Over the vast Pacific Ocean, piercing bolts of lightning ripped through the sky, thunder rumbling ominously from the dense, storm-laden clouds above.
Surrounding her were countless versions of Ji Lin each one a fragmented incarnation of a Herrscher-level entity.
These clones, while not full Herrschers but still wielded powers on par with pseudo-Herrschers like Welt.
Dancing through the sky, the Third Herrscher's figure flickered like a thunderbolt, evading the relentless barrage of energy blasts laced with the Authority of Domination.
The projectiles themselves weren't overwhelmingly destructive—but what truly mattered was the power they carried.
In the game's original storyline, the Herrscher of Domination could override Duck's Authority.
And now, these Ji Lin clones empowered by the Honkai to pre-Era Herrscher levels—were even more dangerous.
If her body absorbed too much of this dominating force, her own Herrscher powers would be seized and turned against her.
The Ji Lins charged in relentlessly.
Each time they neared, the Third Herrscher would unleash a barrage of electrified plasma sword slashes, forcing them back—or outright killing them.
Strangely, even when destroyed, these Herrscher fragments didn't stay down.
Instead, they dispersed into a swirl of violet-black particles—only to re-materialize just seconds later.
"Damn it! At this rate, it's never going to end! These things are seriously a pain!"
With a brilliant flash of her blade, the Third Herrscher unleashed over a hundred slashes in just two seconds, her figure streaking through the air like lightning itself.
"Hey, Mei, I'm handing control of the body over to you now."
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[W-Why? Do you really think I can take them on...?]
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Mei's hesitant voice echoed in her mind, making the Third Herrscher frown slightly.
This Herrscher persona—unlike most had not been corrupted by Honkai's will.
Born from Mei's own memories, she was closer to Mei than in the game's canon, often taking the initiative to guide her in using their shared power.
But maybe… she'd spoiled her a bit too much. Or been too strict.
Either way, Mei still lacked confidence—and that wouldn't do.
"What are you saying? You have my power. There's no way you'd lose to these things!"
The truth was, the Herrscher of Thunder could feel it: even with her own power, facing off against even a single clone was a challenge.
Most of her energy had been drained by Nagami at her birth.
Still, with her pride, she'd never admit that out loud.
"You'll take the lead from here. I'll… support you. I'll guide you."
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[I…]
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Feeling Mei's hesitation, the Herrscher of Thunder didn't argue.
She simply turned her gaze to another battlefield—where Nagami and the green-haired girl were barely holding their ground against a Ji Lin clone astride Chiyou, wielding a sword of dark gold.
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[I'll do it. I will!]
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Mei's uncertain tone vanished, replaced with fierce resolve.
"Hmph. That's more like it!"
Though her foundation was shaky, it didn't limit her ultimate potential.
But to change the tide of this battle, there was only one answer: Raiden Mei had to fully awaken her Herrscher powers.
And this 'Raiden Mei'… wasn't just the girl named Mei.
They were all Raiden Mei.
"Round two begins now…"
Lightning gathered above, coalescing in the clouds like a divine storm out of ancient mythology.
"I'm… Raiden Mei!"
As the words fell, the sky blazed in hues of violet and crimson.
Thunder surged across a radius of several hundred meters, with the girl's small form at its center.
Her silky black hair flew wildly in the storm.
From her forehead, twin crimson horns erupted through pale skin.
Lightning wrapped around her form like an ornate Herrscher dress, accentuating her flawless figure.
Behind her, a divine halo pulsed with electricity.
Her slender ankles were wrapped in traditional tengu-style wooden sandals.
White stockings clung to her elegant legs, completed by Mihoyo's signature thigh rings.
Crackling energy gathered in her hands, coating the Plasma Shadowblade and reshaping it—
Into the Domain of Sanction – Realm of Thunder.
Lightning rampaged within her dazzling red-violet eyes.
The crimson armor adorning her body glowed with savage energy as she drew her sword—transforming into a streak of red lightning as she charged the Ji Lin clones.
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Elsewhere…
Molten gold flames blazed through the air, their sheer heat distorting reality itself.
"Burn to ashes!"
From beneath her skirt, blooming like a rose, came an indescribable inferno.
The glowing red sword in her hand roared like a funeral dirge.
From it erupted the cataclysmic wildfire of the ages—unleashed in sweeping, devastating arcs.
As the Herrscher of Flame, even in her nascent form, her battle power far surpassed most.
She too faced an army of Ji Lin clones—but hers were even stronger than the ones Mei was fighting.
Their presence, movement, and aggression were a level above.
Yet even pseudo-Herrscher clones were mere fodder in front of the wielder of Judgment of Shamash a weapon that could be drawn endlessly and burned everything in its path.
This duo was just… broken beyond belief.
But still, just like before, even dozens of Ji Lin clones incinerated in her flames would turn into purple-black particles, drift beyond the range of her attacks, and reform again—charging once more.
"Tch… fine. Let's try this then."
With the birth of the Herrscher of Flame, the average education level of all Herrschers had just risen again.
After all, Himeko was a Valkyrie with Caltech PhD holder, thank you very much.
With her gradually improving mastery over her Authority, she began disintegrating the molecules in front of her—twisting their structure and accelerating their relative motion until they transformed into high-energy particles pulsing with infinite energy.
In the very next moment, that immense energy—gathered within her slender palm—burst forth like a firework.
Streams of high-energy particles exploded outward, radiating enough force to warp the very fabric of space.
These radiant streams passed effortlessly through the Ji Lin clones, seemingly without causing any physical damage.
But the moment after they pierced through, something changed—each clone's body began to melt, starting from the point of impact, the effect rapidly spreading throughout.
The intense heat consumed even the dust in the air. A storm of flames erupted skyward, a series of continuous explosions forming a grand, deafening symphony.
Amid the torrent of black-violet particles, an ominous dark light flickered and once again, those dazzling particles reformed into full Herrscher of Domination clones.
"So that's how it works… I get it now!"
Himeko nodded with sudden clarity, a confident smile rising on her face—only to freeze a moment later.
Wait… there was no way to inform the others about this!
Still… maybe the others would figure it out on their own.
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[Heeey! Old timer, what are you doing!? These enemies are so weak, why haven't you finished her off yet? Hurry and go help dad already!]
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Unlike the others, who were focused entirely on battling Ji Lin's clones, our ever-serene Immortal—Fu Hua was not only handling her own set of clones but also dealing with the non-stop chatter of a newborn voice echoing inside her head.
That's right—while defending the world from destruction, this tired mom was also babysitting her less-than-a-day-old daughter.
Makes you wonder—does anything scream single parent struggle more than this?
Fu Hua acted like she didn't hear a thing.
Calmly, she reached into the sword-rack-like box of blades hovering behind her—manifested from her Herrscher form—and drew one of the swords.
With a faint hiss, the sword lit up with a cold, radiant glow.
The clone in front of her split into motion.
But judging from the slight twitch in the corner of Fu Hua's eye… it was clear she wasn't completely unaffected.
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[Old timer~ I even lent you my Authority, and you still can't beat such a weak enemy? I'm gonna tell dad you're slacking in battle! And then he'll spank you!]
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Her eye twitch turned from barely noticeable to wildly obvious.
Without a word, her delicate hand tightened into a fist—
"Taixuan · Kaitian!"
Like a heavenly cleave, the raw force struck one of the Ji Lin clones square in the forehead.
A shockwave visibly tore through the air, followed by a thunderous blast.
The resulting gale swept up every surrounding clone and flung them into the sky.
As for the one that took the full blow… yeah, best not to describe what was left.
"Shut up!"
Her furious shout carried the frustration of a mother who'd finally had enough of her misbehaving child.
Fu Hua, pushed to her limit, finally realized: this kid really needed discipline.
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[Hmph… I'm still gonna tell dad you yelled at me!]
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Unlike in the game's plot—where young Senti was powerless even when emotionally blackmailed by her "old mom"—this version of Senti had backing.
Another Kaitian strike neatly split open the skull of an unlucky clone.
Fu Hua paused afterward, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
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[Eek! O-Old timer, what did I do Σ(°△°|||)︴!?]
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"…It's nothing. Just… if we make it through this safely, I'll make sure to prepare your father a very special gift."
For the first time in… maybe ever, Fu Hua's face lit up with a brilliantly radiant smile.
And strangely enough, the Ji Lin clones she was facing were even weaker than the ones Mei had to fight.
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