"Big Sister Lynelle, we aren't… too late, are we?"
Feeling the dense Honkai energy in the air, Seele, who had just stepped off the aircraft, sounded uncertain.
"Don't second-guess it—we are late."
Lynelle, who followed right behind, took a deep breath.
"You probably don't know this, but my current physique is only passable because of modifications from various powers later on."
"Back then, I was the epitome of sickly and frail. So, I'm a bit more sensitive to Honkai radiation."
"If you'd tossed the old me into a place like this, within a month you'd probably have seen me wielding a giant scythe or a bow."
"Uh, turned into a zombie, you mean…"
Seele was somewhat amused by Lynelle's vivid analogy, but it also felt a little dark, so she kept her expression tight. "Then what should we do now…"
"To be honest, I'm not very familiar with Nagazora City either, though I can roughly sense Kiana's location… But she seems pretty far from us. Let me see if I can call her over."
Lynelle stretched out her hand, and a pink crystalline flower began to take shape in her palm, gradually shifting into a peculiar violet hue.
"You can think of this as a small memory packet. I've tucked a little something inside that should catch their attention."
"That way, whether it's Kiana or Sirin who picks up the signal, they should recognize it's from me at a glance."
"So… is this a skill you learned from Sister Elysia? How amazing!" Seele's eyes sparkled.
"But a memory packet… You sound so confident, Sister Lynelle. You must have put some very precious memories inside, right?"
"Uh…"
Lynelle, who had specifically stuffed the memory packet with plenty of "demonstrations of artificial fountain use" to prevent Kiana and Sirin from mistaking it for combat flashbacks, flushed slightly and averted her gaze.
"Grown-up matters—don't ask too many questions, little one."
As she spoke, the violet crystal flower shattered instantly, releasing a ring of pink light that scattered in all directions, heading straight for Kiana's location.
"Let's wait a bit. Kiana should be here before long."
Lynelle said with utter certainty.
--+--
Meanwhile, at the Nagazora City safe zone defense line.
"Kiana, something's off."
Bronya's brows were tightly furrowed, the barrels of her floating cannons barely cooling down.
"The Honkai Beasts attacking now are clearly different from the ones earlier. If the ones assaulting the safe zone before were just ordinary Honkai Beasts wandering nearby, then what new breed are these icy ones? Did Honkai Beasts start learning how to crack cold jokes?"
"First, you've got the wrong person. That idiot Kiana's been benched by me for now—I was afraid she'd go too hard and cause trouble."
Sirin casually hurled several Void Lances, piercing a Honkai Beast that was about to trample an injured Valkyrie into Valkyrie paste, then immediately opened a portal to retrieve the wounded soldier.
"Second… I suspect a Herrscher has really descended on Nagazora City."
"Tesla and Mei have been gone for so long without returning, without even sending a warning."
"While it's true strong Honkai interference could turn their area into a dead zone, unless they're right at the Herrscher's epicenter, there's no way they couldn't find a single spot with a signal all this time."
"And… you know, Mei's Herrscher of Thunder core originally came from me, so I'm very familiar with her Honkai energy. Before, you could say the Honkai energy across Nagazora all carried that same 'flavor.'"
"But now… the scent of Honkai energy has clearly changed. It even feels a bit foreign to me… I suspect we might have actually stumbled upon a Herrscher's descent, and a brand-new one at that—like a Herrscher of Ice or something."
"That's bad. No wonder our defensive line has been collapsing as smoothly as Poland. A Honkai outbreak with a Herrscher and one without are on completely different levels…" Bronya sighed.
"I've already sent a distress call to Bella, the closest to us. Not sure if she can make it in time, though… Once the Titan units we brought are exhausted, the Valkyries will probably start taking casualties."
"Don't worry. If it really comes to it, I can force-evacuate some people, though I'd have to limit the numbers each trip. Too many and someone might fall into imaginary space… Wait."
Sirin, who had been talking to Bronya, suddenly flushed red. Under Bronya's puzzled gaze, she swiftly retreated her consciousness inward.
"Kiana, you… I told you to come back and rest a bit, not start thinking about… about this kind of weird stuff!"
"I didn't, I wasn't!" Kiana shook her head repeatedly.
"Don't treat me like some hormonal paramecium! This was a message I just received from outside! I was wondering who sent it!"
"…What?" Sirin paused, doubting her own ears. "You're saying this is an external information stream?"
"Y-yeah…"
"You dummy!" Sirin rapped Kiana's head hard.
"Think about the images you just saw—who else could have sent them?! Or do you think besides us and Lynelle, there's a fourth person with this kind of… this pink, private memory?"
"Oh, right!"
Only then did Kiana—with what seemed like brains, planets, and equations flashing behind her head—finally snap to attention.
"Don't just stand there! Trace the signal quickly, find Lynelle's coordinates. I'll go brief Bronya."
Perhaps because the surprise was too sudden, Sirin's tone was also hurried. After giving brief instructions, she swiftly shifted her consciousness back outward.
"What happened just now?"
"Our reinforcements are here." A mysterious smile appeared on Sirin's face.
"Huh? Bella got here that fast? Or is it Mama Cocolia's Titan garrison from the Far East?"
"Unfortunately, neither…" Seemingly having received more intel from Kiana, Sirin's expression suddenly turned gleeful.
"Well, latest update: among the reinforcements is someone you'll definitely want to see."
"Anyway, Bronya, stop worrying about conserving Honkai energy for now. Go all out, hold the line for me for a few minutes. I'll go bring them over."
"…Okay."
Perhaps sensing something in Sirin's words, a hint of excitement flickered across Bronya's usually expressionless face.
Immediately, Project Bunny, as if sensing its master's emotions, transformed into a blue motorcycle with a roar—without even needing Bronya's command.
In an instant, a blue streak shot across the battlefield, spinning and ramming through Honkai Beasts while continuously suppressing them with floating cannon fire. For a moment, the precarious defensive line even showed signs of being pushed back.
And Sirin, seizing the precious time Bronya had bought at great cost, vanished from the spot.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.