"You heard it too—we're heading to Sapphire City Airport..." Seeing Pardo's increasingly dejected expression, Mei changed her tone. "In that case, how about I buy all this cargo from you?"
Pardo's eyes lit up instantly. "Really, Boss? Payment upon delivery, no refunds."
"One flat price—five hundred! Since you're buying the whole lot, I'll give you a discount—fifty! No credit!"
Fortunately, Mei happened to have fifty in cash.
In truth, as a well-off young lady, she usually carried five thousand in cash and a bank card with two hundred thousand stored on it. Her family background was far from ordinary. That was why she had so casually suggested buying everything.
She had also taken a careful look at Pardo's goods—mostly small trinkets and accessories. The price should not have been shocking unless Pardo was some ultimate black-market profiteer.
On the contrary, the ultra-low price of fifty surprised Mei. Just the labor cost of gathering so many items would easily exceed a thousand.
Mei thought to herself: Although Pardo seemed careless and rough around the edges, she was actually a thoughtful and considerate girl. She understood that Mei was helping her and offered a price that allowed her to step down gracefully.
After receiving the money, Pardo beamed—then suddenly grew serious.
"Boss Mei, but what if you can't carry all this? If you pay just a tiny bit more, I can help you carry some of it too. What do you think?"
Mei pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed deeply. She turned back toward the door and was lifted down from the subway by Kevin.
Mike shot Pardo a strange look before jumping off as well.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Pardo blinked, failing to grasp the meaning behind their gazes. Assuming they were urging her to hurry up and slip away, she quickly followed.
...
Explosions illuminated the battlefield.
The formidable human army stood firm against a terrifying enemy.
The massive Knight-class Honkai Beast roared as it charged forward, breaking through the tank lines. Soldiers retaliated with everything they had. Bullets and shells struck its thick hide with harsh, metallic clamor.
Tanks and heavy artillery roared, their deafening barrage engulfing the creature and the surrounding area. Yet the Knight-class Honkai Beast continued its relentless advance, crushing everything before it.
Only when the army deployed missile launchers and large-caliber railguns—sacrificing two mechanized infantry companies—did they finally bring down the twenty-meter-tall giant.
All of this was being observed in real time through cameras by Vill-V.
Throughout Nagazora City, Vill-V had installed numerous cameras and data collectors to gather comprehensive samples of the Herrscher of Thunder and the Honkai Eruption.
She could not create proton-level constructs like the Trisolarans, nor nanomachines requiring ultra-precise manufacturing equipment.
But producing general-purpose reconnaissance drones in large quantities was well within her capabilities.
Especially after Expert had configured a [Dual-Joint Module Automated Production Line] within HoMu Company—disguised under Zofia's management.
As long as the components were not sabotaged into defective batches by Pardo's "restocking," the mechanical arms could steadily produce dozens of micro-machines per day.
Officially, the production line manufactured anime figurines and merchandise. Recently, Pardo had shown unusual interest in these shiny "art pieces."
These—and other anti-Herrscher armaments—had been funded by money siphoned from European capitalists.
Many thanks to the European capitalists for their contribution to the fight against the Honkai. Without that considerable funding, Vill-V would have been severely constrained in this Honkai Eruption.
Back to the present.
Vill-V knew that when humans were eroded by Honkai energy, they became undead. When beasts were eroded, they transformed into Honkai Beasts.
What she had not expected was that the Honkai Beasts in this world would be so absurdly massive.
"This exaggerated scale isn't that from the early Honkai manga settings? Don't the Honkai Beasts in this world follow retcons? Couldn't we at least get some cute seaside amusement park vehicles instead? How annoying."
Yet the destruction of the giant Honkai Beast was not the end—merely the prelude.
The true protagonist was about to appear.
The Honkai energy indicator issued a warning.
"1600 Honkai Watts."
A chill ran down Vill-V's spine.
A blinding curtain of lightning shot up from the direction of Chiba Academy, piercing into the azure sky. Dark clouds gathered from nowhere, swallowing the daylight. Lightning churned within the thick clouds, brewing a colossal storm.
"She can directly alter weather patterns now? Back when I was Captain, the Hyperion's output was only 1380 Honkai Watts. And a certain Miss Wendy once mentioned that 2000 Honkai Watts would be enough to destroy the Hyperion in a single strike."
"We can't let her act freely. Kevin and the others haven't escaped far enough. Activate the [Homu Plan]."
Soon, several bee-type drones approached the strolling Herrscher of Thunder, carrying various Homu plush dolls.
The Herrscher of Thunder frowned slightly. With a casual flick of her hand, lightning surged outward. The dolls crackled and turned into charred debris.
Nothing else happened.
She looked puzzled, having expected some sort of human trap.
This was Magician Vill-V's so-called [Homu Plan].
The idea was simple—use things girls loved: plush toys, dresses, jewelry—to help the Herrscher rediscover her cute maidenly heart and willingly lay down the blade.
"Not enough. Increase the intensity!"
More bee-type drones arrived, carrying luxurious dresses and glittering accessories.
This time, the Herrscher of Thunder did not even spare them a glance before obliterating them all.
Magician Vill-V was not surprised by the grand failure.
"Activate the [Diva Plan]."
The so-called Diva Plan involved letting the Herrscher hear the era's greatest musical masterpiece—awakening admiration for humanity's cultural beauty and restoring her elegant heart, so she would voluntarily cease the slaughter.
Hidden bee drones began playing music in 3D surround sound.
It was Eden's debut masterpiece—VIP high-definition premium edition.
The Herrscher of Thunder felt thoroughly insulted.
With a downward gesture, the destructive energy brewing within the storm clouds poured down, leveling not only any traps Vill-V might have arranged—but Chiba Academy itself.
The sheer energy contained within that Honkai strike rivaled that of a single Hyperion-class battleship.
Even Magician applauded.
"Excellent! We baited out her ultimate move. The cooldown should be quite long." Magician Vill-V nodded in satisfaction. "See? My [Reformation Plan] for dealing with Herrschers isn't as terrible as Conductor claimed."
Previously, Conductor had complained to Magician more than once—begging her not to convert the anti-Herrscher armaments painstakingly built by Expert into these fashionable little bits of trash.
(Conductor: Mainly because it's expensive.)
(Expert: And what about me...?)
"It's just a pity the Herrscher of Thunder doesn't appreciate my gifts. If only I could control lightning too—maybe we could bond over a shared hobby."
After basking in her pride, Magician bowed theatrically toward the ruins of Chiba Academy and announced:
"Dear Herrscher, welcome to the Chiba Academy Festival."
"We present to you the liveliest stage performance."
"We hope you will enjoy the carefully arranged show prepared just for you..."