We Are All Monsters

"Tell me, Mei!"

Hearing Dong Moxuan's incomparably gentle words, Mei felt as if her heart were about to be completely conquered.

However, the last bit of reason remaining told her that if this continued, she would only bring tragedy upon the boy before her.

Yet the warmth radiating from the boy made her utterly infatuated, unwilling to give it up.

So, after hesitating for a long while, she gently pushed Dong Moxuan away and sobbed softly, "I can't... Mei... can't stay with Jun Xuan..."

"Why can't you?"

Dong Moxuan asked patiently.

"Why can't I?"

After hearing Dong Moxuan's question, Mei froze.

Then, she revealed an incredulous expression and murmured, "Jun Xuan... why can you say something like that so matter-of-factly?"

"Can't stay together... Isn't that only natural?"

Looking at the boy before her, Mei's beautiful violet-crystal eyes were filled with sorrow.

"Because... Mei is a 'monster'!"

As if to prove Mei's words, pale-violet lightning slowly began to flash around her.

Mei had understood from the very beginning that she was a monster.

After all, from the "Honkai Will," which constantly urged her to destroy all human civilization, it was clear just how evil an existence a "Herrscher" truly was.

It was just that Dong Moxuan had personally woven a beautiful dream for her before—a dream in which she could still live together with Dong Moxuan as she had in the past.

But...

"Just like that woman said, Mei is a... 'monster'!"

Cocolia's appearance had shattered the beautiful dream Dong Moxuan had woven and forced Mei to face reality.

That was right. Ever since becoming a Herrscher, Mei had...

long since been unable to return to how things were before!

This bloody reality had been laid bare before Mei.

"So, Jun Xuan, if you stay with Mei, you'll only encounter danger..."

In the original story, the reason Kiana had been able to make Mei accept her was that, while saving Mei, she had also demonstrated that she possessed the requisite "qualifications"—namely, strength that could even go head-to-head with a Herrscher when she went all out.

As for Dong Moxuan, the persona he had shown before Mei was merely that of an ordinary person.

Even though he seemed mysterious and appeared to know many big shots in the underworld, he was still just an ordinary person.

It wasn't that Mei looked down on Dong Moxuan. Rather, so-called ordinary people were simply far too insignificant before a "Herrscher."

To Mei, as a Herrscher, whether it was her own power or the battles she might face, the slightest mistake could easily claim Dong Moxuan's life.

It would have been fine if Mei were a "true Herrscher," but because Dong Moxuan had interrupted her transformation into one, she was merely a half-baked Herrscher. Even maintaining her sanity was already extremely difficult, let alone protecting Dong Moxuan.

So...

"Mei... doesn't want to drag Jun Xuan down. Mei now has... has only Jun Xuan left as the one family member who still cares about and protects her... so..."

For Mei and Dong Moxuan at this moment, separating was the most suitable choice.

Even though this choice would leave Mei utterly heartbroken.

"So..."

"So that's what this is about?"

Mei did not finish what she was saying, because Dong Moxuan let out a soft sigh and interrupted her.

He looked at the girl before him, his expression somewhat helpless.

He had never expected that the persona he had pretended to be before Mei would trouble her so much.

"Mei, you seem to have misunderstood something..."

As the boy's words fell, his azure eyes were swallowed by scarlet in an instant, and an energy extremely familiar to Mei began to swirl around him.

"Jun Xuan... you... you..."

Looking at the boy before her, the girl was so shocked that she began to stammer.

"Sorry, Mei. I hid this from you before..."

Seeing the girl's reaction, Dong Moxuan gave a bitter smile before gently pulling her into his arms.

"If Mei is a monster, then I'm probably not much better."

"We're all monsters!"

"Perhaps, one day, a righteous hero will finally descend."

"'They' will step on our corpses and accomplish the great deed of saving the world."

"But at least, before I die, 'they' will never reach Mei."

"So..."

Dong Moxuan pressed his forehead against Mei's.

"Don't send me away, okay? Mei!"

Mei: "..."

The boy's gentle words reached Mei's ears. She could no longer suppress her emotions and buried herself in Dong Moxuan's arms, breaking down in tears once again.

She had probably shed more tears in this single day than she had throughout all her previous years.

However, Mei no longer had room in her heart to think about any of that nonsense.

She only wanted to cry and pour out all the pent-up anguish in her heart.

After crying for more than a full minute, Mei slowly left Dong Moxuan's embrace.

"Jun Xuan..."

She raised her head and looked into Dong Moxuan's eyes, softly calling him by the name she used for him. The emotions brewing in her gaze even made Dong Moxuan avert his eyes slightly.

"Sorry. Mei acted on her own before."

"In the end, Mei still made Jun Xuan worry about her!"

"Someone as immature as Mei must have caused Jun Xuan a lot of trouble, right?"

"However, it's probably a little too late for Jun Xuan to shake off this burden named Mei now."

"Because Mei... probably can't ever leave Jun Xuan again!"

"So... thank you, Jun Xuan, for being willing to stay by such a willful Mei's side."

As she spoke, Mei could no longer restrain her emotions. She gently wrapped her arms around Dong Moxuan's neck and slowly leaned upward to kiss him.

However...

"Hey, you two bastards, what are you doing hugging each other? Are you doing something shady?"

Just as Mei's lips were less than a centimeter from Dong Moxuan's, a clear young girl's voice rang out beside them at the worst possible moment, causing Dong Moxuan and Mei to stiffen simultaneously.

Mei pushed Dong Moxuan away as if electrocuted and looked toward the voice. Her expression immediately became somewhat surprised.

"It's you... the girl from the rooftop before?"

That was right. The adorable girl with silver braids standing beside her and Dong Moxuan at that moment—who else could she be but Kiana?

"The rooftop?"

Because of the angle, Kiana had not seen exactly what Dong Moxuan and Mei had been doing, but Mei's words made Kiana's expression turn rather ugly.

"That's right, the rooftop. I really have to thank you two properly for what happened there!" Kiana spoke through clenched teeth.