Immediately after, a powerful energy shockwave spread in all directions, leaving a magnificent mushroom cloud-like scene above Nagazora City.
Under the impact of this terrifying force, both the Herrscher of Thunder and Kiana☆ could no longer hold on, falling heavily to the ground and losing consciousness.
The surroundings instantly fell silent, with only the lingering smoke still dispersing in the air.
Fu Lin wiped imaginary sweat from his brow and murmured,
"Finally... it's over?"
-----------------------------------
As the thrilling battle came to an end, amidst the lingering smoke, Fu Lin anxiously drifted toward the place where the two had fallen.
When he saw Kiana☆, though covered in wounds, still struggling tenaciously to stand up, Fu Lin couldn't help but feel relieved.
At the same time, Fu Lin secretly marveled,
"After fighting for so long and falling from such a height, she can still stand up. As expected of Kiana☆, truly the queen of Honkai."
Immediately after, Fu Lin turned his gaze toward Mei☆, who was not far away.
As he floated over to check, his face instantly turned bright red like a ripe apple, frantically and somewhat helplessly looking around, seemingly searching for something in haste.
Mei☆ was lying silently on a pile of ruins, her eyes tightly closed, her face pale as paper, clearly completely unconscious.
Her clothes were torn beyond recognition, revealing her delicate skin in a way that evoked pity.
Not far away, Kiana☆ staggered with trembling steps, each movement taking great effort as if she might collapse again at any moment.
Yet she clenched her teeth and, using all her strength, firmly walked toward Mei☆...
At this moment, as Fu Lin was trying to find something to cover Mei☆, his gaze unintentionally turned toward Kiana☆.
When he saw Kiana☆ struggling step by step toward Mei☆ with such difficulty, his heart tightened.
Without hesitation, Fu Lin immediately rushed to Kiana☆, reaching out his hands to grab her face, shouting,
"Hey, Kiana☆, are you really going to kill Mei☆? There's no need for this! I already said everything was my own decision!"
Unfortunately, his outstretched hands could only pass helplessly through Kiana☆'s delicate face without actually touching her.
Moreover, Fu Lin's entire body was like a phantom, and Kiana☆ passed straight through him, completely unaware, with no reaction to his nearby shouting.
When Kiana☆ finally arrived before Mei☆, she stared at her sweet face—so beautiful it made her heart flutter for a moment—her eyes showing complicated emotions.
Then, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in Kiana☆'s eyes, as if she had made up her mind. She slowly raised her hand, and a Subspace Spear gradually formed in her grasp.
In a panic, Fu Lin frantically floated in front of Kiana☆, waving his hands to stop her, his face full of fear as he shouted in a trembling voice,
"You're serious? No… no way? Kiana☆, are you really planning to kill Mei?"
However, not long after he spoke, Fu Lin suddenly seemed to realize something. His mouth twitched, and then he raised his fist and gave himself a hard knock on the head, muttering helplessly,
"Ah… I really panicked! If Mei☆ were to die here in this Arc City, then who would the Mei☆ of the future be?
So clearly, Kiana☆ never intended to kill Mei☆! Hah, scaring myself~"
After speaking, Fu Lin let out a long sigh, his previously tense nerves finally relaxing a bit as he quietly watched Kiana☆.
Kiana☆ clenched her teeth, raised the Spear of Void high, and seemed ready to thrust it toward Mei☆.
At that instant, Fu Lin instinctively closed his eyes tightly.
After a few long seconds, the surroundings remained silent. Fu Lin slowly opened one eye, patting his pounding heart.
As expected, Kiana☆ did not thrust the spear into Mei☆, but instead stabbed it into the ground only a few centimeters away from Mei☆'s head.
"Cough… This time it's a draw. Next time… next time, I won't show any mercy, Mei☆!"
Kiana☆ squeezed these words through gritted teeth, then, as if completely exhausted, released her grip on the Subspace Spear.
She then took off her own tattered coat and covered Mei☆'s exposed body.
After doing this, Kiana☆ painfully turned around and, dragging her heavy and weary steps, slowly left the ruins alone.
Her white silhouette appeared desolate and lonely against the backdrop of the debris, carrying an indescribable sadness.
Staring at Kiana☆'s back, Fu Lin was filled with mixed emotions.
He wanted to immediately chase after the increasingly distant Kiana☆, but with Mei☆ still lying unconscious beside him, he couldn't bring himself to leave.
At this moment, the Subspace Spear beside him emitted a faint glow, then disintegrated into countless tiny particles, gradually dissipating into the air.
Now, only Fu Lin stood alone like a lonely ghost in the ruins, and Mei☆, still lying quietly on the ground, covered by Kiana☆'s coat.
After an unknown amount of time, the sky was covered in shadows, and Fu Lin looked up to see a giant battleship hovering in mid-air.
Soon, the figures of Theresa and Himeko appeared in Fu Lin's sight.
When Theresa and Himeko noticed Mei☆ lying on the ground, they first exchanged glances, and a flash of undisguisable surprise passed through both of their eyes.
Himeko cast her gaze toward Theresa and asked,
"According to the scan, the Herrscher's energy fluctuation disappeared at this location. Could she have…"
Theresa nodded slightly. After pondering for a moment, she decisively instructed Himeko,
"Major Himeko, please take this girl back first. I'll stay here to handle the aftermath and check for any other survivors."
"No problem, Headmaster."
Without hesitation, Himeko swiftly bent down and picked up the unconscious Mei☆.
Before leaving, Himeko looked up at Theresa and solemnly said,
"But please be careful while you're here alone~"
Hearing this, Theresa puffed up her cheeks in anger, pointed a finger at Himeko, and said with mock annoyance,
"Hmph! Enough nagging! This Headmaster is one of the few S-rank Valkyries in the Schicksal Organization! And who says I'm alone?"
As she finished, the other Valkyries had already assembled. Theresa shouldered Judah and paid no more attention to Himeko.
Fu Lin silently watched all of this until he saw Himeko carrying Mei☆ onto the Hyperion, and only then did he feel somewhat relieved.
Then, he resolutely turned around and quickly chased after Kiana☆ in the direction she had gone...