I, Herrscher Slayer

His emotions were wildly unstable. Even after he had openly threatened this white-haired girl, she still kept laughing. She was clearly not taking him seriously at all. The vicious glint in his deep purple eyes intensified. He had to teach this prematurely gray-haired brat a proper lesson. Under the night sky, his gaze swept over the white-haired girl before him. She looked like she was not particularly bright, so he would start with her.

The hand on the girl's neck suddenly squeezed downward. Beneath the night sky, the blond boy's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Laugh, then. Go on, keep laughing."

Like a goose with its neck grabbed, Kiana's cheerful laughter abruptly stopped. The girl stared incredulously at the claw on her chest. The scene reflected in her lake-blue eyes left her mind completely blank. What was going on? Where was this? What had happened? And who was she again?

Mm, good thing she had not kept laughing. Otherwise, she would probably have ended up the same way as Kiana.

As Mei watched what was happening beside her, that was somehow the first thought that crossed her mind. That was not right. She should have been thinking about how to help Kiana out of this situation.

"Can we talk properly now?"

Without changing his posture, he looked at the two girls. By instinct, he chose the long-haired girl in the night, since she looked smarter than the white-haired brat. Now that things had finally quieted down, he could ask what he wanted to know.

"Mm-hm, ask away. I'll tell you everything I know."

Mei thoroughly demonstrated what cooperation meant. She did not want to end up like Kiana. They might be good friends, but Kiana could enjoy that treatment all by herself.

Amnesia

"Who am I?"

At last, he asked the question that had troubled him ever since waking up. Pointing at himself, the blond boy asked it aloud. His head felt like a pot of mush, and he did not even know whether he was fully awake. Everything seemed to be covered in a thin layer of cloth that could neither be torn nor pulled away. Where was this? Who were these two girls? And most importantly...

Who was he?

"...What?"

Mei had not expected that question and failed to react at first. She had considered that he might ask who she was, where they were, or what they intended to do. But she had never expected him to ask this. Looking into those deep purple eyes, Mei saw no sign that he was joking. In other words, he was serious.

Mei recalled the previous investigation report. The wounds on his body had been secondary; the main issue was the severe damage to his brain. Was this the aftereffect of that injury? A heavy thought surfaced in Mei's heart. Could this guy have lost his memory?

"I'm asking who I am."

He patiently repeated the question. He truly could not figure it out. The white-haired girl beside him looked none too clever, so all he could do was investigate through this girl. Who he was was a very important question.

"You are... who are you again?"

She wanted to know that herself! They had never spoken before. He had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, suddenly stopped the fight, then suddenly fallen unconscious until now. They had finally waited for him to wake up, only for him not to remember who he was. What was Mei supposed to do? Who was he? Go ask a magic conch! Why ask her?!

"I'm asking you. Tell me, or I'll do this to you too!"

He tightened his fingers as he threatened Mei. At that moment, Kiana, who had been offline for ages, finally came to her senses. From the instant this guy had made his move, the Kaslana family heiress's mind had been blank. Now, feeling his fingers move, her brain finally booted back up. Was he taking advantage of her?

And his hand still had not stopped!

Embarrassment and fury instantly filled her heart. The thought that he had taken advantage of her for so long just because she had reacted a beat too slowly made Kiana feel like she was about to explode. When had she ever suffered such a loss? Intern Valkyrie Kiana Kaslana immediately launched her attack. Who cared that he was seriously injured and had yet to recover? If he dared take advantage of the Kaslana family heiress, he had better be ready for a beating. How had she ended up saving such a perverted brat?!

Although she had only just begun studying the Valkyrie system, Kiana, as a warrior against Honkai, had trained in the Kaslana family's inherited martial arts since childhood. She grabbed the lecherous hand pressing against her chest, intending to teach him a lesson. Yet that pervert reacted even faster. His movements were just as nimble, nothing like someone who had just woken after lying unconscious for so long. Catching Kiana's incoming fist, he used the force to leap to the ground like an agile cat. Electricity coiled around his fingers, while electromagnetic force strengthened his muscles as naturally as breathing. So these two really were bad people?

"Wait, Kiana, don't attack yet..."

Mei hurriedly tried to stop her, but how could she possibly talk sense into a single-minded Kiana? Gritting her teeth, Kiana jumped off the bed and charged at the person by the door. She had never been bullied like this before. She would not swallow this insult in silence!

At this distance, it should work.

Seeing the white-haired girl charge like a berserker, the boy by the door stepped back half a pace and casually grabbed a coin from the table, instinctively preparing to fire it. But at that moment, the door behind him was suddenly pushed open. His unstable footing sent him pitching forward, while the charging Kiana had not expected him to throw himself at her. For a moment, she became flustered. Seeing him pounce at her with flailing limbs, she even forgot to fight back. The two tumbled together onto the floor. The back of Kiana's head slammed heavily against the ground, while the person above her crashed hard into her chest, using it as a cushion. He had to have done it on purpose!

That was Kiana's last thought before the pain in her front armor knocked her unconscious. How could it possibly have been such a coincidence?!

"Mei, Bronya came to take over... What is going on?"

The culprit behind it all stepped through the door at that moment. The gray-haired little girl with drill-shaped twin tails stared at the scene in the room. Even her brain struggled to process it. What exactly had happened? Wasn't this person supposed to be unconscious the whole time? Why was he hugging Kiana again...? It felt like she had missed a lot.

"So, my name should be Shen Gonglin? Are you sure my surname isn't Yuuki? I feel like that surname suits my identity better."

In the now-quiet hospital room, the blond boy—Shen Gonglin—sat on the bed with a doubtful expression. He held the damaged school uniform in his hands. Although it was badly torn, Mei had already washed it clean. The name tag bore the words Shen Gonglin. Was that really his name?

To be fair, it did sound pretty good. It suited him.

"How would we know? That was the only thing on you at the time. Unless you stole it, that's your name. And after Miss Me took care of you for so long, this is how you repay her? You really don't know gratitude!"

Rather than sit with Shen Gonglin this time, Kiana sat cross-legged on a distant sofa, glaring at him as she spoke irritably. Mei stood beside her, rubbing the back of her head. That collision had hurt the girl badly. Kiana's head hurt now, and so did her chest. She had used all of it as his cushion. What rotten luck!

Still, it was fortunate that it had been her. If it had been Bronya, she might have suffered a fractured sternum.

Kiana glanced at Bronya on the bed. Looking at her flat, board-like figure, Kiana wore a wicked grin. Nice, nice. As expected of her.

"Scan complete. Physically healthy. The cause of the brain injury remains undetermined. Preliminary diagnosis: possible trauma-induced amnesia. It is currently unclear whether the trauma was mental or physical."

Kneeling behind Shen Gonglin, the gray-haired Bronya looked at the results scanned by Heavy-duty Rabbit and gave her conclusion. Her gray eyes remained calm. He had woken up, but he had lost his memories. Bronya did not know whether that was good or bad.

Amnesia... perhaps. He really could not remember anything. But who exactly were these girls?

Maybe You're My Little Sister?

Setting his identity aside for the moment, Shen Gonglin raised his head and looked at the three girls in the room. The white-haired polar bear with a nice figure but a clear lack of brains, the homey black-haired girl whose hair held a slight purple tint, and the twin-tailed little girl behind him... Who were the three of them?

"I am Raiden Mei. This is Kiana, and that is Bronya. We are all students of St. Freya Academy. We are currently at St. Freya Academy, which belongs to the Far East Branch. It is an academic institution that trains warriors to fight Honkai. You appeared in Changkong City nearly two months ago. Since you were seriously injured at the time, we brought you to St. Freya for treatment. Do you remember any of this?"

Seeing what Shen Gonglin meant, Mei introduced herself and the others. He was no ordinary person. That much was apparent from his electromagnetic force just now, as well as how he had interrupted the battle between them and Teacher Himeko in Changkong City. But now that he had lost his memories, things had become troublesome.

"Mm... You said a whole lot, and I didn't really understand much. But you mean you aren't some random bad guys?"

He understood every word individually, but when they were put together, Shen Gonglin could not quite make sense of them. St. Freya, the Far East Branch, fighting Honkai, warriors, two months ago, Changkong City... He truly had no impression of any of it. His mind was blank, and trying to think deeper made his head ache. Shen Gonglin clutched his head and pressed hard against his temples. All he knew now was that these girls probably were not bad people. Had he been asleep for nearly two months?

"You guessed wrong! Miss Me is a bad person, you reckless bastard! Let's see how Miss Me deals with you!"

To his surprise, Kiana suddenly sprang up. The pain in the back of her head constantly reminded her of the deep grudge between her and this guy. Since he woke up, he had taken advantage of her twice already, and she had not even settled the score for smashing the back of her head. He understood the situation now, right? Then it was time for revenge!

Kiana had never been the type to suffer losses quietly. She did not care about anything else. If she had a grudge, she would settle it. It was time to let this brat who did not know his place understand just how formidable she was. This was the moment to establish her position. Even if he had amnesia, she would make him understand the cruelty of society. Shen Gonglin, remember this well. This was Miss Me's first lesson for him.

"Kiana, wait!"

It was too late to stop Kiana. Mei had not expected her to attack so suddenly, but Shen Gonglin remained utterly calm. He had been on guard ever since this white-haired girl had kept staring at him. Now that she lunged at him, she had played right into his hands. He did not understand where this ability had come from, but Shen Gonglin used it with effortless mastery. He barely needed to activate it. Lightning flashed in the centers of his purple pupils. Reinforced by the current, his mobility increased enormously for a brief moment. Kiana only saw a blur before she found herself face-down on the bed. What was happening? She had lost to him?

"No matter how I look at it, you don't seem like a good person. You beast, why don't you... Wait, wrong line. Behave yourself."

Sitting on Kiana's waist, Shen Gonglin pulled her arm behind her back and pinned it down. Kiana, who had been easily subdued due to underestimating him, instantly blushed. How could she obediently comply just because he said so? Face-down on the bed, Kiana immediately began struggling. Her specially tailored uniform rode up from the movement, revealing a stretch of fair waist. She had only carelessly underestimated him. Next, she would show him what she was really capable of!

"Heh, still not behaving? Time for electrotherapy."

The lightning flickering between his fingers became even brighter. Shen Gonglin pressed his palm against Kiana's back. The electromagnetic power in his body should be enough to render her unable to move. Even after losing his memories, it did not affect Shen Gonglin's use of this power. It had completely become instinct.

"Ah... You bastard... Just you... wait!"

What did stimulation feel like? This time, Kiana experienced it firsthand. The shock made even her teeth chatter. The feeling instantly reminded her of when she had first met Mei and fought her at Senba Academy. But this was far more intense than back then, and there were obvious differences. When Mei had shocked her, there had only been pain. But when Shen Gonglin shocked her, it felt as though every cell in her body had been electrified. By comparison, Shen Gonglin's control over electricity seemed much more precise.

"Mm-hm, I'll remember. Do you admit defeat?"

Such a mild threat could not affect Shen Gonglin at all. Keeping his current position, he placed his hand against Kiana's back. So cold and merciless... Could he have been a heartless professor skilled in electrotherapy before losing his memories? Strangely enough, it felt fitting.

This time, Kiana clenched her teeth and said nothing. However, it was not the Kaslana family's unyielding bloodline at work. She had simply been shocked for so long that even her mouth had gone numb. Even if she wanted to speak, she could not open her mouth. What was going on? Why was this current so strange? It did not hurt that much, staying right within her tolerance, yet it left her completely unable to move. How could this guy possess an ability like Mei's? Mei had her power because of Honkai, but this guy... He did not have any Honkai energy on him.

"Um, stop first. Kiana doesn't mean any harm. She only wanted to fool around with you... Shen Gonglin, what is this ability of yours? Why can you control lightning too?"

Only after standing there dumbfounded for some time did Mei remember that Kiana was still suffering. She hurriedly stepped forward to stop Shen Gonglin. Why did these two love fighting so much? When Shen Gonglin had been unconscious, Kiana had not been this hostile toward him. She had come every day to care for him on schedule. Even Mei had been impressed by her patience. So why had the two been at each other's throats since the moment he woke up?

"You mean this? You can control lightning too? Then that means you can do it as well?"

He liked Mei a little more. After all, who did not like a mature, long-haired beauty with black hair? It was as if he naturally favored older women with mature temperaments. Since she said so, Shen Gonglin removed his hand from Kiana's back. He did not understand why lightning danced between his fingers, but if Mei could do it too...

Could he be related to her?

"Yes. I wanted to ask before—did you absorb the lightning from my body?"

Mei could still use a little of her lightning power. Sparks flickered around her violet eyes. Looking at those purple eyes, Shen Gonglin suddenly felt like he had found the key.

That was it. She was his little sister!

Although Yuri Is Nice

"Could it be that I'm also a Raiden? Or perhaps we're siblings with different fathers and mothers. After all, we can both go zap-zap. Maybe that's our family trait."

Shen Gonglin solemnly proposed the possibility. Mei had thought he was holding back some grand revelation, only for him to say something like this. Black lines covered her face. What did he mean, siblings with different fathers and mothers? Even if that were the case, they should look more like an older sister and younger brother... No, how could they possibly be siblings at all? Mei had never heard of anything so absurd!

"...I trust my parents. That is absolutely impossible."

"Tsk, tsk. That just shows your immaturity, Mei. You should know that the adult world is full of possibilities."

Shen Gonglin shook a finger. He was clearly quite handsome, yet Mei could see a trace of sleaziness on his face this time. Had this guy really lost his memory? Other than forgetting everything about himself, his knowledge was not lacking at all. What did he mean, the adult world was full of possibilities? What exactly was he talking about?

"My lightning ability was an accident. It isn't inherited, so what you're suggesting is impossible."

Mei shook her head and rejected Shen Gonglin's guess. He did not dwell on it. Their eye colors were somewhat similar, but their hair colors were worlds apart. He probably had no connection to this girl. Their abilities were likely only a coincidence. Mei controlled lightning, whereas Shen Gonglin wielded electromagnetic force. Though they sometimes looked the same in action, there were still differences in essence. So what exactly was his identity? Shen Gonglin rubbed his chin and pondered seriously. The more he thought, the more his head hurt. Could it be...

Had he been brain-damaged before losing his memory?

"Back to the question from before. Did you absorb the lightning in my body?"

Mei was more concerned about that issue. She examined her physical condition. All of her abilities were connected to Honkai energy, and Honkai energy was no different from poison to ordinary people. When Shen Gonglin absorbed her electricity, had he also absorbed the Honkai energy along with it? Would that harm his body? As far as Mei knew, people corrupted by Honkai energy became Suicide Squad members. The girls all possessed resistance to Honkai energy, which was also the foremost requirement for becoming Valkyries. Did Shen Gonglin have the same constitution?

"Mm, probably."

Under Kiana's envious, jealous, hate-filled gaze, Shen Gonglin directly took Mei's hand. The current flowing through the girl's body entered Shen Gonglin through their joined hands. It was not merely electricity. Even the residual Honkai energy in Mei's body was absorbed by Shen Gonglin. Those faint traces of Honkai energy usually hid in every corner of her body. They had little effect, but they were still bad things. Now that Shen Gonglin had absorbed them all, Mei felt an indescribable lightness throughout her body. Because of something within her, her lightning power was nearly inexhaustible. She was basically a natural power bank.

This replenished the electricity he had consumed earlier. Perhaps because he had not fully recovered, Shen Gonglin could recover on his own, but certainly not as quickly as directly absorbing power from Mei. He decided it then and there. This girl would be his exclusive power bank from now on.

"Phew... Don't you feel anything wrong with your body? Like discomfort, or some extreme, impulsive thoughts in your head?"

Holding Shen Gonglin's hand made Mei feel comfortable all over... It was because the residual Honkai energy in her body had been cleared away, not for any other reason. She had never felt so good. Yet Mei worried about Shen Gonglin's condition again. There had not been much residual Honkai energy in her body, but that was only by Valkyrie standards. For an ordinary person, it was enough to drive someone mad. Would absorbing all of it at once harm his body? He had only just woken up. She should not have let him act so recklessly.

"I don't feel anything. I've just roughly recovered to Lv.4. As for discomfort... I think that girl might be more uncomfortable than I am. Judging by her expression, she looks like she wants to tear me apart and eat me."

Shen Gonglin still could not remember his past, but he now recalled a system of levels. He really was around Lv.4. Reaching Lv.5 would be a little difficult, much less Lv.6. He seemed to be missing something, such as... safety shorts?

Thinking any further made his head hurt, so Shen Gonglin decisively stopped. At that moment, however, he felt a gaze filled with intense intent. Turning around, he saw Kiana staring at his and Mei's joined hands with envy, jealousy, and resentment. So when Mei spoke of discomfort and extreme thoughts, had she meant this white-haired girl?

"Wah! Let go of Mei's hand right now! How long are you going to keep taking advantage of Mei right in front of me? Mei, be careful. This guy is no good. Girls need to be careful around boys!"

Unable to endure it any longer, Kiana pounced with bared teeth and claws. She snatched Mei's hand away, then carefully blew on it over and over as though it had touched something filthy. Shen Gonglin had held and rubbed such a cute, fair little hand, making Kiana's eyes burn with envy. She normally did not even get chances to touch Mei's hand. How had he gotten so lucky? Shen Gonglin was no good. He had not even spared Kiana, taking advantage of her so many times. Naturally, he would not spare someone as adorable as Mei.

Kiana was certain that he had already set his sights on Mei. She had to protect her!

"Kiana, what are you talking about? How could that be? You're overthinking it."

With a helpless smile, Mei pulled her hand free from Kiana's grasp and patted Kiana's head to reassure her. In Mei's eyes, Kiana had simply misunderstood Shen Gonglin. Those things had only been accidents. Mei had a rather good impression of Shen Gonglin, though she did not know whether it was because of his face or something else... All right, his face had given him a major advantage. She was not exactly obsessed with appearances, but she really did like Shen Gonglin's face.

Perhaps it was a girl's natural maternal instinct. Seeing Shen Gonglin like this made her want to take care of him, just as she did with Kiana.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Seeing this, Shen Gonglin shook his head. What a shame. Such a wonderful girl was actually into girls. Yuri was nice, but unfortunately, they could not have children.

The Problem with Her Legs

Shen Gonglin shook his head, unable to bear watching such waste any longer. Either of those girls would likely be the kind capable of captivating everyone if placed out in public. Even Kiana was a great beauty as long as she kept her mouth shut. Yet they would rather be like this than let men benefit. Tsk, tsk. Shen Gonglin respectfully declined this kind of yuri behavior and shifted his gaze to the girl seated behind him.

She counted as a girl, right? He could not assume she was a little girl just because she had twin tails. If twin tails made someone a little girl, then eating jelly would make him an astronaut.

"Um... You're Bronya, right? Do those two act like this often?"

Shen Gonglin waved a hand before the little girl's face. Unlike the other two, this girl had consistently maintained her expressionless persona. Ever since she had entered the room, Shen Gonglin had not heard her say more than three sentences. Her porcelain-white face was utterly blank. She should be a quiet girl, like him.

Of course, Shen Gonglin meant quiet in temperament, not the girl part.

"Yes. Kiana often harasses Mei. Bronya considered stopping her, but Mei never asked for help. Analysis suggests that Mei may enjoy it... Please do not do this. Bronya is troubled."

Bronya spoke in a precise, mechanical manner, but Shen Gonglin became interested in her. Was this kid cosplaying a robot? Ignoring what she said, he suddenly began poking Bronya's cheek. Even then, the girl's expression did not change. She really was like a doll that could not smile.

"It's fine, it's fine. If you do it more, you won't be troubled anymore. Come on, don't dodge. Let me take a look."

Strictly speaking, Bronya was much more fun than Mei or Kiana. It was hard to feel any serious urge to bully Mei, while Kiana would bristle the moment she was teased. By comparison, Bronya was easy to gauge. It was as if he had an innate tendency to enjoy teasing girls. They had only just met, but Shen Gonglin casually grabbed Bronya's arm and started kneading her cheeks. No matter what he did, her expression barely changed. That was very unusual. He wondered whether she would burst out laughing if he tickled the soles of her feet.

Once that thought appeared in his mind, Shen Gonglin could barely suppress it. But when he lowered his gaze, he noticed something odd. Beneath Bronya's short skirt, her legs should have been fair and jade-like, yet they were covered in armor. Was this the little girl's special hobby? How was he supposed to tickle her feet like that? Could it be... everything was within Bronya's calculations?

He had lost his mind, lost his mind. Why was he thinking such nonsense?

"Is it ugly?"

Her tone remained unchanged as Bronya looked at Shen Gonglin with her gray eyes. Noticing his frozen expression, she silently pulled her legs back and covered them with the blanket. It was not as though she felt disappointed. Due to past experiments, she could not feel emotions such as joy or happiness. Without happiness, where would disappointment come from?

"Fair as jade. Judging from the skin and shape alone, I could probably play with them for a year. If I could analyze the taste and texture too, maybe I could play with them for a lifetime. Why are you hiding something this good? Let me take a closer look."

Yet Shen Gonglin's evaluation caught Bronya by surprise. He lifted the blanket and held Bronya's lower leg as he began examining it. Through the gaps in the armor, he could see the fair skin of her leg. He simply did not understand the distinction between men and women. After all, he had amnesia. It was understandable that he might do strange things. It was not his fault. If anyone was to blame, blame the amnesia.

"It isn't ugly?"

Perhaps Shen Gonglin's actions startled her, because Bronya did not resist at first. She braced herself against the bed with both hands to keep her balance, one lower leg held in Shen Gonglin's hand. Tilting her head, Bronya asked him. Though her expression did not change, Shen Gonglin could still sense an emotion called curiosity from her. So this girl was not completely devoid of emotional changes. She was quite fun.

"If these count as ugly, then there are no beautiful legs in the world. But the armor is covering them, so I can't see clearly. I need to take it apart and examine them properly."