The remaining tears and sweat on his face mixed into the cold water in the handkerchief. The cold water in the handkerchief was slowly squeezed out in the process of wiping his face, dripping along the edge onto the ground, shattering into pieces.
Mei Raiden and Theresa, who were standing next to Kiana, looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Maybe it was because the return of the power of the void was too understated, but when Kiana reconnected her consciousness with the Herrscher core, she didn't seem to be on guard against the erosion of that power, so the backlash of the power happened almost in an instant.
The erosion of the human body by Honkai energy has always been relatively hidden. From a certain perspective, whether it is the holder of natural or artificial stigmata, they are all suffering from the erosion of Honkai energy at all times.
However, the slight corrosion caused by the stigmata to the human body will not exceed the resistance to Honkai energy brought by the stigmata.
8ｇ6Ｘ7Ｊｃ4／（2ｉＭ5ｎｌ0｝０2＆1妍?希?中";转;;①,;群?;：'8?3,7';7"8.;3!8?5:?3在绝大多数情况下，当崩坏能对人体的侵蚀度到了能以肉眼辨认出侵蚀纹路的时候，就已经意味着无论做什么都来不及了，过量的崩坏能会立刻将受到侵蚀的人给推向深渊，变成一个只知道杀戮的死士，对于大部分女武神来说，被崩坏能侵蚀到这种地步只会落得个被同伴杀死的下场，因为对于成为死士的女武神而言，死亡反而是最好的结局。
As a member of Kaslana's tribe and a Herrscher, Kiana would certainly not turn into a dead warrior as easily as an ordinary Valkyrie. But to be honest, when Theresa saw those horrible and glaring lines appearing on Kiana's skin, she was almost mentally prepared to use the Oath of Judah to forcibly suppress these Honkai energies.
Neither she nor Mei Raiden had expected that the Honkai energy erosion, which was so terrifying in the eyes of them, the Valkyries, would disappear so quickly with just a snap of the store manager's fingers.
Compared to Mei Raiden and Theresa, Kiana, who had already experienced having her power forcibly taken away once, did not feel much surprise. Although a competitive person like her was unwilling to admit defeat, Kiana had to admit that this seemingly young store manager, whether it was her understanding of the power of the Herrscher, her understanding of Honkai, and even... her understanding of herself - Kiana Kaslana, was far better than her.
If he had not encountered this coffee shop, the power of the Herrscher that threatened his life at every moment would have been like a toy that could be manipulated at will in the hands of the store manager.
Moreover, judging from the experience of the Herrscher of Lightning Mei from the near future who entered this cafe, perhaps for this store manager, not only the power of the void that she possesses, but also other types of Herrscher powers, may be something that he can easily control.
Thinking of this, Kiana couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief like Theresa and Raiden Mei.
Although she was a little depressed about being manipulated by the other party, the good news was that the young store manager didn't seem to mind helping her when she lost control.
Compared to the situation not long ago where she could be taken away by the Herrscher's consciousness at any time, the situation she faces now is undoubtedly much better now that there is someone who is much stronger than herself and is willing to help her when she may lose control at any moment.
After realizing that she would probably not be killed no matter what she did, Kiana's mind became active again - after all, she had already lost all the face she should have lost under the nose of this store manager, and she owed this store manager so many favors that she couldn't count them, so if that was the case, why not...
"Don't even think about it! Are you using my coffee shop as a spring water?" the manager shouted angrily.
"...I haven't said anything yet?" Kiana was stunned.
"With your stubborn and one-track mind, you find that you can't control the power of the void in a place where nothing will happen no matter how hard you try. Do I need to guess what you will do next?" The store manager pointed his lips in the direction of Raiden Mei and Theresa. "Let's not talk about me first. Are you really not afraid of being beaten up by your aunt and the people who have been chasing you?"
"Uh..." Kiana's scalp numbed, and she turned her trembling eyes to the faces of Theresa and Raiden Mei who were standing beside her.
Contrary to Kiana's expectations, Mei Raiden and Theresa did not seem to show any signs of wanting to get angry. Instead, they both showed a thoughtful expression at the same time, as if they were silently discussing the feasibility of a certain action in their minds.
Seeing the two men's pensive expressions, the store manager was stunned. Then he suddenly realized something and his face darkened: "Hey, you guys are not really going to let this unlucky thing keep blaming my store, are you?"
"Isn't there anything else we can do?" Kiana spoke up before Theresa and Mei Raiden could respond to the manager's words. She said shyly, "After all, only in this cafe can I try to control the power of the Herrscher bit by bit. Dear manager, you won't let a weak girl like me face the threat of the Herrscher alone, right?"
Kiana's pretentious manner with a mixed voice gave the store manager goosebumps on his back, and he couldn't help but take a step back: "Hiss... Don't be like this, be a little more normal, I'm scared."
Even Theresa and Raiden Mei, who had been with Kiana for a long time, were stunned. They all reached out and pressed their foreheads, probably to see if they had a cold or fever, or if they were hallucinating or hearing hallucinations... But having said that, they didn't have much intention of interfering with Kiana's choice. In their opinion, as long as the manager himself had no objection, leaving Kiana in this cafe first and trying to control the Herrscher power under the manager's nose would probably be no better choice for Kiana herself.
Seeing Theresa and Raiden Mei struggling but not trying to stop her, Kiana's face lit up with delight. The young store manager couldn't help but roll his eyes and spread his hands, "Alright, alright, you all come here to bully a small café manager like me. I lose to you."
"I wasn't planning on letting you go so easily. I haven't come to terms with you for the damage you and Mei beside you caused to the things in my cafe."
Kiana looked embarrassed: "Uh, why are you still thinking about the furniture?"
"Oh? What do you mean? Are you finally going to throw in the towel and refuse to pay?" The store manager glared at Kiana. "My store has only been open for two days and you two have already destroyed nearly one-third of the things in it. How could you forget so quickly?!"
"No, no, no, no! How could I possibly deny my debt?" Kiana quickly waved her hands.
Listening to the conversation between the store manager and Kiana, Theresa felt something was wrong. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Kiana with a dignified gaze like an elder: "What are you talking about, Kiana? Have you gotten into trouble again during the time you were away from us?"
Kiana wanted to cry but had no tears: "I didn't! It was the Herrscher of the Void who suddenly-"
--Sudden.
"Yes, yes! That's it!"
In the face of Kiana's stunned eyes, Raiden Mei rushed forward with a smile on her face and covered Kiana's mouth with her hands.
"Dean, Kiana and I got into some trouble in this cafe last night, so maybe in the near future, Kiana and I will have to stay here and work for this cafe to pay off our debts."
“Mmmmm——????”
Mei? What are you talking about, Mei——!!! It’s obviously the Herrscher of the Sky——
Kiana widened her eyes and looked at Raiden Mei with disbelief in her eyes.
The store manager rested his forehead on his hand and sighed softly.
I always feel... this scene seems a little familiar.
"Did Mei accidentally get into trouble with Kiana?" Theresa was a little surprised, but her expression immediately softened. "It seems to be a simple accident."
Kiana: “???”
No, Aunt, your discrimination is too obvious! ??? Are you my aunt or Meiyi's aunt? ! She was a little bit upset.
"You are all adults now and need to be responsible for your words and actions. Since Mei and Kiana have already discussed the compensation plan with the store manager... then, I will not interfere in your private affairs."
After saying that, Theresa walked up to the store manager and bowed gently. "Mr. Manager, I'm very sorry that my two students seem to have caused you trouble. As their elder, I would like to apologize to you first. They seem to be bothering you in your cafe for a while, so please bear with them."
"I feel very complicated when you act like you're entrusting me with my child." The store manager said with a bitter face, "... Never mind. It's just two more pairs of chopsticks. We can afford to support two people."
Following the store manager's assertion, the major events in Sky City in 2017 were finally settled.
Kiana and Raiden Mei continued to stay in the cafe as temporary waiters, while Theresa, Bronya, Tesla and the others gave Kiana and Raiden Mei a few final instructions before saying goodbye and leaving.
2017 was a rather turbulent year. Even though Kiana was temporarily settled, it did not mean that Theresa and Bronya could relax. Especially after they learned that the Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden Mei, who had been killed by the Herrscher of Corrosion, was only a few months away from them, Theresa and Bronya immediately realized that they must make corresponding preparations for the upcoming major events as soon as they left the cafe.
Before leaving the cafe, Bronya gave her final instructions to her three-year-old self. Theresa walked to the sofa next to the wall and looked at her three-year-old self and Kiana lying on the sofa with a complicated expression. She hesitated for a moment and said, "You should prepare yourself for the fight between Kiana and the Herrscher of the Sky as soon as possible."
"Don't pay the same heavy price as us."
Looking at the slightly sad face of her other self, Theresa, who was already over 2013 years old in , couldn't help but look gloomy, even though there was a three-year difference in time.
She hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice:
"In your world, did anyone... die when Kiana lost control?"
“Yes.” Theresa in 2017 nodded heavily and pointed out the identity of the victim in a concise manner, “The drunkard.”
“That bomb girl?!” Theresa’s pupils shrank slightly in 2013, and then she took a deep breath. “Thank you for the information. I will make sure she doesn’t follow the same path as your world.”
"There's nothing else to do for now." Theresa in 2017 turned her gaze towards Kiana, who was still unconscious, and said with a slightly relieved expression, "She's a good child, treat her well."
"I know that without you telling me." Theresa in 2013 nodded and smiled. "After all, it was Siegfried who entrusted it to me. Although that bastard is always mysterious, he is still that person's husband. Since he recognizes her as his daughter, that person... will probably recognize this child as well, no matter what her identity is."
Theresa in 2017 also smiled: "That's it for now, Bronya, Dr. Tesla, let's go first, don't let Walter outside the door wait too long."
At this moment, the door of the cafe suddenly opened.
A somewhat embarrassed voice came from outside the door into the hall:
"Well... can anyone come over and give me a hand..."
That voice stunned everyone in the hall.
Everyone in the hall looked out the door at the same time. The moment the scene outside came into view, everyone from 2017 was frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
I saw a red-haired girl with a high ponytail stepping into the door of the cafe with some difficulty. On her shoulders was an adult woman who looked 90% like her. Her face was full of a speechless expression as if something was stuck in her throat.
Thank you for the invitation. On the first day of my trip, I found myself and I don’t know whether I am dead or alive. What should I do?
Waiting online, very anxious.
Chapter 4: The Herrscher of Thunder (k)
After seeing the red-haired girl walking into the cafe and the adult woman she was carrying on her shoulders, everyone in the cafe was shocked. Those who knew the adult woman were shocked by her identity, while those who didn't know the adult woman were surprised by the extent of her injuries.
The manager reacted almost immediately the moment the two people walked into the cafe. He raised his hand and the incomparable power of creation turned into two warm white lights, which penetrated directly into the bodies of the two people walking in the cafe - not to mention the adult woman whose body was almost completely intact, even the red-haired girl who carried the unconscious adult woman into the cafe had begun to show signs of being eroded by the Honkai energy.
The reason she asked for help at the door of the cafe was not because she could not lift the adult woman. Although she was still young, she was able to pass the Valkyrie test after all, and her physical fitness was of course excellent. However, under the erosion of the Honkai energy surrounding the adult woman, her skin was already covered with ominous glowing lines like Kiana before.
The moment the warm white light rushed into the two people's bodies, the erosion lines that covered the red-haired girl's body surface disappeared instantly. The body of the adult woman she was carrying on her shoulders became full of vitality again under the effect of the power of creation. Incredible healing was taking place. The skin was repaired first, the charred marks gradually fell off the body, the lens was regenerated, and the blood that had become solidified refilled in the blood vessels throughout the body with the rapidly rising heart rate. Even the broken bones that could not be seen by outsiders were forced back to their original position under the powerful muscle wriggling. The broken parts of the bones combined with each other and became one again.
After a few seconds, the miraculous healing was completed. Apart from the damage to her armor, there was almost no sign of injury on her body.
"Teacher Himeko!" After a brief shock, Kiana immediately rushed to the door. She watched her beloved teacher, whom she thought she would never see again in her life, recover from a state no different from a corpse to the familiar appearance in just a few seconds. A look of ecstasy flashed in her eyes.
But soon, her expression froze.
Because besides her, there were two other people who appeared in front of the two red-haired women in a flash, with serious expressions.
The two people who came to the door were the young store manager and Fu Hua, whose entire body was still translucent.
The young store manager first walked forward and carefully looked at the red-haired girl's body: "Are you okay?"
"It's okay." The red-haired girl, whose spirits had recovered immediately after the image of Honkai erosion faded, shook her head. "She's a Valkyrie after all. She shouldn't be unable to bear such a small ordeal."
The store manager breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze to the adult woman on the red-haired girl's shoulder. He opened his mouth, but in the end he chose not to ask the questions in his mind right away. Instead, he took the adult woman, whose body had been repaired, from the red-haired girl's shoulder and held her in his arms.
After all, things have their priorities. Before figuring out why the young Ji Zi who took over a Hyperion from him suddenly picked up Ji Zi from the Eigenworld, the problems of this Ji Zi from the Eigenworld became more urgent.
He sighed softly, and looked at Fu Hua who was floating in the air. They both saw a heavy look in each other's eyes.
But neither the store manager nor Fu Hua chose to speak out what they saw right away.
The store manager turned around and pouted at Qiana: "Go, help me move a few sofas and put them together."
"It's ready!"
An impatient shout came from the hall. The person who made the shout was Mei Raiden. The four square booth sofas had been spliced into one piece at some point. Several people from 2017 walked around the assembled sofa, with more or less eagerness in their eyes.
The young store manager walked unceremoniously to the assembled sofa and carefully placed the adult woman's body on it.
Although neither the store manager nor Fu Hua said what they wanted to say immediately, Kiana still keenly noticed something wrong from their expressions. The ecstasy that had just risen in her heart after seeing her familiar teacher was suddenly lifted up, and a slight fear spread deep in her heart.
She pursed her lips and couldn't help asking, "Is Teacher Jizi okay?"
"I really want to say she's fine...but..." The store manager sighed, reached out his hand, and flipped open the eyelids of the adult woman lying flat on the sofa, "...see for yourself."
The moment the adult woman's eyelids were opened, the pupils of several people from 2017 suddenly shrank.
There is no doubt that the manager's restoration of Ji Zi's body in the original world was perfect. Her breathing has been restored, her heart has started beating continuously again, and even her skin has begun to regain its color. However, only her pupils are still wide open, and there is no life in her eyes.
"There is no soul in this body anymore." The store manager released his fingers that were pinching the other person's eyelids and sighed softly.
Kiana's body trembled slightly. Although the ups and downs of emotions almost made her collapse, she still tried her best to maintain her composure in front of her teacher.
She asked in a trembling voice: "Why, why is this happening...?! How can there be no soul? Store... Store Manager! You are so powerful, there must be a way to save Teacher Himeko, right!"
"Be quiet, I'll think about what's going on." Hearing Kiana's trembling voice, the young manager rubbed his brows and frowned, "I can feel that before entering this cafe, although she was still alive, she should not be completely dead, otherwise even the power of creation would not be able to repair her body..."
"...So, when she felt that she was about to die, she transferred the remaining consciousness in her body out first?" The store manager scratched his head, "But I remember that Ji Zi is not without consciousness... Ah - right -!!!"
"What's wrong? Did you remember anything?" Kiana asked quickly.
"Plague Gem!" The store manager turned his gaze towards Kiana, "Can you help me see if the Plague Gem in her armor is still there? No, Mei, you should have read the information about the Blank Key and know where the Herrscher Core is embedded. You should come."
"Me?" Mei Raiden 2017 stepped forward quickly, "What do you need me to do?"
"It's not you, the manager should be talking to me." The Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden Mei, gently pushed her recent self aside. She walked to the side of Jiko from the original world, quickly glanced at her armor, and then without hesitation stretched out her hand to a small orange-black box under her neck.
The Herrscher of Thunder, Raiden Mei, opened the box and her expression darkened: "...It's gone."
She recalled the situation of Kiana in her own world, and suddenly a very bad premonition arose in the depths of her mind.
In the world where the Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden Mei, existed, Kiana had already achieved the form of Firebrand several months ago. Although she did not directly see the scene when Kiana transformed into the Herrscher of Lightning, she could barely guess how Kiana inherited the power that should have belonged to the Herrscher of Fire and the Plague Gem.
The Herrscher Core originally had the ability to store consciousness and souls. If, as the manager of this cafe had guessed, the soul of Teacher Himeko had already been transferred to the Plague Gem after Teacher Himeko had determined that she would definitely die, then when Kiana transformed into the Herrscher of Fire, wouldn't Himeko's soul also...
This situation, which could be described as fucked up, made the Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden Mei's brain burn. She propped her forehead with her hand, and felt a strong sense of absurdity suddenly rising up in her.
If Teacher Himeko really died, there would be no problem for Kiana to inherit the Disease Gem. I believe that Teacher Himeko herself must be very pleased when she saw Kiana transform into the Herrscher of Fire.
But the problem is, the problem is the problem - just when everyone believed that Teacher Jizi was dead, and objectively speaking, it was indeed unlikely that Teacher Jizi would survive, her dying body was picked up by this person who looked like her younger self...
Moreover, her dying body was restored by the store manager with his miraculous power.
Teacher Himeko's consciousness was transferred to the Plague Gem by herself, as she believed that she had no hope of survival. She used her remaining consciousness as a flame to ignite Kiana. After Kiana was ignited, her body was picked up by another Himeko in the cafe... After all the clues were connected, the Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden Mei, was completely numb. She didn't even know what words to use to describe to Kiana in her world. This was as ridiculous as fucking Cu Chulainn.
Bringing the healed Himeko to Kiana, saying that they have saved Himeko-sensei, except for a soul? And that soul burned itself out when you became the Herrscher of the Fire?
Although Mei, the Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden, has great confidence in Kiana from her own world, but... she still feels that if Kiana from her own world knew all this, something bad might happen.
The key is...what should we do about Teacher Ji Zi's problem?
Just leave her alone like this? Anyway, it is impossible for her, the Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden Mei, to do such a thing. Himeko is not only Kiana's teacher, but also her teacher. Now that her body has been saved, if she just gave up like this, she would never forgive herself.
But the question is, how can they find Teacher Ji Zi's soul back?
The rapidly changing expression of the Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden Mei, caused the expressions of several people who were of the same age as her but just a little earlier to change.
"Mei, Mei, do you know something?" Kiana, who knew Raiden Mei quite well, couldn't help but ask.
"I..." The Herrscher of Lightning, Raiden Mei, was hesitant to speak. A look of embarrassment flashed across her face, which had remained cold and clear ever since she joined the World Serpent.
"If you know anything, please tell us." Raiden Mei couldn't help but speak.
