Bengtie, I'm really not a villain!

She remembered how Mei used to prepare meals for everyone and take good care of each person, but now Mei was struggling alone in pain, which made her feel extremely guilty and sad.

She recalled the cold, lightning-like light that flashed in Mei's pupils when she looked up. That gaze didn't seem to be looking at a close friend she spent every day with, but rather as if she were looking through Mei at some distant and shattered dream.

"The way Mei looks at me is as if I'm someone who's already dead but has suddenly reappeared... What has she lost to make her look at me like that?"

Kiana's eyes gradually welled up with tears, and a strange and uneasy feeling spread through her heart.

She felt as if Mei had already left her, swallowed up by some powerful and terrifying force, and she was powerless to stop it.

Kiana's knees trembled slightly as she stood up.

She took one last look at the ravaged battlefield, and as she turned to leave, the door to the training room let out a heavy sigh.

The corridor lights cast a long shadow of hers, and Mei, both familiar and unfamiliar, disappeared into the night with a body full of secrets, leaving behind only these scars, telling a story no one knows.

Chapter 151 Sisters Turn Against Each Other?

She felt as if Mei had already left her, swallowed up by some powerful and terrifying force, and she was powerless to stop it.

Kiana's knees trembled slightly as she stood up.

She took one last look at the ravaged battlefield, and as she turned to leave, the door to the training room let out a heavy sigh.

The corridor lights cast a long shadow of hers, and Mei, both familiar and unfamiliar, disappeared into the night with a body full of secrets, leaving behind only these scars, telling a story no one knows.

Kiana knew that she could not find peace of mind until she found the truth, and she could not bear to watch Mei torture herself like this.

As the morning light pierced through the clouds, Raiden Mei was leaning against the metal railing of the training ground, wiping her knife.

The blade reflected the dark circles under her eyes, marks left by dozens of hours of continuous training.

She quickly scooped up some cold water and splashed it on her face. The biting cold brought a brief moment of clarity, but it couldn't wash away the turmoil in her heart.

Jing Ye's mocking face and the savage smile he gave when he tore up the group photo lingered deep in my mind like a venomous snake.

She heard light footsteps in the corridor and instinctively sheathed her sword.

She reached out and took the warm rice ball from Theresa, the bandage marks on her fingertips hidden in the shadow of her sleeve.

Himeko reached out to check her pulse with concern, a gesture that brought a lump to her throat.

It was such a familiar scene, just like when she was a child, whenever she was injured, her teacher Himeko from Izumo would always come over like this.

But things are different now. She smiled and took a half step back, letting the morning breeze blow away the sweat-dampened hair on her forehead, but as she turned around, she bit her lower lip and tasted the blood spreading on her tongue.

The stigmata throbbed wildly beneath his pale skin, like a ferocious beast trying to break free of its restraints, and a burning pain shot through his entire body along his nerves.

"This time, I won't repeat the same mistake." She roared inwardly, her nails digging deep into the old wounds in her palms, using the physical pain to forcefully suppress her trembling soul.

The group photo that Jing Ye had torn to shreds had somehow drifted to his feet.

She stared at Kiana's radiant smile in the photo, her throat tightening.

An afternoon practicing swordsmanship together under the cherry blossom tree, Kiana's noisy attempts to teach her how to make desserts, and the comics Bronya secretly left for her...

How can we allow others to trample on these precious moments?

"Even if I burn this body to ashes, I will not let you become my bargaining chips."

She trembled as she picked up the fragments of the photo and pressed them tightly against her heart.

The excruciating pain from overusing the power of lightning swept through her body, but her eyes grew even more determined—she wanted to become the sharpest blade, cutting off all threats, even if the price was burning herself to ashes.

The following day, when the alarm in the training room automatically shut off for the seventh time, the piercing buzzing suddenly stopped, leaving only the hum of electricity echoing between the metal walls.

Raiden Mei knelt on one knee on the scorched ground, wisps of smoke rising from the alloy floor beneath her combat boots.

She opened her palm, and pale purple lightning balls swirled across her skin, like tamed cubs, with occasional tiny arcs of electricity affectionately wrapping around her fingertips.

However, the stigma throbbed wildly beneath his pale skin, like magma surging across the earth, and a searing pain spread through every nerve.

She stared intently at the surface of the lightning ball, Jing Ye's words, "Let her drag her own family and friends into the abyss," suddenly exploding in her ears. Her fingernails almost dug blood into her palms, as if she could crush those threatening words in the process.

"Today's thunderstorm intensity is three times that of yesterday."

Bronya's voice came from the monitor, carrying a worry that even the mechanical tone couldn't mask.

Raiden Mei slowly raised her head, a stubborn smile curving her lips.

She lightly touched the ground with her toes, and her figure, like a purple lightning bolt, leaped to the top of the simulated Honkai Beast in the blink of an eye.

The sword hummed softly in its sheath, as if sensing its master's fighting spirit. She held her breath, her heartbeat amplified in her ears, feeling the surging power of thunder within her body gradually synchronize with the flow of "qi" in her swordsmanship. It felt like two originally rushing rivers had finally found their confluence at the sea.

The roar shook the air, and the blade flashed like lightning slicing through the night, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

The ball of lightning in his palm suddenly exploded, and thousands of needle-like bolts of lightning instantly merged into the blade's momentum, forming a lightning blade around the blade like a flowing galaxy, dazzling and dangerous.

The moment the blade touched the core of the simulated Honkai Beast, the lightning blade unleashed a thunderous roar, illuminating the entire training room like a lightning flower blooming in the void, completely engulfing the Emperor-level beast.

The blast wave sent debris flying from the ground, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the walls of the training room.

As the Honkai Beast dissipated, Raiden Mei breathed slightly, finding her breathing much more even than before.

The flow of Thunder Law energy in the meridians can now follow the familiar Iaido trajectory with the sword's momentum, and every flow of power is like performing a poem of swordsmanship.

In the late-night shower, steam filled the small space. Hot water washed over the newly spreading red veins on her back, the crimson lines appearing and disappearing beneath the water.

The fog on the mirror was evaporated by the sudden burst of lightning, reflecting her image of closing her eyes in meditation.

At this moment, she could clearly perceive that every flow of lightning element perfectly matched the trajectory of the sword technique, as if her body had become a vessel for the sword and lightning.

Kiana's radiant smile flickered in the lightning as her fingertips gently traced the fragments of the photograph on her heart, and memories flooded back like a tide.

Water droplets mixed with blood dripped from her chin, Raiden Mei's eyes filled with determination.

As the morning light climbed onto the training field again, golden sunlight streamed through the holes in the dome.

The clear sound of Raiden Mei drawing her sword was like a dragon's roar. The lightning surrounding her was no longer a violent purple; the light was gentle yet contained a world-destroying power.

She stood in the center of the training field with her legs slightly apart and her body leaning forward, assuming the starting stance for Iaijutsu, looking like a war god ready to unleash her power.

When the first ray of sunlight touched the blade, her eyes instantly became sharp as a knife, as if they could pierce through any obstacle.

"drink!"

With a deafening roar, she drew her sword and slashed out with lightning speed.

The arc of lightning, carrying a sharp blade aura, ripped through the sky like a bolt of lightning cleaving down from the heavens.

A deep groove, half a foot deep, was instantly etched into the ground, sending soil and stones flying and dust billowing everywhere.

The frequency of the lightning strikes matched her heartbeat perfectly, as if each heartbeat was gathering power for this fatal blow.

In the distance, the alloy target pillar was reduced to dust amidst the roar of thunder, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of ozone and the scorching scent of metal—proof of the intertwining of power and destruction.

"I will not let history repeat itself."

She whispered to the void, her voice firm and cold. Suddenly, the lightning on the blade surged three feet higher, flashing brilliantly in the morning light, illuminating her resolute face.

The promise I made to myself echoed for a long time in the empty training field.

Jingye remained perplexingly silent regarding Raiden Mei's almost self-destructive and insane training.

The overhead light in the training room cast a spiderweb-like shadow around him, and the metal railings creaked as he leaned against them. A faint mockery played on his lips, and his eyes, like a sophisticated scanner, took in every trembling fingertip Mei made when she was exhausted, and every new wound.

When Mei was slammed against the wall by the backlash of the lightning for the 17th time, the flying pebbles grazed his shiny leather shoes, but he just slowly dusted off the wrinkles in his trousers, as if what was unfolding before him was not a life-or-death training session, but a boring drama.

Under the pale lights of the cafeteria, Kiana bit down on her straw, her gaze fixed on the two people diagonally opposite her.

Raiden Mei slowly and methodically cut the steak, the blade striking the porcelain plate with a soft, tinkling sound, like a solo performance played by an unheard audience.

Beneath the cuffs of her combat uniform, the edges of her bandages, seeping blood, were faintly visible, yet she maintained an elegant dining posture.

Jingye sat quietly with a black coffee in his hand, the metal spoon making mechanical ripples on the rim of the cup, perfectly matching the rhythm of Mei's chewing, yet he was always stingy with a glance or a word.

When Mei accidentally knocked over her water glass, causing water to spill onto the table, Jingye simply moved his plate three centimeters to the side, letting the glass shatter at his feet. The crisp sound broke the brief silence of the entire cafeteria.

"Mei has been pushing herself to the brink of madness lately, how can Jingye remain so indifferent?"

Kiana gripped the beverage bottle tightly, the plastic wrapping making a screeching sound as she squeezed it. Her thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to three days ago.

Back then, after iaido training, Keiya would wipe the sweat from Mei's forehead with a warm towel and even carefully adjust the tightness of her wristbands.

But at this moment, the gentle and considerate Jing Ye seemed to have had his soul ripped out by some demon, leaving only a cold shell.

Theresa shoved her fork into the pasta in frustration, splattering sauce onto the pristine white plate like undried blood.

"Yesterday they were inseparable, but today they're so cold you could freeze! Their unpredictable attitude is more fickle than the weather in St. Freya!"

She puffed up her cheeks in anger, looking just like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Bronya pushed up her reflective tactical goggles, data streams flashing rapidly across the lenses: “Data analysis shows that they spent 47 hours and 12 minutes together in the past 48 hours, but only 23 seconds of effective conversation. This nonverbal interaction pattern… does not conform to any known social model.”

The girl frowned, a rare occurrence, and a hint of confusion crept into her mechanical voice. She activated the holographic projection, where countless red dots recorded the movements of the two individuals. Their routes seemed to overlap, yet they consistently maintained a perfectly safe distance.

Himeko twirled her whiskey glass, the amber liquid reflecting Keiya's movements as he wiped his cufflinks. Those hands, which might have once gently bandaged Mei's wounds, now moved with a precision as cold as a machine.

“Look at Mei’s posture; her back is always taut in a wary arc,”

She lowered her voice, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of her glass, "It's less of a lunch and more of a surveillance operation."

She suddenly shivered, remembering that when she passed by the training ground this morning, she saw Jingye playing with Mei's hair tie that she had left behind, but his eyes looked as if he were examining a trophy.

After the meal, Kiana quietly lurked outside the training ground.

Through the broken observation window, she saw Raiden Mei's sword drawn three inches from its sheath, the flowing lightning cutting her profile into sharp angles.

Mei, traversing the simulated Honkai beast horde, wields her sword with a resolute determination that comes with no turning back.

Whenever Mei sees Jingye, her pupils contract sharply, and the lightning on her blade intensifies.

In the dead of night, the chill in the dormitory corridor suddenly became tangible. Kiana, clutching her tactical notes, turned the corner and was met with a crackling field of lightning.

Raiden Mei was surrounded by tiny arcs of electricity, and her stigmata pulsed like living things beneath her pale skin. On the wall behind her, twisted runes were scorched by lightning, radiating a chilling light.

"Kiana." Mei's voice seemed to come from the depths of an glacier, devoid of any warmth, "Stay away from Keiya. Some truths, once touched..."

She paused, her sharp gaze sweeping across the girl's shocked face. "You can't afford it."

Before the words were finished, a shockwave carrying electricity exploded, shattering the potted plant in the corner.

Soil was scattered all over the ground, and Raiden Mei's figure had long since disappeared into the darkness, leaving only a shaken Kiana, who, under the flickering emergency lights, looked at the mess and was filled with unsolvable mysteries.

She bent down and picked up a piece of broken ceramic. The faint scent of cherry blossoms still lingered on Mei's body, mingling with the pungent smell in the air, making it seem even more eerie and sad.

Back in her dorm, Kiana slammed her tactical notebook on the table, the papers scattering and startling the sparrows on the windowsill.

The metal photo frame shook violently, and the photo of the three people playing on the beach inside tilted to one side. Mei's bright smile and her own face, which were making funny faces, seemed to be mocking her wishful thinking.

She paced back and forth, the floorboards creaking under her feet, each step filled with the force of venting her anger. The image of Mei and Jingye's cold interactions kept replaying in her mind, making her angrier the more she thought about it.

"That's too much!" She kicked over the trash can at her feet, and the plastic bucket rolled a long way, hitting the corner of the wall with a dull thud.

Half a chocolate bar fell out of the trash can. It was the one she had secretly given to Mei yesterday to replenish her energy, and now the wrapper was covered in dust.

"I was so happy before, thinking that if Mei could be with Jingye, it might make Mei happier, and I was even planning to give them my blessings. Now look at this, what's with this cold war! What do they take me for? Doesn't it make me look like a clown!"

She grabbed a cushion from the bed and slammed it against the wall, the cotton falling out of the tear.

Bronya pushed open the door at the sound and saw the mess on the floor. She frowned slightly: "Idiot Kiana, what happened?"

“Bronya, you say it,”

Kiana grabbed her friend's shoulder, her eyes reddening, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She remembered that this morning Mei had secretly wrapped her bleeding hand with bandages, but when she turned to Jingye, she showed him a distant and indifferent expression.

"How could Jingye do this? Mei trained so hard, she was covered in injuries, and he just stood by and watched coldly. Was all his previous gentleness and consideration fake? After careful consideration, I realized he's completely unqualified! He doesn't know how to care for Mei at all!"

"Data analysis shows that Jingye's behavior pattern contains many contradictions."

Bronya pulled up a holographic projection of the two's movements; the red dot maintained a subtle distance, tracing an eerie arc in three-dimensional space.

"In the past 72 hours, both players have experienced abnormal heart rate fluctuations during training, with 13 instances of unusually high heart rates at night. Perhaps things are not as simple as they seem."

Her voice remained calm, but she paused slightly when she mentioned "secret data".

"What else could be so complicated!" Kiana jumped up and down in anger, the floor beneath her feet groaning under her weight.

She recalled the scene from late last night, in the training room lights, Mei practicing her Iaijutsu alone, while Keiya stood in the shadows with her arms crossed.

"Mei has tried so hard, yet he remains unmoved—that's irrefutable proof! I don't care, from this moment on, I will absolutely not have any more feelings for Jingye. If he dares to hurt Mei again..."

She clenched her fists, a faint aura of intense heat emanating from her body. "I will absolutely not let him get away with this!"

Theresa walked in carrying a large stack of snacks. She had originally intended to trade the snacks for comics with Bronya, but seeing Kiana's angry expression, she stopped and was puzzled.