Chapter 88: Mei—"I Can’t Do Anything!"

Chapter 88: Mei—"I Can't Do Anything!" 

『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "The Herrscher of the Void's power? Oh my~ It looks like Kiana-chan has caught the eye of someone very dangerous… I'm starting to worry about her."

A pink comment drifted across the screen, expressing Elysia's concern.

But aside from that, she had also noticed something else…

『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "By the way, what exactly is this so-called 'wish' that Otto keeps talking about? Could it be… leading humanity to victory over the Honkai?"

『where did the little lab rats hide?:』 "If that were true, he wouldn't be trying to control Herrschers. And he definitely wouldn't be conducting an experiment that is doomed to fail."

『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Hehe~ A 'wish' isn't something so easily explained, you know? Maybe he just wants to create a group of Herrschers strong enough to finally kill him~"

As various theories filled the chat, Otto himself remained silent.

Clearly, he had no intention of explaining his true goal.

Meanwhile, in the game, Otto voiced his thoughts about the necessity of the Herrscher of the Void's power.

With that, the stage was cleared.

As the next stage began, the perspective shifted back to Durandal.

She was still at the Schicksal base, eliminating the Honkai creatures that had emerged from the experiment.

The final wave consisted of a group of highly mobile, heavily armored crab-like quantum shadows.

They were annoying to fight, constantly scuttling around and blocking attacks.

But for Durandal, it was nothing more than a warm-up.

After clearing the enemies, she received a report—

["All quantum shadows eliminated. Headquarters has ordered the experiment to conclude. Durandal, please return to base."]

["Understood."]

At a depth of 1,000 meters, the Vimur Experimental Lab was bustling.

Technicians cut power, reset instruments, and began cleanup procedures.

The facility was built to withstand any disaster from the surface—

Yet its entire defense force consisted of just one Valkyrie.

Inside the rest area, Durandal sat in silence.

She was reading a report from Rita—

A mission summary about what happened in Arc City.

She stared at the words for a long time—

Then, without hesitation, stood up and left the room.

『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Oh! So this is what Durandal was doing before Arc City? Does that mean she's heading there… to capture Kiana-chan?"

『Today's Performance Wasn't Perfect:』 "Obviously."

As Hua responded, the next stage loaded.

The screen faded in—

Revealing Arc City, bathed in golden sunlight.

Three hours later…

The sky above Arc City was lit as bright as day.

Civilians stood on the streets, gazing upward, witnessing the miraculous spectacle.

They had no idea—

That they had just escaped death.

None of them noticed—

That their savior was falling from the sky, her body engulfed in a fiery glow, plummeting like a broken kite into the sea of clouds below.

Only one person had their eyes fixed on her.

["Kiana!"]

The screen shifted—

Showing Mei, tears in her eyes, running as fast as she could.

Mei sprinted across the skyline, desperately chasing after Kiana's falling figure.

But the city was still dangerous.

Enemy mechs were still patrolling, gathering to cut her off.

["Kiana! Hold on… I'll bring you back to everyone!"]

Determined to protect the one she loves, Mei fought like never before.

Enemy after enemy fell before her blade.

Even when a Deathweaver-class enemy appeared, she didn't stop.

Finally, after an intense battle, Mei defeated her final opponent.

She was almost there—

Just one step away from reaching Kiana.

But then—

Mei froze.

The battlefield before her was eerily silent.

Enemy mechs stood frozen in place, trapped in blocks of shimmering ice.

Like an army of statues, they were completely motionless.

Something was wrong.

But she had no time to think—

She continued forward, calling out to Kiana—

["Kiana—"]

BOOM!

Before she could finish her sentence—

A golden-haired Valkyrie descended from the sky.

Her massive lance slammed into the ground, creating a crater of shattered concrete.

Mei's words died in her throat.

She had been stopped.

『Your Great Inventor:』 "..."

A green ellipsis floated across the screen.

Otto Apocalypse was silent.

The situation was too ironic to ignore.

Kiana had arrived—

But it wasn't the Kiana that Mei was looking for.

『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Durandal… She really came. Will Mei be in danger? Even though I kind of want to see her flustered, I still think she's cuter when she's smiling~"

Her pink comment glowed softly on-screen.

She was genuinely worried about Mei.

But she didn't need to be.

Because Durandal's mission wasn't to harm her.

As Mei stood frozen,

A blue comet descended from the sky—

And landed between her and Kiana.

Durandal stood tall, her golden hair flowing, gripping her lance with ease.

She turned slightly, locking eyes with Mei.

For a moment—

Her appearance was uncannily similar to Cecilia's.

Except her hair was golden—

And her weapon wasn't Black Abyss White Flower.

["You're… Schicksal's Valkyrie, Durandal!"]

["This is our first meeting, Raiden Mei."]

Durandal greeted Mei politely.

Then, the stage ended.

As the next stage began, the game provided additional background on Durandal from Mei's perspective.

She was the wielder of the Key of God—Black Abyss White Flower, and Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie.

Mei knew her name.

She knew her reputation.

But even if Durandal was her strongest opponent yet—

She had no choice but to fight.

["I have orders to take Kiana Kaslana into Schicksal's custody."]

Durandal stated her mission calmly.

But Mei had no intention of letting that happen.

Mei took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her sword.

["Over my dead body!"]

Without another word, the battle began.

Durandal was a newly introduced boss—

Which meant her difficulty was off the charts.

Mei fought valiantly, cutting away three full health bars.

But the battle was far from over.

And when Durandal's health dropped to five bars—

She stopped holding back.

["It's time to end this."]

With a single leap, she soared into the air—

Then dove down like a falling star, her lance glowing brilliantly.

Mei tried to react, but—

BOOM!

Durandal's final attack landed.

The screen was engulfed in white light.

When the light faded, the screen slowly refocused.

Durandal stood tall, her lance firmly planted in the ground.

And Mei—

Was on her knees.

She could barely support herself, using her sword to keep from collapsing.

『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Mei-chan… lost? That's so cruel! Why would they write the story like this?! It's too much!"

A pink comment floated across the screen.

Clearly, Elysia wasn't happy with this development.

But someone else had a different opinion.

『Today's Performance Wasn't Perfect:』 "It was a fight to the death. Durandal sparing her is already an act of mercy."

『where did the little lab rats hide?:』 "Yes… She was only following her mission."

As their comments drifted by,

One more person in the chat finally spoke up.

『Hard Work Always Pays Off:』 "..."

Durandal herself was watching.

And in the game, she spoke once more.

Durandal—"You Have No Chance."

["It's over, Raiden Mei. You cannot win."]

["It's… not over… yet…"]

Mei's breathing was ragged, but she refused to surrender.

Her determination was unwavering.

["I won't let you take Kiana…!"]

For the first time, Durandal looked intrigued.

["You have strong resolve."]

She admired Mei's determination.

But she also recognized reality.

["However, you still lack the strength to match your will."]

With that, Durandal grabbed Kiana and leaped into the sky.

Like a comet, she shot upward, disappearing into the distance.

Mei stared up—

She ran after her—

But no matter how fast she moved,

She couldn't reach her.

She was too late.

Kiana was gone.

Mei collapsed to her knees.

Her shoulders trembled.

And then, she spoke.

["I… I can't do anything…"]

『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Ahhh… I hate seeing Mei-chan so sad! Will she and Kiana ever be together again? I just want to hug her and comfort her!"

[Because of your livestream content, Pink Fairy Miss feels sympathy. You have gained 1,400 crystals!]

A pink comment floated across the screen.

Elysia truly didn't want to see Mei suffer.

She wished she could reach out and hold her.

But there was nothing she could do.

She could only watch.

Then, a new comment appeared.

A single, glowing ellipsis.

『No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai:』 "..."

Kevin was watching.

He had made his decision.

He knew what needed to be done.

As Mei's despair filled the screen,

The stage ended.

As the next stage began, the perspective shifted—

To Rita.

She stood among the ruins of Arc City.

["Vice Captain! Are you alright?!"]

Arvette's voice came through the comms.

["I'm fine."]

Arvette had seen the explosion in the sky.

She asked a simple question—

["So… was it really the Herrscher of the Void who saved the city? Why would she do that?"]

Rita's answer was direct.

["To protect the people who live here."]

Arvette was stunned into silence.

Rita continued.

["Now, we still have work to do. I've secured the antidote from Shencheng Pharmaceuticals. Their plans have failed, but we need to catch the rats before they scatter."]

With that, the stage began.

Rita infiltrated the facility, taking down guard mechs one by one.

She worked quickly, eliminating all resistance.

Finally, she reached the innermost chamber—

And paused.

["The Herrscher mentioned someone… a person with a 'dog head'…"]

["Dog head…? What does that mean?"]

["Maybe a metaphor. Either way, we need to move quickly."]

Rita approached the main console.

Her eyes narrowed.

["…Too late, huh?"]

The database had been wiped.

She bit her lip, frustrated.

Then, she gave a new order—

["Arvette, send a team to recover any remaining data."]

At that moment, her comms beeped.

A familiar voice came through.

["Rita, what's the situation?"]

Durandal had arrived.

End of Chapter 88