Honkai Double Transmigration, Taking Xilian to Honkai Impact 3rd

If it had been Bronya who carried him while running and shielded him from harm, he would have undoubtedly exhausted every ounce of his strength to help her repair Project Bunny.

He could have gone to find Grey Snake immediately; it wouldn't have mattered if the repair cost ten times more than building a new one.

But unfortunately, it was not Bronya. She was still an enemy—the enemy who had caused Raiden Mei and Kiana to be injured.

--So, he did not care at all.

Kiana, you will not see your father.

With the bloodline of the Kaslana family, the holy blood improved by the Schariac family, the Core of the Void residing within her body, and the Sirin-class talent perfectly inherited.

Kiana beat Bronya to her knees and stepped fiercely onto the head of the girl with the Roman-roll twin tails!

"Aha-ha-ha-ha--!"

The young girl wanted nothing more than to laugh out loud and show off her victory.

But just as she lifted her head, she saw Raiden Mei, whose body was flickering with lightning, her fair skin wrapped in cool purple patterns. She was dressed in a school uniform transformed by her authority, and on her back were lightning wings—not made of feathers, but constructed of energy, like an extension of the patterns on her body. With a wave of her hand, she tore the entire sky apart.

Kiana looked down at herself, disheveled and left with only a battle-damaged version of her school uniform.

Large areas were hollowed out, exposing her fair, delicate skin.

High temperatures scorched her until she turned a pale pink, wisps of heat steaming from her lower abdomen and chest. Combined with her tattered clothes, she didn't look like a warrior at all; instead, she resembled the women on the posters she had accidentally seen on street corners—those who didn't dress properly and wore strange blushes on their faces...

In short, it was terrible—super terrible!

Especially after realizing the power of the Herrscher of Thunder and recalling her previous declaration that she would kill her.

----Gulp!

Please, don't look at this young lady. It would be best if you just forgot about this young lady in some corner and never thought of her again for the rest of your life!

Jiang Cheng took in the sight of the girl praying softly from afar. Ever since he heard Kiana say, "I—Kiana Kaslana—will kill her!" he had been looking forward to seeing the expression on her face afterward.

It was as if an inexplicable force had appeared out of nowhere, pulling and tugging at him, urging him to go forward and watch the fun—this little social death that wasn't hysterical but was something everyone loved to see.

"Wait, don't touch my butt!"

Jiang Cheng covered his backside in terror.

[Aha!]

It seemed as if that very laughter had truly appeared beside his ear, a sound that existed and yet did not exist, lingering in the air.

"Aha-ha!"

Jiang Cheng sprinted over in one breath.

Kiana was still immersed in her recent humiliation, stunned and failing to react to what was happening—

Then, a face filled with unfeigned joy forcibly intruded into her field of vision.

"How is it, how is it? Isn't Mei super—duper strong?"

He leaned in so close that Kiana could see the reflection of her own dazed expression in those golden-gilt eyes.

"...This young lady..."

Words of bravado were already surging to her throat.

But her gaze shifted slightly, crossing that punchable, smiling face to look toward the distant battlefield—

The air was still distorted, here and there, by the lingering energy.

The earth had been plowed into deep ravines, and lightning slithered between heaven and earth like a living creature, each flicker announcing a terror that was by no means reachable by human power.

But if I just admit that Senior Mei is so scary and I'm afraid to go, wouldn't that make me look like a paper tiger?

Just talking big—that would be super embarrassing, wouldn't it?!

Kiana's cheeks puffed up like a balloon being blown, and her toes curled in embarrassment.

"Alright, alright, don't think about those messy things."

Jiang Cheng's voice suddenly softened, like a gentle breeze, precisely flowing into her chaotic thoughts.

"I believe in you—you can definitely do it, you know?"

"Eh...?"

Kiana's puffed-up cheeks deflated all at once.

Those azure eyes blinked in disbelief, suspiciously staring intently at Jiang Cheng's face.

"However."

Jiang Cheng met her gaze, enunciating every word.

"The you at that time would definitely not have struck her down with the reason of wanting to kill a Herrscher or resolve the Third Honkai."

His voice seemed to scatter and drift into the wind, "But rather, you would do it to save the person you love, the person you value. You, acting and putting in effort for such a determination—"

"Can definitely defeat the Third Herrscher, and perhaps even..."

"Defeat the entire world."

The wind across the wasteland died down for a brief moment. Thunder still rumbled in the distance, but those sounds seemed to be sealed off from this space.

Kiana opened her mouth.

A mountain of retorts piled up in her heart, yet she couldn't utter a single word. Every argument melted away under his resolute gaze.

"...Future sight or whatever."

What finally slipped from her lips was a sigh identical to that of a certain girl with long purple hair.

"That really is... cheating."

He had never met her before, yet he could effortlessly act as if he knew her well. And to make matters worse, he was, in every sense, a genuine old acquaintance. Eyes that could see the future...

--Wait!

The expression on her face shifted from dazed to ingratiating at a speed visible to the naked eye—a transition so swift and fluid it was as if she had rehearsed it a hundred times.

"Hehehe-- Jiang Cheng~"

Her small, fair hands rubbed together subconsciously, and she even automatically downgraded her self-reference from "this young lady" to "I."

"Look, I... I carried you while running for so long; if there's no credit, there's at least hard work, right?"

"I will keep it in mind and will certainly repay you," Jiang Cheng nodded earnestly, deciding to play along.

"No need to keep it in mind, no need at all~!" Kiana waved her hand as if she didn't care, but she had unknowingly moved closer to Jiang Cheng. Those azure eyes were filled with longing, shining so brightly they almost burned.

"This young lady has one very simple, really super-duper simple thing I need your help with right now!"

"What is it?"

"It's... well..."

Her voice suddenly dropped, carrying a hint of caution, as if she were touching fragile morning dew.

"You have future sight, right? Can you... can you help me look for the place where Stinky Old Man will appear in the future?"

Fearing that Jiang Cheng would find it troublesome, Kiana patted her chest, guaranteeing with a seemingly carefree air.

"You don't have to help me catch him! Just tell me the location, and this young lady will go catch him herself! I absolutely, definitely won't trouble you!"

Those eyes should have been carefree, a bright azure as radiant as sunlight piercing through the clouds.

Or, when calm, they should have been as cold and clear as moonlight reflecting on dark water, turning into shattered light, a silver stream connecting heaven and earth.

The only thing they should not be—was this look of fear.

"I can tell you," his voice was very soft.

"But—"

The abruptly halted tone caused those eyes, which had just been as clear as an illuminated sky, to dim instantly.

Perhaps realizing what he was about to say, the bright daylight in that azure expanse extinguished completely.

--Leaving behind only an empty night sky.

"You won't be able to find him."

"..."

Silence.

A silence heavier than before.

Kiana lowered her head. Her long, silver-white hair fell, obscuring her expression. Only her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed her emotions.

40. Two Noisy Idiots

"Hey."

Jiang Cheng's voice softened, carrying a deliberate provocation, "You aren't just going to give up like this, are you?"

"You managed to create a Herrscher with humanity and even defeated the radical leader of Anti-Entropy—you, who have achieved such great feats, possess plenty of power you can borrow. Seize it, and finding Siegfried or whatever will be super easy!"

"This is completely different from the crisis I faced, and you aren't powerless like I was back then. How did you suddenly become as dejected as I used to be—"

He crouched down, dipped his finger in the dust, and used the power of The Hunt to smear a streak of black across the girl's face.

"Idiot Kiana~ As expected, an idiot needs makeup that matches an idiot! I think a big turtle looks pretty good."

"Eh eh eh--?!"

Kiana jerked her head up, the dejection she hadn't yet managed to hide still lingering on her face, but she was already stunned by Jiang Cheng's relentless scribbling.

"W-what are you doing--!"

"Drawing a turtle. Shouldn't an idiot have a big turtle on their face?"

Jiang Cheng shook his dust-covered fingers, the smile on his face possessing just the right amount of punchability.

"Who are you calling an idiot?" She struggled to regain her momentum.

"Is it that hard to guess? Let me ask you then--" Jiang Cheng tilted his head, his expression innocent. "Whoever has a turtle on their face is the idiot."

"You... you stinking Jiang Cheng!"

"Look--"

He spread his hands out unhurriedly, his tone like someone announcing the answer key to a math problem.

"You can't even deny it yourself, you really are an idiot with a turtle on her face, aren't you~~"

"You guy..."

Kiana gritted her teeth in exasperation, her fair little face being completely submerged in a crimson flush at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"You--you did this on purpose!!!"

"You admitted it anyway, didn't you? You're the only one here with a big turtle on your face. Idiot Kiana has a big idiot turtle on her face; isn't that a perfect match?" Jiang Cheng rubbed his chin, appearing to think seriously. "I'll just call you Paramecium from now on~ Mm-hmm, it fits your IQ perfectly, it's only fitting~~"

"If I don't show you my claws, you'll think I'm a sick cat!"