An Attack from Behind / The Herrscher of Thunder Awakens

"Are you sure that if we just follow what the book says, we'll definitely succeed?"

A man with his eyes closed, holding a cane in one hand, spoke.

"Of course! My brother's Thoth is absolutely infallible when it comes to prophecy!"

Oingo stood in front of his younger brother Boingo, holding an ornate longsword. Though he knew the man before them could not see, the oppressive aura he gave off was all too real.

If Oingo was a petty thug, then this man was a genuine villain.

If they had not both been Dio's subordinates, and if he had not been holding a blade bestowed by Lord Dio himself, Oingo might have run away long ago.

"M-My... prophecy... is absolute." Boingo poked his head out from behind his brother, trembling as he stammered, "Fate... will definitely happen."

"Mm..."

NDoul said nothing more and sat cross-legged in the corner, leaning on his cane.

After making sure NDoul would not suddenly lash out, Oingo turned to Boingo. "Little brother, has your Thoth made a prophecy yet?"

Boingo opened the book he had been clutching the whole time. Inside were comics that looked like a child's scribbles. As he flipped through it, images gradually appeared on what had been blank pages.

We are the Oingo Boingo brothers!

And the terrifying big bad guy beside us is NDoul!

Lord Dio sent the three of us, along with Anubis God, to intercept Jotaro's group. After we arrive in Aswan...

Ah! Those eight hateful enemies are all here!

They are discussing where to stay and eat tonight.

But after dinner, they fail to notice that their weapons have been swapped!

Geb appears!

Hooray! That hateful Qin Mo gets stabbed through the heart by Anubis God! We did it!

The crude art style and simple words plainly revealed the near future.

"Hmph. So all we need to do is swap their weapons while they're eating?"

Oingo snorted.

"Boingo, just as I thought—when we brothers work together, we're invincible!"

NDoul listened to Boingo's words from the side, but since he could not see, he only spoke now.

"What did the prophecy say?"

Oingo looked at NDoul. Wasn't he just a blind man? Taking down Joestar's group would still depend on the Oingo Boingo brothers!

He did not hide the prophecy and told NDoul about it directly.

"Waiting, huh... Then come notify me when the time comes."

NDoul remained seated cross-legged. He had plenty of patience. To fulfill Dio's orders, let alone wait a while—waiting several days would not be a problem for him.

An Attack from Behind

Dusk...

Since they had traveled nearly halfway across the globe, the watches everyone carried had become little more than simple timekeeping tools.

Rather than checking their watches, judging whether it was time to rest by the local sky was more reliable.

There was still quite some time before nightfall. After finishing dinner, Qin Mo, Kiana, and Raiden Mei began strolling through Aswan. Jotaro and Kakyoin had also gone elsewhere to wander around, while Joseph and the others went to the hotel to prepare rooms.

"It feels like it's been a long time since we did this."

The scenery was different, and even the world they were in had changed, but the people beside her were still familiar.

Both of her friends were still here. If only her father were here too...

For Raiden Mei, that was all she wished for. She did not ask for much. As long as the people she cared about were by her side, that was enough.

"Yeah. I think the last time was in Singapore..."

Looking at the buildings around them, the three were now in Aswan, a city in southern Egypt.

This city, which had a population of 150,000 in this era, would also become a famous ancient city, tourist destination, and trade center in the future.

Of course, it was not bad even now.

Though its modernization lagged behind other countries, and its technology was worlds apart from that of the Honkai world, it still had its own charms as a tourist city.

"Qin Mo, are we about to meet that vampire called Dio?"

"More or less. We're still over nine hundred kilometers from our destination, and there are probably around ten enemies left along the way."

"I want to see what a vampire really looks like. Is he an actual vampire?"

"A vampire..."

Qin Mo thought for a moment. "If you mean the kind from traditional stories, then probably not. Dio became a vampire through something called the Stone Mask. He feeds on human blood and fears sunlight and Hamon, but he isn't afraid of garlic, silver, or crosses."

"Other than having fangs, he doesn't look any different from a human. But Dio himself is formidable. Even if he had never become a vampire, he would still be terrifying. Just standing there gives people an oppressive feeling."

Kiana nodded as if she understood. Her memories only spanned a few years, and she had not met many people, so naturally she could not understand what Qin Mo was trying to describe.

Qin Mo could not really describe it either. After all, everything he knew about Dio came from stories. He had never personally experienced that sort of pressure and presence.

"After we defeat Dio, are we going back?"

Raiden Mei felt conflicted. If she could, she even hoped to stay in this world forever. At least then, she would not hurt anyone because of the Honkai.

But there were still people in that world she could not abandon. Raiden Ryoma was in prison, but perhaps... there was still a chance for him to get out.

"Once the mission is complete, we'll have seven days left to stay here. Of course, if you want to return sooner, you can go back early—but only after completing the mission."

"I don't want to go back that soon. We finally got to visit another world, and a day here is only a minute back home. We don't need to worry at all about that lousy old man who ran off who knows where."

Kiana immediately said, "This whole time hasn't even counted as having fun. We've been traveling through deserts and wilderness nonstop. Once this is over, I'm definitely finding somewhere to have a proper good time! What do you think, Mei?"

Raiden Mei nodded as well, though her reasons differed somewhat from Kiana's.

She could not run away forever, but she still hoped to avoid it for a while longer before she had no choice but to return.

"Come to think of it, Mei, I don't think I ever told you why the Great Eruption happened in Chang Kong City."

Qin Mo could tell from Raiden Mei's expression that she still felt guilty about the Great Eruption in Chang Kong City, believing it had all happened because of her.

When she heard Qin Mo's words, Kiana suddenly fell silent and looked at Mei with concern.

Kiana knew about Herrschers too, and the source of a Great Eruption... wasn't it a Herrscher?

"You both know that Great Eruptions occur with the arrival of Herrschers. That's the normal case. But people can now manipulate the arrival of a Herrscher to a certain extent. A Herrscher's appearance may be inevitable, but the timing can be controlled through certain forms of stimulation."

"For example, creating a Great Eruption around a host with the potential to become a Herrscher, in order to induce one."

Both girls' eyes widened at Qin Mo's words.

"But... isn't the Honkai humanity's enemy? Why would anyone do something like that?"

Kiana could not understand it at all. Would anyone actively bring about the Honkai?

"That has to do with people wanting to use a Herrscher's power, but we can talk about that later. For now, let's just talk about Mei becoming the Herrscher of Thunder."

"That happened because you, Mei, were born with stigmata. You had exceptional potential to become a Herrscher, so someone named Cocolia implanted the Conqueror Gem, which possessed the authority of the Herrscher of Thunder, inside you."

As Qin Mo spoke calmly, the two girls became more and more shocked. "Wait, just implanting a gem can turn someone into a Herrscher?! And who is this Cocolia?!"

"No. The gem merely possesses a Herrscher's authority, but it normally cannot be used. The best way to use it is to place it inside a suitable person. If it is implanted into someone unsuitable, Honkai Energy will only corrode their body and turn them into an invalid."

Qin Mo shook his head, and then his tone became somewhat disgusted. "As for Cocolia, she's an ambitious schemer. She belongs to an organization called Anti-Entropy. That organization fights the Honkai, but Cocolia belongs to its radical faction. That is why she could disregard other people's lives and trigger the Great Eruption in Chang Kong City."

"And Mei!"

Qin Mo looked toward Mei. "Your father is also part of Anti-Entropy. But unlike Cocolia, he belongs to the conservative faction. That is also why he was imprisoned—he was framed by Cocolia."

"What! My father... was framed?"

Raiden Mei had never known the real reason her father had been imprisoned. Qin Mo had considered it for a long time, but he felt it was better to tell her. Hiding it would only cause more trouble.

There was plenty of time in this world for Mei to slowly accept these things.

"That's right. It was all Cocolia's scheme. You both know that Honkai Energy contains many negative emotions, and people with more negative emotions are also more likely to become Herrschers."

"Cocolia framed your father and had him imprisoned partly so he could not interfere with her scheme, and partly so you, Mei, would be bullied, increasing your negative emotions and raising the likelihood of you becoming a Herrscher."

"And after that, you know what happened. She triggered the Great Eruption and used the external Honkai Energy to stimulate the Conqueror Gem inside Mei, turning Mei into the Herrscher of Thunder..."

Kiana did not doubt any of it after hearing this. She cursed indignantly.

"This Cocolia is way too awful! If I ever run into her, I'll teach her a proper lesson!"

Mei, meanwhile, gripped the wrapped katana in her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"Cocolia... Father..."

Qin Mo even noticed faint arcs of electricity seeming to appear around Mei's body. She was starting to leak electricity.

Realizing something was wrong, Qin Mo quickly stepped forward and pulled Mei into an embrace.

"Don't worry, Mei. When we go back, we'll rescue your father. We have that kind of power now."

"And Cocolia will definitely pay the price."

Suppressing the numb sensation from Mei's electric discharge, Qin Mo continued holding Raiden Mei tightly. Only when he felt the stiff body in his arms relax did he let go.

"Thank you... Qin Mo..."

Though she could not let it go completely, Raiden Mei knew Qin Mo was right...

"Watch out!"

Raiden Mei had been about to say something else when she suddenly heard Kiana shout. The person in front of her abruptly grabbed her and moved aside. At the same time, something warm splashed across her cheek.

The Dog Talisman's immortality could negate fatal attacks, but it was useless against attacks that merely wounded and caused bleeding.

After pulling Raiden Mei aside and dodging the attack from NDoul's water Stand, Qin Mo glanced at the torn wound on his shoulder without changing his expression.

Still flustered at first, Mei quickly summoned Crazy Diamond to treat Qin Mo.

"You two get behind me. This Stand is fast!"

Looking at the puddle of water coiled across the ground some distance away, Qin Mo stood between it and the two girls. This was not the desert, so it could not dive underground, but it lay before the three like a venomous snake. The two girls also drew their weapons and prepared themselves.

As long as Mei was not hurt, it did not matter how badly he was injured. After all, he would not die. After all, he...

Splat...

An ornate blade pierced straight through Qin Mo's chest, passing directly through his heart. It was so sharp that Qin Mo only felt the pain after seeing the blade emerge.

The Awakening of the Herrscher of Thunder

"Mei! What are you doing?!"

Kiana stared in shock as Mei personally drove a blade into Qin Mo's back.

"Did that thing come out again?!"

Seeing Raiden Mei's sudden abnormal behavior and the red glow in her eyes, Kiana's first reaction was that the Herrscher consciousness within Mei had awakened.

Qin Mo grabbed the blade that had pierced through his chest. Looking at the unfamiliar, razor-sharp weapon, he realized something.

"This is... one of Dio's subordinates!"

"Hahaha! That's right! I am the Stand implied by Lord Dio's Anubis God!"

Raiden Mei held the ornate katana, a crazed expression on her face.

Anubis God was a Stand without a user. Its user had been the swordsmith who forged the blade, but after the swordsmith died, the Stand attached itself to the sword—or rather, the sword became the Stand's user.

It could tempt people's hearts. Once someone touched it, it could control the wielder's mind, enhance the wielder's strength and speed, and the blade itself could cut through iron like mud. It could also choose to pass through living or nonliving objects without causing any harm.

"What?! Anubis God! Mei, wake up!"

Kiana vaguely remembered some of the information Qin Mo had previously given about Stands, though not all of it. With Qin Mo's reminder, she realized Mei had not been taken over by the Herrscher consciousness inside her, but was being controlled by that sword.

Without another word, Kiana rushed forward and tried to seize the sword from Mei's hand.

"Hahaha! I took one down right away! Lord Dio! Watch me eliminate every enemy standing in your path!"