Naturally, Ling Yi didn’t need to handle the aftermath.
In fact, Raiden Ryoma arrived very quickly.
Less than five minutes after Ling Yi dealt with all the kidnappers, two basic-model Titans—the same kind she had seen in the game—dropped from the sky, kicking up enormous clouds of dust.
“If anything happens to Raiden Mei, I’ll kill every last one of you!” Raiden Ryoma’s furious voice rang out from inside the Titan.
He knew a Titan Mecha shouldn’t be here, but he cared far more about his daughter’s safety!
“Fa…
Father, relax.
They’ve already been dealt with.” Ling Yi blinked at the Titan Mecha, awkwardly forcing out the word “Father.” Actually, after the fight, Raiden Mei should have taken control again.
But for some reason, when Ling Yi called for her to take over the body, the girl ignored her, leaving Ling Yi no choice but to soldier on.
She had absolutely no experience dealing with parental figures!
“Huh?
You’ve dealt with them?
Haha!
That’s my daughter!” After piloting the Titan around and confirming that all the kidnappers nearby were unconscious, Raiden Ryoma emerged from the cockpit and laughed.
His eyes brimmed with pride, along with lingering fear.
Thank goodness…
Mei was all right…
He had nearly failed to return in time today…
If Raiden Mei had really been abducted and something had happened to her, he would never have forgiven himself.
Raiden Ryoma shook his head, then turned and called to the ME Corp employees he had brought with him, “Clean up the scene!” “Father…
don’t you have any questions?” Ling Yi asked as she watched Raiden Ryoma methodically direct the ME Corp employees.
His daughter had defeated so many people in an instant, yet Raiden Ryoma wasn’t asking anything.
It made Ling Yi uneasy.
“Actually, I do.
How did you make that weapon?
I’d like to take it back to the company for research.
Of course, I’ll return it within three days at most.” Raiden Ryoma pointed at the Thunder Demon in Ling Yi’s hand.
A pulse tachi…
Technology like this was rare.
Raiden Ryoma had a secret identity—he was also a high-ranking member of Anti-Entropy, one of the world’s three major organizations dedicated to fighting the Honkai.
Even then, he had met very few people capable of independently creating a pulse tachi.
He was genuinely curious about how his daughter had made one.
As for everything else—the residual Honkai Energy here, the malfunctioning magnetic field—Raiden Ryoma had no intention of asking.
For one thing, there were too many people around.
For another, Raiden Ryoma knew that Raiden Mei had been born with Stigmata.
He could tell at a glance that his daughter had now mastered the power of her Stigmata and had even learned about the Honkai.
How she had found out and where she had gained that knowledge were questions Raiden Ryoma didn’t want to ask.
Because Raiden Mei didn’t want to tell him herself right now.
Unless it began to endanger Mei, Raiden Ryoma would never force her to reveal anything she wanted to keep from him.
He would give his child limitless freedom because he was confident he could always be her safety net.
Whatever his daughter wanted to do, she should simply do it.
“Haha…
I see…
Of course that’s fine.” Ling Yi still wore a smile, but inwardly, she was frantically calling for Raiden Mei to come out.
She couldn’t understand the thought process of such a doting father at all…
Help.
…..
In truth, Raiden Mei had a reason for not answering Ling Yi: she couldn’t hear Ling Yi at all.
“Who are you?” Raiden Mei stared warily at the person before her, who looked exactly like her.
She kept glancing around, searching for the figure who could put her heart at ease, but found no trace of her.
This should be a consciousness space.
Ling Yi had once brought her to a similar place for lessons.
But she remembered…
that consciousness space had been pure white, unlike this place.
Everything around her was pitch-black.
The only source of light was a symbol identical to the birthmark at her waist, emitting a faint purple glow.
“Stop looking.
She can’t hear anything said here right now.” The Herrscher of Thunder felt particularly irritated by how Raiden Mei immediately searched for Ling Yi whenever something unexpected happened.
“Then who are you?
Where’s Ling Yi?” Raiden Mei forced herself to calm down and questioned the Herrscher of Thunder.
“Who I am isn’t important.
I only want to ask you one question.” The Herrscher of Thunder circled Raiden Mei.
Raiden Mei stood her ground warily, her gaze following the Herrscher of Thunder.
“You saw how dangerous things became today.
Aside from relying on Ling Yi, you’re utterly useless.
Have you ever considered that, to Ling Yi, you’re actually a burden?” The Herrscher of Thunder couldn’t forget the moment the exhausted Damselette had collapsed into her arms.
The girl with blue eyes had looked especially heartbreaking as she murmured in her sleep.
It hadn’t happened only once or twice.
Ling Yi often ended up like that.
She didn’t know why she had come to humiliate this coward now, but unless she did, the anger in her heart wouldn’t subside.
“That’s not true!
Ling Yi would never consider me a burden.
I’m already impressive, and I’ll become even stronger in the future.
I won’t be a burden to Ling Yi.” Raiden Mei’s conviction was unwavering.
She had created the Thunder Demon at such a young age.
She had her own pride.
“Then have you ever wondered why Ling Yi possesses so much knowledge?
Why can she control a power you can’t?
Why does she never tell you any of her secrets?” The Herrscher of Thunder chuckled as if she had heard an amusing joke.
“It’s because you’re too weak, coward.
You’re so weak that whenever you encounter the slightest difficulty, all you can do is look for Ling Yi.
She can’t trust you.
Even if she told you, you’d only hide behind her.” “Y-You’re lying!” How could the young Raiden Mei possibly be a match for the Herrscher of Thunder?
Her resolve continued to waver.
In truth…
Raiden Mei knew perfectly well that without Ling Yi, the kidnappers would definitely have taken her this time.
Without Ling Yi’s guidance and companionship, how could she ever have completed something like the Thunder Demon?
“But I’m different from you.
Give me control of the body, Raiden Mei.
Go to sleep like a good girl.
I’m stronger and more capable than you.
I can…
protect Ling Yi.” The Herrscher of Thunder finally revealed the purpose of this negotiation.
At the same time, as if to demonstrate her power, countless bolts of lightning flashed around her.
There was no need for a coward like her.
She didn’t want to see Ling Yi so exhausted again.
She didn’t want Ling Yi to face danger anymore.
She only wanted to protect this Damselette.
Because Ling Yi was her only friend.
“I…” The dazzling lightning forced Raiden Mei to squint.
This was power she could never possess.
Raiden Mei quickly understood that.
The person before her, who looked exactly like her, hadn’t lied.
She truly possessed the power to protect Ling Yi.
But Raiden Mei didn’t want to entrust Ling Yi to anyone.
Yet as she was now, could she really protect Ling Yi?
Smack— A sharp pain shot through Raiden Mei’s forehead.
When she turned around, she found Ling Yi standing beside her with a faintly languid smile.
“You’re still young.
Why think about so much?
It won’t be too late to answer once you’ve grown up.” After repeatedly calling Mei without receiving an answer, Ling Yi had entered the consciousness space to find her.
She discovered that the Herrscher of Thunder had somehow lured her away and was even coaxing her into doing something dangerous.
“Mom…” Usually, whenever Ling Yi protected her like this, Raiden Mei could hide behind her and feel completely safe.
Yet for some reason, Raiden Mei felt uneasy now.
No.
It shouldn’t be like this.
Ling Yi couldn’t always be the only one protecting her.
Did Raiden Mei truly want to spend her entire life hiding behind Ling Yi?
Absolutely not.
Whether it was scientific research, creating the Thunder Demon, or showing off, she had done it all to prove that she was strong enough to protect Ling Yi.
“All right, that’s enough.
Stop thinking so much.
Hurry back and take control of the body.
I need to sleep.” Ling Yi yawned and pushed Raiden Mei upward.
“Hey, coward hiding behind Ling Yi!
I won’t bully you, either.
Five years from now, we’ll fight right here and decide which of us is the one who can protect Ling Yi!” The Herrscher of Thunder shouted after Ling Yi and Raiden Mei as they gradually moved farther away.
Ling Yi reached out to stop Raiden Mei from agreeing, but Raiden Mei reacted faster.
She turned back toward the Herrscher of Thunder and nodded solemnly.
“It’s a deal.” She had made up her mind.
She couldn’t hide behind Ling Yi forever.
If she couldn’t even protect Ling Yi, what right did she have to call herself Ling Yi’s friend?
“Uh…” The words Ling Yi wanted to say caught in her throat.
Then she watched Raiden Mei solemnly declare war on the Herrscher of Thunder and found herself somewhat confused.
Wasn’t confronting another version of oneself normally supposed to be some kind of coming-of-age drama about overcoming one’s past self or something?
Why did these two look more like a pair of male lions dueling over a mate…
Was it just her imagination?
★ ★ ★ T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me!
★ ★ ★ Shilling time!