Back at the apartment—or what was left of it—
The once tidy dorm was now a scene of devastation. Walls were scorched and cracked, furniture reduced to splinters, and the air buzzed with the static hum of residual lightning.
Across the smoldering floor, Bronya gritted her teeth as she stared at the man's barrier, still standing firm after taking a direct hit from Project Bunny's close-range blast.
"PROJECT BUNNY: PREPARE SECOND SALVO. KINETIC ENERGY ROUNDS!" Bronya commanded, her voice sharp with urgency.
The mecha responded immediately, weapons reconfiguring with a mechanical whir. But before it could fire, the man merely smirked and raised his hand toward it.
"Even a tank division wouldn't stop me, Zaychik," he said coolly, his tone devoid of effort. Then he clenched his fist. "Though toying with you might be fun, my schedule is rather packed."
A ripple of dark energy surged outward—Project Bunny was torn apart in an instant, exploding into shrapnel and fading sparks.
"Project Bunny…" Bronya whispered, eyes wide, sweat running down her temple.
"Don't be sad, Zaychik," the man said mockingly. "You're next."
He snapped his fingers, releasing a pulse of force that hurled Bronya backward. She slammed into the wall with a dull crack, then slumped to the floor, gasping.
The intruder walked toward her casually, his boots echoing through the ruined room. He pressed one foot down on her head, pinning her in place.
"I won't kill you, Zaychik," he said, his tone cold and deliberate. "Cocolia begged me to spare your life. Be a good girl—stay down, and thank your matushka after this."
Nearby, the small Kallen doll hid behind an overturned table, trembling. She could only watch helplessly as Mei's unconscious body was dragged into the shadows, while Bronya was crushed underfoot. The little doll's heart ached with frustration—she wanted to fight, to do something—but she could only watch.
Then the man paused. He tilted his head slightly, hearing the faint sound of footsteps—two sets, light and swift.
A moment later, a blinding spark flashed across the room. A fist and a katana struck the dark barrier simultaneously, the impact generating a shockwave of blue, hexagonal light that rippled across the walls.
"Oh?" The man turned, eyes narrowing slightly. "And here I thought Schicksal Valkyries were useless."
As the energy settled, two figures emerged from the light.
Fu Hua stood at the forefront, her expression calm but sharp, her body clad only in an oversized white button-up shirt and light blue flip-flops—clearly called from rest, yet ready to fight. Beside her was Yae Sakura, still catching her breath from her rush back from the church, her blade glowing faintly in her grip.
"I had assumed Kiana and Bronya were merely sparring again," Fu Hua said, shifting into her combat stance, her tone measured but firm. "I didn't expect a rat to slip in."
Sakura said nothing—her eyes burned with quiet fury, her grip tightening around her sword as violet petals began to flutter around her.
Hidden behind the debris, the tiny Kallen doll let out a small gasp of relief, whispering under her breath, "Sakura… you came…"
The man's smirk widened. His dark aura flared slightly, forming a faint corona of black lightning around his body.
Sakura and Fu Hua lunged at the man again, their movements a blur of precision and fury. Sparks flew as Fu Hua's strikes met the invisible barrier, and Sakura's blade traced arcs of violet light through the smoke-filled air.
The man only smirked—Raiden Mei's unconscious body floated motionless beside him, wrapped in crackling strands of black lightning.
No matter how fast or how hard they struck, nothing broke through. Their blades and fists clashed against his unseen wall like glass against steel.
After several more failed attempts, the man's smirk deepened. He raised his hand lazily—and an unseen wave of force erupted outward.
"—!"
Both Sakura and Fu Hua were flung from the shattered building in an instant. The explosion of pressure tore through the walls like a storm, scattering debris and smoke in every direction.
Sakura twisted midair, catching the small Kallen doll and Bronya's limp body before they could fall. Landing hard on the ground below, she slid back several meters but managed to stay upright, panting as dust clouded around her.
Fu Hua landed beside her, her eyes narrowing as she straightened up, her expression unreadable.
The man stepped through the ruined hole in the wall, his coat fluttering in the wind, Mei's body still levitating next to him. His voice echoed through the night—calm, confident, and almost impressed.
"Admirable, little Valk. I really did not expect you to survive that," he said, his tone carrying the faintest trace of praise.
Fu Hua's gaze hardened. "You can bend the forces of gravity on a whim," she stated evenly, her mind already analyzing every motion, every distortion of air around him.
"That's right," the man replied with amusement, spreading his arms as though to show the world itself bent around him. "I have mastery over the nature of gravity itself. I can manipulate the weight of anything within my sight. Your attacks are nothing against my powers."
He raised one hand again, snapping his fingers with a sharp crack.
The ground trembled violently. A fissure split open between Sakura—who stood protectively in front of Bronya and the Kallen doll—and Fu Hua, the shockwave scattering stone and metal shards like shrapnel.
"And…" the man continued, his smirk returning as his eyes glowed faintly red, "I can shred my foes with a simple snap of my fingers."
"KNOW THIS, LITTLE VALK..." the man declared, Raiden Mei's unconscious body still floating beside him, surrounded by black lightning. His grin widened with pride. "I'M THE FIRST HERRSCHER. THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN BEAT ME."
Fu Hua arched an eyebrow. "A Herrscher?" she repeated, unimpressed. "To be honest, your Herrscher powers sound pretty lame."
The man chuckled darkly. "Toying with gravity is one of my many powers. My true powers would be..." He trailed off, smirking—then froze.
A flicker of confusion crossed his face.Wait… what are my true powers? he thought, his grin faltering.
"An opening!" Fu Hua's voice rang out sharply.
She vanished from sight, reappearing before him in a blur of blue light. Blow after blow crashed against his barrier, each strike infused with focused Chi energy, sending ripples across the shimmering field that protected him.
He quickly regained composure, sneering through the distortion. "Hah! Do you think you can beat me with speed alone? Dream on. Your pathetic attacks will never breach my defenses!"
But then, the world around him flickered.Reality fractured like a broken mirror — and his confidence turned into shock.
Fu Hua was no longer in front of him.Instead, she stood several meters away, calmly holding Mei's unconscious body in her arms.
"You talk too much and revealed too many secrets," Fu Hua said coolly, her eyes sharp as blades."You can alter the gravity of things within your sight. I simply created an illusion to distract you."
She shifted Mei gently into one arm, looking back at the stunned man."Word of advice, friend: speak carefully… and act quickly."
"Why, you little—!" the man growled, his aura flaring with rage.
"Hope you've learned your lesson," Fu Hua said evenly, her eyes locked on the man still reeling from his humiliation. "Try not to mess up next time, sir."
She shifted her gaze to the unconscious Mei resting in her arms, her expression softening for just a moment before her mind sharpened again.
There's no need to linger here any longer. I must make my escape quickly, she thought, scanning the area as residual energy crackled through the air.
Fu Hua turned toward Sakura, giving her a quick hand signal — a silent order to retreat.
Sakura nodded in understanding, crouched beside the fallen Bronya, and carefully lifted her onto her back. The tiny Kallen doll climbed up to perch on Sakura's head, gripping a strand of her pink hair like reins.
With that, both Valkyries dashed away under the cover of smoke and dust, their forms vanishing into the night — leaving the battered enemy roaring in frustration behind them.
"Did I give you permission to leave?" the man roared, his voice echoing through the crumbling chamber as glowing blue tattoos crawled across his face like living veins of power.
Suddenly, an unseen force slammed down on both Fu Hua and Sakura, crushing them against the floor. The air cracked with pressure. Both Valkyries coughed up blood, the sound wet and sharp in the silence. The tiny Kallen doll, perched on Sakura's head, looked down at her with visible worry, her stitched hands trembling.
"I don't remember giving you permission to walk away," the man said again — his tone calm, but dripping with venom. "And I really don't like it when stupid little Valkyries try to teach me lessons."
He raised his arm, and the floor buckled. "Have fun with one hundred times gravity! SQUIRM ALL YOU LIKE, WORMS!"
The ground shattered beneath Fu Hua and Sakura as the crushing weight bore down on them, the air vibrating with invisible force. Both could barely move, their limbs trembling from the overwhelming pressure.
"I wanted to spare Raiden Ryoma's little girl…" the man continued, his expression twisting with malice as chunks of debris began to float lazily around him. "But arrogant little brats like you… have convinced me to just rip the Herrscher Core right out of her."
The room darkened as gravity itself warped — stones, dust, even blood droplets orbiting him like a planet around its sun.
"TIME FOR SOME PAYBACK, LITTLE VALK!" the man roared, his voice cracking like thunder as he hurled the stones toward Fu Hua, Raiden Mei, Sakura, Bronya, and Kallen.
The blast hit like a meteor. Smoke and dust swallowed the entire floor, the sound of crumbling stone echoing through what was left of the apartment. The man stood tall amidst the haze, a smirk spreading across his face.
But the smile quickly faltered.
As the smoke cleared, he saw Fu Hua and Sakura lying motionless in pools of their own blood. Bronya was still unconscious nearby, and the tiny Kallen doll sat frozen in confusion.
"Wait a sec… why are their bodies still in one piece?" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "And where's that Third Herrscher?"
He scanned the ruins, but there was no sign of Raiden Mei.
Then—
A streak of purple lightning cracked through the air, searing his arm and sending a shockwave across the ground.
"What the—?!" he hissed, clutching his smoking forearm.
His gaze darted forward—only to see "Mei" standing amidst the wreckage. Her once gentle eyes now glowed with cold, violet fire. She dipped a finger into Fu Hua's blood on the floor and smeared it across her lips like war paint.
"It's still warm," she murmured.
The man blinked in confusion.
"This idiot shed plenty of blood to protect my cowardly host," she said, her voice now carrying a darker, regal tone — confident and cruel.
Purple lightning began to crawl up her arms, dancing along her fingertips like living serpents.
"I guess I'll just have to paint this place with your blood instead."
The man's expression twisted with annoyance. "Hey, brat! Are you talking to me?" he snapped, his tone dripping with arrogance.
The Herrscher of Thunder tilted her head, a mocking smile curving her lips. "Ahh… this scumbag actually does talk."
Her eyes flashed, and the storm within her began to stir.
However, the sudden release of the Herrscher of Thunder came with a consequence — a hidden bomb implanted near Mei's heart began to reactivate, triggered by her awakening. Its timer flickered to life, counting down from five minutes.
The Herrscher of Thunder's expression soured."Tsk… stupid human failsafe." she muttered, clearly irritated.
Still, she dismissed the danger with a wave of her hand as arcs of violet lightning snaked around her body. Her long hair floated slightly from the electric field building around her as she turned her gaze toward the man.
"Hmph. Five minutes will be more than enough for me," she said, voice calm yet laced with menace.
The air around her began to tremble under the surge of electricity, purple flashes reflecting off the man's wary eyes.
"Hope you enjoy the feeling of your blood boiling inside your veins, scum," she added, her tone smooth, almost casual—an insult delivered like a death sentence.