Chapter 40

"Mei, can you give me a hand?"

The Herrscher of Thunder stared straight at Bai Ge, as if wanting to brand the boy's appearance completely into her own eyes. At the same time, the thunder in the sky also stopped for the time being.

"Hmph!"

The Queen raised her hand to pull Bai Ge up from the ground. Her movements were very casual, yet very thoughtful.

Only then did the Herrscher of Thunder Mei notice that Bai Ge's hands were still trembling slightly, making it hard to imagine that it was these hands that had hacked a Titan to a standstill with one sword.

But it must have been that in that emergency, he forced out a large amount of his own potential in an instant.

"Watch the surroundings, it's not over yet."

Bai Ge glanced around. More Titan mechas appeared, although they all seemed a bit stiff in their movements due to the electromagnetic influence of the Herrscher of Thunder's authority.

"Damn it, again! Watch this young lady tear them all apart!"

"Tsk, looks like that mother fox hasn't given up yet. Kiana, don't go head-to-head, let's retreat first."

Although the mechas' movements were very stiff due to interference, they still rushed toward them aggressively, their raised iron fists about to smash down.

Bai Ge's eye twitched. He didn't want to become Valkyrie fragments, so he immediately called out to the grass-munching bug who was preparing to rush over and fight, preparing to retreat tactically first.

However...

"They are just a pile of scrap metal."

The Herrscher of Thunder Mei, who had just almost been successfully sneak-attacked by this pile of scrap metal, stepped forward with contempt.

Immediately, the thunder that had just subsided roared again.

Instantly, purple lightning filled this abandoned building, striking indiscriminately except for the location of Bai Ge and Kiana, instantly electrocuting the Titans into scrap.

"…………"

"…………"

Bai Ge and Kiana were immediately stunned, and could only give a thumbs up to show that Mei was awesome, so cool~!

"Why did you save me just now."

As if she had only done a trivial thing, the Queen didn't look at this pile of 'scrap metal' again, but turned around and raised her hand to press Bai Ge against the wall.

A domineering female CEO-style wall-pin.

"What do you mean why? Mei, you were in danger, how could I just stand by and watch? Uh, so close..."

Bai Ge looked away, feeling a bit awkward.

It was the first time he had been wall-pinned by a girl,

And the pure-hearted Mei, who was usually so gentle and virtuous and would blush when teased, was now pinning him in a corner with the cold and arrogant posture of a domineering queen.

It really made one's heartbeat accelerate involuntarily.

And the distance was incredibly close; one could hear each other's breathing, and Bai Ge could even feel two soft slimes pressing against his chest.

If Mei closed her eyes and didn't move for a second at this moment, Bai Ge felt he could kiss her.

"How meaningless. Don't lump me together with that crybaby. I am the Queen of Thunder, the Herrscher of Thunder, the apostle of Honkai created to destroy humanity. How about it, do you regret saving me now?"

The Herrscher of Thunder Mei looked down at the boy from above.

However, Bai Ge shook his head with a smile.

"I don't think so at all. Although your personality is indeed different from the usual Mei, and you are very powerful, even so, you are still 【Lei Luya】, my girlfriend, aren't you? Since that's the case, there's no problem."

He didn't care at all what Mei's identity was.

He just clearly told the Herrscher of Thunder in front of him that no matter what you are, I will be your companion.

And the Herrscher of Thunder? From the appearance, it is indeed so, but at this moment, this domineering queen version of Mei is essentially not a Herrscher personality created by Honkai.

That is why she has the possibility of reversing the Great Eruption.

"What do you want to say?"

The Herrscher of Thunder Mei's surprised eyes widened slightly, pulling the distance between the two, which was already close at hand, even closer.

Bai Ge could even hear the sound of the wall collapsing from the hand she used to wall-pin him.

"Didn't I already say it? I want to save you all; I don't want to think about those complicated things."

"As for destroying humanity or whatever, please just forget it for my sake, Mei~ That kind of boring thing, we might as well have dinner together, which is more meaningful."

"…………"

The Queen's majesty had no effect at all.

Far from being in awe, the Herrscher Mei clearly felt that Bai Ge's attitude toward her was no different from his attitude toward the coward in her memories.

Equally gentle.

Equally caring.

This kind of emotion was so warm that it even made her feel inexplicable. Clearly, she was a Herrscher about to turn the entire Nagazora City into a living hell, an enemy of humanity.

Suddenly, at this moment.

The Herrscher Mei felt a heat in her chest.

"What are you doing."

"Uh, hmm? Maybe I tried too hard just now. I'll faint for a while. I hope I can eat the dinner Mei made herself when I wake up."

Bai Ge suddenly slumped onto the Herrscher of Thunder Mei, his eyes squinting as if he were about to fall asleep, his cheek buried in the girl's chest.

Such an intimate gesture, even Raiden Ryoma, as a father, had never had.

"However, I have already made my choice, so next... it's your turn to make a choice, Mei. Don't let me down." Before his consciousness fell asleep, he said something like a dream.

"Hmph, you don't think that by pretending to faint, you can make me feel indebted and thus listen to you, right? Open your eyes and speak clearly, you... what?!"

Suddenly, the Herrscher Mei seemed to feel something, and her purple eyes, containing lightning, revealed an expression of disbelief.

Then, her movements became stiff, and one could say she was cautiously checking Bai Ge's body.

"Don't joke around!" she shouted loudly.

Rumble—!!

In an instant, the roar of thunder resounded throughout the city.

The Herrscher Mei thought of what Bai Ge had just said, and the choice she had witnessed not long ago.

She had placed the options of saving the world and saving Lei Luya in front of Bai Ge, letting him make a choice, and the boy chose the latter without hesitation.

Now Bai Ge had placed the choice in front of the Herrscher of Thunder Mei—is it to continue to carry out the mission of Honkai to destroy civilization, or to choose me/Bai Ge.

"... I won't allow you to end like this. From now on, only I can take your life. Bai Ge, you must live for me."

The Herrscher Mei said, looking at the boy in her arms.

The so-called Great Eruption is irreversible.

When a Herrscher descends into the world, excluding those few unusual individuals, a large-scale Honkai disaster will occur, severely damaging the world.

Because the Great Eruption created the Herrscher, in fact, the Herrscher herself should not be able to stop the arrival of the Great Eruption... Under normal circumstances, this is correct.

"Kiana over there, next, I'll leave him to you. Be careful with him."

"Mei, no, that's not right, you are not Mei, what exactly do you intend to do?"

"Hmph! I have no obligation to explain to you... Forget it, I'm just telling him my choice."

She took another deep look at the sleeping boy.