EDIT: Wattpad's notification is broken. That's all.

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Screams echoed through the city, but Mei remained detached, her focus singular.

"Someone, help! The people—they're eating each other!"

The sounds of bones crunching and flesh tearing painted a gruesome scene, as human bodies morphed into grotesque, exoskeleton-like forms.

"Mama? Papa...?" 

Children's cries pierced the air as they witnessed their parents transform and succumb to the same gruesome fate.

Nagazora City, once vibrant and bustling, had devolved into a nightmarish tableau reminiscent of an apocalyptic horror story.

Survivors, still coherent enough to grasp their doom, were swiftly overtaken by the newly transformed beings, now mindless zombies fulfilling their macabre new instincts.

Yet, Mei was indifferent to the chaos around her as she clung to Lyon's lifeless body, her embrace tightening in fear of losing him forever.

Blood pooled around them, expanding as his body continued to bleed. Her tears mingled with the blood, each drop tinged with red, as she whispered reassurances to him.

"Don't worry, Lyon. I will save you, just like you saved me."

Though his spirit had departed, his physical presence remained. Unaware of the extent of her newfound power, Mei's aura alone wreaked havoc, turning her surroundings into a landscape of chaos and despair.

The sky roared with thunder, lightning crackling ominously. Helicopters and other aircraft attempting to survey the disaster were instantly disabled by the electromagnetic interference, crashing as their systems overloaded.

Irritated by the disturbance, Mei frowned, feeling the electromagnetic currents pulsing through the city. "Insects, how dare you disturb the peace while he rests?"

Raising her hand, she manipulated the city's electromagnetic fields to erect a barrier, isolating their space from the outside world.

The power bestowed upon her was intoxicating, and she reveled in it. Believing in her ability to reverse even death, Mei placed her hand over Lyon's heart and sent powerful electrical pulses into him, forcing his heart to beat again.

A satisfied smile curled her lips as she felt the steady thumping of his heart. "Don't worry, Lyon. This will hurt just a little," she murmured as she initiated her unorthodox method of healing.

Continuing her efforts, she spoke softly to him, envisioning a future just for the two of them. "Once you wake up, we'll explore the world, just the two of us, with no one else to disturb our peace. Just us."

As Mei tenderly caressed Lyon's cheeks, her hand emitted a purple glow. The mystical aura seeped into his head, concentrating particularly on the area where the bullet had penetrated.

With a scowl, she summoned the bullet to her hand, encasing it in a cocoon of lightning. She scrutinized the projectile with narrowed eyes, recognizing its type from her father's collection.

"Could it be...?" 

She murmured, her thoughts racing back to the ominous warnings her father had given before his arrest, and now, the shooting of Lyon.

Surveying the carnage around her—some students reduced to dust, others gruesomely disfigured—she sneered. None had carried weapons.

"Vermins." 

She hissed, vowing to exact vengeance on whoever was responsible for Lyon's injury.

Turning her attention back to Lyon, she noted the healing progress on his wound. His blood had dried, and strands of his white hair were stained red. Gently, she brushed his hair from his face, her gaze lingering on him.

Suddenly, gunfire erupted towards her. With minimal effort, she raised her hand, halting the bullets mid-flight, causing them to drop harmlessly to the ground.

Her eyes fixed on the assailant—a white-haired girl in the same uniform as hers, glaring defiantly.

"Back off from him, you witch!" the girl yelled.

Mei's gaze intensified as she assessed the newcomer's weaponry and the spent ammunition at her feet.

"You are not the shooter," Mei concluded silently, recognition dawning.

'And you look familiar...'

The girl, visibly nervous, held her guns trained on Mei. 

"State your name, worm."

The girl, maintaining her defiant stance yet visibly shaking, managed to stammer her introduction. "My name is Ki- Kiana Kaslana!"

A flicker of understanding crossed Mei's features. 'She's the one Lyon mentioned...'

Noticing Kiana's fearless yet reckless demeanor, Mei considered her next move carefully.

Still seated beside Lyon, ensuring his stability as she continued to channel healing energy, Mei summoned blades of lightning, pointing them threateningly at Kiana.

"What is your intention with Lyon?"

Kiana, overwhelmed by the crackling energy, trembled visibly. "I-I am his fri-friend...?" she ventured, uncertainty coloring her voice.

Mei's expression hardened, and a lightning blade shot past Kiana, obliterating a section of the concrete behind her as a stark warning.

"Answer clearly," Mei demanded, her voice echoing with authority.

Kiana straightened up, saluting nervously. "I am his friend, ma'am!"

Mei's glare softened marginally, assessing Kiana's sincerity, while keeping her guard up and her focus on Lyon's recovery.

As Mei scrutinized Kiana, her voice was cold and precise, "How do you feel about him?"

It was crucial for Mei to know.

Kiana, slightly bewildered, scratched her head with the barrel of her gun as she considered her response. "He's a cool guy, kind of quirky. I think we would have had fun together!"

Mei's aura darkened considerably at Kiana's casual words, her anger palpable. Lightning crackled menacingly in her hands, and crystalline wings of energy sprouted from her back as she raised her hand ominously.

"You will die today."

Kiana's eyes widened in sheer panic. "Wait! What did I say?"

Before Kiana could react further, Mei unleashed a barrage of lightning blades, each capable of devastating destruction.

Bracing for impact, Kiana was startled when another figure intervened, absorbing the brunt of the attack. The intense heat and electricity from the lightning melted parts of the newcomer's armor and weaponry.

Gasping for breath, a red-haired woman kneeled on the ground, exclaiming, "That's got to be the craziest attack I've ever blocked!"

She gave Kiana a wry smile. "Lucky for you, kid. That would've been the end."

Kiana managed a nervous chuckle, while Mei looked on, unamused.

"A newcomer at such a crucial moment... Who are you?" Mei demanded.

The woman laughed nervously, standing protectively in front of Kiana. "I expected a Herrscher to be more... monstrous, not a teenage girl holding onto her man. I'm kind of jealous, actually."

Mei's expression did not soften. "You haven't answered my question."

The newcomer straightened, wincing as she cracked her back. "Name's Himeko, a Valkyrie tasked with saving the world from threats like you. I captain the Hyperion."

Noticing Mei's protective hold on Lyon, Himeko's smirk broadened. "It's rare talking to an entity like you so directly. Your boyfriend there—he's gone, you know?"

Mei's eyes blazed with fury. "He is not dead."

Himeko crossed her arms, unfazed. "Ah, a lover's quarrel, then? I've seen my share of drama."

At that, Mei unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning at Himeko, melting more of her armor as the Valkyrie was hurled backward onto the concrete, coughing. 

"I was just joking..."

Mei stood firm, her voice icy. "My love for him is no joke."

Himeko struggled to her feet, feeling as though her bones were shattered. "Damn, that hurt..."

On the sidelines, Kiana watched the escalating conflict, sensing an opportunity amidst the chaos.

She whispered to herself, "I don't know if this will make things better, but I have to try." She prepared to make her move, hoping to rescue Lyon from Mei's grasp.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the area near Mei, forcing her to shield herself.

Himeko, catching her breath, raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I didn't know the Hyperion had firepower of that caliber."

As the smoke cleared, Mei re-emerged, visibly enraged. Lightning crackled more intensely around her as she scanned the skies, spotting the looming shape of the Hyperion above.

'The attack didn't come from there,' she realized.

Then, a horrifying realization struck her—Lyon was no longer in her arms.

"Lyon...?" 

Her voice cracked with panic as she frantically searched the vicinity, hurling bolts of lightning in desperation, hoping Lyon's body might be lying nearby, displaced by the blast.

But he was nowhere to be found. Mei's voice tore through the air, desperate and furious.

"WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS LYON!?"

Her aura erupted, the static around her visibly crackling with the intensity of a storm's wrath.

Kiana, normally cheerful, felt a chill of dread—the kind that foreshadowed death.

Himeko, cursing under her breath, wished she had brought additional weaponry.

They both looked up in shock as the clouds above darkened into a swirling vortex, the lightning shifting to a menacing red to match Mei's fury.

On her communicator, Himeko urgently spoke, "Hey, Theresa, are you seeing this?"

A young voice responded from the device, tinged with concern, "I do... Himeko, I'm afraid you need to retreat and take the girl with you."

"What about the Herrscher?" Himeko asked, voice tense as lightning began to strike indiscriminately across the city, Mei rising into the air, an ominous figure against the chaos.

There was a pause on the line, then a crackle. "H-He— Retreat—"

As Himeko and Kiana watched, aghast, the Hyperion began to descend, pulled by the gravitational force of Mei's lightning strikes.

Mei, her figure outlined by the storm, summoned a lightning katana in her hand. The weapon glinted with deadly intent, causing Himeko to fear for her life.

"Return Lyon to me, or face my wrath. The world will witness the consequences," Mei declared, her voice echoing like thunder.

The voice on the communicator stuttered in static, "Hi-H—Run—"

Mei raised her katana high as the skies went silent, the sudden quiet more terrifying than any storm.

"For all will witness what happens when you take something of mine."

---

Lightning continued its relentless assault on the surroundings, as Bronya, using Project Bunny, carried Lyon's inert form.

Her breaths were labored, her mechanical aid faltering under the strain. "Subject Lyon..." she murmured, gazing down at him with a mix of technological precision and emerging human emotion, the latter of which she once thought she was incapable of feeling.

Yet, there it was, stirring within her because of the young man who had shown care only for his close ones—a boy she had grown unexpectedly fond of.

Bronya checked his vitals through Project Bunny, her heart sinking as the readings confirmed his life force was faint. For once, she found herself at a loss, her usual solutions inadequate.

In a desperate attempt to intervene, she had fired a missile at Mei, hoping to snap her out of her frenzied state as she seized the opportunity to whisk Lyon away. She hadn't anticipated, however, that this act would push Mei further over the edge, transforming her into something monstrous. The regret was palpable; Bronya mourned the loss of the sister she once knew, confronting the grim realization that the days of simple friendship might be forever lost.

Now, as she held Lyon close, her wishes were simple yet fervent. She longed for him to awaken, for life to return to the way it had been—filled with playful banter and moments of peace.

Cradling him gently, she whispered into the tumultuous air, her voice barely audible over the roar of thunder, "Please... Lyon, come back."

As the rain intensified, blending with the relentless lightning and thunder that painted the sky with streaks of light and sound, something miraculous stirred.

Amidst the chaos, a pair of eyes fluttered open, glowing with a vibrant blue that seemed to pierce through the surrounding darkness.

End of Chapter

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A/N: Merry belated Christmas, everyone! I intended to release this on Christmas, but I got sidetracked by dinner with family and friends. I hope you all enjoy this one, as I have something planned for the next. See ya'll next time!