The Real Golden Finger in Honkai is Alicia!

Raiden Mei was momentarily speechless, realizing from his words that even if she became a Herrscher, it wouldn't necessarily trigger the Honkai. Her resolve to refuse the idea instantly wavered.

Meanwhile, Gwen, who was battling the Queen, was in increasingly dire straits. The rapid depletion of his energy and stamina, coupled with the constant accumulation of injuries, meant the pressure he faced was growing ever greater.

However, Gwen, having already made his plans, showed no signs of panic. He calmly assessed his own changes under the escalating pressure.

Finally, at a certain moment, when the pressure from the Queen reached a breaking point, Gwen, having narrowly dodged a Void Lance, felt a subtle, almost imperceptible shift in his eyes, which now emanated a soft glow.

If he had returned to his true form, one could have seen that Gwen's eyes were now filled with a vacant stare—

Under the Queen's overwhelming power and Gwen's feigned weakness, the compounded, terrifying pressure had finally caused Gwen to unlock his Gene Lock once more.

Although he had unlocked his Gene Lock, Gwen did not immediately counterattack. He merely maintained his position on the battlefield, his subtly changing aura unnoticed by the Queen, who had kept her distance. Still contemplating how to deal with Gwen, the Queen waved her hand, sending out over a dozen more Void Lances. These struck Gwen, who had just parried the ones surrounding him, sending him plummeting.

BOOM!

With a thunderous crash, Gwen's body slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The impact sent Raiden Mei, who was still grappling with her own turmoil, into a state of shock, her heart nearly stopping.

"Gwen!"

Raiden Mei's cry was accompanied by a surge of brilliant lightning erupting from her body, illuminating Gwen's battered form and her own tear-streaked face.

Instantly, the Honkai energy that the unexpectedly awakened Queen had gathered nearby surged towards Raiden Mei's body like water finding an outlet in a pool.

Simultaneously, a gateway of another dimension quietly opened, and a massive amount of Honkai energy poured into Raiden Mei's body.

Despite facing an influx of Honkai energy far exceeding what she had just experienced, Raiden Mei showed no ill effects. The corrosive marks that had appeared on her body earlier vanished completely. Her eyes, flickering with lightning, met the Queen's golden gaze, which seemed to burn with the flames of vengeance from high above.

Chapter 38: Let Us... Fuse into One Body

"Oh?"

Sensing the aura emanating from the body that had been so easily manipulated moments ago, the Queen tilted her head slightly. Her previously relaxed expression, assuming the battle was already won, now showed a hint of surprise.

"What is it, my other half? Do you intend to resist me in your current state?"

Despite her surprise at the change in Raiden Mei, the Queen remained unhurried.

As a seasoned Herrscher, the Queen was well aware of Raiden Mei's current condition.

It was similar to how Sirin had needed time to secretly absorb the Honkai energy in the Tower of Babylon. Raiden Mei, without triggering a Great Honkai, would also require time to fully transform into a true Herrscher.

During this period, Raiden Mei, whose aura now seemed to rival the Queen's, could only match her in presence.

Though she appeared overwhelmingly powerful, she was essentially a half-baked Herrscher. The moment she made a real move, her true limitations would be exposed.

"..."

In response to the Queen's dismissive questioning, Raiden Mei remained silent. Her lightning-shrouded figure simply took a step forward, shielding Gwen.

"Heh..."

Seeing this, the Queen suddenly let out a laugh, but her golden eyes held no trace of amusement. Instead, they seemed to burn with an intense flame.

"You've witnessed the ugliest side of humanity, yet you still stand against me for a man whose words may not be entirely truthful...

You truly are quite cheap, so cheap that I even remembered your name...

Rai—den—Mei☆~"

"..."

Raiden Mei remained silent, merely channeling the Honkai energy within her body. The purple hue in her lightning-filled eyes intensified as she stared fixedly at the Queen.

"Heh, I must admit, as a clown, you've succeeded in amusing me."

The light in the Queen's golden eyes grew brighter, but her tone suddenly turned cold.

"However, I have no interest in watching a clown's performance.

Now, you should obediently retreat."

As the Queen's voice turned icy, three Void Lances materialized and instantly appeared before Raiden Mei.

Crack Crack Crack

Just as Raiden Mei was about to relinquish complete control of her body, surrendering everything to that voice, the three Void Lances, capable of ending her life, shattered almost simultaneously.

"Sorry for making you worry."

Gwen's voice echoed in her ears once more, causing the taut string within Raiden Mei to subtly relax. She halted her intention to transfer control of her body and said in the calmest voice she could manage, "Gwen, I am now qualified to fight alongside you."

"You really are like that annoying white-haired woman said, acting like a clown right now."

A voice, only able to observe within Raiden Mei's mind, sarcastically commented.

However, Raiden Mei disregarded the voice's words.

Perhaps she had heard them, but filled with the power surging through her, Raiden Mei had lost her usual girlish shyness. Her voice became slightly hoarse and much more assertive.

"But you right now..."

Gwen, who had already gained some understanding of Raiden Mei's state through telepathy, instinctively started to say something. However, upon meeting Raiden Mei's returning gaze, now filled with crackling lightning, he swallowed the rest of his words.

"You bastard!"

Completely taken aback that these two dared to flirt in front of her, the Queen's fury surged. Gritting her teeth, she flung several Void Belts that tore through space, intending to rip the two of them to shreds.

However, the ribbon, which possessed the ability to cleave space, stopped at a slowly rotating nebula—

Raiden Mei's outburst was truly beyond Gwen's expectations. To ensure the success of his next actions, Gwen abandoned his half-finished act and his original plan of feigning weakness—

Originally, Gwen had intended to show weakness and suddenly attack the expanding River Pufferfish when it was vulnerable—

Gwen's energy consumption was not fake, and the Queen's strategy was indeed effective… However, Gwen had also kept enough energy in the Paraj Bracelet to instantly refill his own…

But since Raiden Mei had emerged so unexpectedly, Gwen decided to change his original plan—

"Since you say so, then…"

Raising a shield to block the attacks of the enraged Queen, Gwen extended his hand towards Raiden Mei, whose state was clearly quite sensitive:

"Mei, give me your hand."

"Mhm."

Despite the violent lightning surging within her body, Raiden Mei was unusually obedient to Gwen's words. She placed her small hand into Gwen's silvery palm.

"This is…"

The moment she made contact with Gwen's palm, Raiden Mei felt an incredibly warm power surge into her body, making her feel as comfortable as if she were soaking in a hot spring, alleviating the slight discomfort caused by the continuous influx of power.

Without waiting for Raiden Mei to ask, Gwen's voice rang out again—

"Clear your mind, let us… become One-Body Fusion…"

While Raiden Mei was facing the Queen, Gwen wasn't just lying there; he was adapting to his own changes—

Just as Gwen had predicted, upon activating his Gene Lock once more, the changes he had long anticipated had appeared—

Although when people mention Nexus, they often subconsciously associate it with the phrase "light is the bond."

But for Nexus and its compatible users, light is more than just a bond; it is evolution, the evolution of light, and the evolution of the compatible user.

With Nexus's intentional assistance, the light within Gwen's body had, even more so than with ordinary compatible users, established a closer connection.

And under the effect of the Gene Lock, Gwen, who was evolving at an abnormal speed, and this light were merging on a deeper level at a speed that even Nexus hadn't anticipated, completing in less than half a year.

Upon the completion of this process, Gwen also gained many new abilities—such as the essential rescue skill for the Light Country warriors on external missions: One-Body Fusion.

And according to Gwen's perception, the power within Raiden Mei's body had reached the limit of her control.

If it were not guided or released, the increasingly fierce power within Raiden Mei's body in her current state would inevitably spiral out of control, truly triggering the Third Honkai.

Thus, Gwen had made this choice.

"Mhm…"

Listening to Gwen's gentle voice, Raiden Mei instantly stopped overthinking and slowly closed her eyes, allowing the power originating from Gwen to completely fill every corner of her being…

Under the gaze of the Queen's golden eyes, filled with fury and about to split open, the nebula-like barrier was quietly tinged with a hint of purple lightning…

Chapter 39 Otto: Foolish humans…

"What happened?"

Outside of work hours and off-duty, Murata Himeko, who was having a drink as usual, rushed into the conference room with the smell of alcohol on her breath—

A few minutes earlier, Murata Himeko, an A-rank Valkyrie of the Far East Branch who had no lesson plans to prepare or duty to perform today, had just opened a good bottle of wine. After taking a few sips, she was startled by the alarm from the Schicksal terminal placed nearby, nearly dropping the bottle.

Although she lived a very comfortable life in the Far East Branch, Murata Himeko had not completely lost her composure. She immediately recognized it as a highest-level alert.

Without even bothering to put the cap back on the wine bottle, Himeko rushed out of her home and arrived at the conference room as quickly as possible.

"According to the Honkai energy detection reaction, there is a Herrscher-level Honkai energy reaction in Changkong City."

Theresa, the Branch Leader of the Far East Branch, who had arrived first using Judas's flight mode, spoke with a grave expression, completely unlike her usual flippant demeanor. She said quickly:

"The problem is that there was no Great Honkai in Changkong City, and it seems there are two individuals with Herrscher-level Honkai energy.

The Hyperion is being activated, and I will go to Changkong City with you shortly."

"…"

Upon hearing the word "Herrscher," Murata Himeko, who had been frowning, froze. After hearing Theresa's subsequent explanation, her expression turned even more grim. After a moment of silence, she spoke again:

"Be careful yourself. You haven't been on the battlefield in years, don't mess up over something small."

"Instead of worrying about me here, you should hurry and drink something to sober up."

Theresa replied casually.

At this moment, under the threat of the two suspected Herrschers, their usual playful banter was filled with heavy pressure.

Although Theresa tried her best to maintain a calm expression, the worry on her tensed little face was evident—

Even though her memories were somewhat hazy, the pressure brought by the Herrscher of Void was still vivid, making it impossible for Theresa not to feel immense pressure.

Even though her grandfather had assured her during their recent contact that nothing major would happen, it was still the same.

A few minutes later, the Hyperion, carrying former S-rank Valkyrie Theresa Apocalypse, current A-rank Valkyrie Murata Himeko, current A-rank Valkyrie Fu Hua, and all other active Valkyries of the Far East Branch, sped towards Changkong City—

As Schicksal's most elite battleship, the Hyperion only needed a few minutes to reach Changkong City.

However, before the Hyperion, another small Schicksal transport ship had already approached Changkong City, where the two Herrscher-level Honkai energy reactions were detected—

A few minutes earlier, Rita, who was on her way to Changkong City, suddenly received an alert about the appearance of a Herrscher, and the location was Rita's destination—

Changkong City.

Despite her immense surprise, Rita felt a strange sense of understanding, recalling Otto's words before she left.

While pushing the transport ship to its maximum speed, Rita sent a communication request to Otto with a peculiar emotion. The call was answered swiftly—

"Rita, did you see the Herrscher warning?"

Otto's leisurely voice came through, devoid of any tension. It seemed to possess an invisible power, calming Rita's somewhat flustered heart and reinforcing her own thoughts.

"I saw it. It's in Changkong City."

Rita's voice was perfectly calm, betraying none of the complexity within her.

"Some people are more foolish than I imagined...

Heh... Humans are truly peculiar..."

As if recalling something, Otto uttered this nonsensical remark, whether as a simple lament or an explanation to Rita, before continuing, "Don't worry, Rita. Just focus on your mission. Gwen will handle these issues."

"Yes..."

Rita replied respectfully. Her voice held no panic about stepping onto a battlefield against true monsters, nor did it betray any doubt in Otto's words—

Although Rita's heart was indeed beating faster due to the instinctual fear of death, and she harbored doubts about Gwen's ability to resolve two Herrschers as Otto claimed.

Yet, recalling the imposing figure she first saw, Rita suddenly felt a wave of reassurance. Fear and doubt vanished, leaving only the determination to deliver the equipment at her feet, which could aid Gwen, to him.

At this moment, Rita had entered the airspace of the Far East. The transport ship, operating in overload mode, was less than two minutes away from arriving at Changkong City...

Meanwhile, in Changkong City, amidst the already ravaged urban landscape from Gwen and the Queen's battle, a nebula-like barrier imbued with purple lightning gradually dissipated. Several Void Lances, which had been attacking the barrier futilely, successfully breached the previously insurmountable line. However, they struck no targets. Instead, they collided with each other, causing a small-scale spatial collapse amidst the Honkai energy eruption.

Almost simultaneously, amidst imperceptible thunder, the tip of a spear, crackling with golden arcs of electricity, pressed against the Herrscher's dress on the Queen's chest. A slight exertion of force would pierce her heart.

However, the Queen, whose hairs stood on end in an instant, reacted correctly. Disregarding the Honkai energy consumption, she shattered the space containing herself and the purple figure radiating lightning, pushing it into the Imaginary Space at the cost of her own hard-earned Honkai energy.

After achieving One-Body Fusion with Raiden Mei, Gwen had received a significant boost. Both the greatly enhanced energy supply and the accompanying lightning power caused Gwen's combat strength to soar.