The world revolved around the will of the young girls.
The dojo that had stirred painful memories in Raiden Mei's heart vanished like an illusion, replaced by a vast, snow-white plain.
The land was pale, and withered trees were stuck in the ground like the claws of demons; giant beasts tens or even hundreds of meters tall roamed the land, ravaging it like a natural disaster.
"This place is...?"
Raiden Mei was certain she had never been to this place, nor had she ever come into contact with any related images or texts.
Death, destruction, apocalypse...
If she had to find adjectives in her mind to describe these scenes, only one phrase would suffice...
—The March of the Demon King.
The young girl's amethyst-like eyes were filled with shock, unable to believe the truth of the world hidden beneath the facade of peace.
The Herrscher of Thunder's delicate lips curled into a smirk, seemingly pleased by Raiden Mei's reaction.
She explained, "The Gem of Conquest, that's what those guys call that thing, isn't it?"
"The power of this thing is indeed immense. It has caused me to transform several times, becoming who I am today."
"But we are not its first owner. Everything you are seeing now is the memory left within it by the Gem of Conquest's former master."
Raiden Mei turned her head and stared intently at the Herrscher of Thunder.
"That's right, just as you imagined. These Honkai Beasts are all her handiwork, an army she created to destroy this world."
"..."
Raiden Mei's shock was beyond words.
People cannot imagine things beyond their own cognition, and she was no exception.
When she first learned that a dangerous object was buried within her body, the scenarios she imagined were no more than tales of heroes vanquishing demon kings or magical girls fighting tentacle monsters.
After all, her experience was limited, so she couldn't imagine anything more.
Now, the Herrscher of Thunder had kindly revealed the memories of the past to her, allowing her to truly witness a terrifying glimpse of the Gem of Conquest.
Honkai Beasts a hundred meters tall could barely stand out, those tens of meters tall were everywhere, and those a dozen meters tall were mere cannon fodder.
All of this completely exceeded the limits of Raiden Mei's imagination.
It wasn't over.
The Herrscher of Thunder: "Just as you imagine, although she was at the height of her power, almost threatening the survival of the entire world, she was still defeated."
The snowstorm brought new changes.
Hot weapons rained down from the sky, indiscriminately bombarding the surface, annihilating every living thing that moved on the snowy plain.
Warriors charged forward one after another, offering their lives for the sole purpose of defeating the demon king.
Finally, a beast-like man dug a gem out of the girl's chest, and everything came to an end in a flash of light that bloomed like the sun.
Evil cannot triumph over good; the hero will always defeat the demon king.
But from the perspective of an ordinary person, Raiden Mei could feel the world's mournful cry as it was ravaged.
She asked, "If Cocolia's plan succeeds, will Nagazora City also become like that?"
"Who knows," the Herrscher of Thunder said dismissively.
"What happens to the others in Nagazora City has nothing to do with me. If you want to stop Cocolia, go do it yourself."
Cold and ruthless, that was the kind of woman the Herrscher of Thunder was.
The space in her heart was limited; mere ordinary mortals had no chance of leaving a mark there.
Raiden Mei: "..."
The girl took a deep breath. "I understand."
She made up her mind. "I will definitely stop all of this!"
"Suit yourself."
The Herrscher of Thunder suddenly turned away, drawing a line between herself and Raiden Mei.
The girl's consciousness floated upwards, and with a flutter of her eyelashes, she once again felt the light of the outside world.
"Mei, how are you?" A large face magnified in her vision. Raiden Mei's hand twitched, and she almost slapped this silly face.
Doesn't this Kiana fellow know that leaning in so close right after someone wakes up is really scary?
Especially when you have such a foolish look on your face.
Pushing Kiana's head away, Raiden Mei propped up her upper body and rubbed her forehead.
Her face was full of lingering fear.
"We have to stop Cocolia's plan as quickly as possible."
Kiana: "Mei, what did you find out from your other self?"
The white-haired dumpling was greatly perplexed, very confused by Raiden Mei's reaction.
Although the previous Raiden Mei knew she was being threatened by an evil force, she hadn't shown such an urgent, 'eyebrows-on-fire' expression.
But now, after closing and opening her eyes, she seemed like a completely different person, as if a Blondie was chasing her from behind.
Very abnormal.
Raiden Mei didn't speak immediately. She looked at the worried and confused Kiana, and finally, her gaze settled on Brian's face.
Only then did she say, "I saw the memories of the previous owner in the Gem of Conquest."
"Mei, what did you see?"
"Hell and destruction."
Raiden Mei looked at Brian, her amethyst eyes staring straight at him.
"Did you know about those things all along?"
"That's why I appeared before you, not just for myself, but also to save you."
Taking Raiden Mei's hand, Brian had a clear conscience.
You could say he had his motives, but he truly held no selfish intentions; you could call him selfish, but you could never say he wasn't just.
Raiden Mei was a little annoyed, annoyed that this guy hadn't explained the seriousness of the situation to her.
But considering he really wasn't after some boring, lewd desires...
She decided to forgive him.
Kiana watched from the side, grimacing, her arms crossed and her face full of displeasure.
Damn Blondie, not only does he work hard to steal what's mine, he even shoves his affection in my face.
This grudge...
She, the ultimately invincible super f***ing cute Kiana Kaslana, has noted it down.
In the name of the moon, I'll draw a circle and curse you!
Hmph!
The small theater in her mind opened its curtains, and the grand play of the heroine Kiana Kaslana versus the Blondie goblin Brian officially began.
With a sword slash here and a slash there, she castrated the guy in a few moves, making him unable to have any ideas about Mei.
Then she'd hang him up and mercilessly...
Amidst her wild fantasies, a figure she longed for day and night approached, waving a hand in front of the dazed Kiana.
"Kiana, Kiana?"
"Huh? Mei, what's up?" The white-haired dumpling came back to her senses, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, and gave Raiden Mei an ingratiating smile amidst her speechless expression.
Raiden Mei knew what this girl was thinking and found it quite amusing.
A bit childish, but that's very Kiana.
Shaking her head, Raiden Mei grabbed Kiana's hand.
"Kiana, we need you to save this city!"
I'm all fired up!
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