"This... this is the complete Herrscher of Thunder?"
Theresa was stunned, stammering for a long time, unable to speak.
On the screen, the Queen of Thunder reopened her eyes, and there was no longer any hesitation in them.
Cold, arrogant, ruthless... all emotions were now contrary to her being.
There was no longer any need to be afraid!
From the depths of the vast space, from beyond the eight directions, it surged forward like the clashing of swords, like a landslide—this was lightning.
The dull thunder grew louder, seemingly trying to break free from the shackles of the thick clouds, tearing through them with violent madness—this was Mei.
The Imaginary Tree Honkai didn't even seem to understand what had happened, struggling to resist the lightning.
The purple light of that dazzling lightning streaked past in a flash.
The power Raiden Mei liberated after absorbing all the residual Honkai Energy in Changkong City was her Herrscher form, awakened entirely by her own will. Her appearance, as cold and majestic as a ghost god, proclaimed that the authority of conquest was now in her hands; at this moment, the world welcomed the return of the Thunder Empress.
Walking with the World Serpent, Mei was cold and aloof. She closed off her heart, turning her loneliness into thorns to protect herself. People of the dark world also viewed her as an outlier, harboring wariness toward her.
But among them, there were also those who knew of Mei's past and would choose to quietly leave when she was secretly grieving.
On the day the thunder pierced the sky, the young girl completely broke away from her past.
Everything she once cherished as a treasure vanished with the wind in that lightless rainstorm.
Mei did not speak. Facing the reawakened Imaginary Tree Honkai, she only silently drew her blade.
Surging emotions erupted with every draw of her sword.
There was only one goal: kill it!
The only objective was to kill the monster before her.
No dodging; every movement was an attack!
There was no need to dodge anymore!
"Boom!!!"
The Tachi, saturated with the power of lightning, slashed at the Imaginary Tree Honkai. Even if it turned back with its giant sword, it would no longer make the girl sad.
What was physical pain compared to the pain in her heart?
Blade light pierced through the wails, and flashes of blood-red sword shadows flickered, seemingly the girl's past tears of blood.
The girl's blade grew faster, and the sorrow in her heart turned to dust.
Finally, everything returned to silence.
"One strike, it's over!"
With her soft whisper, amidst the storm, the Imaginary Tree Honkai was crushed into powder.
—Boom!!!
The alien creation collapsed with a bang, dissipating along with the leaping lightning.
The rain poured down, sliding from the corners of the girl's eyes, washing away the past.
"..."
She let out a long breath; the voice in her head had disappeared.
Only the sound of rain remained in the world—a silent rain.
Meanwhile, outside the space, looking at the violent and cold Raiden Mei, Kiana's heart felt as if it were being squeezed.
Once upon a time, she never thought the gentle Mei would become this cold.
And the source of it all was herself.
"This was Sister Mei's choice. Bronya feels it was not wrong. Kiana does not need to blame Sister Mei."
Bronya comforted her softly, her own mood not very good either.
"The Herrscher of Thunder—this is the Herrscher of Thunder? Why is she completely different from before?"
Beside them, Tesla was dumbfounded. She had just been sitting there slacking off and took a nap, but upon waking up, the scene on the screen shocked her.
With this kind of power, wouldn't cutting through Anti-Entropy's mechs be like slicing vegetables? Moreover, a Herrscher who retained her sanity was even more precious.
"It seems I'll have to care more for Mei in the future. It's best to do some psychological counseling; I, the Headmaster, will personally guide her!"
Theresa nodded, her mind flashing with scenes of Mei studying hard and making progress under her guidance.
"It's best to spend more time with her and let her experience the beauty of St. Freya Academy. Otherwise, if Mei gets angry, my St. Freya Academy won't be enough for her to tear down..." Theresa said to Himeko beside her.
"Forget it, you even get lost in the Academy, let alone experiencing beauty," Himeko couldn't help but retort. "Last time we went to the haunted house, you almost scared the staff. I still vividly remember that line 'at worst, we die together'."
Theresa's face turned red, and she gave a light huff, turning her head away.
While everyone was discussing, the image inside the space moved again.
The girl walked toward the dead dragon, reaching out to gently stroke the dull scales.
A point of light and a warm current spread from her fingertips, gradually melting that giant body.
Within the light, a shadow was dissipating.
Within the light, a voice pleaded with her... Everyone's hearts felt heavy as the screen transitioned into Benares' monologue.
"Since the moment she woke up, she had been flying.
Benares, Honkai Beast, monster—the people on the ground shouted and fled.
But she couldn't hear those voices.
She could only hear the single restlessness in her heart.
Fight for the Queen!
Protect the Queen who called her 'Bella'.
She flew over snowfields, over mountains, over seas of stars, over the mortal world... finally, she fell.
She could no longer fly.
A dragon dying while guarding its memories.
In her heart, only one last voice remained."
"My Queen, I want to... hear you call my name one more time."
Raindrops fell and vanished, departing with the soul named 'Bella'.
Crimson scales replaced the scars, and the dragon stood up once more, spreading its wings to announce its rebirth.
But now, it was merely a beast following the orders of the Herrscher of Thunder.
The girl looked up at the sky; the halo gradually dimmed with the birth of the Herrscher.
She mounted the dragon's back, flying away from the light, through the chaos, toward the world on the other side—
Outside the space, Fu Hua asked softly: "Benares died, and was resurrected by Mei using Honkai Energy?"
"It seems so, but its appearance has changed, becoming more like a beast—at least it has no emotions left." Himeko sighed, not only for the birth of the Herrscher of Thunder but also for the death of Benares.
"Honkai Beasts... have emotions too? Fighting for the Queen and all that... I, I—my heart hurts, as if I've lost something." Kiana's face suddenly changed drastically, turning pale as paper, as if she had been struck by lightning.
Benares' death caused her emotions to fluctuate violently, almost plunging her into despair.
It was the same as before, when she knew a friend was going to die.
While everyone was comforting Kiana, inexplicably, no one noticed a flash of golden light in her pupils.
It was incredibly fast, with almost no fluctuation, and everything returned to normal.
But within Kiana's heart, a soul that had been dormant for a long time quietly awakened.
The bewildered eyes of that soul looked toward the dead Benares.
Her eyes widened involuntarily.
"Bella!"
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