Isn't This Also Fine? / The Legend of the Magical Girl

Because she could not hear Fu Hua's voice, although Mei had noticed the change in the situation, she did not know what was actually happening. Hearing Kiana's words, she asked somewhat blankly, "Find him? Who is he?"

Kiana's footsteps paused, and she turned back to look at Mei, looking as though she had more to say.

Walking back to Mei's side, Kiana pressed her hands onto Mei's shoulders and shook her head at her. "Sorry, Mei. I have someone very important that I need to go save. Can you go to the signal tower first? I'll catch up soon."

However, this time Mei did not listen to her; she raised a hand and grabbed Kiana's sleeve. "No, I'm going with you. I won't part from you again."

"But..."

But what? Kiana herself did not know, but deep down she felt that Su Jue's existence was something Mei should not know about. Although they were both her friends, from some point onward, Su Jue's weight in her heart had grown increasingly heavy.

Even though they had only met about a month ago, everything Kiana experienced in Sky City seemed to be more than the few years she had previously spent at St. Freya, and during this time, that person's existence had been indispensable.

Perhaps the awakening of the Herrscher of Void made Kiana's mindset different from before. Back at St. Freya, she could carefree-ly and peacefully spend her calm daily life, but in those gloomy days, all she craved was for someone to pull her up.

And it was Su Jue who pulled her from the darkness, allowing her to return to the sunlight once more and to see her companions again. Therefore, even when reuniting with Mei, clearly both were just friends, yet deep inside Kiana subconsciously separated Su Jue from them.

He was different.

Kiana suddenly realized this point: Su Jue was different, and her feelings for him were very likely more than just friendship.

Yet the time left for her to think was not much. While she was still struggling, a harsh alarm had already echoed throughout the entire city. Not only had the hospital suffered a Honkai attack, but the entire downtown area had begun a massive Honkai eruption.

Looking at Kiana's changing expression, Mei suddenly felt somewhat empty inside. Sensitive in thought, she had already perceived that the "he" Kiana spoke of held an unusual status in the other's heart.

Taking a deep breath, Mei forced out a smile and said to Kiana, "It's fine. You go back and save people first; I'll wait for you ahead."

"Mei..."

Because of having traveled a distance earlier, the hospital and the signal tower were now in completely opposite directions. Once Kiana chose to turn back to save Su Jue, she would inevitably miss the signal tower. With no idea how much time was left for the Honkai bomb, this was entirely a baseless gamble.

Save him alone or save the entire city.

"Still considering it? You are the savior, Kiana."

The boy's voice seemed to ring in her ears. Kiana abruptly raised her head to look at the hospital. In a trance, she seemed to see the boy sitting by the window gazing out at her.

Chapter 106: Isn't This Also Fine?

"Kiana, there's no time to hesitate. The detonation time of the Honkai bomb has been greatly advanced." Seeing Kiana fall into a dilemma, Fu Hua was also somewhat anxious. Until now she still didn't know about Su Jue's existence, thinking Kiana was merely dwelling on saving ordinary people.

Ever since the first Honkai Beast appeared, Honkai incidents throughout the entire city began to emerge continuously. The fluctuations emitted by the Honkai bomb on the signal tower grew increasingly intense, further inducing the rampage of Honkai Beasts.

Staring at the signal tower whose silhouette was now vaguely visible in the distance, and then looking at the smoke-filled hospital, Kiana painfully closed her eyes.

"I promised you that I would save everyone and make this world into what we expect it to be. I know... but who can save you?"

Memory seemed to return to that day in the hospital garden. Beneath the shade of the trees, the boy's sorrow, pain, and anger were deeply branded in her mind. That was the cry of an ordinary person, and also the plea amidst despair—he was yearning for someone to be able to save this world.

And now, that burning torch had been passed into her hands, yet she once again generated hesitation.

Because Kiana knew very well that once she took the torch, she would no longer have any way to care for Su Jue and could only watch helplessly as he was completely swallowed by the darkness.

No, there was still a chance.

Kiana opened her eyes. She looked at Mei beside her and said in a pleading tone, "Mei, can you help me?"

"Help you with what?"

"Help me stop that Honkai outbreak, and save someone. Over at the hospital, there are still many victims who suffered from Honkai attacks in the past. They have already endured pain once, and now they need me to save them. Moreover, during the time I was wandering, someone helped me; I can't just leave him be. He... is very important to me."

No longer caring about the struggle in her heart, Kiana directly poured out her inner thoughts to Mei. She was her best friend, and Su Jue was as well. Losing either of them was something Kiana could not accept. Now she no longer had a choice; the only possibility was to let Mei go save Su Jue.

Looking at the pain in the young girl's light-blue eyes, Mei's heart suddenly felt a stabbing pain. This kind of submissive, begging expression she had never seen on Kiana's face, yet now she was imploring her so humbly.

Clearly we are best friends, and whatever you say I would agree to, so why use this expression and this tone, as if—you are going to leave me.

"Alright." But she still agreed. A reluctant smile hung on Mei's face. "You go to the signal tower; I'll go save people."

"No matter who it is, I will save him for you."

Hearing Mei agree to her request, Kiana took a deep breath and tightly hugged her best friend. "Thank you, Mei."

Having found a solution, Kiana finally did not need to linger anymore and swiftly hurried toward the signal tower.

Leaving only Mei standing in place, watching Kiana's figure recede bit by bit, she lowered her head and looked at her empty palms.

Why say thank you?

Under these circumstances, splitting up was indeed the best choice so that everyone could be saved.

Wasn't this also fine?

Biting her lower lip until it even seeped a bit of blood, Mei raised a hand to wipe away any potential tear traces at the corner of her eye, suppressed her inner reluctance, and set off running toward the hospital.

Not long after she took action, her phone suddenly vibrated. A call came in—it was the man who claimed to be a member of the Kiana Organization.

Several hours had passed since the rooftop duel, and as the loser Mei would grant the other party one request, but her mind was entirely hooked on Kiana, and the other party hadn't stated outright what the condition was. Yet at this moment, they suddenly sent a message.

However, having already agreed to Kiana to go help her save people, Mei initially wanted to hang up directly, but after hesitating for a few seconds she chose to answer. She had a feeling in her heart that this organization was not simple.

"Good evening, Miss Raiden Mei."

To Mei's surprise, the voice on the phone was not that man, but a mature woman, sounding even somewhat familiar.

"I am in no mood to chat idly with you right now! Whatever you have to say, spit it out." Although it was a different person, Mei was not too surprised. The other party had already mentioned that they were an entire organization, so temporarily switching people was normal operation.

"Don't worry, our members have already started rescue operations for Sky City. We will try our best to help those civilians."

How did they know she was preparing to go save people?

Mei was startled, then her expression changed, and she quickly checked herself to see if she had been bugged with a wiretap. If she had been bugged, wouldn't that mean her relationship with Kiana had been completely exposed?

"Who on earth are you?" A trace of chilliness tinged her voice. Mei did not find any wiretap on her body, but the other party's conduct was simply too suspicious not to make her feel wary.

During the conversation, she quietly turned on the recording function of her phone. Meanwhile, her pace heading toward the hospital did not stop; regardless of whether the rescue the other party spoke of was true or false, she had to go back and check.

"We are all wandering souls saved by her, and everything we do is to carry out her will. Including the person you are currently going to save, in the future they too will become a member of our organization."

"She is our savior, and also the savior of this world. But an individual's power has limits, which is why our existence is necessary."

Seeming due to being overly emotional, the woman's voice carried a trace of trembling, making Mei feel somewhat strange.

"That sounds like a church worshiping some deity, and you lot look even more like a group of crazy fanatics."

Mei's treatment with taunting words did not make the woman feel the slightest bit of shame; instead, it was as if she had received some sort of validation.

"That's right! That's right!!" If one could say the person on the other end was only somewhat paranoid just now, now that madness was undisguised. "She is indeed our deity! Burning with scorching flames upon her body, while we are all failures abandoned by the sunlight, able only to hide in dark corners and greedily suckle on her warmth!"

"Lunatics!" Whether it was the masked man or this woman with a frantic tone, they both carried a temperament that made Mei somewhat uncomfortable.

Yet if what the other party said was true, it indeed looked like an organization formed specifically to help Kiana.

"Heh."

The other party seemed to default to it. Mei did not continue to press for details about the organization, instead asking directly, "Then what do you need me to do?"

"A powerful enemy is approaching. Our savior is saving the world, but some damned pests are eyeing her power. We need you to save her and bring her back safely."

"That's your condition?"

The so-called condition turned out to be simply what she was already doing, making her—who had already resolved herself to pay the price—feel a sense of absurdity, and even producing an insulting feeling of being questioned.

"Without you telling me, I will naturally bring Kiana back. There's no need for a fellow like you to point fingers."

Her emphasis on Kiana was stronger than anyone else's, and now someone actually needed to remind her—was this looking down on her determination?

Listening to Mei's confident words, Su Jue on the other end of the phone curved her lips into a smile.

Raiden Mei, you can't accomplish anything with just conviction and no power. It seems you still haven't realized the cruelty of the world at present.

"This is our condition. Whether you can accomplish it or not, we won't bind you."

With that said, no further messages were received from the phone. Mei irritably shook her head. She looked at the katana in her hand, where weak electric arcs continuously flowing across the faint Strike armor danced on the blade's edge.

Even if she encountered Rita again, she would not fail like before.

Chapter 107: The Legend of the Magical Girl

"Monsters! Pale-faced monsters!" Previously, it was only partial areas suffering Honkai attacks, and officials could still manage information control, but now disasters were breaking out across the entire city, and data concerning Honkai Beasts had spread all over Sky City's network.

"Not monsters, those are Honkai Beasts." Along with the spread of the information, the knowledge that previously only existed in comic books finally began to diffuse.

The authorities, discovering that Honkai theories were beginning to appear on the internet, immediately started debunking them, preparing to define them as rumors. But with photo after photo being exposed, online information simply could not be blocked.

The authorities instantly realized that someone was intentionally spreading information regarding the Honkai.

In a certain area of the city, accompanied by the roar of a giant beast, the Honkai descended right then and there.

A large number of citizens began to scream and flee, but to Honkai Beasts, the noisier the humans were, the more they attracted their attention. A Temple-rank Honkai Beast swung its long spear, instantly piercing through a building, and just as it was about to start a massacre, a flash of fiery red suddenly leapt down from the roof, forcefully snapping the Honkai Beast's spear in half.

"All citizens evacuate immediately; we will stop the Honkai Beast with all our might," Himeko said loudly, power beginning to surge within her body as she swung the greatsword Su Jue had prepared for her to slash at the Honkai Beast.

"Is that a magical girl?" Some parents with children at home were gradually beginning to accept the fact that magical girls existed, but when they asked their children, they also received blank expressions.

The battle did not last long. Su Jue did not deliberately control the presence of the Herrscher of a Thousand, so these Honkai Beasts actually did not dare to initiate attacks against the Herrscher, forced to serve merely as a punching bag taking beatings.

When the battle ended, the citizens who had previously fled for their lives saw the danger vanish and actually crowded back, watching the masked woman with curiosity.

"Excuse me, are you a partner of Magical Girl Kiana?" Some bold children had already started asking. Although their parents subconsciously covered their mouths, after all, quite a few people had witnessed this battle with their own eyes.

More importantly, facing the children's confusion, Himeko did not deny it at all; instead, she produced a comic book from her person.

"This is the second chapter of Magical Girl Kiana. You can find all the answers you want inside." She revealed an enthusiastic smile, her proud figure causing some "big kids" to blush. But the little ones fell into a frenzy upon hearing "second chapter," fighting desperately to grab for it.

"Alright, the magical girl is currently saving the world. You must gather your convictions and channel them to her so she can become even stronger."

"Okay!" the children shouted excitedly. Originally forced to abandon the Warriors of Light in order to protect Magical Girl Kiana, they never expected that now they could not only protect the magical girl, but also transmit their power to her just like the Warriors of Light—a true double-fandom ecstasy.

After saving the people in this area, Himeko immediately left, leaving behind only a group of ecstatic children and bewildered adults.

And such situations occurred widely across the city. As the plan neared its final stage, aside from Ink Moth, Su Jue had dispatched almost all of the puppets.

Originally, if World Serpent didn't trigger a Honkai, Su Jue would have had to think of other ways to publicize the magical girl. Now, with Honkai Beasts around, for those who were saved, the existence of Magical Girl Kiana was unforgettable for a lifetime.

When humanity's greatest enemy, a Herrscher, replaces Schicksal to become the savior in people's hearts, can you still sit still, Otto?

Kiana was unaware of everything happening in the city; she had already approached the perimeter of the signal tower. The huge Honkai bomb at the very top was clearly visible, but the moment Kiana wanted to use her abilities, she instantly sensed danger.

"Kiana, the bomb is in an extremely unstable state. Once you use the power of the Herrscher of Void, the bomb will detonate immediately."

"Damn it, looks like I can only approach on foot." This was already within expectations, and Kiana did not feel overly discouraged. She glanced back in the direction of the hospital, but due to the distance, she could not see the situation clearly at all.

Her inner worry was hard to disperse, and Kiana breathed in and out continuously, trying to adjust her mindset. By now she had no retreat left and could only pin all her hopes on Mei.

Hum—

A pulse signal suddenly spread out, and the huge beam of light on the signal tower shot straight into the sky, even tearing a gap in the clouds. The bright moonlight finally had no obstruction, casting its brilliance upon the young girl.

"Oh no, there's probably less than 10 minutes left until the bomb triggers, Ki—" Before Fu Hua could finish her last word, Kiana had already leapt down from high altitude.

The bright moon hung high in the firmament, and the white-haired girl was like a bird in the night sky. The residents still in the downtown area finally beheld the posture of the magical girl.

She wore a crown formed from a full moon and was clothed in bright silver flowing light, just like that breaking into this world.

"She is... saving the world."

Hum—

Accompanied by an even more intense beam of light, this time it wasn't just downtown; almost everyone saw that bright beam of light, and the gazes of the entire city converged on the location of the signal tower.

Although many people still didn't know what the people around them were paying attention to, under Su Jue's subtle influence, everyone knew that Magical Girl Kiana was saving the world.

Even that beam of light was specially created by Su Jue to attract everyone's gaze, having nothing to do with the Honkai bomb.

Clearly she was the one saving the world, why should she still have to hide?

The former Princess Nancy was like this, and Cecilia was too; all their achievements were concealed and usurped by Otto, and even subjected to slander.

Even those obscure Valkyries, who dedicated their entire lives to the people, couldn't even achieve a peaceful retirement.

As for the original worldline, after Kiana saved Sky City, she immediately suffered capture by Durandal. Even when she was covered in wounds and her life was hanging by a thread, Otto still forced her to undergo the Thousand Realms Star experiment.

"I will let everyone know that you are the true savior."

Perhaps it was inner obsession, or perhaps the influence of the Herrscher of a Thousand itself, but Su Jue did not want Kiana to endure the malice of the world just like that.

The former Herrscher of a Thousand had tried everything to resurrect Sirin, longing for someone to lead them, to govern and dominate them.

And what Su Jue chose was also the exact same path, except that the one she selected was Kiana—she would be her weapon, and equally her light.

"You will illuminate everything, casting light into the distance."