"Siegfried's in a bad state right now. I gave him some basic treatment, but this Honkai Beast transformation... doesn't seem like it'll be easy to deal with."
Welt's expression was grim, his face almost completely drained of color. It was clear he'd expended a great deal in the recent battle.
"What happens now?"
"Schicksal has launched a Honkai energy fission bomb. And Lady Cecilia... she plans to use Sacred Blood Liberation. That's the method she mentioned before."
Welt's face darkened. "I never imagined she'd been thinking this way from the start... According to Lady Cecilia, once Sacer Sanguis: Lilium Sanguineum is activated, all of Siberia will be purified by the sacred blood. But the cost is... after losing the vast majority of her blood, Lady Cecilia will likely..."
"I see."
Lynelle gently bit her lip and sighed.
Although the current situation was much better than the original Second Honkai War, with almost no civilian casualties and most of the Snowwolf Squad seemingly unharmed, she was also acutely aware that Otto would never allow any major deviations in his overarching plan.
For instance, the survival of both Cecilia and Sirin was a line Otto would absolutely not permit to be crossed.
The former would directly undermine his foundation in Schicksal, while the latter... would completely ruin his subsequent plans for creating an artificial Herrscher of the Void.
If Lynelle truly intended to interfere with Otto's plans regarding these two aspects, then even if it meant immediately thawing Li Sushang, Otto wouldn't allow any mistakes in his scheme.
Although according to their agreement, Li Sushang would only assist him once... given the current state of the world, there was probably no one who could actually defeat a Li Sushang possessing a complete Taixu Heart.
After all, even later in the story when power levels had inflated dramatically, Sushang remained a force to be reckoned with.
So...
"Welt, does our earlier agreement still stand?"
"Earlier agreement?" Welt paused. "You mean the one about following your lead?"
"Yes."
"Of course it stands." Welt managed a faint smile. "Since I promised you, I won't go back on my word. Especially not now, when Sirin's rampage isn't truly of her own will."
"Good. Then I hope that after Cecilia activates Sacer Sanguis: Lilium Sanguineum, you can take Siegfried and get away from here immediately. At the very least, don't let him be killed by the Honkai energy fission bomb."
"With the core of the Herrscher of Reason, and the protection Cecilia placed on the Black Abyss White Flower... that shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"Of course. I've already planned it out. When the time comes, I'll directly abandon my physical form, revert to core state, and focus all my power on defense. Combined with the Black Abyss White Flower... Wait, did you say Siegfried?"
Welt stared at her, stunned.
"What about you? And Miss Sirin?"
"As for Sirin... since Otto set up this contingency to make her lose control, he definitely won't allow her to survive. Unless we had the Black Abyss White Flower's Zeroth Power output."
Lynelle shook her head. "But Lady Cecilia needs to use all her power for the Sacer Sanguis: Lilium Sanguineum. Even keeping Siegfried alive will rely solely on the Black Abyss White Flower's inherent power... so, you understand."
"As for me, I'm staying here with them."
"..."
Welt's brow furrowed deeply. He was carefully considering whether there was some hidden meaning in Lynelle's words, because otherwise, he simply couldn't understand why she would make what seemed like a suicidal decision.
While analysis of Lynelle's past suggested she didn't value her own life highly, this involved Sirin's safety. Even if saving Sirin was as hopeless as Lynelle claimed, wasn't that still better than outright giving up?
Unless... the key was precisely the "suicide"?
"Is this that trump card you mentioned? The one that can only be used in the most desperate circumstances?"
Welt immediately thought of something.
Lynelle didn't respond.
"I'm growing more and more curious about exactly what that Previous Era technology you obtained from the Stigmata is..."
Welt murmured.
"...I'm curious too. Did the Previous Era really have something like that?"
Kevin, floating invisibly nearby and eavesdropping, couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Though he wasn't entirely clear on exactly how far the Previous Era's technology had developed, he couldn't think of anything that could possibly get Lynelle out of her current predicament.
"In that case, let's proceed as discussed, Mr. Welt. This is where we part ways."
Seeing the flowers beginning to bloom across the ground, Lynelle jumped down from the aircraft Welt had manifested and waved to him.
"Don't forget my spot as an Executor!"
"Don't worry. It will be Anti-Entropy's honor."
Welt gave a slight nod, then hurried off towards Siegfried's location.
"This distance should be enough... which means I can still see what Lynelle plans to do."
Kevin, nearby, visually estimated the distance to his descendant named Siegfried and calculated silently.
It was rather shameful, really. He'd come intending to help his descendant, but now that the battle was over, it seemed he'd only laid eyes on the young man once.
However...
Kevin suddenly realized that the karmic payback for standing up his descendant was coming swiftly.
"Wait, my medium is fading? That descendant has already gone into shock? Why? There should have been enough time for me to remain manifested for a few more minutes."
Kevin sucked in a sharp breath. "A coincidence?! Or..."
He couldn't help but look up, his gaze instinctively shifting towards Lynelle. Then he saw it—the Stigmata of Ego on the young woman's chest, flickering incessantly under the sunlight, like a playful jest from a mischievous girl.
"Fine then... If this is your will... I'll accept it."
In almost a single breath, he had guessed the reason for his impending disappearance.
"But, young woman named Lynelle... I'll remember you."
--+--
"I've got this strange feeling like someone's got their eye on me..."
Lynelle, walking towards Cecilia, suddenly sneezed.
For some reason, ever since her last exchange with the 'Support Ely-chan,' she'd had this odd sensation, as if something was floating nearby, constantly watching her.
If she hadn't repeatedly confirmed with Welt that there were no surveillance drones from Otto around, she'd have thought the place was haunted.
And just when she wanted to check with Ely-chan, she noticed it had changed its avatar back, leaving Lynelle thoroughly bewildered.
However, the current situation didn't allow for further contemplation. After all, Otto had already activated his 'Talk to my Honkai energy fission bomb!' bullshit.
From the time the warheads were loaded at headquarters to their launch, Einstein's estimated time was about five minutes. If she didn't hurry, it would genuinely be too late.
"Senior Cecilia!"
Soon, Lynelle spotted her target—Cecilia, her face deathly pale, leaning weakly against a large rock, cradling an unconscious Sirin in her arms.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.