Raiden Mei had left Chiba Academy behind.
As Ling Ke had pointed out, since they were no longer waiting like a sitting duck for a certain Paramecium to wander into their trap, staying at school was a colossal waste of time. If she had that much spare time, it was better spent at her family dojo practicing the ancestral Hokushin Itto-ryu style. Close-quarters combat skills would at least provide a solid foundation for the chaos to come.
Of course, in Ling Ke's eyes, simply refining swordsmanship was a suboptimal move. The best path forward was clear:
To strike the iron, one must be strong themselves.
Ling Ke's logic was simple. The Third Great Eruption didn't necessarily have to be triggered within Nagazora City. After all, the Herrscher of Thunder's consciousness had awakened early, Mei was a natural Stigma-bearer, and her body contained a Gem of Conquest with which she shared a high compatibility rate.
With Ling Ke using the abstract power of Ghost Possession to maintain total control, every prerequisite for becoming a complete Herrscher had been met.
All that remained...
Naturally, the remaining task was to avoid collateral damage by choosing an uninhabited zone to trigger the awakening. At that moment, Ling Ke would only need to pilot Raiden Mei's body and absorb the massive influx of Honkai energy surging from Imaginary Space. With that level of combat power, he highly doubted a few Titan mechs would be able to punch his Herrscher dreams into pieces.
When that time came, a mere Cocolia—a so-called civil war specialist—wouldn't be able to stir up even a ripple of trouble.
"The next thing we need to consider is how to leave Nagazora City," Ling Ke mused. "Finding that certain someone—Kiana—can be pushed back for a bit."
Upon returning to the Raiden Estate, Ling Ke once again activated the effect of Three-Body Person.
Thus, the trio of little Meis sat on the plush sofas in the first-floor lobby, kicking their short legs as they opened this internal mini-Mei meeting.
Perhaps because Ling Ke's performance at Chiba Academy had allowed the Herrscher of Thunder to vent some frustration, she was no longer making malicious interruptions. Her impression of Ling Ke seemed to be improving steadily.
Given this atmosphere, Ling Ke carefully began to explain to Mei that a powerful hidden strength resided within her. However, to master it, they needed to find a remote location for a full awakening. Otherwise, the sheer scale of the event—even the aftershocks—would claim countless lives.
"...Of course, once you successfully awaken, your father's political rival will no longer be a threat. This is the most efficient way for you to break the current deadlock."
Today, Ling Ke was essentially giving Raiden Mei another lesson. To protect her psyche, he was gradually breaking down terrifying truths into digestible pieces for the young girl. He hadn't even directly introduced the concept of Honkai yet.
The Herrscher of Thunder clearly knew the truth, but since she noticed Ling Ke was looking out for Mei—whom she also secretly valued, though she'd never admit it—she chose not to sabotage the explanation.
Except for one thing...
"Why bother with all that? Why not just trig—awaken right here in the city?" From her side of the hall, the Herrscher of Thunder spoke with total indifference. "Those humans deserve to die anyway. It's easier to just slaughter the lot of them."
Hearing this, Ling Ke sighed and massaged his temples.
She was a Herrscher consciousness; it was only natural for her to say such things. Still, he felt the need to speak up.
"I'm not against settling scores or seeking revenge," Ling Ke said, glancing at her. "But don't involve the innocent, alright?"
Furthermore, he gave her a look of pure exasperation. "Are you a muscle-brain? Do you have any idea how many powerhouses are hiding in the shadows of this world?"
"You don't know the meaning of low-key development, do you? You haven't even finished growing, yet you want to start screaming at the top of your lungs, practically begging the whole world to know you destroyed a city? You want to be public enemy number one and get hunted across the globe?"
"Tell me, did it ever occur to you that if the first and second Herrschers have already appeared before you, the third, why are the humans you despise still living perfectly fine lives? You sit on high-level authority and staggering potential... surely you aren't going to fail at being a decent villain just because of your low IQ? No way, right? Is that even possible?"
The Herrscher of Thunder: ( ￣皿￣＃ )
Someone's temperature was reaching the red zone.
Ling Ke, however, was completely relaxed. It was a joke—his real body wasn't even here. If a certain Herrscher couldn't handle the heat, she was welcome to try breaking through the Honkai tide surrounding the solar system to invade the Xianzhou Luofu in the Honkai: Star Rail universe next door.
On the sofa, the little Mei controlled by the Herrscher took several deep breaths to stabilize her mood. Had anyone else said those words, she would have erupted. Unfortunately, she couldn't resist the absolute control of Ling Ke's possession.
Since she couldn't solve the problem with her fists, she was forced to consider if his words made sense—if only to find a loophole to argue back. She wanted to mock him right back into the ground.
But as she actually thought about it...
"..."
She was surprised to find that while the plan seemed to have holes because Ling Ke wasn't sharing every detail, it was still far more likely to succeed than her own impulsive path.
Beside them, the real Mei was a little dazed. Even though Ling Ke was being vague about the details... was it really okay for the two of them to discuss the destruction of humanity like this? She felt like her upcoming awakening wasn't going to turn her into a savior for her father, but rather some kind of Great Demon King.
This, of course, was also part of Ling Ke's calculation. As mentioned before, some conclusions are best reached by Mei herself to ensure she accepts them. Currently, he was dropping hints while bickering with the Herrscher.
And so, the three talked until noon. Ling Ke had Mei find a notebook to list the details of their upcoming plan. Then, the three of them went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Yes, this time, even the little Mei controlled by the Herrscher of Thunder joined in.
Mei was purely enjoying the moment, while Ling Ke wore a look that screamed "just as planned."
At that moment...
Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the abstract ability: Grand Assassin.
The twenty-four-hour cooldown of the gacha function had just expired.