Without anyone noticing, another soul within Kiana's body had quietly awakened.
Like the others, this still-weak soul did not speak, instead enduring the pain to continue observing the surroundings.
In the image, the future Kiana soon appeared before everyone's eyes.
She didn't seem to understand what had happened, her azure eyes flickering with confusion.
"I... why am I here?"
Suddenly, a mature male voice rang out.
"Don't move. You tried to close the Imaginary Singularity but were attacked by Imaginary Constructs and fell. Although I caught you, your injuries are still very severe."
Kevin Kaslana, who shared the same silver-white hair color, spoke slowly.
"You saved me? Why?"
"...Thank Raiden Mei. She was the one who saved you."
"You no longer need to worry about Changkong City. The disaster has ended. She has taken your place in protecting this city."
"What did you say? Mei?!!" Kiana said in disbelief.
"As for what happens next, let her explain it to you personally. She's here."
Before Kiana could ask further, a bolt of eerie red lightning sliced through the sky.
A violent and cold Raiden Mei, completely different from the person in Kiana's heart, suddenly stood before her.
"Mei, what happened? Your appearance... what's going on?"
To the side, Mei ignored Kiana and spoke to Kevin: "I will go with you."
"Very well, Raiden Mei. Welcome to World Serpent."
Hearing this, Kiana's breath hitched: "—Wait a minute, what did you say? Mei is joining World Serpent?"
"Go and give her your final farewell. Raiden Mei, welcome to this side of the world," Kevin said indifferently.
"Mei, you clearly know everything they've done, why..."
At this moment, the two who were once familiar had swapped identities.
Kiana's injuries had not yet healed, while Raiden Mei had abandoned everything from her past.
The two faced each other with blades drawn!
The torrential rain arrived, draping a thin white veil between the two. A silent rift appeared in an instant, like an insurmountable chasm that could never be crossed again.
Above the sky, lightning flickered, and not a single bolt was calm. Amidst the roaring, the clouds were torn apart; everything was a silent elegy for a sinner walking toward the abyss.
The thunder was bound to be shrouded under the darkness of dense clouds, accompanied by the wind and rain, cruelly lashing the two souls that were once in perfect harmony.
The Mei of the past chose to flee from fate; she was afraid of being controlled by the Honkai again and hurting others, and even more afraid that Kiana would sacrifice herself in the process of fulfilling her promise. Thus, her only wish was to bring Kiana home, back to their former peaceful life.
The current Mei chose to accept suffering; she knew full well that her status as a Herrscher was a necessary condition to save Kiana, and she knew even better that Kiana's only motivation for survival was that promise. Thus, her only goal was to take that risk for Kiana, even if the price was becoming a sinner in the eyes of everyone, falling into darkness forever.
Even if she were far away, even if she were not understood, even if they faced each other with weapons, she would not regret it.
To let Kiana survive, Mei did not hesitate to become a sinner who aided the wicked.
The lightning severed memories and illusions; this battle was an elegy she dedicated to the past.
"I don't care about anything else. I've said what I wanted to say countless times. Kiana, let me walk into the darkness in exchange for your return to the light."
Mei thought to herself, silently drawing her blade. A short while later.
Mei's spirit remained unstable until she was in a daze and a flash of white light appeared in the Challenge Space.
Seeing this, everyone rushed to support Mei, preventing her from falling.
Kiana was the most anxious among them, shouting in her ear: "Mei, Mei, what's wrong with you!"
Raiden Mei was in a trance; only when the memories in her mind surfaced did she press her pink lips together and say: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."
"Just now, what happened? I seemed to be undergoing a challenge... was I successful in the end?"
Hearing this, Kiana was silent for a moment before saying: "It failed."
"Your final task was to leave me, but at the very last second before you were about to leave, you hugged the 'me' inside the space."
"...Is that so?"
Mei felt a bit of tightness in her chest, making even speaking uncomfortable.
In the end, she still wasn't resolute enough!
Even though she had made up her mind inside to bring Kiana to the light while she walked into hell.
In the end, her heart softened and she couldn't hold back.
"Um, I'm sorry, Mei," Kiana said softly while supporting Mei. "I rarely cared about your thoughts before and never knew you were in so much pain. It won't happen again; we will all always be by your side."
"Thank you, Kiana."
Mei thanked her sincerely, without any hint of pretense.
Although she would forget most of the memories from the space after coming out, only knowing her own obsession, that heavy conviction—the despair of being willing to abandon everything for Kiana—deeply shrouded her.
It was a very deep love, one profound enough to be suffocating.
"So, who's going for the second challenge next..."
To the side, Theresa rubbed her nose and said; she wasn't actually very willing to go, as it felt a bit strange.
She felt that things between Mei and Kiana were very peculiar.
"Don't look at me. I don't think I could even complete the first challenge after going in; after all, I don't have such a strong obsession." Himeko took half a step back, directly waving her hand to reject Theresa's hopes.
Theresa nodded; that was true, not everyone was like Mei.
Subconsciously, some people could pay the price of their lives for others, while others could kill for a single drop of water.
Abandoning everything, choosing darkness, even personally taking action and pointing a blade at the one they loved... If in the previous missions, Kiana was redemption—redemption for the sins she committed, while maintaining her original heart, not sparing her own life to protect her companions and this beloved yet imperfect world.
Then.
Mei represented protection. There was only one person she wanted to protect, and that was Kiana. For this, she did not hesitate to part ways with her; even if the road ahead was an abyss, she would grit her teeth and walk on, just to carry that heavy responsibility on Kiana's shoulders along with her.
"What about Bronya? And Fu Hua, I feel they aren't quite right either." Theresa scratched her head.
"Me, me, me! Let me try—"
Hearing the opportunity, Tesla hurriedly raised her hand.
Unfortunately, everyone ignored her and continued discussing the plan.
Finally, Yunduo personally stepped forward to choose the challenge plan.
"Act Three: Lament of the Sinner!"
"Challenger: Yunduo!"
A white light flashed. Yunduo closed her eyes, and when she woke up again, the blade in her hand was already pointed at Kiana.
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