Enjoy!
It was a cool, brisk Sunday morning at Chiba Academy. It was the perfect temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. It was just a shame that there was no present to enjoy the splendid weather.
Well, all except Akira Ishigami who was currently in his office. With a cup filled with steaming coffee the brown haired teacher took a seat at his desk. Resting the cup on the wood surface, he casted a forlorn look at the stack of papers that he was supposed to have graded yesterday.
The woes of being a person with a social life, in which you realize just how much time you spend with others and how little you have to yourself.
Today was going to be a very long and hard day, that the lab coat wearing teacher was sure of. He would most likely have to spend most, if not all, of the day cooped up in his office to finish grading his papers.
And it wasn't like anyone else was present in the academy. His fellow teachers either took the papers they needed to grade back to their homes or it was all electronic. And there would be no students present as well as there were no club activities planned for today.
Furthermore it went without saying that hanging anywhere remotely close to a school was not a teenager's ideal place to hang out on a weekend.
Leaning back into his chair, the clone could not help but smile at the recollection of yesterday's events. It certainly was…hectic, for lack of a better word. Who knew that so much went into planning a single surprise birthday party?
But it most certainly was a very memorable experience, one that he would not be forgetting anytime soon.
"Honestly," He shook his head as he swiveled his chair to look at the very familiar chessboard sitting on his desk. Just one look at it and he could see the dust that had accumulated on the chess pieces, the sunlight of the rising sun accentuating it to his eyes.
It would be right about now where he would either be playing against Haruto or Keji.
"To think that the two of you were just two prospective students that I felt could benefit from learning chess," Now that was a memory the teacher chuckled at. He could vividly remember the day he had created the 'chess club'.
One had been an eager chess learner while the other saw no risk in signing up.
And while what he had taught them certainly influenced their lives, he had not been expecting for his life to be so dramatically altered by the two of them.
Especially by Haruto Nakamura.
"If I told my past self that he would be getting involved with the fate of someone who got to live again then without a doubt he would laugh at me, probably call me a fool." As he reminisced, Ishigami turned back to face his desk. "I can hardly still believe it myself."
"Not to mention…" He trailed off as he thought back to the most recent event that had changed his life.
"Without him I doubt I would've mended my relationship with Einstein and Tesla, a sentence I never thought I would say…ever." Before this whole 'stopping Mei becoming a Herrscher' business had become his top priority, just the mere thought of those two scientists was enough to leave him in a bad mood.
A part of him still held the two responsible, responsible for the hell that he had gone through, responsible for all the deaths that could've been prevented.
But now?
Now he was no longer filled with such hatred, not after all his talks with the two scientists. When their first initial meeting with Haruto had ended it was only natural that more meetings would happen so that they could thoroughly plan out their defense.
The red head's presence was not needed in those secondary meetings, the information he provided was more than enough for the three of them to make their plans. And it wasn't like he was able to contribute any more to the conversation.
The more time they spent discussing the defense of Nagazora in the confines of his office, the more Ishigami learned just how much Einstein and Tesla cared about the lives of other people. Any sort of defense that did not prioritize the safety of the citizens was swiftly thrown out the window.
Perhaps he had misplaced his anger, after all people made mistakes all the time. It was just the matter of how they rose above those mistakes.
And the two scientists worked tirelessly to ensure they did not repeat it.
While the teacher muled on his thoughts he had been mindlessly going through his computer, and somehow ended up on his email. There was nothing strange about it, mostly containing emails regarding school or other miscellaneous junk.
Yet what took his attention was two emails that were already typed up and were just waiting for him to hit the send button so they could be sent to whoever the recipients were.
"I don't remember writing these," He muttered as he tried to remember writing any of the two emails. Coming up blank the teacher decided that the only logical step to take was to open them up and see what he had written in them.
Yet just as he was about to click them open he had brought his mug up to his lips, and realized that it was now empty. "I finished my coffee before I could get anything even started, I must be going soft now." That realization meant he had to leave his office and head to the cafeteria where the only coffee maker in the entire academy was.
"Most 'Prestigious Academy'…now that was a lie," He joked as he stood up from his chair and left the office. "Can't even allow teachers to have their own coffee makers."
Yes, as he left the office, he was unaware of the fact that he had accidentally clicked the send button when he had stood up from his chair.
Walking through the halls of the vacant academy, empty coffee cup in hand, the teacher was not sure how long he was walking for. With how his office was situated he had to practically cross the entire school just to get to the cafeteria.
The only redeeming feature was the fact that it was currently a sunny morning and he was allowed to enjoy the invigorating rays of sunshine shining through the windows as he walked to his destination.
Though even that was soon going to change, as with one look outside the windows he could see that clouds were quickly encroaching on the skies over Nagazora.
A few more minutes passed by and in a random hallway Ishigami suddenly stopped without warning. There was no discernable reason why he had just stopped in the middle of the hallway as there wasn't anything that stuck out.
"This is pointless you know," He called out to whoever he was speaking to. "We both know that I know you're here so just get on with it already. If you had decided to reveal yourselves right before I filled this cup I would've been much angrier and killed you all without a second thought."
All that his words got was silence and to an outsider it would've looked like the teacher was just talking to himself or an imaginary friend.
Yet after a few seconds of tense silence the doors closest to him were kicked open as soldiers began to pour out of the classrooms. Surrounding him the clone counted at least a dozen soldiers that had just 'ambushed' him, all armed to the teeth.
And it didn't take long for him to realize who had sent them, evident by the Anti-Entropy logo stitched into their vests.
"So Cocolia has finally decided to act has she?" His words got no reply out of the soldiers as they kept their weapons aimed at him. "Though I must ask if she truly believes that only you guys will be enough to stop me, frankly I feel insulted."
This lot was either the bravest people that he had ever met, or the dumbest. Most probably both
"They're just a little warm up for you, get you all nice and ready for me," A strangely familiar voice said as one last person walked out of the classroom. They weren't wearing anything special, just a simple black jacket with a bit of blue in it.
Their black hair was combed in such a way that it felt as if he was facing one of his arrogant students. Even the way he walked in with his hands in his pockets all but told him of this person thought of themselves as the best in the world.
"Though in truth I don't really need their help dealing with you, it's more of a formality if anything," He turned his head to face the teacher and it was then Ishigami realized who he was exactly dealing with.
"After all," An arrogant smile broke out on a face that was practically identical to his, so that's why the voice sounded familiar. It was his voice he was listening to. "You don't need much to deal with outdated equipment such as yourself," They motioned to their much younger body. "Not when you're the new and improved version."
"Is that so?" Ishigami's eyebrow twitched in irritation as his body became wreathed by a dark red energy, which his doppleganger responded in kind by wreathing his own body in a dark blue energy.
The fact that Cocolia had somehow managed to revive the clone project, successfully, again was worrying and the fact that she had chosen to strike first was even more worrying…yet there was one thing that Ishigami would not approve of.
And it was how arrogant this supposed 'clone' was. There was no way that his younger self would ever be this arrogant.
Bringing up the hand that held his coffee mug, the brown hair teacher watched as his favorite mug got turned to atoms which resulted in him now holding a now dark red orb of energy.
"Kids these days, they just find new ways to aggravate me even more."
Across the apartment that Haruto, Kiana, and Mei lived in, a black van laid in wait within an alleyway. Inside the covert van was an entire squad of soldiers just waiting for confirmation to begin their operation.
The captain of the squad looked down to his communicator and saw it flash green, signifying the beginning of the operation. "Alright, look alive everybody!" He commanded, his squad immediately began to do one final check with their weapons.
"Remember we are to extract Akane Nakamura, the landlord of this apartment." He reminded them. "No lethals, this is a simple grab and go."
Seeing his squad nod in confirmation, the captain opened the sliding door of the van they were in. "Alright go!" He yelled as they surged out of the vehicle and made a beeline to the apartment.
Entering the apartment they quickly made their way up the stairs, which was the only way to reach the floor where the target would be without means that would most doubtedly draw unwanted attention.
Luckily they met no-one in the apartment as they made their way up the stairs and all seemed to be going according to plan when they reached the floor that Akane lived on.
Though that quickly changed they walked onto the target floor and saw a lone black cat sitting in the middle of the hallway.
"A…cat?" A soldier incredulously asked as the squad watched the odd feline merely tip her head to the side at their appearance.
"Probably some stray, you know how it is." The captain responded as he took a step forward. "Oi get out of here," He yelled out as he motioned for the cat to shoo.
Though things were now getting stranger and stranger when the cat didn't move away but instead hissed at him. Like if the feline was warning him about something.
Warning him to not cross this line that it was sitting on.
No that would be crazy, cats weren't like that. This one must've been particulaly stubborn if it was still insisting that it stood its ground.
"We don't have time to deal with this," Walking up to the cat, the captain intended to grab it by its neck and drag the feline out of the way. "I swear, getting scared because of a single-!"
He wouldn't be able to finish his sentence when his arm suddenly got sliced in half. Pain overcame his every thought as he dropped down to the floor, holding the stump that had once been his arm.
And the one responsible for it was now covered in a purple glow. Transforming, the feline turned panther watched as the soldiers present took a step back as they watched a seemingly innocent cat turn into this beast of death.
Kuro knew this was the work of Jackal. Somehow or some way that canine mask-wearing scientist was involved in all of this.
So if that was the case why was she here standing against these soldiers and not with them? By standing against them she was essentially going against the deal she had made with the scientist.
Their partnership would be over.
…That revelation didn't really bother her as much as she thought it would have.
Honestly this was much more trouble than she had expected to get pulled into when she had accepted the mission that would send her to Nagazora. She had always thought that this mission would just be an ordinary one, one that she would complete and then forget about.
But to her surprise she found something that she didn't think she needed.
The black feline thought breaking into places and traveling the world was all the joys in life, and it still was, but her time in this city had taught her something that she never got to experience before.
Yet now that she's experienced it the feline didn't want to let it go.
And that was a pack to call her own.
She had thought of them as stupid humans, with all the shenanigans that they got themselves into and how more often than not she would get dragged into them. At first they had been a bother for her but now she delighted in them, life was simply much more interesting now than it once had been.
They were no longer just stupid humans, they were her stupid humans.
Taking a step forward in her other form, Kuro allowed her claws to reveal themselves for a brief second before she rushed the soldiers. To their credit they began to open fire the moment she did but she was more than nimble enough to weave through their gunfire.
And as she pounced on the nearest soldier, claws extended outward, Kuro made a vow.
No was going to touch her stupid humans, not if she had anything to say about that.
At a different area of the city, Haruto and Mei were innocently walking through the streets of Nagazora. The both of them were carrying their respective grocery bags while they talked with each other.
A tranquil looked graced Mei's features as Haruto regaled to the dark purple haired girl a story, a light giggle escaping her lips as she laughed at the Nakmura's recount.
Yet the two were completely oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.
From the rooftop of a building tall enough to survey the two from a completely different street, there was someone watching them, watching their every move…
Through the lens of a sniper rifle.
And behind it's scope, was a familiar eye color of gray
"Matsuhka," Bronya spoke into her ear communicator, adjusting her sniper very slowly so that the crosshairs never left Haruto and Mei as they walked through the streets of Nagazora. "Is this…necessary?"
Back in her office, Cocolia was watching the same thing that Bronya was seeing. Looking to her left, the blonde woman had another display that had a map of Nagazora with numerous red dots decorating it.
All of those red dots were her squads ready to move in on the two's positions when the order was given to do so.
"I'm not sure," Was what she wanted to say to the Russian girl. It felt almost sad to admit that this wasn't even her plan originally. All she wanted for Ryoma's daughter was for her to live a peaceful life, as peaceful as life could be when everything in the world turns on you.
So she was happy when Bronya had reported that she would be helping the heiress out by surprising her birthday, and from the smile on the petite girl's face when she had come back yesterday night all but said how close she had gotten to the ex-heiress.
Mayhaps that was the world's way of salvaging the friendship she had with Ryoma through their daughters.
That was until she had called.
"How are you doing, my beautiful friend?" The still unknown speaker had called her when she was alone in her office in the dead of night. And with Bronya all but passed out in her room, no-one would be interrupting her there.
She would've applauded the speaker's timing, if it wasn't for the fact that she still did not trust a thing that they said.
"Why are you calling me?" She demanded.
"Ah such hostility!" They playfully teased, much to her growing temperament. "If I didn't know any better than I'd thought you would have been happy to hear back from me, after all I did prove my sincerity to be your friend."
"You all but destroyed Ryoma's name!" She shouted, uncaring if someone might hear her livid state. "Not to mention you turned his daughter's life into a living-!"
"Is that concern I hear in the voice of Cocolia, the one renowned in the ranks of Anti-Entropy for her brutal efficiency?" They cut her off, their playful tone gone. "The woman who did not care about the lives of others? So long as they were useful in completing your own goals then everything else was irrelevant."
Her words cut deep into the blond woman's soul, as they were a brutal reminder of what she had gone to get to where she was today. There was no denying her words, they were as clear as the fact as the night sky.
But if she thought that for a single moment that she was going to get out of this alive when this was all over…
She would be dead wrong.
"Forgive my outburst then, it has been a…trying day for me." She placated the speaker, who hummed appreciatively at her apology. "What business do you have for calling me then, friend?"
"I believe I have a solution for your little Herrscher problem," She could just imagine the grin on the caller's face as they switched back to that oh so annoying cheery voice of theirs. She didn't even try to figure out how they knew what she wanted, it would just be wasted energy.
"I propose a solution that will most definitely benefit the both of us."
The blond woman did not know how this plan her 'friend' made would get them a Herrscher, or why it related to Mei of all people, but at this point Cocolia was all out of options. Gray Serpent's warnings of his patience growing thin were becoming more frequent and if this didn't work so too would her partnership with the World Serpent.
And with it her only chance to save Seele from the Quantum Realm.
Shaking her head, the blond Anti-Entropy enforcer refocused on the present. "Bronya," Her voice was low as she spoke into the communicator. "Remember who all of this is for."
"...Da Matsuhka," Bronya's voice was emotionless at Cocolia's words. Her eyes steeled themselves as the gray haired girl let go of the persona of Bronya Zaychick, orphan of the Cocolia Orphanage, and donned on the girl she had been before that.
A ruthless killer.
The Silver Wolf Of The Urals.
Taking a deep breath in, the child sniper moved her sniper so that the crosshairs lined up directly with Haruto Nakamura. Placing a finger on the trigger, the Russian sniper was ready to take the shot.
However just at that very moment the pair stopped in their tracks. Bronya did not know the reason for their sudden stop but that soon didn't mean anything as through the sniper's scope she saw Mei's face turning around to face the red head, a bright smile on her face.
Was she really about to do this?
To Mei?
After everything she had gone through?
After what had happened yesterday night?
Without meaning to, the sniper found herself going through memory lane, back to the time where she had met the heiress for the first time at the Kitsune Festival
More specifically back to a certain event that had transpired there.
She had been walking through the festival grounds, not really looking for anything in general. That was until she saw something that had caught her attention so much that she could do nothing but stop and turn to look at it.
It was a little fairy stuffed doll. There was nothing special about it, the doll itself had no eye-catching features and it wasn't Homu themed.
The only reason why it had caught her attention was its color palette. The different variations of blue that it had…
It reminded her too much of Seele
"Perhaps she would like it," She mused as the dark indigo haired girl would most probably possess something like this. Running around the orphanage, bringing it with her wherever she went. The picture of that in her mind brought a rare smile to her face
"Da," She decided. "The Bronya shall…"
She trailed off, realizing that she had spent all of her allowance on that one booth earlier, teaching the vendor who had called her short a lesson to not call her, or anyone, short ever again. It was worth every dollar she had on her to see such a shocked and defeated expression on their face.
Unfortunately that meant that she did not have any more money to use to try and win Seele the fairy doll.
That was…disappointing.
"Is there something wrong Bronya-chan?" Mei's sudden voice had her turning around to face the dark purple haired girl that was approaching her. "Has something caught your eye?"
"Da," Bronya considered lying to the older girl but for some reason it felt like she could trust Mei with this small thing, how strange that was. "The Bronya wants to buy that doll for someone as a gift."
The gray haired petite girl looked down to her coin purse, which was obviously very empty. "However, the Bronya failed to calculate how much money that booth would take. The Bronya shall run back and ask Matsuhka for extra-"
"No need Bronya-chan," Mei interrupted as she brought out her own wallet and began pulling out bills of yen. "I can pay for you."
Gray eyes slightly opened in surprise as she looked to the heiress for her extremely kind gesture. "Mei-san, you don't need to do this. I can-,"
"Bronya-chan I said it's perfectly fine," The heiress did not look like she was going to be relenting anytime soon. "This is my money, I am more than happy to spend it for my friends."
"Besides…" She flashed the petite girl a smile. "How can I not help you when you want to buy this for your friend. You must be a really kind person Bronya-chan."
Her kind? She was many things to other people. Unemotional, scary, blunt, antisocial, dangerous, and a variety of not very nice things.
But kind was never one of them.
Only one other person called her kind.
"Bronya nii-chan!"
"Thank you…Mei…nee-sama" She thanked the older female as the two went up to the booth and played the game. When the gray haired girl had returned back home and went to her bed.
A blue fairy doll slept soundly in her arms.
Returning back to the present as she was but a hair's touch away from pulling the trigger, Bronya made a choice. A choice that Bronya Zaychick, The Silver Wolf of Urals, would never make…
But a choice that Bronya Zaychick, friend of Seele Vollerei, would make.
"The Bronya can't-! I can't do this," Breaking her emotionless mask, the petite girl lowered her sniper away from the two who had grown on her. "Forgive me Matsuhka."
Hearing her refusal to commit the task, Cocolia sighed. Perhaps she was simply pushing things too far. If Bronya could not bring herself to do this then she was not going to force her. Even if she was the fearsome Silver Wolf Of The Urals, who had been infamous to even the most experienced assassins, she was still a child.
A child that had too much blood on her hands.
"Very well then Bronya," She moved her hands to recall the squads that she had deployed. While they would not be getting their Herrscher today, there was always tomorrow. Perhaps luck would shine much better on them. "Let's-!"
She was interrupted when the sound of a loud sniper bullet ripped through the air. Instinctively dropping, the blonde enforcer quickly unholstered the pistol she had with her at all times. She had learned from experience to never be without your trusty gun.
Mentally counting to ten, Cocolia peeked her head out of her desk to try and spot where the bullet had come from, but also if she could spot said attacker.
However to her utter confusion her office looked completely fine. Not a shattered window in sight or even a bullet casing to be seen on the ground.
So where had that bullet shot come from-!
"Matsuhka…" The horrified tone of Bronya's voice had her immediately standing up and rushing back to her desk to see what was happening.
There on the digital display of her terminal was Bronya's point of view as the both of them watched the Nakamura on the concrete floor, screaming bloody murder as he clutched his shoulder where a blood red was spreading rapidly on his jacket.
"W-What did you do Matsuhka?" The Russian girl asked in shock as she watched Mei kneel beside her fallen friend, desperately trying to apply pressure to the wound on Haruto's shoulder.
"I didn't do anything! You were the only sniper I had deployed there!" Cocolia shouted defensively as she clenched her hand into a fist. Had the World Serpent caught on to what she was planning? Had they decided to take things into their own hands?!
Her dilemma would be cut short when her ear communicator suddenly started to project itself. "This is Archangel Squad," Hearing her captain's voice had her turning to see the red dots that represented her squads now beginning to move in on Mei's position. "Moving to capture the asset. Remember boys this will be a fast extraction so I want us in and out fast."
"Yes sir!" The other voices of the soldiers' rang out through the communication channel.
"What the hell is going on!" She demanded to her teams as she spoke into the communication channel. When the only thing she received was silence, she repeated herself again in a louder voice, only to yet again receive nothing in confirmation.
"Why are none of them responding to me?!" Cocolia tried to figure out what the hell was happening until it suddenly hit her. There could only be one reason why none of her soldiers were not responding to her…
"I've been sabotaged!" She growled out but with that answer to her dilemma came another question. Who exactly sabotaged her? The only people that knew of this plan was her, Bronya, and…!
She glared banefully at her phone that was innocently sitting on her desk. "It's them!"
In another building overlooking the same street that Haruto and Mei were at, the Herrscher of Sentience chuckled to herself as she lowered her sniper rifle. "Good, all according to plan," She laughed as she watched the chaos currently unfolding on the street below.
Oh what a delightful sight it was.
Resting the now useless sniper against the wall, the pink haired female raised a hand to her neck, which pulsated with honkai lines, whilst her other hand brought a radio up to her ear.
"All squads," She spoke in Cocolia's voice. "You are to apprehend the target at all costs, no one will stand in your way and if they do terminate them."
"Yes ma'am!" They all shouted, fierce loyalty in their tones. If only these blind idiots realized that the one they were loyal to had not even issued them their commands.
How gullible the human race was, it was almost pitiable.
Looking down she smiled sinisterly as she watched the writhing Nakaramua and the terrified Raiden, unaware of the black cars racing towards their position. "While I would've loved to put a bullet through your head, it is much more satisfying seeing you writhe on the ground like that. A therapeutic activity I didn't think I needed until now."
It was a shame though that she wasn't able to bring his grandmother to this enjoyable event. It wasn't necessary but it would've been the icing on the cake. Such a shame that the squad she had 'sent' were no longer reporting in.
A small defeat…but it could be overlooked in favor of this grand victory.
Leisurely, she walked over to a table where an assortment of berries were laid out for her. Picking up a raspberry, she popped it into her mouth so casually it was almost like she hadn't tried to murder someone. "And while nothing would've been much sweeter than to be the one responsible for the killing blow, I'm not about to risk this golden opportunity."
Not when there was so much the harbinger of destruction did not know about the human. For all she knew some kind of magic forcefield could've manifested itself to block the bullet. Not to mention that dark entity that slept in that human's head.
She would still shudder whenever she thought about that foreboding presence, a presence so heavy that it could even instill fear in the hearts of a Herrscher.
Well it wouldn't be much of a problem for much longer now.
"Besides," The Herrscher smiled sinisterly as she looked back to see the poor, poor heiress trying to help her dear friend but failing oh so miserably at it. "There's nothing more satisfying than seeing the hopelessness of mankind."
"Trying so hard to delay the inevitable…only to fall so short." She shook her head sadly. "The folly of mankind."
A scene suddenly plays out in her head.
There she is, in a body that she is not familiar with, lying on the ground, surrounded by seven people that watch her as the mountain-like setting they were in was currently engulfed in fire and smoke.
In the distance she can faintly see what looks to be some kind of school, perhaps these seven were connected with it somehow?
She can see the seven talking amongst themselves, but their words are indiscernible to her. Yet even despite that there was a single thought going through her head.
"Why? Why have you done this to me?"
"Why?"
Frowning at the sudden intrusion of that unfamiliar scene in her head, Sentience just shook her head in an attempt to clear it up. Where had that come from?
And why did it seemingly make her heart ache in pain?
Perhaps she was suffering from honkai deficiency? Or maybe she was suffering from such a long period of having her core still stuck in that pretender's body. Oh well…
It didn't matter now.
"Well it's been a pleasure meeting you all Nakamura, Cocolia, Nagazora but…" She bowed as if she was a noble before she twirled her way innocently to the door of the apartment.
"I have a long overdue transformation to attend to."
"Haruto are you okay?!" Mei demanded in horror as she held the boy writhing in pain, her body moving by itself as her mind was still trying to comprehend everything that was happening. Just a moment ago they were out getting groceries for the week, walking back home with the bags in hand.
Then it all came crashing down at that loud bullet sound…
With Haruto falling to the ground, screaming in pain.
"Talk to me!"
The only response that she got from her redhead friend was a delirious moan of pain, no doubt what he was feeling currently overwriting any form of rational thought.
"Help is coming," She assured him with everything that she had as she held the wound on his shoulder, not caring how red her hands were becoming as she tried to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding.
"Please hold on," She begged as Haruto's hand found its way onto her arm, squeezing it with all of his strength in order to try and tolerate the excruciating pain that he was feeling. She didn't mind his grip, so long as he lived.
Seeing that the blood was still not stopping the dark purple haired girl took off her dark purple blazer and used it as a makeshift bandage to try and stem the blood flow. It had been Keji's birthday gift for her and knew that it was not something cheap to buy.
Yet that was of little concern to her as all she was focused on was making sure that Haruto survived his wounds.
However a pit was beginning to form in her stomach when the dark fabric of her clothing was beginning to darken, only serving as a temporary bandage to the bleeding wound. Without proper help Haruto would…
He would…
…
No, that thought was too terrifying to think about.
"Help!" She cried out desperately as she looked up, trying to find anyone that could help them. "Please!"
To describe what was currently happening on the street with one word it would have to be anarchy. The sudden bullet shot had everyone scrambling to try and get out of the public eye, ushering their loved ones into buildings or getting as far away as they could from that street.
Yet through all that confusion her hoarse voice could be clearly heard by everyone present. She knew this to be true when she saw people look in her direction, clearly hearing her plea of help.
So why…
Why…
Why were they just ignoring her?!
Just one look at her and her pleas for help were ignored as they continued to flee the scene, leaving her alone to try and save her friend.
What is it because of who she was, because she was Mei Raiden? Daughter of the Demon Raiden Ryoma?!
Did the world hate her so much that they chose to forsake her and everyone she loved?
"If not for me then please for him!" She yelled out loud, her voice starting to break as she held onto Haruto's body, feeling a blood puddle now beginning to form beneath her. "Please SAVE HIM!"
So caught up in her despair the terror stricken girl hadn't notcied the black surburban vehicles that had pulled up all around her. Not even when heavily armed soldiers began to spill out the vehicles and formed a circle around her had she taken notice of their presence.
It was only when she was roughly grabbed by two soldiers that everything happening around Mei had caught up with her.
"Package secured," One of the soldiers who were dragging her way had said. "Heading back to the rendezvous point now."
"Let me go!" She demanded as she tried to fight against their grip but to no avail. "He needs help!"
The two soldiers said nothing as they continued dragging her away from Haruto, whose screams had now turned to low whimpers of pain as the blood puddle beneath him grew bigger. "Please…just save him."
"He's dead," The other soldier dragging her said, probably in some attempt to try and soothe her. "I'm sorry…but there's nothing you can do about it.'
"He's dead," The soldier's words repeated themselves over and over in Mei's head.
"He's dead,"
"He's dead,"
"There's nothing you could do about it,"
"There's nothing you could do about it,"
No…
He can't be…
"Likewise Raiden-san," Her mind played the first memory she had of Haruto Nakamura. It was the first day of a new semester at Chiba Academy and with it a new classmate that would be sitting next to her. It had only been right for her to greet her new seatmate.
He grabbed her outstretched hand and shook it. "I hope that we get to work well together."
How little did she know the impact that simple action would have on her life.
"You will go easy on me, seeing how this is my first time doing kendo and everything…right?" He nervously asked as he finished putting his head protector on. The two were alone in the kendo clubroom for what would be their first training session together.
"We'll see," Was all she cryptically said before she put on her helmet.
"What is that supposed to me-AHH!" He screamed in what could only be described as an almost girly voice as she rushed towards him, bokken at the ready. By then he had become someone that she could proudly call a friend.
Little did she know that he would prove himself in time to be more than just a 'simple friend'.
"Do you think I am that sad of a human being to seek Mei's friendship because of her status? I am honored to be Mei's friend so whether you like it or not I'm not going anywhere." He resolutely declared to the entire school the day her father had been arrested.
She looked at him in shock for such a declaration, but it was there she realized what a true friend looked like.
"Just a heads up," And now her mind replayed the most recent memory she had with him. The two of them, hand in hand as a beautiful violin began to play in the background "I've never done this before." He had told her sheepishly.
"That's alright," For nothing in the world could hamper what she was feeling right now. A fire that warmed even the darkest recesses of her soul had been lit and all she wanted to do was to have that fire burn forever.
"Just follow my lead," With those final words they danced the night away, and it felt as if she was the princess in those stories her father used to read to her for bedtime when she was a child.
Something that she never thought she would get to experience.
And it was all because of him…
When she was trapped in a dark world, where no light could ever hope to shine in ever again. He was there, hand outstretched with a smile on his face. He pulled her out of it and showed her that people still loved her…
He showed her how beautiful this world can be.
"No!" She cried as she came back to the present. Haruto couldn't die here, he didn't deserve such a fate like this. He deserved better!
The two soldiers who were dragging her away yelled in surprise when she began to resist them with newfound strength.
Yet even that was not enough as the soldiers overcame their initial surprise and put even more strength into dragging her way. Despite their overwhelming strength Mei was able to free one of her hands and outstretched it to her fallen friend.
She was fine being the sinner
Fine being the outcast
Fine being shunned by the world.
But not him…
Not he who showed the best in humanity.
…
…
Allow me to help you with that then my dear host.
Suddenly, without any reasonable explanation to how it happened, Mei gained enough strength to push the two soldiers off of her. The duo gave a grunt of pain as they landed harshly on the ground, drawing the attention of every other soldier present as they then pointed their weapons at the now free heiress.
"Alright this has gone on long enough," A soldier, most probably the captain in charge of the operation, yelled as he walked up behind Mei and pointed the barrel of his rifle at the back of her neck.
"You will come with us or I swear to God I will kill you myself." He threatened.
When the dark purple haired girl turned her head the soldier had expected an expression of fear on her face.
What he had not expected was for her eyes to be slightly glowing with a purple hue…
And to go alongside it was a sinister smile.
"I was just thinking the same exact thing, so do me a favor real quickly." The air around her started to hum with electricity and the captain was only able to scramble a few feet back and throw his arms up for protection.
"Die you pathetic worm!"
That was the last thing said before the entire street got swallowed by a purple light.
In another part of Nagazora; Keji, Sora, and Akihiro were just exiting a store with various bags in hand. The youngest out of the three had a massive grin on her face while the other two had an exasperated expression on their faces.
"Tell me how you got roped into the first place again?" Groaned Akihiro as his arms felt like they were going to give out at anytime now.
"...Never challenge Sora to Dance Dance Revolution," Keji muttered as he lowered his head, a dark cloud hanging over him. There were alot of embarrassing moments in the brown haired boy's life but losing, miserably might he add, to a child in a dancing game had to take the cake.
"Still I have to give credit where credit was due," The senior thought back to how he had gotten into this situation. It was towards the end of the party yesterday where Sora had proposed a challenge, where the loser would have to do whatever the winner wished to.
In hindsight accepting that kind of challenge when he had around an entire pack of beer in him was a horrible decision and it didn't help that he had Akane and Ishigami cheering him on to accept the challenge.
He was sure the red headed woman was drunk as he was but for that brown haired teacher, he suspected that he was sober the entire time…
When he had woken up in the morning with a hangover and the reminder of what he had promised, he vowed that he would somehow find a way to repay that lab coat wearing teacher.
"You're just sore losers!" Sora turned around and playfully stuck her tongue out at the both of them. "Just accept that I am the smartest to ever-!"
BOOM!
Whatever she was going to say was interrupted when a large explosion of sound tore through the air. Simultaneously the ground shook with such force that it threw them, alongside everyone else onto the street.
Sora screamed in fear and without thinking Keji threw his body over the trembling child like a shield. A second later Akihiro protectively held his arms over him, and by extension Sora, as the street shook and windows all around them shattered.
After a few terrifying seconds had passed the rumbling had finally stopped. Mentally counting to ten, the brown haired student slowly stood back up as other people near them were recovering from that sudden event as well.
"What the hell was that," He muttered under his breath as he tried locating whatever the heck had just caused that.
"Oh my god what is that!" A random person yelled out, pointing at whatever it was with a look of growing horror in their face.
Turning around, Keji's expression slowly shifted into that of alarm as he saw what had freaked the speaker out. All around him people were turning to face it as well, all of them having the same expressions of awe and terror.
What he saw was a massive purple beam of light, seemingly shooting into the vast reaches of the heavens themselves. Even with how far away he was from where the ray of light seemed to be originating from, he could feel the raw power radiating from it.
"This is some sci-fi movie shit happening right now," He remarked jokingly, not knowing what else to say in a situation like this.
The air around them seemingly whistled and with a stark realization the chess student realized that that was just the beginning. "Take cover!" He yelled out to everyone just as the purple pillar of light shined brightly for a brief second, before another shockwave shook Nagazora.
This time however a purple wave seemingly accompanied the shockwave as it traveled radially outward. Keji was not sure what the purple energy was supposed to be but his gut was telling him that it was nothing good.
Though what good could that do when the purple wave of energy was traveling at an alarming rate. In a couple seconds the street that they were on would get hit by it and with it whatever it was supposed to do.
But from the corner of his eye he could see those towers that Anti-Entropy had built in the recent month, Rasputin if he remembered what they had been called, beginning to shift.
Mechanical parts on the base of the tower were moving as the tower began to extend itself higher into the air. Stopping after extending a few meters, the tip of the Rasputin tower began to unfurl as panel-like extensions began to stretch out.
All around Nagazora, Rasputin towers were activating themselves in response to the sudden surge of Honkai energy. As their panel-like extensions began to unfurl outward, the towers in their respective locations began to collectively face the source of the surge of honkai energy.
And when all towers finished transforming, the Rasputin Defense System came online.
The purple wave of energy stopped dead in its tracks as the honkai absorbing structures went to work. They were so effective in their purpose that the stalled wave of energy began to dissipate, and soon enough it had entirely disappeared.
The purple ray of light however remained, though now it looked as if it too was slowly fading away.
With the wave of energy now gone, everyone took the opportunity to start running away. The destination didn't matter, as long as they put as much distance as possible from the strange phenomenon.
"Get up you guys!" The brown haired chess enthusiast turned back and helped Akihiro and Sora back onto their feet. "We need to-!"
"Keji nii-chan what is that?!" Sora interrupted, pointing behind him with a shaky finger.
Turning back around to face the direction where the giant ray of light was, he saw the reason for Sora's outburst. How could things get any more worse than this?!
He would soon be eating his words as he saw what appeared to be a regular human walking in their direction. However on closer inspection it was quickly revealed that it was anything but a 'regular' human.
While the general shape of it was human, everything else was not. Purple lines, similar in hue to the purple ray of light, were seemingly etched into the person's skin and even that was abnormal.
For instead of a tanned color of skin what instead was there was this seemingly white like marble coloring. Not to mention the way they walked…
It was like they were an actual zombie.
Said zombie's head suddenly lifted up, revealing purple corrupted eyes that were staring directly into Keji's terrified green eyes. "H-Hey man," The chess student held his hands up in a placating gesture. "W-We're completely peaceful here, no need to do anything-"
His words had little effect as the 'zombie' reared its head back and let out a guttural roar that sounded anything but peaceful. Without warning it suddenly began to sprint towards them, hands outstretched and ready to tear into his flesh.
Keji gave a shout of alarm at the sudden move while Akihiro commanded Sora to get behind the both of them. The two of them may not be martial artists like Kiana but damned if the both of them were going to go down without a fight.
As the distance between him and the zombie grew shorter by the second, the student readied himself for the fight of his life.
Fortunately it seems that fate had a different plan.
Without warning a massive steel gauntlet came bearing down on the unsuspecting zombie, completely flattening it. Sora, while not seeing what had just happened, had heard the sound of the body getting flattened and yelped in horror at what had just occurred. Akihiro may have not said anything but his face all but said how he was not exempt from feeling disturbed at what he just saw.
And while the sight of seeing a body getting smashed into the pavement like that was more than enough for Keji to hurl whatever was in his stomach, he refrained from doing so as his attention was stolen by what had exactly killed the zombie.
"A-Anti-Entropy?" He breathed out in shock as the mech raised its hand up from the pavement. All around him numerous similarly armed mechs were marching down the street.
"Citizens of Nagazora, please evacuate." The machine automatically played as it looked to the three of them. "I repeat please head to the nearest Anti-Entropy evacuation site. A radiation leak has occurred in Nagazora and it is imperative that you leave the city. I repeat-!"
It was cut off when it suddenly turned to face the street it had just been facing. It's mechanical brothers were locked in combat as more zombie-like humans began to appear. They were all remarkably similar to the zombie that Keji had just seen but from the looks of it they could do nothing against the mechanical weapons of war.
Though how long would that last before something changed? That was an answer Keji was not willing to wait around for.
"Come on, you guys let's go!" He urged them as the two others regained their bearings. Dropping the bags that they had just purchased, the trio began to run in the opposite direction and to wherever the nearest evacuation site was.
But as they were running away, the brown haired student threw one last look behind his back to see the blood splotch on the concrete street, his mind thinking back to what had just occurred in what felt like the span of a couple of minutes.
"What in the hell is going on here?!"
Back in her office, Cocolia was not in a great mood. "Dammit!" She slammed her fist onto the wooden surface of her desk, slightly cracking it. Despite her hand screaming in pain from her display of anger, the blond woman's attention was solely on the map of Nagazora.
Within a blink of an eye she had lost more than half of her squadrons, and that wasn't accounting for those that were facing a slow and painful death by honkai corruption.
"They knew this was going to happen the entire time?!" Was this supposed to be some kind of cruel joke? "Did they know Mei was going to be the Herrscher this entire time?!"
She had been so blind to the warnings, they were literally right in front of this entire time. Why did she think that Ryoma's daughter was just a mere bargaining piece when in fact she was the very thing she was aiming to create?
Had she been the fool this entire time?!
While Cocolia continued to try and salvage this mess, Bronya was still at her spot on the rooftop as she watched 'Mei' slowly stand up.
"Ah, freedom at last," The dark purple haired girl smiled malevolently, her dark blue eyes having been replaced by a dark, almost pink, hue. The air around her seemed to be electrically charged, with brief instances of lightning flashing around the girl.
The being's eyes looked to the surrounding area, where not a living soul was in sight. Even from her vantage point Bronya could not see traces of anyone. None of the squads that served under her Matsuhka, nor the regular people who had happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time…
She could not even see a hint of where Haruto could be.
Had the Honkai energy in the area so great that he simply ceased to…
The petite Russian girl shook her head to clear it from that grim thought. He couldn't be dead, not after all that he had done for Mei. Someone like that didn't deserve to experience such a horrible ending.
Unfortunately for Bronya, she would not be given much more time to contemplate what might've happened to her redhead friend as the person, that was most definitely not Mei, lifted her hands up.
"Rejoice humanity, for your salvation has come." The space around the girl's right side began to glow as purple ephemeral wings came into existence. "I shall free you from your pitiful existence, free you from the clutches of sorrow and despair!"
The wings fully manifested into existence, the purple lightning dancing across them as they slowly began to ascend its master.
"For I, the Herrscher of Thunder, that shall cleanse this world of all of its imperfections."
Bronya's gray eyes widened at that revelation. Mei nee-sama, the kindest person that she had ever met, the Herrscher of Thunder? No that couldn't be right, this was just some cruel nightmare that she had yet to wake up from.
Yet the proof that this all was very much real was right in front of her. To the darkening clouds, to the Herrscher's voice, to the authority that even as far as she was could feel bearing down on her.
Once the Herrscher of Thunder had ascended a few feet into the air, she raised an arm straight upward. "I shall envelop this world in a storm so massive, that not even the sun itself may pierce it's embrace." The clouds rumbled ominously with the sound of thunder at her words, conveying that she indeed had the power to do so.
Opening her hand a purple streak of lightning suddenly shot out from the sky. It landed perfectly into her open palm before she closed her fingers around it, the intensity of her lightning bolt growing even fiercer as she turned it into an instrument of her will.
"And when my storm delivers the judgment of God itself on this wretched planet, humanity will finally-!" The Herrscher was cut short when her other free hand suddenly shot upward and grabbed the wrist of her other hand, resulting in the lightning bolt to dissipate into nothing.
"No!" Much to Bronya's shock, the Herrscher's red pink eyes had turned back into a familiar hue of dark blue. "I won't let you!"
"Tsk, stubborn girl!" Her eyes turned back into a red pink as Mei's face shifted into a scowl. "Why do you still resist me?! You hate humanity as much as I do, so why do you wish to protect them!?"
The girl let out a distorted scream, a mix of both Mei's and the Herrscher's voice, as the two souls tried to wrestle control over the body. "Not all of humanity is bad! There are those who show the best of it!"
"Why you-!"
Then without warning the Herrscher fell silent as Mei's body suddenly went slack, her eyes rolling up before they closed. The energy wings dissipated as well which resulted in the dark purple haired girl to slowly fall back to the ground.
And throughout that entire struggle Bronya watched it all. Seeing Mei's body gracefully slump onto the ground, it was there that the gray haired girl made a decision.
"Bronya you need to return back here immediate-," Cocolia's words were cut short when the snipper closed the communication channel between them.
"Forgive me Matsuhka," Bronya made a silent apology as she ditched the sniper rifle and raced to the rooftop access door. "But Mei nee-sama needs me."
Opening the door with ferocious strength, she raced down the stairs at lightning speed. So much so that she was able to reach the ground floor of the building that she was in with supreme ease.
Exiting the staircase, Bronya raced to the front exit only to encounter a lone obstacle. For what stood between her and the door was a lone human succumbing to the effects of the honkai, evident by the purple lines currently spreading throughout their skin.
Hearing her arrival, the zombie turned to face her and was about to raise its arms in an attempt to chase after her.
Unfortunately for it, Bronya was faster.
"Project Bunny 19C," She spoke emotionlessly as the air behind her began to shimmer. "Eliminate the obstacle."
Manifesting behind her, a floating mech that was bigger than the petite girl readied its hands. With lightning fast speed the foreboding looking robot dispatched the zombie, only needing one good strike with its fist to take it out.
And Bronya had hardly flinched from the show of violence.
Barely sparing the fallen zombie any thought, she kicked the door wide open and ran into the open street. Already she could see the effects of the Honkai radiation as the surrounding buildings and those who were unfortunate enough to be in the area were slowly falling to its corruption.
Remembering how to get to the street where Mei had just been, Bronya made a beeline straight there.
But not without making an important call first.
She activated her ear communicator and dialed a very specific number. After waiting for the person on the other line to pick up, Bronya spoke.
"Kiana, Mei nee-sama needs us."
Some kilometers off the coast of Nagazora, there laid a sizable fleet of Anti-Entropy warships. Ever since it was revealed that the city would eventually become ground-zero of a Herrscher awakening it had become imperative that they were readily prepared for it.
Ranging from ships fully manned by both personnel and mechs, to ships with fully loaded arsenals that could level an entire countryside, they had spared no expense in their defense preparations.
And at the head of this fearsome fleet was the Battleship Hyakuren, one of AE's top of the line battleships that also served as a front-line command base. It was only in extreme situations that Einstein would ever find herself sitting in the ship's war room.
But what was going down right now was most certainly an 'extreme situation'.
In the war room the cyan haired scientist and her colleague watched as a massive digital display that took up an entire side of the room showed the current state of Nagazora. Down below the pair were numerous operators constantly updating the information or issuing new orders to those on the front line.
"Confirmed evacuation of the Art District!"
"Mecha Squadron Alpha engaging a horde of zombies!"
"Scouts are reporting Honkai Beasts are now starting to manifest!"
"Rasputin at location Zeta has begun to lose its integrity!"
"Defenses at the National Airport are still holding!"
"Evacuation site Zulu reports the transports at their location are full. They are requesting additional transports!"
Einstein looked to the operator who had just said that. "Granted, allocate transports from our reserves and arrange for a flight squadron to escort them to the evacuation site." She ordered, the operator nodding in confirmation before she turned back to her terminal to complete the task.
The cyan haired scientist shifted her attention to a different operator. "What is the status of locating the source of the Eruption?"
The operator sadly shook their head. "Ever since the initial eruption the source we believed to have triggered it has gone dark, despite our best efforts we have been unable to find it."
That was…not good. "Continue monitoring Nagazora, with luck we'll be able to locate the source." The operator nodded, which left Einstein to stew in her own thoughts.
Was the decision of not telling them that what they were facing was not some random Honkai event but rather a Herrscher awakening a bad one to make? It most probably was but if she had gone along and told everyone then it was only a matter of time before the identity of the Herrscher was revealed.
And Mei's life would be forfeit.
That could not be allowed to happen.
But at the same time, she had an obligation to the world. To defend it from the threats of the Honkai and by allowing Mei to live she was further jeopardizing the fallout of this event.
Decisions, decisions…
"What if she somehow entered a quantum realm?" Tesla pointed out next to her. If that had occurred then the cage that they had created Nagazora to be would become ultimately useless."Mophead shouldn't we…?
"No, unless Haruto fails only then will we come in." She affirmed. The scientist wasn't going to put all of her blind trust in the red headed teenager. Even if his words were sound, especially now when everything he had said had come to pass, that didn't mean she was going to sit idly by.
It was for that very reason this fleet was amassed should the worst case scenario happen.
"But what if he…" The red haired scientist trailed off, not needing to elaborate what she meant.
For both Tesla's and her sake she hoped that was not the case. "...Ishigami-san trusts him," She hated the doubt that she felt at her own words. All of their attempts to reach either of them had ended in failure. The implications of what that meant was something she was not willing to entertain. "As such I will continue to place my faith in him.
Tesla looked at her and looked like she wanted to say something. However at the last minute she smiled and nodded her head. "If that's what you think is for the best Mophead, then I trust you."
Einstein smiled and gave a small nod of gratitude at her colleague's words. If there was anyone that the scientist could trust to have her back it would be Tesla. 'Thank you' she mouthed to which the red haired scientist mouthed back 'No problem Mophead'.
However the tender moment between the two of them would quickly be lost as the reality of why they were here quickly set back in. The war room blared a bright red, a signal only used to indicate a new enemy presence.
"Report!" She quickly barked out to the operators.
"Ma'am a Schicksal battleship has been detected making a beeline to Nagazora." An operator replied as Einstein cursed under her breath at that revelation. Of course Schicksal would somehow intervene, it would be foolish to think otherwise.
What she hadn't accounted for was how fast this response was from them.
"ETA?" She asked as her mind tried to think of a way to respond to this new development. Schicksal did not know the information that they had so they would be aiming to kill the Herrscher instead of trying to save the host.
And that was something she could not allow. Perhaps she could use the fleet they had amassed to somehow stall the Schicksal response long enough for the situation to change in their favor.
"Uh…I'm seeing something that doesn't make any sense." The operator turned around to look at the cyan haired scientist in confusion. "It's...over the mainland?"
Looking back at the massive displayed map, the new development updated it to show a red triangle currently flying over Japan at a speed that should be alarming for a battleship.
Being knowledgeable about all current Schicksal projects, it didn't take long for her to realize what the battleship was. "The Hyperion, so Asplund finally helped them finish it." She cursed as things couldn't get any worse now. As much as it pained her to admit it, the Hyperion could be able to match their entire assfleet.
Such was the technological marvel that was the flying battleship.
"What do we do ma'am?" The operator asked. "Should we scramble our fighters and intercept?
Just as she was about to give an answer the cyan haired scientist promptly realized that every operator was now looking at her, turning away from their tasks as they desperately waited for her answer.
And for good reason too. Should she order the dispatch of fighter jets to intercept the Hyperion it would signify their first open conflict against Schicksal since the events of the Second Eruption. The relationship between the two organizations could be summarized like a Cold War, never openly attacking the other but finding ways to strike at the other.
This act could spark an open war.
"No," She replied and she could feel the room collectively sigh in relief. "Continue to evacuate the citizens, that remains our top priority." She ordered. "Let Schicksal do what they wish, whatever they do will only be aiding us."
The operators all gave a 'yes ma'am!" before they returned back to their posts. With that resolved the Anti-Entropy leader looked back to the map, watching as the red triangle representing the Hyperion got closer and closer to Nagazora. "Haruto, wherever you are…" She mumbled under her breath.
"You better do something soon."
"AHH!" I yelled as I shot up from my position, sweat clinging to my skin.
"Finally awake are you? Took you long enough," Hyperion's dry tone had me looking to him to see the hooded spirit sitting next to me, his elbow plopped on his leg and resting his chin on his hand.
"H-Hyperion?!" One of my arms went instantly to my shoulder, the same shoulder that I had gotten shot in. To my utter relief there was no bleeding wound to be touched.
"This is your mind, remember." He motioned to the water realm that Apollo usually used to talk to me in. Though it was quickly apparent that the one who called this realm home was not presently here. "Physical wounds won't carry over unless it deals some sort of irreparable damage to your psyche."
"Is that so…" I trailed off, trying to figure what exactly could be considered 'irreparable' damage.
But that thought quickly flew out the window when what I had just gone through came rushing back to me. "You have to send me back Hyperion!" I pleaded desperately to the hooded spirit. "Mei's in trouble and I need to help her!"
Unfortunately they just shook their head. "No can do."
"And why is that?!" I demanded.
Hyperion merely sighed before they pointed behind me.
Following his finger's direction, I turned around to see a massive purple spire of energy. Tendrils of what I presumed to be honkai energy were slowly growing into the sky with each passing second, extending outward like the branches of a tree.
And with how clear and tranquil this realm once looked like, it only added to the terrifying sight.
Looking down, I brought up my hand to see honkai lines slowly progressing through it. Whenever the spire grew so too did the lines in my hand.
"She awakened…didn't she?" I didn't even need Hyperion's words to answer my question. There was only one possible reason for what I was seeing. After all this time…it's finally happened.
The Third Honkai Eruption.
But with that revelation came a horrifying realization. "A-Am I…dead?" I slowly turned back around to face Hyperion, knowing I had no way of surviving being next to the epicenter of a Herrscher awakening.
Because without a stigma or natural honkai resistance the smallest exposure to it was going to infect me.
"You are…?" They unsurely replied, bringing their arms up in the process. "I suppose we should start off with how this all started out in the first place, getting shot in the shoulder. As painful as that was, it would've taken at least another five to ten minutes for you to bleed out."
They unfolded a second figure. "Then dear ole Herrscher of Thunder awakens and the force of the awakening shot your body down a few good streets. And it wasn't a very calm force that moved you I can assure you that."
Then they brought out a third finger. "After your body ragdolled for a few seconds from a force strong enough to flip a car then the Honkai radiation hit your unresponsive body and began to corrupt your body."
"Yet despite all that shit happening to your body, a part of you still hung on." They spread their arms out to show the situation that they were in now. "Don't ask me how that works out but let's just say we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."
Though…" The hooded spirit shifted his attention to the ever growing spire of Honkai energy. "How long that will continue for I have no idea."
"I-Isn't there something we can do?" I implored desperately "I don't know…anything?"
They just sadly shook their head at my question. "Not really."
But I wasn't going to accept that simple answer, not after everything that had happened. All the trials that we had to go through in order to get here. I refused to believe that we went through all of that only to stumble and fall at the final moment!
There had to be a way to get out of this situation!
"You can't do anything," Apollo's voice came into the conversation. "This is the end of the line for us."
Hearing the once supportive spirit's voice now made my hand clench into a fist. He out of all people had no right to say that, no after how he acted when Mei got ostracized. "And what would you know about that Ap-…" I whirled around, ready to give him a piece of my mind.
Only to trail off as I saw a perfect mirror of myself staring back at me. "You're…me?" Those were the only words I could have said in that kind of situation.
"Surprised?" He smirks as motions to his- our body.
"...Would it be hurtful if I said not that much." I told him truthfully. "I had a feeling that you were somehow related to me."
He raised an eyebrow to my response. "Oh? What gave it away?"
"It was during our first meetings in the beginning of all of this," I thought back to my first experiences with the spirit. "The way you spoke, the way you tried to steer me, it kind of felt like you knew what kind of paths only I could take. And the only way I could think of that being possible is that you had some kind of insider knowledge."
"Perceptive." Complimented my twin. "To answer your question I am the original Haruto Nakamura, the one that belongs to the universe you knew of originally, the captain of the battleship Hyperion, the one you know from the game Honkai Impact 3rd."
Huh, he was surprisingly taking the fact that he was from a video game series very well. "I would want nothing more than to interrogate you about you hiding this all from me but we don't have time for that right now," I turned back to face the spire of Honkai energy.
"But with you here now we can think of a way to get out of this situation." I turned to face the spire of honkai energy with a hopeful look. "I'm sure that the three of us working together can quickly figure out a solution."
But it seems that fate had other plans for me. "...I would love nothing more than to help you but fate has forced my hand." The captain's voice was low, so low in fact that it had me turning back around to look at him for elaboration.
"What do you…"
Apollo's identical hazel eyes narrowed seriously as I watched his face go blank. "Forgive me Haruto…"
"But for the future of this world, I cannot allow you to leave this place."
So yeah…lot's of things are happening. Some of them are good, some of them not so good for our plot…
A lot of POVs happening here, I hope you guys liked all the different viewpoints in this event that we were all waiting for to happen. Don't have alot to say here but are you ready for the end of this saga?
All your reviews for the previous chapters were really surprising to me, as I was not expecting such good reviews from you guys. You must've really liked that Mei scene.
It certainly helped me get through the weekend where I found out I was positive with Covid, I'm good now but your support really helped me out.
So yeah…nothing else much to say, curious to see how you guys react to this chapter.
Welp that's all for this chapter. If you enjoyed it, drop a fav/follow/kudos as they really help me out with creating great chapters. Reviews are deeply appreciated and if you have a question or a really interesting theory I am more than happy to reply. Please be patient if I don't respond to you super fast. Even if I don't respond to your comment for whatever reason, know that I read each and every one of them!
Peace!