After the battle, the three little ones took Lyle to settle in the safe house temporarily. Since Kiana was not very proficient in using the power of the Herrscher, the Honkai energy still caused some damage to her. So, the task of going to the hospital to find medicine was left to Mei.
To be honest, this was Mei's first time acting alone.
Although the zombies were not very powerful in terms of combat, if Mei accidentally encountered a group of zombies in the alley's dead corner, she would basically have no way of dealing with it. She was still very scared.
But after witnessing the fighting eariler, the powerful Project Bunny, and the unwavering belief in protecting her friends, how could Mei be depressed and act like a parasite in front of everyone?
So, Mei set off.
She headed to Nagazora Hospital, which was about one thousand meters away from the safe house.
On the third day, the flames were almost completely extinguished, and the city was completely paralyzed.
Even the car batteries had dried up long ago, so some cars still running on the road fell silent.
However, there were still many corpses on the road, emitting a foul smell. Now it was the season of falling cherry blossoms. Today was warmer than yesterday, and the rate at which the corpses rotted was faster than in winter.
Fortunately, Mei had barely gotten used to it. As long as she didn't look closely, she felt that she could still hold on.
Holding a map in her hand, with a samurai sword and a pistol on her waist, Mei never thought that she, who had lived in Nagazora City since childhood, would be so unfamiliar with the streets of the city.
Usually, there was a special car to pick her up from school, and there was barely any time for activities when she went out every day. More than ten years had passed, and she had spent her time in a daze. She felt the illusion that she had lived for so long in vain.
Bronya and Kiana were obviously looked younger than her, but they knew so many things. This made Mei, the proud Thunder Queen who had always been excellent, feel worthless in front of the two of them.
What else could she say now? Since there was room for growth, Mei promised that she would never fall into depravity!
Although she had this determination, when Mei arrived near the hospital, she was stunned by the strange scene in front of her.
No, it should not be considered a hospital. It was a larger area than a hospital. The entire block was covered by some mysterious power. It was as if the world were a program, and now the program had an error, one piece after another of error maps and mosaics floating in the air.
This is something like a delusion appearing in Reality—should she risk going in? Mei fell into confusion. After all, in her little head, she couldn't understand what the scenery in front of her meant. Should she risk going to the hospital?
Bronya had taken the initiative to fight the pseudo-Herrscher for Nagazora and for everyone, and now she was in a very dangerous situation. To be honest, if Mei went back empty-handed now, she would feel that her conscience would never let her live with it.
Taking a deep breath, Mei tightly gripped her weapon and slowly groped forward along the building's wall. The zombies around were still wandering but were soon swallowed by another strange creature.
If she wasn't mistaken, this was probably the Honkai Beast Kiana had mentioned—a silicon-based creature driven by Honkai energy, very dangerous, with absolutely no room for negotiation. Its existence was only to spread Honkai and destroy all traces of creatures and civilization.
And compared to the white and purple Honkai Beast described by Kiana, the charging Honkai Beast in front of her had fiery red lines. It looked very strange and perhaps even more dangerous!
Mei thought for a long time and decided to test the combat effectiveness of the Honkai Beast first. After understanding its true combat power, she would decide whether to continue moving forward.
That's right—despite encountering such an unknown, Mei gritted her teeth and moved forward. Holding the gun with both hands, she aimed at the red and white figure wandering in the street. Holding her breath and concentrating, she aimed at the target in a straight line.
Then—Bang!
The bullet hit the Honkai Beast, causing it to stagger for a moment before immediately locking onto Mei, not far away.
But then came the second bullet.
The third, the fourth.
Then it exploded!
That's right—it actually exploded!
Mei never thought that the so-called Honkai Beast would be such a dangerous existence!
After the explosion, the blood seemed to turn into hot oil, sticking to the ground and melting the cars on the roadside. Even the asphalt on the ground melted.
Melting steel in an instant—how could this be possible?
Mei swallowed nervously. She wondered if she still had a chance if she killed a Honkai Beast with four shots.
As for the other hospital, it was at least three kilometers away from where she was. As time passed, the strength and number of Honkai Beasts would continue to increase. Mei thought she might need to race against time.
"Then go!"
"Idiot!"
"No, it's not stupid to protect your family and friends! It's stupid to take risks for a guy you've only known for three days! I'm not stupid enough to really confront Honkai Beasts! I'm just going to the hospital to get some medicine!"
Because it's a prescription drug, it's easier to find it in a large hospital. As for the pharmacy near the hospital, Mei didn't have much hope. But her other self did warn her that there might be something more dangerous in the hospital.
Just because a special Honkai Beast appeared on the road. How dangerous would the hospital near the center of that strange area be?
After thinking for a long time, Mei decided to check whether there was any medicine Bronya needed in the small pharmacy near the hospital.
"Found it!"
Mei finally found the medicine on Kiana's prescription in the locked warehouse of the pharmacy. She was somewhat relieved.
Fortunately, she had spent time searching this small pharmacy—unexpectedly, she really found it!
Of course, this was also thanks to the multi-functional lock pick that Kiana had given her. It seemed to be a small device removed from Project Bunny?
The Herrscher persona did not speak again. For a moment, Mei felt that her other self's attitude toward Honkai and everything else was purely malicious. Unfortunately, she did not have much time to think about it.
Just as Mei happily packed the medicine and was ready to leave this dangerous and eerie place, a brand-new uninvited guest appeared on the street!
Mei found it difficult to describe what it was. Its entire body exuded a dangerous aura—just walking on the road, it gave off the feeling that anyone who approached it would die!
"A zombie?"
No. The long ears on top of its head which seemed to be part of a costume clearly told Mei that this was not a zombie.
Then, a memory struck her—an existence that had left a deep impression on her just yesterday.
"A... Pseudo-Herrscher!"
That's right. After the Honkai, special Honkai entities could emerge. Each one was like a source of Honkai—just by standing there, they would continuously attract zombies and Honkai beasts to their side. At the same time, they possessed terrifyingly unique powers!
Even someone as strong as Bronya might not be able to gain an advantage against a Pseudo-Herrscher.
Mei covered her mouth and tried her best to remain silent. She hid in a corner, watching the every move of the "Pseudo-Herrscher" with extreme caution, praying in her heart that it would leave the area soon.
Just as Mei was observing the Pseudo-Herrscher, a "glitched" patch suddenly appeared beside her!
The abrupt change caught her off guard, making her lose balance and knock over the shelves around her.
"Who's there!?"
Mei didn't make another sound, but the Pseudo-Herrscher was already investigating the source of the noise. Mei gripped her pistol tightly.
"If you are a survivor of Nagazora City, I suggest you leave immediately," the Pseudo-Herrscher spoke. "As time passes, this city will only become more dangerous—unless the source of the disaster is completely eliminated."
It seemed to sense a faint trace of killing intent, something only survivors would emit. To avoid an overreaction, the Pseudo-Herrscher paused and chose to speak in a more reassuring manner.
If it had been a zombie, they wouldn't have understood words at all. But if it was a survivor, then communication might ease tensions.
Mei remained silent.
"Then I will continue searching for the source of the disaster," the Pseudo-Herrscher continued. "If you have any more information to share, I would be very grateful. My name is Yae Sakura. I am a miko who was sealed with a demon five hundred years ago. Though it may sound strange, I assure you that everything I say is true."
Mei immediately thought of how Bronya had fallen into a trap and had been slowly poisoned bit by bit...
Damn it. Are all Pseudo-Herrschers this cunning?
Seeing no response from the unknown person for a long time, Yae Sakura did not approach her again. Instead, she drooped her ears, looking somewhat dejected. Then, a black, ominous aura began to seep from her body.
Noticing the change, Yae Sakura immediately turned away and left without looking back. She even suppressed the urge to approach Mei further.
As Mei watched her leave, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She couldn't afford to take risks. The safest option was to stay hidden, and she absolutely did not believe that the strange phenomena around her were unrelated to Yae Sakura.
However, Yae Sakura's strangely tactful departure left Mei feeling conflicted.
"Is she... really a good person?"
'Idiot! Be careful behind you!'
"...Ah?"
Mei turned around, expecting Yae Sakura to have suddenly appeared behind her.
But there was nothing there—only an "error" in the space behind her.
Then, her back gave way.
A chilling realization struck her—this strange occurrence was a spatial rift.
If she fell into it, who knew where she would end up...
...
"According to common knowledge, the ideal forms of the Stigmata should not exist in dreams. They are born from human dreams, much like Honkai beasts. Dreams are their means of thinking," Misteln sat quietly in the clouds above Nagazora City, observing every corner of the city through the screens.
"But there are always exceptions. For instance, if someone is sleeping and a stigmata space formed by a strong personal will appears around them, they are likely to fall into it. The same holds true for ordinary people in this dream world."
"Sleep... combined with Hellmaru's restlessness—is that why Bronya hasn't woken up yet? I think I understand now."
Fu Hua analyzed the situation. The sudden, drastic changes had made Nagazora City feel completely unreal. She feared that Bronya's plan would fail.
And yet, when she asked Misteln for answers, she received an unexpected response.
After falling asleep in the dream world, Bronya had been drawn into the stigmata space within Yae Sakura's body!
By sheer coincidence, Mei—who was out searching for medicine—happened to encounter Yae Sakura passing by. And the Hellmaru residing within Yae Sakura, displeased with Mei's presence, had thrown her directly into the stigmata space!
Maybe it was drawn to the Honkai energy within Mei?
Regardless, after capturing Mei, Yae Sakura was now heading straight toward the safe house where Kiana was!
At the safe house, Kiana noticed strange changes in the sky, and a suspicious figure—Yae Sakura—approaching. Raising her dual pistols, she aimed at the person wearing shrine maiden costume and demanded;
"Who are you!? Why are you coming from the direction Mei went? Where is my Mei!?"
"Stay away from me! Get out of here!"
"What? What are you saying? I can't hear you!"
Kiana, noticing that Yae Sakura hadn't drawn the sword at her waist and had instead raised her hands, felt that the stranger didn't seem hostile.
So, in an attempt to hear her better, Kiana stepped closer.
Yae Sakura frantically waved her hands, trying to stop her. But the closer Kiana got, the more bizarre the distortions around them became.
By the time Kiana realized what was happening, it was already too late.
"W-What the hell is this!?"
"Stay back! The demon within me—I can't suppress it anymore!"
"Huh? Schizophrenia again!? Don't worry! Kiana Kaslana will definitely save you! Watch as I use my Kaslana gun kata to wake you up!"
"Kaslana...?"
Hearing the name triggered something in Yae Sakura's memories. For a brief moment, she let down her guard.
And in that instant, Hellmaru took advantage of the opening. It released more of its power, binding Kiana tightly.
"Well, now Kiana, Mei, and Bronya have all stepped into a new chapter of adventure. Fu Hua, if you're worried, you should follow them," Bronie spoke. "As the Shenzhou Immortal, this situation suits you quite well."
After watching Kiana get caught in the Sakura-colored Samsara stigmata space due to her reckless stupidity, Bronie couldn't help but be astounded by Kiana's sheer lack of caution.
Fortunately, everything was still within her expectations.
The next step?
Let Fu Hua enter the space to protect them—and, while she was at it, give Hellmaru's brain a good beating.