"Tch, only this much Primogems?" Chen Luo looked at the 200 Primogems with dissatisfaction.
This Emperor class Honkai beast was nothing like the equivalent of 40 zombies. Even 400 zombies combined wouldn't stand a chance against it, right?
But whatever, it's not like I won fair and square anyway.
Maybe that's why the Primogems were fewer.
Still, it's no big deal. I can just make up for it by killing a few more zombies. The most important thing is that Chen Luo has already met the special condition for the 4-Star achievement. All he needs now is to kill about 400 more zombies to successfully obtain it.
That's right—in just the past few hours, Chen Luo had already killed over 500 zombies, earning him 1,000 Primogems and more than 1,500 Crystals.
The sheer happiness nearly made him faint...
But after thinking about the gacha mechanics of the Honkai world, he quickly sobered up.
For Herrscher Cores, it takes 28,000 Crystals just to guarantee one (S-rank character), and even then, you'd need to pull duplicates to gradually restore the Herrscher Core's authority.
Even if Chen Luo really killed ten thousand zombies and Honkai beasts, at a base rate of 5 Primogems per kill, that would only amount to 50,000 Crystals. With bad luck, he might only get one Herrscher Core out of it.
Chen Luo figured it'd be better to just befriend the Herrschers and buy their cores with Crystals instead.
Raiden Mei's Herrscher Core only costs 10,000 Crystals to purchase—and that's before any discounts.
The unfortunate part is that while increasing affection lowers the Primogem cost for purchases, discounts for Crystal purchases only apply to friends within the Honkai world.
In conclusion, Crystals are inferior to Primogems!
But Chen Luo wouldn't just spend everything on Herrscher Cores, because other things are equally valuable—like Divine Keys, skills, and some other stuff...
That's right, Chen Luo was talking about the Edge of Taixuan technique!
And Senti's Close Combat Mastery and Cold Weapon Mastery.
These are universal skills! They can provide foundational boosts to most abilities.
* * *
"Whoa!" As soon as Chen Luo emerged from the War Domain after defeating the Emperor class Honkai beast, a bolt of lightning struck the ground right beside him, startling him.
"What the— Holy crap, what's going on?!" When Chen Luo looked up to see the source of the lightning, he was utterly shocked.
High in the air, a girl wreathed in crackling lightning hovered steadily, a massive wing-shaped manifestation of thunder floating on the left side of her body.
Countless bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, proclaiming the wrath of the Thunder Queen.
"I was only gone for a few minutes, right? How did Mei suddenly turn into her Herrscher form? Did Kiana get hurt? And then Mei went furious?" The current situation left Chen Luo completely baffled.
Although the War Domain could be adjusted so that no matter how much time passed inside, only a second would pass outside, Chen Luo hadn't seen the need to do so.
Chen Luo immediately scanned his surroundings and spotted Bronya slumped against a wall, unconscious, with a massive crater behind her and Project Bunny struggling to maintain its form.
Then, his eyes landed on Kiana, who was leaning heavily on her shotgun, blood trickling from her lips, with a huge charred wound on her front.
"Of course, I knew it had to be Kiana getting hurt. But... why does it look like the burn on Kiana was caused by Raiden Mei? Am I imagining things?" Chen Luo was still utterly confused.
"A'Luo, you're still alive?!" Kiana shouted in surprise.
A sudden appearance on the battlefield naturally drew the attention of everyone present—especially when there were only four people in this fight to begin with.
"What the hell happened? How did Mei suddenly turn into a Herrscher?" Seeing that Kiana had noticed him, Chen Luo immediately ran toward her, shouting as he went.
Given the current situation, approaching Raiden Mei was clearly not an option, so Kiana was the only one left to turn to.
"Project Bunny!" At the same time, Chen Luo didn't forget to call for backup.
Under his control, Project Bunny dragged the unconscious Bronya toward them.
Just as Chen Luo was about to reach Kiana, a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of him, forcing him to stop.
"Ahahaha— A'Luo, you're not dead?! So you actually managed to kill that Emperor class Honkai beast? Good, as expected of my other half! Ahahaha!" The normally gentle and quiet Raiden Mei was now laughing wildly in midair.
She looked kind of edgy!
She looked... a little bit like a chuunibyou!
"Kiana, what the hell is going on? How did Mei suddenly turn into a Herrscher? And why is she so chuuni?"
While asking, Chen Luo subtly tried to inch closer to Kiana, but another crackling bolt of purple lightning made him abandon the idea.
"Ahem, Ahem, I don't know why Mei turned into a chuunibyou, but the reason she became a Herrscher... is probably because of you," Kiana said, coughing twice.
"Huh? Because of me? You can say whatever you want, but don't just throw accusations around! Didn't I tell you guys to wait for me at the TV station? How did you end up fighting instead?" Chen Luo absolutely refused to take responsibility for this.
"That's what you said, but who actually believed you could kill that Emperor class Honkia beast? We all thought you were sacrificing yourself. Then, not long after you disappeared, Mei woke up and... assumed you were dead," Kiana explained.
"Just because I disappeared, you immediately assumed the worst? Did you really have that little faith in me? Why couldn't it have been the other guy who died?"
Was I really that much of a pushover in their eyes?
"Other half! Look at me! Who allowed you to speak to another woman?! Didn't you say it yourself? If this Vision loses its light, it means its owner has died, right?"
A crackling bolt of lightning struck beside Chen Luo, cutting off his conversation with Kiana.
The Herrscher Mei, floating midair with all the majesty of a queen, descended slightly while coldly holding up the Vision.
"Tell me... were you lying to me?" As she spoke, the lightning around her grew even more intense.
"..." Did I really say that to Mei? ...Yeah, it seems like I did.
"Uh, Mei? I think there's been a misunderstanding. Death is one way for a Vision to go blank, but it's not the only way. Being separated by an entire world also cuts off its light. That skill I used earlier was basically the same principle."
While inside the War Domain, Chen Luo's Vision in the outside world couldn't connect to him, so it assumed he was dead and lost its glow.
But since this was an item obtained from the Talent Panel, Chen Luo could still use Anemo energy even without the Vision's connection.
So... this was probably, maybe, most likely... was his fault.
"So, since it's just a misunderstanding, Mei, could you maybe step back and let the other Mei come out?" Chen Luo tried to reason with Herrscher Mei.
"Oh? So you dislike me that much? You prefer that coward over me, who possesses true power?" Hovering just a meter above the ground, Herrscher Mei's half-formed thunder wing trembled slightly as countless bolts of lightning descended from the sky, aiming straight for Chen Luo.
Thankfully, Chen Luo dodged fast enough to avoid getting fried.
"It's not that. You're both Mei—I know that. But... it's not good for you to keep staying out like this."
Herrschers and Herrscher personas are actually quite perplexing. In truth, the Herrscher persona is Raiden Mei herself—that much is undeniable.
When the Herrscher persona acknowledges the original consciousness, it naturally dissipates, allowing Raiden Mei to become her true self.
At least, that's how it works for Raiden Mei.
In the abandoned ruins of Nagazora in 2017, Raiden Mei willingly became the Herrscher of Thunder again. At that time, the Herrscher persona recognized Mei's own consciousness and eventually faded away.
That said, it's not advisable to be completely lenient with these Herrscher personas. If they refuse to acknowledge the original personality, they should be given a harsh lesson in reality.
"Hahaha! As expected of the one I acknowledge as my other half—unlike that white-haired brat over there, who keeps telling me to 'get out of her body' or whatever. Still... your answer disappoints me."
"Right now, I feel good. With the authority of thunder under my control and infinite power at my fingertips, I can protect you properly. Never again will I let you risk your life for that coward. Isn't that... better?"
A massive surge of lightning gathered in Raiden Mei's palm, showcasing her authority as the Herrscher of Thunder.
"..."
Wait—acknowledgment from the Herrscher persona?
Dammit! Don't tell me the [Raiden Mei's Acknowledgment] I got after completing her [All-Purpose Traveler] quest was actually Herrscher Mei's acknowledgment?!
"Anyway, there's no point explaining this to you. This world is full of monsters, and staying in your Herrscher form is way too dangerous. So I'm warning you—go back now, or I'll have to force you."
Chen Luo genuinely meant well this time. After all, there were plenty of beings in this world capable of tearing a Herrscher apart—especially an incomplete one like Mei.
"Other half, I acknowledge your versatility, but you can't deny my current strength. What hope do you have of opposing me? Just submit to me! Hahahaha!" Herrscher Mei laughed again.
This time, the look she gave Chen Luo was downright predatory, making him extremely uncomfortable.
"Little Senti, can you help me beat her up?" Chen Luo asked inwardly.
"Unless we're in the War Domain, I don't recommend fighting. And honestly? Taking her on would be pushing it. I'm just a clone with one-tenth of my original power, and I just finished beating up a Emperor class Honkai beast—my Honkai energy's almost drained, and it hasn't recovered yet," Little Senti shook her head.
Because this was Little Senti, she couldn't recklessly absorb Honkai energy like her main self could.
Right now, if she had to fight another Emperor class, she might scrape by—but a Herrscher, that would be a difficult task.
"The War Domain was just used—the cooldown isn't that short," Chen Luo rolled his eyes.
Technically, the War Domain had no cooldown, but Chen Luo's physical endurance was nowhere near an angel's, so for him, it did.
He could force it, but it was a terrible idea.
"Fine. Just got this item, and now I have to use it already," Chen Luo sighed.
If he wanted to run, he could—but running wouldn't solve anything.
"Mei, let's talk this out. I'm giving you one last chance—go back now, or I will resort to violence." Chen Luo clenched his fist.
"Violence? Then show me what you've got. But remember, other half—if you lose, you lose everything. Including yourself."
"Alright, you're done. I warned you. Just wait till I replay this recording for your future self later!" Chen Luo glared at her.
"Come forth—Raiden Mei!" Chen Luo suddenly pulled out a card from who-knows-where and raised it high.
The moment the card shattered, the lightning that had been raging within a one-kilometer radius froze for an instant.
Then—
A torrent of thunder descended from the sky, like lightning splitting the darkness.
When the radiance faded, a black-haired girl with horns and a long sword stood beside Chen Luo.
And the moment Herrscher Mei saw this eerily familiar girl, every alarm in her mind blared.
Just sensing the other's presence made her feel as if her authority over thunder was being suppressed.
"Big Sister, beat her up!" Chen Luo took a step back, hiding behind her as he pointed at Herrscher Mei.
"...So you summoned me here just to have me beat up myself?" The newcomer glanced sideways at Chen Luo, who was now cowering behind her.
The Herrscher of Thunder, Raiden Mei—here at last!
The one Chen Luo had summoned was none other than Raiden Mei—but from the future.
The item he'd used was the random reward he'd obtained after completing Raiden Mei's quest.
[Mei, Save Me!] (One-time use): Summons the Herrscher of Thunder—Raiden Mei at her peak to assist in battle.
(Note: She will be summoned, but whether she listens to you depends on your favorability with her.)
Chen Luo had been a little disappointed that the card didn't give him full control over her, but he figured his favorability with Raiden Mei should be high enough.
More importantly—this was an emergency. Mei herself should realize that.
"That's not you—that's your embarrassing past self. Don't you want to put an end to this chunibyou phase? Besides, the situation's critical!" Chen Luo hurriedly explained.
This was his trump card.
At least for now, it was.
This Herrscher of Thunder was nothing like the one before them—she was the real deal, acknowledged by the Honkai itself, a true Herrscher who had assimilated all of Nagazora's Honkai energy.
Not some incomplete Herrscher forced into the role by an implanted core.
And after who-knows-how-many years of growth, beating up her past self would definitely be like beating a child.
Chen Luo was sure she'd understand the urgency.
"No." The Herrscher of Thunder shook her head.
"???"