"It's because of her identity—her identity as a Herrscher. It seems you really don't care much about that. Maybe the two of you could become very good friends."
Elysia had cared deeply about the identity of a Herrscher from the very beginning, dropping hints about it in every possible way.
"Herrscher... even I can't easily say that we can coexist peacefully. Herrschers have never fought for humanity, and she is no exception. Kevin once told me that... right after... that battle with the Seventh Herrscher."
Back then, the captain who had fought alongside them through life and death just a day earlier had, in the blink of an eye, become flames that plunged countless lives into the abyss. Once branded as a Herrscher, everything from the past was erased in a single stroke. All that remained was a will to destroy everything, turning them into an existence they could no longer understand.
But Hua believed that what made a Herrscher terrifying was their stance, not their identity. To her, Raiden Mei was first someone seeking a way forward, and only then someone who possessed Herrscher Authority.
"I know. Everyone thinks that way too. First, we're companions, and only then are we anything else. I've always believed that."
It seemed like an ordinary exchange, but only those who had seen it understood just how much foreshadowing it contained.
Elysia had always cared greatly about the identity of a Herrscher.
Then there was the impact the Seventh Honkai Outbreak had on Hua.
As an important turning point in Hua's life, it had affected her profoundly.
But this was not the information they needed.
The scene shifted once more. Night had dyed the entire field of vision—a sight unimaginably precious within Elysian Realm.
This was... the night before Elysia disappeared.
They had just