[★ Feat Achieved! Survived Honkai Eruption at Point Blank Range!]
[You gained x1 Ability Gold Ticket!]
[★ Feat Achieved! Killed a Honkai Beast in One Shot for the First Time!]
[You gained x1 Ability Silver Ticket!]
"...So cool!"
Naturally, Kiana was the first of the two to approach me, a brilliant spark of awe dancing in her eyes. Bronya followed closely behind, but unlike the Tuna, her gaze held a subtle wariness that she masked expertly behind her stoic expression. Unfortunately for her, my Adept Spycraft skill allowed me to read her body language like an open book.
"What kind of club is even that? It looks like a lantern, but I bet it feels insanely satisfying after smashing a zombie's head to pieces!"
"It really does. One hit, and there won't be a head left above their shoulders."
As if to back up my words, I demonstrated by taking a slow, heavy practice swing. I was in a remarkably good mood, having hit two birds with one stone, making a stylish entrance and pulling some valuable tickets at the same time.
Alright, let's roll, Mister!
[Rolling the Ability Gold Gacha.]
[Greater Holy Light]
|Elite Ability|
Greater Holy Light allows you to conjure and shape searing Holy Light or call it down from the sky onto a target location, often used by high-ranking angels. Greater Holy Light sets any infernal, unholy, or necrotic opponent ablaze with holy flames on contact, burning away attacks of the same attribute and purging curses. The holy light will not harm anything the user does not wish to hurt. However, when used against opponents outside that category, its potency is significantly reduced. (Holy Light is NOT light speed despite the name.)
Alright, not bad at all. If I remembered correctly, this skill came from that anime, right? What was the name again? Overlord, or something?
[Rolling the Ability Silver Gacha.]
[Spray Water]
|Common Ability|
Allows you to unleash a high-pressure spray of water from your hands, functioning like a showerhead or a garden hose. Useful for putting out fires and hosing people down.
...Are you serious, Mister? Why have thou forsaken me? What horrible crime did I commit to inherit the quirk of that spray-head Pro Hero from My Hero Academia?
Joking aside, it could actually come in handy if the water was drinkable. It should be, right?
[10 abilities requirements have been fulfilled.]
[You have unlocked the third ability slot.]
"Can I hold it?!"
Kiana clearly didn't understand the concept of personal space, leaning uncomfortably close like a hyperactive kid begging for a new toy. The current her was undeniably cute, but compared to the insane glow-up she would experience later as the Herrscher of Finality? Unmatched.
"It's pretty heavy, though. Do you still want to try?"
"Of course!"
Come to think of it, Valkyries were trained to perform superhuman feats after enrolling at St. Freya High, right? So they naturally possessed some astonishing baseline strength.
After all, they generally had much higher Honkai adaptability than average people, giving them a fighting chance of surviving the outbreak, provided they didn't get careless and let themselves get bitten.
That was likely one of the main reasons Theresa Apocalypse actively recruited them into her own academy. Unlike her clownish grandfather, Theresa genuinely wanted the best for them.
That's right. I am proudly riding in the Teriri-Number-1-Cutest-In-The-World camp. Fight me.
"Whoa! You weren't lying! This thing is heavy!"
Despite her initial surprise, Kiana showcased her inner gorilla by swinging the Great Hammer around without breaking a sweat. She even busted out a spinning-wheel special move with a ridiculously goofy grin plastered across her face.
"Be careful with that, Kiana Idiotka. You could kill someone if you swing it in their direction."
"Bring 'em on, you ugly freaks! Hiyaah!"
Like an excited child, Kiana charged headlong into the approaching horde of zombies drawn by the noise, smashing them to pieces with the heavy weapon.
"I am the strongest!"
Instead of being repulsed by the gruesome sight, the Tuna casually stepped over the gore and moved on to the next target as if she couldn't get enough of the action.
As I wondered what was taking Mei so long to catch up, a deafening thunderclap shook the air as a bolt of lightning violently struck the exact platform I had just jumped down from. A cold prickling premonition, like a nagging alarm bell in the back of my mind suddenly went off.
'No way. I watched her the entire time, so I was certain she hadn't shown any outward signs of a Herrscher awakening. Unless...' My expression darkened at the thought.
As if sensing the sudden atmospheric shift, everyone, including Kiana, who had just flattened another zombie, simultaneously snapped their heads upward to look at the hovering figure descending from the sky.
"...Mei?" I muttered hesitantly. When she remained dead silent, a sinking weight in my chest confirmed that the worst-case scenario was playing out right before my eyes.
[...]
My eyes widened in horror as her expression twisted into a cruel, mocking smirk the moment she locked eyes with me. My dread was validated when the voice that slipped past her lips completely lacked the gentle warmth Mei normally possessed.
[Submit to the Thunder Queen and accept your inevitable death.]
Without hesitation, I threw myself backward, diving away just as a torrential pillar of powerful lightning scorched my previous spot into a smoking crater a split second later.
At that point, I had no choice but to accept that the Herrscher persona had seized complete control of Mei's body. It must have laid low like a coiled viper, biding its time the moment I left her alone to deal with the Chariot-class Honkai Beast.
Going dormant to catch everyone off guard was precisely the kind of dirty trick a Herrscher would pull.
"Whoa! What's going on?!"
"...Target confirmed."
Kiana and Bronya were caught in the crossfire of the pre-awakened Herrscher of Thunder's indiscriminate hostility. However, just like me, they managed to narrowly dodge the barrage of lightning strikes by trusting their combat instincts.
I looked up, immediately spotting the strange, ethereal-like wings crackling with violent purple arcs forming along her back. A fleeting memory from my past life flickered in my mind at the sight.
'Isn't that the early manifestation of Mei's Herrscher persona that was only ever shown in the manga? I remember reading about it during a lunch break.'
With a mental flick, I dismissed the Great Hammer from Kiana's hands, causing it to vanish and reappear securely in my own grip. Immediately afterward, a torrent of purplish, mist-like flames erupted from my shoes, spreading rapidly across the ground.
The sparks flared upward, rapidly shaping themselves into identical copies of my figure. Within seconds, a small army of me stood ready — more specifically, seven distinct clones, counting my original body.
"Eh? Shadow Clone Jutsu?!" Kiana gasped excitedly, while Bronya narrowed her eyes, appraising the display. Two of my clones turned toward them and spoke in unison.
"""She's the Herrscher of Thunder. You two hang back and clear out the zombies while I handle her alone."""
My voice overlapped seamlessly with the duplicates as half of the clones lunged skyward toward the volatile Herrscher, weapons raised and eyes zeroed in on her.