Honkai Double Traverse, Taking Xilian to Honkai Impact 3rd

Completely ignoring the personal thoughts of the girl walking alone.

She pressed forward step by step, swinging her baseball bat to grant a quick end to those who had been bisected or severed, yet were still lingering in agony, wailing in endless pain.

"Inexplicable people, appearing inexplicably, saying a whole bunch of inexplicable things. Every sentence sounds so important, yet I know nothing. I can't distinguish what is truly important, what is trivial, or what was false from the very beginning. I've had that feeling too."

"I always thought my dad had made a huge mistake, and that the malice I received from others was deserved. Then, suddenly, I discovered there was more to my dad's situation, and that what I knew was only a small fraction."

"...Stop talking."

The voice was muffled, as if it were emanating from the cracks in a stone.

"Herrscher, Honkai... the fact that I am a ticking time bomb capable of killing millions at any moment, and then, at a time like this, someone I've never seen before appears, obsessively trying to save me."

"Just thinking about these things gives me a headache. If it were me, I feel like my head would explode. Even I didn't encounter such bizarre things back then; at most, it was... someone disappearing inexplicably, and no matter how I looked, I couldn't find them."

There was no response, yet the voice did not falter; she continued speaking in a tone reminiscent of a memory.

It seemed as if she had been talking to herself from the very beginning.

"When you encounter abrupt events, it's only natural to be unable to accept them. It takes several days to slowly adapt."

She nodded gently.

"...That's also reasonable."

"I said--stop!"

Faintly, the buzzing sound of electricity hummed, like the chirping of countless birds, stirring up an irritable restlessness deep within the heart.

"----!"

--The thunder stopped.

In an instant, the world grew so quiet that the drop of a pin could be heard.

The girl standing silently ahead, revealing only a condescending back, cold and sharp like a queen--

Was trembling.

Heaving.

It was like the prelude to a violent storm.

The thick, leaden clouds, blocking the sky like a rotting shroud, sealed off all sight, preventing even a sliver of light from reaching the horizon.

The tall figure—a girl whose beauty could be affirmed without hesitation even from just her back—seemed to be filled with the entirety of the impending storm and thunder.

"Appearing in front of me in such a mess, revealing the truth of the world in such a mess, giving me trust in such a mess, and enduring pain in such a mess--"

She took a deep breath, roaring as if she were trying to scream her very organs out.

"--How could anyone just accept something like this!"

"It's clear that if you just stayed away from me, you wouldn't be hurt. It's clear that there's no reason for someone like me to be approached. Shonen manga protagonists and the like... aren't they all just dangerous individuals in the end?!"

"Rampage, rampage, rampage!"

One word after another spilled from her lips.

In her deep purple eyes, within those crystals as clear as the thunder of the high heavens, a blood-like crimson flickered faintly.

"What value is there in this power that I cannot control at all, and that hurts everyone around me the moment I use it?"

"Someone who harms others and themselves should just die early!"

"Must I live on shamelessly? No matter who it is—my father, the teachers who care for me, or the companions willing to reach out—in manga, isn't it their fate to die? Can shouting loudly and going on a rampage change the fact that they died because of you?"

"..."

"Is this your true heart?"

Kiana listened silently to words that would have shocked anyone else.

She was like a glacier, as cold and detached as her appearance suggested.

Yet, her beautiful willow-leaf brows furrowed involuntarily.

It was inexplicable.

She felt as if she had been slapped for no reason just for passing by, a sensation spreading through her heart like smog on a freezing day.

Then.

She looked directly at the girl's back and asked in return.

"What are you going to do now?"

"However, I need to remind you of one thing: in your eyes, this meeting is incredibly abrupt, but in Jiang Cheng's eyes, perhaps you and he have already lived together for many years."

Raiden Mei let out a heavy breath.

The wind and the rain subsided at that very moment.

It seemed as if the entire world had ushered in a clearing after the rain; the scarlet in her eyes was swept away, leaving behind only that which, from any perspective, remained beautiful...

--Purple.

"The worsening of his condition, the suffering he has endured..."

"I cannot repay it."

"I couldn't do it when I was still a young lady of status in the past, and I certainly cannot do it now, as this incompetent version of myself."

"At the very least, I can still draw fire for him. I am the only one that person named Cocolia is targeting. With Xilian's help, leaving this place will not be difficult for him."

She spoke calmly, persistent--swinging her blade, her slender arms unfolding time and again like arcs.

Precise.

Swift.

It did not look like slaughter; rather, it resembled some highly repetitive, mechanical task.

Wu Gang upon the earth.

Or perhaps a modern version of Yu Gong.

The only difference was that the girl's actions were far too precise. Taking the lives of the elite soldiers surrounding her did not even require a single moment; it was as standard as some avant-garde piece of art, to the point where it would make one think, "Perhaps she truly could accomplish this feat of Jingwei filling the sea."

Even though they were conversing, she refused to turn back, refused to look directly into those eyes.

Just like when she heard about the damage caused by the Erosion.

She dared not turn back, dared not look back into those azure eyes.

As Jiang Cheng's guardian, as the most important family member with whom she was so intimate that there was not a single barrier between them.

Kiana looked at her disheveled back and blood-stained hair.

Word by word.

"...Do you know that he trusts you very much?"

"..."

"..."

"I believe it."

"--I believe in Raiden Mei."

There was no need to close her eyes, no need to recall; the voice seemed to reach her ears naturally.

Perhaps it was because it had never truly faded away.

Even though the time they spent together was not long, it felt more real than anyone else in her life.

Without any reason, without any cause.

Pure trust is the light that will not be extinguished before one's eyes, no matter how deep into the darkness one falls--

It is the hand extended regardless of whether one has a superior family background, is admired by thousands, and has people from all walks of life scrambling to approach, bowing flatteringly, and offering gifts in the most humble of postures; or whether one has fallen to the bottom of the abyss, is cursed by countless people, ostracized by one's original circle, and kicked by everyone who once knew them.

But so what?

What if a hand was extended?

Because...

"It's too late..."

The girl, who had met that figure from her memories for less than a few dozen minutes, clenched her fists at this moment.

"--I have already ruined his entire life!!!"

Lightning, sharp enough to seem as if it would swallow the heavens and earth, occupying and dissolving every bit of the air, raging wildly across the nine heavens--

------D------

PS: Mei's self-destructive desire in the early stages is actually quite strong. For example, she would ask for a bomb to be implanted in her body. Rather than saying she wants to live, it is more that because Kiana wants her to live, she continues to linger on to satisfy Kiana's wish.

--And this is based on the premise that Kiana does not know her lifespan has been reduced to only three years.

After Saving the Band Girls, They Won't Let Me Go

Synopsis:

"Everyone is worthy of being loved."

This is the philosophy that Takada Yuichi has firmly believed in throughout both of his lifetimes.

The new world has no swords or magic, only a daily life no different from his previous life.

After his rebirth, he only hoped to live quietly, occasionally lending a helping hand to those in need. Once he confirmed they were capable, he would quietly leave, provided he didn't hurt anyone.

--So, where did it start to spiral out of control?

Was it when he took the initiative to invite that pride-shattered former young lady to dance with him in the rain?

Was it when that doll-like child, crushed by loneliness and despair, forced a kiss upon him?

Was it when that bassist, terrified of trusting others, firmly confessed her feelings to him?

Was it when that exquisite and flamboyant blogger, face flushed red, forced him into a lap pillow?

Was it when he replied to that netizen who sought his help regarding her study abroad plans?

Or, was it even longer ago?

"Why won't they let me leave?"

He began to ponder.

"Why don't I want to leave anymore?"

He began to ask himself.

"...Forget it."

Takada Yuichi finally offered a helpless smile.

"If I'm not leaving, then I'm not leaving."

Grey Snake: Elysia? (Revised)

"Third Herrscher, Herrscher of Thunder, estimated subject, Raiden Mei, system ID 003."