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

Act 50: Honkai Impact

(A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. This has been a massive undertaking, and this Act has been the hardest to write because of the cinematic nature of the fight. And so, I worked to make lots of art for this while dealing with school and the dreaded writers block. But I hope you all enjoy the conclusion of the final arc of Lights in a Starless Sky!) 

When days turn to night,
And the people plead their plight,
Dyed black by their fallen comrades' armband,
They become the last messiah when the time of parting hath come.

11:03PM: Dark Side of the Moon
TWELVE HOURS REMAINING UNTIL THE STARLESS NIGHT

Curling with jet-black mist, the Herrscher levelled her finger to Perceval; who gripped Llamrei's reins firmly as his face turned pale. "BE ERASED FROM EXISTANCE!" She screeched like a bat, a scorching beam of black energy pouring from her finger. "DIE!"

Perceval kicked Llamrei gently and galloped away with haste, a gut feeling in his stomach telling him to not use Caliburn against that attack. As he dodged, the black as night laser bored itself into the moon like a drill: the crusty rock melting away and crumbling away like butter. The Knight leaned forward to streamline himself while his cloak flapped in the wind; his steed snorting in accordance with his wishes to go faster. It had been such a long time since Perceval was scared. He could feel his heart pounding in his fingertips, his hands trembling around the leather reins while his breath became shaky as he rode his horse towards the now standing Durandal. "Regroup!" His voice straining as he yelled. "We need a plan!" 

Durandal grabbed Abyss Flower and stumbled forwards to Perceval; leaping onto Llamrei behind the Knight and wrapping her free hand around his waist. Llamrei reared and then boosted off into a sprint, the Valkyrie gritting her teeth as each bump made her numb legs sting with sudden shocks of pain. "Use Caliburn! Can't it split evil power?" 

"It can, but I'll risk destroying Caliburn or transferring the power of Apocalypse into my body."

Bronya rode up alongside Perceval with Seele following closely behind; her hair a mix between Velonia's scarlet red and her own violet blue. The Herrscher of Reason looked over to Perceval with a curious expression. "What now?" She called out over the roar of her motorcycle, swerving around a giant moon rock. "We don't have the manpower for this!" 

If they had at least twenty extra Valkyries, maybe they could set a distraction to draw attention away from them; but that ran the risk of the Valkyries losing their lives. Perceval looked out to the horizon of the slowly 'setting' earth, watching as the Hyperion and Selene approached the natural satellite with their exteriors gleaming a bright argent silver in the light of the sun. And then, an idea sunk in. Reaching under his armour, the Knight pulled a small black handheld radio and pressed the side button firmly; holding the microphone end to his lips. "Tesla, ready the package. Password is Argentum Sagitta."  

A gamble Perceval had prepared with Tesla and Einstein. The Silver Bullet: a missile once used in the Old World against the Herrscher of the End; leaving enough of a distraction for the Selene to charge its cannon to the maximum output. Back then, all humanity had was the Selene and the MANTIS soldiers. But here, at this place, stood a force beyond anything that the Herrscher of the End had seen before. Although not sure, the Knight had confidence that him and Durandal could land a serious blow to the Herrscher should the Silver Bullet offer enough of a distraction. The rest of the Valkyries got the signal from Tesla; beginning to ward away from Kiana as the orbital missile positioned itself. Perceval had no idea where it was, for both better and worse. If he didn't know, the Herrscher wouldn't. But that also left the possibility for a miscalculated trajectory and thus, likely a few casualties. Durandal noticed the Knight's apprehension and held his waist tighter, Abyss Flower in her other hand humming with anticipation. "This is a big risk, Perceval." She whispered softly, causing the aforementioned man's hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. "Are you sure you want to release it this early?"