? Because Mom and Welt sure aren’t here, and there’s no one left in Nagazora to become the Sixth.”
“I feel it too, Sirin,” Bella murmured, looking out into the distance as though feeling something not even Sirin could sense. “Another power like yours and Mei’s, but… muffled somehow. Whatever it is has a strength on-par with any other Herrscher.”
It took a moment for Sirin to digest the words. When she did, a pained grimace made its way to her face. “Then we’d better call this in. Contact Himeko and—”
“Are you friends with Sensei?”
Sirin whirled around in an instant, a void lance materializing between her and the voice. Only what she saw made her immediately dismiss the weapon with a curse. A girl no older than 10 was standing on the other end of the roof, scarlet eyes wide in terror at Sirin’s sudden aggression. Most of her figure was covered by a blue cloak, but even that failed to hide her almost skeletal figure. One arm was in a makeshift cast, while the other was covered in bandages. A drone of some kind floated behind her, but it didn’t seem capable of attack.
Crap. Sirin had nearly scared the poor girl to death. Her own eyes widening in panic, she glanced at the only help she could think of in this situation. For her part, Kiana smiled and gently approached the girl.
“Hey there.” Her voice was softer than anyone who knew her would suspect it could be. “Sorry for startling you, my sister is just a bit on edge. I’m Kiana, what’s your name?”
“S-Sora,” the girl responded, still glancing at Sirin like she might explode at any moment. “I heard the fighting and thought Sensei might have finally returned…”
Kiana lifted her hands up to show she wasn’t a threat. “Sorry. We don’t know who that is, but maybe we can help you? Um, you don’t look too well.”
At that, Sora looked away, tears welling in her eyes. “Sensei hasn’t been back in a long time. Usually she leaves for a month or 2 and gives us all we need to survive until she gets back, but this time she’s been gone way longer. We’re out of food…”
Sirin couldn’t help but wince in sympathy. She remembered all too well the agony of being made to starve at such a young age, wondering if each meal would be your last. All she’d been able to do was huddle up with her friends as they whispered stories to one another in a desperate bid to distract from their gnawing stomachs and burning insides. It was a hell no child deserved to face.
“We’ll help you,” she said, taking a step forward before pausing at how Sora stiffened. “I’m sorry for before, but I swear we can get you out of here. You said there are others?”
After a moment’s hesitation, the girl nodded. “We live at the Roost. Sensei took us in after… something made us lose our homes.”
Her confusion made Sirin raise an eyebrow. How could she not remember the Third Eruption if she’d been at the center of it? Could it have to do with the drone she kept at her side?
Those questions would have to wait. For now, she asked the most important one. “Can you bring us to the Roost?”
“Mhm!” Sora perked up a bit, turning to the drone floating beside her. “Mark II, please lead the way back home.
To Sirin’s surprise, the drone spoke. “This way.” With those two words, it began to float in the opposite direction from where they’d arrived. Given how Sora followed, this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary either. The four Valkyries exchanged silent glances before coming to an agreement and following along. Whatever was happening in Nagazora, they needed answers, and sticking with this girl was the best way to get them.
There was also a chance they’d have to protect her and a bunch of other kids from a Herrscher-level threat. Why was Sirin not surprised their first mission had already turned out so complicated?