Chapter 182 Raven: I can't take this cyberbullying anymore, I'm going to explode with you all!
In the subsequent plot, Raven's appearance directly confirms Senti's guess!
Raiden Mei returned Sora to the Roost and fell asleep while worrying about Kiana. In her dream, she revisited the time she spent with Kiana. It was back in Arc City. Raiden Mei, who had been rescued by Kiana, was worried that she would lose control again and hurt those around her.
However, Kiana never gave up on Mei.
["If you turn into that Herrscher thing again, I'll just use this baseball bat to whack you awake again."]
["If you change once, I'll hit you once. If you change ten times, I'll hit you ten times. Even if I have to hit you until your head is full of bumps, I'll always stay by your side and protect you."]
At that time, no matter what Mei became, Kiana did not give up on her. But when it was Kiana's turn to become a Herrscher, she chose to stay far away from Mei, precisely because she didn't want to hurt her precious companions. At that moment, it was exactly like the past, yet the standpoints and identities had been completely reversed.
The next day, Tesla and Mei discovered that the water level in Nagazora was suddenly rising, and the concentration of Honkai energy in the air had spiked. This abnormal situation clearly signaled that something major was about to happen. Worried that the children at the Roost might be in danger, Raiden Mei and Tesla rushed there immediately. Fortunately, the Roost was still safe.
From Sora, the two learned that all these changes were likely related to a giant Honkai beast. Mei and Tesla split up: Mei and Sora went to investigate the giant beast, while Tesla stayed at the Roost to protect the children. When Raiden Mei arrived at the scene, she was shocked to find that the Honkai beast was the Judgment-class beast—Benares!
The frenzied Benares attacked Mei without a word. Its appearance was completely different from before; the entire dragon had turned purple, entering its "Demon Dragon" form! Raiden Mei maneuvered around Benares, but during the battle, she suffered a sudden bout of physical discomfort. She felt a splitting headache, an anomaly that caught her completely off guard.
The frenzied Benares's attacks became even sharper. Just as Sora was about to be hit, Raven suddenly appeared and repelled Benares with her claws! Upon seeing Raven, Raiden Mei also showed a shocked expression.
["Raiden Mei, take Sora to safety. Leave this to me."]
Raven's sudden appearance left the audience in the livestream stunned!
Holy crap! Senti actually guessed right!
The person who had worked so hard to save up money to buy a private island, only to lose it forever because of the Herrscher of the Void's re-awakening just as the villa was nearly finished... was indeed the World Serpent executive, Raven!
[This—this is just too tragic...]
[Yeah, I can understand Raven's despair. It's like spending your life savings on a house, only for the developer to go bust and leave you with a half-finished ruin...]
[It's worse than a ruin, okay? At least with a ruin, you still have a building. Raven's island literally sank!]
[Now I finally understand why Raven has so much malice toward Kiana. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to stand it either!]
[The fact that Raven didn't shoot Kiana in the desert proves she really follows orders to a T...]
[Wait, so the person crying and rolling on the ground really was Raven?]
[Pfft—it's tragic, but for some reason, I just want to laugh...]
[Sorry, brothers, I'm going to laugh first!]
The audience felt a deep sense of sympathy for Raven's tragic situation. However, seeing as she had taken in these children of Nagazora, she wasn't entirely an irredeemable villain. Much like Cocolia, who caused many disasters and deaths but possessed a truly genuine love for the children of the orphanage.
Raven had executed the insane Project Stigma in Arc City, intended to wipe out the entire population... Although Kiana stopped it, the deed was done. Regardless of its success, it was a crime Raven committed. Precisely because she was introduced as a villain, learning about the life of this World Serpent executive—the vanished island and the story of her rolling on the ground in tears—created a sense of dark humor.
The contrast between her initial cold-blooded assassin persona and Sora's detailed description was just too vast. Everyone now knew what Raven looked like crying, rolling around, and making vows to the sunset. It was hard to keep a straight face.
[I've got the electronic wooden fish ready, brothers! Every time you laugh, I'll strike it for you!]
[Thank you, Woodfish-man.]
[If my karma is gone, so be it. Carpe diem!]
[Raven: I can't take this cyberbullying anymore, I'm going to explode with you all!]
[Hehe, I'm going to give Raven a mean nickname! How about 'Island-Boom-Raven'?]
[LMAO, the guy above is too talented!]
Senti naturally mocked Raven without mercy, but she soon felt that laughing like this was too wicked. After coughing a few times, she put on a look of deep contemplation.
"Sigh, Raven, Ciora... she really is a complex person." Senti sighed. She had no favorable impression of Raven—or the entire World Serpent, for that matter. After all, World Serpent would do anything to defeat the Honkai, potentially sacrificing all of humanity if necessary. But to the children of the Roost, Raven was the teacher who saved them and the kind soul who gave them hope for survival.
"Yes, quite a contradiction," Raiden Mei agreed, feeling that Raven was a truly layered character. "She protects so many children displaced by the Honkai, yet she participated in Project Stigma in Arc City. She knew that if the plan succeeded, Arc City would become a living hell like Nagazora..."
"Anyway, I just don't get this woman," Kiana scratched her head and complained. "But humans are complex creatures... like in those TV dramas, where someone feels love and hate for the assassin who killed their family..."
"Do you spend all your free time watching those melodramatic soap operas, Kiana?" Raiden Mei was speechless. "As the CEO of MiHoYo, you should participate in company business more. Don't leave everything to Bronya and Su Mu."
Kiana turned red. "I—I do participate! Doesn't Mei know? I'm now the gold-star employee of the customer service department! My 99% satisfaction rating is among the best in the whole department!"
Raiden Mei facepalmed. "A company CEO taking pride in being a gold-star customer service rep... Kiana, I don't even know where to start roasting you."
Kiana looked helpless. "What else can I do!"
In the subsequent plot, Raiden Mei returned Sora to the Roost and was finally temporarily safe. Raven returned shortly after and had a private conversation with Mei. Although they were enemies, Raven thanked Mei; without her, Sora would have been in real danger.
In the dialogue, Raven asked if Mei was here to find the Herrscher of the Void. Raiden Mei had heard from Sora that Raven had a way to find Kiana. However, Raven told Mei that her purpose in Nagazora was actually to kill Kiana. Mei thought it was a World Serpent decision, but Raven revealed a harsh reality.
The current Kiana was extremely dangerous—a literal time bomb. Her physical condition was abysmal; due to the erosion of the Herrscher Core, she had even lost her sense of pain. Raven was referring to the experiments Jackal performed in Arc City. They later discovered that all of Kiana's screams and agony were a facade; she actually felt nothing.
[So that's how it was... At that time, because her body was eroded by the Core, Kiana could no longer feel pain?]
[Fu Hua must have noticed something back then too. Didn't she hesitate to speak?]
[So the Tuna's body was already...]
[And after Meteoric Salvation, her body absorbed even more Honkai energy. It's safe to say things are even worse than in Arc City...]
Raven's words made the audience worry for Kiana's safety. In the story, Raven continued to provide evidence. The rising water levels in Nagazora, the gathering of beasts, and the arrival of Benares all signaled that Kiana's consciousness was being slowly consumed by the Herrscher of the Void. A single Core could destroy a city, and Kiana had three sealed inside her. How could she remain unharmed?
Kiana had been relying on a "shackle" to suppress the Herrscher and maintain her sanity, but she could not resist the Honkai infection forever. With Fu Hua's departure, the shackle was gone.
["Even if the organization wants to observe, looking at her now, that girl is beyond saving. She probably has a premonition of it herself, which is why she hid in such a desolate place."]
["I must eliminate the risk before things become irreversible."]
Raiden Mei could not agree with Raven's methods. With a disagreement in words, a battle was imminent. But clearly, Raiden Mei was no match for Raven... Had her internal resolve not been strong enough, she would have fallen long ago. If Sora hadn't appeared to stop the fight, Mei would have certainly lost.
[I'm done, I'm just done!]
[Bullying Mei again? Still bullying her!?]
[Has Mei ever won a single duel? Why are my memories of Mei nothing but Ls!]
[I feel the pure malice from Old Thief Su toward Mei! Why do this to my favorite character! ARGH!!]
[If Mei loses any more, there won't be anyone left to lose to! Mei, stand up!]
Millions of Mei fans teared up on the spot, denouncing Su Mu's "inhuman" plot arrangements! Raiden Mei had such a queenly aura in Chapter 1, but ever since that one highlight, she had been on a constant losing streak. Especially after Queen's Descent, having been stripped of the Gem of Conquest, she had become the legendary Queen of L-takers!
The viewers looked back: since Queen's Descent, had Raiden Mei ever beaten anyone of note? Not once! There weren't even any draws; it was all one-sided stomps! This was too pathetic!
Finally, under Sora's persuasion, Raven softened and chose to trust Mei, giving her a chance. After comforting Sora, Raven took Mei to search for Kiana. During the search, Mei couldn't help but ask Raven why she was so contradictory—saving displaced children on one hand while helping World Serpent turn Arc City into hell on the other.
To this, Raven replied that she was just a mercenary. As long as the pay was right, she would do anything and kill anyone. Ultimately, humans are hypocritical. The lives of family, friends, and loved ones naturally can't be compared to strangers. Few can truly treat everyone equally. Raven didn't make excuses for her evil deeds; she bluntly told Mei that she was a villain and didn't intend to become a "good person." Taking in these children was simply because the time spent with them made her happy and let her feel that she was alive. Redemption had nothing to do with it.
Upon returning to the shantytown, Raven gave Sora the Arc City specialties she hadn't had time to bring out earlier. When Sora heard Raven say, "I didn't make these myself," she visibly relaxed. It was clear that Raven's cooking was universally recognized by the children as terrible.
After Sora distributed the gifts, Raven remembered she owed Raiden Mei a person. Raven walked into a dilapidated shack and emerged with someone tied up tightly with hemp rope.
It was Dr. Tesla!
Seeing Dr. Tesla in such a sorry state, Senti couldn't hold back and burst into laughter! After all... Tesla was tied up again! What? Why 'again'? The events at the Schicksal Helios were still fresh in memory... Rita had not only tied her up but specifically sprayed her with perfume... That was definitely a dark chapter for Tesla!!
Raven explained that she had a clash with Tesla earlier, and Tesla had started it. Then, because Tesla kept saying "unpleasant things," Raven worried she would have a bad influence on the children, so she gagged her as well.
"Pfft..." At the same time, in the office of the Anti-Entropy Entertainment CEO, Welt couldn't help but laugh. He knew Tesla's personality all too well. Once tied up by Raven, she probably turned into a literal "Anti-Entropy Telegraph Operator," spewing non-stop profanities. Most of the words were likely censored or unfit for children. It made sense not to let the kids hear that.
"What are you laughing at?" Tesla looked at Welt with suspicion as he suddenly laughed. "Ahem, nothing. I just thought of something happy." Welt's gaze flickered. He was currently slacking off at work; slacking was one thing, but if Tesla knew he was laughing at her in-game misfortune... well, the consequences were too beautiful to imagine.
Tesla's little interlude brightened the mood in the stream. The "Lobster-head Doctor," the hot-tempered sister, and the telegraph operator always brought a touch of comedy. Much like Rozaliya and Liliya... but it was precisely her blunt personality—the type to strike anyone she disliked and greet them with direct insults—that made players find her so genuine. Being able to say "F* you" equally to anyone required a certain level of admirable courage.
After returning Tesla to Mei, Raven told Mei to be prepared. Benares likely wouldn't let them through easily. During the fight with Benares, Raven sensed a special signal from it. It felt like human sadness, pain, and self-reproach. Other Honkai beasts only gathered toward the Herrscher of the Void by instinct, but Benares was different; it truly wanted to protect her. Raiden Mei also remembered a strange feeling when confronting Benares. It was odd, yet somehow familiar.
Back on the transport ship, Raiden Mei told Tesla what had happened. Tesla warned Mei that Raven was extremely dangerous. Even so, Mei needed Raven's help to find Kiana.
["...How many times have I passed Kiana by?"]
["At the Battle of Schicksal... when confronting Rita... when Durandal took her away..."]
["Time and time again, I could only watch her drift away at the last moment, helpless..."]
Tesla tried to comfort Mei, saying it wasn't her fault.
["Doctor, you always comfort me and try to put me at ease."]
["But I... don't want to be at ease anymore... I don't want to... deceive myself any longer..."]
["Being with her made me gradually forget the pain, loneliness, and confusion of the past..."]
["But with her gone, I realized that actually, nothing has changed."]
["...It's me... I haven't changed at all."]
["I'm still as weak as before, curling up in a comfortable corner. Only when I look up do I realize everyone is gone."]
["It's because I haven't changed that I drifted further from her, leading to this today..."]
["she has always been the one protecting me, but I have never truly done anything for her..."]
["I hate... this version of myself!"]
Raiden Mei spoke her heart. She clearly realized her weakness and had to accept it. But that didn't mean she would give up. After admitting this, she finally understood that to bring Kiana back, she had to make sacrifices. Even if it was a trap, even if the opponent was invincible, she had to face it. Because this was her only way to protect Kiana!
This monologue from Mei allowed the viewers to clearly feel the girl's strength and courage. Admitting one's weakness, facing it... and then overcoming it. They realized that Raiden Mei was undergoing a transformation. The day of her growth was approaching—
[Will she win? Mei?]
[Mei will definitely win this time!]
[Just like Kiana and Bronya before, Mei is about to welcome her own transformation and rebirth!]
[Kiana always saved Mei; now, it's Mei's turn to save Kiana!]
[Hahaha! So sweet, this is sugar, brothers!]
[Take him away, another one driven mad by the Old Thief!]
The players felt a sense of unease. Having dealt with the Old Thief for so long, they knew he always set up foreshadowing before a "knife." It was the "whetting the axe" before the strike... So, seeing Mei speak of sacrifice, they felt it was an omen of a looming tragedy! What was the Old Thief planning! This should be Mei's growth arc, right? Who was going to be "knifed"? The children of the Roost? Sora? Could it be the Lobster-head Doctor?!
Amidst the players' anxiety, the story continued. Raiden Mei eventually found Raven and headed together to where Kiana was. However, Benares stood in their path, refusing to let them pass. A battle was unavoidable. Raiden Mei and Raven teamed up against Benares and, after much effort, finally defeated it.
But unexpectedly, the defeated Benares stubbornly stood up again and again! It had even regressed from its purple Demon Dragon form, yet it still refused to yield, letting out a roar toward the sky. Its voice was laced with infinite sadness and pain, and large tears actually slid from its eyes.
A Honkai beast... was crying?
This scene left everyone in the stream stunned. Such a thing had never happened before... Combined with the previous dialogue between Raven and Mei—could this beast named Benares possess human-like emotions?
END OF CHAPTER
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