Honkai Impact: Starting from Wandering with Kiana

Chapter 53: The Herrscher of Thunder Makes Her Debut

"All the nearby Honkai Beasts have fallen silent."

Looking at the message Cortana sent on his phone, Jiu Xiao sighed. After fighting for a long time, he finally solved it all.

Upon hearing that the battle was over, Huihu collapsed to the ground, her Sabayon exoskeleton dissipating instantly. She tried to get up, but found she had no strength left...

Hui Huo weakly waved to Jiu Xiao and said, "Come help me, I'm out of strength..."

Jiu Xiao walked over and pulled her up, and the powerless Hui Huo collapsed onto Jiu Xiao.

Jiuxiao adjusted his position so that Huihuo wouldn't be too uncomfortable leaning against him, then smiled and said to her, "I thought you were quite energetic when you were shooting, but you're so weak as soon as you're done?"

“Shut up… The bloodline of the Colorless Clan doesn’t feel tired or exhausted during battle, but all the fatigue piles up at once after the battle… This allows us to attack freely during battle, but sometimes, when the battle is difficult, we don’t even realize we’ve drained ourselves… So, members of the Colorless Clan often die in the middle of a battle…” Hui Huo rattled off a whole bunch of things, leaving her a little breathless… She leaned her head on Jiu Xiao’s shoulder, which made her feel relaxed and at ease…

Leaving no trace, solely to combat the Honkai, is the Colorless Clan's family motto, and also their death knell.

Jiuxiao patted Huihuo's head. He didn't want to comment on a family's ideals, but he respected their dedication to fighting against the Honkai.

Hui Huo felt the touch on her head. She was too weak to resist, nor did she want to... She opened her mouth and bit Jiu Xiao's shoulder hard.

"Ouch, what are you doing..." Jiu Xiao cried out in pain, but he didn't push Hui Huo away. Although Hui Huo was delicate and weak and easily pushed over, if Jiu Xiao dared to push Hui Huo away now, Hui Huo would immediately faint.

"Hmph, serves you right for touching my head." Hui Huo grinned at Jiu Xiao, then looked at the teeth marks she had left. "Leaving no trace is merely to resist the Honkai." Hmph, she, the colorless Hui Huo, was determined to leave her mark.

Jiuxiao bumped his head against Huihuo's head on his shoulder, then took out his phone and started asking Cortana, "Cortana, have Kiana and the others run into any trouble?"

"While you were fighting, they encountered the girl weapon Bronya, but successfully repelled her. Kiana and Mei were unharmed and are currently resting on the rooftop."

"It's good that you're not hurt. Let's go find them and meet up. Come on, I'll carry you."

After confirming that Kiana and the others were alright, Jiu Xiao knelt down in front of Hui Huo, gesturing for him to carry her. Hui Huo, without much thought, climbed onto Jiu Xiao's back, then suddenly froze, straightened up, and punched Jiu Xiao, saying angrily, "Carry me?! Turn around! Hug me... I'm wearing a short skirt..."

"Aren't there safety shorts...?" Jiu Xiao subconsciously replied to Hui Huo, but seeing Hui Huo's face flushed red and looking like a steam girl, she didn't say anything more. Hui Huo wrapped her arms around Jiu Xiao's neck, and Jiu Xiao put one arm around her waist and the other through her legs to pick her up in a princess carry, and started heading towards the rooftop.

As they ran along the road, Jiu Xiao suddenly weighed Hui Huo in his arms and blurted out, "Colorless Fat Fire, as expected of you, you're quite heavy."

Hui Huo, who had been leaning against Jiu Xiao's chest, listening to his heartbeat and feeling incredibly shy, suddenly felt her blood pressure spike. Her previously weak state vanished, replaced by a sudden surge of strength. She gripped Jiu Xiao's neck tightly and snapped angrily, "Nonsense, you bastard! Don't you want to listen to what you're saying?! Beautiful girls don't get fat! How could I possibly be heavy?!"

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Mei stood on the edge of the rooftop with her arms crossed, looking around Chiba Academy, while Kiana leaned against the side, drinking a beverage she had snatched from a vending machine on the way.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed, striking Raiden Mei from the sky. In the lightning, a single horn sprouted from Mei's forehead, and a pair of ugly, tattered wings grew from her back. Her eyes turned purplish-red, and lightning flickered continuously in her hands. She had succeeded in usurping the power of the Gem of Conquest; she had become the Herrscher of Thunder...

"Mei! What's wrong with you!" Kiana threw down her drink, grabbed a baseball bat, and ran towards Mei.

Mei turned to the side, glancing sideways at Kiana, a strange smile curving her lips.

She smiled and said to Kiana, "This is our first time meeting, Kiana!" As soon as she finished speaking, Mei raised her hand and summoned a bolt of lightning, which struck Kiana directly.

"You're not Mei! Herrscher of Thunder! Give Mei back to me!" Kiana dodged Mei's attack and charged forward, swinging her baseball bat.

Facing Kiana's attacks, the Herrscher of Thunder dodged with a smile. She had no intention of harming Kiana, and attacked with speed that Kiana could easily avoid. Kiana and Jiuxiao were always so lovey-dovey, which made Mei feel incredibly sad and envious. Mei's sadness made the Herrscher of Thunder unhappy, and she wanted to punish Kiana to vent her anger.

Then, the Herrscher of Thunder, with zero combat experience and constantly holding back, was caught in close combat by Kiana. Kiana swung a baseball bat and smashed it directly onto her head, leaving her dizzy and disoriented... Having just finished the power struggle, the Herrscher of Thunder was still extremely weak, and with this blow from Kiana, she was instantly knocked offline...

After the Herrscher of Thunder logged off, Mei regained consciousness. Opening her eyes, she saw a disheveled Kiana smiling at her. Kiana, seeing the Herrscher of Thunder's horn and wings disappear, knew Mei was returning and was about to speak with her, asking how she was. Then, Mei trembled and backed away… Mei didn't know what had happened while she was unconscious, but she was certain she had hurt Kiana… Even though Kiana and Jiuxiao had comforted her many times, after truly becoming the Herrscher of Thunder and truly hurting Kiana… she was still terrified. What if she had killed Kiana!

"Kiana...don't come near me..." Mei retreated step by step...until she reached the railing with nowhere left to go. Looking down from the rooftop, Mei thought that perhaps if she jumped, she could stop hurting others...Just as Mei was hesitating whether to jump or not, her hand touched the railing. The railing instantly quantized and disappeared...Before she could react, Mei plummeted to the ground.

Chapter 54 Miss Raiden is in love!

As Mei plummeted from the sky, she suddenly thought that dying like this wouldn't be so bad... However, the Herrscher of Thunder within her wouldn't allow it, and the Herrscher of Thunder forcefully took over. Just as the Herrscher of Thunder was about to fly back using Honkai energy, a hand grabbed hers.

The Herrscher of Thunder was still wondering why the person opposite her hadn't been electrolyzed and quantized when she looked up and saw a smile she would never forget. A captivating curve to her lips, eyes slightly narrowed—looking at Kiana's smile, the Herrscher of Thunder felt that nothing in the world could be more beautiful than this… She suddenly seemed to understand why Raiden Mei liked this white-furred girl… because at that moment, the Herrscher of Thunder felt as if she herself had fallen in love with her.

It was at this point that the Herrscher of Thunder's personality fell in love with Kiana.

Maybe this is love at first sight, haha... I can't believe I even have this thought.

The Herrscher of Thunder has logged off again. She returned her body to Mei and helped Mei control the Herrscher of Thunder's out-of-control power. Kiana's smile wasn't for her; she wasn't Raiden Mei. She didn't deserve Kiana's tenderness. She was just a pitiful Stigmata consciousness and a hateful Herrscher of Thunder.

When she opened her eyes again, it was Raiden Mei. Mei felt like she had lost consciousness for a short while, but the moment she opened her eyes and saw Kiana, it seemed like nothing that had happened mattered anymore.

But that's precisely why Mei can't bear to hurt Kiana. "Kiana... let me go. Maybe it's best if I die... that way she won't come out again..."

Kiana paused for a moment, then said seriously to Mei, "Stop nagging! If she comes out again, I'll beat her up again! Hold my hand tightly and don't let go!"

Kiana gripped Mei's hand tightly and pulled her up. Once up, the two of them slumped down on the rooftop, hand in hand, both panting heavily.

Feeling the gentle touch in her hand, Mei suddenly remembered something and hurriedly tried to pull her hand away, but Kiana held it tightly and wouldn't let go.

Kiana raised their clasped hands and said triumphantly to Mei, "Don't even think about escaping me again!"

"But... I'm afraid that the previous ability... might hurt you!" Mei was a little scared. She was afraid that the uncontrollable ability to electrolyze and quantize matter would reappear and harm Kiana.

"Don't worry! I'm very strong, even the Herrscher of Thunder can't beat me!"

"But this is different..."

"Nothing is different!"

Just as the two were arguing, Hui Huo arrived.

"We've finally found you. Where is the Herrscher of Thunder?"

Kiana was about to say that she had beaten up the Herrscher of Thunder, but she didn't see Jiuxiao next to Huihuo. She asked Huihuo in confusion, "Where's Jiuxiao? Wasn't he with you?"

Hui Huo rolled his eyes at Kiana, not even bothering to ask me about the situation first. Then, disabling his outer armor, he plopped down next to Kiana, lying on her lap, enjoying the lap pillow before lazily saying, "Although I don't know how he did it, the moment the Herrscher of Thunder descended, he transferred all the Honkai energy. He told me that the Herrscher of Thunder lacked enough Honkai energy, and her Herrscher transformation would be incomplete and extremely weak, so we could take the opportunity to snatch Mei back. Looks like you're done."

Kiana recalled the weak Herrscher of Thunder from before, then nodded as if she understood something: "I was wondering why the Herrscher of Thunder was so weak... So what about Nine Heavens?"

"I don't know, but he said everything will be fine. Now we just need to focus on surviving until he comes back!"

"Yes," Kiana and Mei both nodded in response. Kiana understood Jiuxiao's character; if he said he was alright, then he was definitely alright. If he didn't come back, she would fight her way to the Quantum Sea and bring him back. Mei, on the other hand, silently thanked Jiuxiao for his sacrifice and prepared to comfort him properly when he returned.

Huihu nodded, continuing to enjoy Kiana's lap as a pillow, slowly recovering his strength. Although Jiuxiao had said he would transfer Honkai energy to the Sea of ​​Quanta at the moment the Herrscher descended, Huihu still felt a pang of heartache as he watched Jiuxiao disappear before his eyes.

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Meanwhile, in the Sea of ​​Quanta.

The Stigmata in Jiuxiao's hand drained the Honkai energy of Changkong City the moment the Herrscher of Thunder descended, using a portion of the Honkai energy to open a path to the Sea of ​​Quanta and teleport Jiuxiao there.

Although it's called the sea, it's actually a pale, empty space. There's no up or down, no sense of direction or time. If one stayed in this celestial realm for too long, I feel I would definitely lose my mind.

"What should I do... I feel like I can't suppress it anymore." Jiuxiao was in immense pain, his entire body covered in marks of Honkai erosion. Although the Honkai energy was absorbed by the Stigmata, the Stigmata was still part of him. The Honkai energy released by the Herrscher's descent was extremely vast; even a portion leaking from the Stigmata was beyond the capacity of Jiuxiao's mortal body to withstand. (Even Honkai Beasts and Tactical Mechs couldn't withstand the Honkai energy leaked from Yutu. Neko was also consumed by the extremely high concentration of Honkai energy.)

I'm still negotiating with the Sea of ​​Quanta! You hold on for a bit.

Jiu Xiao's face contorted in pain. He really wanted to punch Sheng Hen Bang Bang twice. What did he mean by "still negotiating terms"?

[Alright, alright, Hai agrees. He has one small condition, but it's insignificant and can be easily resolved. Now, let's confirm again: do you want that Herrscher power?]

After thinking it over, Jiuxiao chose the power of the First Herrscher, since he could then manually create the Divine Key and build Gundam with his bare hands.

After confirmation, the Holy Mark began to prepare to transfer its power. Warm energy began to flow throughout its body, and its consciousness gradually sank down. This process made Jiuxiao feel very calm and peaceful. This was probably a leap in the level of life.

But the feeling changed the next second. He first felt the gaze of a great being, and then the gaze of another great being. The originally peaceful energy flow suddenly became violent, and his whole body felt as if it were being torn apart by two things.

"Holy crap...wait, wait, wait, is this advancement process really this brutal?! I thought Herrschers advanced in no time! And why do I feel like there are two things fighting over me?!"

[Ahem, that's because Herrschers on the normal Imaginary side advance faster. We've already made a deal with Hai, preparing to become Herrschers on the Quantum side... Now the Imaginary Tree isn't happy about it and is competing with Quantum Hai for it...]

"Huh? When did I say I wanted to become a Herrscher of the Quantum Realm?!" Jiuxiao had barely finished speaking when he felt an even more intense tearing force within his body, and he collapsed unconscious in agony...

[Why did you have to say so much? We could have just quietly enjoyed the benefits and called it a day. Now you've upset Hai!]

Chapter 55 I can lie to her and have ten children for me

The power of the tree and the sea surged within Jiuxiao's body, sometimes merging into one, sometimes clashing and colliding. Jiuxiao's consciousness continued to sink... He saw an enormous, towering tree, seemingly only seeing a tiny fraction of it, yet also seemingly able to glimpse its entirety.

The tree was covered with lush foliage, with new leaves constantly sprouting and many branches intertwining to form a huge trunk... Within that trunk, Jiuxiao seemed to see a train traveling among the stars... Perhaps that was the "Age of Stars" that the Holy Mark had mentioned, where many worlds intertwined after the collapse.

New life inevitably brings corruption... Consciousness drifts down with the falling leaves, the leaves transforming into specks of light that fall from the sky, ethereal and indistinct. A flower, a tree, a world; a leaf, a tree, a Bodhi tree. With each falling leaf, the Nine Heavens see time within it... In some worlds, people struggle to survive in despair, trying to find a glimmer of hope in the apocalypse... In other worlds, people are completely unaware, only attempting to avert disaster at the last moment, but to no avail...

Leaves fall and return to nothingness, vanishing forever. A magnificent and colorful world, yet the sea remains undisturbed. Born silently, and vanishing silently. The sea is utterly calm; it has no birth or death like trees, it simply exists quietly, without thought or desire.

Jiuxiao sensed the trees and the sea, but he didn't linger... He left nothing behind before the trees and the sea except a cry of "Holy crap!"

The trees and the sea are watching over me, carrying me away to some place...

At some point, Jiu Xiao saw a little girl crying helplessly in the quantum rift. He didn't know how to comfort her, so he just watched.

Another figure appeared in the quantum rift—a silver-haired girl with spiral twin tails. The two girls talked while crying, and then made a promise while both crying and laughing.

He learned the names of the two girls, Seele and Bronya. He also learned their story, the quantum ghosts caused by the x10 experiment. Bronya left, leaving Seele all alone.

The girl left behind, Seele, was the reason Tree and Sea brought her here, and also part of the deal between Saint Mark and Sea...

The message from the sea left Jiuxiao bewildered. He said... Seele is the daughter of the sea, and that the child of the tree, namely himself, should help Seele reshape her body and take care of her.

Wait... are you telling me a fairy tale?... How did it turn into The Little Mermaid and the Tree Child?!

The Sea of ​​Quanta is responsible for reshaping Seele's body, while the Tree of Imaginary Numbers is responsible for reshaping Jiuxiao's body. So one is the daughter of the sea, and the other is the child of the tree—that makes sense.

This is the result of a fight between the tree and the sea. Although the tree and the sea have always been rivals, they also coexist. Originally, the two sides lived in harmony until one day, the sea discovered Seele and then went to the tree to provoke it, saying that it wanted to have a child. The tree was very unhappy; it felt that it also needed to have a child.