Behind-the-scenes video of the beginning of Honkai.

"Alas! Why do all my followers have a legacy, but I, the savior, have none?"

Hearing this, Jiu Xiao became like a child, a little frustrated, wondering why she wasn't being included in the game again!

……

At the same time, Alicia also brought Mei to a vortex-like passage.

What's inside?

"This is a place you know very well. From now on, Mei will have to walk this path on her own. Although it's frustrating, the Pink Fairy can't accompany you anymore, Mei?"

After saying goodbye to Alicia, Mei went through this passage to a train station.

Seeing this familiar scene, Mei stood quietly, seemingly paying homage to something and also trying to calm herself down.

The deserted station remained perpetually quiet, as if all the previous expectations and disappointments, calculations and struggles... had never happened.

In this station where time seems to stand still, a wondrous power is quietly emerging.

Raiden Mei took a deep breath, then looked down and took out the pocket watch that Velvet had left behind: "Aren't you going to say anything more... Velvet?"

Naturally, there was no response.

Or perhaps, no response is needed.

Just then, a huge ray appeared directly in front of the station, emitting a buzzing sound as if calling out to Mei.

"W-Isn't this Alicia's companion beast when she became a Herrscher!?" Mei immediately recognized the ray's true form. "Could it be that Alicia is calling for me now!"

Mei immediately realized what was happening and urged her body to run quickly toward where the ray had appeared. At the same time, everything around her gradually faded away as Mei moved.

It was as if everything had come to the end of time and space.

From the depths of the darkness, a voice resounded—

"That happened in the very beginning, in the vast universe, when human civilization came into contact with some unknown entity."

"The embrace of heterogeneous collapse brought pain to humanity... and humanity responded to it with its own 'nature'."

"After countless cycles of reincarnation, a new consciousness was born."

"Possessing human qualities, experiencing human emotions, and yearning for human beauty—she was born into the world in an imitation of human behavior, and ultimately truly became a 'human being'."

"Like a dream, like a fairy tale, like destiny. She is known as the original origin, the Herald of the Origin who transcends good and evil."

After a familiar wave of dizziness, Mei found herself in a strange space. She looked around and frowned slightly: "No, this feeling is like... my own inner conflict."

Mei moved forward quickly, stepping towards the gate that lay before her, which seemed to be the end of everything, the very end of everything.

However, as she walked forward, the life of the girl named Raiden Mei suddenly appeared in her mind. Her time at Chiba Academy and her acquaintance with Kiana created beautiful memories of Raiden Mei. As the scene gradually changed, a new scene appeared, and the scene of her fighting with Raven flashed before her eyes.

When she finally stands in front of the door, the scene shifts to the moment she defeats the raven.

"Are you ready to cut off your retreat, swordsman of lightning?" said the 'Path of Fate'. "The enemy you will face is the will of humanity, which possesses the power and wisdom of all humanity. You will challenge it, deny humanity's choices, and become an enemy of all humanity!"

"Yi-yi, are you ready?"

“...Of course.” Raiden Mei said firmly, “I have taken up arms to protect my comrades, and I have faced many people with swords drawn. My stance, cause and effect, and state of mind were all completely different each time.”

“But one thing has never changed—” Mei began slowly, her expression resolute, “Even when facing an invincible enemy, I will fight with all my might, and I will bear all the possibilities that I have cut off, those unfulfilled ideals, and those lost wishes.”

"I will bear the weight of all respectable will, even if it means falling into the abyss in the end!"

"...Very good." The voice seemed to agree with Raiden Mei's belief, "Faced with this contradiction from 'others,' you have the courage to wear shackles."

As the sound faded, Raiden Mei seemed to hear the clanging of chains, and then she felt her body become heavier.

But she was not discouraged at all; she gritted her teeth, straightened up, and continued forward.

After Mei crossed the first door, she saw another version of herself in front of the second door.

The Raiden Mei standing opposite her also began to walk towards her, and just as the two were about to face each other, she suddenly transformed into Mei's weapon.

Mei looked down at the weapon and pulled it out.

At the same time, the familiar voice came again, the cycle of cause and effect slowly telling: "Are you ready to abandon your true self and walk into that endless abyss, human lawgiver? I know from your past that 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, those you desperately want to protect, their end is now imminent. If you continue down this path, you may end up like the previous civilization, failing and perishing. You and your companions may end up with nothing."

Are you ready?

Chapter 285 Respond to Me, Alicia

【"……certainly."

As always, Mei's voice was firm and resolute. She closed her eyes, as if recalling the past.

"Peace and tranquility, that is indeed my wish. Even now, I often dream of Chiba Academy, and of the time I spent with St. Freya."

“But nothing in this world is a given. In every era, people are carrying heavy burdens on the same path.” Mei opened her eyes, which were flashing with lightning, and said with a firm expression, “This is not abandonment or betrayal, but a dream that we share. We will do our best to move towards the tomorrow we have chosen.”

Even if we end up in the abyss, we will never be left with nothing!

“…Very good.” The voice carried a hint of amusement. “Faced with this contradiction originating from within yourself, you have the resolve to firmly grasp the shackles.”

As the words fell, Mei once again felt the sound like shackles, and her body felt increasingly heavy.

When she crossed the second door again and came to the third door, a group of gray snakes appeared in front of her.

They seemed to be trying to stop Mei's progress, but they vanished like clouds just as she was about to touch them.

In the end, all that was left was the suitcase and the open umbrella.

"Are you ready to sever the world, descendant of the origin?" The echo of 'This World' questioned Mei. "Humanity in this world has been reborn. Humanity will have an equal, beautiful, and happy life in another world!"

"You have no right to make hasty judgments based on your own experience. That is nothing but an arrogant accusation, a terrible display of arrogance."

Even so—are you ready?

Mei closed her eyes, took a deep breath, reopened them, and looked directly at the gray snake in front of her, saying, "No one can judge so-called qualifications... We don't, and you have no right to arbitrarily change humanity itself!"

"I'm just defending what we can't lose as a human being."

"To ensure that one's ideals can continue, one is willing to pay any price. This is human arrogance, and also human pride."

"In that case, let arrogance and pride continue. A hundred flowers bloom, good and evil coexist, that is the true nature of humanity."

Mei placed her hand on her chest, her expression resolute, and said, "This is how the world originally was."

Even if the pain is unbearable?

Even if the pain is unbearable!

"Your admission is completely honest, very good." The voice seemed to approve of Mei: "Faced with this contradiction from the 'world,' you have been able to turn your shackles into a crown."

As Mei continued forward, her steps grew heavier and heavier, but she still kept going.

Then she thought of Alicia, Rowling, Kiana, Bronya, and Jiuxiao. Gradually, she felt her body no longer heavy, but instead became lighter.

“Alishia… I finally understand how you feel,” Mei said softly. “This world is so beautiful, full of vitality, love and hope, making people want to protect it.”

"This world is also so cruel; it breeds conflict, incubates evil... and forces all that is good to fight on forever."

Mei's steps became lighter and faster, as if the shackles that had previously shackled her had vanished.

"But that is freedom—bearing heavy responsibilities yet being able to do as one pleases, saving all living beings while remaining innocent and carefree."

"If there are no angels, then become angels. If there is no paradise, then create paradise."

There will never be another you in the world, but that doesn't matter. Because... everyone will be 'you'.

As if in response to Mei's words, another Mei from the past suddenly appeared in this void space.

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

Another Mei appeared beside Mei; this was the Mei she had become after joining Chaldea and going through many trials with her companions.

"We want to protect this world because we met important people here, laughed here, and fought for it." Mei slowly began to speak, "We want to protect this world because it is our place of existence, our irreplaceable and only home."

While Mei was unaware, another Mei appeared. However, unlike the past Mei, the current Mei was very blurry. This figure from the future could only be identified as Mei by her figure. She seemed to want to say something to Mei, but in the end, she did not speak.

“We understand, we comprehend that we are closer to the ‘Origin’ than ever before, and closer to you, Alicia!”

Ultimately, the three figures merged into Raiden Mei, becoming one, and she became the complete Herrscher of Thunder: "So..."

Mei slowly stopped in her tracks. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them, raised her head, and shouted with outstretched arms, "—Respond to me, Alicia!"

At this moment, everyone in the live stream fell into a long-lost silence.

The atmosphere was deathly silent; no one spoke, only the seemingly broken shouts from the live stream echoed continuously.

Kiana: "Hahaha! Mei, you...you, you're amazing!"

Bronya: "Mei-neechan, I just can't hold back anymore, hahaha..."

Rowling: "Indeed, I couldn't help myself either, hahaha..."

Even though she was the one who posted the video, I still want to laugh every time I watch it again.

Jiuxiao: "As expected of my kin, hahaha..."

Himeko: "Mei, we're all professionally trained, and we don't usually laugh unless... we can't help it, hahaha..."

Theresa: "Hahaha..."

Paimon: "Hahaha..."

Ying: "Hahaha..."

Wendy: "Hahaha..."

……

Mei: "Stop laughing, all of you!!!"

Mei's previously composed face instantly crumbled. Now she wished she could leave Earth immediately; she didn't want to stay in this place for even a second longer. Destroy everything!

Alicia (Memory): "Oh dear~ I'm so sorry, I really couldn't hold back anymore... Mei, I didn't expect you from the parallel world to miss me so much. Your voice even cracked when you called me. How about we come to Paradise to meet right now?"

Eden (Memory): "Miss Mei, I can tell from your voice that you really want to see Airi again. It seems that Airi has made the right friend."

Padofelis (Memory): "Mei-nee, *splat*...!"

Mei: "You guys... please stop talking!!!"

Everything was going well before she arrived, and she was quite moved, but this outburst became her embarrassing moment.