"Is this the catastrophe your world is facing?"
Walking down the street, Raiden Ei gripped her naginata tightly, her expression cold and sharp. Beneath her feet lay the remains of hundreds of Zombies and Honkai Beasts, piled into a silent graveyard of hushed carnage.
"Yeah. This is the Honkai," Theresa replied, her small face tight with a somber intensity. "It's born alongside human civilization. The stronger we beco, the stronger it grows."
Ei scanned the city—a place that once held millions of souls. A flicker of silent rage ignited in her eyes.
Even as a transmigrator from another world, the sheer scale of the loss, the millions of lives snuffed out in an instant, stirred a deep resentnt within her.
"Compared to the Abyss, the Honkai is far more terrifying."
"The Abyss? What's that?" Theresa asked, curiosity breaking through her grim mood.
"An existence not unlike the Honkai. It erodes living things, twists the mind, and drags everything into darkness." Ei paused, looking down at the broken husks of the Honkai creatures.
"But the Abyss... it simply wishes to devour. You say the Honkai scales with civilization. That ans every step forward, every spark of prosperity, is rely fuel for this calamity. This is... a curse."
By the ti Ei finished, her gaze had turned incredibly solemn. Theresa fell silent for a mont before giving a bitter, knowing nod. "A lot of people say the Honkai is God's judgnt on humanity."
"Judgnt?" Ei let out a cold, sharp laugh. "If a god truly hands down such a sentence, then that god is not one worth following."
She raised her naginata, pointing the blade toward Chiba Academy. She could already sense it—the distinct, pulsing ripple of a Herrscher.
"Though I am not of this world, this blade shall strike for its sake!"
CRACK-BOOM!
The sky turned bruised and dark in an instant. Heavy, charcoal clouds swallowed the blue, and thick serpents of purple lightning began a wild, frenzied dance across the heavens.
SHAAAAAA—!!
Raindrops the size of beans began to pour, cascading down in a spectacular, waterfall-like deluge.
"Ei?" Theresa's eyes widened in shock. She could feel an overwhelming, suffocating pressure radiating from the woman beside her.
Electro-Charged status: Applied.
Ei looked out over the crumbling city with cold eyes and swung her naginata downward with a violent grace. Countless lightning bolts began to tear through Nagazora.
One after another, Zombies and Honkai Beasts were reduced to charred husks under the weight of this celestial wrath.
"Rest now," Ei murmured, her voice as indifferent as the winter wind.
"That's incredible!" Theresa couldn't help but gasp in awe.
Hearing the praise, Ei's lips twitched slightly. Her cold features softened just a fraction. "It was nothing more than a small trick."
"A small trick?" Theresa's expression turned hopelessly complex. She looked like she wanted to argue or perhaps cheer, but she eventually settled for a helpless sigh. "It seems you really don't have a clear grasp of your own power, Ei. But still—"
Theresa perked up again, her spirit returning. "With you here, this operation just got a whole lot easier!"
The rain continued to hamr down from the blackened sky. Ei's gaze drifted toward Theresa and lingered. The girl was soaked; her once-puffy nun's habit was now plastered to her body.
She's so small, but she's actually got a bit of a figure, Ei thought privately.
"My apologies," she said softly. "This rain has drenched you as well."
"Yeah... it is getting a bit chilly." Theresa rubbed her nose and suddenly let out a loud sneeze. "A-choo!!"
RUMBLE—
Ei went quiet for a second, and the dark clouds and lightning began to dissipate. It was enough. About eighty percent of the Honkai creatures in the city had been wiped out by that last barrage.
The children in the 'nest' should be safe now when they head out to scavenge for supplies. Ei hadn't forgotten the group of kids Raven had gathered in that skyscraper.
"Do you want to change clothes first?" Ei asked gently.
"No, no need." Theresa shook her head, a determined, confident smile blooming on her cute face. "It's just a bit of rain! I've faced much worse than this while hunting Honkai Beasts!"
"I see." Ei felt a secret pang of disappointnt. She had been thinking of so rather... adult-thed scenarios. Besides, she really wanted to try her hand at playing a real-life dress-up ga. A 'loli-mama' vibe didn't seem so bad either.
"Then let us move on." Ei started toward Chiba Academy.
Along the way, the Zombies and Honkai Beasts had vanished, leaving behind only materials ripe for the taking. Within monts, they stepped onto the academy grounds.
"We're here."
Passing through the foyer and the fountain garden—now overgrown with wild, silent greenery—they entered the school building and headed for the second floor.
"Leave the next fight to !" Theresa declared with a proud, confident grin. "Heh heh, I'll show you exactly how strong I am in a second!"
"..." Ei remained silent. Rembering how Theresa had famously 'tripped up' twice against the Herrscher of Poison in the original story, she felt a wave of playful irony. "Very well. I will watch your back and ensure you aren't hard."
"Deal!" Theresa nodded, though she found herself feeling inexplicably shy under Ei's steady, serious gaze. Honestly, is she treating like a child?
They stepped directly into the classroom where the Herrscher signature was strongest.
"Ngh..."
Inside, a girl with green hair and matching eyes was entangled in thick, thorny vines. The thorns were massive and sharp, coiling around her entire body. Around her, several other girls lay scattered on the floor, their life force already extinguished.
"So this is... a Herrscher." Ei looked at the girl, a strange emotion flickering in her eyes.
"Yes." Theresa nodded softly. She watched the girl, who was staring back at them with a gaze full of confusion and agony.
The Oath of Judah grew in size, deploying beside her. Theresa pulled a spear from the golden cross.
"I'm sorry... we're late." Theresa's eyes clouded with a heavy, guilty sorrow as she walked slowly toward her. "I've co to end your pain."
"Is there no saving her?" Ei asked in a low voice.
"I don't know..." Theresa shook her head. Thinking of Raiden i, her resolve wavered. Could another miracle happen?
However...
Ei sensed the thorns. In the blind spots of their vision, the vines were already crawling and spreading silently across the floor. She let out a quiet, internal sigh.
-- --
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