In her room getting dressed, the blush not yet faded from her face, Penglaiji Ryn was also distracted by the sound of thunder.
Likewise, the words that had sunk into her subconscious after waking, words that were vague in the dream, now resurfaced in her mind one by one.
"It's all too late. Mei has made her decision."
"I'll end their suffering first, then I'll end his..."
...…
"This is the world you created... The only way to end it is your death... or by killing me."
...…
"Strange. The environment now makes natural thunderclouds impossible. So that thundercloud can only be Mei. But aren't we here? What is she doing over there?" Theresa pressed a finger to her lips, lost in thought.
Ryn looked at the position and direction of the thundercloud and felt that the direction was somewhat familiar. He blurted out.
"Say, isn't that the direction of ME Corp..."
But as soon as he said it, Ryn immediately understood what Raiden Mei wanted to do.
At the same time, Penglaiji Ryn rushed out of the room, shouting, "Mei is going to bypass us and attack the members of Fire Moth directly!"
"We have to get back quickly! They can't stop Mei."
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When she saw the high-intensity Honkai source rapidly approaching on the monitor, Yiselian immediately knew there was big trouble.
She quickly issued an alert, summoned everyone to the Hyperion, and told them that Raiden Mei was attacking again.
Himeko immediately had Yiselian start up the Hyperion and pilot it away from the Herrscher's attack range.
But this time, Mei didn't just casually launch a wide-area attack at Fire Moth's position as she had before. Instead, she followed closely behind the Hyperion, preparing to end their lives with her own hands.
Himeko watched the signal on the monitor that represented Mei getting faster and closer, and she grew increasingly anxious.
"Yiselian! Can't we go any faster? At this rate, Mei will catch up to us in no time!"
"The power core's limits have been completely disabled; we're already at maximum speed! Instead of trying to speed up, we should probably be worrying about when the power core is going to explode..."
"Damn it, was fleeing several kilometers from ME Corp in advance all for nothing? Fire the main cannon! Hinder the Herrscher's advance."
"Main cannon loaded. Calibration beginning. Firing controls will be unlocked in four seconds..."
"Aim, fire! Shoot her down!"
Following Himeko's order, the Hyperion's main cannon fired a dazzling beam of light toward Raiden Mei.
The electromagnetically accelerated missile exceeded 2000m/s, streaking across the sky like a long azure comet.
But Mei didn't even glance at the Hyperion's main cannon. The shell was deflected a kilometer away by the Honkai field emanating from her body, and the electromagnetic field within her domain turned the shell into a dud...
"It's over, it's over, it missed... *sob*, we're really done for this time."
Watching the display on the monitor, Yiselian squatted down, clutched her head, and started screaming.
"Shut up! One more peep and I'll throw you out there and let Mei deal with you first!"
Emisha yelled at Yiselian, then asked Himeko.
"Himeko, what's the plan? Should we initiate the ship's self-destruct and go all-out against the Herrscher?"
Himeko's expression remained grim. She remembered her time as a teacher to Mei and the others. Looking at the bombs strapped to everyone, Himeko finally sighed and shook her head.
"Divert both power cores to the Daybreak Greatsword. I'll have one last bout with Mei..."
The moment Yiselian heard "Daybreak Greatsword," she shot up from the floor and shouted at Himeko.
"Himeko, are you crazy! In your current state, using that is no different from suicide!"
"Aren't we already committing suicide?"
"But... but..."
"Alright, go activate it..."
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"Escape? Where can you escape to? Still clinging to unrealistic fantasies?"
Mei raised her hand, aiming at the Hyperion in front of her, preparing to fire a bolt of lightning to destroy it.
But just then, the Hyperion's deck suddenly opened up, revealing a massive battleship-slaying sword hidden within.
The Hyperion's true weapon, a battleship-slaying sword in the truest sense, a 133-meter greatsword that only Murata Himeko could wield—the Daybreak Greatsword.
Four energy conduits were plugged into Himeko's back. The backlash from forcibly activating the Nexus System nearly made it impossible for her to stand.
But she still gritted her teeth, stood up, and raised the Daybreak Greatsword, aiming it at Raiden Mei.
"Why must you resist? Death is already inevitable, so why add to the suffering... How long can that body of yours hold on?"
Mei threw dozens of lightning orbs at Himeko. A single one hitting the Hyperion would be enough to destroy it completely.
"*Hah... hah...* (panting) I still have to try at least... Hah!"
Himeko swung the Daybreak Greatsword, detonating all the lightning orbs in mid-air.
"If you like doing things this way, then I'll finish you off like this."
Mei reached out to the side and clenched her fist, and a massive, 144-meter-long tachi materialized in her hand.
After the two clashed with their giant swords for several blows, Himeko fell to her knees...
Just a few simple swings, and Himeko could feel that Mei wasn't even using her full strength... but the immense burden of the Nexus System had already made it impossible for her to stand.
"What's wrong... can't hold on any longer?"
Mei dispelled the giant tachi and floated directly above Himeko, looking down on her.
"*Cough...*" Himeko coughed incessantly. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, she deactivated the Nexus armor.
At that moment, Himeko suddenly remembered what Bronya had said to her before: "Next time, should it be my turn to cover your retreat?"
Himeko didn't say it then, and perhaps she would never have the chance to say it.
"It should be me who covers your retreat..."
Gripping the normal-sized Corona Greatsword in front of her, she planted it on the deck, and Himeko forced herself to stand.
After the Nexus armor was deactivated, the power cores that had been allocated to the Nexus system were all diverted to the Hyperion's propulsion.
Watching Mei slowly float over, Himeko gave a bleak smile, glanced toward the bridge, then lunged at Mei, tackling her off the ship.
Watching all of this from the bridge, Yiselian pushed the ship's speed to its maximum...
Emisha rushed over to stop Yiselian, but Yiselian held onto the controls tightly, refusing to let Emisha interfere.
"What the hell are you doing! Himeko is still down there!"
"This is Himeko's decision... She's holding Mei back to buy us time to escape... so we can wait for Ryn and the others to return..."
"How can you be so calm! If we're going to die, we die together! What's the point of letting Himeko go alone! Let go!"
"Enough! Emisha... it's too late..."
Yiselian's tears fell one by one. She was more cowardly and weak than anyone... but Himeko had entrusted this task to her...