The Honkai Beast raised its spear-turned-blade again, swinging it down with a mighty chop. But this time, it was blocked by a barrier of purple lightning.
Mei's clothes began to disintegrate under the surging Honkai Energy. The Thunder Soul Stigmata on her waist emerged, glowing and enveloping Raiden Mei in light.
When the light faded, Raiden Mei's eyes glowed crimson. Her left arm was covered in highly concentrated Honkai Energy, etched with intricate patterns. The overflowing Honkai Energy coalesced into wings of lightning that shimmered at her sides.
Raiden Mei—no, the Herrsscher of Thunder—clutched Kiana and soared into the sky, gazing down at the Templar-class Honkai Beast. Raising her right hand high, she summoned a massive ball of lightning in the heavens.
"Vanish, filth."
With a wave of her hand, the lightning sphere plummeted from the sky, crashing down upon the Honkai Beast. A beam of intense light shot into the heavens, turning the Honkai Beast and nearby buildings into ash that vanished into the void.
The massive beam of energy was visible even several kilometers outside the city. There, hovering in the sky, was the Hyperion.
"A super-intense Honkai Energy reaction detected ahead!"
"Honkai Source readings spiking!"
"Honkai Beasts within Nagazora City are converging on the Honkai Source!"
A woman with long red hair, dressed in formal attire, frowned slightly. "Tsk, looks like we hit the jackpot this time."
"Commander Himeko, there's still time to retreat!"
"Less talk, my dictionary doesn't have a word for 'retreat.' All hands, Battle Alert Level 1! Commence combat operations!"
Countless Honkai Beasts gathered among the ruins, drawn to this place as if on a pilgrimage. Born in Nagazora City, they were all servants of the Third Herrscher. But the Herrscher of Thunder had no interest in them. She focused on the unconscious Kiana in her arms, channeling Honkai Energy into pure energy to heal her wounds.
"To get hurt protecting that coward... How pathetic, Kiana.
Wake up! I won't let you die so easily. Only I have the right to take your life!"
Both the Herrscher of Thunder and Mei were so consumed by worry that they failed to realize Kiana's injuries weren't severe. She was merely stunned. In contrast, Bronya and Sparkle were likely far more seriously injured... one had been knocked away, and the other had been caught in the Herrscher of Thunder's attack.
Boom! Boom!
As the Herrscher of Thunder continued to pour energy into Kiana, the Hyperion arrived overhead.
Commander Himeko, watching the Herrscher of Thunder on the screen, briefly underestimated the young girl Raiden Mei. Then she issued the order: "All gun ports locked! Commence suppression fire!"
The Hyperion's battle hatches opened, revealing countless turrets and gun barrels that unleashed a barrage of covering fire at the Herrscher of Thunder.
"You annoying insect! Who gave you permission to fly above me!"
The Herrscher of Thunder dismissed the Hyperion's barrage, but was infuriated that it was flying higher than she was. Her light wings flashed with lightning as she shot straight toward the Hyperion.
The Hyperion deployed its protective barrier, and the collision of the two energies lit up the entire sky with a blinding flash.
But the barrier clearly couldn't stop the Herrscher of Thunder's attack. Forty percent of the Hyperion's hull was instantly destroyed.
"Damn that brat! Does she even know how expensive it is to repair this warship?!" Himeko growled, then ripped off her formal gown. "Activate nuclear fusion reactors No. 5 and No. 6! Maintain reactor output! Switch the warship's power source to backup energy! In two minutes, lower the ship to Herrscher altitude!"
With that, Himeko began stripping off her clothes and heading toward the armor bay. With the help of mechanical arms, she donned a crimson suit of armor—Fusion Armor: Crimson. A power conduit connected the armor to the ship's nuclear fusion reactor. This was a prototype of Sparkle's Nexus System, and while it couldn't match Sparkle's version, it was still powerful enough to grant the wearer the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie when fully activated.
Fully armed, Himeko appeared on the Hyperion's deck, greatsword in hand, facing the Herrscher of Thunder.
"Insolent ant! How dare you raise your blade against me? Turn to ash before me!" The Herrscher of Thunder immediately attacked Himeko.
"Nexus System activated—"
Himeko raised her greatsword to block the Herrscher of Thunder's attack, then slashed back at her.
"Sorry, I won't fall until I find a good man."
The two women engaged in a fierce battle, the light from their clashing attacks illuminating the sky for a long time. The ground around the Hyperion had already been transformed into a deep crater.
But neither of them noticed a figure who had silently appeared during their fight. He held the unconscious Sparkle in his arms, with a lifeless Bronya floating beside him. The shockwaves from Himeko and the Herrscher of Thunder's battle ricocheted toward him, but stopped just short, falling harmlessly to the ground or to either side.
This was Ryn, the First Herrscher, cast out of the Sea of Quanta by the Sea itself. He had arrived just as the Herrscher of Thunder and Himeko clashed. He had originally intended to rescue Kiana from the Herrscher of Thunder's grasp, but Cortana had warned him that Sparkle and Bronya, who were about to be caught in the crossfire, were in greater danger.
Ryn didn't know why Bronya was traveling with Kiana and the others, but saving one or two people wasn't difficult for him. After confirming Kiana was unharmed, Ryn pointed at Cortana's location and waved his small hand. Sparkle and Bronya immediately floated over.
Holding Sparkle and leading Bronya, Ryn stepped into the air, one step at a time, and stood before Himeko and the Herrscher of Thunder.
Both the Herrscher of Thunder and Himeko stopped fighting at Ryn's arrival, but simultaneously aimed their attacks at him.
"Commander Himeko! New enemy detected! Suspected Herrscher!"
Himeko ignored the voice in her communicator. Whether or not he was a Herrscher, someone who could walk on air was clearly not an easy foe to defeat.
The Herrscher of Thunder froze for a moment when she saw Ryn, then summoned a bolt of lightning to strike him. Initially, her animosity toward him stemmed from her displeasure at seeing Mei suffer. Now, however, it was simply because she had fallen for Kiana and found Ryn utterly detestable.
Ryn merely pointed his finger at the sky to deflect the Herrscher of Thunder's attack, sending the lightning bolt soaring into the heavens.
"It seems you're not exactly thrilled by my arrival. Well, I suppose that's understandable since we don't know each other. Let's start over. First, come here."
Ryn reached out with an empty hand toward the Herrscher of Thunder, and Kiana, ignoring the Herrscher's attempts to stop her, floated directly into Ryn's arms.