"Parallel world?"
Himeko repeated Ein's statement.
Strangely enough, Himeko didn't find anything wrong with it.
"In other words..."
"Are you an alien version of Mei?"
Dreams from her youth—about her father, about aliens, about her encounter with Mr. Welt while studying in North America—all came flooding back to her at this moment.
"You could say that."
"Is that so..."
Swoosh—
CLANG!!!
A flash of crimson light was gone in an instant.
The purple-red longsword swung lightly through the air, and a Subspace Lance, formed from the warping of flat space, was sent flying.
The new Mei's slash had repelled the Herrscher of the Void's attack. The [Gem of Pestilence], wreathed in starry flames, flew into her hand.
"Are you ignoring me?"
The Herrscher of the Void's arm swept through the air. The clear sky behind her was instantly shrouded by a dark rift, and the planes connecting to Imaginary Space converged into more than thirty Subspace Lances.
Swoosh—!
CLANG!!! x30!
A flash of blue-purple lightning swept across the battlefield.
A web of sword light and lightning, woven together, shattered every single Subspace Lance into scattered fragments.
The new Mei held her sword with one hand.
She maintained her defense without breaking the rhythm of the conversation—as if she were completely ignoring the Herrscher of the Void beside her.
"It shouldn't be too late to ask."
Himeko's gaze swept over the two Meis, and the hand that had just been about to grip her sword relaxed once more.
"Are you here to save Kiana?"
"No."
"!?"
The shock came not only from the negative answer but also from the tear in reality that appeared in the new Mei's hand—an authority that should have belonged to the Herrscher of the Void. It swallowed the [Gem of Pestilence] directly from her palm.
"Major Himeko, that's not entirely accurate."
The new Mei turned completely to face the Herrscher of the Void, assuming a combat stance.
"It's not just Kiana and the Gem."
"There's also Sirin..."
The new Mei spoke the Herrscher of the Void's true name. Unlike the others, who had barely interacted with Sirin, for this Mei, Sirin was a friend from St. Freya Academy... albeit a somewhat strange friend.
"I will save her too."
---o---
"Save me?"
The Herrscher of the Void looked as if she had just heard the most ridiculous story.
"Yes."
The new Mei reaffirmed her resolve.
"Whether it's the Honkai and the world, or your relationship with Kiana."
"None of it should have ended up like this."
The muscles in the hand gripping the longsword tensed.
"If I can do it, then I will certainly try to change it."
"Ha?"
"You're a Herrscher yourself..."
A disdainful sneer came from the Herrscher of the Void.
"The world you come from, is it filled with childish things like 'love and peace'?"
"Indeed."
"The world I come from is very 'peaceful'."
The new Mei did not refute the Herrscher of the Void's claim... although, from a broader perspective, the wars the Empire had experienced were far beyond the "child's play" of this world.
"But it is precisely because I know what beauty is,"
"That I wish even more to change the imperfections here."
"Major Himeko."
Wisps of Imaginary energy gradually converged at the edge of her longsword, forming a brilliant light that could cleave atoms.
"Hm?"
Himeko had no idea why the new Mei had suddenly mentioned her.
"Although I probably shouldn't be saying this to you,"
"But..."
CRACKLE!
The winds surged, and a pool of lightning erupted.
"I think I understand the meaning of this exam now."
"Kurikara!"
"ROAR!!!"
No longer needing to suppress Benares, the [Armored Dragon: Kurikara], with a deafening roar, instantly dissolved into countless streams of ink-purple light, converging madly upon the new Mei!
A [Mimic Divine Ring], symbolizing the light of thunder, materialized behind her head.
Demonic, crimson armguards, dark red horns that shot toward the sky, and an arm held in an iaijutsu stance, bearing a more than ninety percent resemblance to the [Imaginary Monarch].
This was what was occasionally mentioned among the populace of the Empire as the "Monarch's Gaze"—a corresponding form that possessed combat power equivalent to the Monarch's "at that (old) stage," displaying a powerful Collapsed State that far surpassed the ordinary [Root Regression].
Before this, after equipping the "Kurikara" Valkyrie Armor, Mei could possess combat power comparable to a [Higher Primordial Species] for a short time. But now that her own combat power had broken through to the [Higher Primordial Species] level, the talent and power bestowed upon her by the Monarch could finally reveal a glimpse of its true, unknown potential.
Its name—
[Narukami Collapsed State: Ogosho]
---o---
"A bluff!"
The Herrscher of the Void could certainly feel her opponent's aura, but how could mere lightning controlled by the Third Herrscher possibly contend with her!
Her right arm, held behind her back, slowly rose. The moment her hand clenched into a fist—
BOOM!!!
The bridge of the Hyperion, which had withstood numerous previous blows without being completely destroyed, suddenly detached from the deck and shot toward the new Mei from behind like a giant hammer!
SCREEECH—
From extremely fast to extremely slow, in but a single instant!
"What!?"
The target of the Herrscher of the Void's attack was not just the bridge; she had intended to "pull" both the Hyperion and Mei toward her.
However... things did not go as planned.
Surging lightning scattered across the sky. A powerful magnetic field locked the super-alloy-forged Hyperion in that very instant, bringing all "forces" into a state of near-perfect equilibrium.
"Lightning?"
[Mind Reading]
This basic technique, originating from the [Authority of Sentience], was at the level of compulsory education for learners of this Authority within the Empire.
Perceiving the Herrscher of the Void's thoughts was no difficult task for this Mei.
"Sirin."
"Even in another world, you're not very good at learning, are you?"
In her Collapsed State, Mei's words were noticeably more aggressive. To be more precise, the "Collapsed State reveals the user's spirit and body in their most primitive form."
For a first-time user, this "revelation" was clearly more difficult to control... or rather, more direct.
"Nonsense!"
The Herrscher of the Void raised both arms simultaneously.
"Since that human junk is useless—"
BOOM!!!
Space began to distort.
Thin threads of Honkai energy rapidly wove around the Hyperion, forming the angular silhouette of a polyhedron in less than half a second.
"Then let's crush it all together!"
The barrier between reality and Imaginary Space was shattered.
Space itself became a weapon as smooth as a wall, pressing down on the Hyperion from all directions with brutal force!
DOOM!!!
Snap.
With a second crisp sound from the Herrscher of the Void's fingertips, the monolithic polygon began to rotate and grind like a Rubik's Cube. The cutting lines within it multiplied madly in an instant—from second-order, to seventeenth, to three hundred and fortieth. The parallel and perpendicular lines diced everything trapped within into fragments!
Finally, a rotating Subspace Lance twisted into a spiral, which in turn became a ray that tore open the sky, aimed at the very center of the cube—
VMM!!
BOOM!!!
Shattered in a single blow!
"..."
Fine debris rained down toward the ground.
"All talk..."
"When it comes to action, this is all you've got."
The Herrscher of the Void's eyes narrowed slightly.
In the center of the shattered space, all traces of Honkai energy had vanished.
"Indeed."
"What!?"
ZING—
A deep, mysterious, purple-gold light illuminated the entire sky. A crescent-shaped blade of light connected the sea and the heavens, cleaving toward the Herrscher of the Void with unstoppable momentum!
CLANG!!!
Six Subspace Lances blocked its path!
The intertwined and distorted shield they formed, in front of the Herrscher of the Void's outstretched arm, desperately blocked... it couldn't block it!
One arm wasn't enough, and neither were two!
The power of the lightning was even melting space itself!
"Ngh."
BOOM!!!
The Herrscher of the Void grunted. At the last moment, she was forced to divert the middle section of the "crescent" behind her!
Countless tons of seawater vaporized into white mist, and the blue clouds in the sky were swept clean.
"This is all you've got."
From the center of the shattered spatial energy, Mei and the Hyperion reappeared in their original position, completely unharmed.
To be precise, they had moved back to their original position from Imaginary Space.
This was a small application of the [Authority of the Void], something almost everyone in the Empire could do. Of course, to be able to move an object of such a large volume, and a "living" one at that, and store it for a short time, was not something everyone could achieve.
"Energy certainly has less impact than a physical body, but it all depends on who is using the technique."
"Sirin."
"Compared to Kiana, this move of yours... is not very impressive."
"Shut up!"
DENG!!
Hundreds, thousands of void portals opened in the sky. To say they "blotted out the sky" would be a plain and simple description at this point.
Faced with the overwhelming barrage of Subspace Lances, Mei's sword-wielding posture remained unchanged.
"Lightning's Path: Severing Iron and Gold."
ZING—
Intertwined gold and silver light erupted from the base of her sword's hilt.
This was not a draw... it was a sheathing motion.
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
---o---
The sky full of Subspace Lances was severed by Mei's single strike.
"Sirin."
"Are you done with your attacks?"
When vision returned to everyone's eyes, Mei stood in the air, still completely unscathed.
"Don't you dare—"
Swoosh!
The Herrscher of the Void brought her clasped hands together, top and bottom.
Two colossal pillars, far larger than any before, descended like the "Grand Composite Divine Temple," smashing down on Mei in the center!
BOOM!!!
However, an equally massive arc of electricity formed a sphere, catching the Herrscher of the Void's attack without a scratch.
"—put on an act!"
The six Subspace Lances guarding her converged once more.
Layered Imaginary Space formed a longbow, and the swirling Subspace Lances combined into a deadly arrow.
SWOOSH!!!
An utterly black drill disintegrated and tore apart all space in its path, shooting straight toward Mei once more!
"I already told you."
The Herrscher of the Void's power had already fully stepped into the [Higher Primordial Species] level.
The power of this blow could, without exaggeration, be described as capable of boiling the seas and shattering continents. Mei would not lose in a direct confrontation, but she could not be certain if Sirin (Kiana) would survive after she acted, or if her "friends from another world" on the Hyperion would remain safe.
Therefore... on this battlefield where she was the protagonist, her halo had not yet reached its brightest moment.
"Now it's—"
Ding.
The [Armored Dragon: Kurikara] was a special model of Valkyrie armor jointly developed by the Ninety-Nine Chambers and St. Freya Academy. The reason it was a special model was that this armor could only be used by Mei.
Beyond the "adaptability" mentioned by the Ninety-Nine Chambers, these "special models" held an unknown secret: they were actually [Godslayer Armors], created by Dr. MEI of the [Top Three Flame-Chasers], using her own exclusive [Key of Blankness] as a template, under the Monarch's decree.
The number of these models was extremely small.
Dr. MEI had expended a vast amount of effort and materials and had only successfully created twelve units (the one Bianka wore was one of them).
As a "technological version" of the [Monarch Armament], the [Godslayer Armor] could not achieve the same terrifying level of amplification, but for a user at the [Higher Primordial Species] level, it could indeed greatly enhance their combat power. The original design purpose of the [Godslayer Armor] was to help the Empire's mid-tier combatants rapidly adapt and break through to higher realms.
As the battle progressed, and as Mei completely adapted to the power of a [Higher Primordial Species], the [Armored Dragon: Kurikara], just like Bianka's [Bright Knight: Excelsis], could display a higher level of power.
And... a brand new form!
"My turn!"
CLANK!!
The black, crystal-like arm disassembled once more.
Countless small components, under the coverage of the mecha, rapidly reconfigured into the form of the "Spacetime Crystals (Old)," resembling the Subspace Lances, surrounding her.
The [Mimic Divine Ring] behind Mei's head transformed from a purely energetic state into a tangible mechanical body. The spikes extending to the left and right further transformed into a perfectly symmetrical, cross-shaped star.
This, then, was the complete form of the [Godslayer Armor].
ZIIING—!!!
A flash of silver light, a trace left in the azure sky.
The [Void Arrow] fired by the Herrscher of the Void dissolved like the night sky torn asunder by the sun, vanishing silently into the blue sea and sky.
Click.
Focusing one's vision, the last image that remained in one's perception was of Mei, standing behind the Herrscher of the Void in a crouched stance, and the crisp, sharp sound of her sheathing her blade.
"North Star Streamer."
BOOM!!!
All four of the Herrscher of the Void's "wings" were shattered, and the Subspace Lances surrounding her dissolved into particles of light.
However, the greatest blow to the Herrscher of the Void was not the injury caused by Mei's sword.
It was the [Gem of Pestilence] and a [Specialized Herrscher Core] that had been driven into her body the moment the longsword was drawn. The former would draw Kiana's willpower into it, completing the "Origin" collection process for the "Herrscher of Flamescion" ahead of schedule. The latter would provide Sirin's consciousness with a brand new vessel, allowing her to exist independently of Kiana.
With this single slash, Mei could save both of them, without in any way compromising the completion of her own mission.