Chapter 10: I'm Kiana's Boyfriend

As Bai Qi left the Mysterious Space and returned to the real world, a bewildered expression crossed his face. He blinked in confusion.

What's going on with this world?

He sensed a faint resistance to the Honkai, similar to what he'd experienced in the Demon Slayer world. But it was so weak that he could easily break through the thin barrier and bring the Honkai's concepts and mechanisms back to reality.

The night Bai Qi soared through the skies of Shanghai with Ren in Synchronization, he wasn't merely enjoying the flight or admiring the city's nocturnal skyline. He was investigating whether Earth possessed an Inner World.

As China's premier global metropolis, if Shanghai showed no signs of individuals with extraordinary powers, it could reasonably be concluded that neither China nor the rest of the world had experienced anything like a spiritual energy revival.

In an ordinary world facing the mechanisms of the Honkai, the outcome was inevitable: utter annihilation.

Jokingly, Bai Qi thought that if he were an antisocial, misanthropic sociopath, human civilization would already be doomed.

Regaining consciousness in his body, Bai Qi swiftly rose, changed into comfortable casual attire, and prepared to transmigrate.

His destination: the Honkai World!

The Mysterious Space Nexus resided within Bai Qi's soul, granting him sole access to freely traverse between worlds. Other versions of Bai Qi required him to act as the central axis, opening transdimensional pathways for their crossings.

This served as his ultimate trump card.

When pursued and forced to flee, escaping to another world offered unparalleled safety. Nothing was safer than fleeing to another world.

Unfortunately, the transmigration process and preparations were time-consuming, rendering it impractical for combat situations.

The God-Slaying Spear, also known as the Herrscher Killer: schariac's Sacred Blood.

Otto developed this anti-Herrscher weapon using Cecilia's blood. A small dose of the serum could completely sever an Emperor-class Honkai Beast's control over its Honkai energy, while a precisely formulated vial could even cause a Herrscher to lose control.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

All the Honkai energy, including the Herrscher Core, spiraled out of control. The violent force surged through Sirin's body, akin to the devastating impact of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

The excruciating pain forced a scream from Sirin as she clutched her head with both hands.

Her once noble, golden rhombus-shaped eyes had transformed, one now gold and the other blue.

Sirin regained her memories as Bai Qi. With the Honkai Space's assistance, the negative buffs imposed by the Honkai Consciousness on her Herrscher Persona vanished.

Though Sirin remained hostile toward humanity, she no longer harbored any desire to destroy civilization or the world.

She even held a special fondness for Himeko—specifically for the character itself.

She never imagined she herself was the Herrscher of the Void. Now that she had the opportunity to help Kiana rescue the Crimson Knight, Sirin would spare no effort.

Yet, just as she had anticipated, even if she fully shared her Herrscher Core with Kiana and combined their wills, they still couldn't control the rampaging Honkai energy, let alone open a path through imaginary space to rescue Himeko.

Hyperion.

"No! Himeko!" Theresa cried out in despair, watching Himeko plummet into the endless imaginary space.

"Teacher Himeko!" Bronya, who still hadn't obtained her pilot's license and whose emotional center was still damaged, seemed to have forgotten this limitation in the heat of the moment.

The pitch-black void resembled the gaping maw of a monstrous beast, poised to devour its prey and swallow the devoted teacher whole.

A white-haired young girl with heterochromatic golden and blue eyes gazed at the crimson figure about to be consumed, calling out his name as if summoning her last hope.

"Bai Qi!"

The overlapping voices were not the usual deep, reverberating tones of a villainous boss, but the united cries of Sirin and Kiana.

In the next instant, the black-haired youth materialized beside her without warning.

"I'm here."

His impossibly gentle words seemed imbued with a special magic, calming Kiana's frantic, despairing heart.

Kiana said nothing, but with a single glance, Bai Qi vanished again.

Lacking the Void Core, Bai Qi could only utilize approximately 50% of his Spatial Authority—his usual capacity in other worlds.

However, within the Honkai 3 World, the following logic held true:

 Sirin = Herrscher of the Void, Bai Qi = Sirin.

Therefore, Bai Qi = Herrscher of the Void, and Sirin's Herrscher Core = Bai Qi's Herrscher Core.

According to the laws of this world, they were essentially one and the same person!

In the Honkai 3rd World, Bai Qi could share Sirin's Herrscher Core, granting him access to its full power.

However, he could only wield this power within the Honkai World.

Amidst Theresa and Bronya's astonished and bewildered expressions, a pair of steady hands caught his battered body. They belonged to an unfamiliar young man he didn't recognize.

In her final act, Himeko burned everything she had, unleashing power at the true level of the Herrscher of Flame. The Godslayer Sword and Crimson Knight Armor couldn't withstand this terrifying force of destruction, shattering into dust as Himeko fell.

This left Himeko in a state bordering on complete nudity.

"This..." Bai Qi frowned, scanning the surroundings.

Oh, don't misunderstand.

Even for a character he once admired, Bai Qi felt no romantic attachment.

Having synchronized with Kiana's memories, Bai Qi could consider Himeko his teacher as well.

Besides, Himeko's current state offered little to admire.

Her scorched body cracked like drying charcoal, revealing parched fissures beneath. Her long hair lay spread across the ground like withered seaweed, its once vibrant scarlet hue faded to the dullness of spent embers.

A faint life force lingered, but Himeko was practically halfway through the gates of hell.

Tesla had entrusted the God-Slaying Spear to Himeko, hoping she could use it to counteract the Honkai energy erosion caused by the Drive: Haste Gem. Instead, she had chosen to sacrifice herself, using the spear to suppress Sirin and awaken Kiana's will.

"She needs immediate treatment!" Bai Qi urged.

The Honkai energy erosion was dangerously severe. At this rate, Himeko wouldn't last much longer.

Bai Qi swiftly opened a gate to imaginary space, rushed to Kiana's unconscious side, and carried both her and Himeko through a portal to the Hyperion.

There was no need to conceal his abilities now. After all, Bai Qi didn't possess a Herrscher Core, so who could accuse him of being a Herrscher? Every second counted, and spatial teleportation was the fastest way to reach the ship.

Bai Qi saw the full expanse of the Hyperion's deck for the first time, but the sight before him was one of utter devastation, with sparks erupting intermittently from scorched areas. The culprit behind this destruction, the ice-white dragon, had already been shot down and banished to imaginary space.

"Wh-what?!"

Theresa froze in her tracks the moment she spotted the unmistakable imaginary space gate. Her heart leaped as she swung the Oath of Judah into a combat stance, bracing for battle.

The Herrscher of the Void, struck by the God-Slaying Spear, should have had her powers temporarily sealed, right?

How could this be happening?!

Theresa's thoughts abruptly halted as she saw the black-haired young man who had prevented Himeko's fall emerge from a spatial portal fringed with electromagnetic patterns. And in his arms...

"Himeko! Kiana!"

Theresa immediately dropped the Oath of Judah where she stood and scurried toward Bai Qi on her short legs, her face etched with worry.

Although Bai Qi's sudden appearance was unnerving, anyone who could rescue Himeko at the last moment was unlikely to be an enemy.

"Auntie... cough cough, Headmistress Theresa," Bai Qi said, "Kiana's condition isn't critical. She simply fainted due to a surge of Honkai energy."

Having synchronized with Kiana's memories, Bai Qi instinctively blurted out "Auntie," quickly correcting himself.

To be honest, there was nothing inherently wrong with it. Kiana was essentially Bai Qi, and her family was his family too. However, since he couldn't explain his transdimensional journey, he thought it best to avoid such familiar terms for now, lest he frighten Theresa.

"But," Bai Qi's tone darkened, "Teacher Himeko's condition is critical. Her body has been almost completely eroded by Honkai energy, and her life force is severely depleted!"

As Bai Qi spoke, Bronya and the two Anti-Entropy giants, Einstein and Tesla, arrived in succession. Raiden Mei lay unconscious nearby, the Gem of Conquest having been stolen from her.

The newcomers cast wary, curious glances at Bai Qi.

When they saw Himeko cradled in his arms, even the unflappable Dr. Einstein paled visibly.

"Holy shit! She's still alive?" The red-haired girl with pigtails and black-rimmed glasses, a striking figure in her black-and-white dress and white lab coat, jumped up in astonishment.

Thwack!

Before she could finish her sentence, Einstein's hand chop landed squarely on Tesla's forehead, eliciting a yelp of pain.

"I apologize," Einstein said sincerely to Theresa. "My idiot here isn't very good at speaking properly. She means no harm, but Colonel Himeko's condition..."

"Uh, it's fine," Theresa replied, slightly exasperated but too preoccupied to dwell on such trivialities.

Himeko's injuries were truly devastating. Her life flickered like a candle in the wind, threatening to be extinguished by the slightest breeze.

Even without undergoing the "Final Lesson," Himeko wouldn't have lasted much longer, given the corrosive effects of her Artificial Stigma.

To drive the Gem of Haste with a mere human body was to literally burn everything away!

"Medical team! Where's the medical team?! Get over here now!"

Theresa refused to stand by and watch her dearest friend die.

Responding to Theresa's frantic cries, the Medical Valkyries in their white uniforms swiftly arrived and carefully carried Himeko to the Hyperion's medical bay.

Theresa started to follow the medical team, her short legs already in motion, but then she suddenly remembered Bai Qi's presence. She retracted her other leg, spinning in place with an unintentionally adorable awkwardness.

Theresa, Bronya, and the Red-Blue Anti-Entropy duo all fixed their gazes on Bai Qi.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Theresa scrutinized him, confirming that she had never seen this young man before. He just called Himeko "Teacher," but St. Freya doesn't have any male students!

Judging by Bronya's expression, she didn't recognize him either.

"Me?" Bai Qi paused for a moment, considering his response. Given his public relationship with Kiana, there really was only one appropriate explanation. He slowly exhaled and offered a gentle smile. "I'm Bai Qi. I'm Kiana's boyfriend."

"..." × n

"HUH?!"