"Of course, I came to laugh at you, Kiana."
To be honest, when Aaron appeared before her eyes, Kiana was moved.
But after Aaron said those words, Kiana suddenly felt...
The emotion vanished.
*I was torn up inside for so long, and you show up just to mock me???*
*Give me back my emotion! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻*
However, in the eyes of the Herrscher of Thunder, the scene before her was entirely different.
At this moment, the [Demon Armor: Incursio] Aaron was wearing had been directly electrolyzed from the front by her railgun blast.
If he hadn't activated the effect of [Wall] at the very start to suppress the damage to 25%, Aaron probably would have been critically injured by that single strike.
And even with [Wall] suppressing the damage, the electrolysis effect caused by the Herrscher of Thunder still clung to his armor and body.
If Aaron hadn't immediately used [Guts], a Spirit Command that consumed a massive amount of energy, he definitely wouldn't have been able to negate the subsequent damage.
It had to be said that after experiencing the first dungeon and enhancing his mental energy, Aaron no longer needed to be as frugal with his mental energy as before.
After obtaining the mental energy enhancement skill through the template, he had come to Nagazora City before he even had time to test exactly how much his mental energy had increased.
And just now, after using [Guts], which originally drained him heavily, Aaron discovered that compared to before, his maximum mental energy had increased by at least 50%.
Compared to his previous state, not only could he use the Teigu for longer periods, but he could even stably maintain the limit for one minute after activating the offensive combination of Ittou Shura and the Meta-Morph Factor.
Furthermore, the increase in mental energy meant the number of times he could use Spirit Commands also increased.
In other words—as long as there was an opening, he could absolutely use a tactic of trading injuries to take down the opponent.
*Heh, I was worried before, but with the Herrscher of Thunder not fully awakened, I've become stronger than I imagined.*
*Seems I don't need to worry too much.*
Meanwhile, in the eyes of the Herrscher of Thunder, she saw a completely different picture.
This difference wasn't visual, but sensory.
Aaron had indeed had his outer armor destroyed by that railgun blast, but the Herrscher of Thunder didn't see him get insta-killed by her strike. Instead, she saw the face beneath the armor.
At this moment, the corners of Aaron's mouth were slightly raised as he gazed at the enemy before him. In the Herrscher of Thunder's eyes, that expression...
—*Was undoubtedly mocking her!*
Moreover, combined with the [Incursio] armor that was still "wriggling," the Herrscher of Thunder actually had an illusion.
This armor, which she had directly blown apart, seemed to be... still "alive."
And what truly shocked the Herrscher of Thunder wasn't the seemingly "living" armor, but the body beneath it.
Although the Herrscher of Thunder couldn't reach peak output due to having just awakened, her railgun blast still packed 2000 HW of power.
That strike could have easily blown up an entire city block, let alone kill a person.
But now, the body beneath his armor... was it injured?
No.
Not at all.
Let alone signs of electrolysis on his flesh, she couldn't even see a single scratch on Aaron's body.
*Oh, his clothes are completely gone, but there really isn't a scratch on the muscles beneath his armor! Hey!*
*He tanked my railgun blast and is completely fine???*
*Are all humans nowadays monsters?!*
"What's wrong, Herrscher? After discovering your attack had no effect, you seem a bit... afraid?"
Although his tone was perfectly calm, the Herrscher of Thunder felt the mockery in his words become even more severe.
"Human, you are too arrogant."
Watching the lightning falling from the sky fail to hit either of them, the Herrscher of Thunder gradually regained some composure.
Then, looking down from high above at the two below, her expression suddenly turned icy.
"I intended to play a bit more, but forget it. Human, and that white-haired brat over there—you two can just die here!"
The two dodging the Herrscher of Thunder's attacks simultaneously felt the Honkai energy intensity on her body rising further.
"Heh, dragging this out seems like it'll get troublesome."
"Tch, you said you came to laugh at me, but aren't you out of moves?"
Kiana, constantly dodging using Trickster mode, watched Aaron's speed—which wasn't slow—and suddenly had a question.
*Strange. After Aaron disconnected the [Perfect Attunement] with me, his physical capabilities should have dropped.*
*But right now, without using a Teigu, he seems... really fast?*
"Ah, honestly. I come to help you, and you're ungrateful."
Stomping hard on the ground, Aaron sighed helplessly.
"Fine, fine. If you don't need me, I'll just crawl away. Remember to do your best on your own."
[War Fog, Activate.]
After masking his presence with War Fog, Aaron vanished with a *swish* right before their eyes.
"Eh???"
"Huh???"
Kiana, who was preparing to find an opening, and the Herrscher of Thunder, who was preparing to continue bombarding the ground, were completely dumbfounded upon seeing this.
"No, wait, why did it turn out like this???"
"Ha, talking so tough, but he actually ran???"
The Herrscher of Thunder looked at the ground below and couldn't sense the existence of the second human at all.
"Hehe, I thought a human who could pique my interest had appeared. Turns out, he's basically a coward who doesn't dare to fight head-on."
"To actually use a strange method to flee directly from here... Heh, if I didn't sense how weak the Honkai energy fluctuation on him was, I'd suspect he was [Void]."
"...That bastard!"
Kiana also couldn't sense Aaron's presence. At this moment, she was truly angry.
Kiana feeling heartbroken that Aaron just ran away—such a melodramatic plot obviously wouldn't happen.
Although Perfect Attunement was severed, Kiana had been with Aaron for so long; how could she not deduce Aaron's intentions even without sensing his thoughts?
They had been together for two months; how could she mistake Aaron for a deserter?
*If he were that kind of man, how could I... No, no, no, I never thought that way!*
*Anyway, that big idiot is definitely thinking of some dangerous things. He's probably preparing some risky plan again.*
*Tch, hiding yourself just to shoulder everything alone again, right?*
*I won't let you have your way!*
Evident anger appeared in Kiana's eyes.
And in the eyes of the Herrscher of Thunder—this anger was obviously the look of someone who had turned completely furious after being abandoned by a fleeing comrade.
"How pitiful, like an abandoned Akita dog. However, I won't go easy on you just because you were betrayed by your companion."
"Human, you must die! And after you die, I'll find that man and send him to you!"
"Shut up! I can handle you even by myself!"
*So, Aaron, don't you do anything reckless!*
"Heh, handle me?"
Watching Kiana constantly dodging with magic, the Herrscher of Thunder, maintaining a safe distance, flashed a look of ridicule.
"I already know your method for breaking my barrier. Why do you think you have a chance to break through it again?"
"Current you can barely dodge under the thunderstorm. How can someone like you defeat me?"
"Everything is already over. This isn't some third-rate novel where the protagonist explodes with power for no reason to defeat the enemy. And—you aren't the protagonist either, white-haired little girl."
"You're so annoying! You nag more than him!"
Rolling on the ground once, Kiana put away her dual guns and drew her Devil Sword Rebellion directly from her back.
"Hah? You even discarded your ranged weapons?"
Looking at Kiana not far away, the Herrscher of Thunder almost laughed out loud.
"Even I know that using a melee weapon will only make it easier for me to hit you with lightning. Little girl, it seems you've gone completely mad from your companion's betrayal."
Ignoring the Herrscher of Thunder's mockery, Kiana lightly jumped to avoid a lightning strike, gripped Rebellion with one hand, and poured both magic and Honkai energy into it simultaneously.
Although she had held this greatsword for less than a day, having merged with the Dante template, Kiana had, in a sense, formally become the "master" of this Devil Sword.
Thus, she also knew one of Rebellion's characteristics—[Union].
The Union characteristic could combine two different forces.
Kiana didn't know what effect would appear when applying this characteristic to the two special forces of Honkai energy and magic.
But right now, her intuition told her—*this will work!*
Using the Union characteristic, Kiana, who poured both magic and Honkai energy into Rebellion, slashed directly at the opponent through the air.
And the instant Kiana slashed, an elusive sword wave actually tore through space, flying rapidly toward the Herrscher of Thunder's body.
"Hmph! Cheap tricks!"
This time, facing Kiana's sword wave, the Herrscher of Thunder didn't seize Kiana's recovery time to counterattack. Instead, using her Herrscher Authority, she called down lightning from the sky to bombard the sword wave.
However, after she did this, she saw a scene she couldn't believe.
That sword wave not only split the lightning crashing down from the sky but also directly struck her electromagnetic barrier, which she had reinforced with Honkai energy.
Because of Kiana's dual gun assault earlier, the Herrscher of Thunder had used Honkai energy to amplify the barrier's defense to several times its original strength.
And this was why she was so arrogant just now.
After all, in her understanding, Kiana could barely break her original defensive barrier with dual guns. Now that the barrier's defense was several times higher, Kiana temporarily had no means to breach her defense.
It was also because she used a lot of power on defense that the Herrscher of Thunder couldn't attack with full force.
But now, looking at that sword wave, she completely panicked.
*Wrong.*
*Wrong, wrong, wrong!*
*How is this possible!*
Watching that sword wave nearly break her defensive barrier, the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly felt a killing intent lock onto her.
[Ittou Shura, Activate.]
[Lion Never Perishes, Activate.]
Aaron, who had been concealing his presence, saw the Herrscher of Thunder's breached barrier and the flash of wavering in her eyes. He immediately activated the hidden technique of [The King Of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle] worn on his waist: [Lion Never Perishes].
Guided by Lion Never Perishes, Aaron completed his Honkai Beast transformation. At this moment, a pair of gauntlets resembling skeletal remains manifested on his fists.
But in the next second, as if remembering something, he actively dispelled the gauntlets.
[Spirit Command: Valor, Activate.]
"Everything is ready, so..."
Condensing power into his right fist, Aaron exhaled a deep breath of turbid air, then threw a heavy punch at the crumbling barrier before him.
"Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist!"
One hit, and the barrier shattered completely.
But at this moment, the Herrscher of Thunder, having detected Aaron's presence, certainly wouldn't stay at low altitude waiting for the enemy to ambush her like before.
The Herrscher of Thunder, beginning to ascend with her Honkai energy wings, was now panicked.
*Clearly, I am the Apostle of God.*
*Clearly, I should be an existence that looks down on all creation.*
*But now, I'm actually being driven into a desperate situation by two humans?*
*No, this is impossible!*
*This is impossible!*
*Right, as long as I control the air, I won't lose.*
*Those two guys don't have flight capabilities, so...*
Carrying such thoughts, the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly felt the temperature around her seeming to drop continuously.
Aaron maintained his concealed state, so the Herrscher of Thunder naturally couldn't detect his presence.
And at this moment, noticing the Herrscher of Thunder starting to ascend, he used the Meta-Morph Factor to condense blocks of ice, using them as stepping stones to constantly charge into the sky.
"Damn it! This guy, this guy actually...!"
"Wow, still talking nonsense? I'm already right in front of you."
After revealing his body, Aaron threw a punch directly at the girl showing panic and fear.
"Second strike—Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist!"
As the power completed its condensation, Aaron's fist, carrying terrifying force, blasted toward the Herrscher of Thunder's body.
"You maggot! You think you can defeat me?!"
Facing the formidable enemy before her, the Herrscher of Thunder instantly released several electromagnetic barriers, attempting to defend directly against Aaron's punch.
However, facing Aaron's fist...
—*How could barriers released in a panic stop an iron fist in the dual-enhanced state of Ittou Shura and Honkai Beast transformation?*
Even if the Herrscher of Thunder released the barriers, she couldn't pour Honkai energy into them in time. These hastily released barriers didn't even stop Aaron for an instant before being completely shattered by him.
In mid-air, the Herrscher of Thunder, hit in the abdomen by this blow, directly spat out a mouthful of blood.
If not for Aaron refraining from using the Meta-Morph Factor to freeze her body for certain reasons, the Herrscher of Thunder might have been in an even more wretched state.
*No.*
*I'm not this guy's match.*
*Run...*
*I must run now!*
Feeling the wings behind her still functioning, the Herrscher of Thunder looked at the Honkai Beast carapace mask on Aaron's face and developed a feeling she shouldn't have as a Herrscher.
After awakening and knowing her mission, the Herrscher of Thunder had always perceived that others should fear her.
But now, no matter how much the Herrscher of Thunder denied it, she couldn't cover up the evident fear in her heart.
A Herrscher who should have made humans fear her was now fearing a human. The appearance of this situation made the Herrscher of Thunder feel incredibly humiliated.
But right now, humiliation aside, she felt she should flee from this terrifying demon first before making other plans.
Otherwise...
"Speed isn't bad, just a pity..."
*Good thing she's a total idiot. If she knew electromagnetic acceleration, I wouldn't be able to catch up.*
Condensing another ice platform in the air, Aaron poured Honkai energy into his feet and stomped heavily on it.
Aaron, accelerating via Honkai energy burst, caught up with the enemy before him in just an instant.
"You! You bastard, you can't be doing this!"
"Huh? The Herrscher missy who was so arrogant just now is scared?"
Looking at the Herrscher of Thunder desperately releasing countless barriers, Aaron poured power into both fists.
"Still struggling at death's door? Then..."
One strike, breaking through countless barriers.
"And then..."
At this moment, Aaron, from high above, threw the left punch he hadn't used yet at the Herrscher of Thunder.
Hit, and the Herrscher of Thunder, unable to release a barrier in time, instantly erupted with terrifying currents from her body.
"You bastard! You die with me too!"
"Wow, so scary. However..."
After striking the girl's body, Aaron smashed the Herrscher of Thunder directly from the sky into the ground.
Following the end of his strike, the ground where they landed immediately began to show cracks like a spiderweb.
In Kiana's vision, a large area of the ground where the two were located collapsed downwards.
And when she rushed to them, she saw two figures amidst the dust.
The Herrscher of Thunder, not yet completely unconscious, watched Aaron from above with a pained expression.
As for why she was "above"...
—*Because at this moment, the Herrscher of Thunder, having lost her combat capability, was being choked by the neck and completely controlled by Aaron.*
"Hmph... Human... I can feel that you held back on that last punch, didn't you."
"What's wrong? Can't bear to kill me?"
"Ha, if I killed you, someone over there would flip out on me later—although that's what I say, considering safety first, I think..."
"Get the hell back inside, or I'll kill Raiden Mei along with you!"
Killing intent.
At this moment, the Herrscher of Thunder could feel an incredibly intense killing intent from Aaron's terrifying cross-shaped pupils.
*Damn it, this man is serious.*
*Raiden Mei is Kiana's friend, but not his friend.*
*He really wants to kill me, and I...*
"Ah, it seems you aren't very willing to go back. Then..."
At this moment, Aaron tilted his head, increased his grip strength, and spoke indifferently.
"Refusing the toast only to drink the forfeit is fine too. Anyway, it's not my first time taking someone's life."
Feeling it becoming difficult to breathe, the Herrscher of Thunder awkwardly discovered that because her body was in pain, she couldn't even focus enough to condense Honkai energy.
She was just a newly descended Herrscher. Under conditions where she hadn't finished growing, with zero combat experience, losing to Aaron's blitz tactic wasn't strange.
And precisely because she was a newly born Herrscher, when facing this terrifying killing intent and pressure...
—*Her performance was this pathetic.*
The Herrscher of Thunder, who should have dominated everything as the Queen of Lightning, felt the fear in her heart spreading incessantly.
*Damn it, stop it!*
*I won't be afraid of him!*
*I won't!*
But regrettably, no matter how good her inner thoughts were, she couldn't make the fear in her heart dissipate.
Under the threat of suffocation, this fear not only didn't dissipate but conversely dominated her heart.
*Incomprehensible.*
*Why do humans have such strong power?*
*Why does this man have such strong killing intent?*
*I, as the Messenger of God, how could I lose to a mere human?!!!!!*
Before her consciousness gradually faded into a blur, the Herrscher of Thunder glared at Aaron with incomparable spite and spoke viciously.
"You bastard, remember this!"
"Yeah, better to kill her after all."
Sensing the resentment in the Herrscher of Thunder's heart, Aaron spoke these words with utter indifference.
But in the next second, he saw a trace of blankness suddenly surface in the girl's eyes.
Amidst the confusion, Raiden Mei, having just woken up, saw a creature resembling a humanoid monster actually choking her neck.
And combined with the sentence "better to kill her after all" that she seemed to have just heard, Raiden Mei, as an ordinary girl, was scared completely unconscious by this scene on the spot.
"Mei!"
Seeing Raiden Mei completely faint in Aaron's hands, Kiana immediately switched to Trickster mode, rushing to Aaron's side and taking her completely unconscious friend from his hands.
"Phew... good thing she's okay."
"Judging by that sentence, you don't seem worried that I might have accidentally killed her?"
Watching Kiana put away her weapons and lay Raiden Mei on the ground, Aaron, having deactivated Ittou Shura and the Honkai Beast transformation, took out a cloak and draped it over himself, breathing a temporary sigh of relief.
"...From the moment you entered that dangerous state and manifested the gauntlets but then put them away, I knew you didn't intend to kill."
Sighing slightly, Kiana continued.
"And during the fight, if you wanted to kill this guy, you would have chosen to use the power of freezing to explode inside her directly—just like when you blew up that Armor Guy."
"So, starting from discovering those two things, I knew you intended to hold back."
"Nice analysis, just a pity."
Chopping Kiana heavily on the head with a hand knife, Aaron spoke grumpily.
"I told you not to use the Honkai Beast transformation, why won't you listen!"
"I didn't use it!"
"You think I'm blind?! I know exactly what state your hands were in when I arrived!"
"...Using it occasionally won't hurt."
"Save it. Today it's hands, tomorrow half your body, later your whole body changes—you have no idea how dangerous this is for you!"
"You have the nerve to talk about danger?"
Seeing several dark red wet patches appearing on Aaron's cloak, Kiana turned the tables and lifted Aaron's cloak.
"Bleeding again! Clearly, if you coordinated with me, it wouldn't have to be this severe! And you have the nerve to lecture me!"
"Once, twice, it's always like this! Even after leaving the dungeon, you're still like this!"
*Always... making a mess of your own body!*
"...My recovery ability is much stronger than before."
*Can't help it, better not save mental energy.*
[Spirit Command: Guts, Activate.]
Using Guts to recover from the injuries on his body, Aaron could feel his weak body returning to peak condition.
Under the powerful recovery effect of Guts, aside from having to adhere to the once-per-day cooldown, he could already rely on the recovery provided by Guts to negate the weakness effect following Ittou Shura.
"Like this. Why do you think I dare to use this move now?"
"Then my recovery ability is also much stronger—"
"Yours isn't a problem of recovery ability at all!"
*Damn it, if the voice of [Kill the Honkai] and Sirin's will surface at the same time, I can't guarantee what you'll turn into at all. Why don't you understand!*
*But I can't say this... Sigh, so annoying.*
*This guy stopped again.*
*Every time I'm about to ask the reason, he's always like this!*
*Is there a reason so hidden that telling me is that difficult?*
The battle was clearly over, but the two on the battlefield felt even more headache-induced than during the fight.
"Forget it, not talking about this."
Forcibly changing the subject, Aaron took out the [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala] and stuffed it into Kiana's hand.
"It's relatively dangerous here. Use this thing to retreat first. The locations I targeted are Soukai City and the areas surrounding Nagazora City. Personally, I suggest you go to Soukai City... Um, and this."
Taking out a stack of banknotes from his wallet, Aaron spoke helplessly.
"Although Herrschers unconsciously use Honkai energy to strengthen their bodies when dominated by the Herrscher personality, I didn't go light just now. I estimate your friend will still need medical treatment."
"I have a question—"
Watching Aaron's actions, Kiana asked incomprehensibly.
"Didn't you come here to meet me??? Why aren't you coming with me after seeing me!"
"...Duh, I came to test my power. I only came over to give you a hand because I saw you getting beaten up."
Suppressing the impulse in his heart, Aaron spoke to Kiana in a tone of utter disgust.
"God knows you're still this scrubby even after enhancement. If I hadn't stepped in, you might have actually been done for."
"No way! Even without you, I definitely could have saved Mei!"
*Aaron, this guy... what exactly is he thinking!*
"Anyway, I don't care. You have to come with me!"
"...Fine, then stand steady."
Looking at the Shambhala Kiana stuffed back into his hand, Aaron poured mental energy into the [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala] with complete indifference.
And then...
After a flash of white light, Kiana felt the surrounding scenery suddenly change.
*Mei... yeah, she's on the ground.*
"Aaron, I—where is he???"
Looking at the small alley with no third person besides Raiden Mei and herself, Kiana suddenly froze.
Then, looking at the stack of banknotes transported over with her on the ground, she realized immediately.
Aaron had indeed used [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala] to activate the long-distance teleportation ability. And judging from the poster posted here saying [Soukai City will soon host superstar 'System's' solo concert], this should be Soukai City without a doubt.
But according to Aaron's ability explanation during their casual chats before, Shambhala could designate teleportation targets.
So in the end, Aaron selected Raiden Mei, Kiana Kaslana, and that stack of banknotes, but did not select himself as a teleportation target, leaving himself behind in Nagazora City.
Kiana and Raiden Mei were safe for now, but Aaron...
"Why? Why are you always like this! I..."
*I'm clearly no longer a burden, so why do you still do this!!!!*
*Aaron, if anything happens to you...*
—*I will never forgive you in this lifetime!*
.......