"Kiana, what on earth is wrong with you?"
Seeing Kiana's hesitant expression, Mei felt herself growing even more worried.
"What's the matter? You've been acting really strange lately."
"I-I'm fine!"
After a moment's thought, Kiana suddenly sighed and said to Mei.
"I'm just worried... worried about that stupid old man, whether he's been doing okay lately."
"Even though he's a fool who does things sloppily and irresponsibly, and even abandoned me in the snowfield, he's... he's my dad, after all."
"You mean Uncle Siegfried."
Remembering the man who had saved her, Mei smiled and said to Kiana.
"Uncle may have lost an arm, but he's still very strong."
"Instead of worrying about his safety, you should be worrying about whether your own grades will pass."
"Even if you say you'll have no problem passing, well..."
Recalling the stories and incidents from before, a playful smile appeared on Mei's face.
"—That's what you said last time, too."
Hearing her closest friend tease her about this, Kiana pouted, turned her head away, and said to Mei irritably.
"Hmph, if you don't believe me either, Mei, then I'm really getting angry!"
"Alright, I was just joking with you."
*Still, Kiana, I just diverted the topic a little, like Leo Ash would, and you really let yourself get led by the nose.*
*Seeing you like this, I'm genuinely worried you'll be deceived by others.*
"Yo, what are you two little girls doing up so late instead of sleeping?"
At the door to Kiana's room, Himeko, who had overheard their chat, walked in nonchalantly and looked at the two of them.
"Especially you, Kiana. If you don't sleep now, are you planning to snore in class again tomorrow?"
"Of course not!"
Kiana immediately shot back in annoyance at Himeko's words, then glanced at Mei beside her, a little embarrassed.
"Mei, do I usually..."
"Don't look at me like that. The fact that you sleep and occasionally snore in class is probably known by the whole school."
"Sigh, Mei."
Looking at the white-haired idiot, who now looked as if she'd been struck by lightning, Himeko spoke helplessly to Mei.
"Sometimes, a white lie is necessary."
"Well... I just felt that even if I didn't say it today, Kiana would find out sooner or later."
Mei looked awkwardly at the ashen-faced Kiana and stammered.
"Um, Kiana, you don't have to be like this. Besides, aren't you close to breaking that bad habit already?"
"But, but..."
Imagining herself sound asleep in class, Kiana suddenly felt the urge to slap herself.
Because Leo Ash was taller than most of the students in the class, he sat in the back row.
Now, after hearing Himeko's teasing and Mei's awkward words, a scene had already formed in Kiana's mind.
To get revenge on the Honkai, Leo Ash was constantly absorbing all sorts of necessary knowledge.
And what was the successor of the Kaslana clan, who wanted to help Leo Ash and protect others, doing?
Sleeping.
Before, Kiana hadn't realized these details.
But now, as she thought back on her past actions...
*Aah, no wonder Senior looks at me funny.*
*No wonder he hangs out with the top student, the Class Rep.*
*In Senior's eyes, I've probably become the kind of useless trash who relies on talent and just wastes my life away.*
*Kiana, oh Kiana, how did you become so degenerate! A month ago, you didn't think this way, but now—to become so lazy, you've completely shamed the Kaslana name!*
"Alright, seeing you like this, I've made my decision."
Looking at Kiana's tear-streaked face, Himeko cleared her throat, her expression and gaze suddenly turning incredibly serious.
"Kiana Kaslana, I have some good news and some bad news for you."
"Eh? Th-th-this..."
Seeing Himeko's dead-serious expression, the tearful Kiana felt even more flustered.
Even though she had already checked her answers with Yuno after the written test and confirmed her score was fine, under Himeko's gaze, Kiana suddenly felt as if she had filled out the answer sheet wrong or forgotten to write her name, causing an error in her written test score.
"The good news is, your results this time were surprisingly good. Not only did you pass the written test, but your combat performance was excellent. However..."
Seeing a relieved smile appear on Kiana's face, Himeko immediately threw cold water on her.
"In my personal judgment, you are not suitable to participate in the upcoming mission to Jiuyou in Shenzhou."
"Why!"
Kiana, who had just started to feel relieved, instantly bristled like an angry cat and glared defiantly at Himeko.
"Lord Bishop Otto was the one who sent us on this mission! And you said it yourself, my grades are fine!"
"Auntie Himeko! I've clearly met the requirements, why won't you let me participate in this mission!"
"It's simple. Because of your current state."
Looking at the incensed Kiana, Himeko dropped her serious expression and asked nonchalantly.
"Since I came in, how many times has the expression on your face changed? Have you counted?"
"...S-so what?"
"Annoyance, anxiety, disappointment, frustration... In the few minutes I've been in your room, I've seen your emotions constantly shifting."
Himeko looked directly at the young girl before her and sighed faintly.
"Kiana, a week ago, I said something to all of you."
"'You must remember that as future warriors, you will be fighting alongside your Schicksal comrades.'"
"At the time, I hoped Leo Ash would take that to heart and not rush too far ahead and get himself killed on a mission. But now, I think—you also need to remember these words."
"I-I definitely won't act recklessly!"
Although Kiana felt she hadn't done anything wrong, under Himeko's piercing gaze, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
"I'm sure you won't act recklessly on purpose, because..."
"—You idiot, you sleep in class, fool around after, don't do your homework, and love to skip, but your heart is in the right place."
"I really can't tell if you're complimenting me or insulting me..."
"Of course I'm complimenting you, because the insults come next."
Himeko's voice suddenly dropped as she stared at Kiana.
"But, Kiana, you need to understand one thing. Sometimes, it's not that you don't want to harm people that prevents you from dragging them down."
"I can clearly sense that your emotions are very unstable. Whatever the reason, your mood swings are far too frequent."
"A Valkyrie, to put it bluntly, is a warrior who fights against the Honkai. And for a warrior, a calm mind is often more important than their own combat strength."
"If you remain in this state of unpredictable emotions, then think about it—what if, on the battlefield, your mood suddenly changes again and affects those around you? What would that do to the situation?"
"That... that..."
Faced with Himeko's questions, Kiana hung her head and answered in a small voice.
"I... don't know."
"No, you know perfectly well. On the battlefield, your every move will absolutely affect your comrades around you."
After stating this bluntly, Himeko spoke very directly to Kiana.
"I heard from Theresa that you used to hunt Honkai Beasts with your father. But looking at you now, it seems the main reason you were able to hunt Honkai Beasts was because your father protected you too well."
"But now, you are no longer a little girl under your father's protection. As a warrior, you must be responsible for yourself, and even more so for your comrades and the people behind you who need your protection."
There was no refuting it.
Listening to Himeko's words, Kiana found she couldn't argue against this very reasonable lecture.
Moreover, she knew in her heart that the problem really was with her.
*So, after a whole month, I'm still the same as I was in Nagazora City.*
*A month ago, when Senior went to deal with the Third Eruption, I became a burden holding him back.*
*And a month later, as he prepares to go to Jiuyou, I'm still unable to help him.*
*Kiana Kaslana, what have you been doing this past month?!*
The realization that she hadn't grown stronger at all on an objective level filled Kiana's heart with regret.
However, seeing the remorseful look on Kiana's face, Mei's eyes sharpened, and she immediately said to Himeko.
"But Teacher Himeko, I think Kiana should still participate in this mission."
"Oh? Let's hear your reasons."
Seeing the serious look on Mei's face, Himeko smiled and turned her head to look at Kiana.
"If your reasons can convince me, then I'm willing to retract my previous order."
"It's simple. Because in my judgment, Kiana's strength is indispensable to our squad."
Mei's mind raced as she continued to explain to Himeko.
"In our team, besides me who's responsible for close-range weapon combat, we have Fu Hua and Leo Ash for zero-distance hand-to-hand combat, Yuno for enemy control nearby, and Bronya for long-range attacks and intelligence analysis."
"But if Kiana, who is responsible for mid-range skirmishing and support, can't join the mission, then our long-range unit could be ambushed while the close-combat unit is tied down by the enemy."
"If Kiana isn't there to provide support at that moment, it could lead to an irreversible outcome."
After hearing Mei's reasons, Himeko said to them faintly.
"To be honest, as a Valkyrie and a knight, you should be prepared to handle all sorts of situations."
"And you know yourself, Mei, that reason is very weak. However..."
Himeko glanced at Kiana and said with great resignation.
"Seeing as Miss Kiana is about to burst into tears, I'll retract the order."
"Teacher Himeko! You're the best!"
"Stop! Don't wipe your tears and snot on me!"
Watching Kiana leap towards her, Himeko could only think—she really should have left her at the academy.
But in truth, the words Himeko had just said were all to scare Kiana.
This was a designated mission personally issued by Lord Bishop Otto. Never mind her, not even Theresa, the Branch Commander, had the authority to stop it.
*Letting a group of D-rank Valkyries onto the battlefield... Even if their abilities are indeed excellent, they're still greenhorns with no real combat experience.*
*And in this squad, Leo Ash is a Honkai-fighting maniac when he gets going, Mei and Yuno are Herrschers themselves and have to suppress their Herrscher personalities during battle, and Kiana, as just mentioned, is emotionally unstable. Even with her outstanding strength, she's in an unstable state.*
*In other words, the only people in the entire team I can truly feel at ease with are the reliable Fu Hua and the calm Bronya.*
*Sending such a chaotic team on such a dangerous mission, what exactly is Lord Bishop Otto's objective?*
*Even if it's to pave the way for the Kaslana family's descendant and arrange special missions for Kiana to ensure her rapid promotion, this mission still feels very strange to me.*
*Moreover, I've researched Jiuyou. The legendary Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Chiyou, is sealed in that place.*
*Chiyou is a Honkai Beast that can strengthen itself by devouring everything around it. If that thing isn't handled properly and is released, then...*
*—The first thing to be devoured will be our Far East Branch's Hyperion.*
*Thinking about it this way, I'm even more uneasy about letting a bunch of rookies go on this mission.*
*I should hold off on using the HSN serum for now.*
*For this mission, I'd better be ready to connect to the Nexus System at any moment.*
.......
Several days later
After the group was transported to the area near Shenzhou's Jiuyou, Fu Hua looked at her comrades and spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Everyone, although Major Himeko has already gone over the precautions for battle, this mission is extremely important. I hope you will all listen as I repeat the key points one more time."
Glancing over the group, Fu Hua was surprised to find that even the usually hyperactive Kiana was now looking at her with complete seriousness.
*Strange, has Kiana really turned over a new leaf today?*
*But no matter, whatever the reason, her being obedient is a good thing.*
Confirming that everyone's attention was on her, Fu Hua took a deep breath and looked first at Yuno and Mei.
"Yuno, Mei, you both know very well that your identities and characteristics mean I must treat you with caution."
"After we enter Jiuyou, I will be responsible for keeping a close eye on Mei, while Yuno will be Second Lieutenant Leo Ash's responsibility. Ladies, if you sense the Herrscher personality within you trying to cause trouble and you can't suppress it—you must notify us immediately."
Pushing up her glasses slightly, Fu Hua continued.
"This may seem impersonal, but trust me, it's for everyone's good."
"I have no objections."
Faced with Fu Hua's cautious measures, Yuno, remembering that day, clenched her fists tightly.
She squeezed so hard that her nails dug into her skin, drawing a few drops of blood from her hands.
"In fact, I hope Senior Leo Ash keeps a very close eye on me. If things go wrong, don't just knock me out—it's okay to even kill me."
"There's no need to be so extreme."
Beside Yuno, Leo Ash saw her somewhat ferocious expression and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry, if your Herrscher personality decides to act up, I'll beat you half to death first."
*No, no, no, that's just as extreme.*
Seeing Leo Ash's relaxed expression, Kiana couldn't believe those words had just come from his mouth.
"I... I may not have Yuno's firm resolve, but if something happens to me, please, don't hold back."
Recalling that nightmare-like experience, Mei looked at Fu Hua and Leo Ash and pleaded earnestly.
"Please, both of you, do not hold back then."
"Mm, it's good that you're mentally prepared."
Looking at the two of them, Fu Hua had to admit that these two girls, who had been tormented by their Herrscher Cores for so long, were indeed stronger in faith and will than the average rookie Valkyrie.
"However, the martial artists from Shenzhou have brought back some intelligence after entering Jiuyou—Bronya."
At Fu Hua's signal, Bronya, who was in charge of intelligence management and analysis, tapped her fingers in the air, and an intelligence screen materialized before everyone.
"The martial artists responsible for protecting Shenzhou have entered Jiuyou multiple times with testing equipment to measure the Honkai Energy concentration here."
"Their conclusion is that the deeper one goes into Jiuyou, the higher the Honkai Energy concentration becomes. Eventually, the concentration reaches a point where even martial artists who have undergone preliminary 'anti-zombification' treatment begin to show adverse reactions."
"And the result of headquarters' analysis, combined with the intelligence gathered from Shenzhou, is—if Big Sister Mei and Big Sister Yuno enter Jiuyou, there is an extremely high probability that their Herrscher Cores will show signs of activation."
After she finished speaking, everyone except Leo Ash had the same question.
And Kiana, the most clueless and curious of the group, voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"So, you're saying Lord Bishop Otto knew that Herrschers would have an adverse reaction if they went in, right?"
"Then why did he still send Mei and Yuno in? Has he gone senile?!"
Though the others didn't say something so rude, their silence was a clear sign of their agreement with Kiana's sentiment.
Not a single one of the four D-rank Valkyries present believed that Lord Bishop Otto had sent them here to reawaken the personalities within Mei and Yuno.
It wasn't that they completely trusted Otto's character.
Their reasoning was simply that as long as Otto had a shred of sanity, he wouldn't be foolish enough to follow Cocolia's example and detonate a Herrscher bomb, blowing up all the innocent bystanders in the process.
Everyone's human. If you don't act based on morality, you act based on self-interest.
The four new Schicksal recruits present couldn't see any benefit in Otto's command.
But just because the four young girls couldn't see it, didn't mean the remaining two couldn't see the clues.
For Leo Ash, who knew the game's plot, he had roughly guessed after learning about Jiuyou's high Honkai Energy concentration that Otto wanted to induce the reawakening of Mei's power.
Raiden Mei was, after all, one of the baits Otto had prepared for Sirin. When the time came for them to fight, if Raiden Mei couldn't bring out the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, how could Otto 'create' the Herrscher of the Void he desired?
The prerequisite for an emotional outburst was a fight. If a reawakened Sirin could one-shot all her opponents, then what was the point of Kiana waking up? She'd probably fall into despair on the spot before she even had a chance to.
And Fu Hua, aware that Otto already had his eyes on Yuno, came to a similar conclusion as Leo Ash and, using her intelligence advantage, guessed Otto's intentions.
In Otto's view, Yuno's powers of plant growth and Herrscher poison were clearly lesser versions of the Herrscher of Death's two major powers, [Rebirth] and [Death].
In the future, Yuno would inevitably be captured by Otto for his Artificial Herrscher Experiment. Therefore, if Yuno's Herrscher Core could be made more perfect and her own control over her Herrscher powers more adept beforehand, the probability of Yuno successfully merging with the Gem of Serenity would increase accordingly.
For Otto, these were perhaps just things he did as the opportunity arose.
But to think up such a scheme on the fly, well...
Serving under Otto now, Leo Ash felt immense pressure.
But they were already here. It was impossible for them to say, 'We question the Bishop's decision,' and just refuse to go to Jiuyou.
What's more, after a little thought, both Mei and Yuno came to the conclusion that 'the Bishop must want us to overcome this difficulty.'
Seeing them successfully brainwash themselves, Leo Ash suddenly felt a sense of the surreal.
*Seriously? Otto just had a brief chat with you, and you already trust him this much? My dear roommates, you're no better than Kiana, who already sees Otto as a kind elder. Or is it—because you have that idiot Cocolia for comparison, you all think Otto is a good guy?*
*This world is crazy. The mice are officiating the cat's wedding.*
*Although I've long wanted to complain that this world is far more chaotic than the original story, right now...*
*—The Herrscher of Finality and the Herrscher of Origin have already been duped by Otto, leaving only the Herrscher of Reason. Why does this feel so wrong to me?*
*And now, I can't even speak ill of Otto, or my persona will be compromised again. At most, people know Otto isn't a good person, but right now, no one would doubt his determination to fight the Honkai. Casually badmouthing Otto would be useless and would only attract his attention.*
And now, no matter how much Leo Ash complained internally, he couldn't stop everyone from diving into the water and heading towards Jiuyou.
After all, the impressions of 'Leo Ash is an avenger' and 'Leo Ash wants to climb the ranks to better fight the Honkai' were already fixed in everyone's minds.
Not only could he not persuade them to stay out, but he had to take the lead and charge at the very front to fit his persona.
Feeling the gazes from behind, Leo Ash didn't even need to turn around to guess that his companions were probably thinking, 'That avenger doesn't care about his own life, we have to watch him.'
*Sigh, thinking back on it now, the biggest time bomb here in Jiuyou isn't Mei or Yuno, but Kiana.*
*Dammit, could Otto have insisted on Kiana coming here so that Sirin could absorb some Honkai Energy in advance?*
*With Fu Hua around, even if Sirin absorbs Honkai Energy, she won't be able to stir up much trouble. But Fu Hua needs to maintain secrecy, so she can't act freely. In that case—the ones in danger will be me and Mei, who are close to Kiana.*
With these thoughts, Leo Ash, forced to charge at the very front, entered the interior of Jiuyou, and in that instant...
—he heard the voice he least wanted to hear right now.
[Ding! Host detected to be eligible for reward. The reward has been sent to the system mailbox.]
*Sigh, if possible, I really wish you wouldn't pop up at a time like this.*
[In that case, should I take the reward back?]
[I'm kidding, please give me the best equipment.]
After opening his mailbox, Leo Ash saw the reward and was completely stunned.
It wasn't that the reward the System gave him was bad.
On the contrary, the reward the System gave him was far too good.
[Ding! The reward received by the Host this time is (Special Item - Premium Ten-Pull Lottery Ticket).]
In his past operations, Leo Ash had received a [Premium Ten-Pull Lottery Ticket] before.
But the last time he got one was when he defeated the Herrscher of Thunder.
To be fair, facing the Herrscher of Thunder was a life-threatening crisis, dangerous enough, yet even then, the System didn't just hand him a ten-pull right off the bat.
Seeing as the magnitude of the crisis is directly related to the reward, then getting a ten-pull right at the start this time must mean...
—the danger I'm about to face this time is even greater than encountering the Herrscher of Thunder?!
[That's right.]
[But then again, last time you didn't just defeat the Herrscher of Thunder, you defeated the Herrscher of Thunder 'who was almost beaten to a pulp by Siegfried'.]
*I don't even want to talk anymore. Besides Ji Lin and Chiyou in Jiuyou...*
*Forget it, the plot has already been twisted into something even the miHoYo scriptwriting team wouldn't recognize. I should just prepare for the worst.*
*If Nagazora City could host a free-for-all, then Jiuyou in Shenzhou can too. When Schicksal and Anti-Entropy both make their grand entrances, my little self will be caught in the middle...*
[Hey, Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, looking at the Premium Ten-Pull Lottery Ticket before you, you are utterly convinced—this bunch of small fry is no match for you.]
*I hope that while you're hyping me up, you can rig the lottery to give me something good.*
*Forget it, complaining is pointless.*
*System, use it!*
[Ding! (Special Item - Premium Ten-Pull Lottery Ticket) has been used. Beginning item draw.]
Following the system's announcement, Leo Ash saw countless items flash before his eyes.
Then, the first seven items he drew were almost all useless things.
In this pile of junk, probably only the pack of Raccoon brand crispy noodles was of any use to Leo Ash, who held the title of Cold, Handsome Man.
If it weren't for the description of the Premium Ten-Pull Lottery Ticket stating 'This ten-pull is guaranteed to draw three high-grade items,' Leo Ash felt his already not-so-low blood pressure would only skyrocket.
*Don't panic. At least the last three items are guaranteed to be high-grade.*
*Let's see... purple, purple, ah, the last one is a gold item.*
Looking at the three items before him, Leo Ash first focused his attention on the first purple item.
[Skill Book - Sea Tiger Destructive Punch (Warlord Sea Tiger series)]
[Skill Description — A supreme martial art created by the magnetic field master 'Sea Tiger' Bai Junlang. Its focus is on using the body's various acupoints, qi gates, and force generation points to power the move.]
[When using this move, one can utilize its internal explosion characteristic to launch an internal explosive attack on the enemy. If the user is proficient in human acupoints, they can even precisely detonate the opponent's acupoints throughout their body.]
[Additionally, this move has been improved by Bai Junlang himself and can be combined with other abilities and moves. Depending on the combination, the Destructive Punch can naturally produce different special attacks in actual combat.]
[Note: Magnetic field masters receive a power bonus when using this move.]
*I see, this move shores up the weaknesses in my offense. I'm sorry, Fu Hua, but a move like this that provides a solid baseline is obviously more suitable for me than the techniques of the Edge of Taixu.*
After using the skill book, Leo Ash immediately looked at the second one.
[Skill Book - Endless Jizō Blade (Warlord series)]
[Skill Description — A technique created by the magnetic field master 'Jizō Monk' by integrating the ultimate lunar technique [World-Ending Endless Blade] with his own understanding of martial arts.]
[Upon activating this move, the user can manipulate parts of the ground, objects, and energy nearby to form blades to attack the enemy.]
[Note: Magnetic field masters and those with a tranquil mind receive a power bonus when using this move.]
*A single-target burst skill and a crowd-clearing skill are both covered, so the third one is...*
[Special Item — Divine Dragon's Ancient Water (Knights of Valour 2 series)]
[Item Description — A miraculous item that, upon use, can instantly restore the user's energy to its maximum value. Due to system improvements, its uses are unlimited.]
[Note: This item enters a cooldown period after use. The length of the cooldown is determined by the percentage of total energy restored.]
*A single-target burst skill, a crowd-clearing skill, and an energy recovery item.*
*All three items this time are very useful.*
*But according to the rule that there's always a resupply before a big battle, this—this is basically a clear sign that I'm probably going to die soon, right?!*
[Sigh, isn't that obvious?]
[As a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Chiyou poses a threat to everything around it just by moving.]
[Your Royal Guard can't block a single bite from it. For a fighter like you who specializes in anti-personnel combat, you are indeed at a disadvantage against a behemoth like Chiyou.]
*But that's not right either. I know the plot. As long as I follow it and don't let them break the seal of Danzhu and Cangxuan, it'll be fine. No matter how strong Chiyou is, it'll be easier to deal with in a weakened state...*
*Wait, hold on.*
*The plot is already such a mess, how can I still afford to be so complacent?*
*Even if I can stop Kiana and the others from touching the seal, that doesn't mean no one else will discover it.*
*There's no time.*
*I have to resolve the problem here as quickly as possible and get Schicksal troops stationed here to ensure no one else can release Chiyou, allowing it to continue its slumber. But now, it seems this Shenzhou incident has been going on for quite a while, which means...*
At this moment, the others, seeing Leo Ash standing frozen for a few seconds, were about to ask him about his plans.
Then, they saw the frowning Leo Ash turn around, walk up to Fu Hua, and speak to her with the fastest possible speed.
"In a place like Jiuyou, can we use support from headquarters to scout the surrounding area?"
"I have a feeling that if we delay any longer, something bad is going to happen here."
"Scout the area?"
Hearing Leo Ash's question, Fu Hua immediately looked at Bronya.
And Bronya, who was already prepared, suddenly frowned slightly as she conducted a search through her neural chip.
"The Bronya has discovered that all surrounding electromagnetic signals are being jammed—Big Sister Mei, don't make that face, this has nothing to do with you."
Looking at the ashamed Raiden Mei, Bronya's expression turned slightly grave.
"Bronya, what's wrong?"
Kiana, who was beside Bronya, asked with some concern after seeing her grave expression.
"Are, are you okay? The look on your face is so..."
"The Bronya is fine."
Bronya had previously learned about Anti-Entropy's recent external situation through other channels.
Because of what Mother Cocolia did in Nagazora City, the conservative faction of Anti-Entropy had been working hard to clean up the mess for the radical faction, trying to save Anti-Entropy's reputation.
They were all spinning like tops, so naturally, they couldn't dispatch enough personnel to Jiuyou to compete with us for the treasures that the heroes of Shenzhou might have left behind.
However, this signal-jamming method was clearly a special technique that only Anti-Entropy would use.
So, that means...
*—Mother Cocolia really did send people here.*
*After screwing over the Far East Branch, she's now targeting Shenzhou?*
Thinking about her adoptive mother's recent actions, Bronya felt her head throb even more.
The Bronya was still just a D-rank Valkyrie. If Mother Cocolia were arrested now, Schicksal would definitely not let her go.
*Ah, my head hurts. Miss Durandal clearly healed all of the Bronya's hidden injuries with Abyss Flower, but why is it that since then, the Bronya feels either her stomach or her head aching every day?*
"It can't be helped."
Seeing Bronya's complexion gradually turning pale, Fu Hua quickly changed the subject and said to the group.
"With the signals jammed, our only option is to split into two groups and search the interior of Jiuyou as quickly as possible to find out what problem needs our attention."
"Before we split up, I must say one thing—do not touch anything here randomly."
Shifting her gaze to Kiana, Fu Hua explained to the group with great concern.
"Shenzhou has many mechanisms, and if you're not careful and handle one incorrectly, you could trigger a trap."
"Kiana, if you could..."
"I definitely won't mess around!"
Seeing Kiana say this and immediately stick close to Leo Ash, what else could Fu Hua do?
"Then it's settled. Leo Ash, Kiana, and Yuno, you three will be one team and search the left side. Mei, Bronya, and I will search the right."
"If you encounter enemies, there's no need to engage immediately. Get a clear grasp of the situation before making a move."
"Yes~"
Watching Leo Ash and Kiana give a perfunctory response in unison, the worry in Fu Hua's heart grew even stronger.
*This... sigh, what a mess.*
*If Otto hadn't sent Mei and the others here in the first place, it might have been more convenient for me to act alone. Now, with Mei and Yuno by my side, if I don't want to reveal my Shadow Knight armor, I'll only be able to fight at the level of an A-rank. And fighting with only the strength of an A-rank Valkyrie will make many things difficult to resolve.*
*Other places might be fine, but this place, Jiuyou—just stepping into it, I can feel a malevolent aura. Now, to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, we're forced to split up.*
*And now, I can only...*
*—hope that Leo Ash's group doesn't run into the owner of that malevolent aura.*
*If Leo Ash meets the master of this malevolent aura, then even if he wins, he'll likely end up covered in wounds due to his reckless fighting style.*
However, at this moment, Leo Ash, the subject of Fu Hua's worries, actually felt a bit relieved after confirming he was on a different team from her.
*Sigh, the babysitter's gone. That makes a lot of things easier. I'm sorry, Fu Hua, but...*
*—I can only unleash my full strength when you're not around.*
.......