"Elysia, wait! I... I can't run anymore!" Eden didn't understand Elysia's sudden anxiety, or why she was dragging her towards the riverbank at a breakneck pace.
But she knew one thing: if she kept running, her lungs would explode.
Elysia stopped abruptly, scanning the deserted streets before turning to Eden, who was bent over, gasping for air.
"My, my, Eden! If your fans saw you like this, wouldn't they be disappointed?"
"Don't... tease , Elysia..."
Eden was completely out of breath. She had been forced to keep up with Elysia's superhuman speed. Her lungs burned, but the air she inhaled was icy cold. Her limbs felt heavy and sore. She ntally willed her legs to move, but the muscles only twitched feebly, refusing to obey.
The dry skin peeling from her lips felt like brittle wonton wrappers. She instinctively bit off a piece, the sudden pain making her wince.
"Just a little further. I'll get you to the western city. Our people are there." Elysia put her arm around Eden's shoulders. "Don't push yourself. Let carry you, okay?"
Eden managed a weak smile, too exhausted to reply. She focused on the rhythmic lapping of the river waves in the distance, trying to regulate her breathing.
Suddenly, lightning flashed overhead, painting the surrounding ruins in shades of dark purple.
The rumble of thunder, delayed but persistent, reverberated in their ears.
"Elysia..." Eden said suddenly.
"What is it?"
"There's soone there..."
Elysia felt a jolt of electricity run from her waist to her scalp, making her hair stand on end. She turned towards where Eden was pointing, catching a glimpse of purple lightning in her peripheral vision.
"Tch!"
A pink crystal flower blood in front of her. The lightning struck the flower, instantly covering it with cracks.
Elysia stepped back, pushing Eden aside again. The massive crystal flower exploded. A sharp pain stabbed at her abdon. The next thing she knew, she was flying through the air, crashing through a dozen ruined buildings before coming to a stop.
Eden, supporting herself against a broken wall, watched as a crystal petal landed at her feet, dissolving into dust as its Honkai energy dissipated.
"Who... cough..." she shouted, a feeble attempt at intimidation.
She finally understood Elysia's urgency... "Elysia!"
She looked towards where they had been standing. Gray dust and pink crystal fragnts swirled, gradually revealing a figure.
It was a tall woman with long, black hair that trailed on the ground. A black snake head adorned her left shoulder, and writhing purple lightning served as her garnt.
She stood sideways to Eden, tilting her head slightly, glancing at her from the corner of her eye.
A vertical purple pupil was seared into Eden's mory.
"Queen of Thunder..." The words surfaced in Eden's mind unbidden.
The woman's cold, emotionless gaze felt like a mountain pressing down on Eden's shoulders.
Icy, heavy, despairing... lting ice water turned into a cold sweat that trickled down her back. Her legs weakened, and she instinctively wanted to submit, but her remaining rationality made her grit her teeth, leaning her weight against the broken wall.
Despite her perpetually calm and elegant deanor in public, even those closest to her had never seen her lose her composure. But she was strong-willed, which explained her abrupt departure from her agency after her initial rise to fa.
She wouldn't bow to anyone, not even soone with godlike power.
The 3rd Herrscher, sensing the woman's strange resistance, turned, tilting her head curiously.
She couldn't understand the human's persistence—she was going to die anyway, so why bother with such complex ntal gymnastics?
She pointed a finger at Eden, lightning slowly converging at its tip.
She didn't need to bother with such theatrics. She could kill this mortal instantly if she wanted to. But she deliberately slowed down, realizing she enjoyed watching the expressions on humans' faces as they died.
Longing, regret, resentnt, despair, emptiness, madness... A thousand people, a thousand expressions. And this one was particularly intriguing.
Defiance, worry, anger, and helplessness—it gave the 3rd Herrscher a strange sense of satisfaction.
The lightning was ready to strike.
Eden seed to sense it, her pupils constricting as the purple light filled her vision.
Suddenly, two streaks of pink shot out.
Thump!
Thump!
The Herrscher swiftly turned, her outstretched hand tracing an arc in the air. The high-frequency electromagnetic waves disintegrated the pink crystal arrows into dust upon contact.
The pink dust exploded outwards, montarily obscuring the Herrscher's vision. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the ground—as expected, a quarter of a second later, Elysia's feet appeared in her sight.
A smirk played on the Herrscher's lips. Lightning crackled around her, reaching for Elysia's leg. At the sa ti, she ford a blade of compressed lightning in her hand.
She casually swung her hand, the blade easily piercing Elysia's chest.
"Hmm?"
Sothing was wrong! A human body shouldn't feel this hard and cold!
But it was too late. The "Elysia" before her shimred and exploded.
Caught off guard, the Herrscher was sent flying. The pink dust choked her, and she coughed violently as she tried to get up.
The real Elysia had already appeared beside Eden, scooping her onto her back and running towards the river that separated the eastern and western cities.
There was only one bridge within sight, already jamd with zombies, Honkai beasts, and abandoned cars. Elysia ran to the riverbank, a small boat of pink crystals quickly forming.
She tossed Eden onto the boat and, without waiting for a response, shoved it towards the opposite bank—she had to stay and hold off the 3rd Herrscher. If they were caught in the middle of the river, neither of them would escape.
Eden leaned against the bow, trying to shout sothing, but she could only cough, unable to speak.
Elysia watched the receding boat, a wry smile on her face.
Then, her lips parted in a mixture of shock and delight as she saw a giant cha rise from the opposite bank.
"Mikael!" she shouted, waving, but the distance was too great for him to hear.
A bolt of lightning shot out from the dark streets, aid at her back. But Elysia, as if anticipating the attack, simply sidestepped the 3rd Herrscher's strike.
The lightning dissipated, revealing the Herrscher at the riverbank. She held a purple blade, swinging it casually at Elysia.
The lightning-wreathed blade was blocked by a longbow made of pink crystal. On the opposite bank, Striker Eureka, arms outstretched, pinned Śeṣa beneath its weight, raining down blows.
Elysia used the bow as a blade, parrying, blocking, and slashing, clashing with the Herrscher's purple blade dozens of tis.
"*Hmph!*"
Across the river, Śeṣa's cries faded, ending with a final, explosive punctuation mark.
As Elysia's crystal bow shattered, she quickly retreated, creating another bow and arrow. But she didn't aim at the Herrscher. Instead, she aid at the vast night sky.
"Flawless Do!"
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