"Allow me to introduce you. This is Cocolia, the true culprit who framed your father, Raiden Ryoma, and sent him to prison." Chen Li stood up, plucking the pistol bullet that had been stopped by the Friends Circle out of the air.
A mere handgun couldn't even penetrate the Friends Circle's basic defense.
This was true even for a bullet enhanced with Honkai energy.
"What? Framed? Does that mean... my father is innocent?" Raiden Mei was stunned.
She hadn't had a chance to see the story yet, as Kiana had smashed the tablet. She was completely in the dark.
"It's not quite that simple. Your father belongs to Anti-Entropy, which is also an organization that fights the Honkai. It's perfectly normal for an organization like that to allocate funds for developing anti-Honkai weapons. Your father did misappropriate funds, but he had the ability to pay them back, and his initial intention was to save the world and fight the Honkai. So you don't need to doubt your father's character, nor should you doubt the fact that Cocolia is indeed a bad person," Chen Li explained softly, standing beside Raiden Mei.
"So that's how it was..." Raiden Mei clutched her chest, her eyes filled with rage as she glared at Cocolia.
"Furthermore, she's the one who wanted to artificially trigger the Honkai Eruption, plunge the entirety of Nagazora City into the abyss of the Honkai, turn you into the Third Herrscher, and then capture you for research," Chen Li continued.
"...Cocolia!" Raiden Mei's gaze toward Cocolia turned to one of pure hatred.
"Hey, where did Sirin go? What do we do now?" Kiana, off to the side, noticed that Sirin had suddenly vanished.
"She probably went to Schicksal, leaving the three of us behind. We'll have to fend for ourselves. Luckily, my protective shield is tough enough, so we're fine for now," Chen Li said.
"Huh? Aww man. Well, I guess this is the part where I awaken the power within me, become the complete Second Herrscher, and solve the current crisis!" Kiana sighed, then stepped forward.
"Indeed. Now is the time to help Raiden Mei awaken the power within her, become the complete Third Herrscher, and solve the current crisis!" Chen Li nodded.
"As expected... huh?"
"Mei, please save us! Awaken the power within you! Call out that one-size-fits-all password for Honkai awakenings! Become the Raiden Queen!" Chen Li placed both hands on Raiden Mei's shoulders.
"Huh? M-me?" Raiden Mei was completely bewildered.
"That's right. Kiana and I are weak, pitiful, and helpless. We can only rely on you now," Chen Li nodded.
It didn't matter when Kiana, the Herrscher of the Void, awakened. In fact, if Queenie the Sprite was willing to cede control of the Herrscher Core to Kiana, she could transform right now.
But the chance to create the Herrscher of Thunder, if missed, would be gone for good.
Chen Li looked up at the labels above his head...
[Herrscher of the Void Conquest Expert], Progress 2/3
No, not that one.
[Herrscher Creation] Entry extraction in progress...Progress: 1/5 (Progress increases by successfully creating a Herrscher)
That one point of progress came from Sirin.
[Savior Creation] Entry extraction in progress...Progress: 0/3 (Progress increases by helping a potential savior awaken their hidden power)
[Third Eruption] Entry extraction in progress...Progress: 20% (Progress increases with the birth of the Herrscher of Thunder)
The most important part of the Third Eruption wasn't the fall of Nagazora City, but Raiden Mei becoming the Herrscher of Thunder.
"But... what do I do?" Raiden Mei's heart was in turmoil as she looked at Cocolia, who was already commanding her mechs to bombard the shield, and at the shield itself, which was rippling and looked like it was about to break.
"Absorb enough Honkai energy, awaken the Herrscher personality within you, sever that personality's connection to the Honkai Consciousness, and then defeat the Herrscher personality inside you. Then you will become the complete Third Herrscher!" Chen Li explained.
The Third Herrscher's power came from the Gem of Conquest. Raiden Mei was an artificially created Herrscher, so she couldn't control her powers at will. This was why the Third Herrscher had a separate personality and memories.
The Third Herrscher personality was the one who possessed the Herrscher's authority, not Raiden Mei.
"That sounds so complicated..."
"Don't worry, I've prepared everything. You were actually about to become a Herrscher just now, but because Sirin severed the budding Eruption, you didn't get enough Honkai energy to awaken your power. But I have here a World Bubble's worth of Honkai energy, left behind by the Herrscher of the Void, which is more than enough to help you break through that barrier." Chen Li took out a crystal ball.
"And because of the protection of this Friends Circle, even if your power spreads, it won't affect Nagazora City or even Senba Academy, so you can transform without any worries!"
"Come on, eat this crystal ball! Let the world welcome the return of the Raiden Queen! Let those who once scorned you, those who looked down on you, those who only approached you for power and status, understand the resilient soul and noble character you hold within your heart!" Chen Li's voice echoed in Raiden Mei's ears, striking her very soul.
"I... can I really do it? I feel like I can't do anything!"
"Password correct! You are destined to save the world! You are the one chosen by fate!"
"Can I really defeat the Herrscher personality? Can I defeat the Herrscher of Thunder, an apostle of God?" Raiden Mei was doubtful.
"Don't worry, I will help you! Trust me!"
"Okay! But... this crystal ball is a bit big... Can I really eat it?" Raiden Mei looked hesitantly at the fist-sized crystal ball.
"...It's fine now," Chen Li said after using his Herrscher of the Void authority to shrink the crystal ball.
Caught up in the heat of the moment, Raiden Mei didn't even notice Chen Li, who could shrink a crystal ball with a pinch. She tossed the now thumb-sized crystal into her mouth and swallowed it whole.
"Power... it's surging!" Limitless lightning erupted from within Raiden Mei. The potential of the Herrscher of Thunder's core was ignited by the massive influx of Honkai energy.
Chen Li tossed another Friends Circle terminal to Kiana, who was inside the expanding protective shield, then shielded her body while he bathed in the lightning alone, savoring its delicious taste.
The endless power within her was intoxicating to Raiden Mei, but with the awakening of the Herrscher core, her Herrscher personality also sprang forth, successfully suppressing Raiden Mei's own.
"Ugh! Finally out! Weak, feeble, pathetic Raiden Mei! I shall take control of this body and pass judgment upon the trash of Senba Academy! And you, you are... why do I sense my own scent on you?" When Raiden Mei opened her eyes again, a purple light flashed within them, and the smile on her face had become wild and arrogant. But as she looked at Chen Li, a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.
"My Queen, I am your Retainer!" Chen Li shouted.
"Huh?" The Herrscher of Thunder froze.
She felt that Chen Li's lie was ridiculously clumsy, but the power emanating from him, which was almost identical to her own, left her bewildered.
This was Chen Li's [Herrscher of Thunder Transformation].
He had taken a bite out of Sirin's Herrscher of Thunder core. In fact, if you were to pull the Gem of Conquest out of Raiden Mei right now, you would probably still see Chen Li's teeth marks on it.
This natural sense of affinity prevented the Herrscher of Thunder from attacking Chen Li. As for the dazed-looking Kiana next to him, who had no idea what was happening, the Herrscher had even less desire to act.
Instead, it was Cocolia, who was still commanding her mechs to bombard the shield, that drew the Herrscher's ire.
The Herrscher of Thunder was also Mei, so she naturally had no kind feelings for the woman who framed Raiden Ryoma and wanted to capture her for research.
Snap! The Herrscher of Thunder snapped her fingers. A violent bolt of lightning instantly shot toward Cocolia, only to be blocked by a mech that Cocolia, already on high alert, had maneuvered into place.
The mech, however, was destroyed in the process.
But it didn't matter. Cocolia had plenty more.
Cocolia was on high alert, but she couldn't hide her excitement.
Although she had lost track of the Herrscher of the Void, she had gained the Herrscher of Thunder.
Her plan had succeeded, albeit through a strange twist of fate!
"Bronya." Cocolia snapped her fingers again, summoning her trump card.
A gray-haired girl with spiral twin-tails floated out from among the mechs. Hovering behind her was a massive robot.
"Activate combat mode. Retrieve the Herrscher of Thunder."
"Affirmative." The girl's once-lively eyes instantly became cold and emotionless.
"A pointless struggle." The Herrscher of Thunder strode out of the Friends Circle's protection, intending to teach Cocolia and this insolent girl a small lesson.
A lesson in life and death!
"Hey, Chen Li, Mei's personality seems to have been suppressed by the Herrscher's. Do you have another plan? Hurry up and use it," Kiana whispered, only daring to approach Chen Li after the Herrscher of Thunder had left the shield.
"I do. The next step is to sever the Herrscher of Thunder's connection to the Honkai Consciousness, freeing both her and Raiden Mei from its influence," Chen Li nodded.
"How do you sever it?"
"Brute force! Remember in the Second Eruption manga, how Sirin's connection to the Honkai Consciousness was severed?"
"It was Taixu Sword God... but Fu Hua isn't here."
"But I am, aren't I? Hey, Your Majesty." Chen Li called out to the Herrscher of Thunder, who was facing down countless mechs and a powerful foe without a shred of concern, viewing them as mere ants.
"What is it?" The Herrscher of Thunder turned to look back at Chen Li.
The reason she could so blatantly ignore the threat of the mechs and Bronya was because she had used her authority to create a super-electromagnetic field around her body, insulating her from all physical and energy attacks.
"Have you ever heard of a sword technique that descends from the heavens?" Chen Li asked.
"What nonsense is that?" The Herrscher frowned, and then an indescribable sense of crisis washed over her.
She subconsciously looked up and saw a sight that would be forever burned into her memory.
The saying "A sword's aura stretching thirty thousand li, its cold light chilling nineteen provinces" was no longer just a descriptor. An intricate and seemingly real sword aura descended from the heavens, like the Milky Way falling from the ninth heaven!
The sky itself seemed to be split in two.
Under the might of this terrifying sword aura, the Herrscher of Thunder felt like a mere ant.
The infinite sword qi pierced into the Herrscher of Thunder's body. The Honkai Consciousness, which had eagerly come to corrupt its new Herrscher, was once again, again, and again severed from its connection.
Both of its Herrschers, stolen by the same person!
@＃￥%＆*
Chen Li seemed to vaguely hear something cursing him.
---o---