Kiana, Sortie! (cont.)

If Uncle Siegfried hadn't brought me out of Changkong City, wouldn't I have killed even more people if I had stayed in the city?

No, in fact, if Uncle Siegfried and Lin Yu hadn't stopped me, the demon that was controlling my body would definitely have wanted to head towards the city.

I could sense the malice emanating from her.

If she were allowed into the city, the casualties she caused might be greater than I imagine.

Despite feeling incredibly distressed about this matter, Mei found that her thoughts, which should have been chaotic, had become remarkably clear.

Both Uncle Siegfried and Lin Yu should already know that I would cause such a terrible disaster.

No wonder Uncle said, 'Now is not the time to see Kiana'...

He probably didn't want me to kill more people, which is why he wanted to take me to some other deserted place.

In order to resolve my troubles, he even missed the chance to meet his daughter.

That's not all.

Lin Yu is the same.

He already knows that I harbor a terrible demon within me.

But under these circumstances, instead of staying away from me, he even took the initiative to approach me.

Moreover, although Lin Yu seemed to genuinely want to kill me at the time, what he actually did was to strengthen my resolve through the most decisive methods.

But... I betrayed Lin Yu's expectations.

I'm not strong enough.

If I had been calmer after hearing the news of my Dad's death, she might not have had the chance to come out.

It was because of my cowardice that those people near the gas station died!

"Miss Thunder Bud, are you awake?"

Just as Mei felt that her mental state was about to deteriorate again, she suddenly heard a gentle voice enter her ears.

"How are you feeling now?"

Looking at the blond man in front of her and the blond girl standing behind him, Raiden Mei asked with a hint of confusion.

"Who are you? Where... where am I?"

"Hmm, very good. It seems you can still maintain your individuality."

Having confirmed that the girl before him was primarily driven by a human personality, Otto spoke to Durandal behind him.

"Durandal, everything is alright here now."

"Understood, then I shall take my leave."

Upon hearing this, Durandal strode away from the room.

Looking at the armor on the other person's body, Mei, even if she was still confused, understood that this was not an ordinary hospital.

"Ha, that's so straightforward."

Watching Durandal leave so decisively, Otto chuckled and shook his head before glancing at another girl who was still asleep on the other side.

Although the toxins had almost no effect on my Soul Steel body, it seems that Durandal left so quickly not because she realized this, but because she was really in a hurry.

And now— the Herrscher of Thunder in front of me seems to care a lot about that young man as well.

"I forgot to introduce myself."

While thinking about his plan, Otto spoke very gently to Raiden Mei.

"My name is Otto Apocalypse, and I am the Archbishop of Schicksal, the Anti- Honkai Organization."

"Of course, you may not understand what Honkai is right now, but the abnormal situation that has occurred in your body should have made you realize that you are not an ordinary person."

"Yes... I'm not an ordinary person."

Recalling those frightening speculations, Raiden Mei said somewhat dejectedly.

"I... have killed many people."

Wow, even though I was feeling really down, I actually managed to calm myself down.

Although the number of people she 'killed' has decreased by 99% because of Siegfried and Lin Yu, even so, her mental fortitude has exceeded my expectations.

"Damaged many people? If possible, I hope you don't get that misunderstanding."

At that moment, Otto's expression became extremely serious.

"Miss Raiden, you may not be aware of your own identity. But as the leader of the Anti- Honkai Organization, I am well aware that the number of victims in this incident has decreased significantly for some reasons."

"And these victims naturally include—you."

"Me? It's clearly me..."

"There are many concepts about Honkai that I might not be able to explain to you in a short time. But if possible, I still hope you can understand them at least a little bit."

At that moment, Otto spoke to Raiden Mei with utmost seriousness.

"Your awakening as Honkai Apostle [Herrscher] is because of a woman named Cocolia."

"It could even be said that the calamity that Changkong City suffered was all because of that woman's reckless behavior."

"Cocolia?!"

I've heard Uncle Siegfried mention this name before.

"Yes, she is the culprit behind this massive disaster."

"At the same time, she is also the culprit who caused your father, Raiden Ryoma, to go to prison and seize control of ME Company."

!!

Upon hearing the news from others again, Mei felt her anger instantly ignite.

Even at this moment, she heard that voice from the depths of her heart again.

The moment Mei realized this, she immediately discovered that she had almost fallen into that terrifying state again.

Otto, watching Raiden Mei's behavior, subtly revealed a smile.

Hehe, although the HSN Serum helped suppress her Herrscher Core, she was able to regain control of her body after the first awakening ended, and even forcibly suppress her Herrscher Persona.

Cocolia actually wanted to kill such an excellent Herrscher and then seize the Gem of Conquest. I really can't understand what she's thinking.

"Mr. Apocalypse ..."

At this moment, Mei, who had completely suppressed her Herrscher Persona, looked coldly at Otto beside her.

Where is that woman now?

"I don't know where she is. But for now, I think you don't need to worry too much."

Otto pointed to his temple and said helplessly.

"Don't let anger cloud your judgment. Is that nonsensical woman really what you care about right now?"

"... I have a question I would like to ask Mr. Apocalypse."

After being persuaded by Otto, Mei, who had completely calmed down, suddenly asked Otto with great nervousness.

"Lin Yu..."

"Oh, you mean your classmate, right?"

As expected, many of the reasons she was able to suppress the Herrscher Persona were related to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu, that kid, did a really good job.

Seeing the nervous look on Mei's face, Otto revealed a teasing smile.

"He was an agent sent by our Schicksal to Changkong City on a mission. He had just returned to Schicksal Headquarters."

"Then I can..."

Mei, who was incredibly excited upon hearing the news, suddenly stopped speaking.

No, forget it.

I am not qualified to see him now.

"Now is not the right time to see him."

After all, Rita is now by Lin Yu's side, while Durandal is a thing of the past.

Given K423's personality, she would definitely sneak over there after finding out that Lin Yu was in trouble.

If I were to bring the Herrscher of Thunder over now... haha, it's probably better if that kid is still unconscious.

"Furthermore, we at Schicksal will also help you investigate the whereabouts of your father, Raiden Ryoma. However, I have a request for Miss Raiden Mei."

"... You have been kind to me, and I will grant you any request that is not too unreasonable."

What a kindness... haha, I only said a few words from beginning to end.

Even though she seems calm now, in reality, this young girl's heart has already been riddled with holes because of various things.

Even just verbal gestures of goodwill were enough to make her feel grateful to me.

Then things will be much easier.

"Don't rush to agree to my request, after all, this request is also related to your future."

After gently tapping the space in front of him next to Mei, Otto opened the information screen and spoke very solemnly to Raiden Mei.

"This incident is Honkai event, and after you have mastered the power within you, you can do a better job than ordinary soldiers in resisting Honkai."

"Miss Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei, I, Otto Apocalypse, hereby formally invite you to join our Schicksal."

"With your joining us, our organization will surely be able to save more people who have suffered from the Honkai."

After emphasizing 'those who suffered because of the Honkai,' Otto unsurprisingly saw the guilt reappear on Raiden Mei's face.

"Please... let me think about it."

However, upon hearing Raiden Mei's words, Otto knew that he had succeeded.

Although he could use Lin Yu or other methods to get Raiden Mei to join Schicksal, if a few words are enough to make her willing, why would Otto use other, less efficient methods?

First, inform the other party that there are enemies outside, then extend an olive branch of "helping you find your father", and finally invite Raiden Mei in a tone of "considering the other party's feelings", while implying that the other party is guilty by saying that "someone is suffering because of the Honkai".

With the help of these multiple rhetorical techniques, the naive and ignorant Raiden Mei easily fell into Otto's verbal trap.

Raiden Mei did not agree, but Otto knew that she had been moved by his words.

After all—this girl, though Herrscher, is kind-hearted.

He's a good person; he has good morals and values.

At times like this, all you need to do is subtly suggest that "you've killed a lot of people." People with normal moral values will start to use their own values to hold themselves hostage, constantly torturing themselves, and then begin to think of ways to atone for their sins.

Cocolia, thank you for your incompetence and ignorance.

I'll accept the Herrscher of Thunder that you created on your behalf.

Outside the medical clinic, Durandal walked briskly toward her known destination.

Originally, Lin Yu had simply fainted from exhaustion after returning to Schicksal.

After learning about Lin Yu's condition, Durandal was initially quite relieved.

Just now, when Otto came to visit the Herrscher of Thunder and the Simulated Herrscher, Durandal learned from Otto that Lin Yu was seriously injured because of the rampage of the Stigmata.

If Durandal hadn't been such a meticulous person, she might have abandoned Otto and gone straight to Lin Yu's ward.

This doesn't mean that Durandal wanted to disregard the dangers posed by the Herrscher and disregard personal feelings.

Mainly, she could tell that the Herrscher had become very weak due to the HSN Serum and other reasons.

Bishop Otto Apocalypse, who had been guiding her, was actually a highly skilled Honkai Energy warrior himself.

With Bishop Otto present, Durandal was quite confident that the two weakened Herrscher wouldn't be able to cause any trouble for him.

However... the command must be executed.

Durandal didn't want to disobey orders that weren't problematic.

Of course, Bishop Otto was very understanding and immediately let Durandal go.