A dead silence fell over the bridge of the Hyperion. The eyes of the Nagazora Quartet focused entirely on the clearly stunned, beautiful face of Himeko Murata.
Fuli initiated the team fight: "It seems Lord Durandal isn't giving Big Sis any face."
Bronya followed up with damage: "She really isn't giving any face."
Mei pressed the advantage: "A mature and reliable adult (Shameful)."
Kiana landed the killing blow: "Uwaaa, so embarrassing! If it were me in such an awkward situation, I would have found a crack in the floor to hide in and draw circles to curse you, Auntie Himeko!"
Himeko: "..."
Currently shutting myself in. Do not disturb.
"You played yourself, didn't you? You totally played yourself!"
Seeing her old friend fall into a depression, Theresa's 3D projection arrived immediately to mock her.
"Ah! It's Aunt!"
Seeing her appear, Kiana immediately leaned in, acting spoiled to curry favor. "Help us out, Auntie! That guy named Durandal is so fierce! Hurry up and teach her a lesson for me!"
"T-Teach her a lesson?"
Theresa puffed up her cheeks, wondering if this silly girl knew what she was saying.
Me? Fight Durandal?
Are you sure it wouldn't end with me being knocked to the ground by her Star Flame Fist in three moves, and then dragged back by Rita Rossweisse—who knows where she's hiding—to be dressed up in little frilly skirts?
"Don't make things hard for her."
Fuli stepped forward and pulled Kiana, who was clinging to Theresa, away. "Durandal is Schicksal's Strongest of the current generation. And this 'current generation' obviously includes your Aunt."
He knew the girl meant well; seeing the situation go south, she immediately acted cute to call for reinforcements.
But leaving aside the fact that both parties were under Schicksal and couldn't fight in front of outsiders, even if they did fight, Theresa was definitely no match for Durandal.
"Who! Who says that!"
Originally, the Overseer of St. Freya had only run over to help mediate. If you, Durandal, won't give Himeko face, will you give me, Theresa Apocalypse, face?
You won't? If you won't, I'll cry! I'll really cry!
However, hearing her younger fresh meat fiancé speaking such demoralizing words—even if the validity of his title was so diluted the Sea of Quanta couldn't hold it—Theresa flared up with nameless anger.
"It's merely a Durandal!"
She waved her small hand, her exquisite, tender, and cute face filled with disdain. "If not for the fact that this School Principal's true body isn't here, if I were to join forces with Judah, I would definitely make that fellow bow her head in submission!"
"Since your true body isn't here, you can naturally talk as much smack as you want," Bronya remarked, piercing through her facade of strength with a single sentence.
"T-Then what do we do?"
Kiana-cat stood frozen in place, overwhelmed and at a loss.
"What are you worried about?"
Fuli smoothed out her exquisite, long white hair—she had been too lazy to comb it, so it was currently in its factory-default state. "Right now, Durandal is locked on by Genesis and doesn't dare to make a move. 800,000 versus 600,000—the advantage is mine."
"Oh, right! Brilliant insight, Commander!"
Kiana had an epiphany. She ran to the edge of the bridge, cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, and shouted at Bianka, "Raise your hands and drop your weapon! We promise not to kill anyone!"
Bianka raised a sexy and enchanting eyebrow. "Are you sure? If I raise my hands and drop my weapon, you'll let me enter the Hyperion?"
"Uwaaa, why is this person adding her own conditions?"
Kiana pointed accusingly, indicating that this young lady wasn't stupid. If we really let you in, wouldn't we all be lambs waiting for the slaughter?
The problem was that maintaining this stalemate was definitely disadvantageous for the Hyperion. Keeping Genesis in a primed-but-not-firing state required massive amounts of Honkai energy and computing power.
Bianka also considered herself at a disadvantage. Once that unknown S-Rank existence (Sesha) coordinated with Genesis to strangle her, even if she won in the end, it would definitely be a pyrrhic victory. She could die at any moment, or worse, be picked up by Fuli and locked in a basement for the rest of her life.
In other words, mutual deterrence on a strategic level had been achieved.
Unable to guarantee the destruction of the other party with minimal cost, they had to either take a step back or determine the winner through tactical confrontation.
It was the classic scenario: The pugilistic world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about worldly wisdom and social niceties. But if you don't have the ability to fight and kill, no one will talk to you about social niceties.
I guess working hard to become stronger really is the most important thing, Fuli thought deeply, then looked up.
"I have a proposal."
"What a coincidence, I have an idea too."
Opposite him, Bianka spoke as well.
Their gazes collided—black hair like the abyss, blonde hair like a torch. Ice-blue and crimson eyes shone in reflection, diametrically opposed yet harmonizing so well, as if they were a match made in heaven.
Bianka's image took a step back, signaling Fuli to explain his reasoning first.
"How about a match?"
Fuli didn't stand on ceremony. "Both sides will suppress their strength to the same scale. One battle to settle everything."
Bianka, possessing absolute confidence in herself, nodded. "Agreed. If I win, you are at my disposal."
Kiana, whose brain instantly conjured up terrible NSFW images, looked like she wanted to speak but stopped.
"Ouch!"
She was bonked on the head by a dark-faced Mei.
For the first time, the girl regretted having her electromagnetic induction constantly active. Seeing the terrible images surfacing in Kiana's mind, she felt a distinct sensation that she was being NTR'd by Durandal.
Damn it, why is this dirty Tuna's imagination so vivid?
Bianka knew nothing of this. "If you win, I promise not to disturb the Hyperion for one week. At the same time, I will release news that Fuli is my prey. Anyone else who dares to lay a finger on him will face the wrath of the Immortal Blades."
The girl wasn't doing this for personal gain. The combination of an S-Rank entity plus Genesis was dangerous enough that even she had narrowly escaped death. She was using this method to warn outsiders not to come seeking their own doom.
Yes, that's exactly it!
Bathed in the glow, the blonde Knight Princess stood awe-inspiring and noble.
My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror; everything I do is for justice!
I have absolutely no guilty conscience!
Fuli, however, expressed dissatisfaction. "A week is too short. One month."
Fighting with Durandal was physically exhausting. Once a week? She was clearly trying to drain him dry!
"No, just one week!"
The Goose, insisting on regular inspections, paused. Feeling that this might seem like she was forcing Little Li, she quickly added, "In exchange, I can fight all of you. As long as one person wins, I won't disturb you for a week."
If it weren't for the Immortal Blades squad being busy with official duties, she would have wished to shorten the time even further.
Correction of terrible lifestyles requires constant supervision! With her around, Little Li—cough—the Hyperion would definitely transform into a positive, healthy, and sunny formal organization!
"Fine."
Seeing that the other party was unlikely to yield, and considering she was the stronger side, Fuli agreed to the condition.
He gave Bronya a look, and the girl obediently stopped charging Genesis.
Durandal's credibility* was unquestionable; he had already witnessed this in the previous loop.
At the very least, regarding the agreements between them, the girl had never broken a single promise.
"Very good."
Bianka revealed a look of approval. Right in front of Fuli, she removed the Third Generation Valkyrie Armor she was equipped with.
When she said suppress her strength, she meant it. She didn't need this thing.
Stripped of her armor, the girl's upper body was clad in a low-cut black tube top. The neckline was propped up tightly by her exceptional natural talents, looking as if it might burst at any moment.
Her legs were extremely well-proportioned, long, and upright. Not as soft and delicate as Mei's, nor as energetic as Kiana's, but combining the strengths of both—like fine snow jade, filled with a harmonious beauty of strength and gentleness.
Kiana drooled the moment she saw this look. Wiping her saliva, she said, "Mommy, is this person planning to fight or conduct a seduction? A-Li, you absolutely cannot fall for her tricks. Let this boundless suffering be borne by this young lady alone!"
What? She actually plans to make a move on me when we've only just met?!
Bianka's pupils quaked, then turned into boundless rage.
I understand now. A fellow driven by lust... You must be the one who led Little Li astray!
"Kiana Kaslana!"
She shouted angrily. "Get up here! You're first!"
The Unfilial-Sister-Charging-Tuna looked left and right, then pointed at herself:
"Huh?"
...
Over the Pacific Ocean, in the center of boundless heavenly light and endless azure, the gold and silver maidens stood facing each other, separated by a hundred meters.
Of the four who fought their way out of Nagazora, Bronya relied on Project Bunny's anti-gravity module, Fuli used Void Flash Step for a noble double-jump, and Mei levitated using the electromagnetic force generated by the Thunder Stigmata. All of these had traceable origins.
Only Kiana... after experiencing the Third Eruption, she just slapped her head and inexplicably knew how to fly.
Her agility and speed were quite impressive, not inferior at all to Bianka, who had suppressed her strength to the same level.
"Heheh! Feel honored, Durandal! You're the unfortunate soul who gets to be the first to witness the power of these twin guns!"
In mid-air, the girl smiled slyly. Her stubborn ahoge (cowlick) stood up, waving in the wind. Her slender, pale hands held the twin guns named Artemis' Guardian.
These weapons were given to her by Theresa a month ago. Engraved on them in tiny letters was: [May the moonlight protect you, Kiana. Love, Siegfried, Cecilia, and Theresa.]
The twin guns, kept by Theresa for sixteen full years, finally welcomed their new master.
Even if the girl wasn't their true owner, Theresa believed that even if Cecilia and Siegfried—who had left their blessings on the guns—were here to speak, they would readily agree to give Artemis' Guardian to the reborn K423.
As for the original party whose nest was occupied... she probably would have given her blessing too (lol).
Fuli, truly a man of heavy sins.
"Dragon Venerable MK3000 has great power, but its fire rate of one shot per second is a fatal flaw."
The sinful man walked to the edge of the deck where the view was clearer.
Leaning on the railing, he critiqued, "To perfectly adapt to the Kaslana Gun Kata, it really has to be the agile Artemis' Guardian."
Kaslana Gun Kata. A powerful technique inherited from the ancestors of the Kaslana clan, originating from Kevin Kaslana, the strongest Fusion Warrior of the Previous Era.
Analyzed through countless shooting experiments via Soulium computers and statistical principles, it integrates taijutsu, marksmanship, and swordsmanship into one. Ballistics and enemy positions in a gunfight can all be summarized by statistical models.
Through precise movement calculations, one launches attacks with maximum damage from the position of least harm to oneself. One can shoot into any blind spot, increasing bullet power by several or even dozens of times.
At the same time, it includes extremely strong close-quarters kicking, bludgeoning, and slashing techniques, existing simultaneously as offensive and defensive skills.
"Actually, there's always been a saying circulating within Schicksal."
Himeko crossed her arms and leaned against the base of an anti-aircraft gun. "The reason the Kaslana clan are all hot-blooded idiots is that the tedious calculations of the Gun Kata occupy the vast majority of their brain capacity."
On the moon, Prometheus and Dr. MEI exchanged glances.
Back when they were cultivating Adam Kaslana, MEI and Prometheus No. 1 (as the prototypes) indeed wrote the relevant parts of the Gun Kata into the Stigmata genes. That's also where the heaven-defying intuition of the Kaslana clan comes from.
Intuition, to put it plainly, is the result of the brain collecting environmental factors at super-speed under certain triggers, integrating all memory data (including subconscious material), and comprehensively analyzing it.
Because self-awareness cannot keep up with this process, it always feels like a sudden realization.
The Kaslana Intuition is essentially the result of the Gun Kata quickly collecting information and feeding it back to the user. However, this causes two-thirds of their computational power to be occupied by "Void Modeling," forcing their brains to operate at a low frequency in daily life to reduce the load.
Combined with the obsession of [Protection] also written into their genetic inheritance, the useful mass-produced anti-Honkai tool... cough, the clan of Superman-of-Justice protecting the people with their bodies, was born.
"The idiot Kiana hasn't mastered the art. Plus, she's mixed in quite a few original derivative moves like 'The Tits Are Perky Enough!'*."
Floating beside Fuli, Bronya half-closed her eyes and roasted her. "According to Bronya's calculations, her Gun Kata level is at most B-rank, and she mostly uses the melee aspects."
"Well..."
Theresa scratched her cheek. She knew about this.
After losing his biological daughter, Siegfried fell into decadence for a long time after rescuing K423, drowning his sorrows in alcohol in a small Nordic village.
It was K423's persistent effort and conviction that moved him, leading him to truly entrust the name [Kiana Kaslana] to her and teach the girl combat techniques from scratch.
Unfortunately, by then, there wasn't much time left before the Schicksal A-Rank Valkyrie Ragnell led a team to attack.
Thinking of this, Theresa couldn't help but glance at Fuli.
This child had been looked after by Ragnell for a while in Europe when he was young. If he ever found out that Ragnell died at the hands of the berserk K423... Sigh, it's fortunate that his memories related to Schicksal from the past have been blurred.
"Hey! That Bronya over there! You're secretly badmouthing this young lady again, aren't you!"
Kiana's delicate shout interrupted Theresa's contemplation. Fuli tucked his hands in his sleeves and responded for her, "My little sister is just telling the truth. You know how it is yourself."
"So, are you planning to use that?"
He asked with a smile.
"Of course!"
The girl pulled the trigger without hesitation. The muzzles of Artemis' Guardian erupted with light more dazzling than the sun. Countless special bullets transformed into flowing beams of light, raining down and surrounding the battle-ready Bianka from all directions!
Since she knew her own defects, she found a way to compensate!
As a public asset of the Hyperion, the Phantom Martial Peerless Catalog was used by the four people on the ship in turns.
Kiana won the lottery and was the first to draw a skill suitable for her.
Phantom Scythe. C-Rank Active Skill. Releases an invisible sensory field centered on oneself to master every tiny sound within. For an excellent marksman paired with the Scythe, every bullet is like it has a radar attached.
The combination of Gun Kata + Phantom Scythe undoubtedly raised the girl's strength by a level.
Himeko, however, was interested in something else.
She raised a long, fiery eyebrow. "A total of three hundred and sixty-eight rounds. Looking at the model... physical rounds?"
"I widened the internal storage space of the magazines a little."
Mei answered nonchalantly.
"The cost?"
Theresa was intrigued.
It was true that Honkai energy could condense into energy bullets with various functions, but that required the gunman to master the relevant conversion techniques proficiently.
Modern industry could mass-produce special bullets easily enough, but physical ammunition took up magazine space.
Where there is demand, there is a market, and corresponding expansion technology was quickly born.
However, just like how spatial rings in xianxia novels require precious materials like Sumeru Stone to create, wanting to intensively cultivate spatial expansion on a consumable item like a magazine—which requires quantity over quality—was not something ordinary people could afford.
"The cost here is lower than the existing market."
So Mei said, "But the output is limited."
Erosion Space Equipment Production Method. The girl developed it herself by referencing the ability of the Key of Corruption.
By triggering a fixed spacetime anomaly, space is continuously fixed at a single point for a certain period, achieving the effect of freely storing and retrieving items.
Theresa opened her mouth like a lion: "30% of market price. Can you do it? What's the max daily output?"
Profiteer!
Bronya gasped, making a negligible contribution to global warming.
Mei's expression remained calm. "50%. Max 300 a day. And the expansion capacity is at most forty times the original."
"Deal! Give this School Principal a month's supply first! I'll have someone send the materials immediately!"
Realizing she could make a profit just by reselling, Theresa agreed decisively.
Unable to hold back, she asked again, "Technology transfer? Allow franchising for shares?"
" Lord Principal, you joke."
"Fine."
Theresa said with immense regret, "I regret it. I should have used unscrupulous means to drag you all into St. Freya back then."
This was the reason for Mei agreeing to a bleeding concession and Theresa asking for an exorbitant price.
The current Hyperion was like a child hiding ten thousand tons of gold at home. Their paper strength was too weak, but their wealth was too thick.
A commoner is innocent, but treasuring a jade ring becomes a crime. If it were anyone other than Theresa, any other S-Rank would have rushed up to rob them long ago.
A frontal assault was indeed deterred by Genesis, but if I used sneak attacks and irregular harassment, how would you respond, sir?
Of course, if it weren't Theresa, Mei wouldn't have leaked these things either.
One must always be on guard against others.
"Don't poach people right in front of me, Lord Principal."
Watching Theresa, whose eyes were darting around as heaven knows what ghost ideas she was concocting, Fuli couldn't help but want to pat her little head.
She was almost fifty, so why did she still love acting cute every day? And she was simply cute enough to kill. Does physical age really affect mental age in reverse?
Speaking of which, she looks so much like Kiana when she was little...
Okay, aside from both having white hair, blue eyes, and being tiny, they weren't actually that alike.
However—
[Host, treating others as a meal replacement is very rude behavior.]
The elusive Prometheus poured cold water on him as usual. [Moreover, she is the noble future Overseer. How could she agree to the Host's unreasonable demands?]
[I don't think so.]
Dr. MEI was full of enthusiasm. [I suggest the Host take down Ms. Theresa as quickly as possible. Firmly grasp St. Freya and the Far East Branch in your hands, then use this as a foundation to annex other large and small factions, establishing a solid Anti-Honkai Alliance.]
[First of all, don't slander me. I didn't say I wanted to eat a meal replacement.]
Fuli twitched his lips. [And the way you say it, it's as if Theresa is easy to take down.]
Having lived in a place like Schicksal for nearly fifty years, if she were truly a naive sweetie, she would have been scammed into oblivion long ago.
[But the Host has the Partial Multi-Size Technique!]
Dr. MEI's expression was serious. [Expand five times and become hard as iron. Combined with the Host's own terrifying basic stats... let alone taking down a mere Theresa, after stacking buffs, you'd be almost as tall as her entire body.]
[...Prometheus.]
[I am here, Host.]
[Mute her for me! For three days! And after three days, another three days!]
[Received!]
Bronya-Prometheus saluted seriously, grabbed Dr. MEI—whose mouth was now taped shut and could only make "Mmm mmm mmm" noises—and threw her back to the moon.
...