Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 348 Mei, I'm Back

"You scum, where did you run off to! You dare to steal my man, but you don't dare to show your face?!"

"Mea Yi..."

Using time acceleration, Sora rushed past the evacuated students and teachers to the vicinity of Himeko's house, then stared blankly at the Herrscher of Thunder floating in mid-air, randomly electrifying electricity, and Himeko's small villa that had turned into a sea of ​​fire.

What kind of nonsense is this?! He's only been gone for less than fifteen minutes on Earth time, right? Why does Himeko's house need to be renovated so soon?!

Or should I fix it myself? But using that tool to fix it might attract Leera, right? Never mind, I'll think about it later…

Sora, who was absolutely confident in subduing the Herrscher of Thunder, was not in a hurry: even without considering the bomb in Mei's chest, he had multiple solutions, from negotiation to force—but which solution would cause the least damage?

"Mei, can you hear me! It's me, it's Sora!"

She put away her stigmata and, with her hair now gray, raised her hand in a megaphone shape and shouted at the Herrscher of Thunder in mid-air, trying to get her attention.

"Qiong boy, what are you doing here?"

Sora tried to lure Mei over, but before Mei could react, Himeko, who appeared out of nowhere, ran over carrying Bronya and Kiana on her shoulders.

"Himeko-neechan? What happened to Kiana and Bronya?"

Upon seeing Kiana, Qiong instinctively took a step back. However, he immediately realized it was Kiana with braided hair. So, the next moment, he rushed forward—were they both injured?

"Aunt Himeko, put me down! I can walk by myself!"

"Same as Bronya."

"You two, don't be so stubborn!"

"Brother Qiong, Bronya wasn't just being stubborn!"

Under Bronya's deadpan gaze, Qiong quickly went forward to check on the two people that Himeko had put down. Only after confirming that neither of them had a single wound did Qiong breathe a sigh of relief.

"I said, what are you doing—"

"Human, you're not allowed to chat with other girls in front of me!"

Qiong had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the Herrscher of Thunder's icy voice. He looked up at the Herrscher in mid-air; her eyes were cold and furious—those eyes that could draw out strands of light in his memory were now so enraged that they seemed ready to devour anyone who dared to retaliate.

"Mei... calm down, let me explain?"

Looking at Mei, who seemed poised to unleash lightning in the sky, and then at Kiana, who was still brushing the dust off her clothes, Sora felt a little unsure of herself.

After all, he did some bastard things that he himself wanted to physically destroy just by thinking about them...

"Explanation? You, and them, what is there to explain! -- What? You can't? No way, this time we must teach him a lesson!"

Qiong sighed and rubbed his forehead; it seemed the negotiations had broken down. But he really didn't want to harm Mei…

The power was too great; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself.

"Qiong boy, what exactly happened just now? Never mind, we'll talk about it later! Until Theresa and the others arrive, follow my orders!"

With a serious expression, Himeko took out an instrument that Sora couldn't understand, and then she heard a voice broadcasting.

"Third Herrscher activity detected. Self-destruct program initiated. Countdown: five minutes."

"What! Five minutes?"

"Yes, five minutes."

Himeko nodded.

"Theresa and the others will be here soon to help subdue Mei. It's not nice to say this, but you should be prepared—if we can't take Mei down within five minutes..."

Himeko didn't say anything more; everyone knew what the outcome would be.

Boom!

After muttering to himself for a while, Lei Lu raised his hand and struck down. In an instant, a blinding purple lightning bolt shot out from the dark clouds and tore through the thick clouds. The lightning bolt seemed like a deadly signal, radiating a chilling purple light, and rushed madly towards Qiong and the other three.

"Use the strong to help the weak!"

However, just as it was about to touch everyone, the lightning bolt headed towards the flaming spear in front of Qiong.

"Spread out—hmm? Is it blocking the way?"

The moment Mei unleashed her lightning strike, Sora pulled out her Flame Spear and shielded the three of them behind her.

"Dead Grey Hair, what exactly did you just do—"

"Let's not talk about that now!"

Kiana, who was about to scold Sora, was silenced by Sora—solving Mei's problem was more important right now!

"Mei, do you want to come down first? You don't want the bomb to explode, do you?"

Sora ignored the three of them; he was now focused on negotiating with Mei—if the negotiations broke down again, he would have no choice but to take Mei down without outside help…

"Human, are you threatening me?!"

The haughty Herrscher of Thunder frowned. Although the white-haired, blue-eyed Sora looked alright, and the fact that he could block her lightning strike proved that he was indeed no ordinary servant, threatening her? Dream on!

Fine, azure sparks erupted from Lei Lu's body as she slowly raised her arm once more, her five fingers pointing towards the sky.

Above the overcast sky, a small purple ball of lightning is gathering—if the lightning ball takes shape and lands, this entire campus will have to be rebuilt!

Why doesn't St. Freya Academy install more lightning rods?

Thinking about this, Himeko felt incredibly regretful: if only she had installed a lightning rod in her house, things wouldn't have turned out like this... She'd give Theresa her opinion later!

"Mei, calm down! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Human, do you look down on God?!"

"God has been fought before..."

Bronya, who had reactivated the heavy bunny shield, had reason to believe that Mei had heard Sora's mutterings—after Sora said "fought against the god," the Herrscher's face, which had only been frowning, was now filled with rage.

"Himeko-sensei, you idiot Kiana, come here!"

Based on this, Bronya decided to use Sora to attract hatred and think of a solution—it was a last resort, since Sora seemed particularly good at attracting hatred.

It's decided. Once Mei recovers, we'll tie up Sora and send him to Mei's room!

Qiong shook her head helplessly, completely unaware that Yaya was planning to sell herself: "The thought process of a Herrscher personality is truly impossible to discuss!"

"Mei, I'm not threatening you, I just want to talk to you properly. But right now..."

However, Lei Lu seemed to be enraged by what she had just said. She was now ignoring Qiong's words and focused solely on the lightning ball—the lightning ball became increasingly dazzling, and the surrounding air was ionized, emitting a "sizzling" sound.

"Well... I'm sorry!"

Qiong gritted her teeth. It seemed she had no choice but to forcibly stop it—or at least control it a little?

Qiong Jiangyan pointed the spearhead upwards, and the spear shaft burst into blazing flames.

"There will always be creatures on earth that dare to face the might of thunder..."

"Dead Gray Hair, what are you doing..."

"Kid Qiong, your eyes?!"

"Brother Qiong..."

Bronya and the others, who were waiting for Mei to lose her strength in a fit of rage so they could launch a sneak attack, were speechless with surprise when they saw the white-haired Sora's blue eyes, which were made even more dazzling by the firelight—because of this, they also missed the golden glint in Kiana's eyes.

But it's not their fault, because that golden hue was fleeting...

"We'll talk about that later! With this raging fire—nothing can be cut down!"

At the same time, a slender yet sharp bolt of lightning struck down from the lightning ball in mid-air. Opposite it was a torrent of flames erupting from the ground.

"Swoosh—Boom!"

Thunder and fire collided violently, instantly creating a significant explosion. Blinding purple and scorching red light tore at and devoured each other, exploding with a deafening roar. Countless tiny sparks and scattered flames flew out, emitting a deafening "boom." The two forces remained locked in mid-air—but the stalemate lasted only a moment.

Although the lightning was fierce, it was too fast and lacked staying power. It was quickly swallowed up by the continuously surging torrent of flames, and the remaining flames rushed towards the Herrscher in mid-air without diminishing their momentum.

"what?!"

Lei Lu clearly did not expect her attack to be so easily defeated, nor did she expect that Qiong possessed the ability to project fire—from what she knew, Qiong's fire spear was more for self-defense, and even when attacking, she should be the one charging forward!

The moment a look of astonishment appeared in Lei Lu's eyes, the flames rushed towards her. She only had time to hurriedly close her eyes and raise her arm to block.

boom--

Flames engulfed the Thunderclap, sharp explosions emanating from her surroundings, before her body plummeted uncontrollably from the ground...

"Mei! You gray-haired devil, how could you do this—"

"A sense of déjà vu!"

Kiana blinked, and both Sora and Mei disappeared?

"I'm sorry, Mei. I'm back..."

Qiong's voice came from behind the three of them. When they turned around, they saw Princess Qiong holding Mei.

Mei, held in his arms, had her eyes closed, her hair disheveled, and her clothes still bore the marks of being burned by flames, but fortunately she was unharmed.

"Mei, it's all my fault..."

Although Qiong said that, an image of a masked figure flashed through his mind.

Lei Lu slowly opened his eyes and saw Qiong standing close by. The anger in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a trace of confusion.

"Why... how... did you do that?"

Qiong looked at Lei Lu tenderly and smiled slightly.

"Perhaps it's the magic of love?"

Herrscher of Thunder: ...

At this moment, her world consisted only of the broad chest of the man before her, the rapid heartbeat that gradually subsided—and of course, his body temperature.

Shame! At this moment, the Herrscher of Thunder felt utterly ashamed! A Herrscher, a god-like being, had actually been defeated by that coward's chosen servant?! And after being defeated, he even carried her in a princess carry, and those guys even witnessed it…

What a shame!

Lei Lu felt that she might be the most useless god (not really), but she didn't know when the courage surged up—perhaps when she felt his heartbeat through her chest? Or when she looked up and saw his face and smiling eyes?

At any given moment, an almost reckless impulse took hold of her—she suddenly moved.

Mei suddenly grabbed Sora's face with her hand, and before he could react, Raihiro had already raised his head and pressed Sora's head down... This was not a test, not a light touch, but carried a resolute, almost predatory meaning—even the Queen of Thunder has her pride! How could she allow a servant to take the initiative!

Qiong froze instantly. He subconsciously wanted to move, such as letting go, but the tingling sensation that followed made him give up the idea.

"You two... don't do this!"

The mournful chirping of paramecia reached their ears, but Lei Lu didn't care at all! She only cared about whether she could firmly seal Qiong's lips.

"Himeko, we're here! How did Mei end up like this... Ugh—!"

Theresa, who had just arrived, stared wide-eyed, nearly dropping the Judas she was holding to the ground.

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On a thunderstorm-stricken afternoon, after taking Mei to the infirmary, the infirmary director was about to have a "brotherly" conversation with his little apprentice in the men's restroom at St. Freya—wherever there might be eavesdroppers, there was absolutely no chance here!

As for why master and apprentice become brothers... it's common knowledge that a master and a woman might lie to you, but a brother would never. At most, he might mess with you.

Even if you remember, you'll still choose Mei?

"Yes, I promised! And to be honest, I feel Mei is the best..."

Seeing Qiong nod earnestly, Bai Ji stroked his chin.

If Sora is serious, that's a bit troublesome. If they find out Sora has recovered and still makes this decision, St. Freya is going to be in for quite a while...

"Could you please not tell anyone else?"

"Teacher, what are you saying?"

Qiong raised a question.

"Don't tell Song Que and the others what you remember, whether it was a hundred years ago or a few years ago—trust your teacher, every word I say is for your own good."

Qiong wanted to say something more, but seeing Bai Ji staring at him with a very serious expression, he shut up.

"As for why... the first reason, as you probably already know, is that I don't want to disrupt this peaceful daily life. There are a few 'skills' who still hold an almost worshipful admiration for you... I'm afraid they might do something out of line."

But I don't think they'll be like that. They'll just be very happy...

Qiong wanted to speak, but then she suddenly thought of Serim. So she acquiesced.

Serem Nutrisco, that silly woman might really do something reckless.

"As for the other reason, our existence and shadows might plunge Earth into a crisis of instability—remember, although it's the power of your blood ties, it cannot be abused! And do not try to summon immortal dragons! If this leads to the resurgence of gods across the stars, Earth might suffer the same tragedy as the Shadow Disaster of Luo Star… For your own sake, and for Earth's sake, let this remain a secret known only to 'us' for now. The situation ten years ago was similar, so…"

Bai Ji's words made sense, and Qiong nodded in agreement: It's better to guard against Serim than against Chuan. To prevent her from talking, Song Que, that big mouth, can't say anything, nor can Deng, that honest person, say anything, not to mention little Serah, who is an honest child—as for Donigor, that arrogant fellow, we can let it go, he confessed in a second.

What's more, it involves the insane Leera... Just thinking about that god who's gone mad made Qiong shudder involuntarily—keep sleeping, keep sleeping, don't come looking for him! He can't take it, mentally or physically!

He's already told everyone that his next stop is Mars in the future—to accompany Danheng to visit Nana! With the real Danheng, Yinyuejun, and Zhou Tiange as guarantors, what does this fake Danheng have to fear from Leiera?

"I understand, teacher, you're right."

Bai Ji smiled; he was truly happy: If Xing and Litost were here too, how wonderful that would be!

"But what about Xiaoxing?"

Qiong raised her own question: If she couldn't remember, how could she get the star out?

Bai Ji patted Qiong's head.

"I have my own way of dealing with her—but do you really not want Bishop Otto to treat him?"

Qiong nodded: Entrusting my little sister to Otto is not as good as handing her over to Lithost!

No, he won't give them any! His sister is his responsibility!

Although it's probably impossible to control...

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"Mei, I'm here..."

The door to the infirmary was pushed open, and Qiong stared blankly at the room full of people.

Kiana, who was squatting in a corner wiping away tears, and Siegfried, who was patting her on the shoulder to comfort her, Himeko and Theresa, who were gathered around Mei's hospital bed, and Yae Sakura, who followed Theresa around every day—as well as Seele and Bronya.

"Qiong, you're here!"

Mei's face was still a little pale, but her eyes had regained their usual gentleness.

"Brother Qiong?"

"what happened?"

"fine……"

Seele called out to Qiong softly, but immediately turned her face away—leaving Qiong somewhat puzzled.

Without thinking twice, Sora stepped forward, took Mei's hand, and looked her in the eye.

"Yes, Mei, I'm back."

This time, he will not disappear again, and no one can stop his determination...

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It's almost the end of the month, and I'm trying to reach the "Handsome" rank in KARDS—I've been playing all day and I'm stuck at rank 2...

Isn't this version of the small pistol with the English name a bit too outrageous?