Chapter 62 — The Moment Has Come

"These guys are the ones targeting my Mei?"

With a smug little huff, Kiana the tuna on the other hand brought her hand down in a sharp chop to the back of a soldier's head, mimicking C.C.'s signature move.

The man, dressed in a black combat suit, dropped with a thud.

Kiana gave a proud smile. "Doesn't feel like they're as tough as Nagami made them out to be~"

"That's because their main force isn't even here," C.C. replied, watching as blood began to pool beneath the fallen man's head.

She clicked her tongue with mild regret.

"Without some specialized treatment from Cocolia, this guy's going to spend the rest of his life bedridden."

"They're not here for us," she added, knocking Kiana on the forehead with a finger chop.

"These guys are just disposable pawns to keep us occupied. Also—if you can't control your strength, don't copy my moves!"

C.C. casually tossed a healing skill at the unconscious soldier.

She wasn't in the habit of killing civilians—at least, not when she was in a good mood.

"That should be the last of them, right?" Kiana adjusted the black cloak that concealed her figure, then reached for C.C.'s hand. "Can I take this off now?"

"Not yet~" C.C. ruffled her hair before vaulting smoothly into the driver's seat of a nearby sports car. "Alright, time to meet up with Mei."

"Okay." Kiana rarely argued with C.C., and quickly climbed in after her.

The engine roared like a beast released from its cage.

With a burst of blue flame, the car shot forward like an arrow fired from a bow.

———————————————————————

"Lady Cocolia, we have a situation."

As Cocolia sat frozen, staring at the screen where the white-haired girl had suddenly transformed into someone utterly different, a researcher's voice cut in urgently.

"What now?" she asked sharply, her expression darkening further.

"We've lost contact with all our surveillance teams. The last footage transmitted shows a woman identified as 'C.C.' and another individual in a black cloak."

The researcher, visibly trembling, struggled to explain.

Yet another unexpected variable.

Cocolia's face twisted into something even darker, her expression now resembling a thundercloud ready to burst.

She lowered her head in thought, eyes shadowed by her bangs.

Then, after a tense pause, she looked up—her clenched jaw barely hiding the frustration in her voice.

"Notify 'Welt'. Have him handle the two of them. And be careful with how you phrase it."

Of course, she wasn't referring to the original Welt, the leader of Anti-Entropy, but to his clone.

"Understood, Lady Cocolia!" Drenched in sweat, the researcher fled the room in a clumsy hurry, grateful to be dismissed.

Compared to dealing with a second-rate clone, anything—even this mess—seemed preferable.

A string of mishaps had completely upended her plan.

Cocolia's fury simmered just beneath her calm facade, and a frightening trace of madness began to show in her eyes.

Switching communication channels, she steadied herself as she prepared to speak to someone on the other end—someone who still gave her a sense of control.

"Bronya. We need backup up ahead."

"Bronya acknowledges," came the emotionless response.

———————————————————————

"Nagami… Sirin, she—"

Raiden Mei clutched her head, her face half-shadowed as she gasped for air.

Her breathing was shallow, and her expression was strained, clearly reeling from some internal trauma.

She hadn't seen the full fight between Sirin and the Titan, but even the brief glimpse she'd caught had thrown her into deep confusion.

Just who was this friend of Nagami's?

"I'll explain everything later. For now, focus on staying calm," Nagami said gently.

His amethyst eyes, shaped like six-pointed stars, spun like glass gears under the light, glowing softly with power.

Within his unique vision, the purple-black particles surrounding Mei were growing more and more intense.

No, even with the naked eye now, one could begin to see the drifting dark particles in the air.

Kiana's graceful figure landed softly in the backseat, her long white braid fluttering behind her.

"She's in a bad state," Kiana said grimly. "That suppressed Honkai energy could explode at any moment."

She turned to look at Nagami, her face serious.

As someone who had crossed into this world, Nagami should've prioritized his own safety and needs.

Catastrophes—even deadly ones—often felt distant or abstract to those not born here.

His desire to stop the outbreak wasn't driven by a grand moral code.

It was about saving the people he'd come to know in Nagazora.

The rest? Collateral.

He did want to save the world, sure.

But mostly because that achievement would feel… satisfying.

Like unlocking a special ending.

So no—Nagami wasn't some great hero.

But he wasn't a villain, either.

He just cared more about the people close to him than strangers.

And when someone became his friend, he became the kind of guy who would fight for them, right or wrong.

Helping Mei awaken as a Herrscher wasn't just about future plans in the Honkai-verse.

It was also about giving her the strength to survive.

Because in a world where disaster could strike at any time, there was no greater peace of mind than having your own power.

And honestly—even if they stopped Mei's awakening today, once she learned about what was going to happen to K423… she'd never forgive herself for holding them back.

That's just the kind of person Mei was.

She would accept the power. She had to.

"I'm useless…"

Though that phrase had become a bit of a meme among the captain, when Mei had whispered it…

The guilt.

The helplessness.

The pain in her voice—it was very real.

Just like the tragic arcs in the game's storylines.

But this time, with Nagami here, things wouldn't spiral out of control.

And so…

'Today in this very moment a Herrscher will be born.'

"We're far enough from Nagazora City now. If a Herrscher awakens here, it should draw all the surrounding Honkai energy away from the city."

Pressing slightly harder on the brake, Nagami gradually brought the car to a stop.

"And since the Honkai concentration here is relatively low, the newly born Herrscher should be in a weakened, undernourished state."

"With our strength… we should have a shot at handling it."

Cradling the nearly unconscious Raiden Mei in his arms, Nagami didn't have the mind to admire the delicate curves of the girl in his embrace.

Without wasting a moment, he carried her toward the open field outside.

His senses were razor-sharp, and the familiar sensation of being watched told him that someone had arrived—with the stroller in tow.

Kiana followed closely behind Nagami as the two approached the center of the field.

Floating in midair ahead of them was a girl with silver-gray hair, her presence calm but commanding.

"Target confirmed: Raiden Mei. Beginning retrieval procedure."

"Level-Three Combat Protocol initiated."

"Fire-control system activation confirmed."

Behind her, the massive mechanical form of Heavy Bunny 19C emerged.

With its enormous steel arms, it lifted Mei with cold efficiency.

The girl's face was expressionless, her voice devoid of emotion, yet her cutely detached tone sent a chill through the air.

The towering mech locked onto the group with deadly precision, the gaping barrel of its weapon making the threat crystal clear.

"Hand over the host body."

Suddenly, a roar of engines thundered from the distance.

In the dead silence of the open field, the sound echoed like a lightning strike—sharp and unmistakable.

Heavy Bunny's other arm retracted, transforming fluidly into a second cannon, its barrel swiveling toward the source of the sound.

Seconds later, the high-speed car that had been a mere dot on the horizon arrived in a blur, screeching to a halt with a stylish drift that scorched a trail into the ground—and stopped just behind Nagami.

Bronya's pale gray eyes focused on the two who leapt from the car: a green-haired girl and a black-robed figure whose form was mostly hidden, though her silhouette made her gender unmistakable.

"You can have her, of course," the green-haired girl said with a sly smile. "But you'll have to wait just a bit~"