NOVEL WEB Chapter 85: Chapter 84: "So Sweet! They Finally Reunite—Are They Going Home Now?"
Chapter 84: "So Sweet! They Finally Reunite—Are They Going Home Now?"
["In this city, we are on the same side."]
["Hmph..."]
["It seems we have reached an agreement. Then, I'll leave it to you, Miss Mei."]
With Mei and Rita agreeing to cooperate, the game transitioned into gameplay.
This time, players controlled Mei, equipped with the unenhanced Valkyrie Strike battlesuit.
It felt a little clunky, as dodging couldn't immediately trigger a combo attack.
However—
The enemies in this stage were mostly small mobs, posing no real threat to Mei.
Before long—
They successfully found the antidote.
["I've done what you asked. Now it's your turn."]
["Beneath the administrative building in this industrial zone, World Serpent has built a laboratory dedicated to Honkai-related experiments."]
Rita not only revealed Kiana's whereabouts but even provided coordinates and a precise location.
However—
As she spoke...
A blade was suddenly pressed against her throat again, silencing her.
["What... is the meaning of this?"]
["Rita, I need one more thing. I want that eye— Gray Serpent's eye."]
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Gray Serpent's… eye? Oh! Mei wants to give that mechanical girl her freedom? That's wonderful! I think I like her even more now!"
[Because of your livestream content, Pink Fairy Miss is excited. You have gained 840 crystals!]
Clearly, Elysia was thrilled by Mei's request.
At this rate, her admiration for Mei would only continue to grow…
Almost as if their eventual meeting wasn't just a coincidence.
As Rita watched Mei disappear into the distance, she muttered to herself…
["With the antidote secured, it's time to find out where they've hidden the EOS."]
With that—
The game transitioned back into stealth mode.
Players now controlled Rita, navigating past security robots to infiltrate the lab.
Unlike Mei's infiltration earlier, getting caught here didn't reset progress.
Instead—
It simply triggered additional enemy spawns.
However—
This didn't matter.
Because as long as Rita eliminated all the patrolling robots, getting inside was effortless.
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Mmm~ Is Mei finally going to reunite with Kiana? A long-awaited reunion between dear friends… I can already imagine how touching it will be! I might cry!"
Clearly, Elysia was deeply invested.
After all—
This was a heartfelt moment between two beautiful girls.
Surely, it would be an emotional, tearful reunion… right?
However—
Things weren't that simple.
"You'll find out after a few more missions."
Without revealing too much, Hokuto started the next stage.
As the mission began, the screen darkened.
The scene shifted to a deep, submerged darkness.
Bubbles floated toward the water's surface.
["Countless nights, she dreamt indistinguishable dreams— Drowning in an endless abyss of memories."]
["Darkness. Cold. She struggled to swim upward. She struggled to breathe."]
["But the path was too long, too black… And giving up… was so much easier."]
She was tired.
She just wanted to sleep.
To never again be a part of this world filled with pain.
But then—
A soft voice called her name.
It was weak, but it cracked through the heavy ice.
That name felt so unfamiliar.
Because she had never truly owned it.
And yet—
Every syllable made her heart pound.
["—Kiana!"]
["Kiana Kaslana! Wake up!"]
She remembered that name.
It was the name she had always longed for.
As her consciousness returned, memories flooded back.
The interrogations. The experiments.
And—
The mission she had yet to complete.
She couldn't let herself sleep any longer.
["—Cough! Cough… Cough…"]
As Kiana coughed violently, the screen finally lit up.
She was strapped to a machine, her body pierced with tubes.
Directly in front of her, a massive monitor flickered on—
Jackal's face appeared.
["Excellent, Herrscher of the Void. That time, you only lost consciousness for one-third of a second."]
["Your body is simply miraculous. Heh— No matter how much I break it, it always recovers."]
["Still able to talk?"]
Clearly, Kiana was being used as a research subject.
Her situation was dire.
But even in this state…
She chose to ask a question.
["…Your experiment… How many people in Arc City will survive it?"]
Jackal tilted her head slightly.
["Oh? You care about the numbers? I thought for a Herrscher of the Void, death tolls would mean nothing— Like breadcrumbs left after dinner."]
『where did the little lab rats hide?:』 "Breadcrumbs? Ahaha~ That's a metaphor I haven't heard before."
A golden-colored comment appeared.
Clearly, Mobius found Jackal's analogy… amusing.
It seemed even she—one of the most twisted scientists of the Previous Era—
Had never thought to compare human lives to breadcrumbs.
["And what's your answer?"]
Jackal smirked.
["Oh, I'll be sure to tell you… If you're still capable of hearing by then."]
But as she spoke,
She continued her merciless experiments on Kiana.
Even as she endured the pain,
Kiana attempted to extract more information.
Her sharp words cut deep.
Jackal wasn't amused.
["You lucky insect. Given godlike power, yet you think you have the right to lecture the world?"]
Her tone turned bitter.
["This is knowledge that will change humanity's fate!"]
["How to modify vaccines… How much Honkai energy is needed to 'baptize' this city… To fully awaken the Stigmata within human bodies…"]
["These are secrets that only a genius like me can comprehend!"]
But Kiana didn't care.
She ignored all of Jackal's ramblings.
She only cared about one thing.
["Where… Will the Honkai energy be released?" "The city center… or the outskirts?"]
Jackal froze for a moment.
Then—
Her expression darkened.
["You ask too many questions."]
["Skip the other tests— Begin the dissection."]
Jackal had finally run out of patience.
She was prepared to begin the final stage of her experiment.
However—
Just as she finished speaking—
Kiana laughed.
["I wasted so much time on you… just for that little bit of information..."]
The girl trapped inside the experiment chamber chuckled.
As if—
She had been holding back, watching a terribly scripted comedy…
And now, she had finally lost interest.
["Forget it. I guess I won't be able to get any more intel out of you."]
To Jackal, this was impossible.
The weak, trembling "test subject" before her had suddenly… changed.
The girl who was supposed to be helpless…
Smiled like a hunter.
『No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai:』 "?"
A pure white comment flashed across the screen.
The one who sent it was none other than the master of the Stigmata Plan—Kevin.
At that moment, an unsettling chill ran through the entire livestream chat.
Because—
Without realizing it, Kiana had just revealed her true intentions.
She planned to stop the Stigmata Plan.
And now—
That fact had just been exposed to the one leading it.
What would happen next?
Jackal attempted to regain control.
["You will understand soon enough—"]
Before she could finish her sentence—
Kiana's fist slammed into the reinforced glass.
One punch.
Two punches…
Cracks spread like thin ice across the supposedly unbreakable material.
["You better remember this— Today, I'm not just breaking this glass."]
["I'm breaking your idiotic Stigmata Plan too!"]
Kiana tore off the tangled IV tubes and stepped out of the experiment chamber.
For the first time in a long while, she inhaled the air of freedom.
Suddenly—
The laboratory's alarm blared.
Heavy metal doors groaned as they slid open.
A massive, insect-like Honkai beast blocked her path.
Its armored shell gleamed with a sinister violet glow.
Kiana grinned and readied her weapons.
The game transitioned into combat.
Players faced the newly introduced Quantum-class boss: Tonatiuh - Shadow of the Sun.
Boss Mechanics:
High attack speed and multiple attack patterns.Can only be interrupted by heavy attacks.
Despite its aggressive nature,
It wasn't invincible.
After a tough battle, Kiana finally brought it down.
As the creature collapsed into quantum fragments and was swallowed by the void…
Kiana holstered her guns and turned toward the heavy lab doors.
With a deafening crash, the metal structure trembled and fell apart.
She spun around, bracing for another battle—
Only to freeze in place.
["…Kiana."]
Kiana had imagined countless ways she might reunite with Raiden Mei.
But never like this.
Not at a moment like this.
Not in this place.
["Mei...!"]
["What are you doing here? You— You shouldn't be here! I… It's dangerous here!"]
But Mei ignored her words.
Instead—
She rushed forward and embraced Kiana tightly.
Tears of relief shimmered at the corners of her eyes.
And yet—
The girl in her arms hesitated.
Kiana thought she had become strong enough.
She thought she was prepared for this reunion.
But the moment she saw Mei—
Her confidence shattered.
She was no longer the determined fighter.
She became the lost girl wandering Arc City once again.
The whispers of guilt and fear clawed at her mind.
Mei held her even tighter.
As if…
If she let go, Kiana would vanish like a dream.
["Kiana, you're hurt… Let's go home. Let's go back to Hyperion. The principal, everyone… they're all waiting for you."]
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Oh my god, this is so sweet! Kiana and Mei are finally reunited! Does this mean it's time for the girls to go home?"
[Because of your livestream content, Pink Fairy Miss is happy. You have gained 1,140 crystals!]
『Today's Performance Wasn't Perfect:』 "…Finally. After everything, they're together again."
『where did the little lab rats hide?:』 "Tsk. So the experiment phase is over just like that? What a shame—I was hoping for more data."
『No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai:』 "You're all being too naive. Things won't be that easy."
Even as Mei held her close,
Kiana spoke words that shattered the warmth of the moment.
["I… can't go back, Mei."]
Home?
Could she truly return, laughing and joking as if nothing had happened?
Could she stand before her friends as if she hadn't changed?
Would they still welcome her the same way?
Some scars never fade.
A forced smile only made the pain more apparent.
["I'm sorry... but I can't put you all in danger."]
Kiana lowered her gaze.
And—
She turned away.
Mei stared at Kiana in disbelief.
For the first time—
She felt like she no longer recognized the girl in front of her.
Suddenly—
A third voice cut through the tension.
["Cough… Kiana, now isn't the time."]
Fu Hua stepped forward.
And—
Her face had turned slightly red.
『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Ooooh~ Is that a blush I see? How adorable, Hua~"
A pink-colored comment floated across the screen, exposing the hidden detail.
『Today's Performance Wasn't Perfect:』 "Cough, cough! T-this is… nothing special. A normal reaction."
Fu Hua immediately switched topics.
["Enemies are gathering in the passageway."]
["Mei, be prepared for combat."]
End of Chapter 84