The classroom was dimly lit, the sterile glow of fluorescent lights casting long shadows over the rows of empty desks. Yuzuki sat alone, fingers nervously drumming against the surface of his desk. The phone in his hand felt heavier than usual, its screen illuminating his conflicted expression.
He took a deep breath and dialed a number, the ringtone echoing in the silent room.
"Yuzuki," came the voice on the other end, smooth and composed, like a seasoned politician addressing a crowd.
"Otto, I have information about the Raiden case."
A brief pause.
"Proceed," Otto replied, his tone inviting, as if encouraging a confidant to share a burden.
Yuzuki detailed the findings, his voice steady but his heart pounding.
After a moment, Otto responded, his voice measured and persuasive:
"Yuzuki, the truth, while noble, can be a double-edged sword. Revealing this information could unravel the delicate fabric of our plans. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"
"But why?" Yuzuki asked, confusion evident in his tone.
Otto's voice softened, taking on a paternal quality:
"Because, my dear Yuzuki, sometimes the greater good requires us to bear the weight of difficult decisions. Think of the countless lives that could be disrupted, the chaos that could ensue. We must act not for ourselves, but for the stability of all."
Yuzuki hesitated, the weight of Otto's words pressing down on him.
"I... I don't know if I can do this."
Otto's tone became more intimate, almost sorrowful:
"I understand, Yuzuki. It's never easy to carry such burdens. But remember, history often forgets the names of those who hesitated. It remembers those who acted, who made the hard choices. You have the chance to be remembered as someone who protected the greater good."
The line went dead, leaving Yuzuki alone with his thoughts, the weight of responsibility settling heavily on his shoulders.
___________________________________
Victor's breath came in ragged gasps as he steadied himself, sweat trickling down his brow. He ran a trembling hand through his damp hair, eyes closed, unwilling to face the reality unfolding before him.
"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice a strained whisper, laced with disbelief.
Yuzuki stood motionless, eyes shut tight, as if hoping the darkness behind his lids could shield him from the pain in Kiana's gaze.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, each word a dagger to his own heart. "I can't let you publish the truth about Raiden Ryoma. There's too much at stake."
Victor's eyes opened slowly, the weight of betrayal settling in as he noticed Etoile and the mech positioning themselves protectively in front of Cocolia.
"Since when?" he asked, the question heavy with the burden of shattered trust.
"From the beginning," Yuzuki confessed, his voice barely audible.
"I've been spying on you since we met."
Victor let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow. "A spy, huh?"
Kiana's voice trembled as she stepped forward, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Yuzu, what are you talking about? This isn't funny. We're friends, aren't we?"
Yuzuki turned to her, his eyes wet with guilt. "I wish it were a joke, Kiana. But it's not. I did what I thought was right."
"How can betraying your friends ever be right?" she cried, her voice breaking.
"I..." Yuzuki faltered, the weight of his actions pressing down on him.
Victor stepped between them, placing a gentle hand on Kiana's shoulder. "Let him be. He's just following orders. If you're going to blame someone, blame the ones pulling his strings... or blame me, since I was his target."
Yuzuki's resolve wavered, guilt etched into every line of his face. Before he could speak, a sudden flash of purple light illuminated the room, cutting through the tension like a blade.
___________________________________
In the depths of Raiden Mei's consciousness, a familiar voice echoed—a haunting melody of her own despair. Two silhouettes emerged: one, a girl curled on the floor, tears streaming down her face; the other, a twisted reflection standing above her, a sardonic smile playing on her lips.
"Crying again, are we?" The standing figure's voice was a chilling blend of Mei's own and something far more sinister.
"Just give up," she giggled, the sound laced with malice. "What else do you have to fight for?"
"I..."
"Your father's gone. Your classmates shun you. Strangers wish you harm. Is this the world you want to cling to?" The figure cooed, then laughed.
"My friends..."
"Oh, sweet lamb," the reflection whispered, fingers brushing through Mei's hair. "But your friends are in danger, betrayed by someone they trusted."
"No... they can't..."
"But don't worry," the figure cooed, lifting Mei's chin to meet her gaze. In that reflection, Mei saw power—the power to save her friends, to change the cruel world.
"You will?"
"I promise."
"What do I have to do?"
"Just hold my hand, and let me help."
As their hands touched, purple energy erupted, illuminating the room like a second sun. Violet electricity crackled as Mei's body ascended, her form enveloped in blinding light.
___________________________________
Victor stepped forward, only to freeze. His body burned, heart racing, cold sweat dripping down his neck. Every instinct screamed danger.
"Get down!" he shouted, pulling Kiana and Yuzuki to the ground. Moments later, a massive pillar of electricity burst forth, tearing through the building and sending a shockwave across Nagazora.
Thunder roared as storm clouds gathered, purple lightning dancing across the sky. Electronics died, and then came the eruption.
Lightning struck the ground repeatedly, creating electromagnetic fields that tore the earth apart, lifting chunks of the city into the sky.The world watched in horror as the storm raged on, a testament to the price of desperation and the birth of a new, terrifying power.
And that storm had a name.
Raiden Mei sat atop a ruined ledge, the city groaning beneath her as if in mourning. Her school uniform, once prim and proper, now hung tattered around her frame—scorched by the very lightning that crowned her ascension. Glowing circuits veined across her body like divine script written in anguish, pulsing with Honkai energy. Her wings shine like jagged shards of judgment, each one humming with violent electricity.
Her gaze, half-lidded and unreadable, bore into the crumbling skyline with neither rage nor mercy—only cold clarity. Electricity danced from her fingertips as her form crackled with energy, illuminating the dark skies in unnatural pulses. Her throne was ruin. Her voice, silence. And her will… absolute.
___________________________________
Victor stepped through the fractured glass, boots crunching against the broken frame as the wind howled past him, carrying the static scent of ozone and ash. He shielded his eyes from the surging gales as his gaze settled on the carnage below.
The city of Nagazora had become unrecognizable.
From high above the ME Corp tower, he watched as bolts of lightning split the heavens, striking buildings, cars, and streets indiscriminately. Each flash birthed more chaos—metal twisted, signs exploded, roads split open like flesh under a blade.
But that wasn't the worst of it.
Like a tidal wave, they came—wretched shapes that once were human.
Civilians, now hollowed out and corrupted, their skin turned pale and silicon-smooth, eyes blackened and lined with glowing circuits. Honkai-infected, twisted into the form of silent puppets—zombies, reanimated not by death, but by despair.
And they moved with purpose.
Tens of thousands of them surged down the empty streets, their limbs jerking erratically, voices silent but their intent clear. They were all drawn to one place—the very peak of the ME Corp tower, where she waited. Their master. Their Queen.
They threw themselves at the entrance in a frenzied wave, bodies stacking upon bodies, not out of mindless hunger—but devotion. Their grotesque worship made flesh. They clawed at concrete, tore down barricades, devouring security drones and shattering steel gates with their sheer, endless momentum.
The building groaned beneath them, steel and stone straining under the relentless pressure of the infected tide below. But it stood—cracked, splintered, defiant.
Above it all, the wind howled. Cold.
Ruthless. It caught Victor's coat, snapping it behind him like a banner of war. His violet eyes flicked back to the empty seat where Cocolia once sat, her retreat leaving behind nothing but silence and questions. Etoile was gone too—vanished with her, like shadows before dawn.
He exhaled, slow and heavy.
Around him, his squad stood in stunned stillness.
Kiana stared out the broken window, hands clenched at her sides, her bright eyes hollowed in disbelief as she watched the world unravel beneath lightning-washed skies. She didn't blink. Didn't breathe.
And Yuzuki… knelt beside the shattered glass, his silver gaze buried beneath guilt, crushed beneath the weight of betrayal. His lips trembled with words that couldn't form. His hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Then came Victor's voice.
Low. Calm. Unshaken.
"...Stand up."
Yuzuki flinched, looking up to meet the storm behind Victor's eyes.
"You can repent later," Victor continued, stepping forward, thunder rumbling like a heartbeat behind him. "Right now… we have to save our friend."
It wasn't a suggestion. It wasn't a plea. It was a command.
Yuzuki swallowed his shame, his eyes finally steadying. The light returned. "...You're right."
Kiana didn't speak. She didn't need to. With a sharp slap to her own cheek, she straightened up with a grin, resting her bat on her shoulder like a soldier brandishing a banner. "Damn right we are."
Victor exhaled. Then, with purpose, he rolled his shoulders and reached up to loosen his necktie, the fabric slipping free like a snake shedding its skin. He wrapped it tight around his right hand, then tore what remained of his blazer sleeve, binding it around his left forearm.
"Transfer Squad!" he called, his voice cutting across the heavens like lightning. "We're initiating Operation: Purple Wing."
Thunder cracked.
"Our objective—save Mei. No casualties. No hesitations."
A gust of wind slammed against them like a monster's roar. None of them flinched.
Kiana twirled her bat, its weight dancing effortlessly in her grasp. "Time to clean house," she said with a smirk, before narrowing her eyes at the horde below.
"Yo, Vic—hope you got a dramatic quote ready when we crash through those creeps."
Victor ignored her, glancing upward toward the tower's peak, where purple lightning crowned a girl who no longer knew her own name.
He ran a hand through his hair, the strands catching the glow of the storm.
And then—
Shing.
Yuzuki drew a katana from seemingly nowhere.
Victor and Kiana froze.
"...Where the fu—"
"YUZU NO!" Kiana shrieked, pointing in horror. "YOU SHOULDN'T PUT THINGS IN YOUR NO-NO FLOWER!"
"Wha—WHAT?! NO! I didn't—!" Yuzuki choked, his face crimson with mortified rage as he turned his back. "dammit, Kiana!!"
Victor, deadpan, raised a brow. "...I don't even want to know."
Yuzuki took a deep breath and lifted the blade, the steel gleaming with reflection—his guilt, his resolve, his will.
Kiana adjusted her grip. Victor turned toward the shattered horizon.
And then, together, they moved—three shadows cutting through moonlight, ascending the spire with their backs toward the sea of monsters below.
The battle had begun.