"Mei, is she... done already?"
Looking at Raiden Mei, who seemed to have completely lost consciousness—no response even when poked and prodded—Tesla asked curiously.
"Mhm. I sent her deep into her Herrscher core and trapped her and her other personality together in a cocooned space where you can't leave without awakening."
"That way, whether she chooses personality fusion or pulls off synchronization rates high enough to capsize the Pacific Ocean like Kiana and Sirin, she'll have a chance to communicate directly with her other self."
Lynelle nodded and added, "Also, I prepared a little... gift for her?"
"Compared to your little gift, I'm more curious about what this 'cocooned space' even is... Is this also part of the Herrscher of Corruption's authority? Sounds more like something Kiana and Sirin would use."
"Ah... ahem, don't worry, Doctor. Those two definitely know how to do it—and they're much more skilled at it than I am."
Clearing her throat slightly, Lynelle swiftly changed the subject.
"Anyway, Dr. Tesla, could you look after Mei for now? I've set your mech on autopilot; it's heading your way. I left the coordinates for the safe zone inside it."
"While it might feel like a long time for Mei, the flow of time inside the core is different from outside. She might wake up any moment now. Once she does..."
"Send her to back you up?"
"No, have her return to the safe zone." Lynelle shook her head.
"When I came here, time was tight, so I didn't get to deal with the Imaginary Singularity Otto expanded. Soon, the Clockie inside it will launch a fierce assault on the core district of Nagazora."
"Kiana's abilities might not be the best match for that thing. I need Mei to swap places with Kiana over there. Plus, considering Kiana's authority, this might actually get reinforcements here faster."
"Most of that makes sense to me..." Tesla's expression turned a bit odd.
"But what's this 'Clockie' you mentioned? Why does it require sending a Herrscher specifically to intercept?"
"Oh, it's the Imaginary Construct—Whoknowswhat. Theoretically, it might not be Clockie; it could be a flower or a bull."
"Then stop speaking in riddles!"
--+--
Just as Lynelle set off to search for Ana, on the other side, Mei had already completed her fusion with the persona of the Herrscher of Thunder.
As Lynelle had said, even though dual personalities were as common as pebbles in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, the way to handle them varied depending on how they formed.
For cases like Sirin and Kiana, with Anti-Entropy's current technology, creating a new body for Sirin wasn't impossible.
But doing so would instantly double the pressure on Kiana from bearing the Herrscher core.
As for Seele, splitting them apart might be possible later, but certainly not now.
As for Mei... the best approach for her was like in the original story—having the two personas actively merge.
Though the original phrasing used "kill," judging by the later tone shift toward "Mei the Top" and the other persona's "resurrection" when inheriting Origin, it clearly wasn't a simple case of one eliminating the other.
After all, this was the Honkai stage, not some divine band of weirdos (laughs).
"Is this... the full authority of the Herrscher of Thunder, the complete Raiden Mei, the complete me?"
Unintentionally borrowing little Senti's line, Mei fell silent as she looked at her hands.
She could feel it now—her power was utterly different from before. If she were to face Li Sushang again, she was absolutely confident she could battle her for a full day and night.
"But I need to return to reality quickly... Lynelle and Kiana still need my help."
"So... Huh? Wait, where is this?"
Just as Mei prepared to return to the real world from within her Herrscher core, she abruptly realized something awkward... she seemed to be lost.
No, to be precise, it wasn't exactly getting lost. This situation felt more like... stumbling into a wonderland?
"I remember, when Lynelle sent me into the core, a warm pink light flashed in her hand. This space is also bathed in pink now. So, this must be a contingency plan Lynelle prepared for me?"
"But I've already successfully awakened. What use is this contingency now?"
As her mind raced, Mei felt an itch on her head—not because she was growing a brain, but because two horns had sprouted during her Herrscher transformation earlier.
"Whatever, Lynelle must have her reasons for this... Since we're inside my core anyway, I might as well take a look."
Facing a seemingly ordinary, chocolate-brown door within the pink space, Mei pushed it open without hesitation.
"Welcome~ Lynelle, didn't you say you were out on a mission? Back so soon... Huh? You are..."
Elysia, who had been trimming a crystal flower, and Mei, who had just pushed the door open, stared at each other in silence for a second.
Then, Mei slammed the door shut with a bang.
"Wait, did I open it wrong? Where did I end up? Is this even my Herrscher core anymore?"
In that moment, Mei felt the same helplessness Kiana must have experienced facing a math exam for the first time.
"And who was that woman who looked so much like Lynelle? I almost called out 'Lynelle' on instinct. But from what she said, she isn't Lynelle? Then who is she? Lynelle's other personality?"
"Wait... Oh, right. No matter what, Lynelle left this backdoor to help me fuse with my Herrscher core and handle my other personality issue."
"If that girl who resembles Lynelle is her other personality, then everything makes sense."
"Lynelle, as the Herrscher of Corruption, originally had a second personality formed from her Herrscher consciousness. She fused with that personality, which is why we never noticed... Isn't that exactly like my situation? No wonder she's so experienced!"
At that moment, with mental processing speed rivaling Nous, Mei quickly used her "excellent" deductive skills to arrive at a conclusion that seemed quite plausible.
"So, that place just now, and that girl who might be Lynelle's other personality... Was that the contingency plan Lynelle originally prepared to teach me how to handle a second personality?"
"I see... Everything fits. Lynelle, you really went to great lengths."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.