First Chapter. Thanks for the Invite... I'll Thank Your Head!

2014. Changkong City. Senba Academy.

On the rooftop of Senba Academy, a young man clutched his head, groaning in unbearable pain.

"Damn it... my head hurts so much... what happened..."

The young man's name was Gu Yu. Ever since his parents died five years ago, he had been living alone on their inheritance.

For the past five years, he had lived a solitary life.

As time passed, the emotional wound left by the news of his parents' death gradually healed.

Unfortunately, Gu Yu, who should have continued to live a normal life alone, suddenly lost consciousness in the summer of 2019.

When he woke up, he found himself in a strange place.

As he regained consciousness, endless information flooded his mind.

Honkai Energy, Honkai Beasts, Herrschers, Valkyries...

Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, World Serpent...

This information, which should have only existed in a certain mobile game, felt like sharp, materialized blades, almost prying his head open, causing immense pain in his brain.

"Ha... ha... ha... ha..."

However, Gu Yu ultimately endured the torment and did not lose consciousness again.

"Honkai world... did I... transmigrate?"

The thought of the information that had just flooded his brain sent another sharp pain through his head.

Pushing through the pain, he fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a hard object.

"I don't know what's going on, but this must be this body's phone..."

After easily unlocking the fingerprint scanner with his index finger, Gu Yu looked at the weather forecast on his phone.

"2014, Changkong City, clear skies... Changkong City???"

Seeing these words, Gu Yu felt his entire world crumble.

Before transmigrating, Gu Yu had played a mobile game called Honkai Impact 3rd to cope with his grief.

While the character models in the game were good, the plot was a tangled mess, making it very confusing.

Gu Yu had even read the game's official manga to understand the story.

According to the official manga's plot, Changkong City would usher in the Third Honkai Outbreak in 2014.

Although Changkong City seemed fine for now, who knew when Cocolia, that troublesome mother fox, would show up and cause Raiden Mei, who harbored the Conquest Gem within her, to awaken as the Herrscher of Thunder on the spot.

If Raiden Mei awakened as the Herrscher of Thunder, the entire Changkong City would be infected by the Honkai due to her awakening.

Some people would be instantly transformed into Meele, while others would be killed by those transformed into Meele.

Gu Yu didn't know if he would be corrupted by Honkai Energy, but he was certain of one thing...

--In the face of such a disaster, his chances of survival were practically zero.

"Well, the official sources didn't say when it would break out, so I don't even know how much time I have left."

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Gu Yu made a decision.

He couldn't be bothered with anything else; he just needed to get out of this building first.

Other transmigrators had cheats, but he didn't have anything like that.

If he didn't run now, what was the difference between that and waiting to die?

However, as Gu Yu took a step towards the rooftop, he suddenly heard a noise from the iron gate of the rooftop.

Then, through the opened iron gate, a beautiful girl with black hair appeared before him, covering half of her face.

"Mm... someone else is already here?"

"Raiden... Mei?!"

Looking at the girl's figure, Gu Yu felt that the current situation was not right.

Raiden Mei would awaken as the Herrscher of Thunder due to Cocolia's scheme, but before Cocolia triggered this Honkai, no one knew Raiden Mei's mental state.

The Raiden Mei who appeared before Gu Yu now clearly exuded a sense of irritation and fatigue.

It could only be said that her upbringing as a young lady prevented her from saying anything strange to Gu Yu, a stranger.

"It's fine, I've stayed long enough. I'm leaving now."

After saying that, Gu Yu quickly walked towards the iron gate.

"Excuse me, let me pass."

"Hmm... no."

As Gu Yu brushed past her, Raiden Mei suddenly grabbed his wrist coldly.

"You're not wearing a Senba Academy uniform, and I've never seen you before, yet you know my name..."

"You don't look like a good person."

If a beautiful girl grabbed his wrist normally, Gu Yu wouldn't feel uncomfortable at all.

After all, ever since his parents passed away, he hadn't been in the mood for romance and had no experience interacting with girls, so he naturally wouldn't resist such an intimate gesture from a young lady.

But after being grabbed by the wrist by Raiden Mei, Gu Yu realized that sometimes, intimate contact with a beautiful girl wasn't such a pleasant thing.

At the very least—the Raiden Mei before him, even without awakening as the Herrscher of Thunder, was no delicate young lady.

She practiced the Japanese swordsmanship, Hokushin Itto-ryu, which inherently demanded high physical fitness.

Now, with his wrist held by her, Gu Yu felt as if his right wrist was being gripped by iron pincers, completely unable to pull it free from Raiden Mei's small hand.

"Everyone knows the title 'Queen of Thunder.' As for the uniform, I just happened not to be wearing it today."

Suppressing his inner impatience, Gu Yu subtly gestured to Raiden Mei with his eyes.

"I say, Your Majesty, it's not very appropriate to be grabbing a man you don't know in broad daylight."

"That's true..."

Seeing Gu Yu's helpless gaze, Raiden Mei gently released her hand.

After regaining his freedom, Gu Yu flexed his wrist slightly before walking away without looking back.

However, the next second...

"Guaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Raiden Mei, behind Gu Yu, suddenly let out a piercing scream.

Turning back to look at Raiden Mei, Gu Yu was immediately met with a scene that shocked him immensely.

Raiden Mei, who had been perfectly fine moments ago, was now surrounded by visible, dense Honkai Energy.

After screaming, her previously normal eyes suddenly turned incredibly sharp.

What's more, the crucial point was that the instant he saw the Honkai Energy, Gu Yu felt a sharp sting on the back of his right hand.

"This is... the spot Raiden Mei just touched?!"

Looking at the crest that suddenly appeared on the back of his hand, Gu Yu found it incredibly familiar.

"Is this crest a Stigmata? And..."

"Why does this crest look so much like Decade's Knight Emblem?"