Mei put on her glasses and entered her little genius mode.
She began to analyze the answer to the question:
[A. Cyberangel: ZERO Exception]
[B. Meteoric Salvation]
[C. Lament of the Fallen]
[D. Will of the Herrscher]
On the surface, there didn't seem to be anything noteworthy about these four options.
However, if we associate them with the background of the battle of Schicksal...
"Angel"—could it refer to the Herrscher?
But the word "Cyber" is more suitable for mechanical things than for biological ones.
Machine...
If it refers to that...
Mei glanced at Bronya. Bronya's Project Bunny had left a strong impression on her.
If it's Bronya, then, according to the literal interpretation—
Angel/Herrscher, Cyber/mechanical life.
So... could Bronya become a Herrscher one day?!
Mei's pupils shrank slightly at the thought, but she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind.
These were just speculations, after all. Without more information to prove it, she could only guess blindly.
Answer B, Meteoric Salvation, made Mei frown.
She couldn't understand what the "Salvation" part referred to. Did it mean someone being saved? The "Meteoric" part was easier—it literally meant wandering stars.
However, with a bit of speculation, it could also represent people wandering like stars.
"If this person is among us…"
Thinking of this, Mei subconsciously glanced at Kiana.
Kiana's name could be interpreted as the goddess of moonlight. Moonlight... moon... stars.
Among them, only Kiana had a connection with stars.
So, could this "Meteoric Salavtion" event center around Kiana?
…This was still just a guess.
Abandoning this line of thought, Mei looked at answer C: Lament of the Fallen.
She really had no clue about this one.
Mainly, she didn't understand what the term "Fallen" was referring to.
Someone who had committed a crime?
Or someone who bore sin?
Or both?
Mei let her imagination run wild and guessed casually.
Then she looked at the last answer.
[The Will of the Herrscher]
This answer revealed even less information than the others, but it wasn't impossible to analyze.
Combining it with the background, Mei tried to immerse herself in the image of the Queen of Thunder.
After all, in the previous video—and according to the question—her equipment was Lightning Empress, (the power of the Third Herrscher).
Theresa had already taken a casual attitude toward the question. Given her intelligence, it was impossible for her to infer anything from such a vague answer.
However, noticing Mei's contemplative expression from time to time, she became curious.
"Mei, any conclusions?"
"…Probably."
Mei didn't share her speculations about the previous answers, only about this one.
"The reasoning behind the answer is: The Will of the Herrscher."
"Indeed, that makes sense," Fu Hua nodded with appreciation.
Although she didn't know the answer either, Mei's reasoning sounded convincing.
So, following Mei's lead seemed like the right thing to do.
"…As expected of Sister Mei!"
Bronya praised her too.
"No…"
Slightly embarrassed by the constant praise, Mei shook her head gently.
"Since Mei already has an idea, let her go ahead!"
Theresa directly gave Mei the right to answer, since she was the one who came up with the reasoning.
"Hm…"
Mei nodded and made her choice.
"I choose D."
[Correct]
As expected...
Does "The Will of the Herrscher" refer to the story of the Queen of Thunder defeating the Herrscher of the Sky and saving Kiana?!
This development, clearly tailored to a protagonist, made Mei feel delighted.
What kind of protagonist?! They're all fake!
The real protagonist is me—Raiden Mei!
—Image pops up
In the image, the Herrscher of the Sky stands on the ground, one hand strangling Mei's slender, scarred neck.
"?!!"
Seeing this scene, Mei—watching from outside the image—felt a strong sense of foreboding.
Hey, hey, hey!
Where's the glorious rise of the Queen of Thunder?
Why does she look so utterly defeated right at the beginning?!
The video continued.
From Mei's perspective, the first thing she saw while being strangled was the sun, and then Kiana.
The suffocation made it incredibly hard to breathe—her throat barely managed to squeeze out any air.
"Kiana… wake up… quickly…"
She raised her hand, trying to reach Kiana with her voice.
And this action didn't seem meaningless.
At the moment her fingertips touched the Herrscher of the Sky, those golden, oppressive eyes trembled slightly—returning to the clear azure that belonged to Kiana.
Kiana, regaining her consciousness, looked at Mei in her grasp with astonishment. She loosened her grip instinctively.
Mei seized the chance and escaped danger.
She coughed awkwardly and looked at Kiana, who was clutching her head, screaming uncontrollably and struggling in pain. She wanted to reach out immediately.
But in the next moment, Kiana, with her head lowered, curved the corners of her lips in a strange smile.
Small imaginary cubes swirled behind her, rotating and then gathering into a dark sphere that floated around.
The sphere descended and turned into a pair of eyes. Twisted beams of light shot out, piercing the sky.
Then the sky reacted—an ominous dark-purple circular rift bloomed open.
And then…
A small, Templar-like Honkai beast struggled out of it and hurled a sharp knight's spear straight at Mei's position.
The immense force shattered the ground, and the shockwave flung Mei away.
Through the gaps between the falling rubble, Mei saw the Herrscher of the Void slowly remove the hand covering her face and rise again in her Herrscher form.
Then, carried by inertia, Mei tumbled through the air and slammed into the ground.
Even after landing, the force kept Mei rolling several times before finally stopping.
"…"
Mei barely managed to stand—only to see a massive black shadow looming over her.
Realizing what it meant, her pupils dilated, and she reflexively raised her arms to block the incoming attack.
Though meaningless, it was the only action that gave her a sliver of comfort.
…But the expected pain never came.
Mei opened her eyes slowly.
A blue mechanical giant emerged from the void, gripping the Honkai Beast's spear tightly in its large mechanical hand.
Using sheer force, the Titan flipped the beast over. Another Titan then leapt into the air and pinned the Temple-class Honkai Beast down, restricting its movements.
One after another, sleek missiles nailed the beast's head, triggering a massive explosion that blew it into particles of light.
Then, amid Mei's dazed panic—
More Titans emerged from the void, marching toward the Herrscher of the Void with thunderous steps.
Their presence was overwhelmingly oppressive.
But…