"Kia..."
A slender arm shouldn't possess such immense power.
"Kiana."
Her muscles and throat strained under a burden they were not meant to bear. Her nerves, stretched taut, transmitted a numbing pain to her nearby spine.
To fight against the power of an awakened Herrscher with a sealed human body was, in the end, a futile effort.
Fortunately, the Herrscher's consciousness before her was not entirely stable.
Even though she had been injected with an excessive amount of Honkai energy, her other "consciousness" had, after all, accompanied this body for a long time. The goodness of her humanity, along with the voice of her closest friend, forcibly wrested back a moment of self-control.
"Quick... wake up."
"—"
The amber-gold light faded from her pupils, and a blue as clear as the azure sea returned to the young woman's eyes.
"Ah—"
"AHHHH!!!!!"
An excess of Honkai energy seeped through her battlesuit, weaving cryptic patterns across her skin.
The agony of the internal struggle for control forced her to clutch her head. The fluid flowing within her bulging veins was likely no longer crimson blood.
However, this process did not last long.
"Hmph..."
Dark red polyhedrons emerged from Imaginary Space.
They converged above the girl's head, then rapidly collapsed into an unstable sphere, and then... transformed into an unspeakable, narrow, single eye.
"Heheheh."
A chilling laugh echoed from the depths of her throat.
Fierce lightning surged from the center of the single eye toward the sky—
Swoosh.
A tear in space opened to a dark beyond.
"KRA-ROAR!"
The connection between reality and Imaginary Space was torn open by the Herrscher's authority. A Templar-class Honkai Beast, lance in hand, struggled to widen the rift.
Then—
BOOM!!
The deck of the pure-white floating warship shattered violently. The flying metal debris and the shockwave sent Mei's body hurtling through the air.
Swoosh!
The Templar-class's signature ability, [Blink].
Mei had little power left. To be precise, even if she could use her "Lightning Empress" form from the Third Honkai Eruption, "she," who had become a Herrscher through the [Gem of Conquest], was far from strong enough to fight the Herrscher of the Void.
Immediately after—
The raised lance descended from behind, the Templar-class aiming straight for Mei's heart!
CLANG!!!
The lance was caught firmly in a metal grip.
"Quantum state disengaged!"
"Observation system offset corrected!"
A squadron of humanoid mechs, about ten meters tall and painted in blue-gray, appeared around Mei as reinforcements.
"Mei, are you alright!?"
Tesla's voice crackled through Mei's communicator.
[Titan Tactical Mech]
The latest model from Anti-Entropy's arsenal, which had once "knocked out the 'Fourth Herrscher' with a single punch."
"I'm—"
She was not alright.
Although the Titan twisted the Templar's weapon with a crisp snap and then shattered the "Queen's Guard" with a single blow... it was just one beast among a legion.
Whump!
With a light wave of the Herrscher of the Void's arm, threads of Honkai energy rapidly converged around her, and the four eye-shaped parts of her dress unfurled.
A piercing shriek of thunder tore open the barrier, further breaking down the partition between reality and Imaginary Space.
WHOOSH!!
A countless legion of Honkai Beasts descended from the sky, charging madly toward the Titan forces and the Hyperion below!
BOOM!!!
A matrix of blue cursors linked together, forming a wall-like [Aegis Shield] that met the charge of the Honkai Beast legion head-on!
At the same time—
"Thunderbreak Mechs!"
Besides the close-combat models that could stun a "Herrscher" with one blow, Anti-Entropy's [Titan Tactical Mech] forces naturally included long-range models.
Hiss!
Coolant vaporized into murky gas and vented from the exhausts. Racks of Honkai energy plug-in batteries poured all their power into the main cannons of the [Thunderbreak Mechs].
"All weapons, fire!!"
BOOM!!!
A dense barrage of light beams shot toward the sky.
The Honkai Beast legion in front of the [Aegis Shield] was wiped out in droves, and the remaining brilliant light continued unabated toward the Herrscher in the sky!
However—
Snap.
She snapped her fingers.
A massive spatial rift opened in a ring, swallowing the [Thunderbreak Mechs'] attack whole. And then...
Swoosh—
It was returned to sender.
BOOOOOM!!!
---o---
Tap.
Blood dripped from her arm onto the ruined deck.
The reinforcing Titan forces had been completely annihilated.
The Hyperion had lost over seventy percent of its armaments and power; the fact that it was still airborne was a miracle.
Clutching her arm, Mei fell to her knees.
Looking at the "unrecognizable" "Kiana" in the sky, Mei had never felt the meaning of the words "I can't do anything" so profoundly.
"Bella."
Two simple syllables escaped the Herrscher of the Void's lips.
"ROAR!!"
A massive, pale-blue dragon descended from the sky!
SCREEE!
Its draconic wing sliced through the Hyperion's only intact bridge like a naginata.
The shield, deprived of its power supply, didn't even last two seconds before collapsing into a shower of light particles.
VMMMM!
Immediately after, rings of light converged at the dragon's mouth. The powers of flame, lightning, wind, and ice rapidly condensed into a surging ball of light, aimed at the now defenseless Hyperion—
BOOM!!!
---o---
"What!?"
The same question was uttered in three distinctly different places.
Otto, at a critical moment in his Herrscher plan, didn't even notice the liquid spilling from his tilted wine glass. Tesla, having lost all her "assets," stared blankly at the new Honkai energy signature with an expression of utter defeat. And Himeko, already suited up and preparing to charge forward to block Benares's ultimate attack, was forced to a halt by the sudden turn of events.
Because...
Benares's attack was never unleashed. A mechanical dragon, clad in deep crimson armor, had slammed into it, pinning it down violently!
"Einstein!"
Tesla shouted to Ein beside her, her face a mask of disbelief.
"Correct."
Ein, her hands flying across a keyboard, double-checked the data from her AI.
"Based on the Honkai energy signature."
"I'm afraid it's another Judgment-class..."
"But its appearance—"
Tesla didn't even have time to finish her question.
"I see it."
The AI assistant, Eins, had already connected to Anti-Entropy's database and supercomputer, a massive stream of data flowing before its eyes.
"This thing."
"By our definition, it should indeed be classified as a 'Mecha-Dragon'."
Bang!
Tesla slammed her fist on the table, her auxiliary mechanical arm leaving a deep imprint on the super-alloy surface.
"Damn it! Is this another one of Otto's schemes!?"
"No, the Herrscher of the Void is part of Otto's plan. He wouldn't—"
"Detecting large Honkai energy signature!"
"Detecting large Honkai energy signature!"
Before Ein could finish, the control room, already bathed in red warning lights, was filled with the piercing sound of a new alarm.
"1000 HW, 2000 HW, 5000 HW—"
Crack.
A visible crack appeared on the Honkai energy detector.
"Hey! Ein!"
"A Herrscher reading..."
Ein stopped what she was doing.
The original plan to save Kiana had already been thrown into disarray by the "appearance" of the Herrscher of the Void. Now, a new Herrscher signature had appeared.
And it was—
"A Herrscher reading of over 10,000 HW."
"Dr. Tesla, the optical observation system has been repaired!"
"Switching to the main bridge display!"
"..."
The bridge of the Hyperion was silent. Inside the "conquered" Schicksal base, one could hear a pin drop.
"Hey, Ein..."
"No need to repeat yourself."
"Tesla, I see it."
---o---
"Lord Otto."
"Is this also part of your plan?"
Amber followed Otto step for step across the hard metal floor.
"..."
"No, Amber."
After seeing the image from the Hyperion, Otto's leisurely demeanor had vanished.
"One is trouble enough."
"I have no interest in the bloodline of 'ordinary people'."
Evidently, Otto had dismissed the possibility of the new "Herrscher" being a clone.
"Amber."
"Yes, Lord Otto."
At times like this, Amber appeared remarkably calm. In truth, as long as she was by Otto's side, Amber didn't even need to think; Otto would handle everything.
"The plan has changed."
"Inform Durandal to return to the Schicksal airport at top speed."
The situation had completely deviated from the plan. Even if Raiden Mei had regained the power of the Third Herrscher, Otto would not have been this surprised.
But!
For a brand new Herrscher, identical in appearance but with an aura a hundred times more terrifying, to suddenly appear while the original was still "kneeling on the ground"... the [Authority of Thunder] absolutely did not possess such power!
"But, Lady Durandal is on vacation."
"...Have Rita inform her."
"Are you certain?"
Durandal's vacations were rare, and almost every single one was interrupted by some strange incident, whether she was actively or passively drawn into it.
"..."
"I will deal with the fallout."
"Understood!"
As Amber departed, Otto's brow furrowed even more deeply.
A Honkai energy reading of 10,000 HW surpassed even the five-cored Sirin on the Siberian plains... No, even ignoring this Herrscher's strength, the timing of her appearance was far too "deliberate."
---o---
Hyperion Deck.
Benares's roars had completely ceased. She had been electrocuted into unconsciousness by the behemoth on top of her. Although it was nominally in its mount form, [Kurikara] was, after all, a next-generation Valkyrie armor of the Empire. Even when operating independently of its user, it could display combat power equal to or slightly less than its master's.
Not to mention the various personal annihilation weapons loaded within it.
In fact, the Empire's latest models of Valkyrie armor, aside from lacking the Monarch's "blessing" (Root Regression), were, for the most part, no different from [Mechanical Species].
Although Benares was called Judgment-class, neither her size nor her combat power could surpass the level of a [Primordial Species]. Moreover, the Benares summoned by the Herrscher of the Void no longer possessed the strength she had during the Second Honkai Eruption in Siberia. With only her unwavering loyalty to her "Queen" remaining, Benares, in her state of lingering obsession, was likely on par with Shesha before she met the Monarch, back when she was being beaten down by humans.
"You are..."
Mei stared in astonishment at the back of the figure standing before her.
Although she couldn't see the person's face, the familiarity one has with oneself is not something that can be easily described.
For Mei, who had awakened her Herrscher consciousness and even had her body controlled by it for a long time, the figure before her grew more and more familiar.
"A clone of this thing?"
The Herrscher of the Void interrupted Mei's question, her narrowed eyes fixed on the target before her. Clearly, the Herrscher of the Void had mistaken this individual, who radiated the aura of the [Authority of Thunder], for a clone created by Otto.
Having once possessed the [Gem of Conquest], which represented the [Authority of Thunder], the Herrscher of the Void was naturally very familiar with this power.
"No."
"I am not a clone created by Mr. Otto. To be precise, I probably cannot be classified as 'human'."
Hearing a voice identical to her own, the Raiden Mei kneeling behind her widened her eyes.
As Mei (to distinguish her from the "Current Civilization" Raiden Mei) turned her head slightly, the original Raiden Mei was struck speechless by the truth. Himeko, who stood behind them, wore the same expression.
"Of course,"
"Miss other Mei."
"I am also not the 'Herrscher personality' you are imagining."
"Major Himeko."
The new Mei suddenly changed the subject.
"...Huh?"
The completely unexpected situation caused Himeko, who had been prepared to sacrifice herself, to suffer a mental short-circuit.
"Could you entrust the [Gem of Pestilence] you carry to my care?"
"That thing is too great a burden for you... Also, I suggest you take off this replica of the [Key of Blankness]."
"Its utilization rate of the Herrscher core is indeed no less than the original (old) version, but compared to the 22% amplification, the 217% burden ratio is not worth the cost."
The new Mei recited the most confidential data of the Valkyrie armor, [Vermilion Knight: Eclipse], with perfect accuracy.
"..."
Kshhh!
Steam hissed out with a pale blue flame.
After a moment's hesitation, Himeko opened the core armor of [Vermilion Knight: Eclipse] that housed the [Gem of Pestilence].
"Alright."
Himeko's movements were swift and decisive, but she did not loosen her grip on her greatsword.
"But before that."
"Can you tell me who you are... Are you Mei?"
"Dr. Tesla."
"Huh!?"
The new Mei did not answer Himeko's question directly. Instead, she called out to Tesla, who was monitoring their conversation... The reason for Tesla's shocked cry was that her monitoring channel had been hacked.
With Anti-Entropy's technology, for someone to do this in such a short time—
"I hope you can use Dr. Schrodinger's findings to explain to Major Himeko..."
"The plausibility of my being Mei."
"..."
It was not Tesla who broke the silence, but Ein standing beside her.
"Murata Himeko."
"She is Raiden Mei."
"Raiden Mei from a World Bubble... or another leaf."