There is an established fact that must be stated here.
For Raiden Mei, who had once again become the Herrscher of Thunder, the Herrscher Consciousness born within her at this moment clearly could not be the same so-called "Raiden Queen" from before.
Ling Ke would never allow a situation that disgusted him to occur.
Therefore...
"This is your final curtain, Raiden Mei."
Aboard the Stellaron Train, Ling Ke gazed calmly at the distant thunderstorm.
The entity now forcibly controlling the purple-haired girl's body was no longer the original Raiden Mei.
Of course, her own self-awareness had not dissipated.
It was much like the situation with the Herrscher of Corruption in the original timeline's future...
After Sakura's younger sister, Rin, was killed by soldiers of The Moths Who Chase the Flames and underwent Herrscherization, Elysia had not yet sacrificed herself. Thus, at that time, there was no possibility for a Herrscher to regain their humanity.
But when Elysia sacrificed herself and the Herrscher of Human returned to the Cocoon, Rin regained her humanity over fifty thousand years later.
In other words, even for Herrschers who initially could only be killing machines, their human aspects never truly vanished.
However, without Elysia's blessing, without the aid of "Restoration" and "Connection," it was nearly impossible for them to suppress their Herrscher Consciousness.
This was especially true for certain Herrscher Consciousnesses born in the Current Era, which sometimes even showed special consideration for the original human consciousness.
In the Previous Era of the original timeline, such a thing would have been utterly unthinkable.
So...
"Raiden Mei, if you could truly transcend yourself, the unique nature of the Path of Nihility might offer a slim chance of reclaiming your true self."
"But alas..."
Ling Ke didn't believe that this world's Raiden Mei possessed such potential.
Moreover, the current situation was dire for Raiden Mei... and for a certain white-haired girl.
After all...
"That's..."
The moment Kiana left the Stellaron Train and laid eyes on the crimson thunderstorm, she knew exactly who was responsible for the disturbance in that area.
Naturally, the other consciousness within her, Sirin, also recognized the truth.
In that instant...
"RAI—DEN—MEI!"
The white-haired girl's eyes began to flicker erratically, like a faulty traffic light.
Kiana's heart seized with panic. "Sirin, don't—"
"SHUT UP!!!"
In that moment, overwhelming hatred erupted into scorching flames of Destruction, engulfing everything around them.
The snow and ice vaporized instantly, and the forest burst into flames.
The white-haired girl's body trembled, but she charged toward the thunderstorm with the feral madness of a werewolf seeing a full moon.
Sirin's furious will, reversing her earlier weakness, brutally crushed Kiana's resistance.
"Sirin..."
"I TOLD YOU, SHUT—YOUR—MOUTH—AAAAAHHH!!!"
Just moments ago, Kiana's resistance had cost Sirin a perfect opportunity to ascend to godhood.
Sirin was already seething with rage.
Now, her greatest enemy, Raiden Mei, was just nearby.
And Kiana... Kiana was trying to stop her again.
"Do you think everything has to go your way?"
"You want me to let go of my hatred, so I should just laugh it off?"
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
In her fury, Sirin's mind grew unnervingly clear. "Get... out!"
Feeling the resistance within her show no sign of weakening, her eyes sharpened...
Split.
Voom~
With a flash of flame, the white-haired girl, once over 1.6 meters tall, instantly split into two small children, one with golden eyes and the other with blue.
Fwoosh~
Sirin had always known how to use her Path Power.
Even after forcibly splitting Kiana from herself and reverting to a child's form, Sirin could still use her Teleport ability.
Kiana could no longer stand in her way.
In an instant, after just two spatial jumps...
"Found you!"
Teleporting into mid-air, Sirin spotted the purple-haired, demon-horned girl under the moonlight.
At that moment, the girl's expression was cold and indifferent as she, too, noticed Sirin hovering above.
The instant their eyes met...
"Die!"
"Hmph~"
The Herrscher of Thunder, driven purely by her instinct for slaughter, clashed violently with Sirin, who was utterly consumed by her thirst for revenge. Lightning and flames collided in a brilliant explosion.
But it lasted only a moment...
Pfft~
The child-like Sirin coughed up blood and was sent flying backward.
The power gap between them was immense!
Sirin clearly didn't know that this Herrscher of Thunder was now the Thunder of IX.
Not only did she possess the Herrscher Authority to control electromagnetism, but she could also wield Raiden Mei's Power of Nihility.
Admittedly, even after accidentally stumbling onto the Path of Nihility, Raiden Mei still primarily relied on discharging electricity and swinging her blade.
But this was the first time in the Current Era that a Pathstrider had undergone Herrscherization.
And this Pathstrider was also The First Cause, a being burdened with the immense karma of the Old Days (the previous civilization), which had declined from its peak to eventual annihilation.
Her energy level was absurdly high.
Previously, Raiden Mei could already trade blows with Kevin.
And now...
BOOM!
It was the same utterly unscientific, brutally savage way of wielding Herrscher Authority.
The Herrscher of Thunder merely swung her blade casually in Sirin's direction, and a fan-shaped area dozens of kilometers wide was instantly annihilated by the raging lightning.
In the past, Kevin, at full power, could cleave the Earth in two and reduce all of Central Europe to scorched earth.
And today, the destructive power displayed by the Herrscher of Thunder...
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Quite the commotion."
As one of the few spectators, Ling Ke hadn't even bothered to stay inside the Observation Car.
A moment ago, he had simply stepped out and appeared on the roof of one of the Stellaron Train's carriages.
He stood there casually, hands in his pockets, with the full moon hanging in the sky behind him, creating a stunning, low-angle illusion.
Ling Ke knew perfectly well that the current Sirin stood no chance against the Herrscher of Thunder, even if Kiana didn't interfere at all.
The power gap between them was simply too vast.
Moreover...
Fwoosh~
Several kilometers away in the sky, a flash of flame appeared, and the white-haired girl's figure materialized.
Just now, both Sirin, the one directly involved, and Ling Ke, the spectator, had noticed something interesting.
Namely, Sirin's "Split" ability seemed to have evolved... no, to be precise, it had "sublimated."
Because when the Herrscher of Thunder had attacked without hesitation, Sirin had managed to teleport away, but Kiana...
She still didn't even know she had stepped onto the Path of Remembrance, nor did she know how to use its heaven-defying "Memory Replication" ability.
Reality, after all, isn't a fantasy story that can be forced into a happy ending.
A moment ago, Kiana had truly been killed by the Herrscher of Thunder.
But when she, as a "Split Body," died, her consciousness instantly returned to the surviving Sirin.
Thus, the de-aging effect was reversed, and the white-haired girl reappeared.
This display of power...
"It's somewhat similar to the Brewmaster's ultimate ability, 'Primal Split,' from the Warcraft series," Ling Ke commented casually, even having the leisure to quip, "As long as one of them survives, the other won't die even if killed. A perfect way to shut up a certain Young Emiya with cold, hard facts."
People die when they are killed (×) People don't necessarily die when they are killed (√)
Of course, in this vicinity, he was probably the only one with the time and inclination to joke around.
Just then...
Fwoosh!
A flash of flame erupted beside Ling Ke.
Panting heavily, the white-haired girl stumbled onto the roof of the Stellaron Train.
He turned his head, his gaze hardening. "You think you're clever?"
Sirin had teleported over.
Indeed, here on the Stellaron Train, she could catch her breath for a moment.
However, Ling Ke had no patience for people who acted clever in this manner.
His eyes narrowed, and he was just about to act when...
Thud.
The white-haired girl dropped to her knees, her forehead pressed firmly against the train's roof.
Her posture spoke volumes, her actions saying everything.
She was offering her loyalty.
She wasn't even asking for protection.
Instead, even if just for a moment...
She needed more power.
Enough power to kill... to annihilate Raiden Mei.
Unfortunately...
"A good attitude," Ling Ke said, his tone neither warm nor cold. "But I already gave you a choice before."
"And you failed to seize it. You didn't become the 'victor' back then."
Just as his words faded...
BOOM!
Crimson lightning flashed, and the Herrscher of Thunder appeared on the Stellaron Train... on Ling Ke's other side.
Unexpectedly, the killing machine didn't mindlessly attack Ling Ke.
Instead, she knelt on one knee with utmost reverence.
At the same time, the Bloody Little Snake coiled around her neck also lowered its entire body in a gesture of humility.
Ling Ke's gaze shifted to her...
"You haven't completely disappointed me, I see."
This simple assessment revealed the truth.
The current Herrscher of Thunder was indeed a pure Herrscher Consciousness.
She lived only for slaughter.
But she also revered Ling Ke, who held a higher status.
This was because, during her formation... or rather, her "birth," Kali had transmitted a seed into her.
Its name: Faith in a "God."
Therefore, the current Herrscher of Thunder was also a follower of Ling Ke.
She regarded Kali as a comrade, and they would advance and retreat together from now on.
Thus...
"Kali promised never to disappoint you again."
The Bloody Little Snake spoke in a human voice.
Its head bowed even lower.
Ling Ke didn't make things too difficult for them.
After all, despite their earlier sudden loss of composure, their current performance was acceptable.
Poor performance earned scolding and punishment.
Good performance, naturally, could earn praise and a bit more patience.
So...
"Not bad," Ling Ke said calmly. "Go. Clean up the mess you made earlier."
"Yes, Exalted God!" ×2
Two voices, perfectly synchronized, echoed in Ling Ke's ears.
Instantly, the Herrscher of Thunder transformed into a streak of red lightning, flashing away toward a specific sea coordinate.
At this speed, even without space-type abilities, she could reach the deep-sea battlefield in an extremely short time.
As for the situation here...
"Respected One Who Ascends to Godhood."
After the Herrscher of Thunder departed, Sirin remained kneeling, despite having heard Ling Ke's earlier indifferent words. "I..."
"Miss Sirin, please let the other lady... let Kiana speak with me first."
Ling Ke's demeanor was surprisingly amiable.
He even used a polite address.
However, Sirin only heard four unspoken words: "Refusal is not an option."
Understanding the situation, she voluntarily relinquished control of her body.
Instantly, her pupils turned blue.
Seeing this...
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Ling Ke's tone remained remarkably casual.
But then...
Swoosh!
Kiana didn't remain kneeling. She sprang to her feet and lunged toward Ling Ke.
Her hands were already gripping his collar.
This insane move gave Sirin, who had just voluntarily retreated, a huge fright.
That Kiana... She's really going to get herself killed!
Sirin's heart pounded with terror.
Yet, she still didn't dare defy the Divine Will Ling Ke had just declared.
But unlike Sirin...
"You bastard, what did you do to Mei?" the white-haired, blue-eyed girl demanded furiously.
Seeing her reaction...
"Strange."
Ling Ke didn't get angry. Instead, he retorted with a playful tone, "I believe I gave you ample time to choose earlier."
"I even warned you that you'd definitely regret stepping off the Stellaron Train."
"This outcome is the direct result of your decision."
"What's this? Regret has turned to rage, and now you're lashing out at me?"
His voice remained calm.
But that only infuriated Kiana further.
She didn't fall for Ling Ke's verbal trap.
Ultimately...
"Answer me!"
"What exactly did you do to Mei?"
She, too, had recognized his identity.
Those so-called hints from before, and... that vile personality...
"Ling Ke, answer me!"
Kiana trembled all over, partly from rage, partly from fear.
She truly didn't want to face an enemy like this.
Unlike Raiden Mei, whose mind had been unstable after accidentally falling into Nihility while her Herrscher of Thunder persona was still active, Kiana, like Kevin, knew just how powerful the man before her was.
So powerful he was unbeatable, an enemy one must never provoke.
But having witnessed Mei's every move as the Herrscher of Thunder, Kiana's heart was already on the verge of shattering.
For a moment...
"I did promise that you'd get the answers to my earlier words once you stepped off the Stellaron Train."
Ling Ke still intended to keep his word.
In just a few simple sentences, he revealed the truth about the Herrscherization Curse.
And when Kiana heard it...
Her body turned ice-cold.
Mei... was no longer the person she used to be.
Now, through Ling Ke's fragmented words, Kiana had learned something about Elysia. This allowed her to grasp an even crueler truth: a Herrscher born in such a way, without the blessing of the Herrscher of Human, was nothing more than a killing machine.
Mei couldn't be knocked unconscious and restored to her senses like before.
Unless...
"You can do it."
Kiana knew there was only one way.
She stared directly at Ling Ke. "If it's you, you can definitely bring Mei back."
"Oh?"
Ling Ke's playful mood returned. "I can do it. And then what?"
And then what?
Just like before, it was always "and then."
This time, Kiana had no trace of defiance left.
She answered without hesitation, "As long as you restore Mei, I'll do anything."
"I'm willing to give up everything I have."
"Hahaha~"
The amusement on Ling Ke's face deepened.
He spoke in a flat, mocking tone, "Willing to give up everything... Ha, that's quite the sacrifice."
"It's clear you truly care about this Raiden Mei."
Kiana didn't respond.
She recalled the words the man before her had spoken earlier...
Becoming his "pet"...
Kiana bit her lower lip tightly.
She had already steeled herself.
As long as I can save Mei...
"Kiana Kaslana," Ling Ke suddenly began, "I've told you before: there's no hatred between us."
"You're just an unlucky soul who got forcibly dragged into my quest for revenge."
"By rights, I should compensate you in some way."
Kiana's azure eyes met his.
Then she heard...
"Unfortunately," Ling Ke smiled, "I'm a thorough villain. I don't understand concepts like 'compensation' or 'forgiveness.'"
"So, your proposal..."
"I refuse!"
"!!!"
In that instant, Kiana's pupils shrank, and her body trembled.
Even though the gray-haired youth's face showed no hint of malice, she felt as if she were seeing...
A monstrous demon, roaring with savage, mocking laughter.