MDV 141-150 (Patreon)

  MDV 141-150

Chapter 141: Hmph, I want you to look good at night.

"Hehe, if it's not possible during the day, then can it be possible at night?"

After lingering a bit, with various abilities flowing from her mind, and even the system prompt indicating that the power of the Herrscher had greatly improved, Lin Ling became a little too proud for a moment and couldn't help but continue to talk nonsense.

"Hmm?" Kiana carefully looked up and down at this girl who was a bit too excited, as though she had just met her today or had her understanding of her refreshed. She shook her head and sighed. "Lin Ling...you've changed. You were so shy to wear a cheongsam in Singapore before, but now you've become a carnivore? What have you experienced in these few days in Schicksal?"

"Ahem." Lin Ling’s face flushed. "Let's talk about these things later. Uh, forget it. If you don't come, I'll go find Wendy and Mei at night..."

"You dare! Believe it or not, I will bite your tongue now!"

Kiana lightly clicked her teeth, making a threatening look, eager to try.

"No, no, no, I'm kidding, Chongchong." Lin Ling hurriedly scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Let's go back to sleep."

"Why sleep? I've slept enough, and now I'm full of energy. Well... Let's go, Ling... Let's go out for a walk."

"Ah, but I think I want to sleep. I'm so tired. Wendy sucked me twice in one day today, and I'm almost drained..."

"Hmm? Twice?!" Hearing this, Kiana was a little angry at first, then narrowed her eyes as if she were secretly thinking about something. "Hmph, I’ll make you suffer again tonight..."

However, compared to what happened that night, Kiana was now busy with more important matters. This city appeared to be a little off, and she wanted to take advantage of her regained consciousness to go out and investigate.

Then she acted coquettishly toward Lin Ling: "You know, I just can't calm down. I can recover faster if I walk around more. If I lie down all the time, my body and heart will rust. Let’s go. Mei can cook for a while. Let's go out and relax. Mei said that everyone from Hyperion will be here soon. I want to take a breath and unwind."

"Okay~" Lin Ling got up helplessly.

Then, she put on... the Bright Knight Excelsis Battlesuit.

Stare...

Kiana’s brows which had just relaxed furrowed again, and even more deeply this time.

"Lin Ling..." She said with a face full of resentment, "Why are you wearing Durandal’s clothes?"

"Except for the Vermillion Knight that Aunt Himeko wore last time, this is the strongest Battlesuit of Schicksal right now. It's a waste not to use it. So, I took it with me before I left. It's really useful. It can fight, resist, and even fly." Lin Ling patted the breastplate. "No wonder Durandal always wore it before."

"Really... but." After Lin Ling changed, looking at Lin Ling in military uniform, Kiana nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad, you look handsome in it."

"Of course, otherwise how could I be worthy of you wives?"

"Hateful. No! What do you mean by wives? You girlizer!"

...

Afterwards, while laughing and playing, the two white-haired girls quietly left the transport ship.

After all, others would definitely not be at ease with them leaving, so Lin Ling had to use the ability of the Void to teleport the two of them out.

Then they started to walk around Nagazora City, which had been mostly flooded.

"Come to think of it," Kiana asked curiously, "Why do you have the power of a Herrscher, and it seems like there’s more than one?"

Is this question again?

Although I know I can’t hide the fact that I have multiple powers of a Herrscher, it's still a bit troublesome to be asked.

So she said casually, "You may not believe it, but I’m actually the Herrscher of Dominance and can steal your Herrscher power."

"Huh?" Kiana tilted her head. "Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve never heard of any Dominance... Oh, look, look."

Kiana suddenly discovered something interesting. She pointed to a place separated by water in the distance.

"Ling, do you know? That’s Senba Academy, where I first met Mei three years ago. I miss it so much. It’s a pity that it was submerged by water. I wanted to go and see it."

"Oh~ Chongchong and Cook three years ago, hehehe." Lin Ling raised her eyes slightly, as if caught in some kind of fantasy.

"Hmm~" Kiana looked disgusted. "Hentai, besides, Mei was taller than you are now three years ago."

Roar...

Suddenly, just as Kiana was thinking about the past, a low, loud roar came from a distance.

"What is that sound?"

Kiana and Lin Ling looked at each other, then immediately rushed to the source of the sound.

Sure enough, not long after, the two saw a huge dragon-shaped Honkai beast lying weakly on the ground.

"What is this? A Honkai beast? Benares?!"

Kiana approached Benares carefully, and after sensing her approach, the Judgment-level Honkai beast that symbolized destruction actually made a soft hum, like a kitten snoring.

"Is it calling me? I always feel that... it’s not the same as normal Honkai beast." Kiana felt a familiar sense of intimacy in her heart, and then she gently stroked the dragon’s head that was hanging on the ground.

At the same time, she activated the power of the Herrscher of Death and lightly treated the dragon, which seemed to be seriously injured.

"Hi!"

In contrast to Kiana’s gentleness, a blue-white figure suddenly jumped up and rode on the dragon’s neck.

Not only was the action very rude, but the language was also blunt.

"Chongchong, I think I have the talent to be a dragon knight! Give this dragon to me as a mount."

"Lin Ling, you idiot! What are you doing?"

Kiana was anxious and angry when she saw this. After all, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. This was a Judgment-level Honkai beast. If it got angry, it would be troublesome.

But to Kiana’s surprise, although the dragon’s eyes revealed a feeling of dissatisfaction, one only humans could express, it did not resist.

"How about it?" The two looked at each other and said, "Let’s take her back."

Chapter 142: You Two Want to Sleep Together? Hum! Miss Kiana is Also Going to Be with You!

At first, when the shadow of the dragon's wings covered the Helios, all the crew members immediately gathered under Dr. Tesla's command, preparing for battle as if facing a great enemy.

However, in order to facilitate the operation and, most importantly, conceal their presence, the combat effectiveness of the Hyperion and others was still too weak to face Schicksal.

After investigating Kiana's whereabouts and discussing among themselves, it was decided that only Mei and Dr. Tesla would take a transport ship to search. Since they lacked combat ability, and Mei, who had the highest combat power, had fallen behind in the battle with Benares earlier, the situation was grim. If not for Raven's help, Mei would have been in danger.

Therefore, facing the powerful dragon, Mei and Tesla were anxious and worried.

"Miss Lin Ling, Miss Kiana! It's not good, there are Honkai beasts invading, hurry up... um!? Where are they?"

What made them feel even worse was that when the soldiers mobilized for combat arrived at the infirmary, they found that the two most important white-haired girls had disappeared!

Dr. Tesla was immediately upset. "Tsk! At a time like this!"

"..."

Mei clenched the handle of her sword tighter, her anxiety building.

At this moment, she wanted to find Lin Ling and the others who had disappeared again, but she also had to face the powerful Honkai beast. She was unable to do either. Though the dragon had turned back to its blue-and-white coloration, it still looked intimidating.

She could only tighten her grip on her sword and mutter, "I... can't do anything..."

But to everyone's surprise, the dragon had no intention of fighting. Even when faced with the full force of the Helios crew and the aim of countless guns and cannons, it simply stopped on a rooftop next to the Helios, shielding itself with its wings and lowering its head.

As everyone wondered what this fearsome dragon—one of the strongest Honkai beasts—was doing, a voice suddenly came from behind the dragon.

"Don't shoot, it's me!"

Everyone turned to see two white-haired girls riding on the back of the dragon. The girl in the back was holding the other with double braids in front of her with one hand, while the other hand waved proudly at the fully armed crew.

"Tesla, Wife Mei, it's us! Don’t shoot!"

...

...

...

"I say, stray cats and dogs are one thing, but I’ve never heard of anyone going out to pick up Honkai beasts and bring them home," complained the red twin-tailed girl, who had learned the whole story. "First, it was a cyber-cyborg, then a refugee girl, and now a Judgment-level Honkai beast. Next time, should we invite a World Serpent agent to the party?"

"Well... World Serpent does have some cute girls," Lin Ling said thoughtfully. "It's not impossible!"

"What did you say?!" The red twin-tailed girl was immediately furious. "Do you really not understand? I was being sarcastic. No, I think you did that on purpose! You’re really a bad girl! I don’t know why Mei and the others like you!"

"Well, well." Lin Ling patted Tesla's head. "Don’t be angry, you’re already an old lady, be more stable."

Slap!

"Don’t touch me! You said it yourself, I’m your grandmother!" Dr. Tesla angrily slapped Lin Ling’s hand off her head. "A Judgment-level Honkai beast! Do you think it’s a kitten? How can I be stable?!"

"Don’t worry," Lin Ling said, "To be honest, this dragon has completely fallen for me, so it won’t hurt us. And hehehe, this dragon is much cuter than a kitten. I’ve long wanted to make her my mount... Huh? Something seems wrong..."

"Huh..."

Dr. Tesla looked astonished.

She had long known that Lin Ling had a certain... lustful side, but she never imagined it would extend to Honkai beasts. Could a human really get involved with a huge, Judgment-level dragon-shaped Honkai beast?

"Ah..." Tesla patted Lin Ling on the shoulder. "When we get back to headquarters, I’ll use the equipment there to check your brain. Maybe there’s still hope."

After saying that, Tesla shook her head and left.

"Hehe, wife, she actually looked down on you." Lin Ling stroked the dragon's head, watching Tesla leave. "When you become a cute little dragon girl, she’ll realize how naive her words were today~"

"Hehe~"

The dragon snorted in disdain.

"Ling, come and eat. I made some curry. If you don’t hurry, Kiana will eat it all... um...?"

Mei’s voice came from behind Lin Ling. After carefully settling Kiana, who had just returned, she went back to cook. Since she had been preparing the ingredients while Lin Ling and Kiana were out, a simple yet delicious curry was soon ready.

Kiana stood up and wolfed down the food with the plate in her arms.

"Ah... so delicious! How could it be so delicious!" Kiana exclaimed. "Lin Ling, you're here to steal the food Mei made for me again. I won't give it to you."

Although she said she wouldn't give it to her, Kiana took the initiative to pull out a chair next to her.

"Then, let's have a competition for the strongest stomach king in Saint Freya."

"Okay." Lin Ling sat down without hesitation, then raised her utensils. "You may not believe me, but I'm extremely hungry right now. Be careful, I might eat you too later."

The two smiled at each other and began to devour their food.

Seeing their unruly eating habits, Mei said worriedly, "Eat slowly, there’s plenty of rice, don’t choke. If it’s not enough, I can make more."

Finally, after four months, Mei saw Lin Ling and Kiana eating the food she made herself again. A smile finally appeared on her face.

Not long after, the whole pot of curry was gone.

"Ah~" Kiana put down her spoon in satisfaction and then said to Lin Ling, who was still eating beside her, "I'm full! Hehe, it turns out I’m the strongest eater in Saint Freya. I’m the champion! Yeah!"

"Really? Why are you still so childish? When will you two grow up a little?" Mei shook her head lovingly, then took out a napkin to wipe the corners of Kiana's mouth, where some food was left. "Mei is the best."

"Four months have passed, and your appetite and taste haven’t changed at all."

"Don’t say that, I haven’t had a good meal during this period..." Kiana pouted and complained. "Speaking of which, Mei, you probably didn’t expect that Lin Ling could actually cook, huh? Well, it's just barely edible. Compared to Mei's cooking skills, it's a little worse. For example, this curry tonight—this refreshing taste, this perfectly balanced spice... Mei's cooking really suits my heart."

"Ah..."

Suddenly, after hearing Kiana's words, Mei, who was carefully wiping Kiana's hands, trembled slightly.

But immediately, she forced the corners of her mouth into a smile. "...You like it, right? I was worried it would be too spicy before."

"Hmm?" At the same time, Lin Ling who was still eating looked up at Mei. There was some confusion in her eyes.

"Oh, come to think of it," Mei said, staring back at Lin Ling to prevent her from saying anything nonsense. "We’ve known each other for more than a year, and I've never tasted your cooking."

"I can taste anything," Lin Ling continued eating. "Don’t even mention my cooking. If you’re the cook, I wouldn't mind eating you."

"Hmm?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Mei and Kiana looked at each other, each with their own thoughts in their eyes...

"Oh, by the way, you probably don’t know yet, but the Far East Branch and Anti-Entropy have joined forces. This is probably the first time you’ve met Kiana, Dr. Tesla whom you just saw is a senior executive of Anti-Entropy. A lot has happened in the past four months."

Afterwards, perhaps to ease the sudden awkwardness, Mei told the story of what happened after they separated.

"So many things have happened," Kiana sighed. "Everyone must have changed a lot. I wonder if Bronya has grown taller. I guess not. Haha."

She was once laughed at and scolded by Mei as a paramecium, but now she had learned how to lighten the atmosphere.

"She’s still the same," Mei smiled and replied. "Hyperion is on the way now, you’ll see them soon."

"Alas, I’m a little nervous. I’m not ready yet..."

Unlike Kiana and Mei’s gentle reminiscence, Lin Ling was still eating.

Speaking of which, after learning about Wendy’s news and being knocked unconscious by Wendy, she had been pretty hungry.

It was also a good opportunity to think about what to do next.

Finally! After much thought, the clever Lin Ling came up with the perfect solution: just like with Rita, Mei would stay by her side so Kiana wouldn’t attack her at night!

Haha, I’m truly a genius.

Lin Ling couldn't help but secretly admire her own brilliance.

"Ah, I’m full." She finally put down the plate, and then, as if possessed by the class monitor, she shook her head and said, "As the ancients said, when you are full, you start thinking about doing this and that~ So now we should..."

Lin Ling didn’t finish her sentence but winked at Kiana.

"Hmm..."

Kiana understood something instantly. Thinking of what had happened earlier, her face immediately turned red, her heartbeat quickened, and she started to feel uncomfortable.

But at this moment, Lin Ling turned her gaze to Mei again.

"Mei, can I sleep in your room tonight? I haven’t seen you in a while. I want to talk with you and have you keep me company."

"Ah?"

The request was too sudden. Mei was a little confused but didn’t know whether it was her brain or her subconscious that made the decision. When she realized it, she had already nodded.

Lin Ling immediately raised her hands in joy. "Great! Then, Mei, please don’t lock the door tonight..."

"Emmm..."

Unlike Kiana who was excited thinking she might escape, Mei squinted her eyes. One can wonder what she was thinking.

...

Finally, night fell.

After a long day of work, Mei took a quick shower.

With mixed feelings, she closed the door of her room but didn’t lock it.

"Ha, what am I thinking?" Mei shook her head. "She should be... joking. Even if it's true, now’s not the time to think about these things."

Then, Mei wore thin pajamas, sat at her desk and carefully sorted through the information she had gathered recently: the movements of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, World Serpent, and the Honkai...

Although she wasn’t great at handling information, she still tried her best, refusing to give up any opportunity to find a way to cure Kiana.

But... when she searched and checked "What does it mean when, after being infected by Honkai, you can't taste food?" the words "Time is running out. There’s no way to save the situation," which appeared on the screen, deeply wounded her heart...

"..."

Finally, in the dead of night and alone, Raiden Mei who had always been steady and strong like an young girl showed her vulnerable side. She hugged her knees, curling up in the chair, as if hiding her face...

"It’s okay, Mei," a pair of warm hands wrapped around her from behind, and a voice whispered in her ear, "As long as we work together, there must be a way."

"Ling! Where does the spiciness of sweet peppers come from?!" Mei turned her head and hugged Lin Ling.

Finally, the once gentle girl lost all her calm and elegance. She hugged Lin Ling, unable to hold back her tears, which soaked Lin Ling’s chest. "It’s so hard to meet again, and so hard to cook for her again, but she’s already... and I have to pretend nothing happened..."

"Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I will never let anyone get into trouble. I swear on my life!" The white-haired girl firmly reassured the purple-haired girl in her ear.

Just like that, the two girls held each other tightly and kept that posture for an unknown period of time, as Mei’s sobs slowly subsided.

"Take a break, Mei. You’ll save us better if you're in good spirits. You’ve already worked so hard today."

Mei nodded. "Yeah..."

However, even though she agreed verbally, Mei had no intention of letting go. She held on tighter.

It was as if she had fallen into an abyss, and Lin Ling was her lifeline...

"Uh... or, let’s continue on the bed?" Lin Ling, whose legs were starting to feel numb, suggested.

"Emmm, you two... what are you going to continue on the bed?"

But as luck would have it, just then, another voice rang out from the door.

Lin Ling and Mei looked up to see a white-haired girl with a resentful look on her face, standing at the door holding a pillow, pouting and looking at them with dissatisfaction.

"Ahem," Lin Ling coughed awkwardly. "Nothing, just sleeping together."

"Humph! Sleeping? Then I want to join you too!"

Chapter 143: Buds and worm Clips 00

"Huh?"

Lin Ling raised her eyebrows. She thought something was wrong.

"Ahahaha." Then she scratched the back of her head, laughed, and turned to leave. "Then you two can sleep slowly. I won't disturb you; I'm leaving."

"You can't leave!" However, seeing that Lin Ling was about to leave, Kiana grabbed her shoulders and complained, "Why are you shy? It's not like we haven't slept together before. Didn't we stay in bed all day in Arc City?"

"Huh?" After being seen through by Kiana, Lin Ling deliberately dragged out her tone and, at the same time, looked puzzled, as if this could give her courage. "I won't... I'm shy, but the beds on this ship are too crowded and too simple, not suitable for my identity. When we rebuild Saint Freya in the future, I will definitely customize a 100-square-meter bed, so that all the beautiful girls of the Schicksal Anti-Entropy World Serpent can sleep with me~hahaha!"

"You wish! Don't even think about running away today!"

But Lin Ling's explanation not only failed to convince Kiana to let her go, but it further angered her. She grabbed Lin Ling's shoulders with more force. Under the strange power of the Kaslana family, Lin Ling, who had not used her Honkai energy in time, grimaced in pain for a while.

Seeing this, Lin Ling had to turn her eyes to Mei for help.

"Always... on the bed..."

But at this time, Mei was burying her head, repeating what Kiana had just said in a low voice.

At the same time, there seemed to be a trace of anger, entanglement, complexity, and desire in her eyes...

She made a move that Lin Ling never expected.

"Ling... don't go..."

Mei gently grabbed Lin Ling's other shoulder.

Under the dim night light, a barely perceptible blush gradually rose on her face. Her expression and tone became more and more different from usual. She was tearful and lovable.

"We... haven't seen each other for a long time. Tonight, can everyone stay together? I don't want to leave with you again..."

"That's right, that's right!" Kiana also echoed, "This is a rare opportunity! Maybe in the future..."

Kiana didn't say anything else.

"Hmm?"

"Hmm..."

Then, Kiana turned her head and looked at Mei on the other side of Lin Ling. The two nodded slightly at the same time and reached a consensus.

"Hmm~?"

Instantly! They worked together!

The panicked white-haired girl was pressed down on the small but warm and comfortable bed...

Then, to prevent Lin Ling from escaping, the two lay down beside her, one on the left and one on the right, locking her hand joints and making her unable to move...

"Bal~"

It's over, it's all over now.

Having lost the ability to resist, Lin Ling couldn't help swallowing her saliva and began to feel uneasy about the terrible events that might happen later...

...

However, the subsequent development appeared to be a little different from what Lin Ling had thought.

In this ship cabin that served as Mei's bedroom, the three people who slept in the same bed and covered with the same quilt just lay quietly on the bed, without saying a word or moving, as if no one wanted to be the first to break this rare peace.

In the quiet room, only three restless hearts could be heard, beating at a rate faster than usual.

Just like this, after an unknown amount of time...

"Huh~" The girl in the middle breathed a sigh of relief.

That's right, if Mei is here, Chongchong shouldn't dare to do anything to me openly, right?

In this way, I should be able to spend the night safely.

Well, sleep, sleep... tomorrow will be busy...

But. The two girls beside her didn't do anything to her.

Lin Ling should be happy, but deep in her heart, she felt a little... disappointed?

"Ling... are you still asleep?"

And at this moment, I don't know if she was surprised by Lin Ling's breath, but Kiana was not asleep at all. She called her name softly.

"I haven't..." Lin Ling slowly turned her head, lowered her voice, and said to Kiana in a very small voice, "Chongchong, what about you?"

"..."

Kiana was speechless at the other party's knowing question, then gave her a dirty look. "Stupid..."

"Hehe~ So what if you're stupid? No matter how stupid you are, you're still the top~"

After seeing that Kiana really didn't dare to attack her, Lin Ling began to feel itchy again.

"Huh? Chou Lin Ling, you're playing with fire~"

"I heard." Lin Ling turned around and faced Kiana. "Playing with fire will wet the bed. If I really play with fire, you'll be miserable. Who told you to sleep with me?"

"Right now!"

And at the moment when Lin Ling turned around, feeling too proud of herself, Kiana pecked her quickly like a chicken pecking at rice.

"!"

At the moment the two came into contact, Lin Ling's body instantly straightened!

Then, she didn't dare to talk nonsense anymore, and even her body didn't move for a short time, as if she was frightened by Kiana's behavior.

"Don't think I really don't dare to attack you. If you keep showing off here, I'll make you wet the bed in another way!"

Eh, terrifying.

Lin Ling touched her lips that had become wet for 'some reason' and was about to say something.

"Hiss~"

Suddenly, a pain from her waist made her wince.

"Ling..." Then, she felt a warm heat coming from her ears. It was Mei. She whispered softly but with a hint of anger in her ear, "Don't bully Kiana, turn around."

"Oh."

And Lin Ling immediately listened to the cook's words obediently, twisting her body like a caterpillar, turning 180 degrees, and facing Mei. It's better to say that she was thanking Mei in her heart. "Thank you, cook."

So, she made a "mu ah" gesture to Mei from a distance.

"Hmm..."

Mei felt like a cat's claw for a moment, and what made things worse was that she saw a faint glow on Lin Ling's lips, which was the dim light of the night light reflected by her dry lips after being soaked by something.

Under the circumstances tonight, Mei certainly couldn't fall asleep, so she saw the movements of the two people next to her from the beginning.

At first, she didn't pay much attention to it, until she saw that the two people actually started to shoot in front of her...

Then she couldn't help but reach out and grab Lin Ling to tell her not to go too far.

"Hmm~!"

And at this moment, Lin Ling felt a heat on her back, as if something hot was sticking to her, and she couldn't help but make a strange sound for a while.

"Don't attack Kiana!"

Then she was scolded by Mei.

"Hmm..."

Lin Ling wanted to cry but had no tears. She was the one who had been attacked. It wasn't that she had attacked; she was the one who was attacked, right?

"That's right~ Lin Ling, don't bully me." Kiana hugged Lin Ling tightly from behind like an octopus and then whispered in her ear, "Do you think I can't do anything to you just because my back is turned?"

"Kiana, you too," Mei said angrily to Kiana, who was beside Lin Ling. "It's getting late. You all should go to bed obediently. The Hyperion will arrive tomorrow, and the Far East is Schicksal's territory. There may be a battle then, so you need to sleep well and conserve your energy."

"Eh~... um... okay."

Although she was very reluctant, under Mei's serious gaze, Kiana reluctantly let go of Lin Ling and then lay quietly aside.

Sure enough, it seemed that only Mei could make Kiana listen.

Just like that, the room returned to peace...

However, Lin Ling still didn't sleep. She just kept lying on her side, quietly gazing at the delicate oriental face in front of her, so different from Kiana's European beauty...

"Don't look..." It seemed that Mei was a little sleepless because of Lin Ling's burning gaze. She frowned slightly and opened her eyes. "Really, I told you to sleep well. If you want to see, go look at Kiana."

"Hmm?" Lin Ling tilted her head and dragged out the tone. "Don't worry, my wife~, I'll just look at you until dawn..."

"..."

Mei didn't respond.

"Wife, why don't you pay attention to me~ If you keep doing this, I'll be sad~"

After learning that Mei had indeed subdued Kiana and was no longer a threat to her, the chatty girl seemed to have forgotten her lesson and once again lost control of her mouth, eagerly expressing her affection for Ms. Mei~

It was her turn to lean over and whisper in Mei's ear, "By the way~ when Kiana did that to me just now, you actually... saw it, right? What? Are you jealous?"

"..."

Mei still didn't respond.

But her ears suddenly twitched and instantly turned red. Even Lin Ling beside her seemed to feel the heat radiating from them.

[Ding~ System prompt: The host successfully made Mei Lei feel extremely shy, confused, excited, and deeply guilty. The power of the Herrscher of Thunder increased to 49%.]

Nice!

Hearing the system's report, Lin Ling almost couldn't help but exclaim with joy.

As expected, bringing Kiana along made teasing Mei twice as effective with half the effort!

But... it also made Lin Ling a little unhappy. She secretly thought:

Tsk~ Why is it stuck at level 49 and can't go up or down?

Well... speaking of which, I've never obtained more than 50% of the Herrscher's power. I always feel that if I break through level 49, something magical might happen. If I miss this chance, I should just go all out!

"Do you want it?" Lin Ling, getting excited, licked her lips and continued to tease Mei, whose body was already trembling slightly. "I'll compensate you. If it's you, you can do anything to me~"

Zi~

Ka!

Then, with a sudden crackle of thunder, it appears that something representing reason had shattered.

Finally! Mei's restless heart could no longer be suppressed.

Suddenly, Lin Ling saw a rosy red light flash in one of Mei's purple eyes!

"What is this? Umm... huh!?"

But before the surprised Lin Ling could say anything, Mei blocked her words with her mouth...

Then, Mei rushed in with great momentum...

"What are you doing!?"

The movement of the two instantly woke Kiana who had been almost asleep. She widened her eyes and looked at her two most important people in shock...

Then, she licked her lips, and the shock turned into boundless desire~

"Too cunning, you two clearly told me to go to bed, but you two... Humph!... I want to join you too!"

Then, Kiana came back from behind Lin Ling again, and with Mei's two-sided sandwich, she firmly sandwiched Lin Ling in the middle.

Together, the two severely punished this idiot who had been teasing them, making them angry, and sacrificing herself to protect them...

...

"Ah~"

The next morning, in the ship's dining room aboard the Helios, a white-haired girl with dark circles under her eyes like a panda yawned heavily.

Then she continued to drink water in big gulps.

"Why are you so tired? Didn't you sleep last night? And why do you only drink water and not eat? Aren't you still feeling unwell?"

Tesla's concerned inquiry made Lin Ling shiver involuntarily.

Then, she turned her head away unhappily.

"Hmph... I want you to be widowed!"

She refused to answer the question.

"Forget it." Tesla turned her head to the other side, where the duo was talking and laughing, and said, "What's wrong with Lin Ling? She seems a little abnormal today? Well... better yet, you two seem to be abnormal too? What happened?"

Dr. Tesla was a little confused. Yesterday, they were forcing smiles. Why did they look so happy and cheerful today? Did something big happen?

"Nothing." Kiana raised her head, her face showing an intoxicated look. "It's just that a bad guy was finally punished, and I'm very happy..."

"Dr. Tesla, I'm going out later."

"You want to go out?" Tesla frowned slightly. "Something is wrong in Nagazora City recently. There's some danger outside. Be careful."

Although Tesla was reluctant to let Mei go out at this time, considering she had been with her for a few months, she knew Mei was a stable and mature person, and she must have important things to do. So she didn't stop her.

"Yeah." Mei nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Tesla, for your concern. I'm just going to see Sora-chan and the others. They seem to be moving out today."

After that, Mei left the Helios alone.

"Oh! Wendy is awake! I'll go see her." Lin Ling also learned from her phone that Wendy in the ward had woken up, so she packed some light food and went to visit her.

"Ah, I also want to go out and take a walk. I haven't seen Bronya, Auntie, and Aunt Himeko for a long time. I'm in a bad mood, so I'll go out and relax." After Lin Ling, it was Kiana also spoke that she wanted to go out.

Of course, after seeing Tesla's suspicious eyes, she explained, "Don't worry, if I really want to escape, you can't stop me, and I don't need a reason to go out."

"Ah~" Dr. Tesla sighed. "Go, go. I can't control the affairs of you lot."

Then, Kiana who wanted to investigate the rising concentration of Honkai energy in Nagazora City also left the battleship.

...

And Mei arrived at a mysterious place.

"The place Raven mentioned should be here. Why is there no one?"

When Mei arrived at the place Raven had told her about. 'If you want to become stronger, come to her'. But it seems she couldn't find Raven herself.

Just as she was confused, a cold voice came from a rooftop.

"It seems you made the right choice, Raiden Mei."

"It's you, the Lord of the World Serpent."

Mei's pupils trembled as she recognized him at once. The man who had nearly killed Kiana. But this time, she didn't back down!

I can endure the darkness because I've never seen the light...

After experiencing the good times with Lin Ling and Kiana, she had made up her mind to protect their safety and everything else at all costs.

"Do you really have a way to cure Kiana?"

Chapter 144: I Would Like to Fall Into Darkness and Return you to the Light in Exchange for You

"Hmm!? What is this?..."

When she was about to reach the ship's infirmary where Wendy was, Lin Ling suddenly stopped in front of a glass window.

In her peripheral vision, she saw a strange red spot on her side neck through the reflection of the glass.

Looking more carefully, it turned out to be a red bruise.

She quickly reached out and pressed on the bruise, and then a soft white light flashed, making the bruise disappear.

"Huh, that was close! Luckily, I found it in time." Lin Ling breathed a sigh of relief and thought to herself, "If Wendy saw this, she might make a fuss again. Now is an important moment, and we can't afford to cause trouble. I need to comfort her."

Then, just to be sure, Lin Ling healed the multiple bruises on her skin in front of the glass mirror and carefully sorted out her clothes.

"Okay, it shouldn't be visible now, right?"

After making sure everything was safe, Lin Ling walked confidently toward the ward again.

...

At this time, the green-haired girl in the ward was sitting on the bed alone, staring blankly at the empty bed next to hers, feeling extremely lonely.

When she had woken up last time, Lin Ling had still been lying there.

But this time, she had disappeared.

"Sure enough, doesn't she want to see me?" Wendy sighed, raising her slightly trembling hand. She exerted a little force, and a wind blade formed. "That's right, she should stay away from me. After all, every time we meet, it ends with me hurting her..."

For some reason, the concentration of Honkai energy in the city was abnormally high. The sea water and air were filled with the smell of Honkai.

This made Wendy who had just taken the serum last night automatically absorb a lot of Honkai energy after a night of rest.

She was worried she would hurt Lin Ling again, so she activated the power of the Gem of Desire in her legs. A light green ideal fluid rose around her body, lifting her up and slowly moving her toward the window.

The warm, gentle golden sunlight shone on her skin through the window, but she couldn't feel any warmth.

"Maybe it's better for me to leave quietly. Goodbye, Ling..."

With the last farewell, Wendy rose and flew out of the window...

"Wife! What are you doing?!"

But at that moment, a white-haired girl suddenly hugged Wendy's waist from behind, pulling her back, as Wendy had half of her body out of the hull.

"Ling!" After hearing the voice she had been longing for, Wendy was shocked all over. A long-lost trace of joy appeared on her face, but it disappeared instantly.

"You... why are you here?!" She nervously tried to push Lin Ling away. "Stay away from me!"

"Wife, don't be upset!" Lin Ling refused to let go. "You can ask me to do anything, but don't jump off the building!"

"No... Lin Ling, you misunderstood. I'm not going to jump off the building... I'm just afraid that I’ll hurt you again..."

After Wendy's explanation, Lin Ling finally understood that she wasn't upset and planning to jump off the window of the transport ship, which was equivalent to a ten-story building, to end her life. She was just afraid of hurting herself, so she had wanted to leave.

But after the explanation, Lin Ling hugged her tighter.

"Hurt me if you want. If it's you, Wendy, you can do anything to me~" Lin Ling's face was pressed tightly against Wendy's back, and her gentle words, though a little abnormal, were transmitted to Wendy's ears with the vibration.

"...No, Lin Ling, don't do this. I'm... scared. I'm afraid I can't control the power of the Herrscher. I... I might really kill you!"

"Don't worry about that!"

Suddenly, Lin Ling's hands burst with powerful strength, pulling Wendy back from trying to fly away. Then, she twisted her body and pressed her back onto the bed.

"No! Let me go!"

Wendy struggled to get out of Lin Ling's restraint, but now, Lin Ling's adaptability and manipulation of Honkai energy were far superior to before. With some strange power stolen from Kiana last night, Wendy couldn't break free unless she used the power of the Herrscher.

"Wendy." Lin Ling grabbed her wrists, wrapped them around her head, and pressed them firmly on the bed. She then stared seriously into Wendy's eyes. "I already have a way to solve the Honkai consciousness in your body!"

"No, this is impossible!"

After experiencing the Gem of Desire for a few months, Wendy knew the horror of the Honkai will. It was definitely not something human power could contend with!

"Trust me! Wendy!"

Seeing this, Lin Ling leaned down forcefully and used the Schariac holy blood in her body to temporarily stabilize the green-haired girl, who was becoming restless again...

Gradually, as Lin Ling's blood was absorbed, Wendy slowly regained consciousness.

Then, she pushed Lin Ling away with a little force.

"Huff." After taking a few deep breaths and calming herself, she said seriously, "Ling... what you said... is it true?"

"Of course it's true." Lin Ling stood up, helped Wendy up, and while tidying up her messy clothes, she asked, "Don't you believe me?"

"I... I believe you!"

Finally, after waking up, a glimmer of hope rose in Wendy's lifeless and desperate eyes...

But she immediately frowned and said to Lin Ling, who was still pressing on her: "By the way... today, you seem to have a different fragrance on your body... or... two?"

"Ah, this..."

Lin Ling was shocked when she heard this.

Oh no, I forgot there’s a smell!

Then she immediately changed the subject. "Wendy, can you let me see your legs? Well, it would be best if I could touch them~"

"Ah?!" Wendy was suddenly stunned by this, but after a brief surprise, she turned her face away, not wanting Lin Ling to see her increasingly shy face. "Lin Ling, yes... yes."

Then, the green-haired girl on the bed closed her eyes and made a gesture to Lin Ling, as if she was ready to be picked...

"Ahem, sorry."

Lin Ling lightly coughed, then gently held up Wendy's slender and delicate left leg. Her fingers ran over the several green lines that were like tattoos and emitted a faint glow.

Then, she also closed her eyes, carefully feeling the power, shape, and structure of the gem embedded in Wendy's calf...

...

On the other side.

The air was cold because of the man's arrival, and Mei felt like she was in an ancient ice cellar.

A sense of oppression came from deep inside Kevin's body, making it difficult for her to move. But even so, she did not retreat. Because this might be her last chance to save Kiana.

"Raiden Mei, you have someone you want to save, but Schicksal can't do it, and Anti-Entropy can't help you. But I promise you." Kevin said coldly, "World Serpent can save that girl."

"!"

Hearing this, Mei's pupils trembled instantly:

If it is the Lord of the World Serpent, the one Otto dared not confront head-on, maybe there really is a way!

However, although the Lord of the World Serpent looked confident that everything was under control, Mei also knew that even if he could do it, there would be no reason for him to help her without a price.

"So..." Mei asked, "What is the price?"

"Join the World Serpent."

The man's words were calm and brief, but they had a heavy power, like a law engraved on an ancient stone pillar—something difficult to tamper with and impossible to disobey.

Mei must face the weight of those words.

"I want to know the specific method, and then watch her out of danger. If you can really do it... then I will do anything you want me to do."

"The girl named Kiana is in danger, and the erosion of the core has exceeded the limit she can bear. If you want her to survive, you must immediately separate the extra core from her body. There is only one way: You must become the Herrscher of Thunder again."

"What!?"

"You are the chosen Herrscher. Your body will always have a path to the Imaginary Tree. When the energy left in the city by the Third Eruption is absorbed by that path, you will awaken again and take the power of the Herrscher of Thunder from Kiana. The new core will condense in your body, and the Gem of Conquest will disintegrate and disappear. Reducing one core will alleviate her symptoms."

The cold voice struck Mei, reminding her of the strange occurrences of the past few days.

Dr. Tesla's diagnosis, the sudden dizziness, and the abrupt change in Raven's attitude.

She suddenly understood everything: "As long as I become a Herrscher, Kiana can be saved?"

"That's right."

"...Then I have nothing to hesitate about! Three years ago, she brought me out of the darkness. Without Kiana, I wouldn't be who I am now. For her, I am happy to return to the darkness. But if I am manipulated by Honkai again, I hope you can..."

"Don't worry about these things. What you should really care about is what happens after you become a Herrscher. This time, you saved Kiana, but next time, she will still be in danger. She will definitely use the power of the Herrscher of the Void again, for the people around her, for the world. As long as Honkai exists, as long as the Herrscher is born, she will definitely stand up again and again, constantly pushing herself to the brink of death. Until, one day, she sacrifices her life. I have seen countless people like her. Even in the face of death, they will still firmly do what they think is right and take the path they believe in... They left, and none of them came back."

The words were like ice spikes, deeply piercing Mei's heart. She wanted to refute, but she couldn't form a word.

Because that was the deepest pain in her heart, a fact that could not be changed, no matter how many sacrifices she made.

"No, I won't let that happen...!"

"You can't stop her, otherwise, you wouldn't be here at all. But you have another choice: leave here and become a member of the 'Serpent.'"

"What did you say?"

"Soon, the Herrschers will appear one after another. The war between humans and Honkai will enter the next stage. You can choose to join the World Serpent, destroy Honkai, capture the Herrschers, and seal their powers... so that the Herrscher of the Void can no longer increase her power. Only by leaving Kiana can you truly protect her from danger. And when Project Stigma is completed, you and she can return to 'humanity.'"

Kevin's voice hadn't even finished when—

Boom!

Suddenly, there was a roar, followed by a beam of light. The sky shattered in the light, falling like glass.

"What happened!" Mei asked hurriedly.

"The time has come. The portal has been opened, and soon the imaginary tree will appear in this city. The dormant Honkai energy will be released from the earth's veins. Absorb them, and you will become the Herrscher of Thunder again. But if you really want to save her life, there is only one way to go. Do you believe me, believe in the World Serpent? I will give you time to make a decision. Raiden Mei, her ideal is to save the world, but she can't save herself. Now, her fate is in your hands."

After saying that, Kevin disappeared instantly.

Only Mei was left to think about the choice Kevin gave her.

But slowly, before she could figure out what she should do, the monsters emerging from the huge crack in the sky surrounded her.

"Is this... something like the Quantum Shadows?"

Seeing these seemingly real and imaginary monsters, Mei was shocked. This monster, unlike ordinary Honkai beasts, was from the Sea of Quanta that Bronya and the others had encountered in The Deep. Mei had seen it in the battle records sent by Bronya and others.

"How could they appear here?"

Mei quickly eliminated all the monsters that surrounded her, but she was very confused and even felt uneasy.

Boom boom boom!

But before she could catch her breath, the strong wind poured out from the cracks, pushing Mei to the ground along with the shaking high-rise building.

She looked up and saw that the sea water that had submerged the city was constantly falling...

"No! It's this building that is rising."

A dull roar came from a distance, followed by the roar of an explosion, and then the loud sound of Honkai.

Finally, there was light— a white light that seemed endless, completely submerging the world in Mei's eyes.

...

And a few minutes earlier, above the Pacific Ocean, inside the Hyperion.

"It is still thirty kilometers away from the rendezvous coordinates provided by Tesla. The route is normal, and no enemies have been found," Einstein said to Theresa, who seemed a little anxious.

"No enemy?" Theresa was surprised. "What about the Schicksal troops we saw at the reconnaissance station before?"

"They landed near the, Far Eastern Islands, and don't seem to have any plans to move forward. I'm afraid Schicksal has also noticed the abnormality in Nagazora City, so it has stationed Valkyries in nearby cities in advance. The anti-entropy rescue team is also in place. Once the Honkai energy explodes, they will immediately take action to minimize the losses."

However, even though Dr. Einstein appeared to have arranged everything, Theresa's face was still filled with worry.

"Alas... I'm still a little worried. It's very quiet, too quiet. This feeling reminds me of the battle with Schicksal, and I'm very uneasy."

Suddenly, before Theresa finished her words, a violent shaking interrupted her.

"Report!" A middle-level officer of the ship immediately reported. "There is an abnormal Honkai reaction in Nagazora City! Several unidentified units are approaching from the front at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour! They are capturing the impact of the target!"

"Enemy attack?" What you fear will come true, Theresa asked hurriedly, "Is it Schicksal?!"

"No, Lady Theresa, it's the Quantum Shadow. A large number of Quantum Shadows are attacking the Hyperion! Not good! The bow of the ship was hit hard, and the close-range anti-gun fell off!"

"What did you say? Quantum Shadow? How can there be a Quantum Shadow here!? Damn it! Let Bronya and the others immediately split into two groups to protect the platform and the main engine room! Leave the enemies on the deck to me!" Theresa immediately began to command everyone to fight.

Fortunately, it seemed that the strength of this wave of Quantum Shadows that invaded Hyperion was average, and they were quickly cleared out by Theresa and the others.

"That light! It's in the direction of Nagazora City. Dr. Einstein, what's going on now!?" But before Theresa could breathe a sigh of relief, she saw that the scene in the distance was very bad. "I saw the sea water churning. Is it a tsunami? Tsunamis and storms are rushing towards the city! Why is there a shadow of quantum in the Far East? What exactly is happening in Nagazora City?"

"..."

Einstein looked at the data displayed by the detector in her hand, and her expression became very worried. "The Honkai energy of Nagazora City is seeping out from the ground at an alarming speed, gathering toward the light band in the sky... That is definitely not the Sea of Quanta we saw in The Deep. Ms. Theresa, I'm afraid we are in trouble."

Chapter 145: From now on, you are no longer a puppet of Honkai, but... my wife!

Tick-tock...

In a trance, the purple-haired girl's ears echoed with a light but restless sound, like fine sand hitting papyrus, or like beans jumping in a blender.

"Is this... the sound of rain?"

Tick-tock, tick-tock!

Gradually, the sound became faster and louder, turning into a thunderous roar—

The heavy rain swept across the world, like a basin of cold water poured over the purple-haired girl.

The bone-chilling coldness rushed straight into her brain, causing her consciousness to gradually awaken in the darkness, and she opened her eyes in a daze with great effort.

"What happened?"

What came into Mei's sight was a chaotic scene. The sky was covered with dark clouds. The most important thing was a huge, strange hole. Its light spread in all directions, like the silk thread of a puppet, pulling the unrecognizable city.

"What happened?... Why did Nagazora City become like this?"

Mixed memories emerged and disappeared in Mei's mind, but she could never piece together a complete answer.

However, there was no doubt that—

"Not good! Ling, Kiana, and the others are in danger!"

Mei immediately started running, heading toward the direction of Helios in her memory, in this unrecognizable city.

However, quantum shadows from the cracks continued to appear. They attacked all living things they could see, including Mei who moved at high speed...

Clang!

After another blade cut an approaching quantum shadow into two pieces, Mei panted heavily but did not stop. She dragged her wounded body forward. "These monsters have become more ferocious. I don't know what's going on with them..."

"Hiss! It hurts..."

Suddenly, the headache that had been plaguing her since she came to Nagazora City returned, and this time, it felt more severe.

With the sudden discomfort in her head, Mei's speed of swinging the blade slowed. As one thing increased while the other decreased, her attacks quickly fell into disadvantage against the increasingly frenzied quantum shadows.

Bang!

Fortunately, at that moment, several familiar gunshots rang out!

The high-speed bullets whizzed through the air, hitting Mei's body and defeating all the quantum shadows that were about to attack her from behind.

"Ah!"

A giant dragon quickly landed beside Mei from the air, and a white-haired girl followed.

"Mei! Are you okay?"

Kiana asked with concern.

"Ah, Kiana?! Kiana, why are you here? Are you injured?" Mei was more concerned about Kiana's safety than her own. "How could you leave Helios so easily?"

"That's the question I'm asking you!" Kiana was equally concerned. She looked at the injuries on Mei's body and said angrily, "Didn't you say you would go see Sora-chan and come back? Why haven't you come back yet? Forget it, let's not talk about that. There are more and more enemies. You should go back and meet with the doctor."

"Go back? I'm alone. What about you, Kiana?"

"I... still have things to do." Kiana looked up at the sky. The light column in the distance was still washing the halo in the sky. She had already gained some of the power of the Herrscher of the Void and could sense that the crack in the sky possessed the same power as hers. This meant one thing.

"Mei, someone used the same power as the Herrscher of the Void to open the portal to another world. Only I can close the big hole in the sky and solve the source of this storm."

"What!? No, no! Your injuries haven't recovered yet. You can't continue to fight!"

"Mei, I can't just ignore it. Monsters are still appearing, and Honkai energy is still gathering. This disaster will soon spread to other places. I must stop it!"

"Don't be willful anymore! Don't you understand your situation? Doing such a dangerous thing, your body will..." Mei grabbed Kiana's wrist and tried her best to persuade her to stay.

But...

"That's not important." Suddenly, Kiana's voice grew cold, just like the leader of the World Serpent Mei had just seen. "Mei, I know everything—my own affairs, my body's condition, I know everything clearly."

"No, no!" Mei shook her head, "It's not like that, there must be a way!"

"To be honest, I'm also scared. I think I might die. I wanted to meet Ling, you, and everyone with great difficulty, and then leave... My body can't help but tremble. But I can't run away because of fear. I have to do what I can and take the responsibility I should bear. Only in this way can I face those who have been hurt by me. We have to face our former selves."

Kiana turned around with her usual smile, but she had already used a small amount of the Herrscher of the Void's power without caring about her own safety. She broke free from Mei's grasp. "Hey, Mei, don't worry, I'm very powerful. Just wait for me to come back."

The strong wind blew hit Mei's face, and Kiana had already jumped onto the dragon's back, flying toward the direction of the light column in the sky...

"Kiana! - No! - Don't!"

Mei kept calling, but all the sounds were drowned out by the rushing light and disappeared... Along with the figure in the distance, she could no longer see or touch it.

Even after experiencing so much injustice, even if she knew that the world was not perfect... even if there was a tragedy that was destined to be irreversible...

Kiana still fought for her companions, for others, and for the beauty she believed in, just like in the past.

"Maybe... the wrong person... is me..." Mei recalled the beautiful past in her mind.

Yesterday's reunion was just a fleeting flash of light...

Everything can never go back...

But suddenly, a red light flashed in the sky, and the dragon chasing the light was hit hard, then it fell from the high sky into the bottomless abyss...

"No!"

Mei hurriedly chased after it, wanting to check on the stubborn Kiana and Benares.

But when Mei arrived at the place where the dragon had fallen, Mei did not see Kiana.

"Benares, what happened? Where is Kiana? Hmm! What's this!?"

She also noticed that there was a golden and black sword stuck in the back of the dragon. The sword was enormous, far exceeding the usual weapons of their Instructor Himeko. It was clear that it was not an equipment that humans could wield.

Tick-tick-tick.

The strange sound she have heard before returned.

But this time, it was very clear.

"What!?"

With this ticking sound that struck straight to the heart, a large number of parts and fragments materialized from the void and condensed into a huge humanoid monster.

——Husk—Nihilism.

Then, this huge monster that was created from the imaginary space pulled the giant sword from the back of Benares and swung it down heavily at Mei!

Seeing this, Mei immediately used all her strength to raise her sword to block.

Clang!

To Mei's surprise, although the monster had the strength to match its strong appearance, it was not completely unstoppable.

Then, Mei, concerned about Kiana's safety and eager to find her, exploded with amazing strength and fought fiercely...

Finally, Mei defeated the monster with all her power.

"It's finally over..." She held her injured and weak right arm, and the sword fell weakly to the ground. She continued to limp toward Benares, who was also seriously injured.

"Where did Benares and Kiana fall? We must find her quickly... Huh!?"

Suddenly, Mei realized something was wrong, and she turned back!

But as soon as she did, her body could no longer move...

Tick-tick.

At the same time, the strange ticking sound produced by the monster's condensation rang again. With the sound of the clock turning, fine raindrops began to violate the laws of physics, flying from the ground to the sky, from bottom to top.

Mei tried her best to break up all the fragments of Nihilism on the ground, but they all flew back to the same place along the broken trajectory. They gathered into one and held the giant sword once more, stabbing at Mei, who was already unable to move.

"What!? How could it be?"

Looking at this scene, which seemed to be going backward in time, Mei was terrified!

Suddenly, the dying dragon burst out with amazing power and instantly blocked the attack for Mei...

...

Darkness.

Mei's sight was filled with darkness.

She couldn't see anything, couldn't hear any sound, couldn't smell anything...

Only her body, or soul, that had escaped the bondage of gravity, floated aimlessly in this empty space... floating...

"I have seen this scene before.."

In the haze, Mei vaguely remembered that day at Senba Academy three years ago, when the world had died like this.

The darkness with no end in sight... Some people cried, some wailed, some were silent, and some fell.

In the end, there was only silence, and herself falling in silence...

But this time, it seemed different.

"Crybaby, long time no see."

A beam of light and a voice rippled through the air.

In the darkness, a purple stream appeared, pushing and wrapping around every corner of Mei's body, bringing her toward the light.

It turned out that this was not light, but another Mei who was emitting a faint glow and seemingly made of lightning.

"You've changed a lot."

The voice of 'Mei' echoed in the distance, then disappeared into the ears that were close at hand.

This voice, which once frightened Mei, was now familiar and nostalgic.

"This is the first time you've come to me on your own initiative. Are you no longer afraid?" 'Mei' continued.

"Afraid? How strange..."

Mei placed her hand on her heart. It seemed she could no longer feel fear here, and not just fear. It seemed that all her feelings of unwillingness, self-blame, sadness, and pain had disappeared.

At that moment, there was only one obsession left in her heart...

"Do you want to continue? If you keep moving forward..." 'Mei' persuaded. "You will say goodbye to your companions, your family, and everything you know... and fall into the bottomless abyss..."

"It doesn't matter." Mei shook her head. "As long as it can get her out of hell..."

"You will endure doubts and criticisms, and go further and further down the lonely road."

"It doesn't matter. I've long been accustomed to being alone, and that's the fate I should have faced long ago."

"You will leave them forever and never return to their side, never again look at her smile, never again hold her hand. Once you take this step, there will be no turning back. Do you really want to do this?"

"It doesn't matter. Everyone is here... everyone... will take good care of them. Let me do what I should do. I have decided!"

"In that case!"

Suddenly, 'Mei,' who had been patiently persuading Mei to turn back, grabbed her hand and then—

She stabbed it into her chest without hesitation!

"Go! Raiden Mei!" The Herrscher Persona of Mei spat blood that crackled like electricity. She shouted loudly, "Bury me with your hands! Turn my anger, my cry, my disappearance into the power of your lonely journey! Go and announce to the world the return of the Queen of Thunder and Lightning!"

The next moment, countless lightning bolts gathered in Mei's hands and merged into her body.

But as the lightning gathered, the figure of the other Mei, made of purple lightning, gradually dimmed and... began to fade...

"Goodbye, Raiden Mei..."

"Goodbye, another me..."

In her final moments, Mei and 'Mei' each closed their eyes, nodded slightly, and pressed their foreheads together.

After struggling, cooperating, disappearing, reuniting, and sacrificing for a common goal, Mei finally reached reconciliation with herself...

...

"I don't want any goodbyes! I want you by my side forever!"

But just as the two personalities—Mei as the main consciousness—were about to complete their final fusion, with the Herrscher consciousness Mei on the brink of disappearing, a hand suddenly grabbed the wrist of the fading 'Mei' and pulled her out of Mei’s absorption range!

The Herrscher Mei had prepared herself to disappear completely, but she hadn't expected someone to break into her consciousness space, disrupt the fusion ceremony, and save her.

However, even though she was saved, 'Mei' did not show any joy. She looked back at Mei, who was digesting the power she had just absorbed.

Then, 'Mei' glanced at the other person with interest. "It's you... Ling, long time no see. Are you here to save me?"

"I won’t let you disappear without permission!" It was Lin Ling who rarely showed seriousness. She was visibly angry. "The fusion led by another consciousness is just another form of suicide!"

"Suicide? Maybe. But I never thought that before I die, I could see that there are still people in this world who care about me so much. In that case, I will have no regrets in this life."

After hearing Lin Ling’s response, the third apostle of Honkai who symbolized death and destruction smiled with relief. "It's a pity that you can't save me, and you shouldn’t. I must die. Unlike the special case of the First Herrscher, I am still under the control of Honkai’s will, and I can’t disobey its orders. Therefore, only my complete demise can give Mei complete freedom and allow her to do what she wants."

"Humph!" Lin Ling raised her fist arrogantly. "If the Will of the Honkai dares to come, I’ll blow it up directly! And don’t worry, I have another way to solve all this without your death."

"Impossible," 'Mei' said. "I appreciate your kindness. Even if you can resist the influence of the will of Honkai, it’s too late. Once the fusion begins, it cannot be interrupted. Most of my power has been given to her, and the rest is insufficient to maintain my existence. Even if you forcibly pulled me away, soon, after the power dissipates, I will die."

"That may not be the case," Lin Ling said.

As she spoke, she took out a beautiful, purple translucent stone, which looked exactly like the Gem of Conquest.

"What is this?!"

'Mei' was immediately surprised when she saw it because this stone not only resembled the Gem of Conquest in appearance but also contained the same power of lightning and thunder. As the true Herrscher of Thunder, she recognized this power immediately!

"No!" 'Mei' was confused. "The Gem of Conquest should be sealed in Kiana's body! How could it be in your hands?"

"Hehe, because this is not a product of the Honkai Will."

Lin Ling raised the crystal in her hand. "In a sense, it is the crystal of love between you and me."

"What?" 'Mei' was stunned. She did not understand what Lin Ling meant.

But before 'Mei' could ask further, a red feather appeared from nowhere and slowly fell beside her...

'Mei' felt darkness cloud her vision, and the next moment, she found herself in Lin Ling's hand—more precisely, in the gem in Lin Ling's hand.

"Although it's still far inferior to the real Herrscher core," Lin Ling said as she held the core storing the Thunder Herrscher's consciousness to her heart and absorbed it into her body, "with this, from now on, you are no longer a puppet of the Honkai consciousness, no longer a tool that only knows destruction, but... you belong only to me, Lin Ling, and you will shine in my heart...my thunder..."

----

Supplement Chapter 145: Kurikara, also Benares

After a long moment, Mei suddenly opened her eyes. This time, her eyes were no longer the gentle purple they once were; they had turned into a ghostly rose red, with strange symbols appearing on her irises.

This was the symbol that she had become a true Herrscher.

Power surged through her body, and her blood seemed to flow with the energy of thunder.

The clothes that had already been tattered before were reshaped by the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, transforming into powerful Herrscher armor.

On each side, she wore massive arm gauntlet like that of an evil spirit, and on her right hand, she wielded a colossal sword.

But none of that mattered.

At this moment, Mei's focus was entirely on the unconscious girl lying before her.

With a look of pity and emotion, she gently lifted the girl and placed her next to the weakened Benares, allowing the two dying beings to lean on each other and rest for a while.

"Ling, leave the rest to me."

With that, Mei approached the monster that had the ability to reverse time, something she had no way of dealing with before.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The monster was still swinging its giant sword, attempting to break through the hemispherical wind wall that Lin Ling had left behind to protect them before falling unconscious. It seemed close to breaking through...

However, Mei simply raised her arm.

In an instant, countless bolts of lightning exploded from her hand.

Boom!

With just one blow, the wind wall Lin Ling had created, as well as the imaginary monsters behind it, were knocked away.

However, even after taking another heavy blow, the monster recovered at an astonishing speed.

"Hmph." Mei snorted coldly. "I don't believe you can resurrect forever."

Since the monster enjoyed being resurrected, Mei had no qualms about killing it a few more times.

Mei swung the small sword in her hand through the air, and the massive armored arm followed suit, swinging the enormous sword in its hand. Working in tandem, they repeatedly slashed at the monster.

During this, countless red bolts of lightning flashed.

The enormous imaginary monster which capable of reversing time and repairing itself was pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Finally, the monster's skeletal form collapsed, and this time, it could not rise again. It dissipated into the lightning.

Heavy rain began to pour, sliding from the corners of Mei's eyes, washing away the past.

The voice in Mei's mind disappeared.

The world was left with the sound of rain—the silent, persistent sound of rain.

She walked toward the dragon that appeared to have completely lost its life due to multiple serious injuries and reached out to touch its dull scales.

A small light, a warm current, spread from Mei's fingertips, gradually reviving the dragon's massive body.

The raindrops fell, collided, shattered, and died...

The dragon's scars were replaced with red scales, and it stood up again, spreading its wings to declare its new life!

But now, it was merely a beast without consciousness, obeying the Herrscher of Thunder...

No, in a hazy and chaotic space, unnoticed by anyone, A white-haired girl appeared.

She stretched out her hand and inserted a red dragon from her palm into the hair of a gray-haired girl who was disappearing.

While Mei was repairing Benares' body, Lin Ling was also repairing her soul.

Now, this red dragon symbolized both Kurikara and Benares...

Mei then looked up at the sky. The massive halo tearing through space was gradually dimming.

The city's Honkai energy had been almost completely absorbed by Mei, and the imaginary singularity was about to close.

As long as the wandering quantum shadow was eliminated, everything would return to peace...

----

Chapter 146: All the Herrscher girls Are Gathering on the Rooftop

Time rewinds to the eve of Otto's activation of the Second Divine Key in Nagazora City.

"Wendy-chan~ It might hurt a little, bear with it."

In the ward of the Helios airship, a white-haired girl holding a slender treasure in her hands spoke gently to the green-haired girl who was covering her face with her hands so that her face couldn’t be seen clearly.

"Ling... please, please be gentle."

Although Wendy didn’t know what Lin Ling wanted to do to her, after feeling the unbearable rubbing of her left leg, her face became hotter and hotter, and even... it seemed that steam was coming out.

"Hmm."

After getting Wendy's confirmation, Lin Ling nodded slightly.

Then, a faint green light rose from her hands, reflecting the faint green light emitted by the green lines on Wendy's legs.

"Hmm? What is she going to do?"

Although she was covering her face, Wendy was actually observing a certain big wolf quietly through the gap between her fingers.

But what puzzled her was that Lin Ling had just held it the whole time and did nothing...

This made Wendy’s delicate green eyes reveal a hint of disappointment...

But suddenly!

The soft green light in Lin Ling's hand burst out instantly!

Wendy couldn't open her eyes and couldn’t look straight anymore.

"Ah!"

Then, a piercing pain rose from Wendy's left leg, making her scream out in pain...

At the same time, the bracelet on Lin Ling's wrist changed and turned into a Guandao weapon, but unlike usual, this time it was scaled down to the size of an ordinary scalpel.

Then, the white-haired girl raised her blade and fell!

The skin, flesh, and even bones of Wendy’s calf were instantly separated, revealing a green gem embedded in her calf bone. Lin Ling quickly took out the gem buried deep in Wendy’s bone marrow and replaced it with the gem condensed by green light in her other hand.

After completing all this in a flash, Lin Ling gently covered the wound on Wendy's leg with her hand, and a soft white light followed—she was fully activating the power of the Herrscher of Death and the Herrscher of Reason to repair Wendy's injuries.

By the way, while Wendy was still unable to open her eyes due to the strong light, she ate the Gem of Desire she had just taken out and swallowed it into her stomach.

After all, it was a bit troublesome to explain the two Herrscher cores, and she knew that something big was about to happen, so now there was no time to explain in detail...

In Wendy's perception:

Her leg suddenly felt a sharp pain, and then, the next moment, it turned into a brief comfort...

At the same time, she vaguely felt that the shackles that was lingering in her soul had disappeared?...

After the dazzling green light disappeared, Wendy curiously put down her hands covering her face, sat up in confusion, and pulled her left leg back from Lin Ling's hands.

"My leg..." Wendy was extremely surprised. She could actually control the movement of her legs with her will? "My legs are better?"

"Hmm..." Lin Ling dragged her chin. "It should be better. You try to get out of bed?"

"Hmm!"

With excitement, Wendy didn’t wear shoes, tapped the ground lightly, and slowly stood up.

Finally, she no longer felt that her legs were so heavy and unable to move.

The last time she felt her body was so light was a few years ago, before she was implanted, and now, she felt that she had completely regained her freedom.

But in addition to being happy, Wendy was very confused and asked the white-haired girl beside her: "Ling, what did you do to me? Why can't I feel the Will of Honkai? Is it you? Did you free me?"

At this time, Lin Ling was covering her stomach, her face was a little pale. This startled Wendy who had just been so happy, and she asked with concern: "Huh? Ling! What's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

"Haha, nothing, nothing." Lin Ling laughed and explained casually. "I just drank too much water this morning, and my stomach is a little bloated. Well, as for why you’re okay, it’s actually because the God of Honkai took a fancy to me and insisted on being my wife, so I sacrificed some of my looks to let her let you go."

"Huh?"

Although Wendy did not deny Lin Ling's charm, she thought... charmed the Will of Honkai? This is too exaggerated, right?!

"Ling... are you... are you okay?"

Whoosh!

But at this moment, a strong light carrying the storm projected in from the window, interrupting Wendy’s words.

"Sorry, Wendy." With her back to the window, the place seemed to have turned into darkness. Lin Ling smiled and said to Wendy, "You should recover first. Your body has been overwhelmed by the erosion of the Herrscher gem in the past few years. Now, it’s time to take a good rest. In addition, I have some other things to deal with. I’ll go..."

After saying that, she disappeared in the strong light in an instant.

"Ling..." Wendy clenched her fists.

She knew that there is no free lunch in the world. Everything has a price. Lin Ling must have paid something to help her break free from the erosion of the will of Honkai.

This idiot has always been like this!

Thinking of this, Wendy made a prompt decision and chased after her despite her physical weakness.

... Sure enough, my guess was right. On the other side, Lin Ling, who was flying in the sky, was thinking about everything that had happened just now and last night. Just like during the second Honkai, Sirin could give a pseudo-Herrscher core to Benares, a judgment-level Honkai beast, by giving the Gem of Desire to shape the Wind Law Aurora, the Tranquility Gem to shape the Death Law Galina, and the Plague Gem to shape the Flame Law Agata.

Quantitative change leads to qualitative change. When her Herrscher power reaches the critical value of 50%, she can also use the Herrscher power she obtained from others to materialize the ultimate embodiment of a certain physical law.

That is—condense a Herrscher core that is independent of the will of Honkai and belongs only to her!

Then, by exchanging the Herrscher core from the God of Honkai in Wendy's calf with the core she created, she could completely solve the problem of the Honkai will eroding Wendy and fully heal her legs...

Afterward, she fought against the overwhelming quantum shadows in the sky while anxiously searching for the whereabouts of Mei, Kiana, and the others.

Because, as far as she knew, although everyone seemed to be safe in this incident, an unknown girl's soul had disappeared forever... She could not let this happen!

Fortunately, although it was not easy to find the two girls in the pouring rain, flashing lights, and monsters crisscrossing through the bizarre situation, she still had a beacon—the dragon Benares.

Sure enough, not long after, she saw a scene similar to what she had seen in the game in her previous life. A very conspicuous, huge flying dragon suddenly took off and headed for the massive crack in the center of the sky, but it soon fell from the sky.

Lin Ling hurried over.

When the Husk Nihilism, which reversed time and resurrected—was about to pierce Benares who was blocking Mei, she stood in front of the poor little dragon girl once more, blocking the fatal strike.

Then, her body erupted with a strong ideal fluid storm, which shook the Husk Nilihism away. She quickly created a round, shield-like wind wall to protect the two girls and one dragon.

The white-haired girl briefly treated the chest wound inflicted by the sword of Nihilism to stop the bleeding, then walked to Mei's body. She fell onto Mei's body.

Then, a feather appeared from nowhere and fell.

She entered Mei's consciousness space.

...

"Oh? Miss Lin Ling's ability to manipulate the wind seems to have increased again. I wonder what happened between her and Miss Wendy?"

At this time, the mastermind behind all the events in Nagazora City was watching the live video feed sent back by the frontline spy, Rita, from the floating island of the Schicksal headquarters. He said with interest, "So, Miss Lin Ling, what will you do next when facing the Herrscher of Thunder who is about to return?"

...

"Ah... I am..."

The sound of rain hitting the ground woke another girl from the darkness.

It was Kiana. She had been planning to close the giant portal in the sky but was unfortunately shot down.

"Huh?... This is..." Kiana's memory stopped at the moment she was shot down. She looked around and saw a familiar scene—the place where she and Mei first met. "Senba Academy? Why am I here?"

"Don't move."

A cold man's voice sounded from behind Kiana.

"Ah!" Kiana looked back, and her pupils shrank instantly. "You are... Kevin Kaslana!"

But it appears that Kevin had no intention of harming her. He simply explained in a tone devoid of emotion, "You wanted to close the imaginary singularity, but you were attacked by the Imaginary Construct and fell. Also, it seems the power of the Herrscher of the Void has weakened, so you have more time."

"Weakened?" Kiana felt her body. Sure enough, the Gem of Conquest that the Herrscher of the Void had controlled her to remove from Mei's chest was gone. Therefore, the erosion of her body by the Herrscher core had greatly diminished. She asked hurriedly, "Did you save me? Why?"

Kiana was puzzled. This man had stabbed her heart with a sword when they first met not long ago. If the squad leader had not risked his life to stop him, she would have died from his blade. Now...

"No," Kevin denied Kiana's guess. "Thank Raiden Mei. She saved you. You don't have to worry about Nagazora City anymore. The disaster is over. She protected the city in your place."

"What did you say? Mei!? What happened?!"

Kiana was shocked and looked up. Sure enough, the space cracks in the sky were slowly disappearing, and the Honkai energy in the surrounding sea and air was gradually thinning, as if something had absorbed their power.

But Kevin did not answer Kiana's question. He looked up at the sky, as if he had noticed something: "Let her explain what happens next. She's here."

Click!

Before Kevin finished speaking, a thunderbolt fell from the sky and struck Kiana in front of him.

When the lightning disappeared, a purple-haired girl holding an unconscious white-haired girl appeared in front of Kiana.

The white-haired girl was Lin Ling. She looked seriously injured again.

The purple-haired girl was Mei, but... she no longer resembled the Mei Kiana remembered.

She also had a pair of red horns on her head. In addition to the wild black-and-white fabric, she wore asymmetrical Far Eastern-style armor. Behind her were a pair of red armored hands that looked like evil spirits.

But these changes in appearance were not the point.

The point was... her body was surrounded by an extremely strong Honkai energy, which seemed to be materialized.

What made Kiana shudder most was... her eyes had changed drastically.

In Mei's purple-red eyes, the gentleness and affection for Kiana were gone. Instead, they had become cold and angry.

How did she become like this? Is she angry with me?

Kiana was confused.

She was both scared and worried. "Mei, what happened?... Why are you like this?"

"..." Mei didn't say anything. She looked straight into Kiana's eyes, then turned her head away and spoke coldly to Kevin. "I will go with you, but you must not harm Ling! You are not allowed to use her to make a deal with Schicksal!"

"Don't worry. She, Hua, and I have an agreement. As long as she doesn't cross my bottom line, I won't do anything to her for now."

Since seeing the memory of his old comrade Hua last time, Kevin had changed his view of Lin Ling, the mysterious white-haired girl, and knew that she was not inherently bad.

As long as she didn’t do anything particularly extreme, he wouldn’t harm her.

"Yeah." Mei nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with Kevin's answer.

"Then, Raiden Mei, welcome to join the World Serpent."

"Wait! What did you say?!" After hearing their conversation, Kiana hurried forward. "Wait a minute, Mei... you want to... join the World Serpent..."

"..." Mei turned her head and stared at Kiana with a completely different expression, but she remained silent.

Kiana couldn't understand. They had finally reunited, and she hadn't intended to avoid them. They had just punished Lin Ling together the night before, so why was Mei suddenly leaving today? This wasn't like Mei.

The only reason Kiana could think of was...

"Mei... what's wrong with you? Did the World Serpent do something to you?"

"Kiana." Finally, Mei was willing to talk. Her tone was still gentle, but the words she spoke made Kiana unable to accept them. "I am sober now. This is my own decision. Don't worry about me."

Kiana stepped forward and grabbed Mei's arms. "Why!?"

"..."

Mei didn’t answer.

Some things are better left unsaid.

"... Stop kidding!" But with Mei’s silence, Kiana became furious. Her grip tightened. "I won’t let you go to the World Serpent...!!"

"It seems... you still have things to solve." While the two girls were arguing, Kevin spoke again, "Tell her everything you want to say, but don't waste too much time."

With that, his figure disappeared again...

"What do you want to say...?"

Mei asked herself inwardly.

If I tell her everything, will she understand? Can I leave with peace of mind?

No...

She got a negative answer.

Then she felt more guilty and in more pain... I have already told myself countless times in my heart.

'Kiana, I'm glad to have met you, to experience so many things with you, and create so many memories. Go and achieve your ideals. Let me go to the darkness, and you will return to the light.'

"Mei, why? You know everything they did?!"

"I don't care!"

"You idiot! I won't let you go...!"

...

On the other side, as Mei absorbed most of the Honkai energy scattered around the city, Otto's Second Divine Key gradually closed the imaginary singularity in the sky that connected to the imaginary space because it could no longer absorb more Honkai energy.

With the portal's closure, the quantum shadow that had swept the earth was no longer replenished.

Thus, the pressure on the Hyperion which was located not far from the sea suddenly decreased.

However, after the endless quantum shadow disappeared, Schicksal's forces intervened once again.

"Bronya!" Theresa called to Bronya. "Leave this to me. You go to the city first!"

"Don't worry, Principal. I'll definitely bring everyone back safely!"

Bronya hopped onto the motorcycle, created a path through the void to Nagazora City, and rushed toward the location where Lin Ling and the others were...

Chapter 147: Sinner's Elegy, But a Gang Fight Version (Part I)

On the shore of the vast sea, a desolate city stood.

In the sky, dark clouds rolled in as if night had fallen. On the ground, the atmosphere was bleak and heavy, as if war was about to begin.

Boom!

With the sound of thunder, the heavy rain that had been falling endlessly seemed to stop.

As the rain weakened, two girls who were concerned about each other glared at each other.

"Swoosh!"

Almost simultaneously, the two girls rushed toward each other at astonishing speeds and collided!

"Bang!"

Kiana received a heavy blow to the front, and her delicate body flew backward, crashing into the rusty wire fence behind her. But before she could react, Mei had already stepped forward and strangled Kiana's neck with one hand.

What Mei had once dreamed of was now within her reach.

Unfortunately, it was too late...

"Ah!"

Kiana whose neck was strangled let out a painful groan, as thin as a flute.

"Give up!"

Looking at Kiana's gradually distorted and red face, Mei said word by word, showing no pity at all.

Unable to speak, Kiana responded by firmly gripping Mei's arm.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Mei suddenly exerted force with her left hand and swung it hard, throwing Kiana five or six meters away.

"Ahem, ahem... no..." Kiana reached out to grab the wire fence around the rooftop, stood up trembling, and said, word by word, "I won't let you go!"

Her voice was hoarse and distorted, as though the dreamlike fairy tale had shattered, exposing the bloody reality beneath the surface.

At that moment, the girl's heart was filled with endless pain.

However, after hearing Kiana's firm words, Mei frowned slightly, raised her head, and glanced sideways at the white-haired girl who struggled to stand up. "Just because you're dying?" she said with disdain and contempt in her tone, though a hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes. "Just rely on my fist!"

However, after hearing this, Kiana breathed heavily to calm her injured and exhausted body. She once again pushed herself to her limits. She swung her fist at her close friend with incredible speed.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Kiana approaching, Mei slightly turned sideways, avoiding the seemingly fierce attack by a millimeter, and then kicked Kiana's leg.

"Bang!"

Struck at her vulnerable point, Kiana lost her balance and fell to the ground. But she refused to admit defeat, quickly turning around and attacking with her legs. Mei easily dodged it with a calm expression.

Seeing that her attack had failed, Kiana fell to the ground, got back up, and attempted to kick again. But Mei found the opening again and punched her in the abdomen. Kiana groaned and staggered backward several meters. Still, she took a few steps back and barely stood her ground, then punched forward once more without hesitation.

Expressionless, Mei easily avoided the punch, then landed a knee strike, causing Kiana to groan again.

But Kiana appeared to not to feel the blow. She grabbed Mei's arm, twisted it behind her back, and tried to throw her, hoping to wake up the friend she now had irreconcilable differences with.

Unfortunately, her movements were slow and weak in Mei's eyes, and Mei easily neutralized them all...

"Ah!"

Kiana was thrown into the air with a cry, but Mei grabbed her legs and slammed her to the ground. She struggled to get up, but was hit directly on the chin by a whip kick. Her body flew backward and crashed to the ground again.

After all this, Mei snorted coldly and slowly retracted her slender right leg, which was still crackling with arcs of electricity.

But the stubborn girl only took a breath for a moment before rushing forward again. She leaped and kicked, sending a giant orange cat claw, formed with Honkai energy, flying toward Mei.

Mei easily dodged it by leaning back, then kicked Kiana who was right above her cleanly and neatly. Kiana was hit hard and thrown against the wire fence behind her again.

But Kiana forced herself to endure the pain. She rebounded off the rooftop's wire, and counterattacked, clamping her hands around Mei's neck.

The two continued to retreat in a relentless struggle.

Seeing that this fight would never end, Mei kicked sideways once more, but Kiana caught her foot.

At the same time, Kiana's left eye glinted with faint golden light. To face Mei now, she had to use the powerful power of the Herrscher of the Void, which was damaging to her body.

However, upon seeing the amber light spilling from Kiana, the anger and grief in Mei's eyes instantly intensified.

Mei turned around and broke free of the restraints. Without a word, she punched Kiana hard on the side of her face.

With that blow, Kiana's pupils scattered, and her mind grew foggy. Her golden-blue eyes returned to their natural azure hue, and her figure stumbled forward as if she were drunk.

Unwilling to relent, Mei flew after her and landed a knee strike on Kiana's chin without mercy.

Kiana finally fell backward, and the image of Mei in front of her gradually blurred, blending into the chaotic lights and shadows of the dark sky.

With a "bang," she crashed heavily onto the bench behind her, sending dust flying.

After this one-sided battle, the back of Kiana's red-and-white windbreaker was stained, and she looked increasingly weary.

Yet, some unseen force kept her from falling. Holding onto the bench tightly with both hands, the girl spoke resolutely:

"I...

Will not...

Give up!"

Ka Ka!

The screws loosened, the iron sheet deformed, and the bench meant for resting was pulled out of the ground by Kiana with terrifying, strange power and smashed toward Mei.

But before it got close, the arc of electricity, which was running around like a dragon, leaped and swam, emitting a dazzling blue-white cold light. The bench split in two midair and flew away from both sides of Mei’s body.

Kiana ignored this and jumped up, pouncing on Mei.

What greeted her, however, was Mei's hand strike crackling with lightning, revealing the power of the Herrscher of Thunder.

"Swish, swish, swish."

Mei swung quickly, breaking through the air with a sound, accompanied by the wanton flow of electricity. A blue light arc could be faintly seen spinning and falling through the sky.

"Zheng! Zheng! Zheng!"

In front of Mei, who had finally revealed a fraction of the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, Kiana was suppressed by the electric current. Her body fell into a state of paralysis, leaving her powerless to resist, only able to passively endure the beating.

"Ah!"

Mei attacked Kiana with a powerful strike. With a suppressed scream of pain, Kiana flew off the platform and fell below, splashing countless particles of smoke and dust.

Watching Kiana disappear from sight, Mei was stunned, falling into silence for a moment. Sadness lingered in her heart, but an emotion—relief—also arose.

'Now, that little idiot should give up...'

But the next moment, more than a dozen cave passages suddenly opened in the smoking wall above, and dozens of Sub-space lances were projected from them, diagonally inserting into the ground from eight directions, firmly imprisoning and sealing Mei within them.

As soon as Mei moved, a sub-space lance which was glowing faintly with cold light struck her snow-white neck. The sharpness of the lance cut into her skin, making her hesitant to move.

"Ahem..."

The sound of water dripping on stones seemed to ring through the air, both rhythmic and beautiful.

Kiana walked slowly, her breath faint. Her double ponytails cascaded like a waterfall of white hair over her knees, her skirt swirled around her like petals, and the power of space filled her every move.

She had assumed the form of the Herrscher of the Void once more.

The dreamy mist gradually spread, as if covered by a light gauze curtain, and the two opposing figures appeared a little bleak and desolate.

Now transformed into the Herrscher of the Void, Kiana approached Mei, her left hand covering her left eye as she panted. Her beautiful face showed signs of pain. It was evident that the Herrscher Core had further eroded her.

Looking at Kiana who was unwilling to give up despite being covered in wounds, Mei closed her eyes, pained as if she couldn’t accept it.

"It’s always like this..."

"Kiana..."

"You've always been like this!"

In the sky, dark clouds rolled, thunder surged, and the misty rain gradually turned into a drizzle.

The rain became heavier, but neither of them noticed.

Countless images appeared in Mei’s mind—them laughing happily. These were the silhouettes of the times they had spent together.

In the light and shadow, the girl with bruises all over her body looked relieved, turned around, made a V sign for victory, then suddenly smiled and swayed.

"You’re already covered in bruises, yet you still force yourself to smile..."

"You saved me and everyone else, but you have to bear all the pain alone, even sacrifice your life..."

"Mei..."

The raindrops, as big as beans, poured down, and the rain grew even heavier.

Kiana opened her mouth to explain something, but her hand curled back weakly. She wanted to say a thousand words, but it finally turned into a lonely whisper.

"This is... my mission..."

At that moment, a narrow blue-white lightning bolt pierced the sky like a sword being unsheathed, illuminating the sad figure of Mei, bathed in the rain.

"I also understand the truth of saving the world."

She smiled bitterly, clenched her hands, and began using the power of the Herrscher of Thunder. The Sub-space lances that had imprisoned her began to break apart and disintegrate.

In a moment of neglect, the sharp sub-space lance scratched her neck, opening a scarlet line of blood, but she held onto the sub-space lances with one hand, unfazed.

"Mei!" Seeing this, Kiana released her left hand from covering her left eye and cried out in panic.

"But how do you want me to endure all of this?" Mei questioned Kiana angrily, as if she didn’t notice it.

Countless arcs of electricity filled the area like a group of mad snakes in a riot. She continued to break through the sub-space lance’s barrier. All around them, countless raindrops seemed to hang like stars surrounding the moon—crystal-clear, ethereal, and clear, like a girl's flawless tears.

"Mei!"

"No... don’t!" Kiana’s plea was weak. It was accompanied by tears, but now it seemed so pale and powerless.

"I only know that in my heart..."

With tears in her eyes, a variety of scenes flashed before Mei's eyes like a revolving lantern. These were the warm times they had spent together, but they were now lost forever.

"You are more important than this world!"

As soon as the words fell, Mei’s eyes glowed with purple light, and a violent wind rose from nowhere with her as the center. With a loud crack, a thunderbolt was triggered, striking from the sky.

Where the thunderbolt struck, the spear imprisoning Mei was instantly destroyed, and only a purple haze rose into the sky.

With a panicked expression, opened the imaginary portal passage to summon the Sub-space lances. She wanted to use the same move to imprison Mei again.

Mei’s figure rode the thunder and lightning, almost becoming a blur of light and shadow, with no trace to be found, rushing straight toward Kiana in the air.

Countless Sub-space lances intertwined with the thunder and lightning that filled the air, exploding like an unprecedented fireworks display. But this could not stop Mei even a single step.

Kiana who was panicking made a move. The space around her turned into countless materialized columns, overlapping and blocking layer by layer. She wanted to use this to prevent Mei from getting any closer.

But Mei who had turned into lightning, walked through it as if it were flat ground. The stacked space columns shattered like glass, and Kiana, who had no time to defend herself, was hit hard by the lightning.

Under the sky, scarlet lightning swirled around the girl named Mei.

She had two horns like a yaksha on her head, a beautiful face, and purple hair flowing like a waterfall, a cloak of high quality. A huge purple halo floated behind her.

A scarlet yaksha arm armor gradually appeared on her side, and she held a giant sword, shining brightly—the key to heaven's punishment.

The swirling shadows were filled with endless thunder and lightning power.

This was the queen who controlled the laws of thunder and lightning—the Herrscher of Thunder!

At some point, the clouds disappeared, and the sun finally appeared, filling the sky with bright and dazzling light.

Kiana looked at the Herrscher of Thunder, Mei, with a look of despair. She not only realized the difference in strength between them, but also couldn’t accept that Mei had become a Herrscher again. She unconsciously have forgotten to resist...

At that moment, Mei gritted her teeth and resolutely controlled the arm armor to swing.

A scarlet light wave shot out through the sword, carrying a thunderbolt, sweeping across the entire region as if a punishment from heaven had come to cleanse the unclean...

But at that moment, Mei suddenly frowned and changed her direction of attack instantly.

The huge red sword energy brushed past Kiana’s body, cutting off a few of her silver hairs before slashing heavily at the rooftop on the ground.

"Boom!"

The powerful sword energy stretched for hundreds of meters, dividing the entire Senba Academy in two. It also nearly cut off the hand of a flaxen-haired girl who was reaching out to sleeping white-haired girl.

"Huh!?"

The strong explosion from the ground instantly revived Kiana’s will in the air, and she looked back.

It turned out that people from Schicksal were planning to take Lin Ling away quietly while she was fighting Mei!

"Boom boom boom!"

Accompanied by the roar of the engine, a translucent road paved across the air and came to Kiana and Mei. It was Bronya, who had inherited the power of the First Herrscher—the Herrscher of Reason.

"Kiana, Mei, I’m sorry I’m late..."

"Let her go!"

Then, another tornado fell from the sky with a roar.

It was the Fourth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Wind, Wendy...

----

Chapter 148: Sinner's Elegy, But Gang Fight Version (Part 2)

"Mei!"

"Kiana!"

The sudden change made the two girls who were fighting to the death just moments ago look at each other at the same time.

Then, they nodded simultaneously.

The things between them and their differences could be put aside for the time being.

But Lin Ling must not be taken away by the dangerous Schicksal!

Of course, the same applies to Bronya and Wendy.

The four girls in the sky—white, purple, green, and blue—each surrounded by their own distorted time and space, lightning and thunder, howling winds, and countless high-tech weapons generated out of thin air, lined up in the sky to confront the Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie Rita Roseweise on the ground.

"Oh, this is really a bit exaggerated..."

Looking at the unprecedented scene of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Herrschers appearing in the sky, and feeling the huge momentum that could overwhelm people to the ground, the S-rank Rita secretly tightened the handle of the scythe in her hand. Her previous calm and confident demeanor changed. She secretly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Don't worry, Miss Rita," Kiana immediately persuaded. "If you give up Lin Ling and leave here immediately, we can let you go."

"That won't work." However, Rita just bowed slightly, then raised the huge scythe in her hand to protect Lin Ling. "I will definitely bring Miss Lin Ling back to Schicksal!"

But Rita also had her reasons not to give up.

If she let Lin Ling be taken back by a group of Herrschers, she couldn't imagine how this poor little one would be treated inhumanely. Even if the Herrscher girls loved Lin Ling deeply, they would inevitably do extreme things under the erosion of the Honkai.

For example, as far as she knew, the Herrscher of Wind Wendy, and the Herrscher of Sky Sirin had hurt her many times and even put her in life-and-death situations several times.

Therefore, even if she knew she could not win, she would never retreat!

Unfortunately, determination alone is far from enough, and this world is always about strength.

So, Rita could only hold the scythe tightly in her hand, protect Lin Ling, and secretly send a message for help to Durandal.

"In that case..."

Seeing that Rita was unwilling to give up no matter what, The storm in the sky rolled up dark clouds, and thunders brewed and churned within it. Portals opened, countless spears were generated, and countless floating cannons began to condense energy at their muzzles...

"Rita, my wife. Leave it to me next."

A hand gently rested on her shoulder.

Rita looked back and found that the white-haired girl who had been in a coma had woken up at some point.

"Ling!" Rita was immediately surprised, not only because Lin Ling, who had just fainted for some reason, had recovered, but also because Lin Ling had chosen to go back to Schicksal with her!

However, for some reason, Lin Ling's eyes were still closed.

"Lin Ling... what are you doing?"

After seeing the intimate look between Lin Ling, the Schicksal S Valkyrie, and hearing her answer, Kiana was very puzzled and very sad.

The feeling of betrayal she had just experienced from Mei returned, completely igniting her anger. She looked at Lin Ling and asked loudly, "Even you are leaving me?!"

"I'm sorry." Lin Ling nodded regretfully. "I must go to Schicksal..."

"Hehe~" Hearing this, Rita's face showed a triumphant smile. "Sure enough, Miss Lin Ling is going back with me. This is her own wish."

"Why!?"

At this point, Kiana felt heartbroken. Mei wanted to go to the World Serpent, and Lin Ling wanted to go to Schicksal.

Why? Obviously, the three of them had put aside everything and treated each other honestly last night, so why did they have to go their separate ways today?

"Ling, come home with us."

At this moment, Bronya used the Power of Reason to project the images of Himeko and others in the air. "Look, the dean, Himeko, and Seele are all waiting for you."

"Ling... are you really going to leave? Is it because of me? Are you afraid that I will hurt you?" Wendy angrily attributed the reason to herself.

"Ling, I won't let you go to Schicksal! Go to Anti-Entropy with Kiana."

Only Mei, who had become the Queen of Lightning again, spoke domineeringly and forcefully that she should stay.

"I'm sorry, I still have some things to do... I can't go back with you for the time being..."

Finally, Lin Ling's tightly closed eyes slowly opened...

And at the moment her eyes were completely opened, two rays of light, one purple and one green, rushed straight into the sky.

The strong Honkai energy spread out with Lin Ling as the center. The powerful momentum even seemed to be slightly inferior to the momentum of the four Herrschers in the sky.

Even Rita beside her had to block the scythe in front of her body to resist.

"Ms. Lin Ling... your eyes?"

The triumphant smile on Rita's face disappeared. She found that Lin Ling's eyes and the gentle movements of her hands formed a great contrast, which made her feel a little worried.

That was inconsistent with her gentle movements... strong... violent... and... murderous?!

Both the shape and the eyes were very similar to Mei and Wendy after they had completely become Herrschers and lost control. Those were the ruthless eyes of a true Honkai Apostle.

"I'm fine, Rita~" However, this trace of anger quickly faded, and Lin Ling immediately returned to her former playful, smiling self. She handed the hidden cameras in her hand to Rita one by one. "Please keep these well. They store something very precious to me. Okay, you go hide now."

"Wait, Miss Lin Ling, Lord Durandal will be here soon. You'd better not have a direct confrontation for now. Just protect yourself... Ah?!"

Before Rita could finish speaking, a circular imaginary portal appeared beneath her feet, swallowing her up instantly and teleporting her to a distance.

At the same time, the four girls landed at the four corners of the rooftop, surrounding Lin Ling tightly, not allowing her to escape.

"Hmm..."

After looking around at the girls surrounding her, Lin Ling temporarily fixed her gaze on Wendy. She smiled and said, "My Wendy, I'm not afraid of you. Don't you feel that the Will of Honkai can no longer interfere with you? You are completely free now."

"Really?!"

Wendy was shocked when she heard this. Since Lin Ling disappeared, she had wanted to find her so badly that she hadn’t even noticed the strange whispers that used to induce her to engage in destructive activities had disappeared.

Remembering what Lin Ling had done to her in the battleship's infirmary before, she couldn’t help but feel warm in her heart. "Lin Ling, did you do all this? Thank you..."

"Hehe, why are we talking about this?" Lin Ling turned her eyes to the petite, silver-gray-haired girl riding the giant motorcycle. "You can call her Seele too... Sorry," Lin Ling scratched her head. "I'm a little busy right now. I'll come to you when I'm free, and you can ask me then."

"Ling, what did you do to her?"

Of course, she received the same answer as before. A large number of circular imaginary portals spread out in a spherical shape with Lin Ling at the center. Then, numerous sub-space lances shot out from them, surrounding Lin Ling like Mei had done before.

"It's useless."

Then, a terrifying and chaotic storm of ideal fluid suddenly rose around Lin Ling, instantly tearing all the sub-space lances apart.

"Don’t try to escape!"

At that moment, Kiana used space movement, passed through layers of wind barriers, and appeared behind Lin Ling. She reached out, locking Lin Ling's arms tightly from behind.

"I won’t let you leave! Everyone, come and help me!"

"Stop!"

Wendy activated her wind powers using the remaining Honkai energy to create a large number of reverse storms to offset the wind wall around Lin Ling.

Then, she rushed over with the other three girls.

Together, they created lightning to paralyze, wind to suppress, and creation abilities to create a large number of chains and ropes to firmly control Lin Ling's joints, rendering her immobile.

"Cook, you're being so unkind." Although she was locked down by twice as many people as the night before, Lin Ling was not panicked at all. Instead, she spoke to Mei who stood in front of her, "You’re allowed to go to World Serpent, but I’m not allowed to go to Schicksal?"

"..." Mei didn’t speak. Instead, she raised two fingers and gently tapped Lin Ling’s forehead, just like Lin Ling had done to her when she was captured by Cocolia and taken to ME. "Forgive me, Lin Ling..."

Zizizizi!

As Mei spoke, a strong electric current gathered at her fingertips.

She intended to electrocute Lin Ling in one move and let Kiana and the others take her back.

But...

"Forgive me, everyone, this is the last time..."

Lin Ling said the line that Mei wanted to say first.

Instantly, a powerful force that combined wind, thunder, and air surged from Lin Ling, bursting outward, shaking the four girls who were holding her and sending them retreating in all directions...

Then, Lin Ling activated the Herrscher of the Void's space abilities and moved to Kiana in an instant, pressing her hand against the back of Kiana's head. She bit her tongue and stuck it to Kiana's mouth...

"Hmm~"

Kiana moaned. She was already covered with scars, and her body had been battered by Mei just moments before. Overwhelmed, she quickly lost her strength under the effect of Schariac's holy blood in Lin Ling's body and fainted.

Next, Lin Ling moved to Wendy and used the same method, instantly dealing with another girl.

But when Lin Ling dealt with Wendy and Kiana, she turned her attention to Mei. Unlike the weakened Kiana and Wendy, Mei reacted very quickly, turning into lightning to avoid Lin Ling's strange attack.

So, Lin Ling had to shift her attention to... Bronya on the motorcycle.

"Gu..."

Looking at the burning eyes of the white-haired girl in front of her, the always calm Bronya was flustered. Her normally composed face turned red.

Then, Lin Ling instantly appeared at her side.

"Ling!"

Bronya panicked, and even the floating cannons around her fell due to the panic of losing control.

"You little wolf, what are you thinking about?" To Bronya's surprise, Lin Ling did nothing but place the unconscious Kiana and Wendy on the back seat of her motorcycle. She then patted Bronya's shoulder. "Remember to bring them back safely."

"No!" Bronya finally reacted, "You have to come too!"

As a mercenary, Bronya showed her decisive side. Countless floating cannons pointed at Lin Ling, then fired all at once!

Boom, boom, boom!

The red light of the explosion instantly filled the entire rooftop, and the academy which was already broken into two pieces by Mei became even more of a ruin.

However~

When the flames and smoke dissipated, Lin Ling was still unharmed, and even her clothes were spotless.

"Hey Duck, are you going to murder your husband? It's just that I didn't kiss you, is it that serious? Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you when you grow up."

"What!?" Bronya was shocked. Although she hadn't mastered her powers completely and still had much to learn, after gaining the recognition of the core of the Herrscher of Reason, her strength as the Herrscher of Reason surpassed even Theresa who was the strongest person in the Far East Branch.

But now, despite being serious, Lin Ling was still unharmed?

Swoosh!

Whew! While Bronya was still surprised, Lin Ling rushed over like a sharp arrow, punching Bronya's shield from top to bottom. The powerful impact instantly smashed Bronya and her motorcycle into the sea water that flooded the city streets.

"Hehehe!"

Before Bronya could stand up in the water, Lin Ling rushed over again, clapped her hands together, inserted them into Bronya's shield, and tore it apart with her bare hands.

Then, she grabbed Bronya's motorcycle and flew into the air, throwing the three women and the motorcycle toward the approaching Hyperion.

...

"Hmm~ It seems that the fight is a bit unsatisfactory."

Afterward, Lin Ling stretched out her hand and raised her hair, which turned into a silver waterfall of destruction in the sun. Waves of purple ripples spread out from it as the center. That was a strong Honkai energy.

At this time, after absorbing the original Gem of Conquest and preserving the consciousness or soul of Herrscher Mei, Lin Ling gained nearly double the power of the Herrscher, but at the same time, she also suffered double the Honkai erosion.

Therefore, she urgently needed to consume her own power to prevent herself from losing control.

The only ones who could withstand her power were the few Herrschers present and Durandal who had been intentionally placed elsewhere by Otto.

In addition, the reason she insisted on returning to Schicksal was because she had unfinished business there.

And if she truly couldn’t control herself and became completely law-like, it would harm Schicksal, but there was Durandal, who could suppress her. If things went awry, she could drink some of Durandal's genuine holy blood, which shouldn’t cause any big problems.

"Then what’s next?" After quickly dealing with the three Herrschers, the white-haired girl turned her gaze to the only complete Herrscher present, Mei. "It’s your turn, Wife Mei~ Don’t let me down..."

--------

Chapter 149: Sinner's Elegy (End)

"Ling..."

Mei looked coldly into Lin Ling's eyes and was silent for a moment. Her cold tone was filled with deep concern.

"Must you go..."

"Mei..."

Faced with Mei's question, Lin Ling stretched out her right hand toward her with a determined and sad expression, as if she wanted to grab the purple-haired girl in front of her, but she was powerless. Then she said the following:

"I am willing to fall into darkness in exchange for you returning to the light!"

"Huh?"

Mei raised her eyebrows immediately.

Wasn't this what she had thought when she faced Kiana just now?

How did it come out of this girl's mouth? It was too coincidental, wasn't it?

And...

Emmm...

After hearing these words from someone else, Mei felt suddenly embarrassed.

"Ling, there are no outsiders here." Mei calmed herself down and continued to ask, "Can you tell me why you have to go to Schicksal?"

"Of course you are not an outsider to me, you are my insider. But..." Lin Ling looked toward the distant west, where several girls seemed to appear in her mind's eye. "There are people I love in Schicksal, so I have to go back."

Although Lin Ling knew that Schicksal would soon give birth to two Herrschers, predicting the future was too uncertain, and the more people knew the future, the more unstable it would become. Especially since Otto couldn't know, she couldn't reveal it here.

Otherwise, she would lose the advantage of knowing the plot and "anticipating the enemy's moves." If that were the case, even the strongest power couldn't change some things.

Of course, Lin Ling's declaration made Mei frown even more.

Are the people in Schicksal more important than her and everyone on their side?

Why had she abandoned them all and chosen Schicksal after only staying there for a few days?

"Hmph!" Mei snorted coldly. "Although I don't know what you plan to do in Schicksal, there's no doubt that it is a dangerous place, so..."

Having said this, Mei stopped talking and stretched out her hand to draw her saber. At the same time, the two huge floating arm armors beside her, resembling substitutes, drew giant katana and pointed them at Lin Ling not far away. "I won't let you go!"

She was going to take the same approach as Kiana just now and use force to stop her!

"Wuwu, are you going to use domestic violence against me?"

Seeing the purple-haired girl's domineering appearance, Lin Ling immediately pretended to cry.

However, although she was crying, she summoned her long-handled Guandao, which was just as powerful as the giant katana in the hands of Mei's "Stand arm armor."

Not only that, five shining gems—purple, green, amber, and dark blue—condensed behind her, emitting glowing dots of fluorescence.

Although the light from these gems which resembled the Herrscher cor, wasn't strong at the moment, As a Herrscher, Mei could faintly sense the strong powers of wind, thunder, air, death, and others contained within them. It was very dangerous...

"Is this... a pseudo-Herrscher core?" Looking at the white-haired girl holding a gorgeous long sword, with five dazzling, colored light beads floating behind her, like a real Valkyrie from mythology, Mei couldn't help but sigh. "Ling, I didn't expect you to have such power. You really are a mysterious girl..."

"No matter how mysterious, she is still your girl, Mei~ Mei, I love you~"

Lin Ling's sudden confession shocked Mei's body.

While Mei was stunned, Lin Ling's figure instantly accelerated, moving above her, and then, with a swing of her sword, brought it down heavily in a move to split Huashan.

Mei immediately controlled the arm armor and raised her sword to block.

Clang!

Boom!

A strong metal collision, mixed with a shockwave full of thunder and lightning, rang out, collapsing a large portion of the surrounding houses and making the already desolate city even more ruined...

However, through the initial fight, Mei realized that, although there were many objects suspected to be the Herrscher core on Lin Ling, it appears that the power didn't reach the level of a true Herrscher core. It was far less powerful than she had expected. Mei didn't need to expend much strength to receive the blow.

Just as the two girls with swords were deadlocked, the green gem behind Lin Ling suddenly turned into a meteor, bypassed the blade, and struck Mei fiercely...

But it wasn't just a simple collision. Its outer layer was also covered with a sharp ideal fluid blade, which instantly broke through the Herrscher shield around Mei and approached her body.

Fortunately, Mei's hands were still free, and she immediately waved the small sword in her hand to block it.

She then increased her strength, controlling the arm armor to shake vigorously, and sent Lin Ling and her sword flying away.

Lin Ling's cores were mostly semi-finished products with incomplete power, and only the Gem of Desire was a complete version. But she was not a true Herrscher of Wind, so she couldn't fully exert its power.

Now, after absorbing almost all of Nagazora City's Honkai energy, Mei had condensed a truly complete Thunder Herrscher Core, one that truly belonged to her, which was far superior in "quality."

Therefore, in terms of Honkai energy, her power might be stronger... right?

"Yes, Cook, it seems your purity is quite high, so..." Lin Ling rubbed the tiger's mouth that was sore from Mei's shock and suddenly grinned, laughing wildly. "I can finally use my real power with confidence!"

After the test just now, she had confirmed that Mei could withstand all her power!

She wouldn't hold back anymore!

The gems behind her which had originally emitted only faint glows, suddenly erupted with strong wind, thunder, death mist, imaginary spears, and various organic bombs!

At the same time, she waved the Guandao in her hand, continuously slashing, and manipulated all the cores to collide with their own powers!

Countless sword lights and shadows formed an airtight sword net. The high-speed moving "dazzling pattern" turned into a beautiful yet terrifying rainbow of light and color...

For a while, Mei was exhausted from parrying, and the sword in her hand, the Herrscher armor on her body, and the arm armors continued to collapse and shatter.

Finally!

Lin Ling raised the big sword high, all the Herrscher cores attached to the blade, and then, with all her strength, she slashed heavily from the upper right to the lower left...

This completely made Mei collapse. Fortunately, Lin Ling catched her before she fell.

"I'm sorry, Mei. I have never betrayed you," Lin Ling apologized to the weak Mei in her arms.

"..." Mei didn’t know what to say for a moment. She just clenched her fists, lamenting that she was still not strong enough.

"Lin Ling, put her down and leave her to me. She has agreed to join the World Serpent."

At that moment, another man appeared—Kevin.

"No problem," Lin Ling nodded. "I respect Mei’s opinion. After all, this is her own decision."

"Ling..."

Mei looked at Lin Ling's face with a complicated expression. She didn’t want Lin Ling to stop her from leaving, but when she saw that Lin Ling had agreed to her departure without trying to stop her, she felt a little disappointed.

"Don't worry, Cook," Lin Ling said with a smile, as though she had seen through Mei’s thoughts. "I joined the World Serpent before you, but I still have some things to do. We will definitely meet again in the future. Right, little ice pig?"

To reassure Mei, Lin Ling turned her head to look at Kevin, suggesting he back up her words.

"Well..." Kevin nodded without comment. He then took out a red feather floating in the air.

"I understand," Lin Ling nodded in understanding, looking at the feather in Kevin’s hand. "Don’t worry, I won’t break my promise. The Hyperion and the people from Schicksal might be here soon, so let’s say our goodbyes."

With that, Lin Ling gently placed Mei on the back of the Judgment-level Honkai Beast Benares, who had just arrived—or perhaps it should be called Kurikara now.

"Bella, my wife," Lin Ling touched the huge red dragon's head. "Take good care of Mei for me..."

...

...

...

"Ling! Don’t get into trouble!"

In the vast sea, a golden figure flew rapidly through the sky at a speed far exceeding the speed of sound.

This figure was the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, Durandal. Upon hearing from Rita that Lin Ling was fighting with the four Herrschers, she rushed over without stopping.

At this moment, she was furious. It was clear that nothing would have happened if she had just let her come with ger yesterday, but that girl insisted on being stubborn. She gave her the items to call her, but she never used them...

"Hi, silly Wife Dudu, you’re here..."

Fortunately, when Durandal arrived, she saw Lin Ling "walking" slowly in the sky. Lin Ling was smiling and waving at her, looking fine.

"Great!" Durandal flew to her side and hugged her. "You're okay!"

"I’m sorry to have worried you... Actually, I’m fine..."

But before Lin Ling could finish speaking, Durandal felt the person in her arms soften, and then there was no sound.

Since Lin Ling was not a true Herrscher of Wind, overusing the power of the Gem of Desire had inevitably corroded her body. Additionally, she had expended too much energy. The moment she saw Durandal, she made her feel safe enough to relax, resulting for her to faint.

"Ling..." Durandal held the white-haired girl in her arms like a princess. Though she didn’t know what had happened, she couldn’t help but feel distressed when she saw Lin Ling’s exhausted face. "You’ve worked hard..."

...

...

...

Inside the floating island, far away at the headquarters of Schicksal

In the dim room, a blond man was deep in thought as he looked at the flashing screen in front of him.

This experiment had yielded the expected results for Archbishop Otto of Schicksal.

Ding~

With a slight sound, a window appeared, showing another report from Secretary Amber.

In just a few dozen minutes, reports poured in.

Raiden Mei had joined the World Serpent, K423 was taken by the Hyperion, and the fifth Herrscher was about to appear...

But at that moment, he didn’t want to focus on those matters.

"Although I’m not sure how far away she is, this mysterious Miss Lin Ling seems to possess multiple powers of a Herrscher, and it appears she has sincerely submitted to my Schicksal. In this way, my final plan now has double insurance, and the chances of success have increased further..."

-----

Chapter 150: I Don't Have Porn in My Head / Target Coral Island

"Save, save me..."

In the ruined train wreckage, a white-haired girl was trapped in the debris. She trembled and stretched out her hand. In front of her, there was a girl wearing Valkyrie armor, a Valkyrie destined to save the people...

But...

"Yes, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

After apologizing with a trembling voice, the Valkyrie turned and left, her face full of apology...

...

...

...

In a daze, the white-haired girl slowly woke up from her coma.

She opened her vacant eyes and stared blankly ahead, a confused look in her gaze.

What were those strange images in my mind just now?

"What's wrong, Miss Lin Ling?"

At that moment, a gentle and concerned voice came from right above Lin Ling.

"..."

Lin Ling slowly turned her head, and two huge mountains appeared right above her... No, they didn't seem to be mountains...

This familiar maid outfit, with a faint fragrance, immediately made Lin Ling realize that she was resting on that girl's lap.

"Huh!?" Lin Ling straightened her body instantly, reacting quickly. She turned her head away, not wanting Rita to notice her current state, because she found that the corners of her eyes were slightly moist.

"Nothing, nothing," Lin Ling quietly wiped away the tears that were about to overflow from the corners of her eyes. "I was confused in my sleep and had a strange dream..."

"Don't worry." At this moment, Rita gently hugged the white-haired girl beside her and patted her back softly. "It's all over. Lord Durandal saved you from those Herrschers. Everything is fine. Now, no one can hurt you anymore."

"Well, I'm not worried about that."

Unsure if it was to cover the sudden loneliness in her heart, Lin Ling became a little more confident again, smiling. "Hehe, how could my wives hurt me?"

"Tsk tsk tsk~" Rita suddenly clicked her tongue and loosened her arms. "Speaking of which, Miss Lin Ling, you have so many wives..."

With that, Rita stared at Lin Ling with a bitter look in her eyes.

"Mm~"

She even licked her lips. Lin Ling wasn't sure what she was thinking.

"Huh?!" Lin Ling was shocked. "What are you going to do?"

Damn it, how could Dudu leave me alone with this dangerous girl?

At the same time, under Rita's predatory gaze, Lin Ling began to touch herself quietly, filled with some concern.

"Don't worry, Miss Lin Ling." Seeing the panic and distraction in the white-haired girl's eyes, Rita let go of her and covered her mouth with a chuckle. "Rita is not someone who takes advantage of others. I didn't do anything to you while you were asleep."

"...Humph~" Lin Ling laughed. "I knew you wouldn't dare. Too lame."

"Bang!"

"If Rita really wanted to do something to you, would she need to do it while you were asleep?" Suddenly, Rita's hand passed by Lin Ling’s side, pressing against the wall with a little more force, while the other hand lifted her chin. "You are a coward with a heart but no courage."

"Ah!?" At this moment, Lin Ling shouted, which made Rita a little confused. "By the way, where are we!? Why are we alone? I remember the last person I saw was Dudu. Is she in danger!?"

After observing the surroundings and feeling the whistling wind, Lin Ling realized they were likely on a small warship or a fighter jet.

So, she asked Rita loudly, trying to divert her attention.

"Don't worry." As expected, Rita let go of the frightened girl in her arms. "The rebels from the Far East drove the Hyperion and chased us, trying to take you back by force. Now Lady Durandal is trying to stop them, so she temporarily entrusted you to me, and I’m going to take you to a safe place."

"Oh, I see. Then I’m relieved."

Lin Ling nodded thoughtfully. If it was Durandal, there was no need to worry even if she faced the Hyperion alone. Durandal wasn’t bloodthirsty, and nothing would happen to anyone on the ship.

"Then... where are we going next?" Lin Ling asked.

"Well, of course, I’ll take you back to the headquarters of Schicksal. The

Overseer said your body seems to have been seriously eroded by the power of the Herrscher, and you need to undergo a thorough examination and treatment..."

In fact, Rita had considered bullying the girlizer just now, but considering Lin Ling's current physical condition, she let her go as she wished.

"Treatment? Hmm..."

Speaking of Otto, Lin Ling remembered how she had tricked her by pretending to be a girl and shook her head secretly.

No, she can’t just go back like this. With Durandal not here, she can’t handle it alone.

He dared to use self-explosion to test het before, and she’ll be sliced after she returns.

She has other things to do... ah! Got it!

Suddenly, Lin Ling had an idea.

"Rita, why are you so stupid?"

After some thought, the white-haired girl said to Rita.

"Huh?~"

I just let the white-haired girl go, but she still "provoked" me? And dared to call me stupid?

Rita narrowed her eyes. "Miss Lin Ling, please don't play with fire~"

"Any fool can guess that we’ll go directly back to the Schicksal headquarters. My wives over there have more than just the Hyperion battleship. They might have set up an ambush on the way. If we encounter them alone, wouldn’t we be walking straight into a trap?"

"Hmm..." Rita held her chin and thought for a moment. "It is indeed possible. I didn’t expect Miss Lin Ling to think about these tactical things. I thought you only had porn in your mind."

"Ahem," Lin Ling coughed twice. "This lady has always been upright and brave, and never thought about those things. No, porn... I don’t understand what that is. Forget it, it’s not important. Let’s think about where to go first."

"Let me think..." A world map appeared on Rita's wrist. "To the east is the North American base of Anti-Entropy. To the west, we might encounter an Anti-Entropy ambush. Then the nearest Schicksal base should be..."

Rita’s fingers slid across the map for a while. Finally, her fingertips stopped in the south.

"Miss Lin Ling, let’s go to Coral Island first. There’s a branch base of Schicksal there, and many Valkyries are stationed there. It’s the perfect place to check your body thoroughly. There are no decent medical facilities on this small fighter right now."