"Sss…"
Koji brought Kiana to Teyvat to sightsee. The moment she saw the twin Archon sisters, she sucked in a sharp breath.
So people who look that much like Mei… really exist in that kind of quantity?
Especially Raiden Makoto—her gentle, soothing vibe was just perfect. Love it, love it. She really did resemble Mei. And Raiden Ei had one of those faces you just couldn't say no to. Absolutely sublime.
"Th-This…"
Raiden Makoto, too, froze the instant she saw Kiana's face. She just stood there, stunned—because that face looked shockingly similar to the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles… and to the Herrscher of the Void as well.
Only… she didn't look very bright. There was a kind of clear, innocent "airhead" glow in her eyes.
"Hello, little sister. I'm Raiden Makoto. And this is my younger sister, Raiden Ei, as well as the Raiden Shogun." Makoto introduced them with a smile.
"Kiana Kaslana… Wait, you two big sisters also have the surname 'Raiden'?" Kiana blinked. "Raiden… could you be Mei's sisters in another world?"
Her voice really did sound similar, too. If Kiana hadn't already known Mei existed back in her own world, she might've been completely lost.
"Yeah. What's wrong?" Makoto asked, puzzled.
"Kiana knows a good friend named Raiden Mei," Koji explained. "You're really similar to her—whether it's your face or your voice."
"Oh, right. And Raiden Mei's attribute is also Lightning."
Even though the Electro Archon in Teyvat governed electromagnetism… the problem was, Mei just loved using lightning.
Herrschers were essentially civilization-level calamities, and even they had their upper limits "locked" by the Cocoon of Finality—otherwise, any one of them could easily wipe out human civilization on Earth.
"I see. That really is a coincidence." Makoto nodded.
"Then… does that Raiden Mei know how to cook?" Raiden Ei asked curiously.
"She does."
Kiana nodded… then immediately looked like her soul left her body. She loved Mei's cooking more than anything.
"…."
Raiden Ei fell silent.
So… among all people with the surname Raiden… was she the only one who couldn't cook?
"Kiana—when Mei first started cooking, was it really tasty?" Koji asked.
"A-At first…"
Kiana tried to recall. Her face twisted into a pained expression, and she even shuddered a little.
She remembered it vividly: the very first dish Mei ever made for her—how to describe that flavor… it was beyond words.
During that time, Kiana genuinely thought Mei was doing it on purpose. There was no way something could taste that bad by accident.
It was only after endless "trial runs" that Mei's cooking finally improved. And along the way, Kiana also became familiar with Kaslana-style cooking—developing a sort of "poison resistance."
Otherwise, she would've been gone a long time ago.
Before the incident with Raiden Ryoma, Mei had been a pampered rich girl who never needed to lift a finger. When would she ever have cooked for herself? So of course "the kitchen exploding" was normal at the start.
"Mei's cooking… really is delicious." Kiana said through a painfully forced smile.
Anyone with eyes could tell she was lying. Mei's good cooking wasn't innate talent—it was trained, forged on Kiana's body like a whetstone.
"Ei, don't even think about it. Other people can practice until they get it right—but you? Yeah, you don't have that possibility." Koji poured ice water directly on her hopes.
Some people just couldn't learn to cook in this lifetime—like Raiden Ei… and MEI.
As for Acheron… no one knew whether she could cook, but odds were she couldn't even find where the kitchen was.
Meanwhile, Kiana used the Herrscher of the Void's authority to zip around Teyvat. There was no Honkai energy here, which made everything feel novel and exciting to her.
"Spatial power… Does she really have no connection to the one who governs Space?" Makoto couldn't help asking.
In the entirety of Teyvat, the number of people who could wield spatial power was vanishingly small. And a pure, unfiltered spatial ability like this—plus that face that resembled Asmoday so much—made it hard not to think there was a link.
"Maybe it's just 'laid off and rehired'?" Koji joked.
It was a joke… but Asmoday really did resemble the Herrscher of the Void, and Kiana's use of spatial rifts looked just like her.
On the other side, Kiana floated high over Teyvat's skies, staring at the scenery—and she couldn't help getting lost in it.
It was the first time she'd ever seen a landscape like this. Even Taixuan's Great Mountain—where her class monitor trained—couldn't compare.
"Asmoday… no, wait…"
The three who presided over Life, Death, and Time sensed an unmistakable spatial fluctuation. Their gazes projected toward the source—and they all paused, slightly stunned.
There was a certain similarity… enough that they nearly mistook her for someone else.
"Heh. Looks like we've gained another little sister?" Rhinedottir said with a laugh.
If she looked that much like Asmoday, then there had to be some kind of connection.
"I don't know. There's power inside her that comes from outside the world—no weaker than that taboo power of the Abyss." Istaroth sounded half-asleep, her voice soft and languid.
Honkai energy could do anything. Elemental power couldn't compete.
"Power from outside the world again… Isn't this getting a bit ridiculous?" Rhinedottir muttered.
One after another—now it felt like anyone could just stroll into Teyvat.
"Are you taking a shot at Koji?" Ronova asked with a smile.
Last time, in the River of Time, Istaroth got bonked by Koji so hard she instantly grew a huge bump. It took months for it to finally go down.
During that time, she hid in the River of Time and refused to take even one step outside—terrified someone might see her in such an embarrassing state.
"Stop. Don't bring up that monster." Istaroth rolled her eyes.
Since the day she was born, she'd never suffered a loss that humiliating.
"Wow. Getting bullied on your home turf, huh? No wonder you don't want to talk about it." Rhinedottir sounded fascinated. "But I'm curious—he's not like normal lifeforms."
Rhinedottir wanted to study Koji… but she didn't make a move.
She had enough self-awareness: if Istaroth wasn't Koji's opponent, then she certainly wasn't either.
"Mhm. I'll go meet this little sister." Ronova said.
Ronova developed a slight interest in Kiana and vanished directly from where she stood. Istaroth and Rhinedottir didn't react—this wasn't really their problem.
"…."
"Who?!" Kiana snapped.
"Show yourself!"
Mid-flight, Kiana halted. One of her blue eyes turned gold—Sirin had taken over.
As the Herrscher of the Void, trying to hide inside space in front of her was pure overconfidence… like showing off tricks in front of the master.
"Such sharp perception, little sister~"
Ronova tore open a rift. Beyond it was a dark red space—eyes that made you want to gag just by looking at them rolled around inside, the kind of sight that shaved chunks off your sanity.
With her well-proportioned figure, Ronova stepped out slowly, studying Kiana with keen interest.
"Two souls?" Sirin narrowed her eyes.
Sirin raised an eyebrow and said flatly, "The aura of death… that's all?"
Even if she wasn't the peak six-core Herrscher, she still carried the Gem of Serenity inside her. She had no need to fear Ronova's authority at all.
"Tsk tsk, don't be so fierce. I'm not here to fight." Ronova laughed.
So cute—like a pufferfish. Puff up so easily.
"I don't know you, so leave." Sirin didn't lower her guard.
Several Subspace Spears condensed and floated at her side, ready to launch at any moment.
Ronova stared at Sirin for a long time.
That move… it felt even more similar now.
Did these two… really have nothing to do with each other?
Phanes—the one who created their existences—might have seen the Herrscher of the Void before.
(End of Chapter)
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