The moment she stepped into the Deep End, a choking stench assaulted Mei's senses—like cheap, degraded ink mixed with the smell of rotting sludge. Covering her nose and mouth with her sleeve, Mei surveyed her surroundings. She found herself in a desolate wheat field.
The wheat stalks were withered, the grass a sickly yellow. The distant sky was stained an unnatural dark crimson, while closer areas were smeared with ink-like blotches.
The entire scene looked utterly unreal, less like the natural world and more like a famous painting discarded on the ground and scribbled over haphazardly.
"Is this... a painting?" Mei murmured in surprise. She had never witnessed such a bizarre sight; the dissonance was jarring.
"You've likely entered the area belonging to Griseo. She's the youngest among the Flame-Chasers and also a painter. If you see landscapes composed primarily of oil paintings, that should be her," Klein helpfully provided.
"Can't you see my surroundings?"
"No. To avoid detection by unknown entities, my tracking of you is kept to a minimum. Besides communication, I only have positioning capabilities. But don't worry, I can analyze your current situation for you at any time."
So, ultimately, I still have to rely on myself. Mei sighed inwardly. Although Klein had explained the peculiarity of the space, it still felt deeply strange. The air reeked of ink, and unknown dark liquid spread underfoot. If this was Griseo's work, it seemed remarkably unprofessional.
Looking back, the entry portal had vanished. Her only option was to press forward.
As she contemplated which direction to take, a sharp sense of danger surged from behind. Mei's heart leaped, and she immediately drew her blade. With a crackle of electricity, her attacker revealed itself—a mysterious woman riding a bizarre horned sheep.
"Who are you?" Mei demanded, parrying the woman's spear thrust. But the woman remained silent, simply redirecting after the missed attack and charging again. Simultaneously, the oily stains scattered throughout the wheat field seemed to come alive, figures coalescing from the filth.
They were hunched over like reapers busy during harvest season, but instead of farming tools, they wielded long, thin claws resembling scythes. The moment they spotted Mei, they let out low growls and lunged at her.
By now, Mei understood this woman was just another monster. With a cold snort, she unleashed her full power. The autumn wind rose, followed closely by thunder.
Minutes later, the wheat field was littered with bodies. However, the monsters she slew merely trembled before dissolving into black liquid, merging back into the ubiquitous ink stains. The next second, they reformed in new shapes.
"It seems direct attacks can't kill these monsters." A brief observation revealed these creatures were different from Honkai Beasts. Normal Honkai Beasts, even low-level ones, possessed basic animal instincts. These things were lifeless, attacking only in predetermined patterns.
"Likely products materialized from the painted world itself." Understanding the monsters' nature, Mei stopped engaging them directly. Using the horned sheep's massive horns as a springboard, she leaped high into the air, her tachi transforming into the thundering Judgment of Shamash.
The authority of a Herrscher gathered above her head like summer storm clouds. With her downward slash, it poured relentlessly onto the desolate wheat field. Violent lightning tore through the canvas of reality, ripping black fissures in the air. A torrential downpour followed, washing away the ink stains covering the ground.
Soon, the monsters formed from ink seemed doused by buckets of clean water, struggling to maintain their forms. After the downpour, the surroundings were empty. Not only had the monsters vanished, but the wheat field and sky had dissolved into nothingness as well. Beneath her feet appeared familiar flooring.
"As expected. This place is still part of the training grounds," Mei sighed, sheathing her katana. She looked down at the black and white tiled floor, her brow furrowing.
Sword marks?
Distinctive slashes marred the tiles, radiating a faint, lingering chill from their edges. These clearly weren't from Mei's own attacks. The only possibility was that Sakura had left them.
This discovery invigorated Mei. Unfortunately, besides the sword marks, there were no other clues. She tried asking Klein, but even the ELF seemed uncertain.
Left with no choice, Mei could only continue forward. Having confirmed this was still part of the training grounds, the subsequent spaces likely followed a similar pattern. She entered new paintings, encountered new monsters. The only notable change was the increasing frequency of Sakura's sword marks. Otherwise, it was sheer repetition.
"Do I really have to keep searching aimlessly like this?" After several such cycles, Mei grew impatient. She had no idea how many paintings Griseo had created; searching through them one by one was incredibly inefficient.
Just as she drew her blade, preparing to enter the next area, her gaze happened to fall upon the cherry blossom bracelet on her wrist.
"Sakura... Setsuna."
The sight of the cherry blossom sparked an idea. Sakura's Setsuna could cut through space itself. If she had indeed been fighting some entity, it was highly likely she had crossed spatial barriers directly. If Mei could follow the direction of the sword marks through space, she might find a shortcut.
Setsuna? Her gaze unconsciously fell upon the sword in her hand. While confident in her swordsmanship, slicing through space seemed almost miraculous. Could she really do it?
Doubt lingered for only two seconds before being replaced by resolve. She closed her eyes, recalling the slash Sakura had executed earlier.
"Instantaneous Moment—Setsuna!"
The next second, the cherry blossom bracelet dissolved into streams of light, merging into the blade of Mei's tachi. As she swung, space itself ripped open, forming a fissure.
"Miss Mei, just now, your Signet of Setsuna automatically unlocked," Klein's voice reported. Mei looked at the black rift and let out a breath.
"Right."
Stepping through, the world changed once more. This time, there were no wheat fields or meadows, only an empty art studio. Cool, dim light descended from the ceiling, illuminating numerous unfinished paintings.
Mei looked at the floor. A small footprint marked a blank canvas, likely left by a young child who had accidentally stepped in ink. Besides that, numerous used tubes of oil paint lay scattered about. Pushing aside an easel blocking her path, a small girl with blue hair came into view.
"Griseo?"
She called out softly, but the girl didn't respond. She simply lay on a cold drawing board, fast asleep.
Mei's heart tightened. The painted world outside was in chaos. If this girl truly was its master, she might very well have met with misfortune. Just as Mei started to step forward, a chilling attack suddenly struck towards her back.