Mei calmly replied: "Kiana, I am very clear-headed right now… This is my own decision. Stay out of it."
"Why…" Kiana simply could not accept it.
Especially the way Mei had no intention of explaining.
Kiana was furious: "…Don't joke around… There's no way I'll agree to this! I absolutely won't let you go to World Serpent!"
"…Kiana…"
Mei did not know what to do with her either.
Kevin spoke at the right moment: "It seems you still have some matters to settle. Tell her everything you want to say, but don't waste too much time."
With that, he turned and left directly.
Yet his words echoed in Mei's mind.
Things I want to say…?
If I told her those reasons, would she understand, and would I be able to leave with peace of mind?
No…
That would only make her blame herself more, make her suffer more…
...
The words she wanted to say—she had already said them countless times in her heart…?
Kiana, I'm so glad I met you, that we experienced so many stories together and created so many memories.
Go ahead and do everything you want to do, realize your ideals.
…Let me walk into the darkness so you can return to the light.
And Kevin's final voice drifted over: "Go bid her your final farewell, Raiden Mei… Welcome to this side of the world."
Kiana was still questioning: "Mei, why…! You clearly know everything they've done…"
Mei answered: "I don't care."
"You idiot! I won't let you leave!" To stop Mei from leaving, Kiana attacked directly. Even if it meant knocking her out, she would never allow her to join World Serpent.
She knew full well what World Serpent had done—the Stigmata Project, experimenting on entire cities' populations, treating human lives like grass, committing every evil imaginable!
She would never allow it!
She would never let Mei become one of them.
Mei watched Kiana attacking her relentlessly. While dodging, her heart ached. Kiana absolutely should not be fighting anymore—her physical condition was already extremely poor.
In an instant,
her eyes changed, becoming even more resolute.
She took a step back, putting distance between her and Kiana. Crimson lightning coiled around her sword sheath. In a flash, she closed in and struck Kiana in the abdomen.
While Kiana bent over in pain, Mei grabbed her by the throat: "This ends here, Kiana."
Countless bolts of lightning erupted from her hand, electrocuting Kiana into unconsciousness.
Then she turned and left.
Kiana, who had fainted, woke up again after just 0.3 seconds. She struggled to prop herself up: "It's… not over yet…"
"I absolutely… absolutely…"
"Will never let you go!!!"
To stop Mei, she even used the power of the Herrscher of the Void.
Mei stopped instantly: "Kiana, you shouldn't use that power anymore."
Kiana ignored the advice and gripped a subspace spear, charging at Mei. With every swing, memories of the two surfaced…
If Mei's around, it's like having the strength of a hundred people…
If you turn into that Herrscher thing again, I'll wake you up with my bat once more…
These scenes flashed one by one, then were torn apart one by one.
The moment she used this power, Mei shattered it with lightning. Kiana's body was sent flying helplessly toward the railing.
Kiana struggled to her feet once more: "I won't let you go!"
Mei said coldly: "With the way you're barely clinging to life?"
"With my fists!"
This time, Kiana fought Mei bare-handed.
But the result was still the same. The current Mei was no longer the Mei of the past. Even without using the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, she was far beyond what the battered and bruised Kiana could oppose.
After being sent flying once again,
Kiana understood that without using the full power of the Herrscher of the Void, she could not stop Mei.
As the core's power surged, the entire rooftop of Senba Academy was surrounded by countless spatial portals. Innumerable subspace spears shot out from the portals, pinning Mei in place like a cage. One spear hovered at her throat to prevent any movement.
Kiana stepped into the air, her entire body trembling. She could no longer withstand this power.
This enraged Mei greatly.
"You're always like this… You're always like this…"
Raindrops fell, wetting Mei's cheeks. She said angrily: "Clearly covered in wounds, yet you still force yourself to smile. You saved me, saved everyone, yet you bear all the pain alone, even at the cost of your life."
"Mei!"
Kiana interrupted her, saying weakly: "This… is my mission."
Those words made Mei feel even worse. She clenched her fist and broke free of the subspace spears: "I understand grand principles like saving the world…"
She reached out and gripped the subspace spear at her throat, letting the tip cut her neck: "But how am I supposed to endure all of this…"
The power of the Herrscher of Thunder gradually emerged: "All I know… in my heart… compared to this world… you are more important!"
As lightning fell,
Mei no longer held back. She turned into lightning and chased Kiana into the sky.
Subspace spears collided with lightning; countless portals were shattered by the lightning…
At this moment,
Mei was utterly resolute and would not hold back.
She flew straight into the sky, gripping her long blade, gathering lightning. With a flash of light, crimson thunder rained down from the heavens.
Kiana was completely defeated and fell powerlessly from the sky.
Mei flew toward Kiana and reached out to grasp her hand, just like the moment they first met.
"That day, you grabbed my hand. From the moment you took it, my fate was changed by you. You are the most important person in my life."
She gently placed Kiana on the academy rooftop.
"If saving you is a sin, then let me be the sinner. Farewell, Kiana."
Finally, Mei mounted Kurikara and left the academy, leaving Kiana lying alone on the ground.
Just when the audience thought the episode was over,
the scene shifted to a dimly lit room.
Otto was staring thoughtfully at a screen.
On the screen were images that did not belong to this world. What caught the audience's attention most was a scene of Wendy riding a dragon—something they had seen during Wendy's livestream, which she said belonged to another world.
This first experiment had brought Otto results far beyond expectations.
Ding—
A soft sound. A window popped up—a report from Amber.
Raiden Mei has joined World Serpent. K423 has been taken away by the Hyperion. The Fifth Herrscher is about to descend. The balance of the world may once again be shaken.
But for now, Otto was not concerned with these matters.
Let Theresa handle them for a while.
The night was still long, and he had much to do.
Then… the ending theme played.
This episode came to a close.
Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company, lounge.
Everyone present was silent, quietly watching the ending credits.
Until Eden spoke first: "Ellie… Was the plot of this episode really written because your husband held a grudge against Kiana for saying in the company group that she wanted to kick him, as revenge?"
Elysia nodded: "Yes, everyone knows about that. What's wrong, my dear Eden?"
Eden shook her head and looked deeply at Hessian.
She could not believe it.
A script this outstanding had actually emerged from such a trivial matter.
"I can't see any trace of it being forced. Whether it's Mei becoming the Herrscher of Thunder and joining World Serpent, or her battle with Kiana—it all unfolds almost entirely under the coercion of the times."
"Neither of them is wrong, and both care deeply for each other. Yet it is precisely because of that love and concern that the current situation has come about. It's truly heartbreaking and lamentable."
Elysia nodded: "Exactly~ So Eden thinks the same way! Especially Mei in this episode—she's so brave and strong. I really love her~"
Fu Hua overheard this nearby.
She quickly asked: "Ellie, do you really like roles like that?"
Elysia nodded: "Of course! Who wouldn't love a beautiful, strong girl? And Mei is so gentle, so pretty, so cool, right?"
Her words earned Eden's agreement: "Yes, in this episode, Mei's performance was truly outstanding. And Kiana was amazing too—the emotional shifts, and especially her desperate attempt to keep Mei at the end, were all superb!"
Elysia strongly agreed: "Yes, yes, yes! I really like Kiana too. She's strong, kind, very mature, and beautiful—a truly adorable girl. I love her too!"
The two excitedly chatted away.
Elysia and Eden already shared many common interests, and Elysia always knew how to say things Eden loved to hear, which was why their relationship was so good. Discussing this now made them both very happy.
It left Kiana and Mei nearby feeling a little embarrassed.
But they themselves had to admit that the effect of this episode was truly incredible.
Even Kiana proudly said: "See… I told you, if you want a great storyline, you have to stab the director in the back."
"Whoa!!"
Tesla suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone turned to look and asked: "What happened?"
Tesla said: "Isn't it my turn to stream today? I was checking the audience reactions to this episode, and I saw that Mei gained ten million followers."
Theresa: "What!!!"
Rita: "Ten million??"
Himeko: "That's more than me now?"
Fu Hua: "That's four times mine?"
Kiana: "My followers increased too!! Hehe, almost the same total as Mei's now."
Mei could not hide her joy: "As expected, everyone prefers the Herrscher of Thunder version of me. Thank you, Director He, for shaping this character for me."
Everyone in the lounge was talking all at once.
Only Fu Hua sat to the side, lost in thought, murmuring: "Ellie likes roles like the Herrscher of Thunder… Becoming a Herrscher gains followers… Stabbing the director gets revenge… Which means a specially tailored role…"
She slapped her thigh: "I see!"
She immediately stood up: "You all keep chatting. I'm going to help Kalpas make curry rice. We'll have it as a late-night snack soon."
"Huh?"
Everyone was stunned.
Kalpas was dumbfounded: "What? You're really making me cook curry rice for a late-night snack?"
Fu Hua didn't care about that: "Yes, Kiana and Mei gained so many followers—we should celebrate with curry."
Uh…
Kalpas looked at Fu Hua. He held no grudge against her.
After a brief thought, he said: "I see. Mei's curry is the kind that lifts your spirits. I'll go make curry rice for everyone now."
Hessian suddenly interjected: "I'm afraid of spice. I want bell pepper curry!"
Kalpas, who had taken two steps, froze instantly.
His fists clenched and unclenched.
In the end, he chose to ignore it and left the lounge directly.
Hessian also stood up, stretched, and headed to his office to prepare the script for the next episode.
At the same time,
Fu Hua, who had come out with Kalpas, asked directly: "Kalpas, do you know any way to knife the director? Preferably… something that leaves a deep impression and makes him furious."
Hearing this,
Kalpas grew interested: "You want to knife Director He too? There are plenty of ways. For example, put laxatives in the curry later and lock the bathroom saying it's under repair. Or take a knife and stab him in the leg, asking if the curry is sweet. Or…"
He listed over a dozen methods—all non-lethal but guaranteed to be unforgettable.
However, Fu Hua found these methods far too brutal.
Unexpectedly, Mobius, who had appeared at some point, said: "There's another way. Ellie is here, isn't she? Go seduce Hessian and let Elysia catch you. Once Elysia gets angry and divorces him, I guarantee he'll spend the rest of his life in pain."
Kalpas agreed: "Good idea! Let's do that. I'll take her to find Director He; you go call Elysia over."
Without waiting for Fu Hua's consent, he dragged her toward Hessian's office.
Watching the two leave,
Mobius did not go call Elysia.
Though the couple often bickered, she genuinely cared for Elysia. In the past, she had suggested divorce only because Hessian was too useless.
But now that he had displayed talent that even shocked Eden, she needed to see if his character was worthy of Elysia.
The best way to test that was to see if he would cheat…
In simple terms, this was Mobius's test for Hessian.
In the office,
Hessian was writing the script for tomorrow's shoot.
Fu Hua suddenly pushed the door open and entered.
Seeing her face flushed, Hessian asked curiously: "Is something the matter?"
Fu Hua recalled Kalpas's instructions in her mind: "Don't say anything—just take off your clothes, but not all of them…"
So she directly removed her jacket.
She even prepared to take off her short-sleeved shirt…
Seeing this, Hessian immediately stopped her: "Wait! Fu Hua, if there's something, just say it directly. What's the meaning of coming in and stripping?"
"I…" Fu Hua hesitated, unsure how to speak.
Hessian observed her carefully and thought…
This behavior was clearly out of character for Fu Hua. And for someone to send the "Shenzhou flatboard" to seduce him, it definitely wasn't a smart person. The only one who would do something like this was Kiana.
No!
She was probably thrilled about her follower gain right now.
Then it had to be someone completely clueless about relationships, who held a grudge against him and wanted to knife him… That could only be Kalpas.
After figuring it out, Hessian stood up.
He walked over to Fu Hua, helped her put her jacket back on, and said gently: "Let me guess—is it because after Kiana said she wanted to kick me, I gave her and Mei such wonderful storylines that Ellie loves, making you want an even better role too?"
Fu Hua was surprised: "How did you know?"
Hessian smiled: "How could I not? All the girls signed with the company because they like Ellie, and Ellie signed you all because she likes you. So it's perfectly normal for you to want Ellie to like you even more, right?"
He handed her the script he had just started writing: "Don't worry. The next episode is your story. Make sure you act it well~"
Fu Hua looked at the script. Though she only saw a rough outline, it was indeed centered around her.
She immediately nodded: "Yes! Thank you, Director He."
Hessian waved his hand: "Alright, go out and eat curry with everyone."
As soon as Fu Hua left,
Mobius walked in.
She said with a sigh: "I didn't expect it. You weren't moved at all."
Hessian looked at her and smiled: "Of course. My wife is Elysia—how could I be interested in anyone else? Besides… using the Shenzhou flatboard to test a cadre? What cadre couldn't pass that test?"
"Shenzhou flatboard?" Mobius didn't understand.
But following Hessian's gaze to her own chest—where she couldn't even see her toes—she instantly understood and laughed: "I see…"
Then she turned and left the office.
She took out her phone, opened the chat, and sent a message to someone with the ID Aponia: "I need you to seduce someone for me."
Aponia replied: "No interest."
Mobius sent another message: "He's the director of your favorite drama, Honkai Impact 3rd—Hessian."
Aponia replied almost instantly: "I accept."