A glint of lightning danced in the mist.
She blocked my strike with ease, and in that brief clash, our eyes locked—
Both our expressions flickered with surprise.
"Mei-senpai?"
"Shin?"
The tension snapped for a split second, surprise overtaking instinct.
"...What are you doing here?" I asked, lowering my weapon slightly.
Mei's eyes softened, though her posture remained guarded.
"I received the message Rita sent... through the child."
"Rita did?"
She gave a slow nod. "Yeah. It seems she planned everything ahead of time."
With a graceful motion, Mei sheathed her katana, the soft click echoing in the silence.
"I see... So the 'help' has arrived. Did Dr. Tesla come along?"
"No, not this time." Mei's tone was quiet, but firm. "We prepared for the worst once we received Rita's message... but I didn't expect you here."
I didn't respond immediately. Just lowered my gaze for a second.
"...Mei-senpai, let's save the reunion for later. Kiana is still..."
"I know." She looked down for a moment, "I was going to question Rita's judgment for trusting someone like Jackal to bait her, but... I trust you more than I doubt her."
A small chuckle escaped me. "Haha..."
She looked at me, eyes warm with something rare—relief.
"I'm glad you're alive, Shin."
Before I could answer, a familiar voice chimed in, heels clicking softly on the steel floor.
"It seems everyone is present."
We turned—and there she was.
"Rita."
Clad in her battlesuit, scythe resting behind her back like a guardian's blade, she approached with her usual composure... though a faint bruise peeked just below her collar.
"Miss Raiden. Shin. I'm relieved to see you both here in one piece."
"You're the one who nearly ran off alone," I said, crossing my arms. "You could've died."
Rita smiled faintly. "Then it's good that I didn't."
Mei gave her a brief nod. "I was skeptical at first... but I see now what you were trying to do."
"Good. Because time is short..." Rita said, her voice low but urgent. "Help me find the antidote and we'll save Miss Kaslana."
"I still don't believe you." Mei's voice cut through the air like her lightning—sharp and dangerous. Her hand rested lightly on the hilt of her blade, ready to draw at a moment's notice. Her eyes never left Rita's.
Rita, unfazed, let out a soft sigh. With a flick of her wrist, a holographic projector on her battlesuit activated. A video played—grainy, but clear enough to see her fighting side by side with Kiana, the two of them coordinating strikes, covering each other's blind spots, and bleeding for one another.
"Master Shin can also vouch for me."
Mei's eyes narrowed as she turned to me. "You were there... and you did nothing?"
I stiffened but stood my ground. "I wanted to—believe me, I almost did. But Rita had a plan. She needed to use this moment to gather everyone. She believed help would come. And it did."
Mei frowned. "Risking Kiana's life for a long-shot gamble..."
"We had no better options," I said quietly. "And you're here now because she took that risk."
There was silence. Then—
"Now, now..." Rita spoke, tone still graceful despite the pressure. "The fact we're all standing here in this cursed city means we're on the same side."
Mei scoffed, turning away slightly. "Hmph..."
Rita took a small step forward, hands folded behind her back like a knight in repose. "I'm pleased we've reached an amicable agreement. I'm counting on you two... Miss Raiden."
Mei didn't respond at first, but she didn't walk away either.
"Then let's not waste the trust we've all placed in each other," I said, stepping forward. "Lead the way, Rita. Let's find the antidote. And then we bring Kiana home."
Rita gave a soft, knowing smile then she slowly turned to unidentified figures.
"We've got company—test subjects and..." Rita narrowed her eyes, "mechs? Those aren't standard World Serpent issues."
I stepped forward, blade already in hand.
"Enough chit-chat..." I muttered, the edge of my voice cold and focused. "We have a visitor."
Before either of them could move, I vanished into the fray like a flicker of steel.
A clang echoed. Then a blur of silver and red—a single blink, a silent dash—and the first wave was gone, their bodies collapsing in synchronized.
My blade hissed through the air like a phantom.
But then—mechanized roars. More swarmed from the ventilation shafts and corridor bulkheads. Some crawled like spiders, others stood like towering centurions of rusted armor.
"Is that... the power of the Herrscher of Blade?" Mei's voice held a rare edge of disbelief. She stared at me, wide-eyed, watching as I danced through metal and flesh like death incarnate.
Rita smiled faintly. "It seems you're familiar with Master Shin's abilities, Miss Raiden?"
Mei gave a small nod, her gaze never leaving me. "Yes. I've seen it before... but I've never seen him this focused."
She gripped her katana and stepped forward. "Let's assist him."
"With pleasure," Rita responded, spinning her scythe into a guard stance. "Just like old times, then?"
Mei leaped forward with a crackle of lightning, cleaving through a spider-like mech in one precise arc, while Rita ducked low and swung her scythe in a full circle—cutting down three more soldiers mid-charge.
I landed beside them, breathing slowly, blade slick with oil and blood.
"You're late," I smirked.
"We're fashionable," Mei shot back, sparks trailing from her blade.
"My, my. Let's not keep the next wave waiting," Rita added, twirling her scythe once with a cool gleam in her eyes. "We still have an antidote to find... and a Herrscher to save."
After several minutes of clearing wave after wave, a cold silence fell over the lab's ruined interior.
Mei abruptly halted in her tracks and turned toward Rita.
"I've done what you asked. Time to live up to your end of the bargain."
Rita didn't flinch. Calm as ever, she brushed some dust off her uniform.
"The Serpent's main Honkai research facility... it lies deep beneath this biomedical park."
My brows furrowed. "You knew from the start?" I asked, slowly sheathing my blade.
Rita gave me a subtle smile. "It was just a guess. But I'm confident Miss Kaslana is being held there. I've uploaded the route to your battlesuit HUD—"
Schfft.
A flash of silver. The cold glint of steel.
Mei's blade was already drawn—its edge pressed flush against Rita's neck, a single strand of Rita's hair falling as her voice was cut off mid-sentence.
"Mei!" I called out, surprised, my eyes wide.
But Rita didn't blink. Her expression didn't change.
"...And your reason for doing this?" she asked, serene as ever.
Mei's voice was low, resolute.
"I need one more thing, Rita."
She narrowed her eyes.
"I want the eye. The Gray Serpent's eye."
Rita held her gaze, then, ever so softly, nodded.
"...As you wish."
Mei slowly lowered her blade.
"The eye will set the child free."
There was no explanation offered—just the heavy implication that something deeper lay beneath Mei's motivations. Some secret pain. Some forgotten promise.
I stayed silent, glancing once between them before turning.
"I'm heading out." I said, my voice quieter than before.
My battlesuit lit up with the route Rita uploaded. I followed the guiding markers without looking back.
Behind me, Rita called out.
"A gentle reminder, Miss Raiden. For every moment you hesitate... you prolong Miss Kaslana's suffering."
She turned her eyes to me, her voice calm and just faintly bittersweet.
"You should do what Master Shin is doing—walking forward, even in uncertainty."
Mei didn't respond.
Rita tilted her head slightly, smiling.
"I'm afraid I must bid you farewell now. Hopefully, the next time we meet... you won't press your blade against my throat."
With that, she turned away, disappearing into a separate corridor, her heels clicking softly against the steel floors.
She walked in silence, deeper into the research wing. Her hand lightly rested on a sealed container—the vial containing the antidote glimmering inside.
"I've secured the antidote..." Rita whispered to herself.
The elevator opened ahead.
"Now to investigate what they did to the shuttle's EOS."
Shin's POV
"There's Mindless Soldiers around," I muttered, tightening my grip on my blade. "But there should be no problem."
With fluid steps and surgical precision, I dashed forward—each strike severing limbs and slicing through necks like paper. The corrupted soldiers fell without a sound. The hallway was cleared in seconds.
Mei followed in silence, her movements as graceful as they were lethal—cutting down stragglers who dared to rise after my first assault.
Just as we turned the final corner toward the elevator shaft, the ground shook violently, dust falling from the ceiling. The tremor rumbled beneath our feet like a beast stirring in the deep.
Mei stopped and looked down at the trembling floor.
"It's coming from below..."
"The underground." I pointed ahead. "The elevator's still active. It should take us there."
We stepped inside the metal box, the doors hissing shut behind us. The lights flickered for a second before the elevator began its descent with a low mechanical groan.
A tense silence settled.
The hum of the elevator was only interrupted by the distant sounds of Honkai roars and mechanical whirs—echoes of whatever was happening down there.
I glanced at Mei, her arms crossed, her expression thoughtful—but alert.
"You really think Kiana is down there?" she asked without looking at me.
I nodded. "If she's not... then they want us to think she is."
"...That's cruel."
"That's the Serpent."
The elevator trembled again midway down, as if something massive moved below—another quake rippling through the shaft. Mei instinctively braced herself against the wall.
"Shin."
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for earlier... for putting my blade on Rita."
I blinked, caught off guard.
"You were just being cautious."
She gave a quiet nod, but didn't say anything more.
When the elevator finally slowed to a halt, the doors creaked open, revealing a dimly lit corridor. The scent of burning oil and cold metal hit immediately.
Sparks danced in the distance.
The underground facility had seen a battle—a recent battle.
We stepped out together.
"Stay sharp"
A holographic sign flickered above:
"Honkai Genome Division - Level Ω."
Mei narrowed her eyes. "Let's end this."