Lights in a Starless Sky - A Honkai Impact 3rd Fanfiction

Act 46: Overture

Overture: the beginning of an opera; usually consisting of a dramatic instrumental segment.

All eyes on earth were glued to the news. The warriors of Shicksal and the World Serpent had made their move. With just under twenty-four hours remaining, they would have to work a miracle to win against the Herrscher of the End. Most of the world had faith: Perceval and Durandal had worked their magic under better circumstances than this, but even still, there was an underlying futility to their fate. As of now, all they could do was hope. 

2:30AM: Dark Side of the Moon
TWENTY-TWO HOURS REMAINING UNTIL THE STARLESS NIGHT

The Herrscher of the End had formed thousands of duplicates on the surface of the moon using the power of Reason, while all the warriors hacked away her duplicates, she held a physical projection of the Earth in her grasp; beginning to flicker and turn darker. Durandal was galloping on Krishna, mowing through a line of duplicates with her lance as they vanished into sparks of Honkai. Perceval ran alongside her, grunting and yelling as he tore the crowd apart with Caliburn's blessed edge; even the Honkai that peeled away from the duplicates wisped away into sparks of golden light. "Fruah! Bianka, throw me!"

Perceval reached up to the Valkyrie's free hand, which Durandal initially raised an eyebrow at; but took firmly and heaved the Knight up into the air. Growling, the Valkyrie threw Perceval forwards with a blur of silver and gold. Charging Caliburn with a sliver of Honkai, the blessed sword magnified the Honkai and accentuated the glowing aura of Caliburn. The Knight thrusted forward and launched a brilliant blast of golden light that sparkled like stardust; peeling away the crowd like a rip on a piece of paper. He looked up to see hundreds of Kianas circling around him with their hands covered in blades of Honkai, sighing softly as he climbed to his feet and readied his trusty sword by his side. They had been fighting for just over an hour, and Perceval was still unsure if they had really done any damage to the Herrscher. Just as quickly as the duplicates surrounded the Knight, they backed away from all the warriors, standing together in a crowd as a crash like thunder sounded; a bolt of amber Honkai smashed into the duplicates pooling together to form a crude image of Otto Apocalypse: his body made of manifestations of every Divine Key, wailing in pain as the Herrscher of the End smiled smugly. 

"I release the power of Reason. To crush humanity's false hope with logic, with futility."

Bronya hovered forward with Project: Bunny behind her, her expression twisted in a determined scowl. "The Bronya believes that the Herrscher is going to have us face every manifestation of the Honkai. From Reason to End." She said as the giant mech behind her pulsated a vibrant blue, causing the hairs on the back of Perceval's neck to stand on end. "Change engine drive: Ride On!"

In an instant, Project: Bunny was replaced with a motorcycle. Perceval frowned in disappointment. "Bronya gets a mount too? Are you kidding me?"

As Bronya rode off in a trail of azure, a manifestation of Sirin in Kiana's body appeared before the rest of the warriors. Mei grit her teeth as lightning crackled across her body, pulsating with a violent purple glow in accordance with her anger. "Sirin... The next power is..." 

"I release the power of Void. The never ending expanse of the Honkai will drown the human race."

Mei growled under her breath and stepped forward to meet the apparition, only to be blocked by Perceval's free hand. "What? Why are you stopping me?" She snarled. "Perceval? Let me fight her." Planting her foot with a glare, her violet eyes pulsing with fury. 

The Knight stepped forward and circled Caliburn over his head, determination pooling in his eyes as he stepped forward to the threshold of the Void apparition. "This is my fight, Mei." He answered firmly while his cape flapped in the wake of his footsteps, his eyebrows furrowing in seriousness. "This is payback: for Himeko. For the greatest mentor I ever had." Perceval levelled Caliburn to the Void Facsimile as the golden light radiated off the blade, wisps of sacred power trailing off the blade like wisps of mist.