NOVEL NEXT Chapter 411: Black Feather
Kiana was finally relieved. They'd figured out that the scattered Fenghuang Down feathers could actually help Fu Hua get her energy back. Fu Hua was going to be okay, and it was just a matter of time before she woke up.
For the next two days, the two wandered around Mount Taixu, searching for the scattered feathers.
At first, Senti, disguised as Lin Zhaoyu, planned to join them. However, whether it was because No.17 had occupied too much of her consciousness network to communicate with Ren, or simply because she couldn't stand their lovey-dovey antics, she ultimately chose to leave temporarily.
Thus, only the two remained on the vast Mount Taixu.
The only problem? Ren hadn't brought enough food.
The snacks he bought in town had long been devoured by Kiana. After two days of hunger, he finally decided to go down the mountain to buy something.
While Herrschers could survive without food, Ren could endure hunger—but he couldn't let Kiana absorb Fenghuang Down's memories on an empty stomach.
Because Fenghuang Down was a Divine Key, every time its memories were viewed, its Herrscher core was activated, placing a huge burden on one's mind. Even with Kiana's resilient will, after absorbing several feathers, she became visibly exhausted.
To make matters worse, Kiana's consciousness also sealed the Herrscher of the Void. If her mental energy was over-exerted, it might lead to the Herrscher of the Void awakening again.
"It should be fine, right? There's only one left."
After two days of intense absorption, Kiana's complexion was noticeably worse. Rubbing her empty stomach, she tentatively suggested.
She wasn't wrong. In the past two days, Ren had almost turned over the entire Mount Taixu, gathering all the Fenghuang Down feathers hidden in the mountains. After absorbing more than a dozen feathers in a row, only one remained.
As long as she absorbed it, Fu Hua could be awakened again.
Originally, Kiana planned to tough it out and absorb the last one, but Ren stopped her to prevent any accidents.
"No," Ren said firmly. "Contact at the consciousness level is not a small matter. Any physical discomfort could cause problems." His expression darkened. "If I had known we'd stay here this long, I would've prepared more food."
"Okay."
Although Kiana was used to hunger and didn't think it was dangerous, she obediently gave up on further absorption due to Ren's intervention.
"No rush. Since Fu Hua is currently stable, what difference does it make if we wake her up a little later?" Ren reassured her. "Wait for me here; I'll be back within half an hour."
"I'll go with you," Kiana offered.
As the Herrscher of the Void, she should have been the fastest, but the moment she stood up, a wave of weakness and dizziness washed over her. Her vision blurred, and the world tilted.
Ren, who was beside her, quickly and steadily caught her before she could fall.
Activating Fenghuang Down consumed far more energy than Kiana had imagined. Her previous confidence came from Ren's assistance.
But now, after days without food, she was starving. With her naturally large appetite, the hunger hit even harder.
Left with no choice, Ren went down to town alone, while Kiana stayed behind to guard the last feather.
...
After Ren left, Kiana found herself alone on the vast Mount Taixu.
The forest was super green and full of trees, but strangely quiet. It was actually a bit creepy. Even a couple of days ago, she'd felt like something was off here. But with Ren around, she hadn't really thought much about it.
Now that she was by herself, her instincts went on high alert.
"Wait a minute," she thought. "Is there way more Honkai energy here than there should be?"
The cities nearby usually don't have Honkai problems. But just two days ago, the airport got attacked by Honkai beasts. That was weird.
"I feel like… some force is influencing everything here."
Due to the Sentience Herrscher's widespread mental influence, Kiana didn't realize she was in an illusion. She only vaguely sensed something strange, a feeling she couldn't shake.
She looked down at the Fenghuang Down feather in her hand, trying to wake up Fu Hua consciousness who was inside it.
However, despite Fu Hua's consciousness being intact and her energy far exceeding Kiana's own, she couldn't seem to break through. It might have been the lack of energy on Kiana's end, but no matter what she tried, Fu Hua remained unresponsive.
"Class Monitor..." Kiana sighed, memories of her past wandering to the forefront of her mind.
She remembered a time when she thought Fu Hua was her enemy because of what Schicksal did. Later, she even argued with Fu Hua because of Ren. Back then, she couldn't understand why Fu Hua was so stubborn. But now, after seeing Fu Hua's past, it all made more sense.
Understanding, however, didn't mean agreeing. Fu Hua's relentless sacrifice—her willingness to give up everything—didn't sit well with Kiana. That kind of self-sacrifice didn't align with her beliefs. Kiana would never accept such unnecessary sacrifices. (eh? alien Tuna?)
"Are all people from Shenzhou like this?" Kiana wondered, thinking about Ren, who was also from Shenzhou. She wished she could just sit down with Fu Hua, talk things out, and maybe even show her a different way of thinking.
And, at the same time, she needed to get that deceitful guy to reveal all his secrets.
Fu Hua had been an important friend and mentor to Kiana. Seeing that Fu Hua was so close to being awakened, Kiana couldn't help but smile in comfort.
But in the next second, that smile vanished.
Suddenly, without her even noticing, the energy in the Fenghuang Down feather was draining fast, like something was pulling it away.
"What's going on?" Kiana frowned, standing up and scanning her surroundings. But there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"No… the Honkai energy concentration in Mount Taixu is rising."
Earlier, with the Fenghuang Down feathers scattered around, the Honkai energy levels in Mount Taixu had been high—but now, with the feathers absorbed, the energy shouldn't be increasing.
The only explanation was that the energy inside the Fenghuang Down was leaking.
Although Kiana didn't understand why this was happening, she knew that if the decay continued, the energy she had worked so hard to gather wouldn't be enough to activate the Fenghuang Down. And if that happened, Fu Hua, who resided within the feather, would completely disappear.
Determined, Kiana pushed aside her hunger and activated the last Fenghuang Down feather.
...
The last feather sealed Fu Hua's memories from 500 years ago—the painful past she least wanted to recall: the betrayal of her seven disciples.
As Kiana entered this memory, she finally realized that Lin Zhaoyu, who had guided her before, was actually one of Fu Hua's disciples—a swordsman who should have died 500 years ago.
But Kiana couldn't focus on that right now. Her mind was consumed by the changes in Fenghuang Down. The most heart-wrenching part of the memory, which had originally been arranged by Senti, was forcefully interrupted by Kiana's relentless charge.
In the end, it took less than 10 minutes to absorb the last feather—but at the cost of a significant loss of mental strength. After all, following the predetermined memory flow would have resulted in the lowest energy consumption, while her reckless approach only increased the energy expenditure.
Fortunately, the final outcome was a success. The energy of Fenghuang Down was replenished by the last feather.
But then, panic flooded Kiana's heart.
"No, no…" Her eyes widened in fear.
Despite the last feather, the energy leakage had been too great. What should have been enough to fully replenish Fenghuang Down, even leaving extra energy, was now insufficient to fill the gap.
And this was the last feather.
Kiana subconsciously glanced in the direction where Ren had left. There were still more than ten minutes until the agreed-upon time. Even if he was as fast as possible, he wouldn't make it back in time.
"..."
Suddenly, something clicked in Kiana's mind. She quickly rummaged through her pockets, her hand emerging with a black feather.
It was the feather Kiana had picked up on the outskirts of ARC City. She hadn't destroyed it because it carried Ren's scent.
Now, it seemed this might be a part of Fenghuang Down.
"Whatever," Kiana muttered, not having the luxury to think too much.
The situation was urgent. Maintaining Fenghuang Down's energy was her top priority. Whether the black feather was truly part of it or not, she had to try.
She gripped the feather tightly and, despite her weakening physical state, forcibly activated it. However, at the moment of activation, her body finally gave way to mental exhaustion, and she collapsed, losing consciousness.
Fortunately, her consciousness was pulled into the memory space of the black feather.
...
This memory space was different from the others she had encountered. Instead of the usual familiar surroundings, there was only endless darkness.
Click, click.
As Kiana began to search for a way out, a faint, crisp sound of wooden objects knocking echoed from the dark void.