Chapter 77: Mei, I Love You
"Hey, Rovel, do you have any other moves?" Kiana whispered, her body having recovered just enough to feel the ache in her bones.
Above them, Raiden Mei seemed to have been utterly consumed by her rage. The thunderstorm she commanded was no longer contained; it was expanding, a violent vortex of lightning and wind that tore across the cityscape. Countless Honkai Beasts and Death Soldiers were annihilated under the terrifying onslaught, reduced to ash by bolts of pure energy.
"I have a theory..." Rovel muttered, his eyes fixed on the storm's epicenter.
Who was truly in control of Mei's body right now? Was it the cold, imperious will of her Stigmata, or was it the gentle girl who had cooked for him with a shy smile?
Or perhaps... they were one and the same?
In the original story of Honkai Impact 3rd, Mei's personality had always been a complex and fascinating subject. The plot suggested that the self-proclaimed "Thunder Queen," the Stigmata's will, was her primary personality—the original Raiden Mei. The gentle, caring side was a new facet born after she became a Herrscher, awakened by Kiana's friendship and fueled by a desperate desire to protect her.
While the two personalities didn't necessarily conflict, the chronological order of their emergence seemed critically important.
He could feel the shift in Mei's attitude towards him, a change as sharp and cold as the lightning she wielded. And in that shift, he realized he might have been mistaken all along. Perhaps the Raiden Mei he had been interacting with this whole time was the Thunder Queen, her original, dominant self. The gentleness she had shown after he saved her wasn't a separate entity; it was simply another part of her. The current Raiden Mei didn't have a split personality at all.
The fragrant, soft-spoken girl he had subconsciously idealized… she hadn't truly been born yet.
It was a known fact that Herrschers were born in many ways. Some, like Anna, had personalities that sought to completely overwrite the original host's consciousness. Others, like Sirin, retained their memories and core identity even after their transformation. Raiden Mei was clearly more like Sirin, but her subconscious had been warped and amplified by the Honkai energy.
When a small, insignificant worry is magnified to an infinite degree, a person's consciousness can become trapped within it. Simply put, she was caught in a destructive loop of her own making.
Previously, Rovel had admitted that he'd approached her with the goal of becoming stronger. Mei had forgiven him for it, or so he thought. But that single, understated confession had become the very trigger for her corruption.
The reason she had suddenly spiraled into this rage was likely because she believed that the gentleness she'd shown him… was nothing but a disguise. A mask.
It was the only explanation for why Mei reserved that gentle side exclusively for him. To everyone else, she was still the proud, unapproachable Thunder Queen. Perhaps, in her own mind, she felt that the gentle version of herself wasn't the real her.
The words Rovel had said, the expectations he held, weren't for the magnificent Thunder Queen before him. They were for the carefully constructed "gentleness" she had put on display.
So, the moment he'd said, "What attracts me is precisely Raiden Mei's gentleness," she had misinterpreted it completely. In her distorted perception, it was a rejection. It was Rovel preparing to abandon her.
From her perspective, that "gentleness" was a fabrication, a trait she didn't even realize she genuinely possessed.
Therefore, to bring her back, there were only two options: defeat her in battle, or...
"Kiana, create an opportunity for me. I need to get close to Mei. Just three seconds is all I need," Rovel whispered, his voice urgent in her ear.
"...Mm."
Though she had no idea what he was planning, Kiana knew they were out of better options.
Seeing the two of them whispering so intimately, Raiden Mei could no longer contain her fury. A bolt of lightning slammed down between them with a deafening crack, forcing them apart.
"Look over here!" Kiana yelled, her body twisting in a graceful arc through the air. The dual pistols in her hands spat a continuous stream of bullets, a silver torrent aimed at the Herrscher.
"Hmph!" Raiden Mei raised a hand dismissively. A shimmering electric field materialized around her, deflecting the bullets with contemptuous ease.
She wasn't in a rush to counterattack. She knew that as soon as Kiana's feet touched the ground, the ambient electrical field would instantly paralyze her. This time, she would not miss.
One second... two seconds...
Crackling arcs of lightning began to gather in Raiden Mei's palms, coalescing into a weapon of pure destruction.
Suddenly, her gaze snapped toward Rovel's position, but it was too late. The energy in his hands had already finished condensing.
"Inch Force: Thunderbolt!"
A massive, invisible wave of force erupted from his palm, surging toward Raiden Mei.
A flicker of deep disappointment crossed her face. So, he had attacked her after all. It was true, then. There was no one in this world who cared about the real her. No one could ever love her arrogant, imperious nature, could they?
Raiden Mei raised her hand, the electric field flaring to intercept the blow. But before the wave of force could even touch her, it detonated violently.
The explosion produced a blinding flash of white light, forcing her to squint.
The next second, a figure burst through the fading glare. It was Rovel.
"Mei, I told you... I will never abandon you!" he roared, his voice cutting through the storm. "Whether it's the proud Thunder Queen of the past, or the gentle you standing before me now, I love all of you!"
His hand plunged into the crackling electric field. The searing pain of current tearing through his flesh twisted his expression into a grimace, but he didn't stop.
At that moment, his health bar became a frantic dance of red and green.
[-400] [+1000] [-400] [+1000]
The medicine Mobius had given him was saving his life once again.
"I won't abandon you!"
Rovel's hand pushed forward, inch by agonizing inch, until his fingertips finally brushed against her cheek. More than half of his body was now enveloped by the lethal electric field.
Raiden Mei stared at his desperate, pain-racked face, and her heart trembled violently. The love for him that lay buried deep within her soul seemed to be stirring, gradually awakening from its slumber.
He finally broke through the field completely. The frantic dance of his health bar ceased. At last, he was able to pull the girl before him into a firm embrace.
"Mei... I love you."
Rovel held her face between his hands and kissed her. Raiden Mei didn't resist. She closed her eyes, surrendering to the moment.
A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, falling onto the remnants of her electric field, where it sizzled into nothingness.
But Rovel felt no shock, no burning current. Her lips were soft, carrying a hint of coolness like the rain. The instant their lips met, Mei could feel the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat. It was a soothing balm, and combined with his familiar scent and warmth, it began to quell the restless Honkai energy raging within her.
Her hand slowly rose, her fingers clutching the corner of his clothes, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip.
The surrounding thunderstorm began to recede, the dark clouds parting as the violent winds slowly died down. Changkong City, however, was already devastated beyond recognition.
"Whew..." Kiana watched as the last of the lightning dissipated, letting out a long, shaky breath of relief.
At least the crisis was over for now.
The wings of lightning behind Mei's back gradually faded away, and her consciousness finally sank into the quiet dark.
Rovel caught her as she fell, landing steadily on the rooftop.
"How is Mei?" Kiana asked, rushing over.
"She's fine," Rovel replied, carefully shifting Mei onto his back. "Just asleep for now."
He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the horizon.
"Kiana, now we need to figure out how to break through."
In the distance, a formidable defensive line had been established. The combined forces of the Descenders and Anti-Entropy mechs had completely blockaded the outskirts of Changkong City.
This World Instance had only just begun, and the curtain was rising on the stage known as "Confrontation."
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