Herrscher Mei, Elias Slashes a Titan

"Begone, filth!"

As a bolt of lightning completely erased the girl down to her molecular structure, fear filled the eyes of every remaining onlooker. 

They were Cocolia's elite subordinates, yet at this moment, in front of a high school girl, they seemed insignificant, powerless, and weak.

"Finally silenced that annoying pest. Now… it's your turn."

'Mei' scanned the remaining enemies. The moment she had opened her eyes, she had completely changed.

Her former weakness had transformed into cold ruthlessness.

Her previous frailty had given way to overwhelming power.

Her gentle demeanor had turned into decisive brutality!

In this moment, Mei was nothing less than a queen standing above all, and these people before her were nothing more than insignificant insects.

With each motion of her hand, lightning crackled and thunder roared.

"Open fire! Shoot her now!"

"Subdue her—no, kill her!!"

"Lady Cocolia, the target has awakened! Requesting immediate reinforcements, requesting sup—argh!"

"No, stay away! You monster!"

"Damn it, she—ugh!"

Cocolia's men were seasoned fighters, yet in this moment, they were nothing more than ants before a storm. Their firearms became worthless; bullets melted before they could even reach her.

Meanwhile, Mei wielded the authority of lightning, annihilating them effortlessly.

It was as natural as breathing. Her unmatched strength shook the hearts of all who bore witness.

Fear became their final emotion.

"You were all so confident ganging up on a helpless girl before, but now, look at you—pathetic. Humanity is truly beyond salvation… hmm?"

"Mei!" x2

The only two people in the world who mattered to her had finally arrived. Seeing the white-haired boy and girl rushing toward her, the cold expression of the Thunder Queen momentarily flickered with emotion.

But only for a moment.

She was born from the consciousness of the girl known as Mei, but that did not mean she was Mei.

While she inherited the girl's memories, she did not inherit her emotions.

She was herself—the Thunder Queen, the Third Herrscher!

At this moment, Herrscher Mei had only one mission as dictated by her nature—to destroy humanity, to bring civilization to ruin.

Yet, due to the blessing of a certain pink-haired elf from the previous era, she had retained her self-awareness rather than becoming a mindless puppet of Honkai.

(Tell me, what will you do?)

The Herrscher of Thunder gazed at Elias and Kiana with assessing eyes. While Mei's memories prevented her from lumping them in with the rest of humanity, she felt neither hostility nor warmth toward them.

Thus, she made no move to attack. Instead, she chose… to observe.

(Let's see what you will decide. Will you choose to save the world and stand against me… or will you choose to save that useless crybaby?)

In the next moment, Elias moved without hesitation.

He sprinted toward Herrscher Mei, drawing his Honkai energy weapon in a single fluid motion.

Compared to the overwhelming energy of a Herrscher, the Honkai energy within Elias was akin to the light of a firefly beneath a full moon. However, if Herrscher Mei made no effort to defend, this strike could still wound—perhaps even kill—her in her yet-unperfected state.

"…So this is your choice."

The last flicker of emotion in the Thunder Queen's eyes faded into nothingness.

She had seen his answer—Elias had chosen to stand against her, to fight for the world.

His blade swung with full force, merciless and absolute, as if he intended to cleave her in half.

"As a repayment for all the times you helped that crybaby, I will ensure you feel no pain in death. Farewell, filth—no, Elias… Eh?"

Even Herrscher Mei herself didn't realize she had sighed. Just as she prepared to unleash her authority and end the boy's life in an instant—

"Mei, get down!!"

"Huh?"

"Haaaaahhhhh!!!"

In that moment, Herrscher Mei finally noticed—

Though the young man was charging toward her with urgency in his eyes, the blade in his hands was not aimed at her.

Instead, Elias lunged forward, pulling her into his arms while raising his Pulse Katana Type-19 into a defensive stance.

Clang—!

Herrscher Mei's eyes widened.

Behind her, a massive Titan mecha had appeared without her noticing.

Had Elias not intervened, the devastating punch would have landed squarely on her, dealing a grievous blow.

After all, Herrschers were akin to spellcasters—possessing immense power but lacking physical durability.

"Get! Off! Me!"

Elias felt his arm nearly shatter under the impact, but gritting his teeth, he managed to deflect the strike.

Before the Titan could launch another attack, Elias planted his foot against the mecha's arm, using it as leverage to propel himself upward. With all his strength, he drove his Pulse Katana Type-19 straight into the Titan's eye.

The machine immediately went still, its glowing blue eye fading into darkness.

"Damn it!!!"

Miles away, Cocolia slammed her palm against the control panel, her furious gaze fixed on the static-filled screen.

A perfectly executed ambush—foiled by a mere human boy. With Herrscher Mei now fully aware, recapturing her was no longer feasible.

(Hah… Hah… I actually pulled it off… Cough… I just took down a Titan… Damn, that's crazy!)

Elias withdrew his Pulse Katana Type-19 and dropped to one knee, panting heavily.

He had anticipated the presence of Titans—after all, this was Cocolia's doing.

In the game, that cunning fox had also used three Titans to ambush Wendy, the Herrscher of Wind, leading to her capture.

"Kiana, the rest is up to you."

"What? Huh?! Where did all these mechs come from?! Damn it, how dare you ambush Mei! I'll tear you apart!"

Two more Titans materialized, prompting Kiana to grit her teeth and swing her newly acquired Ion Resonance Sword, tearing through the hulking machines.

Ordinarily, hiding a Titan mech was an impossible feat—especially managing to position them within two meters of a Herrscher without being detected.

But through sacrificing her own daughter to acquire quantum technology, Cocolia had granted these Titans exceptional stealth and teleportation capabilities, allowing them to materialize instantly from quantum form into solid matter.

Titans were formidable adversaries, even for the current Kiana. As for how Elias—a mere human—had managed to take one down…

His equipment and external factors played a significant role.

Raiden Ryoma's Pulse Katana Type-19 was a Honkai energy weapon—but more importantly, it was one that even ordinary humans could wield.

That alone gave Elias the means to fight back.

At the same time, the electromagnetic field generated by Herrscher Mei's awakening interfered with the Titans the moment they materialized. The brief internal short-circuit caused by the disruption slowed the mechs' movements.

That instant of vulnerability was all Elias needed to strike—one decisive slash, and the Titan was out of commission.

As for the final factor… it was purely his courage.

The unwavering resolve, the complete absence of hesitation, the reckless bravery to challenge a mechanical giant head-on.

"Elias, are you okay?!"

Having finished off the remaining two Titans, Kiana rushed over, her expression filled with concern.

"Cough… Kiana, I'm fine. But uh… Mei, could you give me a hand?"

"…"

The disappointment in Herrscher Mei's eyes faded, but her cold and commanding aura remained.

She stared straight at Elias, the one who had just saved her life. Her expression was unreadable, her piercing violet gaze seeming as if she wanted to engrave every detail of the young man before her into her memory.