AQK 201-210 (Patreon)

First Half

Chapter 201: Brother Guo's Hades Train"Foolish Jack, foolish Jack, foolish Jack who's obsessed with pumpkins. He picked up his beloved pumpkin, and the pumpkin bit off his head."The video showed Seele reading aloud the tiny text printed on the back of the ticket.This incredibly bizarre, program synopsis-like text was presented to everyone."What kind of weird show is this?"Tesla hugged her shoulders, feeling goosebumps and a chill run down her spine as she looked at the synopsis:"Only people with nothing better to do... no, only vulgar people would watch this kind of stuff!""It is indeed a program synopsis full of twisted humor," Einstein nodded in agreement.Just like Black Seele's first impression of the synopsis was disgust, most of the people in the audience felt the same way.Bizarre, chilling, exuding an indescribable sense of strangeness.Fu Hua frowned. She was bw certain that this was indeed the trace left by the Tenth Herrscher. The Herrscher of Dominance.However, this Tenth Herrscher was quite different from the one she remembered.This could cause a lot of trouble in dealing with her in the future.After surveying her surroundings and clenching her powerful hand, Fu Hua breathed a sigh of relief.While she hadn't fully recovered to her peak condition, she was now strong enough to handle the remaining Herrschers except for Finality and a few others.And while the Herrscher of Dominance was a troublesome type, she wasn't insurmountable.Although the video had revealed the final answer, "Foolish Jack," it wasn't over yet.Through a memory between Seele and Black Seele, a long-buried secret is revealed.Just like the random passerby at the beginning, only this time it was Seele's own narration.As this long-buried past between Seele and Bronya unfolded,everyone was astonished.Bronya's eyes widened slightly, and she subconsciously pursed her lips.This scene was unforgettable.On that day many years ago,Seele was kidnapped.Bronya rescued Seele alone.In her haste, and still haunted by her instinctive killer instincts, she killed all the kidnappers.As she hastily wiped away the blood, leaving only traces behind, and tried to touch and comfort Seele,"Evil... demon..."That timid, terrified whisper tore open a deep wound in Bronya's heart.That day, the two girls made a promise.That day, the most legendary assassin on Charon's list, the Silver Wolf of Ural, vanished without a trace.Although she and Seele later reconciled, the word "demon" uttered by Seele that day left a wound in Bronya's heart that remained unhealed to this day.Only today, after witnessing Seele's firsthand account of that day, did Bronya finally understand.The demon wasn't referring to her, but to the suddenly appearing Black Seele.She had mistakenly thought Seele was referring to her because she hadn't known the truth at the time."I see..."Bronya gave a bitter smile.Because of a misunderstanding, the infamous assassin, the Ural Silver Wolf, had vanished without a trace.She let out a sigh of relief.The disappearance of the Ural Silver Wolf didn't bother Bronya.After all, since meeting Seele, she had distanced herself from that wrong path.Even without making that vow, Bronya could never return to her old ways.What relieved her was the resolution of the misunderstanding.This let Bronya know that she wasn't hated by Seele, nor was she the demon Seele described.Although it sounded strange, it was enough for Bronya.Of course, this self-narration seemed quite ordinary to others.It was just that Bronya had misunderstood something as simple as Seele being saved.Only Bronya and Seele, the two people involved back then, truly understood this self-narration.As the self-narration ended, the video went dark.As the one answering the eleventh question, Seele, having answered correctly, should open the box.However, Seele was currently in a cocoon state and definitely couldn't open the chest.After a brief discussion, it was decided that Bronya would open it.As Seele's closest person, Bronya was qualified to open it on Seele's behalf.[Maiden's Heart - Stricken Infatuation] [Attack Power] [311] [★★★★★] [A feather ornament carrying someone's longing, like a migratory bird traveling far away on the wind.] [From another world, a component of the artifact called Plume of Death, which can grant the wearer powerful strength.] [Crit Rate 99%][Crit Damage 500%][ATK 250%][ATK 311][Main: Wear this, and you can become incredibly powerful][2-Piece Set Bonus: Increases healing received by the character by 15%][4-Piece Set Bonus: For 7 seconds after using an Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst, increases healing received by all party members by 25%]"..." Bronya stared at the delicate pink feather inlaid with hearts in her hand, then glanced at its description, completely bewildered."...It looks just like an item from an online game... this stat description..." Wendy glanced at the stat panel and instantly thought of the equipment interface in the online games Bronya often played.Crit Rate, Crit Damage, and all that—aren't these kinds of mysterious attributes only found in games?The hidden gaming enthusiast Cecilia looked at the feather's uniform color and obviously violent attributes. She glanced at the healing effect beneath it and nodded in agreement, but a strange expression appeared on her face. "Indeed, but... this thing... shouldn't it actually be a healing item?!"Tesla, however, crossed her arms, tilted her head back, and snorted."Hmph, healing is just for helping teammates. Once all the enemies are defeated, teammates don't need to fight, so they don't need healing!"The feather's stats were very much to her liking.Hearing this, Bronya expressionlessly put the feather in her pocket.The attributes didn't matter; she just felt Seele would like this feather. After all, it was a beautiful and delicate-looking feather.After the item calculation was complete, question twelve appeared:[12. In the fifth world of the Honkai Ring Project, who guided Kiana?][A. Rita Rossweisse][B. Liesel Albert Einstein] [C. Fu Hua] [D. Himeko] Looking at the title, everyone fell silent."It's that Honkai Ring Project again," Tesla said with her hands on her hips, a hint of exasperation in her expression.Einstein sighed softly. "Looks like someone else is going to be the target of this persecution again."Einstein's words startled Theresa.As everyone knew, the number one victim of the Honkai Ring Project was none other than Theresa herself.After all, it was those witty Theresas who started this whole series.TeRi-baka was more panicked than ever before.Because this was different from usual.Cecilia was standing right beside her!The persecution she'd suffered in the past, having her embarrassing history exposed to others, was already unbearably shameful.If Cecilia saw her in such a humiliating state, Theresa really wanted to flee the world on Judah.The others weren't as panicked.After all, so far, none of them had any particularly shameful history of persecution.The only one with as much as Theresa was probably Mei, who had been stripped of her cooking duties.However, Mei was wearing glasses now and wasn't afraid of being embarrassed.Besides, she'd accepted being a cook after being persecuted so many times.Cooking wasn't shameful.A cook is a cook, a cook is a cook.She's fed these freeloaders so much that their average weight has increased by half; wasn't she truly deserving of the title "Cook"?More serious than feeling ashamed, they needed to discuss how to answer this question.Honestly, it wasn't easy.After all, they knew nothing about the so-called Fifth World, so they could only deduce the plausibility of the answers.But the problem lay in the answers themselves.Apart from Rita in option A, whether it was Einstein, Fu Hua, or Himeko, they all fit the type who could guide others.Strictly speaking, Rita also possessed this quality."Speaking of Himeko-sensei... come to think of it, we haven't actually seen her in the previous worlds, have we?"Hearing Bronya say this, everyone realized it was true.Many of them had appeared in those previous worlds,but Himeko was nowhere to be seen... Well, of course, there were others who were nowhere to be seen either, but since Himeko was in this question, it was natural to consider her."Perhaps in that world, Himeko also..."Theresa offered a guess.Himeko understood what Theresa meant, she twitched her lips and felt a surge of anger.She could accept that her future self died while guiding Kiana, but to say that she was also dying in other worlds? Wasn't that a bit much?Himeko wondered if she was some kind of world-ending character destined to die.Leaving aside Himeko's inner monologue, regarding Bronya's point, the group settled on a possible approach:Anything not previously mentioned would be eliminated.While this was somewhat unscientific and unfounded, it was indeed a line of thought.Given the current lack of a clear strategy, having such a line of thought was already quite good.Following this approach,Einstein (option B) and Himeko (option D) were eliminated.The remaining options were Rita (option A) and Fu Hua (option C), both of whom had appeared in previous Project Rim worlds.However, they were unsure which to choose.Therefore, a final solution was decided upon.Fu Hua and Rita competed against each other, and the winner would be deemed correct and gain the final choice.However, this felt like a power struggle.Whoever had the bigger fist was right.Of course, this competition couldn't be based on fists, otherwise a hundred Ritas wouldn't be enough to defeat Fu Hua, whose body had returned to its peak.Logically, Kiana also had a right to compete, but she had already participated so many times.It was time to give others a chance, so she chose to forfeit her right to compete.Then things got awkward.With Kiana's good luck gone,in a situation where it was basically all about luck without the use of force, Fu Hua's bad luck became incredibly powerful, resulting in a quick defeat and allowing Rita to claim victory.Then Rita made her choice.However, unusually, the answer, like before, wasn't revealed immediately but postponed.Given the previous example, everyone roughly knew that the answer would likely be announced along with the main reveal.Under these circumstances, everyone stared at the screen, eager to see which unlucky soul would be persecuted this time.—The first thing to appear in the video was Kiana, dressed in her ever-present, budget-friendly outfit."Where... am I?"Her pretty face was full of confusion. She scanned her surroundings with her azure eyes, rubbing her forehead somewhat bewilderedly."How many times have I traveled through timelines...?""Which point in this major event is this?"From what she could tell, Kiana was currently in a gloomy, dimly lit underground station, but exactly where she was remained a mystery."I..."Feeling slightly dizzy and without any guidance, Kiana was completely lost."What should I do?"But looking at the light ahead, she pursed her lips, then calmed herself, a hint of helplessness in her voice."Looks like I can only keep moving forward, proceeding cautiously.""Hmm?""This..."A dim outline came into view, making Kiana tense up and causing her steps to become more careful."What's this?""Huh?"She paused, looking at the strangely eerie sign that flashed red lights intermittently, and breathed a sigh of relief:"It's scary how it suddenly appeared, but at least it's just a signboard.""Let's keep going."Relieved, Kiana continued walking as she had said.But she stopped abruptly after only a few steps, her face turning deathly pale.Not far from her, in the gaps between the stations, stood a series of identical, extremely eerie signboards, occasionally flashing red lights.Those "intelligent" eyes, which would normally seem comical, now, in the dim light and under the nameless rhythm, instantly sent chills down everyone's spine."This, this is terrifying..."Just as Kiana complained in the video, among the viewers, those as weak as Wendy were already deathly pale.Fear involuntarily created gusts of wind around her.However, due to the constraints of the Q&A Space, it had no effect whatsoever.Note: Wendy's way of dealing with fear is to slice the things she fears into pieces with the wind until she's no longer afraid of it.Besides Wendy, Tesla was the only one truly terrified.Although a staunch materialist, Tesla was surprisingly afraid of ghosts and spirits.However, to avoid embarrassment, she forced herself to remain calm and hid behind Welt.Aside from these two, the others were generally unafraid.Himeko's fearlessness was due to her personality.Theresa was similar.Cecilia... she might be curious about what ghosts were.Mei... honestly, she's usually terrified of ghosts, but currently in her glasses-wearing state, she's probably only thinking about how to catch a ghost and slice it up."Hey, hey, hey!""What the hell is going on at this train station?!"Kiana, still shaken by the hellish illustrations, pressed herself against the wall, her heart pounding."God! Heavens! Auntie!""For the first time, I find your normal self so endearing!"Upon hearing this, Theresa's eyes sharpened instantly.What does that mean?So, did that mean the normal version of herself wasn't friendly looking? Theresa felt she should make time to let Kiana experience her friendliness....While Kiana was still shaken, a sound came from the side."Huh... what's that?"Startled, Kiana looked over and saw a lit vending machine.She walked toward the machine, then suddenly stopped, looking troubled:"Um... but I don't have any coins on me..."Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly felt something strange in her palm. Looking down at the coin with TeRi-baka's image on it, Kiana was puzzled."(Hmm? Where did this coin come from?)""I'll try it then."But her curiosity didn't last long, and without much thought, she inserted the coin into the vending machine's coin slot.The moment the coin went in, the vending machine's screen flickered."If I am fortunate enough to speak with you,""Then the situation has clearly reached another rather dire point.""If the pathogen on this train is not successfully eradicated,""Then the TeRi-Baka Virus will spread to even more distant places with this train."Looking at the familiar figure projected from the vending machine and speaking to itself, Kiana was somewhat surprised."Miss Rita's projection.""This...""What on earth is going on?""So this is the crucial singularity after all?"Listening to Rita's words, Kiana pondered with her head bowed."If I could successfully stop it..."In the middle of her thoughts, Rita's projection continued:"This space is no longer the underground station we humans generally understand.""Twisted, mutated, and illusory creations exist everywhere. I hope you possess the discerning eye to distinguish reality from illusion. I will also lend you a hand.""Take this with you. It will tell you that seeing is not believing."With her words, a strange pair of glasses fell out of the exit with a clatter."Sorry, my time is running out.""Have a safe journey."Picking up the glasses, Kiana recalled Rita's last words before her image disappeared.Kiana's heart grew heavy."A final... blessing?"

----

Chapter 202: Kiana, Deceived, and Her Failed Ending

Having witnessed those bizarre scenes and listened to the descriptions from Rita's phantom, then looking back at the previous ping-pong tournament, the locked-room murder, the gym, and the TeRi-baka idiotic dance, and finally at this summary, Himeko raised an eyebrow somewhat surprisingly.

"Compared to the previous worlds, the style of this Fifth World is really... unexpected."

Fu Hua stroked her chin and spoke seriously.

"Perhaps this is just a deliberate setup at the beginning. Judging from the previous nonsensical settings, seeing only this part doesn't prove much."

Although, so far, both the background and the dialogue exuded an ominous atmosphere, the preconceived notions left by the previous worlds could not be dispelled in such a short time.

"Probably, but compared to that, the correct answer has actually already been revealed, hasn't it?"

Rita smiled and spoke. Her appearance in the image, though merely a phantom, perfectly fit the role of the guide described in the title, leading Kiana.

This was undeniable, as the belated green "Correct" flashed beside her.

However, although the result was clear, the process that followed still piqued everyone's curiosity.

After all, compared to the previous nonsensical comedic worlds, this Fifth World which seemed somewhat... dark from the start raised the question of what kind of development and what kind of story would unfold. It was intriguing, wasn't it?

Under everyone's unanimous gaze, Kiana in the image gave a self-deprecating laugh and then put on the futuristic glasses provided by Rita.

Through the small lenses, the somewhat dimly lit train station became incredibly bright, and the previously eerie TeRi-baka standees all disappeared.

The last one disappeared through the open train doors.

"Hmph..."

Kiana snorted coldly and, with lightning speed, sprinted into the carriage, using the momentum to slide directly inside.

The abrupt movement made a teeth-grinding scraping sound on the porcelain floor.

Upon entering the train and seeing the dimly lit, deserted interior, the train appears to sense Kiana's presence. A dangerous red light flashed inside.

Beep beep.

After the beep, normalcy returned, and the announcement, characteristically in Theresa's voice, rang out:

"Hello, this train is heading to ■■■."

"Please be seated and hold on tight."

As the voice rang out, the stationary train began to move.

"Have a pleasant journey."

Hehehe~

Hearing the incredibly eerie laughter trailing off, Kiana, gripping her seat, showed no fear. Her face shrouded in shadow was occasionally illuminated by the faint light from the window.

"It seems this train is also completely under the control of the TeRi-baka virus."

Kiana calmly observed, muttering to herself:

"In such a confined space, how am I supposed to eliminate the pathogen Ms. Rita mentioned?"

The TeRi-baka voice rang out again, causing Kiana, lost in thought, to turn her gaze.

"Passenger Kiana, hello."

"To ensure your travel experience..."

"We're about to conduct a simple survey."

Hearing this inexplicable statement, Kiana froze.

"Well then, please listen to the question."

"The first question."

"What should you do when the train doors are about to close?"

As soon as the question reached her ears, Kiana was stunned for a moment, then pointed angrily at the source of the voice. 

"Are you kidding me?! Are you going to ask me about travel etiquette now?!"

"Catching you! That's what I should be doing!!"

As Kiana finished speaking, the eerie TeRi-baka voice emitted a chilling, unsettling laugh.

"Hehehehe... Wrong, wrong, wrong!!"

"For your safety, please wait for the next train~"

A dangerous red light flashed in the cramped carriage, and simultaneously, TeRi-baka hung from the ceiling, its wise eyes gleaming.

"Pfft!"

Because the image was so large, Cecilia who saw it very clearly this time couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

What is this?

She had actually wanted to ask that question earlier.

Why do these things look so much like Theresa and have such st-, wise eyes?

And that TeRi-baka Kiana mentioned earlier... looking at that wise expression, Cecilia felt that the name was incredibly fitting.

Of course, Cecilia's laughter made Theresa's face darken.

She knew that once the Ring Project was mentioned, she was bound to suffer.

Even with something so obviously different and somewhat eerie, she was still being humiliated.

"Tch..."

Having just experienced everything, Kiana glanced around somewhat irritably and muttered:

"So I'm the unreasonable one, huh?"

"Now, second question. Please pay attention."

Amid Kiana's muttering, TeRi-baka posed the second question:

"If you were about to be assimilated by my light but could escape by using this passerby in front of you as a shield, what would you do?"

Kiana remained calm, not even considering the question. Her face was serious.

"Even knowing there's no one beside me, I would still choose..."

The instant she gave her answer, Kiana instinctively bent down, making a gesture of submission.

"—Protect them!!"

In the brief moment Kiana crouched, streaks of dangerous red rays grazed past her.

"Hehehehe~~"

Accompanying this was TeRi-baka's eerie laughter.

"I like you!"

"I like you!!"

"Great, great!"

"Unfortunately—wrong answer!!"

The statue of TeRi-baka flashed a chilling red light once more.

"For your safety, please don't be reckless~~"

But the previous two encounters had already made Kiana somewhat impatient.

"What exactly do you want to do?!" she demanded sharply.

"Come out! Come out here!"

Amid Kiana's roar, TeRi-baka's voice rang out again:

"I really like you, so... I'll give you a chance."

"Now for the final question."

She asked the same question as before, the final one:

"When danger is at its worst and the train door opens, what should you do?"

As the question was uttered, the moving train stopped, and the tightly closed doors opened.

Looking at the open doors and the light shining through, Kiana naturally understood what TeRi-baka expected—nothing more than her escaping and choosing to survive.

But...

A solemn, epic melody inexplicably filled the small space.

"I will not yield to you."

"I will not desert my post."

Kiana's face was utterly calm yet resolute.

"I will stop you here."

At the climax of the melody, she declared with unwavering conviction:

"Let this world, let it be the way everyone wants it to be!"

... 

"Damn, isn't this the background music from The Final Lesson?"

Tesla couldn't help but exclaim.

"Good grief, this is reusing background music!"

With this background music playing, what was originally a hilarious world... well, this was the underworld. It all started to seem surprisingly exciting and inspiring.

"Ahem." Himeko, the person involved in The Final Lesson, coughed, somewhat amused and exasperated.

Honestly, after watching The Final Lesson, hearing this music was definitely quite depressing.

The Kiana in the video was serious and spoke with a professional air, which, combined with the background music, made it quite convincing.

But looking at TeRi-baka's wise face, even if this Fifth World wasn't so nonsensical, it was still quite funny.

...

Kiana's serious speech in the video naturally didn't suit TeRi-baka's taste.

"Wrong answer!!"

"Hehehehe~~"

Another eerie laugh rang out, TeRi-baka's mesmerizing voice echoing in the cramped carriage.

And the carriage's open front doors snapped shut instantly, returning from a standstill to motion.

A crimson light illuminated the entire carriage. A blood-red hue filled it with an ominous atmosphere.

"Everyone's will is with me!"

"We hope..."

"This world can be filled only with laughter!"

Standees of TeRi-baka hung from the ceiling, their expressions identical as they surrounded Kiana, their large, intelligent eyes glowing with a blood-red light.

"So, Kiana, what will you do?"

"My gaze is already on you."

Kiana's expression remained calm.

"Have a pleasant journey~~"

"Hmph."

She snorted coldly, her face as frosty as she mocked:

"Do you really think I'm reckless?!"

"If you could really take me down so easily inside the carriage, I wouldn't have been able to dodge that laser!"

Kiana tilted her head slightly, recalling the events of the moment, she made a resolute and unwavering judgment:

"Seeing is not believing. You don't even exist in this carriage!"

With that, Kiana raised her leg and, with incredible agility, kicked a corner of the train.

"You are..."

"—This screen!"

The glass covering it shattered. The thing staring at Kiana directly in front, the screen displaying TeRi-baka's image was filled with disbelief.

"You... you actually..."

"Hmph." Kiana snorted coldly, took out the can of soda Rita had given her, and twisted the tab.

"That's enough!"

The swirling soda spray splashed across the screen, damaging the electronic components. TeRi-baka's face contorted with frustration like an old, distorted television screen, looking resentful.

"Damn it..."

But ultimately, it disappeared.

"This train has reached its final stop. Please take your belongings and disembark as soon as possible."

Having done what she needed to do, Kiana stood before the train doors, waiting for them to open.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

She stepped off the train with measured steps onto the smooth ceramic floor of the station.

Kiana's expression was calm as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew."

"Finally, I'm done."

She walked out of the station, following the light, and when she saw the peaceful, serene, and untroubled city outside, she murmured to herself with satisfaction:

"Looks like things have been successfully repaired here too."

"Time to move on to the next singularity."

With that, Kiana pressed the button on her leg ring and vanished from this world.

Seeing what Tesla had done to Kiana in the video, she couldn’t help but remark:

"So that's how you use that soda, huh? Using carbonated soda to damage electronic components, you've got some nerve."

"That clever TeRi-baka has been dealt with too. That went smoothly."

Theresa raised an eyebrow, slightly offended.

But regarding Tesla's opinion, Mei remained serious.

She coldly uttered. 

"It's not over yet."

"Huh?"

Mei's words drew puzzled looks from most of the others.

Not over yet?

What's not over yet?

Bronya noticed the situation and spoke expressionlessly:

"This video isn't over yet."

Upon hearing this, everyone except the wise ones like Einstein and Otto was startled.

Looking again, they indeed found that the video wasn't over.

The stagnant video began to advance again.

The once quiet, twilight city was shrouded in darkness.

In the desolate underground train station, a strange train arrived, leaving everyone with only the locomotive, which, like TeRi-baka, looked incredibly terrifying in the darkness.

A chilling, eerie sound echoed.

The nameless woman's sobbing from the vending machine Kiana had previously used was so clear:

"Hiss... hiss... hiss..."

In the darkness, the lonely, glowing vending machine, illuminated by the eerie music, made everyone's hearts pound.

"Clang!"

With a crisp metallic clang, a can of soda bearing Rita's name appeared in the vending machine's dispenser, its image unsettling against the backdrop of the sobbing.

So unsettling that Rita herself lost her smile, her face turning grave.

The seemingly quiet city outside, with its numerous screens displaying TeRi-baka images accompanied by eerie laughter, seemed to foreshadow something.

"Hehehe~"

Tesla's heart sank.

Her whole body went cold.

"W-w-what's going on?!"

She was utterly bewildered.

Hadn't Kiana already dealt with that so-called pathogen?!

How could such a bizarre situation occur?

Einstein held up a finger quite seriously.

"The situation is clear. Kiana failed to eliminate the pathogen... or rather, the one Kiana eliminated wasn't the real pathogen!"

"Huh? But didn't Kiana follow the instructions of that Rita phantom and avoid being bewitched...?"

Tesla was still somewhat confused, but being a member of a highly intelligent group, she quickly realized the problem after a moment's thought and recollection. Her face filled with horror.

"Wait, could it be?!"

"Yes, just as you think... I believe the image I left behind in the video was indeed meant to guide Kiana and prevent her from being bewitched by Theresa."

"And she certainly wasn't bewitched before."

Agreeing with Tesla's idea, Rita crossed her arms and spoke seriously. 

"However, in the middle... my clues in the footage were probably also used by that TeRi-baka."

"This successfully misled Kiana's target, making her mistakenly believe that the real TeRi-baka wasn't in the carriage."

Mei glanced at Kiana and picked up the thread, then said calmly. 

"But actually, judging from what was shown in the footage..."

"According to you, Ms. Rita, that train is probably..."

"—TeRi-baka's true form, isn't it?"

 Chapter 203: An Utterly Absurd Attack, This Is Absolutely Impossible!

And so, everything came to a conclusion.

"Wow, these TeRi-bakas look so foolish yet so wise. I never expected them to be so shrewd!"

Tesla, having understood everything, crossed her arms and looked astonished.

Bronya rested her chin on her hand and spoke expressionlessly. "Thinking about it carefully, some of the TeRi-bakas' actions when they first appeared in the previous worlds actually show that they aren't as they appear..."

"But if this world ends like this, it means Kiana's efforts to correct the world have failed."

Picking up where Bronya left off, Einstein spoke solemnly. 

“According to that hilariously flawed man from the Honkai Ring Project, only by fixing all the singularities can the world be saved and the TeRi-baka Virus eradicated.”

“If one fails, and Kiana doesn’t realize it afterward, the ending of this bizarre world will probably not be as happy as we imagine.”

Einstein’s words cast a shadow over Kiana and everyone else.

Although, based on the previous developments, this Ring Project world is just a nonsensical and ridiculously bizarre world, it is precisely because of this that such a world ultimately meeting a bad ending makes it all the more somber.

The straightforward Tesla, with a stern face, stomped her little shoe and muttered somewhat angrily. 

"Tch, honestly, this is supposed to be a comedy world, so don't throw in this conspiracy theory stuff!"

Himiko and Wendy nodded in deep agreement, while Theresa found it utterly disdainful.

After all, no matter what, given the TeRi-baka virus background, she was the one who got caught in the crossfire.

The video ended, and the treasure chest that she deserved was in Rita's hands.

At this moment, Otto, who had been standing there like a wooden statue, revealed an incredibly expectant smile.

Rita was his subordinate. If this chest in Rita's hands contained the resurrection item he so desperately wanted, then he wouldn't have to consider groveling before her anymore.

Here's a funny joke: Otto, the leader and Overseer of the Schicksal religious organization, is actually a staunch materialist.

Even knowing of the existence of the so-called God of Honkai, his rationality prevents him from making any prayers because Otto understands it's unrealistic.

But now, seeing the hope that might fulfill his five-hundred-year-old wish, Otto subconsciously began to pray, to inquire of a god he knew was unreliable.

However, isn't it actually this magical Q&A Space that determines what's inside this treasure chest?

While Otto eagerly awaited, Rita carefully opened the Homu reward chest in her hand.

She wasn't unlucky, so it wasn't like she would get a complete setback right away.

[Scales of Destiny (Imitation)]

[The components of the Scale of Destiny, once all are collected, can be used to try and exchange for something. However, if not all are collected, they will be useless.]

[Limitation: Due to its damaged state, it can only be used once.]

Rita held an ancient bronze balance platform base.

Upon seeing the description of this item, Theresa's group's expressions darkened.

This was an extremely dangerous item.

In contrast, Otto smiled.

During the previous Q&A, Bianka had obtained the balance beam of the Scale of Destiny.

Now, although he hadn't obtained the item he so desperately wanted, one that could directly revive Joyce like before, he was still satisfied with obtaining this component of the scales, which was said to be able to exchange for anything.

A balance scale consists of a beam, a base, and two hanging platforms.

Now that he had obtained two, what reason did Otto have to be dissatisfied?

"How about we snatch that Otto guy after we get out of here?"

Tesla couldn't stand seeing Otto do well, so she made the suggestion directly, her words carried perfectly to Otto's ears.

It was only after benefiting from so many Q&A Spaces that Tesla felt confident enough to say that.

Otherwise, in the past, Tesla would have definitely only thought of hiding from Otto.

Kiana and Himiko both showed some interest in this suggestion.

Who knows what Otto will use these things for once he collects them?

There's a battle about to break out outside, so this is a perfect opportunity to steal those two things from Otto.

Or, to be more decisive, they could eliminate Otto as well. Then there would be no worries.

But it's easier said than done.

Even though their high-end combat power currently had a significant advantage over the enemy, completely eliminating this 500-year-old bastard Otto and snatching what he saw as hope from this cunning fox was definitely not an easy task.

Of course, that didn't stop them from trying.

Listening to this, Otto still smiled, showing no sign of dissatisfaction or any other emotion.

Even with this Q&A Space, he didn't believe that Anti-Entropy plus his adorable granddaughter could overthrow him in such a short time.

Because he had ways to deal with both the Herrschers and Fu Hua, whose body had recovered to its peak.

However, to be honest, Theresa did have a character that gave Otto a headache.

This naturally referred to Cecilia, who had seemingly returned from the dead.

In his expectations, he didn't have the former Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie among his enemies.

But even so, for Otto, this was merely difficult to handle, not impossible.

Without the Black Abyss and White Flower, St. Freya's only noteworthy qualities were her control over Honkai, inherited from Schariac, her exquisite skills, and the Herrscher assassin—Holy Blood—that Otto considered his trump card.

However, Otto still had ways to deal with Cecilia like this.

In that brief moment—

"Seele!"

Following Bronya's voice, everyone looked toward the blood cocoon that Seele had formed.

At this moment, the previously motionless blood cocoon was trembling slightly and shimmering with a faint light.

"It seems to be nearing completion."

Observing this unusual change, Fu Hua rested her chin on her hand.

"Indeed."

Einstein agreed, her eyes fixed on the blood cocoon and gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.

Seeing a living person about to emerge from the cocoon was quite intriguing for scientists like them.

Under their varied gazes, the blood cocoon rapidly dissolved, revealing the figure within.

On the surface, Seele appeared unchanged.

But upon closer inspection, it was noticeable that Seele's skin had become smoother.

"Gah… this thing even has a beautifying effect?!"

Tesla exclaimed in surprise, admitting she was envious.

Even as a somewhat carefree scientist, Tesla's typical female traits remained unchanged.

"This feeling…"

Bianka stared intently at Seele, who had stood up with her eyes closed.

She was just standing there alone, but Bianka felt as if a ferocious prehistoric beast was lurking there, a strange feeling that sent shivers down her spine.

Not only her, but anyone with a keen combat instinct could sense this.

Seele slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes, normally as deep as the ocean, were now like burning gold.

Within that gold was a rainbow-colored demonic energy, primarily blue and green.

The appearance of that golden light intensified the feeling of facing a prehistoric beast.

But that eerie demonic rainbow also sent chills down one's spine.

"Seele…?!"

Looking at the motionless Seele, Bronya tentatively called out.

This seemed to completely awaken Seele, filling her eyes with renewed vitality.

“Bronya Onee-chan!”

Spotting Bronya, Seele took a few steps closer and directly wrapped her arms around Bronya's neck.

“Ahem.”

Himiko coughed twice, indicating that there were still people present.

This made Seele, who was looking around, react, and she jumped away like a startled rabbit.

Bronya remained expressionless, but in her heart...

…Seele smelled even better ☺️🤤

Originally, Seele's scent was a calming and secluded fragrance, like a tranquil valley.

But this time, when Bronya smelled that scent again on Seele, she felt a strange heat and palpitations along with the calmness.

"Seele smells different~"

Wendy, who was quite close to Bronya, also noticed the change, but she was more direct in saying it aloud.

This startled Seele, whose cheeks flushed slightly. She hurriedly looked around and sniffed, muttering softly, "No..."

She couldn't detect anything unusual; everything felt the same as before.

In that brief moment, the strange look in Seele's eyes disappeared.

The odd feeling vanished as well.

"...Eh?! My clothes?!"

While wondering about the smell, Seele suddenly realized something was wrong with her body, and her face paled in alarm.

Yes, her clothes were gone.

Well… of course, that doesn't mean she was naked.

There were quite a few men there, after all. She couldn't just be naked like that.

Seeing Seele's panicked expression, Tesla spoke somewhat hesitantly. 

"I was just about to ask you this. How could your clothes change after transforming into a cocoon?!"

Her clothes were completely different before and after entering. Anyone with eyes could see that, but the many other changes in Seele made them overlook this anomaly. Now that Seele had noticed it herself, they were naturally very curious.

"Speaking of which, these clothes… if I remember correctly, they're from the Far East…"

Mei glanced at Seele's red-and-white dress with shimenawa knots and casually chimed in, "It's a shrine maiden's outfit."

This is a specialty of their Far East region. Shrine maidens wear similar outfits at places like shrines.

The style of Seele's outfit was different from any Mei had seen.

Compared to the simpler ones, this one was bulkier and more exquisite.

Seele calmed down, looked down at her shrine maiden outfit, absentmindedly fiddled with the hem, and subconsciously spoke. 

"This...is Erii-san's..."

"Erii?" Hearing this name, Bronya raised an eyebrow.

According to the item description, that should be the owner of Yanling - Judgement.

They only knew her name, nothing else about her.

But seeing Seele's absent-minded look, Bronya seemed to sense something and quickly asked. 

"What happened to you in the cocoon, Seele?"

Bronya's voice brought Seele back to normal.

Looking at the concerned Bronya, Seele murmured listlessly, "...Yes, when I was inside the cocoon...I dreamt of Erii-san..."

While asleep in the cocoon, she dreamt of that world and met Erii.

Then Seele witnessed Erii's entire life.

From being imprisoned in that mansion to meeting Sakura, from that brief encounter to her life being destroyed by that old man, she watched it all from an outsider's perspective.

Unwilling to accept it...but powerless to intervene because it was just a dream...

“…She really is an indescribable…girl.”

Listening to Seele’s general account, Kiana looked saddened.

She realized that her future self and that little monster seemed to have some similarities.

But she was much luckier than her.

“Tch…I really want to chop that old geezer to pieces,” Wendy muttered.

Tesla, however, didn’t see anything wrong with Wendy’s somewhat extreme thought. She raised her fist and spoke indignantly.

“Yeah, yeah, that kind of guy deserves my scientific fist!”

After hearing the little monster’s story, among those present, probably only Otto wouldn’t want to personally kill that old villain named Herzog.

As for why Otto, it was probably because they were both thoroughly rotten people, demons.

After all, wicked people often have a mutual respect.

"Hmm...it's alright."

Seeing the indignant expressions of the others, Seele, the person involved, surprisingly didn't seem bothered at all. Instead, she smiled.

Amidst everyone's confusion, she chuckled and explained the reason.

In her dream, Seele witnessed the little monster's life, but when she saw that old geezer, she was overwhelmed by anger and resentment. She tried to relive the entire experience, and then...she twisted his head off!

"?!"

Hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Wasn't it supposed to be a dream?! How could a passerby like you twist someone's head off?

Wait, twist it off…

Seemingly realizing a possibility, Otto howed a hint of doubt.

Could it be…

Otto wasn't the only wise one. If he could think of it, others could too.

Einstein had also considered the same possibility as Otto and stared at Seele in horror and asked in a dry, strained voice.

“You used that Mystic Eye of Distortion to attack the opponent across the lines of reality and illusion?”

Dreams are illusions, so it's impossible to interfere, especially since it's a person's memory, a person's entire life.

But in the previous description of the Mystic Eye of Distortion, it was capable of causing conceptual attacks.

So, if Seele really twisted off the opponent's head, then Seele could have distorted the boundary between reality and illusion using the Mystic Eye of Distortion, then launched an attack across time and space through a memory location.

But how is that possible?

Leaving aside how absurd it is to distort reality and illusion, on top of that, it requires traversing time and space!

According to the previous descriptions of the reward boxes, many of these items come from worlds completely different from theirs, worlds far more distant than their own!

Distorting reality and illusion, then traversing worlds (space), and then traversing time!

How absurd... No, it can't even be called absurd. It can only be described as utterly absurd!

Whether it was Otto, Einstein, or Tesla, they simply could not believe or even imagine such an utterly absurd act.

Only Mei's glasses gleamed slightly, as if she had thought of something.

She adjusted her glasses, focused her gaze on Seele, and pondered.

"It's not impossible..."

---

Chapter 204: How Come You're Still Alive?All eyes turned to Mei, awaiting her explanation.Mei pondered for a moment, then said thoughtfully:"Putting reality aside, if we're just talking about difficulty, achieving that level is indeed extremely difficult... no, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's a pipe dream."Whether it's reality versus illusion, time versus space, or even the world itself, these are clearly realms beyond human comprehension."What I'm thinking is actually just a guess."Mei looked at everyone. "Do you remember the definition of this space?"Initially, Kiana and Mei had learned some details about this space.At the time, they were both a bit naive and didn't think too much about it.However, after Mei awakened through the glasses, she kept those things in mind.Later, due to their collaborative relationship, she shared this information with Anti-Entropy."Hmm... it's that thing independent of..."Tesla muttered casually, but then suddenly realized something.Einstein beside her was quicker and already had some guesses."If that's the case, perhaps the barrier of spacetime and the world isn't as difficult as imagined... but even the simple distinction between reality and illusion is definitely an insurmountable chasm.""Since the Mystic Eyes can touch those ethereal concepts, doesn't that mean Seele has that possibility?"Einstein was speechless at Mei's retort.Although still unbelievable, Mei's explanation was undoubtedly the most reasonable at the moment."Rather than discussing how far-fetched this is, the biggest flaw is actually that, isn't it?"Mei looked at Seele, meeting her eyes, but Seele's eyes had now returned to their normal sea-blue color.Those who understand, understand; those who don't, don't.Those as clever as Einstein and Otto immediately understood what Mei meant from her gaze.Welt rested his chin on his hand and nodded slightly. "Indeed, the Mystic Eyes of Distortion can touch concepts... but there's a prerequisite before that: understanding is required."The conditions for achieving the Mystic Eyes of Distortion are somewhat similar to the Herrscher of Reason's method of understanding and reproduction.Only by understanding the specifics of the other party can one achieve reproduction (distortion).Of course, compared to the Herrscher of Reason's method of understanding and reproduction, the Mystic Eyes of Distortion only require understanding when distorting concepts.This is not surprising. After all, concepts are abstract things; if you can't understand them, simply staring with your eyes and then physically interfering is just wishful thinking."The key is... this Miss Seele probably doesn't possess the computational ability to understand concepts, right?"The former Herrscher of Reason, Joyce, also noticed the problem.Normal people can only understand things through observation and learning.But the Herrschers of Reason have it easier; they can take a shortcut through their power of understanding.However, even for the Herrschers of Reason, trying to understand the existence of concepts through their comprehension abilities... well, don't even dream about it.If they could truly understand that kind of thing, the Herrscher of Reason would undoubtedly be the strongest Herrscher.And yet, what the Herrscher of Reason couldn't do, Seele actually accomplished."Um... well... actually, didn't I... do it?" Seele said, scratching her cheek sheepishly.Given her gentle nature, when she saw that old geezer Herzog tormenting the little monster, Seele was only angry and wanted to save it. She absolutely had no intention of killing him."It's another Seele, isn't it? You can tell from her style."Mei was unsurprised. She djusted her glasses, glanced at Seele. "Seele, could you call her out for a moment? I have some questions for her.""Um... okay." Seele hesitated, then nodded obediently like a chick pecking at rice.She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were tinged with red.Facing everyone's gaze, Black Seele said somewhat impatiently."Tch, just ask your questions already."Normally, she didn't want to come out. After all, she'd been exposed so much and had fled in a panic; coming out to see people would only be humiliating.But Seele's attitude was sincere, and Black Seele could indeed sense a hint of seriousness and gravity in Mei's words, so she came out anyway."How did you do that?" Einstein asked.Black Seele naturally knew what she was referring to, having been watching closely."Why could I understand that mysterious thing? Hmph, probably thanks to that cocoon-breaking."Black Seele gestured with her lips toward the traces left by the blood cocoon.Neither she nor Seele possessed that godlike level of understanding.What helped her achieve that goal was the blood cocoon that had previously enveloped Seele.The Mystic Eyes of Distortion are on the same level as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, so their fusion itself put Seele into a state similar to the Root.During this process, the Mystic Eyes also had a strange reaction with the dragon blood.Through a series of coincidences, Seele gained wisdom sufficient to understand everything.Thanks to that wisdom, Black Seele successfully activated the Mystic Eyes of Distortion, completing this cross-dimensional, cross-temporal, and cross-dimensional killing blow."That idiot almost got trapped in there. Luckily, my attack seemed to have produced something incredible, which woke Seele up."Black Seele stood with her hands on her hips, her pretty face full of displeasure.Omniscient wisdom is indeed powerful.But it also requires the ability to control it.A naive and innocent girl like Seele, if trapped in that kind of thing, couldn't be pulled back even by eight Black Seeles."...That was quite a dangerous situation."Mei could also imagine the danger.Bronya looked somewhat shaken.Black Seele waved her hand dismissively and spoke irritably."Next time you have something like this, please keep it to yourselves and don't give it to Seele!"Her sole purpose in life was to protect Seele.The situation inside the cocoon truly terrified her.If that accidental attack hadn't pulled Seele out, she might have remained in that cocoon forever.Tesla glanced at the blood cocoon, thinking about the consequences Black Seele had described, and couldn't help but cross her arms in disdain."The stuff produced by this space are so unreliable.""It's probably just a coincidence," Mei shook her head slightly. "Anyway, it's good that she's alright.""Hmm... well, not really."Black Seele's words immediately drew everyone's attention again, especially Bronya, who leaned closer with a worried expression and quickly asked."Seele, are you feeling unwell?"Upon hearing Bronya's concern, Black Seele blushed and involuntarily took a few steps back, turning her head away."N-nothing, really.""Just so you know, that idiot might be a little anemic for the next while."Releasing the Mystic Eyes requires mana; if mana is insufficient, it can even shorten one's lifespan.However, because Seele's Mystic Eyes and her body had been optimized, her energy supply methods had become much more diverse.But a single long-range strike that transcended the concepts of world, reality, and spacetime, assuming ten times the energy consumption upon conceptual contact, would consume an astronomical amount of energy."That single strike consumed all the Honkai energy stored in the Stigmata, and on top of that... it also consumed... 50% of her blood.""Pfft!"Upon hearing this number, the usually composed Einstein immediately spat out her drink.Tesla, on the other hand, had a look of utter disbelief."How much? 50%?!"Seemingly afraid that Black Seele wouldn't understand the situation, Tesla spoke impatiently."Anyone who loses more than 10% of their blood is severely crippled, you know?!"And then you say you've lost 50% of your blood. How are you still alive?Even if you weren't dead, you should be lying on the ground, pale as a sheet, like one of the living dead.Black Seele, of course, knew this. She scratched her head."My condition is indeed not good... but it's not a big problem, because the quality of the blood flowing in my body right now seems to be very high."Dragon blood is inherently of higher quality than normal human blood, and Seele inherited Erii's bloodline, which was so pure it was almost a reversion to the White King's bloodline, making it even more exceptional.This blood provides the oxygen equivalent of ten or so normal blood circulations.Under these circumstances, Seele can barely maintain the functioning of her organs. But that's only enough to keep her from becoming a vegetable and to allow her to speak."Letting her actually use her hands is out of the question; it could really kill her.""...I can't take it anymore... the side effects are kicking in. I'm feeling dizzy..."The side effects of ischemia develop gradually, so after talking for a while, even Black Seele felt dizzy and saw stars.This would take at least a few months of bed rest to replenish her blood.Otherwise, she'd feel dizzy even after standing for a short while."...Remember... to take good care of that idiot..."Hastily uttering this broken sentence, Black Seele's eyes became like mosquito coils.Einstein, who had some medical knowledge, glanced at her briefly and raised an eyebrow slightly."It's similar to what that department said, just anemia... she'll be fine after some rest.""I'll make some blood-nourishing dishes later."Mei glanced down at Seele lying in Bronya's arms and sighed.Standing next to Kiana, Cecilia looked at the situation with a somewhat regretful expression and muttered, "...It's a pity the Black Abyss White Flower isn't here."These words momentarily stunned Einstein and the others, then they realized what she meant.Right, if they had the Black Abyss White Flower, with the healing abilities of that gene blueprint reconstruction, wouldn't restoring her health be a piece of cake?They immediately looked up at the Black Abyss White Flower's current owner, Bianka, who had been silent and almost invisible the whole time.However, Bianka simply shrugged; she hadn't brought the Black Abyss White Flower with her.Fu Hua turned her gaze to Otto, knowing that his Void Archives could mimic the Black Abyss White Flower.Otto, of course, understood Fu Hua's thoughts and smiled.The Void Archives were always at his fingertips, and he was willing to use them to treat Seele.But don't misunderstand.Otto was willing to treat Seele simply to salvage the relationship.After all, they were in the same space, and it was necessary to ease tensions for future possibilities."My..."Before Otto could even utter the words "old friend," Joyce stretched out his hand toward Welt."Yang, let me use the core."Yang was puzzled, but readily handed the core to Joyce.Tesla and Einstein, who had experienced the battle with Otto years ago, instantly remembered something.A fleeting illusion flashed.A weapon appeared in Joyce's hand... the Black Abyss White Flower.It wasn't exactly similar, but practically identical."I almost forgot we once fought alongside a wielder of the Black Abyss White Flower."Einstein looked at the constructed Black Abyss White Flower, a touch of melancholy in her eyes.Decades ago, in the battle against Otto, they had fought side by side with the Black Abyss White Flower's previous wielder, Leanna.Welt stroked his chin; he too had fought alongside a wielder of the Black Abyss White Flower.And that person was still right beside him.However, although he did fight alongside Cecilia, he wasn't really that proficient in the structure of the Black Abyss White Flower.After all, given the bizarre situation during the Second Honkai War, he didn't have time to analyze the Black Abyss White Flower.The Core of Reason does contain relevant knowledge, but even Joyce back then always used the Star of Eden.As a latecomer to this field, inheriting the Star of Eden was fine, but inheriting such remote knowledge wasn't as complete.Otto's ashen face stared at Joyce's preemptive move. He unusually were unable to contain his anger.He had originally intended to do her a favor, but this damn man had been stolen from him.Normally, Otto wouldn't care much about something like that.But the one who stole it was Joyce. Seeing Joyce pull out the Black Abyss White Flower caused Otto's old trauma to nearly resurface."Mr. Joyce has actually handled the Black Abyss White Flower?"Cecilia looked at the Black Abyss White Flower in Joyce's hand, covering her mouth in surprise.She was decades younger than Joyce, and while she knew some things about the Black Abyss White Flower's former owner, Leanna, she didn't know much.This wasn't surprising. After all, Otto had been brutally beaten by Joyce back then.If he had really kept records of that kind of thing, his image as a shrewd and calculating Archbishop would probably have crumbled.While Joyce was using the Black Abyss White Flower to heal Seele, the Q&A screen moved.【13. In Nagazora City, Mei successfully found Kiana and brought her back to the battleship. What dish did Mei personally prepare for Kiana upon their reunion?】【A. Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl】【B. Toast Pizza (Shamash Limited Edition)】【C. Sweet Pepper Curry】【D. Russian Beetroot Soup】

---

Chapter 205: Sweet Pepper Curry... How Could It Be Spicy?

Joyce was tending to Seele.

The others started discussing the topic.

"Is this a continuation of the storyline from when we found Kiana? But... damn it, who knows what Mei cook for that time?"

The topic did clarify the plot, but Tesla couldn't help wanting to curse.

Cooking something depends entirely on your whim.

You might make fried rice for lunch, but who knows, maybe a steak dinner for dinner.

"It is indeed a troublesome problem," Welt nodded slightly.

Actually, guessing what kind of food someone would cook can be deduced based on the situation, habits, and environment.

For example, someone from Shenzhou wouldn't be expected to cook a very Western-style feast.

And Mei, who comes from the Far East, was basically limited to a certain cuisine.

But...

Welt glanced at Mei and twitched his lips.

He knew that because she had previously obtained some kind of cooking tool, her culinary skills were now maxed out across all cuisines.

Noticing Welt's admiring yet complex gaze, Mei guessed what he was thinking and spoke calmly. "That can be ignored."

Indeed, possessing the Sha Nagba Imuru (cooking-only), she was practically a culinary goddess, a Herrscher of Cookery, but she knew she wouldn't have such good luck.

"If it were the old me, I'd probably only order common Far Eastern dishes and some common Western dishes."

"I think I know how to make pork cutlet rice and Sweet Pepper Curry. I don't know which one I'd use, but the other two..."

Mei glanced at the four options, her unspoken question clear.

She knew how to make toast pizza, but this limited-edition Shamash... sorry, even in her current super-cooking mode, Mei didn't know such recipe existed.

Kiana, on the other hand, upon seeing the limited-edition Shamash, instantly remembered something and exclaimed in surprise.

"Toast pizza... limited-edition Shamash? Ah... this doesn't mean Dad's, does it?!"

When she was young and living with Siegfried, she often ate this dish.

However, because Siegfried used Judgment of Shamash to bake it, this stuff always tended to get burnt.

But Kiana wasn't a picky eater.

The creamy cheese combined with the savory ham... a little burnt toast was fine. Kiana actually quite liked it after getting used to it.

"...Shamash limited edition..." Theresa raised an eyebrow when she saw the word "Shamash" and heard about Siegfried again. "This can't be..."

Seeing Kiana nod, Theresa was stunned.

It really was baked with Judgment of Shamash? Was it even edible?!

"Hmm... I'll try it later."

Hearing that her husband made it, Cecilia nodded with interest and decided to try it later.

Theresa's expression changed upon hearing this, and she immediately wanted to dissuade her from such a terrible idea.

However, a sudden thought struck her: Cecilia had once tried to sell her that terrible lunch made by Siegfried, and she had eaten it with such a happy expression back then. Theresa couldn't help twitching her lips and remaining silent.

"Russian beet soup..."

Bronya, the Russian, looked at the beet soup among the answers, and a hint of nostalgia appeared on her face.

For the old Cocolia Orphanage, beet soup was a dish everyone looked forward to and ate frequently.

It was also Bronya's most frequently made dish back then.

"It's been a long time since I've made this... After the war outside ends, I'll try cooking it myself."

Neither Judgment of Shamash nor toast pizza were clearly recipes from Mei's group in the established storyline.

So the remaining answers were only Sweet Pepper Curry and pork cutlet rice.

Both were very common dishes in the Far East's culinary system.

There wasn't much distinction in terms of habit.

Mei herself didn't even know which one she would have made before.

Cecilia however came up with an idea. She looked at Mei and asked.

"Mei, what did Kiana like best when she was with you?"

"...Hmm..." Mei was taken aback, then instantly realized.

Actually, she wasn't always a super cook.

Initially, she was just a rather ordinary cook with basic skills.

And if asked what kind of dish she would think of making after reuniting with her best friend, then undoubtedly, the most memorable dish from their time together would be the most likely candidate.

"In Nagazora City, Kiana liked... probably curry?"

Bronya, who had known the two for a long time and even lived with them for quite some time, gave an uncertain answer.

"Hmm..."

Mei nodded slightly.

Actually, back in Nagazora City, her cooking skills were only average, hardly those of a chef.

After all, she had been a pampered young lady with a maid, so it was impossible for her to cook everything herself.

However, due to the traditions of the Far East, she learned some Far Eastern home-style dishes in home economics classes during elementary and middle school.

Things like miso soup, pork cutlet rice, and curry.

Kiana's favorites were undoubtedly curry that went well with rice, as well as fried chicken and tempura that satisfied her cravings.

Following Cecilia's line of thought, Mei had to admit that curry rice was indeed more likely than pork cutlet rice.

"I choose C, Sweet Pepper Curry."

There was little competition for this question. Mei, the undisputed number one choice, readily gave the answer.

【Correct】

As expected.

The scene slowly unfolded—

Inside the Helios.

"Huh, Mei, you're back?"

Looking at the travel-worn Mei, Tesla was somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, I just got back. I was worried about the dangers in the city, so I gave Sora a ride. It took a little time."

Mei nodded and casually asked, "Is Kiana still in the infirmary?"

"Yes, I just did another check-up. The situation... is still the same... Let her rest."

Tesla, hands on her hips, sighed, unsure what to say, and finally added.

"The Hyperion will arrive soon, and we'll be able to leave soon."

Mei's eyes dimmed upon hearing this, but only for a moment.

"Kiana hasn't eaten anything since she woke up. She must be hungry. I'll go to the kitchen and see if there's anything to eat."

With that, Mei turned to leave.

"Mei, wait a minute..."

Watching Mei's retreating figure, Tesla hesitated for a moment before calling out to her.

Hearing the sound, Mei stopped and turned around with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

After a moment's pause, Tesla looked at Mei, one hand on her hip, and said half-helplessly.

"...Mophead, you know, is too serious. She always speaks based on facts and reason. It's a good thing for a researcher, but it can be a bit rigid in life."

"Don't take what she said too seriously."

"It's alright, Dr. Tesla. I'm fine," Mei shook her head, her expression calm.

"I've spent four months with Anti-Entropy, and I know you are all excellent scientists. You're sure to make the most reasonable judgment."

"I'm very grateful that you were willing to tell me the facts."

Hearing this and seeing Mei's clearly forced smile, Tesla frowned and offered a rather heavy-hearted consolation.

"I know you're feeling terrible... We'll try our best to find a solution."

"..."

Mei was silent for a moment. Looking at the sincere Tesla, she could only say,

"Thank you."

Seeing this footage, Welt frowned and rested his chin on his hand.

"It seems this footage isn't entirely a continuation of the scene where Mei saved Kiana... there should be another part before that."

"Judging from the missing footage and previous information, I guess this missing part is about Kiana herself..."

Tesla made a simple deduction, then glanced at Einstein and curled her lip.

"They actually want me to say a good word for Mophead, and about Kiana no less... then it must be because Mophead said something... completely truthful."

She knew her old friend's character inside and out.

Just like the video said, Mophead was fine as a researcher, but with that undisguised mouth, she could absolutely offend someone to death in any other role.

That's why Tesla was in charge of dealing with those annoying old men in Congress.

...

Helios—Infirmary

Kiana, lying on the snow-white hospital bed, saw Mei enter and her face lit up with joy.

"Mei, you're back?"

Seeing Kiana, Mei also smiled, walked to the bedside, and placed the tray she was carrying on the bedside table.

She said softly, "Yes, I thought you must be hungry, so I made something for you to eat."

Seeing the steaming food on the plate, Kiana's face lit up with joy, and she exclaimed excitedly,

"Oh!... It's curry made by Mei!"

"Fill your stomach with this first. Is there anything else you want to eat? I'll go prepare it."

Mei sat on the edge of the bed and watched Kiana sit up and lean against the pillow, wolfing down the food while muttering indistinctly as she ate:

"Mmm... so delicious!... How can it be so delicious!"

This felt like a return to the past, bringing a rare genuine smile to Mei's face. But watching Kiana devour the food like a starving ghost, she still reminded her.

"Eat slowly, don't choke. There's plenty of rice."

Before long, the entire plate of curry was gone.

"I'm full!"

Setting down her plate, Kiana looked completely refreshed and energetic, a far cry from the person who had been lying on the verge of death in the emergency room just a short while ago.

"Four months have passed, and your appetite and eating habits haven't changed a bit."

Mei covered her mouth and chuckled. Looking at Kiana, she felt as though she were seeing the clumsy girl who used to cling to her all over again.

Kiana waved her hand and sighed.

"Don't say that! I haven't eaten properly these past few days."

"It's been so long since I've tasted anything so delightful, so nostalgic..."

She let out a sigh of relief, then looked at Mei and said with a grin:

"Phew—this refreshing feeling, this just-right spiciness... Mei's cooking is definitely the best for me."

"...I'm glad you like it. I was worried it might be a bit too spicy."

Hearing Kiana's words, Mei showed a momentary awkward expression, but quickly covered it up with a smile.

Kiana shook her head vigorously and said excitedly and confidently.

"No, no! The spiciness is just right. I'm sweating the whole time, and it feels really comfortable. I like it."

"Hmm, drink some water. Don't choke."

Kiana didn't notice that Mei's voice had deepened considerably.

Or rather, most people wouldn't notice such a subtle change.

Except for Mei herself. After all, it was her.

Even a fleeting change in expression was something she could quickly detect now.

Seeing this, Tesla was also puzzled and couldn't help asking.

"Huh, isn't that Sweet Pepper Curry?! How can bell peppers be spicy? Or did future Mei make a mistake and turn it into chili curry?"

No one answered.

Everyone was watching.

They all had their own answers, but those answers needed to be verified by the result.

In the video, Kiana simply took the water glass Mei handed her, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

Then she lay down contentedly.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Mei looked at Kiana lying there under the blanket and gazing at her, and couldn't help but speak. 

"The doctor said the Hyperion will be sending you to the Anti-Entropy base for examination. You need to cooperate and listen to them. They are trustworthy people."

"Okay, okay, don't worry, Mei. Nothing will happen."

Kiana didn't seem to care much and immediately prepared to fall asleep.

"Yeah, Kiana, you'll get better."

"You will... get better..."

A complex expression appeared on Mei's face. She took one last look at Kiana before standing up.

"I'll go wash the dishes. You rest a little longer."

"Okay~!"

Kiana didn't notice.

Mei walked away quickly and hurriedly, as if she were running away.

Seeing this and considering what had happened before, Tesla realized e something and completely shut up.

...

Whoosh—

"..." Mei silently washed the dishes, her expression hidden by her lowered head.

The water trickled down Mei's fingertips, falling, shattering, and disappearing into a small whirlpool, emitting a low sobbing sound.

She dried the plate, preparing to put it back in the cupboard, but accidentally bumped into a wooden bowl beside it. Several small items rolled to the floor—

They were leftover bell peppers from making the curry.

"........"

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

The agreed two hours were almost up.

Mei walked out of the infirmary. The corridor was quiet and empty, with only the infirmary light flickering lonelily at the end of the hallway.

"....."

Silence fell. Everything that had just happened replayed in her mind.

Recalling Kiana's cheerful words, Mei leaned against the wall, her arms pressed against it so no one could see her expression.

A sob escaped her lips, low and muffled, as if squeezed from her throat.

"Idiot..."

"How could Sweet Pepper Curry be spicy..."

Gazing at the image on the screen, where Mei's face was obscured in the darkness while she sobbed uncontrollably and choked back tears—

Everyone fell silent.

 - - -

Chapter 206: Is It Too Late to Run Now?Actually, Mei's emotional changes had been shown through numerous scenes throughout the story.Kiana's growth had followed a similar path.But this small meal of Sweet Pepper Curry intertwined their growth and emotional transformation."Excessive Honkai erosion can lead to a loss of pain sensation..."Tesla understood why Kiana said the Sweet Pepper Curry was spicy; it was purely to appear healthy so Mei would not worry.Mei was the same. Having sensed Kiana's lie and understanding why, she chose to maintain a facade, but afterward, she could only weep helplessly in a corner.This heaviness was truly... indescribable.The image ended there.Mei silently glanced at Kiana and accepted the Homu reward chest from Fu Hua.After a flash of golden light, information about the two spherical items in Mei's hands, each containing an image of a device, was revealed:[Space Teleportation Device x2][A technological device capable of using subspace as a transit station to connect two locations and traverse space. Its manufacturing cost is extremely high.][This version is a miniaturized portable version; once unfolded, it can only be disassembled and modified manually.]Seeing this, Einstein's eyes lit up.She was a scientist specializing in quantum mechanics and physics, and space-related concepts involved mechanics."This thing is way better than our worm bridge."Tesla, a mechanical engineering major, glanced at the two orbs in Mei's hand, then at the description, and instantly thought of their own similar product.In fact, Anti-Entropy also had a spatial warp device: the quantum worm bridge developed by Einstein.But that thing worked by quantizing objects and then projecting them to a designated location.Before fully mastering the technology of biological quantization, using that on people was not teleportation; it was murder.Theresa looked at the two items in Mei's hands with some regret."It's a pity they're just finished products... it would be much better if they were blueprints."Being able to teleport was definitely a good thing.Even if, as indicated, the construction cost was enormous, it could be recouped through proper utilization later.But these two were ready-made, not blueprints or technology, which made this idea impossible to realize.Tesla waved her hand dismissively at Theresa's regret."That's no problem. We can disassemble them and study them. We'll definitely be able to reverse-engineer the technology for you."In the eyes of top scientists like them, as long as the technological gap was not catastrophic, the finished product and the technology were actually not that different.Even if they really could not disassemble and reassemble them, there was still the Herrscher of Reason, wasn't there?Understanding and reconstruction were the Herrscher of Reason's forte.They could just have Welt use his power of understanding to analyze it and then create the blueprints.Seeing the object in Mei's hand and then Seele who had just woken up, Bronya instantly realized its use."Mei-neechan, can I borrow it?""...Okay."Mei naturally had no objection and handed Bronya the two teleportation devices she was holding.Bronya received them and casually put on the crown-shaped ornament containing the power of the Herrscher of Reason.In an instant, a stream of blue data flashed...Bronya instantly transformed into the Herrscher of Reason.Those who had seen her before were naturally unfazed.Those who had not, such as Otto, Cecilia, and Joyce, all had varying expressions.Joyce stroked his chin, scrutinizing Bronya's current form. Even though he had heard Welt and the others mention it, he could not help but feel surprised and admiring."Is this how this little girl will appear as the Herrscher of Reason in the future? She looks quite good."As the first Herrscher of Reason, he had not expected such a female successor.As for clothing, both generations of Herrschers of Reason had worn the same outfit for ages.Bronya's was quite unique, with a cake dress and a small crown—very flashy indeed."I'm not against flashy looks... but compared to appearance, it's more important to focus on building a solid foundation."Joyce thought Bronya's look was great, but he still had to offer a word of advice.The power of a Herrscher of Reason lay in accumulating knowledge.If you focused too much on appearance and neglected your combat abilities, you would be penny-wise and pound-foolish.Once Welt emerged from the Sea of Quanta, Bronya should inherit the Core of Reason.With that existing power, Joyce believed this little girl named Bronya would become a Herrscher of Reason far surpassing himself and Yang."...Mm," Bronya responded.Then she handed the core of the spatial teleportation device to the awakened Seele.Seele was still a little dazed and had not quite grasped what was happening.However, she shook her head, looked around, and then roughly figured things out.Without further ado, she took the teleportation device. Bronya's voice rang in Seele's ears:"Seele, this is for you. Deploy it at St. Freya."Seele had previously said she wanted to go to the front lines with them, but the battlefield was already mostly set up, and Bronya and the others were all in position.It seemed they would have to come from behind in a small airship.Now, with this teleportation device, they could save on transport ships.They could just have Seele deploy one at St. Freya and then deploy the other at their location.There would not be any risks along the way.Mei understood Bronya's idea.However, this idea coincided with theirs.Connecting St. Freya and the Hyperion would be quite advantageous for St. Freya.They could create a mobile teleportation point through the Hyperion.As for Anti-Entropy... let's wait and see. We'll break it down later and share the technology.[This Q&A session is now complete][Main Q&A Count: Thirteen Questions]In that brief moment, text quietly appeared before everyone's eyes.The moment they saw those words, everyone's expressions turned serious."Heh..."Otto slightly raised one hand, smiled at Kiana and the others, and gave a very gentlemanly bow."It's been a pleasure having such a fantastic experience.""I hope that in the conflict outside, both sides can achieve a satisfactory outcome.""Tch... Just wait for this genius Tesla's iron fist!" Tesla raised her fist without hesitation, glaring at him."Those past scores, I'll definitely settle them with you, you bastard, one by one!"Otto smiled, completely unconcerned, and simply spread his hands slightly."Well then... see you outside, ladies and gentlemen."As the words fell, Otto, along with Rita and Durandal beside him, vanished from this space.Similarly, St. Freya and Anti-Entropy also returned to their places.Seele returned to St. Freya, and Welt returned to the Sea of Quanta.As for Cecilia and Joyce, the two who had risen from the dead, they went with the person who had brought them back to life.Cecilia arrived aboard the Hyperion on St. Freya's side.Joyce went with Tesla to the Moonlight throne ship. It is worth mentioning that Welt temporarily returned the core to Joyce before leaving.The reason was simple: war was about to begin.It was one thing for him to be unable to return temporarily, but he could not let Anti-Entropy lose a Herrscher-level combatant....Seele acted swiftly.After returning to reality, she deployed the teleportation device in a suitable location, as Mei had instructed.Seele and Bronya, connected on both sides, went to prepare for battle.Cecilia, however, accompanied Mei to the Hyperion's armory.With a few taps on a tablet by Mei, a metal chamber rose.Inside the opened chamber was a square metal block.Mei casually implanted some data into it, and after a brief transformation, the metal block extended into a slender knight's lance with a pinkish-red color.Seeing it complete, she turned to Cecilia and gestured."Aunt Cecilia, please use this for now."Cecilia's previous weapon was the Black Abyss White Flower, but now that it was with Otto, she could not go into battle empty-handed.She could use a regular alloy weapon as a former strongest S-rank Valkyrie, but would that not be a waste?Someone like Cecilia should be equipped with a good weapon and then shine.Just then, Mei remembered something she had recently developed on the Hyperion and decided to give it to Cecilia.Cecilia nodded slightly, reached for the knight's lance, and as soon as she touched it, she raised an eyebrow in surprise."This is... Soulium?!"She had handled the Black Abyss White Flower, the Judgment of Shamash, and Theresa's Judah for so long; how could she not recognize the material of this lance?"Well... the headmaster probably didn't tell you about this. The Soulium was something I obtained in that Q&A Space."Mei explained, then glanced at the weapon in Cecilia's hand and briefly introduced it:"This was recreated using Soulium technology after analyzing a cross-shaped weapon called 'Hyperdimensional Sonata' that the headmaster obtained.""In terms of power... theoretically, it should be roughly equivalent to a regular Divine Key. If its special abilities are activated, it can probably rival 30% of the 0th power of some Divine Keys.""...That strong?!" Cecilia was stunned.To be honest, the claim of being roughly equivalent to a regular Divine Key was already quite outrageous.Even the most advanced creations of this era, such as the weapons developed by Nagamitsu, were significantly inferior to regular Divine Keys.The thing in her hand not only possessed power roughly equivalent to a regular Divine Key, but its special ability could also reach 30% of a Divine Key's rated power.It was important to know that rated power was equivalent to a Herrscher's full-force attack.Reaching 30% meant that, if the user was strong enough, then even encountering a genuine Divine Key would not leave them without a fighting chance."It's just theoretical, and..."Mei shook her head slightly, finding the special ability somewhat indescribable.Cecilia was puzzled and wanted to ask why.However, Mei's personal terminal flickered a few times, and Einstein's image popped up, calmly stating:"The Schicksal fleet has entered our defense zone, and Ryoma's side is already entangled with the surrounding Schicksal branches. Prepare to engage them."St. Freya and Anti-Entropy formed three lines of defense.Einstein's side was focused on frontal assault, primarily aimed at eliminating the Schicksal warships that had accompanied Otto.The Hyperion's side was positioned further back, but as high-end combatants, they would need to reach their designated locations one by one."Understood."Mei gave a brief reply, and after Einstein's video call ended, she connected to the public channel.Instantly, everyone on deck, in the control room, and even in the restrooms received Mei's notification.The battle deployment had been arranged beforehand, so after the notification, all they needed to do was follow the plan step by step.Mei, Theresa, and Himeko remained on the Hyperion flagship.Fu Hua was responsible for supporting Airspace A, Kiana for Airspace B, and Bronya, Wendy, and Seele for Airspace C."Aunt Cecilia... what do you...?"With the assignments complete, Mei looked at Cecilia hesitantly.To be honest, Cecilia's appearance was completely unexpected, so no assignments had been made for her."Beep beep."Tesla's avatar popped up on her personal terminal.Her expression was grave."Mei, Kiana encountered Durandal."Kiana's combat strength was quite high now, but if she ran into Durandal, she definitely would not fare well."Leave it to me."Not yet received an assignment, Cecilia smiled.What could be more appropriate than helping her own daughter?Besides, Cecilia was quite interested in her junior, Durandal....Airspace AFu Hua had also met her match...Someone who was also an old acquaintance.Standing on the deck of the Schicksal warship not far from Fu Hua, a beautiful figure with long brown hair and a long braid, dressed in ancient attire, faced her from afar."Long time no see, Ancestor Jingwei."A beautiful woman with a clear, melodious voice and sharp eyes greeted her warmly.This was none other than Li Sushang, daughter of Qin Suying, the last of Fu Hua's seven disciples from the Taixu Sect and a disciple of Ling Shuang.Seeing her former grand-disciple, Fu Hua instantly understood the meaning of the surprise Otto had mentioned before entering the space.Well, for her, this truly was a surprise.In every sense of the word....Airspace BOn the deck of the Schicksal warship, Kiana, who had arrived at the battlefield first thanks to the convenient abilities of the Herrscher of the Void, looked at Durandal, who was standing not far away with her weapon propped against a protrusion while clad in light blue futuristic armor, and twitched her lips.She really had bad luck; she had actually run into this person.But..."Just right!"Kiana had a hint of fighting spirit in her eyes.Although she knew this person was strong, she was not weak either.She had always remembered the image of Durandal beating Mei.Taking advantage of this opportunity, she wanted to help future Mei vent her anger....Airspace COn board one of Schicksal's battleships, Rita sat with narrowed eyes, looking at the figures not far away with a smile.The Herrscher of Wind—Wendy.The half-baked Herrscher of Reason—Bronya.After consuming the Mystic Eyes of Distortion, Dragon Blood, and multiple other enhancements, Seele's average strength was comparable to a Herrscher's. Her single-target attack power was comparable to the Might of An-Utu.Rita smiled as she looked at these opponents who were preparing to face her.She only wanted to ask one question:Is it too late to run now?

---

Chapter 207: On How to Peel Off Otto's Skin

"Hmm... this isn't good."

Otto, aboard the flagship of the Schicksal fleet, looked at the battle reports coming in from other locations.

The uniform reports of defeat and impending doom were enough to break his spirit.

On the lower-tier battlefield, although Schicksal's warships and technology were superior to Anti-Entropy's, they were under attack from Anti-Entropy's Titan forces. The enormous trouble caused by the colossal mech Wodan was putting Schicksal's lower-tier combat power at a complete disadvantage.

Only the Immortal Blades could hold out, but it seemed they would not last much longer.

As for the high-tier combat power, Li Sushang and her old friend were locked in a stalemate, and no resolution was expected anytime soon.

Durandal... dealing with the incomplete Herrscher of the Void alone would not have been a problem.

But...

Otto widened his emerald eyes as he stared at the figure intervening in the battle on the projected screen, a headache forming.

—B Space

With the help of those Herrscher-related items, Kiana had gained considerable knowledge of the Herrscher of the Void's power.

But compared to the true Herrscher of the Void, she was still far from it.

"Crack!"

The Subspace Lance, which possessed an imaginary attribute and should not have been within reach, was shattered by Durandal's swinging spear.

Kiana, now transformed into Void Drifter, knelt on the ground with her hair disheveled as she panted heavily, looking utterly exhausted.

She gazed at the strongest Valkyrie of the era, who had easily deflected her attack, and murmured,

"So this is Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie..."

Kaslana's prized, generation-honored gunfighting style was like child's play against this woman. But perhaps it was simply due to her own lack of maturity.

The power of the Herrscher of the Void was effective, but Kiana's current usage of it was extremely limited.

Furthermore, she was not accustomed to using her powers like the Herrscher of the Void.

For Kiana, the Herrscher's powers were merely a means to assist her in combat. She had never used them as her primary fighting style.

Durandal was somewhat disappointed. When she learned that Kiana possessed Herrscher powers, she had thought Kiana would be a formidable opponent.

But as things stood, Kiana was still incredibly inexperienced. The battles she had fought so far had been nothing more than a warm-up.

"If that's all there is to it, then let's stop here."

Durandal calmly picked up the Black Abyss White Flower and slowly walked toward Kiana.

The capable are always given more responsibilities.

As Schicksal's most important fighting force, the Overseer had assigned her more than just this task.

Durandal knew from the communication channel that Rita's situation seemed dire, so she needed to quickly deal with Kiana before going to help.

Of course, "deal with" did not necessarily mean killing her.

Not to mention that Durandal herself did not really want to kill Kiana and the others, Overseer Otto had also instructed them not to use lethal force in battle.

Looking at the kneeling and panting Kiana, Durandal expressionlessly raised the Black Abyss White Flower from only inches away.

Stun her...

A flash of light appeared, accompanied by a tremendous force.

"Clang!"

With the sound of metal clashing, Durandal was thrown back by the force. She adjusted her body mid-air with agile movements and came to a stop.

Her smooth white hair fluttered in the strong wind. She wore an old-fashioned Schicksal Valkyrie combat suit that accentuated her voluptuous figure. Her dignified face remained calm, and her azure eyes reflected Durandal's figure.

"Senior Cecilia..."

Looking at this sudden opponent, Durandal took a deep breath.

"Kiana, are you alright?"

Cecilia reached out to help Kiana up while looking at her somewhat disheveled appearance with concern.

"Um... I'm fine."

Kiana shook her head slightly.

She was quite resilient, and Durandal had not exerted much force, so she only felt pain throughout her body.

"...You should go rest over there. Let me handle this."

"It's alright. I can still fight... Besides, if I collapse like this, Himeko-sensei will scold me."

Faced with Cecilia's concern, Kiana refused, then forced a smile through the pain.

"Besides... I want to fight alongside Mom!"

Upon hearing this, Cecilia remained silent.

Kiana, however, stood up with fighting spirit filling her face as she looked at Durandal.

"Then, round two, begin!"

Of course, this time it was a mixed doubles match between Kiana and Cecilia, mother and daughter.

Durandal looked at the two without saying anything about the unfairness of outnumbering her. She simply raised the Black Abyss White Flower as well.

"Please enlighten me."

...

Airspace C

One of the three contemporary S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal and the vice-captain of the Immortal Blades, Rita, with her impressive array of titles, was currently running.

Of course, this did not mean she was fleeing.

While the enemy she faced was undeniably ruthless, her years of professional ethics prevented Rita from abandoning her armor and escaping.

Running simply described her fighting style.

Faced with Wendy's human-shaped area-of-effect firepower, there was no such thing as dodging in this battle. Anyone attempting to roll or backflip out of the way would end up like that Schicksal warship, caught in a tornado and hurled into the sea below.

Rita was frantically fleeing. She felt miserable inwardly.

If she were fighting one-on-one, it would not be so bad. With her combat skills, even if she could not win, she would not lose too quickly.

But why were there three of them?

Wendy in the sky was unleashing furious tornadoes.

The Schicksal warships in airspace C were in complete chaos. Ignoring the Titan forces boarding them, Wendy alone could wipe out the entire Schicksal fleet in this area.

Meanwhile, Bronya rode her beloved little motorcycle with Seele seated behind her.

So what were they doing?

The answer was that Bronya was using this opportunity to teach Seele how to adapt to the battlefield.

She was basically speeding around with Seele riding behind her while Seele stared wide-eyed and practiced her Mystic Eyes of Distortion.

In the time it took to brew a cup of tea, at least two Schicksal warships had fallen victim to the Mystic Eyes of Distortion and were twisted into mangled wreckage. Fortunately, the Valkyries aboard reacted quickly and jumped into the sea to escape. Otherwise, they would probably have been twisted together with the warships.

In short, the complete collapse of Air-space was only a matter of time.

Some were happy while others were miserable.

Otto was miserable, while Anti-Entropy and St. Freya were naturally overjoyed.

"Haha, those pieces of junk from Schicksal are no match for this genius and Wodan!"

Tesla looked excited and smug on the other end of the screen, while Einstein beside her spoke calmly,

"Judging from the overall battle situation, we have the advantage... but we still cannot let our guard down."

Himeko, who remained aboard the Hyperion, nodded slightly.

"Indeed... if it were Otto, he would not reveal all his cards. After all, Otto himself has not even appeared yet."

She stretched lazily, looking rather bored as she said regretfully,

"But staying here unable to use my skills is really a bit lonely."

While Himeko would not call herself a battle fanatic, she certainly loved fighting.

This time, she had unexpectedly been left behind on the Hyperion, which made her incredibly restless.

Ever since obtaining the Meta-Morph Factor and the Xuanyuan Sword, she had not experienced a truly satisfying battle.

"It will happen."

Mei comforted her.

Just as Otto had not played all his cards, those remaining on the front lines, along with Joyce from Anti-Entropy, were serving as a countermeasure against Otto's unrevealed trump cards.

[Warning! Large-scale Honkai energy reaction detected! Warning! Large-scale Honkai energy reaction detected!]

Suddenly, the Honkai energy monitoring instruments in the control room flashed red.

This unexpected situation caused Theresa to frown. She looked at the control panel and asked.

"Ai-chan, what's going on?!"

A green cabbage-headed figure appeared before the control panel. Ai-chan, the Hyperion's AI, was actually a super artificial intelligence from the Previous Era.

"A massive Honkai energy reaction has been detected in the southeast direction. According to monitoring and database comparisons, it indicates at least Judgment-class Honkai energy."

"A Judgment-class Honkai Beast... why would it appear at this time? But southeast... that should be around Shenzhou..." Theresa muttered to herself.

"Beep beep."

Anti-Entropy's video feed connected.

Anti-Entropy's defense zone was closer to the southeast, so they had detected the problem even earlier than the Hyperion.

Seeing Mei and the others' expressions, Einstein was unsurprised.

She simply spoke calmly, "Looks like you already know."

Theresa nodded and asked, "Um... which one appeared?"

She did not believe Einstein would connect to the video feed merely to ask whether they knew a Judgment-class Honkai Beast had appeared.

Since Einstein had connected, she must have had information she wanted to discuss and share.

Einstein shook her head but answered directly.

"It's not one recorded in our files. This Judgment-class is more special than the previous ones. I won't go into details. Just look at the satellite footage..."

As soon as she finished speaking, a shared image appeared beside her.

It showed footage captured by satellites Einstein had accessed through Anti-Entropy.

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a slightly larger wave on the sea surface. But beneath the water was a massive shadow roughly the size of a mountain, judging from the initial estimate.

"...That's a Honkai Beast?!" Himeko raised an eyebrow with a smirk on her lips, unable to help wondering if she was hallucinating.

What the hell?! How could a Honkai Beast be this huge?!

"Beep beep."

"Communication request received from the Schicksal flagship."

Ai-chan's voice sounded from the speakers, accompanied by an envelope icon.

"The Schicksal flagship... Otto?... It seems this battle is over."

Mei leaned against the instrument panel and sighed.

If they continued fighting, they would most likely win, so continuing would have been the best option for them.

However, now that this had happened, they clearly could not continue fighting Otto.

After all, St. Freya, Schicksal, and Anti-Entropy were all anti-Honkai organizations fighting for humanity.

This had originally been a civil war, and now the Honkai, essentially an external enemy, had appeared. If they continued fighting, they would morally be in the wrong.

"Headmistress, you decide."

Mei left the choice to Theresa.

Theresa was the leader of St. Freya, and this communication, which could potentially end the war, had to be decided by her.

But what could Theresa say?

For them, this communication essentially left only one option: answer it.

She nodded helplessly.

"...Answer it."

The image flashed.

As expected, Otto appeared with his usual smile.

"My dear Theresa, I think you know why Grandpa is here, don't you?"

"This battle should never have happened in the first place. Now that an enemy from the Honkai has appeared, should we not unite against this common foe and fight together?"

Having served as the Archbishop of Schicksal for five hundred years, Otto's political maneuvering was so ruthless that even combining Anti-Entropy and Schicksal's personnel would not be enough to match him.

Like this time, he seized the opportunity to morally pressure them from humanity's perspective, just as Mei had predicted.

"To hell with you!"

Honestly, Theresa really wanted to say that.

Looking at her grandfather's smiling face, never before had Theresa wanted to smash Judah directly into his face more than at this moment.

But for now, she could only say those words inwardly.

On the surface, Theresa calmly replied, "I need to coordinate with Anti-Entropy."

This war had been launched jointly by St. Freya and Anti-Entropy against Schicksal.

The two sides were allies.

If negotiations with Otto were to proceed, it could not become Theresa's one-woman show.

Otherwise, no matter how good or strong their relationship was, Einstein would turn against them.

"Hmph, of course."

Otto smiled, completely unconcerned.

He claimed he wanted negotiations, but the result would remain the same regardless.

As long as Anti-Entropy remained Anti-Entropy, they could never reject his request for a truce.

Otherwise, Anti-Entropy itself would face problems.

After all, Anti-Entropy's policy was to oppose only the Honkai.

Theresa connected the call.

The two-party meeting instantly became a three-party conference.

On Anti-Entropy's side, Tesla's expression naturally darkened the moment she saw Otto.

Neither Einstein nor Tesla were fools. In fact, both were seasoned veterans.

The moment Tesla learned about the emergence of the Judgment-class Honkai Beast, she knew this battle was doomed. Knowing Otto's shameless nature, he would definitely exploit this opportunity.

But she was truly unwilling to accept it.

They could have easily crushed that bastard Otto this time.

Yet this unexpected situation had occurred.

Frankly, Tesla even suspected that this Judgment-class Honkai Beast was one of Otto's prearranged contingencies, prepared specifically for when he found himself at a disadvantage.

"Both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are vital forces in humanity's fight against the Honkai. Wasting our strength on internal conflict is clearly not the act of a wise man."

"I personally feel deeply ashamed that your dispute with the Schicksal fleet escalated into war."

"Now that we share a common enemy, we should naturally unite against the Honkai beasts together. Therefore... this battle ends here. I trust you all have no objections, correct?"

Otto smiled, his face radiating righteousness and perfectly embodying the image of someone devoted to humanity.

Tesla wanted to spit in disgust.

Pah, what a shameless bastard!

He was the one who brought his fleet here first, yet he still had the nerve to act like some peace-loving saint.

Ugh, whatever. Let's just kill this bastard already!

As for the Honkai beasts, they could easily handle them by sending a few people.

Tesla was so furious that she wanted to flip the table, but Einstein was not about to let her act recklessly. She gestured to someone nearby, and Tesla was dragged away.

Einstein first acknowledged Otto's request for a truce, then paused.

"Regarding the joint resistance against the Honkai invasion, Anti-Entropy has no objection, but..."

We've already gained a huge advantage in this war!

You want to end this peacefully without giving anything in return? Do you really think war is a game?! 

If we don't skin that bastard Otto alive today, Einstein says she'll change her surname to Joyce!

---

Chapter 208: Humans! It's Chiyou! Your Grandpa Is Back!

After discussing it with Theresa, Einstein presented Otto with the agreed-upon truce demands:

① Ownership of the Fourth and Sixth Divine Keys would be transferred to Anti-Entropy and St. Freya, respectively.

② Schicksal would recognize the independence of the Far East Branch and immediately withdraw its personnel.

③ Schicksal would relinquish control over the Far East Branch and the Shenzhou region.

④ In the event of a future enemy of humanity, Schicksal would share intelligence to the maximum extent possible.

This truce would be negotiated based on these four points; the remaining minor issues would be discussed with Schicksal later.

Frankly, it was quite lenient.

After all, this peace talk was essentially a ceasefire and a truce, not a surrender or defeat.

Schicksal hadn't been defeated yet.

Even without these troops, Schicksal headquarters still possessed considerable strength.

...Well, perhaps with the combined high-level combat power of St. Freya and Anti-Entropy, they could indeed wipe out Otto's resistance forces.

But at that point, Schicksal's strength would be reduced to less than a tenth of its former glory.

And from humanity's perspective, severely crippling Schicksal was clearly out of the question.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Einstein settled on these requirements.

Otto stroked his chin, reviewed the list one by one, and said with a smile that was both serious and earnest:

"I have no objection to the last three points, but regarding the Fourth Divine Key in the first point, Schicksal cannot lose it."

He had no interest in the Sixth Divine Key, the Black Abyss White Flower.

That thing wasn't essential to Otto; it was merely a useful weapon.

But the Fourth Divine Key was different.

Although the Fourth Divine Key wasn't essential to Otto either, its nature made it an indispensable tool for Schicksal to function and stabilize the world.

For example, Siberia, the site of the second major Honkai eruption. If it weren't for the environmental improvement effect of the Fourth Divine Key, the Honkai there would probably still be a major problem.

The same was true for Berlin, the site of the first major Honkai eruption.

Einstein raised an eyebrow. She had anticipated this and was prepared.

Since ownership wasn't an option, she would settle for the next best thing.

Einstein bluntly stated her pre-prepared demand:

"Then transfer half of the usage rights to the Fourth Divine Key to us."

The Fourth Divine Key was a permanent satellite. Since it was always in orbit, they only needed the basic usage rights and could access it directly when needed.

This would also serve as a check on Schicksal, preventing that bastard Otto from causing trouble with the Fourth Divine Key.

As she made her demands, Einstein coldly observed Otto.

At this point, if he were to haggle any further, then there would be no point in negotiating.

He could just wait to sign the loser's agreement and abdicate in favor of Theresa.

"Heh, I have no problem with that."

Seemingly sensing that Einstein was getting angry, Otto wisely gave up on further haggling.

After the three parties drafted the truce and armistice agreement, they each issued their orders.

Airspace A

The Schicksal warships all ceased fire, and the Titan forces also stopped.

“Eh… a truce? Why?”

Li Sushang stood on Water's Edge, her clothes fluttering like those of a celestial being.

Hearing Otto's order, a hint of surprise and confusion appeared on her beautiful face.

However, after Otto briefly explained the situation regarding the Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Li Sushang understood.

She couldn't help but sigh as she looked at Fu Hua, who had also stopped moving after receiving a message from the Hyperion, not far away.

She spoke regretfully, “I was hoping to have a good spar with Grandmaster Jingwei What a pity”

Airspace B

Durandal truly deserved to be called the strongest Valkyrie of this generation, the person Theresa described as surpassing Cecilia.

Even while facing a combined attack from the former strongest Valkyrie, Cecilia Schariac, and her daughter, the Herrscher of the Void, she did not fall behind.

However, it was certainly not easy.

This was evident from the fact that Durandal was no longer wearing the Godsbane Battlesuit, Bright Knight: Moonbeam.

A dazzling light, like stars, radiated from her golden armor.

This was the power Durandal gained at the age of twelve after saving a World Bubble with her lieutenant, Rita.

Bearing the power of an entire World Bubble, it was incredibly strong.

However, without Su's help, this power could not be sustained for long and could only be used for temporary bursts of power.

"Such powerful strength."

Cecilia was also taken aback by the power contained within Durandal's Dea Anchora. Recalling Theresa's words that this junior had surpassed her, she couldn't help but smile wryly.

“Indeed… she has far surpassed me.”

If the fight continued, who would win was truly uncertain.

However, upon receiving the message from the Hyperion, Cecilia understood that this arduous battle was over.

Airspace C

Bronya received the message from the Hyperion and stopped her beloved little motorcycle.

She stopped Wendy, who was still oblivious to the tornado raging in the sky.

Rita who had been chased around relentlessly learned of the truce and couldn't help but shed tears of emotion.

“Lady Durandal… Rita has finally survived!”

Finally! It's finally over!

If the fighting had continued like that, she really wouldn't have been able to hold on any longer.

Because of these three little devils, the situation in Airspace C looked like the aftermath of a car crash...

Well, at least the sky was relatively clear.

The once densely packed Schicksal battleships had now been reduced to just a few scattered vessels.

As for where the rest went?

That would probably require searching the seas below the airspace.

...

A truce was declared, and according to the agreement, Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and St. Freya naturally turned their attention to the Judgment-class Honkai Beast that had disrupted the war.

In the Hyperion's control room, Fu Hua had just returned when she paled upon seeing the black shadow in the image. The little ancestor from St. Freya also turned pale with fright upon seeing the shadow and exclaimed.

"It's Chiyou?!"

To ensure that those who came after could successfully resist the Honkai and not perish under its power like those of the Previous Era, Dr. Mei devised many plans, one of which was "Project EMBER." Its main purpose was to impart the technology of the Previous Era to the ignorant people at the beginning of the new era.

Nuwa and Fuxi were the executors of this project.

Initially, their plans progressed smoothly.

They successfully brought wisdom to the people of the early era.

But... not long after, the disastrous consequences of this plan became apparent.

The accelerated growth of civilization caused by Project EMBER directly gave birth to the first Judgment-class Honkai Beast of this era: Chiyou.

To eliminate this ferocious Honkai Beast, the ancestors of Shenzhou's civilization—Ji Lin, Nuwa, Fuxi, Lianshan, and others—sacrificed their lives to seal Chiyou within a bottomless trench in southeastern Shenzhou, naming it Jiuyou.

“...”

Fu Hua stared expressionlessly at Chiyou in the image.

Nuwa and Fuxi were her closest friends, but years ago, she had been away and unable to arrive in time. She could only watch them die in her arms.

Now... this culprit had resurfaced.

...What a twist of fate!!

Fu Hua's fingers cracked beneath her sleeves.

"Class Monitor, give us a brief overview of Chiyou first."

Mei patted Fu Hua's slightly trembling shoulder.

Judging by their current strength, let alone a mere Judgment-class Honkai Beast, even adding another Herrscher would only result in it being reduced to ashes.

But as the saying goes, better safe than sorry. Since this involved a conflict with the Honkai, being cautious was always a good idea.

Let’s skip ahead to the point where these Herrschers were clearly very strong yet overly cautious.

"I don't know much about Chiyou either."

Fu Hua shook her head slightly, sounding somewhat helpless.

If she had been there back then, she would have definitely killed Chiyou on the spot. Why would she have waited for Chiyou to rise from the dead today?

However, she wasn't completely ignorant.

Fuxi and Nuwa had left her some information about Chiyou before they died.

After searching through her memories, Fu Hua found the information she needed from the distant past and began to recount it:

"Chiyou is a very special Honkai Beast, even among Judgment-class beings. According to what Nuwa told me, Chiyou seems capable of growing infinitely larger by devouring the earth."

This information had been deduced by Nuwa and Fuxi based on the standards of the Previous Era.

"...Infinite? Does that mean if that giant eats enough, it could become bigger than the planet we're standing on?"

A surprised voice came from outside.

Everyone looked over and saw Tesla, Einstein, and Joyce entering through the door.

Tesla had spoken earlier.

Regarding Tesla's question, Fu Hua thought for a moment before answering uncertainly.

"Theoretically, it should be possible, but we don't know the specifics yet."

Einstein raised an eyebrow, glanced at the image, and casually said:

"Chiyou's direction of travel is Shenzhou. Perhaps it intends to devour the entire Shenzhou continent."

"...Anyway, let's head to the scene first."

Stopping Chiyou was undoubtedly the top priority.

Because of the truce, the forces of all three factions began converging on Chiyou.

Of course, Anti-Entropy's Titan forces and most of Schicksal's Valkyrie forces and warships had already been repatriated.

It was pointless for these low- to mid-level forces to gather against such a massive Honkai Beast.

The main force against Chiyou would primarily consist of their high-level combatants and the most advanced, high-powered warships.

Sitting with her little ancestor, Fu Hua frowned as she looked at the image of Chiyou.

She was furious about Chiyou's resurgence.

But... there was a crucial question: why had Chiyou appeared?

It was important to understand that the seal established by Fuxi, Nuwa, and the others was meant to be permanent.

Unless aided by external forces, Chiyou itself could never awaken from the seal.

The Nine Netherworld that sealed Chiyou was located off the coast of present-day Shenzhou (G State), several thousand nautical miles away from the site of their battle with Schicksal.

While it seemed far away, the Hyperion, the Moon Throne brought by Anti-Entropy, and Schicksal's warships were all epoch-making aerial warships.

Their technology far surpassed that of the outside world.

A distance of several thousand nautical miles was merely a matter of minutes at full speed for a revolutionary airship.

"Is this Chiyou? It's huge... The difference between seeing it on a screen and seeing it in person is enormous."

On the deck, Seele stood beside Bronya and craned her neck as she looked down at the massive, mountain-like shadow beneath the sea. She couldn't help but marvel at it.

Even simply seeing this shadow beneath the sea in person created an invisible sense of oppression.

"It really is huge... I'm tempted to try slicing it up with my wind, hehe."

Wendy stood on tiptoe, her green eyes unusually bright as she spoke eagerly, making no attempt to hide her excitement as she chuckled.

While slicing apart and tossing around warships was certainly interesting, cutting up such a huge lump of flesh would definitely be much more satisfying than those hard lumps of iron, right?

"What should we do? Should we just use overwhelming firepower to take it out?"

Himeko looked at Chiyou, clicking her tongue in amazement before turning to ask.

Normally, dealing with such a large monster would be best done by attacking its vital points.

But right now, their concentrated firepower was more than enough to destroy this behemoth head-on, so some considerations could be ignored.

Mei glanced at Chiyou casually and spoke indifferently, "If we can do it, then we can consider it."

Using overwhelming firepower was still quite convenient. The sooner they dealt with this troublesome behemoth, the sooner they could return to handling their own affairs.

Just as they were discussing how to deal with Chiyou, beneath the sea, Chiyou was trembling.

Normally, Honkai Beasts were brainless.

But Judgment-class Honkai Beasts were somewhat different.

Having intelligence was a good thing, but sometimes it was also a bad thing.

Like now.

Chiyou was a little scared.

Thanks to that strange human, it had finally managed to break free from that damned seal and awaken from its slumber.

Chiyou had planned to have a big meal after waking up and then head to the nearest continent to mooch off another meal.

But before it could even rise to the surface, it suddenly sensed the presence of a large group of Herrschers.

This terrified Chiyou.

Its limited intelligence simply couldn't understand why so many Herrschers were gathered together.

Then, out of fear and a sense of danger, Chiyou remained motionless underwater.

It thought about it for a while.

Then it suddenly realized a very important fact.

It was a Honkai Beast.

Weren't Honkai Beasts allies of the Herrschers?

Then why was it hiding from this group of Herrschers?

In terms of rank, Judgment-class Honkai Beasts were actually on the same level as Herrschers.

Although most of its kind were merely beasts, Chiyou, as a Judgment-class Honkai Beast with ideals, naturally wouldn't fear these Herrschers.

After thinking it through...

Feeling that it was on the same side as the Herrschers and wouldn't be attacked, Chiyou wanted to roar a few times to show that this Judgment-class Honkai Beast would never be enslaved.

Chiyou stirred its massive body and began rising toward the surface of the sea.

Humans! Your Grandpa Chiyou is back!

---

Chapter 209: You Guys Have Gone Too Far!

Standing a hundred meters tall, even a simple movement from its body was enough to unleash a monstrous tsunami.

Waves capable of utterly destroying houses crashed against Chiyou's mountain-like form, yet remained completely still, appearing as mere ripples.

Possessing the characteristics common to Honkai Beasts—a ghastly white exterior—Chiyou, among the strongest even of the Judgment-class Honkai Beasts, raised its head. Its cleavage-like eyes seemed to pierce through the clouds toward the Hyperion and the surrounding warships.

It opened its gaping maw and let out a deep, guttural roar.

The terrifying sound waves traveled through the air, piercing the clouds. Whether it was Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, or even the Herrschers on the Hyperion, everyone instinctively covered their ears.

Those with stronger constitutions were less affected, experiencing at most a buzzing in their heads.

But those with weaker constitutions, like the non-Immortal Blades on Schicksal's warships, were almost all knocked unconscious by the shockwave.

On Schicksal's flagship, Rita covered her ears, feeling a constant buzzing in her head.

What kind of torture is this?!

She had been chased and beaten by three brats, and then came over to fight a Honkai Beast, only to be hit squarely by this roar.

Rita felt like she was about to lose it.

She covered her ears, glaring fiercely at Chiyou below.

It's one thing to be unable to defeat a bunch of Herrschers, but you, a mere Judgment-level Honkai Beast, are so arrogant?!

"Hmm… is this Chiyou?"

Otto stroked his chin, scrutinizing Chiyou below, a rare hint of surprise appearing on his face.

He had heard of Chiyou's existence during his travels in Shenzhou, but due to the circumstances at the time, he had neither investigated nor paid much attention to it.

He never expected to actually see this era's first Judgment-level Honkai Beast today.

"Speaking of which, I should thank you."

Looking at Chiyou's massive body, Otto smiled and muttered to himself.

"Without your appearance, ending that battle so smoothly wouldn't have been so easy."

In fact, after exploring the Q&A Space, Otto's interest in the battle had already waned.

The reason he continued was simply to see how much his somewhat rebellious granddaughter had developed and improved during this time using that space, and whether she was qualified to inherit Schicksal after his death.

Now, although it felt somewhat opportunistic,

Otto had to admit that his granddaughter had indeed improved a lot compared to before.

“Your Excellency, what should we do about this?”

Durandal, dressed in her Bright Knight battlesuit, approached and asked.

The Black Abyss White Flower had already been handed over to Cecilia during the ceasefire under her orders.

Of course, Durandal had no objections to this.

The Black Abyss White Flower was merely a weapon that was somewhat convenient for her.

As she herself stated in the previous footage, she rarely needed it.

Using it as part of a truce was something Durandal was quite pleased with.

Yes, she truly disliked civil war.

Fighting to the death only resulted in humanity's losses.

Otto didn't answer Durandal's question. Instead, he looked at Rita and asked,

"What was the reply from my rebellious granddaughter?"

This was only happening now. In the past, Otto would have fought however he deemed appropriate, regardless of what others did. He was already being merciful by not eliminating everyone else, including Chiyou.

With her head still buzzing while pondering how to kill the unfortunate creature below that had come looking for trouble, Rita immediately regained her composure upon hearing Otto's voice and flashed a professional smile.

"Lady Theresa's intention is to hold off on firing for now. They plan to send people to infiltrate Chiyou's body and find its weaknesses."

Otto raised an eyebrow. Find weaknesses?

He glanced at the surrounding Schicksal warships and thought of the dangerous crew aboard the Hyperion.

With this configuration, there was no need to find weaknesses; they could simply bombard it head-on.

"Hmm, could it be…"

Otto stroked his chin while looking at Chiyou below when suddenly something occurred to him.

Chiyou originated from Shenzhou, and his old friend, Jingwei, who had witnessed Shenzhou's development, must know of Chiyou or even have had contact with it.

"Heh, interesting."

Otto clapped his hands and laughed, slightly raising one hand as he said with a faint smile.

"Then let's wait."

He was never short on time, nor did he lack patience.

Since it involved his old friend, what harm was there in waiting a little longer?

...

In fact, most people on the Hyperion agreed with the idea of overwhelming Chiyou with firepower and reducing it to ashes.

Especially after being yelled at like that, which had angered everyone.

However, just as the final decision was being made, a hesitant Fu Hua couldn't help but call for a halt, requesting time to infiltrate Chiyou's body.

Why? It was probably because she wanted to see her former companions one last time inside Chiyou.

If possible, she wanted to bring some of their belongings out.

Otherwise, if Schicksal's warships and that bunch of monsters teamed up to wipe out Chiyou, there wouldn't even be a trace left.

Fu Hua originally planned to take her daughter and Water's Edge with her and go alone.

However, after some consideration, Mei and the others decided to include Kiana, Bronya, and Seele as well.

This was, of course, for a reason.

Kiana possessed the powers of the Herrscher of the Void. She could open the Imaginary Gate to help Fu Hua and the others escape safely if anything happened inside Chiyou.

Bronya, on the other hand, was valued for the analytical abilities unique to the Herrscher of Reason.

Chiyou's internal condition was still unknown to them. Having a Herrscher of Reason capable of analyzing everything would save them a lot of trouble.

While Seele might seem like an added bonus, her Mystic Eyes of Distortion could forcibly distort defenses, inflicting irresistible damage.

Combined with Yanling's nature of issuing death commands, a Seele possessing both of these attributes was an invincible spear designed to pierce through any impenetrable defense and eliminate the opponent instantly.

However, what kind of impenetrable shell could withstand Fu Hua at her peak, Kiana, who had already mastered some of the Herrscher of the Void's abilities, and… Bronya in her complete form, having fully inherited the Core of Reason?

Yes, Bronya had successfully inherited the Core of the Herrscher of Reason.

Before setting off, Joyce passed the Core of Reason to Bronya, making her, who already possessed some of the power of Reason, a fully fledged Herrscher of Reason… or perhaps even an enhanced version.

In terms of raw power, Bronya Zaychik was the strongest among the three Herrschers.

Of course, her accumulation of knowledge remained a major weakness.

Regarding her knowledge of the Herrscher of Reason, even though she had worked hard for a considerable time due to receiving the power of Reason earlier, Bronya's knowledge reserves were still far inferior to those of the previous two Herrschers of Reason.

…

A crack suddenly appeared in the dim, damp space.

The gap gradually widened until it eventually became a hole.

The first to fly out of the hole, Book of Fuxi glanced at the still-open portal and exclaimed. 

"The powers of the Herrscher of the Void are truly wondrous and convenient."

“But this is Chiyou’s body…it’s a bit dark…”

Seele who followed closely behind rubbed her eyes while looking at the dark surroundings with a hint of unease.

But the next second, the problem was solved.

With a whoosh, a burst of light flashed, dispelling the darkness and allowing them to see the entire space.

It was very spacious, but unlike what they had imagined, the area was not filled with Chiyou’s flesh and blood. Instead, it contained ancient Shenzhou-style buildings and rocks.

"Bronya Onee-chan is convenient too!"

It was Wendy's voice.

Wait…

Wendy?

Bronya, carrying the lantern, paused before turning around and immediately seeing Wendy peeking out of the portal while clicking her tongue in amazement.

…This adventure wouldn't be possible without you!!

Bronya immediately wanted to shove Wendy back inside.

Naturally, this made Wendy beg for mercy, "No, Bronya Onee-chan, it's so boring staying on the Hyperion watching this big guy without being able to do anything!"

"Fine, since we're already here, let's leave it at that."

Kiana's words of advice dissuaded Bronya from putting Wendy back.

She glanced at Wendy, who was tearfully trying to get away with it, then sighed and spoke seriously.

"...Alright, but Wendy has to promise Bronya that she won't use her Herrscher powers carelessly!"

Among St. Freya's Herrschers, Wendy had the weakest understanding of the limits of Herrscher powers.

Kiana, Bronya, and even Mei only used their powers in battle, training, or when absolutely necessary.

Wendy, however, was much more casual. Whenever she became lazy, she would simply use her Herrscher powers for convenience in daily life.

Wendy's explanation was: "If you have something like that, shouldn't you use it?"

But Bronya was actually quite worried about this.

Leaving aside whether using Herrscher powers for convenience would turn them into useless individuals, there was also the possibility that excessive use of Herrscher powers could become habitual… and then they might truly become full-fledged Herrschers.

"Hmm… okay." Wendy nodded somewhat unhappily.

She was usually restrained by Bronya Onee-chan and couldn't use her powers recklessly.

Only during fights and training could she truly let loose.

But now, inside this annoyingly loud creature's body, she still had to endure it all. Sigh.

"Class Monitor, which way should we go next?"

After making Wendy agree to three conditions, Bronya looked expressionlessly at Fu Hua.

Since Fu Hua was the one who wanted to come in, the decision on how to proceed was naturally hers.

"...East, perhaps. I can sense the presence of an old friend."

Fu Hua frowned while gazing in a certain direction with a complicated expression.

On the warship, it had only been intuition.

But once inside, the nostalgic atmosphere became overwhelming.

Chiyou's body was vast like a maze. Without preparation, a normal person would likely become trapped and die if they rushed in recklessly.

However, this was irrelevant to Fu Hua. Following her senses and recalling the memories of her former acquaintances, she knew she could not go wrong.

"Whoosh."

The scythe lightly sliced through the air, and the massive Honkai Beast roared before vanishing into purple specks of light. Seele, now wielding the scythe, looked at the dissipating Honkai Beasts around her with some confusion.

"There are so many Honkai Beasts inside this huge creature?"

Fu Hua didn't answer. Bronya, in her Herrscher of Reason state and wearing a pleated skirt, had gears spinning in her orange eyes, clearly indicating that she was activating her Herrscher powers.

Regarding Seele's question, Bronya calmly replied.

"Chiyou's body contains its own universe, providing the conditions and environment for the emergence of Honkai Beasts."

"Whoosh."

A figure attacked but was sent flying backward and slammed against the stone wall by a Subspace Lance.

Kiana controlled the Subspace Lance with one raised hand and looked at the cat-eared claws of the zombie pierced by the weapon with unusual annoyance.

"I can understand Honkai Beasts, but why are there zombies in this godforsaken place?"

Honkai Beasts could appear as the concentration of Honkai energy increased because their essence was composed of Honkai energy.

But zombies were different.

These things were essentially humans corrupted by Honkai.

This was Chiyou's stomach, so where did these humans come from?

"...When Chiyou's plague ravaged Shenzhou, it devoured many residents. These zombies might have been transformed from them..."

Hearing Fu Hua's explanation, Kiana understood and felt relieved.

"That makes sense... Since we can see so many ancient buildings, it's not unacceptable that it devoured some people as well."

"But if that's the case, then these zombies we're fighting are all ancient relics with thousands of years of history..."

"Whoosh!"

A stone slab slammed into the wall, creating a massive crater.

Having just dodged the attack, Kiana looked toward the attacker—a masked zombie with several stone slabs floating behind it.

Startled, she spoke.

"Oh... this is..."

"Lich."

Bronya uttered its name from Schicksal's database, the gears in her eyes slowly turning as if locking onto it.

In Schicksal's database, summoning zombies were already quite rare.

Let alone the highest-ranking summoning zombie before them, the [Lich].

Give this thing enough time, and it could create an army of zombies.

Kiana stared at the Lich and remarked, "This is the first time I've encountered this guy... I've only ever seen it in textbooks before."

As everyone knew, Schicksal's textbooks contained everything.

And on the page labeled "Summoning Zombie: Lich," three very simple words were written: Kill without mercy!

The group exchanged glances and reached a consensus.

In an instant,

Kiana summoned a Subspace Lance.

Wendy held a hurricane swirling in her hand.

Seele's eyes turned red as the Mystic Eyes of Distortion began activating.

Countless floating cannons appeared behind Bronya.

The Lich froze instantly.

No… I’m really just a slightly higher-level zombie…

You guys… have gone too far!

 Chapter 210: Looking for trouble, huh?!

The Lich, which was said to be worth an army single-handedly, fell victim to the brutality of four people.

Fu Hua remained silent, while her little darling, Water's Edge, hid behind her and looked on with pity.

Ah, this is truly cruel (seriously).

The Lich's existence was merely a minor incident for them.

The Honkai Beasts blocking their path couldn't hinder their progress at all.

Following her instincts, Fu Hua led her group to a more spacious area.

"Jingwei, you've come."

A heavy, cold, and strangely eerie voice echoed through the space.

Kiana, standing nearby, looked toward the source of the sound and immediately spotted the figure shrouded in shadow.

A woman clad in black armor, with a jeweled ornament adorning her forehead, possessed a beautiful yet icy face. Her eyes were red, lifeless, and filled with violent intensity. She rode a tall warhorse, its armor fitted so tightly that it covered all of its vital areas.

"...A living person?!" Kiana was momentarily startled upon seeing this person, but when her gaze met those crimson eyes, she instinctively shuddered.

Bronya warily observed the figure on horseback. She sensed a dangerous aura emanating from this individual, but the words the other party had spoken earlier prompted her to ask Fu Hua a question.

"Class Monitor, is she someone you know?"

"...Yes."

Fu Hua was somewhat incredulous upon seeing the figure, but Bronya's question made her nod slightly in complicated affirmation.

The little ancestor, however, was less composed.

Upon seeing the familiar figure in the shadows, she was startled and flew around erratically.

"W-W-W-It's Ji Xuanyuan!"

Ji Xuanyuan, whose name had been called, slowly rode out on her armored warhorse and looked down at the flustered little ancestor with a cold, handsome smile.

"It's the Book of Fuxi. I didn't expect you to be here with Jingwei too."

"Ah... you... what's wrong with you?! Ji Xuanyuan, weren't you supposed to have perished with my two creators? How come..."

The little ancestor looked at Ji Xuanyuan, utterly confused, but Fu Hua beside her held her back and calmly stepped forward to face Ji Xuanyuan.

She had been preparing herself for a long time, but looking at that familiar face, she could only utter these words to this old friend from a thousand years ago.

"Long time no see... Ji Xuanyuan."

Hearing this, Ji Xuanyuan remained expressionless.

"Hmph, indeed it has been a long time... If I count carefully, it seems a thousand years have passed."

“Why did it turn out like this?” Fu Hua thought for a moment before finally asking.

As she asked the question, golden specks of light seeped out and transformed into a shimmering shadow that stood beside Kiana.

“Wow…”

Wendy, who was closer, was startled.

The specks of light gradually took shape, forming a woman in a pale yellow robe holding a sword. Her appearance was remarkably similar to Ji Xuanyuan, the rider on horseback.

“…Another... another Ji Xuanyuan?!”

Seeing this figure, the little ancestor was stunned. She glanced at the one talking to Fu Hua, then at the one beside her, utterly confused.

"Which one is the real Ji Xuanyuan?"

While she was in a state of utter bewilderment, the bright yellow Ji Xuanyuan greeted her with a smile.

"Long time no see, Jingwei, Book of Fuxi."

Then she looked directly at the black Ji Xuanyuan.

Seeing this Ji Xuanyuan's appearance, the Black Ji Xuanyuan immediately revealed a cold smile and mocked.

"Why haven't you disappeared yet?"

"Probably because I haven't dealt with my own worthless shortcomings yet."

As she spoke, Ji Xuanyuan looked at Fu Hua apologetically.

"I'm sorry... Jingwei. I ultimately couldn't withstand a thousand years of waiting."

"The me you see now is a puppet, exploited by Chiyou and turned into Honkai's slave."

She offered an explanation for Black Ji Xuanyuan's existence.

Fu Hua sighed softly.

"I see."

How long had she spent with Ji Xuanyuan and the others?

Now that Fu Hua had regained most of her memories, how could she not understand Ji Xuanyuan's situation?

"Honkai's slave? Hahaha, you're quite the talker!"

Black Ji Xuanyuan scoffed at Ji Xuanyuan's self-introduction, then said somewhat maniacally:

"Thousands of years, thousands of years! I've been trapped in this dark, sunless place for thousands of years! Why did I have to stay in such a place?!"

"It's all your fault, and you too, Jingwei! Why couldn't you get here in time?! Why did you leave me?!"

Under Chiyou's millennia-long encroachment, Ji Xuanyuan, who had stood alone for so long, had actually gone mad.

She had forgotten her original intention... No, rather than forgetting, it was more like regret—regret for making that decision.

At the same time, she also hated her former self and her former friends.

If it weren't for them, if it weren't for herself, why would she have endured this pain?

"Jingwei, and the other invaders... hahaha, you are all Jingwei's companions, aren't you? Since you've come here, then stay!"

Black Ji Xuanyuan swept her gaze over Fu Hua and the others behind her. Her crimson eyes were filled only with brutality, killing intent, and endless hatred.

Her tall warhorse, following its master's will, suddenly raised its hooves high and neighed.

"...As you can see, I've gone mad."

Looking at her own deranged state, Ji Xuanyuan spoke helplessly.

"So... please give me release."

"I entrust everything to you, Jingwei, and her companions."

Fu Hua sighed.

Why was it that every time she met someone from her past, she was either fighting them or on her way to fight them?

First she fought Li Sushang, and now she had to fight Ji Xuanyuan...

It was truly painful for Fu Hua to attack an old friend, but watching her former friend become such an inhuman and deranged existence required careful handling, especially since it was Ji Xuanyuan's own request.

"Let me do it myself."

After all, they were former comrades, and Fu Hua wasn't going to let Kiana and the others interfere.

She raised a fist, braced herself, and faced the charging Black Ji Xuanyuan.

Amid the maniacal laughter and the neighing of warhorses, feathers like fleeting bubbles drifted through the air and fell gently.

The air fell silent.

Looking at the drooping warhorse and her own dim eyes, Ji Xuanyuan couldn't help but sigh.

"Your Fenghuang Down is still as powerful as ever..."

"Sorry for causing you so much trouble... Well, that's not entirely accurate, since I was taken care of in an instant."

Halfway through her sentence, Ji Xuanyuan showed a somewhat helpless and troubled expression, but upon seeing Fu Hua, she smiled.

"But since it's Jingwei, it's only natural that she could defeat me so easily, right?"

Fu Hua remained silent.

Ji Xuanyuan turned to Kiana and the others, smiling wryly.

"I'm a little ashamed that you saw me in such an embarrassing state."

"But... Jingwei has so many companions now. That's wonderful."

She looked at them, a smile appearing on her face, and couldn't help but recall the past.

"Back then, Nuwa and Fuxi were worried that she would be all alone after we were all gone."

"I'm here, okay?!"

The Book of Fuxi waved her sleeve in dissatisfaction.

"Haha... that's why you exist." Ji Xuanyuan covered her face with her sleeve and chuckled lightly.

"To see you after thousands of years, to see Jingwei with so many companions... Nuwa and Fuxi's worries were all for nothing."

"Ji Xuanyuan, you..."

Fu Hua hesitated, unable to speak.

Because Ji Xuanyuan's form was gradually beginning to dissipate into specks of light.

How could Ji Xuanyuan not notice?

But she simply smiled.

"There's nothing I can do... After all, I'm just a lingering attachment from the past. Since my true form has been destroyed, there's naturally no reason for me to continue existing."

Looking into Fu Hua's eyes, filled with reluctance and mixed emotions, Ji Xuanyuan shook her head slightly.

"Don't be sad. After all, I should have left with Nuwa and Fuxi a thousand years ago. Now, it's good that I can go find Lianshan."

“You don’t need to take my words to heart. Neither I nor Nuwa and Fuxi have ever blamed you. On the contrary, Jingwei—”

She became very serious.

“It’s our honor to have met you.”

She looked at everyone one by one, as if trying to remember them all.

Ji Xuanyuan smiled and vanished into specks of light.

“Chiyou is in your hands now. Please.”

The encounter with Ji Xuanyuan marked the end of this expedition.

They returned to the Hyperion through Kiana’s Imaginary Number Gate.

This expedition was not without its rewards; they brought back many valuable items.

The most important of these were the Soulium artifacts with attributes imprinted from the past and... a Book of Fuxi.

Actually, it should be called a spherical Soulium computer.

In the Previous Era, many of these things were left behind to pass on knowledge. The one beneath the little ancestor was one of them.

And from Chiyou, they obtained another one.

Kiana and the others told Mei and Theresa, who were waiting on the Hyperion, about their encounter inside Chiyou.

"...A reunion after a thousand years..."

Theresa couldn't help but sigh at the thought of that scene.

However, the most urgent task right now was dealing with the giant creature below.

Now that everything worth looting had been looted, it was time to deal with Chiyou.

"Mei, notify Grandpa to prepare for the attack."

Theresa decisively issued the order, then looked at Einstein and asked:

"Dr. Einstein, how are your preparations going?"

"The power supply is a bit insufficient, but we stored up some energy beforehand. The Honkai Energy Conversion Suit on the Selene is barely usable... consider it a test."

Einstein shrugged.

"The main damage output will depend on your side and Otto's..."

The Anti-Entropy mech forces had enough firepower, but this was the sky, and relying solely on mechs was ineffective against the hundreds-of-meters-tall Chiyou. Therefore, their main damage output came from the unfinished Selene.

Originally, there had been a Herrscher of Reason who could compensate for this, but Bronya had not yet fully inherited that power.

"...Whatever. Notify all sides to begin preparations for the final assault, and try to wipe out this thing below in one blow."

Theresa didn't care. She waved her hand and prepared to begin the operation.

She herself was probably only fit to be a mascot. While Judah was deadly to Honkai creatures, the moment she activated it, all the Herrschers around her would suffer.

The deployment order was quickly issued and relayed to all three parties.

Otto had actually been preparing for a while, merely waiting for this side to be ready.

Now, upon receiving the notification, he immediately smiled, looked at Chiyou below, and casually waved his hand.

At that moment, dozens of Schicksal's epoch-making battleships launched a full-force attack simultaneously.

Based on the output alone, this attack intensity was basically equivalent to a full-force strike from dozens of Herrschers.

Durandal wasn't idle either.

As a top-tier combatant, she instantly transformed into her Undying Anchor form, then concentrated all her power and unleashed a full-force attack with her Holy Sword.

The intensity of this attack was comparable to a fully powered Herrscher's attack at maximum strength.

In terms of heat output, it nearly rivaled the Greatsword of Annihilation.

The attacks launched by Schicksal slammed into Chiyou.

Chiyou, who had initially intended to swagger and make her presence known, was instantly overwhelmed by the dense barrage of attacks. Her skin was torn apart and blood splattered everywhere.

The so-called Judgment-class super turtle shell was utterly meaningless under such intense bombardment.

And that wasn't all.

The Hyperion also launched its own attack.

Besides the Hyperion's main cannon...

The Herrscher squads, each suspended in the sky by their own methods, began unleashing their full power.

Kiana was no longer in her Void Drifter form, but in her Blue-Eyed Herrscher of the Void form.

In her hand was a small, bright yellow cube.

This was a supermassive block infinitely superimposed with the power of imaginary numbers. A single strike could cause terrifying damage, and upon impact, it would create an infinite corridor, directly banishing parts of the target.

Beside her, Mei, who had been active as a researcher in the rear, crackled with crimson arcs of electricity.

Although she wasn't yet wearing her Herrscher armor, Mei resembled a queen of lightning.

The crimson arcs of electricity compressed and swirled in her hand, condensing into terrifying plasma according to physical formulas. A single strike could instantly vaporize someone.

Bronya, now in Herrscher form, sat expressionlessly in Project Bunny's palm.

Behind her, countless floating cannons were rapidly being constructed, numbering at least in the tens of thousands.

Wendy, however, was unusually well-behaved this time. She made no grand gestures and simply raised one hand.

Among the Herrschers, the usually flamboyant Wendy was the most low-key this time.

Had she changed her personality? Of course not.

If viewed from space, one could probably see the atmosphere of Earth's Northern Hemisphere rapidly contracting in a vortex-like pattern.

In addition, ocean currents across the planet were undergoing bizarre changes.

The same was true underground.

Atmosphere, air, water, magma—all fluids—Wendy was manipulating all of them.

After meteorological agencies around the world detected this, those in the know suspected that the end of the world was imminent.

Thankfully, Einstein noticed the situation in time thanks to Ai-chan's monitoring.

She had initially wondered why Wendy had suddenly become so restrained, but it turned out she was preparing something even more terrifying.

Slightly flustered, Einstein frantically tried to stop Wendy.

Kiana and the others also learned about the massive mess Wendy had caused, and they all smirked in unison.

"We were just fighting Chiyou, and you're trying to wipe out both Chiyou and Earth together?!"

Wendy, who had been in a good mood, immediately became unhappy and puffed up her cheeks after being stopped.

She could only settle for creating a super tornado.

Then Einstein measured it and discovered that this still-forming tornado could cover at least one-tenth of the Pacific Ocean, and that didn't even include its effects on surrounding regions.

Guess what her expression looked like? 😢😓

Stop it! It must be stopped!

Wendy's skill, halfway through casting, was interrupted once again.

This time, Einstein lowered the requirements even further.

But Wendy was furious!

Everyone else had already unleashed their ultimate abilities, while she hadn't even managed to cast a single spell.

You interrupted my ultimate, huh?

You're looking for trouble?!

Take my Super Wind Blade!