Having lost her sense of taste, then her sense of pain—what would Kiana lose next?
These were things Mei dared not even think about.
Then, she recalled what Kevin had told her earlier. At this moment, Mei's resolve wavered.
After washing the dishes, Mei went outside to find Kiana, who was taking a walk to clear her mind.
Just as she was about to approach her, a black void suddenly appeared in the sky, spewing forth endless waves of Honkai beasts.
"This again… Mei, get back! I'll use the Herrscher of the Void's power to seal this rift. I've done it before—I know what I'm doing."
Once again, Kiana tried to play the hero alone.
"Kiana, your body hasn't recovered yet. You can't keep using that power, or your condition will only worsen."
"Trust me, Mei. It'll be fine. I'll be back soon."
Harnessing the Herrscher's power, Kiana swiftly approached the void.
But when she reached it, she realized this rift was far larger than the previous one.
She would have to fend off the Honkai beasts while simultaneously sealing the void.
And so, Kiana began harming herself once more, relentlessly expending Honkai energy.
Seeing this, Mei rushed after her, desperate to help.
"Benares, protect Mei. Don't let her get hurt."
Fearing for Mei's safety, Kiana ordered Benares to guard her.
Hearing the command, Benares immediately spread her wings and flew toward Mei.
Meanwhile, Mei fought her way through the Honkai beasts, pushing forward to reach Kiana.
BOOM—!
Suddenly, the entire city trembled.
"The sea level is dropping? No—the buildings are rising!"
Mei frowned but had no time to dwell on it. She pressed on toward Kiana.
But then, she sensed something—her gaze snapped upward.
There, she saw a strange golden robot. It had no head, its body adorned with clock-like hands, its color scheme a dull gold.
"What… is that?"
Even after all this time, this was the first such creature Mei had encountered.
Noticing Mei's presence, the monster locked onto her, charging forward with its massive sword.
Mei had no choice but to engage it in battle. The more she fought, the more she realized how terrifying this thing was—its strength rivaled, if not surpassed, that of a Judgment-class Honkai beast.
Somehow, Mei managed to defeat it, but the battle left her exhausted, collapsing to the ground.
"Hah… hah… No… Kiana's still waiting for me. I can't rest yet."
Forcing her breathing to steady, Mei used her katana to pull herself up, staggering step by step toward Kiana.
But in an instant, everything around her froze—even her own body locked in place, as if time itself had stopped.
"That's… a revival?!"
Mei watched in disbelief as the shattered remains of the monster reassembled, piecing itself back together.
This was the first time she had ever seen a defeated enemy resurrect. A bitter smile crossed her lips.
"In the end… I couldn't even help you, could I, Kiana?"
Just as Mei wallowed in despair, a roar shattered the silence.
"Benares?!"
Seeing the dragon—who should have been aiding Kiana—now at her side, Mei's pupils trembled.
If Benares was here with her, that meant Kiana was fighting alone.
Mei couldn't bear to imagine how dire Kiana's situation must be.
With Benares joining the fray, Mei finally caught her breath.
But the outcome was far from ideal—Benares was quickly overpowered. (Though, in truth, she was holding back.)
As Benares fell, the Husk - Nihilius moved in for the kill. Its blade struck—but Benares deftly dodged.
From Mei's perspective, however, the attack had pierced straight through the dragon.
With one final roar, Benares's raised head slumped to the ground.
Had the Void Archives possessed consciousness, it might've cried foul at such blatant theatrics.
Witnessing Benares's "death," Mei's thoughts immediately turned to Kiana.
"No. I absolutely… absolutely refuse to let that happen! Never!"
As Mei roared, Honkai energy surged around her, her body radiating violet-red lightning.
BOOM—!
A thunderbolt of the same color struck down, engulfing the area. Emerging from the lightning was none other than Raiden Mei.
Now, her back bore a glowing purple ring of thunder, two crimson horns extended from her forehead, and red gauntlets materialized at her sides.
Dark clouds blotted out the sky, thunder rumbling incessantly—as if the storm itself heralded the arrival of its queen.
Reborn as a Herrscher, Mei effortlessly annihilated the Void Archives once more, this time ensuring its complete destruction—leaving no remnants to revive.
With the battle over, Mei approached Benares.
Gently stroking the dragon's body, she whispered:
"Dr. Tesla once said… you've spent your whole life chasing after Kiana. Then… come with me. Let's save her together."
Sharing a portion of her Herrscher power with Benares, the dragon underwent a transformation—her silver-white scales darkened to a deep crimson, the blue glow of her wings shifting to red.
Mei climbed onto Benares's back—no, she was no longer Benares. Now, she was Kurikara.
"Let's go. To save the one who matters most to both of us."
At Mei's words, Kurikara took flight.
Meanwhile, Kiana—now deprived of her strongest ally—began to falter.
Distracted, she fell victim to an Emperor-class Honkai beast's ambush.
Before losing consciousness, she glimpsed a figure cloaked in dark red—then everything went black.
The one who arrived, of course, was Raiden Mei. Cradling the unconscious Kiana in her arms, her expression was complex.
But she pushed those thoughts aside. Raising a weapon forged from her Herrscher power, she slashed at the void in the sky—annihilating every Honkai beast and the black abyss in an instant.
Unlike Kiana, who still had to contend with Sirin for control of the Herrscher's authority, Mei was now a complete Herrscher—her power far surpassing Kiana's.
With the void gone, the area returned to normal. Arriving on a rooftop, Mei set Kiana down before moving to eliminate the remaining Honkai beasts.