"Retreat!" Cocolia yelled upon witnessing the splendor of that single sword strike.
Can't win! Not a chance in hell!
This guy doesn't fight with Honkai energy; he fights like a xianxia cultivator!
"Cough, cough, my Honkai energy is depleted."
But as she watched the seemingly weak and fragile boy hurriedly carry the unconscious Herrscher of Thunder into the Friends Circle's protective shield, the halfway-fleeing Cocolia began to hesitate.
That ultimate move was terrifying, so it was only natural for him to have exhausted his energy.
Maybe... she should risk it?
She had so many mechs. If they all swarmed him, even if his energy reserves were vast, he couldn't possibly fire off that attack repeatedly and wipe out every single mech present!
---o---
"Weren't you afraid you'd chop Mei to death with that sword strike?" Kiana asked after finally closing her gaping mouth.
Seriously, bro? You call yourself weak, pitiful, and helpless? Then what does that make me?
Instantly casting Taixu Sword God is considered weak?
Then again, in the face of Taixu Sword God, the enemies are indeed weak, pitiful, and helpless.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Chen Li said with a thumbs-up.
In reality, he had used the Elation's Die before setting out.
Therefore, no matter how powerful his attack was, it was guaranteed to land with just enough force to sever the connection between Raiden Mei and the Honkai Consciousness, without any excess damage.
This was the very reason he had spent three hours watching Sparkle's chaotic fun.
This time, Chen Li had truly been watching the chaos for the sake of saving the world.
"What's next?"
"Leave the rest to me," Chen Li said as he took out a mask.
It was the Persona Mask from Vill-V.
Chen Li had originally planned to use this thing to cause some minor trouble on the Xianzhou to give Sparkle a little taste of being a scapegoat.
But seeing how unlucky Sparkle had been, he decided to let her off the hook... Besides, there would surely be endless pots for Sparkle to carry in the future.
"One Raiden Mei might not be able to suppress the Herrscher personality, but when tens of thousands of personas swarm in, even an army of ants can bite an elephant to death!" Chen Li placed the mask on Raiden Mei's face.
For a being without a personality, the Persona Mask can create one.
For a living being with a personality, the Persona Mask can create a second one.
For a life with a second personality, the Persona Mask can either create a third one or choose to join the battle itself!
"Inheritance! Activate!"
---o---
"So dark! So cold!" Raiden Mei curled into a ball in the darkness.
From the outside, the switch between Raiden Mei's personalities seemed almost instantaneous, but the actual experience was much longer.
Raiden Mei had arrived in the depths of her heart and saw her Herrscher personality—arrogant, self-centered, yet dazzlingly brilliant and possessing immense power.
That was both her Herrscher personality and her Stigmata Consciousness.
Many might think the other voice echoing within her belonged to the Herrscher, but before that, Raiden Mei had first become an "incomplete" or even "self-harming" awakened Stigmata bearer.
The Stigmata was a gift, but it was also a burden.
It was, in truth, a product of the Stigmata Project.
Raiden Mei didn't know all this. She only felt that compared to her lonely, cowardly self, that Herrscher personality was more like the true Raiden Queen!
She was prouder, more perfect, and more powerful than she was!
She fit the image of the Raiden Queen better!
She said she would take over her duties, accomplishing all of Raiden Mei's wishes in place of the girl who could do nothing!
Whether it was conquering the lightning, defeating Cocolia, or rescuing Raiden Ryoma... Raiden Mei could entrust all her problems to her.
To let the world witness the true Raiden Queen!
And so, Raiden Mei had compromised.
Because that other self was practically a superman!
Her original ambitions had all but vanished after seeing the nearly perfect Herrscher of Thunder.
The cold shoulder and gossip from her classmates had forced her to accept loneliness, and the brilliance of the Herrscher of Thunder reminded her of her past self.
Perhaps someone like her really could achieve what she couldn't.
If she could do nothing, and there was another self who could do everything she wanted to...
Then placing all her hopes on that other self was only human, right?
Thwack! A strange sound echoed in the dark space. A figure shimmering with purple lightning fell from the sky, landed next to Raiden Mei, and then bounced away like a ping-pong ball into the distance...
"???" Raiden Mei was utterly bewildered.
What just happened?
The Herrscher of Thunder wanted to ask the same question.
She only remembered being on the verge of invincibility until a giant sword descended from the sky. After that, there was nothing.
The Herrscher of Thunder, who had charged out in her queenly state, was slapped right back into her consciousness space.
Then, a small point of light appeared before Raiden Mei. As she focused, she realized it was a miniature Chen Li.
"Raiden Mei, I'm here to help you!"
"Huh?" Raiden Mei froze for a moment.
Swift purple lightning shot through the consciousness space. The Herrscher of Thunder, who had just streaked by like a meteor, returned and reappeared near Raiden Mei.
"Coward. Is this what you're relying on? Using outside power to defeat your other self?" the Herrscher of Thunder sneered.
"I'm not, I didn't... Forget it. Chen Li, do you really think I can do better than the Herrscher of Thunder?" Raiden Mei started to explain, then suddenly asked the little Chen Li with a defeated tone.
"Of course! Honkai Impact 3rd is a positive, sunny, and healthy game, which means in this world, friendship and bonds are the eternal themes! What the hell does the Herrscher of Thunder know about friendship and bonds?"
"Hey, who are you calling a what-the-hell? Just wait until I get out of here, I'm going to hang you up and whip you for three days and three nights!" The Herrscher of Thunder couldn't help but clench her fists as she watched the miniature Chen Li floating next to Raiden Mei, fanning the flames.
"In any case, whether you can do better than her is something you'll only know after you try. So the most important thing right now is to defeat her in this consciousness space, take back control of your body, and save Kiana and me from this dire situation! The terrifying Cocolia is still bombarding the shield with cannons! The shield is flickering like a candle in the wind, on the verge of collapse!"
"You're right. I have to pull myself together!" The thought of the two new friends she had just made, who were with her through this ordeal, made Raiden Mei stand up.
This was how Raiden Mei was during her depressive phase; she always needed a reason to push herself forward.
Otherwise, she would just resign herself to her fate.
"The Herrscher of Thunder is useless. She looks tough, but she's just an embroidered pillow. The moment she stepped out of the shield to face Cocolia, she got one-shotted. Cocolia is terrifying! Raiden Mei, you have to defeat her and beat Cocolia to a pulp in her place! Kiana and I both believe you can win."
"R-really?"
"Are you asking if Kiana and I believe you can win?"
"No, I'm asking if she really got one-shotted the moment she went out," Raiden Mei said, shaking her head.
"I swear it's true!" Chen Li nodded.
"Then I guess the Herrscher of Thunder isn't all that impressive after all." Raiden Mei's confidence returned.
Hmph, what's so special about getting one-shotted? Anyone can do that.
"You bastard!" The Herrscher of Thunder ground her teeth in fury.
Was it Cocolia who one-shotted me? Wasn't it you?!
When that massive sword came crashing down, the Herrscher of Thunder felt that if something hadn't helped block part of the blow, she would have been instantly obliterated.
"Just tell me, did you get one-shotted or not?"
"Yes, but..."
"So there's no point in talking! Mei, as long as you can one-shot Cocolia when you get out, it'll prove you're stronger than the Herrscher of Thunder! She only has the advantage here in this Herrscher space; in reality, she's a total noob. The Herrscher of Thunder's authority is absolute control over electromagnetism, but she's an illiterate fool. What does she know about electromagnetism?"
"I!" The Herrscher wanted to retort.
"Just answer the question: were you one-shotted or not?" Chen Li asked.
"Aargh, you're infuriating me! I'm going to hang both of you up and whip you!" The humiliation of being taken down so easily, combined with Chen Li's constant interruptions and slander, sent the Herrscher of Thunder into a rage.
Violent lightning swept through the entire consciousness space, turning the once-dark area into a domain of thunder!
"What should I do now?"
"Don't be afraid, I'll help you!" The little Chen Li snapped his fingers.
Raiden Mei had expected Chen Li's confidence to come from him snapping his fingers and summoning hundreds of hidden axemen to take down the Herrscher. She did not expect the miniature Chen Li to disappear, only to be replaced by a strange, palm-sized device.
"Huh?"
"This is a Light Transformation Device! As long as there is light and hope, you can use this item to become a Giant of Light in this consciousness space! You can defeat all demons and monsters! Mei, grip this transformation device, and become a Giant of Light!"
"Can I do it?"
"Of course, you can! You are the one chosen by the light; you can definitely transform into a Giant of Light! This is hope! This is a miracle!"
"But there's no light in this space."
"Lightning is also light! Light is a bond; it is not bound by form!"
"Transform! Giant of Light!" Raiden Mei felt a fire ignite within her. Her body instinctively struck the coolest pose she could imagine as she gently pressed the button on the toy in her hand.
In the next moment, infinite light filled the consciousness space!
"TCHA!"
And the transformation was accompanied by a strange sound effect!
"Giant of Light—Golden Homu King Form!"
"???" The Herrscher of Thunder stared at the towering, golden Homu standing before her, completely bewildered.
Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean, "lightning is also light"?
And why did all the lightning I summoned go over to your side?
Help, someone's robbing me of my light! And it's lightning-light!
This Giant of Light is too cheap! How can anyone play if this isn't nerfed?
Chen Li would say that this is just how the Persona Mask works.
When the Persona Mask fights with other personalities for control of the body, it's purely a matter of who's bigger.
And yes, it was completely unplayable without a nerf!
"Herrscher of Thunder, surrender! Lightning! Submit to me!" Raiden Mei swung a massive palm imbued with countless bolts of lightning.
"This blow! Will pierce the stars!"
---o---