"...I-I wasn't trying to escape!"
Feeling flustered under the other's gaze, Kiana felt a little conflicted.
She now remembered that this Valkyrie was the same woman she had seen in the shopping district last time. For some reason, Kiana felt a slight sense of closeness to her.
At the same time, however, the oppressive aura radiating from the woman now was also making Kiana feel a bit overwhelmed.
"If you weren't planning to run, then that's for the best."
Perhaps feeling a bit strange from being stared at, Durandal only now remembered that she hadn't introduced herself.
"My name is Bianka "Durandal" Ataegina, an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal."
"Please don't look at me with such strange eyes. Rest assured, we at Schicksal will not harm you."
"...I hope you mean that."
*Sigh, why are all the Schicksal members I've met so serious?*
*Senior charged into a horde of beasts alone to fight the Honkai.*
*Although I haven't been with this short Valkyrie for long, from the looks of the scene, she was injured protecting this little girl.*
*And now this blonde Valkyrie... Ugh, even setting aside that strange feeling, she gives me a strong sense of righteousness.*
*No matter how you look at it, she's a righteous knight, right?*
*So why wouldn't Dad want to go back to...*
*Oh, right.*
*Dad said the top dog at Schicksal is no good, but the people under him are actually quite normal.*
*Judging from how Dad doesn't want to go back and how normal these Schicksal members are, just how much of a scumbag is that so-called Schicksal Bishop?*
"Oh, right, Senior called you Bianka just now... do you know him?"
"Naturally. Leo Ash is my friend."
A flash of pain crossed Durandal's face as she looked at the completely unconscious Leo Ash.
"That guy... he really is..."
"Senior is your friend? That's perfect—Miss Valkyrie, could you please tell me a little about him?"
Realizing she had no way of leaving, Kiana completely gave up on the idea of escaping from the other's sight.
Besides, this Valkyrie seems very... very easy to talk to!
Since she was here to stay, she might as well take the opportunity to gather more information.
Especially since she knew Leo Ash; that was even better.
"About Leo Ash..."
Hearing the girl's question, Durandal had no intention of hiding anything.
For some reason, she just felt she should satisfy the girl's little curiosity.
"He was originally just a civilian. One day, he was traveling abroad with his parents and encountered a Honkai outbreak."
"As a result, both his parents died in the Honkai outbreak. Another friend of mine, who was the mission commander of a Valkyrie squad at the time, went to that location and rescued him."
"Later, because his parents were gone, my friend, for some reason, decided to adopt him as her sworn younger brother."
Gazing at the boy lying on the ground, Durandal let out another helpless sigh as she recalled the past.
"After that, I also got to know him through my friend's introduction."
"It's just that later, he still chose to join Schicksal against our objections, and even tried to join the front-line combat units."
"That..."
Recalling Leo Ash's self-introduction, Kiana said with confusion.
"But, he said he was an agent for Schicksal."
"An agent... that's not a direct combat role, is it?"
"Of course."
After a slight nod, a trace of sorrow appeared in Durandal's eyes as she looked at Leo Ash.
"Because he simply doesn't meet the necessary requirements to join the front-line units. Even though his body was treated by the organization, he only possesses the lowest level of Honkai Energy resistance."
"And he hasn't awakened any Stigmata, nor does he have the fearsome power of your Kaslana family. Since he meets none of the criteria, the organization would of course not spend money to train a... piece of trash who can't go to the battlefield."
*Trash???*
Hearing Durandal's words, Kiana looked at Leo Ash on the ground, then recalled his performance when he jumped off the building and shattered the ground...
*An agent of this caliber is still considered trash?*
*No, wait, does Schicksal have a weird definition of 'trash'???*
"Of course, he still didn't give up."
Not noticing the doubt in Kiana's eyes, Durandal continued speaking to herself.
"After learning he couldn't join Schicksal's combat units, he chose to join the rear support units and become an agent."
"To me and my other friend, he said with a smile that because he was saved, he wanted to contribute to the fight against the Honkai, which he saw as a way of saving others."
"But we both know that's all just a lie."
"He has never moved on from the day his parents died. Everything he does..."
"—is solely for revenge against the Honkai."
"Even this mission was something he actively volunteered for in order to seek revenge against the Honkai."
"This mission?"
Kiana, hearing this, couldn't grasp the cause and effect of the matter at all.
"Wait, he's an agent protecting me... what does that have to do with getting revenge on the Honkai?"
"It's simple. He always believed that with enough achievements, he could climb the ranks. After climbing the ranks, he would sooner or later be able to step onto the battlefield and take revenge on the Honkai with his own hands."
*So that's Senior's past?*
Recalling her interactions with Leo Ash, Kiana suddenly felt that some of his previous actions now made sense.
He participated in this mission not for anything else, but simply to find an opportunity to get into the combat units and take revenge on the Honkai.
And in the process, many of his actions were very reckless... which was now understandable.
*No wonder I felt an unsettling atmosphere from Senior before.*
*It wasn't my imagination.*
*From the very beginning, Senior—never cared about his own life.*
*He could jump from the sky for me... no, it wasn't for me, it was to protect the 'mission objective'.*
*And when the Honkai Beasts appeared, he chose to charge towards them alone.*
*His expression was so ferocious back then. It must be because those Honkai Beasts reminded him of bad memories from the past.*
*And those Honkai Beasts...*
*Charging at Honkai Beasts on the battlefield, isn't that the future he craves?*
Once she connected Durandal's words with Leo Ash's previous actions, Kiana's gaze towards him became filled with even more pity.
"So after this mission... will Senior be transferred to a combat unit?"
*Senior is so reckless. If he joins a combat unit, even with his powerful skills, it will definitely become even more dangerous for him.*
*And if he's so reckless... he'll probably die at the hands of a Honkai Beast one day.*
"That will depend on the judgment from above."
Walking over to Leo Ash, Durandal gazed at his sleeping face, gently brushing away the hair that covered it, getting a clear look at him.
"However, in my judgment, his merits this time are already enough for Lord Bishop to approve his application."
"The merits this time... is protecting me such a great achievement?"
Kiana looked down at herself and muttered in a low voice.
"Something feels off..."
"Protecting you is an outstanding achievement, but that's not all of it."
"Although there was material support from headquarters, Leo Ash did indeed suppress the Third Herrscher."
"At the same time, he also protected Branch Commander Theresa Apocalypse."
"With these three merits, even if another agent had accomplished just one, Bishop Otto would grant them any request that isn't too outrageous."
"And when all three merits are concentrated on one person... even if he himself had no intention of joining the front-line units, I imagine Bishop Otto wouldn't let such an outstanding talent continue to waste time in the agent division."
*This is bad.*
*If Senior really joins the front-line units, then wouldn't that mean...*
Listening to Durandal's analysis, Kiana felt her heart inexplicably thrown into turmoil.
*Ahhh, this is so annoying!*
*If he joins the front-line units, wouldn't that be fulfilling his long-cherished wish?*
*As Senior's... friend, yes, friend! I should be happy for him when his wish comes true.*
*But...*
"Um, I have a question."
*Why am I, right now...*
"What are the requirements for joining Schicksal?"
*— blurting something like that out???*
*Huh???*
Seeing Kiana with her right hand slightly raised, Durandal felt like her mind went blank.
After dealing with that Herrscher, Durandal had communicated with Bishop Otto before coming here.
According to Bishop Otto, he hoped that after making contact with Kiana Kaslana, Durandal could persuade her to return to Schicksal voluntarily.
Durandal had been wondering what she should say to convince the daughter of this 'fugitive'.
But now, the other party had actually made the request herself???
"Um, let me confirm, you are Siegfried Kaslana's daughter, right? You should know that Siegfried is wanted by Schicksal, right?"
"Yeah, but my dad is my dad, and I am me!"
Still not quite understanding why she wanted to join Schicksal, Kiana suddenly stood up, her azure eyes staring straight at Durandal.
"I'm already someone you're protecting, so I shouldn't be a wanted criminal, right?"
"...You're right about that."
"And it's not like I'm bragging, but I'm a genius among my peers, and I've even fought Honkai Beasts—I should have already met the requirements to become a Schicksal Valkyrie, right?"
"...The child of the strongest Kaslana warrior and the current Holy Maiden of Schariac would certainly not be weak."
After saying this, Durandal looked at Kiana very seriously and slowly asked.
"But have you thought it through? If you join Schicksal, then you..."
"—might end up as an enemy to your father, Siegfried."
"...We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Anyway, that old man abandoned me, I've been wanting to give him a few punches for a long time!"
Clenching her fists, Kiana's heart wasn't as angry as she appeared.
Mentioning Siegfried's name, Kiana found that while she spoke harshly, she still wanted to see the father who had been gone for so long.
*Sigh, Dad, I was still captured by Schicksal in the end.*
*But this way... it should count as me voluntarily giving up on running, so at least I can gain a little initiative, right?*
*Your assessment of Schicksal, and of that Bishop Otto, I will personally confirm whether it's correct with my own eyes.*
*If Schicksal, this seemingly decent organization, has truly become corrupt because of one person, then...*
*—I will become the strongest Valkyrie and kick that bastard off the Bishop's throne!*
*As for Senior...*
Casting a worried glance at Leo Ash, Kiana felt a sense of determination solidify in her heart.
*If I can't stop him from stepping onto a dangerous battlefield, then I might as well go kill Honkai Beasts with him.*
*If this guy isn't watched...*
*Hmph, he'll definitely be even more reckless than me in the future!*
World Serpent Sub-base
Inside a World Serpent sub-base, Gray Serpent once again contacted Raven, who had already left Nagazora City, through the communication system.
"Raven, what's the situation now?"
"Your plan is completely unworkable now, Gray Serpent."
Somewhere on the outskirts of Nagazora City, Raven, having put away her Seven Thunders of Retribution, spoke to Gray Serpent in an irritated tone.
"That Cocolia woman is too stupid."
"Back when Siegfried and the Herrscher of Thunder were wearing each other down, if she had led the Titan units there, she might have actually succeeded in picking up the pieces."
"But now, not only did she not go for the kill, she provoked Schicksal's Battleship Hyperion... Heh, you should have already seen the footage of those Titans getting blown up."
"Of course, to think Schicksal's Nexus System possesses that level of power..."
Recalling the scene he had witnessed earlier, Gray Serpent's voice deepened.
"I must admit, we really underestimated Schicksal's forces beyond their S-ranks."
"Ah, things are going to be a bit tricky from here on out."
"Theresa Apocalypse was taken down after engaging with the other Pseudo-Herrscher. I didn't have time to retrieve her Divine Key."
"No matter."
Hearing Raven's report, Gray Serpent waved his hand magnanimously.
"That wasn't within the scope of your duties."
"The problem is—where is the Third Herrscher?"
"When I saw her, she, along with Siegfried's daughter, Theresa, and Cocolia's daughter, had all been rescued by a man."
"It was originally a good opportunity to capture the Third Herrscher, but..."
"That S-rank Valkyrie named Durandal showed up."
*Durandal...*
Hearing this name, Gray Serpent knew that this time in Nagazora City, their World Serpent would likely gain very little.
Schicksal currently claims to have three S-rank Valkyries, besides the former S-rank Theresa.
Although World Serpent's database only contains information on Rita Rossweisse and Bianka "Durandal" Ataegina, the latter's strength is clearly far superior to the former's.
After all, in this era, those who can perfectly wield a Divine Key are one-in-a-million geniuses.
And while Raven is also a powerful Honkai Energy warrior capable of wielding a Divine Key, expecting her to launch a frontal assault on Durandal is asking a bit too much.
Raven was Gray Serpent's most useful tool. Unless absolutely necessary, Gray Serpent hoped Raven would stay alive and well.
"Forget it. Overall, World Serpent has suffered no losses this time. Even if Cocolia turns on us later, at worst we'll just lose a sub-base."
After saying this, Gray Serpent said to Raven.
"Be careful on your way back. Even though Nagazora City's electromagnetic field was disrupted by the Herrscher of Thunder, there's no guarantee that all surveillance equipment failed to capture your image."
"Heh, don't worry, I was in disguise."
With that, Raven cut off the communication.
To be honest, although this mission seemed dangerous, its difficulty was not actually that high.
Her real task was mainly to observe the actions of the other two factions using the Seven Thunders of Retribution.
From the current looks of it, with the Anti-Entropy Sovereign absent, Cocolia, that woman whose brain structure is a mystery, can still command a large amount of Anti-Entropy's resources to take action...
*Hmph, this organization has reached this point, it's pretty much finished.*
*Having confirmed their limits, the contingencies Gray Serpent has set up are enough to provoke the two sides into fighting, even to the point of real animosity.*
*And after they start fighting, we just need to find a time to take control of the Eye of the Deep, and the day of the Lord's return will be one step closer.*
*Once the Lord returns and the plan is complete, at that point...*
*—As a great hero of World Serpent, I should be able to retire in peace after everything is over, right?*
..
Nagazora City. Somewhere.
Siegfried, riding his motorcycle, frowned slightly as he approached a small alley.
After seeing a group of Valkyries walk out of an alley earlier, and also seeing Otto's detestable face, Siegfried had developed a bit of PTSD for places like alleys.
And now, Siegfried, whose body had already been healed by Leo Ash, suddenly stopped his motorcycle.
"Come out."
"As expected of Mr. Siegfried."
From within the shadows, the figure Siegfried had already seen twice in 24 hours appeared before him once again.
Looking at Rita Rossweisse before him, Siegfried let out a long, helpless sigh.
"Before we start, I have one question I must ask."
Although the enemy had clearly expressed hostility, Rita did not don her armor or reveal her Pantheon-class weapon. Instead, with a hint of respect, she bowed slightly to Siegfried.
"Please speak, Lord Siegfried."
"Heh... 'Lord', huh."
"Never mind, I'll just ask directly, junior—why is it always you?"
"Did you really not piss Otto off?"
*That's a question I'm a bit curious about myself.*
*But...*
Looking at the bewildered Siegfried, Rita chose to maintain her smile.
"You're still fond of joking."
"Lord Otto sending me here to meet with you is, frankly, a sign of his high regard and trust in me."
"The 'pissing him off' you speak of does not exist."
"Ha, I hope that's the case—alright, enough small talk."
Siegfried drew the Judgment of Shamash and pulled the trigger, firing a shot at the ground in front of Rita.
"Are you going to get out of my way, or do I have to beat you half to death before you 'get out of my way'?"
"About that, aren't you going to listen to what Bishop Otto this time—"
'Bang!'
In that instant, Rita's eyes sharpened, and she leaped backward to dodge Siegfried's attack.
At this moment, Siegfried's face, looking at the Valkyries on scene, had lost its last trace of emotion.
He swept a cold gaze over the extremely vigilant crowd and said to Rita in a cold voice.
"My patience is limited, junior."
"Now that I can confirm Ryoma's daughter is temporarily safe, I have no desire to continue acting as Otto's pawn."
"His words may be very correct, but since I know that this guy opening his mouth is just to manipulate me into working for him, my enemy, I might as well not listen to anything he says from the start."
"Now, get lost."
"Otherwise, next time, my movements won't be so easy to predict."
*As expected, things had to turn out this way.*
Seeing the hint of killing intent beginning to flicker in Siegfried's eyes, Rita knew that if she continued to fight him this time, Siegfried would truly go for the kill.
As the saying goes, third time's the charm... or in this case, the opposite.
The first time Rita met Siegfried, he dealt with her and injured her, but still left her with some strength to defend herself.
The second time Rita met Siegfried, he even took the initiative to put away his Divine Key, choosing to follow Otto's instructions.
Siegfried had been very courteous and spared Rita the previous two times. To ask him to continue holding back... Rita felt she wasn't shameless enough to say such a thing.
However, that's fine too.
*Since Bishop Otto only asked me to hold Mr. Siegfried back, then now...*
*—my mission is already complete.*
Just as Siegfried was about to impatiently fire another shot to intimidate Rita, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
"Damn...!"
Instantly turning and using his arm as a shield, Siegfried barely blocked the first punch from the surprise attacker from behind.
*Dammit...!*
Feeling the sharp pain from his arm, Siegfried immediately knew this was bad.
The Valkyrie who had appeared before him, clad in pitch-black armor, was wielding a weapon on her hand that was clearly the same Pantheon-class armament Rita had used before.
Pantheon-class weapons were forged from Soulium. Although their performance was far inferior to a Divine Key, they were still extremely powerful armaments.
Moreover, not only were her weapon and armor strong, but her own techniques were terrifyingly formidable.
*I released Honkai Energy as a shield in time, but this woman's punch actually pierced through the shield and drove the Honkai Energy directly into my body.*
*My arm bone is definitely fractured, and...*
*—I can't block the next punch!*
Although Siegfried's arm had been healed for some inexplicable reason, a perfect arm had not yet grown back from the stump.
Right now, Siegfried basically still had only one arm.
Against an opponent with ridiculously strong close-quarters combat skills, the one-armed Siegfried had no way of blocking the second punch.
At this moment, the silent Valkyrie, just as Siegfried had predicted, threw a second punch at him.
And this punch was noticeably faster than the sneak attack just now.
A direct hit. Struck in the abdomen, Siegfried endured the intense pain that erupted through his body and kicked out at his opponent.
Siegfried was a genius warrior, after all. After just two exchanges, he had confirmed one thing—let alone having only one arm, even with both hands, he probably couldn't win against this woman in close-quarters combat.
Right now, if Siegfried didn't want to be beaten down by her close-range tactics, he had to create distance.
With his kick, Siegfried did manage to force the enemy back with his quick thinking.
But as he was still retreating, Siegfried suddenly felt something behind him as well...
*Crap!*
*Rita Rossweisse—I forgot, this woman is also a powerful warrior!*
If this black-armored woman wasn't present, let alone a one-on-one, even if Rita brought all these Valkyries to attack him together, Siegfried didn't think he would lose.
But now, facing such a fast and overwhelming enemy, Siegfried had to focus all his attention on her.
And for that very reason, he had been careless and forgotten about Rita's presence.
"What a shame, Lord Siegfried."
After cutting into the muscles of Siegfried's back with Aphrodite, Rita looked at the blood on the Soulium scythe and spoke to him helplessly.
"If you had just been obedient, Rita would not have had to be an enemy to a hero like you."
"Haha, junior, I'll take your word for it for now."
Having taken the blow head-on, Siegfried used the impact to temporarily distance himself from the two enemies.
"So, considering I held back twice before—can you let me off easy?"
"If possible, Rita would love to look after a senior who is so considerate of his juniors."
Now clad in her Striker Fulminata battlesuit, Rita looked at the wryly smiling Siegfried and raised her scythe with one hand.
"Unfortunately, Bishop Otto's orders are absolute."
"If you were willing to give up resistance, this lady and I would naturally stop attacking you. But from the looks of it—you are not going to come with us willingly."
*This is troublesome.*
*This woman's strength... even one-on-one, I might not be able to secure a victory against her.*
*Plus, this little girl Rita is also quite a handful...*
*Ha, is it too late to run now?*
Looking at the two before him, Siegfried realized he had been completely outmaneuvered by Otto.
Previously, Otto's words had forced him to go and save Mei, and the motorcycle Otto had arranged for him had its fuel calculated down to the last drop.
If Siegfried fought the Herrscher of Thunder, he would inevitably be forced to use Judgment of Shamash Unleashed.
If Otto could have swooped in at that time, then there would be nothing more to say.
And if Otto failed to swoop in, and Siegfried happened to be able to continue moving, Siegfried's trump card would have been exhausted by the Herrscher of Thunder.
Siegfried knew that staying put meant waiting to be captured, so he had to leave, he couldn't stay there.
And once Siegfried started moving, Schicksal's forces would sooner or later intercept him in Nagazora City.
At this moment, the powerful Valkyrie dispatched by Otto, teamed up with Rita, was more than enough to take down the troublesome opponent that was Siegfried.
Moreover, even if Siegfried had the idea to recklessly unleash the Judgment of Shamash, he could no longer do such a terrifying thing.
Because the Zeroth Power of the Judgment of Shamash requires two hours to recharge after being unleashed.
In other words, after Siegfried was forced by Otto to play his trump card, even if he was lucky enough to survive, in any subsequent battles, due to Otto's planning, he wouldn't even be able to use his 'screw it, I'm taking you with me' move.
*Damn it... damn it!*
*I still underestimated Otto.*
*From the moment I appeared in Nagazora City, he calculated all my subsequent actions and all the possibilities arising from them.*
*Although I knew this guy was up to no good, I never thought he could be this calculating.*
"It seems you are still unwilling to submit peacefully. In that case..."
Raising her scythe, Rita attempted to take a step forward.
But at that exact moment, Rita and the black-armored woman suddenly leaped backward.
And at the same time, the Valkyries behind them who were preparing for battle also felt a terrifying pressure...
*No, this isn't pressure!*
Feeling the force pressing down on her, Rita felt her body suddenly become very heavy.
"Gravity manipulation?!"
"There's more."
Fu Hua, clad in her Shadow Knight: Moon Wheel battlesuit beside Rita, finally chose to speak.
"That thing in front of us is a small-scale simulated black hole."
Watching the man slowly descend from the sky, Fu Hua began to signal for everyone to retreat.
"Lord Bishop's prediction was correct..."
"—The Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, the [First Herrscher], is indeed here in Nagazora City."