Chapter 224: Mei Almost Played Herself
[Kalpas and Mei agreed to battle deep within the Elysian Realm. This fight was initiated by Mei herself, and for her own purposes, she wouldn't back down!
Thus, Mei fought her way through countless obstacles, cutting down all who stood in her path until she reached the depths of the Elysian Realm - the appointed battleground with Kalpas. Kalpas had been waiting here for some time.
He knew Mei had her own objectives, but Kalpas didn't care - He just wanted a satisfying fight!
Soon, Mei and Kalpas were locked in combat. Blade flashes and fists, lightning and flames - the two seemed evenly matched. Above them, Kurikara roared. The Judgment-class Honkai beast covered for Mei as she delivered her final slash! But Kalpas responded not with fear but delight, laughing madly:
"Congratulations, Herrscher."
"Finally proving yourself... worth killing!"
"But this isn't a [battle] - it's a [hunt]."
With Kalpas's sunny, healthy laughter, a pillar of fire pierced the heavens. When Kalpas emerged from the fiery column, his body resembled crimson magma, like a demon crawling up from hell. This was Kalpas's artificial stigma!]
[Kiana]: "Why does Kalpas have a hidden form too?"
[Silver Wolf]: "Bosses having second phases is pretty standard, isn't it?"
[March 7th]: "So cool! Since the Flame-Chasers are all MANTISes, they probably all have forms like this."
[Stelle]: "...Hiss... Hmm... Right, like those red grunts from the Antimatter Legion, what were they called again?"
[Dan Heng]: "You're probably thinking of the Fragmentum creation - Incineration Shadewalker?"
[Stelle]: "Something like that."
[Vill-V]: "They do look somewhat similar."
[The slaughter began anew, but this time, Mei immediately felt tremendous pressure! "[Facing a Herrscher]? What you face is [Kalpas]!"
"Come, Herrscher. Join me in the crimson flames, let's see... who will be first... to burn away to nothing!"
The battlefield had become a sea of fire. Mei could only struggle to hold on. Under Kalpas's furious assault, she couldn't even counterattack! "This power?! I've never seen anything like it. He can't maintain this for long..."
Holding onto this thought, Mei tried to buy time on the battlefield. But she was wrong - Kalpas's artificial stigma had no time limit. This assault seemed endless, and soon, Mei triggered her defeat CG. "...Ha."
"What's so funny?"
"...That's all there is to it."
"You remind me of the first Herrscher I tore apart... She died too quickly. Didn't let me enjoy myself, didn't have time to despair."
"Was it the fourth or fifth... I can't remember. Doesn't matter."
"So... I'll give you one more chance. Leave your last words."]
[Stelle]: "Ice Herrscher: Sorry I couldn't satisfy Lord Kalpas..."
[Kiana]: "Mei, run away!!!"
[Hi3·Seele]: "To verify this prophecy, she really went this far."
[Einstein]: "During the fourth and fifth Herrschers... Kalpas shouldn't have been a MANTIS yet, right?"
[Pardofelis]: "Yeah, we never said Kalpas-nii was from Earth! There's a rumor in Fire Moth that Kalpas might be an alien. The MANTIS surgery might have even weakened him!"
[Theresa]: "...6."
[(Kalpas... show me the truth of [None Shall Survive]. Show me...)
(...the true face of fate.)
The air grew scalding again - everything was evaporating, burning away, making it hard to breathe. "Kalpas raised his hand. If this strike landed, from any perspective, she would undoubtedly be [annihilated]."
Mei's heart sank (No way to avoid it... then... now's the time...!)
(I've broken your fate, Aponia.)
(Appear...!)
Yet, no response came from anywhere, not even fragmented words or those bothersome memory flashes. "...!?"
(What's happening... where did I miscalculate?)
No unexpected intervention, no one coming to her aid. Mei seemed to realize she had overplayed her hand.
Aponia hadn't appeared. But she still didn't give up, gripping her weapon again. Yet facing this dead end of her own making, she lacked absolute confidence. Memories of the past surfaced before her eyes. "Is this what they call one's life flashing before their eyes?"
"That's right, Mei. Experiencing death - this too is part of your fate."
"Only then can you truly understand... how heavy it will be."
Gentle holy light parted the clouds. From the staircase, the gentle nun descended slowly from the sky.]
[Elios]: "A completely expected twist."
[Silver Wolf]: "You think so too?"
[Elios]: 'If fate could be so easily defied, why would I be called [Slave of Fate]? Why would I establish the Stellaron Hunters?'
[Stelle]: "This this this... Kafka, I think I'm about to get another new mom!!"
[Kafka]: "...What do you mean? Baby?"
[Griseo]: "You want to become Mother Aponia's child too?"
[March 7th]: "Could you be serious for once?"
["Aponia... you again! Get lost!"
"Could I [ask] you to step aside temporarily? I'd like to speak with Mei alone."
"Aponia, do you want to die again?"
The man suddenly closed in on Mei, his imposing presence undiminished, flames still flickering between his arms. "There won't be a next time, Herrscher."
The man glanced at Aponia again, seeming to have something to say but only emitting a cold snort before slowly walking away. After Kalpas left, Aponia gently said to Mei: "It's been a while since we last met. Kalpas has become more and more well-behaved. It's alright, no need to fear. He's said this many times before. We can continue now."
Aponia bestowed her own stigma [Discipline] upon Mei and brought her to the main hall. Aponia explained her views on fate to Mei.
To make her claims more credible, she told Mei a story about an astrologer. But none of this could convince Mei. Aponia had anticipated this - she had been the same once, before ultimately submitting to fate.]
[Kalpas]: "Aponia!! You deserve to die!!!"
[March 7th]: "Redefining what 'well-behaved' means, you two friends."
[Silver Wolf]: "Alright, now I understand why the similarity between them and Blade and Kafka is so low."
[Elios]: "Fate ah..."
[Qingque]: "Why does it feel like Elios has met his kindred spirit? He keeps sighing here."
[Stelle]: "Have you heard of a second prophet in the universe?"
[Argenti]: "My dear friend, after all these years preaching about Beauty throughout the cosmos, I've never heard of anyone quite like Elios..."
[Boothill]: "Well damn, here he goes again."