"Sister Acheron!"
At the dining table the next day, Bronya finally made up her mind and looked at Acheron pleadingly. "Is there really... no other way?"
She had been thinking about it for a whole day and night. To save Seele, the power of a Herrscher was necessary, but if it had to be exchanged for a Great Honkai Impact...
"You can't stop Cocolia," Xia Yu shook her head. "In fact, you can't even stop me, Bronya."
"But... but..." Bronya couldn't hold back anymore. She simply couldn't agree with this plan. "That's a Honkai Impact!"
"What?!" Hearing this, Rita abruptly raised her head, throwing all of her maid's poise out the window.
Yes, Otto really hadn't told her about this. It was even questionable if Otto knew about Cocolia's intentions at all. After all, he was a smart man, and it was truly difficult to understand the sudden whims of fools.
While he indeed had many planted agents providing intelligence, Cocolia had hidden it incredibly well. Even her own trusted subordinates were unaware of the plan, and Otto had even less influence over things on the World Serpent's side.
Just the fact that Cocolia felt confident enough to capture a Herrscher relying solely on her titans and warships would be enough for Otto to ponder for three days and three nights.
Where on earth did her confidence come from?
As a Siberian veteran who had experienced the Second Great Honkai Eruption, how could she be so confident?
Let alone Otto, anyone else wouldn't be able to figure it out either.
Moreover, if he had known, he probably wouldn't have let Kiana stay in Nagazora City. He would have lured her somewhere else. If the Herrscher of the Void was accidentally awakened in the process, how could his plan proceed?
Kiana had not yet lived the beautiful days or formed the sufficiently important bonds that he had planned for her. The awakening of the Herrscher of the Void now was completely against Otto's interests.
"What is a Honkai Impact?" Mei was still confused; she truly didn't know.
"A Honkai Impact... is a very serious disaster, right?" Kiana only had a half-baked understanding as well; Siegfried had never really taught her about these things properly. "Like, a really severe one."
"It's more than just severe!" Rita finally couldn't hold back anymore. She looked at Xia Yu and said, "Ms. Acheron, if that Anti-Entropy executive is really trying to trigger a Honkai Impact, Schicksal cannot stand idly by!"
"The scars of Siberia are still scorching that land every single moment. We cannot let such a tragedy repeat itself in the Far East!"
"Siberia?" Hearing this, Mei suddenly remembered what Aunt had said, that Siberia had been destroyed by a terrifying disaster...
"Trust me, Mei," Xia Yu grabbed Mei's hand upon hearing this. "Just trust me."
"But Sister Acheron," Bronya pleaded, "that's a Honkai Impact..."
"I am a Herrscher," Xia Yu said indifferently. "I can handle it."
I don't believe a word of it.
Hearing this, Rita couldn't help but roll her eyes. Given her personality, this was the peak of speechlessness.
Which Herrscher didn't carry some Honkai energy on them? You are cleaner than anyone else in this room!
"Ms. Acheron, this is no small matter." But beggars can't be choosers. Rita thought about the other party's terrifying strength and could only swallow her pride, advising, "The millions of lives in Nagazora City..."
"When your Schicksal was conducting experiments, you didn't care about the tens of millions of residents in Siberia either," Xia Yu said coldly. "Now you want to play the righteous hero?"
"Sister Acheron, do you mean..." Hearing this, Bronya turned to look at Rita. Siberia was her home, after all.
"The Second Herrscher, Sirin, was the one who chose to throw herself into the embrace of the Honkai and exact revenge on the entire human world only after suffering inhumane experiments in Schicksal's Babylon Labs," Xia Yu said faintly. "Even the former First Herrscher... heh."
"If Schicksal was truly so righteous, why couldn't the founding members of Anti-Entropy stomach it and leave in anger? Didn't they know the consequences of fracturing human factions under the threat of the Honkai? But they did it anyway."
"Rita, you can fool others, but don't fool yourself. All crows in the world are black; Cocolia is simply following in your footsteps."
"You in Schicksal are the least qualified to talk about this."
"The few survivors among those people from Babylon Labs back then have already been executed," Rita defended weakly. "Schicksal... is also trying hard to correct its mistakes..."
"I said, don't fool yourself," Xia Yu said, looking at Rita with pity. She reached out and pulled Kiana over. "Now, look at me and say that again?"
Rita finally couldn't say another word.
Of course, she could argue that it was all to defeat the Honkai... but...
"I know what you're thinking. It's to defeat the Honkai, right?" Xia Yu said indifferently. "Then I could also be doing this to defeat the Honkai. To become the Third Herrscher, to replace the Honkai apostle, and to give humanity one more bargaining chip."
"You see, I can spout these grand, righteous reasons too."
"I apologize, Ms. Acheron," Rita lowered her head upon hearing this. "But... I still cannot agree..."
"But when Otto says it, you agree?"
"Your origins are unknown, after all."
"Oh, then you may leave," Xia Yu nodded. "We walk different paths, so we cannot work together. The meals you cook are delicious; it's a pity I won't be able to eat them anymore."
"If you are willing to go to Schicksal, I stand by what I said," Rita stood up and bowed. "I can become your maid."
"Forget it, I don't like Otto," Xia Yu shook her head.
"Then I shall take my leave," the latter nodded, turning around and leaving without any hesitation.
After all, the news of the Honkai Impact was crucial and had to be relayed back to headquarters as soon as possible.
With every step she took, she guarded against an attack from behind. Since she knew such important information and the other party had no intention of giving up... there was no reason to watch her send the intel back.
One step, two steps... a drop of cold sweat rolled down Rita's forehead.
Even now, she still hadn't figured out exactly how strong Acheron was.
She had been taken down in a single encounter before, and she still hadn't figured it out despite their interactions over the past few days.
Three steps, four steps...
She was already prepared for a desperate fight to the death.
But until she left the villa, she wasn't subjected to a single attack.
So, was this extreme confidence, or a trap targeting Schicksal?
Rita didn't know.
She took out her communicator and dialed the overseer's line.
She only knew that these matters had to be reported up the chain.
Meanwhile, inside the house.
"I'm sorry, Sister Acheron," Bronya lowered her head. "I still can't..."
"It's fine, it's normal for you not to trust me," Xia Yu didn't blame her. "After all, this is a Honkai Impact. In your view, it is an absolute disaster."
"Since you can't believe it, then use your own eyes to see it," she stood up and took Mei's hand. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," Mei said solemnly.
"It's just, Aunt, why does it have to be on the rooftop?"
"Actually, the rooftop of Chiba Academy would be better," Xia Yu reached out and patted Kiana and Mei's heads respectively. "It's just a shame that she plans to detonate it at ME Corp headquarters."
In the original storyline, Cocolia had detonated it right at ME Corp headquarters. Because Mei was at Chiba Academy and not at ground zero, she didn't become a Herrscher immediately. Of course, Kiana's presence had also brought a ray of sunlight into her gloom-filled heart.
That was why she was able to travel together with Kiana, and later Bronya, for a period of time.
It wasn't until Kiana was severely injured by a Honkai beast that Mei was provoked into undergoing her Herrscher awakening.
But now, Xia Yu didn't plan to let the Honkai energy spread beyond ME Corp headquarters. Under such an abundance of energy, Mei's Herrscher awakening would definitely be greatly accelerated.
Xia Yu had already made her plans. If the resulting lightning queen wasn't obedient, she would have to enforce her authority as her aunt.
If she was very obedient... then that would be for the best.
And there was hope for the second scenario too. Under Elysia's sacrifice, the Herrschers of this era were full of humanity. Sirin crazily attacking humans after her Herrscher awakening was the result of Schicksal's human experiments.
The First Herrscher was also on humanity's side.
As for the lightning queen... Honestly, looking at how much she cared about Kiana, who would dare say she lacked humanity? Could the Kiana from the Nagazora City period really defeat a Herrscher?
Wasn't it because her battered and bruised figure, standing up to fight time and time again for Mei, made the Herrscher of Thunder's heart ache? In the end, she voluntarily retreated and, as she put it, returned Mei to her.
In reality, who knew how wronged she felt after shrinking back into Raiden Mei's body? In her own perception, she was also Mei, and she also cared about Kiana... Why was she condemned to only ever watch like this?
But the Herrscher of Thunder didn't dare to come out again. Because if she did, Kiana would definitely fight her with her life on the line once more, all for the Mei in her heart...
Therefore, because of her resistance, Mei was never able to control the Herrscher's power. It wasn't until the end, when she watched Kiana get battered and bruised time and time again to save the world, even to the point of risking her life, that she finally couldn't hold back anymore.
Under the shared will of both Meis, the true Herrscher of Thunder finally fully manifested. And then, a grand domestic violence brawl unfolded on the rooftop of Chiba Academy.
One could only say that when it came to being influenced by humanity, the Herrscher of Thunder didn't lose out much to Senti.
As for the overflowing Honkai energy?
No problem, my Elden Ring is already dying of thirst. As an ultimate treasure that amalgamates various planetary rules, the Elden Ring can easily devour a Honkai Impact capable of affecting a city.
No matter how much Honkai energy Cocolia had prepared, could it compare to the years of accumulation by the Golden Order? Although the bulk of it belonged to the Erdtree.
It would be an absolute breeze.
I guarantee that not a single speck of Honkai energy will escape outside of ME Corp; I'll gobble it all up.
Xia Yu was even afraid that this bit of Honkai energy wouldn't be enough; she had already set her sights on the Herrscher.
Mei ah, as your aunt, even if self-proclaimed, I saved Nagazora City from being destroyed in a flash, allowing millions to survive, and you even gained the power of a Herrscher... So, it's not too much for your aunt to take a couple of sips, right?
Right? Right?
Xia Yu believed that if the Mei from the original storyline had this opportunity, even knowing it was fake, she would gladly call her aunt for the rest of her life!