Chapter 41: Invited to Join

After a chaotic commotion, the rooftop finally quieted down. Kiana, Li Huan, and Mei formed a circle, while the unconscious Tom lay on the side, ignored by everyone.

"Let's continue our conversation," Li Huan said earnestly to Mei. "Do you remember how you became a Herrscher?"

Although he already knew the answer, Li Huan asked anyway.

He clearly remembered how Mei became a Herrscher—by being forcibly implanted with the Gem of Conquest by Anti-Entropy, transforming her into the Herrscher of Thunder.

The main reason for asking this question was to find a topic to discuss with Mei, to foster a connection.

Don't get the wrong idea—this wasn't about trying to win her over romantically.

Since they would be working together, it was essential to establish a basic rapport, and failing to do so could be a serious mistake.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember clearly," Mei replied, shaking her head with a hint of sadness. "I only know that when I began to regain consciousness, my body was already under her control."

"I see. No worries," Li Huan said, not surprised by her response. He shifted to another topic: "So, is the Herrscher's personality still inside you?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Mei answered regretfully. "I can't destroy her consciousness. She's still within me, waiting to take over my body again."

But then she perked up, resolutely saying, "But I won't let that happen. Now that I've regained control, she won't take it back."

"It's good that you're confident," Li Huan remarked, throwing a bit of cold water on her confidence. "But weren't you overpowered before? You even lost control of your body."

"That was... an accident," Mei responded, shaking her head.

"An accident? Can something like this really be called an accident? Tell me more," Li Huan said, surprised by her words.

"Well... it happened like this," Mei began, recounting the events to Li Huan and Kiana.

Before Kiana and Li Huan arrived, Mei had been on the rooftop, fiercely battling for control of her body with the Herrscher of Thunder. Their struggle had been evenly matched, with neither side gaining the upper hand. But during this time, someone appeared.

A young girl, around ten years old, with silver spiral twin tails and strange metal boots, floating in the air, approached the rooftop. She said just one sentence, the first and last thing she spoke:

"Herrscher of Thunder, I'm here to claim your life."

Then, a mechanical monstrosity emerged from behind the girl, launching a ferocious attack on the Herrscher of Thunder.

The monster's overwhelming power left Mei helpless. Despite the Herrscher's best efforts, she was unable to fend off the terrifying machine with its formidable weaponry and defenses.

At the critical moment, the Gem of Conquest within the Herrscher suddenly unleashed a powerful force, absorbing the Honkai energy from the Thousand Feathers Academy, granting the Herrscher immense strength.

With this newfound power, the Herrscher swiftly suppressed Mei's consciousness, seizing full control of her body. The now-empowered Herrscher then heavily injured the young girl and her mechanical monster, successfully driving them away.

Feeling the power coursing through her body, the Herrscher soon became blinded by arrogance, believing that with such power, she could no longer be defeated by anyone. She planned to carry out the divine mission of annihilating all living humans.

But just as she was about to leave, Li Huan and Kiana arrived and attacked. The rest, as we know, is history.

The once-invincible Herrscher of Thunder was beaten so badly by Tom that she questioned her existence as a Herrscher.

After being restrained by Li Huan and suppressed by Kiana, Mei's consciousness delivered a brutal beating to the Herrscher, forcing her into a humiliating retreat.

Now, she's probably hiding in a corner of Mei's mind, crying.

"So that's what happened..." Li Huan muttered after hearing Mei's story.

After some thought, he realized everything suddenly made sense.

All the clues he had noticed were now connected.

If the original plot had played out, Kiana would have left the second-year classroom building and rushed to Mei's location, where they would have fought the Herrscher of Thunder. After defeating her, Mei would have returned to normal, becoming Kiana's... I mean, partner.

But due to the interference caused by Li Huan and Tom, Kiana was delayed by an hour, leading to a butterfly effect.

As a result, the Herrscher of Thunder became even stronger than originally intended.

As for the young girl with the mechanical monster, Li Huan couldn't quite remember who she was. She seemed important, but he just couldn't recall her identity.

However, he was sure of one thing: she was definitely with Anti-Entropy.

According to Mei, although the Herrscher defeated the girl, she managed to escape. It's likely that she's still somewhere in the academy.

Li Huan suddenly remembered the strange shadow that Tom had seen earlier. All its described features matched what Mei had just said.

Maybe after being defeated, the girl didn't leave immediately but hid somewhere to recover, only to be seen by Tom later. After being spotted, she ran off, which is why Kiana found nothing during her search—she had already fled.

After thinking it over, Li Huan realized there was a problem.

"This is troublesome..." he muttered, glancing at Mei.

Even though she had returned to normal, it was clear the girl wouldn't give up easily.

As long as Mei was with them, it was inevitable they would run into the Anti-Entropy girl again, leading to more conflict and battles.

But he decided not to dwell on it. "Anyway, Miss Raiden Mei," Li Huan said solemnly,

"Would you mind joining us in our next actions?"

"Can I really?" Mei hesitated. "I can still feel her inside me..."

"So what if the Herrscher is inside you?" Li Huan interrupted. "We have ways to suppress you completely. I can control you, and Kiana can suppress the Honkai energy."

"Besides, she probably won't dare to come out for a long time," Li Huan added, glancing at the unconscious Tom. If the Herrscher did show up again, she'd likely trigger Tom's PTSD.

"That... might be true," Mei began to waver, and Li Huan pressed his advantage. "It's inconvenient for you to act alone. The more people with you, the safer you'll be. If you're alone, who knows when the Herrscher might take over your body again."

After a moment of silence, Mei nodded.

"Then, I'll be in your care."

Li Huan grinned widely. "No worries, you're welcome to join us."

And so, Raiden Mei was invited to join the team. Unfortunately, Li Huan didn't have an egg yolk.

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