"Hahahahaha, a Herrscher actually dares to barge in here." The masked man looked as if he'd witnessed something utterly absurd. He pressed a hand to his mask, manic laughter escaping through gritted teeth.
Raiden Mei didn't answer. She simply gazed at the man's figure, a flicker of memory in her eyes.
"Didn't Elysia tell you I hate your kind more than anything? Or did you come here prepared to die?"
"..."
"Answer me!" Mei's silence completely infuriated the man. Flames erupted from his hand, threatening to burn everything to ash.
"Kalpas." Staring straight into the man's eyes without fear, Raiden Mei calmly spoke his name.
But to this man who craved battle, her composure was undoubtedly even more infuriating. "Heh hahaha, good, very good! You should be glad you're not mute. At least you can let out some pathetic pleas before you die, just like those ordinary people killed by monsters like you—dying tragically, despairingly."
Kalpas's voice overflowed with bone-deep hatred, just as Mei remembered. But she wasn't going to simply accept his fury, nor let him lump her together with the Herrschers he described.
"I am not the Herrscher you speak of, nor am I some monster. My name is Raiden Mei."
"Your name doesn't matter. To me, it's just the designation of someone about to die," Kalpas spat contemptuously, his eyes blazing with battle lust.
"No. I want you to remember it. Because this name will ultimately defeat you." Her blade slowly slid from its sheath, lightning flickering in Mei's own eyes.
"Kalpas, your days of madness are over. Give me the Signet."
"Heh, let's hope your strength is half as firm as your words. You know the rules. If you want it, you have to come and take it yourself."
The instant his words fell, intense music suddenly swelled from nowhere.
Within the domain, violent flames surged from Kalpas's hands, morphing into an unstoppable inferno. In mere seconds, the surrounding temperature skyrocketed, mirroring his own burning rage.
"Scream! Beg for mercy! I shall grant you the purest death!" Wielding no weapon, Kalpas's fists were his mightiest weapons. With a single punch, the surrounding ruins seemed to crackle and warp under the intense heat.
Facing this overwhelming blow, Mei's gaze focused, as if transported back to that twilight in ARC City when she teetered on the edge of darkness. She did not evade. Instead, she closed her eyes, sensing the gradual transformation of her power over the past months.
In that instant, the space above seemed ripped asunder by some terrifying force. Dark clouds gathered, fierce winds whipped the flames, and crimson lightning crashed down behind her, cloaking her in what seemed like thunderous battle armor.
If Kalpas at this moment was fire soaring to the heavens, then Raiden Mei was the thunder descending from the sky.
"I am the storm that is approaching!"
Sword out, shadow followed!
The moment lightning and fire clashed, the very colors of the world seemed to warp. Piles of scrap metal within the space melted in the blink of an eye. These two inherently destructive powers erupted with world-shattering might.
Blazing lightning versus consuming flames!
In an instant, Kalpas's abode transformed into a lifeless battlefield. Rampant energies crashed against each other, mutually destructive yet simultaneously unleashing even greater power.
"Good! Very good! Just like that, just like that!!" Amidst the thunder, Kalpas's furious roars echoed. But unlike his earlier suppressed rage, a thrill of battle now laced his voice.
Just as Mei and Kalpas's fight commenced, Elysia, having just returned to the Elysian Realm's main hall, hadn't even had a chance to sit when her expression suddenly tensed. She instinctively glanced towards Kalpas's domain. However, after carefully sensing the situation, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Mei, oh Mei, it seems you're even more confident than I imagined." A gentle smile played in her eyes, devoid of any worry. "If the Herrschers of this era are all as strong as you, then what does my sacrifice truly count for?"
Closer to the battle, the Golden Courtyard trembled faintly, like a minor earthquake. Eden's tilted wine glass began to fall, but she caught it gently. Opening her hazy eyes towards the sky, a pleased smile touched her lips.
"My dear Ely, is this what you were hoping for?"
The once-bright sunlight had gradually faded, replaced by a mass of dark clouds burning like embers, lightning flickering constantly beneath.
"It seems this is no longer a suitable place for drinking." Still quite tipsy, Eden gracefully gathered her long skirt. Though the ground trembled continuously, she walked as if on stable earth, looking even more sober than before. She helped the woozy Pardofelis up and headed towards the main hall, remembering to take her wine bottle with her as she left.
...
Kalpas's domain was now utterly devastated. The ground was shattered, cracks spewing flames. Only when the inferno and thunder gradually died down did the two combatants become visible.
Kalpas's burning fist stopped barely ten centimeters from Mei's face. She could feel the searing heat radiating from it. Yet, not a trace of fear showed on her face. She simply looked up at the man before her.
"I win." As her words landed, thin streams of blood dripped down the blade of her tachi. The sword tip was buried deep in Kalpas's body, stopped only by bone.
"Heh, you win? If I truly intended to kill you, a wound like this would barely be enough to properly ignite my fury." Kalpas sneered, taking a step back, letting the blade tear free from his flesh.
"I know. But unless you've completely lost your mind, you should know to stop here." Mei remained calm. She knew a fair bit about Kalpas and his strength. But this was merely their first encounter in the Elysian Realm, her way of 'greeting' him to obtain the Signet. It wouldn't suffice in a deathmatch, perhaps, but this was just a trial.
"Hahaha, very good! Your courage and strength have earned my recognition. My name is Kalpas. Like the others, a warrior bearing the Signet of [Decimation]." For some reason, Kalpas felt an inexplicable resonance with Mei. A Herrscher from the new era, yet she fought as if they had clashed many times before.
"Do I need to remind you again? Raiden Mei. That's my name."
"Oh? You think saying it like that will make me remember you? I told you, a Herrscher's name means nothing to me." Pressing a hand to the stab wound, Kalpas grunted, forcefully cauterizing blood and flesh together with his heat.
"Kalpas, if you're avoiding saying my name, I don't really mind."
"Avoiding? What a joke! Me, avoid a Herrscher?"
"Then why don't you dare speak my name?" With a sharp flick of her tachi, the blood splattered onto the ground. Mei adopted Kalpas's earlier mocking tone, a smirk playing on her lips.
Kalpas choked, nearly spitting blood. He glared furiously at Mei, eyes blazing behind his mask. But Mei met his gaze unflinchingly.
After a long, tense moment, the deadlock finally broke. Kalpas let out an angry snort, forcing the name out through gritted teeth like a trapped animal, "Rai-den-Mei!"
"Good. It seems you've learned basic manners." This time, it was Mei who said 'good'. She gave a slight nod, sheathing her weapon. "I don't expect your acknowledgment, but since you're not some mindless beast, you should at least remember your opponent's name."
"Tch."
"Then let's leave it at that. Give me the Signet, and I won't bother you again." After the fight with Kalpas, numerous thoughts swirled in Mei's mind. If Pardofelis's presence was merely a coincidence, then Kalpas's familiarity was inexplicable.
By now, her curiosity about the organization called The Obsidian Concord had grown immensely. Even more intriguing was how Elysia, confined to the Elysian Realm, could possibly know about them. The Obsidian Concord... Qiān Jué... The character 'Jué' itself means twin jades. It must have intricate ties to the Elysian Realm.
Since Mei had won, Kalpas didn't create further trouble. He straightforwardly unlocked the Signet of Decimation for her. Just as she was about to leave, however, he couldn't resist asking, "Raiden Mei, what do you seek by entering the Elysian Realm?"
He had fought and killed numerous Herrschers from the Previous Era; he knew those monsters lacked any shred of humanity. Yet Raiden Mei's demeanor was utterly unlike anything in his memory—she was a Herrscher capable of independent thought.
Such a Herrscher, he presumed, wasn't likely seeking mere power, but perhaps answers to her own existence.
"Power." Uttering the single word, Mei turned and stepped into the portal, departing without a backward glance.
Leaving Kalpas standing alone amidst the smoldering ruins.
The answer—both anticipated and utterly unexpected—sent the man perpetually wreathed in flames into a fit of wild, unrestrained laughter.