Honkai: It’s broken, I have become the Herrscher of Corrosion?

"I will certainly try my best to prevent that from happening. But it's certainly not a reason to hold back."

"Everyone will encounter various problems in their lives... and as long as you face the problem, you must take risks. No one can suddenly achieve something beyond their ability just by shouting. And "I can't do anything" is also not a reason for a person to avoid problems. "

"...For me, Kiana is indeed the 'origin of the world'. But because of this - compared to 'the life I want', 'the life she wants' is more important. The future you showed me... that is only your personal happiness, a happiness that belongs to the 'weak'. Kiana... she is no longer the same as before, and has become a 'strong'. "

"Because she is more important than the world. We cannot arbitrarily define each other's lives. If we cannot help her reach a "better state" for her... then aren't all our efforts a great mockery?"

“…Even if there are many crises and thorns everywhere?

"Even if there are many crises and thorns on the ground, I will do my best in my own way and try my best to help her overcome the danger."

After Mei Raiden said this, her Stigma Will had nothing more to say.

"...Now that Kiana's matter has come to an end, next...isn't it time to talk about your matter? You know, Kiana is actually very smart, but when others give her ideas, she doesn't want to use her brain...so with her intelligence, it's only a matter of time for her to realize that she has come into contact with the [Two Raiden Meis]."

"When that day comes...how will you face her? After all, judging from the current situation, I am the stronger one."

"What nonsense are you talking about again."

"What, have you forgotten? Before 'you' showed up...

"Raiden Mei" is what "you" are now. Otherwise, how could you be nicknamed "Queen" from the beginning? As for the "me" who is often evaluated as "gentle", it is closer to... a protective personality that emerges after a huge blow. "

"Yes, in this sense - compared to you who came later, I am more like a latecomer."

"…Do you know what you are talking about? A "weak" "protective personality"? Shouldn't you write a draft before you speak out?"

"I've said before that no one can fully understand themselves. What I said was just my "feeling"; therefore... at that point in time, your approach was indeed the most reasonable."

"People always have to say goodbye to their "childhood". Tenderness and cruelty are not incompatible... Only by making oneself cruel can a person have a chance to retain his tenderness. "

"Humph... that's all nonsense. Don't you think we haven't taken enough detours?"

"The me who came here is no different from the me who left here. And our meeting here, in a sense, also means that I have found my own origin."

"The me who thought I loved Kiana more than I do now, but didn't dare to say it in front of her, is the me now."

"Although we are all [Raiden Mei], this may be... the difference between us and Seele."

"Why are you at this time..."

"Why, do you think that after such a long time, people other than Enosia can't tell that we are in a state of [two souls in one body]? Let alone others, Alicia, who has extremely sharp observation ability, Su and Aponia who can connect with my thoughts, and Grayshu who can directly see through the [essence] of others, they must have discovered it long ago. It's just..."

"It's probably just because Alicia kept silent."

"...That's right. Not long after we arrived here, Alysia took the initiative to share with us what happened when Xier was undergoing the trial here. I'm afraid she had already realized the truth at that time."

"But as for your original question... do you remember what information Enosia shared when you asked her about the situation with Destiny and Anti-Entropy?"

"You mean..."

"Bronya is so happy that she can have two Seeles and two Raiden Meis. So, the question you asked was not a question from the beginning."

Mei Raiden carefully examined her own stigma will.

"...Well, I didn't realize that I used to have this side of myself..."

"...Okay, you've been talking to me for so long, don't forget the business. Since you can see me here, you should know where this place is."

"Of course, from the moment I saw you, I knew that this was the Herrscher's core of Thunder."

"Hmph... you're not hopelessly stupid... remember what you just said!"

As Mei's stigma will disappeared before her eyes, the scene before her eyes changed rapidly. Soon, she felt as if she had reached the end of time and space.

That was the story that happened at the beginning. In the vast universe, human civilization intersected with some unknown existence. The heterogeneous embrace brought pain to humans... and humans also responded to each other with their own "nature".

After countless reincarnations, a new consciousness was born. She possessed human qualities, felt human emotions, and longed for human beauty. She was born in the world in the manner of imitating humans, and finally became a real "human". Like a dream, like a fairy tale, like fate. She was called the original origin, beyond good and evil - "the Herrscher of the Origin".

Just as Mei was thinking about what she would face next, her own voice rang in her ears.

"Here...what I need to face is still my own..."heart knot"."

"Are you ready to cut off your retreat, swordsman of thunder? The enemy you are about to face is far more conscious than you, and his obsession spans thousands of years. You hold the same ideals, but are destined to be unable to walk together. You will challenge his will, bury his mission, and put an end to his existence.

——Are you ready? "

"…Of course. I once took up arms to protect a person, and because of that, I parted ways with her. I have fought with many people, with completely different positions, reasons, and moods each time. But one thing has never changed - because the other party's will is as unshakable as mine, I must do my best."

"I will shoulder all the possibilities that I have cut off, the unfulfilled ideals, the lost wishes. I will shoulder...all the wills that are worthy of respect."

"...Very good. Facing this contradiction from "others", you already have the courage to wear shackles."

As the words fell, Mei felt as if there was something extra on her body.

(My body...is getting heavier...come on...I can carry more.)

"Are you ready to abandon your original intention, Herrscher of Humanity? Your heart longs for peace and tranquility, but fate has given you an endless struggle. The further you go, the deeper you go into the storm. Look, the person you desperately want to protect is now at her end, and you may even be able to put the crown of the end on her head with your own hands.

——Are you ready? "

"...Of course. Peace and tranquility, that is indeed my wish. Until now, I still often dream of Qianyu Academy and the time with Saint Freya. But nothing in the world is taken for granted. No matter which era, people are carrying the same burden on the same road."

"This is not abandonment or betrayal, but a dream that she and I share. We will both do our best to move towards the tomorrow we have chosen. If there really is a "Crown of the End"...it will not fall on just one person."

"...Very good. Facing this contradiction from "yourself", you have the determination to hold on to the shackles tightly."

Mei's footsteps became heavier.

(It's that feeling again... am I... fighting against my own will?)

(Oh, come on.)

"Are you ready to judge the world, descendant of the Origin? This world does not belong to humans. Inorganic and organic matter share this land together - and the next generation of humans, machine life, or stigmata, are equal to the Homo sapiens population. You are not qualified to make rash judgments based on yourself. That is nothing more than an arrogant accusation, a terrible arrogance.

Even so——are you ready?"

"...No one can judge the so-called qualifications... None of us can. The Stigmata is also not qualified to destroy humanity itself. I am just a member of the human race, defending what we cannot lose."

"In order to continue the ideals in one's heart, one can do anything at any cost. This is the arrogance and pride of mankind. In this case, let "arrogance" and "pride" continue together. Let a hundred flowers bloom, and good and evil coexist. That is the original appearance of human nature. It is also the original appearance of the world."

"Even if it hurts?"

"Even if it hurts."

"Your confession is sincere, very good. Facing this contradiction from the "world", you have been able to turn the shackles into a crown."

(Hmm… my body is getting heavier… just like in the myth… is this the weight that the human heart places on the soul in the face of “reality”?)

(It doesn’t matter. Alicia must have experienced something similar in the previous civilization…)

(No, not just her, maybe everyone is like this. We look at the same long scroll of the world from different angles. Everyone's dreams are intertwined and integrated in it. There will be waves of disputes, but they are always like drops of water in the ocean, indistinguishable from each other.)

[I just like people like this, this kind of world, right?]

This girl who loves everyone said so and did so. At this moment, Mei's mind was filled with thoughts like the tide. When the tide receded, she saw a bunch of meteors falling on the ground.

"This is... the information I learned from the beginning in the Enosia system. And this is actually how Alicia was born."

"That was a story that happened a long, long time ago..."

"One day, He fell from the sky. People looked up and saw the stars."

"The stars and the moon sent the daughter of God, and she wanted to be the companion of man."

"The winds become her chariot, and the four seas become her garden. Birds bring seeds of kindness, and flowers weave songs of love."

"She was born into the world like this, walked on the earth, grew up with humans, and sprouted with the world..."

Mei follows in Alicia's footsteps, starting from Vostok-51, and appreciates the beautiful world with her through her eyes.

"Aliceia...I seem to suddenly understand why you always say that you love everyone."

“This world is so beautiful, full of energy and vitality, love and hope, which makes people want to protect it.

"This world is so cruel. It breeds contradictions and hatches evils... It forces all good things to fight forever. But this is "freedom" - shouldering heavy responsibilities but being able to do whatever one wants, saving all living beings while still being innocent."

"We are the Herrs... Before good and evil, we were already the representatives of nature and the embodiment of creed - because of this, we can become the bridge between heaven and earth, the connection between the world and the other side... If there are no angels, we will become angels; if there is no "paradise", we will create it."

"There will never be another 'you' in the world——

But that’s okay, because… everyone will be “you.”

"We want to protect this world because someone once gave everything for something she loved."

"We want to protect this world because it is where we meet important people, laugh and fight."

"We want to protect this world because it is where we exist and our only irreplaceable place to belong."

“We understand. We understand. We are closer to the Origin than ever before. We are closer to…

... "Alishia."

"so……

——Answer me, Alicia!"

The sky in front of my eyes immediately changed from pure white to pink, and countless silk threads were spinning like tree rings; the [earth] under my feet also became like a mirror, reflecting the scenery in the sky.

"I knew that Mei would definitely come here."

In the form of the Herrscher, Alicia opened her arms and swam in the sky like a ray, coming from far away to Mei's side.

“…This is neither paradise nor the holy scar space, but my own Herrscher core. Everything I just experienced was the process of the “power of the origin” merging with myself…”

"Oh my, a perfect answer! It seems that after experiencing the baptism of the paradise, Mei has become a famous detective."

"Aliceia...So now I am..."

“This is the beginning of the end, the harbinger of a new era, and the starting point of all stories that have already happened and have yet to come—the “place of origin.”