Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Self-Blame

“But… how are we supposed to do that?” Kiana asked, her gaze fixed on Mei. A maelstrom of violent lightning writhed around her friend like a living shield. The very ground beneath their feet hummed and crackled with the sound of high-voltage currents, the air thick with the sharp scent of ozone.

It was terrifyingly clear that getting close by force was not an option.

“I’ll create a distraction. You watch for an opening…” Lucian began, instinctively trying to extend his Authority to command the currents swirling around Mei. He reached out, only to find his power met with an unyielding wall. He could manipulate the free-floating Honkai Energy that saturated the air, but he was utterly powerless to interfere with the absolute domain of a Herrscher.

‘This is trickier than I thought…’

A deep line creased his brow as he drew upon the ambient Honkai Energy once more. The air beside him shimmered, and dozens of blades materialized from raw power, their edges wickedly sharp. They hovered for a moment, leaving faint, incandescent trails as they sliced through the corrupted atmosphere.

At Lucian’s silent command, the swarm of knives shot forward, a silver torrent aimed directly at Mei, who stood serene within the eye of the storm.

But the assault, which would have been devastating under normal circumstances, seemed feeble and insignificant against the tempest of tangible lightning that engulfed her. The crackling arcs of energy lashed out, vaporizing the Honkai blades long before they could reach their target.

In the next instant, with a sound like tearing silk, Mei vanished. She reappeared in a flash of violet light, standing directly between Lucian and Kiana.

“Such a gentle attack…” a cold voice whispered, brushing against his ear with a hint of faint, mocking amusement. “Are you trying to flirt with me, Lucian?”

The Herrscher gently raised a hand, her fingers closing around Lucian’s chin, forcing his head up. The gesture was intimate yet held a chilling, dangerous edge. Lucian was compelled to meet her gaze, his own eyes reflected in her violet irises, where he could see miniature lightning storms dancing with predatory light.

“I’m back, Lucian.”

The kiss was an ambush, a strike that came without warning.

Lucian’s eyes widened in shock as Mei leaned in, her lips crashing against his, forcefully prying them apart. It wasn’t a gentle touch; it was a brand, a searing mark of ownership that carried the sharp sting of electricity and an overwhelming sense of domination.

Her violet eyes were inches from his, the storm within them threatening to swallow him whole.

Lucian’s entire body went rigid. A faint, metallic tang of blood filled his mouth—he couldn’t tell if it was from his own lip, bitten in the force of the kiss, or from internal damage caused by the electrical current coursing through him.

Time seemed to warp, stretching into an infinite, agonizing moment. The stinging, numbing sensation of raw power spread between their lips and teeth, intertwined with a kiss that felt less like an embrace and more like a plunder.

It was a scene of violation that continued until a figure appeared behind Mei, a figure whose anger had finally boiled over. Kiana, her face a mask of pure fury, brandished a baseball bat like a holy sword.

“You’re not Mei, you bastard—!!!”

Kiana’s voice was a raw, guttural roar, and for a fleeting second, a dangerous flicker of gold ignited within her blue eyes. The baseball bat sliced through the air, carrying a heavy, compressed wave of pressure, aimed squarely at the back of the Herrscher’s head.

Yet, Mei didn’t even flinch. She continued to gaze down at Lucian’s struggling expression, a trace of cruel amusement surfacing in the depths of her eyes. She was completely immersed in her conquest, utterly indifferent to the world around her.

Then, with a sickening, solid thud, the bat connected.

Time seemed to freeze.

Mei’s body went instantly stiff. The electric light dancing in her eyes scattered, and the hand gripping Lucian’s chin went slack. She stumbled backward, her violet eyes wide, reflecting the image of Kiana and the purple bat she still held aloft.

“You…” she whispered, a single word escaping her lips before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, unconscious.

Kiana remained frozen in her batting stance, her chest heaving with ragged breaths as the golden light in her eyes slowly faded.

Lucian staggered back a step, his lips burning with a sharp pain. He brought a hand to his mouth and his fingers came away stained with blood. Mei had actually bitten him. The small wound sealed itself almost instantly, a minor benefit of his unique constitution. He looked down at Mei’s fallen form. Her eyes were closed, her face peaceful. She was out cold.

“Lucian, are you okay?!” Kiana rushed to his side, her voice trembling.

“I’m fine,” Lucian shook his head, his mind still reeling. He quickly knelt to check Mei’s pulse and breathing. Finding them steady, he let out a long, shaky sigh of relief. She was only unconscious. “But Mei… her condition is unstable.”

He and Kiana carefully helped Mei up, propping her limp body against the crumbling remains of a nearby wall.

“…What happened to Mei?” Kiana asked, staring at her friend, her mind struggling to catch up. The whirlwind of events had left her completely disoriented.

Lucian was shot and fell. Mei was possessed by some terrifying entity. Lucian suddenly woke up, only to be forcefully kissed by that same entity. And now, Mei was unconscious, knocked out by her own hand. The series of shocks left her head buzzing, unable to form a coherent thought.

“Have you ever heard of… Herrschers?” Lucian asked, his voice low and serious, deflecting her question with one of his own.

“Herr… scher?” Kiana repeated the word blankly. It felt vaguely familiar, a ghost of a memory she couldn’t quite grasp in her current state of confusion.

“Mm,” Lucian nodded, his gaze returning to Mei’s serene, sleeping face. “There is a Herrscher Core inside Mei’s body. It’s the source of her power… and it’s what turned Changkong City into this.”

As he spoke, Lucian’s gaze swept over their surroundings. Ruin. Everywhere he looked, there was only ruin. The air was thick with dust and the faint, acrid smell of scorched metal and earth. On the street not far away, he could clearly see the shambling figures of several Honkai beasts chasing after a small group of desperate survivors.

This entire city had become a mass grave.

Witnessing a Honkai Eruption of this magnitude for the first time, Lucian found he had no words to describe the horror. Before, a man like him would have been eroded and killed by simply approaching an area with such dense Honkai concentration. Now, even with the incredible power he possessed, he had still been unable to do anything.

His original plan had been so simple: rely on his Authority to protect St. Freya Academy and the people he cared about when the inevitable eruption occurred.

But he had taken no real precautions. He had let himself be lulled into a false sense of security, allowing those rats lurking in the shadows to get the upper hand and unleash this city-wide catastrophe.

Lucian’s fist clenched at his side, his knuckles turning white.

“…” Kiana followed his gaze, taking in the scene of utter destruction. She stood in silence for a long time, the reality of their situation finally crashing down on her.

“Kiana, we should go,” Lucian’s voice, quiet but firm, broke the heavy silence and pulled her back from the brink. He forced himself to look away from the distant tragedy, his focus returning to the unconscious girl beside him.

“It’s not safe here,” he said, a note of helplessness creeping into his tone. “And Mei’s condition is too unstable.”

In that moment, a bitter realization washed over him. He had been lazy. Arrogant. After gaining his power, he had made no concrete plans for the future, content to live a relaxed, carefree life.

If he had been more vigilant, he might have detected the conspiracies brewing beneath the surface. If he had used his power sooner, he might have been able to prevent Mei’s transformation…

Unfortunately, there were no ‘ifs’ in reality. There was only the crushing weight of his failure, a self-blame that settled deep in his bones.

“Lucian?” Kiana’s voice pulled him from his spiraling self-flagellation. He snapped his head up, meeting her worried blue eyes.

‘This isn’t the time to wallow in regret,’ he thought, pushing the guilt down.

Mei was still unconscious. Kiana was looking to him for guidance. Bronya was still missing. And this city was still burning.

“I’m fine,” Lucian said, taking a deep, steadying breath to suppress the churning emotions in his heart. “Let’s go.”

He bent down, carefully hoisting Mei onto his back. With Kiana at his side, he turned his back on the ruins of the academy and began the long walk out into the broken city.