Herrscher of Dominance in Honkai, starting with the abduction of Kiana

"Kiana, there's no time to hesitate. The detonation time of the Honkai bomb has been greatly shortened."

Seeing Kiana's conflicted expression, Fu Hua grew anxious. She still didn't know about Ren's existence. To her, Kiana's hesitation was simply about saving the civilians.

Since the first Honkai beast appeared, outbreaks had erupted across the entire city. The energy fluctuations from the Honkai bomb on the signal tower were growing stronger, driving the Honkai beasts into an uncontrollable rampage.

Kiana turned her gaze toward the distant signal tower, its outline blurred by the chaos. Then, she looked at the hospital behind her, now shrouded in smoke and ruin.

She closed her eyes in pain.

"I promised you that I would save everyone and make this world the way we want it to be. I know… but who will save you?"

Her memories pulled her back to that day in the hospital garden.

Under the shade of the trees, the boy's sorrow, pain, and anger had etched themselves into her heart. It was the cry of an ordinary person—the desperate prayer of someone longing for salvation. He yearned for someone to save this world.

Now, that burning torch had been passed to her. But once again, hesitation gripped her.

Kiana knew the cost. The moment she took hold of that torch, she would lose the ability to protect Ren. She would be forced to watch as he was consumed by the darkness.

No. There's still a chance.

Kiana opened her eyes and turned to Mei. Her voice wavered, carrying a hint of pleading.

"Mei, can you help me?"

"Help you with what?"

"Stop that Honkai outbreak and save someone. There are a lot of people in the hospital who've already been attacked by Honkai. They've already suffered once. I have to save them.

And… during my time wandering, someone helped me. I can't just abandon him. He… he's very important to me."

No longer caring about her conflicting thoughts, Kiana finally told Mei what she was feeling. Mei was her best friend, and so was Ren. Losing either of them was something she couldn't accept.

But now, faced with this impossible choice, Kiana saw only one path. Mei would have to save Ren.

Looking into the girl's light blue eyes, Mei felt a sharp pain in her chest. That desperate, pleading expression—it was a side of Kiana she had never seen before.

We're best friends. I'd do anything you asked, so why… why would you look at me like that? Why would you use such a tone? As if… you're about to leave me.

"Okay."

Mei's voice was soft, her smile forced. But she still agreed.

"Go to the signal tower. I'll go save him."

"No matter who it is, I'll save them for you."

Hearing Mei's promise, Kiana took a deep breath and tightly embraced her best friend.

"Thank you, Mei."

Now that she had a solution, Kiana didn't hesitate any longer. She turned and ran toward the signal tower.

Mei stood alone, watching Kiana's figure fade into the distance. Her gaze fell to her empty palms.

Why did she have to say thank you?

Splitting up was the best choice. This way, everyone could be saved.

Isn't this… good enough?

Biting her lip until it drew blood, Mei raised her hand to wipe at her eyes. She didn't want to feel the sting of tears—not now. Swallowing her unwillingness, she turned and headed for the hospital.

The silence didn't last long.

The phone in her pocket began vibrating. Mei pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

The call was from him.

The man who claimed to be from The Obsidian Concord.

Several hours had passed since the rooftop duel. As the loser, Mei was supposed to agree to one of his requests, but her mind had been completely focused on Kiana.

The man hadn't mentioned what he wanted, so Mei was caught off guard when he suddenly sent a message.

She had promised Kiana she would help save someone. Mei originally considered hanging up the call, but after a few seconds of hesitation, she decided to answer. She had a feeling that this organization wasn't as simple as it seemed.

「Good evening, Ms. Raiden Mei.」

To her surprise, the voice on the other end of the call wasn't the man's. Instead, it was a mature woman's voice—one that sounded oddly familiar.

"I don't have time for small talk! If you have something to say, then say it!"

Though it was someone else speaking, Mei wasn't very surprised. The man had mentioned before that they were an entire organization. It made sense that someone else would contact her.

「Don't worry. Our members have already begun organizing the rescue efforts in ARC City. We'll try our best to save those civilians.」

How did they know she was going to help save people?

Mei froze, her expression changing as confusion swept over her. She quickly checked herself for any listening devices. If there was one, it meant her connection to Kiana could be exposed.

"Who are you?" Her voice turned cold. Mei hadn't found any listening devices on her, but the other party's actions were too suspicious to ignore.

As she spoke, she subtly activated the recording function on her phone. But she didn't stop walking toward the hospital. Whether or not the person's claims about the rescue efforts were true, Mei had to return and see for herself.

「We are lost souls who have been saved by her. Everything we do is to carry out her will. Including the person that you're about to go save, he will also become a member of our organization in the future.」

「She's our savior, and the savior of this world, but the power of a single person is limited. That's why we exist.」

Perhaps it was because she was too excited, the woman's voice was trembling slightly, making Mei feel a little strange.

"You sound like a church that worships some kind of god. And you all sound more like some kind of crazy believers."

Mei's mocking words didn't make the woman feel ashamed at all. It was as if she had somehow received some kind of approval.

「That's right! That's right!!」 If the other party's tone from earlier had only sounded a little paranoid, then their madness was no longer concealed. 「She is our god! Burning within her is a blazing flame! And we're all failures who have been abandoned by the light! We can only greedily soak in her warmth from the shadows!」

"Crazy!" Whether it was the masked man, or this crazed woman, they both carried an aura that made Mei feel uncomfortable.

But if what the other party had said was true, then it really seemed like an organization that had been created to help Kiana.

「Hehe.」

It was as if the other party was confirming it. Mei didn't continue to pry into the details about the organization. Instead, she directly asked, "Then what do you need me to do?"

「A powerful enemy is approaching. Our savior is saving the world, but some damned worms are trying to take her power. We need you to save her, and bring her back safely.」

"That's your condition?"

The so-called condition was something she was already planning on doing. It made Mei feel a little absurd, even insulted, as if her resolve was being questioned.

"I'll naturally bring Kiana back. I don't need you telling me what to do."

She valued Kiana more than anyone. That someone would now have to remind her, was this looking down on her resolve?

Listening to Mei's words that were filled with confidence, Ren, who was on the other end of the call, smiled.

Raiden Mei, simply having resolve isn't enough. It seems you're still unaware of how cruel the world really is.

「That is our condition. We won't restrict you in any way, whether you're able to do it or not.」

That was all she was told. There weren't any more messages. Mei shook her head, a little annoyed. She looked at the katana in her hand. The faint sparks from her Crimson Impulse armor were dancing on the blade.

Even if she encountered Rita again, she wouldn't fail like last time.