The two hid in a cramped corner. The rain was still falling, though much lighter than before. Drip, drop, drip, drop... Each droplet landed with a distinct clarity, sounding like countless marbles hitting the ground at once.
Just listening to it offered a slight reprieve from his anxious mood.
But in Raiden Mei's eyes, the road ahead still led to a visible dead end.
Hiding in an alley without surveillance was just drinking poison to quench thirst; it cut off their escape route. Getting caught was only a matter of time.
Raiden Mei sat on the steps. The cold concrete pressed against her fingers, touching the moss on the edge of the stairs.
She stroked it absently, the reflection in her eyes dull and lifeless, as dim as the alley itself.
"It's useless, Little Li... I understand Father's resolve, and I know his difficulties. I have to die tonight. If I don't die tonight, I'll probably end up with a fate worse than death. Because dying is the best ending, that's why Father is using such extreme methods, stopping at nothing to fight against the Radical Faction, wanting me to leave this world with a clean slate."
"I was really happy spending these past few days with you."
"Even though it was just a few short days, it felt..."
Raiden Mei stood up and looked overhead. Rainwater hit her exquisite, doll-like face, soaking her completely as it ran down her cheeks and jawline.
Her voice choked up a little.
The night and the rain wrapped around her tightly like a giant web, while nearby, the spider named Death was rapidly approaching.
"It felt as long as a lifetime. So long that... even though I'm leaving soon, I can't help but recall every minute, every second of the past. I'm so happy. It was dreamier than all my past days combined, just like a bubble... But bubbles eventually burst in the rain, and I... I will die in this rain too. I just didn't expect it to come so soon."
"Hokushin Ittō-ryū, Herrscher of Thunder, natural stigmata..."
"Even with all that, I understand. I'm still just Raiden Mei, a student whose heart isn't all that strong."
"One person's strength is ultimately too fragile. So many strong people in history—the strong, the weak, the smart, the foolish... weren't they all eventually wiped out by the major organizations of humanity?"
"I am not an exception..."
Raiden Mei turned to face Li Wu, her eyelashes wet with rain, clinging tightly to her eyelids.
Through the curtain of rain, her smile was blurry and tragically beautiful, like a lavender flower about to wither, letting the wind and rain batter it, no longer having the will to resist.
Resistance and submission.
These were the main themes of this world.
However, most of the time, even someone as strong as a Herrscher could only submit.
Against the general trend, one person's strength was too fragile. Even with strength and background as powerful as Anna, Kiana, or even Cecilia and Siegfried, they inevitably had to bow their heads and submit.
"Mei, I know you won't believe me, but I still want to say it."
"You aren't an exception, but I am. Because I am here, you can be one too. Let's make a bet, just like the one I made with that hooded Raven before. Up until now, I haven't lost a single bet with anyone, you know?"
Li Wu walked up to her and extended his hand. His movement was exactly the same as when he bet with Raven, but his eyes had changed.
From hesitation and fear, to calmness and confidence.
Li Wu recognized his own uniqueness, and most importantly, he understood what he could do.
Perhaps "Return by Death" could do even better in the hands of a true Imaginay protagonist.
Possessing a superhuman will and an unyielding conviction, they could forge ahead courageously and sweep away all obstacles without any buffer, undeterred by any difficulties or dangers.
Faced with a crisis, they would always meet it head-on.
In contrast, he always looked for shortcuts, trying to avoid crises as much as possible. Occasionally facing an unavoidable crisis, he would hesitate, he would be afraid, he would be terrified...
But there were some things a protagonist couldn't do—
To empathize with the real Valkyries.
Because in the manga, the heroines' personalities were set to be true, good, and beautiful from the start, never changing. The protagonist only needed to change the deadly crisis, and then be loved and pursued by the heroines.
Both sides were very formulaic, stepping into new stages of realization within the plot arranged by the author, as if it were meant to be.
However.
Feelings that didn't touch the soul couldn't last. Giving unilaterally, even if you ripped your heart out, might not necessarily lead to a good result.
Li Wu took a deep breath, his words clear.
"The content of the bet is: I will completely save you. Whether it's Raiden Mei, the Herrscher of Thunder, or the Young Miss of ME Corp, I will make it so you can live openly in the public eye with all your identities. You won't have to worry about being kidnapped by Anti-Entropy, or captured by Schicksal for experiments, or fear the malice and crises found everywhere."
"Before that happens, what you need to do is believe that I can do it."
A generous, decent, and beautiful future was painted by Li Wu.
Upon hearing this bet, even if Raiden Mei wanted to believe Li Wu, the absurdity of the joke made her reveal an incredibly sorrowful and gentle smile, just like Raven had.
"It's impossible... Little Li. The Blood Wolf Mercenary Group was hard to deal with, but for a Herrscher, it's no problem at all. This time is different. This time we are facing the entire world... You with a gun, there's no suspense. I... don't want you to lose, so I won't take this bet. Please... at least in the end, let the perfect you remain in my final memories."
Raiden Mei shook her head and took a step back to show her stance.
Facing Raiden Mei's retreat, Li Wu took a step forward.
Seeing Li Wu approach, Raiden Mei continued to back away, eventually being cornered against the wall with nowhere else to go, forced to meet Li Wu's gaze.
The wild rain continued to fall. Her eyes were dim, but in the faint light, Li Wu's eyes shone with a shimmering starlight.
"I don't accept perfection that comes from compromise. If I watch you die in front of my eyes and do nothing, forget perfection—even if I knelt before your tombstone and kowtowed after you died, I would still feel ugly."
"Whether I have the ability to do it and whether I try to do it are two different things."
"Ultimately, everyone is compromising, but the side they compromise on is different. As your 'Master,' I accept this bet on your behalf. You can only accept it. And now, it's time to act according to my plan."
Li Wu's voice grew heavier, like the low growl of a beast. He looked up at the group of cyborgs searching for them nearby, his gaze cold.
"Little Li, we aren't in that kind of relationship anymore. There's no need to deceive ourselves..."
"Says who? Why is your head only filled with yourself? That's too selfish."
"Yeah, did you just realize? I am this selfish! I don't care about your feelings at all!"
"You really don't care at all?"
"Not at all!"
Raiden Mei shouted at the top of her lungs. Her voice was loud and clear in the empty, silent alley, immediately attracting the attention of the surrounding cyborgs. The dense sound of footsteps rapidly approached through the rain.
Just as Raiden Mei was about to apologize, Li Wu grabbed her small hands, which had trembled and been forcibly suppressed several times. Looking down, her fingertips were red, threads of blood stuck in the crevices of her nails. As the rain washed over them, the wounds swelled up again.
"It's actually very painful, isn't it?"
"What?"
"Repeatedly generating and suppressing the authority. The reason your hands have so many injuries is because you couldn't control the authority well just now, so you could only vent your emotions to cover it up."
"..."
Raiden Mei didn't speak. Her gaze shifted away guiltily, then firmly scanned the surrounding cyborgs closing in.
They were less than ten meters away. But releasing her authority in this rain curtain might accidentally hurt Li Wu.
Her control over her field tonight wasn't precise enough for small-scale manipulation. Once she released the electricity, it would incinerate Li Wu along with everything else.
The only thing she could do was manipulate the internal bio-electricity of the targets to force them to shut down.
But if there were too many of them, she couldn't control it precisely...
"What's the maximum number you can handle?" Li Wu drew his gun and looked back, roughly estimating the number.
The cyborgs' firearms were bio-locked, so he couldn't kill one to replenish his ammo like he did with the Blood Wolf mercenaries.
"Three. If you weren't by my side, I could take out everyone nearby." Raiden Mei sounded somewhat desperate.
Against hundreds or thousands of cyborgs, this number was negligible.
Unless she lifted the restrictions and attacked indiscriminately. But in that case, Li Wu would die too. Even if she survived tonight, it would be meaningless.
Li Wu turned his back to Raiden Mei and walked forward step by step.
Amidst the noise of the rain, his departure seemed only natural.
Raiden Mei thought so too.
She didn't blame Li Wu. With all the information clear, hiding and waiting for the cyborgs to kill her before coming out and returning to a normal life was truly the best choice.
But just as Raiden Mei lowered her head, intending to close her eyes and give up struggling, Li Wu's clear voice came from ahead, instantly filling her withered mind.
"Then that's enough. Indiscriminate friend from foe, expand your field, and kill everyone who wants to kill you. I'll be responsible for drawing everyone over."
Li Wu's voice was spirited, instantly igniting Raiden Mei's emotions.
"No! You'll die too if I do that!"
"I won't die. After all, dying so many times would make all that effort meaningless. So I have to try my absolute hardest to grab onto any possibility of survival. And then, I'll take you to watch the sun rise tomorrow. Neither you nor I will die. Actually... I'm a Herrscher too, you know. I won't die that easily."
"Three minutes. At most three minutes. I will lure as many cyborgs as possible here. I'll leave the rest to you, Mei. You won't let me down, right?"
Li Wu pinched his nose, sent a meaningful wink to the physically and mentally exhausted Raiden Mei, and made a small heart shape with his fingers.
This tease was exactly the same as what Raiden Mei had done to him in P.E. class.
The playground, the sunny afternoon, the refreshing and capable duo. She gave him joy.
The alley, the rainy late night, the battered and exhausted duo. He gave her hope.
Nothing matched up, yet somehow, everything matched perfectly.
Raiden Mei stared blankly, unable to move her gaze away from Li Wu.
Even though Li Wu was soaked by the rain, his appearance blurry, his back looking wretched and thin, why...
Why did she still want to reach out her hand, to believe just this once...
That time he took her home to change clothes, she believed Li Wu would be a good person. She was wrong.
That time with the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, she didn't believe Li Wu would step up to protect her. She was wrong.
That time with the Anti-Entropy cyborg raid, she believed Li Wu would come back quickly. She was wrong again...
Yes...
Raiden Mei suddenly realized she seemed to have never truly believed in Li Wu once. She only unilaterally repaid Li Wu's kindness in saving her with self-righteous remorse, never actively choosing to trust him.
And Li Wu had never let her down. Not once.
"Can I... really do it?"
"You can."
"..."
Dropping these words, Li Wu turned on his phone's flashlight, splashed through a few puddles, and quickly disappeared into the pervasive drizzle.
Raiden Mei stood frozen, closing her eyes, feeling the surging energy inside her. It was rampaging through her body right now, desperate to find an exit to pour out.
Opening her eyes again, vivid blood-red light filled her pupils like two crimson moons, gazing contemptuously at everything in the alley.
On the other side, having stayed in the heavy rain for a long time with a gunshot wound that hadn't fully healed, a strong wave of dizziness washed over Li Wu.
Enduring his increasingly heavy thoughts, Li Wu rushed in front of five cyborgs. Among them was an old acquaintance—Arga.
This was intentional.
The target wasn't Arga, but the Plasma Kagehide in his hand.
Raiden Mei saw him as a Herrscher. If he didn't say that, Raiden Mei probably would have chosen to die rather than launch a large-scale indiscriminate attack.
Of course, without a means of self-preservation, once the electromagnetic field expanded, an ordinary person like him would be toast.
Therefore, he had to get his hands on the Plasma Kagehide. The Plasma Kagehide wasn't a Divine Key; even an ordinary person could easily bring out most of its effects.
As a weapon specifically effective against the early Herrscher of Thunder, as long as he used its energy field to protect himself in time when Mei expanded her electromagnetic field, he would survive.
As for how to let Mei live openly and honorably afterwards...
One person's strength wasn't enough. Even if that person was an S-Rank Valkyrie or a Herrscher, facing Schicksal was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
But multiple organizations could do it, especially organizations left over from the Previous Era.
The core effort of Act Six—the mini version of the Fire Moth: World Serpent.
Plus Anti-Entropy. As long as Schicksal's combat power didn't exceed the manga's settings too much, they could be held in check.
What he had to do was prove that Raiden Mei was a controllable Herrscher. Both Anti-Entropy and World Serpent would be happy to accept her.
He had talked so much to Raiden Mei and chosen this deserted alley precisely to let those forces peeping from the shadows, especially World Serpent, see—
The birth of a Herrscher who wielded authority with her own ego.