As Mei plummeted from the sky, a fleeting thought crossed her mind: perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to die here. But the Herrscher of Thunder within her wouldn't allow it. The Herrscher forcefully took control. Just as the Herrscher was channeling Honkai Energy to fly back up, a hand grabbed her wrist.
The Herrscher of Thunder, still puzzled that her opponent hadn't been electrocuted and quantumized, looked up to see a smile she would never forget. Kiana's lips curved into a charming arc, her eyes slightly narrowed. Gazing at Kiana's smile, the Herrscher felt that nothing in the world could be more beautiful. She suddenly understood why Raiden Mei had fallen for this white-haired dumpling. In that moment, the Herrscher of Thunder realized she had fallen in love with her too.
Perhaps this is love at first sight, she thought with a self-mocking chuckle. Even I can have such thoughts.
The Herrscher of Thunder retreated, returning control of her body to Mei and helping her contain the Herrscher's out-of-control Honkai Energy. Kiana's smile wasn't meant for her. She wasn't Raiden Mei. She had no right to receive Kiana's tenderness. She was just a pitiful Stigmata Consciousness and a detestable Herrscher of Thunder.
When Mei opened her eyes again, she was Raiden Mei. She felt as if she had lost consciousness for a moment, but the instant she saw Kiana's face, everything else seemed unimportant.
But precisely because of this, Mei couldn't bear the thought of hurting Kiana. "Kiana... let go of me. Maybe it's best if I die... then she won't come out again..."
Kiana paused, then said seriously to Mei, "Nonsense! If she comes out again, I'll just beat her down again! Hold my hand tight and don't let go!"
Kiana gripped Mei's hand tightly and pulled her up. Once they were both on the rooftop, they collapsed hand-in-hand, gasping for breath.
Feeling the warmth of Kiana's hand in hers, Mei suddenly remembered something and frantically tried to pull her hand away, but Kiana held on tight, refusing to let go.
Kiana raised their clasped hands triumphantly, declaring to Mei, "Don't even think about running away from me again!"
"But... that power before... I'm afraid I'll hurt you!" Mei was still shaken, fearing that the uncontrolled ability to decompose matter into its quantum components would resurface and harm Kiana again.
"Don't worry! I'm super strong. Even the Herrscher of Thunder couldn't beat me!"
"But this is different..."
"It's not different at all!"
As they were still arguing, Sparkle arrived.
"Finally found you two! Where's the Herrscher of Thunder?"
Kiana was about to boast about how she'd beaten the Herrscher of Thunder, but when she didn't see Ryn beside Sparkle, she asked in confusion, "Where's Ryn? Isn't he with you?"
Sparkle rolled her eyes at Kiana. "You didn't even bother to ask me what happened first." She then deactivated her external armor, plopped down beside Kiana, and lay her head in her lap, enjoying the knee pillow with a lazy smile. "Though I don't know how he did it, the moment the Herrscher of Thunder descended, he transferred all the Honkai Energy away. He told me the Herrscher would lack sufficient Honkai Energy, making her incomplete and incredibly weak. He urged us to seize the opportunity to reclaim Mei. Looks like you've already finished the job."
Kiana recalled the feeble Herrscher of Thunder they had faced earlier and nodded as if understanding dawned on her. "That explains why the Herrscher of Thunder was so weak... So where's Ryn?"
"I don't know. But he said he'd be fine. Now, we just need to survive until he returns!"
"Right," Kiana and Mei both replied, nodding. Kiana knew Ryn well; if he said he'd be fine, he definitely would be. But if he didn't come back, she vowed to fight her way through the Sea of Quanta to retrieve him. Mei silently thanked Ryn for his sacrifice, determined to comfort him properly when he returned.
Sparkle nodded as well, continuing to enjoy Kiana's knee pillow as she slowly regained her strength. Though Ryn had said he would transfer the Honkai Energy to the Sea of Quanta the moment the Herrscher descended, Sparkle had watched him vanish before her eyes, a pang of heartache twisting her gut.
Meanwhile, in the Sea of Quanta...
The Stigmata in Ryn's hand had drained Nagazora City of its Honkai Energy the moment the Herrscher of Thunder descended. Using a portion of that energy, it opened a path to the Sea of Quanta and teleported Ryn there.
Though called a sea, it was actually a vast, featureless expanse of pure white. There was no up or down, no sense of direction or time. Ryn knew that if he stayed here too long, he would surely lose his sanity.
"What should I do... I feel like I can't suppress it anymore," Ryn groaned in agony. His body was covered in marks of Honkai corruption. Although the Stigmata had absorbed the Honkai Energy, the Stigmata was still a part of him. The Honkai Energy released by the Herrscher's descent was immense, and even a small leak from the Stigmata was more than Ryn's mortal body could withstand. (The Honkai beasts and tactical mechas couldn't withstand the leaking Honkai energy from Hare. Even Pardofelis was eroded and vanished by the extremely high concentration of Honkai energy.)
[I'm still negotiating with the Sea of Quanta! Just hold on a little longer!]
Ryn's face twisted in pain. He wanted nothing more than to punch the Stigmata Consciousness twice. What did it mean by "still negotiating"?
[Alright, alright, the Sea has agreed. It has a minor condition, but it's nothing serious and can be easily resolved. Now, confirm one more time: do you want the Herrscher's Authority?]
After some thought, Ryn chose the First Herrscher's Authority. After all, he could craft Divine Keys and build giant robots with his bare hands later.
Once he confirmed his choice, the Stigmata began transferring the Authority. A warm, gentle energy flowed through his body, and his consciousness gradually began to sink. The process felt incredibly smooth and peaceful, as if he were experiencing a fundamental shift in his very being.
But the feeling changed abruptly the next moment. He first sensed the gaze of a great being, followed by the gaze of another. The previously tranquil energy flow suddenly turned violent, as if his entire body were being torn apart by two opposing forces.
"Holy shit... Hey, hey, hey! Is this how brutal the upgrade process is? I've seen Herrschers just snap into it instantly! And why do I feel like two things are fighting over me?!"
Cough, cough... That's because those are normal Herrschers from the Imaginary Side. Their upgrades are naturally quick. We, on the other hand, made a deal with the Sea of Quanta and are trying to become a Quantum Side Herrscher... Now the Imaginary Tree isn't happy and is fighting the Sea of Quanta for control...
"Huh? When did I ever say I wanted to become a Quantum Side Herrscher?!" As Ryn finished speaking, one of the energies tearing at his body intensified. Overwhelmed by the pain, he passed out instantly.
So much talk... Why couldn't we just quietly take the benefits? Now we've made the Sea of Quanta unhappy!