Welt Yang felt a splitting headache.
Alright, it wasn't just his head. From the moment he materialized the Star of Eden using his 'ability', Welt felt his entire body was in pain.
As a genuine Herrscher, and an experienced one who had held the Core for decades, Welt shouldn't have been in such a sorry state.
But the problem was, Welt...
In a sense, the fact that he was still alive was a testament to his efforts.
Because he refused to submit to the will of the Honkai, coupled with his limited natural talent, his control over the Core had never actually exceeded fifty percent.
And during the Second Eruption fourteen years ago, after a series of unfortunate events—[being on the verge of winning by burning his life force only to be sneak-attacked by Otto], [being half-dead while trying to stall Sirin to buy time, only to have his physical body completely destroyed], [his soul remnant persisting within the Core, still trying to help Siegfried and his wife buy time], [summoning the Moonlight Throne for help even as his soul was on the brink of fading]—he had finally managed to reconstruct his body using the properties of the Herrscher of Reason.
But reconstructing his body didn't mean his condition had returned to its peak.
Around 2006, after his 'resurrection', Welt's physical condition had recovered to about sixty to seventy percent of his peak.
If he had continued to recuperate like that, he probably could have recovered to about eighty to ninety percent of his power in a few more years.
But that year, he was ambushed.
At the time, Schicksal researcher Murata Ryusuke came to Anti-Entropy with the key to the Fourth Divine Key, seeking asylum and requesting to join.
Then, after Murata Ryusuke arrived, a series of incidents occurred near the Anti-Entropy headquarters.
In the end, after expending a considerable amount of power, Welt even discovered that Murata Ryusuke was the mastermind behind it all.
He had ambushed Welt, stolen the power and life of his alien ally 'Peppermint', and the Shoggoth Clan's artifact, the [Alien Key]. He planned to use Welt's Core to heal his own Honkai-corroded body and even intended to use Anti-Entropy's local influence to carry out his [Ark Project].
Of course, the fact that Welt was standing here today meant he had won that battle.
But he was already low on health, and then he was ambushed and nearly killed. Since then, Welt had been in a state where he could drop dead at any moment, forcing him to find a place to properly recuperate.
But now, Welt, who had been lying low at St. Freya High School, felt he had no choice but to act after hearing the news from Nagazora City.
He himself felt that he was still not in good shape.
But Cocolia was just not acting human!
If he didn't show up, the problems in Nagazora City would definitely escalate!
Forget about abstract things like the organization's reputation; Welt Yang, as the inheritor of the First Herrscher's Core, did not wish for such a tragedy to occur.
By the time he arrived in Nagazora City, the Herrscher of Thunder had already awakened.
Fortunately, the Herrscher of Thunder had been subdued. The situation Welt had feared most did not, in the end, come to pass in Nagazora City.
But only after arriving in Nagazora City did Welt confirm it—Otto's preparations were far too thorough.
Schicksal's Mechanized Units, a large number of high-level Valkyries, plus two S-ranks and one former S-rank, the Battleship Hyperion...
Honestly, Welt felt that if he had revealed himself carelessly, he might have actually been ganged up on and killed by Otto's subordinates.
But now, Welt, who had been operating in the shadows, couldn't sit still after seeing Siegfried being besieged.
If he didn't intervene, Siegfried would have been captured on the spot by those two Valkyries.
Although his own body wouldn't last long after making a move...
His old friend was getting beaten up right in front of him. He couldn't just stand by and watch.
So, Welt made his move.
In the eyes of others, Welt descended slowly from the sky like a god.
But only he himself knew—he was really about to explode.
"Oh, oh, oh! Welt, you've come at the perfect time!"
Seeing his friend arrive in such a grand fashion, Siegfried felt as if he was recalling that day fourteen years ago, when Welt decided to cooperate with Schicksal.
In his eyes, Welt was an extremely reliable comrade.
As for that one time in '06 when he didn't come to the rescue, Siegfried felt he couldn't blame Welt.
Welt had just been ambushed in '05. The following year when Siegfried was on the run, if Welt had really shown up, Otto's backup plans might have captured the already severely injured Welt then and there.
Having been outmaneuvered by Otto twice in Nagazora City, Siegfried had no doubt that the man had indeed left all sorts of disgusting countermeasures back then.
And now that a reliable ally had appeared, his thought was, of course...
*—Maybe we should find a time to retreat.*
"Ladies, I do not wish to waste time with you here."
Floating to Siegfried's side, Welt presented the Star of Eden in his hand and spoke to the two Valkyries before him with utter indifference.
"For Schicksal's role in stopping the Third Eruption, I personally express my sincere gratitude and highest respect."
"Therefore, I do not wish to take advantage of the situation and cause trouble for you after you have expended your strength against the Herrscher."
"I came here today primarily to deal with Cocolia regarding our internal Anti-Entropy matters."
"If you do not wish to needlessly risk your lives, it would be wise to retreat now."
The moment he finished speaking, the Star of Eden in Welt's hand shone with a light even more brilliant than before.
Not just the Valkyries behind Rita and Fu Hua, but even the two Valkyries at the forefront felt the gravitational multiplier on their bodies increase again.
Feeling this pressure, Rita and Fu Hua exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of solemnity in the other's eyes.
Fu Hua and Rita didn't know Welt's character very well, so they certainly wouldn't just back down because he said, 'I don't want to fight you.'
If they retreated, setting aside the failure of the mission issued by Otto, could they guarantee their own safety and that of their comrades?
Both Fu Hua and Rita, who had read the archives, knew the wonders of the Ninth Divine Key, the Star of Eden.
When activated, it could manipulate gravity. Driven by the user's power, it could even fire small-scale simulated black holes without unleashing its Zeroth Power.
Exposing one's back to the enemy on the battlefield is a grave mistake. If they were to just leave like that—who could guarantee that Welt wouldn't attack them from behind?
Just as the two were contemplating their next move, a voice suddenly interjected at an inopportune moment.
[Rita, and my old friend, leave the next part to me for now.]
[Alright, Siegfried, although I can't see your face yet, I can probably guess it's covered in a gloomy expression again.]
[Sigh, Kiana has already returned to Schicksal, yet you're still so immature—why don't you learn from your lovely little daughter and just come back with Rita now?]
As everyone heard these words, a screen of light appeared before them.
And seeing this light screen, Siegfried felt his blood pressure skyrocket.
"You... what did you do to Kiana!"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't frame me! What do you mean, what did I do to Kiana!"
Hearing Siegfried's furious words, Otto said with a feigned posture.
"After being protected by Agent Leo Ash, Kiana voluntarily followed Schicksal's Valkyries to join Schicksal."
"She's preparing to become a Valkyrie and should be starting her studies at St. Freya in a few days—see, I was afraid you, as her parent, wouldn't know, so I made a special trip to inform you. Shouldn't you thank me properly?"
"You son of a—"
"Calm down, Siegfried."
Welt, looking at his long-unseen nemesis, slowly addressed Otto.
"Bishop Otto, I'm sure you heard what I just said."
"I personally have no intention of starting a war today. And I believe that your Schicksal must have also suffered considerable losses after dealing with the Herrscher of Thunder."
"If we continue to fight here now, the only one who stands to gain is the Honkai. I think a simultaneous retreat would be no bad thing for either Schicksal or Anti-Entropy."
Hearing Welt's analysis, a trace of embarrassment appeared on Siegfried's face.
Normally, Welt's analysis was perfectly sound.
The awakening of the Third Herrscher, even with only one Core, would be no easy opponent to deal with.
To subdue the Third Herrscher, the resources and manpower Schicksal would need to expend would be astronomical.
But that was under one condition—that nothing unexpected happened.
The first unexpected thing—although Raiden Mei had awakened, she had been trying to suppress her power before awakening, so she didn't fight with her full strength initially.
The second unexpected thing... alright, this wasn't unexpected.
Siegfried going to take Raiden Mei away and fighting the Herrscher of Thunder to wear each other down was part of Otto's plan.
As for the third... that wasn't unexpected either.
The serum in young Mr. Ash's hand, and young Mr. Ash himself, were all arranged by Otto.
So, Welt's analysis, while seemingly reasonable, was actually complete nonsense.
*After I wore down the Herrscher of Thunder's strength, she was knocked out of commission by a single punch from young Mr. Ash, then injected with the serum and taken away.*
*If young Mr. Ash really met Kiana, and Kiana was also recovered, then Mei was probably taken away too.*
*Right now, Schicksal, apart from when Cocolia led Anti-Entropy to trouble the Hyperion and forced it to fire its main cannon once, hasn't expended many troops or resources.*
*And now, Cocolia's Titan squadron is heavily damaged. Anti-Entropy's combat power in Nagazora City right now...*
*—is probably just Siegfried and Welt.*
If the two of them were at their peak, they could probably team up and easily beat their opponents down.
But now, Welt's own control over the Core was less than fifty percent. His current strength was at best fifty percent of his peak. Combined, his strength was probably only 25% of a normal Herrscher's, relying entirely on his simulated Divine Keys and experience to get by.
Siegfried didn't even need mentioning. The Judgment of Shamash was still recharging, the super-variable factors were running rampant causing his body to be in poor condition, and his hand, though healed, hadn't fully grown back. He was the epitome of old, weak, sick, and disabled, checking three of the four boxes.
If Otto really wanted to risk it all to keep them here, he actually had a good chance.
"Hahaha, my rival, you are still so... gentle?"
On the other side of the light screen, Otto raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery on his face.
"It's just a pity that I don't believe you."
"You don't believe me? I think my credibility should be fairly decent."
"No, no, no, I am not doubting the credibility of the Anti-Entropy Sovereign—we've known each other for a long time. I know, of course, that you, who inherited Joyce's Core, are indeed a heroic figure."
At this moment, Otto's lips curled into a slight smile after glancing at Welt's face.
"What I don't believe is—that you actually have the strength to suppress my subordinates."
*...Damn it, this guy is not so easily fooled after all.*
"Heh, Ryusuke's betrayal nine years ago must have caused you considerable damage as well."
"And the fact that you didn't go to support Siegfried eight years ago is the best proof."
"If you were truly fine all these years, you would have long since returned to Anti-Entropy to take charge, and it wouldn't have been usurped by Cocolia."
"The fact that Cocolia now has the opportunity to instigate the Third Eruption is the best proof of all."
"Look at you, so full of weaknesses, and you still want to negotiate with me?"
"Joachim, in my eyes, you have always been as childishly naive as you were back then. So naive that—I can't even bring myself to get serious with you."
Upon hearing Otto's analysis, both Fu Hua and Rita prepared to continue the fight.
Otto's words were not only for Welt but also for Rita and Fu Hua.
This speech contained an order from Otto.
[The Anti-Entropy Sovereign is a paper tiger. Hit him hard.]
*Moreover, if Bishop Otto just wanted to tell us this, he wouldn't need such a long speech.*
*Is he trying to buy us time...*
*To let us acclimate to the power of the Star of Eden?*
*Or... has he already sent Lady Durandal and other reinforcements this way?*
On the other side, listening to Otto's analysis, Welt's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was crying out in bitterness.
Otto's analysis was completely correct.
In fact, the reason Welt had chosen to persuade rather than forcibly take Siegfried away was that, when facing that incredibly fast Valkyrie, he wasn't confident he could avoid being successfully ambushed.
Now that his weakness had been exposed by Otto, at this point...
"Rita, old friend, proceed according to the original plan."
Otto, on the other side of the light screen, directly issued a command to Rita and Fu Hua.
"If the situation turns sour, you are permitted to retreat. But for now, I think..."
"—you can try to have a good spar with my dear rival."
After saying this, Otto voluntarily closed the light screen.
On the other side, Rita, having adapted to the gravity, once again raised her scythe.
"Sovereign Welt, and Lord Siegfried, my sincerest apologies."
"I personally do not wish to continue this entanglement with you, but Bishop Otto's orders are absolute."
"...Little girl, if you value your life, you should step aside."
Looking at Rita, Welt had already begun to channel Honkai Energy into the Star of Eden.
"After all, you are very strong. From here on—I no longer intend to hold back."
Watching the Star of Eden in Welt's hand, Fu Hua didn't dare to be the least bit careless, having already adjusted her body to its optimal state.
The power of the Star of Eden, besides the simulated black hole and gravity manipulation, lay in a crucial point: its gravitational waves could be emitted directly from a point in space.
In other words, this attack had no trajectory. Unless it was anticipated in advance, it was very difficult to dodge.
If it were just Welt alone, Fu Hua, being suppressed by the gravitational waves, would only have her speed reduced.
But if Siegfried and Welt attacked simultaneously, with Welt suppressing one person and Siegfried attacking the enemy's vital points with the Judgment of Shamash, then when two Divine Key wielders attacked one person at the same time, the one being hit would indeed likely be severely injured in an instant.
Fu Hua didn't know if her injured body could still take a blast from the Judgment of Shamash's pistol mode.
But she was certain of one thing—if Rita took that combined attack, she would be one hundred percent severely injured.
Although Fu Hua didn't have a particularly strong sense of belonging to Schicksal, she wasn't the kind of cold-blooded person who would watch a comrade get seriously injured without any emotional fluctuation.
While Otto was not a good person, he was also seriously fulfilling his promise to Fu Hua.
In that case, Fu Hua didn't want to owe Otto any favors, so her only option was to work hard to complete these tasks for him.
*There's no other way, so now...*
*—I can only use the feathers?*
Although she still had other thoughts, at this moment, Fu Hua had already made her move.
As Fu Hua prepared to act, she lowered her body slightly.
And Welt, seeing Fu Hua make a move, immediately tried to increase the gravitational multiplier on everyone.
However, at that moment, Welt saw one of the things he least wanted to see in his life.
What Welt least wanted to see in his life... well, the first was Otto's smug face.
After all, on a personal level, Otto had killed Welt's father and his hero.
And from another perspective, just as Welt was about to defeat the Second Herrscher, Otto had intervened, allowing the Second Herrscher to escape and find an opportunity to drop a meteor that killed tens of millions of people.
For both public and private reasons, Welt felt he never wanted to see Otto's face.
That man loved to smile, especially when he was about to cause trouble.
When he smiled, someone was usually about to have a bad time, and unfortunately, Welt and his allies were usually the unlucky ones.
As for other things—those feathers dancing in the air were definitely among the things Welt least wanted to see.
After all, when he was ambushed by Otto fourteen years ago, it was after seeing this very thing that he had temporarily lost consciousness.
*These feathers... oh no!*
Realizing he had fallen for the opponent's mental attack, Welt desperately wanted to make his body retreat.
But the moment he had that thought, Fu Hua, who had already changed her form, had already imprinted her fist on Welt's chest.
On the other side, Siegfried stared blankly at the approaching Rita, showing no reaction at all.
*I see.*
*So this is Lady Fu Hua's power?*
Watching the furiously beaten Welt and the dazed Siegfried, Rita helplessly raised her scythe.
To be honest, Rita herself really didn't want to be Siegfried's enemy.
Setting aside the matter with Durandal, after these few encounters, Rita herself had sensed that Siegfried, the hero of the Second Eruption, probably had his reasons for choosing to defect in the end.
But now that the battle had reached this point, and the enemies were motionless, if she didn't act, Otto would come looking for her later.
*So now, Lord Siegfried—Rita can only apologize.*
Just as Rita's scythe was about to slice open Siegfried's chest, Siegfried suddenly woke up.
Fu Hua's own Fenghuang Down was naturally more powerful than Otto's simulated version, but that didn't mean she could control both Siegfried and Welt at the same time.
If it were the Immortal Red Kite in her prime, she certainly wouldn't be inferior to Otto in using a Divine Key.
But the current Fu Hua, after being betrayed by her seven disciples, had also burned a large amount of her memories in the Second Eruption.
Fu Hua's strength had declined significantly. In her own crippled state, her physical condition was not much better than that of Siegfried and Welt.
In fact, against these two who had been ambushed by Fenghuang Down before and had developed some resistance, Fu Hua had to activate the Shadow Knight: Moon Wheel's Eclipse Mode to accelerate.
Otherwise, she was genuinely worried that they would wake up mid-attack, which would be awkward.
The moment she used the feathers, Fu Hua felt an overwhelming burden on her body.
This was a ruthless move. While it could temporarily immobilize the enemy, it would also worsen Fu Hua's injuries.
If she couldn't defeat the enemies in a short time, then in the end...
'Bang!'
Just as Fu Hua was about to end the fight with a final blow, she suddenly heard a crisp sound from the other side.
Siegfried, who was near her, had actually woken up from the illusion and fired a shot at Fu Hua's body.
Even though it was a hasty shot, it was still an attack from the Judgment of Shamash.
Fu Hua, who was already injured and had forcibly activated Fenghuang Down, collapsed on the spot under Siegfried's gunshot.
On the other side, Rita, who should have sliced through Siegfried's muscles with her scythe, failed to hit him.
From Siegfried's severed arm, a brand-new arm suddenly grew out.
Just now, Siegfried had used this hand to grab Rita's scythe while simultaneously drawing his gun to attack Fu Hua, successfully forcing the enemies back.
After successfully repelling the two enemies, Siegfried immediately dashed to the other side and helped up the barely conscious Welt.
*Dammit, Welt passed out.*
*Although that Valkyrie should also have lost most of her combat ability, if I want to break through with Welt now... the difficulty is still too high.*
At that moment, slight energy fluctuations appeared in the surroundings.
And everyone who noticed these energy fluctuations showed completely different reactions.
Seeing these energy fluctuations, Rita, after helping up the fallen Fu Hua, immediately began to retreat cautiously.
On the other side, Siegfried, seeing these energy fluctuations, finally let out a sigh of relief.
Inside her mech, Tesla looked down at the fallen Welt, feeling a fire of rage burning within her.
They had always tried to keep these worldly troubles from bothering Welt, hoping he could recuperate properly.
But now, because of Cocolia's mess, Welt was forced to step up and help that insidious woman clean up her mess.
Thinking that Welt had almost died again because of the problems Cocolia caused, Tesla really wanted to save Welt and then go kill Cocolia immediately.
But now, Tesla told herself, she had to stay calm.
Everything had to wait until Welt was rescued.
After all, these Schicksal Valkyries were not easy to deal with.
Anti-Entropy's mechs could bully B-rank Valkyries without a problem, but dealing with A-rank Valkyries depended on the situation.
As for this newly promoted S-rank Valkyrie Rita... to be honest, confronting her was not part of Tesla's plan.
After all, Tesla's initial plan was to stop Cocolia.
In her original plan, there was really no item about fighting a Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie.
It wasn't about whether they could win or not; the main issue was that the losses would be too great.
Plus, considering that Schicksal must have deployed Schicksal's Mechanized Units and other Valkyrie squads in Nagazora City, if Tesla didn't hurry up and rescue them, they might all be trapped here.
*Damn Cocolia, useless when you need her, but faster than anyone when it comes to screwing things up.*
*I can't show any weakness in my tone now.*
*If the enemy sees through our current predicament, we might all really die here.*
Within the Titan mech squadron that materialized in mid-air, Tesla's voice, filled with rage, boomed from the mechs.
"Sovereign, Siegfried, I'm here to pick you up."
"Now let this old lady see who's the blind fool who dared to touch the Sovereign of our Anti-Entropy!"
.....