Mei pushed hard against the Earth's magnetic field, leaping between buildings and rapidly approaching her destination. The nightscape was lit up with neon signs, the glowing tops of aerials and shining highrise windows. The Schicksal battleship hung at the edges of the Arc City perimeter. A bauble ready for the taking. Or destroying. As Mei ran all manner of thoughts percolated within. In the moment when her very future would be decided she was looking back. Into the past. Into whom she was. Into what she was. In this moment when her life would change forever she was fixated on what made up the very fibre of her being.

'Just who am I? A shadow that has always lurked behind others? The prim and proper student? A model Valkyrja? The wallflower that cannot fight for herself? A weakling that only lies because her Herrscher side gave up on fighting and returned her to the world by simple default?'

Mei cleared several more buildings. The power bubbling within her was reaching a critical mass. The best she could do was compress it. Mei was many things. But she wasn't that sort of monster.

'I'm a Herrscher now. A monster. But a better monster.'

She would not damn the inhabitants of this city. The Honkai radiation that would spill out was enough to sterilise several city blocks in moments. If let loose to rage without control then every living thing within the city would be corrupted within minutes. Valkyrja or not they would die an unpleasant death. This knowledge kept Mei charging forward. She need to burn up what energy she could. The tipping point between control and collapse sat on a knife's edge. Held tightly under control was the Core of Lightning. Mei knew faltering with that grip would damn everyone. Still, she needed it's power. The time for wavering had disappeared the moment she left Kiana and the deadweight behind. Mei lifted one little finger off the Herrscher Core. Honkai energy pulsed. Her body tingled with such energy. It would be enough. It had to be enough. Mei wondered if this was what it was like for Kiana. Did she have to hold onto her power that tightly? What could have happened if Kiana had really let loose her Herrscher power.

'Things could have turned out so different. Kiana and I. We could have turned against one another. We needed to push each other to the brink to understand one another. I could see her stubbornly clinging to her own path. That of the lone wandered. An idiot thinking she was protecting everyone by making herself weaker as an individual.'

A snort of laughter was the only sound that filtered between the rooftops.

'I nearly made the same mistake. If Kiana and I hadn't vented our frustrations I could have gone down my own dangerous paths. I was close to being consumed with my own inferiority complex. Close to becoming my Herrscher self but not. A human consumed by my own stupidity. Thinking I was right without thinking at all. It took us trying to kill each other to speak. Words without sound. Emotions without expression. Both of us had to put our all in. But without malice or self-righteousness.'

Mei quickly changed course to avoid several larger business towers. Her path now took her through a residential area, older apartments complexes rising fifteen stories or more.

'I feel better than I ever have. I am more honest with myself and others. I will never again be a coward. I will never again be that weakling. I will temper my strength and viscousness with focus and purpose. Everything that my old Herrscher self lacked. I will decide my actions. I alone will. The will of anybody else will come second.'

A shadow suddenly appeared before Mei. A stylised knight crafted from dull metal, it's figure vaguely feminine, a tall kite shield held in one hand. The Herrscher had no chance to react, crashing into the shield before tumbling down fifteen stories into the alleyway below. She landed in a half-full dumpster. Mei's body ached all over from the impact. The smell of the last weeks detritus threatened to overwhelm. Wincing, she scanned the skies for an explanation. Durandal hovered just above the alleyway, the Phantom floating patiently by her side. Mei began to laugh. A laugh from the belly. A mocking laugh that pierced flesh and bone.

"I guess you are a hypocrite!" Mei bellowed. "So much for choosing your mission. You're just like us. Picked those closest to you over the greater good. Next time you try to lecture anybody you'll hear my mocking laughter in your ear."

Mei pulled herself out of the dumpster. She didn't care much for the smell that lingered on her. A glance up revealed that Durandal was gone.

'Shit'

Mei sprinted down the alley. The Herrscher burst out into the street. Even with the storm raging above the city's resident milled about. Most wore heavy rainproof clothing, splashing through the puddles and living in their own little happy worlds. Men, women, children; nobody that deserved to get dragged into the mess.

A giant of a Knight appeared, this one masculine and wielding a greatsword. With a broad swing it caught Mei in the chest and sent her flying down the street. Instinct took over. Mei soaked her body in Honkai energy. Errant sparks of electricity licked her flesh. With that latent power she reinforced the electrochemical bonds within. It did nothing for the shock and temporary loss of consciousness when she slammed into tall streetlight and bowed it nearly in two. But Mei's spine didn't shatter into a thousand pieces on the impact. Her flesh wasn't pounded into ground mince. The curb wasn't spattered with blood.

It still hurt like FUCK.

Shouts of surprise and shock filled the street. People gawked at the impossible scene. Others took photos or started recording with their phones. Mei rolled down the bar of the streetlight and onto the street in a groaning heap.

'Bastards appear so quickly even I cannot react in time'

The King phantom was above Mei. This time she managed to roll to one side. The greatsword cleft a hole deep in the bitumen. Using the inertia Mei kicked up onto her feet and sprinted down the street. Queen appeared again, shield barring any exit, Mei crashing into the Phantom and stumbling backward.

'Blood cow doesn't even think it necessary to come down here and fight me.'

Mei needed to change things up badly. Lightning coursed through her body. With enhanced speed she ran toward an alley on the opposite side. People pulled back just in time as the woman sprinted through. Within the narrow confines of the alley the Phantoms had no space to manifest. Body a checkerboard of bruises and sore bones, Mei pushed forward and toward her destination.

Durandal came crashing down, barring Mei's passage with her lance pointed forward. Mei leapt up and changed her electromagnetic orientation. She pulled herself onto one of the building walls before immediately kicking off and flipping orientation. Durandal immediately gave pursuit. Her battlesuit flew faster than Mei could run. Senses keyed up to inhuman levels, Mei surveyed her surroundings and sought out any advantages or obstructions. Either buildings had just the arsenal she needed. As she dashed by a fire escape Mei lashed out, lightning shearing off sections of metal. With separate electromagnetic power she caught the chunks of metal and launched them backward with the strongest railgun force she could manage. Durandal was forced to dodge the strikes. Others she battered aside with her lance or take the blows. Each motion slowed her down just enough for Mei to get further ahead. Mei leapt between two defunct cable TV aerials. Spinning in mid-air she sheared each of the metal spears and aimed them at Durandal. With both arms outstretched she could better control her power. Lightning crackled down Mei's arms and briefly touched either improvised spear. The two metal bars were launched at hypersonic speed. Durandal managed to dodge one. The other however struck her in the chest and sent the Valkyrja flying back down the alleyway and hard into the bitumen with a heavy crunch.

Mei wasted no time on checking the state of her opponent. She had no illusions that the protype Godslayer battlesuit could take far more serious impacts without compromising any combat systems. Instead Mei reached the top of the apartment and kept up her sprint. Mei expanded her field of electromagnetic awareness outward. Anything that penetrated that field would be registered immediately. A lance streaked toward Mei. She barely dodged to one side. The spear crashed through the concrete corner of the building and down into the street below. A quick glance behind showed Durandal hovering barely metres behind.

'Just how bloody fast can she be?'

Cursing under her breath Mei grabbed the steel rebar within the apartment and used a focussed electromagnetic pulse to fly between buildings. This time she anticipated the appearance of either Phantom. King manifested, going for a long overhead chop. Mei grabbed at a streetlamp with an electromagnetic hand and pulled herself to one side. For the briefest of moments, she picked out the flicker before Queen appeared.

'Gotcha'

Turning mid-air, Mei landed feet first against King's kite shield and kicked backward. She then began grabbing one streetlamp after another, pulling herself down the street with incredible speed. The metal poles bent under such pressure but managed to stay in place. As Mei passed each pole she sheared it into several chunks with white hot lightning and launched the projectiles toward her foe. Queen appeared and took the blows as Durandal flew forward. With a casual gesture her lance was recalled to hand. King, taller and more imposing than before, appeared in the middle of the street. The people below could only gawk at the scene playing out. Mei grabbed two streetlights and pulled herself just beneath the horizontal swing. She landed on the ground in a tight ball and rolled several metres before coming up into a sprint. Eyes darting about, Mei picked out another tight alley, feinting left before rushing the other way. Once in the tight shadows she started planning her next move.

Durandal slammed down just on front of Mei.

"That won't work again," Durandal warned the woman.

Mei's reaction speed was faster still, dropping down and sliding under the lance that struck forward.

"Nice panties," Mei taunted as she glided beneath Durandal's legs.

Mei kipped up off the floor and spun in the mid-air. She knew what was coming. Mind going through multiple scenarios, Mei reached into Imaginary Space and drew both her Keys of Lightning. The blades were brought to bear and just managed to catch Durandal's counterthrust. The 6th Divine Key scrapped against the two Herrscher empowered blades. The blow was enough to send Mei flying up several metres. She changed her orientation and pulled herself electromagnetically against the wall. Durandal moved so fast she appeared to teleport. Mei fighting horizontally, Durandal hovering and attacking vertically, the two warriors clashed within the alley. Mei's enhanced reaction time and ability to soak wounds that would normally have been incapacitating was the only edge she had. Durandal's movements were economic, efficient and clearly honed over years of practice and experience. The no #1 S-rank Valkyrja of Schicksal lived up to her reputation. Mei could barely catch and counter every thrust and strike. Her twin blades flashed, errant electrical sparks as they took each blow. Mei's arms felt they would go numb under the power of each attack. She fought a rapid retreat, giving ground and going further up the wall, toward the roof. Each thrust was knocked away with both blades. Durandal possessed so much strength it took both of Mei's weapons and her enhanced strength just to knock her strikes aside.

'To hell with it.'

Desperation could do many things. Caution was thrown away. Mei used both blades to knock the silver lance hard to one side before letting go of her weapons and dashing forward. With her right hand she partially gripped the lance and pushed it as far away as she could. With her left she balled it tight and lashed out. The last thing Durandal expected was someone to cast aside their weapons and get into a brawl. She copped a fist to her right eye for that mistake.

Any advantage was to be exploited. Mei ran up to just short of the building's rooftop lip and continued her rapid sprint. She had bought quite the significant amount of time. But it still wasn't enough. In the back of her mind she could feel the Honkai power Kiana was drawing together. Some unbidden Herrscher instinct told her that more time was needed. Reaching the edge of the building Mei's inhuman senses scanned her surroundings. She looked over a wide park, taller commercial buildings flanking it, a construction site sitting on the other side.

'I think I've reached the limits of this little trick. Time to take the fight to her.'

Mei dropped toward the street, pushing against the Earth's magnetic field and slowing her descent. A lance caught her in the chest. Mei smashed through an apartment window, body ploughing through several plaster and steel frame walls. The electrochemical reinforcement of her body barely kept it intact and functional. The air was thick with white powder. Mei coughed several times and slowly got to her feet. Her chest ached and she could feel blood pumping out far too fast. Clamping a hand tightly against the wound, Mei channelled enough electrical energy to cauterise the injuries. Internally she was a mess. But she would at least not die of exsanguination.

"Woman doesn't know when to quit," Mei grizzled.

A man peered out from the kitchen. His wide-eyed gaze was fixed on Mei.

"Bill Schicksal," the Herrscher responded.

Mei didn't waste any further time. The wooden door she blew into pieces with a burst of lightning. Already her electromagnetic senses were picking a rapidly approaching object. Mei sprinted down the hallway. She anticipated that a Phantom would manifest at any window or fire escape she would use to escape. That left two choices; burst through the floor or take a faster route. Turning a corner Mei glanced toward the central lifts and smirked. Shr rushed towards the double-doors. Another lash of white-hot lightning cut the metal door to ribbons. Mei leapt into the shaft. The metal structure was lit by pale emergency lighting. She let gravity pull her downward. An elevator quickly ran upward toward a destination on the roof. Mei used a quick electromagnetic hand to pull herself to one side. At that moment the roof of the elevator caved inward. Durandal flew downward, lance tight at her side, eyes already fixed on her target. The Valkyrja flew straight at Mei. Reaching into Imaginary Space, Mei summoned her blades and parried the thrust. The two women plummeted down the elevator shaft. Mei was purely on the defensive, knocking aside various thrusts and strikes. Her body was beginning to reach its conceivable limits, the injuries sustained from earlier hampering her reaction speed. The lance caught Mei in the gut with enough force to send her flying downward. Adrenaline and her own primal Herrscher abilities fused to override her lassitude. Time dialled down, each breath it's own small eternity. Mei's body was made of lead. But her thoughts continued to burn bright as ever. All manner of scenario's and possible means of evasion were examined by the Herrscher. The counterweight for the elevator slid by line a steel snail.

'That is just crazy enough..'

Time was restored. Mei lashed out, shearing the cables with white hot lightning and wrenching the block of steel from its guiding frame. The elevator it was connected to screeched to a halt as emergency measures kicked in. Gathering as much Honkai as she could spare, the Herrscher concentrated all her electromagnetic potential around the counterweight. Violet lightning arced between Mei and the metal weight. With a final burst of energy, Mei launched the projectile toward its target. The railgun projectile moved faster than the speed of sound. The tight confines of the elevator shaft gave Durandal no time or space to dodge. The steel projectile struck true and sent the Valkyrja flying out the building.

'That should slow her down a little more this time.'

Just before reaching the bottom of the shaft Mei flared her power. She cancelled her descent and landed on hand and knee. She looked up and wrenched the doors open with electromagnetic force. Several residents stood gaping at the bloodied and plaster stained woman that jumped out from the bowed doors. Mei just ran. She could do nothing but run. The front doors were wrenched off their hinges and tossed across the road. Mei just ran. Eyes darting about she looked for somewhere to settle in. Before her lay a park and beyond it several new construction developments. Modern high-rise constructions partway built. It was just what she needed. The murky forest provided the perfect visual cover for Mei. She avoided any location that would give enough physical room for any Phantom to manifest. The pleasant smell of wet greenery was a nice distraction from the heady scent of burnt metal, ozone and blood.

Once clear of the park Mei reached upwards mentally and toward the storm boiling overhead. Flashes of light flickered in the angry clouds. Booms of thunder accompanied natures angry reaction. At the base of the construction site Mei demanded the power coiling above. The storm obeyed its mistress. A roaring burst of ground-to-cloud lightning bathed Mei's location. She gripped the lightning and rode it upward. Empty windows flashed by, the blur hinting at the speed of Mei's ascent. Just as cleared the roof Mei let go and gently descended. The Herrscher landed amidst the concrete and steel pillars, rebar poking out loosely from unfinished walls, the concrete floor slick with the recent downpour. She ran into the centre of the structure and readied herself. Durandal was no doubt mere seconds behind.

Durandal landed at the edge of the building. Her battlesuit was completely untouched.

"I was hoping that last hunk of metal would at least have left a scape," Mei admitted.

Durandal shook her head.

"According to situational reports your Core of Lightning was stripped from you by the Herrscher of the Void. What you have been doing should be impossible."

Mei stretched a hand upward. The storm responded in kind. She favoured Durandal with a knowing smirk.

"Looks like not everything goes according to Schicksal's plans."

"How?"

"I wasn't forced. Unlike say Kiana. Your Overseer didn't turn me into a guinea pig and then let loose the Honkai Eruption."

Mei walked over to a pillar and leant backward against it, arms folded and a mocking look to her eyes.

"See that's the thing. Kiana doesn't want those Cores. I mean she REALLY doesn't want them. Give her half a chance and she'd be rid of them. But now she's got them, willing or not, active or not and she'll take it upon herself to fix the mess our former allies made."

"Things aren't as simple as you might think. Nothing is ever simply black and white. We're doing what needs to be done to save humanity. Schicksal is the only force that can protect humanity from the Honkai."

"Not the first time I've heard that. Not the last. Oh, please don't mistake me, Little Miss Hypocrite, I think Schicksal is absolutely needed. It's just that the cancer within it needs to be excised. Then again, nothing will happen until people like you find the spine to stand up and do something. Until then. Well Schicksal will continue to create situations like Kiana."

Mei tapped her chest and shrugged. The smirk fell off her face. Her violet eyes with the X mark bored into Durandal. There was nothing jovial and mocking. All pretence of emotions was gone.

"I wanted this. I was willing to pay the price. I was willing to accept the consequence. I don't care so much for humanity. I've met all too many worms. People with no substance. No truth to their heart or ideals. I was but a child when I lost any hope of innocence. That's stuck with me. I know what you are all capable of."

Errant sparks of electricity danced across Mei's body. They licked her flesh and lit up the damp tower rooftop. The crackling arcs touched the exposed bits of rebar and burned all the brighter. These arcs burned after-images into the retina and filled the air with the scent of ozone.

"But I was fortunate. I'd call it a miracle. The Herrscher of Lightning meeting someone like Kiana is an incredibly unlikely event. But still we did. When I was driven by my desire to wipe out the human race she showed me the best of humanity. My Herrscher half eventually grew despondent with its own purpose and tried to take its own life. Knowing the threat I was, how my death would help humanity, Kiana still chose to stretch out her hand."

The Herrscher gave a slow mocking clap.

"Speaking of Kiana, congratulations on breaking the best the humanity has to offer. The Honkai does not need to lift a finger. We're doing a good enough job already."

Mei cleared her throat. She glanced up at the storm clouds bubbling above.

"I kept denying myself for the next few years. I moved by inertia alone. Just dragged along"

The lance slammed into space where Mei's head and been. She had slipped slightly to the right. A small trickle of blood ran from her temple.

"You could at least let me finish my story," Mei admonished Durandal where she stood just before her.

Mei rolled to one side and retreated to another pillar. Again she leant against it. The way she left herself so vulnerable was a mocking gesture. One that was not lost on the Valkyrja.

"I wanted this," Mei continued. "I've met people like Kiana, the Principle, Bronya, the Major and more. People that are worth protecting. Worth saving. I'm happy to get my hands dirty. But it will be on my terms. On my rules. I stand atop the corpses of the millions that lived in Nagazora. I owe nobody nothing. All that blood makes it easier to be a monster. I don't answer to the Honkai. I don't answer to Schicksal. I don't answer to Anti-Entropy, World Serpent or anyone else. I answer to me and my choices. I will never again be a woman that gets pushed around by inertia alone. I will never be told what to do and simply obey. The Herrscher from Nagazora is dead. The girl named Raiden Mei, the girl that lived for 16 years afraid and powerless, that girl is dead."

"Are you willing to kill again?" Durandal asked.

"Not the same way you do," Mei taunted.

The Herrscher was smiling again.

"I heard you were in the Schicksal headquarters. I wonder what would have happened if you had acted. Good odds the Major would have survived. The Honkai Eruption would have ended sooner. Don't mistake my words. The Overseer is responsible for all of this. But in choosing not to act there is plenty of blood on your hands. But you had no connection to the countless millions that died. So why feel anything? Why bother?"

Mei pointed a thumb over her shoulder.

"You know the people in that battleship. So now you act. When it's something that matters to you then it's time for the no# 1 S-rank Valkyrja of Schicksal to step up. We fought against Schicksal. You fought against me. You're a hypocrite for not acting then and choosing to act now. You have no legitimacy in criticising our actions when you mirror them."

Mei pushed up off against the pillar. The air shimmered as she reached into her Imaginary Space and summoned the two Keys of Lightning.

"I came to accept the two halves of myself. And in doing so I was able to take back the power that belonged to me. I willed my own Herrscher Core into being because I needed it. It wasn't some petty need. Some childish tantrum. Some desperate struggle against fate. I needed that Core, I commanded it to be mine and the Honkai responded. I'm different from Kiana and the others because this power is mine, mine alone and I command it."

Durandal pulled the Abyssal Flower from the concrete pillar and watched Mei calmly.

"If you are unwilling to surrender then I will have to kill you."

Mei shrugged.

"Seems fair. It's a pity that I'm fighting with a handicap. I only just reclaimed by power and I haven't slept in days. Nothing's ever easy."

Durandal didn't even flicker. She simply was before Mei midstride, lance levelled and arcing toward her. Mei slashed sideways, barely knocking the Divine Key aside. Mei attempted a counterstroke. King was already above her. She changed tactics and dove forward and at an angle, the greatsword slamming into the floor. Mei glanced over her shoulder as she came up in a crouch. The greatsword was flying in horizontal arc. Mei leapt up and just over it, adjusting her orientation and pulling herself onto a steel girder. Queen appeared below, blocking a downward retreat. King swung the greatsword in a vertical arc. Mei rolled around the pillar, electromagnetism holding her tight against it. As she got up Durandal was there, lance already streaking forward, catching the Herrscher and sending her flying back. The impact of the blow was stronger than Mei's adjusted orientation. She slammed into the floor and tumbled back several metres. Pulling herself into a painful crouch, Mei looked up and brought up both blades just in time. Durandal brought the lance down in an overhead chop. Mei nearly bowed under the blow. The Valkyrja continued to push downward. A crater formed beneath Mei, concrete starting to give under the raw pressure, cobweb fractures spreading quickly outward. The floor finally gave way, Mei sent plummeting down to the next level. She landed hard on her back before rolling to one side, the lance puncturing the floor where she had been a second ago. Using the momentum Mei got to her feet and beat a hasty retreat.

This time Mei felt Queen's presence just before it manifested, dodging to one side as the kite shield appeared before continuing her sprint into the bowels of the building. With only some of the roof finished the Phantoms could still manifest. But finding tighter confines would give Mei some advantage. The faintest patter of warning was all Mei's keyed up senses need. She parried the blow from Durandal, the Valkyrja descending from above much as before. This time Mei relied not on strength but her own reaction time. Weary of being on the receiving end, Mei went on the offensive. Even if she could not land a blow, forcing Durandal to guard herself would reduce any further injuries. Mei's strikes we so fast the human eye could not keep up. Again and against she lashed out. The humming lightning edge of the Katana hissed. Durandal used the Divine Key to perfectly parry and counter any strike. Mei changed tactics, going for several vertical strikes from above. Durandal knocked them to either side before making her own horizontal sweep. The wakizashi was brought up just on time. The impact of the blow knocked Mei off balance regardless.

A hand gripped Mei's hair. Durandal had pushed past her guard with minimal effort. The woman pulled Mei's face down and into her knee. The blow filled Mei's mind with sharp light. Perhaps due to her inhuman thinking speed, perhaps her Herrscher nature, Mei was able to remain conscious. The blow still left her borderline insensate. All Mei could do was slash outward with her wakizashi. Durandal's free hand caught the weapon, grip so fierce Mei could barely keep a hold of the hilt. Mei was now desperate. She let her control of the boiling Honkai energy within come loose a fraction. Lightning exploded outward. Standing in the eye of the storm, Mei radiated raw electrical fury, the air so bright it was blinding. Durandal loosened her grip, Mei dropping to her feet and taking a step back. The entire floor was bathed in crackling lightning fury. Lightning crawled across Durandal's battlesuit and exposed flesh. No mark was left. Not even her hair was singed.

'Crap.'

There was still an opportunity. It looked as though the sudden burst of light had left the Valkyrja wincing. Seeking that opening Mei went in for a sharp blow with her katana. The swung was true, mirroring the Itto-ryo she had practiced her entire life. A field of solid blue light appeared just before blade connected with skull. The field gave the impression of a translucent blue shield. Mei's weapon bounced harmlessly away.

"How fucking OP can you get!" Mei swore in English.

Durandal's steel gauntlet slammed into her abdomen. Mei doubled over, spittle and bile leaking from her mouth. The next blow was a harsh uppercut. Mei flew through the concrete ceiling. The Herrscher sailed a little into the air before gravity took hold and sent her plummeting downward. She landed in a tangled heap. Try as she might, Mei was unable to draw a breath. The best she could manage was a series of horrid choking gasps. Durandal flew up through the hole and landed gently beside Mei.

"I know you've been buying time for your friends," Durandal admitted. "The games are over. You will come with me. It's time we retrieved Kiana and returned to Schicksal."