Countless vines shot out from the ground. As the one who had unleashed them, Yuno had already concluded that the girl she had initially wanted to recruit was surely dead.
But just as she was about to retract the vines, a laser beam suddenly burst through the interwoven net of thorns, shooting towards her.
Yuno, grazed by the laser, immediately turned to see the collapsed wall where the beam had struck, a look of disbelief on her face.
"...You little brat!"
The Herrscher girl, grazed by the laser, felt the anger in her heart burn even hotter.
Yuno, not yet a true Herrscher, had not yet mastered the Imaginary Shield that Herrschers used.
The intensity of this Honkai Energy laser was considerable; even Yuno, having become a Herrscher, would be directly injured by a frontal hit.
What annoyed Yuno even more was the feeling that her opponent could have actually hit her.
To choose a 'warning shot' when she was perfectly capable of landing a direct hit was, to the girl who now considered herself an 'Apostle of God', a complete and utter humiliation.
On the other side, Bronya, who had summoned Project Bunny, truly felt she had grown too weak.
Because of the lingering guilt she felt for this girl, when Bronya ordered Project Bunny to attack Yuno, she had subconsciously made it miss.
Now, gazing at the enraged Herrscher, Bronya knew she had lost her best chance to defeat the enemy.
With the enemy unaware that she could summon a Quantum Mech, Project Bunny was Bronya's trump card for a surprise victory.
But now that Project Bunny had attacked, the enemy was on guard, and in this situation...
"Project Bunny, Fire!"
"Ha, you think you still have a chance to defeat me?"
Extending her right hand towards her enemy, Yuno summoned countless vines that formed several thick vine shields.
As these Honkai Energy-created vines overlapped in mid-air to form a barrier, the laser fired by Project Bunny was completely depleted of its power after piercing through several of the shields.
At the same time, sensing a wave of energy, Bronya immediately began to move again.
However, this time, as Bronya looked at the approaching vines, a terrible feeling welled up inside her.
The vines, which had not been particularly fast before, suddenly accelerated, striking towards Bronya's forearm.
Although Bronya dodged the attack by a hair's breadth, in that instant, she felt her vision go dark as the strength rapidly drained from her body.
"Damn it... you..."
"Ha, you foolish little brat. Did you really think the power of God's Apostle could be matched by you and that hunk of metal?"
Looking at the collapsed Bronya, a cruel smile appeared on Yuno's face.
"The game is over, little brat."
Meanwhile, seeing its master attacked, Project Bunny was about to fire at the enemy.
But at that moment, a large tree suddenly sprouted from the ground where Project Bunny stood.
If it were an ordinary tree, it certainly couldn't harm Project Bunny in the slightest.
But this tree was a creation Yuno had been secretly amassing power to create.
The tree, woven from Honkai Energy, pierced Project Bunny's body with its sharp branches.
Having sustained too much damage in a short period, Project Bunny temporarily vanished from the world.
"Just as I thought. Once the master is down, this hunk of metal is much easier to deal with."
"And now..."
Walking up to the fallen Bronya, Yuno concentrated Honkai Energy in her right hand, causing vines to form a claw-like gauntlet over her right arm.
"Goodnight, little sister Bronya."
At that moment, Yuno, already considering her opponent dead, swung the claws in her hand lightly at Bronya.
But at the same time, as she made her move...
--just before killing her enemy, she suddenly saw a giant, golden cross flying towards her.
.....
Two minutes ago. Nagazora City.
Theresa Apocalypse, moving through Nagazora City with her subordinates, signaled for them to halt.
"Lady Theresa?"
"Everyone, I'll handle things from here on out."
Seeing her subordinate about to speak, Theresa quickly cut her off.
"I know you all want to fight alongside me, but this time, our opponent is a Herrscher."
"...Even if it's a Herrscher, we can still help Lady Theresa by slowing her down."
"Honestly, you girls..."
Looking at the resolute expressions of her subordinates, Theresa said with a sense of helplessness.
"There's no way I'd watch you get killed by a Herrscher. If you stay, you'll just be a distraction for me."
"You stay here and maintain contact with HQ. It's just a Pseudo-Herrscher; she's no match for me at all."
"I only relinquished my title as an S-rank Valkyrie. It doesn't mean my strength has decreased."
Hearing Theresa's words, the other Valkyries exchanged glances and tacitly remained where they were.
In truth, just as Theresa said, they were indeed of little use against a powerful foe like a Herrscher.
Before the Second Eruption, Schicksal's Valkyrie rank promotion review system was very strict.
Back then, the five members of the Snow Wolf Squad, who stood at the pinnacle of A-rank Valkyries, had even managed to defeat a Judgment-class Honkai Beast and hold off the Second Herrscher for several minutes.
If those five were here now, they might have been able to contribute in a battle against a Herrscher.
But these current A-rank Valkyries...
To put it bluntly, with the lowered promotion standards, even the current S-rank Rita might not be a guaranteed winner against those five peak A-ranks from back then.
For them, who were far inferior to Rita, to fight a Herrscher was, from a practical standpoint, no different from suicide.
"Alright, alright, stop looking at me like that. It's like you're pre-mourning my certain death or something."
"I'll be right back."
With those parting words, Theresa, carrying the Divine Key cross [Oath of Judah], began to sprint rapidly in the direction she had sensed.
And upon seeing a small girl collapsed on the ground ahead, Theresa gripped the Oath of Judah and threw it with all her might at the other girl.
"Tch, another little brat who isn't afraid to die?"
Looking at the giant cross, Yuno instinctively felt a sense of dread.
Quickly weaving a shield from Honkai Energy vines, Yuno let it float in front of her, a smirk playing on her lips.
Hmph, even if this cross gives me a bad feeling, but...
Huh?!
The instant the cross touched the shield, the shield 'dissolved' like ice meeting a scorching flame.
At such close range, Yuno had no time to react and was struck directly in the face by the Oath of Judah, sent flying backwards on the spot.
"Hmph, you stupid Herrscher."
Theresa, having scooped up the dazed Bronya from the ground, made a face at Yuno.
"My Divine Key, the [Oath of Judah], is the bane of the Honkai."
"Honkai Energy of your level is nothing in front of Judah."
"You little brat...!"
Clutching her swollen face, Yuno fought back the urge to vomit, glaring daggers at the white-haired shorty who was leaning Bronya against a wall.
"Who are you calling a little brat? I'm a proper adult."
Without turning back, Theresa tossed this remark at Yuno, then spoke with great concern to the barely conscious Bronya.
"Don't worry, little one. I'll take care of this one quickly."
"After I'm done with her, I'll have someone come and treat you."
"Wait... wait..."
"There, there, don't be afraid. I'll be right back, okay?"
Looking at the girl reaching out her right hand, Theresa let out a sigh.
Sigh, the poor child must be terrified, that's why she doesn't want me to leave.
On the other side, Bronya, having exhausted her last ounce of strength, could no longer maintain her final gesture.
This is bad...
Bronya... can't tell this Valkyrie...
The Herrscher's vines...
They're poisonous...
"Agh, to lay a hand on such a pitiful girl."
Turning around, Theresa stared at the girl clutching her face and said coldly.
"It seems the will of the Honkai has already taken over your mind."
"You're completely beyond saving, little one."
"...I don't need saving from any of you!"
Yuno, her face now slightly less pained, shrieked at Theresa in a frenzy.
"No one came to save me when I was being bullied! And now that I have power, you, a little brat, want to play the hero in front of me?"
"If you were a hero, you should have saved me back then!"
...What's going on.
Wait, could the trigger for her Herrscher awakening have been school bullying???
Listening to these words, Theresa found the atmosphere a bit awkward.
In her years at the Far East Branch, Theresa had more or less come to understand some of the local culture... and its dregs.
In the Far East, school bullying incidents were commonplace, having formed a sort of bizarre trend.
Before this, Theresa was merely aware of this trend; she had neither the ability nor the interest to stop it.
She was just a Valkyrie, after all, and a Valkyrie's duty was to fight the Honkai.
Mundane affairs should be left to the mundane authorities to handle--that was Theresa's own thought process when reading HOMU manga.
But now, she felt that perhaps her past thinking was a bit mistaken...
No, this isn't my problem at all.
Who could have known that school bullying could lead to the birth of a Herrscher (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
"Trying to play the hero now... I don't need any of you anymore!"
As the negative emotions in her heart surged once more, the intensity of the Honkai Energy fluctuations around Yuno actually increased again.
"...Hey, hey, are you serious?"
Watching the vines around Yuno extend endlessly in all directions, Theresa felt a headache coming on.
An enemy of this Honkai Energy intensity--was, of course, still no match for Theresa.
But the problem was, Theresa didn't want the fight to become too intense and drag the surrounding civilians into it.
She was a Valkyrie, and a Valkyrie's duty, besides fighting the Honkai, was to protect the people.
If she destroyed the surrounding residential area just to fight the Honkai, Theresa wouldn't be happy even if she defeated the Herrscher.
Looks like I can't hold back.
She's completely lost her mind.
And although these vines aren't as powerful as a proper Herrscher's authority, their destructive power is enough to cause a massacre in Nagazora City.
I didn't want to use the Divine Grace Field, but now...
Tsk, what a pain.
This whole area is residential. If I release the Divine Grace Field, I don't know if the Herrscher will die, but the ordinary people definitely will first.
Although I can beat her without the Divine Grace Field, with one of my trump cards sealed, I suppose I should still be a little careful.
"Judah, return!"
Using pursuit mode to call Judah back to her hand, Theresa looked at the purple-haired girl before her and suddenly felt as if she had returned to fourteen years ago.
Fourteen years ago, during a Honkai Eruption, she had also met a purple-haired girl.
Sirin, the purple-haired girl who had been wronged by Schicksal, became the Second Herrscher at that moment due to Schicksal's atrocities, threatening the entire world.
And today, fourteen years later, another purple-haired girl has appeared before Theresa as a Herrscher...
Sigh, in a way, is this also a kind of fate?
But right now, no matter how Theresa lamented the whims of fate, she had to face the reality before her.
And that was, this Pseudo-Herrscher, having been provoked by Theresa, had actually become stronger than before.
From Theresa's perspective, even the Honkai Energy attached to those rampaging vines was far more powerful than before.
"You people, every one of you is more hypocritical than the last. So now..."
Yuno, her emotions now stabilized, stared at Theresa and pointed her finger at...
"Not good!"
--the Bronya behind her.
"Starting with that little brat, all of you hypocritical trash..."
"Can just go and die!"
.....
Schicksal HQ
Within Schicksal HQ, Otto looked at the Valkyrie unit deployment map on the light screen before him, and after a moment's thought, began issuing commands directly through the internal communication channel.
Under his arrangements, all Valkyrie units diverted from Theresa's combat zone.
The main reason for this arrangement was that Theresa's opponent was, after all, a Herrscher.
Otto believed that Theresa had the power to defeat a Pseudo-Herrscher, but if those two really went at it, it would be hard to say whether the other Valkyries would survive.
Otto himself wasn't a good superior who cared for his subordinates, but to him, the Valkyries of Schicksal were all pawns in his hand.
A good chess player does not needlessly let their pieces be captured.
Of course, there was another reason for directing the Valkyries to take this action.
"Hehe, K423..."
Looking at the image of Kiana Kaslana wearing sunglasses, with her hair cut and face smeared with dirt, Otto knew his plan had achieved its initial success.
For a while now, Otto had been watching the disguised K423 through the spotty surveillance systems.
Although K423 had altered her appearance, Otto wasn't blind.
A disguise of this level might have worked on Schicksal members who weren't familiar with her.
But Otto was, without a doubt, one of the people in the world most familiar with K423.
Seeing the anxiety on K423's face now, and combining it with the few pieces of intelligence he had received earlier, Otto had already deduced a few conclusions.
Leo Ash and K423 left Nagazora City together and reached the outskirts, but later K423 returned to the city alone in a panic. This clearly indicated that something had happened between them before they separated.
And during this time, the Herrscher's presence at the epicenter of the Third Eruption had vanished.
If Siegfried had defeated the Herrscher, then Siegfried would be half-crippled by now.
But K423's anxiety and Leo Ash's disappearance suggested that what Leo Ash was doing seemed very dangerous to K423. This meant that Leo Ash himself intended to...
Oh, he actually planned to face the Herrscher directly?
With the HSN serum, Leo Ash wouldn't die on the way.
But if the Herrscher wasn't defeated by Siegfried, then even with the HSN serum, Leo Ash, unable to even touch the Herrscher, would only be walking to his death.
From Leo Ash's previous actions, he didn't seem like a suicidal fool.
Even if he harbored trauma from 'his hometown being destroyed by the Honkai, his parents dying in the Honkai', he wouldn't be so brainless as to charge straight at the Third Herrscher...
This kid has other tricks up his sleeve.
His volunteering for this mission back then indeed had its reasons.
But now, none of that matters.
Whatever little schemes Leo Ash has are of no concern to me.
As long as he can complete the mission and become a pawn in my plan to awaken K423, nothing else matters.
By having all the Valkyries near K423 leave the area, the only reinforcement she can find is Theresa.
As for whether Theresa will acknowledge K423's identity... heh, no need to worry about that either.
My granddaughter is as pure and kind as Kallen.
Even if she knows K423 is not the real Kiana, she will choose to accept K423 and help me conceal this cruel truth.
And my granddaughter's intellect comes online at critical moments.
Especially when it concerns Siegfried and Cecilia, she will definitely ask for a clear explanation.
K423, anxious about Leo Ash, will only become more frantic due to his perilous situation, thus growing even more concerned for him.
Even if Leo Ash himself has no such intentions, due to my machinations, the attention K423 places on him will only grow heavier.
And once this part of the plan is complete, Theresa's and K423's encounter will also become the catalyst for her to obtain 'love'.
When the care of companions intertwines with the love of family and a lover, K423 will attain more happiness and love than ever before.
And when everything is ready, I will have someone else reveal the whole truth. K423 will surely fall into the deepest despair because of it.
After her breakdown, Sirin will once again occupy her body.
And at that time, with just a little guidance from me, the people important to K423 will surely come to blows with Sirin.
At that point, my plan will be basically complete.
So for now, Theresa, my dear granddaughter, go and show K423 the kindness of her 'great aunt'.
...
One minute ago. Nagazora City.
Kiana, walking through the streets, felt that Nagazora City was not quite what she had imagined.
In Kiana's eyes, Schicksal should have already laid numerous countermeasures against the Honkai in Nagazora City.
After all, if they even had a super-agent like Leo Ash to protect her, and had even dispatched a battleship, then Nagazora City should be teeming with Schicksal personnel.
But after returning to Nagazora City, she realized she might have been overthinking things.
Nothing. There was absolutely nothing.
Throughout the entire city, Kiana had barely encountered a single living person walking the streets.
It was very strange.
Even if not many people were out at night, Nagazora City shouldn't be this quiet.
And the Schicksal personnel... could it be that because of Anti-Entropy, all the Schicksal Valkyries have gone to the battleship to support their comrades?
Yeah, yeah, if I think about it, that means Schicksal's main force will be gathered there. As long as they can detect Senior over there, won't Senior be saved?
At the thought of Leo Ash's safety being seemingly guaranteed, Kiana nodded in satisfaction.
But the next moment, the girl who had just been nodding was now like a deflated balloon, seemingly having lost all her strength, leaning weakly against a wall by the street.
"Senior has a chance to be saved now, but with things like this... why am I so unhappy?"
According to Kiana's original plan, she was going to find a chance to slip away from Nagazora City after Leo Ash was safe.
But now, the thought of Leo Ash made her feel a little... uncomfortable.
It wasn't that she had a problem with Leo Ash.
It was just that the thought of possibly never seeing him again made her heart...
"No!"
Kiana, who had been lost in thought, suddenly muttered to herself.
"This young lady is not thinking that!"
"Right, it's too early to relax now."
Kiana slapped her own cheeks hard with both hands and muttered to herself again.
"No one can guarantee that those Valkyries will go rescue Senior right away."
"What if Anti-Entropy starts fighting them again? If this young lady just ups and leaves... then Senior will have no one to save him, and he'll die here..."
"No, this young lady will not let him die."
Kiana, abandoning her out-of-gas motorcycle, began to run swiftly through the streets.
That idiot Senior, it's all his fault! This young lady lost all her hair because of him!
Hmph, after this is all over, this young lady is going to make him treat me to dinner!
Ten times!
As for what my deadbeat dad said about not trusting Schicksal's higher-ups... the problem is, thinking about it now, Schicksal has so many people stationed in Nagazora City. Now that this young lady has lost her transport, there's no way I can escape.
Sigh, I'll just have to play it by ear.
Since there are good people like that idiot Senior in Schicksal, it means the organization can still be saved.
You can't just write off an entire organization because it has a few bad apples.
That's true for Schicksal, and it's true for Anti-Entropy too...
"BOOM!"
Just as Kiana started running, she suddenly heard a terrifying roar from not far away.
Hearing this sound, Kiana could even see terrifying energy spreading out from the source...
Uh, wait a minute.
I know this young lady was looking for a Valkyrie, but for you to make such a huge scene, this young lady is getting a little scared.
Senior charged towards the epicenter of the Honkai Eruption.
Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are fighting it out outside.
And now, inside Nagazora City, there's another terrifying Honkai Energy fluctuation spreading around???
Just how many weird things are hidden in this place?
This place is way too dangerous.
.......
Bronya felt her five senses gradually fading away.
Although she had only been grazed by the vine Yuno unleashed, the Herrscher's poison was still too potent for an ordinary Honkai warrior.
But now, as she felt her consciousness slipping away, Bronya saw the Herrscher in the distance letting out a savage laugh.
And at the same time, she saw countless vines shooting towards her body.
It's over.
Seele, I'm sorry.
Watching the vines about to strike her, an image flashed through Bronya's mind.
Bronya won't be able to keep her promise to you.
But just as the vines were about to pierce the girl's body, a figure almost as short as her had already appeared in front of her.
With no time to unleash the power of her Divine Key, Theresa made a choice.
'Squish.'
Before the vines could strike Bronya's body...
--Theresa, who had no connection to Bronya whatsoever, used her own small body to block the fatal blow for her.