Chapter 271: I'm Just Here to Take My Compatriots Home

"Are you kidding me?!"

Kevin growled into the phone, his voice full of obvious anxiety and complaints. His usual calm and indifferent demeanor had completely disappeared, leaving only concern and worry for comforting his lover.

"Let Mei fight?!"

"The situation was urgent. The Herrscher seemed to have sensed the threat of the Blank Key, so he went straight over and bumped into Professor Mei, who was trying to activate the Blank Key. Professor Mei had no choice but to equip the Blank Key to fight and mediate with him to buy time."

The person on the other end of the line also seemed anxious, and his words were full of helplessness.

"There's nothing we can do about it... The situation is too special. It's impossible for Dr. Mei to replace the Blank Key right now. We don't have the time or opportunity to do so."

"…How is the battle going?"

Kevin also knew that now was not the time to lose his temper, and he shouldn't speak ill of his comrades... and even if he got angry, it wouldn't change anything, so he took a deep breath, quickly adjusted his breath, and mentality, and asked calmly.

"Fortunately, the effect of the Blank Key is very powerful. After connecting to the Core, Dr. Mei showed the same power as the Herrscher... plus Miss Vill-V's assistance, the battle situation is now in our favor!"

"...Don't be fooled by appearances; that Herrscher is not that simple!"

Listening to the joy and anticipation in his companions' words, Kevin always had a sense of déjà vu, so he frowned and immediately warned them.

"It's still unclear what effect using the Blank Key will have, let alone if there will be any side effects... We'll be there soon! Tell Mei and Vill-V to be careful!"

"Stop nagging. Instead of wasting time, why not speed up your actions?"

Vill-V's voice suddenly sounded from the communication channel.

"Ms. Vill-V? Wait, you will be warned if you invade the channel recklessly..."

"The war situation is urgent; why do you care about the rules?"

Vill-V ignored her companion and simply retorted before continuing to speak to Kevin.

"Kevin, you are the closest to us, so I will briefly tell you that the Blank Key is too much of a burden on the body... No, I should say that the Herrscher Core is too much of a burden on the human body. Mei's physical condition is not good now, and I'm afraid she won't be able to hold on for much longer."

"If I rely on the weapon controlled by myself, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back that Herrscher... Next, I will take over the control of the aircraft, overload the engine, and bring you here faster... Remember to protect the others."

"um."

Kevin's reply was simple and direct. He then walked to the control room and pulled his companion, who was still controlling the aircraft, to the rear cabin. However, before Kevin could do anything else, he suddenly felt a push on his back...

The entire aircraft was moving forward at an extremely fast speed, and one could even faintly hear the roar of the engine.

Kevin could only try his best to protect his companions and comrades-in-arms while keeping his whole body tense and ready to fight at any time.

"Mei..."

Kevin whispered his lover's name and prayed that she would be safe.

…

Crackling——

It's the sound of an arc flashing.

Lightning flashed around, breaking apart and destroying the surrounding equipment again and again. Even the transparent raindrops falling from the sky could not touch her at all at this moment.

However, even this lightning that could destroy everything did not have much effect when it touched the blue water flow. There was even an obvious blockage, as if the lightning was not touching normal water, but something... even more weird.

"…Although it looks like a stream of water, it is actually pure energy, right?"

Mei, wearing the Blank Key, quickly retreated to avoid the oncoming water flow, and at the same time, she dissociated the accumulated water spreading under her feet, creating a relatively "clean" space around her that belonged only to her.

"This is more difficult to handle... ahem..."

"Don't analyze it. Your current body simply can't use the Blank Key for a long time... And can't you be more careful when using your power?! You broke down my attacks several times. Can't you cooperate better?!"

Vill-V's voice came through the instruments floating around. At the same time, while Mei was still gasping for breath, she controlled a large number of weapons, including turrets and floating guns, to suppress Nozomi... Although it could not cause any damage, it would be a success as long as she could stop his movements.

"The power of the Herrscher is not so easy to control... ahem... I will do my best to control it..."

Mei adjusted her breathing but couldn't help coughing in the middle. It took her a long time to gasp for air before her breathing became stable again.

"And...thank you for your support, Vill-V."

"Stop talking. I can't help you at all... Tsk, why does this Herrscher seem to be my natural nemesis? No weapon can work on him... Only you now can pose a threat to him."

There was a hint of annoyance in Vill-V's tone.

"It's useless. I just can't do it... cough cough... My body is too bad. I can't use the power of the Herrscher Core at all... The burden of the Blank Key is still too heavy."

"Maybe it would be better if we let the fusion warriors come?"

Vill-V suggested this and, at the same time, cooperated with Mei to retreat to a distance, taking the opportunity to lead Nozomi to a more open and deserted place.

"...Yes, indeed, if it is a fusion warrior, then it should be able to exert corresponding power, and the burden of the Blank Key can also be borne."

Mei paused for a moment before answering softly.

"However, those are all follow-up matters. Let's get through the current crisis first... How long will it take for the support to arrive? Although sacrifices are foreseeable, I don't really want to die yet..."

"That's right; you can't die now, and you can't die... Hold on for us; the Fire Moth can't lose another key figure... Don't worry, your boyfriend will be here soon."

Vill-V's voice was full of determination, and then the sounds of some instruments and input commands could be faintly heard... Then, Vill-V's voice became brisk and confident again, as if she had seen some good news.

"Probably... now!"

boom!

Accompanied by a deafening roar, flames suddenly enveloped the scenery in front of her, and the heat and cold descended here in an instant... Mei knew that her lover had come.

"Hey! I know the situation is urgent, but isn't it too rude for one or two of you to treat my work like this?!"

Vill-V shouted angrily.

"Although I don't really care, you should at least care about the resources used to build these weapons and the effort I put into designing them, right?!"

Unfortunately, Kevin and Mei didn't have the time to pay attention to Vill-V's complaints... After using the instantaneous eruption of flames from the "Judgment of Shamash" to temporarily repel Nozomi from a distance by surprise, Kevin landed next to Mei.

"Mei, are you okay?"

Kevin stretched out his monster-like hand covered with an ice-blue "shell" and hugged his lover as lightly as possible, asking softly... As for the increasingly horrifyingly low temperature around him after the "artificial Honkai," Kevin was also trying his best to control it at this moment, trying not to let Mei suffer any unnecessary harm.

"…I'm fine."

Mei still paused slightly, as if she was not used to the sudden coldness around her and the flaming sword held in Kevin's hand. After adapting for a while, she shook her head and spoke softly, while turning her gaze to Nozomi not far away again.

"Let's solve the problem at hand first..."

Sure enough, as Mei finished her words, the blazing flames quickly faded away, revealing the flowing azure water inside, and... Nozomi, who seemed to have been burned but was now recovering rapidly.

"I understand, Mei."

Kevin supported Mei and made sure she could stand steadily. Then he stepped forward and stood in front of Mei.

"Take a good rest first, Mei... leave the rest to me."

"...Um."

Mei still paused for a moment, then nodded gently and slowly stepped back.

"It's a change of people... It doesn't matter, it's the same no matter who comes."

Nozomi withdrew his gaze from Mei and focused on Kevin... At this moment, he was emitting an extremely powerful aura. The rain falling from the sky could not fall to the ground at all. It condensed into fine ice in the air and fell straight to the ground which had also turned into ice...

However, it does not end here. The ice formed by the condensation of water will eventually sublime directly under the terrifying temperature emitted by the flaming sword and turn into invisible water vapor.

"The end result is the same."

boom!

The only response he got was a sudden surging flame and an instantly spreading ice.

The battle has entered a new round...

"Your strength has grown a lot... The destructive power you exert has also increased exponentially. You are truly worthy of this, Kevin"

However, in this high-intensity battle, Nozomi still seemed to be at ease.

"..."

"Why aren't you talking? You've become so cold... You used to be a sunny and cheerful boy, why have you become like an ice cube now?"

"..."

"And... it's still not enough, huh? If it's just like this, it's still not enough."

"...If that's really the case, then why are you hiding all the time, Herrscher?"

Kevin brandished the flaming sword, bringing up a fierce flame. He looked at Nozomi, who quickly leaped up and maneuvered in the air on the water and responded with a somewhat cold tone.

"Are you afraid of fire? You didn't react much before, but this time you're avoiding it on purpose... because you feel threatened?"

"..."

"besides..."

Kevin took a step forward and exerted force with his feet. The red flaming sword drew a fiery mark in the air and instantly came in front of Nozomi, and then... swung towards him!

"Stop fighting with his image. It only makes us feel bored and disgusted."

clang!!!

The azure water flashed by with the strange dark sword and fell into Nozomi's hand. The azure water continued to flow, cooperating with Nozomi to block Kevin's attack and gradually offset the surging flames of the "Judgment of Shamash."

"Ha... Since you feel bored and disgusted, it means I succeeded, right?"

Nozomi did not deny Kevin's statement but responded to him in a tone as gentle as water that seemed to never change.

"Besides…"

Nozomi tightened the sword in his hand slightly.

"I just hate fire... I'm not afraid of it."

?!

Kevin's face changed, but it was too late for him to react... A huge force came through the "Judgment of Shamash" and directly knocked him back.

Even though Kevin once again brought flames to bombard Nozomi before being knocked away, Kevin knew that if it was only this level, it would not be able to cause effective damage to Nozomi... He would recover soon.

But fortunately, he is not fighting alone.

"Um?"

Nozomi frowned as if he sensed something, and raised his hand slightly, causing the blue water to flow, blocking the attack coming from the side. The flames that were also sweeping over were extinguished one by one by the blue water. Then Nozomi swung his sword, bringing up a stream of water like a spike, forcing the people beside him to retreat.

"Hua... How interesting. How does it feel to be the first person to step into such an [inhuman] form?"

After taking a look at the red figure that was different from Kevin's ice-blue, Nozomi spoke meaningfully.

"Hiss… huh…"

Hua did not respond to him, but just adjusted her breathing slightly, temporarily suppressed the inexplicable irritation in her heart, and took the opportunity to relax her slightly trembling arms... The force of the recoil of the attack just now made her feel very uncomfortable.

"besides..."

Nozomi didn't care. He just sensed it slightly, moved his body slightly, stepped on the blue water, and avoided the attack from behind. As for the huge tearing feeling coming from his body, Nozomi simply ignored it... This kind of force could not directly act on him.

"Dystopia and... Elysia?"

Nozomi looked at Elysia behind him and Dystopia flying in the sky. Looking at their surprised expressions, Nozomi found it somewhat amusing.

"Let me tell you, Dystopia. If you can use your [ability] to make yourself fly, you will have a huge advantage in mobility... What do you think? My [training] and [advice] were useful, right?"

"But unfortunately, with your current strength... you still can't directly use your ability on me. You need to practice more later, okay?"

Nozomi's voice was still so gentle.

"..."

"...Dystopia, don't listen to him."

"I know, I just didn't expect that I would actually have to face him like this... It's really hard to face my former colleague."

Dystopia said this in a somewhat depressed tone.

"I have to admit, it's a bit annoying and... disgusting."

"Whatever you say."

Nozomi didn't care about it. Instead, he looked at Elysia, especially the weapon in her hand - "The Sixth God's Key: Black Abyss White Flower."

As for the bow that Elysia often used, she carried it behind her back.

"I'm surprised you can use this weapon, Elysia... Shouldn't you refuse to use it because it's not cute enough?"

"..."

Elysia didn't say anything, but there was a hint of surprise in her pupils as if she was wondering why Nozomi knew this... After all, she had indeed had such an idea before, but now that the battle situation was extremely serious before the next suitable user appeared, she had to pick up this weapon and make the best use of its characteristics.

"And... you seem to be different from the others. You didn't come to see me as an [inhuman], Elysia."

Nozomi's lips curled up slightly, and the words he spoke carried a hint of different meaning.

"There is no need to say such words that deliberately stir up internal strife and suspicion, Herrscher."

Mei's voice came from Vill-V's instrument... Obviously, she had reunited with Vill-V in a safer place.

"This level of talk is too low to succeed."

"Really?"

"When... ahem..."

"Doctor Mei, after using that equipment, your physical condition is extremely bad. If you don't rest... Even if I don't find you, you will die, okay~"

Nozomi's voice was gentle and caring, which made people feel his good intentions... but it also made people feel that he was hypocritical and disgusting.

"You don't need to worry about it... ahem... I just want to know how you were able to bypass the protection of the 'Fourth God's Key' again and again and find this place accurately."

"It's interesting that you're asking questions to your enemy."

"After all, you look like you can still carry out some simple communication."

"Well...but I don't have to tell you, do I?"

Nozomi tilted his head and said with a smile.

"I am the Herrscher, the Kaiji, the child of the Mother, and an existence hostile to you. Why should I tell you this?"

"..."

"Besides... I didn't come here on my own. It was them who called me. It was my [Compatriots] who called me, so I came here."

Nozomi said with a smile.

"...What?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment and didn't understand what Nozomi was talking about.

"I am only here to take my [compatriots] home. I have no intention of coming to fight you."

Nozomi looked up at the sky and paused for a moment as if he had received some news. The smile on his face became more obvious.

"It just so happens that this goal has been achieved, so..."

Nozomi smiled, glanced at the fusion warriors around him, and waved to them politely as if saying goodbye.

"Goodbye, I'll pick a better time to continue with you later."

"Don't run!!!"

Several people present wanted to stop Nozomi, but Nozomi's figure was instantly wrapped by the azure water, forming a bubble... Before the attack of the crowd arrived, the bubble had already burst, and Nozomi's figure disappeared with it.

"...Mei?"

"Damn it... I was tricked..."

Kevin shouted in confusion, trying to ask his lover what to do next, but Mei's weak words were filled with obvious annoyance.

"This is a [bait]..."

"To the sky! Everyone, look up to the sky!"

Dystopia seemed to have sensed something and shouted hurriedly.

And when everyone looked up, they found that one gorgeous and magnificent huge "jellyfish" after another was floating quietly in the sky, drifting towards farther and higher directions... as if they were swimming in the sky as an ocean.

Inside one of the colorful "jellyfish," the fusion warriors were able to use their powerful eyesight to see a particularly eye-catching green hidden among the many colors...

That was——Mobius.

Beside her, seemed to be asleep... Griseo and Eden.