The Honkai Beast once again raised its spear like a blade and swung it down, but this time it was blocked by a barrier of purple lightning.
Under the influence of the overflowing Honkai energy, Mei's clothes began to disintegrate, and the Lightning Soul Sigil on her waist became visible. The Stigmata glowed, enveloping Raiden Mei.
When the light dissipated, Raiden Mei's eyes were scarlet. Her left arm was covered in highly concentrated Honkai energy, etched with beautiful patterns. The overflowing Honkai energy from her arm formed into wings of lightning at her side.
Raiden Mei—no, the Herrscher of Thunder—flew into the air holding Kiana, looking down on the Templar-class Honkai Beast. The Herrscher of Thunder raised her right hand high, and a giant ball of lightning formed in the sky above.
"Disappear, you trash."
Then, with a wave of her hand, the ball of lightning descended from the sky and crashed onto the Honkai Beast. A brilliant beam of light shot up into the heavens, and the Honkai Beast, along with the nearby buildings, was turned to ash, vanishing from the world.
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The massive beam of energy was clearly visible even from several kilometers outside the city. And there, an airborne battleship—the Hyperion—was parked.
"Massive Honkai energy reaction detected ahead!" "Honkai source value is increasing exponentially!" "Honkai Beasts within Nagazora City are converging on the Honkai source!"
A woman with long red hair in a formal dress said with a grim expression, "Tch, looks like we've hit the jackpot this time."
"Colonel Himeko, there's still time to retreat!"
"Cut the crap. The word 'retreat' isn't in my dictionary. All hands, level 1 alert. Battle stations!"
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On the ruins, countless Honkai Beasts had gathered. They had come on a pilgrimage. Born in Nagazora City, they were all servants of the Third Herrscher. But the Herrscher of Thunder had no time for them. She looked at the unconscious Kiana in her arms and began to convert Honkai energy into pure energy, infusing it into Kiana's body to heal her injuries.
"Getting hurt to protect that coward, how unsightly! Kiana.
Hurry up and wake up. I won't allow you to die so easily. The only one who can take your life is me!"
Both the Herrscher of Thunder and Mei were frantic with worry and didn't notice that Kiana wasn't seriously injured, just temporarily knocked out. In comparison, Bronya and Kika were likely the ones with the most severe injuries... one was sent flying, and the other was caught in the Herrscher of Thunder's attack.
*Rumble—*
While the Herrscher of Thunder was healing Kiana, the Hyperion had already flown overhead.
Colonel Himeko looked at the Herrscher of Thunder displayed on the screen, slightly underestimating the young girl Raiden Mei, and gave the order: "All cannons, lock on. Commence suppression fire!"
All the weapon hatches on the Hyperion opened, revealing countless cannons and gun barrels, which aimed at the Herrscher of Thunder and began a barrage of covering fire.
"Annoying insects. Who gave you permission to fly above me!"
The Herrscher of Thunder scoffed at the Hyperion's cannon fire but was infuriated that it was flying higher than her. A bolt of lightning flashed from the Herrscher of Thunder's wings, and she shot straight towards the Hyperion.
The Hyperion deployed its protective field. The collision of the two energies produced a blinding light that illuminated the entire sky.
But it was clear that the protective field couldn't stop the Herrscher of Thunder's attack. Forty percent of the Hyperion was directly destroyed.
"Tch, that damned brat. Does she know how expensive the repair fees for this ship are!" Himeko said through gritted teeth, then took off her formal dress. "Activate nuclear fusion reactors 5 and 6, maintain reactor output, switch ship's power source to backup energy! In 2 minutes, lower the ship to the Herrscher's altitude!"
After speaking, Himeko began to undress as she walked towards the armory. With the help of mechanical arms, she put on a set of red armor—Vermilion Knight: Eclipse. A an energy conduit connected to the power reactor was attached to her back. This was a prototype of Kika's Nexus System. Although it couldn't compare to Kika's, it was enough to grant the user the power of an S-rank Valkyrie while the Nexus was operating at full power.
Afterward, a fully armed Himeko appeared on the deck of the Hyperion, holding a greatsword and facing the Herrscher of Thunder from a distance.
"Insolent ant, you dare to raise your sword against me. Turn to ash before me!" The Herrscher of Thunder immediately attacked Himeko.
"Nexus System, activate—"
Himeko raised her greatsword to block the Herrscher of Thunder's attack, then swung her sword at her.
"Sorry, but I'm not going down until I find a good man."
Then, the two of them engaged in a fierce battle. The shockwaves from their fight lit up the sky for a long time, and the ground below, with the Hyperion at its center, had turned into a deep crater.
However, they didn't notice that during their battle, a figure had quietly appeared. He was holding the unconscious Kika in his arms, with the passed-out Bronya floating beside him. The shockwaves from Himeko and the Herrscher of Thunder's fight shot towards him but stopped a short distance away before falling to the ground or to the sides.
This was the First Herrscher, Ryn, thrown out of the Sea of Quanta by the Sea. He had appeared just as the Herrscher of Thunder and Himeko were fighting. He had originally planned to save Kiana from the Herrscher of Thunder's arms, but Cortana told him that Kika and Bronya, who were about to be hit by the shockwaves, were in more immediate danger.
Although he didn't know why Bronya was with Kiana and the others, saving one or two was no difficult task for Ryn. After confirming that Kiana was not in serious danger, Ryn waved his hand towards Cortana's location, and Kika and Bronya floated over directly.
Holding Kika and carrying Bronya, Ryn walked on air, step by step, and then stood before Himeko and the Herrscher of Thunder.
Both the Herrscher of Thunder and Himeko stopped fighting due to Ryn's arrival, but they simultaneously aimed their attacks at him.
"Colonel Himeko! New enemy detected! Suspected to be a Herrscher!"
Himeko ignored the voice from the comms. Herrscher or not, someone who could walk on air was definitely not an enemy that could be easily dealt with.
The Herrscher of Thunder was stunned for a moment upon seeing Ryn, then immediately summoned a bolt of lightning to strike him. Previously, her dislike for Ryn was because of Mei being cuckolded, but now that she had fallen for Kiana, it was purely because she didn't like the look of him.
Facing the Herrscher of Thunder's attack, Ryn simply pointed a finger to the sky, and her attack was deflected, shooting off into the heavens.
"It seems everyone isn't too happy about my entrance. Fair enough... since we don't know each other, let's get reacquainted. First, come here."
Ryn made a grabbing motion in the air towards the Herrscher of Thunder, and Kiana, despite the Herrscher's attempts to stop her, floated directly into Ryn's arms.