"...What do you mean I don't have an Aunt?"
The next day, Welt and Theresa arrived at the door together. The latter was there to take them to enroll at the academy, while the former was delivering a communicator to Mei.
On the other end of the line, Raiden Ryoma's expression was quite strained; clearly, his recent days had not been pleasant.
"Mei, your mother truly did not have any sisters," Raiden Ryoma said, unsure of how to explain it to his daughter.
"But... but Aunt clearly..." Mei's eyes welled up with tears of anxiety. "She clearly... did so much for me..."
"But she never told you her name, did she?" Welt sighed from the side.
"Acheron is just a code name. Who would name their child that..."
Mei froze.
She remembered that she had asked her Aunt this very question, but her Aunt had only smiled and said nothing.
"Uncle, I can't just pretend I didn't hear that," Kiana, losing her usual optimistic smile, stood up abruptly. "Sister Acheron... how could she not exist?"
"No, we aren't denying her existence," Theresa said, firmly pressing her niece back onto the sofa. "It's just that she isn't your Aunt, and you don't have an Aunt, Mei."
"Even if you don't believe me, your father said the same thing."
"But, but... if that's the case, then who is Sister Acheron?" Bronya couldn't figure it out either. She looked at Mei, then recalled Sister Acheron's appearance. "Look, they clearly look almost identical, just with an age difference..."
"You said it yourself—identical," Welt spoke up. "Anyone in this world has some kind of blood relation, but aside from sisters or twins, can bloodlines separated by a generation really look that similar?"
"Yes, I know you might think there are one or two exceptions, but Acheron... she is far too unusual."
"She seems to know everything. None of us noticed Cocolia's conspiracy, yet she could expose it in a single sentence. Theresa and that Valkyrie Himeko had clearly never met her, but anyone could see Acheron's special treatment of them, trusting them enough to entrust you all to Ms. Theresa."
"Ryoma is still at Anti-Entropy headquarters. Since Cocolia's incident came to light, his issues are no longer that severe. Logically, Raiden Mei wouldn't be without a place to go. Bronya, though you are Cocolia's adopted daughter, you resisted her plan. Kiana, your father Siegfried is currently with Anti-Entropy."
"You aren't without a place to go. At Anti-Entropy, there will always be a place for you..."
"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Theresa couldn't sit still. she stepped in front of the three girls and looked at Welt. "They are my students, starting now!"
"Even if this cooperation was pleasant, strictly speaking, Anti-Entropy and Schicksal aren't exactly on friendly terms!"
"You misunderstand, Theresa," Welt spread his hands helplessly. "My point is, they clearly have places they can go in this world, yet Ms. Acheron still chose to entrust them to you."
"But isn't that far too strange? According to your memories, you had never met her, right?"
At this point, Welt looked at Mei and the others. "Why was she so at ease? Have you ever thought about that?"
"...Sister Acheron indeed knows many, many secrets," Bronya lowered her head deeply.
She hadn't told anyone about the information regarding the serpent; that had all been told to her by Sister Acheron.
"There are many things she shouldn't know," Welt smiled. "For example, a certain Overseer's experiences from five hundred years ago. Heh, five hundred years of obsession... even I want to know what could make a man like Otto so persistent for five hundred years!"
"Mei, think about it. How old could your Aunt be? How could she know about things from five hundred years ago?"
"...But... if that's the case, then Aunt..." A purple light flashed in Mei's eyes, and a few arcs of electricity flickered around her. "Who is she?"
"It's you, Mei," Raiden Ryoma said over the phone, offering a very strained smile. "The identity of an Aunt doesn't hold up to scrutiny at all; she never intended to hide it properly."
Why was the smile so strained? Because once he accepted the fact that Acheron was his daughter from the future, a question arose: why... was she unwilling to come back and see him?
Even when mentioning him to Mei, why was her attitude so cold?
Raiden Ryoma didn't dare think further.
"It's... me?" Mei stood dazed on the spot.
"Major Himeko is younger than your parents; she only came to the Far East Branch four years ago to become a teacher," Theresa sighed. "No matter how young your Aunt was, she couldn't have been her student."
"Mei, I didn't dare to think about it..." Raiden Ryoma's voice trembled. "Why... if she is you, why was she unwilling to even glance at me, her father?"
"But now, I see your eyes... and in this instant, I understand."
"If not for her, Cocolia's plan would have succeeded. Nagazora City would have turned into a dead zone, and you would have become a Herrscher, burdened with the responsibility for these millions of lives... Mei... I... I..."
Raiden Ryoma was now sobbing over the phone. Unless truly overcome with the utmost regret, what father would want to weep before his daughter?
"I've failed you, Mei. Your father didn't protect you... she must resent me. I was the one who implanted the Gem of Conquest into your body. You becoming a Herrscher—it all started because of me..."
"Millions of lives... she must have suffered so much, hardships I can't even imagine... You're only sixteen... only sixteen..."
"A Herrscher... a Herrscher... so, I can understand why she would hate me," Raiden Ryoma wept, covering his face. "It's all because of me... I failed to protect you."
"Your father is useless, Mei, I..."
"Ryoma, it's not your fault," Welt comforted him. "If it weren't for Cocolia... sigh."
His heart felt heavy as well. As a Herrscher, he had also suffered from judgmental looks. This girl was so young... and yet she bore such a heavy...
"That is why she didn't let you go to Anti-Entropy," Theresa said softly. "In her experience, she must have been discovered by Schicksal and then entered St. Freya Academy."
"That's why she calls Himeko 'Teacher,' why she's so familiar with us, why she trusts us so much, and why she knows so many secrets. That information is secret to us, but to her, coming from the future... it's nothing."
"She must be full of self-reproach and regret. Otherwise, she wouldn't have paid such a high price to come back and rewrite this history," Welt added. "An ability specifically to restrain Honkai Energy, protecting these million people before everything happened, so you could be born clean."
Hearing this, Mei suddenly recalled what her 'Aunt' had said: she wanted Mei to master her power, because only then could she master her own future...
Looking back, every word was heartfelt, the advice of someone who had lived through it.
"For your safety, she didn't hesitate to pay the price to swing that blade. Even though with her ability, annihilating Cocolia's Fleet was a simple task, she still sliced the Moon..."
"So, Mei, there is no other possibility. It's just that from her appearance... she must have suffered very, very much."
"You are clearly a child who loves to smile," Theresa gently stroked Mei's head. "But her face always wore an indifferent expression. Even when there was a slight emotional flicker, she only slightly curved the corner of her mouth."
"Come back to St. Freya with me. I will definitely protect you all."
Mei remained silent for two seconds, then gently took her hand.
Meanwhile, Kiana was lost in thought.
Sister Acheron wasn't Sister Acheron... she was Mei...
Ha, I knew it. No wonder... thinking back to the first day we met, her attitude toward me.
Even though we had just met, she was willing to sleep in the same bed as me and didn't mind my terrible sleeping posture... she led me through all those major events, gave me advice... and told me that the matter with my old man wasn't that simple.
Mei... Mei...
Bronya was also thinking.
If... if this hypothesis held true, then it meant Sister Acheron didn't come from the Sea of Quanta, and she didn't know Seele... at least not the current Seele.
Facing this situation, Bronya felt no negative emotions at all. Because if she came from the future and knew Seele's affairs so clearly... then there was only one possibility: in the future, Bronya succeeded!
Bronya saved Seele! Sister Acheron learned about Seele's experiences in the Sea of Quanta from Seele's own mouth, which is why she knew so much!
Thus, Bronya wasn't sad; instead, she was full of drive.
Three Herrschers, right!
She looked around. Sister Mei was the Third律者, Kiana... Sister Acheron said she had the power of the Second Herrscher, and the First律者... isn't he right here too?
Bronya was brimming with fighting spirit!
Xia Yu opened her eyes to the familiar yet strange rented room.
She fell silent for two seconds, turned to open the door, but it remained as immovable as ever.
Seeing this, she walked to the window and drew back the curtains.
It was pitch black outside.
She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, bloody tears fell from the corners of her eyes, her long blue-purple hair turned snowy white instantly, and Mandarava petals drifted around her like snow... she drew her blade and swung it toward the window with all her might!
The crimson sword light, carrying an unstoppable momentum, flew into the darkness before her eyes, flying on and on...
Until the Nihility Erosion surged up and color drained from her eyes, leaving only black and white in her vision. The sword light still hadn't reached an end; it just gradually faded into the distance... until it could no longer be seen.
Even in the state of Nihility Erosion, a trace of sadness surfaced in her heart.
Xia Yu gently closed the curtains, sat on the bed, hugged her knees, and closed her eyes.
She silently waited for the erosion to pass.
In fact, she could avoid the erosion by switching bodies, but... she didn't want to do that for now.
Perhaps, temporarily losing some emotions wasn't a bad thing.
After an unknown amount of time, she slowly opened her eyes. Familiar colors returned to her field of vision.
Xia Yu sighed, patted her cheeks, took a deep breath, and gathered her emotions.
She stood up, went to the computer, and pulled out the chair.
Three light orbs jumped out.
[Senzu Bean *3]
"From Dragon Ball, cultivated by Korin the cat hermit of Korin Tower. Shaped like a green broad bean, consuming it can instantly restore stamina and heal internal and external injuries, but it is ineffective against diseases."
Brief introduction, ultimate mechanics.
Every Senzu Bean was a life.
She just didn't know if it would work against Nihility Erosion... tsk, three beans was far too few; she couldn't bear to use one for an experiment.
[Sorcery—Tergeo]
"From Harry Potter, an essential spell for home and travel!"
No, before it was Senzu Beans, and now you give me this? Xia Yu was stunned. Scouring Charm—what use was this... well, it was slightly useful, but the drop-off was too huge, wasn't it?
Still... Xia Yu thought carefully. She didn't seem to lack destructive moves; what she lacked were these kinds of functional mechanics... but this was a bit too functional, wasn't it?!
She sighed and looked at the third light orb.
It was an Odachi with a black and red color scheme.
[Divine Key—Judgment of Shamash]
"Judgment of Shamash, also known as the Seventh Divine Key or Key of Destruction. A Divine Key weapon made from the Herrscher Core of the Seventh Herrscher from the Previous Era. Its regular form is a pair of pistols, limiting its power by separating the Herrscher Core. Its Zeroth Power can transform into a greatsword to release Shamash, Uriel!, but it will incinerate the user."
"Has been modified; any energy source can be used as long as the magnitude meets the requirements; it does not need to be limited to Honkai Energy."
Xia Yu fell silent.
She looked up at the first item, the Senzu Beans, then at the Judgment of Shamash before her, and finally cast her gaze on the Scouring Charm in the middle.
No, is this appropriate? Sandwiched between these two is a spell used for cleaning the room?
She had a belly full of complaints to vent, but she couldn't find anyone to vent them to...
But Judgment of Shamash... in Nagazora City, she had looked for traces of Jizo Mitama, but it seemed that because she had gathered all the Honkai Energy in one place, Nagazora City hadn't suffered erosion, so Yae Sakura hadn't woken up yet...
She hadn't expected that instead of Jizo Mitama, she would get Judgment of Shamash. But how to put it... compared to an offensive weapon like Judgment of Shamash, she preferred functional weapons like Jizo Mitama and Abyss Flower.
After all, with Acheron, she didn't lack damage. And an opponent who could make even Acheron lack damage... hanging every Divine Key on herself would probably still be futile.
After all, she hadn't dared to test Acheron's full power in the Solar System; the strike she made was calculated to ensure it wouldn't leave the Solar System.
You should know that in Penacony, the reason Acheron didn't act directly was that if she truly got serious, she could easily wipe out the entire Penacony... an entire star system's worth.
Oh well, the more the merrier.