Chapter 94: Mei - "Kiana, No Matter the Cost, I Will Save You!"
Chapter 94: Mei - "Kiana, No Matter the Cost, I Will Save You!"
Tesla could only sigh and offer words of comfort:
["Don't be too hard on yourself. Negative emotions aren't good for your body. We did everything we could."]
She walked toward the door, hesitated, then turned back for one last glance before finally leaving in silence.
Now, the room was empty—
Only Mei remained, meticulously stacking the scattered files on the table.
Yet, in her mind—
The only thing she could see was Kiana.
In just four months,
That girl had endured too much.
So much that—
She no longer seemed like herself.
Mei didn't want to keep thinking about it—
But she couldn't stop herself.
Her thoughts sank like a heavy stone falling into a frozen lake,
Cold and heavy,
Sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness…
—THUD!
["Mei! Gear up! We're moving out!"]
["Dr. Tesla?! …What's happening?"]
["We… found Kiana!!"]
As soon as Tesla delivered the news,
The prologue segment of Chapter 16 concluded.
The Journey to Nagazora
Hokuto selected the first mission.
As the level began,
The screen displayed a submerged city—
Water flooding its abandoned streets and ruined buildings.
Mei stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Helios,
Gazing down at the deserted ruins of Nagazora City.
["We're here."]
Tesla's voice came from behind her.
["This is where the Herrscher signal was detected."]
Mei's gaze darkened.
She murmured softly—
["Kiana…"]
She stared at the ruined cityscape.
As if speaking to Kiana directly, she whispered—
["Why? Why did you come to Nagazora?"]
Her question received no answer.
After a brief reconnaissance,
The Helios chose a stable rooftop for landing.
Once the ship had settled,
Tesla and Mei disembarked, ready to begin their search.
["Let's go over what we know."]
Tesla began briefing Mei on the intelligence gathered by Anti-Entropy.
["Yesterday afternoon, a Schicksal experimental base in North Africa was attacked by World Serpent forces.
During the chaos, Kiana managed to escape."]
["A few hours later, our East Asia recon station detected a sudden, powerful Herrscher signal in Nagazora.
The energy signature matched the one from Arc City."]
As soon as Mei heard the report,
She immediately came to a conclusion.
["She used the Herrscher of the Void's teleportation ability to get here."]
["Correct. A single long-range teleportation."]
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "That's such a convenient ability! With that, you could travel anywhere you want~"
A pink comment floated across the screen.
It was clear—
Even though Elysia's own abilities were beyond powerful,
She still found space manipulation fascinating.
Being able to erase spatial barriers and arrive anywhere in an instant—
If used in daily life, wouldn't that be amazing?
However—
The power of a Herrscher was not meant for trivial use.
["After that, she disappeared.
The recon station detected no further activity, and the satellites picked up nothing."]
『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "Miss Kiana… she's not in danger, is she?"
A blue comment appeared.
The sender—Seele.
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Hmm… That's why Mei-chan needs to hurry and find her~"
As Elysia and Seele commented,
Tesla laid out their next course of action.
["The Helios has landed in Nagazora's East District. This will be our operations base.
We'll begin our search from here."]
["Nagazora is now a dead city. I can set up a temporary detection array to track Honkai energy.
If Kiana is here, we should be able to locate her this way."]
["But first, we need to find an open area to set it up."]
As soon as Tesla finished speaking,
The game transitioned to live gameplay.
The player now controlled Mei,
Searching for a suitable location to deploy the detectors.
For this mission, Mei wore the Valkyrie Assault Augmented Battlesuit,
The same one she used during the Arc City arc.
Its mobility and offensive capabilities were significantly enhanced,
Allowing her to swiftly clear out enemy forces.
After a series of battles,
Mei and Tesla finally arrived at a suitable deployment site.
["This should do. The landscape has changed so much…
The streets are flooded... The old maps are completely useless."]
Tesla dropped her gear and started assembling the detector.
Meanwhile, Mei surveyed her surroundings,
A wave of melancholy washing over her.
["I knew Nagazora had changed… But seeing it with my own eyes is still…"]
["This is all part of the Third Eruption's aftermath."]
Tesla, hearing her sentiment,
Explained what had happened to the city.
["Nagazora's city center was low-lying, and as a coastal city, it suffered severe land subsidence after the Honkai disaster.
Soon after, seawater flooded in, turning into a secondary disaster when it was tainted by Honkai energy.
The East District, being downstream, was hit the hardest."]
She paused briefly,
Then spoke with a sigh.
["Hard to believe that just three years ago,
This was a thriving metropolis with over three million people."]
Mei's Guilt
Tesla's words triggered something in Mei.
Her expression darkened,
And her voice carried a heavy weight.
["Three years ago, I became a Herrscher.
Sometimes, I wonder…
If I had been stronger, if I hadn't given in to the Honkai…
Would Nagazora have been spared this tragedy?"]
Tesla, sensing Mei's turmoil,
Didn't add to her burden.
She simply reassured her—
["It wasn't your fault."]
But Mei didn't accept that.
["I know the world doesn't work on "what-ifs."
But… I want to remember this disaster.
So that next time I face a choice,
I won't make the same mistake.
And that goes for Kiana as well.
At that moment,
Tesla's scanner activated.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
["Huh...? That was fast.
We already got a reading?!
But as she checked the signal—
She realized something strange.
["Wait a second… The reading is coming from right next to me?"]
A short silence.
Then—
Tesla turned her head toward Mei.
["…It's you?!"]
Tesla was momentarily shocked.
Then, realization dawned.
["Oh. Right.
I totally forgot—
Even though the Gem of Conquest is gone,
You still have traces of Herrscher energy in you."]
["Yeah. That was also in Dr. Einstein's report."]
Mei nodded.
She explained:
["I'm not the only one.
Even Anti-Entropy's leader showed similar effects.
But no one knows why yet.
And this energy… I can't use it at will."]
Tesla advised Mei not to force it,
As using the energy could harm her.
Once they ruled out Mei's energy signature,
The area was clear of any further anomalies.
Tesla then proposed moving to the next search zone.
With that—
The mission concluded.
Audience Reactions
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Mei-chan has Herrscher energy but isn't a Herrscher? Does that mean she's a fusion of human and Herrscher?! Wah, I love Mei even more now!"
It was clear—
Elysia was fascinated by Mei.
A Herrscher who still loved humanity,
Now standing somewhere between the two worlds.
However—
Compared to her excitement,
The rest of the audience took it more seriously.
『Today's Performance Wasn't Perfect:』 "She has Herrscher energy but doesn't exhibit Herrscher traits… This is just like…"
Hua stopped mid-sentence,
But the other Flame-Chasers in the chat already knew what she was about to say—
This phenomenon was eerily similar to what had happened to Suzana.
『where did the little lab rats hide?:』 "Hehe, isn't this a rare and perfect opportunity?
Since there's already a precedent, it only makes sense to conduct further experiments.
This girl, Raiden Mei… she's the ideal test subject, don't you think?~"
Unlike Elysia's admiration for Mei,
Mobius's perspective was far more predatory.
It wasn't affection—
It was the serpent's gaze upon an interesting prey.
If Mei had ended up in her hands…
She truly might have become nothing more than another lab rat.
As the stream chat flooded with reactions,
Hokuto clicked into the next mission.
Mei's Battle
The mission began immediately with combat.
The player controlled Mei,
Fighting against waves of Honkai Beasts.
With her enhanced strength,
Mei easily eliminated the enemies.
After a series of fights,
Mei and Tesla arrived at a rooftop,
Overlooking the ruined cityscape.
Memories of Three Years Ago
Gazing at the familiar surroundings,
Memories began to resurface in Mei's mind.
["Three years ago, Kiana, Bronya, and I escaped from Nagazora together.
Right here… we encountered Himeko-sensei's squad."]
["At the time, we thought she was an enemy, and… we ended up fighting."]
Hearing this,
Tesla glanced at the wreckage scattered on the ground.
["Judging by these ruins, I'd say you gave her quite the headache."]
Mei smiled bitterly.
["Yeah… During that battle, my Herrscher powers went out of control.
Himeko-sensei had to use everything she had just to stop us."]
A pink comment floated across the screen.
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "So Mei-chan was this powerful before? Hmm… She always seemed so gentle. Was she really that wild?"
Though Elysia's words carried no ill intent,
If Mei had been watching,
She probably would've been furious.
Before she accepted her fate as a "sinner,"
She had been far weaker than she wanted to admit.
"Uh… She was still a Herrscher, after all."
Hokuto muttered before starting the next mission.
The Unexpected Encounter
At the start of the next level,
Tesla and Mei continued their search for a new scan site.
As they explored,
They discovered a child.
Considering how dangerous Nagazora had become,
They chose to rescue her.
The Helios - Aboard the Medical Bay
A few minutes later, back on the Helios…
["(I don't know who she is… but we couldn't just leave her behind.)"]
Mei peered through the small infirmary window.
The girl inside had woken up.
Tesla sat beside her,
Speaking gently as the child listened nervously.
Mei waited a few minutes,
Then, the infirmary door opened.
SWISH—
["Dr. Tesla, who is she?"]
As soon as the door opened,
Mei immediately asked.
["Just as we suspected…
She's a refugee from Nagazora."]
Tesla's answer made Mei frown.
["Her name is Sora.
She grew up in Nagazora.
After the Honkai disaster, she fled to the East District and has been living there ever since."]
["Aside from her, there are about ten others—all children.
The oldest is only sixteen.
They've been surviving in the ruins of Nagazora… for three whole years."]
Audience Reactions
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Three years… so from the moment the disaster hit until now… they never left?"
A pink comment floated across the screen.
Elysia, hearing this, felt a deep sense of empathy.
After all—
She had also experienced something similar in the past.
But back then,
She had at least felt the warmth of humanity.
These children…
Had they ever received the same kindness?
The Forgotten Survivors
As Elysia's pink-colored comment floated across the screen,
Mei, in the game, was also lost in thought—
Recalling the events of the past.
["How could this happen…?
Schicksal supposedly deployed three branch divisions for disaster relief…
And yet, there were still survivors left behind?"]
Tesla sighed.
She had expected this reaction.
["I asked her about what happened, but… she seems to have memory loss.
She doesn't remember anything from the day of the Honkai disaster.
These children live in a place called "The Nest."
Does that name sound familiar to you?"]
Mei frowned.
["The Nest…?
I don't recall any place like that in Nagazora."]
As the only daughter of Raiden Ryoma,
And a former student at Chiyou Academy,
Mei was deeply familiar with the city's geography.
She was certain—
This place didn't exist before the disaster.
Tesla nodded in understanding.
["Hmm… There's a caretaker, apparently a woman.
Sora calls her "Teacher."
She's rarely in Nagazora, only visiting once every month or two.
Whenever she returns, she brings food and supplies.
That's how The Nest has managed to survive."]
Tesla sighed.
This was all fascinating information,
But…
This wasn't their mission.
They were here to find Kiana.
Instead,
They had accidentally rescued a child—
And stumbled upon an entirely different mystery.
["Ugh, I need to process all this.
You go talk to her."]
Mei nodded in understanding and stepped into the infirmary.
Meeting Sora
As the door swung open,
Mei's voice was gentle.
["Hello, I'm Raiden Mei. Just call me Mei."]
A timid voice responded.
["Ah… Hello."]
The screen displayed the young girl.
She looked weak—
Her pink hair, slightly unkempt, was pinned back with a small hair clip featuring a smiling face.
Her red eyes stared blankly ahead.
A tattered cloak draped over her shoulders.
Her hands were wrapped in bandages,
Though it was unclear how serious her injuries were.
Mei smiled softly.
She spoke warmly, effortlessly bridging the distance.
["No need to be so formal. Just call me Mei."]
Her approach was completely different from Tesla's.
It was gentle, not clinical—
And with just a few words,
She had already closed the emotional gap.
["Tesla told me about you.
Your name is Sora, right?"]
End of Chapter 94