MDV 251-257 (Patreon)

Thick chapters with extra chapters spread out.

Chapter 251: The Death of the Herrscher of Dominance / Let's Go Back to Our Hometown and Get Married After This Battle

"Hahaha! You've fallen for my trap."

The Herrscher of Dominance suddenly burst into laughter. "I knew one of you would try to rescue your companion, and now you've walked right into my trap. Didn't you notice that you encountered no resistance when you entered?"

"What?!"

Lin Ling quickly poked the television with the spikes on her tail. Sure enough, even though the collision produced a loud metallic clanging sound, the screen remained intact.

It turned out that the TV cage itself was a trap, and Bronya and Fu Hua were bait to lure her in.

"Damn it, stop with this double-crossing scheme! How boring! Don't you know Matryoshka dolls are forbidden?"

Lin Ling pressed her face against the glass screen inside the TV and complained with obvious annoyance.

Then, as if struck by a funny thought, she suddenly laughed with great interest. She tapped on the glass.

"Seriously, there's not a single crack! This glass is so hard! If it were made into a phone, it would be incredibly drop-resistant. Hey, Dominance, why don't you stop causing trouble here and come make phones with us? We'll beat up Bronya, kick Kevin, and crush Schicksal while making a fortune! Wouldn't that be more profitable than working for Honkai? You're working yourself to the bone every day, getting beaten up, and even if you win, you'll still get wiped out by the boss's daughter, Finality. Is it really necessary?"

"Shut up! I think you really don't understand the meaning of death!"

Seeing that the other party had clearly fallen into the trap but wasn't flustered at all and was even trying to persuade them to surrender, even the Herrscher of Dominance couldn't help but feel annoyed, angry, and slightly worried.

"Damn it! I'm usually the one harassing others with words. How come this guy is even more annoying than me? And… why isn't she flustered at all? Is she really out of her mind? Is she bluffing to distract me? Or is she genuinely fearless? Oh well… to avoid any unforeseen complications, I'd better reinforce the seal first."

"Hmph! I will seal all three of you forever deep within the Theater of Domination!"

With that thought, the Herrscher of Dominance once again pulled the threads in Their hand, splitting the entire ground in two. The television immediately fell into the bottomless abyss below.

"Ling!"

Mei and the others were shocked and tried to rescue Lin Ling, but because the puppet strings' attack was still ongoing, they were too late.

They could only watch helplessly as the crack rapidly closed, swallowing Lin Ling whole as though nothing had happened.

"Don't rush, little girls~"

After a series of clever maneuvers that eliminated the two most dangerous and troublesome targets, the Herrscher of Dominance ceased their evasive maneuvers.

Then, their true form triumphantly launched its final attack on the weakened Herrscher of Thunder and the two Herrschers of Ice and Wind, whose abilities had not yet fully recovered—

"I'll send you to reunite with your wife right away!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? What 'your wife'? I'm super brave—I should be the husband! And..."

Suddenly, a familiar and annoying voice came from above the Herrscher of Dominance, startling them while attacking Mei. They quickly looked up and saw a huge blue motorcycle hurtling toward Their face.

"Eat my road roller!"

Bang!

Sizzle...

Not only was there a powerful impact, but the tires also spun and ground violently against them, causing excruciating pain.

Boom!

Finally, the Herrscher of Dominance was sent flying dozens of meters and crashed into a building.

"Damn it, how did you get out?! How did you escape? Why didn't I notice anything?! This is clearly my territory!" the enraged Herrscher of Dominance asked in bewilderment.

"Bronya's driving skills are pretty good. Let's go for a ride sometime~"

Lin Ling, sandwiched between Bronya and Fu Hua on the motorcycle, got off and spoke to the Herrscher of Dominance, "Have you heard of Pardofelis? The strongest thief from the Previous Era. She personally taught me a couple of moves~"

"What?"

The Herrscher of Dominance looked incredulous.

Since becoming a catgirl, Lin Ling felt she had become much more "clever."

This cleverness wasn't just reflected in her increased agility and speed; her intuition and even her "sixth sense" had become stronger.

For example, this television was, in a sense, a type of seal, but Lin Ling quickly detected the weakest point and the location of the flaw from the very beginning.

So, at the moment the earth closed in, Lin Ling's cat ears twitched slightly and she secretly led Fu Hua and Bronya out without anyone noticing.

Of course, although a loophole had been discovered, the powerful abilities inherited from the other Honkai Beast genes were still indispensable for breaking the seal.

However, Lin Ling couldn't help but sigh.

"Pardo's power is really useful. No wonder she was able to steal from all the MANTIS, whose strength far surpassed hers. But... hehe, I like it~"

"Hmph! It's just the loss of two hostages. I still have my biggest trump card! Herrscher of the Void, attack!"

The puppet wasn't discouraged. It immediately tried to control Kiana's seemingly unconscious body with puppet strings.

It sensed that Kiana's body could withstand not only three cores but even more. Therefore, as long as it could control her body and combine it with the large amount of Herrscher core power it had previously seized, there was still hope for a comeback.

"Huh?! What's going on?"

But the Herrscher of Dominance's embarrassment and fear returned. Although their control threads successfully wrapped around Kiana, the girl remained completely unmoved and unresponsive.

"Kiana, when you wake up, you'll find everything has changed. The world is no longer beautiful, and those ordinary days are gone forever. But don't give up, Kiana. Lift your head and keep moving forward. Try to turn this imperfect story into the one you desire!..."

"Sirin, I truly wanted to be your mother, to make up for what you lost… Unfortunately, at that time, I couldn't change anything. But at least, in the end, I wanted you to feel warmth. Sirin… Ich liebe dich…"

"To me, you are more important than this world…"

"Once we've sorted all this out, let's go back to our hometown and get married..."

Meanwhile, within the boundless illusion of reincarnation, Kiana was reminiscing about her teacher, mother, friends, and the teachings, kindness, and care of the most important people in her life.

She always glimpsed the girl's sorrowful, fragmented memories in the deepest recesses of her dreams. She looked away and closed her eyes, desperately trying to escape, only to be met with disdain from the other being within her.

Now, she finally chose to face everything, accept her identity, and bear the heavy burden of her past.

This was destined to be a path strewn with thorns, but the will she carried would become the light that paved her way.

The greatsword was heavy.

What was her teacher thinking when she wielded it?

She met her again, and in that gentle gaze, she wanted to say something more but felt that words were unnecessary, because what her teacher wanted to impart was already in her hands.

The greatsword seemed to sense the hopes of those around her. Beams of light condensed along its blade, transmitting the power of her companions and igniting the hope gathered within her.

The girl didn't turn back, but she knew that behind her were countless gazes, the strength her companions gave her, and an inextinguishable flame in the darkness.

"How can I stop here and sink into this false world? Those who led me and guided me—I will follow in their footsteps!"

A faint flame ignited out of nowhere.

But this time, it didn't just emanate from Kiana's greatsword.

A tiny spark appeared between her brows.

Although the spark was weak, as though a mere breath could extinguish it—

It quickly spread like wildfire, engulfing her entire body and igniting the binding threads of humanity's deepest and most despicable malice.

Finally, this flame of hope and inheritance transformed into a powerful suit of armor adorning her body.

At the same time, a powerful burst of flames erupted instantly, completely purifying the Herrscher of Dominance's control.

Flames carried by threads connected sky and earth, burning the self-immolating Herrscher of Dominance.

Scorched by the flames, the Herrscher of Dominance cried out painfully:

"Why?! Why could you escape my carefully crafted multiple illusions?! Why could you regain yourself?!"

"Herrscher of Dominance, your illusions were indeed well designed and very realistic. Perhaps that realism is the history that should have happened—"

Kiana looked down at the greatsword in her hand.

In this moment of distraction, she experienced many lives—so many that she could hardly distinguish real memories from false illusions.

Teacher Himeko sacrificed herself to save her.

She failed to seize the body of the Herrscher of the Void and her consciousness was extinguished.

Or perhaps she became Finality and destroyed the world.

"These tragedies are not impossible… I know very well that along my journey, I have brought too much pain and danger to my companions, family, and friends. Sometimes I have thought that perhaps I should have died long ago or never appeared in this world at all… But I cannot be so irresponsible and simply leave…"

"As for defeating Finality, saving the world, and living happily ever after with everyone? I admit that is my ultimate dream… But no matter how well I pretend, a fake is still a fake…"

Kiana pointed at Lin Ling angrily.

"You actually made this woman give up womanizing?! Haha, what Lostbelt myth is this from?! Your illusion is too fake! You don't understand Ling at all! It was from that moment that I gradually realized something was wrong with the world I was in. Finally, with everyone's help and my real memories, I broke through the illusion!"

"Meow?"

The white catgirl stretched out her little paws, tilted her head, and winked at Kiana.

"Hehe~"

(Trying to get away with being cute~)

"Hmph~ I'll deal with you later!"

Snap~

Kiana snapped her fingers, and the flames surrounding the Herrscher of Dominance intensified.

Reflected in the fire, what had initially been a left-hand shape began struggling violently and eventually transformed into a twisted and terrifying humanoid form.

But just as they were about to perish, they uttered a resentful curse like a demon from hell:

"Even if you can overcome yourselves, even if you can maintain your so-called justice and kindness, what good will it do? You... you can never change the malice in everyone's hearts. You can never change this ugly world! Ah..."

The Herrscher of Dominance's voice became increasingly desperate and defeated.

Seemingly due to the loss of control, the earth trembled, corpses floated into the air, and spacetime tore apart.

The Theater of Domination—everything in this world was shattering and disintegrating.

No.

It was aggregating and recombining.

Some fragments formed a head, others a torso and arms.

A gigantic humanoid creation rapidly took shape.

At this point, all of the Herrscher of Dominance's conspiracies and schemes had failed.

Now, they had no choice but to abandon all escape routes, abandon all concealment, gather the power of a thousand Herrschers, seize every Herrscher authority, and concentrate all the malice of humanity they had collected into—

a gigantic dark-golden puppet.

Although the puppet was tattered and constantly crumbling, its features ugly and distorted, its limbs uneven and misaligned, and even missing a right hand, it stood as tall as a skyscraper and displayed terrifying power.

Then, the gigantic puppet moved.

Without hesitation, it swung its most complete left fist directly at the crowd.

This punch contained no obvious special power—merely raw physical force and not especially fast—yet everyone felt immense pressure so overwhelming that they couldn't move or dodge.

Space itself had been sealed.

Even more terrifying, countless twisted human figures seemed to writhe in agony across the fist like a scene from hell.

Meanwhile, although the collapse of the theater caused the heavily armored girl to lose her footing, all the girls present were Herrschers with at least one core and used their abilities to float in the air.

Then Kiana regained her footing on an invisible platform and shouted:

"Everyone, be careful! The Herrscher of Dominance is going all out! This is their final attack, so let's unleash our strongest attack in return!"

"Okay!" the girls replied in unison before gathering all their power.

"Everyone, do your best! After this battle, let's go back to our hometown and get married!"

After giving her usual motivational speech, Lin Ling transformed back into her current powerful dragon form capable of flight. She opened her gaping maw and began gathering ice, fire, lightning, darkness, and countless other powers.

BOOM!!!

Scorching flames, frigid ice, a storm that tore everything apart, lightning that cleaved heaven and earth, a greatsword descending from the sky, and the dragon's breath—a mixture of countless powers—collided with the giant puppet's fist.

The next moment, a dazzling light blinded everyone and tore the world apart...

————————————————————

Chapter 252: Celebrating Victory, Promotion, and Adultery

As the flames from the violent explosion subsided, the girls' vision cleared again—

They saw that the noisy, dangling remains of the tiny figures and the grotesque fragments of the large dolls were gradually dissipating; even the space surrounding the Arena of Domination was beginning to crack…

Crack!

Finally, the entire world shattered, and after a rapid, bizarre flashback, the group found themselves on a pristine white salt flat by a lake.

“This is the Great Salt Lake next to the Salt Lake Base…?” Kiana had lived at the Anti-Entropy Salt Lake Base for some time, so she immediately recognized where she was. “We’re back.”

“Phew~” Wendy closed her eyes slightly and gently spread her hands, feeling the natural breeze from the lake caress her face. “So, we won?”

Although everything related to the Herrscher of Legion had vanished, after her previous experience of a self-righteous victory ending in a punch, there was still a hint of doubt in her voice.

“I think so. I can feel that my Herrscher of Sentience powers have fully recovered.”

Fu Hua touched her chest and gave a definite answer. With the complete disappearance of the Herrscher of Legion, her Herrscher powers had fully recovered.

However, this power did not stay in my body for long before it was taken back by someone else.

“Hmm. My Herrscher of Reason powers have also fully recovered. And…”

Bronya nodded in agreement. In her vision, the biochip implanted in her brain was displaying readings that were rapidly returning to zero.

"The Herrscher of Dominance itself, along with the entire Theater of Domination’s signals, has completely disappeared. So, I think they won’t be resurrected this time.”

“So, this battle is finally over?… In that case…”

The girls exchanged smiles, then turned their gaze to the giant dragon beside them. “Ling, were you serious about what you just said?”

However, the dragon Lin simply tilted her head at them and let out a majestic roar:

"Meow?”

It seems she did not understand what they were saying.

“Hey!!! Ling! Old Timer!... Are you alright?”

An urgent voice came from afar. A girl who looked exactly like Fu Hua was running toward them quickly. Then, when she saw a huge, meowing dragon next to Fu Hua, she exclaimed.

"What the hell? Where did that dragon come from? Old Timer, don’t be afraid! I’m here to protect you! Take this punch!”

...

"After this battle, the Herrscher of Legion has been completely wiped out. First, I want to remember all the staff who sacrificed their lives in this battle. It is their dedication and sacrifice that brought us today's victory... Let us all..."

In the center of the banquet hall, Welt, though no longer the core of the Herrscher but still holding the title of Alliance Leader, raised his glass high.

"To them, our sincerest respect... and then we must thank all the Anti-Entropy personnel for their efforts in this battle. Without everyone's collective hard work, there would have been no..."

"Ah~" Below the banquet, Lin Ling yawned widely. "Why do you Americans talk so much nonsense? Why can't we just eat and drink together? This victory celebration has turned into a funeral!"

While complaining, Lin Ling kept stuffing food into her mouth, creating a slightly discordant noise in the relatively quiet banquet hall.

“Little one, why are you still so greedy?” Himeko approached Lin Ling with a glass of wine. “However, although Anti-Entropy isn’t as rigid as Schicksal, such a major event has still occurred, so it’s only right to express our gratitude to everyone who sacrificed and worked so hard… Besides, Mr. Welt is actually Finnish.”

Lin Ling looked doubtful: “Finnish? I’ve heard that Finns are all socially awkward. How come he likes giving speeches so much?”

"Perhaps many people in that country are accustomed to maintaining a certain social distance in their interactions, but that's not social anxiety, nor is it true for everyone. Moreover, the act of 'speech' is indeed very necessary."

At this moment, Fu Hua, who was next to Lin Ling, pushed up her glasses and began to explain the profound principles contained in public speaking to Lin Ling.

"Orators use public speaking as a tool to enlighten people, help them acquire knowledge, understand the truth, grasp the truth, form correct public opinion, uphold righteousness, eliminate evil, and push human society to its most ideal state. This coincides with what our ancient Shenzhou people pursued: 'To establish a destiny for all living beings, to establish a heart for heaven and earth, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations.'"

"Okay, okay~ I understand, Fu Hua-sensei."

Having just been lectured, Lin Ling nodded repeatedly, then pouted slightly and muttered in dissatisfaction.

"Honestly, you don’t forget to lecture me even at the banquet. You’re more like a teacher than Aunt Himeko!"

"Haha. Perhaps Fu Hua really has a talent for teaching. How about you be the teacher and I be your student after St. Freya Academy is rebuilt?" Himeko chuckled, then clinked glasses with Lin Ling.

"Little one, you agree, right?"

"Right, right, right."

Lin Ling, stroking her chin, rambled on thoughtfully, "Speaking of which, I'm already with Class Monitor now, and if she becomes my teacher, would Fu Hua and I be considered teacher and student? Hmm... it seems more exciting than going straight with Himeko-sensei, doesn't it?"

"Pfft... cough cough!"

Himeko nearly vomited her drink upon hearing this. "What nonsense are you talking about? Are you drunk before you've even had a sip?"

Fu Hua blushed slightly and whispered, "W-when did we get together? I didn't know?"

"No, I was drinking orange-flavored sparkling water." Lin Ling held up her glass, filled with a yellow liquid, and offered it to Himeko. "You can try it if you don't believe me. I can't drink alcohol, you know. Last time I accidentally drank some, and I ended up confessing my feelings to everyone and doing some stupid things. I regretted it so much when I woke up."

"Hehe, you little rascal." Himeko ruffled Lin Ling's hair. "You confessed your feelings to everyone even when you weren't drunk, right? Didn't you feel embarrassed then?"

"Ahem… you might not believe it, but I'm actually really shy and introverted. You could even say I'm completely socially awkward and can't talk to girls at all I've become like this because... it's all Otto's fault! Yes, it's all his fault for causing all this trouble. Otherwise, I'd still be happily eating, sleeping, playing games, and teasing the Class Monitor in my St. Freya dorm every day"

"You can't pin all the blame on others. Look at your own mistakes too."

"It's true. Normally this girl just talks big; she wouldn't actually do anything. She's such a coward." Herrscher of Sentience chimed in. "But last time she was drunk, she got really bold. Even I was shocked. She actually dared to provoke that snake? Luckily I was there; otherwise that snake would have completely possessed her."

“Oh? Almost eaten by a snake? Such an interesting story happened between you two?” Then, seemingly intrigued by Senti’s words, Himeko raised her glass, making a gesture as if to pour wine into Lin Ling’s glass. “Come on, let’s drink and chat. Tell me what happened~”

“What are you doing?”

At this moment, Fu Hua’s eyes suddenly narrowed sharply. “Himeko-sensei? Are you drunk? Or are you really planning to go further and further down the path of a delinquent teacher with no turning back?”

“Haha.” Himeko stopped pouring wine for Lin Ling with remarkable composure.

"Just kidding. Seriously, if you’re always so serious and make Ling feel scared, she might cheat on you.”

“Cheat?…” Fu Hua frowned, not quite understanding what Himeko meant.

“Hm…” Himeko pressed a finger to her face. “But this girl’s always flirting around. Maybe she’s already been cheated on by someone? Sigh, Fu Hua, with your 50,000-year single life on the verge of ending, you’d better take the initiative. Don’t be so clueless.”

“Ahem, Aunt Himeko, oh no, Sister Himeko~ how can you slander someone like that?” Lin Ling immediately retorted, dissatisfied.

“Flirting? Fifty thousand years? Single since birth?”

As the number of incomprehensible words increased, Fu Hua tilted her head, her eyes deepening with confusion. "Are you talking about me?”

“Drunk... talking nonsense? Taking action? Completely possessing... Lin Ling’s body!?”

At the same time, behind Lin Ling, a girl with hidden green hair was repeating the key words from their earlier conversation—

Then she glanced at the two glasses of soda she was holding. She had rushed to get them after seeing Lin Ling finish her drink, but as she was about to hand them to Lin Ling, she hesitated. Standing there, staring at the glasses and Lin Ling's back, she muttered to herself thoughtfully.

"Hmm... maybe I should add a little more alcohol? Just a tiny bit. She probably won't notice, right?"

Thinking this, the green-haired girl quietly retreated.

"Ling? Ling?! Oh, you're here! Honestly, I told you to come backstage to do some preparations. Why did you sneak off to the lobby to eat?"

Just as Wendy left, Ana, dressed in a formal dress, rushed over.

"Hurry up, your cousins are waiting for you."

"Ah!! I don't want to! I hate doing this!"

For the past two weeks, Lin Ling had been battling the Honkai Beast gene Meta-Morph factor within her, so she had barely eaten anything. Coupled with the continuous battles afterward, she was starving. Tonight, she was finally getting a proper meal and naturally didn't want to leave. She grabbed the "wooden" figure beside her, who was still somewhat confused and lost in thought.

"I've done my part for Anti-Entropy! I've sacrificed my life for the Alliance! Why do I still have to work? I've been starving for days! Can't I just have a good meal tonight?"

"No, you're the grand finale performer later. How can you be absent? And also," a little girl in a dress huffed, standing on tiptoe and grabbing Lin Ling's ear, "you didn't put on makeup, fine, but did you finish the speech I asked you to prepare?"

"Huh? Aunt Theresa? What speech?"

"Huh?!" Seeing that the girl knew nothing, Theresa was furious. "You're the representative of St. Freya! This is so embarrassing! Fu Hua! Go, drag her to the backstage!"

...

“Then, after discussion and research with other Anti-Entropy executors, we have decided to recognize and reward the following individuals who made significant contributions in this Herrscher of Legion campaign…”

At the front, Welt produced another list and began reading.

“First is Ms. Kiana, who played a crucial role in both operations against the Herrscher of Dominance…”

Amid enthusiastic applause, Kiana, dressed in a beautiful and elegant gown, stepped onto the stage and accepted the medal presented by Dr. Einstein.

In this Herrscher of Legion incident, Kiana's heroic performance completely dispelled the reservations most Anti-Entropy members held about her being the Herrscher of the Void, and they began to truly accept her as a member of the Anti-Entropy family.

Kiana politely shook Dr. Einstein's hand. “Thank you, everyone. This is what I should do. I will definitely work even harder in the future to live up to everyone's expectations…”

"Polite, poised, and sensible—Kiana has really grown a lot along the way."

Theresa watching Kiana's performance on the screen backstage sighed with admiration, thinking to herself: If Cecilia could see this, she would be very pleased.

Then, Theresa saw a certain little one hugging the screen, lost in thought.

"Hehe, this purple dress that Chongchong is wearing is so beautiful. It's kind of like a wedding dress! I've decided I'll make her wear this when we marry!"

She shook her head helplessly. "Unlike that other girl, after all these years, she's still so willful, still doing her own thing, with no team spirit whatsoever, her head full of dirty thoughts."

"Hmph~" Lin Ling naturally knew she was being talked about, pouting, "These people, all they do is offer these empty platitudes. What's the use of verbal praise? Why not just transfer all the money to my account? They're just wasting my time with the beautiful girl!"

Subsequently, all the Herrscher girls received their awards in turn.

Finally, Welt, Einstein, and Tesla exchanged a relieved glance. Now, the majority of the Herrschers were on Anti-Entropy's side. The era of being suppressed by Schicksal might finally be over.

Then, the Alliance Leader opened the last certificate of merit.

"Finally, let us welcome Miss Lin Ling with the warmest applause. Given Miss Lin Ling's outstanding performance in turning the tide multiple times in this operation, we have decided to appoint her as one of Anti-Entropy's Executors! From now on, all Herrscher-related affairs, organizations, and personnel of Anti-Entropy will be under her management..."

"What?!"

Lin Ling had thought that these people from Anti-Entropy would only give her a bonus and verbal commendation at most, or a nominal position.

She never expected that they would actually give her real power?

But soon, she understood. Anti-Entropy knew that she certainly wouldn't harm or misuse all the Herrschers; after all, they were her "harem," and even without this "Executor" position, those Herrschers would obey her orders one hundred percent.

By doing this, Lin Ling was essentially being  completely tied herself to Anti-Entropy's side.

However, Lin Ling didn't really care. She already held a very high position at Schicksal, practically second only to him, so doing the same for Anti-Entropy wouldn't make a difference.

She even had a sudden, whimsical thought.

"Hmm... Su Qin was prime minister of six states back then, so why don't I get a position at World Serpent sometime? Then let's see who dares to call me a sex slave to three families?!"

Theresa patted the dazed student. "Stop grinning like an idiot. Hurry up and accept your award, Executor!"

...

Afterwards

The awards ceremony ended, and the banquet officially began~

"Come on, Ling, are you thirsty? Want some juice?"

"Ling, want something to eat?"

"Ling, come and eat some of mine."

"No, eat some of mine first..."

...

"Ling, when are we getting married?"

"Ah~ I'm so dizzy. I feel like my mouth is full. I feel like I'm sleeping..."

"Hey! You big liar, you said it yourself, and now you're pretending to be stupid and denying it?"

"Ah~ I'm going to fall over. I'm asleep zzzz"

...

"Seriously~ How can someone get drunk on juice?"

After a pleasant banquet and a chaotic scene, Lin Ling, who seemed to have genuinely fallen asleep, was escorted back to her room by the girls.

But only Wendy knew that the white-haired girl before her had indeed consumed a considerable amount of alcohol.

However, the situation seemed somewhat unexpected; this time, Lin Ling, after drinking too much, didn't act out as Herrscher of Sentience had predicted, but instead simply fell into a deep sleep.

So, she had no choice but to leave helplessly.

...

"Hiss~"

"My head hurts so much~"

But after Wendy and the others left, the white-haired girl on the bed slowly sat up again. She pressed her aching temples.

"Speaking of which, I don't think I saw Mei today? Where did she go? Honestly, why is she deliberately hiding from us? Or did she already leave quietly? No, I have to think of a way to lure that increasingly chuunibyou girl out. Hmm... I've got it! This is how!"

...

"But how can you expect me to endure all this! I only know that in my heart, you are more important than this world!"

"Hehe~"

In a dark little room, a white-haired girl was staring at her phone, letting out strange laughs~

Buzzing sound Bang!

However, a sudden surge of electricity physically (magically) interrupted the video Lin Ling was playing.

"Ah, my phone! Why did my phone suddenly explode?" Lin Ling held her inexplicably broken phone, heartbroken.

However, she wasn't heartbroken about the phone itself, but rather the precious data it contained.

"Was there something wrong with the charger? Or is it that the transformer or something at the Anti-Entropy base hasn't been repaired after the Herrscher of Legion destroyed it? Wait, this scene seems a bit familiar?"

Lin Ling looked at the blackened, smoking phone in her hand and vaguely remembered that something similar had happened before—she had recorded someone's embarrassing moments, and the person involved had instantly smashed her phone.

"Speaking of which, teasing Sister Rita was so much fun back then. I loved that look on her face when she didn't like me but couldn't do anything about it~"

While Lin Ling was reminiscing about those "wonderful moments"...

A girl's voice, seemingly embarrassed, angry, and tinged with regret, suddenly sounded behind her.

"Ling!..."

Lin Ling turned around. Although the room was dark, the backlighting revealed a tall person with two horns on her head—the very person from the video.

"Oh, it's Mei. What brings you here at this hour? Are you... here to have an affair?"

"..." Mei ignored Lin Ling's strange question, her long hair crackling with electricity. "I'm asking you, where did you get this video?!"

"What video?"

"Don't play dumb! I saw it all. The video you played on your phone."

"Oh~" Lin Ling exclaimed with sudden realization. "You mean that video of some girl acting like a teenager, saying things that are so embarrassing you'd rather dig your fingernails out?"

“…#!” Mei’s eyes twitched, then she gritted her teeth and said resentfully, “Yes!”

“Yeah, it was sent to me by someone surnamed Mi.”

“Surnamed Mi?” Mei had never heard of any expert with the surname Mi who could secretly film her without being discovered in that situation.

“Impossible. Were you pretending to be asleep? And then secretly filming me!”

“Huh?~” Cat ears suddenly sprouted from Lin Ling’s head.

"Mei-neechan What are you saying? I don’t understand at all, meow”

“Save that trick for Kiana. I’m not falling for it. You have to delete it all today!”

“Okay, not impossible, meow.”

Seing that she had teased her enough, and that the system had stolen some more Herrscher of Thunder powers from Mei, Lin Ling stopped teasing her, but still extended a water spout.

"But can you grant me one request?”

“What request?”

---

Chapter 253: Home in Schicksal

"He gave birth to all things in the world.

You should understand this.

I am both the origin and the destruction of the world."

Six o'clock in the morning—

The girl finished her initial warm-up and turned off the power to her personal physical training device.

This device, built nearly half a century ago, was originally designed for astronauts at the time, featuring a special air pressurization system to simulate a low-gravity environment.

Years later, this ancient but exceptionally durable equipment was salvaged from an abandoned warehouse by a Valkyrie at headquarters and put to use as a morning training facility—

That Valkyrie's name was 'Ragnar Rodbroek,' and she was one of the main reasons the girl herself chose the dangerous profession of 'Valkyrie.'

"21,358 meters... My physical condition is pretty good today. Let's strike while the iron is hot and move on to a set of tactical training."

However, this level of training was merely a warm-up for the blonde girl with her neat high ponytail. The real show was about to begin. She entered Schicksal's highest-level combat simulation device to practice against various possible enemies, including the Zombie Honkai mech.

But even the highest-level enemies simulated in Schicksal's most advanced laboratory were already no match for her.

However, if someone close to her were present, they would immediately notice that today this usually calm and serious girl seemed unusually agitated.

Because every single enemy was instantly killed with a single, powerful punch. Perhaps this kind of combat training without suppressing power could hardly be considered training.

In this Herrscher of Legion incident,

the Archbishop, who had always been the brain of Schicksal and orchestrated everything, had disappeared. Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie was forced to take on the role of temporary commander-in-chief in this crisis.

But in the past, she had almost always passively accepted orders from superiors and simply carried them out without much thought about the rationality of the tasks themselves...

Therefore, she felt that in this Herrscher of Legion incident, it seemed... she couldn't do what she wanted to do, and she hadn't done anything she should have done well...

Fortunately, although Schicksal underperformed this time and could only perform basic passive stabilization work, Schicksal's biggest enemy, Anti-Entropy, perfectly and proactively resolved all Herrscher of Legion incidents, completely eliminating the Herrscher of Legion and restoring peace to the world. Only then could she breathe a slight sigh of relief.

However, when she learned from intelligence personnel that the person she had sworn to protect forever had faced serious danger several times during this battle, nearly losing her life...

What good is immense power, the empty title of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie?

"I... can't do anything..."

Bang!

After blasting a King-class Honkai Beast illusion to pieces with a powerful punch,

"Hoo..." Durandal exhaled deeply, hastily concluding her tactical training.

Then she sat cross-legged on the ground, skillfully entering a fleeting illusion.

She wanted to conclude her morning practice with meditation and also wanted to properly examine her own heart...

And today, her meditation partner was once again Divine Key · Black Abyss White Flower.

Three years ago,

the girl received this weapon, symbolizing the strongest Valkyrie, from the Overseer of Schicksal.

Just as this Overseer had enabled her to break records, becoming the youngest A-rank and S-rank Valkyrie in history.

Unconsciously, she seemed to have become the second most trusted figure among the Valkyries on the battlefield, second only to the Overseer.

However, even so... deep within the girl's heart, there was always a lingering sense of unease.

This sense of incongruity was related to the girl's life, yet it didn't originate from her life itself.

In fact, the girl knew very well that the lives of all Valkyries, from the moment they enlisted, had already been largely determined—

They shouldered the fate of the masses, fighting tirelessly for all the good in the world and shedding their blood without hesitation.

The girl was at peace with this.

Perhaps one could even say she enjoyed the feeling of realizing her abilities in dangerous environments.

However, as she grew older, she increasingly recognized a helpless truth—

Regardless of one's values, one must make choices amid the complexities of fate.

In other words, among the contradictory "shoulds" in this world... bearing responsibility and fulfilling one's duties ultimately takes priority.

And specifically in the girl's case—

Everything she experienced seemed to have been planned from the very beginning by that Archbishop.

From the journey to the Sea of Quanta to the unexpected encounter with that forerunner...

It all began with the plan and orders of that Archbishop.

He was like Krishna from the Mahabharata, constantly shaping Arjuna's dramatic life with his ever-present, elusive hands.

The girl wasn't sure if she liked those orders.

Even though Arjuna was a well-known Indian hero.

Even though her life so far, as she remembered it, hadn't left her feeling dissatisfied.

Just as the girl felt a little lost about her life, the Black Abyss White Flower beside her seemed to sense something and underwent a slight change.

Durandal slowly opened her eyes—and saw that the Black Abyss White Flower was emitting a faint white glow, helping her recover from the slight fatigue of her training.

Although Divine Keys possessed their own consciousness, it was indeed rare for them to actively help her recover her strength.

This lance, crafted from the Herrscher core of the Sixth Herrscher of Death from the Previous Era, is an anti-Honkai weapon, a twin Divine Key that combines decomposition and creation.

It may not possess the most powerful offensive capabilities, but it boasts the strongest healing effects.

Whether used as a weapon to harm others or as a tool to heal, the choice rests entirely with its user, the girl herself.

"Are you saying that all choices are in my own hands?" Durandal held the Black Abyss White Flower in her hand, gently stroking its barrel with her other hand, and whispered, "Thank you, Black Abyss White Flower."

Then the girl closed her eyes again, cradling the Black Abyss White Flower, and the gun trembled slightly, emitting soft hums. These two comrades, bound by life and death, felt each other's hearts at this moment.

...

"Bianka, I'm back."

Suddenly, a familiar yet unexpected voice broke the silence of meditation.

"Hmm." Durandal rose slowly and politely, giving a military salute to the newcomer, Archbishop Schicksal, who had suddenly disappeared. "Archbishop, you're back."

"Oh dear, you seem completely unsurprised, neither by my appearance nor by my sudden use of your real name," Otto said, feigning surprise.

"...These are all trivial matters, aren't they?" Durandal continued, her expression shifting. "Just get to the point, Archbishop. Is there a new mission? You must already know what's happened lately, even though you're nominally still a 'missing person.'"

"Haha. This blunt tone reminds me of Bianka before she became 'Durandal.' There's an old saying in Shenzhou, 'A girl changes drastically at eighteen...' But you really are something else; at first glance, it's impossible to find any trace of your former self."

"...Isn't it enough that my inner self hasn't changed? Whether I'm quiet or not, whether I have a poker face or not—these don't affect anything important."

"That's true in principle, but there's also a saying, 'Clothes make the man.' Perhaps you really should change your mindset for your next job, just like the clothes you changed into today."

"?" Durandal frowned slightly, not understanding the Archbishop's meaning.

The Archbishop finally revealed the details of the mission: "Because you finally have the opportunity to fulfill the momentous mission represented by the name 'Durandal.' Prepare yourself—in half an hour, come and help me with the exploratory experiment of connecting the World Bubble to the Imaginary Tree."

The Archbishop smiled meaningfully, then turned and walked away with a measured gait.

That was this divinely free man's favorite way of expressing himself: suddenly dropping a bombshell while remaining impassive.

...

The girl remained where she was, her heart churning:

She had originally thought that the fate she had borne since the age of twelve might accompany her for the rest of her life. After all, returning the World Bubble in the Sea of Quanta to the Imaginary Tree was no easy task. The world arises, flourishes, and withers in the Imaginary Tree, and finally sinks into the Sea of Quanta to perish—this was the general law of nature.

Three years ago, however, things took a preliminary turn.

The Archbishop shared his research findings on the Tree of Imaginary Numbers with the girl and her adjutant.

According to the Archbishop, the girls' personal goals could be addressed within the framework of his 'Ultimate Plan'.

Then, two years ago, on an autumn day remarkably similar in season to today—the girl helped the Archbishop obtain the second Divine Key, and during related experiments, encountered the executors of the previous civilization's 'Project Hengsha'.

The Archbishop's 'Ultimate Plan' then accelerated rapidly, but no matter what—the girl could never have imagined that things would develop so quickly and suddenly.

The journey to the Sea of Quanta felt like yesterday to the girl.

Captain Shakespeare, Grandpa Miguel, Jimmy's Underground, and so many other interesting people... How are they doing in the other world all these years?

Dr. Schrödinger and Senior Shigure Kira... Where are they wandering in the Sea of Quanta now?

And then there was that whimsical holy sword, the weapon truly named 'Durandal'...

Only by establishing a complete connection between that ill-fated artificial world and the Imaginary Tree could the girl fundamentally save them all.

Perhaps, she could also explore a path of retreat that humanity had never possessed before in the face of Honkai.

For years, the girl had silently kept this goal, which might consume her entire life, hidden deep within her heart.

She never imagined that she would so suddenly, so quickly, reach this crucial moment that would determine her fate.

The man who was the Archbishop was right—at this moment, the girl did indeed need to adjust her mindset to face this extremely important task.

"Hoo..."

After finally managing to calm her complex emotions, Durandal resolutely headed towards her 'ideal'.

...

"Lady Durandal... you've already met His Holiness the Archbishop, haven't you?"

But at an intersection, a perfectly elegant and graceful maid suddenly appeared, seemingly having been waiting for her.

"Hmm, this is really sudden."

Upon recognizing Rita, Durandal's expression became much more casual. "That person disappeared on their own, then returned on their own, and now they want to immediately conduct the exploration experiment of connecting the World Bubble to the Imaginary Tree. None of this feels real."

"But isn't this exactly the way His Excellency the Archbishop has always acted? His Excellency has always treated the world as a chessboard—and everyone and everything, including himself, are just pieces on the board. Under this model, only the result has any real meaning. After all, the so-called 'value of the process'... for His Excellency, perhaps it disappeared many, many years ago."

"Rita, why do you suddenly sound like Captain Shakespeare today—no, like Dr. Schrödinger? Just... well, suddenly you're saying a lot of philosophical things."

Rita bowed slightly. "I apologize, Lady Durandal. With the mission at hand, I seem to have gotten nervous without realizing it."

"Pfft."

Durandal, who always maintained a poker face in front of the Archbishop, finally smiled slightly in front of Rita.

"Rita, really, isn't nervousness a normal emotion? After all, it concerns millions of real humans living in another dimension. To give an example, although a village on Earth may never be comparable to a city on Earth, it also has a past from the Han Dynasty, its own present, and its own future. Now, the possibility of changing its fate of decline has unexpectedly come our way... who wouldn't have sweaty palms and a racing heart?"

The maid elegantly covered her mouth and chuckled. "Hmm~ So, it seems that's why Lady Durandal has suddenly become so withdrawn?"

Just now, she seemed to see in this stern and serious Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie the former hot-tempered, talkative, and somewhat short but stubborn and strong girl.

"Rita... I..."

The maid's headband tilted slightly as she tilted her head in confusion. "What is it, Lady Durandal?"

Durandal hesitated, then looked away. "N-nothing... it's nothing, nothing worth discussing."

If it were her a few years ago, she would have had a serious discussion with Rita about her personality changes.

"Lady Bianka," Rita smiled slightly, relieved and recalling something pleasant, and suggested, "If this mission goes smoothly—how about we ask Miss Lin Ling for half a day off to go for a drive?"

"Hmm? Hmm... If it doesn't interfere with work, that's fine. Once the Archbishop's experiment really helps the people in the World Bubble, we'll find some time to go together... Hmm!? Wait, who did you say we'd go with? Ling?!"

"Yes, it's Miss Lin Ling. Miss Lin Ling's personality is really a headache."

Rita complained somewhat resentfully. "In some ways, she's just like that lady, disappearing and reappearing inexplicably. By the way, she's also one of the personnel carrying out this mission."

"What?!"

————————————

Chapter 254: Then let me represent Anti-Entropy to make peace with Schicksal!

"What are your conditions?"

"I want~ I want to drink Mei's juice!"

The girl's sudden declaration was astonishing!

"Hmm... Ah?!"

Mei's originally serious, cold, and slightly murderous gaze widened instantly in surprise and confusion. In those wide eyes, Lin Ling saw a long-lost, nostalgic look of disdain and a faint hint of shyness?

"W-What nonsense are you talking about? Is this the time to say such things? Or is this really all the nonsense in your head!?"

A visible spark of electricity flashed across Mei's tightly furrowed brows. If Lin Ling did not offer a reasonable explanation, she would not hesitate to teach her a lesson.

"Ahem, ah?! Sorry." Lin Ling quickly coughed twice, then vigorously rubbed her slightly tipsy face. "I'm really sorry. I don't know if it's because I drank too much juice, but I think I'm a little drunk. For some reason, I started thinking of some of Chongchong's famous lines."

-_-|| Mei was speechless. Juice can make you drunk? This girl couldn't even come up with a decent excuse. And what "Chongchong's famous lines"? She didn't seem to have heard of them.

However, Mei was used to this girl's frequent nonsense and did not particularly blame her.

Besides, given their relationship, perhaps this request wasn't too unreasonable…

"Hmm? What am I thinking?"

"Ahem." Mei coughed lightly, trying to calm her complicated and chaotic emotions before continuing.

"Hmm... are you awake now? What are your real conditions? You probably knew I hadn't left, so you deliberately lured me out, right?"

After the girls defeated the Herrscher of Legion and returned to reality, Senti, not recognizing Lin Ling as the dragon, attacked her, only to be stopped by Fu Hua. Then the girls started playfully bickering.

But at this moment, Mei knew that the fun was for them, and she had nothing.

After all, her current identity was that of a traitor, a high-ranking officer of a rival organization...

If she stayed here, she might not only face hostility from Anti-Entropy members but also risk being accused of treason by Lin Ling and Kiana.

So, while the girls were either playing around or resting, she quietly left alone.

But, relying on the special connection between the two Herrschers of Thunder, Lin Ling knew that she had been nearby all along.

After all, the Herrscher of Legion had just been resurrected, so she had been secretly protecting those she wanted to protect. She planned to leave only after confirming the Herrscher of Legion's death.

"Well, more or less~ Thanks for your concern." Lin Ling scratched her head sheepishly. "Um, actually, I just wanted to ask how things are going with you at World Serpent? If the treatment isn't good, come back. I'm a high-ranking executive at Anti-Entropy now, practically a leader. It wouldn't be difficult for me to get you a relaxed, high-paying position through my connections."

“World Serpent? Hmm, it’s alright. I’ve pretty much gotten used to life there. Although there are more missions than in St. Freya, and some of my colleagues are research fanatics who’ve always coveted my body, thankfully I get along fairly well with my new partner… I’m sorry, Ling…”

As she spoke, Mei inexplicably lowered her head and whispered an apology to Lin Ling.

“Oh dear, why are you suddenly apologizing?” Lin Ling stood on tiptoe and patted Mei’s head. “It’s okay, don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Mei didn’t resist, letting the other gently rub her head.

"Ling, please tell Kiana and the others I’m sorry too. I… I can’t go back to you for now…”

Now, although the world has temporarily stabilized on the surface, during her time in World Serpent, Mei could clearly sense how terrifying and deeply hidden this organization, which had continued directly from the previous civilization era, truly was.

Too many conspiracies are brewing. Too many secrets await her discovery.

Moreover, World Serpent has indeed kept its promise to Kevin, doing its best to help her fight the Herrscher. For example, this time, if it weren't for Jackal's research, she might have missed the opportunity to help everyone fight the Herrscher of Legion.

Furthermore, if World Serpent really intends to harm Lin Ling, Kiana, and the others, she can act as an inside agent to help them.

Therefore, for the safety of Ling, Kiana, and everyone else, she plans to stay in World Serpent for a while longer.

“Idiot Mei!”

Just as Mei was overwhelmed with thoughts, Lin Ling suddenly reached out and tapped Mei's forehead with a little force, just like she had done back at the Mei headquarters.

“Hmm?”

Mei looked up, seeing that this usually carefree and unserious girl was now unusually angry with her?

“You always said Kiana always shouldered everything alone, but can you only see others and not yourself? You're becoming more and more like silly Kiana, keeping everything to yourself and planning to bear everything alone?”

“Ling…I.” The purple-haired girl gritted her teeth. “I have to…”

“Fine, fine, you must, you should, you have no choice, you have your reasons... but! I hope that when you encounter danger, when you encounter things you can't handle, when you really need help, you won't just stubbornly endure it all alone.”

Saying this, Lin Ling opened her arms. “Look, my warm and comfortable embrace is always open for you.”

“…”

Looking at the thin, white-haired girl before her, even with her cat ears, she barely reached Mei's eyes. Despite her petite and delicate appearance, she now resembled a majestic knight swearing to protect her princess.

And perhaps, that was indeed the case.

“These are the conditions I want to offer you… Mei, don’t hesitate to come to me with any trouble or problems! I’m incredibly powerful now, one of the top S-rank Valkyries in Schicksal, practically a Schicksal Archbishop. I’m also an Anti-Entropy Executor, which means I practically count as a leader. I also possess multiple Herrscher cores that I can’t even count and the power of MANTIS, something only found in previous civilizations. I believe that whatever difficulties you encounter will be a piece of cake for me; I can easily resolve them. I don’t need any reward, just make me miso soup every morning and warm my bed at night… Huh?!”

Thump~

Suddenly, Lin Ling, who was enthusiastically boasting about her abilities, was suddenly hugged by the girl in front of her.

Not only was she hugged, but in a moment of carelessness, she was also slammed against the bed behind her by the force of the impact…

“Huh!? Mei-neechan, what are you doing Let’s talk this out”

“You idiot, you idiot! You have the nerve to lecture me? You’re just as prone to keeping everything to yourself as Kiana is, aren’t you? Even though you always seem a bit frivolous, I know you’re up to something again, aren’t you? Planning something again?! Planning to shoulder everything alone again?! Are you going to do something dangerous?! Every time you say something weird that makes us angry and confused, then you immediately… immediately become covered in bruises…”

Mei buried her head deeply in Lin Ling's shoulder, her voice trembling, until finally she fell silent…

“Heh, it seems… it really is?”

Lin Ling laughed self-deprecatingly. Just a moment ago, she was righteously lecturing Mei, but she realized she was the biggest idiot who could only see others and not herself.

“Mei...”

Feeling her shoulder gradually becoming damp and warm, and hearing the soft sobs beside her ear...

If I can't even absolutely trust them, how can I arrogantly believe I can save them?

Suddenly, the white-haired girl's eyes narrowed. She gritted her teeth and made a decision. She decided to offer her whole heart to the girl before her—

So, Lin Ling slowly sat up, holding the girl in her arms.

Looking at the girl's moist and swollen eyes, bloodshot and filled with worry and resentment, she solemnly spoke.

"Mei, what I'm about to tell you might be hard for you to believe, but it's all absolutely true. Actually... I..."

...

“Sniff sniff~ Strange...”

The next morning, during the Herrscher girls' usual morning training...

Kiana, who was in Lin Ling's group, was about to summon her greatsword, but she suddenly sensed something was wrong. She then moved closer to Lin Ling, sniffing here and there...

Lin Ling awkwardly pushed Kiana's head away.

"Chongchong? What are you doing? If you don't train properly, you'll get scolded by Sister Himeko again."

"Hmm..." (→_→)

Kiana stared at Lin Ling suspiciously for a long time. "Although it's very faint, but... Ling, how come you smell like another woman!? And..."

"Ah? I clearly already took a shower!"

Thinking of this, Lin Ling quickly sniffed herself, but in her human form, she couldn't smell anything.

"Okay! As expected! I guessed right!"

Seeing Lin Ling's unintentional admission, Kiana instantly became furious.

"Ah... Bug, you've misunderstood, actually I..."

"Enough nonsense! Why didn't you invite me on your secret date with Mei?! You think you can fool me?!...Flamescion! Sword Unsheathe!"

"Ah!! Aunt Teri, help!..."

Then, the entire training ground was filled with flames and cries for mercy~

"Kiana and Ling are training so hard? Looks like we need to work even harder too!"

Seeing Kiana and Lin Ling's efforts, the other Herrscher girls trained even harder to catch up with them.

...

“Oh dear~”

Meanwhile, watching the girls' youthful "playful banter" on the training field, a certain nearly fifty-year-old academy principal calmly took a sip of bitter melon juice and sighed.

“Youth... it's so wonderful~”

"Hey, Theresa, aren't you going to do anything about those two?!"

But the red-haired twin-tailed gem next to Theresa wasn't so calm.

"They're practically tearing our base apart!"

"Can't do anything about it, and don't want to! Honestly!"

Before the white-haired girl could answer, a red-haired older woman calmly puffed on her cigarette.

"I'm still single, and this little brat already has a harem! She should have been taught a lesson long ago! If I weren't already outmatched, I'd personally mount her, pin her to my lap, and give her a good spanking!"

...

After the intense and exciting morning training.

The girls enjoyed a clean, hygienic, and healthy Herrscher-special breakfast at the cafeteria, and then enjoyed a rare break.

"Phew~ Chongchong's nose is so sensitive! Is this also an effect of the Kaslana family bloodline? Luckily, I was suddenly called for a checkup, otherwise I'd be in trouble..."

In the highest-level laboratory of a research building in Anti-Entropy, a white-haired girl with horns had just stepped out of a room.

"But what should I do after I've used up this excuse of a checkup? The bug is probably still angry, and seeing me will definitely lead to another... um? That's..."

"Ah Now that the world seems to have become peaceful, I suddenly feel a little bored"

Just as Lin Ling was wondering where to kill time and hide from the somewhat angry bug, whose newly acquired power she wasn't quite used to controlling and kept burning herself to a crisp, a small voice caught her attention.

"Yo, cutie If you're bored, why don't you come back to my room? I have lots of fun and good stuff Hehehe"

"Ling! Don't you know the difference between elders and juniors? I've told you so many times, don't tease me! You should treat your elders like elders!"

The girl turned around and scolded Lin Ling with a stern face, but after the scolding, she immediately showed the expectant look in her eyes, as if a child was about to receive a mysterious prize.

"Fun? Is it a game?"

"More exciting than a game~ I can teach you how to 'log in'. "

"Ew" Theresa immediately showed a look of disgust. "I can tell from your eyes that it's not a good thing, but you seem bored too, come and chat with Auntie for a while."

"Hmm, okay, I have nothing to do anyway."

Lin Ling walked over to Theresa, and they leaned on the observation deck, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.

"So peaceful~"

"So peaceful~"

"I wish it could last forever."

"Yeah..."

Then they chatted casually.

“It’s a pity the Herrscher of Legion was destroyed. After Otto disappeared, Durandal ordered Schicksal and Anti-Entropy to temporarily cease hostilities, and World Serpent quieted down. The world seemed to have finally returned to what it used to be, but…”

Theresa summarized the current world situation.

“But perhaps this is just the calm before the storm. Maybe a major war is imminent. For example, maybe that old bastard Otto will come back sometime, and then the two sides will fight again.”

Lin Ling 'appropriately' added what Theresa wanted to say but didn’t want to say.

Theresa rolled her eyes at Lin Ling, annoyed. "Go away, you jinx! Why do you always spoil the fun? Can't you think of something positive?"

"A positive thing?" Lin Ling's eyes darted to the upper right, then she spoke, "Well... what if Mr. Otto came back, realized his mistakes, decided to repent, and start doing good deeds? And then committed seppuku to apologize to the world?"

As she spoke, Lin Ling even vividly demonstrated a seppuku gesture.

"..." Theresa didn't speak. After all, based on her understanding of 'Grandpa,' that man was the type who would rather betray the world than be betrayed—how could he regret it? Unless... he finally achieved his ultimate goal...

"Expecting that guy to repent? That's absolutely impossible."

Just then, a voice behind Lin Ling and Theresa, seemingly making no attempt to hide its disgust for Otto, came from behind them.

The two turned around and saw the red-haired girl with pigtails and the expressionless blue-haired guy with a mop head, the PhD duo, walking over.

Einstein greeted them, "Ms. Theresa, Ms. Lin Ling, you're here."

"Oh, Einstein, Tesla, what can I do for you?" Theresa asked curiously.

“Yes, there are indeed some things I'd like to discuss with you,” Einstein said bluntly. “The intensity and difficulty of the Honkai the world faces are increasing. Like the Herrscher of Legion incident, we, Anti-Entropy, Schicksal, and World Serpent, had a truce and shared intelligence. Everyone in the world fought together, and we only barely managed a narrow victory. Therefore, I think if we continue to fight separately, or even continue attacking each other, it will only benefit the Honkai, causing more harm than good. So… we'd like to borrow…”

Theresa tilted her head. “Borrow what?”

Einstein turned her gaze to Lin Ling.

“Ah~”

But at this moment, Lin Ling couldn't help but yawn.

She had been kept up late by Mei last night and was already exhausted. Then Kiana kept her up this morning, and now the sound of a long speech made her sleepy.

Tesla poked her dragon tail impatiently. "Hey, Ling, listen carefully, you're the key person coming up."

"Hiss!" Lin Ling hissed, then quickly reverted from her dragon girl form (used for the test) back to her normal human form, huffing, "Don't touch my tail!"

"Borrowing, 'Lin Ling' is the key..."

Meanwhile, Theresa, chin in hand, glanced back and forth between Lin Ling and Einstein, pondering the deeper meaning in their words. Suddenly, she realized, "Wait, you're not asking to borrow me for something, you're asking to borrow me as a person!?"

“That’s right, we plan to have this newly appointed executor represent our entire Anti-Entropy team in negotiations with Schicksal,” Einstein explained.

“Hmm…this…” Theresa hesitated. “My student always manages to cause a huge stir. Her head is full of dirty thoughts. Is it really appropriate for her to do this kind of negotiation? Besides, Otto has always been very interested in her. What if he does the same kind of experiment with her as he did with Kiana…”

“Don’t worry, Theresa, don’t forget?” Tesla patted Lin Ling’s shoulder. “This little one isn’t just one of us from Anti-Entropy; she holds a high position in Schicksal, albeit a nominal one. But I know she saved the lives of every member of Schicksal’s elite squad—except for the Durandal team—and even had an ambiguous relationship with those two captains and vice-captains. Her prestige in Schicksal is probably second only to Otto and Durandal. Even if Otto ordered the Valkyries, they certainly wouldn’t harm her. And don’t underestimate her current strength, hmph, even against the strongest Durandal in Schicksal…”

“Hmm…” Theresa looked up at Lin Ling, who seemed lost in thought, and asked, “Silly niece, what do you think?”

"Hmm...this is a bit tricky."

Lin Ling frowned deeply. "Schicksal and Anti-Entropy have had a long-standing feud for over a century. Perhaps a simple contract won't be enough to settle things completely. We might have to pay a considerable price..."

The three exchanged glances and asked, "What price?"

"Think about how the emperors of Shenzhou in ancient times maintained peace with the surrounding barbarian tribes. Didn't they have to offer their own flesh and blood as concubines to the barbarian kings?"

"You mean a marriage alliance?" Einstein paused, taken aback. "Hmm... if important figures were to become in-laws, it might indeed bring both sides closer, but... who should go? Our leader isn't married and doesn't have children yet, and we..."

"Ahem." Lin Ling coughed twice and stepped forward. "As the saying goes, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' Doctors, Auntie, I'll go and kidnap all the S-class Valkyries from Schicksal to be our wives. That way, we can definitely turn hostility into friendship..."

"#! I was such an idiot for thinking you made sense at first!" Theresa grew angrier, raising her clenched fist. "You're not allowed to mess around like this!"

However, in the end, Lin Ling still represented Anti-Entropy to negotiate with Schicksal.

After all, no one was more suitable than her…

But just as Lin Ling swaggered into Schicksal headquarters, she immediately heard a gentle, intellectual, yet unmistakably wistful, welcoming voice.

“Oh dear, isn’t this the newly appointed executor of Anti-Entropy? What brings you to our humble Schicksal today?”

Lin Ling’s reply was as usual. 

“Hi~ Rita, my wife, did you miss me?”

----

Chapter 255: (Sad/Happy) Ling Lin: Eaten by the Maid Again

The maid gracefully clasped her hands together over her lower abdomen and gave a slight bow. "Rita, of course misses Lady Lin Ling day and night."

"Hehehe, you miss me that much? Love you, Rita-neechan, mua~" Hearing Rita's words, Lin Ling returned a flying kiss.

"Yes, Rita really misses you so much, even to the point of..."

Suddenly, the smiling maid raised her hands to Lin Ling's eye level, then slowly separated them, revealing a beautiful ribbon that seemed to have been prepared beforehand and unfurled gently in her hands.

"I wish I could tie you up, so you could never escape Rita's grasp again!..."

"Huh!?" Lin Ling was immediately startled. "Rita, calm down! What are you doing? I won't run away this time! I was a little busy before. Oh right, something urgent happened last time, something really urgent, so I had to leave temporarily..."

"Busy? So busy that you didn't even have time to tell us? Even if you couldn't, couldn't you at least make a phone call? You faced such danger. Why didn't you inform me and Lady Durandal? Or perhaps, Lady Lin Ling..."

Rita grew increasingly angry and pressed closer until she had Lin Ling pinned against the metal wall behind her, placing her hand against the wall next to Lin Ling's head

"Have you always treated us like outsiders? Were all those things Lady Lin Ling said and did for us just a joke?!"

"No... no. I'm absolutely serious about you. If you faced the same danger, I would give everything for you without hesitation, even my life... Hmm? Hmm!?"

After a playful exchange between the girls...

With a soft "pop,"

it seemed as though two soft things had ended their merging and connection.

"Huff... huff..." The white-haired girl finally had a chance to catch her breath. She turned away from the maid standing too close to her, lowered her head, and greedily inhaled the fresh air.

"Lady Lin Ling..." Rita lifted Lin Ling's smooth, delicate chin and raised her face.

"The punishment isn't over yet~"

"Eh! Rita, spare me already, let me rest a bit..."

"Ling..."

This time, however, Rita didn't do what the girl expected. She simply looked into Lin Ling's eyes and softly murmured her name.

"Please don't say things like that again. Rita... Rita doesn't want you to do anything for us. I just hope you'll be more mindful of your safety in the future. If you really encounter... do you know how heartbroken Lady Durandal and I would be?..."

"I'm sorry... I thought I could handle it perfectly on my own..."

"I know Ling's strength is far beyond mine now, but... if you ever need help, please feel free to seek our help. Even I will do my utmost to assist you. And in front of us, do you still need to be shy?"

"Huh? Shy? Just kidding!" The blushing girl turned her head and said in a very arrogant tone, "I, Lin Ling, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, the Entropy Executor, the New Era MANTIS, the Herrscher of the Five Elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth), how could I be shy!?"

Seeing that the girl's ears were clearly turning red yet she was still being stubborn, the maid unconsciously licked her lips.

"Really, cute... um!?"

"Eh! Here we go again. This is outside. What if the other Valkyries see us?"

"Lin Ling, why do I feel like you're even more excited? Actually, you like this, don't you?"

"N-no, I'm not, I didn't..."

But just as Rita was about to savor this arrogant girl a little longer, her expression suddenly changed and she released her grip on Lin Ling.

After waiting for a long time without receiving the expected attack, Lin Ling quietly opened her eyes.

The maid who had just been pressing her down was now seriously adjusting her ear, seemingly communicating with someone through a communication device.

"Yes, Your Excellency, I will go and inform Lord Nagamitsu to prepare for the experiment." She quickly ended the call and said to Lin Ling, "It's so unfortunate that Your Excellency is returning at this time, so I apologize, Lady Lin Ling, I can't continue playing with you. Rita has some urgent work to do."

"It's alright, it's alright. Go ahead and do your work, bye~"

"Okay, see you later. By the way, Lady Lin Ling, please don't go too far. Your Excellency said there will be a task that interests you later and that you'd like to participate."

"Help him complete the task? That's just making me go to work! Humph, I eat his food, drink his drinks, and play his games, but I won't do any work for him!" Lin Ling replied with considerable dissatisfaction.

"Well, Lady Lin Ling, please feel free to do as you please," Rita explained. "His Holiness the Overseer didn't insist that you attend."

"Hmph, that's more like it. Rita, you can go ahead and do your work then. I'll just wander around a bit."

...

"Phew~" Watching the elegant maid walk away, Lin Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

Or rather, she should have breathed a sigh of relief, but a strange sense of disappointment lingered in her heart.

"Why is Otto back now? Such bad timing. Well, never mind, I'll go check on 'Mei' first. It's been so long since I've seen her. Leaving her alone at Schicksal, I wonder how she's doing."

...

Soon, Lin Ling found a Japanese-style house at Schicksal headquarters that looked quite different from the other high-tech or Western-style religious buildings.

"This should be it."

But this time, Lin Ling didn't barge in noisily. Instead, she flew to the other side and tiptoed through a window, wanting to surprise her.

Then she saw a girl in a kimono sitting at a coffee table and fiddling with some bottles and jars she didn't understand.

"You heartbreaker, you're here." Suddenly, Mei, who had her back to Lin Ling, spoke.

"Oh dear. You knew it was me without even looking?" Seeing her presence exposed, Lin Ling stopped pretending and revealed herself.

"Idiot, have you forgotten? I spent some time inside your body. I know your every word and action, especially your guilty gait."

Mei reminisced about their past while smoothly brewing a bowl of tea and handing it to Lin Ling.

"Try it..."

Gulp gulp gulp

Lin Ling picked up the teacup and gulped it all down in one go.

To be honest, she decided it didn't taste good at all. A boorish person like her couldn't appreciate any kind of tea ceremony. Don't ask. It's just not as good as sugary drinks or milk tea.

However, she still showered Mei with compliments. "Very fresh and delicious. Who would have thought that the Third Herrscher, who was so adorable back then, would now be indulging in the art of tea ceremony."

"You flatter me. I was just learning about some human leisure activities from the memories of the crybaby in my spare time."

Although Mei spoke lightly, after being praised by Lin Ling, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up slightly. "So, what brings you here today?"

"Honestly," Lin Ling pouted, then moved closer to Mei. "Honestly, can't I come to see you if nothing's wrong? By the way, your outfit suits you well. It looks really good. You look like a Yamato Nadeshiko straight out of an anime."

"Really? If you think it looks good, you can try it on."

"Okay, then hurry up and take it off."

"Hmm? Ling, do you like this style? Hmm... then I might have to wait a bit. I'll go wash it or order one for you."

"No, this is exactly the feeling I wanted..."

"Hmm... hentai..."

The two girls chatted casually.

...

"By the way, are you always doing flower arranging and tea ceremonies here? Aren't you bored? Should I send you to Anti-Entropy? You should know a lot of people there."

"No need, I'm actually quite happy here. Besides, I've made some new friends here."

Since losing her Herrscher Core, the Third Herrscher lost her immense power, but she also lost the cruel mission imposed on her by Honkai's will: "annihilate all of humanity."

She finally became a truly free person.

And because of Lin Ling, the people of Schicksal didn't make things difficult for her or try to study her. They even funded the construction of a Japanese-style house for her in a small town near Schicksal headquarters to please Lin Ling.

However, excessive freedom might turn into boredom.

So, with nothing else to do, she started learning some recreational activities that interested her among humans, beginning with things like tea ceremony, which were common hobbies for Japanese young ladies in Mei's memory.

Some members of Schicksal would occasionally come to visit her, have tea, chat, and relax together...

Gradually, she truly came into contact with Schicksal members like Alvitr and Nagamitsu as Mei and became friends with them.

This also meant that finally, this Herrscher girl, whose mission had once been solely to "destroy humanity," was beginning to truly experience the joy of being human and understand the meaning of human existence.

...

Half an hour later, on the Schicksal floating island, in the Second Divine Key's dedicated laboratory for the Thousand Worlds One Journey.

"Very good, everyone is quite punctual."

A blond man, beaming with inexplicable excitement, greeted his long-unseen subordinates warmly.

It was Otto Apocalypse, who had disappeared since the Herrscher of Sentience incident.

"Durandal, Rita, Nagamitsu, Amber—thank you for your hard work guarding headquarters while I was away."

"Your Excellency is too kind," Rita replied. "We simply did what we were supposed to do."

"Yes, they are right. Also, Mr. Otto, you could speak a little longer. The Second Divine Key's space propulsion system needs another five minutes of warm-up." At this moment, a girl with long wine-red hair said.

She was Nagamitsu, a senior researcher at Schicksal responsible for controlling the Divine Key and commanding operations in this mission.

"Haha, it seems the only punctual one is a machine," Otto chuckled. "Then I'll use these five minutes to help you understand the background of this experiment. As you all know—

Our four-dimensional spacetime appears flat and empty at first glance. But in higher cosmic dimensions, there are many complex structures unimaginable to human senses.

Pre-civilization humans invented vivid terms to refer to them: the 'Sea of Quanta' and the 'Tree of Imaginary Numbers.'

Everything in the Sea of Quanta decays naturally over time and eventually disintegrates into chaos.

While the worlds on the 'Tree of Imaginary Numbers' don't undergo this, they are mostly subject to the calamity of 'Honkai.'

Essentially, this is because the concept of 'time' differs fundamentally between these two realms...

However, this is not our focus today.

Today's experiment aims to verify a technology—we will attempt to connect a World Bubble in the Sea of Quanta back to the Imaginary Tree, thus averting its inevitable demise.

Having thoroughly studied the Second Divine Key and secured assistance from World Serpent, the Schicksal organization must master this technology.

Only in this way can you, in the near future, determine the fate of the world—"

"Space propulsion system preheating complete! Mr. Otto, the experiment is ready to begin!" Suddenly, Nagamitsu's voice interrupted Otto's enthusiastic speech.

"It seems I must get straight to the point now. In short, our subject this time is the special World Bubble contained within Durandal. We need to find a path to Imaginary Space from the Sea of Quanta and attempt to artificially connect it to the Imaginary Tree. Therefore, Durandal, you need to personally enter the higher-dimensional space portal created by the Second Divine Key."

The fully armed blonde girl replied, "Yes!"

Otto continued, "This time, you've been equipped with an upgraded version of the deep-sea return device 'Genius+'. Nagamitsu, who is responsible for remote support, can use it to maintain communication with you in complex spatial environments."

"Understood." Durandal's reply was as concise and clear as ever.

"Hmm." Otto nodded, then said something that surprised most of those present. "This experiment is of great importance. Therefore—Rita Rossweisse, you will stay here and be responsible for scheduling and coordinating everything. As for me, I will personally participate in the experiment on the front lines."

"Hmm?"

"Hehe... This is probably the first time we've fought side by side in a formal setting, isn't it? Please take care of me from now on—Valkyrie, Bianka · 'Durandal' · Atagina. By the way, where is Miss Lin Ling?"

Suddenly, Otto suddenly remembered something. He glanced at everyone present but didn't see the white-haired figure.

Lin Ling's Herrscher of the Void power was perfectly suited for this mission, so for extra assurance, this Archbishop, who seemed to be plotting something, wanted her present.

"It seems she won't come without a substantial reward. What should I do?"

————————————————

EX Chapter: The Reward for Going to the Imaginary Tree Is ‘Durandal’!

In a fantastical, ethereal world, two blond humans who should not have been there wandered through it.

“So this is what it feels like to be in the Sea of Quanta… somewhat similar to the weightlessness of space.”

Otto observed everything with interest—besides the vast emptiness in the background, fragments of worlds appeared and disappeared like bubbles. “The interesting thing is that the fragmented information of worlds is reintegrated here. Unique structures and rules are established… isn’t this what human life is like? In a limited time, digesting and absorbing everything one can encounter. Ultimately, forming a new, independent thought and personality.”

Seeing that the Overseer seemed to be on vacation, Durandal, out of duty, reminded him, “Please don’t stray too far from me, Overseer. According to Nagamitsu, drifting alone in the Sea of Quanta far from the World Bubble causes anything from the normal world to risk decaying and disappearing.”

“However, considering that Mr. Otto’s body is made of Soulium, the risk is actually quite low.” At this moment, Nagamitsu’s voice came through the communicator; the expert was directing the two from the Schicksal base.

Otto: “But losing contact with the outside world would indeed be bad. After all, I’ve already transplanted my consciousness center into this body.”

Durandal: “Hmm? That’s not…”

Nagamitsu: “There’s no way around it. Even my ‘Gernius+,’ which I spent two years improving, can’t support real-time consciousness projection. The bandwidth is simply insufficient.”

Otto was not particularly bothered. “That’s how it is. It’s alright. I won’t hold you back in battle.”

“Overseer, you jest. If you were serious… I might not be so sure of victory in a one-on-one duel.”

“Haha, I don’t think I could defeat you, Durandal, fair and square. In fact, I have no chance at all. For Otto Apocalypse right now, you are his most reliable adventure partner in this universe.”

“Haha, looks like I’ve made you cringe again. Well then… let’s forget these unimportant words and take a decisive step forward—let’s go.”

Then, the two traveled through various broken and dilapidated worlds toward a certain destination…

“This place… could it be…?”

Suddenly, Durandal discovered a somewhat unfamiliar place.

Although dilapidated, the Gothic architecture was still vaguely discernible. The sky was somewhat dim and purple. Most importantly, white threads were everywhere, like abandoned spiderwebs.

Jumping between different dimensions of space also cast brief, dreamlike interference signals onto one’s consciousness.

For the girl, she saw the remains of Honkai beasts, a gallows, and unidentified purple flowers.

These were definitely not the girl’s own memories. They either came from remnants of information within the Sea of Quanta, or—

“It seems we’re not far from our destination. This is the ‘Theater of Domination,’ a space created by the Tenth Herrscher not long ago. Although the Tenth Herrscher has perished, I managed to preserve a portion of this place,” Otto explained after noticing the girl’s confusion.

Durandal: “…Can it help us establish a direct connection with the Imaginary Tree?”

Otto: “Exactly. How much do you know about the Tenth Herrscher of Dominance?”

Durandal: “I’ve seen the research data that Anti-Entropy and World Serpent provided us. This Herrscher is a collection of multiple consciousnesses, possessing the ability to construct unique domains within spatial rifts, which differs considerably from the Herrscher of Dominance of the previous civilization.”

Otto: “Hmm, that’s enough. After all, what concerns us now isn’t the Herrscher of Dominance itself but the legacy it left behind. Previously, in order to control its minions from this nest, the Herrscher borrowed the power of the Imaginary Tree and used ‘puppet strings’ to connect different spaces. This resulted in the Tenth Herrscher no longer existing and the ‘Theater of Domination’ being about to sink into the Sea of Quanta… yet this place still maintains a long and uninterrupted connection with the Imaginary Tree.”

Durandal: “So that’s why you hastily summoned us for the war experiment…”

Otto: “Yes, time is of the essence, and delays can lead to unforeseen problems. Although the separation of space into the Sea of Quanta will take time, we had better secure all our technology and resources before the ‘Honkai Consciousness’ interferes.”

Durandal: “I understand. But, Overseer… does this mean the ‘Honkai Consciousness’ truly exists? I thought it was still just a hypothesis…”

Otto: “However… during the ‘Second Honkai’ in 2000, I encountered a vast consciousness beyond comprehension, one adept at overwhelming humanity with massive amounts of information. It can compress all the archives and academic knowledge on Earth into your mind in an instant. Without preventative measures, humanity cannot even have an equal dialogue with it.”

Durandal: “This… wait, if this really is the ‘Honkai Consciousness,’ if this means it might be omnipotent—”

Otto: “If it were truly ‘omnipotent,’ then annihilating civilization should be a piece of cake. There’s no reason for humanity to experience generations of renewal and resurgence. This means it’s either not truly valuable to civilization or not as omnipotent as it initially appears. But I digress. In any case, humanity must make the most of everything it has to achieve final victory in this asymmetrical war.”

“I understand, Your Excellency. And the experiment we’re about to conduct is a rare opportunity.”

Otto: “Absolutely. In terms of their relationship, if we use the term ‘intrinsic’ to refer to our own world, then the ‘Honkai Consciousness’ manipulates the connection between the intrinsic world and the Imaginary Tree, influencing the natural cycle of Honkai energy and subjecting humanity to perhaps unbearable suffering. Therefore, the upcoming experiment, in the most optimistic terms, might even offer us a chance to break free from all shackles and establish an equal connection with the Imaginary Tree. If that happens, humanity can achieve complete victory in this protracted struggle against Honkai without lifting a finger.”

Durandal: “But you said it yourself, this is only the most optimistic scenario.”

Otto: “That’s right. From a scientific research perspective, groundbreaking experiments are rarely successful on the first try, and the future is even more unpredictable. But as long as we can achieve some positive results from such an adventure… I think that at least next time you face Kevin, you’ll be much more confident.”

Durandal: “You mean… the ultimate goal of World Serpent, the ‘Stigmata Project’?”

Otto: “Of course. The terrifying aspect of the Stigmata Project lies in its potential to redefine the rules governing the world. If the other side has the ability to create their ideal world while we do not, then the world will eventually become what they expect. Since none of us likes that cold future imposed by a previous civilization, we ourselves must master a method to create an ‘ideal world.’”

Durandal: “In other words… if the World Bubble within me can safely connect to the Imaginary Tree in today’s experiment… then in the future, we might have the leverage to reject the Stigmata Project…”

Otto: “Yes. You should know that among the many plans to counter Honkai, we do not have a single one that we can truly say is guaranteed to succeed…”

“Hey… Mr. Otto! Shouldn’t today be the day Miss Durandal gloriously completes a mission? How did you steer the conversation into such a heavy topic? Please stop, stop!” Nagamitsu’s voice interrupted their increasingly rambling and somber discussion.

Durandal: “But… these are indeed the facts. There’s nothing to hide.”

“But!” Nagamitsu continued, “Things haven’t reached the point where a choice must be made yet… You don’t need to—”

“Ah. Thank you for your concern, Nagamitsu. But… missions assigned to S-rank Valkyries are always either success or failure, aren’t they? I’m quite used to this tightrope-walking lifestyle.”

“Haha…” Otto laughed. “Very good, very spirited. As expected of Schicksal’s strongest Valkyrie. Your childlike heart hasn’t changed a single day.”

“…” Durandal’s expression was somewhat strange. “Overseer, your emotions today are suspiciously agitated.”

“Heh. If I, with my naturally frivolous and carefree nature, continue talking, I’ll inevitably ramble on. Nagamitsu,” Otto said to the technician, “you will continue explaining the specific experimental procedures and technical details. Your Overseer can give his mouth a rest for now.”

Two strikingly different figures walked side by side through the ruins of the theater.

One was frivolous and capricious. The other was upright, strong-willed, and meticulous in everything he did. One had witnessed five hundred years of history. The other had memories spanning only nearly ten years.

These two men, who should have been worlds apart, had in this day and age become the iconic figures of Schicksal.

In the past, Otto had pushed an institution called the ‘Council’ to the forefront to handle various trivial matters, allowing him to use the saved time to conduct secret research.

But with the rebellious North American branch declaring itself ‘Anti-Entropy’ and challenging Schicksal’s authority, Otto simply kicked aside the Council’s puppets to seek a more efficient way to stabilize the situation.

From that day on, the Schicksal Valkyries, who had once become a secret armed force, stepped onto the stage of history once again.

From the Snow Wolf Squad to the Immortal Blades, each battle-worn figure became a symbol of Schicksal, inspiring more young girls to join this protracted war for justice.

...

And Durandal swept across the land, easily crushing all the quantum afterimages that blocked her path.

Until she arrived at “the edge of the world,” a fracture in the Theater of Domination that left behind only endless void.

Otto stopped as well. “I can only take you this far. The path ahead can only be opened by those who have deeply merged with the extra dimension.”

Durandal frowned slightly. “Nagamitsu’s explanation also ended at this stage. As for the space ahead… so we really have no information to guide us?”

“Sigh… After all, this space so close to the Imaginary Tree is a place no one has ever reached before,” Nagamitsu’s somewhat resentful voice came through the communicator. “The area you’re currently in is still within the reach of the Sea of Quanta. Going further would mean entering the complete domain of the Imaginary Tree. All we can do is theoretically calculate and verify that you can move normally there. I’m sorry, but I can’t provide any valuable information for the climax of this experiment.”

“It’s alright. Experiments always involve the unknown. Like the adventure with Rita five years ago, the results exceeded everyone’s expectations. Today’s experiment, through various safeguards, ensured that the World Bubble within me could escape unscathed under any circumstances. So for me, all the risks I couldn’t bear have been eliminated. I’ll be right back.”

With that, the capable young woman resolutely walked toward the path leading into the depths of the Imaginary Tree—a twisted, dark void.

Behind her, the Overseer of Schicksal wore an expression that was hard to decipher—a mixture of relief and melancholy.

“In these last ten years… you’ve truly shown me a uniquely fascinating legend, ‘Bianka Atagina.’”

“Nagamitsu.”

“What is it, Mr. Otto?”

“Next, as long as we can retrieve Durandal herself through ‘Gernius’ and obtain the probe data, the experiment will be a complete success. As for whether her World Bubble can reconnect to the Imaginary Tree on its own, you should understand that this isn’t important in my plan. I need to trim, fold, and reconstruct the power of the ‘Intrinsic World.’ The ‘World Bubble’ holds little significance for me.”

After Durandal left, the attitude of this deeply calculating man, filled with obsessions incomprehensible to ordinary people, subtly changed.

“…” Nagamitsu’s expression changed. “So… if Miss Durandal spends too much time at the Imaginary Tree… then we’ll use the ‘Gernius’ mechanism to forcibly recall her?”

Nagamitsu knew that, given Durandal’s personality, if they could not achieve their goal and restore the World Bubble within her to a normal world, she would likely refuse to return and remain at the Imaginary Tree until they found a way. And then, perhaps…

“Of course. After all, we can’t establish real-time communication with her, and she knows we won’t wait indefinitely. However, I’m not pessimistic about this… after all, didn’t you quietly help her?” Suddenly, Otto asked Nagamitsu with a mysterious smile.

“Haha…” Nagamitsu chuckled awkwardly, realizing that his little trick had been discovered by his superior. “So you did find out, huh? But it was just a trial balloon, wasn’t it? How do I know if it will actually work?”

“Of course it will work. After all, for that girl, an opportunity to help, or even save, Durandal is something she would never stand idly by and ignore. And this is precisely the ‘reward’ I prepared for her.”

----

EX Chapter: Shigure Kira

"【Mei】Speaking of which, you used to be a high school girl, right? Could you get me a sexy high school girl outfit to wear and show me"

"...If you really want to see one, you can wait outside the gate of Senba High School. Of course, if you get arrested as a pervert, don't blame me."

"No! Even if I get arrested, I hope it's because of you!"

"Hmm... hentai..."

"Waaah, you actually think it's cheesy? Hmm? Wait..."

Happy times are always fleeting.

Suddenly, Mei noticed that the person who had been constantly 'bothering' her and trying to get close had suddenly stopped, making her feel a little disappointed...

She immediately turned around and spoke to the girl who was frowning at her phone.

"Ling, what happened?"

"Ahaha, nothing. Well, it's really annoying. I just got back to Schicksal and they're already making me do missions. So annoying. I'm just a figurehead anyway, so why am I being made to do real work? I need to get Otto to give me a raise."

Hearing that Lin Ling was busy with a task, [Mei] gave her a very understanding smile. "Okay, then go ahead. Don't worry about me."

"Um, I'm sorry, [Mei]. I'll try to find time to come see you. Oh, by the way! Speaking of which, why do you always do these old-fashioned activities? How about next time I come back, I'll get you some computer games or games for the Switch or PS consoles? Those are more suitable for our age group, and Chongchong and Bronya like them too. That way, even if we're separated by vast distances, we can still play together..."

Before leaving, Lin Ling didn't forget to say some 'tempting' words, trying to pull Mei, who had the potential to become a Yamato Nadeshiko (ideal Japanese woman), into the deep pit of game obsession.

"Can we play together? It seems I really need to learn about this so-called internet stuff."

Watching Lin Ling's departing figure, [Mei] muttered to herself thoughtfully.

...

The Imaginary Space, the origin of the universe, the convergence of laws.

The meaning of time here cannot be understood through common sense.

The operation of things here cannot be calculated through mechanics.

This is the other side of the world, rules above rules.

"But no matter what, I must keep moving forward. Because this opportunity may only come once."

On the other side, after entering the wormhole, the world before Durandal's eyes became increasingly bizarre and surreal. If the ruins of the Theater of Domination still barely retained some impression of the real world, this place was an indescribable, pure distortion, as though her senses were gradually being eroded into nothingness...

If it weren't for her immense strength, unwavering will, and the assistance of the modified 'Gnius+', she would probably have lost herself the moment she entered and become completely lost in this void.

And so, relying solely on her compass, the girl persevered and continued her journey forward.

"Forty-six thousand seven hundred and eighty-six steps, forty-two thousand seven hundred and sixty-nine steps..."

She could sense that once she stopped counting, time itself would gradually lose its meaning in this space.

"Sixty-one thousand two hundred and ninety-three... sixty-one thousand two hundred and four..."

Durandal estimated that she had probably traveled more than a marathon, yet the expected fatigue never crept over her.

The surroundings remained empty.

A slight tension rose in the girl's heart.

Of course, she worried about the reliability of the plan and doubted whether the asymmetry of spacetime would render everything meaningless...

"Hoo..."

But the girl chose to use deep breathing to calm her mind and clear the seeds of unnecessary thoughts from her consciousness.

—Although the medium permeating this space was more like 'ether' than 'air'; at this moment, the girl was not maintaining her bodily functions through breathing.

“***＆￥%（***——”

A faint, indistinct voice came from afar, in the same direction that Gernius had indicated.

No, to be precise, there was nothing in this space that could act as a medium for sound waves, so those voices must have appeared directly in her mind.

“——***＆（）%（%￥）…”

The girl still couldn't make out what the other party was saying. But she was certain that at the end of the sound, someone was indeed calling to her.

And it seemed to be one... no, two or even three somewhat familiar voices.

Suddenly, seven colors mixed, forming pure white sunlight and blended paint. All possibilities rose and fell simultaneously, and the resulting space was naturally empty.

However, when two different 'self-existent' existences met each other, the original 'nothingness' presented a different picture through their intersection—

A house made of cakes and candies, a sweet world like a little girl's dream, appeared before Durandal's eyes.

"Ahem. Welcome to the spiritual world of the Shoggoths—'Hansel House.'" Then, a strange creature, seemingly fantastical and resembling a ball of fluff with a black exterior and white interior, welcomed Durandal's arrival. "Well, beautiful lady, you can call us 'Black Sugar' and 'Crystal Sugar' in our language."

"See? Sister Kira, I didn't lie to you. Durandal is really here." Immediately afterward, a white-haired girl who had been talking to a blue-haired girl nearby waved to Durandal. "Hi~ Durandal, over here."

"Ling!? And..."

Durandal turned her head and saw two girls she never expected to see together.

The white-haired girl was naturally Lin Ling.

"Ling, what are you doing here?" Durandal quickly asked.

"Of course, I'm here to help you with your work," Lin Ling explained with a smile.

"By the way, your old friend doesn't believe you're my girlfriend, so come and confirm it!"

The other girl with long, light blue hair was—

“Hi, Bianka. It's been so long! Were you surprised to see us?”

The blue-haired girl greeted her with a smile, then carefully examined the little girl who had somehow grown taller than her and remarked with a sigh.

“I can't believe the little girl from before has a girlfriend now.”

“Um… ahem.” Durandal blushed, then coughed lightly and skipped the topic (without refuting it). “Um... I really didn't expect to see you here again, Shigure Kira-senpai.”

This light blue-haired girl was Shigure Kira, her partner, comrade, and fellow senior from the real world, whom she had met during her travels in the Sea of Quanta.

Shigure Kira and her companions had recently arrived at this designated spatial area, filled with confusion—

A white-haired girl suddenly appeared and said that Bianka Atagina would appear here with the World Bubble and that she needed their help.

Was this a prophecy? What was its purpose? She and her companions had no idea.

Was the other party someone from Overseer Schicksal's faction?

No. That person would definitely take the opportunity to make demands; it wouldn't be a one-sided request. He disliked situations where things were out of control.

Then... was the other party a resident of the World Bubble? That was even less likely. They were naturally cut off from the Imaginary Tree, with no way of sending information here.

But this lovely white-haired girl didn't seem like a bad person, and she did seem quite familiar with Durandal, so Kira decided to trust her. Now it seemed they had made the right gamble.

...

Lin Ling, having received a secret plea for help from Nagamitsu, knew the direction of the plot and roughly understood Durandal's current state.

She then activated the power of the Herrscher of the Void within this imaginary space of the Sea of Quanta and, following Nagamitsu's clues, found a Valkyrie with a wondrous past—

Shigure Kira, who had been traveling in the Sea of Quanta.

It is said that she didn't become a Valkyrie willingly. During an idol audition, she met Salome, known as the "Dancer of the Heavens," and, not wanting to appear weak in front of her, passed the test and unexpectedly became a Valkyrie.

Despite becoming a Schicksal Valkyrie, Kira had no intention of giving up her idol dream. After daily training, she would secretly return to the training room for idol practice. One day, she met her combat instructor, Cecilia. Because of Cecilia's beauty, strength, and gentleness, she became Kira's most beloved Valkyrie. Therefore, Kira deeply resented Siegfried for taking Cecilia away, and many "bad rumors" about him circulated, such as claims that he touched the buttocks of all Schicksal Valkyries.

In 1996, Otto personally ordered the formation of the Valkyrie Assault Squad "Snow Wolf," composed of six Valkyries: Kira, Chen Lixue, Patrick Highsmith, Salome, Shub Niggorath, and Cecilia Schariac. Led by Captain Cecilia, this team fought valiantly, overcoming numerous obstacles and slaying countless Honkai Beasts.

During the Second Honkai—

On February 15, 2000, the Second Honkai erupted. Qi Luo attended Otto's pre-battle speech and, on February 16, commanded the battle against Schicksal and the pseudo-Herrscher of Wind, Aurora, in Germany.

On February 17, acting as the adjutant of the Valkyrie units in the African and Oceanic branches, Kira followed Cecilia to southern Siberia and assembled at location S-1. She participated in Cecilia's rescue operation before Schicksal's carpet bombing of Siberia.

After an hour of carpet bombing, Kira followed the unit into the Siberian plains to search for the location of the Second Herrscher. During the search, they encountered hundreds of surviving Honkai Beasts. Cecilia was subsequently captured by Sirin and taken to the Tower of Babel, leaving only Black Abyss White Flower behind. Kira, along with Black Abyss White Flower and Shub, who had also deserted the unit after their commander was captured by Sirin, searched for Siegfried and Cecilia.

En route, the two encountered Benares. Shub decided to stay behind to cover their retreat, while Kira delivered the weapons to Siegfried and Cecilia. Theresa, who had temporarily taken command of the Schicksal forces, also arrived on the battlefield.

Through the broadcast, Kira and Shub learned that Theresa and Anti-Entropy's actions required the Divine Key to return to its master in time. They entrusted the Divine Key to Theresa and stayed behind to deal with Benares.

Kira used electrical conduction to prevent Bella from generating electricity, attracting Benares' attention. Taking advantage of Benares' attack on Kira, Shub jumped onto its back and used a high-frequency cutting technique on the area injured by the Judgment of Shamash, shattering its core.

While still conscious, Benares moved toward the Tower of Babel. Kira wanted to stop her, but her severely injured body prevented her from doing so; she could only watch her leave.

While unconscious, Kira was possessed by an alien creature on Shub. When she awoke, she found herself in a World Bubble created by the previous civilization within the Sea of Quanta.

In this World Bubble, the council of the Republic of Inka, a nation fighting against Honkai, regarded Kira as a "Star Speaker" created from an ethereal anchor. Kira readily accepted this new identity—Kirastar.

Unwilling to return to the main world, Kira chose to live in the World Bubble. After accidentally obtaining a Love Gem, she rekindled her past dream and became Kira Star, an idol in the Republic of Inka. To utilize local culture and understand ordinary people's thoughts, the idol training studio arranged a tour guide job for Kira.

In 2012, in main-world time, Bianka and Rita arrived in the World Bubble, met their companions from the Caledonia, and searched for the lost gem of the Holy Sword Durandal...

————————————————

Chapter 256: Even Aliens Will Flirt with You!

“And—”

After greeting Shigure Kira, Durandal turned her gaze to the fluffy ball. “Miss Niggurath? I’m sorry, I’m not very familiar with the developmental patterns of alien beings.”

“Hey, I didn’t just grow into this form this year!!”

Perhaps because Durandal didn’t seem to understand their form, the little fluffy ball was a little annoyed.

But thinking about it, it made sense; if a human were mistaken for someone else by another creature, they would probably have a similar reaction.

Then, this somewhat cute alien being said to the blue-haired girl with a hint of annoyance, “Blame it on Kira for being so naive and mistaking my dormant state for my complete form back then.”

“Hmm? Maybe I haven’t seen much of the cosmic world… but it’s still better than you guys who instinctively play dead, right?” Shigure Kira immediately retorted, unwilling to be outdone.

“What do you mean, ‘playing dead’?! What do you know? That’s called hibernation. Have you read The Three-Body Problem? It’s like the hibernation state of the Trisolarans! It’s a very clever, efficient, and intelligent way to deal with crises.”

“Okay, okay, you’re right~”

“Pfft... you two seem to have a really good relationship.” Seeing this familiar pair of bickering lovers, Durandal, who had been on edge, chuckled.

“Sigh~” Shigure Kira sighed, seemingly helpless, but her eyes were full of joy. “I guess you could say that. After all, this guy’s trickery with me goes way back.”

Niggurath then explained somewhat embarrassedly, “There’s always a reason for what happened in the past. I didn’t mean to lie to you; it was all to save you.”

“Well, I guess so. But” Shigure Kira turned her gaze to Lin Ling and Durandal, carefully observing their actions and expressions. “You two seem to have a pretty good relationship too. Hmm So, how far have things progressed between you?”

“Um... Kira-senpai, actually we... um... how should I put it...”

If she described it as too intimate, Kira-senpai might misunderstand. But if she described it as too distant, would Lin Ling be unhappy?

Just as Durandal was pondering how to answer and explain, Lin Ling suddenly dropped a bombshell—

“Me and that Dudy—oh, you, the Bianka you all talk about—have reached a negative distance!”

“N-negative distance!” Shigure Kira gasped and covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She couldn’t believe Bianka would actually...? That’s impossible!

However, when she shifted her gaze to Durandal’s eyes...

“Negative distance?”

Speaking of negative distance, it must mean there had been some deep contact between the two. Durandal then recalled the Herrscher of Ice incident, when she had indeed been attacked by Ling transformed into a wild Herrscher...

Her face flushed slightly, and she nodded. “Hmm... I guess so.”

“Wow~ Bianka, you’re blushing?” Shigure Kira was even more surprised.

“Ahem—”

Just as Shigure Kira’s gossip-loving heart ignited and she was about to press further, the little furball alien coughed twice.

“Alright, let’s get back to the point. I heard Bianka plans to bring the World Bubble back to the Imaginary Tree this time?”

“Ah... yes. Taking advantage of the Overseer’s experiment. By the way, did you come here specifically to wait for me?” Durandal asked. “Also, Ling, why are you here too?”

“Haha, we were notified by her, of course! You know, we happen to possess the technology to alter our own existence space to a certain extent using the Imaginary Tree.”

“‘We’?” Durandal noticed the change in Shigure Kira’s wording. “So...”

Niggurath then explained, “Ah, this... she passed Elder Konpeito’s test two years ago and officially joined our Shoggoth community.”

“Hmm...” While the group reminisced, Lin Ling stared intently at Niggurath.

She had a rough idea of what this mysterious, jade-like creature was like:

They were an advanced alien race with interstellar travel technology, possessing powerful spatial teleportation and mimicry abilities far beyond those of modern humans. But the universe was simply too vast. No matter how strong or advanced you were, there would always be beings stronger and more advanced somewhere in the vast cosmos.

The cosmic nomads—or rather, space pirates—the Sky People, discovered and destroyed Sugars’ homeworld.

Before this, Sugars used all their technological power and the Herrscher Core that appeared in their civilization to create a space fortress—the Candy House, where Lin Ling and Durandal were now.

They abandoned their physical bodies and implanted their consciousness into the fortress, completely merging with it to form a hyperspace dimensional artifact before escaping to other planets.

Subsequently, to evade the Sky People’s pursuit, Sugars hid throughout the galaxy and eventually arrived on Earth, intending to observe the human race to obtain useful survival information.

Theresa, Siegfried, Otto, and the goose were all among their observation subjects...

Hmm... aliens, pre-civilizations, Honkai, the Imaginary Tree, the Sea of Quanta... this world is getting more and more complicated. It’s really giving me a headache... Oh right!

Suddenly, Lin Ling suddenly remembered something.

Could my damn system steal alien abilities? I remember it might have consumed the existence of Divine Key. Maybe it has some amazing abilities.

Thinking of this, Lin Ling suddenly had a bold idea—could I steal their abilities?

Gurgle

“Ah~ Speaking of which...” Lin Ling rubbed her stomach as it rumbled strangely. “I’m a little hungry. The houses here... must be edible, right!?”

Then, to the astonishment of Durandal, Shigure Kira, and the fluffy ball, Lin Ling picked up the giant donut beside her and started biting into it!

…

“QAQ It hurts...”

A moment later, a white-haired girl squatted in a corner, bursting into tears (pretending).

“Hmph! It’s supposed to hurt!”

Beside her, Shigure Kira, whose forehead still seemed to bear a # symbol, clenched her fist at the whimpering white-haired girl in the corner.

“See if you dare mess around again...”

Although it looked like food, this space was the Sugars’ fortress—or rather, after their home planet was occupied by the Celestials, it was their last refuge. Therefore, Lin Ling’s actions were tantamount to destroying their last home, naturally drawing criticism from everyone.

However, to Lin Ling’s disappointment, the system did react, but it only gained some insignificant Honkai resistance from Shigure Kira. It failed to seize the alien’s abilities.

It was unclear whether these aliens were merely spirits without physical bodies, or if their abilities actually stemmed from technological gadgets or something similar.

“I’m so sorry!”

At this moment, Durandal stepped forward, shielding Lin Ling, and earnestly apologized to Shigure Kira, Niggurath, and the other little plush balls.

"Ling isn’t inherently bad. She didn’t mean to destroy your... Candy House. It’s just that she’s naturally rather... well, rather lively. She often—oh no, occasionally—does things unexpectedly. It’s all my fault. I didn’t keep a close eye on her.”

“How can you blame me? Who told this little plush ball to build this house like a dessert? Who wouldn’t want to take a bite?” Lin Ling muttered under her breath.

“It’s alright. Thankfully, we stopped her in time. She only took a few bites, and it doesn’t seem badly damaged. We can repair it. However...”

Since she was Kira’s friend, Niggurath didn’t say anything more. “Let’s get back to business.”

But seeing that little one still staring at their house and drooling, They wanted to end this quickly and kick her out.

They then continued to explain the principle of connecting the World Bubble to the Imaginary Tree and their experiences after Shigure Kira and Durandal separated:

“After Bianka’s World Bubble was inverted and entered your body, Dr. Schrödinger returned to the Sea of Quanta, while Kira was thrown into the direct space of the Imaginary Tree by the energy fluctuations. Perhaps she was simply lucky, or perhaps it was destiny. In any case, before being torn to pieces by this void, the Candy House happened to be passing by and saved us.

“The Candy House is not only the spiritual home of the Shoggoths but also a spatial refuge converted from a World Bubble. Whenever the Shoggoths encounter a crisis, they re-establish a connection with the Imaginary Tree and change the subspace they currently belong to. Because the Candy House is very small as a World Bubble, it can refresh its connection with the Imaginary Tree at any time, minimizing the potential interference of Honkai fluctuations.”

“There... is there such a precedent?!” Amid her surprise, Durandal felt a glimmer of hope—given the precedent of the Shoggoths, reconnecting the World Bubble within her to the Imaginary Tree wasn’t just wishful thinking.

“However...” Shigure Kira immediately poured cold water on Durandal’s hopes and said with concern, “Bianka, in Sugars’ opinion, the World Bubble within you is probably several orders of magnitude more troublesome than Hansel and Gretel.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s mainly a matter of size. As far as we know, there are two ways to perpetuate a World Bubble: a brute-force method or a clever one.” Under Durandal’s inquisitive gaze, Niggurath continued, “The brute-force method is to continuously absorb energy from the outside to counteract the natural decay of the Sea of Quanta. For this method, the larger the World Bubble, the better. As the saying goes, surface area decreases relative to volume. If the scale is large enough, it can even maintain a dynamic energy balance through natural contact and float almost forever in the Sea of Quanta.”

“Of course, absorbing too much Honkai energy also brings other problems to the World Bubble itself, just like what you and Kira witnessed in the past,” Niggurath cautioned.

“So... the Sugars’ method corresponds to the clever method?”

“That’s right. Establish a dynamic connection with the Imaginary Tree and use its support to prevent decay. The essence of this method is to deceive the Imaginary Tree, making the target depend on other civilized worlds for survival, thus becoming certified as a ‘new world’ and gaining support. Simply put, it’s like grafting branches. The larger and more complex the scion, the more difficult the grafting operation becomes. Therefore, for this method, the smaller the World Bubble, the better.”

Durandal frowned. “So... these two methods of maintaining the World Bubble are directly contradictory?”

Niggurath nodded. “Yes, and according to Dr. Schrödinger... the World Bubble within you was originally designed using the brute-force approach to work with the prototype system of the Moon Throne and eliminate excess Honkai energy. Unfortunately, as the etheric anchor was eroded by Honkai energy, it now needs to be anchored within your body to prevent itself from disintegrating. As the saying goes, a large ship is hard to turn around. Now, if we want it to turn 180 degrees and adapt to the shortcut approach, we need enormous computational support in the technical details.”

“Huge computational support... you mean...?”

“That’s right, Durandal.” Niggurath mentioned Durandal’s name, but they were not referring to the girl before them. They meant the real Durandal—her sword with artificial intelligence.

“The Holy Sword has indeed been maintaining the stability of the World Bubble in the spatial rift and my inverse anchoring relationship with the World Bubble. However,” Durandal said worriedly, “since that separation, I haven’t been able to communicate with it in any way. I can only feel it working desperately on the other side of the world. Other than that, I can’t convey anything. So if I want her help, I’m afraid I’m powerless at the moment...”

“It’s alright. If all else fails, I can ask my clan and... if I’m not mistaken, your little girlfriend...” Niggurath jumped onto Lin Ling’s shoulder. “She seems quite something, doesn’t she?”

“Hmm... she’s a Herrscher.”

“I knew it! I knew she had the same aura as that Herrscher of Reason. So, what kind of Herrscher are you?”

“Oh, me? Just so-so.”

Lin Ling waved her hand dismissively.

“Just the Herrscher of Reason, Void, Lightning, Wind, Ice, Stars, Sentience, and Death.”

---

EX Chapter: The Alien Race Sugars and Ryusuke Murata

At Anti-Entropy headquarters, in the third conference room, asteroid 439 was detected. Its coordinates were identified near Jupiter, and the conclusion was that it would crash into the Sun and self-destruct within thirty days, posing no threat to Earth.

If this asteroid were to approach Earth at high speed, Anti-Entropy had only two interception methods:

[1. Interception by the Silver Force deployed in New Mexico

2. Interception by Welt Yang piloting Alahato into space using his Herrscher of Reason powers]

Welt Yang, having been injured during the Second Honkai Incident against Sirin in 2000, would not use the second option unless absolutely necessary.

At Caltech, Welt Yang was teaching as an associate professor, and Himeko Murata appeared as his student.

Since asteroid 439 would have no impact on Earth, Anti-Entropy prepared to withdraw the Silver Force and Alahato. However, during the withdrawal, some alien enthusiasts took photos of Alahato and spread them online as evidence of aliens in New Mexico. This attracted Himeko’s attention, and she prepared to go there. Welt Yang, wanting to stop her, accompanied her.

◆ The Fourth Divine Key Incident

Ryusuke Murata, commissioned by Otto, was working at the St. 7308 Research Institute to repair the Fourth Divine Key with the aim of restoring the ecosystem of Lower Siberia following the Second Honkai Incident.

Prior to this, Ryusuke Murata encountered Peppermint Candy of the Sugars. With Peppermint Candy’s help, he deceived Otto and obtained a vacation.

Ryusuke Murata met with the two doctors from Anti-Entropy, who provided him with the Fourth Divine Key and revealed Schicksal’s plan to use the Divine Key to create a hurricane that would strike the US East Coast.

During research into the activation of the Fourth Divine Key, a protective mechanism was triggered, creating a hurricane that struck Houston. Tesla temporarily shut down through her emergency braking procedure.

The Sky People’s scout, “Lovers,” invaded New Mexico. Their purpose was to control the natives to gather intelligence, and they hacked the Silver Bullet firing system.

Ryusuke Murata met with Welt Yang and, through Peppermint Candy, made contact with the Sugars. He learned that the Sugars had long been helping humanity [Schicksal Valkyrie—Niggurath, codename: Black Sugar] to prevent humanity’s destruction by the Sky People.

Himeko Murata’s body was being corrupted by the “Lover,” and control over the progress of this corruption rested with asteroid 439, the “Scout Planet,” in space.

To prevent the Scout Planet from sending signals back to its home planet, it had to be destroyed. The interference from the Scout Planet was countered using the functions of the Fourth Divine Key, allowing its coordinates to be located. Welt Yang then used his Law of Reason to destroy the Scout Planet.

◆ Ryusuke Murata’s Ambition

By providing the Fourth Divine Key to Anti-Entropy and framing Otto for an attack on Anti-Entropy, Ryusuke Murata gradually gained their trust. His goal was to break away from human civilization and, like the Sky People, venture into space and invade other civilizations to achieve advancement.

I. Contact the Fourth Divine Key through Otto’s request to obtain information such as the “Ark Project” from the Previous Era civilization.

II. Connect with the collective consciousness of the Sugars through Peppermint Candy and utilize their power source, the “Outer Key.”

III. Contact Anti-Entropy and obtain its cooperation. If cooperation failed, eliminate Welt Yang and become the next Herrscher of Reason.

[By exposing the Sugars’ target and triggering the Scout Planet’s actions, Himeko Murata was injured. To prevent the erosion from worsening, Welt Yang had to destroy the Scout Planet.]

◆ Final Battle

Ryusuke Murata merged with Peppermint Candy and used the Outer Key, “High-Dimensional Attack,” to fight Welt Yang.

With the help of the Sugars, Welt Yang recognized the nature of “High-Dimensional Attack” and defeated Ryusuke Murata.

The event ended.

----

Chapter 257: The Holy Sword Durandal

"Huh?! Someone's come in?"

Within the endless void of the Sea of Quanta, in a spatial rift between the World Bubble and reality, a long-dormant, adorable short sword with wings and large eyes suddenly opened its eyes.

This sword is named Durandal.

Yes, the same name as the strongest Valkyrie in Schicksal, but to be precise, she is actually the true holy sword Durandal. Her essence is an artificial intelligence with self-learning capabilities, created by the Fire Moth of the previous civilization to master the technology of altering macroscopic properties by manipulating microscopic particles. She possesses the ability to manipulate microscopic particles, change the structure and properties of objects, and even cleave space.

In short, she's a very powerful but also very unique weapon.

Why unique—

"Oh, I didn't expect to find a wild, beautiful girl here?! Is this the reward that finally moved Kamisama for my hard work?"

Because upon discovering Lin Ling, this visitor from the outside world, her reaction was as excited as an otaku seeing their fictional waifu come to life.

Lin Ling exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? A sword can talk?"

"What sword? I'm not just a simple sword!"

With a quick transformation, the short sword turned into an adorable blonde young girl, or perhaps a doll.

In short, judging from her appearance alone, she was a miniature chibi version of Durandal.

"Wow, there's a wild, cute girl here! I'm taking her home!" Then Lin Ling's eyes suddenly lit up, and she made a move to tie this doll-like little creature up and take her home.

"Oh dear, although I really wanted to go with you, after all, you're such a beautiful girl. But... you're too late."

The girl dodged Lin Ling's grasp, then pointed to herself with a regretful and wistful expression. "Look, I'm already in the shape of a different beautiful girl~"

"Ah, this..."

Although Lin Ling knew from the game that this sword, which constantly shouted "Long live beautiful girls" and occasionally gave lewd laughs to beautiful girls, wasn't a proper weapon, seeing it with her own eyes today felt like she was seeing another version of herself.

Lin Ling felt an instant connection, as if she'd known her for ages, and felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

If the other person weren't a sword, she would have loved to immediately share a drink with her, a true friend indeed!

"Also, I'm not some wild girl. I'm... oh right, beautiful white-haired girl, what's your name? Why are you here? My name is Durandal, the invincible holy sword known as the 'Immortal Blades.' Hmm, you can call me by my nickname, 'Little Du.'" The holy sword introduced herself to Lin Ling.

"Emmmm... Durandal?" Lin Ling rested her chin on her hand, looking somewhat puzzled. "How come you share the same name as my girlfriend?"

"What? Same name? It's the same name as Miss Bianka, borrowed from me, you know. How about that? Are you showing me any respect now?... Wait, what did you say? You're Bianka's girlfriend? You mean the Bianka I was talking about? The one who looks strangely like me now, are you sure? Wasn't she still a child? Oh no, a few years have passed. At the rate of human growth, she should definitely be grown up Ah my tsundere loli princess qwq How did you grow up so fast? But speaking of which, I haven't seen what she looks like grown up yet. What a pity~"

Perhaps she'd been lonely in the cracks of the World Bubble for too long. The moment Lin Ling emerged from the portal created by the Herrscher of the Void's power, she immediately appeared before Lin Ling.

Upon seeing that this visitor was a beautiful girl, she couldn't help but get excited and chatter incessantly.

“Here, the grown-up Durandal.”

Upon hearing Little Du's words, Lin Ling took out her phone, rummaged through it, found a picture of Durandal, and handed it to Little Du.

“Wow!”

Little Du's eyes lit up immediately.

“So impressive? I didn't expect Miss Bianka to have so much potential! Although her previous tsundere loli form was indeed cute, her current curvaceous figure is top-notch. And that cool gaze and spirited high ponytail, hmm no wonder she's the master I've chosen But…”

Little Du pointed to the white-haired girl in the photo being held in a princess carry by You Lan.

“Why is she hugging you so intimately? Are you two really…?”

Little Du hadn't believed it at first, but now, after seeing the photo, she was starting to have doubts.

"Of course it's true~"

Since Lin Ling didn't actually have much of a chance to take a formal photo with Durandal, this picture was actually a screenshot from Rita's combat recorder during the Herrscher of Ice incident. She had been rescued from the ice by Durandal, so the scene looked somewhat intimate.

But now it was perfect for fooling Little Du.

"I'm already Miss Durandal's girlfriend—or wait, she's my girlfriend? Hmm… it's all the same. Never mind. If you don't believe me, you can go out and ask her yourself."

"Ask Bianka? Sigh~ Too bad, I can't get out of here at all."

Hearing this, Little Du sighed. Right now, she had to constantly maintain the existence of the World Bubble, so she was stuck in this godforsaken space, unable to even find someone to talk to, let alone go out and play. But thankfully, someone finally brought some good stuff today.

"Bianka and you, um... two beautiful girls together... hehehe, aihehe..."

She looked at the photo of the two beautiful girls embracing, her eyes gradually becoming hazy.

"For some reason, I feel a kind of 1+1>2 happiness! Two beautiful girls snuggling together, so pleasing to the eye~!"

"Right. But~ Little Du, don't get too excited yet."

This was the first time Lin Ling had encountered a fool who seemed even more out of control than herself. The conversation had unknowingly veered off-topic, and finally it was her turn to steer it back on track. She reached out and blocked Little Du's view as she grinned foolishly at the phone.

"I came to see you today because I have some important business."

"Oh? What important business could be more important than admiring—or rather, appreciating—beautiful girls?" Little Du looked at Lin Ling with displeasure. "By the way, do you have any more photos like this? Preferably more intimate ones! Like, hehe, you know~"

"Ahem." Little Du's words reminded Lin Ling of her own embarrassing past of going crazy after transforming into a Herrscher. Her face flushed slightly, and she coughed lightly. "Yes, there are, but let's first find a way to connect this World Bubble you're protecting back to the Imaginary Tree. That way, you can be free and go out and play."

"What!? You mean you have a way to turn this World Bubble back into a normal world?!"

Finally, Little Du became serious. Whether it was restoring this world, which was on the verge of extinction, to normalcy or freeing herself from tedious tasks and allowing herself to roam freely, these were things she had been striving and hoping for.

"Of course. That's why I came to you this time. Right now, Bianka is outside, as well as Shigure Kira, that Sugars alien, and even Schicksal in the real world further out, are all working on this," Lin Ling explained.

"Why didn't you say so sooner!? And then you distracted me with all this stuff. Let's get started. What do you need me to do?"

With that, Little Du angrily returned Lin Ling's phone, secretly connecting it to herself and copying all the data from the phone containing pictures of Bianka and Lin Ling to her hard drive.

"Actually, I don't really know what we're supposed to do. I'm just here as a switchboard operator to help you establish communication with the outside world. For specifics, you should ask those little plush balls."

Having gained Little Du's complete trust, Lin Ling placed her hand on the little girl's head.

Then she closed her eyes and simultaneously activated the powers of the Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of Sentience, allowing Little Du and the outside world's Niggurath to connect mentally and digitally through her…

…

"As expected, I feel like you're my older sister, senpai."

"Haha, older sister? Hmm, having a younger sister like you would be wonderful. Ah, if only Lady Cecilia were here, she would definitely love you."

"Senior Cecilia? I've always admired her too. I really want to meet her..."

Inside the candy shop outside, while Lin Ling went to find the Holy Sword Durandal, Durandal and Shigure Kira caught up for a while, talking about the Black Abyss White Flower and Cecilia.

Shigure Kira once proclaimed herself the number one Cecilia fan, and for some reason, Durandal also felt inexplicably interested in this Valkyrie senior (Mom), the former strongest Schicksal and the master of the Black Abyss White Flower, feeling a strange sense of closeness.

Meanwhile, on the control panel brought up by the yarn-ball alien Niggurath, lines of alien text scrolled rapidly, indicating that she was running some rather complex programs.

“Niggurath, your preparations should be almost complete, right?” Shigure Kira asked. “Have you made contact with Little Du yet?”

“Almost, almost. I didn’t expect that little one to possess so many Herrscher powers. It’ll definitely be fine. I was originally planning to secretly steal the ‘Sugar Silver Key’ without the Elder’s knowledge, but now I can rely on her, and she’s even more useful! This makes connecting the World Bubble to the Imaginary Tree much more likely! Hmm?! Uh… sorry.”

Suddenly, the little ball-of-yarn alien seemed a little embarrassed as she scratched her head. She turned to Durandal and Shigure Kira.

“Ladies, it seems I’ve messed things up a bit. Or rather, there’s a bug in the program. Ah, the specifics don’t matter… Anyway, some so-called ‘imaginary creations’ have been attracted to the outside of the Candy House! Help me fix this. Bianka! If the Candy House itself is invaded, that would be a real problem.”

“Understood. Just eliminate all the enemies, right?” Durandal summoned the Black Abyss White Flower. “I like this simple and direct way of solving problems.”

She then went outside the Candy House and began fighting the attracted Imaginary Creatures…

Soon, this wave of Imaginary Creatures was completely annihilated by Durandal’s powerful attacks.

“Oh, contact made!”

At the same time, Niggurath also brought good news.

“The other party? You mean… Little Du? You’ve already contacted her?” Durandal asked quickly.

“Yes, the portal left by Lin Ling transmitted the signal from that artificial intelligence. As expected of a composite Herrscher with so many Herrscher powers, she’s incredibly useful. Bianka, you’d better hold onto her tightly, or other women will snatch her away.” Niggurath joked, then continued manipulating the control screen. “I’m transmitting the World Bubble connection scheme to Little Du through her…”

"...Understood. This time will also allow me to adjust my mindset. I mean... prepare mentally and such. In any case—I am extremely grateful to everyone for this opportunity today."

Seeing things steadily progressing toward final success, Durandal grew increasingly excited.

"Hey, what are you embarrassed about? Kira's good friend is my good friend too. It's just my duty. But... if we ever run into trouble, I hope you can ask your wife—or rather, according to human knowledge, however your relationship with Miss Lin Ling should be described—to help our Sugars clan with something."

"Hmm..." Durandal blushed slightly, unsure whether it was from the impending fulfillment of her dream or from being misunderstood again regarding her relationship with Lin Ling.

"I think, given her character, if Senior Kira asks for help, she definitely won't refuse."

The beautiful idol with sky-blue hair tilted her head. "Why me?"

"Alright, let's not talk about that now. The other party has successfully accepted and implemented the connection plan! Without further ado, let's start the call!"

"Ah, wait!" Needing to contact the long-lost Holy Sword, Durandal seemed a little flustered.

But clearly, Niggurath didn't give her time to compose herself; a projection of what appeared to be a miniature version of Durandal had already appeared before her eyes.

"Test, test~ Bianka, Bianka? Can you hear me? Answer me loudly if you can!" Little Du spoke casually and mischievously as soon as she appeared.

Durandal quickly replied, "No problem! No problem, I heard you clearly! Holy Sword Durandal."

"Oh my, it's been years! The little girl has grown into a beautiful young lady Congratulations, congratulations"

Although she had just seen the photos, seeing the even more beautiful real person still filled Little Du with a sense of wonder, and she excitedly asked.

"What are your measurements now? Almost a nine, right?"

"...Hey! You, why are you being so inappropriate right from the start!?"

...

Finally, through the combined efforts of various forces...

Although they ultimately couldn't fully connect the ill-fated World Bubble back to the Imaginary Tree, thanks to the Herrscher of the Void powers brought by Lin Ling, they were able to extract the core of the Holy Sword Durandal while maintaining the World Bubble's normal operation. This meant Little Du gained the freedom to enter and exit.

Furthermore, the World Bubble no longer needed to be confined to Durandal's body; she could share its burden with others, greatly reducing her workload and mitigating the risks associated with the World Bubble, much like not putting all her eggs in one basket.

————————————————————