Congratulations on the return of the Thunder Queen!!

Mei woke up in a haze, only to find that the world in front of her was pitch black.

Countless wandering Quantum Shadows surrounded her, and the light beams from the sky enveloped it, making the eyes become unfamiliar.

But all Mei could think about was finding Kiana, the most important person in her world.

As she stumbled forward, the Quantum Shadows noticed her and attacked. Mei fought back, but they were too many.

Just when Mei thought she was overwhelmed, Kiana burst onto the scene, her presence a beacon in the darkness.

Benares, the mighty dragon, swooped down beside Kiana. With a few powerful beats of its wings, the dragon scattered the Quantum Shadows, a stark contrast to Mei's desperate struggle moments before. 

At this time, the giant dragon stood beside Kiana obediently.

Then Kiana asked her to go back to Hyperion, and she herself was going to save Nagazora City and use the power of the Herrscher of the Void.

Mei is naturally worried about her physical condition. How can she save the city when Kiana was still covered in Erosion from the Core in her body?.

"If you do something so dangerous, your body will—"

Kiana closed her eyes, taking a moment to find her words. "Kiana?" Mei urged.

"Mei, I know everything about it. My physical condition... is crystal clear." Kiana said. Her voice was calm, steady, even though she was talking about the danger to her own life.

"The truth is, hearing the word 'death' terrifies me. Sometimes, I get so scared I can't move, my whole body trembles."

"But you can't just run away because of fear. I have things I must do, people I have to protect." Kiana's voice grew stronger. 

"It's the only way I can face those I've let down. Face myself. Face My promise to teacher Himeko."

Her eyes fixed on a glowing purple cross in the distance, her words heavy with unspoken grief. Suddenly, Kiana turned, a familiar smile flashing across her face – a smile that tried to hide the pain Mei saw so clearly.

"So, Mei, just wait for me. You know I'm strong!"

She jumped onto the dragon's back and flew into the distance.

Fate's cruel joke Whisper in Mei's heart. Her hand reached out, weak and trembling, mirroring that terrible moment in the past.

That day, she chose to let go...but what did it bring her? A broken body, a shattered heart, and nothing left but a forced smile to hide the pain.

Her time is running out – two months, maybe less. Every bite is tasteless, her body numb. The Honkai's corruption spreads, a constant reminder of her fading life.

She knows all this...so why does Kiana still fight? Why does she leave?

Mei watched Kiana disappear into the storm, her desperate shout swallowed by the roaring wind. 

Mei watched Kiana disappear into the storm, her desperate shout swallowed by the roaring wind. All she could see was that moment from the past – Kiana's hand grasping hers, their lives suddenly tangled together. It was the day her loneliness began to fade, the day Kiana became the light that guided her.

And now, that light was flickering, threatened by the relentless darkness. Mei's outstretched hand fell, empty and useless. Her heart ached with a pain so sharp it felt like a physical wound.

She thought of Kevin's words to her, of Kiana's desire to be a hero, Word that Raven said to her.. She thought of herself, of the simple moments they shared, of the first time Kiana reached out to her...

"Mei—Mei—" Kiana's familiar voice cut through the rain, distant yet so clear. Memories flooded back: Kiana's smile, her warmth, the way she felt in Mei's arms...

"Kiana, come back."

The weak and feeble voice couldn't make any progress in the heavy rain.

She watched Kiana vanish into the horde of Honkai beasts, falling then rising again. Each clash sent golden flashes across the sky – a fragile butterfly battling a deadly storm. Each flash was a piece of Kiana's life burning away.But she could only watch.

Her tears had dried up. 

Her voice was gone. 

Her body felt numb, barely able to hold itself up.

Yet, Kiana's figure ahead burned bright – blurry with distance, yet so painfully clear. Mei could almost see the fresh wounds, the blood trailing through the air.

"I swore this wouldn't happen. I swore I'd protect Kiana," Mei's thoughts raged. "Why? Why does it have to be me? Why am I so useless?"

Clenching her fists, she forced her legs to move. It was a clumsy run, a desperate chase – but it was all she had left.

That same beam of light once pulled her from the shadows. 

Water splashed around her, stirring the memories buried deep inside.

"With Mei here, I'm as strong as a hundred people!" Kiana's words, full of innocent confidence during their first mission, echoed in Mei's head.

" Power..." Mei's rough breathing echoed in the rainy night.

"But... can I still give you the power of a hundred people now?"

She held the knife, avoided the enemy, and chased into the distance.

She gripped her weapon, dodging attacks as she pressed onward. Kiana's voice whispered again: "I want to pass the exam and become an A-level Valkyrie!"

"And now you are," Mei thought, glancing up at the stormy sky. "You've flown somewhere I can't follow, a true Valkyrie."

"Do you want to save this girl? Then let me kill you, one by one, with her own hands." The Queen's words, echoing from Kiana's body, twisted like a knife in Mei's heart.

That nightmare haunted her – the day her happiness shattered, the day she failed to protect Kiana.

"It's my fault… I'm too weak." Mei's voice was barely a whisper, her teeth clenched in a mix of pain and resolve. All she could do was watch Kiana slip further away, just like before.

But...

Kiana, I know you haven't changed at all.

The same girl smiled and extended her hand to strangers.

Fight for your companions, for others, and for the good you believe in.

Kiana, you can definitely become a hero, and the world is waiting for you to become a hero.

" Maybe I am the wrong person."

"Kiana, we can never go back to the past."

---

In the golden courtyard...

Eden sighed, handing Elysia a box of tissues. "Here, Ellie." Elysia's eyes were overflowing; Luo Mo's honest words had moved her deeply.

She took out two tissues and wiped the corners of her eyes. She gritted her teeth secretly and spoke with a sob.

She snatched a couple of tissues, wiping her eyes. "Eden... I... Mei..." Her voice choked with sobs, the emotional impact of the scene hitting her hard.

Mei's story didn't just represent her past; it was a reminder of the painful separation they all faced.

The road ahead for Mei and Kiana...it would be a heartbreakingly cruel one. 

Eden held her close, her voice soft and soothing.

"Ellie, the relationship between people is also the most touching brilliance. The relationship between her and Kiana will make her go further in the future."

Elysia's voice trembled. "But...their lives together were so carefree, so beautiful. That innocent joy...it's something so many people long for."

Elysia whispered, her eyes lowered, but it was not difficult to see from the water stains on Eden's body that she still had tears in her eyes.

Perhaps out of sympathy for Mei and Kiana, or perhaps because of their status as Herrschers of Humanity, Elysia has been trying to put herself in their shoes.

And until just now, she still cherished the vision of the two of them working together toward tomorrow.

Sometimes, it's not that you can't see the direction of the plot; it's just that you want to deceive yourself and want a better future.

"Ellie, I know. But true bonds can endure anything. Fire tempers gold, storms make trees stronger. They may be apart now, but their reunion will be all the sweeter for it."

Eden watched the screen, her own sigh whisper in Mei's pain. Once, those powers brought warmth, those memories were a source of comfort. Now, under the weight of reality, they had become weapons against Mei's own heart.

Would she emerge from this trial stronger, reborn from cocoon and become a beautiful butterfly? Or would the struggle simply break her?

...

"A person's character is their fate."

Kevin held his knees with one hand, looked at them calmly, and when he said a word, there was a rare emotion in his eyes.

But isn't that how heroes are born?

It's the caring, the desperate need to save others, the refusal to give up... those things force you to fight, to keep moving forward.

---

The dragon plummeted from the sky, a broken kite without a string. Panic seized Mei – Kiana was on its back!

She raced towards the crash, but something was wrong. The air warped around her, and a towering figure blocked her path: a mechanical giant, armed with a golden sword. Strange gears churned and black lines snaked across its body – this wasn't a creature of her world.

The fight was clumsy, desperate. Finally, just as Mei thought she'd won, she took a step towards Benares...and everything changed again.

The world exploded into a blinding flash of gold.

Time seemed to rewind. 

The Imaginary Constructs lifted its arm, the golden sword poised to strike. Mei, her strength depleted, could only watch in horror.

A blur of blue. Benares' wings shielded her, but the sword still pierced through. Crimson blood spattered, and darkness swallowed Mei's vision.

...

The darkness was absolute, a suffocating silence. Smell, voices, the pounding rain – all of it vanished.

It was like the world itself had died, an echo of that terrible day three years ago.

"Crybaby, long time no see."

A flash of purple cut through the blackness – a voice so familiar it punched through the numbness. The purple light swirled, a thread pulling her away from the darkness.

"This is the first time that you have taken the initiative to come to me."

"Are you not afraid anymore?"

Afraid? It was a strange question. This figure had haunted Mei's nightmares for years, but now...there was only a numb emptiness.

Kiana was dying. Compared to that, what did her own fear matter? Losing Kiana meant losing everything.

A strange calm settled over Mei. Nothing mattered anymore, not even her own life.

"If you keep going, you'll sink deeper into hell."

"Doesn't matter. For her, I'd walk through hell itself." Images of Kiana, bloodied and broken, flashed through her mind, fueling her resolve.

"You'll lose everything. Your friends, your family..."

"Doesn't matter. I've known loneliness before." Kiana had pulled her from that darkness once, and now Mei was simply returning to the path she'd walked alone.

"You will suffer doubts and criticisms, and you will go further and further down the road of loneliness."

"Doesn't matter. It's the fate I deserved long ago." Mei thought of the destruction she'd caused, the kindness that had given her a second chance... a chance she seemed destined to waste.

"You'll leave her forever."

Silence hung heavy in the air.

"You'll never see her smile again, never hold her hand. This step...it's a path of no return."

"Do you really want this?"

The words echoed, both a warning and a desperate plea for her to reconsider her choice. But was there really a choice?

Could she face a world without Kiana? If that was her fate, then what was the point of going on here at all?

"You'll Leave her behind."

The broken heart slowly gave the answer. Mei no longer knew whether she was sad now, but she just felt that her heart was crying.

"She'll have others...They'll care for her."

"It's decided..." The words choked in her throat.

"Go!" The voice seemed to be roaring and lamenting.

"Bury me with your hands, and turn my anger, my sorrow, and my disappearance into the strength for you to move forward alone."

"Go and tell the whole world! Announce the return of the Queen of Thunder!."

"Go and become the true Herrscher of Thunder!"

' She' only left one sentence in the end.

"Goodbye," 

"Raiden Mei."

Purple light pulsed in her eyes, and a vast wheel of energy blazed behind her. Her clothes shifted, her hair grew longer. Two massive, spectral arms materialized, gripping the hilt of a crackling blade. Lightning arced across her body, a raw display of her new power.

It clearly shows that, at this time, she is already a complete Herrscher of Thunder!

The creature, the Imaginary Constructs named Husk-Nihilius that had seemed unstoppable before, was nothing now. With a few brutal strikes, it was simply gone.

The battlefield now was more like her catharsis.

The heavy rain slipped from the corners of her eyes, taking away her tear, her past, and…

Her Cowardly self!

---

[Where is the candy you promised? Screenwriter?]

[he said with a smile on your face that this main Story is full of sugar.]

[Send a salute to the birth of the Queen.]

[The Herrscher... is the enemy of mankind (laughing)]

[The rice cooker rises again and is promoted to the high Voltage rice cooker! ]

[Has Herrscher consciousness disappeared? I thought she was a bad person, but it turned out that she seemed to be helping Mei from the moment she appeared until she disappeared! ]

[Obviously, there are two consciousnesses in one body, but it's ridiculous to have only one! Sirin: [?]]

"Well, she's so Coool!"" Kiana said so, nodding secretly; she was indeed her Mei.

" Cool? I got my 'Coolness' in exchange for you!"

Mei said it angrily and amusedly, pulling Kiana's ear and twisting it.

"It hurts—Mei, it hurts!"

Kiana immediately begged for mercy, not forgetting to beg for mercy.

"I thought that the saddest thing would be you two. Unexpectedly, you are in a good mood. Not bad?"

Bronya said it in a complicated tone. Seele beside her was already crying. It was completely impossible to tell that she was a textbook Herrscher who wanted to destroy mankind.

Naturally, the two little ones beside them were a mess, clinging to each other and sobbing. Bronya, thanks to the experiment, held her emotions in check, though the sadness was clear in her eyes.

"As we are familiar with each other's situation, we will naturally not be too sad."

Kiana inserted her waist and said it inexplicably proudly.

The real situation is, of course, that Kiana pestered Mei day and night to ask what happened at that time. Under such an offensive, Mei had no choice but to tell her what happened in ARC City.

As when Mei made her decision, the situation was similar.

Kiana, who did it again, naturally said that she could still withstand it. Moreover, today, her threshold for pain has been raised.

"My words... I'm actually happy that I can finally save Kiana in the game."

Mei glanced at Kiana, but did not expose her, and sighed; her tone was inexplicably bitter.

"Uh..." Bronya opened her mouth. Sister Mei seemed to be right. Now is the highlight moment.

"It doesn't matter, sister Mei; every Character has chance to shine in this story. It's your turn next." Bronya said.

"But Bronya...Sister Mei..." Seele choked out between sobs. "It's not fair! Why save someone just to leave them?"

The scene was almost too much for the gentle girl to bear.

"So, what about you? What would happen to you if I completely became the Herrscher of Thunder?"

Mei communicates with the dark consciousness.

[ Who knows? Do you still care about this? ]

she spoke with disdain and indifference.

"What if I said I would?"

---

This novel has finished on CN, I promise to translate everything here, including paid chapters up to volume 4

Ah, but there are so many things that are bothering me, if I have the time and intention I will make an extended version which is more detailed because there are a lot of cuts here (just wishful thinking)