Some say that love always comes unexpectedly, because it's quite possible to encounter love just by turning a corner.
But in this world, some things arrive even more suddenly than love.
The baseball bat, carrying immense force, magnified in view, smashing viciously against the car window like a hammer.
"Crack! Crackle!!"
A sharp, ear-piercing sound exploded in the air, making one's scalp tingle.
White, translucent cracks, like a giant spiderweb, formed on the car window. Fine, tiny shards of glass rustled downwards, and the entire window shuddered violently.
"Screeeech—Screee—Bang!!"
In this sudden situation, the driver, being just an ordinary person, clearly lost his ability to react.
He subconsciously slammed on the brakes, bringing the car—which definitely couldn't withstand an attack from certain individuals with extraordinary abilities—to a shaky halt.
And at this moment, the baseball bat had already pierced through the tempered glass, fiercely smashing towards the front passenger seat.
If one were hit in the head by this thing, it's estimated that even a rhinoceros or an African elephant would suffer a concussion.
Quicker than words could describe, a slender, somewhat pale hand suddenly shot out and grasped the projectile.
"Crunch."
An impossibly strong force emanated from that hand, crushing the head of the grasped bat into a twisted shape.
The sight easily reminded one of kneaded dough.
"What a pain!"
The young man, vaguely guessing who this bat belonged to, narrowed his eyes, his crimson orbs locking onto a figure a thousand meters away.
In the Honkai world, once people are infected by Honkai, they become Dead Ones. To improve humanity's adaptability to Honkai energy, Dr. MEI from the Previous Era created Stigmata.
As one of the most advanced genetic engineering feats of the Previous Era, individuals possessing Stigmata often gain compatibility with Honkai energy, which is deadly poison to ordinary people, and acquire special abilities.
"Feels... unexpectedly good."
Li Zihan felt the physical enhancement brought by the Honkai energy, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He had once considered injecting himself with Dead Apostle blood to strengthen himself, but he wasn't sure about his aptitude as a Dead Apostle and eventually gave up on the idea.
Now, the Stigmata named Dracula seemed to have helped him achieve a similar effect.
"Mr. Li, wait a moment, that might be my friend!"
Raiden Mei, who had almost instantly thought of a certain white-haired dango the moment the baseball bat flew over, spoke with a sense of urgency.
She had promised Kiana yesterday to bring her a bento, but ended up staying overnight in an area on the outskirts of Nagazora City.
Kiana, having gone to meet her but not finding her, clearly thought she had encountered danger and been kidnapped, and had come to her rescue.
Honestly, for the extremely lonely Miss Mei, Kiana's heartfelt concern was a very warming thing. After all, such sincere emotion was a rare sight in this materialistic society.
But—
Although the kidnapper's thinking was erratic, incomprehensible, and not at all gentlemanly, he was actually a good person willing to defend the city's safety and forcibly halt human experimentation!
Moreover, she had already reconciled with the "kidnapper" and, with his help, would soon be able to rescue her father and seek new opportunities for development in North America.
For Kiana to jump out at this moment, it was just too terrible!!
"Mm, I know."
The young man, seeing a white-haired dango rushing over, grinned and laughed.
He wasn't about to develop ill feelings towards someone just because of a single attack aimed at him.
After all, he had kidnapped Kiana's good ji-friend, Raiden Mei. It would be stranger if Kiana wasn't anxious.
"Wait for me a bit, I'm going to have a chat with K423."
As soon as his voice fell, the young man, the red in his eyes so vibrant it seemed to burn, vanished from the passenger seat without any warning.
Kiana was furious.
Extremely furious.
Last night, she had gone looking for Raiden "Useless Person Manufacturer" Mei, planning to freeload a meal, rest well for the night, and then continue her work.
Then, forget the meal, even Mei herself was gone.
Upon discovering Raiden Mei's disappearance, Kiana, who immediately thought of some dire situations, painfully took out her wallet—so empty it would make a pickpocket weep—bought some bread to make do, and then went to investigate Raiden Mei's situation.
Very quickly, she learned that the archive room of Senba Academy had been wrecked, and the files for the second-year high school students had been thoroughly ransacked.
Confirming that Mei might have been kidnapped, Kiana naturally chose to return to her rented apartment, gather her equipment, and set out to rescue her.
As it turned out, her luck was very good. While searching for information, she spotted the person she wanted to see in a taxi.
And a certain young man who, with just a glance, could make her feel a sense of crisis.
Without much hesitation, Kiana launched her attack.
"To be able to get here in an instant, it seems you're no ordinary person either."
The girl, holding a brand-new baseball bat, looked at the young man who had appeared before her at some unknown moment, sizing up his features as she spoke.
Not holding any weapons, possibly skilled in manipulating Honkai energy for combat or uses special weapons. Suspected of possessing spatial movement abilities, extremely mobile.
When separated from the person she was deeply attached to, this girl, who often appeared foolishly dazed from giving up on thinking, was unbelievably calm, quickly and accurately analyzing the situation.
"It's probably because I'm a Stigmata holder."
Mr. Magus, who had achieved spatial movement entirely through magecraft, said.
"Can you tell me why you kidnapped Mei?"
The girl, constantly observing her surroundings, wary of the enemy launching an attack using spatial movement abilities, tried to probe the enemy with her words.
"I have no obligation to answer your questions."
The young man, intending to test his Stigmata abilities on Kiana, smiled, then openly slit his own wrist in front of her.
The abilities granted to Li Zihan by Stigmata: Dracula were clearly not limited to mere physical enhancement; manipulating blood was also part of the power Dracula bestowed upon his successors.
Dark red blood trickled down, then, under the effect of an unknown force, it coalesced, forming the shape of a sharp blade.
It was a straight-bladed sword, three chi and seven cun in length, with a slender body.
It was a Shenzhou weapon, also known by names such as Xì Dāo, Miáo Dāo, and Qiānniú Dāo.
When Kiana was little, she had heard Siegfried talk about this type of blade; in close combat, it could exhibit the effects of both a saber and a spear.
"If you want an answer, then try to defeat me and see."
The young man, gripping the blade formed from blood and needing to test the power of his Stigmata, said to the girl before him.
On matters concerning Mei, the girl, who had very low tolerance, narrowed her eyes.
"Then there's no other way. I'll just have to spend some time taking you down and then force the information out of you."