May 15th, 1:30 pm,
"So, you ended up talking with my father?"
It had been a few days since Phillip spoke to Ryoma and Siegfried over the phone. The heat of the year was slowly climbing as they grew ever closer to the swelting heat of summer. The sun bared down on them as the two made their way to their next class.
It had also been a while since Himeko took Kiana on the mission she demanded. Kiana, for her part, seemed rather excited by the prospect and promised both Mei and Phillip she'd come back "greater and better than ever" and asked them to prepare a feast for her return. Both Mei and Phillip promptly ignored this and gave Kiana luck with the mission.
As the two managed the few days with little interruption for once, the classes that Himeko was meant to teach were held together by the history teacher, Mr. Nokiavirtanen. So, whenever the students had his and Himeko's class back-to-back, the students could talk with him for notes on whichever classes they needed. This was where Phillip, Mei, Bronya, and Yuna found themselves in the middle of.
During the transition of classes, without Kiana to direct conversation, either fighting with Bronya or flirting with the two eldest people of the group, silence befell the four reserved students as they crossed the cobblestone sidewalk. After a few minutes of silence, Phillip tried to spark conversation and ended up alerting her of his talk of her father. This brought Mei's attention from her musings, and asked the question.
"Sort of," Phillip admitted. "He was an addition when I was talking to another associate of his. I didn't talk with him directly."
"Oh, okay," Mei said sullenly, looking back out towards the sea of students in front of her. Another second of silence came and passed before she continued. "What did you talk about?"
Phillip flushed slightly at this, knowing the requests that the two fathers left him weren't something Mei needed to know about. Scratching his head in embarrassment, he decided on a white lie to tell instead.
"Nothing much. Just wanted to know how you were."
"Oh," Mei said, letting out a sigh that Phillip caught was made in relief. "I thought it would be something more embarrassing, honestly."
Phillip lost his flush at this, and curiosity replaced his embarrassment. "What do you mean by that?"
This time, Mei was the one to blush. "O-oh, it's nothing! The last time my father and I talked, he learned about the relationship between you, me, and Kiana-chan. He wasn't too happy about Kiana-chan, saying she was the spawn of, and I quote, 'a buffoon'. However, when talking about you, he deemed you worthy and..."
She trailed off as her blush flooded her face and steam flowed out of her ears. Phillip, realizing her conversation may have ended similarly to his own, didn't push further and settled back into silence.
As the group managed to grow close to the building where their next class would occur, an alarm suddenly rang out from the center of campus, loud enough to alert the entire campus and, possibly, all of Soukai City. As several students covered their ears to silence the blaring sound from themselves, the wind began pounding down upon them. Phillip dared a glance up and was met with the massive hull of the Hyperion airship flying over them. He watched as the ship drifted to the western side of the island before floating down to land in the water and dock against its designated area.
Soon, the alarm dissipated, and the students released their ears to the now-still air around them. Several of the smarter students followed through with their walk, while others stood by to gawk and talk about the sudden appearance of the heavy-weapons airship. Phillip, deciding to get to the bottom of the situation, ran to the front of the group and to Mr. Nokiavirtanen, who looked towards the ship with a gloomy expression.
"Mr. Nokiavirtanen, what happened?"
The history teacher looked at him for a brief second, gloomy expression still in play, before he explained. "The alarm was meant for the medical team, an alert that was meant to tell us that someone was coming home heavily wounded... or worse. Considering that the Hyperion is captained by our beloved Himeko Murata, it's likely that..."
Phillip didn't wait to hear the rest of what Joachim was going to say. He quickly summoned a clone to deal with Mei and the others and quickly sped off to the ship.
2 seconds later, Coastal Docking Station for the Hyperion,
Phillip entered the docking building with a speed of a bullet, startling the casual people that almost crossed his path. He climbed up the stories until he reached the top floor, where a luxurious lounge area was, and an elongated white bridge reached out into the lake and connected with the drifting ship. Phillip would have started down the bridge if he didn't see what he needed almost immediately.
Halfway down the bridge, a group of doctors and nurses came running down the bridge towards him. In the middle of the group was a medical bed, clattering about as it was wheeled alongside the team, that carried a body in it. Phillip first thought it to be Kiana and prepared to rush forward again, but a second glance revealed this to be false.
Kiana was trailing right behind the team, an expression of distress written on her face as she kept up with the medical team. She looked scuffed and had plenty of bruises from the encounters the mission entailed, but nothing serious.
With the prospect of Kiana's injuries or of his mind, Phillip straightened himself out to run a heart count. The Hyperion's crew would have stayed back to ensure proper landing etiquette had been performed, with the XO running that shift. Himeko would be forced to return to school quickly to give Theresa her report, but the captain was nowhere to be seen. Deciding on an explanation, Phillip waited until the medical team ran by him to sneak a glance at the bed.
It was indeed Himeko, eyes closed as if she was resting. Her fake skin was corroding into the gray, putrid skin of the zombies Phillip fought back in Nagazora. He didn't stop the team from leaving but quickly held out his hand to Kiana from going too far. She struggled against his hold for a few minutes, desperate to follow the doctors to make sure her teacher was okay, but soon realized who it was that held her back.
"Kiana, what happened?" Phillip asked, deciding to not beat around the bush.
Kiana stuttered about a little, stammering out some parts about how nothing happened, or that she was strong enough that she took care of everything. When several of these worthless excuses that flew out of her mouth showed to be ineffective on Phillip, she quickly devolved into tears and whined instead. Phillip pulled her into a hug, allowing her to soak his shoulder with tears as the two sunk down to their knees.
"I-I'm sorry!" Kiana cried out as she wrapped her arms around Phillip. "I messed up on the mission and almost killed Aunt Himeko!"
Phillip could tell what happened on the mission from the way she spoke. He had felt similarly many times in the past: guilt of not being enough when it mattered. Instead of trying to explain this to her immediately, Phillip simply gave her a slightly stronger hug and continued to sit with her as she cried openly.
After a few minutes, once Kiana's eyes were out of tears, Phillip decided to speak. "Kiana, you can't blame yourself whenever something wrong happens on a mission. Whatever happened, it's out of your control, so don't let it eat you up."
"B-but she got hurt protecting me."
"That was her choice then. Himeko sees something in you that she's willing to protect."
Kiana pulled herself from Phillip's shoulder and dried the rest of her tears with her hand, a frown on her face. "Dad always said Kaslanas are supposed to protect their loved ones. Shouldn't I- ow!" Kiana's hands quickly abandoned her eyes to caress the new bump on her head, courtesy of Phillip's chop.
"Don't ever hold the idea that you're the only one allowed to protect people," Phillip chided as he pulled himself back to his feet. "There's plenty of people who think the world of you, so don't degrade yourself to self-sacrifice."
Kiana pouted at this and looked down at her knees. Phillip took this to mean that his words were likely to be ignored in the future, so he sighed and held a hand out for her. Kiana noticed the gesture and looked up at him with curiosity.
"Come on, let's go check up on Himeko."
Campus Hospital, 3:30 pm,
The trip to the medical ward was uneventful. Phillip and Kiana met up with Mei and the others after class (Phillip promised to make up for missing the class to Mr. Nokiavirtanen), and, together, walked over there as Phillip explained the situation to the others. Mei and Yuri were the more shocked about the events, while Bronya simply looked slightly more serious than before.
Once they reached the room Himeko was held, they were asked to stay outside the room, the doctors not allowing anyone close enough to determine the damages. Phillip, however, was able to bypass the security thanks to his enhanced hearing. He heard them confirming the likelihood of zombification and utilizing several different serums in order to lower Himeko's Honkai levels.
From what he could tell, it was going smoothly but slowly, and he alerted the others as such. Mei and Yuri audibly sighed in relief at the news, and Bronya calmed herself back to normal. The only one that didn't was Kiana, who curled herself into a ball on the steel bench outside Himeko's doors. Mei and Phillip shared a look and settled themselves down at either side of the sulking girl.
Minutes flung themselves by, then hours soon after. When it came time, Mei excused herself to return to the dorm to start dinner. She gave Kiana and Phillip a hug, something that was returned in full, before setting off with Bronya and Yuri behind her. With their departure, time flew by even faster, causing Kiana to slump off to sleep as she leaned against Phillip's shoulder.
A few minutes passed before another person came down the hallway. Phillip, playing on his phone and internet surfing to pass the time, looked up to find Mr. Nokiavirtanen had joined the two, a green Schicksal jacket over his white button-up shirt.
"Hope I'm not intruding," Mr. Nokiavirtanen said, jerking his head at Kiana, who was still passed out.
"You're fine, Mr. Nokiavirtanen," Phillip said. "What brings you here?"
The professor rubbed the back of his neck at this. "Himeko and I... have some history with each other. I just wanted to make sure she's okay."
Phillip scanned over the words, finding something fishy about it. Deciding the most probable result, he voiced the thought. "Bad date?"
The man blanched at the idea. "Oh, dear god, no. No, we weren't past lovers of any kind." Phillip frowned deeply at this, trying to discern the nature of the history between the two teachers, and opened his mouth to continue the mini-interrogation.
However, at that moment, Kiana woke up with a start and a gasp, flinging herself from Phillip's shoulder. She quickly sat up, eyes hidden by her bangs, and then stood up just as fast to run down the hallway before Phillip could ask her what was wrong.
Phillip slumped back into the bench with a sigh, knowing he would have to confront the girl about her dreams at some point. Before he could contemplate his future actions, Phillip was stopped as Mr. Nokiavirtanen let out a strangled cough.
"Well, I suppose you haven't heard much news about her condition, so I'll be on my way." The professor quickly made his getaway, following the same path Kiana took. Phillip watched him leave until the doors flung open and then slumped further into the seat.
"You know, if you're so torn up about Kiana's sadness, you could just take care of Himeko's condition now."
Phillip shook his head at this. "Himeko will be fine." However, as Phillip closed his eyes to think about his next move with Kiana, the girl's grief-stricken face came to the forefront, causing his heart to constrict. This told him his answer to the matter was decided as soon as Kiana returned from the mission.
In the emergency room where Himeko was,
"Hey! What are you doing in here?!"
The medical room of Himeko's was pure white from top to bottom, with the only difference in color being the blue screens of the many monitors that filled the place. In between the door was a massive machine with many wide wires going into the bed Himeko was laid on. The metallic bed was longer than it was wide, had a bar scan that hovered over the patient's chest area, and had an open slot near the head.
Phillip slipped silently in between the bed and the machine, right where Himeko's arm was laid outstretched by her body. He reached out to touch his wrist, but one of the scientists that were analyzing screens turned to Himeko and spotted him. This led to the current confrontation.
Phillip raised his free hand to his mouth to shush the doctors, all of which were now staring him down. "I'm about to make this a lot easier for you guys." With that, he grabbed Himeko's wrist, and his hand glowed with translucent white light. As time passed, Himeko's skin shifted back to normal with not even the slightest signs of zombification. Several of the doctors let out gasps while the others checked the monitors to be safe.
They all said the same thing: Himeko was no longer in any danger.
"This is amazing!" Several doctors shouted in celebration at the sudden. They were so focused on their tiny celebration that they didn't notice Phillip leaving until the doors closed behind him.
As soon as Phillip left the room, he activated the Flying Raijin seal to immediately teleport from the place to the rooftop. Upon reaching it, he stumped off his feet into a heap, huffing and puffing labored breaths as his skin began graying the same way Himeko's was a minute ago. Before it reached the middle of his face and completely turn him, it stopped and then quickly receded.
"Congratulations, you've not only saved Himeko from her current issues but also extended her life by a couple of years."
Phillip let out a dry chuckle and pulled himself to his feet. "Yeah, that should teach me to interrupt a doctor's work from this point forward." He stretched out his body, the sudden zombification stressing his body into stiffness. "Though, that's an odd way of learning about your teacher's lifespan."
"True, but I think we need to address something slightly more problematic: the energy. I can't erase it from this world, thanks to my own limits due to needing your body to act. I'll have to displace it."
Phillip had a feeling this was going to be the case. While Gabriel could bypass the normal laws of energy, that needed him to be at full capacity, which wasn't possible if the angel resided in Phillip. This meant that Gabriel would need to place it somewhere else on the same plane of existence and, seeing the nature of Honkai energy, Phillip would need to deal with it at some point as a creature later.
'Fine. I'll track it down at some point.'
"Please do."
5:30 pm, Himeko's apartment,
Phillip closed the dorm door silently and pulled off his shoes before he moved deeper into the apartment. Turning the corner, he noticed the four schoolgirls at the dining room table with a vast feast set up before them. Mei, Bronya, and Yuna took their normal portions, while Kiana seemed stuck on her single bowl when she would have downed at least six by now. Phillip sat across from Mei and beside Kiana, prompting the former to immediately start making him a bowl of rice before he waved down from it.
"Has anyone gotten word about Himeko's condition?"
Everyone seized up at Phillip's question. Mei and Bronya exchanged looks while Kiana placed her bowl on the table. Yuna didn't react, as she had minimal interactions with the teacher, but kept her silence in the gloomy mood.
Mei turned her attention to Phillip. "Wouldn't you be more informed on her condition?"
"I didn't stay long after Kiana left," Phillip lied. "Once everyone filed out, I decided to train some more. So, I'm as out of the loop as you all are."
"Well, we-"
Mei shut her mouth upon hearing the apartment door open. Everyone except Kiana spun around to see who would come through, some in the hope of one specific person. Kiana kept her eyes down at her bowl instead.
Their answer came in the form of Theresa Apocalypse, who entered the living room while trying to hide a comic book and a large wine bottle behind her back. As soon as her eyes met the other students, she startled herself into a coughing fit.
"H-Hey, you four! I see you all are doing better than before."
"How's Himeko?" Phillip asked, guessing the principal's reason for visiting. "We know she was getting better, but we don't know how far she's gotten."
Theresa slumped over at this. "Really? You guys ruined my super-awesome reveal and everything," She straightened herself and walked over to the table everyone was to place down her two items. "Well, whatever happened on the mission wasn't that bad, as she cleared up super-quickly. She'll be back on her feet before the end of the day."
Mei let out a sigh, shooting a look over at Kiana. "That's good."
"I guess," Theresa said off-handedly, raising her hand to cup her chin in faux contemplation. "Honestly, I wanted her hospitalized a bit longer to get her to behave, but the bimbo recovered too quickly."
Deciding not to point out the obvious way those words could be taken, Phillip looked over the items Theresa brought with her. "So, you wanted to celebrate the occasion with comic books and wine?"
Theresa retched at the last part. "Ew, no! I brought bitter melon juice, not alcohol!"
"Alright," Phillip replied as he tried to stifle his gag. Bronya seemed unfazed by this, picking up the bottle and taking chugs from it. Mei tried to slow Bronya from her drinks while Yuna looked impressed by Bronya's boldness. Meanwhile, Kiana did a bit more than mop into her bowl by standing up from the table and moving to the other side to Theresa.
"Aunt Teri, could you help me train some more?"
Theresa looked at her in confusion. "Isn't Durandal helping you with your training? Should you talk with her about that?"
"I did, but... she said I'm doing too much at my level already," Kiana admitted with a pout before clasping her hands together. "Please, Aunt Theresa! I don't wanna mess up any more missions!"
Theresa pressed her cheek into her hand to ponder. "Well, that's odd for that girl. Normally, she's all about going over the top with training." Theresa shook off her confusion and placed her hands on her waist, a smile of confidence on her face. "But, if you're so willing to train till you drop, I've got some hellish training for you to do!"
Kiana's enthusiasm for her training quickly diminished at this. "Um... could we do something a little normal instead?"
Theresa quickly shot this down with a shake of her head. "If you want to stop messing around on missions, you must do this. So, let's go!" The short, minuscule principal grabbed her much taller niece and started dragging her off but stopped before getting past the living room couch to look back at Phillip. "Why don't you come with us? The training is gonna happen in that place Gab told you about."
Phillip raised a brow at this and contacted Gabriel about this. 'Should I? I know you're trying to keep the events needed, so...'
"Today was the day you were meant to see it, so you tell me."
Phillip nodded at this and looked at Theresa. "I'll come with, more to ensure Kiana doesn't bite off too much." Kiana sent him a pout, which he ignored to talk to the other three. "You guys stay here. If Himeko returns, she might need some help going through the door."
Mei stood up to argue against it, but Bronya stopped her by speaking first. "Da. Bronya wished to train Mei-oneesama in the art of video gaming today." Once again, Mei tried to object, but Bronya quickly moved to her side and dragged her past Phillip, Kiana, and Theresa into the living room to start up the game. Mei shot the three a worried glance but resigned herself to the fate Bronya desired.
Phillip shook his head and looked at Yuna, who stayed in her seat during the entire thing. "I'm sure that you're free to join them." She shuffled in the chair for a second, contemplating her decision, before she got up and relocated to sit on the couch behind the two players.
Phillip let out a brief sigh before he turned back to the principal. "So, where are we going?" The wide smile on her face sent a chill down his spine.
"Oh, just under the church. On the way, I've got some questions to ask you."
6:30 pm, underneath the Church of St. Freya,
"I didn't do anything."
Thankfully, the journey toward the church was uneventful because they moved out under the dark of night, and everyone retired to their quarters. Once they reached the church, Theresa brought them towards a hidden door near the entrance staircase. As they walked through the door and down a long, narrow hallway and a short sleight of stairs, they reached their destination as a brilliant and blinding light shone from an entrance at the end.
As Phillip blinked away the light, he was met with a vast dome arena, colored gold and white from top to bottom. At the top, the four golden pillars that stood at the sides met in the middle of the roof, splitting it into four massive lights that beamed down on the occupants, with several smaller lights surrounding them.
As Kiana and Phillip got used to the lighting, Theresa latched a hand on Phillip's wrist and pulled him to a gray steel door to their immediate right. She pointed Kiana to another entrance, a place to change into her battlesuit, while the principal started up the room.
Another climb later, Theresa and Phillip wound up in a gray box of a control room with blue panels as controls and three windows peering into the room from the right of where they stood.
Phillip quickly memorized the place and looked back at Theresa, who spun around to him and looked at him with stern eyes and crossed arms. Knowing exactly what she would ask, Phillip told her this lie instead.
Theresa wasn't convinced and raised a brow at this. "So, my doctors, who told me that some kid did some super magic to Himeko to save her, were lying to my face and had some incredible medicine lying around. Is that what you're saying?"
"Possibly."
"You're an idiot," Theresa sighed before pointing at him. "Now, show me the damage."
This time, Phillip raised an eyebrow at the principal. "What makes you think there's damage." When Theresa responded by lifting her fist and pulling out a finger, he knew he had screwed up.
"One, Hyperion cameras caught you healing Kiana of a big gash and then one opening on your back. Two, several students documenting and reporting you healing them, and then you appear with similar injuries, and three, Gabriel told me."
'Really?'
"Hey, it might just keep you alive here."
Phillip scowled at this and complied with Theresa's demand by taking off his jacket and showing her his forearm. She twisted it around and bent some times to get a good look, then pushed up his sleeve for good measure. When she found nothing unusual, Theresa dropped his arm with a satisfied nod.
"Well, I guess Gabriel took care of it, so I'll drop it for now," Theresa said stiffly as if offended by the results somehow. "However, I'll ask you to forgo healing anyone that way for now. I want my warriors at the top of their game."
"Yeah, yeah," Phillip groaned as he rolled down his sleeves and put his jacket back on. "So, how does this all work."
"I'll tell you once Kiana gets into position." Theresa approached the panel before the middle window and began tapping away. The operation system glowed slightly, showing it had turned on just in time for Kiana to walk out in her White Comet battlesuit. She was stretching it out, grumbling about something, but returned to being just in front of the entrance.
"Alright, Kiana," Theresa called, her voice blasting out of hidden loudspeakers from somewhere in the arena. "Normally, a trainee wouldn't be allowed battlesuits, and A-ranks would take three months to get used to them. We breached protocol to get them to you, but you haven't practiced with them long, mostly due to school needs instead. So, we're gonna fast-pace your progress."
"And how, exactly, are you going to accomplish that?" Phillip asked, interested in the process.
Kiana, however, was locked on something else entirely. "We better! I don't have three months to get stronger!"
Theresa smirked at this. "That's why you're in my special training cabin, Kiana. As for how this place scans your brain for strong opponents and makes images of them to fight." With this said Theresa pressed the screen before her to start the process.
Phillip, however, paled extremely at this revelation and decided not to indulge in the training process. "Yeah, I think I'll stick to my original training, thank you."
Theresa looked at him with an incredulous look. "Oh, come on. I doubt anything you've fought is that bad."
"I know about gods who can erase existences with their presence alone," Phillip said, staring wide-eyed back at Theresa. "I know solar-powered aliens that can clap a universe to dust, a person that can run faster than death and time themselves, and a raging beast that could stomp out all species on this planet. I'm not entering that place if they come out with even a fraction of the power they could possess."
Theresa began to sweat at the prospect of these beings coming to life and focused solely on Kiana's training instead. Once the machine picked Kiana's first enemy, several chains quickly wrapped around Kiana to restrain her as a virtual recreation of Sakura appeared on the battlefield.
"...Why did chains come out? Sakura doesn't use chains to fight, just her swords."
Theresa shrugged at Phillip's question. "Probably something connected to Sakura that made Kiana think of it. Don't ask me how Kiana's memories work." The two simply decided to watch Kiana and see how she'd get out of this.
Meanwhile, back at the apartment,
Mei wouldn't call herself anything that resembled a "gamer." While she had played some video games when she was younger, later life needs quickly snuffed out the hobby so she could handle the schedules given to her. Any time she had at home was dedicated to homework and learning kenjutsu.
So, saying Bronya slaughtered her during the gaming session would be an understatement.
"I'm losing for the 23rd time!" Mei cried as she tried to fight back against Bronya's onslaught and failed miserably. "I can't win against Bronya-chan at all!"
As Mei cast aside her controller in acceptance of her defeat, Bronya reached over sneakily to press a button on it, causing Mei's character to activate their ultimate attack and achieve victory. Mei was surprised at the outcome, but a rush of excitement and euphoria quickly swallowed it away.
"I won against Bronya-chan!" Mei yelled happily with an outstretched cheer. This cheer quickly diminished into confusion when she realized something and turned the controller in her hands. "What did I press to perform her super attack?" Bronya didn't answer, only looking at her with a faint smile.
Suddenly, a knock came from the entrance door. Mei stood up quickly to address it but stopped before reaching her full height. She promptly picked up her controller and handed it to Yuna, who was still curled into a ball on the couch as she watched the other two.
"Here. Could you play with Bronya-chan for a brief second?"
"H-Huh?!" The word barely left Yuna's mouth before Mei grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to where she had previously sat. With the two girls now situated, Mei left to deal with the door.
"Bronya will go easy on the newcomer," Bronya said as she reached down to grab an onigiri from the box between the two. "Control understanding must come from practice, however." When she received no response, Bronya looked at Yuna, who stared down at her controller with an unreadable expression. "Negative emotions rising in Subject Yuna. Are there any conflicts in the current situation?"
Yuna snapped out of her stupor and gazed blankly at Bronya before the words sank in. "Oh, no. It's nothing." Bronya stared back at her, unbelieving the answer even as Yuna gave her a wide, fake smile to deter probing. When it was painfully aware that she wasn't getting away from the question, Yuna dropped the façade, let out a sigh, and spoke depressingly. "I just don't feel like I fit in here. Kiana-san is a descendant from some world-popular clan, Phillip-san is a super-strong man, you're a high-tier hacker and gamer, and Mei-senpai is the freaking Lightning Queen of Senba High. All I am is the former punching bag for the school bullies who gets yelled at by her mom constantly."
"Subject Yuna forgets that none of us have well-off lives," Bronya stared before listing off everyone. "Kiana Idiotka was abandoned by her father and needed to go from school to school to find him. Mei-oneesama lost her reputation, friends, and family due to false accusations. Subject Phillip is displaced from his home for a mission of divine importance. Nothing gained was from simply being."
"What about you then?"
"… Bronya is an orphan," Brings admitted, not revealing the worst of her history to the girl. "Furthermore, Bronya wishes to state that, regardless of whether you fit here or not, you are here. Better to make do with what you have over lamenting your placement instead."
"I... guess that's right," Yuna said as she rubbed her arm in embarrassment but shook it off to instead raise her controller to incite Bronya's competitive spirit. "Come on. I wanna at least try and see if I can win." Bronya took the challenge instantly, focusing on the screen and selecting her character.
At that time, Mei's head popped out from the doorway. "I'm sorry to say this, but Theresa-sensei hired a new aide and asked him to take me to her office. So, I'll be right back."
Bronya dropped her controller and stood up at this. "Principal Theresa is currently training Subject Kiana. She wouldn't be in her office."
"Maybe she just wants me there early so she can relax later," Mei said with a shrug.
Bronya pulled out a holographic blue screen and began swiping through it. "Let Bronya check the recent employment registry for St. Freya first. A potential kidnapper is also likely." Mei opened her mouth to respond to this, but a loud zap sounded from the hallway, and Mei slumped over, stopped by a hand that grabbed her by her collar. The person that grabbed her walked into the room to reveal themselves.
It was a man slightly taller than Mei, covered with a dark blue coat. The jacket was open, however, to reveal a black shirt with a blue line going down it and jet-black pants with it. The coat hood was up, covering the man's eyes and hair but not the broad, shit-eating grin on his face.
"Settle down, bunny. Once more shock, and I'll kill her."
Bronya readied herself as Project Bunny was summoned from its quantum state with its heavy particle canon. "Release Mei-oneesama now!"
The man pulled Mei into his arms while one hand sparked with blue-black electricity. "I warned you." Before he could bring the hand close to Mei, however, a vine came from behind him and yanked it back while another snaked around Mei and pulled her from his grasp. "The hell?!" He looked over to Yuna and noticed the girl had her hands outstretched while Mei was laid out before her. "You worthless, little-"
He was cut off when a massive laser beam hit him and obliterated a segment of the apartment.
Hello again! Welcome back to the story for the AE Invasion manga part.
First, you may notice a change in names. I found out that Hoyo did give the plant pseudo-Herrscher from Nagazora a name, so I changed it to the appropriate name. So Yuri is now Yuna. Sorry about that.
Beyond that, I hope all enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.